Reinforced structure for below-grade housing of equipment

Claim 1

An equipment enclosure for buried placement near grade, the enclosure including: (a) upstanding walls in a spaced apart relationship forming a closed section capable of withstanding vehicle traffic loading, each of said walls having a first end, an opposite second end, an inner side facing an interior of said enclosure and an opposite outer side, each of the first ends having a notched portion extending outwardly from the inner side thereby forming a recess in the first end, at least one of the walls having at least one groove formed in the notched portion; (b) a cover having a mechanical strength sufficient to withstand vehicle traffic loading, said cover having a lower side supported substantially at an outer periphery thereof by the first end of said walls, said cover including a notched portion extending along the outer periphery such that the lower side of the cover is received in the recesses in the first end of the walls and contact is prevented between the cover and the outer side of each of the walls and such that vertical loading is directly transferred from said cover to the outwardly extending notched portion of said walls, said cover further including at least one projection extending from said lower side for interfit within said groove in the notched portion of said at least one of the walls for preventing translation and rotation of said cover relative to said walls; and (c) a base attached to the second end of at least two of said walls, the base supporting each of said walls and maintaining the spaced apart relationship of said walls.