Receptacles – Puncture or fire resistant container
Patent
1998-04-03
1999-10-12
Pollard, Steven
Receptacles
Puncture or fire resistant container
220666, B65D 3300
Patent
active
059643692
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a collapsible floating container for receiving and holding liquids. In particular, the invention relates to a container for holding oil pumped from an oil slick on a body of water.
BACKGROUND
In attempting to contain and remove oil floating on a body of water, i.e., an oil slick, there is presently a problem associated with holding and then removing the oil from the site once it has been removed from the surface of the water. Currently, the oil is simply pumped into waiting barges. However, it can be costly, difficult and time-consuming to gather and deploy a sufficient number of barges on short notice. To overcome this problem, the present inventors have now devised a system utilizing a large number of easily transportable, rapidly deployable, lightweight, collapsible oil containers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a container of the invention in partial cross-section in a collapsed state before being filled with oil;
FIG. 2 shows the container in an expanded state filled with oil.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 shows a container of the invention in partial cross-section in a collapsed state before being filled with oil. A rigid ring 2 is located at the top end of the container 1, substantially in the center of a buoyant, upper portion, and contains a valve 4. The ring and valve operate to connectingly and sealingly receive a hose or pipe through which the incoming oil is passed. The valve 4 could be any valve of known construction capable of receiving a hose or pipe, and which forms a seal. It could be, for example, a ball valve or a one-way flapper which is mechanically opened by the force of the oil or other liquid being pumped into the container. The valve could also be spring loaded to check reverse flow, or be designed to open mechanically by the force of the hose or pipe itself.
The remaining body portion 6 of the container is flexible and collapsible. It may be constructed of any buoyant, non-permeable material, but it must be resistant to degradation or chemical interaction between itself and the oil or other liquid intended to be pumped into the container. As a preferred embodiment, the body portion would be a reinforced rubber material, having a thickness of approximately 0.060 inches. Alternatively, the body portion could be disposable by using an inexpensive plastic material. The material must also have sufficient strength to maintain the integrity of the container in a filled state, and when the container is eventually removed from the water to empty the contents.
With this in mind, the body portion 6 may comprise an upper portion 8 composed of a buoyant skin which causes the container to float near the surface of the water. The buoyant skin can be achieved by providing, e.g., a plastic or rubber sheet interspersed with a plurality of small air-containing pockets or cells 10, such as that found commonly in "bubble wrap." Additional materials may be used to provide bouyancy, such as styrofoam, foam rubber, or other material having a density substantially less than that of fresh or salt water. The buoyant skin should provide sufficient buoyancy to the container when full to maintain approximately one-third of the container above the water level. This is particularly important when the oil or liquid used to fill the container has a density greater than the water in which the container must float, whether it is fresh water or salt, sea water.
The strength of the upper portion may be reinforced by the addition of another layer. As shown in FIG. 1, the additional layer, preferably a nylon mesh layer 16 surrounds the upper portion, and could be either permanently fixed or made to be removable. This would depend on the material chosen for the body portion and whether it is intended that the body portion would be disposable. The preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1 illustrates reinforcing layer 16 to be outside buoyant layer 10, which in turn covers the body portion 6.
In order to lift the container once it has been filled completely with oil, the contain
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Greene Boyd
Nassif Naji
Gnesys, Inc.
Pollard Steven
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