Flood protection equipment
A flexible, shape-adaptive flood protection device using waterproof sheet materials with sealing means provides effective flood protection for non-movable objects by forming a watertight seal around them.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- LINEAR CIRCUIT
- Filing Date
- 2024-10-16
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-26
AI Technical Summary
Conventional flood prevention protectors designed for automobiles are cumbersome and difficult to adapt to non-movable, floor-standing objects due to their bag-like shape and size requirements.
A waterproof, flexible sheet material is formed into predetermined shapes like bags, lids, or flat surfaces to fit specific objects, with sealing means such as elastic bands, magnets, or adhesive tapes to create a watertight seal around the object.
The flexible sheet material effectively protects floor-standing objects like safes, refrigerators, and medical MRI devices from flood damage by conforming to their shape and size, ensuring a watertight seal.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a flood prevention protector that can effectively protect any floor-mounted target article, such as a safe, a refrigerator, a bookshelf, a medical MRI device, etc., from flood damage during a flood.
Background Art
[0002] A flood prevention protector for automobiles using a waterproof and flexible bag-shaped sheet material has been proposed (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
[0003] Conventional flood prevention protectors are formed in a bag shape that can accommodate an entire automobile. After the automobile enters through an opening and is parked, the opening is sealed watertightly, so that the entire automobile can be wrapped watertightly and the automobile can be effectively protected from flood damage when a flood occurs. In addition, to seal the opening, for example, the opening may be closed watertightly through a string for tying or the like.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0004]
Patent Document 1
Patent Document 2
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0005] According to such a conventional technique, since the sheet material is only formed in a bag shape in which an automobile can enter and park, a considerable margin dimension is required with respect to the shape and size of the automobile, and there is a problem that it is not always easy to use when applying it to a floor-mounted target article that cannot move on its own.
[0006] Therefore, in view of the problems of the prior art, the object of this invention is to provide a flood prevention protective device that can be suitably applied to any floor-standing object by forming the sheet material into a predetermined shape such as a bag, lid, or flat surface. [Means for solving the problem]
[0007] To achieve this objective, the invention of claim 1 comprises a waterproof, flexible sheet material formed into a predetermined lid-like shape, the sheet material having an opening for covering a portion of a floor-standing object that needs protection, and a sealing means for sealing the periphery of the opening. The gist of this method is to cover the portion of a sealed box-shaped object that needs protection on the front side with the sheet material through the opening, and to seal the periphery of the opening tightly against the outer surface of the object via the sealing means to create a watertight seal, thereby protecting the portion of the object that needs protection from flooding.
[0008] The sealing means can be any of the following sealing members: an elastic band with a hook-and-loop fastener, double-sided adhesive tape, single-sided adhesive tape, or a cable tie. [Effects of the Invention]
[0011] In the configuration of this invention, the waterproof, flexible sheet material is in the shape of a bag, a lid, or a flat surface, and is formed into the minimum necessary predetermined shape to fit the entire object or the part that needs protection. Thus, the sheet material can be used to cover the entire object or a predetermined part that needs protection of a floor-standing object, and to seal it watertight via a sealing means to protect the object from water damage. However, "lid" here refers to a shape in which a peripheral edge of equal height is continuously attached along the outer circumference of a flat surface, and "floor-standing" includes not only those that are simply placed on the floor, but also those that are fixed to the floor and fixed so that they cannot be moved. On the other hand, as the sealing means, any sealing member can be used, including rail fasteners that elastically engage male and female linear engaging members, such as Ziploc®, elastic bands with hook-and-loop fasteners, magnets, double-sided tape or adhesive tape, and various types of cable ties, and it is preferable that the sealing can be released as needed.
[0012] By placing the target item inside the bag-shaped sheet material, the entire item can be easily stored inside the sheet material by pulling the sheet material upwards, and the opening at the top of the sheet material can be sealed watertight to protect the item.
[0013] By utilizing the attachment opening provided at the bottom of the sheet material, the entire object, excluding the bottom surface, of an object already placed on the floor can be easily stored in the bag-shaped sheet material, thus achieving the objective. Specifically, the object is inserted through the attachment opening of the sheet material, the sheet material is moved downward along the object and folded over the bottom of the object, the periphery of the attachment opening is then tightly sealed to the bottom surface of the object to create a watertight fit, and the folded sheet material is pulled upward and extended to store the object in the sheet material.
[0014] Furthermore, when the sheet material is pulled upwards to store the items, the unused sheet material before being pulled upwards can be neatly folded and concealed beneath the items through the cover material.
[0015] The bag-shaped sheet material can be used to enclose an item already placed on the floor by covering it from above, and the opening at the lower end can be sealed by tightly attaching it to the bottom of the item via a sealing means. Suitable sealing members in this case include elastic bands with hook-and-loop fasteners, adhesive tapes on both sides or one side, and various types of cable ties.
[0016] When partially protecting the parts of an item that need protection, a lid-like sheet material that conforms to the shape and size of the part to be protected can be used. In this case, the sealing member can be a band with a hook-and-loop fastener, adhesive tape, or cable tie. It should be noted that there may be multiple parts to be protected on a single item, and the shapes and sizes of these multiple parts do not necessarily need to be uniform and may differ from one another.
[0017] The planar sheet material is particularly convenient, for example, when protecting one side of a box-shaped target article as a part to be protected. In this case, the sealing means can be, for example, a magnet, a double-sided or single-sided adhesive tape, etc. A hard lid-shaped sheet material can also be conveniently applied to the part to be protected on one side of a box-shaped target article.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0018] [Figure 1] Explanatory Drawing of the Use State (1) [Figure 2] Explanatory Drawing of the Use State (2) [Figure 3] Explanatory Drawing of the Use State (3) [Figure 4] Explanatory Drawing of the Use State (4) [Figure 5] Explanatory Drawing of the Use State (1) Showing Other Embodiments [Figure 6] Explanatory Drawing of the Use State (2) Showing Other Embodiments [Figure 7] Explanatory Drawing of the Use State (3) Showing Other Embodiments [Figure 8] Explanatory Drawing of the Main Part Configuration (1) Showing Other Embodiments [Figure 9] Explanatory Drawing of the Main Part Configuration (2) Showing Other Embodiments [Figure 10] Explanatory Drawing of the Main Part Configuration (3) Showing Other Embodiments [Figure 11] Explanatory Drawing of the Main Part Configuration (4) Showing Other Embodiments [Figure 12] Explanatory Drawing of the Main Part Configuration (5) Showing Other Embodiments [Figure 13] Explanatory Drawing of the Use State (4) Showing Other Embodiments [Figure 14] Explanatory Drawing of the Use State (5) Showing Other Embodiments [Figure 15] [[ID=Q50]]Explanatory Drawing of the Use State (6) Showing Other Embodiments [Figure 16] Explanatory Drawing of the Use State (7) Showing Other Embodiments [Figure 17] Explanatory Drawing of the Use State (8) Showing Other Embodiments [Figure 18] Explanatory Drawing of the Use State (9) Showing Other Embodiments [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0019] The embodiments of the invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0020] The flood protection device is made by forming a waterproof, flexible sheet material 10 into a bag shape (Figure 1). However, Figures 1(A) and (B) are schematic perspective views and front views, respectively, showing the device in use, and in Figure 1, a box-shaped safe 21 is shown as an example of a floor-standing item to be stored in the sheet material 10.
[0021] An opening 11 is formed at the upper end of the sheet material 10, and therefore the sheet material 10 is formed into the smallest vertical bag shape necessary to accommodate the safe 21. A rail fastener 12 for opening and closing is attached to the opening 11 as a sealing means. The rail fastener 12 can be closed by sliding the slider 12a in the direction of the arrows in Figures 1(A) and (B), and opened by operating it in the opposite direction.
[0022] The safe 21 is constructed by attaching an opening / closing door 21b to the front of a sealed box-shaped body 21a (Figure 2(A)). The safe 21 is installed inside the sheet material 10 on the floor F via a base 22 (Figure 1). The safe 21 and the base 22 may be constructed as a single unit, or they may be separate components that can be separated from each other.
[0023] When not in use, the sheet material 10 can be folded around the base 22 at the bottom of the safe 21 by fully opening the opening 11 (Figure 2(B)), and concealed via the removable cover material 23 (Figures 2(A) to (C)). The cover material 23 is a U-shaped folded plate that surrounds the front and both sides of the safe 21 at the same height as the base 22. Figures 2(A) to (C) are schematic perspective views of the entire sheet material 10 while it is concealed, a partially cutaway front view, and schematic explanatory diagrams showing the relative relationships of the safe 21, base 22, and cover material 23, respectively.
[0024] When using the sheet material 10 to protect the safe 21, first remove the cover material 23 to expose the sheet material 10 at the bottom of the safe 21 (in the direction of the arrows in Figure 3(A) and Figure 3(B)).
[0025] Next, the sheet material 10 is pulled up while extending it upward to enclose the entire safe 21 (in the direction of the arrows in Figures 4(A) and (B)), and finally, the slider 12a of the rail fastener 12 is operated to completely close the opening 11 at the upper end (in the direction of the arrows in Figures 1(A) and (B)). At this time, the entire safe 21 is sealed watertight through the sheet material 10 and is effectively protected against flood damage. However, Figures 3(A) and (B), and Figures 4(A) and (B) are equivalent to Figures 2(A) and (B), respectively, showing the removal of the cover material 23 and the pulling up of the sheet material 10. Other embodiments
[0026] The floor-standing target items may be, for example, a refrigerator 25, an office bookshelf 26, or a medical MRI device 27 (Figures 5 to 7). However, in Figures 5 to 7, Figures (A) and (B) are diagrams corresponding to Figure 2(A), and diagrams explaining the operation procedures for the cover material 23, sheet material 10, and rail fastener 12, respectively, and in Figure (B), the arrows K1, K2, and K3 indicate the operation sequence and direction of the corresponding components. In Figures 5 to 7, the sheet material 10 is formed into a predetermined bag shape that conforms to the shape and size of the target item and has an opening 11 formed in an appropriate direction at the top, and in Figure 7, a pair of left and right cover materials 23, 23 are used.
[0027] A pair of magnets 13, 13 can be used as a sealing means to seal the opening 11 of the sheet material 10 (Figure 8(A)). Each magnet 13 is formed in a flexible plate shape and can attract each other to close the opening 11 in a watertight manner (in the direction of the arrow in Figure 8(B)). In addition, a cushioning sealing material 14 may be attached to the surface of one of the magnets 13 (Figure 9(A)), and when the magnets 13, 13 are attracted to each other (in the direction of the arrow in Figure 9(B)), the sealing material 14 can improve the watertightness of the opening 11. However, Figures 8(A) and (B) are perspective views of the main parts and an explanatory diagram of the operation, respectively, and the same applies to Figures 9(A) and (B).
[0028] The sealing material 14 in Figure 9 may be formed hollow (Figure 10(A)). The hollow sealing material 14 deforms more when the magnets 13, 13 are attracted (Figure 10(B)), further improving the watertightness of the opening 11. The hollow sealing material 14 can be filled with another cushioning material 14a inside (Figure 11(A)) to optimize the overall cushioning and deformation and improve watertightness (Figure 11(B)). However, Figures 10(A) and (B) are cross-sectional views of the main parts and diagrams explaining the operation, respectively, and the same applies to Figures 11(A) and (B).
[0029] Furthermore, the sealing means for the opening 11 of the sheet material 10 may be a combination of a pair of flexible plate materials 15, 15 and a bulge 16 attached to the inner surface of one of the plate materials 15 (Figures 12(A), (B)). The bulge 16 expands when air is introduced from an external air source through an air inlet 16a with a check valve (in the direction of the arrow in Figure 12(A), Figures 12(C), (D)), and the opening 11 can be sealed watertight. However, Figures 12(A) and (B) are perspective views of the main part and a cross-sectional view of Figure 12(A), respectively, and Figures 12(C) and (D) are corresponding diagrams of Figures 12(A) and (B) showing the operating state, respectively.
[0030] The bag-shaped sheet material 10 is placed face down over the safe 21 already installed on the floor F (in the direction of the arrow in Figure 13(A)), and the periphery of the opening 11 at the lower end can be sealed tightly to the outer surface of the lower part of the safe 21 via a sealing means such as an elastic band 17 with a hook-and-loop fastener (Figure 13(B)). Furthermore, by attaching a strip-shaped cushioning sealing material 18 to the safe 21 side in correspondence with the band 17 (Figure 13C), the watertightness provided by the band 17 can be improved. However, instead of the band 17 being attached to the lower part of the safe 21, the sheet material 10 may be attached tightly around the base 22 for the safe 21, and in this case the sealing material 18 should also be attached around the base 22.
[0031] The upward-facing bag-shaped sheet material 10 in Figure 1 may have a mounting opening (not shown) at its bottom that is the minimum necessary size to allow the safe 21 to be inserted vertically. By combining the sheet material 10 from above the installed safe 21 using this mounting opening, the periphery of the mounting opening can be watertightly attached to the lower outer surface of the safe 21 or around the base 22 via a sealing means, similar to the opening 11 at the lower end of the downward-facing sheet material 10 in Figure 13 (not shown). By retrofitting such a sheet material 10 to an installed safe 21 via the mounting opening at the bottom, the protective function of the safe 21 can be achieved through the opening 11 at the top, in accordance with Figures 1 to 4. The band 17 that seals the mounting opening may be sealed with the peripheral edge of the mounting opening facing downwards and exposed to the outside of the sheet material 10 as shown in Figure 13(B). Alternatively, the entire sheet material 10 can be folded downwards as shown in Figure 3, with the peripheral edge of the mounting opening facing upwards for sealing, and then the sheet material 10 can be pulled upwards as shown in Figure 4 to conceal the band 17 inside the sheet material 10.
[0032] The sheet material 10 can be formed into a lid shape that fits the front of the safe 21 (Figure 14(A)). The sheet material 10 is attached to the front of the safe 21 by covering the opening door 21b on the front of the safe 21 through the opening 11 (in the direction of the arrow in Figure 14(A)), and the periphery of the opening 11 is sealed by making it tightly adhere to the outer surface of the safe 21 via a sealing means such as an elastic band 17 with a hook-and-loop fastener (Figure 14(B)), thereby properly protecting the part of the safe 21 on the front side that needs protection.
[0033] The lid-shaped sheet material 10 may be made expandable and contractible, and may be formed to be slightly smaller than the front of the safe 21 (Figure 15(A)). The sheet material 10 is attached to the front of the safe 21 while stretching the peripheral edges around the four sides of the opening 11 (in the direction of the arrows in Figure 15(A), and in Figure 15(B)), and sealed via sealing means such as magnets 13, 13... (Figure 15(C)). However, in Figure 15(C), the magnets 13, 13... are positioned on the top, bottom, left, and right sides of the front of the main body 21a of the safe 21, respectively.
[0034] The sheet material 10 may be made stretchable and formed into a flat shape that fits the front side of the safe 21 (Figure 16(A)). Magnets 13, 13... are attached to the four sides of the sheet material 10 as sealing means. The width of the sheet material 10 is wider than the front width of the safe 21. Therefore, the sheet material 10 can be attached to the part of the opening door 21b that needs protection by folding the hinge 21c, 21c side of the opening door 21b of the safe 21 together with the magnets 13 towards the rear side of the safe 21 (in the direction of the arrow in Figure 16(A), and Figure 16(B)), and sealing can be achieved via the magnets 13, 13....
[0035] The flexible lid-shaped sheet material 10 in Figure 14 can be replaced with a rigid lid-shaped material such as an acrylic sheet (Figures 17(A), (B)).
[0036] The edges of the opening 11 of the sheet material 10 are flared outward at an obtuse angle, and magnets 13 are attached to the ends of each edge via hinges 13a, 13a to serve as sealing means. Furthermore, cushioning seal material 19 is continuously attached to the inner surface of the edges of the sheet material 10, including the corners at the base of each edge, and cushioning seal material 18 corresponding to the seal material 19 on the sheet material 10 side is continuously attached to the front side of the safe 21. When the sheet material 10 is fitted onto the front side of the safe 21 (in the directions of the arrows in Figure 17(A), (B), and (C)), a sealing structure is obtained using the sealing materials 19 and 18 on the sheet material 10 side and the safe 21 side. Subsequently, by using the hinges 13a, 13a... to attract the magnets 13, 13... on the sheet material 10 side to the outer surface of the safe 21 (in the directions of the arrows in Figure 17(D) and (E)), the peripheral edge of the sheet material 10 is brought into close contact with the outer surface of the safe 21, thereby sealing the part of the front side of the safe 21 that needs protection.
[0037] The sealing material 19 on the sheet material 10 side in Figure 17 may be an airbag-type sealing material 19a that expands via an expansion gas such as air (Figure 18). In Figure 18, the peripheral edges of the sheet material 10 are each inclined inward, and the sealing material 18 on the safe 21 side is omitted. When the sheet material 10 is placed over the part of the safe 21 that needs protection on the front side (in the directions of the arrows in Figure 18(A), (B), and (C)), the magnets 13 are attracted to the outer surface of the safe 21 via the hinges 13a, 13a... (in the directions of the arrows in Figure 18(D) and (E)), and then the sealing material 19a can be expanded to complete the sealing of the part that needs protection. The expansion gas for the sealing material 19a may be supplied from the outside using, for example, an air pump (not shown), or a predetermined gas generation mechanism may be incorporated inside. The sealing material 19a, together with the magnets 13, 13..., constitutes a sealing means.
[0038] The sheet material 10 in Figures 17 and 18 may be constructed by surrounding the flexible or rigid planar sheet material 10 with a rigid frame-like structure (not shown). The frame in this case should have the same cross-sectional structure as the peripheral edges of the sheet material 10 in Figures 17 and 18, and should be capable of attaching sealing materials 19 and 19a to the back side, respectively.
[0039] Figures 17(A) and (B) are perspective views and horizontal cross-sectional views of the main parts, respectively, showing the relative relationship between the sheet material 10 and the safe 21. Figure 17(C) is a diagram equivalent to Figure 17(B) showing the combined state of the sheet material 10 and the safe 21. Figures 17(D) and (E) are perspective views and horizontal cross-sectional views of the main parts, respectively, showing the sealing state by the sheet material 10. The same applies to Figure 18.
[0040] In the above description, the flexible sheet material 10 may be equipped with an air vent valve that automatically discharges air from inside as the water level rises during flooding. The air vent valve is preferably provided on the upper part of the sheet material 10, and is a one-way valve for discharging air from inside, and preferably can be manually operated to introduce outside air into the interior as needed. [Industrial applicability]
[0041] This invention can effectively protect all or part of any floor-standing object from flood damage, and therefore can be broadly and suitably applied to any object that may suffer fatal damage from flooding. [Explanation of symbols]
[0042] 10…Sheet material 11…Opening 12... Rail fasteners as sealing means 13. Magnets as a sealing means 16... Bulging body as sealing means 17. Bands as a sealing method 21... Safe as an item in question 25…Refrigerator as the item in question 26…Bookshelves as the subject item 27. MRI device as the object of study Patent applicant: Linear Circuit Co., Ltd.
Claims
1. A method for using a flood-prevention protective device comprising a waterproof, flexible sheet material formed into a predetermined lid-like shape, the sheet material having an opening for covering a portion of a floor-standing object that needs protection, and a sealing means for sealing the periphery of the opening, characterized in that the sheet material is placed over the portion of a sealed box-shaped object that needs protection on the front side through the opening, and the periphery of the opening is sealed tightly to the outer surface of the object via the sealing means to create a watertight seal, thereby protecting the portion of the object that needs protection from flood damage.
2. The method for using the flood prevention protective device according to claim 1, characterized in that the sealing means uses a sealing member which is one of the following: an elastic band with a hook-and-loop fastener, double-sided adhesive tape, single-sided adhesive tape, or a cable tie.