Patent Application
20180305887
The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art nor material to the presently described or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
The present invention relates generally to the field of movable or removable closures and more specifically relates to manhole covers.
Openings are formed in roadways to provide access to things disposed beneath the roadways, including, for example, water and sewage lines. One commonly known opening is a manhole, which is typically defined by a frame set in the roadway, and sealed by a manhole cover resting on top of the frame. One problem associated with manhole covers is that they do not always remain flush with the surrounding road surface. Further, in the repair and resurfacing of streets and highways, it is frequently found that the repaired or resurfaced roadway is substantially higher than the original roadway. Accordingly, the top surface of the utility covers in the roadway, such as manhole covers, water and gas valve covers, gas and water meter covers and the like, are disposed substantially below the new road surface. This lower position of the utility cover creates a hazardous driving condition.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,834 to Henry E. Stange relates to a method and apparatus for covering openings in roadways. The described method and apparatus for covering openings in roadways includes mat disposed on top of an access cover to compensate for a vertical offset between the top of the cover and the top of the roadway surrounding the cover. fasteners are inserted through aligned holes in the mat and the cover and anchored in place in such a manner that the heads of the fasteners do not protrude above the top of the cover.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known art of manhole covers, the present disclosure provides a novel manhole cover device and method. The general purpose of the present disclosure, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a device for filling a discontinuity in a roadway associated with a manhole cover.
An apparatus for filling a discontinuity in a roadway is disclosed herein. The apparatus for filling a discontinuity in a roadway may include a manhole anchor configured to secure to the top surface of the manhole cover, a road pad configured to fill the discontinuity in the roadway associated with a manhole cover, the road pad made of a pad material, the pad material being weather-resistant and sufficiently durable to withstand repeated vehicle traffic of the roadway; and an attachment means affixed to road pad, the attachment means configured to removably secure road pad to of the manhole anchor.
A method for filling a discontinuity in a roadway is also disclosed herein. The method for filling the discontinuity in the roadway includes the steps of: providing an apparatus including a manhole anchor and a road pad, the manhole anchor configured to secure to the top surface of the manhole cover, the road pad configured to fill the discontinuity in the roadway associated with the manhole cover, and further configured to removably attach to the manhole anchor; adhesively securing the manhole anchor to the top surface of the manhole cover; and removably attaching the road pad to the manhole anchor.
For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description.
The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and methods of use for the present disclosure, a manhole cover device and method, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present disclosure.
The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements.
As discussed above, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a manholes and more particularly to a manhole cover device and method as used to improve the devices for filling a discontinuity in a roadway associated with a manhole cover.
Generally, disclosed is a cover for a manhole. The cover may be composed of a recycled rubber tire and combined with an adhesive. The cover may be designed to fit on top of a conventional manhole cover that may include hook and loop fasteners at its top. The cover may include hook and loop fasteners on its bottom and be configured to couple to the conventional manhole cover top. The present disclosure may provide roads and streets with a rubber cover for utility holes, allowing the road to maintain a safe, smooth, and even surface after repaving. This eliminates holes in streets and roads where utility covers were unable to be paved over. It prevents drivers from swerving their vehicle to avoid holes, effectively reducing the amount of accidents on the road. It utilizes recycled rubber tires and other materials for construction, offering an environmentally-friendly tool for covering utility holes. The present invention includes adhesive and hook and loop fasteners in order to keep the cover secured at all times.
Referring now more specifically to the drawings by numerals of reference, there is shown in
According to one embodiment, the apparatus for filling a discontinuity in a roadway 100 may be arranged as a kit 105. The kit 105 may include a set of instructions 107. The instructions 107 may detail functional relationships in relation to the structure of the apparatus for filling a discontinuity in a roadway 100 (such that the apparatus for filling a discontinuity in a roadway 100 can be used, maintained, or the like, in a preferred manner).
In addition, the attachment means 130 may be affixed to the road pad 120, and configured to removably secure road pad 120 the manhole anchor 110. According to one embodiment, the attachment means 130 may be affixed to the road pad 120 by an adhesive. Similarly, the manhole anchor 110 may be secured to the top surface of the manhole cover 10 by an adhesive. In some examples, the adhesive may be a cyanoacrylate, a cement, a paste, or the like.
According to the illustrated embodiment, the attachment means 130 may be distributed around a periphery of the road pad 120. Further, the manhole anchor 110 and the attachment means 130 together may include a hook and loop fastener. In a preferred embodiment, the hook and loop fastener may be distributed around a periphery of the road pad 120. In other embodiments, the hook and loop fastener may include two separate patches of hook and loop fastener material. As above, each half of the hook and loop fastener may be attached via an adhesive to the road pad 120 and the manhole cover 10, respectively
As illustrated, the road pad 120 may have a thickness 125 (as commonly understood to be measured away from the top surface 15 of the manhole cover 10) that is sized and dimensioned to lay flush with the roadway 5 when secured to the manhole cover 10. In one embodiment, the road pad 120 may have a thickness 125, as measured away from the top surface 15 of the manhole cover 10, of between 0.2 inches and 2 inches. In the preferred embodiment, the road pad 120 may have a thickness 125 that has been customized during manufacture to fill a particular discontinuity 20 in the roadway 5 associated with the manhole cover 10.
It should be noted that the steps described in the method of use can be carried out in many different orders according to user preference. The use of “step of” should not be interpreted as “step for”, in the claims herein and is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f). It should also be noted that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as design preference, user preferences, marketing preferences, cost, structural requirements, available materials, technological advances, etc., other methods for using the apparatus for filling a discontinuity in a roadway 100 (e.g., different step orders within above-mentioned list, elimination or addition of certain steps, including or excluding certain maintenance steps, etc.), are taught herein.
The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.
The present application is related to and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/479,182 filed Mar. 30, 2017, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62479182 | Mar 2017 | US |
