Patent Publication Number: US-2018031277-A1

Title: Water heater furnace cover

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     Not Applicable 
     FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
     Not Applicable 
     SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL 
     Portions of the disclosure of this patent document contain material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 
     BACKGROUND 
     This disclosure relates to a waterproof sleeve, and more particularly to a waterproof protection sleeve for temporarily waterproofing utility devices, such as a water heater, furnace, boiler, gas valve or burner, during flood hazards. 
     Electrical appliances such as water heaters, furnaces and boilers are vulnerable to damage from flood water. The amount of damage will depend partly on the depth of flooding and the amount of time these appliances remain under water. At a minimum, this damage will result in corrosion of these appliances and will also result in more severe consequences such as explosion. The after-effect of this damage will be the costly replacement of these appliances. In order to protect the electrical appliances installed in flood prone areas, barriers such as floodwalls are usually built around them. These appliances are also protected by enclosing them in waterproof bags or waterproof covers. Most of these protection systems are bulky and difficult to install. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 2,300,408 issued to Deerwester (1940) teaches a protective flood cover or hood for machinery. The cover or hood consists simply of a bag or hollow cylinder open at the bottom end and provided at the open end with a square frame or ring of steel attached by seaming to the bottom edge or skirt of the bag. The bag should be of a size sufficient to amply cover the machine and all projecting parts and is made of any water tight and air tight fabric for folding into smaller compact form when not in use. The material should be of a strength satisfactory to hold the internal pressure which will be built up for the expected or anticipated water level in which it will be used. A suitable material is “balloon cloth.” 
     U.S. Pat. Application No. 20110064334 issued to Sormus on Mar. 17, 2011 teaches a watertight ready-made or foldable storage bag suitable for preserving and protecting items against flood hazards. It has a lower part in the shape of cuboid made of watertight material, and an upper part with a watertight-sealable-upper edge. The bag is foldable from a planar form into a suitable shape immediately before use which saves storage space for large items. For smaller items the bag may be pre-folded, so that the preserved item can be placed therein and the watertight bag may be sealed. In an alternate embodiment, the lower and upper parts of the bag are separate parts. The lower part ensures complete watertightness of the item from the sides and below; and upon flooding, the floatability of the item; while sealing the upper part ensures it is watertight protection of the item from precipitation from above. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,393,638 issued to MacColl describes a blanket including a soft woven fabric with a waterproof backing layer which can be folded, rolled and/or stuffed into an attached water-resistant storage bag. The blanket can be constructed of two rectangular layers: the first a soft woven natural or synthetic textile and, the second, a waterproof or water-resistant woven natural or synthetic textile. The two layers are joined by means of sewing or heat welding along the edges and several linear seams or heat welds along the longitudinal and/or transverse axis to indicate suggested folding patterns, and to keep the layers co-planar when cleaned in a washing machine/dryer or by other methods. The edges of the blanket are finished by means of a seam. Attached by means of a fabric strip along an edge perpendicular to the longitudinal folding seams is a reversible bag with a closure mechanism such that when the blanket is folded or rolled it can be stored securely within. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,421,150 issued to Masters on Dec. 20, 1983 discloses a waterproof bag device for containing articles in an airtight waterproof environment. The bag device includes an outer case having flexible sides with a back side being extended to provide a cover flap which is attachable to the front side by means of Velcro fastening tape. A waterproof inner enclosure is sewn within the outer case which includes an extended mouth portion for insertion of an article which may be folded upon itself to provide a tight seal for the inner bag. Straps are located across the cover flap and to secure to the back side of the bag by means of Velcro fastening tape to maintain the closure of the inner enclosure in a folded, sealed configuration. The cover flap is unfastened by exertion of pressure on the bag. 
     All of the systems discussed above have considerable drawbacks for protecting electrical appliances against flood hazards. These systems are bulky and are difficult to install. Conventional waterproof bags are not heat resistant. In addition, these systems are sealed on both top and bottom which can result in instability in the water. Finally, these systems are not completely waterproof. 
     Therefore, there is a need for a simple, light-weight and waterproof protection sleeve that can be used to protect electric appliances from flood hazards. Such a needed apparatus could be easily installed beneath electrical appliances. Further, the sleeve would remain stationary in water and allow the appliances to sit in water depths safely with stability. Such a product would be self-extinguishing, non-conductive, mold-resistant and 100% waterproof. The present embodiment accomplishes these objectives. 
     SUMMARY 
     The preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention is a utility sleeve for temporarily waterproofing a utility device, such as a water heater, furnace, boiler, gas valve or burner. The utility sleeve comprises a top portion unsealed for providing stability to the utility device, a slack portion capable of being unfurled by a user, and a bottom portion enclosed underneath the utility device. The slack portion is provided on all sides of the utility sleeve and the slack portion includes a rim portion. If water levels rise due to floods and/or storm water conditions, the slack portion can be easily unfurled along all sides of the utility device by the user. After the sleeve has been fully unfurled, the rim portion is partially closed by the user utilizing a closure means. The top portion is unsealed to allow release of gases and other discharges and to allow the utility sleeve to conform to the utility device as a waterproof layer. Due to the unfurled slack portion and the unsealed top portion, the pressure of the exterior water will allow the sleeve to conform to the utility device as a protective, waterproof layer. After the water levels have receded, the utility sleeve may be collapsed or furled back to the normal position by the user. The utility sleeve can be professionally installed underneath the utility device by minor plumbing. The utility sleeve remains furled around a bottom portion of the utility device by at least one strapping when not in use. 
     Although particular embodiments of the present invention have been described in the foregoing description, it is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited to just the embodiments disclosed, but that they are capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing from the description herein. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a utility sleeve installed underneath a utility device. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a slack portion of the utility sleeve partially unfurled by a user. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates the slack portion fully unfurled by the user. 
     
    
    
     REFERENCE NUMERALS 
       10  . . . Utility sleeve 
       12  . . . Utility device 
       14  . . . Top portion of the utility sleeve 
       16  . . . Slack portion 
       18  . . . Bottom portion of the utility sleeve 
       20  . . . Bottom portion of the utility device 
       22  . . . At least one strapping 
       24  . . . Rim portion 
       26  . . . Top portion of the utility device 
       28  . . . Closure means 
       30  . . . Seam 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a utility sleeve  10  installed underneath a utility device  12 . The utility sleeve  10  is utilized for temporarily waterproofing the utility device  12 . The utility sleeve  10  comprises a top portion  14 , a slack portion  16  capable of being unfurled by a user, and a bottom portion  18  enclosed underneath the utility device  12 . The slack portion  16  and the top portion  14  allow the utility sleeve  10  to conform to the utility device  12  as a protective, waterproof layer. The utility sleeve  10  remains furled around a bottom portion  20  of the utility device  12  by at least one strapping  22  when not in use. The strapping  22  is attached to the utility sleeve  10  to keep the utility sleeve  10  in a neat, furled position, with one end of the strapping attached to the top portion  14  and the other end attached to the bottom portion of the utility sleeve  18 . The size and quantity of the strapping  22  varies depending on the size of the utility device  12  being protected. The utility sleeve  10  can be professionally installed underneath the utility device  12  by minor plumbing. The utility sleeve  10  remains stationary for the life expectancy of the utility device  12 . The utility device  12  may be electrical appliances, including water heaters, furnaces and boilers. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates the slack portion  16  of the utility sleeve  10  partially unfurled by the user. The slack portion  16  is provided on all sides of the utility sleeve  10  and the slack portion  16  includes a rim portion  24 , although the rim portion  24  may also form part of the top portion  14 . If water levels rise due to floods and/or storm water conditions, the slack portion  16  can be easily unfurled along all sides of the utility device  12  by the user. The top portion  14  is unsealed to allow release of gases and other discharges and to allow the utility sleeve  10  to conform to the utility device  12  as a waterproof layer. Due to the unfurled slack portion  16  and the unsealed top portion  14 , the pressure of the exterior water of the utility device will allow the sleeve  10  to conform to the utility device  12  as a protective, waterproof layer. The top edges of the slack portion  16  will be sufficient in length to rise above the utility device  12 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the slack portion  16  fully unfurled by the user. The utility sleeve  10  protects the utility device  12  up to a top portion  26  of the utility device. The top portion of the sleeve  14  is left unsealed to allow for conformity and the possibility of the need to release gases and other discharge. After the sleeve  10  has been fully unfurled, the rim portion  24  is partially closed by the user utilizing a closure means  28 . The closure means  28  which could be a drawstring or rope, toggle and eye-hook. The utility sleeve  10  may be attached to a beam, ceiling, hook, pipe or other part of a building structure located above the utility device, utilizing the closure means. The utility sleeve  10  can then be pulled up by pulling the draw string through the eye hook and fastening the draw string. When fully unfurled, the slack portion  16  will extend up to five feet. After the water levels have receded, the utility sleeve  10  may be collapsed or furled back to the normal position by the user. The utility sleeve  10  can be furled or collapsed back to normal position by unfastening the at least one strapping  22  or by pulling up with the closure means  28 . The slack portion  16  may be replaced after first or second use. 
     The utility sleeve  10  helps to protect electrical appliances exposed to possible water damages due to flood waters and storm waters. The utility sleeve  10  may be pre-installed underneath the utility device  12 . The utility sleeve  10  allows the utility device  12  to sit in water depths without damage. The utility sleeve  10  is made of a non-conductive, non-flammable and 100% waterproof material. The non-conductive, non-flammable and waterproof material may a single layer engineered Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC), multiple layer engineered Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC), polyurethane or Teflon fabrics. The utility sleeve  10  includes a seam  30 . The utility sleeve  10  can be made according to the measurements of any utility device. The size and number of the seam  30  varies with the size of the utility device  12 . 
     All features disclosed in this specification, including any accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings, may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features. 
     Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration and not limitation. 
     Any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. § 112, paragraph 6. In particular, the use of “step of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, paragraph 6.