AU2005100904A4 - A Water Storage Tank - Google Patents

Description

A WATER STORAGE TANK o The present invention relates to tanks, and in particular tanks used for the storage of water and that are adapted to be positioned adjacent walls of buildings, fences or other 0 like surfaces.

BACKGROUND OF THE TNVENTION Tanks are often positioned adjacent walls of buildings, fences and other such surfaces.

01 For example, tanks such as slimline water tanks are commonly positioned against oexternal walls of houses. The base of such tanks often rests on the ground adjacent to V)T 10 or against the wall.

Termites that cause damage to buildings or other structures are most commonly subterranean. Their attack/infestation originates from the nest (colonies) located either underground or in the base of trees, with tunnels (foraging galleries) radiating from the nest through the soil to food sources. Termites require moisture but must conceal themselves from direct sunlight. Thus for travel across exposed faces of walls, for example, they build mud-like shelters (tunnels) t plasters"' on the exposed faces through which they can travel, concealed from sunlight to their food source. Covering of exposed surfaces of external walls of a building, such as with a tank, can permit termites to construct plasters unobserved and thus breach termite barriers installed to protect the building from infestation.

Furthermore, where a tank is positioned against a wall there is the potential for leaf litter and other debris to accumulate between the tank and the wall, Accumulated debris can provide better concealment of termites and plasters as well as being a potential fire hazard.

In addition, many termite barrier systems require not only regular inspection, but also periodic maintenance, such as the replenishment of a chemical termiticide or termite repellent. It is therefore desirable to be able access the base of the external walls of a building, in particular the base or lower part of the wall.

in There are also a number of other reasons why it may be desired to access the lower o parts of the wall behind the tank, for example to access and repair plumbing or skirting, or to inspect the foundations of the building.

5 In some instances, it may be possible to temporarily remove the tank in order to gain access to the lower part of the wall. However, frequently the tank may be large and heavy, particularly if it is wholly or partially filled. The tank may also be fixed to the ground, and it may be connected to pipes or plumbing. In these instances, it is not o possible (or at least it is very difficult and labourious) to remove the tank in order to 10 gain access to the lower part of the wall behind the tank.

One method that is sometimes used for overcoming this problem is to position the tank slightly away from the wall, leaving a space between the tank and the wall to enable access. The problem with this method is that all of the space between the tank and the wall is effectively "dead space" in that the space is not being occupied by the tank and therefore cannot contribute to the storage capacity of the tank. Also, when this method is used, the tank often protrudes further out from the wall of the structure than is desired, and this can be obtrusive and unsightly. In order to help prevent the tank from obtruding in this way, it is known to employ a tank where the dimension of the tank perpendicular to the wall is reduced. However, this is undesirable as the capacity of the tank is often reduced correspondingly, and it is only possible to "slim" the tank in this way to a moderate degree without compromising its structural integrity.

Another method which is commonly used for allowing access to the lower part of the wall behind the tank when the tank is in situ is to place the tank on a stand with space thereunder to enable access. However, this method is unsuitable for tanks with large storing capacities. Large tanks often have capacity to hold many tonnes of water, and it can therefore be impractical to reinforce the base of the tank to enable the tank to be supported on a stand. Furthermore, it is often unsafe for such large or heavily loaded tanks to be supported on a stand because of the potentially catastrophic consequences if the stand were to fail or if the tank were to topple, for example due to seismic activity, soil subsidence or high wind.

w0000w 3 I Therefore there would be an advantage if a tank could be provided which is adapted to

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O rest on or in the ground adjacent or against a wall of a building, but which provides means for accessing the base or lower part of the wall behind the tank.

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It will be clearly appreciated that any reference herein to a piece of prior art or a prior art publication does not constitute an admission that any piece of prior art or any prior art publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art in Australia

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or in any other country.

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th 10 We have now found a tank that may at least partially ameliorate one or more of the

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o above-mentioned disadvantages, or which may provide a useful or commercial choice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one form, the present invention resides in a tank for positioning against a surface of an external wall of a building, the tank having a proximal side for positioning substantially in abutment with the surface of the wall, wherein the proximal side includes a stepped base portion wherein the stepped base portion provides a longitudinal recess between the proximal side of the tank and surface of the wall whereby inspection of or access to the surface of the wall is enabled when the tank is positioned against the surface of the wall.

The proximal side fits against the outer surface of the wall reducing "dead space" therebetween. The stepped base portion provides means for accessing a susceptible region of the wall behind the tank without the need to temporarily remove the tank or position the tank unsafely upon a stand. The stepped base portion also allows any accumulated debris to be readily removed from between the tank and the wall. Debris can be readily removed with a garden hose or powered blower. Even the action of the wind may be sufficient to keep the recess between the stepped base portion of the tank and the wall unclogged by debris.

It is envisaged that the tank of the present invention will typically comprise a slimline water tank of the kind that is commonly positioned adjacent buildings such as houses and other dwellings. In practice, slimline tanks are preferably positioned down the side of the house with utilities such as hot water services and the like where they can obe hidden from view. By slimline it is meant that the dimension of the tank that is perpendicular to the surface of the wall may be substantially smaller than the odimension of the tank that is horizontally tangential to the surface of the wall.

5 However, no limitation whatsoever is meant in relation to the shape or form of the tank. Therefore the tank may alternatively have any shape, except as expressly described herein, and it may comprise any form of tank, vessel or other container C adapted for positioning adjacent a wall. The capacity of the tank may also vary owidely. It is envisaged that in most embodiments, the tank will be relatively large V)T [0 having a capacity in the order of several thousand litres. However, the tank of the opresent invention may equally be embodied in smaller tanks, for example tanks having capacity in the order of hundreds of litres.

The tank of the present invention may be adapted to store liquids such as water. In particular, collected rain water, collected grey water for storage and subsequent use.

The tank is preferably configured to be positioned on the ground, or other suitably prepared surface.

Any suitably strong and stiff material(s) may be used to construct the tank, for ZO example steels, aluminium alloys, structural polymers and/or composites. Also, the interior of the tank may be treated or otherwise configured for storing different forms of contents. For example, in embodiments where the tank stores water for domestic use, the interior of the tank may be treated with anti-bacterial or other hygienic linings. The person skilled in the art will appreciate that other forms of treatment or configuration for the interior of the tank may be used to enable the tank to operate with other types of contents.

Whilst the tank of the present invention will typically be positioned adjacent the exterior wall of a building such as a house, the tank may equally be positioned adjacent to other surfaces. Such other surfaces may include the surfaces of fences, retaining walls, external walls of aboveground pools, barriers and the like. The tank, and particularly the proximal side (see below), may be positioned in abutment with or in close proximity to such surfaces to minimise "dead space" between the tank and the external surface of the wall. Furthermore, in some embodiments, all or part of the In proximal side may contact with the surface, and the tank may be attachable to the obuilding for support. However, the tank need not be attachable to the building and in many embodiments the tank may be free standing.

5 As explained above, the tank of the present invention has a proximal side. In general, the proximal side of the tank will face the wall when the tank is positioned adjacent the wall. It is also explained above that the proximal side includes an stepped base C portion. When the proximal side is positioned in close proximity to the wall, the ostepped recess portion may allow access to a susceptible region near the base of the VC) [0 wall behind the tank.

The shape of the proximal side is to correspond with the shape of the surface of the wall adjacent to which the tank is to be positioned. For example, if the surface of the wall is substantially planar, then the proximal side may be substantially planar also.

Alternatively, if the surface of the wall against which the tank is adapted to be positioned is curved, then the proximal side may have a corresponding curve. In this way, the tank of the present invention may be adapted to be positioned, for example, at the corner between two walls by providing the proximal side with a shape corresponding to that of the corner between the two surfaces. The person skilled in !O the art will appreciate that the tank of the present invention may also be configured to conform with a wide range of other wall profiles.

The stepped base portion of the tank is to be shaped so as to form a space between the stepped base portion and the susceptible region proximate the base of the wall. It is envisaged that in most embodiments, the access portion may therefore comprise a portion of the proximal side of the tank which is recessed into the tank, away from the surface of the wall, to define a space therebetween. The space created by the stepped base portion may extend longitudinally between the tank and the wall along the entire width of the tank, or only part way along. The extent to which the stepped base portion is recessed into the tank, and consequently the size of the recess, may also vary at different points along of the stepped base portion. In some embodiments, the recess created by at least some of the stepped base portion may be sufficient to enable visual inspection of a susceptible base of the wall. However, in more preferred embodiments, the space may be sufficiently large to enable visual inspection and

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O physical access to the susceptible base by tools and the like.

O The tank of the present invention may contain whatever internal walls, webs or other supports are necessary to provide structural integrity to the tank and to maintain the tank in the necessary shape as described above when it is filled. Furthermore, some or z- all of the edges of the tank may be curved to alleviate regions of high stress 0 1 concentration and also to prevent the edges of the tank from representing a safety 0 O hazard. However, the edges of the tank need not be curved in no particular limitation is meant thereby.

0 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective representation of a tank in accordance with present invention; and Figure 2 is a side view of the tank of Figure 1 positioned adjacent a surface of a structure.

BEST MODE With reference first to Figure 2, there is shown a tank 10 in accordance with the present invention positioned adjacent a wall 12. In the embodiment shown, wall 12 has a substantially planar outer surface 14, and the region of wall 12 which is susceptible to migration thereon or therethrough by termites is generally contained by circle Thus, wall 12 has a physical termite barrier 16 positioned at the base thereof, and the ground immediately adjacent termite barrier 16 is sprayed with the chemical termite treatment 18.

Referring now to tank 10, it can be seen from Figure 1 that tank 10 comprises a proximal side 20 adapted to be positioned adjacent surface 14 of wall 12. Proximal side 20 is made up of an conforming portion 22, and an stepped base portion 24.

Conforming portion 22 forms the upper part of proximal side 20, and stepped base 24 is generally disposed on proximal side 20 beneath conforming portion 22.

w 7 Because the surface 14 of wall 12 is substantially planar, conforming portion 22 on 0 o tank 10 is also substantially planar. This enables conforming portion 22 to fit closely beside or against surface 14 when tank 10 is positioned adjacent wall 12. In contrast, O access portion 24 is indented into tank 10 such that access portion 24 is recessed with 5 respect to conforming portion 22. Figure 2 shows that the space 25 created between stepped base 24 and surface 14 when tank 10 is positioned adjacent wall 12 is defined Sby a substantially vertical wall 26 which connects with the bottom edge of conforming 0 Cportion 22 via an arcuately curved roof 28.

0 0 tV 10 Hence, when tank 10 is positioned adjacent to wall 12 as shown in Figure 2, 0 o conforming portion 22 fits closely beside or against surface 14 whilst space 25 created by stepped base 24 allows visual inspection of the susceptible region as well as physical access thereto by tools and the like if maintenance or repair of the termite barrier is necessary.

It will be appreciated by the person skilled in the art that various other alterations and variations may be made to the embodiment described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (1)

1. 2. The tank as claimed in claim 1, where in the tank is a slimline water tank. 0 S 3. The tank as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tank is It positioned on the ground. 0 o 4. The tank as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the stepped base portion is positioned so as to expose a portion of the ground proximate to the base of the wall. The tank as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tank is S attachable to the building. Dated this 27 th day of October 2005 Action Tank Industries Pty Ltd By their Patent Attorneys CULLEN CO.