Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02534771 2006-01-26
-~;
Docket No. CORR-001
APPLICATION
FOR UNITED STATES LETTERS PATENT
SPECIFICATION
i5
TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
20 BE IT KNOWN THAT I, Robert F. Corr, a citizen of the United States, have
invented a new and useful utility cover system of which the following is a
specification:
-I- _.
CA 02534771 2006-01-26
Utility Cover System
S
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not applicable to this application.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY
SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable to this application.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to utility access structures
positioned
within asphalt or concrete roads and more specifically it relates to a utility
cover
system for preventing water leakage into a utility access structure within a
road surface
and for eliminating the need for expensive adjustment structures.
-2-
CA 02534771 2006-01-26
Description of the Related Art
Utility access structures have been in use for years for various utilizes such
as
utility valves (e.g. valve covers), sewers (e.g. manholes) and catch basins.
The utility
access structures typically have a housing structure positioned within the
road surface
with a cover removably attached thereto. The housing structure and the cover
are
typically comprised of a hard material such as metal.
One of the problems with conventional utility access structures is that they
allow surface water to flow into the access structures thereby damaging the
components within the access structure. Another problem is that when an
asphalt road
is resurfaced, an upper portion of the asphalt may be ground off which can
cause
damage to the access structure. In addition, it is often times required that
workers
manually remove the asphalt surrounding the access structure which is labor
intensive
and time consuming. To solve the resurfacing problem, adjustable structures
(e.g.
adjustment rings, etc.) have been created but they are extremely expensive and
noisy
for surrounding residents.
Examples of patented devices which may be related to the present invention
include U.S. Patent 5,536,110 to Tompkins et al.; U.S. Patent 6,196,760 to
Sinclair;
U.S. Patent 5,723,192 to Jonasz; U.S. Patent 4,368,893 to Gagas; U.S. Patent
5,564,855 to Anderson; U.S. Patent 5,876,533 to House et al.; U.S. Patent
6,179,518 to
Suatac; U.S. Patent 4,469,467 to Odill et al.; U.S. Patent 5,299,884 to
Westhoff et al.;
U.S. Patent 3,858,998 to Larsson et al.; U.S. Patent 4,145,151 to Helms; U.S.
Patent
4,540,310 to Ditcher et al.; and U.S. Patent 387,181 to Sinclair.
r
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they
address, they are not as suitable for preventing water leakage into a utility
entrance
within a road surface and for eliminating the need for expensive adjustment
structures.
-3-
CA 02534771 2006-01-26
Conventional utility access structures are prone to water leakage and
interfere with
road resurfacing.
In these respects, the utility cover system according to the present invention
substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior
art, and
in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of
preventing
water leakage into a utility entrance within a road surface and for
eliminating the need
for expensive adjustment structures.
?0
-4-
_..
CA 02534771 2006-01-26
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of utility
access structures now present in the prior art, the present invention provides
a new
utility cover system construction wherein the same can be utilized for
preventing water
leakage into a utility entrance within a road surface and for eliminating the
need for
expensive adjustment structures.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises an outer frame
having
an opening defined by an inner tapered edge, and a wedge cover having an outer
tapered edge that fits within the opening of the outer frame. The outer frame
preferably has an inner segment and an outer segment, wherein the outer
segment is
thinner than the inner segment.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of
the
invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better
understood, and
in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
There are
additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and
that will form
the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in
detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its
application to the
details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in
the
following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable
of other
embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it
is to be
understood that the phraseology and terminology, employed herein are for the
purpose
of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.
-5-
CA 02534771 2006-01-26
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a utility cover system
that will overcome the shortcomings of the prior art devices.
A second object is to provide a utility cover system for preventing water
leakage into a utility entrance within a road surface and for eliminating the
need for
expensive adjustment structures.
Another object is to provide a utility cover system that is rugged, flexible,
lightweight, inexpensive and easy to handle.
1C
An additional object is to provide a utility cover system that provides a
watertight seal about a utility access structure.
A further object is to provide a utility cover system that absorbs vehicle
impact
and disperses vehicle weight thereby reducing damage to the utility access
structure.
Another object is to provide a utility cover system that can be ground with
the
asphalt during a road-resurfacing project thereby reducing the amount of time
and
labor required to resurface a road.
A further object is to provide a utility cover system that may be stacked to
various heights to adjust for differing road surface depths.
Another object is to provide a utility cover system that may be utilized with
various types, sizes and shapes of utility access structures.
A further object is to provide a utility cover system that still allows for
complete and unobstructed access to the utility without hardware installation.
-6-
CA 02534771 2006-01-26
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become obvious to
the
reader and it is intended that these objects and advantages are within the
scope of the
present invention.
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be
embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being
called
to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that
changes may be
made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope
of the
appended claims.
-7-
CA 02534771 2006-01-26
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present
invention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood
when
considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like
reference
characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views,
and
wherein:
FIG. 1 is an exploded upper perspective view of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1.
FIG. 3 is an exploded upper perspective view of the present with respect to a
utility access structure with the existing road surface.
FIG. 4 is an upper perspective view of the present invention positioned about
the utility access structure and upon the existing road surface.
FIG. 5 is an upper perspective view of the present invention partially
surrounding by a new road surface.
FIG. 6 is a side cutaway view of the present invention positioned about a
utility
access structure in a sealed manner. -
FIG. 7 is a side cutaway view of the present invention with the wedge cover
being partially removed with a tool.
-8-
CA 02534771 2006-01-26
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A. Overview
Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference
characters denote similar elements throughout the several views, FIGS. 1
through 7
illustrate a utility cover system 10, which comprises an outer frame 30 having
an
opening defined by an inner tapered edge 32, and a wedge cover 20 having an
outer
tapered edge 24 that fits within the opening of the outer frame 30. The outer
frame 30
preferably has an inner segment 34 and an outer segment 36, wherein the outer
segment 36 is thinner than the inner segment 34.
B. Outer Frame
The outer frame 30 has an opening defined by an inner tapered edge 32 as best
illustrated in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings. The outer frame 30 may have
various
shapes such as but not limited to rectangular, circular and the like. The
outer frame 30
preferably has an inner segment 34 and an outer segment 36 as shown in Figures
I and
3 of the drawings.
The outer frame 30 is preferably comprised of a resilient and flexible
material
such as rubber and the like. However, the outer frame 30 may be comprised of a
rigid
structure.
The outer segment 36 preferably is thinner than the inner segment 34 forming a
stepped structure as best illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings. The inner
segment 34
and the outer segment 36 preferably have a common lower portion as further
shown in
Figure 2 of the drawings. The lower portion of the outer segment 36 is
preferably
positioned upon the old road surface 14, wherein the old road surface 14 may
have
been ground to a lowered level through resurfacing procedures. The lower
portion of
-9-
CA 02534771 2006-01-26
the outer frame 30 is preferably attached and sealed utilizing an adhesive or
other
bonding agent. The outer segment 36 of the outer frame 30 is utilized for
receiving the
new road surface 16 applied over the old road surface 14 as shown in Figures 6
and 7
of the drawings.
As shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, the inner tapered edge 32 tapers
inwardly
and upwardly. The inner tapered edge 32 may have an angled structure, curved
structure or other shaped structure. The wedge cover 20 is formed to
preferably snugly
fit within the opening within the outer frame 30.
C. Wedge Cover
The wedge cover 20 has an outer tapered edge 24 that corresponds to the inner
tapered edge 32 of the outer frame 30 as shown in Figures 1 through 3 of the
drawings.
The wedge cover 20 may have various shapes such as but not limited to
rectangular,
circular and the like. However, the wedge cover 20 is preferably formed to a
shape
and size similar to the opening within the outer frame 30.
The., wedge cover 20 is preferably comprised of a resilient and flexible
material
such as rubber and the like. The flexibility of the wedge cover 20 allows it
to be
removed from the outer frame 30 by prying with a tool 15 or other device.
As shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, the outer tapered edge 24 preferably
tapers inwardly and upwardly corresponding to the inner tapered edge 32. The
wedge
cover 20 is removably positionable within the opening of the outer frame 30 as
best
shown in Figures 6 and 7 of the drawings.
As shown in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings, the wedge cover 20 has a bottom
surface 26 that is positionable over a utility cover 12. The wedge cover 20
further has
an upper surface 22 that is substantially parallel to an upper portion of the
outer frame
-10-
CA 02534771 2006-01-26
30 when positioned within the outer frame 30 as shown in Figures 4 through 6
of the
drawings.
As shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, the opening and the wedge cover
20 preferably have a similar shape. The wedge cover 20 is preferably
positior~able in a
sealable manner within the opening of the outer frame 30 to prevent water and
other
debris from entering the utility housing 13 thereby protecting the utility
such as a valve
18.
D. Operation
In use, the user first positions the outer frame 30 about a utility cover 12
of the
utility access structure. The user preferably secures and seals the outer
frame 30 to the
old road surface 14 surrounding the utility housing 13 of the utility access
structure.
After the outer frame 30 is fully secured, the user then positions the wedge
cover 20
within the opening of the outer frame 30 defined by the inner tapered edge 32
as shown
in Figure 4 of the drawings. It can be appreciated that the wedge cover 20 may
be first
positioned adjacent to the utility cover 12 prior to or simultaneously with
the
application of the outer frame 30. A layer of new road surface 16 is
positioned upon
the outer segment 36 and substantially flush with the inner segment 34 as
shown in
Figure 5 of the drawings. If required, the present invention may be stacked to
achieve
various heights. If an individual desires to access the utility access
structure, they
simply insert a tool 15 between the wedge cover 20 and the outer frame 30
thereafter
prying the wedge cover 20 from the outer frame 30 as shown in Figure 7 of the
drawings. The individual may then access the utility by removing the utility
cover 12
and perform the desired procedures. When finished, the utility cover 12 is
returned to
the utility housing 13 and the wedge cover 20 is repositioned in a sealed
manner within
the opening of the outer frame 30. If the road is to resurfaced in the future,
the outer
frame 30 and the wedge cover 20 may remain during the grinding of the road
surface
and may be ground along with the asphalt.
-11-
_.._
CA 02534771 2006-01-26
As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present
invention, the same should be apparent from the above description.
Accordingly, no
further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be
provided.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the
optimum
dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include
variations in size,
materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use,
are
deemed to be within the expertise of those skilled in the art, and all
equivalent
structural variations and relationships to those illustrated in the drawings
and
described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present
invention.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles
of
the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily
occur to
those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the
exact construction
and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications
and
equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
-12-
