Granted Patent B1

US 9,228,309 · App. 14/172,098 · Granted Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

Claims (113)

1. A portable reservoir water containment apparatus comprising:

a) a straight strut arrangement comprising

a plurality of straight strut assemblies,

each straight strut assembly including

a plurality of inner base plates

 that enable interface of each straight strut assembly with a ground surface,

a plurality of upper inclined beams,

 each upper inclined beam having

 a lower surface that is attached to and bears upon said inner base plate,

a plurality of outer base plates,

intermediate beams that

 each extend between

 an outer base plate and

 an inclined beam,

each intermediate beam

 connecting to the inclined beam

 at a position in between the ends of the inclined beam,

the inclined beams forming

 an alternating v-shaped and inverted v-shaped pattern defining a first plate;

b) each straight strut assembly including

lower beams that extend

from a position next to the inner base plates to a position next to the outer base plates;

c) a curved strut arrangement comprising

a plurality of corner strut assemblies

forming a desired curvature and

connecting two straight strut arrangements to form a closed loop water containment system;

d) lateral braces

that maintain lateral spacing between the inclined beams; and

e) wherein there are a plurality of lateral spacing base plate connectors

that define the spacing between each pair of said outer base plates; and

f) wherein said lateral spacing base plate connectors

are connectable to at least a plurality of the outer base plates before there has been a connection of

any inclined members to the outer base plates.

2. A temporary liquid reservoir apparatus, comprising:

a) a frame structure that supports a flexible liner to contain a body of water on a ground surface, the frame structure having

a top,

a bottom,

multiple sides and

multiple corners

that surround the ground surface,

b) the frame structure including

multiple pluralities of straight frame structures

defining the plurality of sides, and

multiple pluralities of curved frame structures

defining the corners,

wherein the liner extends

down from the top and

over the enclosed ground surface;

c) each straight and curved frame structure including

at least one inclined beam

being removably connectable to at least one other inclined beam and

to laterally extending connectors

that maintain lateral spacing between

 the straight and curved frame structures;

d) each straight frame structure including

a plurality of upper inclined beam members

that form a pattern of alternating V and inverted V shapes

to define an upper plane, and

a plurality of lower beam members

that form a pattern of alternating V and inverted V shapes

to define a lower plane below said upper plane;

e) a plurality of base plates

that are adapted to support the bottom of the inclined beam members on a supporting surface,

the base plates including

a plurality of inner base plates and

a plurality of outer base plates;

f) diagonal supports that span between

one of the outer base plates and

one of the upper inclined beam members;

g) each inner base plate

supporting two of said upper inclined beam members;

h) projections and socket connections

that join each upper inclined beam member to one of the inner base plates;

i) the lateral connectors including

lower connectors

that each span between two adjacent of the outer base plates,

the connector having

end portions

that each connect with a projection of

 one of the outer base plates; and

j) wherein the lower plane below said upper plane forms an acute angle.

3. The temporary liquid reservoir apparatus of claim 2 , wherein each connector has slotted end portions, each slotted end portion being receptive of one of the projections.

4. The temporary liquid reservoir apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising an upper connector that connects between two adjacent beams at upper end portions of the beams.

5. The temporary liquid reservoir apparatus of claim 2 , wherein a pair of the upper, inclined beams forms one of the V-shaped patterns wherein said upper, inclined beams form an angle of between 10 and 90 degrees.

6. The temporary liquid reservoir apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the laterally extending connectors include outer, lower connectors that each span between a pair of said outer base plates.

7. The temporary liquid reservoir apparatus of claim 2 , in which each of the base plates comprises a flat planar base support member and attachment bracket for connecting between one of the beams and one of the base plates.

8. The temporary liquid reservoir apparatus of claim 2 , in which the base plates have at least two spaced apart projections disposed therein for connection to a beam.

9. A temporary liquid reservoir comprising:

a) a plurality of frame structures

supporting a flexible web liner,

each of said frame structures including

a first plurality of beams

that are inclined and

that define a first alternating v-shaped and inverted v-shaped pattern, and

a second plurality of beams

that define a second alternating v-shaped and inverted v-shaped pattern having

a smaller inclination

than said first plurality of beams,

at least one brace beam, and

multiple front and rear feet;

b) said first plurality of beams and the second plurality of beams

being removably connectable to the at least one brace beam in an erected position to form said frame structure,

said brace beam and said second plurality of beams of said erected frame structure

lying in a common transverse plane,

c) each foot connected to a bottom of said frame structure,

said feet being adapted for connection

at a position along said bottom of said frame structure,

each said foot

being adapted to support said frame structure on a supporting surface;

d) wherein the first and second pluralities of beams define first and second planes that form an acute angle; and

e) wherein the second plurality of beams each connect to both a said rear foot and the lower end portion of said first plurality of beams.

10. The temporary liquid reservoir of claim 9 , in which at least some of said feet are flat planar base support members with an attachment bracket for connecting to an inclined beam.

11. The temporary liquid reservoir of claim 10 , in which at least some of said feet have at least one projection therein for receiving an anchoring member.

Assignments (10)