Valve box cover

Claim 2

A cover of the type used in a valve box, manhole or the like of the type providing a cover seat comprising: a rotatable bolt located within said cover; a lever base threadedly engaged on said bolt under said cover and adapted to be raised or lowered upon alternate-direction rotation of said bolt; at least one pivoting attachment means affixed to said lever base; at least one slot defined within the side of said cover; a lock lift lever pivotally attached to said pivoting attachment means on said lever base and extending through said slot; a lift member portion formed as the upper part of said lock lift lever, the lift member portion being adapted to extend through said slot and to extend over the seat of said valve box; and a lock member portion formed as the lower part of said lock lift lever, the lock member portion extending perpendicularly downward from said lift member portion and also being adapted to extend through said slot when said bolt is rotated and the lever base is lowered, thereby causing said lock member portion to be forced against an interior wall portion of said valve box to lock said cover in place, rotation of the bolt in the opposite direction acting to raise said lever base and to rotate said lock lift lever, thereby forcing said lift member portion downward against the seat of said valve box and said lock member portion away from the interior wall portion of said valve box to raise said cover from the seat upon which it rests and to unlock the cover.

Claim 3

The device of claim 1 wherein said bolt is centrally located within said cover and said bolt includes a head which is countersunk in said cover.

Claim 4

The device of claim 2 and further comprising at least one additional lock lift member located on a radii from said central bolt extending through a like number of slots defined in said cover.

Claim 5

The device of claim 1 and further comprising a pivot point in said cover inward of the top of said slot, said pivot point for applying leverage in the top of said cover; and an angle movement space defined in said cover extending outward from said pivot point to said slot, said angle movement space adapted to allow room for upward movement of the lift member portion of said lock lift lever when said cover is locked in a valve box.

Claim 6

The device of claim 1 and further comprising guide members located on either side of said lock lift lever member to prevent lateral movement thereof while allowing for vertical movement.

Claim 7

The device of claim 1 and further comprising set screw means in the lock member portion of the lock lift lever adapted to be extended beyond said lock member portion for use in out-of-tolerance valve boxes.

Claim 8

Apparatus for covering the opening of a valve box, manhole or similar structure having a cover seat, comprising: a cover having portions which contact the cover seat for substantially covering the opening of the valve box, the cover having at least one slot formed therein in juxtaposition to the cover seat of the valve box and interior wall portions of said valve box proximate to said cover seat; and locking and unlocking means carried by the cover and having at least a portion extending externally of the valve box to allow manipulation of said means from externally of the valve box for locking the cover on manipulation of said means in a first direction and for unlocking and lifting the cover on manipulation of said means in a second direction, the locking and unlocking means comprising: a bolt carried by and extending through the cover and adapted for rotation from externally of the valve box, the bolt having a threaded end portion disposed internally of the valve box; lever base means received on the threaded end portion of the bolt for reciprocating movement along the bolt on rotation of said bolt; mounting means carried by the lever base means for mounting portions internal of said valve box of the locking and unlocking means to said lever base means; and lock lift lever means having a first portion mounted to the mounting means for movement of the lock lift lever means relative to said mounting means, the lock lift lever means having a lift member portion spaced from said first portion and extending at least partially through the slot formed in the cover plate for contacting the seat cover of the valve box, the lock lift lever means further having a lock member portion disposed adjacent to and spaced from the lift member portion in facing relation to the interior wall portions of the valve box proximate to the seat cover and extending at least partially through the slot formed in the cover for contacting the interior wall portions of the valve box and thereby locking the apparatus in covering relation to the valve box on rotation of the bolt in a sense which increases the spacing between the lever base means and the cover, thereby to force surfaces of the lock member portion against said interior wall portions of the valve box, rotation of the bolt in the opposite sense acting to decrease the spacing between the lever base means and the cover, thereby both to displace the lock member portions away from the interior wall portions of the valve box and thus to unlock the cover and also to force the lift member portion against the seat cover of the valve box to lift the cover from the cover seat.

Claim 9

Apparatus for covering the opening of a valve box, manhole or similar structure having a cover seat, comprising: a cover having portions which contact the cover seat for substantially covering the opening of the valve box, the cover having at least one slot formed therein in juxtaposition to the cover seat of the valve box and interior wall portions of said valve box proximate to said cover seat; and locking and unlocking means carried by the cover and having at least a portion extending externally of the valve box to allow manipulation of said means from externally of the valve box for locking the cover on manipulation of said means in a first direction and for unlocking and lifting the cover on manipulation of said means in a second direction, the locking and unlocking means comprising: a bolt carried by and extending through the cover and adapted for rotation from externally of the valve box, the bolt having a threaded end portion disposed internally of the valve box; lever base means received on the threaded end portion of the bolt for reciprocating movement along the bolt on rotation of said bolt; mounting means carried by the lever base means for mounting portions internal of said valve box of the locking and unlocking means to said lever base means; and lock lift lever means having a first portion mounted to the mounting means for movement of the lock lift lever means relative to said mounting means, the lock lift lever means having a lift member portion spaced from said first portion and extending at least partially through the slot formed in the cover plate for contacting the seat cover of the valve box, the lock lift lever means further having a lock member portion disposed adjacent to and spaced from the lift member portion in facing relation to the interior wall portions of the valve box proximate to the seat cover and extending at least partially through the slot formed in the cover for contacting the interior wall portions of the valve box and thereby locking the apparatus in covering relation to the valve box on rotation of the bolt in a sense which increases the spacing between the lever base means and the cover, thereby to force surfaces of the lock member portion against said interior wall portions of the valve box, rotation of the bolt in the opposite sense acting to decrease the spacing between the lever base means and the cover, thereby both to displace the lock member portions away from the interior wall portions of the valve box and thus to unlock the cover and also to force the lift member portion against the seat cover of the valve box to lift the cover from the cover seat.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the mounting means mount the first portion of the lock lift lever means for pivotal movement of said lock lift lever means.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein a plurality of slots are formed in the cover about the periphery of said cover and wherein the lock lift lever means comprise a plurality of lock lift lever elements, each of said lock lift lever elements being associated with one of the slots.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 9 wherein each lock lift lever element comprises an elongated body member with one end being pivotally mounted to the mounting means and with the opposite end contacting the cover seat, the lock lift lever element further having a depending leg disposed nearmost said opposite end of the body member and facing the interior wall surfaces of the valve box, rotation of the lock lift lever element in a sense which pivotally displaces the leg away from the lever base means acting to lock the cover over the valve box, and rotation of the lock lift lever element in an opposite sense acting to unlock the cover and to lift the cover from the cover seat of the valve box.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 10 wherein a portion of the cover defining each of the slots and surmounting the end of the lock lift lever element extending into the slot is contiguous to and contacts an upper surface portion of the lock lift lever element to form a pivot bearing for applying leveraged force to the cover.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein walls of the slots surmounting the lock lift lever element extend at an angle from the pivot bearing and into an increasingly spaced relation to surfaces to the lock lift lever element to define an angle movement space for allowance of movement of the opposite end of the lock lift lever element on pivoting movement of said element into a locking relation with the valve box.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 12 and further comprising guide means mounted to the cover about each slot for preventing lateral movement of the lock lift lever element.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 10 and further comprising adjustment means carried by the leg of the lock lift lever element for selectively extending the effective outer surface of the leg in opposition to the interior wall surfaces of the valve box, thereby to accommodate and allow locking of the cover to valve boxes which are dimensioned beyond standard tolerance.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the adjustment means comprises a set screw carried in the leg and having the distal end thereof extending toward the interior wall portions of the valve box.