Modular and mobile waste and/or hazardous liquid containment and collection shower system

• US 20070044839A1
• Filed: 08/25/2005
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Albert Dechard, Charles Siminski
• Original Assignee: Albert Dechard, Charles Siminski
• Inventors: DeChard, Albert, Siminski, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 7,290,558 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 137/312
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 3/286 Emergency showers
• CPC Class Codes: E03F 1/00 Methods, systems, or installations for draining-off sewage or storm water
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/5762 With leakage or drip collecting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8593 Systems

Abstract

A waste water and hazardous chemical collection system is provided. The system includes a bottom pan having a plurality of vertically disposed walls, a multitude of outwardly horizontally projecting ledges and a plurality of downwardly depending lips. Each pan further includes a drainage waffle inserted within said pan. A work surface is applied to a top surface of said drainage waffle. A plurality of holes is formed in said work surface permitting any liquids that make contact to the work surface to drain there through and into an area of the bottom pan. A pump is connected to said pan for withdrawing liquids therefrom. The system includes a water source for each pan thereby creating a shower system.

Claims

1. A modular waste water and hazardous chemical containment and collection system comprising:

a) at least one modular pan having a planar bottom surface, a multitude of vertically disposed walls integrally attached to the planar bottom surface at bottom edges of said walls, a multitude of horizontally and outwardly disposed ledge members, one ledge member integrally attached to each vertically disposed wall at a top edge of each wall and a multitude of downwardly depending lips, one lip integrally attached to each ledge member at an outer edge of said lip;

b) a horizontal plane of each modular pan defined by the pan planar bottom surface and the multitude of vertically disposed walls;

c) a drainage waffle inserted within each of the at least one modular pans, the drainage waffle covering the pan horizontal plane and having a plurality of recesses and protuberances defined by a top surface, a bottom surface and upwardly angled walls connecting said top and bottom surfaces, the drainage waffle having a height;

d) a work surface covering the top surface of the drainage waffle and having a plurality of liquid drainage holes formed throughout said work surface, said holes permitting liquids that contact said work surface to drain through said work surface and into an area of the modular pan containing the drainage waffle, the work surface having a thickness which when added to the height of the drainage waffle equals a height defined as the total height of layers, the total height of layers not exceeding the height of the multitude of vertically disposed walls;

e) a means for withdrawing liquids from the at least one modular pan;

f) a pump connected to said means for withdrawing liquids; and

g) a storage container connected to said pump for retaining liquids withdrawn by the pump and captured by the at least one modular pan.

2. The modular waste water and hazardous chemical containment and collection system of claim 1, further comprising:

a) the at least one modular pan having four peripheral edges, two of the peripheral edges having a long length and two of the peripheral edges having a short length, the two long and the two short peripheral edges defining a rectangular shape for the at least one modular pan;

b) one of the two long peripheral edges and one of the two short peripheral edges each having a first area disposed underneath the horizontally and outwardly disposed ledge members of each said long and short peripheral edge, the first area having a length defined as “

x”

, wherein “

x”

is the distance between an outer surface of the vertically disposed wall and an inner surface of the downwardly depending lip of each respective long and short peripheral edge, the peripheral edges having said first area length defined as “

x”

being narrow peripheral edges of said pan; and

c) an other of the two long peripheral edges and an other of the two short peripheral edges each having a second area disposed underneath the horizontally and outwardly disposed ledge members of each said other long and short peripheral edge, the second area having a length defined as “

x+y+z”

, wherein “

x”

is the distance between the outer surface of the vertically disposed wall and the inner surface of the downwardly defending lip of each long and short narrow peripheral edge, “

y”

is a thickness of each vertically disposed wall and “

z”

is the thickness of each downwardly depending, the peripheral edges having said second area length defined as “

x+y+z”

being wide peripheral edges of said pan.

3. The modular waste water and hazardous chemical containment and collection system of claim 2, wherein at least two modular pans are employed, a first modular pan adjoining to a second modular pan by a wide peripheral edge of the first pan overlapping a narrow peripheral edge of the second pan, the wide peripheral edge of the first pan and the narrow peripheral edge of the second pan each having a length which is substantially equal.

4. The modular waste water and hazardous chemical containment and collection system of claim 1, wherein the means for withdrawing liquids from said at least one modular pan comprises:

a) an aperture formed in one of the multitude of vertically disposed walls;

b) a first tubing inserted in said aperture, said first tubing connected to a pipe element which is connected to the pump; and

c) a means for providing a liquid tight seal at said aperture.

5. The modular waste water and hazardous chemical containment and collection system of claim 1, wherein the means for withdrawing liquids from said at least one modular pan is a valve network having at least one valve with a suction tube inserted into the at least one modular pan.

6. The modular waste water and hazardous chemical containment and collection system of claim 5, further comprising a valve screen inserted within the suction tube of the at least one valve.

7. The modular waste water and hazardous chemical containment and collection system of claim 1, further comprising a brace member inserted over a corner of at least two modular pans for maintaining a secure fit between the at least two pans.

8. The modular waste water and hazardous chemical containment and collection system of claim 7, wherein in the brace member has four legs, dispose at 90 degree angles from one another, the four-legged brace member fixing four corners of four separate pans at a common point.

9. The modular waste water and hazardous chemical containment and collection system of claim 8, wherein the means for withdrawing liquids from said at least one modular pan is at least one valve network, each of said at least one valve network having four valves, one valve each for four pans of said at least one modular pan.

10. The modular waste water and hazardous chemical containment and collection system of claim 9, wherein the at least one valve network is disposed over top of the four-legged brace member, each valve of the network having a suction tube and a valve control knob, one each valve suction tube inserted into one each pan for withdrawing liquids from said system.

11. The modular waste water and hazardous chemical containment and collection system of claim 1, further comprising:

a) a multitude of water sources, one water source for each of the at least one modular pan; and

b) a plurality of covers, one cover for each of the at least one modular pan.

12. The modular waste water and hazardous chemical containment and collection system of claim 11, further comprising an outer cover surrounding all of the plurality of covers for each of the at least one modular pan.

13. A modular waste water and hazardous chemical containment and collection shower system, comprising:

a) at least one modular pan having a planar bottom surface, a multitude of vertically disposed walls integrally attached to the planar bottom surface at bottom edges of said walls, a multitude of horizontally and outwardly disposed ledge members, one ledge member integrally attached to each vertically disposed wall at a top edge of each wall and a multitude of downwardly depending lips, one lip integrally attached to each ledge member at an outer edge of said lip;

b) a horizontal plane of each modular pan defined by the pan planar bottom surface and the multitude of vertically disposed walls;

c) a drainage waffle inserted within each of the at least one modular pans, the drainage waffle covering the pan horizontal plane and having a plurality of recesses and protuberances defined by a top surface, a bottom surface and upwardly angled walls connecting said top and bottom surfaces, the drainage waffle having a height;

d) a work surface covering the top surface of the drainage waffle and having a plurality of liquid drainage holes formed throughout said work surface, said holes permitting liquids that contact said work surface to drain through said work surface and into an area of the modular pan containing the drainage waffle, the work surface having a thickness which when added to the height of the drainage waffle equals a height defined as the total height of layers, the total height of layers not exceeding the height of the multitude of vertically disposed walls;

e) a valve network for withdrawing liquids from the at least one modular pan;

f) a pump connected to said valve network;

g) a storage container connected to said pump for retaining liquids withdrawn by the pump through the valve network and captured by the at least one modular pan; and

h) a multitude of water sources, one water source for each of the at least one modular pan.

14. The modular waste water and hazardous chemical containment and collection shower system of claim 13, further comprising a plurality of covers, one cover for each of the at least one modular pan.

15. The modular waste water and hazardous chemical containment and collection shower system of claim 13, further comprising:

d) the at least one modular pan having four peripheral edges, two of the peripheral edges having a long length and two of the peripheral edges having a short length, the two long and the two short peripheral edges defining a rectangular shape for the at least one modular pan;

e) one of the two long peripheral edges and one of the two short peripheral edges each having a first area disposed underneath the horizontally and outwardly disposed ledge members of each said long and short peripheral edge, the first area having a length defined as “

x”

, wherein “

x”

is the distance between an outer surface of the vertically disposed wall and an inner surface of the downwardly depending lip of each respective long and short peripheral edge, the peripheral edges having said first area length defined as “

x”

being narrow peripheral edges of said pan; and

f) an other of the two long peripheral edges and an other of the two short peripheral edges each having a second area disposed underneath the horizontally and outwardly disposed ledge members of each said other long and short peripheral edge, the second area having a length defined as “

x+y+z”

, wherein “

x”

is the distance between the outer surface of the vertically disposed wall and the inner surface of the downwardly defending lip of each long and short narrow peripheral edge, “

y”

is a thickness of each vertically disposed wall and “

z”

is the thickness of each downwardly depending, the peripheral edges having said second area length defined as “

x+y+z”

being wide peripheral edges of said pan.

16. The modular waste water and hazardous chemical containment and collection system of claim 15, wherein at least two modular pans are employed, a first modular pan adjoining to a second modular pan by a wide peripheral edge of the first pan overlapping a narrow peripheral edge of the second pan, the wide peripheral edge of the first pan and the narrow peripheral edge of the second pan each having a length which is substantially equal.

17. The modular waste water and hazardous chemical containment and collection shower system of claim 13, further comprising a plurality of valves of the valve network, each valve having a suction tube inserted into a separate pan of the at least one modular pan.

18. The modular waste water and hazardous chemical containment and collection system of claim 17, further comprising a valve screen inserted within each suction tube.

19. The modular waste water and hazardous chemical containment and collection system of claim 13, further comprising a brace member inserted over a corner of two pans of the at least two modular pans for maintaining a secure fit between said two pans.

20. The modular waste water and hazardous chemical containment and collection system of claim 19, wherein in the brace member has four legs, dispose at 90 degree angles from one another, the four-legged brace member fixing four corners of four separate pans at a common point of the at least two modular pans.