Plumbing cleanout cover

A releasably mountable cleanout cover for releasable mounting onto a plumbing cleanout cap, having a protruding cap member, exposed within an aperture in a wall includes an aperture covering member having an exterior surface and an interior surface for covering the aperture in the wait, a hollow mounting tube rigidly mounted to and generally centered on, the interior surface and extending longitudinally and generally perpendicularly outwardly from the interior surface, a longitudinally spaced apart array of opposed inwardly extending resilient flanges spaced longitudinally apart within the hollow mounting tube for resilient deformation about opposed surfaces on the protruding cap member when the protruding cap member is snugly journalled in the hollow mounting tube so as to be snugly retained between the opposed inwardly extending resilient flanges.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to the field of plumbing access covers and, in 
particular, removable covers for plumbing access covers otherwise known as 
cleanouts through which a plumber may gain access into the plumbing in a 
residential home or the like via a cleanout accessible from the interior 
of the residence. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Currently, in the construction of buildings, it is required by national and 
local plumbing codes that there be an easily accessible plumbing cover 
which, upon removal, allow a tradesman, such as a plumber, access to the 
interior of the plumbing in the building. The access covers are typically 
of black plastic, are functionally shaped to allow removal of the access 
cover, otherwise known as a "cleanout" and, thus, are not aesthetically 
appealing when viewed in the interior of the home. Quite often the 
cleanout will be accessible through a hole cut in the drywall on an 
interior wall of the building. 
Consequently, there is a need, and it is an object of the present invention 
to provide, a simple aesthetically appealing cover which may be simply 
installed over an access cover to disguise its appearance, and which may 
be painted to match the colour of the wall and, yet, is adapted for quick 
and easy removal from the cleanout in the event that a tradesman needs to 
gain access to the cleanout. 
Applicant is aware of U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,770 which issued to Coleman on 
Jul. 14, 1992 for an "Armadillo Tamper Resistant Bolt and Head Protector". 
The Coleman device concentrates on the specific provision of a tamper 
proof cover for cap screws. The Coleman design would not work is the 
application to which the present invention in directed as the intention of 
the Coleman device is to permanently mount a cover over a cap screw by 
means of gripping rings which penetrate the edges of the head or nut 
creating a permanent union of the cover and head or nut. In particular, a 
compression ring applies an upward force when the Coleman cover has been 
installed to force the gripping rings to penetrate the head or nut of a 
cap screw. Thus, it may be seen that the Coleman device is not a 
releasably mountable cover such as in the present invention and, in fact, 
the Coleman device teaches away from such a device. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide an aesthetically 
appealing cover having a concave dome where the cover is removably 
mountable onto the plumbing access cover by means of a mounting tube 
depending from underneath the concave dome. The interior of the mounting 
tube is adapted to releasably mount onto the plumbing access cover and may 
extend outwardly from underneath the concave dome so that if the cleanout 
is recessed in behind a wall, the mounting tube will be long enough to 
releasably mount onto the recessed access cover leaving the aesthetically 
appealing dome covering the access aperture in the wall. In one embodiment 
of the mounting tube, the releasable mounting of the mounting tube onto 
the access cover is accomplished by resilient flanges extending inwardly 
of the mounting tube, so that as the dome and mounting tube are pressed 
down over the access cover so as to secure the dome flush against the 
wall, the mounting tube slides over the access cover to journal the access 
cover within the mounting tube thereby engaging and resiliently deforming 
the resilient flanges to hold the access cover in removable engagement 
therebetween. 
The mounting tube may be of any cross-sectional shape so long as the 
inwardly extending resilient flanges engage and are resiliently deformed 
by the plumbing access cover. However, preferably, the mounting tube is 
circular or square in cross-section, depending on the corresponding shape 
of the access cover. The inwardly extending resilient flanges may, thus, 
extend inwardly around the interior circumference of the mounting tube. 
Preferably, there is a longitudinally spaced array of inwardly extending 
resilient flanges spaced along the longitudinal length of the mounting 
tube. 
Advantageously, the mounting tube is adapted to be cut in cross-section or 
otherwise shortened so as to adjust its longitudinal length by cutting the 
mounting tube at longitudinally spaced apart notches or channels formed 
around the exterior circumference of the mounting tube. 
In summary, a releasably mountable cleanout cover for releasable mounting 
onto a plumbing cleanout cap, having a smooth-sided protruding cap 
protruding therefrom, the protruding cap having opposed, smooth, generally 
vertical side surfaces, exposed within an aperture in a wall includes an 
aperture covering member having an exterior surface adapted to be painted 
or otherwise colourized and an interior surface for covering the aperture 
in the wall, a hollow mounting tube rigidly mounted to and generally 
centered on, the interior surface and extending longitudinally and 
generally perpendicularly outwardly from the interior surface, a 
longitudinally spaced apart array of opposed inwardly extending resilient 
flanges having inwardly disposed resilient bendable tips, the resilient 
flanges being spaced longitudinally apart within the hollow mounting tube 
for sliding resilient deformation over said opposed smooth, generally 
vertical side surfaces on the protruding cap when the protruding cap is 
translated in a first direction so as to be snugly journalled in the 
hollow mounting tube and thereby snugly retained between the opposed 
inwardly extending resilient flanges, and so as to resiliently bend said 
inwardly disposed resiliently bendable tips of said opposed inwardly 
extending resilient flanges in said first direction so as to engage said 
tips in flush frictional engagement with said opposed, smooth generally 
vertical side surfaces. 
Advantageously, the aperture covering member is a dome and the hollow 
mounting tube extends longitudinally and generally perpendicularly 
outwardly from beneath the interior surface of the dome so as to extend 
generally perpendicularly outwardly from a first plane containing the 
edges of the dome. The opposed inwardly extending resilient flanges may be 
inclined longitudinally out of a plane parallel to the first plane in a 
direction towards the interior surface. The inclination may be 
approximately 30 degrees. 
Preferably, the opposed inwardly extending resilient flanges are inwardly 
extending circumferential flanges extending around an interior 
circumference of the hollow mounting tube in a plane generally parallel to 
the first plane. 
Further, advantageously, the hollow mounting tube has on its exterior 
surface a longitudinally spaced apart array of parallel grooves thereon 
interspersed generally between the longitudinally spaced apart array of 
opposed inwardly extending resilient flanges.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
As illustrated in FIG. 1, cleanout cover 2 has concave dome 4 and mounting 
tube 6. Mounting tube 6 may be molded so as to form a unitary structure 
with concave dome 4 or may be securely and rigidly fastened or affixed to 
the concave interior of concave dome 4 so as to be centered within concave 
dome 4 and protrude downward from concave dome 4 in the orientation 
depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2. 
Cleanout cover 2 is adapted for releasable mounting onto a plumbing access 
cover which has a cover plate 10 for releasable covering of plumbing 
cleanout 12, and a smooth-sided cap 8 protruding therefrom. As shown in 
the drawings, protruding cap 8 has opposed, smooth side surfaces 8', 8" 
which are generally perpendicular to cover cover plate 10. Conventionally, 
access cover cap 8 is square in cross-section so that a wrench or like 
tool may be applied to access cover cap 8 to thereby unscrew cover plate 
10 from plumbing cleanout 12. Typically, access cover cap 8, cover plate 
10 and plumbing cleanout 12 are of black ABS plastic. Typically, access 
cover cap 8 will protrude into the interior of a residence or the like 
through a hole or aperture 16 cut in interior wall 14. However, it is not 
necessarily the case that access cover cap 8 will protrude beyond the 
interior surface of interior wall 14. Often, plumbing cleanout 12 is 
recessed in behind aperture 16 in interior wall 14. In such cases, access 
cover cap 8 and cover plate 10 are consequently also recessed so that 
access cover cap 8 may be either flush with or recessed behind interior 
wall 14 in aperture 16. 
To provide for releasable mounting of the cleanout cover 2 of the present 
invention where access cover cap 8 is flush with or recessed behind 
interior wall 14 in aperture 16, the embodiment of the cleanout cover of 
the present invention illustrated in FIG. 2 may be employed. In this case, 
mounting tube 6 is extended longitudinally from concave dome 4 so that 
when concave dome 4 is mounted flush against interior wall 14 as depicted 
in FIG. 1, mounting tube 6 will extend into aperture 16 for releasable 
mounting onto access cover cap 8 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1. 
In particular, releasable mounting of mounting tube 6 onto access cover cap 
8 is accomplished by inwardly extending resilient flanges 18 having 
inwardly disposed resiliently bendable tips 18'. As depicted in FIG. 3, 
flanges 18 may extend around the interior circumference of mounting tube 
6, where mounting tube 6 may be, as depicted, square in cross-section or 
may otherwise may have different shapes in cross-section, such as 
circular, so long as resilient flanges 18 can resiliently deform to 
slidably engage over the opposed sides of access cover cap 8. Cap 8 is 
snugly journalled in mounting tube 6 by being translated in a first 
direction (upwardly in the sense of FIGS. 1 and 2) relative to mounting 
tube 6 so as to resiliently bend tips 18' of flanges 18 in the first 
direction and so as to engage the tips in flush frictional engagement with 
the side surfaces of protruding cap 8. 
Resilient flanges 18 may lie in a horizontal plane or may be upwardly 
inclined in their orientation as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 to assist 
retaining access cover cap 8 within mounting tube 6. 
As also depicted in FIG. 2, mounting tube 6 may be supported by corner 
bracing members or fillets 20. Further, mounting tube 6 may have in 
longitudinally spaced array, interspersed between the longitudinally 
spaced array of resilient flanges 18, circumferential notches or grooves 
22. Circumferential grooves 22 assist a user in guiding and easing the 
cutting of mounting tube 6 to the correct length so that the end of 
mounting tube 6 may be squarely cut off for flush mounting over access 
cover cap 8 onto the surface of cover plate 10. 
Advantageously, concave dome 4 may also be a shallow concave dome so as to 
better camouflage the existence of cleanout 12. Concave dome 4 may have a 
textured outer surface or the like to assist in paint adhering thereto so 
as to further better camouflage concave dome 4 when installed on interior 
wall 14. In the situation where plumbing cleanout 12, cover plate 10 and 
access cover cap 8 are recessed behind or within aperture 16 in interior 
wall 14, concave dome 4 may approximate a flat plate whose outermost edges 
are formed to lie flush against interior wall 14 by a bevelled finish or 
the like. 
Notwithstanding that the edges of concave dome 4 are flushly mounted 
against interior wall 14, cleanout cover 2 may be easily removed by 
inserting a thin edge of, for example, a knife or the head of a flat 
bladed screwdriver between the edge of concave dome 4 and interior wall 14 
to thereby pry mounting tube 6 off access cover cap 8 against the 
resisting force of resiliently deformed resilient flanges 18 holding 
therebetween opposed edges of access cover protrusion 8. 
The embodiment depicted in FIG. 1 to 3 would be releasably mountable onto a 
conventional 3" or 4" ABS plastic cleanout having an access cover 
protrusion 1.5" square, if the cleanout cover 2 had the following 
dimensions: 61/4" diameter concave dome 4, 2" square mounting tube 6, 1/4" 
wide resilient flanges 18, 4" radius of curvature for concave dome 4 
(i.e., a 1.5" dome height), 30 degree upward inclination from a horizontal 
plane for horizontal flanges 18, and 1/2" longitudinal spacing between 
resilient flanges 18 in longitudinal array along mounting tube 6. 
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the 
foregoing disclosure, many alterations and modifications are possible in 
the practice of this invention without departing from the spirit or scope 
thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be construed in 
accordance with the substance defined by the following claims.