Hydraulic and earth engineering – Fluid control – treatment – or containment – Flow control
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-21
2001-03-13
Pezzuto, Robert E. (Department: 3671)
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Fluid control, treatment, or containment
Flow control
C405S091000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06200067
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to temporary barriers such as the type of barrier used for protection against rising flood water which can be rapidly constructed by unskilled labor with little or no training, specifically to a method and multi-purpose temporary wall system easily constructed from a plurality of water bag assemblies that are filled with water or any other non-flammable fluid readily available at a targeted wall construction site. The fluid must have a positive pressure flow or be suitable for pumping into the waterproof bag units as they are stacked along with their protective panels to form watertight walls of varying height. Each water bag assembly has a two-part rigid outer frame that is separable into a top panel with downwardly extending pivotally-attached connection rods and a bottom panel with upwardly extending pivotally-attached connection tubes, as well as a rugged, flexible waterproof bag unit that becomes secured tightly between the two panels during use when opposed connection rods and tubes are joined together and fixed in position relative to one another with locking pins or other quickly applied fasteners. It is contemplated for the reusable panels and waterproof bag units to each be collapsible into a compact configuration for transport and storage. It is also contemplated for the panels and bag units to be made from a variety of materials, including bulletproof materials and recycled materials, such as recycled plastic. Applications of the present invention can include, but are not limited to, use in the construction of barriers and walls for the protection of property against rising flood waters, temporary shelters, military bunkers, traffic diversion in road construction zones, prevention of soil erosion, restriction of public access to temporarily hazardous areas, and the containment of hazardous spill materials, as well as the temporary stockpiling of surplus fluids such as use in areas subject to severe storms or other predictable natural disasters, including hurricanes and typhoons, where the water bag assemblies can be filled beforehand with potable water and stacked in tiers for central distribution should drinking water supplies become disrupted, after which the empty water bag assemblies can be re-filled with non-potable water or other readily available fluid and used for the construction of walls for temporary shelters, as well as the construction of protective barriers to prevent public access to areas made temporarily hazardous by the natural disaster.
2. Description of Prior Art
Quickly constructed temporary barriers and walls are needed for many purposes. They can be used to divert or block water accumulation experienced during exceptionally heavy rain storms, when rivers overflow their banks, and during storm surges resulting from hurricanes and typhoons. Quickly constructed emergency shelters can also be needed after a damaging storm to protect people, equipment, and supplies. In addition, temporary barriers are also needed in response to hazardous material spills, such as fuel oil spills that threaten a coastline and its wildlife, as well as to divert people and vehicles away from temporarily hazardous areas. Such barriers need to be sturdily constructed, waterproof, able to withstand exposure to sunlight for extended periods of time without deterioration, easily constructed by unskilled labor, and constructed with a minimum number of tools.
When threatened by flood water, homeowners and municipalities are known to rely on sand bags to divert or block water flow. The material cost for the bags and sand, or other material needed to fill them, is relatively low. Also, sand bags can be used to construct a sturdy barrier or wall with little instruction and few tools. However, the manpower requirement for sand bag use is high. Filling sand bags and transporting each to the location where it will be used is a labor intensive task involving endurance and strength. Also, the low cost sand bags commonly used are not waterproof and require a fill material that will not dissolve when exposed to water. Further, non-dissolvable fill materials must have a sufficiently large particle size so that they will not easily wash through the sand bag fabric during use. Soil at a barrier or wall construction site having a high silt or clay content would be unsuitable as a fill material. Therefore, the cost and timing of importing sand to a barrier or wall construction site needs to be considered. The availability of sand, or other suitable sand bag fill material, at the time of need is also an issue. Municipalities may store some sand in anticipation of a predicted need, however homeowners rarely do, and the amount of sand stored in advance may not be adequate to satisfy all needs. Therefore, the use of sand bags as a defense against flood water is often limited by many factors, including the unavailability of an adequate number of bags, an adequate amount of sand or other appropriate fill material, and/or sufficient manpower to fill and transport all of the sand bags to a barrier or wall construction site. A further disadvantage to sand bag use is that the disposal of sand bags requires a labor intensive effort roughly equivalent to filling them. In addition, since it is a labor intensive task, building a sand bag wall or barrier may not be practical if little advance warning is available before flood waters arrive. Although sand bags are often discarded after use, if stored for reuse they would first need to be emptied and allowed to dry. Cleaning prior to storage would be necessary where sand bags had been exposed to odor-producing sediments. Also, finding a place to dispose of surplus sand or other fill material may present a challenge, since fill material disposal at the flood site may be inappropriate and disposal elsewhere is likely to involve a significant amount of labor and transportation expense.
In contrast, the present invention overcomes nearly all of the disadvantages inherent in sand bag use. For example, since the water bag assemblies of the present invention can use water or any non-flammable fluid which can be pumped through its hose connections, fill material is usually readily available at a barrier or wall construction site. Also, use of the water bag assemblies is less physically demanding than sand bag use since the water bag assemblies are filled with fluid after being placed into their usable positions. Further, the waterproof bag units of the present invention have less impact on the environment during disassembly and disposal, since they are more easily cleaned for reuse, preferably filled with water, and can be made at least in part from recyclable materials. When ready for use, each water bag assembly of the present invention has a substantially rectangular rigid outer frame and a rugged flexible waterproof bag unit positioned therein. The outer frame is readily separable into two parts, each of which can be flattened for efficient transport or storage. The waterproof bag unit can also be separated from the outer frame and collapsed between uses for compact storage. To make each outer frame lighter in weight for easier handling and allow watertight contact laterally between adjacent waterproof bag units within each row in a barrier or wall, vertically extending rods and tubes connect a top panel and a bottom panel to one another. The connection tubes and rods also are each inserted into sleeves attached to the outside surface of the waterproof bag unit to secure it in an optimum usable position. Watertight barriers and walls are made from the present invention by placing water bag assemblies in contact with one another in both rows and tiers. Watertight connection within a tier is provided by each waterproof bag unit in its optimum usable position extending slightly beyond the vertically oriented connection tubes, while watertight connection between tiers is provided by the top and bottom panels being made from a gripping, shear-resistant material, such as plastic or rubber.
In the most p
Morse Dorothy S.
Pezzuto Robert E.
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