# US 10,870,588 B2 · Method and apparatus to implement a managed distributed wastewater process

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- Number: US 10,870,588 B2
- Document ID: US10870588B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/633,729
- Filed: 2017-06-26
- Published: 2018-12-27
- Granted: 2020-12-22
- Earliest claimed: 2017-06-26
- Applicants: James William Masten, Jr.
- Inventors: James William Masten, Jr.
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10870588B2

## CPC

- C02F 1/008: {Control or steering systems not provided for elsewhere in subclass C02F}
- C02F 1/006: {Water distributors either inside a treatment tank or directing the water to several treatment tanks; Water treatment plants incorporating these distributors, with or without chemical or biological tanks (for settling tanks B01D21/24)}
- C02F 1/727: {using pure oxygen or oxygen rich gas}
- E03F 1/007: {for public or main systems}
- E03F 3/02: Arrangement of sewer pipe-lines or pipe-line systems
- E03F 7/00: Other installations or implements for operating sewer systems, e.g. for preventing or indicating stoppage; Emptying cesspools
- C02F 1/56: Macromolecular compounds
- C02F 1/78: with ozone {(C02F1/4672 takes precedence)}
- C02F 2103/002: {Grey water, e.g. from clothes washers, showers or dishwashers}
- C02F 2103/005: {Black water originating from toilets}
- C02F 2209/006: comprising a software program or a logic diagram
- C02F 2209/008: comprising telecommunication features, e.g. modems or antennas
- C02F 2209/03: Pressure
- C02F 2209/40: Liquid flow rate
- C02F 2209/42: Liquid level
- C02F 2209/44: Time
- C02F 2307/08: Treatment of wastewater in the sewer, e.g. to reduce grease, odour
- E03F 3/00: Sewer pipe-line systems
- C02F: TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE (separation in general B01D; special arrangements on waterborne vessels of installations for treating water, waste water or sewage, e.g. for producing fresh water, B63J; adding materials to water to prevent corrosion C23F; treating radioactively-contaminated liquids G21F9/04; regeneration of reactants for recirculation into processes, see the relevant places for the processes)
- E03F: SEWERS; CESSPOOLS

## Abstract

The method of the managed sewer is a “Netcentric” distributed process that is managed in real-time and implemented through several apparatuses that enable the low capital cost and low installation cost of a smaller diameter pipe (smaller than typically used in gravity flow systems). The apparatuses enable the method of managing the grinding, pumping and staging processes to optimize the effectiveness of the collection process through the small pipe and increase system efficacy by using the pumping and transport action of the material in the pipe as part of the process activity.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for processing wastewater using a managed sewer system, the method comprising:
receiving wastewater from a plurality of structures at a respective plurality of buffer tanks each coupled to a wastewater processing facility through a common pipe;
within each buffer tank, adding a sanitizing agent into the wastewater;
agitating the wastewater with the sanitizing agent by macerating the wastewater;
measuring an amount of wastewater stored in each of the plurality of buffer tanks; and
maintaining a constant flow through the common pipe to the wastewater processing facility by selectively activating pumps at each of the buffer tanks.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining the constant flow further comprises selectively activating a plurality of valves that control flow through wastewater pipes between the buffer tanks and the wastewater processing facility.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the pumps are selectively activated by control signals sent from a control center.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, further comprising:
providing operating power to each buffer tank from the control center.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, further comprising:
monitoring the supplied operating power for arc fault and ground fault conditions.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the control center is the wastewater processing facility.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
adding a flocculation polymer to the wastewater, wherein agitating the wastewater includes agitating the flocculation polymer.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
separating a first portion of the sanitized wastewater into a separate flow from the wastewater;
pumping the first portion of the sanitized water to a storage tank; and
recycling the first portion of the sanitized water in the storage tank.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein recycling the first portion of the sanitized water includes flushing the buffer tank with the recycled water after removing the macerated wastewater.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, further comprising:
flushing a pipe that carries the wastewater to a property-line isolation valve with the recycled water.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein each of the buffer tanks is flushed with the wastewater, the buffer tanks are located at different distances from the wastewater processing facility, and instructions from a control center cause the buffer tanks to be flushed in a sequence that initiates with the buffer tank having a longest flow distance to the wastewater processing facility.