Automatic drain for freight container

• US 6,131,605 A
• Filed: 12/02/1997
• Issued: 10/17/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Polyearn Development Corporation
• Original Assignee: Waggonbau Elze GmbH & Co. Besitz KG.
• Inventors: Teepe, Stephan, Kothe, Horst
• Primary Examiner(s): Walton, George L.
• Application Number:
  US08/982,665
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 137/423, 137/429, 137/430, 137/433, 137/449, 137/192, 137/202, 137/397
• US Class Current: 137/423
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 88/747 dehumidifying, dewatering or draining
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 15/042 with a plurality of balls
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7319 By float
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7404 Plural floats
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7436 Float rigid with valve

Abstract

A container having a floor with an upper inner face and a lower outer face is provided with a drain having a tubular housing extending between the faces and a partition formed with a hole, subdividing the housing into an upper compartment and a lower compartment, and forming at the hole an upper valve seat and a lower valve seat. Respective floatable upper and lower valve bodies in the compartments sealingly engageable with the respective valve seats. Thus with this system when the upper compartment fills with liquid it floats up the upper ball to unblock the hole in the partition and let this liquid drain out. If, however, water rises in the lower compartment, it will float up the lower ball to block the passage and prevent this liquid from flowing up through the passage into the container.

Claims

1. A freight container comprising:

a floor with an inner upper skin and, spaced therebelow, a outer lower skin;

a tubular housing having an outwardly projecting flange fixed to a lower face of the upper skin and projecting downward therefrom toward the lower skin;

a tubular socket fixed to and protecting through the lower skin, fitting with the housing, and forming a downwardly open outlet;

a partition disk formed with a hole, subdividing the housing into an upper compartment and a lower compartment, and forming at the hole an upper valve seat directed upward in the upper compartment and a lower valve seat directed downward in the lower compartment; and

respective lighter-than-water upper and lower valve bodies freely vertically movable in the respective compartments and sealingly engageable with the respective valve seats, whereby water in the lower compartment will float the lower valve body up against the lower valve seat and close the hole and water in the upper compartment will float the upper valve body up off the upper valve seat and open the hole.

2. The freight-container drain defined in claim 1, further comprising

a perforated guide sleeve removably and coaxially held in the housing and carrying the partition disk.

3. The freight-container drain defined in claim 2 wherein the valve elements are retained in the guide sleeve.

4. The freight-container drain defined in claim 1 wherein the valve seats are complementarily shaped to the respective balls.

5. The freight-container drain defined in claim 1 wherein the socket has a downwardly tapering lower end projecting from the floor and forming the outlet.

6. The freight-container drain defined in claim 1 wherein the socket is made of plastic.

7. The freight-container drain defined in claim 1 further comprising

a cover formed with small-diameter throughgoing holes and closing an upper end of the housing.

8. The freight-container drain defined in claim 7 wherein the hole in the partition disk is of larger flow cross section than the holes of the cover, whereby foreign matter that can pass through the holes of the cover can easily pass through the hole of the partition disk.