Fluid containment apparatus
View Patent ↗A fluid containment apparatus with a floor and a side wall is provided. A wall support is included that supports the side wall and can be moved between an initial supporting position and a collapsed position. The side wall is movable from an initial containment position to a collapsed state to allow access for vehicles or other objects to the floor. The wall support and side wall are subsequently movable back to their initial positions. In some arrangements, the wall support is movable back to the initial supporting position from the collapsed position but is not movable beyond the initial supporting position. Additionally or alternatively, in other embodiments the wall support remains in the collapsed position until a returning force is applied to move the wall support back.
1. A wall support for a liquid containment apparatus comprising:
a base member;
a first support leg extending from the base member, the first support leg providing support to the wall support when the wall support is in a collapsed position, a support position, and an opened flat position; and
a pivoting leg pivotally engaging the base member and configured to be secured to a side wall of a liquid containment apparatus to support a portion of the side wall, the pivoting leg being positional from a first position substantially parallel to the first support leg and at about 0° as measured from the first support leg when the wall support is in the collapsed position to a second position where the pivoting leg is at a deployed angle to the first support leg when the wall support is in the supporting position and the pivoting leg being positional in a third position that is substantially parallel to a first position such that the pivoting leg is positioned at about 180° as measured from the first support leg when the wall support is in the opened flat position, the pivoting leg when in the second position being secured within a detent defined by the base member; and
when the wall support is in the second position and is subsequently movable back to the first position, the pivoting leg is forcable out of the detent upon a sufficient amount of force being applied to the pivoting leg so as to pivot with respect to the base member towards the first support leg, and when the wall support is in the first position and is subsequently movable back to the second position, sufficient force applied to the pivoting leg causes the pivoting leg to be forced back into the detent to be held by the detent.
2. The wall support according to claim 1 , wherein the base member and the first support leg remain in the same location when the wall support is in both the first position and in the second position, and wherein the pivoting leg changes locations when the wall support is moved from the first position to the second position at the deployed angle.
3. The wall support according to claim 1 , further comprising a second support leg that extends outward from the base member at about 180° from the first support leg.
4. The wall support according to claim 3 , wherein the second support leg and the first support leg comprise a single integral piece.
5. The wall support according to claim 1 , wherein the base member defines at least one opening into which the pivoting leg is moveable to hold the pivoting leg in the third position.
6. The wall support according to claim 5 , wherein the base member comprises edge walls that define the opening into which the pivoting leg is moveable to hold the pivoting leg in the third position.
7. The wall support according to claim 6 , wherein the edge walls narrowing taper inwardly to impart a resistance to movement of the pivoting leg when in the third position.
8. The wall support according to claim 6 , wherein the edge walls taper outwardly to reduce resistance to movement of the pivoting leg when in the third position.
9. The wall support according to claim 1 , wherein the base member defines at least one curved horizontal receiving surface into which the pivoting leg is moveable to hold the pivoting leg in the first position.
10. The wall support according to claim 1 , wherein the detent comprises a pair of lips that extend towards one another and extend beyond at least a portion of the pivoting leg when the pivoting leg resides in the detent, the lips comprising material of the base member and the lips positioned to inhibit pivoting leg from being released from the detent.
11. The wall support according to claim 10 , wherein the pivoting leg is compressible to facilitate movement between the first position and the second position.
12. The wall support according to claim 10 , wherein the lips of the detent are flexible to facilitate movement of the pivoting leg between the first position and the second position.
13. The wall support according to claim 1 , wherein the detent is positioned within the base member such that a deployed angle is at least one of 85°, 80°, 95°, 90°, 100°, or 105°.
14. A wall support for a liquid containment apparatus comprising:
a base;
an inner support leg extending in a first direction, the inner support leg being supported by the base, the first support leg providing support to the wall support when the wall support is in a collapsed position, a support position, and an opened flat position; and
a pivoting leg pivotally engaging the base and configured to be secured to a side wall of a liquid containment apparatus to support a portion of the side wall, the pivoting leg being positional among a collapsed position substantially parallel to the inner support leg and at about 0° as measured from the inner support leg when the wall support is in the collapsed position to an initial supporting position where the pivoting leg is at a deployed angle as measured from the inner support leg when the wall support is in the supporting position to an opened flat position substantially parallel to the inner support leg and at about 180° as measured from the inner support leg when the wall support is in the open flat position, wherein the pivoting leg when in the initial supporting position is secured within a detent defined by the base and the pivoting leg moveable out of the detent upon a sufficient amount of force being applied to the pivoting leg when the pivoting leg is moved from the initial supporting position to the collapsed position and from the initial supporting position to the opened flat position.
15. The wall support according to claim 14 , wherein the base defines at least one curved horizontal receiving surface into which the pivoting leg is moveable to hold the pivoting leg in the collapsed position.
16. The wall support according to claim 14 , wherein the base defines at least one opening into which the pivoting leg is moveable to hold the pivoting leg in the opened flat position.
17. The wall support according to claim 14 , further comprising an outer support leg extending in an opposite second direction from the first direction in which the inner support leg extends, the inner support leg and the outer support leg being supported by the base.
18. The wall support according to claim 1 , wherein the pivoting leg is compressible for receipt in and removal from the detent to facilitate movement between the first position and the second position.
19. A fluid containment apparatus, comprising:
a floor;
a side wall that with the floor at least partially defines a containment area for fluid; and
one or more wall supports that support the side wall, each of the one or more wall supports engaging and supporting a portion of the side wall, each wall support comprising:
a base member;
a first support leg extending from the base member , the first support leg providing support to the wall support when the wall support is in a collapsed position, a support position, and an opened flat position; and
a pivoting leg pivotally engaging the base member and configured to be secured to the side wall to support a portion of the side wall, the pivoting leg being positional from a first position substantially parallel to the first support leg when the wall support is in the collapsed position to a second position where the pivoting leg is at a deployed angle to the first support leg when the wall support is in the supporting position, the pivoting leg when in the second position being secured within a detent defined by the base member; and
the first position comprising the pivoting leg being positioned at about 0° as measured from the first support leg and the pivoting leg being positional in a third position that is substantially parallel to a first position when the wall support is in the opened flat position such that the pivoting leg is positioned at about 180° as measured from the first support leg; and
the pivoting leg moveable out of the detent upon a sufficient amount of force being applied to the pivoting leg when the pivoting leg is moved from the second position to the first position and from the second position to the third position.