Subgrade vault with latching cover
AssigneeCarson Industries LLC
InventorWilliam J. Balfour, JR.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A subgrade vault with a latching cover. The vault includes a peripheral wall with an open access port at the top. A peripheral ledge surrounds the access port. A cover to close the access port fits inside it, with a latch assembly inside it and a retractable latch pin disposed to fit in an aperture in the peripheral ledge. The latch pin is retractable by the stabbing motion of a tapered tool against a cam surface on the latch pin. The cover is locked in place merely by pressing down on it.
Claims9
In combination:
- a vault having a peripheral wall and an upper access port surround by a ledge, the access port being internally bounded by a sidewall;
- a cover to close the said access port, said cover having a lip to rest on said ledge and a skirt so proportioned and arranged that when it is properly placed it will nest in said access port against said sidewall;
- a latch aperture in said sidewall forming a latch surface;
- a latch assembly mounted to said cover including a body, a latch pin having a deflector surface and a retraction surface, both at a respective angle for retraction of the latch pin, said latch assembly being placed where said deflector surface will engage the ledge so that the latch pin will be retracted while the cover is pressed onto the vault, will be extended to engage in said aperture when the cover is in place, and will be retracted when a tool is pressed against the retraction surface to retract the latch pin when the cover is to be released.
A cover removably to close an upper access port in a subgrade vault, said access port being bounded by a ledge and an internal sidewall, said sidewall having a latch aperture there-through, said cover comprising:
- a cover body having a peripheral lip disposed and arranged so as to rest on said ledge, and a depending peripheral skirt to nest within said ledge, and
- a latch assembly including a body, a latch pin having a deflector surface and a retraction surface, both at a respective angle for retraction of the latch pin, said latch assembly being placed where said deflector surface will engage the ledge so that the latch pin will be retracted while the cover is pressed onto the vault, will be extended to engage in said aperture when the cover is in place, and will be retracted when a tool is pressed against the retraction surface to retract the latch pin when the cover is to be released.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.