U.S. patent application number 14/193954 was filed with the patent office on 2014-09-04 for collapsible fluid containment berms with rotating support brackets.
The applicant listed for this patent is New Pig Corporation. Invention is credited to Dane R. Jackson, Matthew A. Romito, Robert J. Starr, Mark S. Woytowich.
Application Number | 20140246441 14/193954 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51420447 |
Filed Date | 2014-09-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140246441 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Starr; Robert J. ; et
al. |
September 4, 2014 |
COLLAPSIBLE FLUID CONTAINMENT BERMS WITH ROTATING SUPPORT
BRACKETS
Abstract
Collapsible fluid containment berms with collapsible sidewalls
are disclosed. Support brackets including sidewall support arms may
be rotated from lowered positions in which the sidewall is
collapsed to raised positions in which the sidewall is generally
vertical. The sidewall support arms may be contained in a pocket
formed between inner and outer sidewall panels. The support
brackets may include bottom legs connected to the rotatable
sidewall support arms. The bottom legs may extend generally
horizontally outwardly and/or inwardly from the sidewall, and may
be contained in sleeves attached to a floor and/or an external
skirt of the containment berm. A control strap connected to the
sidewall support arms may be used to move the arms between their
collapsed positions and their raised positions. A flexible control
strap may be pulled to rotate the sidewall support arms around an
axis such that the sidewall support arms slide within the sidewall
pocket.
Inventors: |
Starr; Robert J.; (Tyrone,
PA) ; Romito; Matthew A.; (State College, PA)
; Woytowich; Mark S.; (State College, PA) ;
Jackson; Dane R.; (Port Matilda, PA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
New Pig Corporation |
Tipton |
PA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
51420447 |
Appl. No.: |
14/193954 |
Filed: |
February 28, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61771299 |
Mar 1, 2013 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/571 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16N 31/006 20130101;
B08B 17/025 20130101; B65D 37/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/571 |
International
Class: |
B65D 37/00 20060101
B65D037/00 |
Claims
1. A containment berm comprising: a floor; at least one collapsible
sidewall connected to the floor; and at least one sidewall support
bracket comprising a rotatable sidewall support arm structured and
arranged to support the sidewall in a raised position, wherein the
sidewall support arm is rotatable around an axis substantially
perpendicular to a plane of the raised sidewall.
2. The containment berm of claim 1, wherein the sidewall support
arm travels in a plane substantially parallel with the plane of the
raised sidewall.
3. The containment berm of claim 1, wherein the sidewall comprises
a pocket, and the support arm is movable in the pocket when it
rotates around the axis of rotation.
4. The containment berm of claim 3, wherein the sidewall comprises
an inner sidewall panel and an outer sidewall panel, and the pocket
is located between the inner and outer sidewall panels.
5. The containment berm of claim 4, wherein the inner and outer
sidewall panels are substantially coextensive with each other.
6. The containment berm of claim 1, wherein the sidewall support
bracket further comprises a bottom leg connected to the sidewall
support arm.
7. The containment berm of claim 6, wherein the bottom leg and
sidewall support arm are generally L-shaped.
8. The containment berm of claim 6, wherein the bottom leg and
sidewall support arm are generally T-shaped.
9. The containment berm of claim 6, wherein the bottom leg is
connected to the floor.
10. The containment berm of claim 9, wherein the bottom leg is
rotatably mounted on the floor by a hinge sleeve attached to the
floor and having sleeve opening receiving at least a portion of the
bottom leg.
11. The containment berm of claim 10, wherein the hinge sleeve is
fastened to a bottom surface of the floor.
12. The containment berm of claim 6, wherein the bottom leg is
rotatably mounted on an external skirt extending outwardly from the
sidewall in a generally horizontal direction.
13. The containment berm of claim 1, further comprising a control
strap connected to the sidewall support arm structured and arranged
to force the sidewall support arm into a raised position when an
end of the control strap is pulled.
14. The containment berm of claim 13, wherein the control strap is
structured and arranged to force the sidewall support arm into a
collapsed position when an opposite end of the control strap is
pulled.
15. The containment berm of claim 1, wherein the sidewall comprises
a stop member structured and arranged to prevent the sidewall
support arm from rotating substantially past a generally vertical
raised position when the sidewall support arm is rotated from a
generally horizontal lower position to the raised position.
16. The containment berm of claim 15, wherein the stop member
comprises a welded portion between an inner sidewall panel and an
outer sidewall panel of the sidewall.
17. A containment berm comprising: a floor; a collapsible sidewall
connected to the floor; and multiple sidewall support brackets
comprising sidewall support arms structured and arranged to support
the sidewall in a raised position, wherein each sidewall support
arm is rotatable around an axis substantially perpendicular to a
plane of the raised sidewall.
18. The containment berm of claim 17, wherein each sidewall support
arm travels in a plane substantially parallel with the plane of the
raised sidewall.
19. The containment berm of claim 17, wherein the sidewall support
arms travel in at least one pocket formed in the sidewall.
20. The containment berm of claim 19, wherein the sidewall
comprises an inner sidewall panel and an outer sidewall panel, and
the at least one pocket is located between the inner and outer
sidewall panels.
21. The containment berm of claim 17, wherein each sidewall support
bracket further comprises a bottom leg connected to the sidewall
support arm.
22. The containment berm of claim 17, further comprising a control
strap connected to the sidewall support arms structured and
arranged to force the sidewall support arms into raised positions
when an end of the control strap is pulled.
23. The containment berm of claim 22, wherein the control strap is
structured and arranged to force the sidewall support arms into
collapsed positions when an opposite end of the control strap is
pulled.
24. A containment berm comprising: a floor; at least one
collapsible sidewall; multiple support brackets comprising
rotatable sidewall support arms structured and arranged to support
the sidewall in a raised position; and a control strap connected to
upper ends of the sidewall support arms structured and arranged to
force the sidewall support arms into raised positions when an end
of the control strap is pulled.
25. The containment berm of claim 24, wherein the control strap
passes through a hole in each of the sidewall support arms.
26. The containment berm of claim 25, wherein the strap can slide a
limited distance in each of the holes.
27. The containment berm of claim 24, further comprising at least
one crimp on the control strap structured and arranged to contact
at least one of the sidewall support arms.
28. The containment berm of claim 24, further comprising opposing
crimps on the control strap located on opposite sides of one of the
sidewall support arms, wherein one of the crimps contacts the
sidewall support arm when the strap is pulled to rotate the
sidewall support arm into its raised position, and the other crimp
contacts the sidewall support arm when the strap is pulled to
rotate the sidewall support arm into a lower collapsed
position.
29. The containment berm of claim 24, wherein the sidewall support
arm is rotatable around an axis substantially perpendicular to a
plane of the raised sidewall.
30. A containment berm comprising: a floor; at least one
collapsible sidewall connected to the floor comprising an inner
sidewall panel, an outer sidewall panel, and a pocket located
therebetween; multiple support brackets comprising sidewall support
arms at least partially positioned in the pocket; and a control
strap at least partially positioned in the pocket and connected to
the sidewall support arms structured and arranged to force the
sidewall support arms into raised positions when an end of the
control strap is pulled.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application Ser. No. 61/771,299 filed Mar. 1, 2013, which is
incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to containment berms, and more
particularly relates to containment berms having collapsible
sidewalls that can be raised and lowered.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
[0003] Portable collapsible liquid containment berms are used to
prevent hazardous fluids from entering the environment from the
spillage of the fluids during, for example, the loading and
unloading of storage containers and transport vehicles, wash-down
of equipment and vehicles, and repair/maintenance of equipment and
vehicles.
[0004] Typically one or more sides of the containment berm can be
lowered and laid flat so that the equipment or vehicle can easily
enter the containment area. Once the equipment or vehicle is
inside, the sidewall(s) are then extended to prevent fluids from
escaping. Any leaked, spilt or wash-down fluid is retained within
the containment berm and can be pumped out for proper disposal.
Once the containment berm is emptied, the sidewall(s) can be
lowered to remove the equipment, storage containers or vehicle.
[0005] These devices are typically made with a flexible barrier
material, such as a rubberized fabric, reinforced PVC or a heavy
weight film, and are folded or rolled-up for easy storage and
transport. During use, the collection berm must be
unfolded/unrolled and the sides extended to a generally vertical
position to achieve its fluid retaining capability. To maintain the
sidewalls in this generally vertical position, a number of sidewall
braces have been employed, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat.
Nos. 5,316,175; 5,762,233; 6,092,686; and 6,880,720. Since each
side brace must be individually manipulated by hand to extend or to
lower the sidewalls, the operators must bend over and work their
way down the sidewall(s) that need to be raised or lowered.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] An aspect of the present invention is to provide a
containment berm comprising: a floor; at least one collapsible
sidewall connected to the floor; and at least one sidewall support
bracket comprising a rotatable sidewall support arm structured and
arranged to support the sidewall in a raised position, wherein the
sidewall support arm is rotatable around an axis substantially
perpendicular to a plane of the raised sidewall.
[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a
containment berm comprising: a floor; a collapsible sidewall
connected to the floor; and multiple sidewall support brackets
comprising sidewall support arms structured and arranged to support
the sidewall in a raised position, wherein each sidewall support
arm is rotatable around an axis substantially perpendicular to a
plane of the raised sidewall.
[0008] A further aspect of the present invention is to provide a
containment berm comprising: a floor; at least one collapsible
sidewall; multiple support brackets comprising rotatable sidewall
support arms structured and arranged to support the sidewall in a
raised position; and a control strap connected to upper ends of the
sidewall support arms structured and arranged to force the sidewall
support arms into raised positions when an end of the control strap
is pulled.
[0009] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a
containment berm comprising: a floor; at least one collapsible
sidewall connected to the floor comprising an inner sidewall panel,
an outer sidewall panel, and a pocket located therebetween;
multiple support brackets comprising sidewall support arms at least
partially positioned in the pocket; and a control strap at least
partially positioned in the pocket and connected to the sidewall
support arms structured and arranged to force the sidewall support
arms into raised positions when an end of the control strap is
pulled.
[0010] These and other aspects of the present invention will be
more apparent from the following description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a collapsible containment
berm in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 is an isometric view illustrating features of a
collapsible containment berm in accordance with an embodiment of
the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a top view illustrating features of a collapsible
containment berm in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0014] FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating features of the
collapsible containment berm of FIG. 3.
[0015] FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of a portion of the
collapsible containment berm shown in FIG. 4.
[0016] FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway side view of a sidewall and a
rotatable sidewall support arm for a collapsible containment berm
in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0017] FIGS. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views of the sidewall and
sidewall support arm of FIG. 6. In FIG. 7, the sidewall support arm
is in an upper raised position, while in FIG. 8 the sidewall
support arm is in a lowered collapsed position.
[0018] FIG. 9 is an isometric view illustrating a control strap
connected to multiple sidewall support arms in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 10 is a side view of a portion of a collapsible
containment berm including a strap retainer in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 11 is a bottom view of a floor of a collapsible
containment berm with four outer sidewall panels arranged for
attachment thereto.
[0021] FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 11.
[0022] FIG. 13 is a side view of a portion of a collapsible
containment berm in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0023] FIG. 14 is a side view of another portion of the collapsible
containment berm of FIGS. 13.
[0024] FIG. 15 is an isometric view of a portion of a collapsible
containment berm including sidewall support brackets having
horizontally outwardly extending bottom legs in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 16 is an isometric view of the sidewall portion of a
collapsible containment berm as shown in FIG. 15, with the support
brackets rotated and the sidewall in a collapsed position.
[0026] FIG. 17 is an isometric view of a portion of a collapsible
containment berm including generally T-shaped support brackets
including bottom legs extending generally horizontally inwardly and
outwardly from the sidewall.
[0027] FIG. 18 is an isometric view of a portion of a collapsible
containment berm illustrating the use of two control straps for
raising and lowering separate sets of sidewall support arms in
separate sections of a sidewall in accordance with an embodiment of
the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] Embodiments of the present invention provide portable
collapsible fluid containment berms that eliminate the need to
individually manipulate each sidewall support brace or bracket
during raising or lowering of the flexible sidewalls. The support
brackets for each sidewall comprise arms that are rotatable from a
lowered position in which the sidewall is collapsed to a raised
position in which the sidewall is generally vertical. The rotatable
sidewall support arms of the brackets may be contained in pockets
or sleeves on the sidewall and/or between adjacent sidewall layers
in embodiments in which the sidewalls comprise two separate sheets
of material. The sidewall pockets may be at least as high and wide
as the as the length of each sidewall support arm.
[0029] In certain embodiments, the support brackets also include
bottom legs connected to the rotatable sidewall support arms. The
bottom legs may extend generally horizontally outwardly and/or
inwardly from the sidewall, and may be contained in close-fitted
hinge pockets or sleeves on a bottom or top surface of the floor of
the berm and/or an external apron or skirt of the berm. The bottom
legs can rotate in the hinge pockets or sleeves, with the
rotational axis being generally perpendicular to the sidewall
orientation when the sidewall is in its raised position.
[0030] In certain embodiments, a series of sidewall support arms
may be joined together at or near their top ends with a control
strap such as a cable, cord, rod or the like. The control strap may
extend externally from the sidewall of the berm, e.g., from the
first and last support brackets in a series, and a loop or handle
may be attached to the free ends of the strap. The control strap
may be used to change the orientation of the sidewall support arms
within the sidewall pockets. For example, pulling on a flexible
control strap rotates the sidewall support arms around an axis such
that the sidewall support arms slide within the sidewall pocket(s).
When the sidewall is to be collapsed, the sidewall support arms are
moved from their generally vertical positions to their generally
horizontal positions. When the sidewall is to be raised, the
flexible control strap may be pulled in the opposite direction to
rotate and slide the sidewall support arms in the sidewall
pocket(s) from their generally horizontal collapsed positions to
their generally vertical raised positions.
[0031] FIGS. 1-8 illustrate features of collapsible containment
berms 10 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
The containment berm 10 includes a liquid impermeable floor 12 that
is generally horizontal and sidewalls 20 that are generally
vertical when they are in their raised positions. The floor 12 and
sidewalls 20 may be made of any suitable liquid impermeable
materials known in the art, such as rubberized fabric, reinforced
PVC sheets and the like. Multiple support brackets 30 are provided
in or adjacent to the sidewalls 20. Each support bracket 30
includes a rotatable sidewall support arm 32. In certain
embodiments, each support bracket 30 also includes a horizontal
bottom leg 34.
[0032] One or more of the sidewalls 20 may include an inner
sidewall panel 22 and an outer sidewall panel 24 forming a
continuous or discontinuous pocket 23 therebetween. For purposes of
illustration, FIGS. 2-5 show the outer sidewall panels 24 in
horizontal positions prior to their securement to the inner
sidewall panels 22 to form the pockets 23. As more fully described
below, the rotatable sidewall support arm 32 of each bracket 30 can
move inside the pocket 23 between the inner and outer sidewall
panels 22 and 24 to thereby raise the sidewall 20 or allow the
sidewall 20 to collapse.
[0033] As shown most clearly in FIGS. 6-8, the sidewall support arm
32 of each bracket 30 may rotate in the direction R around an axis
of rotation A to move the sidewall support arm 32 between a
generally horizontal collapsed position shown in phantom in FIG. 6
to a generally vertical position shown in solid lines in FIG. 6. As
the sidewall support arm 32 rotates, it moves within the pocket 23
between the inner and outer sidewall panels 22 and 24 of the
sidewall 20. As shown in FIGS. 6-8, and described in further detail
below, the inner and outer sidewall panels 22 and 24 may be
connected together by a lower weld 26 and an upper weld 27.
Although the inner and outer sidewall panels 22 and 24 are shown as
continuous panels in the figures, it is to be understood that one
of the panels may alternatively be provided as a discontinuous
sheet of material, e.g., individual pockets for each sidewall
support arm 32 may be attached to the opposing panel by welding,
adhesives, mechanical fasteners or the like.
[0034] FIGS. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views showing a sidewall
20 in a raised position (FIG. 7) and a collapsed position (FIG. 8).
In the raised position shown in FIG. 7, the sidewall support arm 32
is in a generally vertical orientation within the pocket 23 between
the inner and outer sidewall panels 22 and 24. The sidewall support
arm 32 includes a hole 36 near its upper end for receiving a
control strap 40, as more fully described below.
[0035] In the collapsed position shown in FIG. 8, the sidewall
support arm 32 has been rotated around the axis A from the
generally vertical position shown in FIG. 7 to a generally
horizontal position. In the generally horizontal position shown in
FIG. 8, the sidewall support arm 32 rests at or near the bottom of
the pocket 23 between the inner and outer sidewall panels 22 and
24. The sidewall 20 is thus no longer supported by the sidewall
support arm 32, and it may collapse under its own weight to a lower
position such as the generally horizontal position shown in FIG.
8.
[0036] As shown in FIGS. 6-8, the sidewall support arm 32 rotates
around the axis A, which may be substantially perpendicular to the
plane of the sidewall 20 when the sidewall 20 is in its raised
position. In the embodiment shown, the axis A of rotation is
generally horizontal and lies within a plane that is substantially
parallel with the plane of the floor 12. As further shown in FIGS.
6-8, when the sidewall support arm 32 rotates between its collapsed
and raised positions, it travels in a plane that is substantially
parallel with the plane of the sidewall 20 when the sidewall 20 is
in its raised position.
[0037] In certain embodiments, each sidewall support bracket 30 may
also include a bottom leg 34 that may be generally horizontal. For
example, the sidewall support arm 32 and bottom leg 34 may have a
fixed orientation in relation to each other, such as a generally
L-shaped or T-shaped configuration, as more fully described below.
The sidewall support arm 32 and bottom leg 34 may be integrally
formed from the same piece of material, e.g., by bending a rod, bar
or tube of metal or plastic material, or by molding plastic
material to the desired shape. Alternatively, separate sidewall
support arm 32 and bottom leg 34 pieces may be fastened together by
any suitable means such as welding, mechanical fasteners, adhesives
and the like. The cross sections of the bottom legs 34 may be
generally round to allow for easy pivoting with a hinge sleeve or
pocket 16, but other cross-sectional shapes such as squares and
hexagons, will work as long as they can pivot in the hinge sleeve
16. The cross sections of the sidewall support arms 32 may be the
same or different from the cross sections of the bottom legs 34.
For example, the sidewall support arms 32 and bottom legs 34 may
both have round cross sections. Alternatively, the sidewall support
arms 32 may have flattened cross sections such as rectangular,
oval, elliptical or the like. The sidewall support arms 32 and
bottom legs 34 may have typical diameters or widths of from 0.2 to
1 inch or more, for example, from 0.25 to 0.5 or 0.75 inch.
[0038] The bottom leg 34 of the support bracket 30 is aligned with
the axis of rotation A in embodiments shown in the figures. As
shown in FIGS. 1-8, the bottom leg 34 may be located under the
floor 12 and may be secured to the underside of the floor 12 by
means of hinge sleeves 16 having openings 17 of sufficient size to
receive the bottom leg 34 and allow it to rotate within the sleeve
openings 17. The hinge sleeves 16 may be attached to the floor 12
by any suitable means such as welding, adhesives, mechanical
fasteners and the like. While the bottom leg 34 is positioned
underneath the floor 12 in certain embodiments shown in the
figures, it is to be understood that the bottom leg 34 may
alternatively be positioned above the floor 12, or between separate
layers of the floor if a multiple-layer floor is used.
[0039] As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the collapsible berm 10 may
optionally include an external skirt 14, which may be secured to
the ground by optional grommets 15.
[0040] In certain embodiments such as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the
bottom legs 34 may extend outwardly, e.g., above the external skirt
14.
[0041] In certain embodiments, the bottom leg 34 may be generally
T-shaped as shown in FIG. 17, in which case a portion of the bottom
leg may extend inwardly from the sidewall 20 and a portion of the
bottom leg may extend outwardly from the sidewall 20.
[0042] In certain embodiments, the bracket 30 does not require a
rotatable bottom leg 34, in which case the rotatable sidewall
support arm 32 may be pivotally attached to any suitable support
structure that allows the sidewall support arm 32 to rotate between
its collapsed and raised positions, while providing sufficient
bracing support for the sidewall 20. For example, the support
brackets may be formed of two separate pieces that are pivotally
joined to each other, e.g., a substantially horizontal stationary
floor member to which a rotatable sidewall support arm is attached.
Since the bottom portion of a pivoting two-piece design may not
need to rotate within a hinge pocket, the bottom horizontal leg can
be a significantly different shape, such as a plate, than the
rotatable sidewall support arm 32. In certain embodiments, the
bottom hinge pocket 16 may be eliminated and the bottom leg 34 of
the support bracket 30 may be joined directly to the floor and/or
external skirt of the containment berm.
[0043] As shown in FIGS. 2-5 and 9-14, a control strap 40 may
engage multiple sidewall support arms 32 to allow the support arms
32 to be moved between their collapsed and raised positions without
the necessity of individually moving each support arm 32. In the
embodiments shown, the control strap 40 passes through a hole, such
as a drilled hole, grommet, ring or loop, that is located at an
upper end of the sidewall support 32, i.e., the hole is located at
least halfway up the vertical length of the sidewall support arm 32
at or near the upper end of each support arm 32. As used herein,
the term "strap" means any suitable type of strap, cord, wire,
string, rope, rod or the like that may be pulled or pushed to raise
and lower the sidewall support arms 32. For example, a coated or
uncoated flexible wire cable may be used to form a control strap
40. In the embodiment shown, the control strap 40 includes ends 41
and 42 that may be optionally be formed into handles, loops or any
other configuration suitable for hand gripping or gripping with a
tool. In certain embodiments, one handle 41 may comprise the
raising end of the control strap 40, while the other handle 42 may
comprise the collapsing end of the control strap 40. As shown most
clearly in FIGS. 5, 9, 13 and 14, crimps 44 may be provided on the
control strap 40 on opposite sides of a sidewall support arm 32.
The opposing crimps 44 may be spaced apart from each other a
sufficient distance to allow a limited amount of travel of the
control strap 40 in relation to the sidewall support arm 32. As
used herein, the term "crimps" means any crimp, sleeve, washer,
deformation or the like that engages the sidewall support arm 32 to
enable the control strap 40 to move the sidewall support arm 32
between its collapsed and raised positions.
[0044] As shown in FIG. 14, a stop member 28 may be used to prevent
the brackets from overshooting their vertical raised positions when
the sidewall 20 is being raised. The stop member 28 may be formed
by any suitable means such as joining together a small section of
the opposing inner and outer sidewall panels 22 and 24 adjacent to
the vertical position of at least one of the sidewall support arms
32. In certain embodiments, the stop member 28 may be located next
to the last support bracket 30 on the collapsing strap end 42.
Alternatively, a free end of the control strap 40 may be fastened
to limit travel of the sidewall support arms 32 to their vertical
positions when the opposite end of the control strap 40 is
pulled.
[0045] One method to string the sidewall support arms 32 together
is run a control strap 40 in the form of a vinyl coated cable
through the hole 36 in the upper portion of each arm 32, and then
to place cable crimps 44 in the form of sleeves onto the cable on
both sides of each arm 32 to lock it in position. To ensure that
the arms 32 lay flat when collapsed, the crimps 44 may be located a
slight distance away (e.g., about 1 inch) from the arm 32 to enable
the cable to bend out of the way. This results in some cable play,
which is not an issue. If the crimps 44 are placed too close to the
arm 32, the cable may not be able to bend until it is clear of the
crimps, thus keeping the arms 32 from lying flat.
[0046] As shown in FIG. 10, a retainer 29 may be used to secure the
free ends 41 and 42 of the control strap 40 when not being used,
which may remove a tripping hazard.
[0047] As illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, the sidewalls 20 of the
containment berm 10 may be fabricated by laying strips of the outer
sidewall panels 24 onto the underside or bottom of the floor 12. As
shown most clearly in FIG. 12, the bottom edge of each outer
sidewall panel may be attached to the periphery of the floor 12 by
thermally or sonically welding 26 (hatched areas) or any other
suitable means such as adhesives or fasteners. The regions of the
floor 12 outside of the welded areas 26 become the inner sidewall
panels 22. The top edges of the inner and outer sidewall panels 22
and 24 may be left unsealed until the control strap 40 mechanism is
installed. Then the top edges of the inner and outer panels 22 and
24 may be bonded together, e.g., by the weld 27, to form the pocket
23.
[0048] FIG. 18 illustrates a containment berm including two
sections 20a and 20b of the sidewall 20 that may be raised and
collapsed using two control straps 40a and 40b. One section 20a of
the sidewall 20 includes a first set of rotatable sidewall support
arms 32a, while the other section 20b of the sidewall 20 includes a
second set of rotatable sidewall support arms 32b. In this
embodiment, the force necessary to pull each of the control straps
40a and 40b is reduced in comparison with the force required to
pull a single control strap. This embodiment may be particularly
useful where the sidewall 20 is relatively long. In the embodiment
shown in FIG. 18, the collapsing ends 42a and 42b of the control
straps 40a and 40b are located in a central region of the sidewall
20, and the raising ends 41a and 41b are located near the ends of
the sidewall 20. The first set of sidewall support arms 32a rotate
in one direction R.sub.a when they are collapsed, and the second
set of sidewall support arms 32b rotate in the opposite direction
R.sub.b when they are collapsed. Alternatively, the directions of
rotation during collapsing of the arms may be the same, or they may
be switched from the directions shown in FIG. 18. Stop members 28a
and 28b prevent the sidewall support arms 32a and 32b from rotating
past their vertical orientations when they are raised.
[0049] Whereas particular embodiments of this invention have been
described above for purposes of illustration, it will be evident to
those skilled in the art that numerous variations of the details of
the present invention may be made without departing from the
invention as defined in the appended claims.
* * * * *