This non-provisional patent is cross-referenced to provisional application No. 63/041,332 Filing Date 19 Jun. 2020. First Named Inventor Michael Lewis Mann Customer Number 172095
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
System, Methods and Apparatus for a Truck Carry RV Waste Water Tank
The present invention is in the field of waste water (sewage or also referred to as black water and/or grey water) transport and discharge, and pertains particularly to methods and apparatus to fill, transport and discharge waste water such as RV waste water and/or portalet waste water.
Portable waste water transport tanks of different descriptions and manufacture are known in the art. They are commonly referred to as tote, tote tank, holding tank, portable waste transport tank or other similar name. There are in the present inventor's opinion shortcomings that give opportunity to improve the utility of such tanks.
The prevailing practice among RV'ers, when transporting waste water within a campground, is to utilize one of the above described portable tanks. These tanks are typically pulled by hand or attached to the bumper of a tow vehicle and towed to the campground's dump station. Portable waste water tanks for RVs are limited in capacity to typically 35 gallons or less weighing up to 290+/−pounds when full, which is practically the maximum capacity/weight that can be managed by an individual utilizing the process prescribed in the current art. Limited capacity is a significant inconvenience because more frequent trips are required to remove a given amount of waste water. When currently available tanks are attached to a tow vehicle they are awkward to manage because they necessarily have small wheels that are problematic on any terrain that is not smooth. They require the driver to proceed at slow speed to prevent the small “trailer” from bouncing or tipping over or otherwise becoming damaged due to the combination of high weight and relatively small wheels while in tow. Generally, this is a poor solution even when a dump station is available for use.
Another problem not addressed by the current art is the disposal of waste water when campers overnight in locations like parking lots and government lands. Often, dump stations are not conveniently available. When RV'ers dry camp or boon dock, the prevailing art provides no waste water transport system that will easily manage up to fifty or more gallons of waste water over highway distances with ease. One must tow their entire camper to a dump station to empty the holding tanks legally and without polluting the environment.
Therefore, what is clearly needed is a sewage transport tank that solves the above limitations.
The inventor asserts that what is needed is a means of transporting waste water from an RV or like sanitary receptacle to an approved (either nearby or distant) dump station which eliminates the limitations of lifting or pulling a waste water tank with a system that provides for the tank to be placed and remain in the bed of the truck or tow vehicle and is capable of transporting greater capacities than what is currently offered. This system will utilize the design of the tank in a process which incorporates a macerator pump and other required smaller parts which are available from third party sources to lift the waste water from the RV waste water discharge point to the waste water transport tank. The method and apparatus will allow the user to change connections and parts alternating from the process of filling the tank, to storing the tank, to transporting the tank to draining the tank with easy twist on connections; and without the use of mechanical gates which are subject to leakage. The method of using as the invention is accomplished without the need of wheels or to remove the tank from the tow vehicle except for storage. Further, the design capacity of the tank shall be up to 50 gallons or more and capable of transporting up to 400 pounds or more of waste water. Whether RV'ing in a campground without sewer hookup, dry camping, or boon docking, the advantage and benefit of the current invention to easily transport 50 or more gallons of RV waste water to a nearby town or location with dump station facilities will be apparent to one knowledgeable in the field of the invention.
The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, and advantages thereof, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description, an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicate like components, and:
The inventor provides a unique method and apparatus for a truck carry, tank system which enables the user to transport waste water (gray water and black water) in greater volumes than currently possible in the art and to fill and discharge the tank with minimal effort and without tools. The new system incorporates the use of a macerator pump 205 to fill the tank and a unique trough 601 and hose rest with locking slots 602 molded into the tank body frontal portion 107 to facilitate changing connections and thusly the functions of the system components. The illustrated example is a molded plastic assembly, although the invention is not limited as to materials or techniques of fabrication.
The present invention is described in enabling detail in the following examples, which may represent more than one embodiment of the present invention:
Referring to
Prior designs connect directly to the RV sewer discharge port at an elevation below the discharge point and utilize gravity to fill the tank. Using the current invention to remove waste water from an RV, a macerator pump 205 must be connected to the sewage discharge port of the RV. Utilizing the macerator pump 205, waste water can be lifted to the bed of the truck which is higher than the RV sewage discharge port. Aside from the unique design of the tank body, the benefits of the invention are achieved with readily available aftermarket parts. The current invention accomplishes all of it's advantages because of the unique design of the tank body. The advantage to the current invention is that the tank body is maintained in the bed of the tow with the capability to accept up to fifty gallons RV waste water or more. Advantage is also achieved by utilizing the unique and innovative design of the tank body including the trough 601 and hose rest with locking slots 602. The trough 601 is designed and sized to provide a snug and secure cavity to accommodate the flexible hose. The hose end 104b is further stabilized and secured by the hose rest with locking slots 602. The hose rest with locking slots 602 limits the twisting of the upper hose end 104b by securing or “locking” the finger tabs 104c provided on the hose end 104b. This facilitates the attachment and removal of the sewer hose adapter 802 and the cap 105 and the standard sewer hose 902 when used at the/a dump station 901.
By removing the sewer hose adapter 802 from the flexible hose and attaching a cap 105 the tow vehicle 701 is now configured to transport the filled waste water transport tank. For discharging waste water from the tank body 100 and flexible hose 104, the cap 105 is removed and a standard RV sewage hose 902 is attached to extend the flexible hose 104 to a/the dump station 901. This hose configuration is then removed from the hose rest with locking slots 602 at the top of the frontal portion 107, draining the contents of the tank body 100 and flexible hose 104 into a dump station 901.
Stability of the waste water transport tank while is being transported is achieved by the presence of baffles (not shown) inside the tank body 100. Further stability is achieved by securing the tank handles 104 to the bed of the tow vehicle 701 by straps or ropes (not shown).
Tank body 100 has molded attachment points 108 for future accessory storage member to contain the standard RV sewer hose 902.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form, methods and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20220024392 A1 | Jan 2022 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 63041332 | Jun 2020 | US |
Child | 17351769 | US |