Patent Publication Number: US-2007113490-A1

Title: Construction site hole cap for covering holes

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to safety devices for construction sites. More specifically, the invention relates to safety devices for covering holes formed in the floor at many job sites.  
      Workers face a variety of hazards while working on a construction site. One of the more prevalent hazards is caused by holes formed in walking surfaces. These holes are formed in the construction of flooring for the introduction of drains, electrical wiring, water piping, lighting systems, etc. Typically, these holes are only a few inches wide, far too small for an adult to fall into. However, they do provide a tripping hazard. Moreover, wheeled objects such as wheelbarrows, dollies, and other contraptions can be inadvertently rolled into these surface holes. Open holes can also be troublesome because various construction equipment such as nuts, bolts, brackets, and tools are prone to fall into such holes. This presents a safety hazard in multistory buildings to workers below.  
      In an effort to address these construction site hazards, the United States Department of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) has promulgated a variety of regulations in an effort to increase the safety at job sites. These regulations include 29 C.F.R. §1910.23 (e)( 7 ) et seq; 29 C.F.R. §1910.23 (9) and 29 C.F.R. §1926.502(i) et. seq. which relate to the construction of floor opening covers. C.F.R. §1926.502(i) et. seq. which relate to the construction of floor opening covers. These sections states that hole covers may be of any material that meets a specific strength requirement that the cover will effectively support two times the weight of employees, equipment and materials that may be imposed on the cover at any one time. OSHA requirements also state that covers will leave no openings more than 1″ wide, that the covers can not project more than 1″ above the floor level and that all edges must be chamfered to an angle of not more than 30 degrees from the horizontal. The OSHA requirements also dictate that all hinges, handles, bolts and other parts shall set flush with the floor or cover surface, and that covers shall be color-coded or marked with the word “HOLE” or “COVER” to provide warning of hazard. Furthermore, the cover must be secured in place over a hole so as to prevent accidental displacement by the wind, equipment, or employees.  
      Attempts have been made to comply with the OSHA requirements. For example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/724,583 describes a cover for covering construction site holes. The cover includes a disk-like cap and a stem which projects downwardly from the cap. The stem is sized to fit precisely into the opening of a man-made construction hole. Unfortunately, because the stem is sized to fit only one size hole, various sizes of such covers would be required to be maintained on a job site.  
      Therefore, there is a significant need for an improved cover which is adaptable to fit a variety of sizes of construction site holes.  
      There is also a need for a cover which complies with OSHA requirements.  
      There is also a need for a cover which is sufficiently inexpensive to manufacture and buy that contractors wouldn&#39;t think twice about purchasing such covers.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention addresses the aforementioned disadvantages by providing an improved cover for covering holes formed in the walking surfaces at construction job sites.  
      The cover includes a planar cap for covering the hole. The cap has a substantially flat top surface, a flat bottom surface for engaging the hole and walking surface, and an edge. The cap may be constructed in various shapes and sizes. For example, where the hole to be covered is circular, which is very common, the cap will typically have a disk-like structure having a circular edge. Meanwhile, where a hole to be covered is rectangular, the cover&#39;s cap would likewise preferably be rectangular.  
      The hole cover of the present invention further includes a plurality of bores which project through the cap from the cap&#39;s top surface to the cap&#39;s bottom surface. In addition, the hole cover of the present invention includes a plurality of pins which are removably positioned within the bores so as to project from the cap&#39;s top surface through the cap to extend downwardly below the cap&#39;s bottom surface. In addition, the pins preferably include a head, similar to the head of a nail, and the bores include a recess at the cap&#39;s top surface. The recesses are sized for receipt of the pin&#39;s head so that when the pins are positioned within the bores, the pins heads are flush with the cap&#39;s top surface.  
      The cover&#39;s bores are preferably arranged in a pattern including several discrete sets of bores. In a preferred embodiment, a first set includes two to four bores spaced equal distance from the cap&#39;s center vertical axis. For example, a preferred construction includes a set of three bores spaced  1 ” from the hole&#39;s central axis. In addition, the hole cover preferably includes additional sets of bores spaced equal distance from the cover&#39;s central axis. For example, a preferred hole cover may include additional sets of bores spaced 2″ and 4″ from the cover&#39;s central axis.  
      As would be understood by one skilled in the art, pins would typically not be placed in every bore when the hole cover was used to cover a hole. For example, when covering a hole having a 2″ diameter, pins are placed in the bore&#39;s located 1″ from the cap&#39;s center axis so as to be spaced apart sufficiently to engage the inner sidewalls of a hole when the hole cover was positioned in place. Likewise, when covering a hole having a 4″ diameter, pins are positioned within the bores located 2″ from the cap&#39;s central axis. Thereafter, the hole cover is positioned so that the pins extend through the bores and into the hole to be covered. Lateral movement of the hole cover is thereby restricted by the pins engaging the hole&#39;s interior sidewalls.  
      Various modifications of the present invention can be made. For example, the cap can have a substantially dome-like structure having a substantially spherical curved surface. Alternatively, the cap can have a truncated shape including a periphery portion which projects upwardly at an angle of less that  30  degrees terminating at a flat horizontal top surface.  
      The cap and pins can be made of a variety of materials including metals and plastics. However, preferably the cap and pins are made from high strength, impact resistant lightweight plastics such as polyethylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) polyvinylchloride (PVC), etc.  
      Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a hole cover for covering holes found at construction job sites.  
      It is still another object of the present invention to provide a cover which complies with OSHA requirements.  
      It is still another object of the present invention to provide a cover which is adaptable for covering a variety of sized holes.  
      These and other further and more specific objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating use of the hole cover of the present invention within a construction job site;  
       FIG. 2  is top perspective view of a hole cover of the present invention;  
       FIG. 3  is a bottom perspective view of the hole cover shown in  FIG. 3 ;  
       FIG. 4  is a top perspective view of a second embodiment of the hole cover of the present invention;  
       FIG. 5  is a top perspective view illustrating a third embodiment of a hole cover of the present invention;  
       FIG. 6  is a side cut-way view of the hole cover shown in  FIG. 2 ; and  
       FIG. 7  is a side cut-away view of the hole cover shown in  FIG. 4 .  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, as shown in the drawings, hereinafter will be described the presently preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention and it is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.  
      With reference to  FIGS. 1-7 , the hole cover  1  of the present invention includes a cap  3  and a plurality of pins  25 . The cap  3  includes a top surface  5 , a bottom surface  7  and an edge  9 . The cap may take various forms. For example, as shown in  FIGS. 2-4 , the cap may be round to provide a circular edge  9  where the intended hole to be covered is a round hole. Where the hole intended to be covered is rectangular, including square holes, the cap may take a rectangular shape as shown in  FIG. 5 . In addition, the bottom surface  7  is preferably flat to engage a substantially flat walking surface. Conversely, the top surface may be spherical, as shown in  FIG. 2 . Alternatively, the top surface may take a truncated form as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . Where the cap has a truncated form, the cap&#39;s top surface  5  will have a planer horizontal surface. In addition, the cap will include an angled periphery portion  15  which extends inwardly and upwardly from the cap&#39;s edge  9  to the cap&#39;s top surface  5 . To comply with OSHA requirements, this periphery portion must extend at an angle of 30 degrees or less from the horizontal plane.  
      The cap  3  further includes a plurality of vertical bores  19  which have a recess  21  formed at the bore&#39;s upper extremity. The cap&#39;s bores are arranged in geometric patterns about the cap which are preferably spaced equal distance from the cap&#39;s central vertical axis. For example,  FIGS. 4 and 5  illustrate a circular cap and a rectangular cap, respectively, both of which include a first set  23  of bore&#39;s  19  which are spaced 1″ from the cap&#39;s center. As shown in  FIG. 4 , preferably a circular cap includes three bores for each set  23 , while a rectangular cap includes a set of four bores. Preferably, the cap includes a plurality of sets of bores. For example, as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , each cap includes a second set  24  of bore&#39;s  9  in which each bore is spaced 2″ from the cap&#39;s central vertical axis as well as additional sets of bores spaced even further from the cap&#39;s center.  
      The hole cover&#39;s pins  25  have an elongate shaft  29  and a pin head  27  to form a construction very similar to that of a flat headed nail. As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 7 , the pin&#39;s shaft is sized to telescopically slide within the bores  19  until the pin heads  27  rest within the bore&#39;s recess  21  so that the pin heads  27  are flush with the cap&#39;s top surface  5 .  
      As would be understood by construction site workers, the hole cover of the present invention can be utilized to cover a variety of different sized holes. For example, with reference to  FIGS. 1-4 , a construction site having a circular hole having a 6″ diameter formed in the construction site&#39;s walking surface  33  can be covered utilizing a circular hole cover  1 . Three pins  25  are placed within the bores  19  which are spaced 3″ from the cap&#39;s center vertical axis. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the hole cover  1  is then positioned so that the pins project into the hole so as to be positioned adjacent to the hole&#39;s sidewalls  37 . The hole cover is thereby prevented from moving horizontally by the pins engaging the hole&#39;s sidewalls.  
      Meanwhile, where a smaller walking surface hole  35  is found, the same hole cover  1  can be utilized by moving the pins  25  inward to reside in bores located closer to the cap&#39;s center. For example, covering a circular hole having a 2″ diameter can be accomplished by utilizing the hole covers shown in  FIGS. 1-4  by placing pins  25  into the bores  19  which are positioned closest to the cap&#39;s central vertical axis. Thereafter, the hole cover is positioned to cover the hole, with the pins  25  once again projecting into the hole to prevent horizontal movement of the hole cover.  
      While several particular forms of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the hole cover can be made by any number of materials, though various plastics are preferred. In addition, the cap can be constructed to be substantially solid. Alternatively, to save weight, it can be constructed to be substantially hollow including a plurality of ribs  17  for structural rigidity (see  FIG. 3 ).