Improvements in or connected with Sanitary Manhole Covers and Lids
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Nov., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 17th Sept., 1894-Accepted, 20th Oct., 1894
IDIONAL DIPOAT
Certain Improvements in or connected with Sanitary Manhole
Covers and Lids
We, THOMAS PENN and JOSEPH PENN, both of Cradley Heath, Staffordshire,
Engineers and Ironfounders, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
-
This invention has reference to sanitary manhole covers and lids such as are used
in roadways to cover the manholes of sewers and the first part of this invention
consists of an improved construction and arrangement of bolt or bolts for locking
the lid to the cover to prevent the lid being surreptitiously removed and we may
also so arrange the said bolt or bolts as to form a means of loosening the lid which
as is well known is apt to set fast in the cover particularly when the lid has not been
lifted for some time.
In carrying out this part of our invention we proceed as follows:-Underneath
the lid (which as usual is perforated) we provide a short sliding bolt which is a
metal bar arranged horizontally in a lug or lugs and in a hole in the flange or ring
cast on the underside of the lid. This bolt has one or more vertical or other holes
or recesses in it by which the bolt can be moved to and fro by a metal bar inserted
through one of the perforations in the lid the bar acting upon the lid as a fulcrum.
The hole or holes or recess or recesses in the bolt is or are by preference made
of a V shape or L shape or T shape or of some other special form (or they may
be merely round or square) so that the bolt can only be moved to and fro by a bar
having its end of the same shape as the hole and thus more effectually prevent the
bolt being tampered with.
When the lid is placed in position in the cover and the bolt is by the bar moved
outwardly the fore-end of the bolt engages in a corresponding slot or hole in the
side of the cover and thus the lid is secured. The bolt is reduced at one end or
otherwise made to form a stop to prevent the bolt being moved too far.
In order to make the bolt form a means of loosening the lid, as above stated,
before the lid is lifted, the fore-end of the bolt is made with an inclined
notch or other inclined part underneath and the bottom of the hole in the side of
the cover is correspondingly inclined so that in the act of forcing back the bolt as
stated above to unlock the lid the inclined portion of the bolt will act upon the
inclined part of the cover and slightly raise the lid thus loosening it ready for
lifting out of the cover. Instead of providing the lid with one bolt the lid may
be similarly made with two or more bolts taking into corresponding holes in the
sides of the cover.
The second part of this invention consists in providing the said manhole covers with
a loose metal disc underneath the lid which disc fits upon a small flange or projections
formed inside the cover so that when the manhole is required to be a non-ventilating
manhole this disc can be dropped into the cover before the lid is fixed therein and
thus prevent air escaping through the perforations of the lid; or when the manhole
is required to ventilate then the said disc can readily be removed.
Dated this 17th day of November 1893
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: COMI LEIE DE ECIFICATION.
Certain Improvements in or connected with Sanitary Manhole
Covers and Lids.
We, THOMAS PENN and JOSEPH PENN, both of Cradley Heath, Staffordshire,
Engineers and Ironfounders, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has reference to sanitary manhole covers and lids such as are used
in roadways to cover the manholes of sewers and the first part of this invention
consists of an improved construction and arrangement of bolt or bolts for locking
the lid to the cover to prevent the lid being surreptitiously removed, and we may
also so arrange the said bolt or bolts as to form a means of loosening the lid, which
as is well known is apt to set fast in the cover particularly when the lid has not
been lifted for some time.
The second part of this invention consists in providing the said manhole covers
with a loose metal disc underneath the lid which disc fits upon a small flange or
projections formed inside the cover so that when the manhole is required to be a
non-ventilating manhole this disc can be dropped into the cover before the lid is
fixed therein and thus prevent air escaping through the perforations of the lid ; or
when the manhole is required to ventilate then the said disc can readily be
removed.
Our invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings on which
Fig. 1 is a plan of a manhole cover and lid made with a locking bolt in accordance
with this invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same locked and Fig. 3 is
a sectional elevation of the same unlocked ;
Fig. 4 represents in elevation and in plan the locking bolt of the lid separately.
Figs. 5, 6 and 7 each shew a modified form of the said locking bolt.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
figures of the drawings.
In carrying out the first part of our invention we proceed as follows:-Under-
ueath the lid A which as usual is perforated we provide a short sliding bolt B shewn
separately by Fig. 4 which is a metal bar arranged horizontally in the lug a¹ of the
lid and in a hole a in the flange or ring cast on the underside of the lid. This
bolt B has one or more, preferably two, vertical holes or recesses 6' 62 in it by which
the bolt B can be moved to and fro by a metal bar, such as D, inserted through one
of the perforations of the lid A the bar acting upon the lid A as a fulcrum. The
hole or holes or recess or recesses in the bolt B is or are made round Figs. 1, 2, 3
and 4 or square or of other convenient or special form such for instance as V shape
(Fig. 7) or shape (Fig. 6) or T shape (Fig. 5) so that the bolt B can only be
moved to and fro by a bar having its end of the same shape as the holes 61 62 and
thus the more effectually prevent the bolt B being tampered with.
When the lid A is placed in position in the cover E and the bolt B is by the bar D
moved outwardly, see Figs. 1 and 2, the fore end of the bolt engages in a corre
sponding slot or hole e¹ in the side of the cover E and thus the lid A is secured.
The bolt B is reduced at the back end or otherwise formed so as to form a stop b
to prevent the bolt B being moved back too far when the lid is unlocked as shewn
in Fig. 3.
In order to make the bolt B form a means of loosening the lid as stated above,
before the lid A is lifted, the fore-end 63 of the bolt is made with an inclined
notch 6 or other inclined part underneath and the bottom of the hole el in the
side of the cover E is correspondingly inclined so that in the act of forcing
back the bolt B from the position shewn in Fig. 2 to the position shewn in Fig. 3
to unlock the lid A the inclined portion 6 of the bolt B will act upon the inclined

page_text: part of the cover and slightly raise the lid A thus loosening the lid ready for
lifting out of the cover E. Instead of providing the lid A with one bolt B the
lid A may be similarly made with two or more of the bolts B taking into corre-
sponding holes in the sides of the cover E. When the lid A is provided with
only one of the bolts B the flange or ring of the lid has either to be made
(opposite to the back end of the bolt see Fig. 3) deep enough at a³ to prevent
this side of the lid being lifted without first withdrawing the bolt B, or as in
Figs. 1 and 2, there has to be a small side projection at on the flange or ring of the
lid to engage in a corresponding recess e¹ in the cover E.
F is the loose metal disc which according to the second part of this invention we
provide in the manhole cover E underneath the lid A which disc F may fit upon a
small flange, or as shewn in Figs. 2 and 3 upon small projections e formed inside
the cover E so that when the manhole with which the cover E is used is required
to be a non-ventilating manhole this disc F can be dropped into the cover E before
the lid A is fixed therein and thus prevent air or gas escaping or entering through
the perforations of the lid A; or when the manhole is required to ventilate
then the disc F can readily be removed.
Our said invention is applicable to sanitary manholes and lids of all sizes whether
made large enough for a man to pass through or so small as to only admit a lamp
and a man's arm.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. The combination with a sanitary manhole cover and lid of one or more sliding
locking bolts carried by and under the lid and adapted to engage in a corresponding
hole or recess in the cover and arranged to be moved to and fro to lock and unlock
the lid by a lever inserted through one of the perforations of the lid, substantially
as set forth.
2. In a combined sanitary manhole cover and lid provided with one or more
sliding locking bolts as denoted under Claim 1, making the fore end of the said
locking bolt or locking bolts and the bolt hole or recess in the cover inclined so as to
cause the lid to be raised slightly by the act of forcing back the bolt, substantially
as set forth.
3. The combination with a sanitary manhole cover and lid of a removable metal
disc such as F adapted to rest on an inwardly projecting flange or on inwardly
projecting parts of the cover immediately below the lid so that the manhole cover
can either be ventilating or non-ventilating, as set forth.
Dated this 15th day of September 1894.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
• Agent for the Applicants.