This disclosure is directed to a waste transfer system as might be used to transfer waste water from a waste water system of a recreational vehicle (“RV”), travel trailer, or other vehicle having living quarters or on-board water systems (individually or collectively referred to herein as RVs) to an inlet of a sewer system configured to receive such waste water. (The terms “waste,” “waste water” and “sewage” may be used interchangeably herein.)
An RV may include one or more waste water tanks that receive and collect waste water from the drains of sinks, showers, and toilets that may be installed on the RV. Such waste water tanks have a finite volume and need to be drained from time to time. The RV may include some form of waste transfer hose and nozzle arrangement that may be connected to a sewer inlet connection as might be found at an RV park or other facility able to receive waste water from RVs. Such nozzles and sewer inlet connections, however, are not standardized. As such, a particular RV's sewer nozzle might not be especially compatible with a particular facility's sewer inlet connection. Draining waste water tanks using a sewer nozzle incompatible with the sewer inlet connection can result in leakage and spills, which can be difficult and unpleasant to clean up.
The present disclosure shows and describes illustrative embodiments of a sewer hose, sewer nozzle, and sewer nozzle adapters enabling connection of the sewer nozzle to various different sewer inlet connections.
A first (or inlet) end 80 of hose 12 may terminate in a cuff 18, which is attached to a quick disconnect fitting 16 using a barbed, glued, or other form of termination or connection. Although quick disconnect fitting 16 is shown as a male cam-lock connector configured for attachment to a mating female cam-lock connector (not shown), quick disconnect fitting 16 could be embodied in other ways. For example, it could be embodied as a female cam-lock connector configured for attachment to a mating male cam-lock connector, a male or female bayonet fitting, or another type of quick disconnect fitting. In use, as best shown in
A second (or outlet) end 82 of hose 12 may terminate in a cuff (not shown) similar to cuff 18. The second end of hose 12 is attached to a first (or inlet) end of nozzle 14. The second end of hose 12 is shown as being permanently attached to nozzle 14 using a press-on fitting 20. For example, fitting 20 may be a male barb-type fitting that allows the end of hose 12 to be pressed thereon in a first direction (that is, the direction in which the barbs point), but does not allow the hose to be readily or inadvertently removed therefrom. In other embodiments, hose 12 could be permanently or removable attached to nozzle 14 using another form of fitting, for example, a male screw-in fitting. As another alternative, hose 12 could be glued to the fitting.
Nozzle 14 includes a body having a first end (sometimes referred to herein as the nozzle inlet end or nozzle inlet) 84, as discussed above, and a second end (sometimes referred to herein as the nozzle outlet end or nozzle outlet) 86. Nozzle inlet and outlet 84, 86 have generally collinear flow axes. An ergonomic grip or other grip or handle 30 may be formed with or attached to the nozzle body.
Nozzle 14 may incorporate, or function as, a valve operable by a valve actuator 22. Valve actuator 22 is shown as a manually-operable handle or lever, but could be embodied in other forms, as well. In such an embodiment, the body of nozzle 14 may function as a valve body and may define or otherwise include a valve seat (not shown). A valve disc, ball, gate, flapper, butterfly or the like (sometimes collectively or individually referred to herein as a valve disc) (not shown), may be provided in operable association with a valve seat and operably connected to valve actuator 22. Valve actuator 22 may be operated between a first (or closed) position, for example, the generally vertical position as shown in
In some embodiments, nozzle 14 may be provided with a remote control configured to remotely operate power-operated valves (not shown) at the outlets of the waste water tanks (not shown) to which hose 12 might be connected. Such a remote control could be wired or wireless. If wired, the wiring could be integrated with hose/nozzle assembly 10, with a connector provided at the inlet end of hose 12 for connection with a mating connector in electrical communication with operators for the power-operated valves.
The outlet of nozzle 14 may be provided with a quick disconnect fitting, or it may be configured to receive a quick disconnect fitting. The outlet of nozzle 14 is shown as being configured as a female cam-lock connector. Cam-lock release levers 26 are provided on the body of nozzle 14 and are operable to positively engage with a mating male cam-lock connector, as will be discussed further below. A single cam-lock release lever 26 is shown and is sufficient, but additional cam-lock release levers 26 could be provided as desired. Other forms of quick disconnect fittings could be used, as well.
The inlet end 70 of adapters 32, 34, 36, 38 is shown as a male cam-lock structure configured to mate with the female cam-lock structure at the outlet of nozzle 14. In other embodiments, inlet end 70 of adapters 32, 34, 36, 38 could be configured as any other suitable quick disconnect structure complementary to the particular quick disconnect structure that may be provided at the outlet end of nozzle 14. The foregoing structures may be integrally formed into adapters 32, 34, 36, 38. Adapters 32, 34, 36, 38 may be molded from plastic or made from any other suitable material in any suitable way. Adapters 32, 34, 36, 38 are shown as including an optional grip portion 40 made of a material or having a surface treatment enabling enhanced gripability of adapters 32, 34, 36, 38, particularly if adapters 32, 34, 36, 38 are made of a material having a low coefficient of friction when dry and especially when wet. For example, grip portion 40 may be made of a rubber material glued, bonded, or otherwise attached to the body of adapters 32, 34, 36, 38.
A pencil is shown in
The outlets of the foregoing adapters may be configured for connection to a sewer inlet 68 of a sewer system for receiving waste water. For example, adapters 32, 34, 36 could be threaded into such a sewer inlet, and adapter 38 could be pressed into such a sewer inlet. Such connection preferably, but not necessarily, would be substantially fluid-tight. In some applications, any of adapters 32, 34, 36, 38 could simply be inserted into such a sewer inlet. Such a connection might not be fluid-tight.
In an RV application, nozzle 14 and hose 12 may be withdrawn from the RV, for example, from a storage compartment of the RV. The inlet end of hose 12 may be connected to the outlet 66 of one or more waste water tanks 50, 52. A suitable adapter 32, 34, 36, 38 also may be withdrawn from the RV, for example, from the same storage compartment as nozzle 14 and hose 12, or from another storage compartment. The adapter may be connected to the outlet of nozzle 14 by engaging the quick-disconnect structure of the inlet of the adapter with the quick- disconnect structure of the outlet of nozzle 14. Hose 12, nozzle 14, adapter 32, 34, 36, and 38, all intervening connections and connection of hose 12 to outlet 66 may be substantially fluid tight. The outlet of the adapter may then be inserted into or otherwise connected to sewer inlet 68, as discussed above. Alternatively, particularly in embodiments wherein the adapter has a threaded outlet portion, the adapter may be inserted into or otherwise connected to sewer inlet 68, and then connected to nozzle 14.
The user may begin discharging waste water from tanks 50, 52 to sewer inlet 68 by opening the valve in nozzle 14 and opening, as desired, any other valves, for example, valves 56, 58, 62, in line between the waste water tank outlet and sewer inlet 68, thereby enabling fluid communication from the waste water tank(s), through hose 12, nozzle 14, adapter 32, 34, 36, 38 (as well as any extension hose/nozzle that may be installed in-line with the foregoing components), to the sewer inlet. Such other valves 56, 58, 62, if power-operated, could be opened remotely using a remote control provided at nozzle 14, as discussed above.
With the foregoing valves so aligned, flow of waste water may be established from waste water tanks 50, 52 to sewer inlet 68. The flow of waste water may be interrupted on demand by closing the valve in nozzle 14 and/or any other valves in line between the waste water tank(s) and nozzle 14. Such other valves, if power-operated, could be closed remotely using a remote control provided at nozzle 14, as discussed above.
Features shown and described in connection with a particularly embodiment generally could be used in other embodiments, unless context dictates otherwise. Embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and should not be construed to limit the scope of the following claims.
This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Appl. No. 61/817,056, filed on Apr. 29, 2013.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61817056 | Apr 2013 | US |