JP7600489B2 - Flood prevention protective equipment - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a flood prevention protective device that can effectively protect any floor-standing object, such as a safe, refrigerator, bookshelf, or medical MRI device, from flood damage in the event of a flood.

Water-resistant protective gear for automobiles that uses a waterproof, flexible bag-shaped sheet material has been proposed (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Conventional flood protection equipment is formed in a bag shape that can contain the entire car, and the car is parked by entering it through an opening, which is then sealed watertight, thereby encasing the entire car in a watertight manner and effectively protecting the car from flood damage in the event of a flood. To seal the opening, it is sufficient to close it watertight using a binding cord, for example.

JP 2002-248946 A Utility Model Registration No. 3031607

In this conventional technology, the sheet material is simply formed into a bag shape that a car can enter and park in, so a considerable amount of extra space is required relative to the shape and size of the car, and there is a problem that it is not necessarily easy to use when applied to floor-standing objects that cannot move on their own.

In view of the problems with 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 shape.

The invention of claim 1, which aims to achieve this objective, is a method of using a flood prevention protective device in which a waterproof, flexible sheet material is formed into a bag-like shape, the sheet material has an opening at the top where a rail fastener for opening and closing operation as a sealing means is attached, and an attachment opening is provided at the bottom through which a floor-standing target object can be inserted from above and below. The gist of the method is that the sheet material is combined with a target object already placed on the floor using the attachment opening, and when not in use, the sheet material is folded over the bottom of the target object and the periphery of the attachment opening is brought into close contact with the bottom surface of the target object to attach it watertight, and when in use, the sheet material is stretched upward and pulled up to store the target object, and the opening is watertightly sealed via the sealing means to protect the target object from flood damage.

In accordance with the configuration of the invention, the waterproof, flexible sheet material is either bag-shaped, lid-shaped, or flat, and is formed into a predetermined shape that is the minimum necessary to fit the entire object or the portion that needs to be protected. The sheet material can be placed over the entire object or the portion that needs to be protected, and the sheet material can be sealed watertight via a sealing means to protect the object from water damage. However, the lid-shaped shape referred to here means a shape in which a periphery of equal height is continuously attached along the outer periphery of the plane, and the floor-standing shape includes not only those that are simply placed on the floor, but also those that are fixed to the floor and cannot be moved. On the other hand, as the sealing means, any sealing member can be used, including a rail fastener that resiliently engages male and female linear engaging members, such as Ziploc (registered trademark), an elastic band with a hook-and-loop fastener, a magnet, double-sided tape, adhesive tape, various types of cable ties, etc., and it is preferable that the sealing member can be released as necessary.

If the target item is placed inside the bag-shaped sheet material, the entire target item can be easily stored inside the sheet material by pulling the sheet material upward, and the opening at the top of the sheet material can be sealed watertight to protect the target item.

By utilizing the attachment opening at the bottom of the sheet material, the entire target object placed on the floor, except for its bottom surface, can be easily stored in the bag-shaped sheet material, achieving the objective. That is, the target object is inserted into the attachment opening of the sheet material, the sheet material is moved downward along the target object, and folded over the bottom of the target object, and in this state, the peripheral portion of the attachment opening is brought into close contact with the bottom surface of the target object to attach it watertight, and the folded sheet material is pulled upward to stretch it, thereby storing the target object in the sheet material.

When the sheet material is pulled up to store the target item, the unused sheet material before being pulled up can be folded compactly under the target item and hidden using a cover material for neat disposal.

The bag-shaped sheet material can be placed over an object already placed on the floor to store the object, and the opening at the bottom can be sealed by adhering it to the bottom of the object using a sealing means. In this case, suitable sealing materials include elastic bands with hook-and-loop fasteners, double-sided or single-sided adhesive tape, and various types of cable ties.

When partially protecting a part of a target object that needs to be protected, a lid-shaped sheet material that matches the shape and size of the part that needs to be protected can be used, and the sealing member in this case can be a band with a hook-and-loop fastener, adhesive tape, or a cable tie. Note that a single target object may have multiple parts that need to be protected, and the shapes and sizes of the multiple parts that need to be protected do not necessarily need to be uniform and may differ from each other.

Planar sheet materials are particularly useful when, for example, one side of a box-shaped object needs to be protected. In this case, the sealing means can be, for example, a magnet or double-sided or single-sided adhesive tape. Hard, lid-shaped sheet materials can also be used to conveniently protect one side of a box-shaped object.

Usage diagram (1) Usage diagram (2) Usage diagram (3) Usage diagram (4) An explanatory diagram showing another embodiment in use (1) An explanatory diagram showing another embodiment in use (2) An explanatory diagram showing another embodiment in use (3) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the main configuration of another embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the main configuration of another embodiment. Another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. An explanatory diagram of the main configuration of another embodiment (5) An explanatory diagram showing another embodiment in use (4) Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in the state of use (5) Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in the state of use (6) Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in the state of use (7) Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in the state of use (8) Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in the state of use (9)

The following describes an embodiment of the invention with reference to the drawings.

The flood prevention protective equipment is made by forming a waterproof, flexible sheet material 10 into a bag shape (Fig. 1). However, Fig. 1 (A) and (B) are respectively an overall schematic perspective view and an overall front view showing the state of use, and Fig. 1 shows a box-shaped safe 21 as an example of a floor-standing target item to be stored in the sheet material 10.

An opening 11 is formed at the top end of the sheet material 10, and therefore the sheet material 10 is formed into a vertical bag shape that is smallest necessary and capable of storing a safe 21. The opening 11 is provided with a rail fastener 12 for opening and closing as a sealing means, and the slider 12a of the rail fastener 12 can be slid in the directions of the arrows in Figures 1(A) and (B) to close the opening 11, and can be opened by sliding it in the opposite direction.

The safe 21 is constructed by attaching an opening and closing door 21b to the front of a sealed box-shaped main body 21a (Fig. 2(A)). The safe 21 is installed inside the sheet material 10 on the floor F via a base 22 (Fig. 1). The safe 21 and base 22 may be constructed as one unit, or may be separate entities that can be separated from each other.

When not in use, the sheet material 10 can be folded over around the base 22 at the bottom of the safe 21 with the opening 11 fully open (Fig. 2(B)), and concealed via a removable cover material 23 (Figs. 2(A)-(C)). The cover material 23 is a U-shaped folded plate material that surrounds the front and both sides of the safe 21 at the same height as the base 22. Figs. 2(A)-(C) are respectively an overall schematic perspective view, a partially cutaway front view, and a schematic explanatory diagram showing the relative relationships of the safe 21, base 22, and cover material 23 while the sheet material 10 is concealing.

When using the sheet material 10 to protect the safe 21, first remove the cover material 23 to expose the sheet material 10 underneath the safe 21 (in the direction of the arrow in Figure 3 (A), Figure 3 (B)).

Next, the sheet material 10 is stretched upward and pulled up to encase 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 fully close the opening 11 at the top (in the direction of the arrows in Figures 1(A) and (B)). At this time, the entire safe 21 is watertight sealed via the sheet material 10, and is effectively protected against water damage. However, Figures 3(A), (B), 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

The floor-standing target item may be, for example, a refrigerator 25, an office bookshelf 26, or a medical MRI device 27 (Figs. 5 to 7). However, in Figs. 5 to 7, (A) and (B) are diagrams equivalent to Fig. 2(A), and are explanatory diagrams of the operation procedure of the cover material 23, the sheet material 10, and the rail fastener 12, respectively, and in each diagram (B), the arrows K1, K2, and K3 indicate the operation sequence and operation direction of the corresponding members. In Figs. 5 to 7, the sheet material 10 is formed into a bag-like shape of a predetermined minimum shape that fits the shape and size of the target item and that forms the opening 11 in an appropriate direction at the top, and in Fig. 7, a pair of left and right cover materials 23, 23 are used.

A pair of magnets 13, 13 can be used as a sealing means for sealing the opening 11 of the sheet material 10 (Fig. 8(A)). Each magnet 13 is formed in a flexible plate shape and can be attracted to each other to close the opening 11 watertight (arrow direction in Fig. 8(B)). A cushioning sealant 14 may be attached to the surface of one of the magnets 13 (Fig. 9(A)). When the magnets 13, 13 are attracted to each other (arrow direction in Fig. 9(B)), the sealant 14 can improve the watertightness of the opening 11. However, Figs. 8(A) and (B) are respectively a perspective view of the main part and an explanatory diagram of the operation, and Figs. 9(A) and (B) are similar.

The sealing material 14 in FIG. 9 may be hollow (FIG. 10(A)). The hollow sealing material 14 has a large amount of deformation when the magnets 13, 13 are attracted (FIG. 10(B)), which can further improve the watertightness of the opening 11. The hollow sealing material 14 can be filled with another cushioning material 14a (FIG. 11(A)) to optimize the overall cushioning and amount of deformation and improve the watertightness (FIG. 11(B)). However, FIGS. 10(A) and (B) are respectively a cross-sectional view of the main part and an explanatory diagram of the operation, and the same is true for FIGS. 11(A) and (B).

The sealing means for the opening 11 of the sheet material 10 may be a combination of a pair of flexible plates 15, 15 and a bulging body 16 attached to the inner surface of one of the plates 15 (Figs. 12(A) and (B)). The bulging body 16 bulges (in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 12(A), Figs. 12(C) and (D)) when air is introduced from an external air source through an air supply port 16a with a check valve, and can watertightly seal the opening 11. However, Figs. 12(A) and (B) are respectively a perspective view of the main part and a cross-sectional view of Fig. 12(A), and Figs. 12(C) and (D) are equivalent views of Figs. 12(A) and (B) showing the operating state.

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 FIG. 13(A)), and the periphery of the lower opening 11 is sealed watertight by sealing means such as an elastic band 17 with a hook-and-loop fastener, which is pressed against the outer surface of the bottom of the safe 21 (FIG. 13(B)). In addition, by attaching a band-shaped cushioning sealing material 18 to the safe 21 side in correspondence with the band 17 (FIG. 13(C)), the watertightness of the band 17 can be improved. However, the band 17 may be attached to the bottom of the safe 21 by pressing the sheet material 10 against the base 22 for the safe 21, and the sealing material 18 in this case is also attached around the base 22.

The upward-facing bag-shaped sheet material 10 in FIG. 1 may have an attachment opening (not shown) at the bottom of the minimum size necessary to insert the safe 21 from above. By combining the sheet material 10 from above the installed safe 21 using this attachment opening, the periphery of the attachment opening can be watertightly attached to the outer surface of the lower part of the safe 21 or around the base 22 via a sealing means, similar to the opening 11 at the bottom end of the downward-facing sheet material 10 in FIG. 13 (not shown). By attaching such sheet material 10 to the installed safe 21 via the attachment opening at the bottom, the protective function of the safe 21 can be realized via the opening 11 at the top end in accordance with FIGS. 1 to 4. The band 17 that seals the mounting opening may be exposed to the outside of the sheet material 10 with the peripheral portion of the mounting opening facing downward as shown in FIG. 13(B), but it is also possible to seal the mounting opening with the peripheral portion facing upward while folding the entire sheet material 10 downward as shown in FIG. 3, and then pulling the sheet material 10 upward as shown in FIG. 4, thereby concealing the band 17 inside the sheet material 10.

The sheet material 10 can be formed into a lid shape that fits the front of the safe 21 (Fig. 14(A)). The sheet material 10 is attached to the front of the safe 21 so as to cover the opening door 21b on the front of the safe 21 through the opening 11 (in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 14(A)), and the periphery of the opening 11 is sealed against the outer surface of the safe 21 via a sealing means such as an elastic band 17 with a hook-and-loop fastener (Fig. 14(B)), thereby providing adequate protection for the front side of the safe 21 that requires protection.

The lid-shaped sheet material 10 may be stretchable and may be formed slightly smaller than the front surface of the safe 21 (Fig. 15(A)). The sheet material 10 is attached to the front surface of the safe 21 while stretching the four peripheral edges of the opening 11 (in the direction of the arrows in Fig. 15(A), Fig. 15(B)), and is sealed, for example, via a sealing means of magnets 13, 13... (Fig. 15(C)). However, in Fig. 15(C), the magnets 13, 13... are arranged above, below, left and right, respectively, at the front of the main body 21a of the safe 21.

The sheet material 10 may be made elastic and formed into a flat shape that fits the front side of the safe 21 (Fig. 16 (A)). Magnets 13, 13... are attached to the four periphery of the sheet material 10 as a sealing means. The left and right width of the sheet material 10 is wider than the front width of the safe 21. The sheet material 10 is then attached by folding the hinges 21c, 21c side of the opening and closing door 21b of the safe 21 together with the magnet 13 toward the rear side of the safe 21 to cover the opening and closing door 21b of the part that needs to be protected (in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 16 (A) and Fig. 16 (B)), and can be sealed via the magnets 13, 13....

The flexible lid-like sheet material 10 in FIG. 14 can be replaced with a hard lid-like material such as an acrylic plate (FIGS. 17(A) and (B)).

The four peripheral edges of the opening 11 of the sheet material 10 are opened outward at an obtuse angle, and magnets 13 are attached to the leading ends of each edge via hinges 13a, 13a as sealing means. In addition, cushioning seal material 19 is continuously attached to the inner surface of the four peripheral edges of the sheet material 10, including the corners of the base of each peripheral 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 over the front side of the safe 21 (in the directions of the arrows in Figures 17 (A) and (B) and (C)), a sealing structure is obtained by the sealing materials 19, 18 on the sheet material 10 side and the safe 21 side. Then, by adhering the magnets 13, 13... on the sheet material 10 side to the outer surface of the safe 21 via the hinges 13a, 13a... (in the directions of the arrows in Figures 17 (D) and (E)), the peripheral portion of the sheet material 10 is essentially brought into close contact with the outer surface of the safe 21, sealing the portion of the front side of the safe 21 that needs protection.

The sealing material 19 on the sheet material 10 side in FIG. 17 may be an airbag-type sealing material 19a that expands using an expansion gas such as air (FIG. 18). In FIG. 18, the four peripheral edges of the sheet material 10 are 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 front side of the safe 21 that needs to be protected (in the directions of the arrows in FIG. 18(A) and (B), and in FIG. 18(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 FIG. 18(D) and (E)), and then the sealing material 19a expands to complete the sealing of the part that needs to be protected. 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 generating mechanism may be built inside. The sealing material 19a, together with the magnets 13, 13..., serves as a sealing means.

The sheet material 10 in Figures 17 and 18 may be constructed by surrounding the four periphery of the flexible or hard planar sheet material 10 with a rigid frame-like frame (not shown). In this case, the frame may have the same cross-sectional structure as the peripheral portion of each sheet material 10 in Figures 17 and 18, and may be capable of mounting the sealing material 19, 19a on the back side.

Note that Fig. 17(A) and (B) are respectively an explanatory perspective view and a horizontal cross-sectional view of the main parts showing the relative relationship between the sheet material 10 and the safe 21, Fig. 17(C) is a view equivalent to Fig. 17(B) showing the combined state of the sheet material 10 and the safe 21, and Figs. 17(D) and (E) are respectively an explanatory perspective view and a horizontal cross-sectional view of the main parts showing the sealed state by the sheet material 10. The same applies to Fig. 18.

In the above description, the flexible sheet material 10 may be provided with an air vent valve that automatically releases the air inside as the water level rises when the sheet material is submerged. The air vent valve is preferably provided at the top of the sheet material 10 and is a one-way valve that releases the air inside, and is preferably capable of manually introducing air from the outside into the inside as needed.

This invention can effectively protect all or some of the parts of any floor-standing object that require protection from flooding, and can therefore be widely and suitably applied to any object that may be seriously damaged by flooding.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Sheet material 11 Opening 12 Rail fastener as sealing means 13 Magnet as sealing means 16 Bulging body as sealing means 17 Band as sealing means 21 Safe as target item 25 Refrigerator as target item 26 Bookshelf as target item 27 MRI device as target item

Patent applicant: Linear Circuit Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

A method of using a flood prevention protective device, which is made by forming a waterproof, flexible sheet material into a bag-like shape, and which has an opening at the top of the sheet material to which a rail fastener for opening and closing operation as a sealing means is attached, and an attachment opening at the bottom through which a floor-standing target object can be inserted from above and below, and which is characterized in that the sheet material is combined with a target object already placed on the floor using the attachment opening, and when not in use, the sheet material is folded over the bottom of the target object and the peripheral portion of the attachment opening is brought into close contact with the bottom surface of the target object to attach it watertight, and when in use, the sheet material is stretched upward and pulled up to store the target object, and the opening is watertightly sealed via the sealing means to protect the target object from flood damage.

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