Cover arrangement for servicing holes

Claim 1

An arrangement for covering and uncovering a hole provided in the floor of automotive service stations, the hole having a rectangular horizontal cross-section and vertical side surfaces, said arrangement comprising: a pair of guide rails extending along the upper edges of the side surfaces of the hole, said guide rails each having a horizontal flange and a vertical flange, the horizontal flanges of said pair of guide rails being supported on the floor and the oppositely arranged vertical flanges having a spacing larger than the width of the hole, a pair of vertical guide plates being arranged within the hole of one front end and adjacent the side walls thereof, the spacing of the vertical guide plates being smaller than that between the horizontal flanges of said pair of guide rails, a pair of connection ramps, each of said ramps providing a continuous transition between the vertical flanges of one of the guide rails and the vertical guide plate, a plurality of parallel elongated support members pivotably connected with one another forming said cover for the hole, the ends of said support members being supported on the horizontal flanges of the guide rails, each one of said plurality of support members being of a telescopic construction, a compression spring arranged within each one of said plurality of support members, said compression spring urging the ends of each support member in contact with said vertical flanges of the guide rails, and a driving device for moving the plurality of support members from a first position between the pair of guide rails into a second position between the pair of guide plates, whereby the support members one after another becoming telescopically compressed when passing said pair of ramps.