Underdrain pipe

Claim 2

An underdrain pipe, comprising: a pipe wall including sectionally rectangular wall portions and sectionally circular wall portions disposed alternately in a longitudinal direction of said pipe, said pipe wall having a number of water collecting holes disposed in said pipe wall, each of said sectionally rectangular wall portions and said sectionally circular wall portions having inner surfaces disposed to form a substantially uniform bottom inner surface of said pipe for transporting a fluid therethrough in a continuous manner, wherein said substantially uniform bottom inner surface of said pipe for transporting a fluid, the inner surface of said sectionally rectangular wall portions and said inner surface of said sectionally circular wall portions are on a same plane.

Claim 3

The underdrain pipe as in claim 1, wherein each of said sectionally rectangular wall portions has a shape of an approximate square with arcuate corners.

Claim 4

The underdrain pipe as in claim 1, wherein said number of water collecting hoes are disposed in said sectionally circular wall portions of said pipe wall.

Claim 5

The underdrain pipe as in claim 1, wherein said number of water collecting holes are disposed in said sectionally rectangular wall portions of said pipe wall.

Claim 6

The underdrain pipe as in claim 1, wherein said number of water collecting holes are disposed in said sectionally rectangular wall portions and said circular wall portions of said pipe wall.

Claim 7

The underdrain pipe as in claim 1, wherein said number of water collecting holes are disposed in said pipe wall except in a bottom flat side of each of said sectionally rectangular wall portions and a bottom portion of each of said sectionally circular wall portions.

Claim 8

The underdrain pipe as in claim 6, wherein at least one of said sectionally rectangular wall portions stabilize a position of said pipe so that a fluid passing through said pipe does not exit through said water collecting holes.

Claim 9

The underdrain pipe as in claim 1, wherein said pipe wall is made of a material selected from the group consisting of synthetic resin and rubber.

Claim 10

The underdrain pipe as in claim 1, wherein said substantially uniform inner surface of said pipe transports said fluid through the pipe without stagnation under low resistance conditions.

Claim 11

The underdrain pipe according to claim 1, wherein a center axis defined by said sectionally rectangular wall portions and extending in the longitudinal direction of said pipe is accentrically aligned with a center axis defined by said sectionally circular wall portions and extending in the longitudinal direction.

Claim 12

An underdrain pipe, comprising: a pipe wall including sectionally rectangular wall portions and sectionally circular wall portions disposed alternately in a longitudinal direction of said pipe, said pipe wall having a number of water collecting holes disposed in said pipe wall, in which said sectionally rectangular wall portions and said sectionally circular wall portions are integrally and continuously formed by a material selected from a group consisting of synthetic resin and rubber, wherein each of said sectionally rectangular wall portions and said sectionally circular wall portions have inner surfaces on a same plane which are disposed to form a substantially uniform bottom inner surface of said pipe for transporting a fluid therethrough in a continuous manner.

Claim 13

An underdrain pipe, comprising: a pipe wall including sectionally rectangular wall portions and sectionally circular wall portions disposed alternately in a longitudinal direction of said pipe, said pipe wall having a number of water collecting holes disposed in said pipe wall, in which said sectionally rectangular wall portions and said sectionally circular wall portions are integrally and continuously formed by a material selected from a group consisting of synthetic resin and rubber, wherein each of said sectionally rectangular wall portions and said sectionally circular wall portions have inner surfaces on a same plane which are disposed to form a substantially uniform bottom inner surface of said pipe for transporting a fluid therethrough in a continuous manner.

Claim 14

The underdrain pipe according to claim 11, wherein each of said sectionally rectangular wall portions has a shape of an approximate square with arcuate corners.

Claim 15

The underdrain pipe according to claim 11, wherein said substantially uniform inner surface of said pipe transports said fluid through the pipe without stagnation under a low resistance condition.

Claim 16

The underdrain pipe according to claim 11, wherein the number of water collecting holes are disposed in the sectionally circular wall portions of said pipe wall.

Claim 17

The underdrain pipe according to claim 11, wherein the number of water collecting holes are disposed in the sectionally rectangular wall portions of said pipe wall.

Claim 18

The underdrain pipe according to claim 11, wherein the number of water collecting holes are disposed in the sectionally circular wall portions and the sectionally rectangular wall portions of said pipe wall.

Claim 19

The underdrain pipe according to claim 11, wherein the number of water collecting holes are disposed in said pipe wall except in a bottom flat side of each of said sectionally rectangular wall portions and a bottom portion of each of said sectionally circular wall portions.

Claim 20

The underdrain pipe according to claim 17, wherein at least one of said sectionally rectangular wall portions stabilize a position of said pipe so that a fluid passing through said pipe does not exit through said water collecting holes.

Claim 21

The flexible underdrain pipe according to claim 11, wherein a center axis defined by said sectionally rectangular wall portions and extending in the longitudinal direction of said pipe is accentrically aligned with a center axis defined by said sectionally circular wall portions and extending in the longitudinal direction.

Claim 22

An underdrain pipe comprising: a pipe wall including sectionally rectangular wall portions and sectionally circular wall portions disposed alternately in a longitudinal direction of said pipe, said pipe wall having a number of water collecting holes disposed in said pipe wall, wherein: said sectionally rectangular wall portions and said sectionally circular wall portions are integrally and continuously formed by a material selected from the group consisting of synthetic resin and rubber, said number of water collecting holes are disposed in said pipe wall except in a bottom flat side of each of said sectionally rectangular wall portions and a bottom portion of each of said sectionally circular wall portions, and each of said sectionally rectangular wall portions and said sectionally circular wall portions have inner surfaces on a same plane which are disposed to form a substantially uniform bottom inner surface of said pipe for transporting a fluid therethrough in a continuous manner.

Claim 23

An underdrain pipe comprising: a pipe wall including sectionally rectangular wall portions and sectionally circular wall portions disposed alternately in a longitudinal direction of said pipe, said pipe wall having a number of water collecting holes disposed in said pipe wall, wherein: said sectionally rectangular wall portions and said sectionally circular wall portions are integrally and continuously formed by a material selected from the group consisting of synthetic resin and rubber, said number of water collecting holes are disposed in said pipe wall except in a bottom flat side of each of said sectionally rectangular wall portions and a bottom portion of each of said sectionally circular wall portions, and each of said sectionally rectangular wall portions and said sectionally circular wall portions have inner surfaces on a same plane which are disposed to form a substantially uniform bottom inner surface of said pipe for transporting a fluid therethrough in a continuous manner.

Claim 24

A method for manufacturing a underdrain pipe as recited in claim 20, said method comprising: forming said water collecting holes after molding and solidifying a pipe blank having said sectionally rectangular wall portions and sectionally circular wall portions except for the water collecting holes.

Claim 25

An underdrain pipe, comprising a pipe wall including sectionally rectangular wall portions and substantially sectionally circular wall portions disposed alternately in a longitudinal direction of said pipe, said pipe wall having a number of water collecting holes disposed in said pipe wall, said sectionally rectangular wall portions and substantially sectionally circular wall portions having lower flat sides residing on a same plane which form an even inner surface of said pipe for transporting fluid therethrough in a continuous manner.

Claim 26

An underdrain pipe, comprising a pipe wall including sectionally rectangular wall portions and substantially sectionally circular wall portions disposed alternately in a longitudinal direction of said pipe, said pipe wall having a number of water collecting holes disposed in said pipe wall, said sectionally rectangular wall portions and substantially sectionally circular wall portions having lower flat sides residing on a same plane which form an even inner surface of said pipe for transporting fluid therethrough in a continuous manner.