Oyster dredging apparatus
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention concerns dredges for bottom dwelling seafood such as oysters. More particularly, it relates to a dredge which automatically and efficiently empties the oysters onto a boat, and then propels the dredge basket back into the water. 
     2. General Discussion of the Background 
     The background of the invention is more fully set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,608,217 which patent is fully incorporated by reference. 
     It is commonly known that bottom dwelling seafood such as oysters can be harvested by using a dredge which is dragged along the bottom of a body of water. The dredge fills with oysters, and must then be hoisted up into a boat where it is usually manually emptied and thrown back into the water. Manual upending and emptying of the basket, and manual launching of the empty oyster dredge, has proven time consuming and inefficient. Since oyster dredges are often quite heavy, the prior art approach has usually required several persons. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,608,217 disclosed an oyster dredge which could be automatically upended and emptied as it was dragged over the side of a boat. This prior art device proved, however, to be unworkable since it was structurally quite heavy. The weight of the device caused it to dig into soft surface formations on the bottom of the body of water. Another drawback with this device was that it was pivoted to an upended condition at a substantial speed, thereby often throwing oysters all over the deck of the boat. Yet another drawback with this prior art device was its inability to be effectively propelled a distance back into the water for additional dredging. 
     It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide an oyster dredge which can be automatically upended and emptied. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide such a dredge that is light enough that it will not dig into the surface of soft formations along which it is being dragged. 
     Yet another object of the invention is to provide a dredge having means for slowing movement of the dredge frame as it is being pivoted to an upended position. 
     Still another object of the invention is to provide such a dredge which can easily be propelled a suitable distance out into the water from the edge of the boat. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The aforementioned objects are achieved by providing an apparatus comprised of a frame attached to a chain. A collecting basket is carried by the frame and has an opening through which oysters are collected. A plurality of scooping teeth are provided at the bottom edge of the opening for directing bottom dwelling oysters into the basket. A pair of pivot arms are rigidly fixed to the basket and pivotally fixed to the frame, one on each side of the basket. 
     A pair of upright standards are mounted adjacent the edge of a boat, and each standard is provided with an arm-receiving groove. Each groove is configured to receive one of the pivot arms and pivot the frame upwardly about an axis through the arms to empty the contents of the basket through the opening under the influence of gravity. The frame abuts a spring loaded member as it pivots to slow the pivoting movement of the frame and store potential energy for propelling the frame a distance back into the water after emptying of the basket has been completed. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A better understanding of the invention can be had by reference to the following drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the frame and collecting basket of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary side view of the collecting basket shown in FIG. 1, the expandable nature of the collecting basket being shown by phantom lines. 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of one of the upright standards, the standard being provided with a groove configured to pivot the basket, a pair of perpendicular rollers also being shown for guiding the basket and reducing frictional resistance to its movement between the standards. 
     FIG. 4 is a front, fragmentary view of the upright standard shown in FIG. 3. 
     FIG. 5 is an end view of a boat on which a pair of dredging apparatuses are mounted, the spring loaded members being positioned one above the other. 
     FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing, however, a pair of spring loaded members mounted in back to back relationship. 
     FIG. 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross-sectional view of a spring loaded member. 
     FIG. 8 is a side view of a pair of standards mounted adjacent the edge of a boat, each of the standards having an adjacent upright roller, a horizontal roller being carried between the standards. 
     FIG. 9 is an alternate embodiment of the frame abutting portion of the spring loaded member shown in FIG. 7, an open end of the spring loaded member being provided with a plurality of bearing rollers over which the chain rides. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The following detailed description of the preferred embodiment is being made in accordance with requirements of law which require that the inventor disclose the best mode of making and using the invention. This detailed description is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, which is more appropriately construed in accordance with the appended claims. 
     An apparatus 10 for dredging bottom dwelling seafood such as oysters is seen to be comprised of a generally V-shaped main frame 12 having a pair of diverging members 14, 16 which are joined at the apex 18 of the V. Each member 14, 16 is generally comprised of metal, such as steel or aluminum. A chain attachment means 20 is provided adjacent apex 18, and is in the nature of a small metal loop. 
     A collecting basket 22 is carried between diverging members 14, 16. Basket 22 is mounted on a pair of parallel rods 24, 26 which, as can be seen in FIG. 1, are rigidly attached to frame 12, and is comprised of a foraminous rigid bottom 28, which is made of metal &#34;s&#34; hooks and metal rings and has a leading edge wrapped around rod 26. A basket frame member 41 pivots around pivot point 43 so that the basket 22 rotates relative to frame 12. Basket 22 is further comprised of a foraminous, expandable top 30 which is made of a net material that expands when stretched. As illustrated in FIG. 2, top 30 expands from an unstretched condition shown in solid lines to a stretched condition shown in phantom. The top 30 and bottom 28 of basket 22 are joined along a common edge along rod 32 which extends between members 14, 16 and parallel to rods 24, 26. Basket 22 defines an opening between rods 24, 26 through which oysters are collected. A plurality of rigid, rod-like scooping teeth 34 are disposed in parallel relationship along the leading edge of bottom 28 of basket 22. Teeth 34 depend downwardly at an angle from rod 26, and scrape along the bottom of a body of water when oyster dredging is taking place. 
     A first arm 36 and a second arm 38 are rigidly fixed to basket 22, the first arm 36 being carried on a first side of basket 22 and second arm 38 being carried on a second side of basket 22. Arms 36, 38 are substantially parallel to one another, each arm being provided with an outwardly extending protrusion. As shown in greater detail in FIG. 4, each protrusion is comprised of a first, larger diameter cylinder 42, frustoconical portion 45, and a concentric, small diameter cylinder 44. 
     Arms 36, 38 are rigid extensions from basket frame member 41, and both the arms and member 41 pivot together about pivot point 43. 
     First and second upright standards 46, 48 are mounted in parallel relationship adjacent the edge 50 of a deck 52 of boat 54. The inside face of each standard 46, 48 contains an arm receiving groove 56, which is shown in detail in FIG. 3. Groove 56 is carried by a rectangular plate 58 which is held in spaced, parallel relationship to each standard by three spacing rods 60, 62, 64. Each groove 56 is configured to receive protrusion 40 therewithin so that frame 41 pivots upwardly about an axis through protrusions 40 on the arms 36, 38 and empties the contents of the basket 22 through the opening under the influence of gravity. 
     The particular shape of the grooves 56 that allows this to happen is now described in detail. Each plate 58 is comprised of a substantially vertical upper edge 66. Top and bottom spaced, parallel edges 68, 70 slope downwardly from their points of origination 72, 74. A reverse edge 76 slopes downwardly from top edge 68 and toward upper edge 66, the reverse edge 76 terminating in a rounded knob 78. An enlarged area 80 is formed on the opposite side of knob 78 from edge 66, the area 80 having an arcuate upper portion 82 at a distance from the reverse edge 76 which is greater than but substantially equal to the diameter of the protrusion which is received within the groove 56, and upwardly sloping bottom edge 84 which meet to form a substantially angular intersection 86. 
     A winch 88 (FIGS. 5 and 6) is comprised of a selectively rotatable cylinder 90 which is rotatably driven by a motor (not shown), the cylinder 90 being mounted on deck 52 of boat 54 inboard of standards 46, 48. The rotational axis of cylinder 90 points between standards 46, 48. A first pulley 92 and a second pulley 94 are provided at a level above winch 88, the pulleys 92, 94 each having a rotational axis perpendicular to the rotational axis of cylinder 90. First pulley 92 is positioned adjacent the back end of a spring loaded member described below, while second pulley 94 is positioned directly above cylinder 90, at a level slightly below the level of pulley 92. 
     A chain 96 (see FIG. 1) is connected at a first end to attachment means 20 of frame 12, while a second end of chain 96 is secured to the cylinder 90 of winch 88. Chain 96 travels from loop 20 through spring loaded member 98, the chain then being wrapped over and around first pulley 92 (FIG. 5) to reverse its direction and direct the chain towards cylinder 90. Chain 96 is then wrapped around second pulley 94 to direct it downwardly towards cylinder 90. 
     Spring loaded member 98 is disposed around a portion of the chain 96 which is between the loop 20 and winch 88. As best seen in FIG. 7, member 98 is comprised of first and second hollow elements 100, 102, the second element 102 being received in sliding, reciprocal relationship within the first element. First element 100 contains a spring 104 biasing the second element 102 away from the first element 100. Second element 102 has an annular, spring seating end 106 which rests on the top of spring 104, second element 102 further having a frame stopping end 108 which is comprised of an annular sleeve having a parabolic inner surface 110. Chain 96 passes through spring loaded member 98 by entering through open annular frame stopping end 108 of second element 102 and exiting through an annular open end 112 of first element 100. 
     An upright roller 114 is provided adjacent standard 46 while a second upright roller 116 is provided adjacent upright standard 48. A horizontal roller 118 (see especially FIG. 8) is carried rotatably between upright standards 46, 48 inboard of the upright rollers, the upright rotatable rollers 114, 116 and horizontal roller 118 cooperatively forming a frame passing area through which the frame 12 passes as it is pulled up the side 120 of the boat 54 and in between standards 46, 48. The rollers help guide the frame and reduce frictional resistance to its movement. 
     In an alternate embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the frame stopping end 108a of spring loaded member 98a is provided with a plurality of rollers 122, 124, 126, 128 rotatably mounted at right angles to one another to form a chain receiving opening 130. The rollers 122-128 function as bearing surfaces over which the chain moves as it is being pulled through the spring loaded member 98. 
     In operation, apparatus 10 is dragged along the bottom of a body of water so that teeth 34 scoop oysters into basket 22. As basket 22 fills with oysters, top 30 thereof expands to accommodate the catch. Once basket 22 is full, winch 88 is activated to rotate cylinder 90 in a direction that winds chain 96 onto cylinder 90. As chain 96 is wound in, apparatus 10 is pulled closer to boat 54. When apparatus 10 reaches a position below side 120 of the boat, apparatus 10 is pulled upwardly along side 120 over horizontal roller 118 and between upright rollers 114, 116. 
     As frame 12 enters FIG. 3 from the right, it passes through upright rollers 114, 116 and on top of horizontal roller 118, with the bottom of frame 12 riding over roller 118. Cylinder 44 of protrusion 40 enters groove 56 as it passes past edge 76 and begins to slide down it. As it begins to slide down it, basket 22 begins to rotate upward about pivot point 43 to upend basket 22. This pivoting action is caused by the seating of cylinder 44 against edge 76 while frame 12 continues to be pulled by the force exerted by chain 96. Basket 22 accordingly pivots from the position shown in solid lines on the left hand side of FIG. 5, to the position shown in phantom in FIG. 5. In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a table 132 is provided onto which the oysters can be expelled from basket 22. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, no table is provided and the oysters can merely be emptied onto the floor 52 of boat 54. 
     In order to cushion the translational motion of frame 12 and rotational movement of basket 22 as it is emptying the oysters from the basket, spring loaded member 98 is positioned adjacent standards 46, 48 so that apex 18 of V-shaped frame 12 abutts against frame stopping end 108 of spring loaded member 98 as the basket frame member 41 begins to pivot. As the chain continues to pull apex 18 towards end 108, spring 104 is depressed, thereby gradually slowing the translational and rotational movement of the frame and basket. The result is that the oysters contained in the basket are controllably deposited into the receiving area, such as table 132, without throwing them all over the deck 52 of boat 54. 
     Once the oysters have been emptied from basket 22, a clutch is released on winch 88 so that cylinder 90 is free to rotate in a reverse direction. The stored potential energy in spring 104 is then converted to kinetic energy as frame 12 is propelled outwardly over the edge 50 of boat 54 to a desirable distance into water 134.