Abstract:
A splash plate for use with an end cap or end portion of a chamber is provided, wherein the end cap or end portion defines an end cavity having an open end cavity bottom and includes an opening for containing a waste water pipe that introduces waste water into the end cavity. The splash plate includes a base panel for covering the end cavity bottom such that waste water introduced into the end cavity contacts at least a portion of said base panel and a means for positionably securing the splash plate relative to the end cap or end portion.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/799,593 filed May 10, 2006 entitled “Full Coverage Perforated Splash Plate for Leaching Chamber”, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates generally to leaching chambers and more particularly to a splash plate for an end cap for use with a leaching chamber. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Plastic leaching chambers having an arch shape cross section are known in the art and are commonly buried within trenches that are dug into the soil. Waste water coming from a source, such as a septic tank, is typically conveyed to the first leaching chamber of a string of leaching chambers by means of an inflow pipe, wherein the waste water enters the first leaching chamber via the inflow pipe which is inserted into an opening, or hole, in the end plate or end cap of the chamber. Because the inflow pipe is often inserted into the hole in the end plate at an elevation above the soil, wherein the soil typically lies at the base level of the chamber, the water projects a short distance into the chamber. Unfortunately, as the water flows through the pipe and into the chamber, the force of the water dropping from the pipe onto the soil at the bottom of the chamber can cause erosion of the soil, thus possibly undermining the chamber over time or even causing drain holes to become clogged. One method that has been used to avoid this problem involves placing a flat stone or fabricated plate of plastic or concrete, generally called a splash plate, upon the soil so that the plate lies within the chamber vertically below the place where the inflow pipe discharges. 
         [0004]    Some plastic end caps that are sold in commerce are sold by Infiltrator Systems Inc. of Old Saybrook, Conn. and often include such kind of splash plate, wherein a typical splash plate may be about 6 inches by 8 inches in dimension. The edge of the splash plate may have tabs that mechanically engage the base of the end cap to keep the splash plate from moving over time, such as by floating or by force of the water hitting the splash plate. For example,  FIG. 1  illustrates one such splash plate  102 , in accordance with the prior art, associated with an end cap  100  as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,008,138 to Bumes et al., and is referred to further hereinafter. 
         [0005]    When the waste water flows into the chamber by gravity at a relatively low volumetric flow rate, the water tends to drop vertically downward at the entry point. In this case, the installer may be fairly confident that he knows where to position the splash plate to avoid soil erosion. However, prior art splash plates are not well suited to address the problems that exist when the waste water is sent to the chamber by means of a dosing pump. This is because the volumetric flow rate of the water from the dosing pump may vary from time to time and is typically higher than water flowing solely by gravity. This higher flow rate causes the water to project farther into the chamber and unfortunately, the location of the landing point of the water typically varies from installation to installation and from time to time during use. 
         [0006]    In such situations, it has been found that soil erosion still occurs with the prior art splash plates because the water projected into the chamber either flows rapidly off of the splash plate and into the chamber, only partially lands on the splash plates or overshoots the splash plates altogether. This is undesirable for several reasons. First, because during erosion the soil is washed away and typically flows downstream into the chamber, the eroded soil can clog the drain holes preventing needed flow. Second, in one worse case scenario, as more and more soil at the base level of the chamber erodes, the stability of the chamber can become compromised and if enough soil erodes away, the chambers can shift. Third, in another worse case scenario, if enough soil is eroded such that the soil supporting the end cap could be undermined over time, the end cap could be allowed to shift away from the chamber. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    In an embodiment, a splash plate for use with an end cap or end portion of a chamber, wherein the end cap or end portion defines an end cavity having an open end cavity bottom and includes an opening for containing a waste water pipe that introduces waste water into the end cavity is provided. The splash plate includes a base panel, wherein the base panel is configured to cover the end cavity bottom when the splash plate is associated with the chamber, such that waste water being introduced into the end cavity contacts the base panel. The splash plate also includes a plurality of upright side portions, wherein each of the plurality of upright side portions is configured to interact with the end cap or end portion when the splash plate is associated with the chamber to inhibit longitudinal motion of the splash plate within the end cavity. Furthermore, the splash plate includes a baffle portion, wherein the baffle portion is configured to interact with the end cap or end portion when the splash plate is associated with the chamber to inhibit lateral movement of the splash plate and longitudinal movement of the baffle portion within the end cavity. 
         [0008]    In another embodiment, an assembly is provided, wherein the assembly includes an end cap or a end portion of a chamber having an interior end cavity with an open end cavity bottom and a base flange. The assembly also includes a splash plate, wherein the splash plate includes a base panel disposed and configured to closely associate with the base flange to cover a substantial portion of the end cavity bottom, such that waste water being introduced into the end cavity contacts the base panel. The splash plate also includes a plurality of upright side portions, wherein each of the plurality of upright side portions is configured to interact with the end cap or end portion to inhibit longitudinal motion of the splash plate within the end cavity. Furthermore, the splash plate includes a baffle portion, wherein the baffle portion is configured to interact with the end cap or end portion to inhibit lateral movement of the splash plate and longitudinal movement of the baffle portion within the end cavity. 
         [0009]    In another embodiment, a splash plate for use with an end cap or end portion of a chamber is provided, wherein the end cap or end portion defines an end cavity having an open end cavity bottom and includes an opening for containing a waste water pipe that introduces waste water into the end cavity. The splash plate includes a base panel for covering the end cavity bottom such that waste water introduced into the end cavity contacts at least a portion of said base panel and a means for positionably securing the splash plate relative to the end cap or end portion. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention should be more fully understood from the accompanying detailed description of illustrative embodiments taken in conjunction with the following Figures in which like elements are numbered alike in the several Figures: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a splash plate associated with an end cap in accordance with the prior art; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a top down isometric view illustrating a first embodiment of a splash plate, in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a planar view of the splash plate of  FIG. 2  in flattened condition, suitable for shipment prior to use and in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is an isometric view bottom up view of the splash plate of  FIG. 2  associated with an end cap, in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional side elevation view of an end cap and splash plate assembly, in accordance with the present invention, showing an inflow pipe in phantom; 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a top down isometric view illustrating a second embodiment of a splash plate, in accordance with the present invention; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is a planar view of the splash plate of  FIG. 6  in flattened condition, suitable for shipment prior to use and in accordance with the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]    It should be appreciated that the present invention is described herein in terms for use in combination with a molded thermoplastic end cap  100 , such as that shown in  FIG. 1  and as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,008,138 to Bumes et al., issued Mar. 7, 2006 and entitled “Faceted End Cap for Leaching Chamber,” the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The end cap  100  includes a dome shaped shell having an interior cavity and at least pull seal tab which can be removed to create at least one opening  106  in the buttress portion  108  of the end cap  100  for receiving at least one waste water pipe. This allows waste water to be introduced or dumped into the interior cavity of the end cap  100  via the waste water pipe. The end cap  100  includes a base flange  110  and a curved arch shaped end flange  112  for engaging a leaching chamber. The buttress portion  108  includes three large spaced apart buttresses  114 ,  116 ,  118  and two small buttresses  120 ,  122 , wherein the small buttresses  120 ,  122  are located intermediate the large buttresses  114 ,  116 ,  118  such that small buttress  120  is located between large buttress  114  and large buttress  116  and small buttress  122  is located between large buttress  116  and large buttress  118 . It should be appreciated that each buttress has at least one saddle portion  124  for supporting a pipe which may be inserted into the opening  106  which is typically created by removal of a pull-tab seal  126 . 
         [0019]    Referring to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , a first embodiment of a slash plate  200 , in accordance with the present invention, is shown and includes a base panel  204 , opposing side upright portions  206  and a baffle portion  208 , wherein the base panel  204  includes one or more tab portions  210  and wherein the side upright portions  206  include semi-circular cutouts  212 . Referring to  FIG. 4 , the slash plate  200  is shown associated with an end cap  100  to be closely mated with the base of the end cap  100 , wherein the base panel  204  is disposed to be parallel with and at approximately the same elevation as the base flange  110 . As shown, the tab portions  210  of flash plate  200  are configured to fit and substantially spans (i.e. to at least partially cover the soil that underlies the end cap  100 ) the interior space within the base flange portion  110  of the end cap  100 . 
         [0020]    Additionally, the side upright portions  206  are disposed inside of the end cap cavity to be located adjacent the lower openings  106  in large buttress  114  and large buttress  118 . The side upright portions  206  may be configured to engage interior features of the end cap  100  and resist any longitudinal motion of the splash plate  200  in or out of the end cap  100  along the x-axis (as shown in  FIG. 1 ), i.e. longitudinally with leaching chamber, wherein the semi-circular cutouts  212  provide clearance for any pipe that may be inserted into the opening  106  of the end cap  100 . The side upright portions  206  may also engage the outer edges of the baffle portion  208  to help prevent the baffle portion  208  from falling inwardly into the interior of the end cap  100  and onto the top of the base panel  204 . 
         [0021]    Additionally, the baffle portion  208 , which may include a plurality of integrated perforations  214 , extends perpendicularly upright along the edge of the base panel  204  such that the baffle portion  208  nominally runs vertically and parallel to the plane of the end flange  112  of the end cap  100 , wherein the baffle portion  208  is inset from the plane of the end of end cap  100 . The opposing ends of the baffle portion  208  may be configured to engage recesses within the interior portion of the end flange  112  of the end cap  100 . This allows the baffle portion  208  to remain upright against the force of water flowing from the cavity of the end cap  100  toward the attached leaching chamber. Moreover, the engagement of the baffle portion  208  with the opposing sides of the end cap  100  helps to restrain the baffle portion  208  and the whole splash plate  200  from moving sideways along the y-axis (as shown in  FIG. 1 ), i.e. in a left-right fashion within the end cap  100 . 
         [0022]    It should be appreciated that the tab portion  210  may extend outwardly more than shown to at least partially underlie the curved outer edge of the base flange portion  110  to keep the edge of splash plate  200  from lifting. Optionally, an indicator tab  216 , shown in phantom in  FIG. 4 , may be provided as an integral extension of the base panel  204  and may be configured to extend beyond the outer edge of the end cap base flange portion  110  to be visible from outside of the chamber. Not only would the indicator tab  216  substantially act as suggested for the tab portion  210 , but it would also function as a visual indicator to an inspector that the splash plate  200  has been installed. Alternatively, all or part of the base panel  204  may extend beyond the end of the flange  110  to provide the desired indicator for the plate presence, in substation of the indicator tab  216 . Moreover, while the upstream end of the splash plate  200  is curved to fit the interior bottom of the end cap  100  or chamber, it may be shaped in various other configurations. For instance, the end may be bigger than the interior so that it underlies all or a part of the flange  110 . 
         [0023]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , a splash plate  200  associated with an end cap  100  is shown having a waste water pipe  128  (shown in phantom) disposed within the opening  106  of large buttress  116  to introduce or dump waste water into the cavity of the end cap  100 , wherein the waste water pipe  128  is resting on the saddle portion  124 .  FIG. 5  also shows a phantom stream  218  of waste water flowing from the waste water pipe  128  onto the base panel  204  of the splash plate  200 . It should be appreciated that water falling from the waste water pipe  128  onto the splash plate  200  then flows in the lengthwise direction, i.e. along the x-axis (as shown in  FIG. 5 ), along the surface of the base panel  204  and through the plurality of integrated perforations  214  of the baffle portion  208  depending on the volume. 
         [0024]    In an alternate embodiment, the baffle portion  208  may be solid (i.e. lack integrated perforations  214 ) and as such, water deposited onto the base panel  204  may flow around the edges of the baffle portion  208 , or it may accumulate and flow over the top edge of the baffle portion  208 . In both instances, the baffle portion  208  may inhibit the lengthwise flow of water. Thus, it should be appreciated that any accumulation of water on the base panel  204  further serves to mitigate erosion of the soil, by providing a water cushion that absorbs the energy of the dropping water. Furthermore, in  FIG. 5 , to illustrate how the splash plate  200  is effective no matter what buttress is used to introduce waste water into the end cap  100 , an additional waste water pipe  220  is also shown in phantom as being disposed in the upper opening  106  of and as resting on the saddle portion  124  of large buttress  114 . 
         [0025]    Referring to  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7 , a second embodiment of a slash plate  300 , in accordance with the present invention, is shown and is similar to the splash plate  200  of  FIG. 1 . The splash plate  300  includes a base panel  304 , opposing side upright portions  306  and a baffle portion  308 , wherein the base panel  304  includes one or more tab portions  310  and wherein the side upright portions  306  include semi-circular cutouts  312 . The splash plate  200  of the first embodiment differs from the splash plate of  300  of the second embodiment in that splash plate  300  includes a plurality of integrated perforations or holes  314  located in the base panel  304 . This is because in certain situations the holes  314  help to better ensure that water flowing into the end cap  100  and onto the splash plate  300  can escape through the soil which underlies the interior of the end cap  100 . 
         [0026]    In accordance with the present invention, the baffle portion  208 ,  308  should sufficient height to impede the flow of water which may cause erosion, but not so high that it creates a dam having a resultant water fall affect which itself may cause erosion of the soil downstream and/or under the splash plate. For example, one such embodiment might include a baffle  208 ,  308  that is between about 0.5 inches high and about 5 inches high. Furthermore, while the baffle portion  208 ,  308  is shown herein as being a vertical portion, the baffle portion  208 ,  308  may be sloped or may be non-planar. For example, the end of base panel  204 ,  304  and the baffle portion  208 ,  308  may run along a zig-zag path from one side of the chamber to the other and/or the baffle portion  208 ,  308  may be corrugated. 
         [0027]    The holes  214 ,  314  may have various sizes, shapes and patterns that differ from the holes  214 ,  314  shown in splash plate  100 ,  200 , the holes  214 ,  314  should be sufficiently small and spaced apart to avoid soil erosion and to achieve the purposes of the invention. One advantage of the holes is that they may enable metering of the water flow when the flow is moderate, rather than forcing all of the flow to run over the top of the baffle portion  208 ,  308 . According to the soil type it may be acceptable to have even greater open area than suggested by the pictures here, to the point that the base panel  204 ,  304  may be screen or grid like. Furthermore, it is contemplated that the holes  214 ,  314  may also be located strategically within the splash plate  200 ,  300  to direct the water to desired flow paths. 
         [0028]    Still other embodiments that are considered within the scope of the invention might include a splash plate  200 ,  300  having side upright portions  206 ,  306  having different shapes and sizes or a splash plate  200 ,  300  having no side upright portions  206 ,  306  at all. One embodiment would be a splash plate  200 ,  300  configured to interact with the end cap  100  to prevent movement within the end cap cavity. For example, the splash plate  200 ,  300  may include laterally extending members, such as arms or pins, configured to interact with the end cap  100 . Another example would be a splash plate  200 ,  300  with a base panel  204 ,  304  sized such that a portion of the base panel  204 ,  304  underlies the base flange  110 . The splash plate  200 ,  300  may also be fastened to the end cap  100  via a fastening device, such as a clip, tab, screw, pin, snap, Velcro and/or adhesive. Another embodiment may be a splash plate  200 ,  300  having a base panel  204 ,  304  and/or baffle portion  208 ,  308  configured to interact with the soil below/around the splash plate  200 ,  300 , such as by protrusions that dig into the soil to prevent movement. 
         [0029]    Another embodiment may include side upright portions  206 ,  306  that don&#39;t have circular cutouts  212 ,  312 , but rather have a top portion which is square or some other shape. This would be especially appropriate for end caps  100  that only accommodate a pipe entering along the x-axis. In another embodiment, the side upright portions  206 ,  306  may have a width or x-axis dimension that is smaller than the x-axis dimension of the base panel  204 ,  304 . In still another example, the side upright portions  206 ,  306  may comprise one or more foldable portions, such as two spaced apart segments. 
         [0030]    In still yet another embodiment, the side upright portions  206 ,  306  may be configured as separate pieces as opposed to integral pieces. For instance, the side upright portions  206 ,  306  may be L-shaped pieces which have a base that lies in the plane of the base panel  204 ,  304  to which they may be mechanically associated. In still yet another embodiment, side upright portions  206 ,  306  may be positionably adjustable in the x-axis, y-axis and/or z-axis direction and/or sizably adjustable in the x-axis, y-axis and/or z-axis direction. In still yet another embodiment, side upright portions  206 ,  306  may be curved or otherwise shaped to interact with the end cap  100 . 
         [0031]    Additionally, it is contemplated that splash plate  200 ,  300  may be made by various methods, including injection molding. For example, in one approach splash plate  200 ,  300  may be made from a flat sheet (see  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 7 ) and folded to the above-described configuration(s) in the field at the point and time of installation. This provides an economical means of manufacture and shipment. One typical sheet material might be the commercial material called flutted or corrugated high density polyethylene profile board, of about 3 mm thickness and a weight of about 120 pounds per 1000 square feet; for instance, such as that made of Petrothene LR5900-00 resin and commercially available from Diversi-Plast Co., Minneapolis, Minn. Referring to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 7 , splash plate  200 ,  300  is shown in a flattened configuration, where to convert the flattened configuration of the splash plate  200 ,  300  into the folded shape, the flattened material may be bent along the lines labeled F 1  and F 2 . It is contemplated that baffle portion  208 ,  308  and/or the side upright portions  206 ,  306  of splash plate  200 ,  300  may not be present and as such, splash plate  200 ,  300  may be a substantially flat plate having all or some of the features disclosed herein, such as an adjustable size. As such, these portions of the splash plate  200 ,  300  may be left unfolded. Alternatively, the splash plate  200 ,  300  may include only one foldable portion. For instance, the baffle portion  208 ,  308  may be fixed while the side upright portions  206 ,  306  may be foldable or vice versa. 
         [0032]    Furthermore, the splash plate  200 ,  300  (and any portion thereof) may be adjustable in the x-axis, y-axis and/or z-axis. For example, the base panel  204 ,  304  may include a plurality of plates that slidably adjust in the x-axis direction to make the base panel  204 ,  304  longer or shorter and/or in the y-axis direction to make the base panel  204 ,  304  wider or thinner. Moreover the base panel  204 ,  304  may be adjustable in the z-axis direction via extendable legs to increase the height of the base panel  204 ,  304  such that base panel  204 ,  304  lies in a plane above the plane of the base flange  110 . Also, the baffle portion  208 ,  308  may include a plurality of plates that slidably adjust in the y-axis direction to make the baffle portion  208 ,  308  wider or thinner and/or in the z-axis direction to make the baffle portion  208 ,  308  taller or shorter. Similarly, the side upright portions  206 ,  306  may include a plurality of plates that slidably adjust in the x-axis direction to make the side upright portions  206 ,  306  wider or thinner and/or in the z-axis direction to make the side upright portions  206 ,  306  taller or shorter. 
         [0033]    It should be appreciated that end caps having other shapes than that described herein may be used with the present invention. Additionally, the present invention may be used with various types of chambers, such as those which have integrally closed ends, i.e., when the chamber has an end wall, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,151 to DiTuillo. It should be further appreciated that only certain embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and that there may be other variations within the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, a splash plate  200 ,  300  may omit baffle portion  208 ,  308  and may only have side upright portions  206 ,  306  which lock into place so that they provide the means for resisting both lengthwise x-axis and sideways y-axis motion, when installed. 
         [0034]    While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, unless specifically stated any use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another.