Patent ID: 7658570
Filing Date: 2010-02-09
Classification: E02D

Abstract:
1. A manhole system comprising: a frame removably securable to an upstanding collar of a bulk carrier structure, the collar defining an opening in the bulk carrier structure, the frame securable around the opening; a cover movable between an open position substantially away from the opening and a closed position covering the opening; a seal member providing a seal when the cover is in the closed position, the seal member being expandable and contractable to shift the cover between a locked position and an unlocked position, the seal member being inflatable to a sealed configuration to move the cover to the locked position and deflatable to an unsealed configuration to move the cover to the unlocked position; and a pivot pin supported by the frame and around which the cover rotates, the pivot pin providing a pivot axis, and the pivot pin being sized to permit the cover to shift axially between the locked and unlocked positions, wherein the manhole system is entirely supported by the collar.