CONCRETE WASHOUT CONTAINER WITH LEAKPROOF SEALING LID
A concrete washout container with leakproof sealing lid. The device has a lid portion with a base and lip structures extending around the base, each lip structure having a first contour, which first contour extends from an upper end of a generally vertical lid portion wall, which generally vertical lid portion wall extends from the base, wherein the lip structures are flexible along the generally vertical lid portion wall. The device also includes a bin portion, the bin portion having an open mouth, the mouth defined by a rim structure located around a perimeter of the open mouth, the rim structure having a second contour which second contour extends above a top end of a generally vertical bin portion wall section, which generally vertical bin portion wall section connects at a bottom end to a generally horizontal bin portion wall section, and which generally horizontal bin portion wall section connects to sides walls of the bin portion, which side walls extend upwardly from a bottom of the bin portion. The first contour, the generally vertical lid portion wall, and an outer perimeter of the base of the lid portion are complementary to and detachably and sealably contact and engage with the second contour, the generally vertical bin portion wall section, and the generally horizontal bin portion wall section of the bin portion.
The present invention relates generally to containers with lids, and more specifically to concrete washout containers with leakproof sealing lids that allow waste concrete and liquid to be transported, stored, and used to evaporate water from the container, thereby leaving dried concrete residue, which can be more easily recycled or repurposed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONConcrete is composed of aggregate (generally a coarse aggregate such as gravel, limestone, or granite, plus a fine aggregate such as sand), cement (commonly Portland cement) and can also include other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement (with the cement and cementitious materials acting to hold the aggregate together, water, and can also include other chemical admixtures. Depending on the intended use, fiberglass, chemicals and other additives can be added. Concrete is commonly transported to a construction site in concrete mixture delivery vehicles, typically concrete transport trucks (in-transit mixers) having a large rotating mixing drum. During transportation, the concrete is in a wet, relatively flowable state. At the construction site, the wet concrete mixture is installed. One typical method to deliver the concrete from the drum is via one or more pour chutes.
After substantially all of the concrete mixture is unloaded from the delivery transport truck, a considerable amount of wet concrete continues to adhere to the pour chutes. In the past, this remaining wet concrete mixture was merely hosed off onto the ground or worse, rinsed into storm drains. However, the rinse water used to clean the pour chutes is considered a potential groundwater contaminant and is quite damaging to storm drain systems. Consequently, environmental laws have been strengthened to prohibit the disbursal of such rinse waters and solids (hereinafter referred to as “rinse water mixture”) onto the ground, onto streets, or down storm drains. All such rinse water mixture must be recouped and recycled without being allowed to flow into streets, storm drains or gutters or allowed to percolate into the soil.
One way that has been used to deal with concrete rinse mixtures at large construction sites has been to deposit such rinse water mixtures in prefabricated lined evaporation pits. However, the construction of a prefabricated evaporation pit at smaller commercial and residential construction sites is impractical and not cost effective. Moreover, there is still the problem of transporting the rinse water mixtures.
There are various devices and systems for removal of concrete chute rinse water mixture from the delivery vehicle. Many systems require the use of expensive and bulky hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical components which must be carried on the delivery vehicle. Such hydraulic or electrical components are expensive to purchase and maintain and awkward to carry on the delivery vehicle. Also, such hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical components leave the driver of the delivery vehicle vulnerable to hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical system failures which would prevent use of the equipment at the construction site. Still further, proposed equipment in the prior art can suffer from leakage of contaminated water during the normal operation. Many prior devices and methods require the use of the vehicle's mixing drum to store the recovered rinse water mixture. Storing such rinse water mixture in the mixing drum can adversely affect the integrity of the next load of concrete mixture prepared and transported within the mixing drum, unless the rinse water mixture is thoroughly drained from the mixing drum prior to the preparation of the next batch of concrete mixture. From a practical standpoint, this is a major disadvantage of such proposed equipment because there is a strong temptation among individual concrete mixture preparation personnel to reuse the rinse water mixture (already in the mixing drum) rather than to take the time to thoroughly drain and reconstitute the rinse water mixture and to replace it in the mixing drum with fresh water.
There are also a variety of open flat bins that are used to collect the rinse water mixture. Such flat bins are positioned at a work site, and the rinse water mixture is deposited therein. In some cases, the water of the rinse water mixture is allowed to evaporate with the passage of time, and then the solids are transported back to the concrete mixing facility. For high volume worksites, often times, these bins—filled with rinse water mixture—are transported back to the concrete mixing facility, but with great difficulty, e.g., tarps are used to cover the open mouth thereof, and spillage is common. Moreover, once filled with rinse water mixture, these prior art bins are not stackable, which can potentially take up more room at a work site.
There accordingly remains a need for improved concrete washout containers with leakproof sealing lid and with a way to permit evaporation of the water from the rinse water mixture while in the container.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONOne embodiment of the invention provides a concrete washout container with leakproof sealing lid, comprising:
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- a lid portion have a base and lip structures extending around the base, each lip structure having a first contour, which first contour extends from an upper end of a generally vertical lid portion wall, which generally vertical lid portion wall extends from the base, wherein the lip structures are flexible along the generally vertical lid portion wall; and
- a bin portion, the bin portion having an open mouth, the mouth defined by a rim structure located around a perimeter of the open mouth, the rim structure having a second contour which second contour extends above a top end of a generally vertical bin portion wall section, which generally vertical bin portion wall section connects at a bottom end to a generally horizontal bin portion wall section, and which generally horizontal bin portion wall section connects to sides walls of the bin portion, which side walls extend upwardly from a bottom of the bin portion;
- wherein the first contour, the generally vertical lid portion wall, and an outer perimeter of the base of the lid portion are complementary to and detachably and sealably contact and engage with the second contour, the generally vertical bin portion wall section, and the generally horizontal bin portion wall section of the bin portion.
Another embodiment of the invention provides a concrete washout container with leakproof sealing lid, comprising:
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- a lid portion have a base and lip structures extending around a perimeter of the base, the lip structures having a first C-shaped contour, the lid portion including an opening and opening cover to allow access the bin portion through the lid portion; and
- a bin portion, the bin portion having an open mouth, the mouth defined by a rim structure located around a perimeter of the open mouth, the rim structure having a second C-shaped contour, the bin portion having side walls extend upwardly from a bottom of the bin portion, the bin portion including forklift channels formed in a bottom thereof;
- wherein the lip structures of the lid portion detachably interference fit within the rim structure of the bin portion to provide for sealing between the lid portion and bin portion.
Turning first to
The bin portions 12/212 and lid portions 14/214 are preferably formed of high strength plastic, such as cross-linked polyethylene, commonly abbreviated PEX or XLPE, and can be formed by techniques including but not limited to roto molding. Use of high strength plastic has many advantages, including that the device can be formed without sharp corners which would tend to collect cured concrete. Moreover, the appropriate plastic provides some flexibility and give, and by banging or otherwise shocking the walls of the bin portion 12, this will help release and cured concrete that otherwise might stick to the bin.
Although the lip structures 18 and 216 show generally C-shaped upper ends to conform to generally C-shaped upper ends of the bin portions 12 and 212, other shapes can be used so long as the portion can be made to easily engage, and disengage from each other. For example, the upper ends could be more generally U-shaped, or even squared off.
The preferred embodiments of this invention have been disclosed, however, so that one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
Claims
1. A concrete washout container with leakproof sealing lid, comprising:
- a lid portion have a base and lip structures extending around the base, each lip structure having a first contour, which first contour extends from an upper end of a generally vertical lid portion wall, which generally vertical lid portion wall extends from the base, wherein the lip structures are flexible along the generally vertical lid portion wall; and
- a bin portion, the bin portion having an open mouth, the mouth defined by a rim structure located around a perimeter of the open mouth, the rim structure having a second contour which second contour extends above a top end of a generally vertical bin portion wall section, which generally vertical bin portion wall section connects at a bottom end to a generally horizontal bin portion wall section, and which generally horizontal bin portion wall section connects to sides walls of the bin portion, which side walls extend upwardly from a bottom of the bin portion;
- wherein the first contour, the generally vertical lid portion wall, and an outer perimeter of the base of the lid portion are complementary to and detachably and sealably contact and engage with the second contour, the generally vertical bin portion wall section, and the generally horizontal bin portion wall section of the bin portion.
2. The concrete washout container with leakproof sealing lid of claim 1, wherein the bin portion further comprises forklift channels formed on the bottom of the bin portion thereof.
3. The concrete washout container with leakproof sealing lid of claim 1, wherein the lid portion further comprises an opening and opening cover to allow access the bin portion through the lid portion.
4. The concrete washout container with leakproof sealing lid of claim 1, wherein the lid portion further comprises ports, which ports can be opened up for purpose of permitting the evaporation of liquid from inside the bin portion.
5. The concrete washout container with leakproof sealing lid of claim 1, wherein the bin portion further comprises a channel running generally horizontally around the side walls, which channel provides a channel for a tilting and lifting strap to be affixed around the bin portion.
6. The concrete washout container with leakproof sealing lid of claim 1, wherein the side walls of the bin portion flare outwardly from a smaller bottom to the open mouth, which is larger, to permit nesting of multiple bin portions and to permit easier release of material collected in the bin portion.
7. The concrete washout container with leakproof sealing lid of claim 1, wherein the lid portion further comprises separations located between the lip structures to permit independent movement of the lip structures.
8. The concrete washout container with leakproof sealing lid of claim 1, wherein the lid portion further comprises separations located between the lip structures to permit independent movement of the lip structures, and wherein the rim structure of the bin portion has interruptions that are generally aligned with separations on the lid portion, such that when the lid portion is engaged with the bin portion, the separations on the lid portion will generally align with the interruption on the bin portion and provide channels that pass through the lid portion and bin portion.
9. A concrete washout container with leakproof sealing lid, comprising:
- a lid portion have a base and lip structures extending around a perimeter of the base, the lip structures having a first C-shaped contour, the lid portion including an opening and opening cover to allow access the bin portion through the lid portion; and
- a bin portion, the bin portion having an open mouth, the mouth defined by a rim structure located around a perimeter of the open mouth, the rim structure having a second C-shaped contour, the bin portion having side walls extend upwardly from a bottom of the bin portion, the bin portion including forklift channels formed in a bottom thereof;
- wherein the lip structures of the lid portion detachably interference fit within the rim structure of the bin portion to provide for sealing between the lid portion and bin portion.
10. The concrete washout container with leakproof sealing lid of claim 9, wherein the lip structures further include a generally vertical lid portion wall that extends from the base, wherein the lip structures flex along the generally vertical lid portion wall, and wherein the second C-shaped contour of the rim structure of the bin portion extends above a top end of a generally vertical bin portion wall section, which generally vertical bin portion wall section connects at a bottom end to a generally horizontal bin portion wall section, and which generally horizontal bin portion wall section connects to a top of the side walls of the bin portion, and wherein the first C-shaped contour, the generally vertical lid portion wall, and an outer perimeter of the base of the lid portion are complementary to and detachably and sealably contact and engage with the second C-shaped contour, the generally vertical bin portion wall section, and the generally horizontal bin portion wall section of the bin portion.
11. The concrete washout container with leakproof sealing lid of claim 9, wherein the lid portion further comprises ports, which ports can be opened up for purpose of permitting the evaporation of liquid from inside the bin portion.
12. The concrete washout container with leakproof sealing lid of claim 9, wherein the bin portion further comprises a channel located generally horizontally around the side walls, which channel provides a channel for a tilting and lifting strap to be affixed around the bin portion.
13. The concrete washout container with leakproof sealing lid of claim 9, wherein the side walls of the bin portion flare outwardly from a smaller bottom to the open mouth, which is larger, to permit nesting of multiple bin portions and to permit easier release of material collected in the bin portion.
14. The concrete washout container with leakproof sealing lid of claim 9, wherein the lid portion further comprises separations located between the lip structures to permit independent movement of the lip structures.
15. The concrete washout container with leakproof sealing lid of claim 9, wherein the lid portion further comprises separations located between the lip structures to permit independent movement of the lip structures, and wherein the rim structure of the bin portion has interruptions that are generally aligned with separations on the lid portion, such that when the lid portion is engaged with the bin portion, the separations on the lid portion will generally align with the interruption on the bin portion and provide channels that pass through the lid portion and bin portion.
Type: Application
Filed: May 10, 2013
Publication Date: Nov 13, 2014
Inventor: LES CONNARD (Glendora, CA)
Application Number: 13/892,071
International Classification: B65D 43/02 (20060101); B65D 90/00 (20060101);