Supports – Hold-down – Looping or straddling
Reexamination Certificate
2003-05-23
2004-09-07
Braun, Leslie A. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Hold-down
Looping or straddling
C248S910000, C248S075000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06786462
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of recreational vehicle (RV) waste disposal, and more particularly to an RV sewage line stabilizing device for securely retaining an RV sewage line in connection with an in-ground sewer receptacle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recreational vehicles (RVs) are a popular means of vacation travel, providing both a vehicle for travel and a comfortable living space. RVs often provide comfortable and convenient facilities, such as running water, showers and toilet facilities. Waste from these facilities must, of course, be dealt with. RVs commonly have a waste holding tank to receive and contain waste while the RV is operated away from a campground or other location where waste may be discharged. From time to time, the RV must visit a facility where the waste holding tank may be emptied into a sewer receptacle.
Additionally, RVs are frequently used in a fixed location for an extended duration. Campgrounds and RV parks often provide sewer receptacle facilities so that waste may be discharged into the sewer receptacle instead of being contained in the holding tank.
In either situation, a sewer hose connection is used to connect the RV's plumbing to the sewer receptacle, either emptying the holding tank or discharging waste directly into the sewer receptacle. The sewer receptacle is often simply a round opening flush with, or close to, ground level, where the RV's sewer hose is inserted. A four-inch PVC pipe commonly forms the sewer receptacle.
The sewer hose running from the RV to the sewer receptacle is generally a 3½-inch flexible hose. The end of the sewer hose, or an elbow-shaped fitting attached to the end of the sewer hose, is simply inserted loosely in the sewer receptacle, often with no means other than gravity to hold the hose in place. Thus a problem exists in the risk that the hose may be accidentally dislodged from the sewer receptacle, allowing the discharging waste to spill onto the ground. The accidental discharge of the RV's waste onto the ground in a campsite, or at a holding tank emptying facility, creates a clearly unpleasant mess that is to be avoided if at all possible.
RV operators often attempt to secure the sewer hose in the receptacle by piling rocks, logs, bricks, cinderblocks, or other heavy items on the hose or the elbow fitting to prevent dislodgement. Some RV operators gather rocks and the like for the purpose at each new campsite, while others carry rocks or a brick, cinderblock, or log in their RV for use at each new campsite. In addition to the inconvenience of having to find or carry a suitable object to hold the sewer line in place, the method of simply piling heavy objects on the sewer line to hold the sewer line in place is often ineffective, as the rocks, bricks, cinderblocks, logs, and other weights are prone to falling out of position.
Other devices have been fashioned to attempt to secure the RV sewer line in place.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,233, issued on Jul. 19, 1994 to J. Kress, discloses a recreational vehicle sewer apparatus that is a weighted collar for attaching to an end of a drain hose. The apparatus is a cast iron attachment in the form of a hollow cylinder ring, divided into two halves that are releasably connected together. In use, the apparatus is closed around the end of a sewer hose, securely gripping the sewer hose with a few inches of hose extending beyond the apparatus. The hose extending beyond the apparatus is inserted into the sewer receptacle, and the weight of the apparatus holds the hose in place. While this apparatus may be readily attached to the expandable vinyl hose typically used for an RV sewer hose, it is not useful where the hose is terminated with an elbow fitting.
Other devices serve to support the sewer hose between the RV and the sewer receptacle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,228,978, issued on October 21 to R. Rand, discloses a recreational vehicle sewer hose support. Since the sewer hose usually is flexible, it is prone to sagging or bending between the RV and the sewer receptacle. Such sagging or bending may contribute to a tendency for the hose to move and disengage from the sewer receptacle. The sewer hose support cradles the length of the hose from the RV to the sewer receptacle to prevent the hose from sagging or bending. While this may eliminate some tendency for the hose to move and disengage from the sewer receptacle, merely supporting the hose does not serve to more securely hold the hose or elbow fitting in place in the sewer receptacle.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus an RV sewage line stabilizing device solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The RV sewage line stabilizing device holds an RV sewer hose, terminated with an elbow fitting, in place in a sewer receptacle. Elbow fittings are frequently used at the end of the RV sewer hose to connect the sewer hose, which is often run flat along the ground, to the sewer receptacle, which is generally a piece of four-inch PVC pipe oriented vertically at or near the ground level. The elbow fitting thus forms the transition from the horizontal sewer hose to the vertical sewer receptacle, having a horizontally extending portion and a vertically extending portion.
The RV sewage line stabilizing device has a bottom plate that has a U-shaped collar formed in one end. On the other end of the bottom plate, side walls form an open, three-sided box.
The box end functions to hold a brick, rocks, or other weights in place to hold the RV sewage line stabilizing device in position.
The U-shaped collar is adapted to slide around the vertically extending portion of the elbow fitting as it engages in the sewer receptacle. The bottom plate lies generally flat on or near the ground, with the receptacle-engaging end of the elbow extending vertically through the U-shaped collar.
The RV sewage line stabilizing device holds the sewer hose in place in either of two ways. A number of the elbow fittings commonly used have a flange formed around each end of the fitting. Used with such an elbow fitting, the U-shaped collar is fitted above the flange around the receptacle-engaging end of the elbow fitting. The flange is wider than the U-shaped collar, so the U-shaped collar retains the elbow fitting in place. Other elbow fittings have no flange to be retained by the collar. In this case, a retaining strap, such as a bungee cord or a strap with a hook and loop fastener, i.e, Velcro or other fastener, extends over the horizontal portion of the elbow fitting to secure the RV sewage line stabilizing device to the elbow fitting.
In either such arrangement, the weights placed in the box end of the RV sewage line stabilizing device help to anchor the elbow fitting in place, and the box walls prevent the weight from falling or being knocked out of place.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide an RV sewage line stabilizing device to prevent an RV sewer hose from becoming dislodged from a sewer receptacle during use.
It is another object of the invention to provide an RV sewage line stabilizing device that can be used with a variety of fittings commonly used on RV sewer hoses.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an RV sewage line stabilizing device that facilitates the use of various weights to prevent an RV sewer hose from becoming dislodged from a sewer receptacle during use.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an RV sewage line stabilizing device that prevents weights being used to hold an RV sewer hose in position from falling or being knocked out of place.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification
Braun Leslie A.
Litman Richard C.
Morrison Naschica S.
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