Patent Publication Number: US-2006011527-A1

Title: Sewer eco-collar for rigid sump

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/137,940, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,691, application Ser. No. 10/079,757, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,623,633, application Ser. No. 09/478,418, now abandoned, and application Ser. No. 08/889,138 now abandoned. Each of the said applications being incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
      List of U.S patent Filings by an Applicant:  
      Abandoned U.S. patent application:  
                                          08/889,138   07/1997   Sewer Eco-Collar       09/478,418   01/1999   Sewer Eco-Coliar for Curb Catch Basins       U.S. Patent:       6,045,691   04/2000   Sewer Eco-Collar for Openings with Covers       6,623,633   09/2003   Sewer Eco-Collar for Sump Application                  
 
     STATEMENT AS TO RIGHTS TO INVENTION MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT  
      None  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1) Field of the Invention  
      This application is in the field of storm water pollution prevention and regulatory compliance with new storm water requirements. The application is specifically designed for a catch basin that has a bottom, walls rising from the bottom, a frame mounted on the walls for supporting a catch basin cover, although it could be employed for catch basin without a cover. These catch basins come in many sizes and shapes; including circular, rectangular and square catch basins. One trough is configured to discharge water into one rigid sump through at least one open end of the trough with both trough and rigid sump occupying the peripheral edge of the catch basin where water enters is the key to this invention. This would be one trough attached to a rigid sump each occupying a portion of the catch basin perimeter where water normally enters. The trough would be designed such that the majority of the water discharges out of both ends of the trough in this case. Each trough has at least one open end and the majority of water discharge into a rigid sump is the key to this invention. The top of the trough would be open and unoccupied, except for the cover sitting above the trough and possibly some appurtenances associated with the apparatus, which could include a supporting member or a screen. The open and unobstructed trough would allow storm water and debris to enter the trough from the peripheral edge of the storm sewer system. Although a small portion of the top of the trough could be obstructed by supported or miscellaneous hardware, the majority of the top of the trough would be unencumbered to allow unrestricted flow of water from the cover into the trough. The design of the top of the trough would be such that the majority of water and debris entering the catch basin from above the trough would fall into the trough and flow out of at least one open end to a rigid sump. An opening located at one end of the trough would discharge most of the water entering the trough through an open end into a rigid sump. The apparatus is designed such that the rigid sump and trough are cooperatively engaged. A rigid sump would extend from an opening in a trough to the other end of the trough or to another trough. The rigid sump would be cooperatively engaged with at least one trough to allow ease of assembly. The trough apparatus is located on the inside peripheral edge of the storm sewer catch basin opening. The location of the rigid sump would be on the peripheral edge of the catch basin opening as well such that the trough and rigid sump would each occupy a portion of the peripheral edge of the catch basin where water enters from above. In any event the trough(s) and rigid sump(s) would not take up the entire catch basin opening and leave a portion of the catch basin open and unoccupied. The entire peripheral edge is occupied by the trough(s) and sump(s), while a portion of the interior being open and unoccupied. The water entering into the apparatus would fall into either the rigid sump or the trough from above. The water and debris that entered the trough would be directed to at least one open end in each trough that discharges to a rigid sump. Said open end could comprise opening in the bottom at the end of the trough as long as the openings were over the sump. This is very plausible as the open end may extend into the area occupied by the sump.  
      The invention removes particulate matter as the primary treatment method through the use of a rigid sump or sumps with a secondary stage of treatment of dissolved and liquid phase storm water contaminants through the use of absorbent materials. The rigid sump can accommodate an absorbent material within the lining or through the placement of absorbent socks or pillows. These absorbents are generally oil only absorbents meaning that they repel water, but capture oils and greases. A rigid sump employed in this devise would allow for greater strength and less chance of a failure than a bag or non-rigid sump. In each case the rigid sump would be permeable to water and have either one large opening or a large number of small openings to filter out material, while allowing water to pass. The top of the rigid sump or sumps would be open at least in part.  
      Each trough would have a bottom at an elevation above the bottom of a sump. The design of the trough would be such that the majority or all of the water and debris entering the trough during low flow would be directed to an open end of the trough and discharge to a rigid sump. The openings in the trough that lead to the sump would be sufficiently large to allow debris to pass. The majority or the entirety of the trough, including walls and bottom, would be constructed of a material that have a low permeability to water, except for the places where openings exist. The preferred method of support is to have one trough attached to one sump. These trough and sump combination would be modular in that each sump and trough would interconnect with another sump and trough to form a complete unit occupying the entire peripheral edge.  
      2) Description of the Prior Art  
      Numerous inventions in the field of storm water sewers and pollution prevention have been patented over the last century that can modify storm sewer catch basins to prevent or reduce pollution from discharging out of the storm sewer or provide a support mechanism for environmental products to be held within storm sewer catch basins.  
      U.S. patent Documents  
                                              4,419,232   12/1983   Arntyr, et. al.   404/5       5,037,541   08/1991   Ruey-Jang, et. al.   210/165       5,133,619   07/1992   Murfae, et. al.   404/4       5,511,904   04/1996   Van Egmond   405/52       5,595,027   01/1997   Vail   52/12       5,632,889   05/1997   Tharp   210/165       5,720,574   02/1998   Barella   405/52       6,045,691   04/2000   McDermott   210/164       6,623,633   09/2003   McDermott   210/164       5,948,250   09/1999   Middleton   210/232       5,643,445   07/1997   Billias, et. al.   210/163       5,397,464   03/1995   Hannon   210/163       5,486,287   01/1996   Murphy, et. al.   210/164       6,106,706   08/2000   Roy, et. al.   404/4       6,106,707   08/2000   Morris, et. al.   404/4       5,820,762   10/1998   Bamer, et. al.   404/4       6,086,758   07/2000   Schilling, et. al.   210/164       5,575,925   11/1996   Logue, Jr.   404/5       5,213,438   05/1993   Barenwald   404/2       5,223,154   06/1993   MacPherson, Jr., et. al.   405/36       5,480,254   01/1996   Autry, et. al.   404/2       5,632,888   05/1997   Chinn, et. al.   210/163       5,066,165   11/1991   Wofford,et.al.   404/4       5,958,226   09/1999   Fleischmann.   210/1 65       Foreign Patent (Japan)       402210128-A   08/1990   Shima   E03F15/10                  
 
      None of these aforementioned devices employed a trough in combination with a rigid sump such that the majority of water discharged out of an open end into a rigid sump.  
      McDermott—(U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,61) developed a device specifically designed for catch basins with covers that uses the existing lip of the catch basin to support the apparatus between the lip and catch basin cover. A multiple trough system is used to support an absorbent sock as the first stage of treatment followed by a bag(s) hanging between successive troughs to catch particulate matter and allow for separation of lighter fraction that rises up to contact an absorbent sock held either in the trough or incorporated in a bag(s). This patent application employs the same principles, but there are two distinct differences including employing a rigid sump(s) and requiring the majority of flow out of one open end of a trough.  
      McDermott—(U.S. Pat. No. 6,623,633) developed a similar device to this patent with the major differences that a rigid sump is required and trough discharge out of at least one open end in lieu of openings in the inner wall.  
      Therefore, this invention contains new matter not included in either of these McDermott patents.  
     SUMMARY  
      It is the purpose of this apparatus to provide a mechanism within a catch basin to hold absorbent material and a rigid sump in such a way as to effectively remove storm water contaminants while permitting storm sewers to function as intended without impeding storm water flow into the storm sewer system. The apparatus utilize very simple principles to effectively treat storm water, while maintaining optimum flow rates in drainage systems. The structure is located on the inside peripheral edge of the storm sewer opening and designed to hold both absorbent material and a rigid sump(s) which can remove dissolved and liquid phase contaminants.  
      Hence this apparatus has the purpose of removing a broad spectrum of dilute liquid and dissolved contaminants from storm water through the action of an absorbent material and collection of solid contaminants in a rigid sump while maintaining optimum drainage.  
      Applicant utilizes known inventions and techniques in the field of storm water pollution prevention; including the use of trough(s) and rigid sump cooperatively engaged to the peripheral edge. However, the use of these is unique to all other inventions due to the means of discharging water, including the location of openings and the interaction of the trough system with the rigid sump. The real innovation of this invention is the unique and preferential means to divert water and debris to one or more rigid sumps by means of open end(s) of the trough or a plurality of troughs.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The features, discussions and claims of this apparatus will become apparent from the drawings and following description and discussion. In each of these drawing the Number  1  denotes a trough, Number  2  denotes a rigid sump, and Number  3  denotes an opening in the trough.  
       FIGS. 1 &amp; 2  represents the unit comprising two troughs and two sumps oriented in a rectangular catch basin. Both  FIGS. 1 &amp; 2  show open ends on each trough.  
       FIGS. 3 , is a top view of two troughs and two rigid sumps with a configuration for a rectangular catch basin. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      This invention provides both support and flow diversion devices to regulate flows into a rigid sump for treatment of storm water into a catch basin with a cover. The support and flow diversion device is one or more troughs that acts in cooperation with the catch basin frame to support the trough or troughs by gravity. The apparatus is positioned at or below the elevation of the road surface where it intersects with the catch basin. The trough extends several inches laterally along the peripheral edge of the catch basin and contains openings to discharge water and debris into a rigid sump. The trough(s) of this apparatus are flush with the interior wall or frame of the catch basin. The treatment of storm water occurs in rigid sump(s) where solids are collected through simple sedimentation and filtration by small openings within said rigid sump. The liquid and dissolved contaminants are removed by the absorbent material located within the apparatus.  
      Key requirements are the majority of water entering the trough discharge out of an open end or ends of the trough into a rigid sump that occupies a portion of the peripheral edge of the catch basin.