Patent Publication Number: US-6987458-B1

Title: Leak stopper system for water plumbing

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to detecting water leaks in water plumbing of commercial and residential buildings for shutting water off automatically to prevent water-leak damage before the leaks can be repaired. 
   2. Relation to Prior Art 
   There are numerous detectors of liquid leaks in numerous liquid containment systems, but none known to detect leaks with—an—a three-probe electric detector wired to an electric shutoff valve for shutting off water in water plumbing of commercial and residential buildings in order to prevent water-leak damage to building structure and building contents before the leaks can be repaired as taught by this invention. 
   Prior art that is known and related but different includes the following: 
   
     
       
         
             
             
             
           
             
                 
             
             
               U.S. Pat. No. 
               Inventor 
               Disclosure Date 
             
             
                 
             
           
          
             
               U.S. Pat. No. 6,526,807 
               Doumit et al 
               03-2003 
             
             
               U.S. Pat. No. 6,339,951 B1 
               Kashmiri et al 
               01-2002 
             
             
               U.S. Pat. No. 6,310,555 B1 
               Stern 
               10-2001 
             
             
               U.S. Pat. No. 6,147,613 
               Doumit 
               11-2000 
             
             
               U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,607 
               Caise et al 
               08-2000 
             
             
               U.S. Pat. No. 6,025,788 
               Diduck 
               02-2000 
             
             
               U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,825 
               Faulk 
               10-1996 
             
             
               U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,175 
               Ravillous et al 
               04-1996 
             
             
               U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,750 
               Welch et al 
               07-1993 
             
             
               U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,069 
               Richards 
               03-1993 
             
             
               U.S. Pat. No. 4,319,232 
               Westphal et al 
               03-1982 
             
             
                 
             
          
         
       
     
   
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Objects of patentable novelty and utility taught by this invention are to:
         provide immediate and reliable detection of any water leakage, no matter how tiny, in a plumbing system of a commercial or residential building;   detect and show on a plumbing-system diagram at a desired control position the exact location of any and all the water leakage;   automatically shut off water to the water leakage immediately before it can cause damage and can be fixed;   have a shutoff valve that is suitable for potable-water use;   utilize an electrical circuit for detecting the leakage and shutting off the water;   employ an isolated power system that can include battery power for current-level safety and for safe-time independence from outside sources of electricity; and   provide a computerized analysis and recording of all pertinent leakage factors.       

   This invention accomplishes these and other objectives with a leak-stopper system for water plumbing with a leak-probe circuit positioned in water-detection proximity to water plumbing for a building and having electrical communication from a predetermined plurality of predeterminedly spaced-apart leak sensors on the leak-probe circuit to a control board. Leak signalers on the control board are in electrical communication with the leak sensors for electrically detecting and signaling location of any water leakage of the water plumbing proximate one or more of the leak sensors to the control board. The water plumbing includes a plumbing valve with predetermined features for shutting off water to the water plumbing predeterminedly in response to detection of leakage of the water plumbing in order to allow the leakage to be fixed before water damage occurs to the building or to contents of the building. 
   Preferably, electrical current to the leak-probe circuit and to the plumbing valve is from a power source that includes an isolated power source which can be a chargeable battery for supplying a safe level of current for a predetermined period of leak-detection time in case of power outage to the building. 
   The leak sensors can include three-probe sensors having an input probe intermediate a first output probe and a second output probe. The probe circuit conveys current to the first output probe and to the second output probe. Electrical circuit between at least the first output probe or the second output probe and the input probe is closable with leakage water for conveying current from the input probe to a predetermined signaler of leakage on the control board. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     This invention is described by appended claims in relation to description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the following drawings which are explained briefly as follows: 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic plan drawing of the leak-stopper system; 
       FIG. 2  is a partially cutaway fragmentary drawing of a leak sensor in electrical communication with a visual signaler through a signal line in a leak-probe circuit; 
       FIG. 3  is an end view of a water pipe in water plumbing having a leak-probe circuit attached to the water pipe with a pipe clasp; 
       FIG. 4  is an end view of the water pipe in the water plumbing having the leak-probe circuit attached to the water pipe with the pipe clasp and further having a clasp tray below the pipe clasp and the leak-probe circuit for collecting leakage water for its conveyance to leak probes; 
       FIG. 5  is an end view of the water pipe in the water plumbing having the leak-probe circuit attached to the clasp tray for collecting leakage for its conveyance to leak probes; 
       FIG. 6  is an end view of the water pipe in the water plumbing having the leak-probe circuit attached directly to the water plumbing with adhesive; and 
       FIG. 7  is a diagram of an electronic circuit for the leak-stopper system. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Listed numerically below with reference to the drawings are terms used to describe features of this invention. These terms and numbers assigned to them designate the same features throughout this description.
       1 . Leak-probe circuit     2 . Water plumbing     3 . Leak sensors     4 . Control board     5 . Visual leak signalers     6 . Plumbing valve     7 . Leakage water     8 . Electrical source     9 . Chargeable battery     10 . Charger     11 . AC power source     12 . DC power supplier     13 . Transformer     14 . Three-probe sensor     15 . Output probe     16 . First input probe     17 . Second input probe     18 . Input connectors     19 . Output connector     20 . Valve-control line     21 . Pushbutton toggle switch     22 . Rotational knob     23 . Audio signaler     24 . Remote-control connection     25 . Network connection     26 . Signal line     27 . Circuit attachment     28 . Pipe clasp     29 . Clasp tray     30 . Adhesive     31 . Electronic circuit   

   Referring to  FIGS. 1–2 , the leak-stopper system for water plumbing includes a leak-probe circuit  1  positioned in water-detection proximity to water plumbing  2  for a building. The electrical-probe circuit  1  has electrical communication from a predetermined plurality of predeterminedly spaced-apart leak sensors  3  on the leak-probe circuit  1  to a control board  4 . 
   Visual leak signalers  5  on the control board  4  are in electrical communication with the leak sensors  3  for electrically detecting and signaling location of any water leakage  7  of the water plumbing  2  proximate one or more of the leak sensors  3  to at least one of the visual leak signalers  5  on the control board  4 . 
   The water plumbing  2  has a plumbing valve  6  for shutting off water to the water plumbing  2  predeterminedly in response to detection of leakage of the water plumbing  2  in order to allow the leakage to be fixed before water damage occurs to the building or to contents of the building. 
   The plumbing valve can include a potable water valve. 
   The leak sensors  3  are articulated for detecting water leakage by closing of circuitry of the leak sensors  3  with leakage water  7  for communicating position of the leakage water  7  by communicating position of the at least one leak sensors  3  with circuitry closed by the leakage water  7  to predetermined visual leak signalers  5  on the control board  4 . 
   The control board  4  is articulated in coordination with the water plumbing  2  and the electrical-probe circuit  1  for indicating location of the water leakage  7  by indicating location of at least one of the leak sensors  3  with circuitry closed by the leakage water  7 . 
   An electrical source  8  supplies user-safe electrical current to components of the leak-stopper system for detecting leaks, for communicating their location, for operating the plumbing valve and for any other related functions. 
   The power source  8  includes an isolated power source for supplying a user-safe level of current for a predetermined period of leak-detection time in case of power outage to the building. The isolated power source can include a chargeable battery  9  that is chargeable by a charger  10  in communication with an AC power source  11  to the building. The isolated power source can include a predetermined DC power supplier  12  with DC current from a transformer  13  in communication with the AC power source  11  to the building. 
   The leak sensors  3  can include three-probe sensors  14  having an output probe  15  intermediate a first input probe  16  and a second input probe  17 . The probe circuit  1  is in electrical communication with the first input probe  16 , the second input probe  17  and the output probe  15  through input connectors  18 . The probe circuit  1  is in return electrical communication with the input probe  15  through an output connector  19 . The first input probe  16  and a second input probe  17  are articulated to convey current through leakage water  7  to the output probe  15  and the output probe  15  is articulated to receive the current through the leakage water  7  for conveying the current from the leakage water  7  through the output connector  19  and into the probe circuit  1  for communication to a designated visual leak signaler  5  on the control board  4 . 
   Different from conventional water sensors the first input probe  16  and the second input probe  17  can be structured and spaced apart predeterminedly for effectiveness of communication of current through predeterminedly aqueous liquid to the output probe  15  of the three-probe sensors  14  positioned proximate predetermined water plumbing  2  in accordance with knowledge of those skilled in the art. 
   The leak-probe circuit  1  can include a valve-control line  20  in communication with the plumbing valve  6  from the control board  4  for closing the plumbing valve  6  automatically in response to communication of detection of a leak in the water plumbing  2  by at least one of the leak sensors  3 . The plumbing valve  6  is articulated to be closed for preventing water from entering the water plumbing  2  by the communication from the control board  4 . 
   An override switch can be included on the control board  4  for manually overriding automatic closing of the plumbing valve  6 . The override switch can include a pushbutton toggle switch  21 . 
   An override-time regulator can be included on the control board  4  for regulating time of override of automatic closing of the plumbing valve  6 . The override-time regulator can include a rotational knob  22  for being rotated in a rotational direction predeterminedly for increase of time of override of the automatic closing of the plumbing valve  6 . 
   The visual leak signalers  5  can include LED&#39;s. 
   Included optionally on the control board  4  can be an audio signaler  23  of leakage, a remote-control connection  24  for optionally hard-wire or wireless remote control of the control board  4 , the plumbing valve  6  and any other features of the leak-stopper system, and a network connection  25  for remote control of the leak-stopper systems that includes a plurality thereof. 
   The plumbing valve  6  preferably includes a potable-water valve. 
   The leak-probe circuit  1  can include a plurality of signal lines  26  with each of the signal lines  26  having electrical communication from a predetermined leak sensor  3  to a predetermined signaler  5 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 3–6 , the leak-stopper system for water plumbing can further comprise a circuit attachment  27  for attaching the leak-probe circuit  1  to the water plumbing  2 . 
   The circuit attachment  27  can include a pipe clasp  28 . 
   The circuit attachment  27  can include a clasp tray  29  for clasping onto the water plumbing  2  for collecting the leakage water  7  and for conveying the leakage water  7  to the leak sensors  3 . In addition to the clasp tray  29 , the circuit attachment  27  can include the pipe clasp  28 . 
   The circuit attachment  27  can include an adhesive  30  for adhering the leak probe  1  to the water plumbing  2 . 
   The leak-stopper system for water plumbing can include an electronic circuit  31  for communicating leak detection by the leak sensors  3  to the visual leak signalers  5  and for conveying shutoff communication to the plumbing valve  6 . 
   A new and useful leak-stopper system for water plumbing having been described, all such foreseeable modifications, adaptations, substitutions of equivalents, mathematical possibilities of combinations of parts, pluralities of parts, applications and forms thereof as described by the following claims and not precluded by prior art are included in this invention.