AU2009227845A1

AU2009227845A1 - Improved Water Tank

Info

Publication number: AU2009227845A1
Application number: AU2009227845A
Authority: AU
Original assignee: AJAY FIBREGLASS INDUSTRIES Pty Ltd
Current assignee: AJAY FIBREGLASS INDUSTRIES Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2008-10-21
Filing date: 2009-10-19
Publication date: 2010-05-06

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION Invention Title: A Water Tank Applicant: Ajay Fibreglass Industries Pty Limited The invention is described in the following statement: -2 TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates generally to a water tank and more particularly is concerned with a water tank shaped to include a seating arrangement although the scope of the invention is not necessarily limited thereto. 5 BACKGROUND ART A water tank is used to typically store rain water so that the rain water can be used when needed. A water tank is traditionally profiled to have a cylindrical shape although it is known to make use of different profiles such as rectangular or square shapes. The water tank can take up a considerable amount of space depending on the volume 0 and shape of the water tank. This can result in the area in which the tank is installed to be obstructed by the tank. The water tank furthermore can be considered to be unsightly due to the shape of the container, the type of material used in the manufacture of the tank, and the colour of the tank. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 5 In a broad format, the invention provides a tank which includes a container having an inner volume and an access opening through which the inner volume can be accessed, and wherein an upper surface of the container is shaped so that the container has a seating arrangement. It is an aim of embodiments of the invention to provide a tank, such as a water tank 20 which can be used for other purposes such as providing a seating arrangement. Additionally, profiling an upper surface of the tank may increase the overall aesthetics of the tank. This will allow the container to have additional functionality apart from the primary function of storing a liquid such as water. The invention is therefore aiming to overcome or ameliorate one or more of the disadvantages or problems described above, or which at least provides the consumer 25 with a useful choice. The upper surface may have any suitable shape to provide the seating arrangement. For example, the upper surface may include an area adjacent the seating arrangement which is tiered so that the area has a plurality of levels. In one embodiment of the invention, the upper surface includes an area on either side of the seating arrangement.

-3 The seating arrangement may have any suitable shape and, in one example of the invention, the seating arrangement includes a seat portion which includes a seat section and a back rest section which extends from the seat section. The seating arrangement may include an arm rest portion at one end of the seat portion. In one embodiment of the invention, the seating 5 arrangement includes a pair of spaced apart arm rest portions with the seat portion extending therebetween. The back rest section may be profiled to have any suitable shape which reduces the discomfort which a user of the seating arrangement may experience. The back rest section may include a plurality of spaced apart recesses which extend from a lower part of the back rest 0 section to an upper part of the back rest section. Preferably the access opening is located in the upper surface. In another broad form, the invention provides a water tank including a body which includes a ground engaging lower section, an upper section located above the lower section and an inner volume which is defined between the upper and lower sections, an access opening in 5 the body through which the inner volume is accessible, and wherein a seating arrangement is formed in the upper section. A seating arrangement in the context of this specification is meant to include an arrangement which may be shaped into a chair or a lounge suite type shape that has two or more seat portions. 20 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order that the invention may be more readily understood and to be more readily put into practice, one or more preferred embodiments of the invention is further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a view from the front of a water tank according to the invention; 25 Figure 2 is a view from one end of the water tank; and Figure 3 is a plan view of the water tank. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS -4 It will be understood that the drawings have been provided for the purposes of illustrating preferred embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, the person skilled in the art will understand that the present invention should not be considered to be limited solely to the features as shown in the company drawings. 5 Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings illustrate a water tank 10 according to the invention which includes a body or container 12. An inner volume 14 is defined by the container and is accessible through an access opening 16. The container has a ground engaging lower section 18 and an upper section 20 which extends from the lower section. The upper section includes an upper surface 22 which is shaped so that a seating arrangement 24 is 0 formed into the upper section. The upper surface 22 further includes an area 26 on either side of the seating arrangement 24 which is tiered so that the upper section has one or more level 28 adjacent the seating arrangement. The seating arrangement 24 has a seat portion 30 which has a seat section 32 and a back 5 rest section 34 which extends from the seat section. The back rest section is profiled to reduce the degree of discomfort which a user, not shown, may experience when using the seating arrangement. For example, a plurality of spaced apart recesses 36 is formed into the back rest section and which extend between a lower part 38 of the back rest section and an upper part 40 thereof. Additionally, the back rest section is angled towards a rear side 42 of the tank 10 (see 0 Figure 3). The angle of the back rest section may further increase the comfort which a user may experience when sitting in the seating arrangement. The seating arrangement 24 further includes an arm rest portion 44 on either side of the seat portion 30 and on which an arm of a user can be rested. The rear side 42 of the tank includes a plurality of ribs 46 which strengthen this side of 25 the container. The access opening 16 is suitably dimensioned so that the water tank 10 can be used with standard fittings with which run-off water from a roof of a building, not shown, can be channeled from gutters of the building via a pipe network to the water tank. The pipe network delivers the run-off water into the inner volume 14 through a cover plate of the access opening 30 which reduces the likelihood of unwanted material such as leaves falling into the inner volume. Water stored in the water tank can be removed in several different ways from the tank and -5 typically a hose is fed through the access opening into the inner volume to a level at which water can be drawn from the tank. Alternatively the cover plate includes a first connector with which the pipe network is connectable and a second connector, which extends into the inner volume so that a mouth of the second connector is positioned in the lower section 18, and 5 which is connectable with a feed pipe leading to a water pump or a tap. These aspects of the invention are substantially conventional in nature and are not required for the understanding of the invention and as such are not described in greater detail hereinafter. The water tank 10 can be manufactured from any suitable material using any appropriate technique. Typically the tank 10 will be manufactured using rotational molding 0 due to the fact that some containers are required to have a large capacity, for example between 3,000 L to 10,000 L or even more, and such large sized tanks are traditionally more readily manufactured using a rotational molding technique. The water tank can be used in several ways. The primary function of the water tank is to store water which is introduced into the inner volume 14 through the access opening 16. 5 Ancillary to this function is to use the water tank as a chair. The levels 28 of the tiered areas 26 on either side of the seating arrangement 24 can be used by a user sitting in the seating arrangement as a place to support, for example, a glass or plate. In addition to this the tiered areas increase the aesthetic appeal which the water tank 10 may have due to the fact that when the water tank is viewed from the front or from the side, 0 these areas provides the tank with a profile which is more complex than a conventional water tank which, when viewed from the front or from the side, has substantial the profile of a block. In other words, the tiered areas break up a profile, for example a side view or a front view, of the tank into smaller sections so that profile of the water tank consists of number of facets. The storing of water inside the water tank 10 can have a cooling effect on the seating 25 arrangement 24 which, in return, can have a cooling effect on a user sitting on the seating arrangement. This may be particularly desirable during warm days. The invention provides a water tank which can be used to store water or to provide seating. The water tank is profiled so that the overall aesthetic appearance of the tank, when viewed from the side or from the front, is increased. Additionally, the water tank includes 30 surfaces on either side of the seating arrangement which can be used as table surfaces to store, for example, a drink of a user.

-6 As you will be understood by the person skilled in the art, the tank of the present invention may be made from a plastics material, such as polypropylene or other plastic material from which tanks are conventionally manufactured. The tank may be manufactured using a moulding process, such as rotational moulding. 5 The foregoing embodiments are illustrative only of the principles of the invention, and various modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art. The invention is capable of being practiced and carried out in various ways and in other embodiments. It is also to be understood that the terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 0 The term "comprise" and variants of the term such as "comprises" or "comprising" are used herein to denote the inclusion of a stated integer or stated integers but not to exclude any other integer or any other integers, unless in the context or usage an exclusive interpretation of the term is required. Any reference to publications cited in this specification is not an admission that the 5 disclosures constitute common general knowledge in Australia.

Claims

1. A tank including a container which defines an inner volume and an access opening through which the inner volume is accessible, and wherein the container includes an upper 5 surface which is profiled into a seating arrangement.

2. A tank according to claim 1 wherein the upper surface includes an area adjacent the seating arrangement which is tiered so that the area has a plurality of levels.

3. A tank according to claim 2 wherein the upper surface includes an area on either side of the seating arrangement. 0

4. A tank according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the seating arrangement includes a seat portion which includes a seat section and a back rest section which extends from the seat section.

5. A tank according to claim 4 wherein the seating arrangement includes an arm rest portion at one end of the seat portion. I 5

6. A tank according to claim 4 wherein the seating arrangement includes a pair of spaced apart arm rest portions with the seat portion extending therebetween.

7. A tank according to claim 4, 5 or 6 wherein the back rest section is profiled to have any suitable shape which reduces the discomfort which a user of the seating arrangement may experience. 20

8. A tank according to claim 7 wherein the back rest section includes a plurality of spaced apart recesses which extend from a lower part of the back rest section to an upper part of the back rest section.

9. A tank according to any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the access opening is located in the upper surface. 25

10. A tank including a body which includes a ground engaging lower section, an upper section located above the lower section and an inner volume defined between the upper and lower sections; an access opening in the body through which the inner volume is accessible, and wherein a seating arrangement is formed in the upper section. -8

11. A tank subatantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.