Patent ID: 7246968

Claim:
A street storm sewer inlet grate system comprising: (a) a box structure substantially open on its inside and sized and shaped to be placed against, and covering, a storm sewer inlet, (b) mesh or rods covering some or all of the surfaces of the box, and (c) a plurality of mesh bags, separate from each other and from the box structure and not connected to each other or the box structure, and individually capable of being placed on, and removed from, the street surface, each individual bag containing gravel or other lumps of solid dense material, placed against each other, and around the box, on the surface of the street from one side of the storm sewer inlet to the other, whereby the storm sewer inlet is substantially covered by the box structure, whereby the mesh bags form a continuous barrier on the surface of the street around the box from one side of the storm sewer inlet to the other, and whereby trash and eroded soil are prevented from being washed by water or blown by air into the storm sewer inlet, and whereby because of their weight, the bags strongly resist movement out of position by the force of flowing water.