Shark barrier

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9963209-B2
Application number	US-201314647646-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 27, 2013
Priority date	Nov 27, 2012
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

A shark barrier includes a plurality of resiliently flexible, elongate members that extend in a generally upright condition between a sea floor and a sea surface. The elongate members are arranged so as to have the appearance of a thicket, preferably a kelp forest, when viewed from within the water and include magnets to assist in deterring certain shark species. The elongate members may be secured to the sea floor by an anchoring base and are held in the generally upright condition by a buoy or buoyant material held within the elongate members.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A shark barrier comprising a plurality of resiliently flexible, elongate members extending in a generally upright condition between a sea floor and a sea surface, wherein the elongate members are arranged so as to have the appearance of a thicket when viewed from below the sea surface, wherein at least some of the elongate members have one or more magnets associated therewith, and wherein the resiliently flexible, elongate members are arranged in a plurality of parallel rows, wherein each row includes at least three flexible, elongate members, and the plurality of parallel rows are staggered with respect to each other.

2. The shark barrier as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the elongate members are arranged to resemble a kelp forest.

3. The shark barrier as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the elongate members are secured to the sea floor by at least one anchoring base.

4. The shark barrier as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the elongate members is secured to an anchoring base.

5. The shark barrier as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the elongate members are secured to a buoy.

6. The shark barrier as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each elongate member is secured to a buoy at or near its upper end.

7. The shark barrier as claimed in claim 4 , wherein each elongate member is secured to a buoy at or near its upper end.

8. The shark barrier as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least some of the elongate members are articulated along their length.

9. The shark barrier as claimed in claim 4 , wherein at least some of the elongate members are articulated along their length.

10. The shark barrier as claimed in claim 6 , wherein at least some of the elongate members are articulated along their length.

11. The shark barrier as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least some of the elongate members are provided by tubes made of a plastics material.

12. The shark barrier as claimed in claim 10 , wherein at least some of the elongate members are provided by tubes made of a plastics material.

13. The shark barrier as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the tubes are at least partially filled with a buoyant material.

14. The shark barrier as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the tubes are at least partially filled with a buoyant material.

15. The shark barrier as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the magnets are provided within the plastic tubes.

16. The shark barrier as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the magnets are provided within the plastic tubes.

17. The shark barrier as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least some of the elongate members are made of a foamed plastics material.

18. The shark barrier as claimed in claim 17 in which the foamed plastics material is a high density foam.

19. The shark barrier as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the one or more magnets are Barium-Ferrite magnets.

20. The shark barrier as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the one or more magnets are Barium-Ferrite magnets.

Assignees

• Univ Stellenbosch

Inventors

• O'Connell Craig Patrick
• Rutzen Michael
• Andreotti Sara
• Matthee Conrad

Classifications

• Y02A40/83

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• A01K61/70

  Artificial fishing banks or reefs · CPC title

• B63C9/05 Primary

  Shark screens, e.g. buoyant means combined with means to surround or otherwise enclose the user (B63C9/06 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E02B3/043

  Artificial seaweed · CPC title

• A01K79/02

  by electrocution · CPC title