Hydraulic and earth engineering – Fluid control – treatment – or containment – Flow control
Reexamination Certificate
2003-01-23
2004-08-31
Shackelford, Heather (Department: 3673)
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Fluid control, treatment, or containment
Flow control
C405S091000, C405S022000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06783300
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to structures for damming water courses, controlling and directing water flow, working and support structures where outer fabric sleeves are formed and connected together into stacks, side by side relationship, in cascade arrangement, and the like, forming a dam, water course, fish ladder, or other structure, that are inexpensive to construct, erect, and dismantle, forming a variety of structures.
2. Prior Art
A need for easily installable and versatile dam structures, and the like, particularly structures that are primarily water or air filled, that are relatively inexpensive, non-permanent, reusable and are durable has been early recognized by the inventor who has been awarded U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,059,065 and 5,125,767 for forming and joining water structures together, forming hydraulic damming structures, and in a recent U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,571, that shows a combination of water transfer and damning structures and platforms. Such water structures have been found to be very useful for safely and reliably containing water and for directing water, and are also useful for controlling hazardous waste, oil or chemical spills, for flood control, and the like. Further, such water structures are also useful, for example, for temporary damming operations such as may be involved in agricultural water storage, construction, for de-watering work sites, fields, or the like, and are even appropriate for use as permanent or long term structures.
Heretofore it has been recognized that fluid filled flexible water control structures and barriers can be used for retention and storage of water, control of water flow and wave action, and a number of configurations of dams and barriers that have been formed as both semi-permanent and temporary structures. Additional to the U.S. patents of the inventor, other such arrangements are shown, for example, in U.S. Patents to: Hombostel, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 3,373,568; Sample, U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,691; Brodersen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,821; Hendrix, U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,919; Roach, U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,416; Melin, U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,806; and Miller, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,564. Which above cited U.S. Patents show various containment, dam and barrier configurations from permanent to portable structures, and include, as shown in the patent to Brodersen, a structure for encircling a chemical or oil spill. Such earlier patents, however, do not show the various combination of flexible sleeves that are individually joined, as by sewing, into appropriate shapes with each inner sleeve to receive a tube or tubes that are filled with water, forming a containment structure for a particular area or need.
While the particular connected sleeves that receive water filled tubes of the invention are unique, heretofore other specialty water filled structures have been employed as shown, for example, in Thompson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,352,591; Sample, U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,491; Taylor, U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,392; Eaker, U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,455, and Strong, U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,577. Where the above cited patents generally involve inflatable envelope arrangements none provide the combination of joined sleeves to contain the same or different diameters of water filled tubes and cooperating structures for producing the strong and reliable specialty water structures of the invention, that can be further accessorized as by an inclusion of anchoring structures and other water conveying arrangements, such as separate culverts or pipes and attachment methods. Further examples of earlier accessorized structures shown in patents to Swain, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,158 and to Carter, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,362, that, however, lack the features of the connected outer sleeves of the invention.
Summarizing, unlike the invention, none of the above set out prior art structure provide a barrier arrangement or arrangements of barriers were outer sleeves are fitted and maintained together in a specific barrier configuration that each receive a tube or tubes fitted therein that are filled with water, forming a self supporting structure. Which structures provide a barrier or a shape to perform a certain design function or functions, such as a dam that is lower at its center to direct a flow thereover, a fish ladder type arrangement, a reinforced dam structure where the sleeves are connected side by side to contain several different diameters of water filled tubes. The sleeves and their connections of the invention can further include accessories: such as an anchor or leakage prevention sheet or cloth; can be arranged with a culvert for fitting under the dam to reduce leakage; can receive metal posts or tubes fitted through an opening or openings formed through the sleeves, at their connection, can include anchor points and loops sewn in to the sleeve or sleeves to receive hard tube pipe as attachment points, as well as tie-offs for providing additional support, and incorporate spaces between the sleeves for driving posts therethrough into the ground as dam anchors; and can be formed as a fish ladder, overflow dam or the like, providing a number of useful water filled dam arrangements that are unique to the invention.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a hydraulic structure that is formed from a section or sections of water filled sleeves, envelopes, or the like, that are joined together in side by side, end-to-end, or stacked on top of one another, or in other configurations, with the sleeves receiving individual tubes that are filled with water, for forming dams, overflow dams, breakwaters, piers, bridging structures, docks, platforms for drilling, and the like, where such formed structure will be stable when subjected to wave action, a transverse hydraulic force or forces as would tend to permanently move the structure.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a plurality of sleeves, each formed from a strong puncture resistant material, that are joined together as by sewing, clamping, welding or like fastening, along common edges with the sleeves to each receive a tube or tubes that are filled with water to expand against the sleeve walls and are closed within the sleeves to form a water barrier having a desired shape.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a plurality of sleeves, that can be alike or of different sizes and configurations that are for joining together so as to contain an individual water filled tube or tubes, which sleeves are preferably open ended, but can include ends that can be individually closed over or are shaped with a ring structure to pass an individual water filled tube end therethrough for closure as with a tie, and with one such sleeve end closured provided by sewing of a zipper across a sleeve end or ends.
Another object of the present invention is to provide for maintaining a tube or tubes longitudinally in each sleeve such that a plurality of tubes are arranged in side by side relationship and, as required, at least one of the tubes can include a center longitudinal divider for providing a roll resistant structure
Another object of the present invention is to provide a water filled structure formed from a plurality of sleeves arranged side by side where the sleeves are joined along contacting longitudinal surfaces, with some or all of the sleeves formed to have unlike, with a section of a lesser diameter sleeve to serve as a spillway.
Another object of the present invention is to provide, with the water structure, an anchor sheet or sheets that is or are secured across one or a plurality of the sleeves, with the weight of the column of water above the anchor cloth to hold the water structure in place.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide sleeves of different diameters for joining along common longitudinal surfaces that each contain a water filled tube or tubes for forming a water structure for a particular function.
Still another object of the present invention is to include, at
Russell M. Reid
Saldano Lisa M
Shackelford Heather
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