Portable device for capturing and collecting liquids and other particles dripping off of a stationary vehicle

Abstract

A portable device for capturing liquids and other particles dripping or otherwise falling off of a stationary vehicle and preventing said liquids and particles from overflowing or escaping onto parking surfaces and causing damages to said parking surfaces and surrounding areas and structures.

Description

[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 839,326, filed Jun. 25, 2013FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention concerns generally with surface mats and other surface-covering devices, and, more particularly, with a flexible and portable device for capturing liquids and other particles dripping or otherwise falling off of a stationary vehicle and preventing said liquids and particles from overflowing or escaping onto surrounding parking surfaces. By placing the device under the vehicle, the device serves the purpose of collecting liquids and particles that are melting, dripping, or otherwise falling off of the vehicle; thus, allowing proper disposal of the liquids and particles and avoiding damages to the parking surfaces and surrounding areas and structures.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Snow, road salt, water, petroleum products, dirt, sand, and other particles are routinely accumulated under the fenders and along the carriage of a ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is a portable device for capturing liquids and particles that may fall off a vehicle. The device is designed to be lightweight, flexible, and easy to roll onto and off of. Its unique design allows it to easily accumulate and maintain contact with melted snow, salt, petroleum products, and other runoff reagents. The device helps prevent liquids and particles from overflowing or escaping onto adjacent parking surfaces.

Problems solved by technology

This mix of reagents dripping and accumulating onto the parking surfaces damages the surfaces and the surrounding structures.

Since parking areas have generally flat surfaces and lack adequate drainage, the liquids and debris dripped or fallen off of the vehicle tend to remain in a prolonged contact with the parking surfaces; thus, amplifying the damage.

At the same time, the liquids dripped off onto inclined surfaces or onto the parking areas equipped with adequate drainage not only damage the surfaces themselves, but may also harm surrounding structures and create serious environmental hazards.

The device of the '876 is bulky, not portable and not easily movable.

Moreover, the height of the device reduces its appeal for use in a typical household garage, where every inch of the vertical space is thoroughly utilized.

And lastly, the area where runoff reagents are accumulated is fixed to the center and back of the device, which may not be the lowest point of the parking surface; thus, making the extraction of the runoff unnecessarily difficult.

It also lacks a mechanism for managing runoffs or “by feel” parking.

This defeats the purpose of using this device in a garage.

The sole advantage of '670 patent appears to be its extreme simplicity and very inexpensive construction; however, the simple construction of the '670 patent lacks any mechanism for preventing the device from being damaged by a vehicle driven over it.

Moreover, '670 patent fails to provide any drainage means for its floor cover, thus making it extremely difficult to dispose of any runoff collected in the device.

The above described construction does not provide for a receptacle; thus, offering no means for collecting runoffs or any form drainage.

This feature appears to be overrated as it will not prevent an unscrupulous driver from damaging the mat.

In addition, and unlike the present invention, the device described in the '625 patent cannot be rolled in and out and does not provide for drainage.

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