Curb box and method
AssigneeFlextexx Inc.
InventorDOMENIC VENTRICE
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A curb box for underground gas and water services includes a tubular member such as a pipe that extends from a valve in an underground line up to surface. A resiliently flexible tubular member segment is installed in the tubular member between an uppermost end of the tubular member and a lower portion of the tubular member. The resiliently flexible tubular member segment allows the uppermost end to resiliently flex relative to the lower portion. As such, if impacted, the uppermost end can resiliently yield at the resiliently flexible tubular member, thereby preventing the tubular member from being bent and rendered inoperable as a conduit to the valve in the underground line.
Claims16
A curb box comprising:
- a housing with a hollow inner cavity and configured to overlie a valve of a utility service;
- and
- a stem coupled to the housing and extending upwardly from the housing, the stem including two or more tubular segments joined end-to-end, at least one of the tubular segments being laterally, resiliently bendable and an internal passageway extending through the two or more tubular segments to provide access from an opening at an uppermost end of the stem through to the housing.
A method for accessing a buried valve, the method comprising:
- installing a housing of a curb box about a valve and with a stem of the curb box extending substantially vertically upwardly from the housing;
- adding fill about the curb box to bury the housing and a lower portion of the stem, while leaving a laterally resilient portion of the stem at least partially protruding above a pre-grade level of the fill;
- leaving the laterally resilient portion in a substantially vertical protruding position above the pre-grade level, the laterally resilient portion being configured to withstand lateral applications of force with the ability to resiliently recover to the substantially vertical protruding position;
- and accessing the valve within the curb box by inserting a straight tool through a passageway within the stem, which is open and substantially straight.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.