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US 12,454,821 B2Granted
Systems and methods for backflow management
Assignee900 Ethan Allen Hwy LLC
InventorsAndrew Mulvaney, Joseph Mulvaney
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems, methods, and articles of manufacture for automatic backflow identification, detection, remediation, and/or management. In some embodiments, a backflow management device may comprise a threaded and electronically-enabled plug installed in a non-pressurized pipe system cleanout, branch, or stub.
Claims18
An automatic backflow management system, comprising:
- a backflow management device comprising:
- a housing comprising threads and defining an interior volume, the threads being engaged with corresponding threads of a non-pressurized fluid conduit;
- a cover coupled to seal the interior volume, the cover comprising a bore;
- and
- an electronic processing device disposed within the interior volume;
- a fluid sensor disposed within the interior volume, in communication with the electronic processing device, and oriented to detect fluid properties through the bore;
- a wireless communication device disposed within the interior volume and in communication with the electronic processing device;
- and
- a memory device storing instructions that when executed by the electronic processing device result in:
- receiving data descriptive of a fluid property of a fluid in the non-pressurized fluid conduit;
- identifying, by the electronic processing device and by a comparison of the data to stored rules, an occurrence of a backflow event;
- and
- automatically transmitting, by the wireless communication device, an alert descriptive of the identified backflow event occurrence.
10 more elements
An automatic backflow management method, comprising:
- receiving, (i) by an electronic processing device disposed within an interior volume of a housing of a backflow management device, the housing of the backflow management device comprising exterior threads that are engaged to couple the housing of the backflow management device with corresponding threads of a non-pressurized fluid conduit, and the backflow management device comprising a cover coupled to seal the interior volume, and wherein the cover comprises a bore, and (ii) from a fluid sensor disposed within the interior volume, the fluid sensor being in in communication with the electronic processing device and being oriented to detect fluid properties through the bore, (iii) data descriptive of a fluid property of a fluid in the non-pressurized fluid conduit;
- identifying, by an execution of instructions by the electronic processing device, the instructions being stored on a memory device disposed within the interior volume and in communication with the electronic processing device, and by a comparison of the data to stored rules, an occurrence of a backflow event;
- and
- automatically transmitting, by a wireless communication device disposed within the interior volume and in communication with the electronic processing device, an alert descriptive of the identified backflow event occurrence.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.