AU2012101633A4 - Cover for an opening - Google Patents

Abstract

COVER FOR AN OPENING Abstract Described herein is a device (1) for temporarily sealing an opening (3) in a floor surface (5). Device (1) includes a lower body portion (7) defining a spigot for coupling with 5 a pipe (9), and an upper body portion (11) defining a container for supporting a rebated drainage grate (13). Lower body portion (7) includes a lower body sidewall (15) that defines a lower body passage (17). Upper body portion (11) includes an upper body sidewall (19) that defines an upper body passage (21). An engagement formation (23) is configured to abuttingly engage with a portion of floor surface (5) adjacent opening (3), 10 thereby to prevent complete insertion of device (1) into opening (3). A sealing film (25) is integrally formed with upper body portion (11) and lower body portion (7), thereby to seal the opening upon insertion of upper and lower body portions (11) and (7) into opening (3) and abutting engagement of engagement formation (23) with the portion of floor surface (5) adjacent opening (3). Sealing film (25) is adapted to be pierced or otherwise 15 irreversibly opened, thereby to unseal opening (3). (FIG. 1) 33 27 ~*19 21 19 27 3 511 23 23 11 5

Description

- 1 AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR AN INNOVATION PATENT ORIGINAL Name of Applicant: Posicap Holdings Pty Ltd Actual Inventor: Robert Bromwich Address for Service is: SHELSTON IP 60 Margaret Street Telephone No: (02) 9777 1111 SYDNEY NSW 2000 Facsimile No. (02) 9241 4666 CCN: 3710000352 Attorney Code: SW Invention Title: Cover for an opening The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us : File: 75788AUP00 -2 COVER FOR AN OPENING FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to building and plumbing accessories and in particular to a cover for sealing an opening of a pipe. While some embodiments will be described herein with particular reference to that application, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to such a field of use, and is applicable in broader contexts. BACKGROUND [0002] Any discussion of the background art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field. [0003] When building large structures such as houses, etc, it is often necessary to encase pipes and other plumbing accessories within slabs of concrete. For example, PVC drainage pipes are often encased within the foundation of a building at a fairly early stage of construction. This leaves the plumbing system (including showers, sinks or waste units) at risk of damage or blockage from building materials such as bricks, tiles, cement and other building debris, which may enter the system during subsequent construction. Similar issues arise with piping and plumbing in ceilings, such as ventilation ducts. Additionally, the open end of the pipe may allow waste such as concrete dust, sand, garbage, etc to fall into the pipeline. [0004] Either of the above mentioned possibilities may undesirably require significant time and effort to remedy. In some cases it is necessary to break the concrete slab or have a finished ceiling of an adjacent lower structure removed so that a new pipe or other plumbing accessory may be utilised in the place of the damaged or blocked article. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0005] It is an object of the invention, in its preferred form to provide an improved or alternative device for temporarily sealing an opening defined in a floor surface. [0006] In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a device for temporarily sealing an opening defined in a floor surface, the device including: -3 a lower body portion defining a spigot for coupling with a pipe, the lower body portion including a lower body sidewall that defines a lower body passage; an upper body portion defining a container for supporting a rebated grate, the upper body portion including an upper body sidewall that defines an upper body passage; an engagement formation configured to abuttingly engage with a portion of the floor surface adjacent the opening, thereby to prevent complete insertion of the device into the opening; a sealing film integrally formed with the upper body portion and the lower body portion, thereby to seal the opening upon insertion of the upper and lower body portions into the opening and abutting engagement of the engagement formation with the portion of the floor surface adjacent the opening; and wherein the sealing film is adapted to be pierced or otherwise irreversibly opened, thereby to unseal the opening. [0007] The sealing film is preferably formed at the meeting of the upper body portion and the lower body portion, thereby to prevent egress of material from the upper body passage to the lower body passage. The sealing film preferably includes a central bore guide. [0008] The device is preferably formed from a unitary mould. [0009] The sealing film preferably has a thickness of between 1 mm and 5 mm. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0010] Preferred embodiments of the disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a side cross section of a device according to a first embodiment, the device configured for sealing an opening in a floor surface; FIG. 2 is a side cross section of the device of FIG. 1, wherein the sealing film has been cut away and a drainage grate has been installed; -4 FIG. 3 is a top view of the device of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a sectional side view of the device of FIGs 1 and 2 showing the sealing film integrally formed with the upper body portion and lower body portion; FIG. 5 is a side cross section of a device according to a second embodiment, the device configured for sealing an opening in a floor surface; FIG. 6 is a side cross section of a device according to a third embodiment, the device configured for sealing an opening in a floor surface; FIG. 7 is a side cross section of a device according to a fourth embodiment, the device configured for sealing an opening in a floor surface; and FIG. 8 is a top view of a device according to a fifth embodiment, the device configured for sealing a substantially square shaped opening in a floor surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0011] Referring to FIGs 1 to 3, there is illustrated a device 1 for temporarily sealing a substantially circular opening 3 defined in a floor surface 5. Device 1 includes a lower body portion 7 defining a spigot for coupling with a pipe 9, and an upper body portion 11 defining a container for supporting a rebated drainage grate 13. Lower body portion 7 includes a lower body sidewall 15 that defines a lower body passage 17. Upper body portion 11 includes an upper body sidewall 19 that defines an upper body passage 21. An engagement formation 23 is configured to abuttingly engage with a portion of floor surface 5 adjacent opening 3, thereby to prevent complete insertion of device 1 into opening 3. As shown in FIGs 2 and 3, a sealing film 25 is integrally formed with upper body portion 11 and lower body portion 7, thereby to seal the opening upon insertion of upper and lower body portions 11 and 7 into opening 3 and abutting engagement of engagement formation 23 with the portion of floor surface 5 adjacent opening 3. Sealing film 25 is adapted to be pierced or otherwise irreversibly opened, thereby to unseal opening 3. [0012] Device 1 is formed of a water resistant plastics material such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Sealing film 25 is formed of a thin plastics layer and is configured to be easily pierced by a cutting implement, such as a hole saw or drill, to provide access to the opening 3. Sealing film 25 has a thickness of between about 1mm and 5mm, preferably about 3 mm, which is generally sufficient to prevent undesired breakage of the film during -5 construction or renovations of surrounding structures while being relatively easy to pierce with a cutting implement. [0013] An adhesive substance such as glue may be added to floor surface 5 to adhere formation 23 to surface 5 for securely fixing device 1 in opening 3. Sidewall 19 defines a substantially circular rebate in which grate 13 can be situated. Cover 1 also includes a horizontal plate portion 27 which extends radially outward from formation 19. Referring to FIG. 2, portion 27 is circular shaped to match shape and size of surrounding floor tiles. In embodiments configured for floors having non-circular flooring units, tiles or non-tiled areas, portion 27 has other profiles including, square, rectangular or oval profiles. [0014] Referring now to FIGs 3 and 4, to assist in accurately positioning the cutting implement in the centre of sealing film 25, a central conical bore guide 29 is formed in film 13. Bore guide 29 is preferably a fraction of the thickness of film 25 to reduce the chance of breakage at that point. In one embodiment, bore guide 29 penetrates about 0.5 mm through sealing film 25. As illustrated in FIG. 1, sealing film 25 is formed at the meeting of the upper body portion 11 and the lower body portion 9, thereby to prevent egress of material from the upper body passage to the lower body passage. However, in other embodiments, sealing film 25 is formed at other locations, including along lower body sidewall 15 or upper body sidewall 19. [0015] Device 1 is preferably of one-piece construction, for example being formed from a unitary plastics mould, with sealing film 25 formed integral with lower body portion 7 and upper body portion 11, as illustrated in FIG. 4. This integral design makes manufacture of device 1 relatively simple and inexpensive. For example, device 1 is able to be formed by way of a relatively simple injection moulding process. [0016] Device 1 is particularly advantageous for use in openings of conduits or pipes formed in building foundations. Referring again to FIG. 1, during construction, pipe 9 is fed into a conduit 31 in a building slab. Device 1 is installed by inserting lower body portion 7 into one end of pipe 3. Portion 7 may also be sealingly engaged with pipe 9 by a water resistant adhesive or glue. Alternatively, device 1 may be installed prior to installation of pipe 9. In this case, portion 7 is inserted into opening 3 such that upper body portion 11 abuttingly engages with floor surface 5. Pipe 9 can then be fed from another end of conduit 31 and fitted around lower body portion 7.

-6 [0017] In place, sealing film 25 of device 1 restricts construction debris from entering opening 3 and falling into conduit 31. Plate portion 27 is vertically displaced from floor surface 5, defining a space 33 for receiving flooring materials such as tiles. The flooring materials are suitably engaged with floor surface 5 and/or device 1 with engagement means such as adhesive glues, screws, nails, stapes or combinations thereof. Drainage grate 13 may be situated in the rebate defined by sidewall 19 and formation 23. Portion 27 may also include a waterproof membrane surface for promoting adhesion to adjacent slab, tile or other surfaces. [0018] After construction, drainage grate 13 is removed and a drill or hole saw is used to pierce the sealing film 13 to provide access to conduit 31. Drainage grate 13 may be installed prior to or after tiling/floor finish within the rebate formed by formations 17 and 19 of FIGs 1 and 2. Accurate central piercing is performed by inserting the central tip of the drill or hole saw into the bore guide 29 at an angle substantially perpendicular to the sealing film 25. [0019] The simple manufacturing process of cover 1 as a unitary element allows a number of different shapes of cover to be easily made. Referring now to FIG. 5, there is illustrated a cross section of a further embodiment device 35, wherein corresponding features are given the same reference numerals. Device 35 includes an upper body portion 37, which has a series of staggered steps, each having a respective engagement formation, e.g. 39, and sidewall portion, e.g. 41. Portions 39 perform a similar function to formation 23 and sidewall 19 of FIGs 1 and 2. However, the plurality of steps provides capability to fit device 35 into openings of different radial widths and into pipes of different thickness. [0020] Referring to FIG. 6, there is illustrated a further embodiment device 43, wherein corresponding features are given the same reference numerals. Upper body portion 11 includes a surface angled radially outwardly. The angled surface of portion 11 acts as a wedge to secure device 43 within opening 3. Additional grip is provided by a high friction layer 45 formed from rubber. In another embodiment, layer 45 is formed of highly adhesive material. [0021] Referring to FIG. 7, there is illustrated another embodiment device 47, wherein corresponding features are given the same reference numerals. Portion 11 defines an outwardly curved surface. An advantage of this design is that there are less sharp bends -7 in the unitary cover structure. This provides device 47 with more flexibility and less potential weak points which may form at bends during manufacture. [0022] The embodiments described above relate to circular openings. It will be appreciated that equivalent devices can be adapted to seal non-circular openings. Referring now to FIG. 8, there is illustrated a top view of device 49 adapted to temporarily seal a substantially square shaped opening in a floor surface. Device 49 operates in an equivalent manner to that of device 1 of FIGs 1 to 4. It will be further appreciated that devices having profiles other than circular or square shapes can be realised without departing from the scope of the invention. [0023] The embodiments described above are configured to seal openings of floor drainage systems. It will be appreciated that, in other embodiments, the device is able to temporarily seal other openings such as openings in walls, ceilings and other structures. CONCLUSIONS [0024] It will be appreciated that the disclosure above provides various significant devices for temporarily sealing an opening defined in a floor surface. [0025] The devices described above provide for simply and easily sealing an opening in a floor surface during construction of a building or structure. The devices are constructed as an integral unit thereby allowing manufacture by a simple and inexpensive process such as injection moulding. The devices include a sealing film which extends across the opening to seal the opening and prevent construction debris from entering a conduit, pipe or plumbing system. The sealing film is integral with the device, providing robust protection from penetration of debris. When access to the conduit, pipe or plumbing system is desired, the sealing film can be simply pierced and removed by a cutting tool such as a drill or hole saw. INTERPRETATION [0026] It should be appreciated that in the above description of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, various features of the disclosure are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, FIG., or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various -8 inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claims require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the Detailed Description are hereby expressly incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this disclosure. [0027] Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some but not other features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the disclosure, and form different embodiments, as would be understood by those skilled in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination. [0028] In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description. [0029] Thus, while there has been described what are believed to be the preferred embodiments of the disclosure, those skilled in the art will recognize that other and further modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the disclosure, and it is intended to claim all such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the disclosure. For example, any formulas given above are merely representative of procedures that may be used. Functionality may be added or deleted from the block diagrams and operations may be interchanged among functional blocks. Steps may be added or deleted to methods described within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims (5)

1. A device for temporarily sealing an opening defined in a floor surface, the device including: a lower body portion defining a spigot for coupling with a pipe, the lower body portion including a lower body sidewall that defines a lower body passage; an upper body portion defining a container for supporting a rebated grate, the upper body portion including an upper body sidewall that defines an upper body passage; an engagement formation configured to abuttingly engage with a portion of the floor surface adjacent the opening, thereby to prevent complete insertion of the device into the opening; a sealing film integrally formed with the upper body portion and the lower body portion, thereby to seal the opening upon insertion of the upper and lower body portions into the opening and abutting engagement of the engagement formation with the portion of the floor surface adjacent the opening; and wherein the sealing film is adapted to be pierced or otherwise irreversibly opened, thereby to unseal the opening.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the sealing film is formed at the meeting of the upper body portion and the lower body portion, thereby to prevent egress of material from the upper body passage to the lower body passage.

3. A device according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the sealing film includes a central bore guide.

4. A device according to any one of the preceding claims formed from a unitary mould.

5. A device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the sealing film has a thickness of between 1 mm and 5mm.