IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0814173
(2010-06-11)
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등록번호 |
US-8245452
(2012-08-21)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
|
출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
8 인용 특허 :
53 |
초록
▼
A riser formed from a plurality of curved cylindrical segments with vertical side edges having mating vertically tapered projections and slots brought into interlocking engagement to pull confronting surfaces together as the tapered elements become increasingly mechanically engaged. The segments are
A riser formed from a plurality of curved cylindrical segments with vertical side edges having mating vertically tapered projections and slots brought into interlocking engagement to pull confronting surfaces together as the tapered elements become increasingly mechanically engaged. The segments are assembled by a sliding engagement of the protruding mating element of one segment into the vertically tapered slot of an adjacent segment. When sufficient segments are joined together horizontally to complete a ring except for a last adjacent pair of vertical side edges, the ring is warped to align the protruding mating element of the last adjacent pair of vertical side edges with an opposite end of the adjacent tapered slot. Thus aligned, the final protruding mating element and tapered slot are then slipped together while un-warping the joined segments forming the remainder of the ring until the top and bottom ends of all the segments are aligned. A cover has a flexible spider on a lower surface that can be locked into a groove or other feature on an inside surface of the curved riser segments.
대표청구항
▼
1. A subterranean structure having a body cylindrical about a vertical axis, made up of at least one ring, each ring consisting essentially of a plurality of horizontally adjacent segments of molded plastic, each segment comprising: a wall element cylindrically curved about a vertical axis having an
1. A subterranean structure having a body cylindrical about a vertical axis, made up of at least one ring, each ring consisting essentially of a plurality of horizontally adjacent segments of molded plastic, each segment comprising: a wall element cylindrically curved about a vertical axis having an inside surface and an outside surface, vertical side edges and horizontal top and bottom ends, a first of the vertical side edges including a protruding mating element that is vertically tapered, and a second of the vertical side edges including a slot that is vertically tapered, the vertical side edges including confronting surfaces brought into abutting relationship solely by an interlocking engagement between the vertically tapered mating elements and vertically tapered slots on the horizontally adjacent segments of similar construction,wherein the protruding mating element on each segment comprises a dovetail extending continuously along the first vertical side edge, the dovetail including a proximal portion adjacent to the first vertical side edge and a distal portion opposite the proximal portion, the proximal portion being narrower than the distal portion, and the distal portion having a width of continuously varying dimension in a vertical direction to achieve the vertical taper. 2. A subterranean structure of claim 1 wherein each, segment further comprises a protuberance on a surface of each protruding dovetail and a corresponding surface feature on a surface of each dovetail slot providing interference between interlocking vertical surfaces when the horizontal ends of two adjacent segments are aligned. 3. A subterranean structure of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of dimples on a surface of each element facilitating the drilling of holes for mounting hardware to the surface. 4. A subterranean structure of claim 3 further comprising a security net including a plurality of radial strands and crossing strands coupled to the radial strands, and a plurality of fasteners coupled to the ends of the radial strands for connecting the radial strands to said mounting hardware on the inside surface of the subterranean structure, the strands being fixed sufficiently close to each other to inhibit accidental entry into the subterranean structure by small animals and children while still providing small openings of sufficient size to allow access by a suction hose or the like. 5. A subterranean structure of claim 1, wherein the at least one ring forms a vertical access chamber, the subterranean structure further comprising a security net having a plurality of radial strands and crossing strands coupled to the radial strands, and a plurality of fasteners coupled to ends of the radial strands, the fasteners configured to couple the radial strands to an inside surface of the vertical access chamber, the radial and crossing strands being fixed sufficiently close to each other to inhibit accidental entry into the subterranean structure by small animals and children while still providing small openings of sufficient size to allow access by a suction hose or the like. 6. A subterranean structure comprising a body and a cover, the body cylindrical about a vertical axis and made up of at least one ring, each ring consisting essentially of a plurality of horizontally adjacent segments of molded plastic, each segment comprising: a wall element cylindrically curved about a vertical axis having an inside surface and an outside surface, vertical side edges and horizontal top and bottom ends, a first of the vertical side edges including a protruding mating element that is vertically tapered, and a second of the vertical side edges including a slot that is vertically tapered, the vertical side edges including confronting surfaces brought into abutting relationship solely by an interlocking engagement between the vertically tapered mating elements and vertically tapered slots on the horizontally adjacent segments of similar construction, anda continuous groove on the inside surface of the wall elements; andthe cover contacting said horizontal top end of an uppermost of the rings forming the subterranean structure, and a flexible spider coupled to the cover having leg ends engaging the continuous groove to secure the cover to the uppermost of the rings. 7. A subterranean structure of claim 6, wherein the cover comprises a plate having an upper surface and a lower surface, the lower surface including an outer rim to contact with said top end, the spider having a center portion and a plurality of radially extending legs, a like plurality of coupling elements coupling at least one of the legs to the lower surface, each leg including the leg end at a distal end thereof, the leg end being adapted to protrude into contact with the inside surface of the subterranean structure, the center portion being movable from the upper surface of the plate to cause movement of the leg ends of the legs relative to the coupling elements between a locked and an unlocked position for securing and releasing the cover to the uppermost ring. 8. A subterranean structure of claim 7, wherein the lower surface of the plate of the cover further comprises of an inner rim movably coupled to the legs of the spider. 9. A subterranean structure of claim 7, wherein the center portion of the spider of the cover is movable in a direction away from the lower surface of the plate, which causes movement of the leg ends of the legs away from the continuous groove of the inside surface of the subterranean structure. 10. A subterranean structure of claim 9, wherein the cover further comprises an opening in the plate aligned with the central portion of the spider for receiving a key inserted from the upper surface of the plate to cause downward displacement of the spider. 11. A subterranean structure of claim 10, wherein the key comprises an axially symmetric rod having a lower portion dimensioned to be received in the opening of the cover and a shoulder of a greater dimension, and a tapered portion between the lower portion and the shoulder allowing lateral displacement of the key relative to the opening of the cover. 12. A subterranean structure of claim 5, wherein each of the radial strands of the security net comprises a portion coupled to at least one other radial strand approximately at a center of the vertical access chamber. 13. A subterranean structure of claim 12, wherein each of the crossing strands is coupled to the radial strands in an intermediate location between the center and the inside surface of the vertical access chamber. 14. A subterranean structure of claim 13, wherein the vertical access chamber is circular, each of the ends of the radial strands is connected to a circumferential region of the inside surface of the vertical access chamber, and each of the crossing strands together form a circular shape.
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