Self-cleaning flooring system

Abstract

A self-cleaning flooring system for catching waste products has at least one module comprising a drain pan and a floor grid. The drain pan has a ramp and a central drain outlet. The ramp extends around the drain pan defining a drain pan periphery. The ramp slopes downward from the drain pan periphery towards the drain outlet. The drain pan periphery has a plurality of discharge ports spaced therealong for discharge of flushing fluid onto the ramp such that the waste products are washed down the ramp towards the drain outlet. The floor grid extends across the drain pan and is mounted upon the drain pan periphery for supporting personnel standing thereon while permitting waste products to pass therethrough. The module is interconnectable to horizontally adjacent modules to form the flooring system,

1 . A self-cleaning flooring system for catching waste products and having at least one module, the module comprising: 
 a drain pan having a ramp and a central drain outlet, the ramp extending around the drain pan, defining a drain pan periphery and sloping downward therefrom towards the drain outlet, the drain pan periphery having a plurality of discharge ports spaced therealong for discharge of flushing fluid onto the ramp such that the waste products are washed down the ramp towards the drain outlet; and    at least one floor grid extending across the drain pan and mounted upon the drain pan periphery for supporting personnel standing thereon while permitting waste products to pass therethrough.    
   
   
       2 . The module of  claim 1  further comprising at least one side wall extending upwardly from the drain pan periphery and enclosing the drain pan, the ramp sloping downward from the side wall towards the drain outlet, the floor grid being mounted upon the side wall, the discharge ports being disposed therewithin.  
   
   
       3 . The module of  claim 1  wherein the drain pan has a rectangular shape and the floor grid is sized to match the shape of the drain pan.  
   
   
       4 . The module of  claim 2  wherein the side wall includes a hollow passage and at least one fluid inlet, the fluid inlet being in fluid communication with the hollow passage for delivering flushing fluid to the discharge ports.  
   
   
       5 . The module of  claim 1  further comprising spray nozzles and wherein the discharge ports are internally threaded for threadably mounting the spray nozzles therein.  
   
   
       6 . The module of  claim 1  wherein the drain pan is formed of polyvinylchloride material by injection molding as a unitary structure.  
   
   
       7 . The module of  claim 1  wherein the floor grid is formed of formed of fiber reinforced material arranged in an array of spaced parallel grid members joined together with transversely disposed spaced grid members.  
   
   
       8 . The module of  claim 4  further comprising a plurality of dowels and wherein the side walls  26  include complimentary apertures sized and configured for receiving the dowels for interconnecting horizontally adjacent modules.  
   
   
       9 . A self-cleaning flooring system for catching waste products and having at least one module, the module comprising: 
 a drain pan having a rectangular shape and including a drain channel, a pair of ramps, a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls, the ramps being disposed on either side of the drain channel and sloping downward from each side wall theretowards, the drain channel interposed between the side walls and extending between the end walls and including a central drain outlet, the drain channel sloping downward from each end wall towards the drain outlet, the side and end walls extending upwardly from the ramps and drain channel and enclosing the drain pan, each side wall having a plurality of discharge ports for releasing flushing fluid onto the ramp such that waste products are washed down the ramp towards the drain channel; and    at least one floor grid extending between and mounted upon the side walls for supporting personnel standing thereon while permitting waste products to pass therethrough.    
   
   
       10 . The module of  claim 9  wherein the span between the end walls defines a length of the module, and the floor grid comprises a plurality of abutting floor grids disposed parallel to each other and being sized such that the length of the module matches the overall length of the abutting floor grids.  
   
   
       11 . The module of  claim 9  wherein the drain channel is recessed between each ramp and the drain pan further comprises an elongate channel stringer  44  disposed above the drain channel, the channel stringer  44  configured to retain waste products thereon while allowing fluid to pass therethrough into the drain channel.  
   
   
       12 . The module of  claim 9  wherein the span between the side walls defines a width of the module, and the drain pan includes a plurality of parallel rib members disposed widthwise thereunder for supporting the module.  
   
   
       13 . The module of  claim 10  wherein the width of the drain pan is no more than about 30 inches.  
   
   
       14 . The module of  claim 9  wherein the drain pan is formed of polyvinylchloride material by injection molding as a unitary structure.  
   
   
       15 . The module of  claim 9  further comprising spray nozzles and wherein the discharge ports are internally threaded for threadably mounting the spray nozzles therein.  
   
   
       16 . The module of  claim 9  wherein the side wall includes a hollow passage and at least one fluid inlet, the fluid inlet being in fluid communication with the hollow passage for delivering flushing fluid to the discharge ports, the end panels having at least one overflow passage disposed proximate the drain channel for allowing flushing fluid to flow between an adjacent module.  
   
   
       17 . The module of  claim 9  wherein the floor grid is formed of perforated stainless steel.  
   
   
       18 . The module of  claim 9  further comprising a plurality of dowels and wherein the side walls and end walls include complimentary apertures sized and configured for receiving the dowels for interconnecting horizontally adjacent modules.  
   
   
       19 . A self-cleaning flooring system for catching waste products and having at least one drain pan assembly, the drain pan assembly comprising: 
 a drain pan section including a first ramp section, a second ramp section, and a channel section, the first and second ramp sections being inclined and each defining upper and lower side portions, the lower side portions of first and second ramp sections being interconnectable to the channel section, the channel section including a drain outlet, the upper side portions having a plurality of discharge ports spaced therealong for discharge of flushing fluid onto the ramp such that the waste products are washed down the first and second ramp sections towards the channel section and into the drain outlet; and    at least one floor grid extending between and mounted upon the upper side portions of the first and second ramp sections for supporting personnel standing thereon while permitting waste products to pass therethrough.    
   
   
       20 . The drain pan assembly of  claim 19  wherein the first and second ramp sections include a plurality of spaced floor grid supports extending vertically therefrom for supporting the floor grid.  
   
   
       21 . The drain pan assembly of  claim 19  wherein the drain pan section is connectable to adjacent drain sections on either end thereof.  
   
   
       22 . The drain pan assembly of  claim 19  further comprising at least one end plate for sealing the drain pan section against the end plate.  
   
   
       23 . The drain pan assembly of  claim 19  further comprising an elongate channel stringer  44  sized to match the width of the channel section and wherein the drain channel is recessed below the lower side portions of the first and second ramp sections and the channel stringer  44  is disposed in alignment thereon, the channel stringer  44  configured to retain waste products thereupon while allowing fluid to pass therethrough into the channel section.  
   
   
       24 . The drain pan assembly of  claim 19  wherein the first pan section is about 24 inches wide, the second pan section is about  36  inches wide, the channel section is about 12 inches wide and the length of the second pan and channel sections is no more than 30 inches.  
   
   
       25 . The drain pan assembly of  claim 19  wherein the first and second pan sections and channel section are injection molded into separate articles of polymer material.