Collecting device for ceiling leaks

Claim 1

For use in collecting water and debris falling from a leak in the ceiling of a room, a collecting device for ceiling leaks, comprising a collapsible tripod member adapted to rest upon a floor surface beneath said ceiling leak and having a single extensible rod section mounted thereon and upstanding from said tripod member, said rod section comprising a tubular standard upstanding from said tripod member, a tubular extension rod telescopically slidable within said tubular standard, and a further extension rod telescopically slidable within said tubular extension rod, said rods being movable for extension toward and away from said ceiling leak, a collecting section mounted on the free upper end of said rod section and comprising a hollow cup member removably mounted on said rod section, and a collapsible funnel member having an open top end and a bottom end of reduced cross-sectional area communicating with said hollow cup member, said funnel member comprising a collapsible frame and a cover of water-impervious flexible material covering the sides of said frame, said collapsible frame comprising a plurality of metal strips hinged to each other and arranged to form an open rectangular frame section and to collapse to a flattened position, and a plurality of metal rods connected at one end to said metal strips and at the other end to said hollow cup member, and an elongated flexible drainage pipe communicating with said hollow cup member, the extensible rod section being of sufficient length, when extended, to position the open top end of the supported funnel member beneath and close to said ceiling leak, said drainage pipe being of sufficient length to carry the water, collected from said ceiling leak by said funnel, to a receptacle remote from said collecting device.