Collection Pan
A collection pan has an inside bottom surface, a front lip, a vertical shoulder wall at a back edge of the front lip of the front lip, and back and side walls for holding both liquid and solid waste material. The shoulder retains liquid material wiped across the front lip.
The present application claims priority to provisional application Ser. No. 62/503,741, and all disclosure of the prior application is incorporated herein at least by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the InventionThe present invention is in the technical area of cleaning and collection systems, and pertains more particularly to a collection pan for separating and holding both solids and liquids collected, and for disposing of solids and liquids separately.
2. Description of Related ArtBroom and dustpan combinations are well-known in the art, and take many forms as commercially-available equipment. There are, however, unmet needs in this technology, particularly in the area of collecting effluent on a floor or other surface that may comprise both liquid and solid elements. Conventional dust pans are not suited for collecting liquid waste and separating liquid from solid waste.
What is clearly needed is a new type of collection pan that can effectively receive and separate the liquid and solid material, and that may facilitate disposal of the different materials separately.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA collection pan is provided, comprising an inside bottom surface, having a front edge, a back edge, and side edges, a front lip having a straight front edge of a first length, for lying along a floor surface, a back edge of the length of the straight front edge, and parallel to the straight front edge, a width at a right angle to the straight front edge, between the straight front edge and the back edge, and a planar top surface between the straight front edge and the back edge, a vertical shoulder wall of a shoulder height, extending from the front edge of the inside bottom surface to the back edge of the front lip, along the full length of the back edge of the front lip, a back wall having a back wall height extending across and joined to the full back edge of the inside bottom surface, and side walls joined seamlessly to the back wall at each extremity of the back wall, the side walls tapering in height from the back wall height at juncture with the back wal, to a substantially lesser height at each extremity of the front lip. The planar top surface of the front lip defines an angle with the inside bottom surface, from the straight front edge to the back edge at the top of the vertical shoulder wall, such that waste material urged across the front lip is constrained from escaping the collection plan by the vertical shoulder wall, and is retained in the collection plan.
In one embodiment the collection pan further comprises a handle extending from the back wall away from the side toward the inside bottom surface, providing a handgrip for a user to manipulate the collection pan. Also in one embodiment the handle is of a semi-circular shape, enabling the collection pan to be clipped to a round rod by the handle. In one embodiment the pan further comprises a plurality of right-triangular-shaped vertical webs spaced apart across the inside bottom surface, with one end of each web, less in height than the shoulder height, joined to the shoulder wall, and one edge joined along the inside bottom surface. And in one embodiment the pan further comprises short corner walls between the back wall and each side wall.
In one embodiment at least one of the corner walls comprises a pattern of openings through the corner wall, enabling a user to tilt the collection pan to drain liquid waste from the collection pan into a separate receptacle. In one embodiment the pan further comprises a pattern of openings through one of the back wall and the side walls, enabling a user to tilt the collection pan to drain liquid waste from the collection pan into a separate receptacle. In one embodiment the length of the straight front edge of the front lip is eighteen inches or more. And in one embodiment the back wall height is greater than 2 inches.
In another aspect of the invention a method for collecting and disposing of solid and liquid waste material is provided, comprising wiping liquid and solid waste material from a floor surface with a flexible wiper blade over a front lip of a collection pan, the front lip having a straight front edge of a first length, then across the front lip over a vertical shoulder at a back edge of the front lip, down onto an inside bottom surface of the collection pan, and constraining the liquid and solid waste material in the collection pan by back and side walls, and the vertical shoulder at the back edge of the front lip. In one embodiment the method further comprises holding the collection pan by a handle extending from the back wall of the collection pan.
In one embodiment the method further comprises draining liquid waste into a separate receptacle by tilting the collection pan, and draining liquid waste through a pattern of openings through one of the back wall or side walls. In one embodiment the method further comprises back corner walls in the collection pan, and the draining operation is through a pattern of openings through one of the corner walls. And in one embodiment the method further comprises supporting solid waste on a plurality of web structures extending along the inside bottom surface, and the shoulder wall.
The present invention in different embodiments provides a floor blade and collection pan system that is useful for sweeping up combinations of solid waste along with liquid waste, such as metal chips and shavings from a metalworking process, that may well be mixed with coolant used in machining, and/or lubricant used in machining. This example is but one of many in which there may be a need to collect both solids and liquids together, and separate the solids and liquids for disposal, but should serve to fully illustrate utility of the invention, that is applicable in other circumstances not specifically described in this specification.
By wielding the floor blade, a user may gather solid waste material such as metal shavings, for example, along with liquid waste matter, such as oil or lubricant, and may move both together to a unique collection pan described in enabling detail below.
In
Near the upper extremity of the blade there are two grooves 301 into the blade from opposite sides. These grooves are formed for the full length of the blade, and are provided to engage edges of opposite parts 104 and 105 of blade holder 103. The assembly is made by engaging the grooves 301 with inner edges of parts 104 and 105, and then securing the parts into holder 103 by engaging fasteners through the opposite parts. The holder then constrains the blade.
Thickness T1 may vary in different embodiments, and in one embodiment is nominally 0.375 inches, with T2 nominally 0.125 inches, with D1 nominally 1.25 inches. The full length of blade 103 along a floor surface may be as much as 18 inches, providing a wide-swath for cleaning a floor of liquid and solid material.
In use as shown in
In one embodiment of the dual-purpose collection pan, there are ribs 408 tapered from bottom surface 403 to a shoulder behind lip 402. These ribs provide a special purpose, which is to support solid waste brought into the collection plan, allowing liquid waste, such as oil or coolant, to collect in the bottom of the collection pan. In one embodiment there is a pattern 407 of drain holes in one of the corner walls 406, allowing a user to tilt the collection pan toward the corner wall with the openings, and to drain liquid collected in the pan into another container, leaving the solid material to be disposed of elsewhere. The collection pan thusly provides a method to separate solid and liquid material that has been collected into the same collection pan.
Referring now back to
Referring again to
The skilled person will be aware that the embodiments in various aspects of the invention described herein are exemplary only. There are a wide variety of changes that may be made within the scope of the invention. There are, for example, other rubber-like materials that may be used for the flexible blades, other than those that are specifically mentioned in descriptions of the examples. There are a wide variety of sizes, as well, that may be employed in different embodiments. There are many other changes that may be made within the scope of the invention. The breadth of the invention is limited only by the claims below.
Claims
1. A collection pan, comprising:
- an inside bottom surface, having a front edge, a back edge, and side edges;
- a front lip having a straight front edge of a first length, for lying along a floor surface, a back edge of the length of the straight front edge, and parallel to the straight front edge, a width at a right angle to the straight front edge, between the straight front edge and the back edge, and a planar top surface between the straight front edge and the back edge;
- a vertical shoulder wall of a shoulder height, extending from the front edge of the inside bottom surface to the back edge of the front lip, along the full length of the back edge of the front lip;
- a back wall having a back wall height extending across and joined to the full back edge of the inside bottom surface; and
- side walls joined seamlessly to the back wall at each extremity of the back wall, the side walls tapering in height from the back wall height at juncture with the back wal, to a substantially lesser height at each extremity of the front lip;
- wherein the planar top surface of the front lip defines an angle with the inside bottom surface, from the straight front edge to the back edge at the top of the vertical shoulder wall, such that waste material urged across the front lip is constrained from escaping the collection plan by the vertical shoulder wall, and is retained in the collection plan.
2. The collection pan of claim 1 further comprising a handle extending from the back wall away from the side toward the inside bottom surface, providing a handgrip for a user to manipulate the collection pan.
3. The collection pan of claim 2 wherein the handle is of a semi-circular shape, enabling the collection pan to be clipped to a round rod by the handle.
4. The collection pan of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of right-triangular-shaped vertical webs spaced apart across the inside bottom surface, with one end of each web, less in height than the shoulder height, joined to the shoulder wall, and one edge joined along the inside bottom surface.
5. The collection pan of claim 1 further comprising short corner walls between the back wall and each side wall.
6. The collection pan of claim 5 wherein at least one of the corner walls comprises a pattern of openings through the corner wall, enabling a user to tilt the collection pan to drain liquid waste from the collection pan into a separate receptacle.
7. The collection pan of claim 1 further comprising a pattern of openings through one of the back wall and the side walls, enabling a user to tilt the collection pan to drain liquid waste from the collection pan into a separate receptacle.
8. The collection pan of claim 1 wherein the length of the straight front edge of the front lip is eighteen inches or more.
9. The collection pan of claim 1 wherein the back wall height is greater than 2 inches.
10. A method for collecting and disposing of solid and liquid waste material, comprising:
- wiping liquid and solid waste material from a floor surface with a flexible wiper blade over a front lip of a collection pan, the front lip having a straight front edge of a first length, then across the front lip over a vertical shoulder at a back edge of the front lip, down onto an inside bottom surface of the collection pan; and
- constraining the liquid and solid waste material in the collection pan by back and side walls, and the vertical shoulder at the back edge of the front lip.
11. The method of claim 10 further comprising holding the collection pan by a handle extending from the back wall of the collection pan.
12. The method of claim 10 further comprising draining liquid waste into a separate receptacle by tilting the collection pan, and draining liquid waste through a pattern of openings through one of the back wall or side walls.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the collection pan further comprises back corner walls, and the draining operation is through a pattern of openings through one of the corner walls.
14. The method of claim 10 further comprising supporting solid waste on a plurality of web structures extending along the inside bottom surface, and the shoulder wall.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 6, 2018
Publication Date: Nov 15, 2018
Inventors: Donald Varner (Hollister, CA), Gregory Patrick Hurley (Hollister, CA)
Application Number: 15/913,394