Patent Application
20220205226
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The disclosure relates to collection devices and more particularly pertains to a new collection device for collecting rainwater. The device includes an inlet pipe that is coupled to a gutter system and a spigot for releasing the rainwater. Additionally, the device includes a reservoir that is mounted to an exterior wall of a building.
The prior art relates to collection devices including a diversion pipe that is fluidly coupled to a downspout of a gutter system and which includes a spigot. The prior art discloses a rainwater collection system which includes a remote storage pond. The prior art discloses a novel rain gutter system that includes an intake pipe and a gutter that is structurally integrated into the roof of a building.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a reservoir that is mountable to a wall of a building and the reservoir has an inlet that is in fluid communication with a downspout of a gutter system of the building to direct rainwater into the reservoir for storage. The reservoir has a pair of outlets each being integrated therein to release the rainwater from the reservoir. A spigot is fluidly integrated into the reservoir to release the rainwater from the reservoir when the spigot is opened. An intake pipe is fluidly coupled to the inlet in the reservoir and the intake pipe can be fluidly coupled to a downspout of the gutter system for directing the rainwater into the reservoir.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The reservoir 12 has a front wall 28, a back wall 30 and an outer wall 32 extending therebetween, and the outer wall 32 has a top side 34, a bottom side 36, a first lateral side 38 and a second lateral side 40. The inlet 18 extends through the outer wall 32, the inlet 18 is positioned on the first lateral side 38 of the outer wall 32 and the inlet 18 is positioned adjacent to the top side 34 of the outer wall 32. The pair of outlets 26 includes a first outlet 42 extending through the outer wall 32. The first outlet 42 is positioned on the first lateral side 38 of the outer wall 32 and the first outlet 42 is positioned adjacent to the bottom side 36. The first outlet 42 has a bounding edge 44 and the bounding edge 44 is threaded.
The pair of outlets 26 includes a second outlet 46 extending through the outer wall 32. The second outlet 46 is positioned on the second lateral side 40 and the second outlet 46 is positioned adjacent to the bottom side 36. The second outlet 46 has a bounding edge 48 and the bounding edge 48 of the second outlet 46 is threaded. A plurality of tabs 50 is provided and each of the tabs 50 is coupled to and extends away from the reservoir 12. Each of the tabs 50 has a fastener aperture 52 extending therethrough to insertably receive a fastener 51 to attach the reservoir 12 to the exterior wall 14 of the building 16. Each of the tabs 50 extends away from the outer wall 32 and each of the tabs 50 is aligned with the front wall 28 of the reservoir 12. Each of the tabs 50 lies on a plane is oriented coplanar with the front wall 28.
A plurality of tubes 54 is each attached to the reservoir 12 to accommodate a fastener 51 for attaching the reservoir 12 to the outer wall 32 of the building 16. Each of the tubes 54 is positioned on the outer wall 32 of the reservoir 12 and each of the tubes 54 is positioned on a respective one of the first lateral side 38 and the second lateral side 40 of the outer wall 32. Each of the tubes 54 extends between the front wall 28 and the back wall 30, and each of the tubes 54 is spaced from a respective one of the top side 34 and the bottom side 36 of the outer wall 32. The fastener 51 may be a screw, a nail or other type of penetrating fastener that can effectively engage the exterior wall 14 of the building 16.
A first plug 56 is attachable to the reservoir 12 for closing the first outlet 42 to inhibit the rainwater 24 from flowing outwardly through the first outlet 42. The first plug 56 has an outer surface 58 and the outer surface 58 is threaded. The outer surface 58 threadably engages the bounding edge 44 of the first outlet 42 for retaining the first plug 56 in the first outlet 42. A second plug 60 is attachable to the reservoir 12 for closing the second outlet 46 to inhibit the rainwater 24 from flowing outwardly through the second outlet 46. The second plug 60 has an outer surface 62 and the outer surface 62 of the second plug 60 is threaded. Additionally, the outer surface 62 of the second plug 60 threadably engages the bounding edge 48 of the second outlet 46 for retaining the second plug 60 in the second outlet 46.
A spigot 64 is provided and the spigot 64 is fluidly integrated into the reservoir 12. The spigot 64 is positionable in an open position to release the rainwater 24 from the reservoir 12. Conversely, the spigot 64 is positionable in a closed position to retain the rainwater 24 in the reservoir 12. The spigot 64 extends through the outer wall 32 of the reservoir 12, the spigot 64 is positioned on the first lateral side 38 of the outer wall 32 and the spigot 64 is positioned between the first outlet 42 and the bottom side 36 of the outer wall 32. The spigot 64 has a knob 66 that is rotatably integrated therein that can be rotated by a user. The knob 66 is in mechanical communication with the spigot 64 for opening and closing the spigot 64.
An intake pipe 68 is fluidly coupled to the inlet 18 in the reservoir 12 and the intake pipe 68 can be placed in fluid communication with the downspout 20 of the gutter system 22 for directing the rainwater 24 into the reservoir 12. The intake pipe 68 has a first end 70, a second end 72 and bend 74 positioned between the first end 70 and the second end 72. The first end 70 is fluidly coupled to the outer wall 32 of the reservoir 12 having the first end 70 being aligned with the inlet 18. The second end 72 is directed upwardly along the first lateral side 38 of the outer wall 32 to engage the downspout 20.
As is most clearly shown in
In use, the reservoir 12 is attached to the exterior wall 14 of the building 16 at a location that facilitates the intake pipe 68 to be fluidly attached to the downspout 20 of the gutter system 22. In this way the rainwater 24 that is captured by the gutter system 22 is directed into the reservoir 12 for storage. The stored rainwater 24 can be released from the reservoir 12 by opening the spigot 64. In this way the rainwater 24 is available for use on demand for a variety of purposes, including but not being limited to, irrigation, cooking and drinking. Two or more of the reservoirs 12 can be daisy chained together for increasing the total volume of rainwater 24 that can be stored. Additionally, the reservoir 12 might be attached to an interior wall of the building 16 and the intake 68 may be routed to penetrate the exterior wall 14 of the building 16.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
