ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 28 -- United States Patent no. 12,535,173, issued on Jan. 27.
"Water containment apparatus" was invented by Brendan J. Rabbett (Cottage Grove, Minn.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A piece having a proximal end portion, an intermediate portion, and a distal end portion, where the portions are flexible, where the portions are integral with each other, where the intermediate and distal end portions are tubular, where the proximal end portion in a first state is non-tubular, in a second state is foldable away from the intermediate portion, and in a third state is tubular with an axis transverse to an axis of the intermediate portion. The piece may be carried in a case having...