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US 5,782,263 AGranted
Flood control device
AssigneeGary A. Isaacson, Jr.
InventorsGary A. Isaacson, Jr., Eric Nyenhuis, James Nyenhuis, Terry Simpkins, Sr., Terry J. Simpkins, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A flood control device 200 which measures the volume of fluid delivered in a continuous steady flow to a house or building and which shuts off the fluid flow if a preset maximum limit is reached, indicating overly high consumption due to a leak, break or open faucet in the plumbing of the house or building.
Claims6
A flood control device comprising:
- a housing having an inlet and an outlet;
- an impeller which rotates a specified number of times for a given volume of fluid flowing into the inlet;
- at least one indicator mass on at least one vane of the impeller;
- a proximity detector for sensing when said at least one indicator mass passes by the proximity detector, for counting the number of rotations of the impeller;
- an electronic circuit, coupled to the proximity detector, for counting the number of rotations of the impeller;
- a solenoid, coupled to the electronic circuit, for activating a trigger when the electronic circuit has counted a preset number of rotations of the impeller;
- a cocking lever, having first and second ends, wherein the first end is releasably coupled to the trigger;
- a cam shaft having first and second ends and biased with a spring, the first end of the cam shaft being attached to the second end of the cocking lever;
- a cam, attached to the second end of the cam shaft;
- and
- a ball engaging the cam such that when the trigger is activated by the solenoid, the cocking lever releases from a cocked position, thereby rotating the cam shaft and cam as the first end of said cocking lever swings so as to extend outward from said housing, and thereby allowing the ball to be seated in a seat of said outlet, thereby closing the outlet and stopping fluid flow through the flood control device.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.