Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE
Drip guard for machinery
FIELD
The present application relates to a drip guard for machinery, specifically, a
drip guard
for a vehicle or a piece of equipment susceptible to dripping or leaking
fluids.
BACKGROUND
US patent no. 5,417,310 (Halseth) entitled "Vehicle Drip Guard" describes a
drip
guard that is attached to the bottom of a vehicle for collecting any leaking
fluids.
SUMMARY
There is provided a vehicle, and a drip guard. The drip guard has multiple
cables, a
sheet of liquid impervious material, and a device for extending and retracting
the sheet of
liquid impervious material. The multiple cables are attached to the vehicle
and extend along
an undercarriage of the vehicle. The sheet of liquid impervious material is
attached to the
vehicle, and has drainage ports. There is a retracted position and an extended
position for the
sheet of liquid impervious material. In the retracted position the sheet of
liquid impervious
material is retracted toward a first end of the undercarriage. In the extended
position, the sheet
of liquid impervious material is extended from the first end of the
undercarriage toward a
second end of the undercarriage. In addition, in the extended position the
sheet underlies a
major portion of the undercarriage. The sheet of liquid impervious material is
attached to the
cables such that the sheet is movable along the cables. In this way the
multiple cables guide
the sheet of liquid impervious material between the extended position and the
retracted
position. In addition, the multiple cables support the sheet of liquid
impervious material in the
extended position and partially extended position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other features will become more apparent from the following
description in
which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings are for the
purpose of
illustration only and are not intended to be in any way limiting, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a bottom view of a drip guard fully extended along the undercarriage
of a
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vehicle.
FIG. 2 is a bottom view of an embodiment of a drip guard fully extended along
the
undercarriage of a trailer.
FIG. 3 is a side elevation view, partially in section, of the drip guard of
FIG. 1 in the
retracted position.
FIG. 4 is a side elevation view, partially in section, of the drip guard of
FIG. 1 being
extended along the undercarriage of a vehicle using a draw cable.
FIG. 5 is a side elevation view, partially in section, of the drip guard of
FIG. 1 fully
extended along the undercarriage of a vehicle.
FIG. 6 is a side elevation view, partially in section, of the drip guard of
FIG. 4 with
guide cables running underneath the drip guard.
FIG. 7 is a side elevation view, partially in section, of the drip guard of
FIG. 6 in the
fully extended position.
FIG. 8 is a side elevation view, partially in section, of the drip guard of
FIG. 7 being
extended using a winch.
FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the drip guard of FIG. 6.
FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of a drip guard that is bunched in an
accordion
fashion in the retracted position.
FIG. 11 is a side elevation view of the drip guard of FIG. 10 being extended
using a
draw cable.
FIG. 12 is a side elevation view of the drip guard of FIG. 10 being extended
using a
winch.
FIG. 13 is a side elevation view of the drip guard of FIG. 12 in the fully
extended
position.
FIG. 14 is a side elevation view of the drip guard of FIG. 13 being retracted
using a
hand roller.
FIG. 15 is a side elevation view of a drip guard that is retracted and
extended using a
clothesline pulley system.
FIG. 16 is a side elevation view of a drip guard attached to cables using
rungs in the
fully extend position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
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A drip guard generally identified by reference numeral 10, will now be
described with
reference to FIG. 1 through 16.
Structure and Relationship of Parts:
Referring to FIG. 3, drip guard 10 and a vehicle 12 are shown. Drip guard 10
consists
of a liquid impervious sheet 14 and a draw cable 16. Vehicle 12 consists of an
undercarriage
18. Vehicle 12 may be any type or piece of equipment that is susceptible to
dripping or
leaking fluids. Undercarriage 18 has a first end 20 and a second end 22. It
should be
understood that either of first or second end 20 and 22, respectively, could
be situated at the
front of vehicle 12. Sheet 14 may have a hook 25. Hook 25 is position at an
extending end 27
of sheet 14. There may be more than one of hooks 25 provided at extending end
27 of sheet
14. Referring to FIG. 1, sheet 14 may have drainage ports 24. Referring to
FIG. 3, draw cable
16 is provided for extending and retracting sheet 14, draw cable 16 being
drawn by hand (not
shown), winch 33 (shown in FIG. 8), or other types of mechanical systems (not
shown).
Sheet 14 is attached to a roller assembly 26. Roller assembly 26 is attached
to vehicle 12.
Roller assembly 26 may be attached to first end 20 of undercarriage 18 or to
any other part of
vehicle 12. Roller assembly 26 is provided with a crank 28. Crank 28 allows
roller assembly
26 to roll or unroll sheet 14, as shown in FIGS. 3 - 5. Crank 28 may be
operated using hands
or other cranking tools. Alternatively, crank 28 may be operated mechanically,
such as using
an electric motor (not shown).
Referring to FIG. 3, sheet 14 is shown in a retracted position. In the
retracted position,
sheet 14 is retracted toward first end 20 of undercarriage 18. In the
retracted position, sheet 14
is rolled up around roller assembly 26. Draw cable 16 is shown attached to
hook 25. Referring
to FIG. 4, sheet 14 is shown in a partially extended position. Draw cable 16
is shown
extending sheet 14 from first end 20 to second end 22 of undercarriage 18.
Referring to FIG.
5, sheet 14 is shown in a fully extended position from first end 20 to second
end 22. In the
fully extended position, sheet 14 underlies a major portion 30 of
undercarriage 18 in order to
catch any materials that may leak or spill from vehicle 12. Sheet 14 is
secured to second end
22 of undercarriage 18 in the fully extended position. An example of a method
of securing
sheet 14 to undercarriage 18 is shown by attaching hook 25 to a loop 31
attached to second
end 22. Referring to FIG. 8, other methods of securing sheet 14 to
undercarriage 18 may be
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used, such as using a winch 33. Draw cable 16 may be provided as being
retractable/extendable by winch 33. Alternatively, winch 33 may be provided as
an additional
hand crank (not shown). Referring to FIG. 5, sheet 14, when fully extended and
secured, may
be pulled up tight against part of undercarriage 18 that extend substantially
downwards. In the
example shown in FIG. 5, sheet 14 is pulled up tight against a spare tire 29.
This is
advantageous, because it allows the sloping of sheet 14 to be controlled in
such a manner that
will direct any materials that are spilled onto sheet 14 towards desired
regions of sheet 14,
such as drainage ports 24 (shown in FIG. 1). By strategically placing items
like spare tire 29
near drainage ports 24, the lowest points of sheet 14 will be oriented over
drainage ports 24.
This way, any material spilled onto sheet 14 may be collected through drainage
ports 24 when
it is desirable to do so.
Referring to FIG. 1, sheet 14 is designed to cover undercarriage 18 (shown in
FIG. 3)
without obstructing any of wheels 32. Sheet 14 may have extendable flaps 34
which extend
beyond sheet 14. Flaps 34 may be designed so that they extend between wheels
32 and
provide extra spill protection. Referring to FIG. 2, flaps 34 may also extend
overtop or
underneath any of wheels 32. Referring to FIG. 5, flaps 34 may also be
designed to extend
beyond undercarriage 18 to underlie external portions (not shown) of vehicle
12 and
undercarriage 18. An example of an external portion may include an external
fuel tank (not
shown). Flaps 34 may be provided as part of sheet 14 (shown in FIG. 1), or as
pieces of liquid
impervious material separate from sheet 14 (shown in FIG. 2). Referring to
FIG. 2, flaps 34
may be attached using strips of Velcro 35. In this case, flaps 34 should
provide a seal that
prevents any materials being collected on sheet 14 or flaps 34 from leaking
onto the ground
between flaps 34 and sheet 14. Alternatively, other methods of attaching flaps
34 may be
used, such as clips, bolts and adhesive.
Referring to FIG. 9, multiple cables 36 may be attached to vehicle 12. In the
example
shown in FIG. 9, there are five of cables 36. Alternatively, there may be more
than one of
cables 36. Referring to FIG. 6, cables 36 extend along undercarriage 18 of
vehicle 12. In the
example shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, cables 36 are provided to support sheet 14 in
the extended
position.
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Referring to FIG. 10, a drip guard 100 for machinery is shown consisting of a
sheet
38 attached to an undercarriage 40 of a piece of machinery 42. Sheet 38 may be
made from a
liquid impervious material, preferably being a material that is impervious to
water and oil-
based materials commonly known in the art. Piece of machinery 42 may be a
vehicle (not
5 shown), trailer, or any other type of equipment that may leak or spill
materials. Sheet 38 is
shown bunched up in an accordion-like fashion while in the retracted position.
Sheet 38 has a
hook 41 attached to an extending end 43 of sheet 38. There may be provided
more than one of
hook 41. Sheet 38 may be provided with drainage valves (not shown). In this
example, sheet
38 is attached to cables 44 that run the length of undercarriage 40.
Alternatively, drip guard
100 may be provided without cables 44. In the example shown in FIGS. 10 - 14,
cables 44 are
attached through numerous holes (not shown) in sheet 38, running along the
length of sheet
38. This method of securing sheet 38 to cables 44 is similar to that seen with
conventional
window blinds. The holes that cables 44 pass through should be designed to
prevent liquid
from passing through, while still allowing cables 44 to glide through.
Referring to FIG. 16,
cables 44 are secured to an underside 37 of sheet 38 using numerous rungs 39.
Alternatively,
cables 44 may be secured to the top of sheet 38. Referring to FIG. 13, sheet
38 is movable
along cables 44. In this way, cables 44 guide sheet 38 between the extended
position (shown
in FIG. 13) and the retracted position (shown in FIG. 10). Referring to FIG.
10, sheet 38 is
secured to a first end 46 of undercarriage 40 by securing hook 41 with an
attachment line 48.
Attachment line 48 is secured to first end 46 of undercarriage 40. By securing
sheet 38 to first
end 46 when retracted, this prevents sheet 38 from moving around on cables 44
when
machinery 42 is in motion. Alternatively, extending end 43 of sheet 38 may be
secured to
anywhere on undercarriage 40. Referring to FIG. 11, sheet 38 is being drawn
using a draw
cable 50. Draw cable 50 may extend sheet 38 by hand (shown in FIG. 11) or by a
winch 52
(shown in FIG. 12). Referring to FIG. 13, in order to fully extend sheet 38,
winch 52 is used
to pull sheet 38 taut. Winch 52 should be provided with a locking mechanism
(not shown) in
order to maintain tension in sheet 38. Alternatively, hook 41 may be secured
to an attaching
mechanism (not shown) by hand, in a manner similar to that shown for sheet 14
in FIG. 7.
Referring to FIG. 14, sheet 38 may be retracted by using a cranking mechanism
54. In
the example shown in FIG. 14, cranking mechanism 54 consists of a draw line
56. Draw line
56 is connected to extending end 43 of sheet 38. When cranking mechanism 54 is
cranked by
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hand or machine, sheet 38 is retracted into the fully retracted position
(shown in FIG. 10).
Referring to FIG. 15, sheet 38 may be retracted and extended by a clothesline
cable
system 58. Clothesline cable system 58 consists of a continuous cable 60, a
first pulley 62 and
a second pulley 64. Continuous cable 60 connects to both sides of extending
end 43 of sheet
38 as shown. Alternatively, continuous cable 60 may connect to a rigid
connection plate (not
shown) positioned at extending end 43. When either of first or second pulleys
62 and 64,
respectively are rotated, continuous cable 60 extends or retracts sheet 38.
Either of first or
second pulleys 62 and 64, respectively, may be hand or motor driven. It should
be understood
that sheet 38 may have cables 44 (shown in FIG. 10). Alternatively, continuous
cable 60 may
perform the same support and guidance functions as cables 44 in the above
described
embodiments, as well as extending/retracting sheet 38.
Referring to FIG. 2, sheet 14 is shown as it would be configured for the
underside of
a trailer 45. It should be understood that sheets 14 and 38 may be provided as
any size or
shape, such that it sufficiently covers undercarriage 18 (shown in FIG. 3)
without obstructing
wheels 32.
Operation:
Referring to FIG. 3, drip guard 10 is shown with sheet 14 in the retracted
position.
Generally, when sheet 14 is in the retracted position, extending end 27 is
securely fastened to
vehicle 12, in order to prevent sheet 14 from flapping around when vehicle 12
is in motion. In
order to extend sheet 14, draw cable 16 is placed under undercarriage 18 and
is attached to
hook 25. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, draw cable 16 pulls extending end 27 of
sheet until
sheet 14 is fully extended. Referring to FIG. 5, extending end 27, when fully
extended, is
secured to second end 22 of undercarriage 18. This may be accomplished by
securing hook
(or hooks) 25 to loop (or loops) 31. Once extending end 27 is securely
fastened to second end
22, crank 28 is used to rotate roller assembly 26 in order to pull sheet 14
tight between first
and second ends 20 and 22, respectively. The tension introduced into sheet 14
is shown
pulling sheet 14 up taut against spare tire 29. In order to retract sheet 14,
roller assembly 26 is
rotated to put enough slack into sheet 14 such that hook 25 may be removed
from loop 31,
thereby unfastening extending end 27 from second end 22. Referring to FIG. 4,
once
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extending end 27 is free, roller assembly 26 may be cranked to roll up sheet
14, until sheet 14
is fully retracted.
Referring to FIG. 6, the same procedure for retracting and extending sheet 14
may be
used as described above, with the exception that sheet 14 is supported by
cables 36. Cables 36
prevent sheet 14 from dragging on the ground when being retracted or extended.
This
prevents any damage from being incurred by sheet 14, either from rocks or
sharp objects, or
from dirt or mud contaminating roller assembly 26.
Referring to FIG. 8, draw cable 16 is attached to winch 33. In this way, winch
33 can
provide the pulling force responsible for extending sheet 14 in the above
procedures. Once
winch 33 has pulled sheet 14 taut, winch 33 is locked. In order to retract
sheet 14, winch 33 is
unlocked and roller assembly 26 is cranked to retract sheet 14.
Referring to FIG. 10, drip guard 100 is shown with sheet 38 initially stored
in the
fully retracted position with hook 41 secured to first end 46 of undercarriage
40 using
attachment line 48. Attachment line 48 is first disconnected from hook 41, and
hook 41 is
then connected to draw cable 50 (shown in FIG. 11). Draw cable 50 may be used
to tightly
extend and secure sheet 38 to second end 47 of undercarriage 40 in a manner
similar to that
shown and described for FIG. 5 above. Referring to FIG. 12, draw cable 50 may
be secured
to winch 52. Winch 52 is used to pull extending end 43 all the way to second
end 47 of sheet
38. Winch 52 is then used to pull sheet 38 tight and lock it in place in a
manner similar to that
shown and described for sheet 14 described in FIG. 8 above. Referring to the
example shown
in FIG. 13, in order to retract sheet 38, a retracting cable (not shown) may
be positioned
underneath undercarriage 40 from first end 46 such that it reaches all the way
to extending
end 43 of sheet 38. The retracting cable may be connected to hook 41, and it
may be pulled
from first end 46 such that extending end 43 is guided along cables 44 towards
the retracted
position. Referring to FIG.10, once sheet 38 is in the retracted position,
attachment line 48 is
attached to hook 41, securing sheet 38 in place. Referring to FIG. 14, sheet
38 may be
alternatively retracted by unlocking winch 52, and rotating cranking mechanism
54 such that
draw line 56 pulls extending end 43 of sheet 38 towards first end 46. Once
retracted, sheet 38
may be secured as described above for FIG. 10.
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Referring to FIG. 15, clothesline cable system 58 allows sheet 38 to be easily
retracted and extended. When either of first or second pulleys 62 and 64,
respectively, is
rotated clockwise, continuous cable 60 extends sheet 38. When either of first
or second
pulleys 62 and 64, respectively, is rotated clockwise, continuous cable 60
retracts 60 retracts
sheet 38. Either or both of first or second pulleys 62 and 64, respectively,
can be attached to a
mechanical motor (not shown), or a hand crank system (not shown). In order to
secure sheet
38 in the retracted or extended position, either or both of pulleys 62 and 64,
respectively,
should be locked.
For any of the above described examples of drip guards 10 and 100, sheets 14
and 38,
once extended, allow any spilled fluids or materials from vehicle 12 or piece
of machinery 42
to be channelled into the lowest points of either of sheets 14 or 38.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and
2, it is preferable to locate drainage ports 24 or drain valves (not shown) at
these points. This
way, when a leak or spill has occurred, a drain pan (not shown) may be
positioned underneath
of drainage ports 24 or drain valves, drainage ports 24 or drain valves may be
opened, and the
spilled materials can be removed. Alternatively, in the absence of drainage
ports 24 or drain
valves, sheets 14 and 38 can be manipulated while extended to pour out the
spilled fluids into
an appropriately located drain pan. An alternative to manipulating either of
sheets 14 or 38
while extended would be to drive vehicle 12 or piece of machinery 42 to an
appropriate
location where sheets 14 and 38 may safely spill the collected contents while
retracting sheet
14 or 48. An example of an appropriate location may be a large garage with a
floor drain for
hazardous liquids.
It should be understood that both of drip guards 10 and 100 may be provided as
kits
that are installed as permanent or temporary additions to any vehicle or piece
of machinery. It
should also be noted that drip guards 10 and 100 are both designed so that
they may be used
in the extended or retracted positions safely when the vehicle or piece of
machinery is in
motion or stationary.
Variations:
Either of vehicle 12 or piece of machinery 42 may be any piece of equipment
that is
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susceptible to dripping or leaking fluids, where either of undercarriages 18
and 40 is the
undercarriage of the piece of equipment.
Cautionary Warnings:
In this patent document, the word "comprising" is used in its non-limiting
sense to
mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically
mentioned are not
excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article "a" does not
exclude the
possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context
clearly requires that
there be one and only one of the elements.
It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that modifications may be made
to the
illustrated embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope defined in
the Claims.
