DK2775038T3 - A manhole cover for covering a shaft - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a manhole cover for covering a manhole according to Patent Claim 1.

An ever-increasing problem with manhole covers, such as those disclosed in WO 2005/111319 A1 which cover a manhole (e.g. gully covers), is that they are more and more commonly being removed due to vandalism or stolen. This is not only a (financial) problem for the owner the manhole or manhole cover, but it also gives rise to risks for the general public due to the fact that manholes in streets, for example, are suddenly no longer covered but are left open, so that members of the public and also (relatively large) objects can fall into the manhole.

The problem addressed by the invention is that of disclosing a manhole cover which can be easily installed on a manhole in technical terms and which has (antitheft) protection against simple removal of the manhole cover from the manhole. This problem is solved by a manhole cover according to Patent Claim 1.

In particular, the problem is solved by a manhole cover for covering a manhole comprising at least one latching engagement element, wherein, with the manhole cover in the installed state, the latching engagement element, in a latching engagement position, positively or non-positively prevents a movement of the manhole cover relative to the manhole, and a locking device for locking the latching engagement element, wherein the locking device is connected to the manhole cover, and wherein the locking device is designed and can be arranged in such a way that the locking device, in a locking position, substantially blocks a movement of the latching engagement element from the latching engagement position by means of a positive connection between a blocking outer surface of the locking device and a contact outer surface of the latching engagement element.

An essential point of the invention is that the manhole cover can be fitted in a manhole or arranged on the manhole and connected thereto in a technically simple manner with the help of latching engagement elements and that the latching engagement elements cannot be released from the latching engagement position if the locking device is in the locking position. This makes removal of the manhole cover from the manhole substantially more difficult. In order to remove the manhole cover, the locking device must first leave the locking position. The locking device prevents the manhole cover from being removable by (simply) releasing the latching engagement elements from the latching engagement position and making the manhole cover susceptible to theft. In this way, vandalism or theft through the removal or misappropriation of the manhole cover - something that produces substantial risks, for example to road traffic in the case of manhole covers - is substantially prevented or at least made significantly more difficult in a technically simple way.

In one embodiment, the locking device is designed in such a way that it can be non-positively connected to the manhole cover. This makes it possible in a technically simple way for the locking device to be securely connected to the manhole cover.

In a further embodiment, the locking device is designed in such a way that it can be releasably connected to the manhole cover. One advantage of this is that the connection between the locking device and the manhole cover is releasable again, so that the latching engagement elements can be released from the latching engagement position and the manhole cover can therefore be removed from the manhole when access is required to the manhole, for example.

The locking device may have at least one blocking element comprising the blocking outer surface, wherein the blocking element can be arranged in (direct) contact with the latching engagement element, in particular in (direct) contact with the contact outer surface of the latching engagement element. It is therefore possible for the latching engagement element to be arranged in contact with the blocking element, as a result of which a secure connection between the blocking element and the latching engagement element is guaranteed. This leads to a particularly secure locking of the latching engagement element.

The blocking element can be arranged between the latching engagement element and a supporting element, acting as an abutment, of the locking device and/or a supporting element, acting as an abutment, of the manhole cover for supporting the locking device. The advantage of this is that the locking device can be flexible in design. For example, the locking device may be made of a plastic which is flexible. The fact that it can be arranged between the latching engagement element and the supporting element means that when the latching engagement element is moved out of the latching engagement position, the blocking element or else the locking device is pressed against the supporting element. A further movement of the latching engagement element, in order to move this out of the latching engagement position, is thereby prevented. The locking device can therefore be made from a more reasonably priced material which may be flexible.

In one embodiment, the locking device is designed in such a way that the blocking element can be arranged in (direct) contact with the supporting element. One advantage of this is that the blocking element can be arranged in such a way that a movement of the locking device when attempting to move the latching engagement elements out of the latching engagement position into the locking position is prevented. Consequently, when an attempt is made to move the latching engagement elements out of the latching engagement position, there is no move- ment of the locking device, as a result of which damage caused by material fatigue, for example, is substantially prevented.

In a further embodiment, the manhole cover comprises a fastening device for connecting the locking device to the manhole cover, wherein the fastening device comprises a screw and a fastening element with a complementary internal thread, wherein the screw is connected to the fastening element in such a way that the locking device, in the locking position, is releasably held with the manhole cover and, by tightening the screw, can be moved from a release position, in which the locking device releases the latching engagement element, into the locking position. One advantage of this is that a movement of the locking device from the release position into the locking position is possible in a technically simple way, so that the manhole cover or else the latching engagement element thereof is blocked, as a result of which removal of the manhole cover from the manhole is prevented. In addition, the locking device is connected to the manhole cover non-positively in a technically simple way. This means that a purely manual movement of the locking device, i.e. without tools, from the locking position through a nonpositive connection between the screw and the manhole is not possible.

It is possible, rather than a screw and matching internal thread as the fastening device, for other moving elements or clamping elements such as toggle levers, levers with a latching position and/or eccentric elements, for example, to be used to fix the locking element or else the locking device releasably.

The screw may comprise a securing element which is designed and arranged in such a way that the fastening element, in the release position of the locking device, is connected to the screw. One advantage of this is that the securing element cannot be released from the screw. This means that the fastening element of the locking device cannot fall down, in the case of a manhole cover of a vertical shaft, for example, but instead it is always guaranteed that the fastening element is connected to the manhole cover, even when the locking device is in the release position.

The screw may be designed and arranged in such a way that after loosening the screw, the locking device can be moved from the locking position into the release position. This makes it possible for locking device to be released from the locking position again in a technically simple way, so that the latching engagement elements can be moved from the latching engagement positions, in order to remove the manhole cover during an inspection of the manhole or of the manhole cover, for example.

The blocking element and the latching engagement element in each case may be formed in pairs, wherein the fastening device, in particular the screw, is arranged between the blocking elements, in particular substantially centrally. One advantage of this is that little or no torque acts on the fastening device or the screw when an attempt is made to move the latching engagement elements out of the latching engagement position, while the locking device is in the locking position. The advantage of this is a particularly secure positioning of the locking device in respect of the manhole cover, particularly in respect of the latching engagement elements.

The manhole cover may comprise a through-opening for receiving the screw and for connecting the locking device to the manhole cover in such a way that a head of the screw is accessible from an upper side of the manhole cover lying opposite the latching engagement element. One advantage of this is that the screw can be loosened or tightened in a technically simple way, as a result of which the locking device can be moved out of the locking position into the release position and vice versa.

Preferred embodiments result from the dependent claims. The invention is explained in greater detail below with the help of drawings of exemplary embodiments. In this case, the figures show:

Fig. 1 a perspective view of an embodiment of the manhole cover ac cording to the invention;

Fig. 2 a perspective view of part of the underside of the manhole cover from Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 a perspective view of the manhole cover from Fig. 1 or Fig. 2 without the locking device being shown;

Fig. 4 a perspective view of an embodiment of the locking device ac cording to the invention;

Fig. 5 a further perspective view of the locking device from Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 a further positive view of the locking device from Fig. 4 or Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 a further perspective view of the locking device from Figs. 4-6; and

Fig. 8 a further perspective view of the locking device from Figs. 4-7.

In the following description, the same reference numbers are used for identical and identically acting parts.

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the manhole cover 90 according to the invention. Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of part of the lower side 92 of the manhole cover 90 from Fig. 1. The manhole cover 90 has an upper side 91 and a lower side 92. The manhole cover 90 is used to cover a manhole (not shown). The manhole may run vertically in the road, for example, as in the case of a sewage line. It is also conceivable, however, for the manhole cover to be used to cover a manhole which runs horizontally or a manhole whose end is located below the vertical manhole.

The manhole cover 90 has on each of two laterally opposite sides, two latching engagement elements 80, 81 (only two of the latching engagement elements are shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 in each case). The latching engagement elements 80, 81 are located in the installed state in a latching engagement position, in which they prevent movement of the manhole cover relative to the manhole positively and/or non-positively, in that they are engaged with projections (not shown) of the manhole. The latching engagement elements 80, 81 are movable in a direction parallel to the upper side 91 or else the lower side 92. In this way, the latching engagement elements 80, 81 can be moved into the latching engagement position and out of the latching engagement position.

In order to block the latching engagement elements 80, 81, the manhole cover 90 has a locking device 1. The locking device 1 blocks the latching engagement elements 80, 81 in such a way that said elements are not substantially movable out of the latching engagement position. In this way, the manhole cover 90 is prevented from being moved relative to the manhole, in particular removed from the manhole.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the manhole cover from Fig. 1 or Fig. 2 without depicting the locking device.

Fig. 4 to Fig. 8 show different perspective views of an embodiment of the locking device 1 according to the invention. The locking device 1 comprises an area designed as a fastening device 20, an area attached thereto comprising two connection pieces 17, 18 and an area attached thereto designed as a blocking beam 15. The fastening device 20 is substantially configured perpendicular to the connection pieces 17, 18. The blocking beam 15 lies on a plane spanned by the two connection pieces 17, 18. The blocking beam 15 extends perpendicularly to the two connection pieces 17, 18.

The locking device 1 is connected to the manhole cover 90 by means of the fastening device 20. The fastening device 20 comprises a fastening element 26 and a screw receiving opening 27. The connection pieces 17, 18 connect the blocking beam 15 to the fastening device 20. Between the two connection pieces 17, 18, the locking device 1 has a connection area which is thinner in design compared with the connection pieces 17, 18.

The blocking beam 15 comprises a blocking element configured in pairs, i.e. a first blocking element 10 and a second blocking element 12. The blocking elements 10, 12 are arranged at two opposite ends of the blocking beam 15. They exhibit rounded outer edges (blocking outer surfaces 11, 13) and project in respect of the blocking beam 15.

The locking device 1 is substantially mirror-symmetrical in respect of a plane which runs between the two connection pieces 17 and 18 and centrally through the screw receiving opening 27. The two blocking elements 10, 12 or else the two blocking outer surfaces 11, 13 of the two blocking elements 10, 12 exhibit the same spacing from the fastening device 20 or else the screw receiving opening 27. An asymmetric configuration of the locking device 1 is also conceivable, however.

The locking device 1 is arranged on the manhole cover 90 and connected thereto (non-positively) by means of a screw 25 which has an external thread and the fastening device 20, the screw receiving opening 27 whereof has an internal thread which matches this. When the screw is tightened, the locking device 1 is located in the locking position. The locking device 1 is, without loosening the screw, connected substantially immovably in respect of the manhole cover 90 to said manhole cover 90.

The screw 25 or else the screw receiving opening 27 are arranged substantially centrally between the first blocking element 10 and the second blocking element 12, i.e. the screw 25 or else the screw receiving opening 27 exhibits an equally large spacing from the first blocking element 10 and the second blocking element 12. This means that when the locking device 1 is in the locking position, no torque acts on the locking device 1 or else the screw 25 when attempts are made to move the latching engagement elements 80, 81 out of the latching engagement position.

In the locking position shown in Fig. 2, the fastening device 20 of the locking device 1 is in (direct) contact with the manhole cover 90. In the locking position, the two blocking outer surfaces 11, 13 of the first blocking element 10 and of the second blocking element 12 are in (direct) contact with the outer contact surfaces 83, 84 of the two latching engagement elements 80, 81. The outer contact surfaces 83, 84 are located on the side of the latching engagement elements 80, 81 facing away from the projections of the manhole in the installed state, with which projections the latching engagement elements 80, 81 engage in the installed state.

The side of the blocking beam 15 facing away from the blocking outer surfaces 11, 13 is in (direct) contact, in the locking position, with a supporting element acting as an abutment. The supporting element may be part of the locking device 1 or it may simply be part of the manhole cover 90.

In Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the supporting element 93 comprises a cross beam which is rigidly connected to the manhole cover 90. During a movement of the latching engagement elements 80, 81 out of the latching engagement position, said elements press against the two blocking elements 10, 12 or else the blocking beam 15, which beam in turn presses with its rear side against the supporting element 93. Consequently, a movement of the latching engagement elements 80, 81 out of the latching engagement position is not possible while the blocking beam of the locking device is located between the latching engagement elements 80, 81 and the supporting element 93.

It is also conceivable that there is no supporting element present, but the locking device 1 is of such a stable or rigid design that it absorbs all these forces which occur when an attempt is made to move the latching engagement elements out of the latching engagement position and deflects them via the connection to the manhole cover 90 into the manhole cover 90. It is likewise conceivable for a supporting element to be part of the locking device 1.

The locking device 1 is moved out of the release position into the locking position by tightening the screw 25 which is arranged in a through-opening 95 of the manhole cover and in the screw opening 27. After loosening the screw 25, which is thereby moved upwards in respect of the manhole cover 90 over the surface 91 of the manhole cover 90, it is possible to move the locking device 1 out of the locking position into a release position in which the locking device releases the latching engagement elements 80, 81. In the release position, the blocking beam 15 (and also other elements of the locking device 1) is no longer located between the latching engagement element 80, 81 and the supporting element 93. The latching engagement elements 80, 81 are therefore free and can be moved out of the latching engagement position in which they are engaged with the projections of the manhole. In this way, the manhole cover 90 can be removed from the manhole.

The head of the screw 25 is accessible from the upper side 91 of the manhole cover 90, which is arranged opposite the latching engagement elements 80, 81. Consequently, the screw 25 can be tightened by a screwdriver and loosened again in a technically simple way. The head of the screw 25 is advantageously arranged in a depression in the upper side 91 of the manhole cover 90, so that the surface of the upper side 91 is planar in the region of the head of the screw 25.

Once the screw 25 has been loosened, said screw 25 projects beyond the upper side 91 of the manhole cover 90, while the manhole 15 is furthermore located between the latching engagement elements 80, 81 and the supporting element 93. Only by pressing the screw 25 into the through-opening 95 of the manhole cover 90 is the blocking beam 15 of the locking device 1 moved downwards (in the case of a vertical manhole which is covered by a manhole cover 90 at the top) and the latching engagement elements 80, 81 are therefore released. This increases the effectiveness of the locking device 1 as an anti-theft and vandalism security mechanism. Even after the screw 25 has been loosened, the manhole cover 90 cannot simply be removed from the manhole.

The screw 25 comprises a securing element 30 at an end opposite the screw head. This is a pin, for example, which is arranged perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the screw 25. The pin may be removed from the screw 25, in order to connect the locking device 1 to the screw 25. The screw receiving opening 27 is of such a size that the locking device always remains connected to the screw 25. The securing element 30 is of such a size that the securing element 30 does not fit transversely through the screw receiving opening 27. Once the locking device 1 has been moved out of the locking position into the release position, the locking device 1 (in the case of a vertical manhole) hangs from the securing element 30, in a manner of speaking, and does not fall further down.

It is also conceivable for the locking device 1 to secure or else block in the locking position only one latching engagement element 80 or more than two latching engagement elements 81.

The locking device 1 may be arranged in such a way that when the screw 25 is tightened, the blocking outer surfaces 11, 13 are arranged in (direct) contact with or spaced apart from the outer contact surfaces 83, 84. It is likewise possible for the blocking beam 15 to be arranged either in direct contact with the supporting element 93 or spaced apart from the supporting element 93. In the locking position at the latest, when the latching engagement elements 80, 81 press against the blocking beam 15 and in turn press said beam against the supporting element 93, the aforementioned elements are in direct contact with one another.

It is also conceivable for a sheet metal clamp to be arranged by means of the screw 25 in a locking position. A blocking clamp of this kind is therefore arranged in the locking position between the blocking beam 15 and the latching engagement elements 80, 81 in each case. A further advantage of the invention is that no parts can be lost during transportation of the manhole cover, since all elements are connected to the manhole cover. This also makes on-site installation easier. The manhole cover must simply be placed on the manhole, so that the latching engagement elements engage. The latching engagement elements can now be blocked by arranging the locking device in the locking position.

List of reference numbers I Locking device 10 First blocking element II Outer blocking surface of the first blocking element 12 Second blocking element 13 Outer blocking surface of the second blocking element 15 Blocking beam 17, 18 Connection piece 20 Fastening device 25 Screw 26 Fastening element 27 Screw receiving opening 30 Securing element 80, 81 Latching engagement element 83, 84 Outer contact surface 90 Manhole cover 91 Upper side of the manhole cover 92 Lower side of the manhole cover 93 Supporting element of the manhole cover 95 Through-opening

Claims (11)

A shaft cover (90) for covering a shaft comprising - at least one engagement ratchet element (80), wherein the engagement ratchet element (80) in an engagement position with the shaft cover (90) in the assembled state prevents molding and / or force-sloping movement of the shaft cover (90). - a locking device (1) for locking the locking ratchet element (80), characterized in that the locking device (1) is connected to the shaft cover (90) and wherein the locking device (1) is designed and arranged so that the locking device (1) in a locking position substantially blocks movement of the engaging bar element (80) from the engaging position by means of a molding connection between a locking rudder surface (11, 13) of the locking device (1) and a contact outer surface (83, 84) of the engaging bar element (80). Shaft cover (90) according to claim 1, characterized in that the locking device (1) is designed so that the locking device (1) can be connected to the shaft cover (90) in a force-closing manner. Shaft cover (90) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the locking device is designed in such a way that the locking device (1) can be releasably connected to the shaft cover (90). Shaft cover (90) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the locking device (1) has at least one locking element (10) comprising the blocking outer surface, in which the locking element (10) can be arranged in (direct) contact with the locking ratchet element (80). , especially in (direct) contact with the contact surface (83, 84) of the engagement ratchet element (80). Shaft cover (90) according to one of the preceding claims, in particular claim 4, characterized in that the locking element (10) can be arranged between the engagement ratchet element (80) and a support element of the locking device (1) and / or a function of consideration. support member (93) of the shaft cover (90) to support the locking device (1). Shaft cover (90) according to one of the preceding claims, in particular claim 5, characterized in that the locking device (1) is designed such that the locking element (1) can be arranged in (direct) contact with the supporting element (93). Shaft cover (90) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a fastening device (20) for connecting the locking device (1) to the shaft cover (90), wherein the fastening device (20) comprises a screw (25) and a fastening element ( 26) with a complementary internal thread, wherein the screw (25) is connected to the fastening element (26) in such a way that the locking device (1) in the locking position is held detachable with the shaft cover (90) and by tightening the screw (25) can be moved from a release position in which the locking device (1) releases the engaging ratchet member (80) and into the locking position. Shaft cover (90) according to one of the preceding claims, in particular claim 7, characterized in that the screw (25) comprises a securing element (30) which is formed and arranged such that the fastening element (26) in the release position of the locking device (1) is connected to the screw (25). Shaft cover (90) according to one of the preceding claims, in particular claims 7 or 8, characterized in that the screw (25) is designed and arranged so that after locking the screw (25) the locking device (1) can be moved from the locking position to release position. Shaft cover (90) according to one of the preceding claims, in particular one of claims 4 to 9, characterized in that the locking element (10) and the locking element (80) are formed in pairs, wherein the fastening device (20), in particular the screw (25), is arranged between the locking elements (10, 12), in particular arranged substantially in the middle. Shaft cover (90) according to one of the preceding claims, in particular one of claims 7 to 10, characterized by a through-opening (95) for receiving the screw (25) and for connecting the locking device (1) to the shaft cover (90) a head of the screw (25) is accessible from an upper side (91) of the shaft cover (90) opposite the engagement ratchet member (80).