Patent Publication Number: US-7905368-B1

Title: Portable water tank with valved drain sleeve

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed generally to a portable water tank and specifically to a portable water tank having a valved drain sleeve. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a portable water tank, comprising a foldable receptacle having a bottom wall and vertical sidewalls; a frame to support the sidewalls in an upright position, the frame including upper and lower rails, and vertical posts joining the upper rail to the lower rail. 
     The receptacle includes a drain sleeve disposed near the bottom wall, the sleeve extending between corresponding portions of the upper and lower rails, and between a pair of the posts, the sleeve overlying the corresponding portion of the lower rail. Reinforcement members are attached to the corresponding portion of the lower rail and the pair of posts. A valve is operably attached to the pair of posts and the corresponding portion of the lower rail. The valve is operably associated with the drain sleeve, the valve having an open position to allow water within the receptacle to flow through the drain sleeve, and a closed position to keep water from flowing through the drain sleeve. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a portable water tank embodying the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged, fragmentary and perspective view of the portable water tank of  FIG. 1 , showing an open drain sleeve. 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged, fragmentary and perspective view of the portable water tank of  FIG. 1 , showing a closed drain sleeve. 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged, fragmentary cross-sectional view of an end portion of a locking pin. 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  5 - 5  in  FIG. 3 , showing a detail of the drain sleeve in the closed position. 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged detail taken from  FIG. 5 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A portable water tank  2  embodying the present invention is disclosed in  FIG. 1 . The tank  2  has a folding frame  4  and a flexible receptacle  6  made from conventional foldable water-tight material. The receptacle  6  has a bottom wall  8  and vertical sidewalls  10  secured to the frame  4  with a rope  12  or similar material threaded through openings  14  along the upper edge portion of the receptacle  6  and spirally wound around the upper rails of the frame  4 . The frame  4  forms a free-standing structure to provide support to the sidewalls  10  in the vertical position so as to keep the receptacle  6  in the open position ready to receive water. The tank  2  is shown filled with water to a level below the openings  14 . 
     The frame  4  is shown 4-sided, but any number of sides may be used. The frame  4  has a pair of opposite sides  16  and another pair of opposite sides  18 . Each side  16  includes an upper rail  20 , a lower rail  22  and a plurality of vertical posts  24  joining the lower rails to the upper rails. Each of the sides  18  includes a pair of upper rails  26  and a pair of lower rails  28 . A plurality of posts  30  join the lower rails  28  to the upper rails  26 . The frame  4  is preferably made from tubular members of any cross-sectional shape, such as square, and light-weight material, such as aluminum, for portability. 
     The sides  16  are attached to the corresponding sides  18  with hinges  32  secured to the respective corners of the adjacent sides. Each of the sides  18  is made of two sections attached to each other with hinges  34  and  36 . The hinges  32 ,  34  and  36  allow the frame  4  to be folded into a compact, substantially flat configuration, where the two sections of the sides  18  fold inwardly about the hinges  32 ,  34  and  36  so that they become parallel to each other and to the sides  16 . A similar foldable tank is disclosed in co-pending application Ser. No. 11/716,664, filed on Mar. 12, 2007, incorporated herein by reference. 
     The receptacle  6  has a pair of drain sleeves  38  disposed near the bottom wall  8 , as best shown in  FIG. 1 . Each drain sleeve  38  is made from the same flexible and pliable material as the receptacle  6 . Each drain sleeve  38  connects to an opening  40  on the sidewall  10  of the receptacle  6 . The drain sleeve  38  extends from the sidewall  10  over a lower rail  22 . Referring to  FIG. 2 , the drain sleeve  38  is framed by a pair of the posts  24  and portions of the upper and lower rails  20  and  22 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a pair of straps  42  are secured to the open end of the drain sleeve  38  and are provided with holes  44 . The drain sleeve  38  is configured in length so as to be foldable over the upper rail  20  with the straps  42  secured with a tie to a D-shaped ring  46  attached to the sidewall  10 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . This provides stowage for the drain sleeve  38  when not in use. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the drain sleeve  38  may be opened or closed to water flow with a valve  48  attached to the frame  4 . The valve  48  has an open position, as best shown in  FIG. 2 , and a closed position, as best shown in  FIG. 3 . The valve  48  includes a rigid, longitudinal, bar-shaped member  50 , preferably made of metal or other rigid material, attached with a hinge  52  to one of the vertical posts  24 . The member  50  has a vertical position corresponding to the open position, as shown in  FIG. 2 , and a horizontal position corresponding to the closed position, as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     The member  50  is lockable in the vertical or horizontal position. A pair of brackets  54  with aligned holes  55  are attached to the member  50 . Another bracket  56  with an opening  57  is attached to the post  24 . The aligned holes  55  in the brackets  54  retain a slidable locking pin  58 . An end portion  62  of the pin  58  is provided with a ball detent  63 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , that prevents the pin  58  from accidentally sliding out of the hole  57  in the bracket  56 , thereby retaining the member  50  in the vertical position, as shown in  FIG. 2 . The ball detent  63  includes a metal ball  65  captured within a bore and supported therein by a spring  69  that allows the ball to retract into the bore under pressure from the outside and to partly protrude from the bore when the pressure is released. A bracket  64  attached to the member  50  prevents the pin  58  from sliding clear of the holes  55  in the brackets  54 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 5 , the member  50  in the horizontal position presses the drain sleeve  38  against a reinforcement member  68 , preferably bar-shaped and made of metal or rigid material, attached to the lower rail  22 , thereby sandwiching the drain sleeve  38  therebetween. The pin  58  holds the member  50  in the horizontal position by being received in aligned holes  72 ,  74  and  76  in the reinforcement member  78  and the reinforcement bracket  80 . The holes  72 ,  74  and  76  are disposed so as to make the member  50  apply a clamping force on the reinforcement member  68  and the lower rail, thereby to press the drain sleeve  38  shut, as best shown in  FIG. 6 . The member  50  has on its underside a layer  66  of compressible material, such as rubber. An opposing side of the reinforcement member  68  has a top surface provided with a layer  70  of the same compressible material as the layer  66 . The layers  66  and  70  protect the drain sleeve  38  from damage from the members  50  and  68  while being compressed to effectively close the drain sleeve  38 . The reinforcement member  68  may be removed, if the lower rail  22  is rigid enough to withstand the clamping action of the member  50 , in which case the layer  70  is provided on a top surface of the lower rail  22 . Similarly, the reinforcement members  78  and the bracket  80 , preferably made of metal or other rigid material, may also not be required, depending on the strength of the post  24 , which are made of tubular material. Reinforcement members  82  and  84 , preferably bar-shaped and made of metal or other rigid material, are also optional and may be used, if desired, to strengthen the tubular posts  24  and a portion of the upper rail  20  that frame the drain sleeve  38 . 
     The member  50  and the reinforcement members  68 ,  78 ,  82  and  84  are substantially the same width as the thickness of the posts  24  and the upper and lower rails  20  and  22  that make up the frame  4  so that they do not protrude beyond the thickness of the upper and the lower rails and the posts, thereby allowing the frame  4  to be folded into a compact, substantially flat configuration for transport and stowage. The space through which the drain sleeve  38  protrudes, defined by a pair of posts  24  and portions of the corresponding upper and lower rails  20  and  22 , delineates a volume defined by the thickness of the posts  24  and the upper and lower rails  20  and  22  in which the valve  48  is disposed. By using substantially the same width as the thickness of the frame components, the components of the valve  48  are confined within the volume to provide a compact, non-protruding structure. 
     By being attached to the frame  4 , the valve  48  becomes an integrated part of the tank, improving set up time and eliminating loose equipment that requires a separate inventory or item on a checklist. The valve  48  is also able to use the structure of the frame  4  for some of its operating parts. 
     The drain sleeve  38  is used for draining the receptacle  6  of any remaining water after use. The drain sleeve  38  may also be used to connect to another drain sleeve provided in another tank so as to provide greater capacity over a single tank. 
     While this invention has been described as having preferred design, it is understood that it is capable of further modification, uses and/or adaptations following in general the principle of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains, and as may be applied to the essential features set forth, and fall within the scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claims.