Patent Application
20220120362
The disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for repairing a broken or cut pipe.
Pipes are used for a variety of different purposes in commercial and residential construction. For example, water, gas, electrical wires, heating and air conditioning and sewage are conducted through pipes. These pipes can be composed of varied materials such as plastics or metals.
A pipe used for utilities can be broken accidentally during construction, landscaping, or repair of nearby infrastructure. Current methods for repairing a broken pipe are laborious and can narrow the cross-section of the pipe. Narrowing the cross-section of the pipe can restrict the amount of material conducted by the pipe.
Sometimes a pipe is intentionally cut to access the contents inside of the pipe. Repairing a pipe in this situation is difficult, especially if there are wires running through the pipe and a repairer cannot cut the wires to finish the repair. Current methods for repairing a pipe with wires running through require many pieces and a lot of labor and are difficult to fit into tight spaces.
Lastly, a pipe may be cut to add one or more junctions to the pipe. Current methods require several pieces and lots of effort cutting and gluing different pieces of pipe together.
A pipe that is broken or intentionally cut can be difficult to repair when the pipe is in-situ. A pipe is in-situ if it is buried in the earth or installed within a building or other location where the pipe has already been incorporated into the infrastructure.
One particular problem of repairing an in-situ pipe is access. A pipe that needs to be repaired can be difficult to access if it is buried in the earth or located in a building where there is not enough clearance around the pipe to easily work on the pipe.
An additional complication is that the pipe may be in service at the time that it needs to be repaired. A pipe is in service if a substance is flowing or running through it. Pipes can be used to conduct liquids, gasses, wires or other substances. When the pipe is in service it may be difficult to interrupt the service to repair the pipe. If the pipe has active wires running through the pipe, the wires cannot be cut to repair the pipe. Pipes are used in commercial and residential applications.
Current methods for repairing a cut or broken pipe are laborious requiring multiple pieces that must be measured, cut and glued into place. A previous method for repairing a pipe involves wrapping the pipe with a leak proof material or a rubber gasket and then clamping that material onto the pipe. A second existing method is to install a new section of pipe with fittings on both ends to secure it to the pipe. The section of pipe must be cut to a precise length and fitted with appropriately sized fittings to securely repair the pipe.
Existing methods for repairing a broken or cut pipe do not always provide a water tight connection. A water tight connection is desirable because a pipe may be carrying potable water or sewage. If the water is potable having a leak may contaminate the water. A leak in a sewage pipe would contaminate the surrounding area. A water tight connection is desirable in many instances because water seeping into the pipe could damage the contents of the pipe, such as electrical wires.
The pipe repair system described herein is quick to install and provides a sealed connection between the two broken ends of the pipe. Two embodiments are described below. In the first embodiment end connectors are placed on the ends of the broken pipe and then a sleeve is slid over the top to seal the connection between the two pipe ends. In the second embodiment, two connector pieces that are each a half cylinder in shape are placed around the broken pipe and then a sleeve is slid over the two connector pieces securing the connection.
The pieces of the pipe repair system can be manufactured in any size so that they correspond to the size of the broken pipe. Repair pieces that correspond with standard pipe sizes are envisioned but repair pieces can also correspond to non-standard pipe sizes. The pieces of the pipe repair system can also be made from any suitable material for repairing a pipe, such as plastic or metal.
The end connectors 120 are connected to the broken or cut pipe 110 by an adhesive, cement or other bonding agent. The sleeve 130 is bonded to the end connectors 120 by an adhesive, cement or other bonding agent. The fully formed connection, once the end connectors 120 and the sleeve 130 have been bonded onto the broken pipe 110, provides a sealed connection that can withstand the pressure of water or gas or another substance flowing through the pipe 110. The repair can also withstand forces from outside the pipe that might try to penetrate the repaired portion of the pipe, such as groundwater.
One embodiment of the invention is to repair a pipe that is in the ground. According to this embodiment the broken pipe 110 is exposed below the ground. It may be necessary to cut the ends of the broken pipe 110 so that they are even before repairing the break. The sleeve 130 is slid over one side of the broken pipe 110. Then, the end connectors 120 are installed on each end of the broken pipe 110. This includes placing an adhesive on the broken pipe 110 ends and/or on the end connectors 120 before they are inserted into the broken pipe 110 ends. An adhesive or some other type of bonding agent is placed on the outside of the end connectors 120 and then the sleeve 130 is slid over the top of the end connectors 120 so that the centerline of the sleeve 130 aligns with the centerline of the break in the pipe 110. Thus, the end connectors 120 and the sleeve 130 create a secure connection between the two ends of the broken pipe 110.
According to one embodiment, the end connector 120 has an outer cylindrical surface 230 and an inner cylindrical surface 240. On the open side 210 of the end connector 120 that faces away from the pipe 110, the inner cylindrical surface 240 widens from the center towards the open side 210 resulting in a convex shape. The open side 210 of the end connector 120 that faces away from the pipe 110 is circular in shape and forms a narrow lip 250 thus guiding any substances flowing through the pipe 110 through the repaired section. On the pipe side 220 of the end connector 120 the inner surface of the end connector 120 is cylindrical and has a diameter slightly larger than the pipe 110 that the end connector 120 will be seated on. The pipe side 220 of the end connector 120 forms a circular end.
This design provides for a repair that does not narrow the cross section of the pipe 110. When the cross section of the repair is as wide as the broken pipe 110 then any substance flowing through the repaired pipe 110 is unimpeded. This helps to prevent clogs when the pipe 110 is in use. If the pipe 110 is being used to cover electrical wires, the broader cross section does not limit the number of wires that are passing through the pipe 110.
The sleeve 130 slides over the outside of the two end connectors 120. The position of the sleeve 130 on the outside of the end connectors 120 and the broken pipe 110 creates a larger diameter connection between the two ends of the in-situ pipe 110 and therefore does not limit the flow within the repaired pipe 110. The inside diameter of the sleeve 130 is only slightly larger than the outside diameter of the end connectors 120, thus providing a sealed connection once it has been glued on to the end connectors 120.
The sleeve 130 has an outer surface 320 and an inner surface 330. According to one embodiment, the sleeve is cylindrical in shape and the outer surface 320 is a cylinder with a larger diameter than the inner surface 330 which is also a cylinder.
The sleeve has a first end 410 and a second end 420. Each of these ends is circular in shape. The circular shape is best depicted in
Each connector piece 610 and 620, according to this embodiment, is a half cylinder in shape. Each connector piece 610 and 620 has a first end 650 and a second end 660. According to this embodiment, the first end 650 and the second end 660 are half circles in shape. The first end 650 and the second end 660 are half circles in shape to accommodate a circular pipe but can be shaped differently to adapt to a pipe of a different shape or for ease of manufacture.
Each connector piece 610 and 620 has an inner surface 690 and an outer surface 680. According to this embodiment, the inner surface 690 and the outer surface 680 extend from the first end 650 to the second end 660. The inner surface 690 corresponds to the shape of the pipe that the connector pieces 610 and 620 are installed around. In this embodiment the inner surface 690 is concave to accommodate a cylindrical pipe.
The connector pieces 610 and 620 are joined together around the broken pipe 110 on the long edge 670 of the half cylinder. The long edge 670 extends from the first end 650 to the second end 660. Each long edge 670 has a tab 630 extending out that engages with a tab 640 on the other connector piece 620, so that each connector piece 610 can click onto the other connector piece 620. The two connector pieces 610 and 620 joining together and clicking into place create a sealed connection around the broken pipe 110.
The two connector pieces 610 and 620 can be placed at any orientation around the pipe 110, above, below, left, right or at oblique angles to the centerline of the pipe 110. For the purposes of describing the two connector pieces a top half 610 and a bottom half 620 are referenced but as previously mentioned they can be placed at any orientation. Tabs 630 on either long edge 670 of the top connector piece 610 meet with tabs 640 on either long edge 670 of the bottom connector piece 620. The tabs 630 and 640 join together creating a firm connection between the top connector piece 610 and the bottom connector piece 620.
According to one embodiment a pipe 110 is cut to gain access to wires inside of the pipe 110. Repairs are made within the pipe 110 then the pipe 110 must be repaired in a manner that seals the pipe 110 closed but leaves the wires running through the pipe 110 intact. The embodiment described here creates an easy water tight seal for repairing the pipe 110. The two connector pieces 610 and 620 are snapped around the broken pipe 110 and sealed to each other and to the two broken pipe halves 110 by a glue or other bonding agent.
The t-shaped connector 1010 is a half cylinder in shape. It has tabs 1060 on the long edge where it mates with the connector piece 1020. A cutout 1040 is removed from the middle of the half cylinder of the t-shape connector 1010 to accommodate a branch piece 1050 that extends perpendicular from the half cylinder. The cutout 1040 and the branch piece 1050 can be circular in shape according to some embodiments. A new pipe 1030 that is added into the t-shaped connector 1010 is placed inside of the branch piece 1050. The branch piece 1050 has an inside diameter that is slightly larger than the outside diameter of the new pipe 1030.
The t-shaped connector 1010 allows a new pipe 1030 to be added to the existing pipe 110. The connectors 1010 and 1020 are added to an existing pipe 110 by cutting an opening in the existing pipe 110. The t-shape connector 1010 can point in any direction from the pipe 110 being repaired. The angle at which the new pipe 1030 extends can be any angle and the t-shaped connector 1010 can point in any direction to accommodate that angle. The t-shaped connector 1010 can take on more of a y-shape to accommodate the angle that the new pipe 1030 intersects the existing pipe 110. Additionally, the cross-sectional area of the new pipe 1030 can be any of a variety of sizes. The t-shaped connector 1010 can have different sized openings to accommodate the different sizes of new pipe 1030.
The t-shaped connector 1010 can be used with a connector piece 1020 or with a second t-shaped connector 1010. If two t-shaped connectors 1010 are used, then two new pipes 1030 can be added to the existing pipe 110.
The t-shaped connector 1010 and the connector piece 1020 are bonded to the existing pipe 110 and then the new pipe 1030 is bonded to the t-shaped connector 1010. Gluing the connections ensures a water tight seal between the existing pipe 1010, the t-shaped connector 1010, the connector piece 1020 and the new pipe 1030.
Glues and bonding agents for joining the various parts of the pipe repair system can include a PVC cement, an epoxy adhesive, or any other suitable material for joining pipe sections. Alternatively, if the pipes are metal the pieces of the pipe repair system can be welded onto the existing pipe and welded to each other.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, but that various modifications may be made without deviating from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.
