Abstract:
An underground service protection system made from two main sections, a first frame having a bottom panel with hinged side and end panels and a second frame having side and end panels. The end panels retain inserted slides having half apertures. The half apertures surround a pipe or other structure being protected while the first frame and second frame form a protective cage. A standpipe and a back-fill gauge extend upward from the protection system. The hinged ends and sides enable the first frame to be installed with reduced material removable. The first frame and the second frame are aligned and held together using stakes on the first frame and pockets on the second frame. Tie wraps are used to hold the sides and the stakes and pockets together.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/937,143, which was filed Feb. 7, 2014. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to subterranean pipelines. More specifically, the present invention relates to improvements to bell-hole barriers which protect subterranean pipelines. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     There are literally thousands of miles of underground gas pipelines that transport fuel from sources into refineries and then out to businesses and homes. Such gas pipelines require access for servicing and maintenance. In addition, gas pipelines also require physical protection against damage. This is especially true where they pass underneath roads and highways since the weight of heavy trucks can damage them. 
     Gas pipeline construction is therefore intimately involved in both providing access to and protection of gas pipelines. To that end gas pipeline construction makes use of various formworks and concrete structures. In practice those structures are difficult to handle, time consuming to install, and costly to implement. Additionally, their concrete must be dealt with should the gas pipeline need to be removed or replaced. 
     In view of the costs, time and difficult of implementing both access into and protection of underground gas pipelines there exists a need for new protection devices that can provide both needed access into and protection of underground gas pipelines. Preferably such new protections devices would reduce or eliminate some of the disadvantages described above. Beneficially, such protection devices could also be used with other types of pipelines such as oil pipelines and with other services such as water, sewer, and electrical. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The inventor recognized the aforementioned problems and developed a new, useful, and unobvious protection device that provides both access into and protection of underground gas pipelines and which can be used with other types of pipelines and with other services. 
     An underground service protection system that is in accord with the present invention includes a first frame having a bottom panel, a first side panel attached to the bottom panel by a first hinge, a second side panel attached to the bottom panel by a second hinge, a first end panel attached to the bottom panel by a third hinge, and a second end panel attached to the bottom panel by a fourth hinge. The first end panel includes a first set of insert slides and the second end panel includes a second set of insert slides. In addition, the protection system includes a second frame having a top panel, a third side panel, a fourth side panel, a third end panel, and a fourth end panel. The third end panel includes a third set of insert slides and the fourth end panel includes a fourth set of insert slides. A first insert having a first half aperture is inserted into the first set of insert slides and a second insert having a second half aperture inserted into the second set of insert slides. A third insert having a third half aperture inserted into the third set of insert slides and a fourth insert having a fourth half aperture inserted into the fourth set of insert slides. The first frame and the second frame are aligned such that the first half aperture and the third half aperture form a first aperture and the second half aperture and the fourth half aperture form a second aperture. The first aperture and the second aperture can be used to fit over a pipe. 
     In practice the underground service protection system also includes a first collar attached to the top panel and a standpipe that extends upward from the first collar. In that case the there may be a pipe cover over the standpipe and a lock system for locking the pipe cover to the standpipe. Preferably the standpipe extends above ground and includes indicia with information regarding the underground service protection system. The standpipe may be color coded to provide information regarding the underground service protection system. 
     That underground service protection may also include a second collar that is attached to the top panel and a backfill gauge that extends upward from the second collar. That backfill gauge can be used to indicate how much backfill material is needed to cover the underground service protection system. 
     In practice the underground service protection system can include a hinge pin that passes through the bottom panel. The first frame may include stakes, the second frame may include pockets, and the stakes can fit into the pockets when the first frame and the second frame are aligned. In that case the stakes and pockets can be secured together by tie wraps. Tie wraps can also be used to secure the first side panel to the second side panel. Beneficially, the first frame and the second frame form a protective cage around a pipe. In addition the first panel may be comprised of a structural framework of square cross-sectional elements that are interconnected by a series of open lattice panels. The second frame can be a rigid structure and may be made using an injection molding process. 
     The present invention also provides for a protection system having a first frame with a bottom panel, a first side panel that is attached to the bottom panel by a first hinge, a second side panel that is attached to the bottom panel by a second hinge, a first end panel that is attached to the bottom panel by a third hinge, and a second end panel that is attached to the bottom panel by a fourth hinge. The first end panel includes a first set of insert slides and the second end panel includes a second set of insert slides. That protection system further includes a top panel, a third side panel, a fourth side panel, a third end panel, and a fourth end panel. The third end panel includes a third set of insert slides and the fourth end panel includes a fourth set of insert slides. A first insert having a first half aperture is inserted into the first set of insert slides; a second insert having a second half aperture is inserted into the second set of insert slides, a third insert having a third half aperture is inserted into the third set of insert slides; and a fourth insert having a fourth half aperture is inserted into the fourth set of insert slides. When the first frame and the second frame are aligned the first half aperture and the third half aperture form a first aperture and the second half aperture and the fourth half aperture form a second aperture. In addition, a first collar is attached to the top panel, a second collar is attached to the top panel, a third collar is attached to the bottom panel, and a fourth collar is attached to the bottom panel. 
     In practice the protection system also includes a standpipe that extends upward from the first collar and a pipe cover over the standpipe. The protection system may include a backfill gauge extending from the second collar. Beneficially, the first frame includes stakes, the second frame includes pockets, and the stakes fit into the pockets when the first frame and the second frame are aligned. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like elements are identified with like symbols and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an isolated, isometric view of a pipeline protection system  10  that in accord with the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the pipeline protection system  10  shown in  FIG. 1  but taken from another angle; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an opened first frame  20  which is used in the pipeline protection system  10  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a detailed view of an insert  50  used in the pipeline protection system  10  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates how the insert  50  of  FIG. 4  is used in the pipeline protection system  10  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a stand pipe  92  used in the pipeline protection system  10  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a section view along line A-A of  FIG. 5 ; and, 
         FIG. 8  is an isolated isometric view of the pipeline protection system  10  having an alternative bottom panel  112 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTIVE KEY 
     
         
         
           
               10  pipeline protection system 
               20  first frame 
               22  bottom panel 
               24  first side panel 
               26  first side hinge 
               28  hinge pin 
               32  second side panel 
               34  second side hinge 
               36  first end panel 
               38  first end hinge 
               42  insert slide 
               44  stake 
               48  tie wrap 
               50  pipe insert 
               52  insert frame 
               54  pipe aperture 
               58  hinge knuckle 
               62  second end panel 
               64  second end hinge 
               66  pocket 
               70  second frame 
               72  top panel 
               74  collar 
               76  collar plug 
               78  backfill gauge 
               82  third side panel 
               84  fourth side panel 
               86  third end panel 
               88  fourth end panel 
               92  stand pipe 
               94  pipe tab 
               96  pipe cover 
               98  cover tab 
               102  tab aperture 
               106  indicia 
               112  alternate bottom panel 
               140  pipeline 
           
         
       
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The preferred embodiment of the present invention is depicted within  FIGS. 1 through 7  and in  FIG. 8  (which shows an embodiment having a different bottom panel  112 ). However, the invention is not limited to what is specifically illustrated and described. A person skilled in the art will appreciate that many other embodiments of the invention are possible without deviating from the basic concept of the invention. Any such work around also falls with the scope of this invention. 
     The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items. In addition, unless otherwise denoted all directional signals such as up, down, left, right, inside, outside are taken relative to the illustration shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     The present invention describes a bell-hole pipeline protection system  10  that protects part of an underground pipeline  140  from being damaged from things such as heavy surface traffic. In addition, the pipeline protection system  10  enables access to the pipeline  140  and its instrumentation and also provides an indication of how much back-fill is required to cover the pipeline protection system  10 . While the pipeline protection system  10  was originally conceived to protect pipelines  140  such as those used in the oil and gas industries the pipeline protection system  10  has broader applications and is useful for protecting virtually any underground piping, electrical passages ways, or instrumentation systems. It should be understood that the size of protected pipelines  140  and the other systems which the pipeline protection system  10  can protect may vary considerably. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , isometric views of the pipeline protection system  10  taken from different angles; the pipeline protection system  10  includes a first frame  20  and a second frame  70 . Turning briefly to  FIGS. 3 ,  5 , and  7 , the first frame  20  and the second frame  70  are held in alignment when mated together by stakes  44  on the first frame  20  which insert into pockets  66  on the second frame  70 . Turning back to  FIGS. 1 and 2  the stakes  44  and pockets  66  are secured together by tie wraps  48  (also see  FIGS. 5 and 8 ). The first frame  20  and the second frame  70  are preferably made of rigid thermoplastic and injection-molded to form a supportive enclosure around a pipeline  140  or other underground system. When installed the first frame  20  and the second frame  70  form a cage around the protected pipelines  140 . 
     Turning now to  FIG. 3 , the first frame  20  includes a bottom panel  22 , a first side panel  24 , a second side panel  32 , a first end panel  36 , and a second end panel  62 . Those panels are comprised of a structural framework of square cross-sectional elements interconnected and strengthen by a series of open lattice panels. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the bottom panel  22  includes cylindrical hinge pins  28  that pass through hinge knuckles  58  located on ends of the other panels  24 ,  32 ,  36  and  62 . The hinge knuckles  58  are generally “C”-shaped and configured to partially encircle the hinge pins  28  and to freely rotate with respect to the hinge pins  28 . While  FIG. 4  only shows hinge knuckles  58  on the second end panel  62 , thereby forming a second end hinge  64 , and on the first side panel  24 , thereby forming a first hinge  26  (see  FIG. 5 ), it should be understood that the other panels also include hinge knuckles  58 .  FIG. 2  shows a second side hinge  34  formed by a hinge knuckle  58  on the second side panel  32  while  FIG. 1  shows a first end hinge  38  formed by a hinge knuckle  58  on the first end panel  36  (see  FIG. 5 ). Thus the first frame  20  has a bottom panel  22  with side panels and end panels that flip up and down. 
     Hinging the panels  24 ,  32 ,  36  and  62  to the bottom panel  22  enables the first frame  20  to be laid flat as illustrated in  FIG. 3  or to be easily manipulated into place during installation of the pipeline protection system  10 . This flexibility reduces the amount of material which needs to be removed from underneath the pipeline  140  during installation. After the bottom panel  22  is properly located under the pipeline  140  the various panels  24 ,  32 ,  36  and  62  are pivoted vertically and then secured in place using tie wraps  48  that are banded around the adjacent corner members; reference  FIG. 5  for an illustration of using tie wraps  48  around the first frame  20  panels  24 ,  32 ,  36  and  62 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 5 , the first end panel  36  and the second end panel  62  are configured with pipe inserts  50 . A pipe insert  50  is a structural panel having a common insert frame  52  with half a pipe aperture  54  that is dimensioned to fit a specific diameter pipeline  140 . Pipe inserts  50  can be selected from a series of pipe inserts  50  having different diameter pipe apertures  54 . The pipe inserts  50  are inserted into insert slides  42  in the first end panel  36  and in the second end panel  62 . This approach minimizes the variability which would otherwise be required in the end panels  36  and  62 . The pipe inserts  50  align with pipe inserts  50  on the second frame  70  to surround the pipeline  140 . 
       FIG. 7  shows a close up of the stakes  44  which were previously mentioned. The stakes  44  are disposed along ends of the first side panel  24 , the second side panel  32 , the first end panel  36 , and the second end panel  62 . While  FIG. 7  specifically shows a stake  44  on the first side panel  24  it should be understood that the other panels also have stakes  44 . Those stakes  44  mate with pockets  66  on the second frame  70  to align the second frame  70  with the first frame  20 . The stakes  44  are preferably composed of the same material as the remainder of the pipeline protection system  10  and are best injection molded or attached by heat bonding. 
     The second frame  70  is very similar to the first frame  20  except it does not have hinged panels. The second frame  70  includes a third side panel  82  (see  FIG. 5 ), a fourth side panel  84  (see  FIG. 2 ), a third end panel  86  (see  FIGS. 1 and 5 ), and a fourth end panel  88  (see  FIG. 2 ) which are all attached directly to a top panel  72  (see  FIGS. 5 and 8 ) and to their adjacent panels. The entire second frame  70  is preferably injection molded as a single piece or as pieces joined by heat bonding. As it is a unitary piece the second frame  70  has the ability to withstand certain moment loads. 
     Turning now to  FIG. 6 , disposed on the top panel  72  is a threaded collar  74  to which a stand pipe  92  is attached using a matching thread set. The collar  74  is preferably attached to the top panel  72  by heat bonding, but it may be attached by other means. 
     The stand pipe  92  is configured such that some of it is located above ground after the bell-hole trench has been backfilled. This enables access to the pipeline  140 . Certain highly useful indicia  106 , preferably consisting of circumferential lines and numerals indicating the depth from grade to the centerline of the pipeline  140 , is disposed on the exterior of the stand pipe  92 . Other indicia  106  may include, but not be limited to, the pipe size, the date of installation, and other data pertinent to the installation. The stand pipe  92  may also be colored to match a preferential coding system such as red for a gas pipeline and green for an oil pipeline or orange for a sewer line, etc. 
     The stand pipe  92  may contain instrumentation to monitor the condition of the pipeline  140 . To that end, disposed at an upper end of the stand pipe  92  is a pipe cover  96  to close off the stand pipe  92  and prevent the ingress of water and debris which may damage the pipeline  140  or any enclosed instrumentation. The pipe cover  96  may be provided with a cover tab  98  which can be further provided with a tab aperture  102  and configured to be in proximity to a pipe tab  94  with a corresponding tab aperture  102 . When so equipped and with the tab apertures  102  and the cover tab  98  in alignment a padlock may be installed to secure the pipe cover  96  in place. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  (as well as  FIG. 8 ) the top panel  72  is equipped with a second threaded collar  74  at an opposite end from the previously discussed collar  74 . The second threaded collar  74  is attached in a similar manner. Inserted into this collar  74  preferably by an engaged matching thread set is a collar plug  76 . The collar plug  76  is configured to retain a backfill gauge  78 . The backfill gauge  78  has a number of small diameter rods made of a stiff thermoplastic material which project above the top panel  72  for some distance. The backfill gauge  78  is cut during installation of the pipeline protection system  10  to a length to which backfill material should be placed over the pipeline protection system  10  when closing the bell-hole trench. The collar plug  76  and the backfill gauge  78  may also be colored to match a preferential coding system so as to indicate the type of utility on which the pipeline protection system  10  is used. 
     In the third side panel  82 , the fourth side panel  84 , the third end panel  86 , and the fourth end panel  88  are a plurality of pockets  66 , reference  FIG. 7 . The pockets  66  are configured to align with the stakes  44  of the first frame  20 . The pockets  66  are either attached to or molded with the panels  82 - 88  of the second frame  70 . 
     The third end panel  86  and the fourth end panel  88  are constructed in a similar fashion as the first end panel  36  and the second end panel  62  to support pipe inserts  50  in insert slides  42 . The pipe inserts  50  serve the same function as previously discussed and minimize the number of different embodiments of the system  50 . The half pipe apertures  54  of adjacent pipe inserts  50  surround the pipeline  140 . 
     An alternate embodiment pipeline protection system  10  is shown in  FIG. 8 . In that alternate embodiment a bottom panel  112  is used which incorporates two (2) threaded collars  74 . That embodiment enables the pipeline protection system  10  to be assembled in reverse if so desired. 
     The preferred embodiment of the present invention can be utilized in a simple and straightforward manner with little or no training. After initial purchase or acquisition of the pipeline protection system  10  it would be installed as indicated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The method of installing and utilizing the pipeline protection system  10  may be achieved by performing the following steps: acquiring a model of the pipeline protection system  10  having the desired size of the pipe aperture  54  in the pipe inserts  50 ; installing the pipe inserts  50  into the insert slides  42 ; opening a bell-hole trench according to the prescribed method; making a pipeline  140  repair or installation as necessary, inserting the first frame  20  into the trench and under the pipeline  140 , as seen in  FIG. 3 ; rotating the panels  24 ,  32 ,  36  and  62  to a vertical orientation; installing tie wraps  48  on the adjacent corner members; installing the second frame  70  over the first frame  20 ; installing tie wraps  48  on the adjacent structural members; installing a stand pipe  92  of the correct length; installing a backfill gauge  78 ; trimming the backfill gauge  78  to the proper length to indicate the correct depth of backfill required for the pipeline protection system  10 ; routing any necessary instrumentation; inserting fill material into the pipeline protection system  10 ; backfilling the bell-hole trench to cover the backfill gauge  78  and installing the pipe cover  96 . 
     The alternate embodiment of the present invention can be utilized by reversing the position of the second frame  70  and the first frame  20 . 
     The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.