Patent Publication Number: US-11027986-B2

Title: Environmental waste water filtering system

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to the U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 15/470,366 for an “Environmental Waste Water Filtering System,” filed Mar. 27, 2017, and currently co-pending. 
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to the construction industry, and is particularly applicable to aspects of the industry which require the elimination of fluid construction debris in which the materials within the fluid comprise water and particulate matter. 
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     Elimination of fluid construction debris, in which the materials within the fluid comprise water and particulate matter, is an issue in the construction industry. A specific example of this type of construction debris occurs in the tile industry. For instance, during the installation of ceramic tile, small pieces of tile are cut or chipped from larger tiles, and may find their way into the bucket of water used to clean the tiles. Also, when applying gritty substances such as mortar and grout, sponges and trowels are used to smooth the substances, and then rinsed off in a bucket of water. In these applications, the bucket of water collects sediment from the sponges and trowels. 
     Due to the heightened awareness and concern for environmental contaminates, the water from the cleaning bucket can not be dumped outside where the water would evaporate leaving a very fine powder. Notwithstanding the environmental limitations, homeowners rarely are accepting of the waste water being dumped on their properties. 
     One solution to the challenge of finding a suitable manner for eliminating the sediment-filled water is to dump the wastewater down the drain. While avoiding the environmental concerns of outside dumping, this method of elimination is not without its own problems. Specifically, when dumping water down drains which contains construction sediment, there is a risk of blocking the drains. This risk is increased when the sediment is actually mortar or adhesive grout that contains cement. In fact, the dumping of cement and grout down drains has resulted in the complete blockage of a drain requiring very expensive demolition and repair of the building&#39;s drain system. 
     The present invention addresses the challenges outlined above by providing a mechanism for the elimination of fluid construction debris while avoiding the environmental challenges, as well as preventing the damage to drain systems. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The environmental waste water filtering system of the present invention includes a bucket, the inside of which tapers into a funnel portion that leads to a strainer. The exit tube of the funnel extends about 3 inches below the plastic bucket wall and may be inserted into a drain such as a toilet drain pipe. The inside of the bucket and funnel portion forms a fluid debris chamber. When fluid containing particulate matter is poured into the fluid debris chamber, the particulate matter is removed from the fluid portion as the fluid passes through the strainer, and then into the toilet drain pipe. Once all fluid drains from the fluid debris chamber, the captured debris may be poured into a trash bag and disposed of properly. Optionally, a disposable straining filter bag may be positioned in the fluid debris chamber so that even finer particulate matter is removed from the fluid for disposal with the bag. Another embodiment of the invention uses a bucket that is cylindrical instead of tapered. In preferred embodiments, the bottom of the bucket is large enough to sit around a drain with a toilet flange. The funnel has a neck high enough so that the exit tube is inserted into the drain without any part of the environmental waste water filtering system touching the toilet flange. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The aforementioned and other advantages of the environmental waste water filtering system of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon making a thorough review and study of the following detailed description of the invention when reviewed in conjunction with the drawings in which like references numerals refer to like parts, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of an environmental waste water filtering system of the present invention, showing the bucket, and exit tube; 
         FIG. 2  is a bottom perspective view the environmental waste water filtering system of the present invention, showing the bucket, funnel, and exit tube; 
         FIG. 3  is a cutaway side view of environmental waste water filtering system of the present invention, showing the exterior and interior of the bucket, and the funnel, strainer, and exit tube; 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of the environmental waste water filtering system of the present invention, showing the opening of the bucket, funnel and strainer; 
         FIG. 5  is a cutaway side view of the environmental waste water filtering system of the present invention, showing the invention placed for use on a floor with a drain; 
         FIG. 6  is a top perspective view of the environmental waste water filtering system of the present invention, showing the addition of a straining filter bag covering the inner wall of the fluid debris chamber and having a drawstring securing the bag&#39;s opening folded outwards over the top of the bucket; and 
         FIG. 7  is another top perspective view of the environmental waste water filtering system of the present invention, showing the straining filter bag with its opening closed with the drawstring, and showing the bag removed from the fluid debris chamber for disposal of the bag and the debris contained in the bag. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the environmental waste water filtering system of the present invention is shown and generally designated  100 . The device  100  includes a plastic bucket  110  having a wall  112  with an inside surface  114  and an outside surface  116 , and a top opening  118 . Some embodiments also include a handle  120  for convenience in carrying and positioning the bucket  110 . 
       FIG. 2  shows a bottom perspective view of the environmental waste water filtering system  100 . The bucket  110  is shown to have a bottom opening  122 , a funnel  124 , and an exit tube  126  extending below the bottom opening  122 . An exit  128  at the bottom of the exit tube  126  allows fluid to escape from the bucket  110  into a drain. The funnel  124  may be integral to the bucket  110 , or, alternatively, may be a separate piece permanently or removably affixed to the bucket  110 . In the latter case, the funnel  124  would have a flange  125  (shown in  FIG. 3 ) extending downward from its upper circumference, which would sit flush against the inside surface  114  of the bucket  110 . The flange may be affixed to the inside surface  114  using epoxy, rivets, or other adhesive or fasteners known in the art. Any gap between the flange  125  and the inside surface  114  would be caulked in order to prevent fluid from flowing down between the flange and the inside surface  114  of the bucket  110 . In a preferred embodiment, the bucket  110  and funnel  124  are made of plastic, but they may be made of other material having similar strength, including but not limited to metal, ceramic, or wood. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a cutaway side view of the environmental waste water filtering system  100  is shown. The bucket  110  is shown to have a height  130 , which is 14 inches (14″) in one embodiment, but may be any other height that will accommodate fluid introduced into the bucket  110 . The top opening  118  is shown to have a top width  132 , which may be any width sufficient to allow the introduction of fluid containing particulates into the bucket  110 . The bottom opening has a bottom width  134 , which may be any width that allows the bucket  110  to sit upright on a floor while fluid passes through the bucket  110 . In one embodiment, the top width  132  is eleven-and-three-quarters inches (11¾″) and the bottom width  134  is ten-and-one-half inches (10½″), with the bucket  110  thus having a slight taper. An advantage of the tapered shape of the bucket  110  is ease of removal from injection molds that may be used in manufacturing of bucket  110 . The tapered shape of the bucket  110  also allows the funnel  124  to sit right at the desired position in the bucket  110 . The flange  125  of the funnel  124  would be tapered also in order to sit flush against the inside surface  114  of the bucket  110 . As mentioned previously, the flange  125  may also be further affixed to the bucket  110  using epoxy, rivets, or other adhesive or fasteners known in the art. 
     In another embodiment, however, the bucket  110  is cylindrical, having the bottom width  134  equal to the top width  132 . The bucket  110  may also have other shapes. In preferred embodiments, the bucket  110  has a circular cross-section, and the top width  132  and the bottom width  134  are the diameter at the top opening  118  and the bottom opening  122 , respectively. A square cross-section would result in a wall-to-wall distance for the widths  132  and  134 , and other cross-sections may have multiple top widths  132  and bottom widths  134 . 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 3 , the exit tube  126  extends a distance  136  from the bottom opening  122  of the bucket  110 . The distance  136  can be any distance that allows the exit tube  126  to be inserted into a drain. In preferred embodiments the distance  136  is between two inches (2″) and three inches (3″). Alternatively, the distance  136  may be zero inches (0″) or any other distance appropriate to the particular circumstances in which the environmental waste water filtering system  100  is to be used. 
     The inside surface  114  of the bucket  110  defines a fluid debris chamber  138 , at the bottom of which is a conical-shaped funnel portion (or funnel)  124  which tapers down to a neck  140  leading to the exit tube  126 . The exit tube may have any width that allows fluid to pass through the exit tube  126  while also allowing the exit tube  126  to be inserted into a drain. In one embodiment, the exit tube is two inches (2″) wide. 
     In the neck  140  is a strainer  142 , which comprises a mesh screen. In one embodiment, the mesh screen of the strainer  142  has square openings about one-eighth inch (⅛″) wide each. Alternatively, the openings of the strainer  142  may be any other size or shape that stops particulate matter while allowing fluid to pass through the openings. 
       FIG. 4  shows a top view of the environmental waste water filtering system  100 , showing the top opening  118  of the bucket  110  and the funnel  124 . In  FIG. 4  it can be seen that the strainer  142  comprises a mesh screen of square openings. In another embodiment, the openings of strainer  142  are hexagonal instead of square. 
       FIG. 5  is a cutaway view of the environmental waste water filtering system  100  showing the bucket  110  placed over a drain  210 . One use for the environmental waste water filtering system  100  is while laying tile. In this usage scenario, the tile would be laid on top of a backerboard  212  placed over a subfloor  214 . If drain  210  is a toilet drain, the bottom width  134 , along with the positioning of the exit tube  126  and the conical shape of the funnel  124  allow the bucket  110  of the environmental waste water filtering system  100  to be placed over the drain  210  without sitting on or otherwise touching a toilet flange  216  which may be present. 
     In use, waste water containing particulate matter would be poured into the fluid debris chamber  138  through the top opening  118  of the bucket  110 . The fluid would be funneled through the strainer  142 , where the particulate matter would be filtered out and remain in the bucket  110 . The fluid, now free of particulate matter, would continue to flow through the exit tube  126 , out the exit  128 , and into the drain  210 . The collected particulate matter, remaining in the bucket  110 , could then be disposed in an appropriate manner. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , in addition to the straining capabilities of the strainer  142 , a straining filter bag  250  may be positioned in the fluid debris chamber  138  so that even finer particulate matter would be captured. The straining filter bag  250  can generally stop finer particulate matter than the strainer  142  alone. The environmental waste water filtering system  100  can be used with or without the straining filter bag  250 , depending on the size of the particles of particulate matter that the user wishes to catch. As shown in  FIG. 6 , the straining filter bag  250  has an opening that can be folded over the top opening  118  of the bucket  110  to keep the straining filter bag  250  open. The straining filter bag  250  may have a feature for securing the bag opening about the top opening  118  of the bucket  110 , such as a drawstring  252 . Alternatively, other devices may be used to secure the bag opening about the top opening  118  of the bucket  110 , such as elastic, clips, or other devices. The straining filter bag  250  may also be used without a feature for securing the bag opening to the top opening  118  of the bucket  110 . In a preferred embodiment, the straining filter bag  250  may be a paint straining bag used for straining paint for spray application in the painting industry. 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the environmental wastewater filtering system  100 , showing the straining filter bag  250  with its opening now closed with the drawstring  252 , and showing the straining filter bag  250  removed from the fluid debris chamber  138  for disposal of the straining filter bag  250  and the debris contained in the bag. When using the straining filter bag  250 , once the fluid drains through the straining filter bag  250 , through the strainer  142 , and into the drain  210 , the straining filter bag  250  can be removed from the bucket  110 , tied to prevent debris from leaving the straining filter bag  250 , and the debris can thus be disposed of properly. Alternatively, the straining filter bag  250  may be of a type that is reusable, which can be emptied of debris and cleaned for reuse. Thus the environmental waste water filtering system  100  protects the environment from contamination by debris and finer particulate matter that might otherwise be dumped on the ground. The environmental waste water filtering system  100  also protects drains from being blocked by buildup of debris and finer particulate matter that might otherwise pass into the drains.