Patent Application
20100102547
The subject invention relates to a water meter pit assembly with a plastic frame and cover structure to enclose a water meter pit.
Water meters are used to monitor the amount of water distributed to specific locations, such as municipalities, businesses, and residences for example. Typically, a water meter is placed in a water meter pit. A water supply pipe extends across a bottom of the pit and the water meter is installed to monitor the water flow. A column extends upwardly from a bottom of the pit and supports a frame and cover assembly that enclose the water pit. The cover is usually flush with ground level, thus the frame assembly and cover must be sufficiently strong to support significant weight loads.
In one known configuration, the frame assembly is made from cast iron or aluminum frame members and includes a metal cover. The cover is removed and a service technician can then look down through a center of the column to read the meter. This manual reading process was time consuming and labor intensive.
A wireless transmission system was proposed to more efficiently transfer information concerning the water flow. The wireless signal is transmitted from the water meter to a recipient located near the water pit. The wireless signal includes information concerning the water flow. A wire extends upwardly from the water meter to a signal transmitter that is supported on the metal frame assembly. In this configuration the metal cover is replaced by a plastic cover so that the wireless signal can be transmitted to the recipient.
Current frame and cover assemblies are heavy and cumbersome to install within the water meter pit. Further, these frame and cover assemblies do not always effectively transmit signals. The subject invention seeks to provide a light-weight assembly that can more effectively transmit signals but which still provides sufficient structural rigidity to support significant weight loads.
A water meter pit assembly includes a plastic frame and a plastic cover. The plastic frame is to be supported on a water meter column that extends upwardly from a water meter pit. The plastic cover is releasably secured to the plastic frame so that the plastic cover can be detached when needed to provide access to water meter components that are located within the water meter pit.
In one example, the plastic frame comprises a modular assembly that includes at least a base portion to be supported by the water meter column, a frost plate, and at least one spacer. The spacer is snap-fit to the base portion and the frost plate is inserted supported by an inwardly extending flange portion formed on an inner peripheral surface of the spacer. The plastic cover is then attached to the spacer.
In one example, if a height of the plastic frame assembly needs to be increased, a second spacer can be attached to the first spacer. Additional spacers can be attached to the second spacer if needed to further increase the height of the plastic frame.
In one example, attachment interfaces between the base portion and the spacers comprise snap-fit attachments.
In one example, the plastic frame supports a signal generator that transmits water meter information from a water meter to a recipient. The plastic frame includes at least one wire guide surface to support a wire connection extending from the signal generator, down through the water pit column, to the water meter.
These and other features of the present invention can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description.
A water meter 10 is located in a water meter pit 12 as shown in
A water pit column 22 includes a first end 24 that is supported on a floor of the water meter pit 12, and which extends upwardly to a second end 26. The water pit column 22 includes a central opening 28 that extends from the first end 24 to the second end 26. The water meter 10 is at least partly received within this central opening 28.
A water meter pit assembly 30 rests on top of the second end 26 of the water pit column 22. The water meter pit assembly 30 includes a plastic frame 32 and a plastic cover 34 that is releasably secured to the plastic frame 32 such that the plastic cover 34 can be selectively attached and detached from the plastic frame 32 to provide access to components located within the water meter pit 12. Any type of plastic material can be used to form the cover and frame. The plastic cover 34 is usually positioned to be flush with ground level but could also be slightly raised or lowered relative to ground level.
The plastic frame 32 supports a transmitting component 36, such as a signal generator for example, that is connected to the water meter 10 with at least one wire connection 38. The wire connection 38 extends downwardly from the plastic frame 32 through the central opening 28 in the water pit column 22, to where it is connected to the water meter 10. Data from the water meter 10 is then wirelessly transmitted by the transmitting component 36 to the receiving device 18. Any type of transmitting component and receiving device can be used to transmit and receive data from the water meter 10.
The water meter pit assembly 30 is shown in greater detail in
As shown in
The base portion 40 includes a tapered outer surface 64 that decreases in diameter from the outer flange 60 to the second end 52. The outer flange 60 defines the largest diameter of the base portion 40 and the second end 52 defines the smallest diameter.
As discussed above, the base portion 40 and the spacer 42 are secured to each other at a first attachment interface 54 and the spacers 42, 46 are secured to each other at a second attachment interface 58. In one example, the first 54 and second 58 attachment interfaces comprise snap-fit attachments. An example of the snap-fit attachment is shown in
A similar tab and flange arrangement is used to secure the spacer 42 to the base portion 40. As shown in
The spacer 42 also comprises a tubular or ring-shaped member that includes an outer peripheral surface 78 and an inner peripheral surface 80. The resilient tabs 76 are formed on an inner flange 82 that extends inwardly from the inner peripheral surface 80. The inner flange 82 includes cut-outs 84 on either side of the tabs 76 such that the tabs 76 can be snap-fit onto the flange portion 74.
The inner flange 82 of the spacer 42 also provides a seat for the frost plate 44. As shown in
A wire guide surface 96 is formed within the cup-shaped body 88. The wire guide surface 96 extends upwardly along the vertically extending wall portion 92 and across the outwardly extending flange portion 94. The wire guide surface 96 supports the wire 38 (
The spacer 46 includes an outer peripheral surface 98 and an inner peripheral surface 100. The resilient tabs 70 are formed on an inner flange 102 that extends inwardly from the inner peripheral surface 100. The inner flange 102 includes cut-outs 104 on either side of the tabs 70 such that the tabs can be snap-fit onto the flange portion 72. The cover 34 is then assembled onto an upper end 106 of the additional spacer 46 to enclose the water meter pit assembly 30 and protect the transmitting component 36.
Including a plastic frame 32 in the water meter pit assembly 30 improves signal transmission from the transmitting component 36. Also, the plastic frame 32 decreases the overall weight of the water meter pit assembly to facilitate installation while still providing sufficient strength to support loads. Further, the modular nature of the frame assembly allows the height to be easily adjusted by an installer at the site.
Although a preferred embodiment of this invention has been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention.
