Safety railing for utility hatch
AssigneeMadruga Iron Works, Inc.
InventorsJoseph R. Madruga, Chad W. Crocker, Brian T. McAnulty, Raymond M. Madruga, Vincent L. Tortorelli
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A safety railing system for an underground utility enclosure includes a utility hatch frame for the underground utility enclosure or a utility hatch cover for the utility hatch frame, and a folding safety railing. The folding safety railing includes a first panel pivotally connected to the utility hatch frame or the utility hatch cover, and a second panel pivotally connected to the first panel. The folding safety railing unfolds so the first and the second panels stand vertically along one or more edges of the utility hatch frame.
Claims20
A safety railing system for an underground enclosure, comprising:
- a hatch frame for the underground enclosure;
- a first folding safety railing, comprising:
- a first panel having a first edge pivotally connected to a first edge of the hatch frame;
- and
- a second panel pivotally connected to a second edge of the first panel, the second edge of the first panel being perpendicular to the first edge of the first panel;
- a second folding safety railing, comprising:
- a third panel having a first edge pivotally connected to a second edge of the hatch frame, the second edge of the hatch frame being parallel to the first edge of the hatch frame;
- and
- a fourth panel pivotally connected to a second edge of the third panel, the second edge of the third panel being perpendicular to the first edge of the third panel.
A safety railing system for an underground enclosure, comprising:
- a first hatch cover, the first hatch cover pivotally connected to a hatch frame for the underground enclosure;
- a first folding safety railing, comprising:
- a first panel pivotally connected to the first hatch cover;
- and
- a second panel pivotally connected to the first panel, wherein:
- a first edge of the first panel is pivotally connected to the first hatch cover;
- and
- the second panel is pivotally connected to a second edge of the first panel, the first edge and the second edge being parallel.
A safety railing system for an underground enclosure, comprising:
- a hatch frame for the underground enclosure or a first hatch cover for the hatch frame;
- and
- a first folding safety railing, comprising:
- a first panel pivotally connected to the hatch frame or the first hatch cover;
- a second panel pivotally connected to the first panel;
- and
- first and second extensions that are extendable from the first and the second panels to increase the first folding safety railing's height.
A method for operating a safety railing system for an underground enclosure, comprising:
- swinging open or removing a first hatch cover from a hatch frame for the underground enclosure to expose a first folding safety railing that was in the underground enclosure;
- and
- unfolding the first folding safety railing along at least one edge of the hatch frame, comprising:
- swinging open a first panel pivotally connected to the hatch frame or the first hatch cover;
- and
- swinging open a second panel pivotally connected to the first panel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.