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US 4,461,597 AGranted
Valve box cover
OwnerGerard F. Laurininventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cover capable of being both locked in position within a valve box or manhole cover and lifted upwards to assist in its removal, having a rotating bolt therein which maneuvers a lever base upwards or downwards which lever base causes the rotation of a lock lift lever extending through a slot in the side of the cover and which, when moved downwards, causes the lock member portion of the lock lift lever to tighten against the valve box and which when raised, rotates a lift member portion against the seat of the valve box thereby jacking the cover upwards so that it can be easily removed.
Claims15
A cover of the type used in a valve box, manhole or the like of the type providing a cover seat comprising:
- a rotatable bolt located within said cover;
- a lever base threadedly engaged on said bolt under said cover and adapted to be raised or lowered upon alternate-direction rotation of said bolt;
- at least one pivoting attachment means affixed to said lever base;
- at least one slot defined within the side of said cover;
- a lock lift lever pivotally attached to said pivoting attachment means on said lever base and extending through said slot;
- a lift member portion formed as the upper part of said lock lift lever, the lift member portion being adapted to extend through said slot and to extend over the seat of said valve box;
- and
- a lock member portion formed as the lower part of said lock lift lever, the lock member portion extending perpendicularly downward from said lift member portion and also being adapted to extend through said slot when said bolt is rotated and the lever base is lowered, thereby causing said lock member portion to be forced against an interior wall portion of said valve box to lock said cover in place, rotation of the bolt in the opposite direction acting to raise said lever base and to rotate said lock lift lever, thereby forcing said lift member portion downward against the seat of said valve box and said lock member portion away from the interior wall portion of said valve box to raise said cover from the seat upon which it rests and to unlock the cover.
5 more elements
Apparatus for covering the opening of a valve box, manhole or similar structure having a cover seat, comprising:
- a cover having portions which contact the cover seat for substantially covering the opening of the valve box, the cover having at least one slot formed therein in juxtaposition to the cover seat of the valve box and interior wall portions of said valve box proximate to said cover seat;
- and
- locking and unlocking means carried by the cover and having at least a portion extending externally of the valve box to allow manipulation of said means from externally of the valve box for locking the cover on manipulation of said means in a first direction and for unlocking and lifting the cover on manipulation of said means in a second direction, the locking and unlocking means comprising:
- a bolt carried by and extending through the cover and adapted for rotation from externally of the valve box, the bolt having a threaded end portion disposed internally of the valve box;
- lever base means received on the threaded end portion of the bolt for reciprocating movement along the bolt on rotation of said bolt;
- mounting means carried by the lever base means for mounting portions internal of said valve box of the locking and unlocking means to said lever base means;
- and
- lock lift lever means having a first portion mounted to the mounting means for movement of the lock lift lever means relative to said mounting means, the lock lift lever means having a lift member portion spaced from said first portion and extending at least partially through the slot formed in the cover plate for contacting the seat cover of the valve box, the lock lift lever means further having a lock member portion disposed adjacent to and spaced from the lift member portion in facing relation to the interior wall portions of the valve box proximate to the seat cover and extending at least partially through the slot formed in the cover for contacting the interior wall portions of the valve box and thereby locking the apparatus in covering relation to the valve box on rotation of the bolt in a sense which increases the spacing between the lever base means and the cover, thereby to force surfaces of the lock member portion against said interior wall portions of the valve box, rotation of the bolt in the opposite sense acting to decrease the spacing between the lever base means and the cover, thereby both to displace the lock member portions away from the interior wall portions of the valve box and thus to unlock the cover and also to force the lift member portion against the seat cover of the valve box to lift the cover from the cover seat.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.