Road structure – process – or apparatus – Traffic director – Vibration inducing member
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-12
2001-09-11
Will, Thomas B. (Department: 3673)
Road structure, process, or apparatus
Traffic director
Vibration inducing member
C138S106000, C138S109000, C138S110000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06287047
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to transporting water across a road and, more particularly, to a modular ramp apparatus with integral water carrying chambers therein.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 1,736,923 (LaLonde) discloses a hose coupling and a hose for supplying both water and oxygen for firemen. The hose comprises a pair of concentric hoses with water being conveyed in the inner hose and oxygen conveyed between the outer and inner hoses. The particular coupling disclosed allows lengths of the concentric hoses to be connected together.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,530 (Walling) discloses flexible tubing used in well production. The tubing includes a flexible external shell and a resilient core within the shell, with a plurality of conduits within the resilient material. The tubing is segmented so as to be easily wound about a reel for transporting to and from a well site. The configuration of the apparatus is generally rectangular.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,367 (Wegmann, Jr.) discloses a safety ramp for protecting hoses in conduits. The ramp includes a channel running lengthwise in which is disposed a hose.
U.S. Pat. 5,353,843 (Hoag) discloses a protective jacket in which abose may be disposed. The protective jacket is segmented, to allow the jacket, and the hose disposed therein, to curve or bend, as required.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,431 (Topf, Jr.) discloses a flow conduit for transporting water across a road. Water flows into a metal pipe configured with two sloping sides and a flat top and bottom, with the pipe disposed across a road. Connector elements on opposite ends of the pipe allow hoses to be connected to the pipe.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,527 (Dufresne), the inventor of which is the inventor of the present invention, discloses ramp and piping for transporting water across a road. The piping comprises a plurality of conduits with headers at opposite ends of the conduits for connecting to hoses. Ramps are connected to the conduits to facilitate traffic across the conduits. Australian Patent 104,986 discloses a hose bridge for protecting a hose.
British Patent 530,667 also discloses a hose bridge. The two hose bridges are structurally different, but both provide the fiction of protecting a hose.
British Patent 1,327,659 discloses protective bumpers disposed about a flexible hose for protecting the hose from traffic.
Of the above discussed patents, the Wegmann '367, the Hoag '843, and the Australian and British '667 patent all deal with the protection of hoses from traffic. The Lalonde patent is concerned with the flow of two fluids, water and oxygen, in a hose, and the Walling '530 patent is concerned with flexible tubing used in wells. The British '659 patent is concerned with the protection of a flexible hose in situations where there is relative movement in the hoses or lines, such as hydraulic brake fluid lines, etc. The Topf, Jr. and Dufresne patents deal with the same subject matter as the present invention, namely the flow of water across a road with minimum problems with traffic and with maximum water flow without the problems of hoses and of water surges of hoses over which vehicular traffic moves.
The apparatus of the present invention is concerned with the transmission of a fluid, such as water, across a street or thoroughfare during construction, and the like, where traffic moves along the street or thoroughfare. The present apparatus includes a modular unit including an integral ramp and fluid carrying elements and which protects both the fluid as it is being transported, and vehicular traffic moving along the street or thoroughfare. The apparatus includes modules of extruded piping or conduits made of rubber or the like with male and female connections on opposite ends for connecting a plurality of like modules so that the length of piping or conduits may vary according to the width of the street or thoroughfare.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention described and claimed herein comprises a modular element with a double ramp and integral fluid carrying elements extending the length of the module. The term “double ramp”simply means that one side of the apparatus includes an up ramp and the opposite side includes a down ramp for traffic moving in both directions. The center section of the apparatus, or the portion between the two ramps, includes conduits through which liquid, such as water, flows. The ends of the ramp elements include male and female connectors for connecting a plurality of modules together to form a single fluid carrying unit. Manifolds are connected to opposite ends of the unit for hoses to provide a flow of fluid input and output. The ramp elements may be made in virtually any length, or a plurality of the ramp elements may be appropriately secured together to provide a ramp of a desired length.
Among the objects of the present invention are the following:
To provide new and useful apparatus for transporting water across a thoroughfare;
To provide new and useful apparatus including an integral ramp and fluid carrying element for transporting a fluid;
To provide a new and useful extruded fluid carrying module;
To provide a new and useful modular apparatus for transporting water across a roadway;
To provide manifolds for connecting to fluid carrying modules;
To provide new and useful element having fluid carrying chambers and at least a single additional chamber in which nonfluid material may be disposed;
To provide new and useful fluid carrying element including a double ramp to be disposed across a thoroughfare; and
To provide new and useful ramp apparatus having an integral fluid carrying chamber therein.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 336524 (1993-06-01), White et al.
patent: D. 415471 (1999-10-01), Henry
patent: D. 418818 (2000-01-01), Henry
patent: 1736932 (1929-11-01), Lalonde
patent: 2166516 (1939-07-01), Bainbridge
patent: 3357370 (1967-12-01), Walkey
patent: 3888186 (1975-06-01), Jentzsch et al.
patent: 4067258 (1978-01-01), Valeri
patent: 4374530 (1983-02-01), Walling
patent: 4858680 (1989-08-01), Byrne
patent: 5095822 (1992-03-01), Martin
patent: 5267367 (1993-12-01), Wegmann, Jr.
patent: 5333919 (1994-08-01), Nerenberg
patent: 5353843 (1994-10-01), Hoag
patent: 5385431 (1995-01-01), Topf, Jr.
patent: 5755527 (1998-05-01), Dufresne
patent: 6039319 (2000-03-01), Coonce et al.
patent: 6045033 (2000-04-01), Zimmerly
patent: 6067681 (2000-05-01), Zeinstra et al.
patent: 104986 (1938-12-01), None
patent: 530667 (1940-12-01), None
patent: 1327659 (1973-08-01), None
Hartmann Gary S
Shields H. Gordon
Will Thomas B.
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