Patent Publication Number: US-9429408-B1

Title: Collapsible container for fluid-jet generation

Description:
ORIGIN OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention described herein was made in the performance of official duties by employees of the Department of the Navy and may be manufactured, used, licensed by or for the Government for any governmental purpose without payment of any royalties thereon. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates generally to containers used in the generation of a fluid jet when the container is exploded, and more particularly to a container that is collapsible to a flat configuration for ease of storage, handling, and transport until needed for use in a fluid-jet generation operation. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Explosive ordnance disposal (“EOD”) typically involves the use of specialized tools to safely disarm and/or explode ordnance or energetic threats in a safe manner. One such EOD tool uses an explosively-detonated container of water to create a water jet that accesses and disrupts components of energetic threats. Current water jet tools are bulky items that create storage and transportation issues, take a considerable amount of time to set up, and/or are relatively expensive. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fluid-jet-generating container. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a fluid-jet-generating container that is collapsible for ease of storage and transport, and easily configured for use. 
     Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious hereinafter in the specification and drawings. 
     In accordance with the present invention, a fluid-jet-generating container for a flowable material includes a one-piece open-ended body having eight sides and eight corners. Each of the eight corners is defined by a V-notch such that the open-ended body may define a collapsed state when the eight sides are disposed in two parallel planes, and may define a configured state with the eight sides being arranged to define an open-ended U-shaped trough. A first end cap is sealed to a first end of the open-ended body in its configured state. A second end cap is sealed to a second end of the open-ended body in its configured state. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reference to the following description of the exemplary embodiments and to the drawings, wherein corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a collapsible fluid-jet-generating container in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an isolated end view of the open-ended body portion of the container in its configured state; 
         FIG. 3  is an isolated perspective view of the open-ended body portion of the container in its collapsed state; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the container after being fully assembled in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the assembled container illustrating the relationship between the open-ended body, one gasket, and one end cap of the container; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the container in its assembled form with an explosive coupled to a wall thereof; 
         FIG. 7  is a plan view of a stand that can be configured to define four legs to support the container in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of the assembled container strapped to the stand with the stand&#39;s legs bent to provide support in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to  FIG. 1 , a fluid-jet-generating container in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown in an exploded view and is referenced generally by numeral  10 . When fully assembled for use, container  10  is filled with water or other fluid/flowable material (e.g., sand, dirt, a non-explosive liquid, etc.) that will form a penetrating jet of the flowable material when an explosive (not shown) coupled to container  10  is detonated. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, container  10  includes an open-ended container body  12 , end caps  14  and  16 , gaskets  18  and  20 , an access port sealing cap  22 , and a tensioning strap  24 . These elements are assembled into container  10  as shown in  FIG. 4 . Note that gasket  18  is not visible in  FIG. 4  while only a portion of gasket  20  is visible in  FIG. 4 . In its assembled form, container  10  seals a flowable material therein (not shown). 
     Container body  12  defines the general shape of container  10 . More specifically and with additional reference to  FIG. 2  where a container body  12  is shown in an isolated end view thereof, container body  12  is a one-piece structure having eight sides  120 - 127  that are configured to define an open-ended U-shaped trough  128 . Sides  124  and  126  form the side walls of trough  128  and side  125  forms the base of trough  128 . The volume  129  defined by sides  120 - 127  is a continuous volume that is filled with a flowable material when container  10  is assembled. 
     While container body  12  in its configured state is an open-ended U-shaped trough, container body  12  also may be collapsed thereby greatly reducing the space needed to store/transport it to its use location. More specifically and with additional reference to  FIG. 3 , container body  12  may be collapsed such that sides  120 - 127  are disposed in two parallel planes. To provide container body  12  with this flexibility, adjacent ones of sides  120 - 127  are joined by an integrated hinge. For example, container body  12  may be made from a plastic material with each such integrated hinge being defined by a V-notch in the plastic material. In the illustrated example, V-notches  130 - 137  extend along the length of container body  12  to define the eight corners of container body  12 . To support the flattened, collapsed state of container body  12  as well as the configured state of container body  12  in its open-ended U-shaped trough, V-notches  130 - 134  and  137  face away from volume  129  while V-notches  135  and  136  face into volume  129 . The V-notches serve as integrated hinges that allow container body  12  to be configured to define corners that are approximately 90°. By being able to define corners that are approximately 90°, container body  12  supports the flattened/collapsed state and the configured state of the container body as well as supporting the transition between the two states. In this way, container body  12  is able to maintain an optimal shape during both storage and use thereof. 
     Gaskets  18  and  20  are made from pliable material and are shaped to fit over the open ends of container body  12  in its configured state. End caps  14  and  16  are made from rigid materials (e.g., plastic) and include edges shaped to fit snugly over gaskets  18  and  20 , respectively, and a respective end of container body  12 . More specifically and with additional reference to  FIG. 5  where a cross-sectional view of gasket  18  is visible on container  10  in its assembled state, gasket  18  fits over one end of container body  12  and forms a sealing fit with end cap  14 . Such sealing gasket arrangements are well understood in the art. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the particular method of sealing end cap  14  to container body  12  is not a limitation of the present invention. Further, the sealing aspects of gasket  18  may be incorporated into end cap  14  without departing from the scope of the present invention. A similar construction and sealing arrangement may be used between the other end of container body  12  and the combination of gasket  20  and end cap  16 . 
     An access port  14 A may be defined in end cap  14  to facilitate the filling of container  10  with a flowable material. Cap  22  is used to seal port  14 A. The access port and its sealing cap may additionally or alternatively be provided at end cap  16  without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     Tensioning strap  24  wraps fully around end caps  14 / 16  and container body  12  to maintain the integrity of assembled container  10 . In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, end caps  14  and  16  have eyelets  14 B and  16 B, respectively, through which tensioning strap  24  may be led. Strap  24  may be a simple “wire tie” or other type of adjustable strap without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     In use, once container  10  is assembled ( FIG. 4 ) and filled with a flowable material (e.g., water), an explosive  100  is attached/adhered to side  121  as shown in  FIG. 6 . Explosive  100  is aligned with the base (i.e., side  125 ) of trough  128 . When container  10  is filled with a flowable material and explosive  100  is detonated, a high-powered jet of the flowable material is generated as is understood in the art. 
     To help facilitate placement of the high-powered jet, the present invention may include an adjustable stand that can adjust the height and angle of container  10 . To facilitate storage and transport of such a stand, it is desirable for the stand to be stored in a flat state similar to the collapsed state of container body  12 . By way of example, one such stand is shown in  FIG. 7  in its pre-use state and is referenced generally by numeral  30 . In its pre-use state, stand  30  is a planar piece of sheet metal with score or cut lines  32  that define four strips  33 - 36  that may be bent to define legs of stand  30  as shown in  FIG. 8  where only strips  33  and  34  in their bent configuration are visible. Eyelets  38  also may be defined to allow stand  30  to be coupled to container  10  by its tensioning strap  24 . Holes or depressions  40  may be defined in stand  30  to index with tabs (not shown) on the end caps of container  10  in order to facilitate placement of container  10  on stand  30 . 
     The advantages of the present invention are numerous. All elements of the fluid-jet-generating container are or can be placed in a relatively flat state for storage and transport. The container body is stored in a compact fashion and is readily configured and mated with sealing end caps just prior to being used. No tools are required for assembly. 
     Although the invention has been described relative to a specific embodiment thereof, there are numerous variations and modifications that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described. 
     Finally, any numerical parameters set forth in the specification and attached claims are approximations (for example, by using the term “about”) that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present invention. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should be at least construed in light of the number of significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding.