Protective tarp with separate anchors having baffles

Abstract

A protective tarp for covering a mass includes of a flat, flexible sheet material having a top and a bottom and having a peripheral edge, with baffles that extend outwardly from the bottom edge towards the top edge, creating sub-compartments. Along the peripheral edge or along each of at least two of the plurality of edges, and separate unconnected tank compartment anchors, arranged in a predetermined pattern, having at least one fill orifice. The plurality of tank compartment anchors are hollow, flexible, and, in preferred embodiments, the tank compartment anchors and sheet material are formed of the same material. In some embodiments, the sheet material is rectangular from a top view and has four edges, the four edges being two sets of two opposite edges. There are at least two edges opposite one another which contain a plurality of tank compartment anchors.

1 . A protective tarp for covering a mass, which consists essentially of:
 a flat, flexible sheet material having a top and bottom and having a peripheral edge;   a plurality of unconnected tank compartment anchors permanently attached to a said flat, flexible sheet material and being separate and apart from one another and said peripheral edge, each of said plurality of tank component anchors having at least one fill orifice and having closure means for said at least one fill orifice and being arranged in a predetermined pattern, wherein said plurality of unconnected tank compartment anchors are hollow, flexible tank compartment anchors; each of said plurality of tank compartment anchors having a bottom edge and a top edge, and having a plurality of baffles located therein and extending outwardly from said bottom edge towards said top edge and being disparate from said top edge, so as to create sub-compartments therein and, wherein said plurality of unconnected tank compartment anchors and said sheet material are formed of the same material.   
     
     
         2 . The protective tarp of  claim 1  wherein said sheet material is rectangular from a top view and has four edges, said edges being two sets of two opposite edges. 
     
     
         3 . The protective tarp of  claim 2  wherein there are at least two edges opposite one another which contain a plurality of tank compartment anchors. 
     
     
         4 . The protective tarp of  claim 1  wherein said protective tarp is a continuous tarp of substantial predetermined length having a central area away from said edges, and having a plurality of central tank compartment anchors located at said central area. 
     
     
         5 . The protective tarp of  claim 4  wherein said central tank compartment anchors are aligned in a row at a right angle to an edge. 
     
     
         6 . The protective tarp of  claim 5  wherein there are a plurality of groups of central tank compartment anchors, each group being located at said central area at disparate sections of said central area. 
     
     
         7 . The protective tarp of  claim 6  wherein each group of said plurality of permanently attached to groups of central tank compartment anchors are located equidistant said flat flexible sheet material from one another. 
     
     
         8 . The protective tarp of  claim 6  wherein at least a portion of said central tank compartment anchors are arranged in pairs so that said tarp may be divided between said pairs to create multiple tarps with tank compartment anchors along edges thereof. 
     
     
         9 . The protective tarp of  claim 4  wherein said sheet material is rectangular from a top view and has four edges, said edges being two sets of two opposite edges. 
     
     
         10 . The protective tarp of  claim 9  wherein there are at least two edges opposite one another which contain a plurality of tank compartment anchors. 
     
     
         11 . A protective tarp for covering a mass, which consists of:
 a flat, flexible waterproof sheet material having a top and a bottom and having a plurality of non-adjacent edges;
 along each of the at least two of said plurality of non-adjacent edges, a plurality of unconnected tank compartment anchors attached to said flat, flexible waterproof sheet material and being separate and apart from one another, each having at least one fill orifice and having closure means for said at least one fill orifice and being arranged in a predetermined pattern, wherein said plurality of unconnected tank compartment anchors are hollow, flexible tank compartment anchor and, each of said plurality of tank compartment anchors having a bottom edge and a top edge, and having a plurality of baffles located therein and extending outwardly from said bottom edge towards said top edge and being disparate from said top edge, so as to create sub-compartments therein and, wherein said plurality of unconnected tank compartment anchors and said sheet material are formed of the same material. 
   
     
     
         12 . The protective tarp of  claim 11  where said sheet material is rectangular from top view and has four edges, said four edges being two sets of two opposite edges. 
     
     
         13 . The protective tarp of  claim 12  wherein there are at least two edges opposite one another which contain a plurality of tank compartment anchors. 
     
     
         14 . The protective tarp of  claim 11  wherein said protective tarp is a continuous tarp of substantial predetermined length having a central area away from said edges, and having a plurality of central tank compartment anchors located at said central area. 
     
     
         15 . The protective tarp of  claim 14  wherein said central tank compartment anchors are aligned in a row at a right angle to an edge. 
     
     
         16 . The protective tarp of  claim 15  wherein there are plurality of groups of central tank compartment anchors, each group being located at said central are at disparate sections of said central area. 
     
     
         17 . The protective tarp of  claim 16  wherein each group of said plurality of groups of central tank compartment anchors is located equidistant form one another. 
     
     
         18 . The protective tarp of  claim 16  wherein at least portion of said central tank compartment anchors are arranged in pairs so that said tarp may be cut between said pairs to create multiple tarps with tank compartment anchors along all edges thereof. 
     
     
         19 . The protective tarp of  claim 14  where said sheet material is rectangular from a top view and has four edges, said edges being two sets of two opposite edges. 
     
     
         20 . The protective tarp of  claim 19  wherein there are at least two edges opposite one another which contain a plurality of tank compartment anchors.