Patent Abstract:
A modular trench drain system with sloping overlay rails. A non-sloping section of trench drain is transformed into a sloping trench drain by installing sloping overlay rails. The overlay rails rest on the top of the upper edge of the sidewalls and may have a ledge which allows grating, which spans across the channel, to rest on top. The modular channels sections may be held together and in place by a clip with holes for accepting support rods which further secure the channels in place before and after the concrete has been poured and cured around the channels.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
   This application is claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/813,731, filed Jun. 13, 2006, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 

   BACKGROUND 
   The general concept of trench drains is well known in the prior art. Trench drains are generally used to transport large amounts of liquid from one location to another. Typically, trench drains are used to collect liquid runoff from residential and commercial structures and deliver the runoff to a sewer system. 
   Current trench drains are typically modular in design and constructed of light weight polymers, such as fiberglass reinforced polyester. Typically, the trench drains consist of channels that have two sidewalls separated by a bottom wall. To install the trench drains, a trench is typically dug to a depth twice as deep as the height of the sidewalls, such that the top of the sidewall is about ⅛″ below the surrounding surface. Modular trench drain pieces, typically in about 1 meter lengths, are connected and sealed together. Concrete is poured in the bottom of the trench, the connected trench drain pieces are placed on top, and then concrete is poured around the trench drain up to a height approximately equal to the sidewall. 
   Because the top of a trench drain remains level, the slope is typically built into the channel itself. To accomplish this, each section of trench drain, as the drain slopes down, has higher sidewalls than the prior, adjacent section of trench drain. Thus, many different molds are needed to cast and form construct each section of the sloping trench drain. Suppliers will also need to keep a supply of each different section of sloping channel. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In one embodiment of the invention, a modular, non-sloping section of trench drain is transformed into a sloping section of trench drain by installing sloping overlay rails. The overlay rails rest on the top of the upper edge of the sidewalls. 
   In another embodiment, the sloping overlay rails have a ledge which allows grating, which spans across the channel, to rest on top. 
   In yet another embodiment, the channels are held together and in place by a clip with a hole(s) for accepting a support rod, typically rebar, to further secure the channel in place before and after the concrete has cured. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a side perspective view of a trench drain with sloping overlay rails according to one embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 2  is an end view of a trench drain with sloping overlay rails according to one embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a trench drain channel without sloping overlay rails according to one embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 4A  is an overhead perspective view of the overlay rails according to one embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 4B  is an overhead perspective view of an anchor clip according to one embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 5  is a side perspective view of a trench drain with sloping overlay rails and installed grating according to one embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 6  is a side perspective view of a channel bracket according to one embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 7  is an overhead perspective view of a channel bracket according to one embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 8  is and overhead view of the underside of two sections of trench drain channel joined before adding a channel bracket according to one embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 9  is an overhead view of the underside of two sections of trench drain channel joined with a channel bracket according to one embodiment of the invention. 
       FIGS. 10  A-D show various views of the lock device for the grates according to one embodiment of the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
   In one embodiment of the invention, a modular, non-sloping section of trench drain is transformed into a sloping section sloping trench drain by installing sloping overlay rails. 
   According to an embodiment of the invention, as shown in  FIG. 1 , sloping overlay rails  11 ,  12  are mounted on a non-sloping, modular trench drain component  13  to create a sloping trench drain  10 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the non-sloping modular trench drain component  20 , comprises sidewalls  21  spaced apart by a width W, and a bottom section  22 . Each sidewall  21  has an upper edge  24  and an inner shelf  23  below the upper edge  24 . There is also a flange with a groove  25  at one end of the modular trench drain component  20 , which flange may correspond to a “female” end and is dimensioned and adapted to receive a corresponding “male” end. The other end of the trench drain component  20 , the “male” end (not shown), is dimensioned and adapted be inserted into the “female” end, to make a tight fitting joint. In an embodiment, the joint is held together with an adhesive and is watertight. The bottom of each overlay rail  11 ,  12  has an inverted U-shaped groove. As shown in  FIG. 2 , each overlay rail  11 ,  12  comprises an inner ledge  11   a ,  12   a  respectively, and an outer ledge  11   b ,  12   b  respectively. As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the bottom of the inner ledge  11   f ,  12   f  rests on the top of the inner shelf  23  of the non-sloping modular trench drain component  20 . 
   In another embodiment, the vertical distance from the inner ledge  11   a ,  12   a , to the top of the overlay rail  11   d ,  12   d  is constant throughout the length of the overlay rail  11 ,  12 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , this allows grating  31  that is level with the top rail  32  to be installed on the sloping trench drain  30 . 
   In an additional embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the vertical distance from  11   a ,  12   a  to  11   f ,  12   f  increases linearly from end A to end B, thereby creating the sloped trench drain  10 . For the outside of the overlay rail  11 ,  12  the vertical distance from the top of the rail  11   d ,  12   d  to the outer ledge  11   b ,  12   b  increases as the slope increases, and the distance from the outer ledge  11   b ,  12   b  to the bottom of the outer leg  11   e ,  12   e  is constant. In one embodiment the rail increases in height at a rate of 0.50% to 1.00%, and in another embodiment it increases in height at a rate of about 0.75%. Thus, for a 1 meter section of trench drain having rails that increase in height at a rate of 0.75%, the increase from end A to end B would be about 0.0075 meters or about 0.295 inches. In another embodiment, fifteen different 1 meter sections of trench drain are connected together with sloping overlay rails having a 0.75% rate of increase in height, yielding a height differential of 0.1125 meters or 4.425 inches between the beginning of the first section and end of the last section. In one embodiment, the overlay rails are 1 mm shorter than the channel section to allow for some linear expansion, although a larger gap may be used. 
   According to one embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 4A , each separate rail  41 ,  42  in the matched pair  40  is a mirror image of the other. Each section of trench channel will require a different matched pair of overlay rails to create continuously sloping trench drain system. The height at the end of the overlay rail of the previous section of trench drain should correspond to the beginning height of the overlay rail of the next section of trench drain, so as to make a continuously sloping trench drain system. In another embodiment, the outside edge of each rail  41 ,  42  contains four anchor lugs  44 , with center openings  45 . Each rail  41 ,  42  may contain more or less than four anchor lugs  44 . The lugs  44  enhance positive anchoring during the concrete pour and the center the allows attachment of wire mesh (not shown) prior to the concrete pour. In yet another embodiment, the inside edge of each rail  41 ,  42  contains two anchoring tabs  43  with a center hole  46 . Each rail  41 ,  42  may contain more or less than two anchoring tabs  43 . In one embodiment, an anchoring clip  50 , as shown in  FIG. 4B  is inserted into an anchoring tab center hole  46  on a rail  41  and a corresponding center hole  46  on the opposite rail  42 . The anchoring clip  50  assists in maintaining a constant distance between the two separate rails  41 ,  42 . Thus, neither pressure exerted inward from poured concrete, nor pressure exerted outward from the molded draft of the modular channel will significantly change the upper span between the rails  41 ,  42 . 
   In an embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 4B , the anchoring clip  50  comprises a top  47  plate with two pins  48 , and a center hole  49 . In one embodiment, the distance between the two pins  48  corresponds to the distance between the anchor tab center holes  46 , opposite each other on rails  41 ,  42 . In yet another embodiment, the center hole  49  is used for a grate locking device and lines up with bolt holes  33  in the grating  31  as shown in  FIG. 5 . In one embodiment, the anchoring clip  50  is inserted into corresponding holes  46  with the pins facing down. If it is desired to use a grating lock device, the anchoring clip  50  may be inserted with the pins facing up as discussed below with reference to  FIGS. 10A-D . 
   In an embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 6-9 , different sections of the modular trench drain component are joined together with brackets to create longer sections of trench drain. Note that the sloping overlay rails are not shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9  because the Figs. show the bottom portion of the trench drain system. As shown in  FIG. 8 , one section of modular trench drain channel  81  is joined to another section of trench drain channel  82 . In an embodiment, trench drain channel  81  is the female end with a flange  83 , and trench drain channel  82  is the male end with securing tabs  84 . In one embodiment, trench drain channel  82  has a circular cutout  87  for a round discharge pipe (not shown). 
   According to one embodiment, to secure and assist in stabilizing the modular trench drain, channel brackets  60  are used as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . In an embodiment, the channel bracket  60  comprises a base  61 , connected to two side walls  66 , and two anchor tabs  64  on the sidewalls  66 . In one embodiment, each sidewall  66  has two grooves  62 ,  63 , dimensioned to receive flanges  83  or securing tabs  84  located on modular trench channel sections as shown on  FIG. 8 . In another embodiment, only a portion of each sidewall is connected to the base  61 , and one section containing one of the groves  63  is cantilevered from the base  61 . One of the grooves  62  continues from the top of the clip down through the base  61  of the clip. The other groove  63  is only present on the cantilevered portion of the sidewall that is not connected to the base  61 . In another embodiment, the anchor tabs  64  have two center holes  65  which are dimensioned to receive a piece of rebar (not shown). 
   In an embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 9 , a channel bracket  85  is mounted over a flange (not shown) and a securing tab  84  to secure two sections of trench channel  81 ,  82  together. Center holes  85  may receive rebar (not shown) to anchor the secured sections prior to pouring the concrete, as well as after the concrete has cured. 
   In one embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 10A-D , a locking device  100  is used to hold down slotted grates and solid covers and comprises a bolt  101 , a washer  102 , and a threaded flange  103 . In another embodiment, the flange may be used in conjunction with the anchor clip  50  shown in  FIG. 4B . The anchor clip  50  would be installed with the pins facing up, and the bolt  101  with a washer  102  would be inserted through a hole in the grating, like hole  33  in  FIG. 5 , and the flange  103  would be placed under the anchor clip  50 , so that the bolt  101  may be inserted into the threads  104  of the flange  103  and tightened. 
   Various materials may be used for the different components of the trench drain system. In one embodiment, the channel is constructed of fiberglass, polypropylene, polyethylene, polymer concrete, concrete, or combinations thereof In another embodiment, the overlay rails may be constructed of polypropylene, polyethylene, or a combination thereof. In a further embodiment, the rails are constructed of the same material as the channel, fiberglass, polymer concrete, or combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the anchor clips may be constructed of PVC, plastic, steel, aluminum, and combinations thereof. In a further embodiment, polyurethane may be used as a sealer/adhesive between the channel sections, however any commonly known sealer in the art may be used. In an embodiment, the grating lock device is constructed out of stainless steel or galvanized steal, although other materials may be used for various parts such as plastics for the flange. 
   While this invention has been described in connection with what are considered to be exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, dimensions, and configurations but, on the contrary, also extends to various modifications and equivalent arrangements. The invention is limited only by the claims and their equivalents.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4