This document discusses various innovations related to the sea, including patents for improving safety at sea, fishing and aquaculture, coastal protection, and ship building. It describes patents for a reversible life raft, a device to insulate work clothes in water, aquaculture nets with anisotropic bottoms to prevent sagging, and algae cultivation using floating containers and support structures. The document also mentions innovations in coastal flood defenses, geotextiles for terraforming and protection, solar and wind power for ships, and encourages developing patents for innovations related to the sea.

1. Patents
Inventions around the seven seas
Sander De Vrieze
Octrooicel Centexbel

2. The sea has always been a source of
human fantasies and innovations

3. Patents – around the seven seas
Patents Safety at sea
Fishing and aquaculture
Protection of the coasts
Ship building
How about your developments?

4. Patents – around the seven seas
Patents Safety at sea
Fishing and aquaculture
Protection of the coasts
Ship building
How about your developments?

5. Safety at sea

6. Reversible life raft system
US8382541
Winslow Marine (US)
Specific construction
Only one side can open

7. Insulating safety device for waterproof
work clothes
EP2433512
Save Dummy (ES)
Expands the surviving time of a
worker who fell in the water
Seals all possible openings in
the clothing with a salt reaction

8. Patents – around the seven seas
Patents Safety at sea
Fishing and aquaculture
Protection of the coasts
Ship building
How about your developments?

9. It is possible to
cultivate fish on the open sea

10. Aquaculture-net
with anisotropic bottom mesh
WO2013053603 - Bekaert nv - Ichalam SA (Chili)
Typical size of fish cultivator: 30x30x15 or 50X15 m
Bottom mesh can weigh >1000 kg
Problem that arises: the bottom mesh sags

11. Aquaculture-net
with anisotropic bottom mesh
Solution for the sagging – problem:
Increase the dimensional stability by using a ‘woven’ mesh of
metal wires and make the bottom anisotropic

12. A second application of Bekaert solves
the problem for the sides of the cultivator
WO2013053605 - Bekaert nv - Ichalam SA (Chili)
Combining the advantages of horizontal and vertical
elements in the sides
-> less volume problems and fractures

13. Algae – biomass of the future
Cultivatable at sea
1 kilo algae: 0.4 € as oil
300 € as spec. nutrient
On land: + controlable
- high investments
At sea: big surfaces
First trials are done with coated
textiles – algae bags

14. Algae cultuvation in watercontainers
in the open sea
EP2129213
Floating container, made with
textile elements
Feed lines and harvesting
lines are foreseen

15. Support medium for the growth of
macroalgae in the open sea
EP2375884
Seaweed Energy Solutions
Floating support structure
Open structure to have a flow
of water feeding the algae

16. Patents – around the seven seas
Patents Safety at sea
Fishing and aquaculture
Protection of the coasts
Ship building
How about your developments?

17. The Dutch flood defense:
“unbreachable” dikes for 2015
3500 kilometers of flood defense
200 kilometers are in need of repairs
No conventional topping of the
dikes, but broaden the dikes
700 million euro/year

18. Geotextiles for
terraforming and coastal protection

19. Coastal protection exists already for
years, eg chain of sand bags
US3696623 (1972)
Farbwerke Höchst
Mat with internal
combination of
sand bags and
normal fabric
Coastal protection

20. Patents – around the seven seas
Patents Safety at sea
Fishing and aquaculture
Protection of the coasts
Ship building
How about your developments?

21. Textiles sail the seven seas
already for many years

22. The sustainable shipping award 2011
show the need for textiles in the future

23. Instead of windsails now, the sun can
also be the driving force
Solarsailor in Australia
‘Wings’ of solar panels
On commercial ships or
private ships
Patent on ‘unmanned’ ships

24. Ship building of the future can go to
all (wind) directions
Now: on concrete platforms
Hywind: floating windmills
Deep sea possible
Other materials necessary in
the future

25. Patents – around the seven seas
Patents Safety at sea
Fishing and aquaculture
Protection of the coasts
Ship building
How about your developments?

26. In Belgium, tax is deduced with 80% of
the income of patented products
Don’t forget to take a (Belgian)
patent on your innovative
developments!
Around 100 companies use this
specific law now
Average tax deduction: 100.000 €

27. Patents – around the seven seas
Patents Safety at sea
Fishing and aquaculture
Protection of the coasts
Ship building
How about your developments?

28. Sea – source of inspiration!
Contact: svr@centexbel.be