Abstract:
Improvements in present day fire hydrants are presented. The improvement relates to a fire hydrant where the above ground structure is essentially removed and is replaced with an adaptable connection. The connection uses the same mounting hole pattern as used in the above ground hydrant. In operation, the adaptable connection is protected by a hinged cover that is opened to provide access to the adaptable connection. The adaptable connection includes a bayonet type connection where a portable fire hydrant is secured and rotated to start the flow of water. The adapter includes an electronic communication device that transmits real-time information on connection and flow characteristics. The adaptable fire connection eliminates the appearance of the fire hydrant, the potential of a vehicle hitting a fire hydrant and the material cost associated with above ground fire hydrants.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of applicant&#39;s co-pending application Ser. No. 11/999,281 filed Dec. 6, 2007 which claims priority to Provisional 60/961,453 filed Jul. 23, 2007 the entire contents of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC 
       [0004]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0006]    This invention relates to improvements in providing water for firefighting equipment. More particularly, the present improvement relates to a fire hydrant where the above ground structure is essentially removed and an adaptable water connection is placed where the above ground fire hydrant existed. The adaptable fire connection uses the same mounting hole pattern as used in the above ground hydrant. In operation, the adaptable connection is protected by a hinged cover that is opened to provide access to the adaptable connection. The adaptable connection includes a bayonet type connection where a portable fire hydrant is secured and rotated to start the flow of water. The adaptable fire connection eliminates the appearance of the fire hydrant, the potential of a vehicle hitting a fire hydrant and the material cost associated with above ground fire hydrants. 
         [0007]    2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
         [0008]    Most fire hydrants today exist above the surface of the ground. Most fire hydrants retained the water in a pipe that exists in the ground under the hydrant. A screw is located on top of the hydrant. When the screw is turned, it opens a valve located on the pipe and water moves from the pipe and into the hydrant. A fire person attaches a hose to a fitting on the side of the hydrant and the hose transports the water where needed to fight a fire. Current hydrants have a number of problems that have not been accurately addressed. The problems include the height of the fire hydrant above the surrounding area, making it susceptible to cars hitting the hydrant and people being injured by running into the hydrant. The hydrant is also not cosmetically pleasing. The cost of the fire hydrants is also expensive and is paid by the community for the installation, care and service of the hydrants. A number of designs have tried to address the problem with the hydrants by replacing the hydrant with a temporary cosmetic hydrant, but these designs require a modification of the pipe and or fitting that supplies water to the hydrant. Some exemplary examples of patents that have tried to address the present design of fire hydrants are presented herein. 
         [0009]    U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,216,792 issued Apr. 17, 2001, 6,095,174 issued Aug. 1, 2000 and 5,901,738 issued May 11, 1999, all issued to Wayne Edwin Miller disclose a portable fire hydrant. The supply pipe from the water main is replaced with a custom replacement valve and up-pipe. A custom outer flange is also disclosed to protect the fittings and attachment means. The outer flange is the covered. When a fire hydrant is needed, the cover is lifted off and a portable fire hydrant is secured onto the up-pipe. A valve operator located on top of the portable fire hydrant is then turned to open the valve located in the ground near the supply line. While the Miller patents show an alternative to most present day fire hydrants, the Miller patents require alteration to the up-pipes and flanges that are being used. This would require a significant expense to change a single fire hydrant. 
         [0010]    U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,373,261 and 7,099,781 issued May 13, 2008 and Aug. 29, 2006 respectively disclose a Portable Hydrant Meter and System of use. These patents use a portable device that is temporarily secured to a fire hydrant to determine the flow characteristics of an individual fire hydrant. After testing, the device is removed and moved to another fire hydrant. While this device provides flow information, the measurement device does not stay with the hydrant and the information is not provided in real-time while other hydrants are also providing water. The device does not provide for continuous information to allow for strategic management of water resources in a dynamically evolving emergency. 
         [0011]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,484,184 issued Nov. 19, 2002 to Shizuo Mizushina et al., discloses a Database Network System that identifies damage to waterworks, electricity and gas supplies. While this system provides information to problems with city facilities the information does not provide real-time information based upon usage of specific fire hydrants. The database relies upon relayed information from various terminals. In the pending application the information is available from each specific hydrant in real-time. 
         [0012]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,110 issued Sep. 8, 1998 to Milton Segal discloses a fire hydrant assembly where a dummy hydrant is mounted on the custom flange. When the use of the hydrant is needed, the dummy hydrant is removed from the base and the actual hydrant is secured to the custom flange. A valve operator located on top of the portable fire hydrant is then turned to open the valve located in the ground near the supply line. While Segal discloses a replacement hydrant, the hydrant is still significantly above the surrounding landscape, making the hydrant and people susceptible to harm. The mounting flange further does not have connections for use with the bolt pattern that is common with present day fire hydrants. 
         [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,179 issued Aug. 14, 1973 to Luther C. Atkins et al., discloses a portable fire hydrant. The portable fire hydrant has a removable hydrant body. One of the requirements of this invention is the use of a ball valve that mounts to the existing water main. The main advantage of this design is for the ball valve to stop the flow of water if the hydrant is removed or broken from the base. In the event of damage or removal of the hydrant, a spring will push the ball valve into the valve seat to stop the flow of any additional water. While this invention provides a potable replacement hydrant, the hydrant still exists above the surrounding landscape and there is not a provision for providing a low profile cover. The invention further requires modification of the underlying valve or complete replacement of the underlying valve. 
         [0014]    What is needed is a simple replacement to common fire hydrants that provides a low profile cover that is designed to work with the existing hole pattern of standard fire hydrants. The replacement includes smart monitoring of the usage of the water connection and this information can be relayed in real-time to assist the management of resources in an evolving emergency. The proposed device provides a solution with mounting flange and hydrant that can be quickly installed and removed by fire fighters when needed. When not needed a cover protects the installation site from vandalism and harm to people and vehicles. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    It is an object of the improved fire hydrant to provide a low profile alternative to fire hydrants that are currently being used. Most services that are available provided to consumers are being placed underground to reduce the visual distraction. Power lines, telephone poles, and distribution of TV signals have all been placed underground to improve the visual appearance of the community. The lower profile provides a number of benefits. First, the lower profile is more cosmetically appealing to the surrounding area. Secondly, the lower profile virtually eliminates the possibility that the hydrant will be broken off if it is struck by a vehicle. Third, the lower profile reduces the possibility that a person will be harmed by running into the hydrant. 
         [0016]    It is another object of the improved fire hydrant to provide a hydrant that is less expensive. The savings comes from a simpler connection to the flange of the water main. The connection component is designed to mount onto the existing bolt pattern to allow for integration for new construction projects and allows for immediate integration onto existing hydrants. When a fire hydrant is needed, the installation of the hydrant onto a hydrant base is as simple as connecting the hose to a fire hydrant. 
         [0017]    It is another object of the improved fire hydrant to provide standardization of hydrant connections. The standardization is with the connection to the water main. Each city can determine their own hose requirement and the fire hydrant or barrel can be fabricated with a discharge port configured to match the hoses being used by each city. This is particularly important when neighboring fire fighters assist another city. Today a neighboring city may not have hoses that mate with all hydrant types. With the proposed hydrant, a neighboring city would bring their own hydrant that couples with their own hoses thereby eliminating the connection problem. 
         [0018]    It is another object of the improved fire hydrant to eliminate a flushing requirement that requires all above ground fire hydrant to be flushed for two minutes to remove foreign debris. The elimination of this requirement will result in a significant water savings. 
         [0019]    It is another object of the improved fire hydrant to provide an electronic monitoring device that provides electronic real-time information on the characteristics of the water connection. The electronic information includes, but is not limited to location, unique ID, maximum flow rate, water connection size, pressure, current flow rate and status or condition of any connection to the fire fighting water port. The information can be communicated directly through satellites, cell phone network, local area network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), FM signal, or directly to a vehicle such as a fire truck. 
         [0020]    It is still another object of the improved fire hydrant to integrate a gear type coupling mechanism whereby the installation of the hydrant onto the coupler connects the hydrant and opens the flow of water into the hydrant. A cover plate protects the coupling from unauthorized access. When the cover plate is removed, the hydrant is placed over the coupler and rotated slightly to engage the hydrant into the base. The hydrant is further turned to open the flow of water. A gearing mechanism converts the rotation of the hydrant to rotate open the valve allowing water to flow into the hydrant and out a hose. 
         [0021]    Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  shows a typical prior art fire hydrant. 
           [0023]      FIG. 2  shows the cover on the fire hydrant connection to the water main. 
           [0024]      FIG. 3  shows the cover to the connection port opened. 
           [0025]      FIG. 4  shows a portable fire hydrant with the connection for the replaced base. 
           [0026]      FIG. 5  shows a cross sectional view of the portable fire hydrant being connected to the opening valve. 
           [0027]      FIG. 6  shows an exploded view of the opening valve. 
           [0028]      FIG. 7  shows a block diagram of the communications from the hydrant connection to fire fighting personnel. 
           [0029]      FIG. 8  shows a pictorial representation of connection locations to the water supply. 
           [0030]      FIG. 9  shows a street map. 
           [0031]      FIG. 10  shows a detailed street map with information on a specific fire hydrant. 
       
    
    
     DRAWINGS—REFERENCE NUMERALS 
       [0000]    
       
           10  Typical prior art fire hydrant 
           11  Hose connections 
           12  Flow control 
           14  Ground 
           20  Connection to water main 
           21  Mounting nuts 
           22  Nut/bolt clearance 
           30  Street curb 
           32  4″ Water Connection 
           33  3.5″ Water Connection 
           34  2.5″ Water Connection 
           35  Connection Information 
           36  Hydrant Supply 
           40  Dome cover 
           41  Support plate 
           42  Security bolt 
           43  Key 
           44  Cover retaining hole 
           45  Hinge 
           46  Gear 
           47  Gasket 
           48  Clearance hole(s) 
           49  Sealing lip 
           50  Portable fire hydrant 
           51  Elongated slots(s) 
           52  Gasket 
           53  Ear(s) 
           60  Butterfly valve 
           62  Flow Master 
           63  Communications Link 
           64  Pressure Sensor 
           65  Power Supply 
           66  Controller 
           67  GPS Module 
           68  Transmitter 
           70  Handle(s) 
           71  Water Discharge port 
           72  Satellite 
           73  Fire truck 
           74  Display Device 
           75  Receiver 
           76  Zoom Area 
           77  Building fire 
           80  Inner ring 
           81  Pinion 
           82  Worm 
           83  Worm gear 
           84  Shaft 
           90  Engagement motion 
           91  Turn Hydrant 
           92  Turn inner ring 
           93  Turn pinion 
           94  Turn worm gear 
           95  Open valve 
       
     
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0086]      FIG. 1  shows a typical prior art fire hydrant  10 . Fixed above ground fire hydrants, or plugs, take a variety of configurations that are similar to the shape shown in this figure. The basic prior art fire hydrant  10  is bolted onto the connection from the water main  20 . Typically, the mounting bolts are integrated into the water main connection flange  20  and the fire hydrant  10  is placed on the flange  20  and nuts  21  secure the hydrant onto the connection flange  20 . Fire hydrants are typically placed on the street curb  30  for easy locating and to allow fire hoses to be easily connected. Some fire hydrants have the water pressurized with water, and when hoses are connected  11  to the hydrant the flow control valves  12  are opened to permit flow into the hoses. In other prior art hydrant designs the flow control is placed on the top of the hydrant and permits flow to all open hose connections  11 . 
         [0087]      FIG. 2  shows the cover on the fire hydrant connection to the water main. This figure shows the same curb  30  and connection from the main as was shown and described in  FIG. 1 . The connection for the hydrant is protected under the dome cover  40 . Embedded within the dome the HydraComm communications device is located that provides GPS and status information on the fire hydrant connection. The dome cover  40  and support plate  41  connect to the water main  20  using the same bolt pattern. The use of the existing bolt pattern and connection to the water main flange  20  allows the system to be retrofit onto existing hydrants without modification. The lower profile of the dome cover  40  makes the replacement cosmetically pleasing, protects the connection from vehicular harm, and reduces potential vandalism to the hydrant. When connection of a fire hydrant is needed the fire personnel use a custom key  43 , that is custom configured to reduce the potential for vandalism, on the security bolt  42  to open the dome cover  40  to gain access to connect fire equipment. While it is shown that a bolt is used to secure the dome cover  40 , other methods of securing the dome cover are contemplated that include but are not limited to a threaded hardware, a latch or a locking tab. In the preferred embodiment the hardware that secures the support plate  41  are countersunk into the support plate  41 . The countersunk bolts eliminate the potential to harm a fire hose or cause injury to a person. 
         [0088]      FIG. 3  shows the cover to the connection port opened. The inside of the dome cover has recesses  22  for nut and bolt clearance. The clearance is sufficiently designed to allow the bolts and nuts to be protected from the elements and prevent tampering of the nuts. The dome cover is hinged  45  with the support plate  41 . The security bolt  42  is threaded into the cover retaining hole. A simple locking mechanism is with a threaded bolt  42  that requires a specially designed key, but it is also contemplated that a key with custom lock can be used to secure the dome cover  40 . Embedded within the top of the dome the HydraComm communications device is located that provides GPS and status information on the fire hydrant connection. The threaded hole for the locking bolt is shown as item  44  in this figure. The support plate  41  is secured to the water main flange with nuts  21  to fix the location and orientation of the support plate  41  on the water main connection. The eight elongated slots  51  exist on the inner ring  80  for retaining the ears of the portable fire hydrant. A raising sealing lip  49  extends around the inner ring.  FIG. 5  shows and describes the sealing lip  49  in greater detail. The ears are shown and described in more detail with  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The closed butterfly valve  60  is operable to provide flow from the water main. 
         [0089]      FIG. 4  shows a portable fire hydrant with the connection for the replaced base. The portable fire hydrant  50  shown can be fabricated in a variety of heights and with a variety of water discharge ports  71  based upon the hoses being used. The sets of ears located on the bottom of the hydrant  50  are positioned over the slots  51  shown and described in  FIG. 3 . Once the ears  53  are placed into the slots the operator grasps the handles  70  and rotates  90  the fire hydrant  50  to engage the ears  53  in the slots located in the inner ring. A gasket  52  seals the hydrant with the inner ring. While four ears  53  are shown, it is contemplated that as few as two, three or more than four locking ears can be used to improve the stability and security of the fire hydrant in the inner ring  80 ). The fire hydrant can be located in one of six positions on the inner ring to give the fireperson a variety of directions they can place the hydrant based upon the desired hose direction. Additional rotation  91  of the hydrant opens the valve to allow water to flow out of the hydrant. The additional motion is shown and described in more detail with  FIG. 6 . 
         [0090]      FIG. 5  shows a cross sectional view of the portable fire hydrant  50  being connected to the opening valve  60 . The portable fire hydrant  50  is shown with the discharge port  71 . Each city can specify the size of the discharge port  71  to mate with the hoses and hose connections they are using. Some cities require connection for 2.5″ hoses, 3.5″ hoses, 4″ hoses or other size hose connections. While the connection end to the water main is standard with this hydrant or barrel the discharge port  71  is manufactured per specifications per county based upon the hoses from the city. 
         [0091]    The portable fire hydrants  50  are interchangeable to accommodate different diameter discharge ports. It is also contemplated that the portable fire hydrant can be configured with multiple discharge ports to allow for multiple hoses to be connected at the same time. The ears  53  are shown on the bottom of the portable fire hydrant. Because there are only two locking ears in this hydrant  50 , the elongated hole is not visible in this cross section. The inner ring  80  has a raised sealing lip  49  that allows for easier alignment of the portable fire hydrant as well and a surface for the gasket  52 . The gasket  52  encircles the bottom of the hydrant to create a seal of the hydrant  50  with the inner ring  80 . 
         [0092]    The domed cover  40  is shown in its open configuration where it is pivoted on hinge  45 . The dome cover  40  is not shown in cross section in this view. Embedded within the dome the HydraComm communications device is located that provides GPS and status information on the fire hydrant connection. The securing bolt  42  is shown going through the dome cover. When the dome cover  40  is closed the securing bolt  42  is threaded (or locked) into the cover retaining hole  44 . The inside of the dome cover is configured with recesses to provide clearance for the mounting nuts and bolts  21 . 
         [0093]    The supporting plate  41  is securely mounted onto the connection to the water main  20 . A gasket  47  seals the supporting plate  41  and the connection to the water main  20 . The connection from the water main typically extends above the ground  14 , curb or street. In some cases the threaded studs are integrated into the flange connection from the water main, and in other cases the threaded studs are bolts that pass through the flange connection from the water main. This figure shows that the preferred embodiment of the design fits onto a flat water main flange  20  with no modifications to the water main mounting flange  20 . The butterfly valve that seals the water main is shown as item  60 . It is shown in this figure in the closed orientation, but rotates around the central axis to open. The operation of the valve is shown and described in more detail in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0094]    The support or flanged base  41  has a connection interface for securing a removable fire hydrant  50 . Built into the flanged base, the water supply piping  64  or into the removable hydrant  50  is an electronic communication apparatus that includes information regarding an identifier for said flanged base. This information includes the unique characteristics of the water connection for an ideal flow where water is flowing only through the single hydrant supply  36  and how the flow is effected by flow though other local fire hydrants in a real-time basis. The flow information is provided from a flow meter  62 , and a pressure sensor  64 . While a simple paddlewheel flow meter  62  and a hole for a pressure sensor  64  is shown it is understood that these components can be a variety of types that provide real-time information. A communications interface  63  or link transmits the information to a network through a wired or wireless interface. The operation of the interface and how the information is used is shown and described in more detail with  FIGS. 7-10 . 
         [0095]      FIG. 6  shows an exploded view of the opening valve. The support plate  41  is shown without the dome cover attached to the hinge  45 . The clearance holes  48  are for mounting the support plate  41  to the existing water main flange. The connection secures the support plate and provides a seal to water main. A gasket  47  provides a seal to accommodate surface imperfections. The threaded hole  44  for securing the dome cover is visible in this view. A gear  46  is visible going around the inside of the supporting plate. The gear  46  engages with pinions  81  that turn when the inner ring  80  is being rotated. The inner ring is rotated by rotating the body of the fire hydrant with the handles  70  (shown and described in  FIG. 4 ). The ears from the bottom of the hydrant engage in the elongated slots  51  to secure the hydrant onto the inner ring  80 . The inner ring  80  has a raised sealing lip  49  that allows for easier alignment of the portable fire hydrant as well and a surface for the gasket  52 . 
         [0096]    The butterfly valve  60  has shafts  84  extending out the ends of the disk portion of the butterfly valve. At the ends of the shafts, worm gears  83  are located. The worm gears  83  engage on worms  82  located on the opposite ends of the pinion 
         [0097]    In operation, a fire fighter will open the dome cover  40  to expose the internal structure. They will place the ears  53  on hydrant  50  into the elongated slots  51  and rotate the hydrant slightly  90  to retain the hydrant onto the inner ring  80 . The fire fighter will then prep the hose. Once the fire fighter is ready to deliver water to the fire the hydrant will be rotated  91 . This rotation is from ⅛ to ¼ of a turn. The rotation  91  turns the inner ring  92 . When the inner ring  91  is turned, the meshing pinion  81  will turn  93  and rotate the worm  82 . The worm will rotate  94  the worm gear  83  turning the shaft  84  and opening  95  the butterfly valve  60 . To close the valve the hydrant is rotated in the opposite direction and the gear train closes the valve. When the hydrant is returned to its home position, the ears are disengaged and the hydrant is removed for use in another location. The dome cover is secured back onto the support plate to protect and secure the connection. 
         [0098]      FIG. 7  shows a block diagram of the communications from the hydrant connection to fire fighting personnel. Each fire hydrant or connection for a fire hydrant as shown and described in  FIG. 5  has an electronic identifier having a communications link  63  that collects and transmits information regarding each fire hydrant or fire hydrant connection. There is connection to the fire fighting water supply  69  as previously shown and described. A flow control valve  60  is either integrated into the base  41 , as shown in  FIGS. 1-6 , in the hydrant itself or in a hose connection. The electronic identifier is coupled with the water supply, hydrant  50  or a hose. Each electronic identifier has a unique ID that distinguished the fire fighting connection from other fire fighting connections. The communications link  63  provides information including but not limited to the location, unique ID, maximum flow rate, water connection size, pressure, current flow rate and status or condition of any connection to the fire fighting water port. 
         [0099]    The unique ID allows the electronic identifier to provide characteristics of the fire hydrant flow including but not limited to geographic location, supply connection, pressure and flow rate. The controller  66  uses information from Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) from a GPS device  67  to identify where the HydraComm is located. The communications link  63  can be directly through satellites, cell phone network, local area network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), FM signal, or directly to a vehicle such as a fire truck  73 . Within the HydraComm device is a power supply  65 , controller  66 , GPS device  67  and transmitter  68 . The controller  66  can get flow and pressure information from a flow meter  62  and or a pressure sensor  64  through the hydrant supply  69 . In the preferred embodiment the HydraComm device is integrated or embedded within the domed cover  40 . The characteristics of the HydraComm can be communicated in real-time over the network that provides actual real-time usage of said characteristics and present usage of an attached hydrant  50 . It is contemplated that the cover has solar cells that maintain a charge in the power supply  65 . 
         [0100]    The communications signal or link  63  can be sent through a variety of wireless methods. In this figure HydraComm can identify its installed location using GPS satellite(s)  72  and communicate over cell towers  78  or other means where a fire truck  73  can receive real-time information  75  on a mobile device such as a GPS receiver, computer, PDA or cell phone to a display  74 . In  FIG. 8  the connections and information is shown in a block type diagram. In  FIGS. 9 and 10  the information is shown in an active mapping diagram. 
         [0101]      FIG. 8  shows a pictorial representation of connection locations to the water supply. From this figure the size of the supply lines are visible with different width of supply pipes showing a 4″ line  32 , 3.5″ line  34  and a 2.5″ line  34 . This information can be useful when many fires or a large fire is being fought, such as a building or wildfire. This figure also shows locations where the HydraComm is located  40  and where older hydrants  50  have not yet been upgraded. 
         [0102]      FIG. 9  shows a street map as it might appear on a GPS display  74  device showing the location of a fire within zoom area  76 . Zooming into this area is shown with  FIG. 10  where  FIG. 10  shows a detailed street map with information on a specific fire hydrant on the display  74 . From this figure the building fire  77  is visible along with the locations where portable fire hydrants  50  have been installed to fight the fire. Available HydraComm hydrant locations  40  are shown. A specific HydraComm location is selected and specific information related to the available flow connection  35  is shown. This specific connection shows the location having an identification of 1234 at a physical address of 713 Central Park South. The available flow is 1,592 gallons per minute with a pressure of 2,977 PSI at 20% flow. The color of the hydrant is also shown with the size of the supply pipe. This information can allow the fire fighters to use one set of hydrants for fighting lower story fires and higher pressure hydrants to fight fires in upper floors. This also allows fire fighters to have a strategy for containment and fighting the fire if it expands. 
         [0103]    Thus, specific embodiments of a fire hydrant cover and a portable fire hydrant have been disclosed. It should be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.