FORM 2
The Patent Act 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
The Patent Rules  2005

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(SEE SECTION 10 AND RULE 13)

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

A system and method for rainwater harvesting for a rain gauge
triggered automatic rain water first flush diverter and filtration
system

APPLICANTS:

Name Initiative Green Habitats India LLP

Nationality Indian

Address #14&15  Trinity Enclave  1st main  Banjara layout  Horamavu  Kalkere Village  Bangalore - 560043

The following specification particularly describes and ascertains the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:-
FIELD OF INVENTION
[001] Embodiments herein relate to rain water harvesting  and more particularly to rain water harvesting using rain gauge triggered automatic rain water first flush diverter and filtration system.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[002] Rain water harvesting has become a popular and necessary solution for addressing the water crisis. Rain water harvesting systems are used to collect rain water from roofs and terraces of buildings and so on  and the collected water is stored for purposes such as drinking  irrigation or the like.
[003] Rain water from the first rains or rain after a long break will be contaminated with air-borne pollutants  leaves and twigs from trees  bacteria from decomposed insects  birds and animal droppings which are undesirable. Such water collected during rain harvesting must be flushed out to avoid pollution of the harvested water. In some of the existing rain water systems  to flush out the water with roof contaminants  a diverter valve is provided that has to be manually operated. This necessitates human intervention in these existing systems  which makes such systems inefficient and not user friendly.
[004] Further  some of the existing systems have addressed the problem of human intervention by providing a first flush diverter. One such system employs a first chamber which has an opening in its bottom portion and a second chamber  to receive water from the first chamber  provided below the first chamber. A ball is provided in the second chamber. As and when the second chamber is filled with the water from the first chamber  the ball floats up and blocks the opening provided in the first chamber thereby providing a seal  preventing the entry of any further water into the second chamber.. The water that enters the first chamber thereafter is made to pass through a filter and then to a storage tank.
[005] In the aforementioned rain water harvesting systems  it should be noted that  the entire volume of water that needs to be flushed would have to be diverted into the second chamber and stored for a set period making the system very large and unwieldy.
[006] Further  in existing systems  as discussed above  the filters get clogged and would need constant removal  cleaning and/or replacement.
[007] Further  most existing systems are non-linear systems  that lead to bending of the down-takes and outlets  which mar the elevation of the building.
[008] Therefore  there is a need for a rain water harvesting system which overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages of the existing systems.

OBJECT OF INVENTION
[009] The principal object of this invention is to provide a system for rain water harvesting in which a calibrated amount of water is used to automatically trigger the first flush.
[0010] Another object of the invention is to provide a system for rain water harvesting which uses external trigger mechanism to trigger the first flush without otherwise depending on the rainwater coming down from the roof and terrace. This ensures that the system functions optimally in all ranges of rainfall intensities and also reduces the size of the system and plumbing.
[0011] A further object of the invention is to provide a system for rain water harvesting which is capable of draining out the first flush volume of the rain according to the intervals of the rains. If the interval is short then a reduced quantity is flushed out; if the interval is long then the full first flush volume as applicable would be flushed out.
[0012] A further object of the invention is to provide a method for rain water harvesting using calibrated amount of water to automatically trigger the first flush.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[0013] This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings  throughout which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the drawings  in which:
[0014] FIG. 1 depicts the system for rain water harvesting  according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the system taken along line 2-2 of FIG.1 according to embodiments as disclosed herein.
[0016] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a dripper according to embodiments as disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
[0017] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly  the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[0018] The embodiments herein achieve channelization of rain water  automatic diversion of the polluted first rains  and filtration of the harvested rain water from any roof by providing a system for rain water harvesting. Referring now to the drawings  and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 2 where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures  there are shown preferred embodiments.
[0019] FIG. 1 depicts a system 100 for rain water harvesting. The rain water harvesting system 100 includes a rain gauge module 10  a primary filter module 20  an automatic first flush and filter module 30  a canister 40 and a dripper 50. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the system 100 of FIG. 1  and shows the internal components of the rain gauge module 10  the primary filter module 20  the automatic first flush and filter module 30 and the canister 40. The rain gauge module 10 along with the canister 40 of the system 100 facilitates for externally triggering the first flush without otherwise depending on the rainwater coming down from the roof and terrace.
[0020] The rain gauge module 10 of the system 100 has a rain gauge 12 and an informer pipe 14. The rain gauge 12 of the rain gauge module 10 is provided on the roof/terrace of the building to receive water directly from the rain. The informer pipe 14 extends from the rain gauge 12 toward the canister 40 and facilitates a flow of the water collected in the rain gauge 12 to the canister 40. The rain gauge 12 is essentially a receiver  and can be of any shape in plan and has an opening at a bottom portion thereof. An upper end of the informer pipe 14 is connected to the rain gauge 12 via the opening thereby facilitating fluid communication between the rain gauge 12 and the informer pipe 14. A lower end of the informer pipe 14 is adapted to be connected to an inlet 42 of the canister 40. The informer pipe 14 may have a diameter of 12 mm. However  it is also within the scope of the invention that the informer pipe 14 may have a different diameter without otherwise deterring the intended function of the informer pipe 14 as can be deduced from this description. Further  a filter 13 may be provided at the top end of the informer pipe 14 for filtering the water flowing from the rain gauge 12. The filter is provided to remove any dust particles that may have collected on the rain gauge 12 entering the informer pipe 14. The canister 40 is provided with an overflow aperture 44 (as shown in FIG. 2).
[0021] Further  the primary filter module 20 is provided on the automatic first flush and filter module 30. The primary filter module 20 has a chamber 22 for receiving the rain water. The chamber 22 of the primary filter module 20 has an inlet 28 for receiving the rain water from the roof/terrace and an outlet 29 for sending the water from the primary filter module 20 to the automatic first flush and filter module 30. The outlet 29 facilitates fluid connection between the primary filter module 20 and the automatic first flush and filter module 30. Further  as shown in FIG. 2  the chamber 22 of the primary filter module 20 has a filter 24 provided between the inlet 28 and the outlet 29 for filtering the water entering through the inlet 28 of the primary filter module 20. The filter 24 is disposed diagonally and hence defines a slope inside the chamber 22. The chamber 22 defines an opening 26 on a side thereof for expelling the residue accumulated on the filter 24. The filter 24 is made of steel wires defining a mesh-like grid structure. A guide pipe is provided near the inlet 28 of the chamber 22 so as to allow the water entering the chamber 22 to flow along the slope defined by the filter 24.
[0022] Further  the automatic first flush and filter module 30 of the system 100 supports the primary filter 20. The automatic first flush and filter module 30 includes a diversion chamber 32 and a first flush out chamber 34. The diversion chamber 32 is provided on the first flush out chamber 34.
[0023] Further  as shown in Fig. 2  a top portion of the diversion chamber 32 is connected to the outlet 29 provided in the chamber 22 of the primary filter module 20  thereby allowing the water from the chamber 22 to enter into the diversion chamber 32. A deflector 36 (as shown in FIG. 2) is provided in the diversion chamber 32. A bottom portion of the diversion chamber 32 defines an opening which can be closed by an extended float seal 48 provided in the canister 40. Further  when the canister 40 is filled with a predetermined amount of rain water received from the rain gauge 12 of the rain gauge module 10 via the informer pipe 14  the extended float seal 48 is configured to extend towards the bottom of the diversion chamber 32 so as to close the opening defined by the diversion chamber 32. The opening provided at the bottom portion of the diversion chamber 32 will have a rubber seal R (as shown in FIG. 2) to ensure a watertight seal. Once the opening is closed by the extended float seal 48 pressing against the rubber seal R  it forms a water-tight barrier  ensuring that no more water flows down to the first flush out chamber 34.
[0024] Further  the diversion chamber 32 is connected to a harvesting outlet 38. The harvesting outlet 38 is provided adjacent to the diversion chamber 32. When the opening defined by the bottom portion of the diversion chamber 32 is closed by the extended float seal 48 the water entering diversion chamber 32 is allowed to flow out of the harvesting outlet 38 over and through the deflector 36. A harvest water filter 33 is provided in the harvesting outlet 38 for further filtering of water. In an alternate embodiment  the harvesting outlet 38 does not include harvest water filter 33 and the water from the harvesting outlet 38 may be directly stored in a storage tank or may be connected to an external water filter  to make the harvested rainwater potable  and which is commercially available. Therefore  the aforementioned alternate embodiment and any other modification to the aforementioned alternate embodiment is also within the scope of the present invention. The first flush out chamber 34 of the automatic first flush and filter module 30 is engaged with the diversion chamber 32 at the top portion and the canister 40 at a bottom portion thereof. The first flush out chamber 34 receives an upper float 48a and a connector rod 48c of the extended float seal 48. The upper float 48a of the extended float seal 48 has dimensions which correspond to the dimensions of the opening defined by the bottom portion of the diversion chamber 32 so as to provide effective sealing between the diversion chamber 32 and the first flush out chamber 34. Further  the extended float seal 48 has a lower float 48b placed inside the canister 40. The connector rod 48c can be adjustable to achieve different lengths  or  can be of varying lengths to correspond to different levels of first flush trigger volumes within the canister 40.
[0025] Further  the first flush out chamber 34 is provided with a first flush outlet 39 for allowing the water to flow out of the first flush out chamber 34. The first flush outlet 39 may be connected to an irrigation bed  a recharge system  a drain or the like.
[0026] Further  the canister 40 provided at the bottom portion of the first flush out chamber 34 has an outlet 43 which connects to the dripper 50. The dripper 50 is configured to drain out the water collected in the canister 40 over a period of 72 to 96 hours thereby avoiding human intervention. This time period of drain out is not limited to 72 to 96 hours and can be set to shorter or longer periods of time. As shown in Fig. 3  the dripper 50 is provided with a drain out valve 56 that allows the user of the system 100 to empty out the canister 40 when greater flushing out is required or to clean the sediments that could have collected inside the canister 40. The drain out valve 56 can be opened by the user when the user does not intend to harvest the water coming down from the roof/terrace of the building. The dripper 50 includes a capillary tube bundle 52. The capillary tube bundle 52 may be made from organic fibers such as cotton  hemp or the like or from inorganic fiber such as nylon. The capillary tube bundle 52 has an inner end 51 provided near a base of the canister 40 and an outer end 53 provided at a height lower than the base of the canister 40. The outer end 53 of the capillary tube bundle 52 may be provided with a cap 54 to prevent any contamination. The capillary tube bundle 52 is formed into U-shape at the midsection thereof. A holder 55 secures the midsection of the capillary tube bundle 52. In operation  the first end 51 of the capillary tube bundle 52 absorbs the water inside the canister 40 and allows the water to pass through an entire length of the capillary tube bundle 52 to the outer end 53 by capillary action. When the absorbed water reached the outer end 53  the water starts drip and thereby producing a siphon like effect drawing further water into the capillary tube bundle 52. The process is continued till all the water in the canister 40 is discharged. The capillary tube bundle 52 may be provided with an outer cover 54 to prevent deposition of air borne dust or microbes there upon. Further  a drip rate may be modified by varying the density of the fiber used in the capillary tube bundle 52 or by varying the diameter of the capillary tube bundle 52. This would determine the reset time for the first flush. The faster the drip rate  the more frequently would the system reset for the next first flush.
[0027] The canister 40 further has a guide pipe at top end thereof. The guide pipe of the canister 40 is adapted to guide the connector rod 48c during a movement of the extended float seal 48 between the opening provided in the bottom portion of the diversion chamber 32 and the canister 40. Further  the canister 40 is sealed or protected from any water that flows down from the automatic first flush and filter module 30.
[0028] Further  a method for rain water harvesting by employing the system 100 is explained herein below. The method includes providing the rain gauge 12 of the rain gauge module 10 on a roof/terrace of the building for collecting calibrated amount of water from the rain. The water collected in the rain gauge 12 is allowed to flow through the informer pipe 14 to the inlet 42 of the canister 40. Further  the canister 40 volume is capable of being calibrated from about 0.5 mm to 3.5 mm depending upon the run-off coefficient of the roofs and the levels of suspended air pollutants and dust. The limits of caliberation can be lowered below 0.5 mm and increased above 3.0 mm rainfall by modifying the dimensions and the volume of the various components of the automatic rainwater harvesting system 100. Increase in level of the water inside the canister 40  in effect  raises the lower float 48b of the extended float seal 48 thereby moving the upper float 48a towards the opening provided at the bottom of the diversion chamber 32 of the automatic first flush and filter module 30. The overflow aperture 44  provided on the canister 40  ensures that only a first flush volume of water fills the canister 40. Any excess water coming down the informer pipe 14 from the rain gauge 12 would overflow from this overflow aperture 44.
[0029] Further  the rainwater harvesting system 100 is also provided on the rainwater pipe coming down from the roof/terrace of the building so as to receive water from the rain. The rainwater pipe is connected to the top portion of the primary filter 20. The water that flows from the roof/terrace in the down pipe is then allowed to flow through the inlet 28 and the filter 24 of the chamber 22 of the primary filter module 20 for filtering the roof contaminants in the water. The roof contaminants thus retained by the filter 24 is expelled through the opening 26 defined by the chamber 22. The filtered water from the chamber 22 enters the diversion chamber 32 of the automatic first flush and filter module 30 via the outlet 29 .
[0030] Further  the rainwater enters the diversion chamber 32 of the rainwater harvesting system 100 after passing through the primary filter module 20. The water then falls on the deflector 36 provided thereby ensuring that no direct pressure due to water flow or height of fall impacts the splash of water within the diversion chamber 36  or  the upper float 48a. The deflector forces the water to flow towards the sides of the diversion chamber in a manner where it does not automatically flow towards the harvesting outlet 38  unless the opening provided at the bottom portion of the diversion chamber 32 is closed by the movement of the upper float 48a.
[0031] At the beginning of rain after a gap of more than four days or after a period of 72-96 hours  the lower float 48b of the extended float seal 48 is in a lowered position. This is because the water collected in the canister 40 will be drained out by the dripper 50 after a period of 72-96 hours. Therefore  there will be no sealing effect between the opening of the diversion chamber 32 and the upper float 48a of the extended float seal 48. As a result  the water entering the diversion chamber 32 also enters the first flush out chamber 34 and exits through the first flush outlet 39.
[0032] Further  when the canister 40 is filled with predetermined amount of water from the rain gauge module 10  the extended float seal 48 rises and the upper float 48a of the extended float seal 48 seals the opening provided at the bottom portion of the diversion chamber 32. Upon sealing of the opening of the diversion chamber 32  the water received in the diversion chamber 32 is diverted to harvesting outlet 38 via the deflector 36. In one embodiment  the water thus diverted is filtered by the filter 33 provided in the harvesting outlet 38. In an alternative embodiment  the diverted water may directly be provided to a storage tank for consumption purposes.
[0033] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can  by applying current knowledge  readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept  and  therefore  such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore  while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments  those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.

WE CLAIM-
1. A system for rain water harvesting  said system comprising:
an external first flush triggering mechanism having
a rain gauge module comprising a rain gauge configured to receive a calibrated amount of water directly from rain and an informer pipe connected to the rain gauge at one end thereof; and
a canister adapted to be connected to said rain gauge by another end of said informer pipe  wherein
said canister is adapted to retain an extended float seal moveable between a closed position  where rain water is allowed to enter a harvesting outlet for filtering and storage  and an open position  where rain water is flushed out.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1  wherein said system further comprises
a primary filter module;
an automatic first flush and filter module configured to be provided below said primary filter module  said automatic first flush and filter module includes a diversion chamber defining an opening at a bottom portion thereof  and a first flush out chamber; and
a dripper connected to said canister  wherein
said extended float seal  in the closed position  closes the opening defined by the diversion chamber.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2  wherein the primary filter module has a chamber including
an inlet adapted to receive water from roof/terrace of a building;
a filter disposed diagonally inside the chamber thereby defining a slope;
a guide pipe provided near the inlet  said guide pipe adapted to allow the rainwater that enters the system to flow along the slope of the filter;
an opening provided near the filter to expel contaminants; and
an outlet provided at a bottom portion of the chamber to allow the filtered water into the diversion chamber.

4. The system as claimed in claim 3  wherein a deflector is provided inside said diversion chamber.

5. The system as claimed in claim 3  wherein
a harvesting outlet is provided adjacent to said diversion chamber; and
said harvesting outlet is in fluid communication with said diversion chamber.

6. The system as claimed in claim 2  wherein said informer pipe has a diameter of about 12 mm.

7. The system as claimed in claim 2  wherein the extended float seal has
an upper float configured to close the opening of the diversion chamber;
a lower float located inside said canister; and
a connector rod connecting the upper float and the lower float.

8. A method for rain water harvesting  said method comprising:
providing an external first flush triggering mechanism  said external first flush triggering mechanism having a rain gauge module and a canister.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8  wherein
the rain gauge module includes a rain gauge and an informer pipe  said rain gauge is provided on a roof of a building and is adapted to receive a calibrated amount of water directly from rain.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9  wherein the method further comprises 
allowing the calibrated amount of water collected in the rain gauge to flow into a canister thereby pushing an extended float seal contained in the canister towards an opening on the base of the diversion chamber which receives water from a primary filter module;
filtering the rain water received by the primary filter module;
allowing the filtered rain water from the primary filter module to enter into the diversion chamber;
deflecting the water in the diversion chamber to pass through a harvesting outlet provided adjacent to the diversion chamber.
11. The system as claimed in claim 2  wherein said dripper comprises:
at least a capillary tube bundle having a first end adapted to be in contact with the water inside the canister and a second end disposed away and below a base of the canister  wherein
said capillary tube bundle has a plurality of fibers therein; and
said second end of the capillary tube is provided with a cap.

12. A dripper for controlled discharge of a fluid from a container  said dripper comprising:
at least a capillary tube bundle having a first end adapted to be in contact with the fluid inside the container and a second end disposed away and below a base of the container  wherein
said capillary tube bundle has a plurality of fibers therein; and
said second end of the capillary tube is provided with a cap  wherein
said first end is adapted to absorb the fluid inside the container and allow the fluid to pass through an entire length of the capillary tube bundle through capillary action.
Dated 26th Aug 2011


Dr. Kalyan Chakravarthy
Patent Agent

Abstract
A system 100 for rain water harvesting includes a rain gauge module 10  a primary filter module 20  an automatic first flush and filter module 30  a canister 40 and a dripper 50. The rain gauge module 10 along with the canister 40 of the system 100 facilitates for externally triggering the first flush without otherwise depending on the rainwater coming down from the roof and terrace. The rain gauge module 10 of the system 100 has a rain gauge 12 and an informer pipe 14. The primary filter module 20 is provided on the automatic first flush and filter module 30. The automatic first flush and filter module 30 of the system 100 supports the primary filter 20.FIG. 2