Abstract:
A water meter pit assembly includes a water meter pit frame defining an opening and a cover supported within the opening. A latch is moveable between a locked position where the cover is held fixed relative to the water meter pit frame to close the opening and an unlocked position where the cover is moveable relative to the water meter pit frame to allow access to the opening. The latch comprises a rotatable cam that engages the water meter pit frame when in the locked position.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application 61/353,391 filed on Jun. 10, 2010. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to water meter pit cover latch that can be used with flush and cap style lids. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Water meter pits house equipment for monitoring an amount of water that is being supplied to a commercial property or private residence, for example. These pits are enclosed by a cover that includes a latch to securely lock the cover in place. The cover sits in a frame, which can be made from cast iron, aluminum, or plastic for example. Further, the cover can be configured to be flush with the frame, or can have a cap configuration where a lip portion extends peripherally outwardly from the frame. The latch must securely hold the cover in place. One traditional latch comprises a worm gear configuration. This type of latch cannot easily be used with the different frame materials and different cover configurations. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A water meter pit assembly includes a water meter pit frame defining an opening and a cover supported within the opening. A latch is moveable between a locked position where the cover is held fixed relative to the water meter pit frame to close the opening and an unlocked position where the cover is moveable relative to the water meter pit frame to allow access to the opening. The latch comprises a rotatable cam that engages the water meter pit frame when in the locked position. 
     In one example, the latch comprises a latch body with a pivot portion formed on the cam. The pivot portion includes a pivot opening to receive a pivot actuator. 
     In one example, the pivot actuator comprises a fastener having an enlarged head portion and a body portion that is received within the pivot opening. The enlarged head portion is accessible from an upper surface of the cover and can be selectively rotated to move the cam into engagement with the water meter pit frame. 
     In one example, the pivot opening is eccentrically positioned near an outer peripheral edge of the cam. 
     The latch can be used with a flush mounted cover or a cap mounted cover. Further, the latch can be used with frames that are made from cast iron, aluminum, or plastic materials, for example. 
     These and other features of the present invention can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective top view of a water meter pit cover with a latch. 
         FIG. 2  is a bottom perspective view of the cover of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a cut-away view of the latch of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a cut-away view of the cover on a cast iron frame. 
         FIG. 5  is a cut-away view of the cover on an aluminum frame. 
         FIG. 6  is a cut-away view from the rear of the cover on a profiled plastic frame. 
         FIG. 7  is a cut-away view of the cover in a flush configuration on a cast iron frame. 
         FIG. 8  is a cut-away view of the cover in a flush configuration on a plastic frame. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of one example of a flush style cover. 
         FIG. 10  is a top view of the cover of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 11  is a bottom view of the cover of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 12  is a side view of the cover of  FIG. 9   
         FIG. 13  is an opposite side view of the cover of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 14  is a bottom perspective view of the cover of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view of one example of a cap style cover. 
         FIG. 16  is a top view of the cover of  FIG. 15 . 
         FIG. 17  is a bottom view of the cover of  FIG. 15 . 
         FIG. 18  is a side view of the cover of  FIG. 15   
         FIG. 19  is an opposite side view of the cover of  FIG. 15 . 
         FIG. 20  is a bottom perspective view of the cover of  FIG. 15 . 
         FIG. 21  is a perspective view of a latch assembly to be used with any of the covers set forth above. 
         FIG. 22  is a top view of a bolt of the latch assembly of  FIG. 21 . 
         FIG. 23  is a side view of the bolt of  FIG. 22 . 
         FIG. 24  is an opposite side view of the bolt of  FIG. 22   
         FIG. 25  is a cross-sectional view of the bolt of  FIG. 22 . 
         FIG. 26  is a top view of the latch assembly of  FIG. 21 . 
         FIG. 27  is a perspective view of the latch assembly of  FIG. 21 . 
         FIG. 28  is a side view of the latch assembly of  FIG. 21 . 
         FIG. 29  is an opposite side view of the latch assembly of  FIG. 21 . 
         FIG. 30  is a schematic representation of a water meter pit for a cover and latch assemblies as shown in  FIGS. 1-29 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective top view of a water meter pit cover  10  with a latch assembly  12 . As known, the cover  10  encloses a water meter pit, which is typically located within the ground. A water meter pit houses equipment for monitoring an amount of water that is being supplied to various discrete locations. 
     An example configuration is shown in  FIG. 30 . A water meter  110  is located in a pit  112  that is dug in the ground. A water supply pipe  114 , which is buried underground and extends across a bottom of the pit  112 , is used to deliver water to specific locations, such as a businesses or residences for example. The water meter  110  monitors and measures the amount of water that is used for a specific location. This water meter data is transmitted via a wireless signal  116  to a receiving device  118  associated with a data collection device  120 , such as a computer or hand-held meter reader for example, which is located above ground. 
     A water pit column  122  includes a first end  124  that is supported on a floor of the pit  112 , and which extends upwardly to a second end  126 . The water pit column  122  includes a central opening  128  that extends from the first end  124  to the second end  126 . The water meter  110  is at least partly received within this central opening  128 . 
     A water meter pit assembly  130  rests on top of the second end  126  of the water pit column  122 . The water meter pit assembly  130  includes a frame  132  and cover  134  that is releasably secured to the frame  132  such that the cover  134  can be selectively attached and detached from the frame  132  to provide access to components located within the pit  112 . The cover  134  is usually positioned to be flush with ground level but could also be slightly raised or lowered relative to ground level. 
     The frame  132  supports a transmitting component  136 , such as a signal generator for example, that is connected to the water meter  110  with at least one wire connection  138 . The wire connection  138  extends downwardly from the frame  132  through the central opening  128  in the water pit column  122 , to a location where the wire is connected to the water meter  110 . Data from the water meter  110  is then wirelessly transmitted by the transmitting component  136  to the receiving device  118 . Any type of transmitting component and receiving device can be used to transmit and receive data from the water meter  110 .  FIGS. 1-29  show various examples of different types of covers  134  that use a common latch assembly. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the cover  10  includes a latch assembly  12  such that the cover  10  can be securely latched in place to cover an opening in the frame  132  ( FIG. 30 ). The latch assembly  12  is moveable between a locked position and an unlocked position where the cover  10  can be moved to provide access to the opening in the frame such that equipment in the water meter pit is accessible for data download or maintenance. 
       FIG. 2  is a bottom perspective view of the cover  10  of  FIG. 1 . The cover  10  includes a plurality of ribs  14  formed within a bottom surface  16 . The ribs  14  provide a more robust cover without significantly increasing the weight. In the example shown, a circular wall portion  14   a  extends outwardly from a center location on the bottom surface  16 . The ribs  14  extend radially outwardly from the circular wall portion  14   a  to an outer periphery circular wall portion  14   b . The outer periphery circular wall portion  14   b  includes an inwardly curved portion  14   c  that surrounds a portion of the latch assembly  12  that faces toward a center of the cover  10 . The bottom surface  16  also includes a plurality of mounting bosses  18  that mount to brackets within the meter pit. 
       FIG. 3  is a cut-away view of the latch assembly  12  of  FIG. 1 . This view shows the latch assembly  12  in a locked position. The cover  10  in this example sits within a frame  20  in a flush mount configuration. A portion of the latch assembly  12  has been rotated into abutting engagement with an inner peripheral surface of the frame  20  to achieve the locked position. 
       FIG. 4  is a cut-away view of the cover  10  on a cast iron frame  20   a .  FIG. 5  is a cut-away view of the cover  10  on an aluminum frame  20   b . In each of these configurations, the cover  10  is a cap style mount configuration where the cover  10  includes a peripheral outer edge portion  22  that sits on top of an upper edge surface  24  of the respective frame  20   a ,  20   b.    
       FIG. 6  is a cut-away view from the rear of the cover  10  on a profiled plastic frame  20   c .  FIG. 7  is a cut-away view of the cover  10  on a cast iron frame  20   d .  FIG. 8  is a cut-away view from the front of the cover  10  of  FIG. 6 . In each of these configurations, the cover  10  is in a flush mount configuration where an upper surface  26  of the cover  10  is flush with the upper edge surface  24  of the respective frame  20   c ,  20   d.    
       FIGS. 9-14  disclose the flush style cover  10  in greater detail. The flush style cover  10  can be used with a frame made of various types of materials including cast iron, aluminum, and plastic, for example, as discussed above. The cover  10  is generally circular in shape; however, other shapes could also be used. The upper surface  26  can include a textured surface as shown in  FIG. 10 , with a non-textured area  28  that can be used for identifying information, for example. The cover  10  includes an outer periphery  30 , with the latch assembly  12  being located immediately adjacent the outer periphery  30 . As discussed above, ribs  14  are formed in the bottom surface  16  to increase the structural strength of the cover  14 . A downwardly extending portion  32 , located radially inward of the outer periphery  30  and providing the outer periphery circular wall portion  14   b , is received within the frame  20 . Once installed the upper surface  26  will sit flush with the upper edge surface  24  of the frame  20 ,  20   c ,  20   d.    
       FIGS. 15-20  disclose the cap style cover  10  in greater detail. The cover  10  is also generally circular in shape; however, other shapes could also be used. The upper surface  26  can include a textured surface as shown in  FIG. 16 , with a non-textured area  28  that can be used for identifying information, for example. The cover  10  includes an outer periphery  30 , with the latch assembly  12  being located immediately adjacent the outer periphery  30 . Ribs  14  are formed in the bottom surface  16  to increase the structural strength of the cover  10 . A downwardly extending portion  32 , located radially inward of the outer periphery  30  and providing the outer periphery circular wall portion  14   b , is received within the frame  20 . In this configuration, the outer periphery  30  is greater in diameter than an inner diameter of the frame  20   a ,  20   b . Once installed, the outer periphery  30  will sit on top of the upper edge surface  24  of the frame  20   a ,  20   b  in a cap configuration. 
       FIGS. 21-29  show the latch assembly  12  in greater detail. The latch assembly  12  includes a latch body  40  with sloped cam portion  42  and a pivot portion  44 . The cam portion  42  and pivot portion  44  are integrally formed together from a glass-filled nylon material. A fastener, such as a bolt  46  for example, is installed within the pivot portion  44  and is operable to pivot the latch body  40  between the locked and unlocked positions. 
     The bolt  46  includes an enlarged head portion  48  and a body portion  50  that extends downwardly from the head portion  48 . The head portion  48  includes a plurality of flats  52  such that the bolt  46  can be easily gripped by an appropriate tool. The body portion  50  has a D-shaped cross-section that is received within a corresponding D-shaped hole or opening  54  in the pivot portion  44 . The body portion  50  has a first portion of a larger cross-section and a second portion with a smaller cross-section such that an abutment surface  56  is provided. This abutment surface  56  provides a stop for the bolt  46  when it is inserted into the pivot portion  44 . A distal end  58  of the body portion  50  includes a groove  60  to receive a retainer ring  62  to further secure the bolt  46  in place. The bolt  46  extends through an opening  66  ( FIGS. 14 and 20 ) formed within the cover  10  so that the head portion  48  is accessible. 
     The latch body sits underneath the cover  10  and is shown in greater detail in  FIGS. 26-29 . The sloped cam portion  42  is comprised of an ovoid shape with the pivot portion  44  being located at an offset position on the cam portion  42 . In other words, the pivot portion  44  is eccentrically positioned near an outer edge of the cam portion  42 . The pivot portion  44  comprises a raised boss that extends upwardly from the larger base cam portion  42 . 
     The cam portion  42  has a sloped surface  70  which is clearly shown in  FIG. 28 . The sloped surface  70  slopes from one edge  72 , which has the thickest cross-section, to an opposite edge  74 , which has the thinnest cross-section. The pivot portion  44  is positioned away from the thicker edge  72 . When the bolt  46  is turned in a clockwise direction when viewed from above, the latch body is eccentrically rotated such that the thicker edge  72  is rotated into abutting engagement with the frame  20  to securely lock the cover  10  in place. 
     One advantage with the subject latch assembly  12  is that the latch assembly can be used with any frame configuration, e.g. flush or cap style. Further, the subject latch assembly can be used with any type of frame material, e.g. plastic, cast iron, aluminum, etc. The latch is assembled to the cover by placing the latch body underneath the cover and then inserting the bolt  46  through the opening  66  in the upper surface  26  of the cover  10 . During insertion, the bolt  46  is pushed through the D-shaped opening  54  until the abutment surface  56  contacts the latch body at an upper surface of the pivot portion  44 . The retainer ring  62  is then snapped into the groove  60  to prevent the bolt  46  from being withdrawn from the cover  10 . A tool (not shown) can then be used to grip the flats  52  on the bolt  46  to move the latch between the locked and unlocked positions. 
     While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.