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US 7,621,695 B2Granted
Subsurface stormwater system
OwnerPaddy Smith, Kieran Smithinventors
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OwnerPaddy Smith, Kieran Smithinventors
Estimating the term…
A cubic modular subsurface stormwater unit has equal top and bottom surfaces spaced apart by a set of four pillars, each of which runs from a corner of the top surface to a corresponding corner of the bottom surface. The pillars define a void having a generally cruciform cross section, the void opening onto each of the four side faces defined between the roof and the base. A line of units connected together in series side to side will have a long throughway formed by the respective voids in each unit, and a regular matrix of X- and Y-axis throughways will be formed as units are connected laterally on all sides. The unit is formed of identical halves which can be connected together in any orientation due to the square configuration and to a mating connection which has mating parts symmetrically disposed about a diagonal corner-to-corner line.
A modular subsurface stormwater unit of generally cuboid external form having equal rectangular top and bottom surfaces spaced apart by a set of four pillars, each of which runs from a corner of the top surface to a corresponding corner of the bottom surface, said pillars defining therebetween a void having a generally cruciform cross section, said void opening onto each of the four side faces defined between the roof and the base, wherein the faces of the unit comprise a lattice network of ribs and struts.
A sub-unit of a modular subsurface stormwater unit, the sub-unit comprising a generally square face having a set of four half-pillars extending therefrom, one at each corner of the face, each half-pillar terminating at a mating connection which is adapted to mate with an identical mating connection of another identical sub-unit to provide a generally cuboid modular unit, the mating connections of the four half-pillars being disposed such that when two sub units are brought into engagement with their square faces aligned and the mating connections approaching one another, each of the mating connections on one sub-unit engages with a complementary mating connection on the other sub-unit, for each of the four aligned orientations of the two square faces.
A modular subsurface stormwater unit of generally cuboid external form having equal rectangular top and bottom surfaces spaced apart by a set of four pillars, each of which runs from a corner of the top surface to a corresponding corner of the bottom surface, said pillars defining therebetween a void having a generally cruciform cross section, wherein the top surface is provided with a central cut-out between the pillars to enable an inspection access point to be readily created in the top of any such unit in a system of laterally adjoined units by removing said cut-out, and wherein the cut-out comprises a series of concentric circular perforations in the top surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
With disposal into the ground, e.g. via dry wells: via box-shaped elements
Sewers
Term ended 15 Mar 2026 (estimated)
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This invention relates to subsurface stormwater (or waste water) systems.
Subsurface stormwater systems are used in construction to both provide a structural support layer and to receive and disperse excess water. Such systems replace the traditional aggregate used for these purposes. These systems have application in paved areas such as carparks and roads, and in building foundations. Further applications include linear drainage systems in which conventional drainage pipes can be replaced by stormwater attenuation systems covered in geotextile, and soakaway systems which have application, for example, in attenuating floodwater in a roadside field to prevent flooding of the road.
It is desirable to allow easy inspection of such systems to enable blockages to be easily located and to enable routine maintenance tasks.
The invention will now be further illustrated by the following description of embodiments thereof given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view from above of a sub-unit according to the invention of a modular subsurface stormwater unit;
FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the sub-unit of FIG. 1;
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a sub-unit of the invention is shown, generally at 10. The sub-unit has a generally square face 12 which provides either a top or bottom face of a finished unit. This will be referred to for convenience as the top face but it is to be understood that the embodiment is not limited to such orientation. It is also to be understood that the term “face” refers not to a continuous surface but rather to the porous surface defined by the lattice network of ribs and struts 13.
A half-pillar 14 extends from each corner of the underside (internal side) of face 12. When viewed from any side (FIG. 2), the side “face” of the sub unit is formed of the outer surface of a pair of half pillars 14 and an opening 16 which leads to a channel running through to the opposite side face without interruption. As seen in FIG. 3, therefore, the four generally square pillars (one of which is indicated by surrounding broken lines) define between themselves a cruciform void, i.e. a pair of channels intersecting at right angles and opening onto each side where indicated at 16.
A number of clips 18 and slots 20 are provided to enable adjacent units to be connected to one another as will be explained in greater detail below. As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, locking clips 22 and receiving holes 24 are also provided at the end of each half pillar 14 to enable two opposed half-pillars to interengage one another.