IE921004A1 - Means for securing a covering part to the frame of a road part - Google Patents

Abstract

Means intended for securing, in a removable manner, a generally polygon-shaped covering part (2), which may be a plane or concave grating or a covering plate, to a frame (1) interacting with the said part, these means comprising at least one elastic member (26) positioned in an open housing (25) arranged in the central region of one of the lateral faces of the frame, at least one fastening catch (11) integral with that lateral face of the frame which is opposite the one where the elastic member is located, a finger (30), integral with the covering part, the lower end of which has an enlargement (31) adapted to be snap-locked by interacting with the said fastening member, and a strip (32), integral with the part, which, in the position in which the said covering part is closed over the frame, interacts with the elastic member, the fastening catch (11) then being located in the position in which it is snap-locked with the finger (30) of the covering part. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to road parts such aa gullyholes or manholes for pavements, of the type comprising a removable lid resting, in closed position, in a frame sealed into the ground or onto a support structure.

More particularly, the present invention has as its subject means for securing in removable manner a covering part of the flat or concave grating, or plate or other type, of polygonal general shape, to a frame cooperating with the said part. Preferably, the covering part according to the present invention will, seen from above, have a triangular, square, rectangular or trapezoidal general shape.

In order to lock in removable manner a grating IS or covering plate of polygonal general shape onto a support frame, the use of an added mechanical part of the screw, key, hook or similar type is known. Such a locking device however requires the use of a special tool for operation and risks, in certain cases, becoming unlocked on its own under the effect of the multiple vibrations created by the passing of vehicles; moreover, the added part runs the risk of binding, thus becoming difficult to actuate, or even of seizing, thus rendering its unlocking impossible.

Devices are also known where the locking is produced by the imprisoning of resilient fingers, integral with the grating or plate, in housings or under stops of the support frame. Such solutions however call upon the resilience of the material constituting the - 2 grating or plate.

Another disadvantage of the known locking systems resides in the banging of the grating or plate on its support when rolling loads pass, thus constituting a permanent source of noises.

It is therefore the aim of the present invention to break free from these disadvantages.

More particularly, the present invention has as its subject, for this purpose, means designed to secure in a removable manner a covering part of polygonal general shape, of the flat or concave grating type or of the covering plate type, to a frame cooperating with the said part, these means comprising at least one resilient member positioned in an open housing made in the middle region of one of the lateral faces of the frame, at least one hooking catch integral with the lateral face of the frame opposite to that where the resilient member is located, a finger, integral with the covering part, whose lower end has a shoulder adapted to snap home by cooperation with the said hooking catch, and a small bar, integral with the part, which, when the said covering part is in closed position on the frame, cooperates with the resilient member, the hooking catch then being in snapped-home position with the finger of the covering part.

These combined means thus offer a safety of locking which prevents the grating or plate from being ejected from the frame, owing to its light weight, when vehicles pass, while eliminating the banging noises which - 3 may result from this passing of rolling loads.

The present invention also has as its subject a road part of the type comprising a covering part of polygonal general shape cooperating with a support frame, the said road part comprising means for securing the covering part to the frame such as those defined above, namely at least one resilient member located in an open housing made in the middle region of one of the lateral faces of the frame, and a small bar integral with the covering part, which, when the said covering part is in closed position on the frame, cooperates with the resilient member, at least one hooking catch integral with the lateral face opposite to that where the said resilient member is located then being in snapped-home position with a finger integral with the covering part.

Other features and advantages will become apparent in the course of the following description, given solely as a non-limitative example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: - Fig. 1 gives a plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a road part of the type comprising a covering part supported by a frame, fitted with securing means according to the invention.

- Fig. 2 is a sectional view along the line IIII of the frame to which the resilient member has been added in accordance with Fig. 1 on which is superimposed an end view of the covering part according to the exemplary - 4 embodiment of Fig. 1.

- Fig. 3 is a plan view of the frame according to the exemplary embodiment of Fig. 1.

- Fig. 4 is a sectional view along the line IV5 IV of Fig. 3.

- Fig. 5 is a sectional view along the line V-V of the frame according to Fig. 3, to which has been added the resilient member according to the exemplary embodiment of Fig. 1.

- Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the resilient member according to the exemplary embodiment of Fig. 1.

The road part shown in Fig. 1 consists of a frame 1 and of a removable covering part forming a lid. For reasons of convenience, the covering part selected for this particular exemplary embodiment is an articulated flat grating 2. The frame 1 and the grating 2 are both, seen from above, of rectangular general shape.

The frame 1 (Fig. 1 to 5) comprises a vertical skirt 3, fitted at its periphery, with a bearing plate 4 designed to transmit the load and to seal the frame into the ground or onto a support structure such as concrete for example.

Two opposed lateral faces 5, 6 of the skirt 3, parallel to an axis X-X located in the plane of the frame 1, each have, in immediate proximity with the top of a lateral face 7 of the skirt 3, perpendicular to the faces 6, 7 and parallel to an axis Y-Y located in the plane of the frame 1, two widenings 8A, 8B of the skirt 3 directed - 5 respectively towards the inside and towards the outside of the frame 1, the outer widening 8B being longer than the inner widening 8A.

In each of these widening» 8A, 8B is made an 5 aperture 9A, 33 respectively, of longitudinal direction parallel to the axis Y-Y, the aperture 9B of the widening 8B being longer than the aperture 9A of the widening 8A.

These two apertures 9A, 9B face one another and in cross-section, as shown in Tig. 4, have the general shape of a triangle with rounded angles, thus revealing in its vertical part farthest inside the frame 1 a substantially oblong vertical portion, and in its lowest part, a substantially oblong horisontal portion.

The skirt 3 terminates with a lateral face 10 opposite and parallel to the lateral face 7.

The lateral face 10 comprises, at its ends, two hooking catches 11, projecting towards the inside of the frame 1, integral with the inner face of the top of the skirt 3 and having in cross-section, as shown in Figure 4, a double cam comprising an upper ramp 11A eloping downwards, that is to say towards the base of the frame 1, and a lower ramp 11B sloping upwards, that it to say towards the top of the frame 1, the intersection of these two ramps 11A and 11B defining a ridge line 12 parallel to the axis Y-Y.

Bach of the lateral faces 5, 6, 10 of the skirt 3 has in its middle region, two support studs 13, projecting towards the inside of the frame 1 and having an upper bearing part 14 parallel to the plane of the IE 921064 - 6 frame 1.

Each of the lateral faces 5, 6 of the skirt 3 has, projecting towards the inside of the frame 1, two support studs having an upper bearing part parallel to the plane of the frame, one 15 of which is located close to the end near the lateral face 10, and consequently close to the hooking catches 11, and the other 16 is located in the opposite corner.

The support studs 16 are, through one end of 10 their upper bearing part, integral with the lateral face 7 of the skirt 3, the upper face of their upper bearing part, parallel to the plane of the frame, being located at a lower level than the apertures 9A, 9B, as shown in Fig. 5.

The lateral face 7 has in its middle region, and preferably centred, a support stud 17 having an upper bearing part 18 whose upper face 18A and lower face 18B are parallel to the plane of the frame 1, as shown in Fig. 5.

This upper bearing part 18 has, as shown in Figs. to 5, a centred recess 19, open towards the inside of the frame, of rectangular general shape, thus dividing the upper bearing part 18 into two protuberances 20A, 20B connected to one another by a longitudinal branch 21, parallel to the axis Y-Y, and formed integrally with the lateral face 7 of the skirt 3.

The lower face 18B is extended at the inner ends of the protuberances 20A, 20B, parallel with the lateral face 7, by a lip 22 projecting vertically towards the - 7 base of the frame 1.

The middle region of the lateral face 7 is extended towards the inside of the frame 1 by a longitudinal excrescence 23, parallel to the plane of the frame, of rectangular general shape integral with the inner face of the skirt 3 and coplanar with the bearing plate 4 which, as shown in Figs. 3 to 5, comes to position itself between the protuberances 20A and 2OB, that is to say under the recess 19, the ends inside the frame 1 and parallel to the face 7 of the protuberances 20A, 2OB and of the excrescence 23 being located in the same vertical plane.

The upper face of the excrescence 23 is extended in the middle region of its end innermost with respect to the frame 1, and parallel to the lateral face 7, by a lip 24 projecting vertically towards the top of the frame 1, this lip 24 preferably being centred with respect to the transverse ends 23A and 23B, parallel to the axis X-X, of the excrescence 23.

The lips 22 and 24 are such that the upper face of the lip 24 is located at a lower level than the lower face of the lip 22.

The lower face of the support stud 17, whose protuberances 20A, 20B are provided with a lip 22, and the upper face of the excrescence 23 provided with the lip 24, thus define, with the inner wall of the lateral face 7 of the skirt 3, an open housing 25 designed to receive, by cooperation, a resilient member 26 preferably constituted by a piece of elastomer. In a variant - 8 embodiment according to the invention, the resilient member 26 is constituted by a spring.

With reference to Fig. 6, this resilient member 26 has the general shape of a rectangular parallelepiped having on the one hand, at its transverse ends, two upper slots 27A, 27B designed to cooperate respectively with the protuberances 20A and 2OB each provided with its end lip 22, and on the other hand, at the base of one longitudinal end, a lower slot 27C designed to cooperate with the lip 24 of the excrescence 23. When the resilient member 26 is positioned in its housing 25, its lower face rests in part on the upper face of the excrescence 23, and its upper face comes to be placed in the recess 19, and this at a level between the lower face 18B and the upper face 18A of the upper bearing part 18; the vertical face of the resilient member 26 opposite to that where the lower slot 27C is located then positions itself, by its top, facing the longitudinal branch 21 of the support stud 17. The resilient member 26, owing to the special arrangement of the lips 22 and 24 and of the parts supporting the said lips, thus finds itself imprisoned in a completely stable manner in its housing 25.

The support studs 13, 15, 16 and 17, projecting towards the inside of the frame 1, are such that the upper faces of their upper bearing parts, parallel to the plane of the frame 1, are coplanar and thus constitute flat surfaces on which the grating 2, in closed position, will come to bear.

The grating 2, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, - 9 consists of a series of bars 28, parallel to the axis YY, and linked to one another by at least two spacers 29, parallel to the axis X-X, two of the spacers 29 resting in closed position by their ends, on the flat upper bearing parts of the support studs 13 and 17 of the lateral faces 10 and 7 of the frame 1. The bars 28, regularly spaced and terminating with two end bars 28A, 28B, are positioned in such a manner that two of them rest, in closed position, through the intermediary of their ends, on the flat upper bearing parts of the support studs 13 of the lateral faces 5 and 6 of the frame 1.

The end bar 28A, located close to the lateral face 10 of the frame 1, rests, in closed position, by its ends, on the flat upper bearing parts of the support studs 15 of the frame 1, each of its ends being extended towards the outside of the grating, parallel to the axis X-X, by a finger 30 projecting downwards, substantially perpendicular to the plane of the grating. As shown in Fig. 2, the fingers 30 terminate, at their lower ends, with a shoulder 31 comprising a ramp 31A sloping downwards, directed towards the outside of the grating 2, and a lower surface 3IB substantially parallel to the plane of the grating 2, the ramp 31A being connected to the surface 31B through the intermediary of a substantially rounded surface 31C.

The ramps 31A of the fingers 30, whose slope corresponds to that of the ramps 11B of the hooking catches 11 are located in closed position facing the - 10 hooking catches 11. The end bar 28B, located close to the lateral face 7 of the frame 1, rests, in closed position, by its ends on the flat upper bearing part of the support studs 16 of the frame 1 and has, in its middle region and preferably centred, a small bar 32 of rectangular general shape, parallel to the axis Y-Y, projecting towards the bottom of the grating 2, substantially perpendicular to the plane of the latter. When the grating 2 rests on the frame 1, this small bar 32 is positioned, in a centred manner, facing the longitudinal end innermost with respect to the frame 1 of the resilient member 26, its longitudinal dimension being smaller than the distance between the two protuberances 20A and 2OB, and its lower face 32A being located above the upper face of the lip 24 of the excrescence 23. The ends of the bar 28B project, parallel to the axis X-X, towards the outside of the grating 2, each of the two outer faces of the said bar 28B, parallel to the axis X-X, comprising a cylindrical pivot 33A, 33B respectively, projecting towards the outside of the grating, parallel to the axis Y-Y.

These two pivots 33A and 33B are coaxial, of different length, the pivot 33A being shorter than the pivot 33B, and are designed, during the mounting of the grating 2 onto the frame 1, to come and lodge respectively in the apertures 9A and 9B made in the respective widenings 8A and 8B of the frame 1, thus permitting the articulation of the grating 2 with respect to the frame 1; the length of the pivot 33B is such that when the latter is fully inserted into the aperture 9B, - 11 the pivot 33A finds itself outside the aperture 9A, and the diameter of these pivots 33A, 33B is such that they can undergo movements of horizontal and vertical translation in the substantially oblong portions, horizontal and vertical respectively, of the respective apertures 9A and 9B designed to receive them.

As far as the bar 28B (Fig. 1) is concerned, the end located, with the grating 2 in closed position, close to the lateral face 6 of the frame 1 is also extended in its part furthest from the lateral face 7 by a projection 34 directed towards the outside of the grating 2, parallel to the axis Y-Y, which, in the closed position, is located facing the inner face of the skirt 3, thus avoiding any possibility of accidental dislodging of the pivot 33A; this projection 34 defines with the outer cylindrical surface of the pivot 33B a free space 35 in which the upper wall, of thickness E, of the widening 8B can come to lodge.

In order to mount the grating 2 in articulated manner on the frame 1, the latter is presented perpendicularly to the plane of the frame and the pivot 33B is inserted fully into the aperture 9B, this pivot coming to position itself in the upper part of the vertical oblong portion of the aperture 9B. The pivot 33A is then located facing the top part of the vertical oblong portion of the aperture 9A, that is to say, with reference to Fig. 4, facing the top left space of the aperture 9A, the projection 34 then being located above the widening 8B the thickness E of the upper wall of - 12 which comes to lodge in the free space 35 included between the pivot 33B and the projection 34.

Then, the grating 2 being maintained in vertical position, the latter is translated horizontally so as to bring the pivot 33A into the aperture 9A, the outer face of the projection 34, parallel to the lateral face 6 of the frame 1, coming to place itself in a substantially vertical plane, adjacent to the plane containing the inner face of the lateral face 6 of the skirt 3. The grating 2 still maintained in a position perpendicular to the plane of the frame 1, is then translated downwards, the pivots 33A and 33B thus coming to be positioned in the bottom part of the vertical oblong portion of the respective apertures 9A and 9B, and the projection 34 coming, through the intermediary of its outer face parallel to the lateral face 6 of the frame 1, to be positioned facing the upper wall of the widening 8B.

The grating 2 thus finds itself in open position, articulated with respect to the frame 1 through the intermediary of the pivots 33A and 33B which constitute its axis of rotation.

The locking of the grating 2 on its support frame consists in a first stage in lowering this grating, from the open position, by pivoting about its axis of rotation, until the rounded surface 31C of the shoulder 31 of the fingers 30 is brought into contact with the upper ramp 11A of the hooking catches 11 of the frame 1, the small bar 32 then being located facing the resilient member 2 6.

For this purpose, owing to its position in a rebate of the skirt 3, the projection 34 serves on the one hand to guide the grating 2 during its positioning in the frame, in particular preventing any displacement of this grating parallel to its axis of articulation, and serves on the other hand, owing to its centring action, to maintain the small bar 32 correctly facing the resilient member 26.

In a second stage, in order to continue the 10 locking of the grating 2, it is then sufficient to exert on the latter a thrust directed downwards, the small bar 32 thus bearing against the resilient member 26 and coming progressively to compress the latter in its housing 25, and to maintain this thrust until the rounded surface 31C of the shoulder 31, in sliding along the upper ramp 11A of the hooking catches 11, reaches and then crosses the ridge line 12 of the hooking catches 11, this crossing corresponding to the maximal compression ratio of the resilient member 26. During this compression stage, the pivots 33A and 33B are displaced, towards the outside of the frame, by translation parallel to the plane of the frame 1, along the substantially oblong horizontal portion of the respective apertures 9A and 9B.

Then, after having crossed the ridge line 12, the shoulder 31, by progressive decompression of the resilient member 26, slides along the lower ramp 11B of the hooking catches 11, until the ramp 31A of the fingers 30 is brought into contact with the said lower ramp 11B, thus obtaining a snapped-home position of the fingers 30 - 14 with the hooking catches 11 which corresponds to the final locked position. During this decompression stage, the pivots 33A and 33B are displaced, by translation parallel to the plane of the frame 1, in the direction opposite to that described in the preceding compression stage. In the final locked position, that is to say with the grating 2 in closed position, the small bar 32 bears against the resilient member 26 and thus maintains the latter under slight compression. This prestressing of the resilient member 26 serves to damp and to absorb any displacement of the grating 2 in the rebate of the frame 1, particularly during the passing of rolling loads, and consequently prevents the banging or hammering noises which can result therefrom.

In order to effect the unlocking of the grating 2, it is sufficient to insert a bar between two adjacent bars 28 and to exert a lever force. The small bar 32 then compresses the resilient member 26, thus allowing the surface 31C of the shoulder 31 to cross the ridge line 12 of the hooking catches 11, the resilient member 26 then returning to its rest position, that is to say to the uncompressed state. As will easily be understood, this removal cannot happen accidentally.

As a variant, in order to render the unlocking of the grating still more difficult, the hooking ramps 11B and 31A, designed to cooperate together, may be replaced by horizontal surfaces.

The exemplary embodiment which has just been described relates to an articulated grating, but it is - 15 however possible to envisage a solution where a flat or concave grating, or a covering plate, rests in a nonarticulated manner on a support frame. In this case the pivots 33A, 33B may, for example, be replaced by a snapping-home system of the type comprising fingers integral with the grating or plate, designed to come and snap home by cooperation with hooking catches integral with the skirt of the frame, at least one resilient member, positioned in a housing of the said frame provided for this purpose, offering advantages identical to those previously mentioned.

Claims (10)

1. Means designed to secure in a removable manner a covering part (2) of polygonal general shape to a frame (1) cooperating with the said part, characterised in that 5 the said means comprise at least one resilient member (26) positioned in an open housing (25) made in the middle region of one of the lateral faces of the frame, at least one hooking catch (11) integral with the lateral face of the frame opposite to that where the resilient 10 member is located, a finger (30), integral with the covering part, whose lower end has a shoulder (31) adapted to snap home by cooperation with the said hooking catch, and a small bar (32), integral with the part, which, when the said covering part is in closed position 15 on the frame, cooperates with the resilient member, the hooking catch (11) then being in snapped-home position with the finger (30) of the covering part.

2. Means according to Claim 1, characterised in that the hooking catch (11), integral with the inner face of 20 the top of the skirt (

3. ) of the frame (1), has a double cam comprising an upper ramp (11A), sloping towards the base of the frame, and a lower ramp (11B), sloping towards the top of the frame, the intersection of these two ramps defining a ridge line (12). 25 3. Means according to Claim 1, characterised in that the resilient member (26) is a piece of elastomer.

4. Means according to Claim 1, characterised in that the resilient member (26) is a spring.

5. Means according to Claim 1, characterised in that - 17 the shoulder (31) of the finger (30) comprises a ramp (31A), sloping downwards, directed towards the outside of the covering part (2) and a lower surface (3IB) substantially parallel to the plane of the said covering 5 part (2), the said sloping ramp being connected to the said lower surface through the intermediary of a substantially rounded surface (31C).

6. Means according to Claims 1, 2 and 5, characterised in that the slope of the ramp (31A) of the 10 finger (30) corresponds to that of the ramp (11B) of the hooking catch (11).

7. Means according to Claim 1, characterised in that the small bar (32) projects towards the bottom of the covering part (2), substantially perpendicularly to the 15 plane of the latter.

8. Road part of the type comprising a covering part (2) of polygonal general shape cooperating with a support frame (1), characterised in that it comprises securing means according to any of Claims 1 to 7, with at least 20 one resilient member (26) located in an open housing (25) made in the middle region of one of the lateral faces of the frame, and a small bar (32), integral with the covering part, which, when the said covering part is in closed position on the frame, cooperates with the 25 resilient member, at least one hooking catch (11) integral with the lateral face opposite to that where the said resilient member is located then being in snappedhome position with a finger (30) integral with the covering part. -189.

9.Means according to claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings .

10. Road part according to claim 8, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings .