Tank fitting apparatus and method

{
  "publication_number": "US10179304B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Tank fitting apparatus and method",
  "abstract": "A tank fitting apparatus and method is provided. The tank fitting apparatus includes a bottom plate apparatus. The bottom plate apparatus includes a bottom plate having a bottom surface, a top surface, and a bottom plate passageway. The bottom plate apparatus further includes a bolt connected to the bottom plate and extending from the top surface of the bottom plate. The tank fitting apparatus further includes a valve apparatus. The valve apparatus includes a pipe and a valve integrally formed with the pipe. The valve is movable between an open valve position and a closed valve position. A top plate integrally formed on the pipe and extends outwardly from the pipe. The valve apparatus has a connected tank fitting position where the bolt of the bottom plate apparatus extends through the top plate of the valve apparatus to connect the valve apparatus with the bottom plate apparatus.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A tank fitting apparatus for a storage tank comprising: a bottom plate apparatus comprising: a bottom plate having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a bottom plate passageway; a plurality of bolts connected to the bottom plate and extending from the top surface of the bottom plate; and a bottom plate installation connector disposed proximate the bottom plate passageway; an installation handle tool, wherein the installation handle tool is detachably attachable to the bottom plate apparatus by the bottom plate installation connector, and wherein the bottom plate apparatus has a deployment position where the installation handle tool is attached to the bottom plate apparatus and a non-deployment position where the installation handle tool is detached from the bottom plate apparatus; and a valve apparatus comprising: a pipe; a valve connected to the pipe and having a valve housing, wherein the valve housing is integrally formed with the pipe, and wherein the valve is movable between an open valve position and a closed valve position; a top plate integrally formed on the pipe and extending outwardly from the pipe and having a top plate bottom surface; and wherein the valve apparatus has a connected tank fitting position where the plurality of bolts of the bottom plate apparatus extend through the top plate of the valve apparatus to connect the valve apparatus with the bottom plate apparatus.",
    "2. The tank fitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bottom plate installation connector comprises an internally threaded section configured to connect to the installation handle tool when the bottom plate apparatus is in the deployment position.",
    "3. The tank fitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bottom plate has a bottom plate flow housing extending from the bottom surface of the bottom plate, wherein the bottom plate installation connector comprises an internally threaded section configured to connect to the installation handle tool, and wherein the internally threaded section is disposed in the bottom plate flow housing.",
    "4. The tank fitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the valve apparatus comprises a top seal member disposed adjacent to the top plate bottom surface, and wherein the bottom plate apparatus comprises a bottom seal member disposed adjacent to the top surface of the bottom plate.",
    "5. The tank fitting apparatus of claim 4, wherein the bottom plate is positioned in proximity to a tank wall in a tank interior and the top plate is positioned in proximity to the tank wall at a tank exterior when the valve apparatus is in the connected tank fitting position, wherein an exterior seal is formed between the top plate and the tank wall and an interior seal is formed between the bottom plate and the tank wall when the valve apparatus is in the connected tank fitting position, and wherein the valve apparatus when in the connected tank fitting position is movable between the closed valve position where fluid is prevented from flowing from the storage tank through the valve apparatus, and the open valve position, where fluid is allowed to flow through the bottom plate flow housing, through the bottom plate passageway of the bottom plate apparatus, and through the valve apparatus.",
    "6. The tank fitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bottom plate apparatus is in the non-deployment position when the valve apparatus is in the connected tank fitting position, and wherein the valve apparatus comprises a plurality of bolt nuts configured to thread onto the plurality of bolts to connect the bottom plate apparatus to the valve apparatus in the connected tank fitting position.",
    "7. The tank fitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bottom plate apparatus comprises a bottom plate flow housing extending from the bottom surface of the bottom plate, wherein the bottom plate installation connector comprises an internally threaded section configured to connect to the installation handle tool, and wherein the internally threaded section is disposed in the bottom plate flow housing.",
    "8. The tank fitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the installation handle tool extends into the bottom plate passageway when the bottom plate apparatus is in the deployment position.",
    "9. The tank fitting apparatus of claim 8, wherein the top plate has a plurality of top plate bolt passageways, wherein the installation handle tool has a handle tool distal end, wherein the plurality of bolts have a plurality of bolt distal ends, and wherein the handle tool distal end is spaced further from the top surface of the bottom plate than the plurality of bolt distal ends when the bottom plate apparatus is in the deployment position.",
    "10. The tank fitting apparatus of claim 9, wherein the handle tool distal end and the plurality of bolt distal ends are separated by a selected installation spacing distance when the bottom plate apparatus is in the deployment position, and wherein the selected installation spacing distance is selected to be greater than a thickness of a tank wall of the storage tank in an area of the tank wall surrounding a tank fitting opening.",
    "11. A method for installing a tank fitting apparatus on a tank wall of a storage tank, comprising: attaching an installation handle tool onto a bottom plate apparatus to position the bottom plate apparatus in a deployment position, wherein the bottom plate apparatus comprises a bottom plate having a top surface, a bottom surface, a bottom plate passageway, and a plurality of bolts connected to the bottom plate and extending from a top surface of the bottom plate; positioning the bottom plate apparatus through a tank opening to a tank interior in the storage tank while the bottom plate apparatus is in the deployment position; inserting the installation handle tool from the tank interior, through a tank fitting opening in the tank wall, and to a tank exterior while the bottom plate apparatus is in the deployment position; inserting the plurality of bolts of the bottom plate apparatus from the tank interior, through the tank wall, and to the tank exterior so that the bottom plate is positioned adjacent to an interior surface of the tank wall and the plurality of bolts extend from an exterior surface of the tank wall while the bottom plate apparatus is in the deployment position; detaching the installation handle tool from the bottom plate apparatus after inserting the plurality of bolts so as to position the bottom plate apparatus in a non-deployment position; positioning a valve apparatus at the exterior of the storage tank proximate the tank fitting opening, wherein the valve apparatus comprises a pipe, a valve having a valve housing integrally connected to the pipe, a top plate integrally connected to the pipe and extending outwardly from the pipe, and wherein the valve is movable between an open valve position and a closed valve position; inserting the plurality of bolts extending from the exterior surface of the tank wall through the top plate when the bottom plate apparatus is in the non-deployment position; attaching a plurality of bolt nuts to the plurality of bolts to connect the bottom plate apparatus to the valve apparatus in a connected tank fitting position where the valve apparatus is installed on the storage tank.",
    "12. The method for installing the tank fitting apparatus of claim 11, wherein the installation handle tool has a handle tool distal end and the plurality of bolts have a plurality of bolt distal ends, and wherein the handle tool distal end is spaced further from the top surface of the bottom plate than the plurality of bolt distal ends.",
    "13. The method for installing a tank fitting apparatus of claim 11, wherein inserting the plurality of bolts of the bottom plate apparatus from the tank interior, through the tank wall, and to the tank exterior is performed after inserting the installation handle tool from the tank interior, through the tank fitting opening in the tank wall, and to the tank exterior.",
    "14. The method for installing a tank fitting apparatus of claim 11, wherein the bottom plate has a bottom plate flow housing extending from the bottom surface of the bottom plate and a bottom plate installation connector, wherein the bottom plate flow housing has an internally threaded section configured to connect to the installation handle tool.",
    "15. A tank fitting apparatus comprising: a bottom plate apparatus comprising: a bottom plate having a bottom surface, a top surface, and a bottom plate passageway; a bolt connected to the bottom plate and extending from the top surface of the bottom plate; a valve apparatus comprising: a pipe; a valve integrally formed with the pipe, and wherein the valve is movable between an open valve position and a closed valve position; a top plate integrally formed on the pipe and extending outwardly from the pipe; wherein the valve apparatus has a connected tank fitting position where the bolt of the bottom plate apparatus extends through the top plate of the valve apparatus to connect the valve apparatus with the bottom plate apparatus; and an installation handle tool, wherein the installation handle tool is detachably attached to the bottom plate apparatus to position the bottom plate apparatus in a deployment position, and wherein the bottom plate apparatus has a non-deployment position where the installation handle tool is detached from the bottom plate apparatus.",
    "16. The tank fitting apparatus of claim 15, wherein the bottom plate has a bottom plate installation connector disposed proximate the bottom plate passageway so that the installation handle tool is configured to extend into the bottom plate passageway when attached to the bottom plate apparatus.",
    "17. The tank fitting apparatus of claim 16, wherein the bottom plate has a bottom plate flow housing extending from the bottom surface of the bottom plate, wherein the bottom plate installation connector is disposed in the bottom plate flow housing.",
    "18. The tank fitting apparatus of claim 17, wherein the bottom plate installation connector comprises an internally threaded section configured to connect to the installation handle tool.",
    "19. The tank fitting apparatus of claim 18, wherein the bottom plate is positioned in proximity to a tank wall in a tank interior and the top plate is positioned in proximity to the tank wall at a tank exterior when the valve apparatus is in the connected tank fitting position, wherein an exterior seal is formed between the top plate and the tank wall and an interior seal is formed between the bottom plate and the tank wall when the valve apparatus is in the connected tank fitting position, and wherein the valve apparatus when in the connected tank fitting position is movable between the closed valve position where fluid is prevented from flowing from the storage tank through the valve apparatus, and the open valve position, where fluid is allowed to flow through the bottom plate flow housing, through the bottom plate passageway, and through the valve apparatus."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "Embodiments described herein relate generally to the field of tank fittings, and in particular, to the field of tank fitting apparatuses and methods for plastic chemical tanks.\n\nTank fittings have been used on chemical storage tanks to provide a fluid connection controlled by a valve apparatus. A tank fitting can be added to a storage tank that has a tank fitting opening in a side of the storage tank. The tank fitting may include a bottom plate with a pipe connected to the bottom plate. The pipe can then be connected to the storage tank by inserting the pipe through a tank fitting opening with the bottom plate in an interior region of the storage tank. An outlet pipe end of the pipe extends outwardly from the storage tank in an exterior region outside the storage tank. The pipe may be secured to the storage tank by placing a top plate with a pipe opening over the pipe and securing the top plate to the bottom plate with bolts. After the pipe has been secured to the storage tank, a valve may be threaded onto the outlet pipe end of the pipe to connect the valve onto the pipe at a valve pipe joint.\n\nThe design and installation of the tank fitting apparatus is important to minimize the risk of stored fluids leaking from the storage tank. There is a need for a tank fitting apparatus and method that provides for efficient installation and that reduces the potential of fluid leaks from the tank fitting apparatus.\n\nEmbodiments of the disclosure describe a tank fitting apparatus and method. The tank fitting apparatus for a storage tank includes a bottom plate apparatus.",
  "cpc": [
    "B01D 35/1573",
    "B01D 35/153",
    "B01D 35/157",
    "B29C 66/816",
    "B29C 66/8167",
    "B67D 7/005",
    "C02F 1/006",
    "F16K 27/067",
    "F16L 5/12",
    "Y10T 137/86308",
    "Y10T 137/86316"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B01D 35/153",
    "B01D 35/157",
    "B29C 65/00",
    "C02F 1/00"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Craig V. Winborn"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2017-05-26",
  "publication_date": "2019-01-15",
  "grant_date": "2019-01-15",
  "priority_date": "2017-05-26",
  "application_number": "US-201715606750-A",
  "family_id": "64400785",
  "cited_by_count": 2,
  "citations": [
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    "US7121589B2",
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    "US9322489B2",
    "US8985145B2"
  ]
}