Abstract:
A device for articulating a stopper or lid to a frame, in particular of a man hole. The male articulating member may optionally be mounted either removably in its housing of the frame to enable the stopper to be extracted from the frame in its upright position or secured in its housing such that the stopper is not detachable from the frame.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a device for articulating a cover or lid to a frame in particular of a manhole. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    A device of this type is known, which enables the cover to adopt a position for sealing or closing the frame, or an open position in which the cover is upright so as to allow an operator to access the manhole. 
         [0003]    This articulation device includes a male component connected to the cover and mounted with limited pivoting in a housing made in the frame. 
         [0004]    The cover can be locked to the frame by a latch placed on the opposite side from the articulation. 
         [0005]    However, this device presents a major drawback in that when in the upright position for opening the cover, it can be extracted from the frame by malicious persons. 
         [0006]    In order to solve this problem, locking means of the lock type have been associated with the articulation in order to connect the cover to the frame permanently. 
         [0007]    However, these means have a complex structure and increase the manufacturing costs of the articulation device. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The present invention aims to eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks by proposing a device for articulating a cover or lid to a frame in particular of a manhole, which enables the cover to adopt a position for sealing the frame, or an open position in which it is upright so as to allow access to the opening of the frame and including a male component connected with the cover and mounted with limited pivoting in a housing made in the frame, characterized by the fact that the male component of the articulation can be, as desired, either mounted in a removable manner in its housing of the frame in order to allow the cover to be pulled off the frame when in its upright position, or connected in its housing of the frame so that the cover cannot be removed from its frame. 
         [0009]    Preferably, the male articulation component includes a cylindrical barrel set in the housing of the frame configured in the form of a clevis, making it possible to support a hinge pin which passes through the cylindrical barrel and can be attached in a tamper-proof manner to the clevis in order to make it so that the cover cannot be removed from its frame. 
         [0010]    The diameter of the hinge pin is smaller than the diameter of the bore of the cylindrical barrel through which this pin passes, where the ends of the pin are attached, for example by welding, respectively to the two parallel walls of the clevis. 
         [0011]    The cylindrical barrel has means for holding the cover in its upright position. 
         [0012]    The holding means advantageously includes two stubs connected to the ends of the cylindrical barrel perpendicularly to it and which can engage by gravity, when the cover is in the upright position, respectively in two recesses in the bottom of the housing of the frame. 
         [0013]    When the cover and the frame are circular, the cylindrical barrel is attached to the cover by a radial projecting piece in such a way that the barrel and the projecting piece have a T-shaped configuration. 
         [0014]    The cover occupies an upright open position of approximately 90° relative to the frame. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING FIGURES 
         [0015]    The invention will be better understood and its other objectives, characteristics, details and advantages will appear more clearly in the following explanatory description in reference to the drawings given only by way of example illustrating an embodiment of the invention and in which: 
           [0016]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a manhole cover and frame assembly with the cover articulated to the frame according to the invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged perspective view of the articulation of the invention which allows attachment of the cover to the frame; 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged perspective view similar to that of  FIG. 2  and representing only the housing of the frame which makes it possible to receive the articulation of the invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged perspective view similar to that of  FIG. 3  and showing also a hinge pin which passes through the housing of the frame; and 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  is an enlarged perspective view of a part of the cover with the male articulation component. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]    In reference to the figures, reference  1  designates a frame which has a generally circular shape and on which cover or lid  2 , also circular, is articulated, where it is understood that frame  1  and cover  2  may be of different shapes, for example, rectangular or square. 
         [0022]    Frame  1  is intended to be sealed in the pavement so as to constitute, with cover  2 , a manhole. 
         [0023]    Articulation  3  allows cover  2  to adopt a position for sealing or closing of frame  1  represented in  FIG. 1  or an open position, not represented, in which cover  2  is upright in a determined angular position relative to the frame in order to allow an operator to access the manhole through the opening of frame  1 . 
         [0024]    As is known in itself, articulation  3  includes male component  4  connected to cover  2  and mounted with limited pivoting or rotation in housing  5  arranged in frame  1 . 
         [0025]      FIG. 1  also shows that cover  2  is provided with latch  6 , known in itself, diametrically opposite from articulation  3  and allowing one to lock cover  2  to frame  1  in its closed position. 
         [0026]    According to the invention, male articulation component  4  may as chosen be either mounted in a removable manner in its housing  5  of frame  1  to allow cover  2 , if desired, to be pulled off frame  1  in its upright position, or to be connected in its housing  5  so that cover  2  cannot be disassembled from frame  1 . 
         [0027]    Thus, articulation  3  of the invention, with the same cast elements, can as chosen be made part of the frame so that cover  2  cannot be disassembled, or attached in a removable manner in its housing  5  of frame  1  to allow cover  2  to he pulled off the frame. 
         [0028]    To this end, male articulation component  4  includes cylindrical barrel  7  set in housing  5  of frame  1 , housing which is configured in the form of a clevis for support of hinge pin  8  which goes freely through longitudinal bore  9  of barrel  7  and is attached in a tamper-proof manner to the clevis of housing  5 . 
         [0029]    More precisely, the clevis of housing  5  is defined by two essentially parallel walls  10  externally connected to circular peripheral rim  1   a  of frame  1  in which cover  2  is set. Each wall  10  is thus situated in the extension of a chord of frame  1 . Hinge pin  8  goes through both walls  10  perpendicularly thereto, and its ends are connected respectively to both walls  10 . For example, each end of hinge pin  8  is connected by welding to the external side of wall  10  as indicated at  11  in  FIGS. 2 and 4 . Male component  4  of articulation  3  also has projecting piece  12  connected radially to cover  2  and which can engage, in the closed position of cover  2 , in opening  13 , which is delimited between two circumferentially spaced walls  14  in extension of rim  1   a  of frame  1  and delimiting, with walls  10  and their connecting external wall  15 , housing  5  for male articulation element  4 . Thus, the latter has a T-shaped general configuration. 
         [0030]    The diameter of bore  9  of barrel  7  is larger than the diameter of hinge pin  8 . 
         [0031]    Cylindrical barrel  7  has two stubs  16  respectively connected to both ends of barrel  7  perpendicularly to its longitudinal direction, protruding on the same side and situated approximately in the same longitudinal median plane as projecting piece  12  and barrel  7 . The two stubs  16  make it possible to maintain cover  2  in its upright open position by respectively engaging in two recesses  17  in the bottom of housing  5 . Preferably, cover  2  is maintained in its upright position at approximately 90° relative to the plane passing through the upper edge of rim  1   a  of frame  1 . 
         [0032]    Setting of the two stubs  16  by gravity in their respective recesses  17 , when cover  2  has its male component  4  articulated in such a manner that it cannot be disassembled, in its housing  5  by hinge pin  8 , is allowed by the fact that the diameter of bore  9  of cylindrical barrel  7  is larger than the diameter of hinge pin  8 . 
         [0033]    Of course, when one wishes to make articulation  3  removable relative to frame  1  in order to allow cover  2  to be extracted from the frame, hinge pin  8  is not present at all, and the two stubs  16  can also engage by gravity in their respective recesses when cover  2  is in its upright position in order to prevent it from tipping over in its frame.