Patent Application
20160115668
1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments described generally relate to deployable drain covers and methods for using same. More particularly, embodiments described relate to deployable covers for storm or vent drains during flooding conditions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Combined sewer systems (“CSS”) use a single piping system to collect storm water runoff and sewage. During times of heavy rains and flooding, the sewage treatment capacity can be exceeded and the combined sewage overflow will go directly into receiving waters, such as a river, stream, lake, or ocean. Such discharge can cause serious water pollution problems.
In addition to water pollution problems, flooding can severely damage the sewage treatment plants and pumping stations. Most often below sea level, sewer pumps can remain waterlogged and incapacitated long after the floodwaters recede. Consequently, the sewer systems can remain full of water until other relief is provided, disabling a city's sewer system for days or weeks depending on the severity on the flooding, i.e., tidal waves, tsunami, typhoons, hurricanes, etc.
There is a need, therefore, for an improved system and methods for protecting underground sewage systems from flood waters.
So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
A deployable storm or vent drain cover system is provided. The system can be deployed in anticipation of flooding conditions, whether caused by heaving rains or natural disasters. The system is capable of forming a seal against existing storm drains to prevent or substantially retard water from passing through. The system is modular and can be easily assembled. The system can also be scaled up or down, depending on the size of the storm drain to be covered. The system is particularly useful for municipalities that have underground subways and pumping stations.
The drain cover system can include at least one cover plate having at least one hole formed therethrough. A top plate also having a hole formed therethrough can be disposed on an upper surface of the cover plate. A fastener having a gripping mechanism located on a lower portion thereof can be disposed through the holes of the top plate and the cover plate. A block can be used to hold the gripping mechanism to the fastener.
A top plate 120 can be disposed or otherwise located on an upper or top surface of the cover plate 100. The number of top plates 120 corresponds to the number of holes 110 formed in the cover plate 100. For each hole 110 formed in the cover plate 100, one top plate 120 can be used to cover the hole 110. The holes 110 in the cover plate 100 can be larger than the hole 125 in the top plate 120. For example, the holes 110 can be anywhere from two, five, ten times the diameter of the hole 125 in the top plate 120. For reasons discussed in more detail below, this size differential allows greater flexibility and eases the assembly of the cover system.
Referring again to
The top plate 120 can be substantially smaller in size than the cover plate 100 and serves as a stop or backing for the fastener 150. The top plate 120 can have a bottom or lower surface that is lined or made from a water resilient material, such as rubber, neoprene, or the like. So when assembled, the top plate 120 forms a seal around the hole 110 of the cover plate 100.
The drain cover system 400 can further include a gripping mechanism 410 that clamps or otherwise secures itself to the grating 400 of the storm/vent drain. The gripping mechanism 410 can be located on a lower portion of the fastener 150, and a block 420 can be used to hold or secure the gripping mechanism 410 to the fastener 150. The gripping mechanism 410 can be any suitable device capable of clamping onto or engaging the grating 400, which is typically supported against a concrete basin 405. The storm or vent drain grating 400 is typically made of rectangular or squared shaped, steel cross members so the gripping mechanism 410 is preferably a u-shaped bar with a hole through the middle, allowing the mechanism 410 to move freely about the fastener 150. The gripping mechanism 410 can be sized to engage or lock onto the adjoining cross members (bars) of the grate 400.
The block 420 can be threaded onto the fastener 150 to hold the gripping mechanism 410 on the fastener 150. The block 420 can be any type of threaded nut or suitable substitute. During assembly, the fastener 150 can be turned and tightened against the block 420 until the gripping mechanism 410 wedges between the bars of the grating 400. Once the gripping mechanism 410 is anchored against the grating, the cover system is locked in place.
Any number of the foregoing cover systems can be used to block a storm or vent drain. For example, two or more cover systems can be arranged side by side or end to end, depending on the size and shape of the drain. The cover plates 100 can have a length that ranges from a low about 1, 1.5, or 2 feet to a high of about 3, 4, or 6 feet or more. The width of the cover plates 100 can range from a low about 1, 1.5, or 2 feet to a high of about 2.5, 3, or 4 feet or more. Depending on the overall dimensions of the storm drain to be covered, any number of cover plates 100 can be used. To facilitate assembly, a splice plate 500 can be used between adjoining cover plates 100.
A gripping mechanism 410 is then placed on the fastener 150 and a block 420 is secured to the fastener 150, beneath the gripping mechanism 410. The fastener 150 is then tightened to draw the gripping mechanism 410 toward the cover plate 100 and against the grating 400 to secure the gripping mechanism 410 to the back side of the grating 400.
Once the gripping mechanism 410 is anchored against the grating 400, additional turns of the fastener 150 draws the top plate 120 toward the cover plate 100 thereby compressing the resilient lower surface of the top plate 120 against the cover plate 100. This same compressive force compresses the sealing members between the cover plate 100 and the splice plate 500, providing a water tight or substantially water tight seal therebetween.
Depending on how tight the fastener 150 becomes, a portion of the top plate 120 can deflect or draw into the hole 110 of the cover plate 100. As such, the top of the fastener 150 can be level with the top plate 120, if not recessed below it, eliminating any tripping hazards to pedestrians walking over the assembled drain cover assembly.
To remove and disassemble the cover system 400, each fastener 150 is loosened until the gripping member 410 releases the grating 405. The fastener 150 can then be manipulated to orient the gripping member 410 so the fastener 150, gripping member 410, and block 420 can be lifted between the cross members of the grating 405 and removed. Once the fastener 150 is removed, the top plate 120 comes off and the cover plates 100 and splice plates 500 can be retrieved and put away.
As grating is made to different specification and sizes and by different manufacturers, the spacing or distance between the cross members of the grating can vary. The larger holes 110 on the cover plate 100 facilitate alignment and assembly of the cover system by allowing the fastener 150 and top plate 120 to move or adjust, so that the fastener 150 can fit between the cross members of the grating. Otherwise, the top plates 100 and/or splice plates 500 would have to be lifted and moved to provide the proper alignment for the grating.
The cover plates 100 are preferably made from one or more fiber reinforced plastics, such as one or more fiberglass composites. Any suitable material, however, can be used to fabricate the plates 100, 120 and any other individual component (seal, plate, and mechanism) discussed herein. Such suitable materials include, but are not limited to, any one or more metals (such as aluminum, steel, stainless steel, brass, nickel), wood, other composite materials (such as ceramics, wood/polymer blends, cloth/polymer blends, etc.), and plastics (such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyurethane, polyethylethylketone (PEEK), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyamide resins (such as nylon 6 (N6), nylon 66 (N66)), polyester resins (such as polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene isophthalate (PEI), PET/PEI copolymer) polynitrile resins (such as polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polymethacrylonitrile, acrylonitrile-styrene copolymers (AS), methacrylonitrile-styrene copolymers, methacrylonitrile-styrene-butadiene copolymers; and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS)), polymethacrylate resins (such as polymethyl methacrylate and polyethylacrylate), cellulose resins (such as cellulose acetate and cellulose acetate butyrate); polyimide resins (such as aromatic polyimides), polycarbonates (PC), elastomers (such as ethylene-propylene rubber (EPR), ethylene propylene-diene monomer rubber (EPDM), styrenic block copolymers (SBC), polyisobutylene (PIB), butyl rubber, neoprene rubber, halobutyl rubber and the like)), and mixtures, blends, or copolymers of any and all of the foregoing materials.
Certain embodiments and features have been described using a set of numerical upper limits and a set of numerical lower limits. It should be appreciated that ranges from any lower limit to any upper limit are contemplated unless otherwise indicated. Certain lower limits, upper limits and ranges appear in one or more claims below. All numerical values are “about” or “approximately” the indicated value, and take into account experimental error and variations that would be expected by a person having ordinary skill in the art.
Various terms have been defined above. To the extent a term used in a claim is not defined above, it should be given the broadest definition persons in the pertinent art have given that term as reflected in at least one printed publication or issued patent. Furthermore, all patents, test procedures, and other documents cited in this application are fully incorporated by reference to the extent such disclosure is not inconsistent with this application and for all jurisdictions in which such incorporation is permitted.
While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62068479 | Oct 2014 | US |
