Patent ID: 7900795

Claim:
A pan used in fluid collection and overflow prevention applications while supporting a fluid-producing unit, said pan comprising: a bottom surface and a perimeter wall depending upwardly from said bottom surface, said bottom surface having three spaced-apart, side-by-side, and longitudinally-extending support members upwardly depending therefrom which are collectively configured and positioned for bearing a fluid-producing unit, said longitudinally-extending support members each having opposed ends and extending substantially across said pan while at the same time allowing fluid collecting upon said bottom surface to flow around said opposed ends, said side-by-side positioning of longitudinally-extending support members further providing a center support member which separates the two remaining ones of said support members from one another, said remaining support members each having a non-linear perimeter configuration and a non-linear longitudinally-extending axis, with said center support member having a greater length dimension than each of said remaining support members, said center support member also having a non-linear perimeter configuration, said bottom surface also having a different stress-transferring member connected between said center support member and each of said remaining support members, and said bottom surface also having a plurality of shallow uppercuts spaced apart from one another with each said uppercut configured for trapping and isolating fluid from that collected in other parts of said pan, said uppercuts also positioned substantially across said bottom surface to provide balanced weight distribution of fluid accumulation in said pan, said upper cuts further configured and positioned to promote prompt evaporation of any fluid accumulating in said pan.