# US 2018/0023596 A1 · Vacuum-assisted-pumping system and method

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- Number: US 2018/0023596 A1
- Document ID: US20180023596A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/219,059
- Filed: 2016-07-25
- Published: 2018-01-25
- Earliest claimed: 2016-07-25
- Inventors: SAMUEL DALE FOX
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180023596A1

## CPC

- A47L 7/0028: {Security means, e.g. float valves or level switches for preventing overflow}
- A47L 7/0038: {with means for emptying the tanks}
- E03F 7/10: Wheeled apparatus for emptying sewers or cesspools
- E04D 13/04: Roof drainage; Drainage fittings in flat roofs, {balconies or the like}(gutter tiles E04D1/30; gutter slabs E04D3/40; {vessels for collecting rainwater E03B3/03;} street gullies E03F5/04)
- F04D 13/16: with storage reservoirs
- F04F 3/00: Pumps using negative pressure acting directly on the liquid to be pumped (siphons F04F10/00)
- A47L 7/0023: {Recovery tanks (for cleaning machines A47L11/4013)}
- E03B 1/041: {Greywater supply systems}
- E03B 2001/047: {using rainwater}
- E04D 13/0404: {Drainage on the roof surface}
- E04G 23/00: Working measures on existing buildings, ({domestic cleaning of walls or floors A47L11/00; grinding floors or walls B24B7/18; removing of wall coverings B44C7/00; removing of paint from surfaces B44D3/16; electrochemical desalination or re-alkalisation C04B41/00}; on foundations E02D35/00, E02D37/00; in connection with insulations E04B; subsequent or finishing work E04F)
- F01P 5/00: Pumping cooling-air or liquid coolants (controlling circulation or supply of coolants by influencing drive of pumps F01P7/00)
- F04D 15/0218: {the condition being a liquid level or a lack of liquid supply}
- Y02A 20/108: Rainwater harvesting
- A47L: DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING (brushes A46B; cleaning quantities of bottles or of other hollow articles of one kind B08B9/00; laundry D06F); SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL (cleaning in general B08)
- E03F: SEWERS; CESSPOOLS
- E04D: ROOF COVERINGS; SKY-LIGHTS; GUTTERS; ROOF-WORKING TOOLS (coverings of outer walls by plaster or other porous material E04F13/00)
- F04D: NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS (engine fuel-injection pumps F02M; ion pumps H01J41/12; electrodynamic pumps H02K44/02)
- F04F: PUMPING OF FLUID BY DIRECT CONTACT OF ANOTHER FLUID OR BY USING INERTIA OF FLUID TO BE PUMPED {(evacuating by sorption F04B)}; SIPHONS {(conveying materials in bulk by flows of gas, liquid of foam B65G53/00)}
- E03B: INSTALLATIONS OR METHODS FOR OBTAINING, COLLECTING, OR DISTRIBUTING WATER (drilling wells, obtaining fluids in general from wells E21B; pipe-line systems in general F17D)
- E04G: SCAFFOLDING; FORMS; SHUTTERING; BUILDING IMPLEMENTS OR AIDS, OR THEIR USE; HANDLING BUILDING MATERIALS ON THE SITE; REPAIRING, BREAKING-UP OR OTHER WORK ON EXISTING BUILDINGS
- F01P: COOLING OF MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; COOLING OF INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES (arrangements in connection with cooling of propulsion units in vehicles B60K11/00; heat-transfer, heat-exchange or heat-storage materials C09K5/00; {cooling of gas-turbine engines F02C7/12}; heat exchange in general, radiators F28)
- Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE

## Abstract

A system for removing a volume of liquid including a pressure-sealed-pump-vessel, at least one liquid-aperture, a liquid-level-control-valve, a liquid-discharge, a sump-pump, a pressure-sealed-suction-vessel, and one or more vessel-connections. The one or more vessel-connections configured to fluidly couple the pressure-sealed-pump-vessel and the pressure-sealed-suction-vessel, in the preferred embodiment. The sump-pump is located within the pressure-sealed-pump-vessel and includes a pump-inlet and a pump-outlet. The pump-inlet fluidly coupled to the liquid-aperture, and the pump-outlet is fluidly coupled to the liquid-discharge. The sump-pump configured to pump the volume of liquid from the pressure-sealed-pump-vessel and from the system via the liquid-discharge to remove the volume of water from a roof surface or other similar horizontal or substantially horizontal surface.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system for removing a volume of liquid from a horizontal-surface, said system comprising:
a pressure-sealed-pump-vessel including, in functional combination,
at least one liquid-aperture,
a liquid-level-control-valve,
a liquid-discharge, and
a sump-pump within said pressure-sealed-pump-vessel and including a pump-inlet and a pump-outlet, said pump-inlet being fluidly coupled to said liquid-aperture, said pump-outlet being fluidly coupled to said liquid-discharge, said sump-pump being configured to pump said volume of liquid from said pressure-sealed-pump-vessel and from said system via said liquid-discharge,
a pressure-sealed-suction-vessel including a vacuum-pump configured to provide a low-pressure condition within said pressure-sealed-suction-vessel and within said pressure-sealed-pump-vessel, such that said volume of liquid is drawn from said horizontal-surface into said pressure-sealed-pump-vessel through said at least one liquid-aperture and to said liquid-inlet of said sump-pump;
one or more vessel-connections configured to fluidly couple said pressure sealed-pump-vessel and said pressure-sealed-suction-vessel;
wherein said liquid-level-control-valve is configured to control a liquid-level of said volume of liquid within said pressure-sealed-suction-vessel by interrupting said low-pressure condition created by said vacuum-pump;
wherein said system is structured and arranged to sit upon said horizontal-surface; and
wherein said volume of liquid has a viscosity substantially similar to water.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said pressure-sealed-pump-vessel further includes a plurality of standoffs configured to set said pressure-sealed-pump-vessel at a distance immediately above said horizontal-surface.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said vacuum-pump is removably affixed to a top of said pressure-sealed-suction-vessel.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said sump-pump is removably installed within said pressure-sealed-pump-vessel.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said liquid-level-control-valve is manually operable by a user.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said liquid-level-control-valve is configured to operate automatically.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said sump-pump is electrically-driven.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said sump-pump is engine-driven.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said sump-pump is hydraulically-driven.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said vacuum-pump is electrically-driven

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said vacuum-pump is engine-driven.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said vacuum-pump is hydraulically-driven.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further including a plurality of wheels configured such that said system is manually transportable.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein said system is persistently affixed to said horizontal-surface such that said system is not manually transportable.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further including at least one liquid-level-sensor configured to operate said vacuum-pump and said sump-pump automatically and in response to a predetermined water level on said horizontal-surface.

### Claim 17

A system for removing a volume of liquid from a horizontal-surface, the system comprising:
a pressure-sealed-pump-vessel including, in functional combination,
at least one liquid-aperture,
a liquid-level-control-valve,
a liquid-discharge, and
a sump-pump within said pressure-sealed-pump-vessel and including a pump-inlet and a pump-outlet, said pump-inlet being fluidly coupled to said liquid-aperture, said pump-outlet being fluidly coupled to said liquid-discharge, said sump-pump being configured to pump said volume of liquid from said pressure-sealed-pump-vessel and from said system via said liquid-discharge,
a pressure-sealed-suction-vessel including a vacuum-pump configured to provide a low-pressure condition within said pressure-sealed-suction-vessel and within said pressure-sealed-pump-vessel, such that said volume of liquid is drawn from said horizontal-surface into said pressure-sealed-pump-vessel through said at least one liquid-aperture and to said liquid-inlet of said sump-pump; and
one or more vessel-connections configured to fluidly couple said pressure-sealed-pump-vessel and said pressure-sealed-suction-vessel;
wherein said liquid-level-control-valve is configured to control a liquid-level of said volume of liquid within said pressure-sealed-suction-vessel by interrupting said low-pressure condition created by said vacuum-pump;
wherein said system is structured and arranged to sit upon said horizontal-surface;
wherein said volume of liquid has a viscosity substantially similar to water;
wherein said pressure-sealed-pump-vessel further includes a plurality of standoffs configured to set said pressure-sealed-pump-vessel at a distance immediately above said horizontal-surface;
wherein said vacuum-pump is removably affixed to a top of said pressure-sealed-suction-vessel;
wherein said sump-pump is removably installed within said pressure-sealed-pump-vessel; and
wherein liquid-level-control-valve is manually operable by a user; and
wherein said sump-pump, and said vacuum-pump are each electrically driven.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17 further comprising a set of user instructions;
wherein system is arranged as kit.

### Claim 19

A method of using a vacuum-assisted-pumping system, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a vacuum-assisted-pumping system;
placing said vacuum-assisted-pumping system upon a horizontal-surface;
operating said vacuum-assisted-pumping system to remove a volume of water from said horizontal-surface; and
ceasing operation of said vacuum-assisted-pumping system.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of removing said vacuum-assisted-pumping system from said horizontal-surface.