Patent Publication Number: US-9834894-B1

Title: Drain channel

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO PROVISIONAL APPLICATION(S) 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/112,385, filed Feb. 5, 2015. The foregoing patent disclosure is incorporated herein by this reference thereto. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to drainage installations and, more particularly, to drainage channels with flat grating at the surface level (e.g., warehouse and/or factory floor level). 
     A number of additional features and objects will be apparent in connection with the following discussion of the preferred embodiments and examples with reference to the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       There are shown in the drawings certain exemplary embodiments of the invention as presently preferred. It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed as examples, and is capable of variation within the scope of the skills of a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains. In the drawings, 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a drainage installation in accordance with the invention, which has flat grating at the surface level (e.g., warehouse and/or factory floor level); 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged scale perspective view of detail II-II in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view comparable to  FIG. 2  except with one section of the grating elevated out of and above the floor level drainage channel; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view likewise comparable to  FIG. 2  except with portions of the surrounding floor matrix removed from view to show sub-floor level installation details of the drainage installation in accordance with the invention, in what would originally have been an open trench; 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged scale elevational view, partly in section, taken in the direction of arrows V-V in  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIGS. 5 a  through 5 e    are a series of reduced scale section views taken along line V-V in  FIG. 4  to show a non-limiting example of how to install the drainage installation of  FIG. 4  in a pre-existing concrete floor, wherein:— 
         FIG. 5 a    represents the excavation of an oversize trench; 
         FIG. 5 b    shows a shallow backfill of aggregate or concrete and the like; 
         FIG. 5 c    depicts the placement of pylon-serving, threaded rod; 
         FIG. 5 d    shows feet of drainage channel being landed on the threaded rod, and 
         FIG. 5 e    shows completion of the assembly corresponding to  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged scale elevational view, partly in section, taken in the direction of arrows VI-VI in  FIG. 4 , with middle portions broken away; 
         FIG. 7  is an enlarged scale perspective view of detail VII-VII in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view comparable to  FIG. 7  except the hidden lines removed for clarity; 
         FIG. 9  is an enlarged scale elevation view, partly in section, of detail IX-IX in  FIG. 5 ; and 
         FIG. 10  is a diagrammatic side elevation comparable to  FIG. 6  except on a greatly reduced scale and showing the drainage channel installation in accordance with the invention can be extended for an indefinitely long run in the axial direction. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIGS. 1-4  show a drainage installation  20  in accordance with the invention, which has sections of flat grating  22  seated inside drainage channel  24 , and which sections of flat grating  22  are arranged to be more less planar with the surface level  26  of, for example and without limitation, a warehouse and/or factory floor. 
     To turn to  FIG. 4 , the drainage channel  24  has an axially-elongated, square-U shaped channel portion which is flanked by horizontal shoulders  30  which then transition into vertically-depending skirt portions  32 . The drainage channel  24  has inverted square-T shaped feet  34  at spaced intervals along the axial length (only one shown in  FIG. 4 ). The skirt portions  32  are formed with a series of apertures  36  which either allow the injection of wet cement underneath the shoulder portions  30  of the drainage channel  24 , or alternately the venting of the wet cement when the cavity under the shoulder portions  30  are over-filled. The drainage channel  24  could have been installed in a pre-existing concrete floor  26  which had no drainage (or which drainage needed replacement). Hence this drainage channel  24  would have originally been set in an open trench, for which reference numeral  38  indicates the outline thereof. 
       FIG. 5  shows, among other things, a nozzle  42  for injecting wet cement in through any of the apertures  36  of skirt portions  32  (see  FIG. 4 ). There is one short foot  34  in the foreground, and one tall foot  34 ′ in the background and shown in dashed lines as drainage channel  24  progressively deepens in the distance. 
       FIG. 5  better shows that feet  34  are precision cut (laser cut in the example of 304 or 316 stainless plate stock) to firmly cradle the channel  24 , and joined by weldments  35  as shown. 
       FIGS. 5 a  through 5 e    are a series of reduced scale section views taken along line V-V in  FIG. 4  to show a non-limiting example of how to install the drainage installation  20  of  FIGS. 1-4 . 
       FIG. 5 a    represents the excavation of an oversize trench  38  through pre-existing concrete floor  44  and sub-layer  46  of aggregate, concrete, packed clay or the like. 
       FIG. 5 b    shows a shallow backfill  48  of aggregate, concrete, packed clay, mortar and so on, without limitation. 
       FIG. 5 c    depicts stylized drill bits  52  for drilling anchor holes for epoxying, bonding or otherwise anchoring pylon-serving, threaded rod  54 . 
       FIG. 5 d    shows the feet  34  of the drainage channel  24  being landed on the threaded rod  54 . 
       FIG. 5 e    shows completion of the installation assembly corresponding to  FIG. 5 , with the shoulders  30  of the drainage channel  24  level with the infill  56  of fresh concrete to fill in the trench  38  and even everything up level with the original pre-existing floor  36 . 
       FIG. 6  shows, among other things, that the slope of the floor of the drainage channel  24  is sloped to lead to a drain downpipe  62  that empties into a buried drain line (not shown). The feet  34  and  34 ′ are adjusted at respective elevations on their respective pylon-serving, threaded rods  54 , which are sunk in epoxy footings  64 . 
     Preferably the grating sections  22  are monolithic structures produced by investment casting a food-grade castable material, such as and without limitation 304 or 306 stainless. The drainage channel  24  would preferably be produced of the same material. 
     The grating sections  22  are formed with a series of spaced slats  70  emerging out of axial side rails  71 . The slats  70  are slanted, and preferably are slanted such high pressure jets of water during periodic washdown operation do not bounce back out the drainage channel  24 , but are deflected in the direction of the drain downpipe  62 . 
       FIGS. 7-8  are a set of relative views to show that the grating sections  22  have tabs  72  on both lateral sides of the grating, and placed at axially-spaced intervals (this is not shown). The drainage channel  24  has sunken seat portions  74  for setting the grating sections on top of such seat portions. The tabs  72  are, originally too wide to set within the riser portions  76  for the seat portions  74 .  FIG. 7  shows that excess tab portion  72 ′ can be ground to size in  FIG. 8  such that the grating section  22  rests solidly between the riser portions  76  as shown in  FIG. 9 . 
     That way, this prevents lateral dislocation of the grating portions on their seat portions  74  regardless if in the case of foot traffic or vehicle traffic. 
       FIG. 10  is a diagrammatic side elevation comparable to  FIG. 6  except on a greatly reduced scale and showing the drainage channel installation in accordance with the invention can be extended for an indefinitely long run in the axial direction. 
     The invention having been disclosed in connection with the foregoing variations and examples, additional variations will now be apparent to persons skilled in the art. The invention is not intended to be limited to the variations specifically mentioned, and accordingly reference should be made to the appended claims rather than the foregoing discussion of preferred examples, to assess the scope of the invention in which exclusive rights are claimed.