Abstract:
A water outlet for a jet pump in a jet-powered watercraft comprises a first end for coupling to a jet expulsion end of the jet pump in fluid-tight communication, and a second end adapted to be coupled to a hose, whereby the watercraft jet pump is converted from a propulsion pump for propelling the watercraft to a fluid pump for pumping water through the hose. In some embodiments the watercraft jet outlet is adapted to connect to a hose. In other embodiments a separate adapter coupler is adapted to couple a hose to the existing jet outlet.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to water delivery apparatus. In particular, the invention relates to a method and system for delivering water in large volumes, particularly in remote areas. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    One of the most widely used and effective tools for fighting house fires is the fire hydrant. Fire hydrants are capable of expelling very large volumes of water at high pressures, which can be used to douse a fire from a considerable distance. In urban areas fire hydrants are plentiful, and are located so that in general at least one fire hydrant is within reach of any residential or business structure via a standard fire hose. Considerable damage, and in some cases injury or even death, can be prevented by early dousing of a building fire with large volumes of water. 
         [0003]    However, many remote areas, even those which have basic services such as electricity and water, do not have ready access to the high-volume water supply provided by fire hydrants. Accordingly, in remote towns and villages, and throughout many cottage areas, the most effective way to fight a house fire is by bringing in water trucks. This can be problematic, particularly in very remote rural areas where road access may be limited. Also, the number of water trucks in any given region is limited, so the availability of a water truck at the particular time that it is needed is not guaranteed. 
         [0004]    In cottage areas in particular, water is generally plentiful since cottages tend to be built around lakes. However, a pump capable of supplying water at the high flow rates and pressures available from fire hydrants is not typically something that is stored by a cottager, and to bring a pump to a cottage that is on fire leads to the same problems of limited supply and difficult access that are experienced in the case of water trucks. 
         [0005]    It would accordingly be advantageous to have equipment that is normally available in a remote area, or easily brought to a remote area, capable of pumping large amounts of water from a lake or other body of water, for example to douse a fire. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    In drawings which illustrate by way of example only a preferred embodiment of the invention, 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a water-jet propelled watercraft pumping water through a fire hose to douse a fire. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a plan view of an embodiment of a water-jet outlet of a water-jet propelled watercraft adapted for coupling to a fire hose coupler according to the invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a cross-section of the embodiment of  FIG. 2  taken along the line  3 - 3 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a partly broken-away plan view of the embodiment of  FIG. 2  showing the outlet coupled to a coupling end of a fire hose. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5A  is an elevation showing a coupler having one end adapted for coupling to a fire hose and the other end adapted for coupling to the water-jet outlet of a water-jet propelled watercraft. 
           [0012]      FIG. 5B  is an elevation of the coupler of  FIG. 5A  in a coupled condition. 
           [0013]      FIG. 5C  is an enlarged partial elevation of the coupler of  FIG. 5A  showing a locking mechanism for the coupling hooks. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]    The present invention provides a hose coupler for a water-jet propelled watercraft  10  that couples the jet&#39;s water outlet to a fire hose  2 . The watercraft  10  can thus be driven to the scene of a fire and, while still in the lake or other body of water, a fire hose  2  can be coupled to the water-jet outlet of the watercraft to impel water through the fire hose  2  at high flow rates and pressures in order to douse the fire. 
         [0015]    In some embodiments a coupler  60  of the invention serves as an adapter to couple a fire hose  2  to an existing water-jet outlet  30  of a water-jet propelled watercraft  10 . In other embodiments the watercraft&#39;s water-jet outlet  30  is itself formed with a hose coupler end for coupling to a fire hose  2 . In each case the coupling of a hose  2  to the water-jet outlet  30  effectively converts a water-jet propelled watercraft  10 , on site, from a jet-propelled mobile craft that can reach a site near a body of water, for example the scene of the fire, relying solely on its own propulsion system, to a jet pump-based impeller apparatus which forces water through the fire hose  2  to fight a fire in a structure  1 , or a forest fire, for example. 
         [0016]    The invention will be described in the context of a popular personal watercraft, for example (without limitation) of the type described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,815 issued Nov. 5, 1991 to Kobayashi, which is incorporated herein by reference. However, it will be appreciated that the principles of the invention can be applied to, and the advantages of the invention can be obtained from, any water-jet propelled watercraft  10 . 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  illustrates a conventional water-jet propelled personal watercraft  10 . The personal watercraft  10  has a hull  12 , a seat  14  configured to support a driver and passengers, and a steering control mechanism, in the embodiment shown handlebars  16 , for steering the watercraft  10 . The watercraft  10  is propelled by a water-jet produced by a jet pump, which expels water at a high velocity via water-jet outlet  30  disposed at the rear of the watercraft  10 . Typically the outlet  30  is pivotally mounted and actuated by the steering mechanism  16  to orient the water jet flow to the left or right and thus turn the watercraft  10 . 
         [0018]      FIGS. 2 to 4  illustrate a water-jet outlet  30  for a water-jet propelled watercraft  10  adapted to couple to a fire hose  2  in accordance with the invention. The water-jet outlet  30  according to the invention comprises a body  32  having a first end  34  for coupling to the outflow end of the jet pump (not shown) that drives the watercraft  10 . The first end  34  is thus configured as a conventional water-jet outlet would be, for coupling to the jet pump so as to be movable by the steering control mechanism  16  of the watercraft  10 . A fixed fin  36  aligned generally parallel to the axis of the outlet  30  assists with steering the watercraft  10 , as is well known. In some types of watercraft the jet outlet is also capable of vertical adjustment, for example pivotally mounted on bosses  38 , to change the attitude of the watercraft  10  in the water. 
         [0019]    The other end  40  of the jet outlet  30  is the hose coupling end, adapted to couple to the coupling end of a fire hose  2 . For example, the hose may couple to the hose coupling end  40  of the jet outlet  30  via a conventional cam and groove coupler, coupling the coupling end of the fire hose  2  to the jet outlet  30 . As best seen in  FIG. 4 , the cam  42   a  of the hose coupler  2   a  is pivoted into position to lock the cam  42   a  into the groove  42  of the hose-coupling end  40  of the jet outlet  30  to retain the hose connection, as is well known. Any other suitable coupling mechanism may be utilized, bearing in mind the high pressures to which the hose coupling can be subjected, for example a bayonet connection or a “quick connect” type coupler commonly used to couple an air compressor to a pneumatic tool. 
         [0020]      FIGS. 5A to 5C  illustrate an embodiment of the invention in which an adapter  60  is provided to couple the hose  2  to an existing water-jet outlet  9  which has not been configured with any particular structure adapted to couple to the hose coupler  2   a . In this embodiment the hose  2  is provided with a coupler  60  having a coupling mechanism for attachment to the water-jet outlet  9 . In the embodiment shown the coupler  60  comprises a body  66  having an interior configured complementary to the exterior of the water-jet outlet  9  so as to overlap with an interference fit. A pair of “J”-shaped coupling hooks  62  are slidably mounted to the body  66 , for example via clamping bights  64  which can be tightened using set screws  66  or in some other fashion to securely lock the coupler  60  to the water-jet outlet  9 . In use the coupler  60  is manually pushed onto the water-jet outlet  9 , and the hooked portions  62   a  of the coupling hooks  62  are hooked over the rear edge  9   a  of the water-jet outlet  9  and secured so as to clamp the coupler  60  to the water-jet outlet  9 . 
         [0021]    In this embodiment the coupling hooks  62  must be locked securely to the water-jet outlet  9 , to ensure that the water pressure does not dislodge the coupler  60  from the water-jet outlet  9  during use. This can be accomplished in any number of ways, for example by providing holes  68  in the coupling hooks  62  into which the set screw  66  intrudes, or alternatively by providing threads on the coupling hooks  62  and a nut (not shown) which can be turned to tighten the coupling hooks  62  against the rear edge of the water-jet outlet  9 . 
         [0022]    In use, for example for dousing a fire at a lakefront cottage in a remote area, the watercraft  10  may already be located in or near the lake, for example stored on or beside a dock or other structure. If not, the water-jet propelled watercraft  10  can be driven to the site of the fire. With the jet pump of the watercraft  10  off, the coupling end  2   a  of a fire hose  2  is coupled to the water-jet outlet  30  in the manner described above, either directly where the water-jet outlet  30  has been configured to couple to a fire hose, as in the embodiments of  FIGS. 2 to 4 , or via a separate adapter coupler  60  such as that illustrated in  FIG. 5  (without limitation). The watercraft  10  is then started, sucking water into its intake as though the watercraft  10  were in use, but pumping water out through the water-jet outlet  30  (directly or via a separate coupler  60 ), and thus through the fire hose  2 , to douse the fire, as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0023]    It is beneficial to form the interior of the coupler  60  with smooth surfaces, which provide less resistance against the flow of water into the hose  2 . The throttle of the watercraft  10  can be used to adjust the pressure of water egressing from the outlet  30  or coupler  60 . In some embodiments of the adapter coupler  60  a relief valve (not shown) may be built into the coupler  60 , providing an alternate way to adjust the pressure of water flowing through the hose  2 , for example when the system is started up as the hose  2  is filling, and/or to relive the back-pressure against the jet pump during start-up. 
         [0024]    Various embodiments of the present invention having been thus described in detail by way of example, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the invention. For example, while the invention has been described in the context of delivering water to the site of a fire, the invention can be used to deliver high volumes of water at high pressure for any desired purpose and is not limited to firefighting.