Patent Grant
10385552
This disclosure relates to fluid distribution systems. More specifically, this disclosure relates to equipment pit assemblies for purposes such as flushing or metering water distribution systems and piping infrastructures.
Pit assemblies may be used to facilitate access to water distribution systems and piping infrastructures, such as for underground water distribution systems and piping infrastructures. The pit assembly can house and protect equipment connected to a piping infrastructure while allowing access to the equipment for maintenance and the removal or installation of equipment. One example of such equipment can be a flushing device which may be used to periodically flush water from a piping infrastructure or water distribution system for reasons including but not limited to preventing stagnation, water age management, freezing prevention, or removal of contaminants.
Disclosed is a pit assembly comprising a pit liner defining an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defining an interior of the pit liner, the inner surface and the outer surface further defining a pit opening proximate to an upper portion of the pit liner; a pit connector positioned in the interior of the pit liner; a removable cartridge positionable within the interior of the pit liner, the removable cartridge comprising a chassis, a cartridge connector mounted to the chassis and configured to operatively couple in fluid communication to the pit connector, and a piping system in fluid communication with the cartridge connector and mounted to the chassis; and a locking mechanism selectively movable about and between a locked position and an unlocked position, wherein the locked position of the locking mechanism is configured to securely couple the pit connector to the cartridge connector, and wherein the unlocked position of the locking mechanism is configured to release the pit connector from the cartridge connector.
Also disclosed is a removable cartridge configured for installation in a pit comprising a pit inlet connector and a pit outlet connector comprising a chassis; a cartridge inlet connector configured to operatively couple in fluid communication to the pit inlet connector; a cartridge outlet connector configured to operatively couple in fluid communication to the pit outlet connector; an inlet locking mechanism mounted to the cartridge inlet connector and selectively movable about and between a locked position and an unlocked position, the locked position configured to securely couple the cartridge inlet connector to the pit inlet connector, the unlocked position configured to release the cartridge inlet connector from the pit inlet connector; an outlet locking mechanism mounted to the cartridge outlet connector and selectively movable about and between a locked position and an unlocked position, the locked position configured to securely couple the cartridge outlet connector to the pit outlet connector, the unlocked position configured to release the cartridge outlet connector from the pit outlet connector; and a piping system in fluid communication with the cartridge inlet connector and the cartridge outlet connector and mounted to the chassis.
Also disclosed is a method for connecting a piping system in fluid communication to a piping infrastructure, the method comprising inserting a removable cartridge into a pit liner, the pit liner comprising a pit connector positioned in a pit interior defined by an inner surface of the pit liner, the pit connector being in fluid communication with the piping infrastructure, the removable cartridge comprising the piping system, a chassis, and a cartridge connector in fluid communication with the piping system, the piping system and the cartridge connector mounted on the chassis; operably coupling the cartridge connector to the pit connector to place the piping system into fluid communication with the piping infrastructure; and engaging a locking mechanism to secure the pit connector to the cartridge connector.
Also disclosed is a pit assembly comprising a pit liner defining an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defining an interior of the pit liner, the inner surface and the outer surface further defining a pit opening proximate to an upper portion of the pit liner; a pit piping element positioned in the interior of the pit liner; a removable cartridge positionable within the interior of the pit liner, the removable cartridge comprising a chassis and a piping system in fluid communication mounted to the chassis, the piping system comprising an inlet; and a means for operably coupling and locking the pit piping element to the inlet of the piping system of the removable cartridge in fluid communication.
Various implementations described in the present disclosure may include additional systems, methods, features, and advantages, which may not necessarily be expressly disclosed herein but will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. It is intended that all such systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within the present disclosure and protected by the accompanying claims.
The features and components of the following figures are illustrated to emphasize the general principles of the present disclosure. Corresponding features and components throughout the figures may be designated by matching reference characters for the sake of consistency and clarity.
The present disclosure can be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description, examples, drawings, and claims, and the previous and following description. However, before the present devices, systems, and/or methods are disclosed and described, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific devices, systems, and/or methods disclosed unless otherwise specified, and, as such, can, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only and is not intended to be limiting.
The following description is provided as an enabling teaching of the present devices, systems, and/or methods in their best, currently known embodiments. To this end, those skilled in the relevant art will recognize and appreciate that many changes can be made to the various aspects described herein, while still obtaining the beneficial results of the present disclosure. It will also be apparent that some of the desired benefits of the present disclosure can be obtained by selecting some of the features of the present disclosure without utilizing other features. Accordingly, those who work in the art will recognize that many modifications and adaptations to the present disclosure are possible and can even be desirable in certain circumstances and are a part of the present disclosure. Thus, the following description is provided as illustrative of the principles of the present disclosure and not in limitation thereof.
As used throughout, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “an element” can comprise two or more such elements unless the context indicates otherwise.
Ranges can be expressed herein as from “about” one particular value, and/or to “about” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another aspect includes from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another aspect. It will be further understood that the endpoints of each of the ranges are significant both in relation to the other endpoint, and independently of the other endpoint.
For purposes of the current disclosure, a material property or dimension measuring about X or substantially X on a particular measurement scale measures within a range between X plus an industry-standard upper tolerance for the specified measurement and X minus an industry-standard lower tolerance for the specified measurement. Because tolerances can vary between different materials, processes and between different models, the tolerance for a particular measurement of a particular component can fall within a range of tolerances.
As used herein, the terms “optional” or “optionally” mean that the subsequently described event or circumstance can or cannot occur, and that the description includes instances where said event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does not.
The word “or” as used herein means any one member of a particular list and also includes any combination of members of that list. Further, one should note that conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “can,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain aspects include, while other aspects do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more particular aspects or that one or more particular aspects necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or Steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.
Disclosed are components that can be used to perform the disclosed methods and systems. These and other components are disclosed herein, and it is understood that when combinations, subsets, interactions, groups, etc. of these components are disclosed that while specific reference of each various individual and collective combinations and permutation of these may not be explicitly disclosed, each is specifically contemplated and described herein, for all methods and systems. This applies to all aspects of this application including, but not limited to, steps in disclosed methods. Thus, if there are a variety of additional steps that can be performed it is understood that each of these additional steps can be performed with any specific embodiment or combination of embodiments of the disclosed methods.
Disclosed is a pit assembly comprising a removable cartridge and associated methods, systems, devices, and various apparatus. The pit assembly comprises a pit liner connectable to a piping infrastructure and a removable cartridge comprising a piping system connectable in fluid communication with the piping infrastructure. It would be understood by one of skill in the art that the pit assembly and removable cartridge are described in but a few exemplary embodiments among many. No particular terminology or description should be considered limiting on the disclosure or the scope of any claims issuing therefrom.
One aspect of a pit assembly 100 comprising a removable cartridge 140 is shown in
The pit liner 120 defines an inner surface 127 and an outer surface 128 which together define a pit interior 125, a pit opening 122, and a pit bottom 126. The pit liner 120 can be cylindrical in shape, but in some aspects, the pit liner can comprise a different shape, such as a square or rectangular cross-sectional shape. The pit liner 120 defines a center axis that can be substantially parallel to a vertical direction. The pit opening 122 defines a plane that can be substantially parallel to a horizontal plane and normal to the vertical center axis of the pit liner 120. A removable lid 121 sits atop the pit liner 120 and seals the pit opening 122. In some aspects, the lid 121 can be lockable to prevent tampering or theft of the removable cartridge 140. The pit liner 120 can be installed in the earth below-grade with the pit opening 122 and the lid 121 approximately flush with the surface grade. In some aspects, the pit liner 120 and removable cartridge 140 can be installed above-ground or only partially buried. In various aspects, the pit bottom 126 can be open to the ground, sealed off from the ground, or semi-permeable such that liquids can drain from the pit liner but solids such as dirt cannot enter the pit liner 120 through the pit bottom.
The pit inlet connector 102A can be positioned within the pit interior 125 such that the distribution side 107 of the piping infrastructure 106 penetrates the pit liner 120 through an inlet conduit 123 defined between the inner surface 127 and the outer surface 128 of the pit liner 120. The pit outlet connector 102B can be positioned within the pit interior 125 such that the discharge side 108 of the piping infrastructure 106 penetrates the pit liner 120 through an outlet conduit 124 defined between the inner surface 127 and the outer surface 128 of the pit liner 120.
As shown in
The removable cartridge 140 of
The upper platform 151 can define a plurality of upper support notches 154A-B (shown in
In some aspects, the vertical support members 159 can extend downwards below the lower platform and define feet 160 A-F (foot 160B shown in
The piping system 170 of the removable cartridge 140 of
In the aspect shown in
In one aspect, as shown in
In the installed position, the removable cartridge 140 is positioned within the pit interior 125 with the pit inlet connector 102A inserted into the cartridge inlet connector 142A and the pit outlet connector 102B inserted into the cartridge outlet connector 142B, thereby operably coupling the respective pit connector and cartridge connector together in fluid communication. The inlet locking mechanism 144A and the outlet locking mechanism 144B are both in the locked positions which secures the respective pit connectors 102 to the respective cartridge connectors 142 so that the pit connectors 102 and cartridge connectors 142 cannot be uncoupled without unlocking the respective locking mechanisms 144.
In some aspects, the pit assembly 100 comprising the removable cartridge 140 and the pit liner 120 can provide a method for connecting the piping system 170 in fluid communication to the piping infrastructure 106. Prior to inserting or removing the removable cartridge 140, it can be desirable to depressurize or isolate the piping infrastructure 106 from the pit connector 102 by closing a valve such as a curb stop 110. The removable cartridge 140 can be inserted into the pit liner 120, thereby positioning the piping system 170 within the pit liner 120. The insertion of the removable cartridge 140 into the pit liner 120 can be aided by the feet angles 460 of the feet 160A,B,E,F. The alignment of the removable cartridge 140 with the pit liner 120 can be aided by the guide angles 560 of the feet 160C,D and the alignment notch 555 engaging the rounded upper end 621 of the guide rail 620. The cartridge connector 142 of the piping system 170 can then be operably coupled to the pit connector 102 in fluid communication with the piping infrastructure 106. In some aspects, the cartridge connector 142 can be operably coupled to the pit connector 102 by stabbing the pit connector 102 into the cartridge connector 142 as the removable cartridge 140 is inserted into the pit liner 120. Once the cartridge connector 142 is operably coupled to the pit connector 102, the locking mechanism 144 can be engaged to secure the pit connector 102 to the cartridge connector 142. In some aspects, the locking mechanism 144 can be engaged by pulling upwards on the handle assembly 149 of the locking mechanism actuator 146. Pulling upwards on the handle assembly 149 can rotate the camming levers 145 so that the rounded lobes 745 of the camming levers 145 can engage the groove 702 of the pit connector 102. The locking mechanism 144 can also be disengaged which allows the cartridge connector 142 to be uncoupled from the pit connector 102, and the removable cartridge 140 can be removed from the pit liner 120 in order to disconnect the piping system 170 from the piping infrastructure 106. In some aspects, it can be desirable to close a curb stop 110 on the distribution side 107, discharge side 108, or both prior to unlocking the inlet and outlet locking mechanisms 144 to isolate the removable cartridge 140 from pressure and prevent the uncontrolled discharge of fluid upon removing the removable cartridge 140. In some aspects, the pit assembly 100 can comprise a safety interlock that prevents the removal of the removable cartridge 140 prior to closing the curb stop 110 or equivalent shutoff valve.
The pit assembly 100 comprising a removable cartridge 140 and a pit liner 120 can fill many desirable roles. In some aspects, the removable cartridge 140 can be configured as a flushing device which can be used to prevent stagnation in a fluid system, eliminate contaminants in a system, to prevent freezing in a system, or other purposes. In various aspects, the removable cartridge 140 could be configured for purposes such as managing the pressure of a piping infrastructure 106 by installing equipment including but not limited to a pump, compressor, pressure safety valve, regulator, choke, or pressure-control valve. In various aspects, the removable cartridge 140 can be configured for purposes including but not limited to metering a fluid flow, sampling the fluid flow, injecting chemicals such as biocides or corrosion inhibitors, filtering of the fluid, or monitoring with instrumentation such as pH, pressure, or temperature sensors.
The ability to easily install and remove the removable cartridge 140 can also be desirable for the installation of maintenance-intensive equipment, temporary applications, seasonal applications such as equipment that may need to be removed for winterization, or locations with changing functional requirements where modularity can be beneficial. In some aspects, the pit assembly 100 comprises only a single inlet or outlet for applications such as an injection site or discharge site, for instance a filling location. In some aspects, the pit assembly 100 can comprise multiple inlets. In some aspects, the pit assembly 100 can comprise multiple outlets. Such aspects can be desirable for purposes in which the removable cartridge 140 can be configured for blending fluid streams, separation of fluids from a single stream, or as a manifold for routing fluids through multiple piping infrastructures 106 connected to the pit liner 120. In some aspects, the pit assembly 100 could comprise multiple removable cartridges 140 simultaneously installable into a single pit liner 120. The multiple removable cartridges 140 can serve redundant purposes such as to enhance reliability and availability in multiple parallel flow paths or varied purposes such as to function as different modules sequenced in series in a single flow path.
Aspects of the disclosed pit assembly 100 can also be a desirable option for retrofitting piping infrastructures 106 with updated or new equipment for purposes including but not limited to regulatory compliance, upgrading aging or outdated equipment, or to accommodate industrial, commercial, or residential development. Aspects of the pit assembly 100 can also provide an option for updating piping infrastructures 106, especially below-grade piping infrastructures, with wireless “smart” equipment which can require surface access for uninterrupted communication signals. In such aspects, equipment can be installed below-grade while an antenna or similar device can be located proximate the lid 121 or pit opening 122.
In some aspects, the pit and cartridge connectors 102, 142 can be quick-disconnect couplings which can comprise locking mechanisms 144 including but not limited to sliding-sleeves such as ball-locks and pin-locks, twist-sleeves, twist-lock claws, split-ring locks, or bayonet lugs and grooves. In some aspects, the pit and cartridge connectors 102, 142 can be flat-faced couplings. In some aspects, the connectors 102, 142 may exhibit a single shut-off mechanism in which the pit connector 102 or cartridge connector 142 contains a valve that prevents fluid from escaping upon disconnecting the connectors 102, 144. In some aspects, the connectors 102, 142 may exhibit a double shut-off effect in which both the pit connector 102 and cartridge connector 142 contain valves that prevent fluids from escaping upon disconnection. In some aspects, the pit connector 102 and cartridge connector 142 can be a dry-break quick disconnect which closes and seals upon disconnection preventing leakage over time. Such aspects can be desirable when the fluid is toxic, flammable, or otherwise hazardous. Such aspects can also provide an element of safety to allow the removable cartridge 140 to be safely removed without depressurizing or isolating the piping system 170 from the piping infrastructure 106. Such aspects can also be desirable when there is a benefit to preventing the entry of air into the piping infrastructure 106 or maintaining pressure in the piping infrastructure 106.
One should note that conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more particular embodiments or that one or more particular embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.
It should be emphasized that the above-described aspects are merely possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the present disclosure. Many variations and modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment(s) without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the present disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of the present disclosure, and all possible claims to individual aspects or combinations of elements or steps are intended to be supported by the present disclosure. Moreover, although specific terms are employed herein, as well as in the claims which follow, they are used only in a generic and descriptive sense, and not for the purposes of limiting the present disclosure, nor the claims which follow.
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/218,767, filed Jul. 25, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,890,521, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3994316 | Brown | Nov 1976 | A |
| 7225685 | Kawamoto et al. | Jun 2007 | B2 |
| 8061445 | Yater et al. | Nov 2011 | B2 |
| 9890521 | Mosley et al. | Feb 2018 | B1 |
| 20180023273 | Mosley et al. | Jan 2018 | A1 |
| Entry |
|---|
| Mosley, Harold Thomas; Issue Notification for U.S. Appl. No. 15/218,767, filed Jul. 25, 2016, dated Jan. 24, 2018, 1 pg. |
| Mosley, Harold Thomas; Notice of Allowance for U.S. Appl. No. 15/218,767, filed Jul. 25, 2016, dated Oct. 6, 2017, 6 pgs. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20180171605 A1 | Jun 2018 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15218767 | Jul 2016 | US |
| Child | 15862941 | US |
