Abstract:
A ramped garage draining system is provided having a parking area that is designed to receive a vehicle or other moveable object that may drip liquids. The draining system is designed to reside inside a garage or other structure and direct the liquid outside of the structure. The parking area is bordered on three sides with walls that extend above the parking area to contain the fluids. The ramp slopes toward a draining portion to direct the liquid towards a seal in the door to the structure. Seal interrupters extend under the seal and displace the seal upwards, creating a gap for the liquid to drain.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This present disclosure relates to drainage devices, specifically ones that are used to manage snow melt and other common drippings that fall off of a vehicle. In the winter months, snow, slush, ice, and mud commonly build up in the wheel wells and underneath a vehicle. When the vehicle is then parked inside, it is common for some or all of that buildup to drip from the vehicle. These drippings leave puddles that can then become a slipping hazard. Further, some garage floors are not properly slanted towards the door or a drain, causing the drippings to pool or migrate towards interior walls or shared foundation walls. Other drainage devices on the market attempt to solve this problem, commonly by damming off the area the vehicle is parked on. These devices create another problem: how to deal with the pooled water, slush, and dirt mix. Some require pumping while others require an external drain hose. Some devices provide no means to be drained and expect that normal evaporation will take care of the mess. Others provide a natural drain, but all drippings remain in the garage, constructively leaving the problem unsolved. An improved garage draining device is necessary. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure describes a garage floor system and vehicle dripping management device that allows for automatic drainage of liquids from a vehicle or other rolling device that can have snow melt or other liquids drip therefrom. The device has an area where the vehicle is parked and is ramped so that dripping liquids flow towards one end of the device. The area is bounded by three walls that protrude above the parking area and serve to contain any liquids that drip onto the area. The device has a draining area that extends from the side that is not bounded that receives drainage from the parking area. The draining area spans a threshold between the outside and interior of the garage. The area has a portion that protrudes above the surface to displace a portion of the garage door seal, allowing any liquid to flow underneath the door and out of the garage interior. Due to the arrangement of the sides and the draining area, any drippings from the vehicle can only drain through the gap created between the garage door seal and the protrusion on the draining area. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A preferred embodiment of this invention has been chosen wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of the device as used in a typical household garage; 
         FIG. 2  is a partial section view of the leading edge of the device as shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the device; 
         FIG. 4  is a front section view  4  of the device as shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a side view  5  of the device as shown in  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 6  is a side section view  6  of the device as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A garage draining device  10  as shown in  FIG. 1  is used to store a parked vehicle  12 . In cold weather where snow and ice is common, buildup  14  underneath the vehicle and in the wheel wells is commonplace. Frequently the temperature inside the garage  16  is above the melting point of the buildup  14 , causing it to drip  18  from the vehicle  12 . The floor  20  of the garage  16  as shown in  FIG. 1  is a flat surface that will not naturally cause liquid to drain towards the garage door  22 . 
     As is shown in  FIG. 2 , the floor  20  extends out underneath the garage door  22 , where it meets a driveway  24  or other surface that is located outside of the garage  16 . It is contemplated that the floor  20  stops short of the door  22  or stops directly underneath it. It is further contemplated that the floor  20  is continuous from inside the garage  16  to the outside of the garage  16 . At the bottom edge  26  of the door  22  is a gasket  28  that serves to seal the door  22  to the upper surface  30  of the garage floor  20 . The garage door  22  is affixed to the wall of the garage  16  adjacent to an opening  32  as shown in  FIG. 1 . The garage door  22 , as known in the art, opens and closes either manually or with an automatic opener. As shown, the garage door  22  is segmented and travels on a track between the closed and opened position. The garage door  22 , when closed, contacts the threshold  34  which is a boundary between the interior and exterior of the garage  16 . 
     The device  10  as shown in  FIG. 2  has a parking area  40  that has an upper surface  42  and a lower surface  45 . As shown, the upper surface  42  is flat and ramped with respect to the lower surface  45 . It is contemplated that the upper surface  42  has an anti-slip coating for safety. The lower surface  45  rests on the upper surface  30  of the garage floor  20 . Surrounding three sides of the parking area  40  are lateral walls  44 ,  46  and a terminal wall  48  that protrude above the upper surface  42 . The walls  44 ,  46 , and  48  form a barrier to liquid that prevent it from leaving the upper surface  42 . Where the lateral walls  44 ,  46  meet the upper surface  42 , lateral edges  50 ,  52  are formed. Correspondingly, a terminal edge  54  is formed where the terminal wall  48  meets the upper surface  42 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the top  38  of the lateral wall  44  is parallel to the lower surface  45 . It is contemplated that the top  38  of the lateral wall  44  and the top of the other lateral wall  46  remain parallel to the upper surface  42 . It is further contemplated that the lateral walls  44 ,  46  and terminal wall  48  are integral with the parking area  40  to form a continuous sealed surface. 
     A leading edge  56  of the parking area  40  is located opposite the terminal edge  54  that defines the entry point for the vehicle  12 . All liquid that drains from the device  10  passes over the leading edge  56 . Extending outwardly from the parking area  40  at the leading edge  56  is a draining portion  60 . The draining portion  60  may have mounting holes  78  to affix the device  10  to the floor  20 , threshold  34 , or driveway  24 . The draining portion  60  extends beyond the length of the leading edge  56  and can be at least as wide as outside surfaces of the lateral walls  44 ,  46 . The lateral walls  44  and  46  do not protrude into the draining portion  60 . The draining portion  60  has a leading edge  62  and has seal interrupters  64  at the ends near the lateral walls  44 ,  46 . The seal interrupters  64  extend from the leading edge  62  to the leading edge  56 . As shown, the device  10  has two seal interrupters  64 , but it is contemplated that other quantities of seal interrupters  64  are used. As installed, the seal interrupters  64  extend from the inside of the garage  16  to the outside and cross the threshold  34 . The seal interrupter  64  as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4  has a surface  66  that extends upwardly from an upper surface  68  of the draining portion  60 . An angled surface  70  extends upwardly from the upper surface  68  and meets at a top edge  72 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , when the garage door  22  is down, the gasket  28  is displaced upward and away from the upper surface  68  by the top edge  72  and angled surface  70 . The displaced area or gap  74  is located adjacent to the surface  66 . It is contemplated that the surface  66  is not vertical, but it does need to be shaped to create the gap  74  to properly function. A gradual slope or radius for surface  66  would not displace the seal sufficiently to create the gap  74 . 
     As drippings  18  fall from the vehicle  12 , they begin to collect and run down the upper surface  42  of the parking area  40 . The terminal wall  48  and lateral walls  44 ,  46  prevent any drippings  18  from escaping the portion of the device  10  that is located inside the garage  16 . Due to the ramped upper surface  42 , the drippings  18  move towards the leading edge  56 . The drippings  18  then cross the leading edge  56  of the parking area  40  and onto the draining portion  60 . If the garage door  22  is down, the drippings  18  may contact the gasket  28  and then move towards one of the seal interrupters  64 . Once it reaches the gap  74 , gravity allows it to drain across the threshold  34  and out of the garage  16 . The leading edge  62  of the draining portion  60  is the lowest on the device  10  to allow for proper draining. It is contemplated that the draining portion  60  may be slightly taller in the middle and curved downward towards the seal interrupter  64  to help channel any drippings  18  toward the gap  74 . The primary feature of the device  10  is that the drippings  18  can only pass under the garage door  22  adjacent to the seal interrupter  64 . 
     As is shown in  FIG. 5 , the device  10  can be an assembly of multiple parts to allow economical shipping and storage. The parking area  40  and lateral walls  44 ,  46  are separated into several parts such as parts  80 ,  82 , and  84 . They meet at the seams  86 ,  88  because the parking area  40  must channel drippings  18  toward the draining portion  60 , the portions  80  and  82  must mate securely and be water-tight. As shown in  FIG. 5 , a portion of the upper surface of part  82  overlays a portion of the upper surface of part  80  in an overlap area  90 . This allows drippings  18  to travel over the part  82  to part  80 . The upper surface  42  can include a flexible membrane or be sealed as part of the assembly. It is contemplated that the parts  80 ,  82 , and  84  abut at the seams  86 ,  88  without the overlap area  90  and seal on the abutted seams. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , a parking stop  76  can be added to provide the user feedback when they are properly parked on the device  10 . The parking stop  76 , as shown, rests in one or both corners of the parking area  40  where a portion of it abuts the terminal wall  48  and one of the lateral walls  44 ,  46 . Different sizes and shapes of the parking stop  76  can be switched out for different sized vehicles. One of the goals of the parking stop  76  is to prevent the front of the vehicle  12  from extending beyond the terminal wall  48 , thereby keeping all drippings  18  on the parking area  40  and off of the floor  20 . 
     Because drainage occurs near the ends of the draining portion  60 , it is contemplated that the draining portion  60  has channels that allow additional draining. The channels (not shown) are thinner areas in the draining portion  60  that are narrow enough to prevent the gasket  28  from extending downwardly and blocking them off. The channels allow drainage in addition from the seal interrupters  64 . 
     It is understood that while certain aspects of the disclosed subject matter have been shown and described, the disclosed subject matter is not limited thereto and encompasses various other embodiments and aspects. No specific limitation with respect to the specific embodiments disclosed herein is intended or should be inferred. Modifications may be made to the disclosed subject matter as set forth in the following claims.