Patent Application
20210310210
The present disclosure relates generally to service covers, and more particularly to a service cover assembly with a locking mechanism.
Service covers such as manhole covers are coverings that cover an access opening into an encasement such as a sewer, tunnel, utility vault, conduit or similar structures. These structures may be used to transport fluid (in the case of a sewer or tunnel) or provide a protective space for various utilities including, but not limited to, water pipes and valves, gas pipes and valves, communication cables, electrical cables or other equipment.
The service cover generally sits or rests on a head or “crown” of the encasement. These structures are generally located on a ground surface or a road surface. Accordingly, these service covers act as protective covers for the encasement and their removal provides an access route for an authorized service person to enter the encasement to perform scheduled inspection and service work on the utilities provided within or permit emergency personnel to access the utilities during an emergency event.
Service covers designed to cover access passages such as manholes are typically configured to comprise a metallic plate-like body with four (4) to six (6) small square holes extending between opposing faces of the body to provide a means of removal. A service person can remove the service cover using a dirt pick or a similar tool to lift the cover from the crown by inserting the pick into one of the four to six small square holes.
Conventional service covers are therefore easily removed by anyone with a dirt pick, so that access to the utilities within the encasement cannot be controlled. Some conventional service covers can include a mechanism that secures the service cover to the crown. However, these mechanisms may be bypassed or compromised with little effort. The ease of removal of a service cover makes the covers themselves a target for theft as the service cover can be sold as valuable scrap metal, and invites trespassers to access the utilities within the encasement. It may be appreciated that intentional or accidental disablement of the utilities may result in undesirable disruptions to essential services such as the supply of electricity, gas and water, and communication services such as telephone and Internet connectivity.
Explosions within the encasement may cause the service cover to be ejected from the crown in an unexpected and uncontrolled manner, potentially injuring nearby persons or damaging nearby property. The exposed opening to the encasement such as a manhole also becomes a danger for vehicles and pedestrians.
As such, there is a need for solutions for addressing or ameliorating at least some of the problems identified above.
In general, the present specification describes a service cover with a locking mechanism.
According to one aspect, there is provided a service cover assembly that includes a cover plate with a through-hole and a main cylinder with a hollow interior attached to the cover plate and positioned to align the hollow interior with the through-hole. A pinion gear system is attached to the main cylinder, the pinion gear system being accessible and operable by a user of the service cover assembly through the through-hole and the hollow interior. Also provided is a plurality of securing rods operatively coupled to the pinion gear system, and at least one access barrier disposed within the main cylinder to restrict access and operation of the pinion gear system through the through-hole.
According to another aspect, there is provided a locking mechanism for securing a service cover to a corresponding service cover crown, the locking mechanism includes a main cylinder with a hollow interior and respective first and second openings at a first end and a second end of the main cylinder, the main cylinder being attachable to the cover plate at the first end. Also provided is a pinion gear system attached to the second end of the main cylinder and accessible through the hollow interior and operable to position securing rods to secure the service cover to the service cover crown. At least one access barrier is disposed within the main cylinder to restrict access and operation of the pinion gear system through the first opening.
Additional aspects of the present invention will be apparent in view of the description which follows.
Features and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken with reference to the appended drawings in which:
The description which follows, and the embodiments described therein, are provided by way of illustration of examples of particular embodiments of the principles of the present invention. These examples are provided for the purposes of explanation, and not limitation, of those principles and of the invention.
The embodiments herein disclose a service cover assembly with an improved locking mechanism to keep the service cover locked to a corresponding crown associated with an access route to utilities and equipment that are provided in an encasement. Securing the service cover in this manner provides access control to the utilities and equipment. The contemplated utilities support government services, financial services, emergency services and the general public. More specifically, the disclosed service cover assembly is intended to be usable to prevent unauthorized access, removal, theft, tampering or the destruction of utilities and equipment within the encasement that may be detrimental to the well-being of a community, a region, and/or the nation as a whole.
Referring first to
The assembly 100 includes a number of access barriers in which each barrier is intended to discourage unauthorized removal of the assembly 100 from the crown. In the illustrated embodiment, the assembly 100 includes a circular cover plate 102, a set of slidable securing rods 110-1 to 110-4 (collectively, 110), and a locking mechanism 106, as shown in
The cover plate 102 can be made of any suitable rigid material. In the present embodiment, the cover plate can be made using a malleable metal such as cast iron. The surface of the cover plate 102 on which the locking mechanism 106 is attached can be regarded as the “inside” surface 103 that faces the encasement or access path to said encasement. The opposite “outside” surface 104 of the cover plate 102 is intended to face an environment external to the encasement. It is noted that in the present embodiment, the outside surface 104 of the cover plate 102 does not include standard holes for removal using a dirt pick. The lack of such holes prevent tampering and/or removal of the cover plate 102 using easily available tools. Instead, the cover plate 102 includes a port 108, which in the illustrated embodiment has a through-hole defined therethrough. As described more fully below, the port 108 can be sized to accommodate a portion of the locking mechanism 106. The access barriers within the locking mechanism can be disengaged one by one via the port 108 to permit access to and operation of the pinion gear system 112. Operation of the pinion gear system 112 allows the assembly 100 to be unlocked for removal. An authorized user may access the gear pinion system 112 to lock and unlock the assembly 100 from the crown through the port 108.
In the present embodiment, the securing rods 110 are positionable in an engaged (i.e. “secured”) position or a disengaged (i.e. “unsecured”) position. More specifically, the gear pinion system 112 is operable to slide the securing rods 110 to the secured position so that each of the securing rods 110 extend outwardly beyond a perimeter 109 of the cover plate 102, as shown in
As noted above, access to or operation of the gear pinion system 112 can be restricted by incorporating a plurality of access barriers. As described more fully below, the access barriers may include a tamper seal, a pattern cap and a high-security lock provided in the locking mechanism 106 to restrict access to operation of the gear pinion system 112 through the port 108. Further access barriers include an allen pattern gear provided to the gear pinion system 112, intended for use by the authorized user to operate the gear pinion system 112. Engagement of the allen pattern gear requires a corresponding specialized tool to limit/restrict operation of gear pinion system 112. As the pinion gear system 112 is accessible externally through the port 108, these access barriers may be positioned between the port 108 and the gear pinion system 112 to increase the difficulty for an unauthorized user to access and operate the gear pinion system 112. This arrangement therefore improves the security of the overall assembly 100 by allowing the assembly 100 to be easily installed or removed but difficult to unlock by those without the proper tools. In some embodiments, all of the access barriers would need to be disengaged before the gear pinion system 112 is accessible or operable. An authorized individual would be provided with the necessary tools and/or credentials to disengage each access barrier, while an unauthorized individual may not. Accordingly, the deployment of multiple access barriers is intended to deter unauthorized access by significantly increasing the amount of effort required for the unauthorized individual to remove the assembly 100, as doing so requires that individual to circumvent each access barrier through the port 108.
Referring now to
The locking mechanism 106 includes a main cylinder 202 with a hollow interior. Openings are provided at each end of the cylinder 202.
Referring still to
The lip portion 230 can be positioned along the main cylinder 202 so that the length of a portion of the main cylinder 202 that is positioned in the port 108 equals or substantially equals a thickness of the cover plate 102. This arrangement allows the first end 210 of the main cylinder 202 to be flush or substantially flush with the outside surface 104 of the cover plate 102 to maintain a planar or substantially planer outside surface 104 as shown in
Referring to
In certain embodiments, the tamper seal 244 can be designed as a single-use seal. The tamper seal 244 must be broken to gain access to the first chamber 212. The tamper seal 244 may be made with a suitable material such as polycarbonate plastic that may be broken but cannot be re-assembled back to its original (i.e. unbroken) state. In general, the tamper seal 244 is designed in such a way that only an authorized user is able to replace the seal in the recess 240. Accordingly, a broken or missing tamper seal 244 may provide a point of inspection or immediate visual verification that is indicative of tampering or unauthorized access. In other embodiments, the tamper seal 244 can be numbered with a unique identifier such as a serial number to provide additional security. Administrators may log or store a list of known unique identifiers associated with the tamper seals 244 currently in use. For example, whenever a new tamper seal 244 is used to replace an old seal, the list may be updated to include the identifier of the new seal, while the identifier entry for the old seal may be removed or flagged as “expired” or “no longer in use”. During inspections, the identifier of the tamper seal can be verified against the list of identifiers to confirm that it is in use. Where the identifier does not match any of the list of known identifiers in use or an identifier is missing from the tamper seal, such observations may be indicative of tampering or unauthorized access.
The first chamber 212 of the main cylinder 202, as shown in
The manner of securement of the tamper pattern cap 250 to the first chamber 212 can be accomplished using a suitable technique. For example, mechanical securement, magnetic securement, or a combination or magnetic and mechanical securement approaches can be employed. In the present embodiment, for example, a shaft portion 280 of the tamper pattern cap 250 is provided with a threaded surface 282 as shown in
In view of the foregoing, the tamper pattern cap 250 can be regarded as another access barrier of the plurality of access barriers. In the present embodiment, the tamper pattern cap 250 can be regarded as the second access barrier operable to restrict access to or operation of the gear pinion system 112 through the port 108.
Disengagement or removal of the tamper pattern cap 250 provides access to the second chamber 222 of the main cylinder 202 of
Correspondingly, the structure of the second chamber 222 can be designed to accommodate the form factor of the lock to enable securement. The arrangement and positioning of access barriers within the main cylinder 202 improves the tampering resistance of the assembly 100 by requiring the user to disengage each of the access barriers to access the pinion gear system 112 through the port 108.
For example, a cylindrical or tube-shaped lock 400 as shown in
When the lock 400 is positioned inside the second chamber 222 and in the engaged or locked state, the cam 420 extends into a corresponding receptacle 224 shown in
In an alternative embodiment, shown in
When the lock 400 is positioned inside the second chamber 222 and in the engaged or locked state, the bolt 440 extends into a corresponding receptacle 224 shown in
Examples of locks that can be used include, but are not limited to, cam locks and T-handle locks from vendors such as Abloy™ (e.g. the CLL130T cam lock, or CL290 or CL291 T-Handle lock) or Mul-T-Lock™. High security locks that are difficult to pick or compromise can be used to increase the effort required to disengage the lock. For example, locks employing enhanced locking mechanisms such as the PROTEC2™ technology from Abloy™ or similar advanced locking systems from other vendors can be considered.
In some embodiments, the second chamber 222 can be made to provide a liquid tight environment to enable the lock 400 to be submerged in a suitable liquid such as heavy mineral oil to protect the mechanical components of the lock 400 from damage such as by corrosion from exposure to moisture. Suitable sealing mechanisms such as O-rings 252 can be employed at the second end 220 to provide liquid separation to maintain the heavy mineral oil within the second chamber 222. Similarly, in some embodiments, the pattern cap can also be used to establish a liquid tight first chamber 212 to further limit exposure of the lock 400 to moisture, for example, by restricting movement of moisture from the first chamber 212 to the second chamber 222.
As noted above, unlocking and removal of the lock 400 provides access to the pinion gear system 112. Also noted previously, the pinion gear system 112 is operable to move the securing rods 110 from the secured position to the unsecured position to permit removal of the assembly 100 from the crown. In the illustrated embodiment of
Rotational movement of the allen pattern gear 260 in turn drives a pinion gear (not shown) within the pinion gear system 112 that engages with a rack gear 114 disposed on a portion of the securing rods 110 (the latter is shown in
Upon unsecuring the assembly 100, the entire assembly 100 including the cover plate 102, can be removed from the crown. In the present embodiment, the cover plate 102 may be designed or configured so that removal is accomplished using a specialized removal tool. An example removal tool 550 is shown in
During use, the punch device 572 is used to break the tamper seal 244 to access the tamper pattern cap 250. The key portion 560 engages the pattern 274 of the tamper pattern cap 250 to enable its removal from the first chamber 212. Once the lock 400 is removed from the second chamber 222, the splined portion 570 of the removal tool 550 is inserted into the allen pattern gear 260 to disengage the securing rods 110 by turning the removal tool 550 in the appropriate direction. The threaded portion 580 of the removal tool 550 is then attachable to the assembly 100 by screw-on engagement with the previously described threads 214 disposed on the inner surface of the first chamber 212 through the port 108. The main member 552 can be used as handle bars to screw or unscrew the threaded portion 580 into the first chamber 212. The entire assembly 100 can be elevated from the crown using the removal tool for removal, for example, by lifting the main member 552. The removal tool 550 can further include an eye bolt 590 positioned between the threaded portion 580 and the main member 552 to enable a hook or loop to be attached. This hook or loop can be connected to a suitable lifting machine to lift the entire assembly 100. This feature may be useful if the assembly 100 is too heavy to be lifted manually. It may be appreciated that the need to use a special removal tool to remove the assembly 100 from the crown can be regarded as yet another access barrier (i.e. the fifth barrier) of the plurality of access barriers.
Referring now to
In the illustrated embodiment, the bottom surface of ledge 610 defines one wall of a receptacle 620 for receiving the securing rods 110 of the assembly 100. In the secured position, the securing rods 110 may be extended into the receptacle 620 to resist lifting or removal of the assembly 100. For example, as an unauthorized user attempts to lift the cover plate 102 away from the crown, each of the plurality of securing rods 110 engages with the wall of the respective receptacle to resist further lifting. In some embodiments, the receptacle 620 includes sufficient vertical space to allow some vertical displacement of the assembly 100 so that if there is an explosion inside the encasement 606, the cover plate 102 can be elevated high enough to release any pressure and/or gases from the encasement 606 while still being maintained in the secured position. A foundation portion 630 of the crown 600 enables the installation of the crown 600 over a substrate 640 such as the cement or other materials.
In some implementations, additional access barriers in addition to the five access barriers described above are incorporated into assembly 100. These additional access barriers can incorporate additional access control technologies to deter unauthorized removal by increasing the difficulty and effort imposed on the unauthorized user to remove the assembly 100 from the crown 600. For example, certain electronic monitoring or time-based access schemes can be incorporated into the assembly. In some embodiments, the mechanical high-security lock 400 installed within the second chamber 222 can be further enhanced using electronic components to implement an electronically programmable access control system that provides auditing functionalities.
One such system includes the CLIQ™ access control system used in conjunction with locks from Assa Abloy™ and other manufacturers. Locks incorporating CLIQ™ technology restrict access to the lock's mechanical cylinder components required to disengage a particular lock if a key or master key (that would otherwise be able to operate the mechanical cylinders) is not programmed or authorized for disengaging that lock. This manner of control may be regarded as another access barrier.
The master key is controllable or programmable using a key captive device or decoder installed in a service vehicle to provide controlled and preauthorized access to the appropriate lock and the corresponding encasement 606 to authorized users such as technical and emergency services personnel. During use, whenever a key is inserted into a lock such as lock 400 enhanced with CLIQ™, the interaction and its result (e.g. whether access was permitted or denied, and the identification of the key) are recorded along with a time and date stamp. This access record is stored in both the key and lock enabling an administrator to monitor access to any assembly 100 equipped with such locks.
The decoder system is able to retrieve these records from the key to provide an electronic audit trail of activity data that is uploadable and downloadable via a corresponding cloud-based software environment. For example, remote communication to the cloud may be facilitated via a communication module in the decoder to provide access to a communication network such as a 3GPP-compliant mobile data network (e.g. GPRS, EDGE, HSPA, LTE, 5G NR and other related technologies). The audit trail therefore provides access records indicating when the assembly 100 was accessed and by whom (e.g. determinable based on an identifier of the key issued to the user). This activity report can be sent to administrators in real-time for review and auditing purposes.
Keys issued to authorized users to access the assembly 100 may be programmed in real-time to permit or deny access to a particular lock. This programming may be done using the decoder installed within the service vehicle shortly prior to use, for example. The decoder may be configured to create a record at the time the key is programmed and removed from the decoder. Information recorded can include the user name, date, time, vehicle and GPS location (e.g. the programming location). The record can be uploaded to the cloud and then to an administrator's computer. Similarly, when the key is returned to the decoder, one or more of the user name, date, time, vehicle, GPS location, or other location-identifying information such as the address of the device, and service cover assembly identification is uploaded to the cloud and then to the administrator's computer. In some cases, the programming may permit a user access credentials to disengage the lock 400 only during a certain period of time. The foregoing access control system therefore enables administrators to grant and remove access rights as appropriate to maintain control and monitoring of the assembly 100. Such level of access control via key programming serves as another access barrier.
The examples and corresponding diagrams used herein are for illustrative purposes only. Different configurations and terminology can be used without departing from the principles expressed herein.
Although the invention has been described with reference to certain specific embodiments, various modifications thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. The scope of the claims should not be limited by the illustrative embodiments set forth in the examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63006606 | Apr 2020 | US |
