Patent ID: 8205492

Claim:
A precipitation collector, comprising: a container including a container space configured for containing precipitation received through a container opening, wherein the container includes a discharge outlet fluidly coupled to a valve to define selectively operable outlet of the collector for selectively discharging the received precipitation which has been collected within the container space; and a lid partially covering the container opening, wherein the lid includes a lid passage which defines a collector inlet disposed in fluid communication with the container space through the container opening such that the lid passage provides a passage for entry of environmental precipitation into the container space; wherein the container includes an overflow outlet configured for discharging an overflow of the received precipitation collected within the container space, wherein an edge of the perimeter of the overflow outlet, disposed furthest from a reference vertical plane tangent to an operative outermost external surface portion of the collector, is disposed at a minimum distance of less than six (6) inches from the reference vertical plane when the operative outermost external surface portion is positioned adjacent to the reference vertical plane when the collector is supported on a horizontal reaction surface; and wherein the operative outermost external surface portion is disposed on an operative external surface portion of the collector, and wherein the operative external surface portion of the collector is that portion of the external surface which is opposite from the external surface portion at which the selectively operable discharge outlet is disposed, and wherein the operative outermost external surface portion is a portion of the operative external surface portion which extends furthest outwardly relative to other portions of the operative external surface portion when the collector is supported on a horizontal reaction surface.