WO2006119639B1

WO2006119639B1 - Rainwater collector

Info

Publication number: WO2006119639B1
Application number: PCT/CA2006/000773
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yves Dussault; Mario Lessard
Original assignee: Yves Dussault; Mario Lessard
Priority date: 2005-05-13
Filing date: 2006-05-15
Publication date: 2007-01-11
Also published as: WO2006119639A1

Abstract

A gutter descent assembly (20) designed to collect rainwater falling down a house roof surface (22), the assembly comprising an upper part (26) joining at a gutter exit (23), a lower part having a faucet (30), and a descent exit (38), the three of them made in usual sheet metal. The collection of water is obtained by means of internal components forming an internal channel: a funnel (48) directs the gutter water towards an internal pipe (37), then towards the faucet (30). The water is conveyed from the faucet by a hose (34) to a tank (36). When the tank is full, or if the water runs too fast to be drained by the internal channel, apertures (50) made at the funnel (48) base allow the draining by an annular duct situated between the internal pipe (37) and the sheet metal, for directing towards the descent exit (38). The funnel (48) may be provided with a captor head (80) to fix to the gutter exit (23). A male end of funnel(90) is provided with hose threads.

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS received by the International Bureau on 23 November 2006 (23.11.2006)CLAIMS : Appendix BWe claim:

1 . (Cancell ed).

2. (Currently amended) A device for installation on a horizontal gutter (21 ) to collect and store rainwater into a reserve (36), said device comprising:

- a vertical descent mounted on said gutter and compris ing an upper part (26) adapted to collect water from said gutter and a lower part (28) intended to supply a water column, said upper part comprising a collecting funnel (48) and means for evacuation there from;

- piping means connected between said funnel and said lower part to generate sufficient pressure to feed completely said reserve up to a level of said evacuation means until said rainwater discharges by said evacuation means and flows into said lower part; said devi ce further comprising a descent exit (23) provided with a male reduced end (24), said upper part (26) comprising a female top (27) attached to said male reduced end, said upper part (26) further comprising an attachment circumferential (56) to said funnel and said lower part (28) comprising a lower internal pipe (37) and vertical means of attachment (46) to said funnel.

3. (As original) The device of claim 2 wherein said upper part (26) comprises a male end gutter (42) and said lower part (28) is attached to said upper part by said male end gutter,

- the attachment of a male end pipe (44) to said lower pipe (37) sealing said water column inside said pipes (37, 44), and the attachment of said male end gutter (42) and the lower part (28 ) defining an annular gutter channel.

4. (Currently amended) The device of claim 2 wherein said evacuation aperture (50) is made at an angular slope (89) defining an upper bevel (54) and a lower bevel (52), the value of said s lo pe being between 90 and 5 degrees upwardly.

5. (Cancelled).

6. (Currently amended) A gutter descent comprising an outer shell, an upper extremity and a lower extremity, said gutter descent comprising an internal canalization within said shell and disposed along said descent, said internal canalization comprising a funnel at its upper extremity and an exit at its lower extremity, the space between s aid internal canalization and said external shell forming an external canalization, said internal canalization serving to convey rainwater coming from a gutteT toward said exit, said external canalization serving for the evacuation of the surplus water; said exit comprising a faucet located inside said shell and connected to said internal canalization by means of a pipe connector (102) going through said shell, - said outer shell being made of a solid material from a gro up comprising sheet metal, plastic, fibrous, composite and construction materials, said internal canalization being of plastic pipe or suitable watertight material, said funnel (48) being moulded to a shape.

7. (Currently amended) A. gutter descent comprising an outer shell, an upper extremity and a lower extremity, said gutter descent comprising an internal canalization within said shell and disposed along said descent, said internal canalization comprising a funnel at its upper extremity and an exit at its lower extremity, the space between said internal canalization and said external shell forming an external canalization, said internal canalization serving to convey rainwater coming from a gutter toward said exit, said external canalization serving for the evacuation of the surplus water; a tertiary canalization compris ing a pipe connected at the bottom of said internal canalization and going through said shell and closed by bleed (32, 106) means removable to facilitate the cleaning of said internal canalization.

8. (As original) The gutter descent of claim 7 wherein said tertiary canalization comprises a pipe oriented downwardly, said pipe comprising a valve permitting the puϊge of said internal canalization, said valve being activated by a handle located outside said descent.

9. (Currently amended) A gutter descent comprising an outer shell, an upper extremity and a lower extremity, said gutter descent comprising an internal canalization within said shell and disposed along said descent, said internal canalization comprising a funnel (48) at its upper extremity and an exit at its lower extremity, the space between said internal canalization and said external shell forming an external canalization, said internal canalization serving to convey rainwater coming from a gutter toward said exit, said external canalization serving for evacuating surplus water; an upper section comprising said funnel, and a lower section comprising said exit, said upper and lower sections being connected by two joints: an external shell joint and an internal canalization joint, any intermediary section likewise; - a j oint between an upper section and a lower section of said gutter descent comprising an external shell and an internal canalization, said j oint comprising an internal joint (44, 46) and an external joint (42, 43), said external joint comprising a slightly closed tip at the bottom of said shell of said upper section and being inserted at the top of said external shell, defining a female end gutter (43) of said lower part, said internal joint comprising a male internal component (44) exceeding said closed male end gutter (42) tip and being of a size permitting the insertion at the top of said internal canalization of a female end pipe (46), said top of said internal canalization coinciding with said top of said outside shell, so that when installing, said male tip is first inserted in said internal canalization of said lower part followed by the insertion of said tip (42) at said top (43) of said outside shell.

10. (Cancelled).

1 1. (As o riginal) A gutter descent intended to allow the canalization of rain water toward a reservoir for subsequent use, said gutter descent comprising an outside shell (26,28), an upper part (26) thereof being installed at a gutter exit (23 ), a descent exit (38) being at a lower extremity thereof, said gutter descent comprising an internal canalization comprising a funnel (48) set inside and at the top of said shell, an internal pipe (37) with two extremities set along said descent, a first extremity thereof set to collect said water from said funnel, an aperture made in said funnel, a lower part (28) of said outside shell joining said upper part (26) and a valve (40) located on said lower part to control the water flow outside said internal pipe, when it rains, the water being conveyed from a roof by said gutter exit, toward said descent, sliding down said funnel, through said straight pipe, then through said internal pipe, an exit thereof evacuating water when said valve is open, wherein water is filling said internal pipe when said valve is closed, until overflowing said aperture (50), to flow between said internal pipe and said outside shell, then being evacuated from said descent toward the bottom.

12. (As original) The descent gutter of claim 1 1 wherein sai4 straight pipe is equipped with a faucet (30) playing the role of said valve (40), and wherein a hose (64) is installed on said faucet, said hose conveying the water from said faucet to a place of utilization,

- wherein said place of utilization is a reservoir intended to collect rainwater, and wherein s aid reservoir fills up thanks to the water pressure generated by the filling of said hose of said lower pipe, or from the water column constituted subsequently by the filling of said straight pipe,

- the gutter descent comprising in addition a bleed cap (32) located at the bottom of a drain pipe (62) and which allows the draining of said internal canalization of debris such as sand, leaves or branches.

13. (Currently amended) An internal canalization for installation inside a rainwater gutter descent, said internal canalization comprising an upper part in the shape of a funnel, fo llowed by an elongated canalization located below said funnel toward the bottom, and connection means (72) for adapting to a delivery pipe positioned at a lower, end thereof, thereby providing hydrostatic pressure for utilization or accumulation of rain water into a reserve, said internal canalization comprising overflow apertures (50) to discard water when a hydrostatic column fills itself to the top faster than it drains, wherein said gutter descent comprises two sections connected by a j oint: an upper part and a lower part, an interior joint joining the upper part to said lower part, and an exterior joint j oining the upper part of an outside shell to the lower part of said shell, - said internal joint comprising an upper component of a smaller diameter than a lower component so as to create a male-female junction, said upper component inserting in said lower component,

- said external joint comprising a closed connector at the bottom of said outside shell of said upper part, so as to be inserted at the top of said outside shell of said lower part,

- an upper extremity of said lower component coinciding with an upper extremity of said lower shell, to allow the adjusting of the length of the lower part to be done with a cut line cutting simultaneously shell and pipe, and wherein the installation consists of aligning the exceeding extremity of said component with the lower pipe, to then insert said closed connector in the lower shell.

14. (Currently amended) A method for modifying a gutter descent attached to a gutter exit, to collect rainwater, said method comprising the following steps:

- removing the higher end of said gutter descent and connect a funnel captor to a higher part of said gutter descent,

- connecting a downward conduit to said funnel captor, to a height defining a hydrostatic column, - providing said captor with overflow apertures to overflow said water when said hydrostatic column fills itself to a level of said funnel captor faster that it drains to said reserve at said bottom part,

- connecting the bottom part of said conduit to a pipe transporting said water to a reserve, - provide a control valve to an evacuation means,

- filling said reserve to a level approaching that of said funnel captor, - providing a shell to cover said gutter descent to a suitable appearance.

15. (Currently amended) The gutter descent of claim 13 wherein coupling means between said internal joints (44, 46) are reversible, an internal component male end pipe (44) being surrounding a female end pipe (46), said funnel (48) having an interchangeable head (47).

16. (Currently amended) The gutter descent of claim 15 wherein said interchangeable head (47) is of a shape among a group comprising square, rectangular, oval, round.