Protective cover for preventing spilled liquids from flowing into drains or holes

Abstract

A protective cover for drains and other holes is provided which prevents spills and unwanted liquids from flowing therein. The protective cover includes a sheet of flexible, liquid impermeable material having top and bottom surfaces. A pliable, liquid impermeable material is attached to the bottom surface of the sheet around a peripheral edge of the sheet. The pliable, liquid impermeable material includes an exposed surface that is tacky so that it ahderes to a surface surrounding the drain or other hole to prevent the flow of liquid therebetween.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/447,364 filed May 28, 2003, which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed toward portable protective covers and, more particularly, toward a temporary cover for protecting drains, holes and the like from spills and unwanted liquids.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

It is often desirable to temporarily close off drains to prevent various liquids from flowing therein. Particularly, when handling hazardous liquids in the vicinity of a drain, such as a storm drain or manhole, it is desirable to temporarily seal off the drain to prevent any hazardous liquid that may be accidentally spilled on the ground from entering the drain. Some known methods of sealing off a drain to prevent the possible ingress of liquids include, but are not limited to, providing custom fitted ridged covers, utilizing manual or automatic cutoff valves, covering the drain with a flexible material (e.g., canvas) and covering the flexible material with dirt or sand, and utilizing a uniformly thick sheet of polyurethane, vinyls, and other pliable materials to cover the entire drain. However, these known methods of drain isolation have certain practical limitations to their usefulness.

Utilizing custom fitted ridged covers or cutoff valves requires extensive preparation and installation efforts. Manufacturing a custom fitted cover and/or installing cutoff valves are both time consuming endeavors. Neither a customer fitted cover nor an installed cutoff valve can be easily adapted for use in covering and isolating drains other than the one for which the cover or valve was specifically designed. Moreover, once a custom fitted cover or cutoff valve is in place in a drain or drain system, neither is readily removable and/or transportable to another location for use.

Utilizing a flexible material held in place by dirt or sand to seal off a drain also presents certain problems in that such a covering is difficult to work with and is cumbersome and time consuming to implement in emergency situations. The effective seal surrounding the drain is limited by the dirt or sand utilized to hold the flexible material in place, and is further limited in that the dirt or sand may be washed away or eroded during flooding. Such a drain covering has limited reusability and transportability, and the seal effectuated thereby has little resistance to the shear forces of onrushing liquids.

Uniformly thick sheets of polyurethane, vinyls, and other pliable materials exhibit useful reusability and transportability properties, and are generally reliable when utilized to cover small drains or holes. However, when utilized to cover larger drains, such as those on the order of 30×30 inches and above, the large polyurethane/vinyl sheets required to cover such drains become heavy and difficult to transport and implement in emergency situations.

The present invention is directed toward overcoming one or more the above-mentioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A device for providing a temporary protective cover for drains and other holes is provided, according to the present invention, to prevent liquids from flowing therein. The protective cover generally includes a sheet of flexible, liquid impermeable material having top and bottom surfaces. The sheet includes a thickened portion provided adjacent to a peripheral edge of the sheet, with the thickened portion including an exposed surface having a tackifier thereon such that it may adhere to a surface surrounding the drain to prevent the flow of liquid therebetween.

In one form, the thickened portion of the sheet includes a pliable, liquid impermeable material attached to the bottom surface of the sheet about the peripheral edge of the sheet. The pliable, liquid impermable material includes a tackifier on the exposed surface thereof so that it may adhere to a surface surrounding the drain to prevent the flow of liquid therebetween.

In another form, the sheet of flexible, liquid impermeable material includes a first weight per unit area, with the pliable, liquid impermeable material including a second weight per unit area greater than the first weight per unit area. Thus, the temporary covering device forms a seal around the drain at the outer periphery of the sheet.

In a further form, the exposed surface of the pliable, liquid impermeable material is inherently tacky so that it may adhere to a surface surrounding the drain to prevent the flow of liquid therebetween.

In yet a further form, the pliable, liquid impermeable material includes an inherently tacky material such as soft polyurethanes, or other pliable substrate materials such as polyvinyl chloride, vinyls, silicons and soft rubber to which a tackifier is applied. The sheet of flexible, liquid impermeable material may include vinyls, silicons, soft rubber, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, or other flexible materials.

In still a further form, the sheet of flexible, liquid impermeable material may take virtually any shape, including, but not limited to, square, circular, triangular, rectangular, etc. Similarly, the pliable, liquid impermeable material may also take any shape, and does not necessarily need to coincide with the shape of the sheet.

The temporary protective cover device of the present invention is positionable over a drain or other hole such that the exposed surface of the pliable, liquid impermeable material contacts a portion of the surface surrounding the drain or other hole, whereby the cover device is adapted for preventing a liquid from passing through the drain or other hole. For safety purposes, at least the top surface of the sheet of flexible, liquid impermeable material may include a color that is highly visible.

An aspect of the present invention is to provide a protective cover for preventing spills and/or unwanted liquids from flowing into drains or holes, comprising a sheet of flexible, liquid impermeable material having top and bottom surfaces, the sheet having a first weight per unit area, and a pliable, liquid impermeable material attached to the bottom surface of the sheet about a peripheral edge of the sheet and having a second weight per unit area greater than the first weight per unit area. The pliable, liquid impermeable material has an exposed surface that is inherently tacky so that it may adhere to and form a seal with a surface surrounding the drain or hole to prevent flow of liquid therebetween upon contact between the tacky exposed surface and the surface surrounding the drain or hole.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a protective cover for preventing spills and/or unwanted liquids from flowing into drains or holes, comprising a sheet of liquid impermeable material having top and bottom surfaces, and a pliable, liquid impermeable material attached to the bottom surface of the sheet about a peripheral edge of the sheet, the pliable, liquid impermeable material having an exposed surface that is tacky such that it may adhere to a surface surrounding the drain or hole to prevent flow of liquid therebetween.

A further aspect of the present invention is to provide a protective cover for preventing spills and/or unwanted liquids from flowing into drains or holes, comprising a sheet of liquid impermeable material having top and bottom surfaces, the sheet having a thickened portion provided adjacent a peripheral edge of the sheet. The thickened portion includes an exposed surface that is tacky such that it may adhere to a surface surrounding the drain or hole to prevent flow of liquid therebetween.

These and other aspects of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of a protective cover for sealing off a drain in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom, perspective view of the protective cover of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of a sheet material included in a protective cover of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a top view of a modified form of a temporary protective cover according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a top view of an additional modified form of a temporary protective cover according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a top view of yet a further modified form of a temporary protective cover according to the present invention used in connection with sealing off a drain.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention provides a protective cover which prevents spills and/or other unwanted liquids from flowing into drains or holes. At least a portion of the liquid is prevented from flowing into a drain or hole by the protective cover. The spill or unwanted liquid may be any flowable material such as hazardous liquids, storm water, hydrocarbons, chemicals, debris, dirt, trash and the like which are desired to be kept out of drains and the like. As used herein, the term “drains or holes” means any drain, hole or other opening such as a vent, manhole or the like through which it is desired to prevent the flow of spills or unwanted liquids.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a temporary protective cover for drains and other holes according to the present invention is shown generally at 10. The protective cover 10 includes a sheet of liquid impermeable material 12 having top 14 and bottom 16 surfaces. While the sheet 12 is generally rectangular in shape, other shapes are contemplated. The sheet of liquid impermeable material 12 is generally flexible and, in one form, is made of vinyl or other similar flexible and water impermeable materials. The sheet 12 includes a thickened portion 18 provided adjacent a peripheral edge of the sheet 12. The thickened portion 18 includes an exposed surface 20 having a tackifier (not shown) thereon, or is inherently tacky, such that it may adhere to a surface surrounding a drain or hole to prevent the flow of liquids therebetween.

The thickened portion 18 generally includes a pliable, liquid impermeable material 22 attached to the bottom surface 16 of the sheet 12. The pliable material 22 comprises a soft material, for example, having a hardness range on the durometer F scale of from about 10 to about 70. The pliable, liquid impermeable material 22 may be attached to the bottom surface 16 of the sheet 12 via glue, or any other attachment means such that a watertight seal is formed between the pliable, liquid impermeable material 22 and the sheet 12. The exposed surface 20 of the pliable, liquid impermeable material includes a tackifier (not shown) thereon, or is inherently tacky, such that it may adhere to a surface surrounding a drain or hole to prevent the flow of liquids therebetween. It is contemplated herein that the pliable, liquid impermeable material 22 be approximately ⅜″ thick, however, the pliable, liquid impermeable material 22 may be of any thickness without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

It should be understood that the various materials contemplated for use as the flexible sheet 12 and the pliable, liquid impermeable material 22 will overlap, since many of the materials will exhibit both flexible and pliable properties. For example, it is contemplated herein that the pliable, liquid impermeable material 22 may include polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), vinyls, silicons, soft rubber, and other similar soft, pliable materials and mixtures thereof. Similarly, it is contemplated herein that the flexible, liquid impermeable sheet 12 may include vinyls, silicons, polyurethane, PVC, soft rubber or plastic, and other similar flexible materials and mixtures thereof. In a preferred form, the sheet 12 will be thinner than the pliable, liquid impermeable material 22, however, both the sheet 12 and the pliable, liquid impermeable material 22 may be of any thickness (same thickness or not) without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Further, both the sheet 12 and the pliable, liquid impermeable material 22 may be of the same material without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, the flexible sheet 12′ may include a woven fabric 23 surrounded by and encased in a liquid impermeable material 24, which may include any of the previuosly mentioned materials. In one form, the flexible sheet 12′ includes a geotextile material, such as that sold under the trade name XR-5™. XR-5™ can be used with a wide range of harsh liquids and includes a tough, woven synthetic fabric molecularly coated with a liquid impermeable plastic-type compound that is minimally degradable even in adverse environments. Geotextile materials, such as XR-5™, are durable, flexible, and exhibit good dimensional stability, tensile strength and puncture resistance. It should be understood, however, that the woven fabric 23 of the flexible sheet 12′ may include any woven fabric, natural or synthetic, and may even include nonwoven fabrics, natural or synthetic, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Similarly, the liquid impermeable material 24 of the flexible sheet 12′ may include any liquid impermable material sufficient to surround the woven fabric 23 without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The pliable, liquid impermeable material 22 may be made of a denser material than the sheet 12, and includes a weight per unit area that is greater than the weight per unit area of the sheet 12. By providing a heavier material at the peripheral edge of the sheet 12, an effective seal may be formed around the drain or other hole by the heavier material 22, while the lighter sheet material 12 covers the drain or other hole. Even if the pliable, liquid impermeable material 22 and the sheet material 12 are made from the same material with the same thickness, the peripheral edge of the sheet 12 will still have an increased weight due to the material 22 provided thereon. When polyurethane is used as the pliable, liquid impermeable material 22, generally the exposed surface 20 thereof will be inherently tacky as discussed below. If other materials are used for the pliable, liquid impermeable material 22 that do not have such inherent tackiness, a tackifier may be applied to the exposed surface thereof. While a process is described below for manufacturing polyurethane having an inherent tackiness, one skilled in the art will appreciate that other material, such as, for example, vinyls, silicons and rubbers, may also be manufactured to have an inherent tackiness.

The pliable, liquid impermeable material 22 may be made from polyurethane as mentioned above. Particularly, a mixture of various polyurethanes is poured into a mold and allowed to cure. A typical polyurethane mixture comprises from about 50 to about 80 weight percent polyol, and from about 20 to about 50 weight percent isocyanate. The liquid polyurethane is mixed and cured in a manner which gives it a moderate degree of inherent tackiness to all exposed surfaces of the polyurethane material. The molding and curing process creates a substantially smooth bottom surface 20, which may contain minor undulations. The polyurethane material is soft, yet resilient, and thus may be easily severed by a user with a knife. Surfaces of the polyurethane material which are exposed when a portion of it is severed are also inherently tacky.

Referring to FIG. 1, the inventive covering device 10 has particular utility when utilized to seal off a drain or other hole, shown generally at 25. To implement the covering device 10 for use, the user first determines the size of the protective cover 10 needed for covering the drain 25. It is contemplated herein that for best performance, the inner edge of the pliable, liquid impermeable material 22 should be a distance “d” of approximately 0-3 inches from an edge of the drain 25. However, the distance “d” is set forth herein for exemplary purposes only and is not meant to limit the invention in any way. For example, the pliable, liquid impermeable material 22 can overlap the drain edge, and the drain 25 will remain sealed as long as sufficient material 22 is positioned about the drain 25 to seal off the edge of the drain 25.

The user places the temporary protective cover 10 over the drain 25 and the bottom surface 20 of the pliable, liquid impermeable material 22 adheres to the surface surrounding the drain 25 forming a seal. The adherence of the pliable, liquid impermeable material 22, coupled with its resilient pliability, creates a seal on the surface surrounding the drain 25 which is sufficient to prevent the flow of liquid past the pliable, liquid impermeable material 22. The pliable, liquid impermeable material 22 will work its way into various undulations in the surface and create an effective seal even when the surface surrounding the drain 25 is not smooth. Further, the sheet of flexible, liquid impermeable material 12 covers the drain 25, such that the protective cover 10 seals off and covers the drain 25 to prevent the flow of liquid therein.

Since the pliable, liquid impermeable material 22 is provided only at the outer periphery of the sheet 12, the protective cover 10 may be lightweight and readily implemented for use in emergency situations, such as where hazardous liquids are accidentally spilled near a drain opening. Further, both the flexible, liquid impermeable sheet 12 and the pliable, liquid impermeable material 22 will resist water, oil and many chemicals making the protective cover 10 suitable for use in many types of work environments, including hazardous work environments. The protective cover 10 is readily reusable and cleans up easily with soap and water. For safety purposes, the top surface 14 of the sheet 12 may be made of a color that is highly visible, such as orange, yellow, red and the like.

As shown in phantom in FIG. 3, to add stability to the protective cover 10, stabilizing members 27 may be provided extending between the frame defined by the pliable, liquid impermeable material 22 along the bottom surface 16 of the flexible sheet 12. The stabilizing members 27 may be made of any of the materials previuosly described for the flexible sheet 12 and the pliable, liquid impermeable material 22, or may be made from a totally different material. The exposed surface of the stabilizing members 27 may or may not be tacky. Preferably, the stabilizing members 27 will be flexible so that the covering device 10 may be rolled or folded for storage. However, the stabilizing members 27 may be made of a rigid material without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Further, while the stabilizing members 27 are shown in FIG. 3 in the form of a cross or an “X”, the stabilizing members 27 may be provided in any configuration.

It should be understood herein the various shapes and sizes of the inventive cover 10 may be implemented without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the inventive cover 30 may include a circular sheet of flexible, liquid impermeable material 32 having a thickened portion 34 including a pliable, liquid impermeable material 36 provided about an outer periphery of the sheet 32. As shown in FIG. 5, the pliable, liquid impermeable material 36 is also of a circular shape and is attached to the bottom surface of the sheet 32 in a manner as previously described.

Additionally, hybrid forms of the present inventive cover are contemplated wherein the shape of the flexible, liquid impermeable sheet does not coincide with the shape of the pliable, liquid impermeable material. As shown in FIG. 6, the inventive covering device 40 includes a square sheet of flexible, liquid impermeable material 42 having a thickened portion 44 including a pliable, liquid impermeable material 46 provided about an outer periphery of the sheet 42. The pliable, liquid impermeable material 46 is attached to the bottom surface of the sheet 42 in a manner as previously described. However, as shown in FIG. 6, the pliable, liquid impermeable material 46 defines a circular shape on the bottom surface of the inventive cover 40 which does not coincide with the generally square shape of the flexible, liquid impermeable sheet 42.

The inventive covering device described herein may be utilized to cover virtually any type of drain or hole, so long as a sufficient distance is provided between the edge of the pliable, liquid impermeable material and the drain edge such that a seal may be formed with a surface surrounding the drain. As an example, FIG. 7 illustrates a generally square covering device 50 utilized to seal off a generally circular shaped drain 52. The inventive cover 50 includes a pliable, liquid impermeable material 54 attached to the bottom surface of the sheet of flexible, liquid impermeable material 54 in a manner as previously described. The pliable, liquid impermeable material 56 forms a seal with the surface surrounding the drain 52, while the flexible, liquid impermeable sheet 56 covers the drain 52. As long as a sufficient distance “d” is maintained between the ede of the drain 52 and the inner edge of the pliable, liquid impermeable material 54, a sufficient seal will be formed to prevent the flow of liquid into the drain 52.

Various constructions of the inventive cover have been described herein. However, these particular constructions are by no means exhaustive, and other configurations may be utilized in accordance with the teachings herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, while the flexible, liquid impermeable sheet and the pliable, liquid impermeable material have been described herein as including different materials, they may be made from the same polyurethane or other material without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. By providing the pliable material about a peripheral edge of a generally lightweight, flexible sheet, an effective seal will be formed around a drain, while the cover will be generally lightweight and capable of quick and easy imlementation even for large drains on the order of 30×30 inches and greater. If the pliable material is heavier than the sheet material, this will also aid in formnig an effective seal around the drain. Further, while a few exemplary shapes for the sheet of flexible, liquid impermeable material have been described herein, the sheet may take virtually any shape, including, but not limited to, square, circular, triangular, rectangular, etc., without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Similarly, the pliable, liquid impermeable material may also take any shape, and does not necessarily need to coincide with the shape of the sheet.

Further, while the sheet 12, 12′ has been described herein as being flexible, the sheet 12, 12′ may also be made of a rigid material without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The rigid material may be selected from any rigid material having liquid impermeable properties.

The protective cover of the present invention provides a temporary cover for drains and other holes to protect against unwanted liquids. The protective cover is readily reusable and transportable, and may be quickly implemented to seal a drain and/or hole in an emergency situation. The cover may be implemented for use with a variety of different types and sizes of drains and/or holes, and forms a tight seal around the drain/hole to block out unwanted liquids from entering the drain or hole.

Whereas particular embodiments of this invention have been described above for purposes of illustration, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that numerous variations of the details of the present invention may be made without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A protective cover for preventing spills and/or unwanted liquids from flowing into drains or holes, the protective cover comprising:

a sheet of flexible, liquid impermeable material having top and bottom surfaces, the sheet having a first weight per unit area; and

a pliable, liquid impermeable material attached to the bottom surface of the sheet about a peripheral edge of the sheet and having a second weight per unit area greater than the first weight per unit area, the pliable, liquid impermeable material having an exposed surface that is inherently tacky so that it may adhere to and form a seal with a surface surrounding the drain or hole to prevent flow of liquid therebetween upon contact between the tacky exposed surface and the surface surrounding the drain or hole.

2. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein the pliable, liquid impermeable material is selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, vinyls, silicons and soft rubber.

3. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein the sheet of flexible, liquid impermeable material is selected from the group consisting of vinyls, silicons, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, soft rubber and plastic.

4. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein the sheet of flexible, liquid impermeable material has a shape selected from the group consisting of square, circular, triangular and rectangular.

5. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein at least the top portion of the sheet of flexible, liquid impermeable material comprises a color that is highly visible.

6. The protective cover of claim 1, wherein the sheet of flexible, liquid impermeable material comprises a sheet of woven or nonwoven fabric surrounded by a liquid impermeable material.

7. The protective cover of claim 1, further comprising at least one stabilizing member provided on the bottom surface of the sheet between the pliable, liquid impermeable material.

8. A protective cover for preventing spills and/or unwanted liquids from flowing into drains or holes, the protective cover comprising:

a sheet of liquid impermeable material having top and bottom surfaces; and

a pliable, liquid impermeable material attached to the bottom surface of the sheet about a peripheral edge of the sheet, the pliable, liquid impermeable material having an exposed surface that is tacky such that it may adhere to a surface surrounding the drain or hole to prevent flow of liquid therebetween.

9. The protective cover of claim 8, wherein the pliable, liquid impermeable material is selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, vinyls, silicons and soft rubber.

10. The protective cover of claim 8, wherein the exposed surface of the pliable, liquid impermeable material is inherently tacky.

11. The protective cover of claim 8, wherein the sheet of liquid impermeable material is flexible and is selected from the group consisting of vinyls, silicons, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, soft rubber and plastic.

12. The protective cover of claim 8, wherein the sheet of liquid impermeable material has a shape selected from the group consisting of square, circular, triangular and rectangular.

13. The protective cover of claim 8, wherein the sheet of liquid impermeable material includes a first weight per unit area, and wherein the pliable, liquid impermeable material includes a second weight per unit area greater than the first weight per unit area.

14. The protective cover of claim 8, wherein at least the top surface of the sheet of liquid impermeable material comprises a color that is highly visible.

15. The protective cover of claim 8, wherein the sheet of liquid impermeable material comprises a sheet of woven or nonwoven fabric surrounded by a liquid impermeable material.

16. A protective cover for drains or holes to prevent spills and/or unwanted liquids from flowing into drains or holes, the protective cover comprising:

a sheet of liquid impermeable material having top and bottom surfaces, the sheet having a thickened portion provided adjacent a peripheral edge of the sheet, the thickened portion including an exposed surface that is tacky such that it may adhere to a surface surrounding the drain or hole to prevent flow of liquid therebetween.

17. The protective cover of claim 16, wherein the sheet of liquid impermeable material is flexible and is selected from the group consisting of vinyls, silicons, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, soft rubber and plastic.

18. The protective cover of claim 16, wherein the thickened portion comprises a material selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, vinyls, silicons and soft rubber attached to the bottom surface of the sheet adjacent the peripheral edge of the sheet, the thickened portion material being pliable.

19. The protective cover of claim 18, wherein the exposed surface of the thickened portion material is inherently tacky.

20. The protective cover of claim 16, wherein the thickened portion of the sheet includes a first weight per unit area, and wherein other portions of the sheet include a second weight per unit area less than the first weight per unit area.

21. The protective cover of claim 16, wherein the sheet of liquid impermeable material has a shape selected from the group consisting of square, circular, triangular and rectangular.

22. The protective cover of claim 16, wherein the sheet of liquid impermeable material comprises a flexible sheet of woven or nonwoven fabric surrounded by a liquid impermeable material.

23. The protective cover of claim 16, further comprising at least one stabilizing member provided on the bottom surface of the sheet between the thickened portion.