Patent ID: 7802402

Claim:
A crawl space access device for facilitating a user's ingress into and egress from a crawl space, the device being placeable in a below grade level crawl space entry pit, and mating with a below grade ingress opening in a building wall, the below grade ingress opening being defined by horizontally disposed lower and upper surfaces and vertically disposed first and second side surfaces, the crawl space access device comprising a tub shaped body member having a floor portion, and a sidewall including a first side panel member, a second side panel member, a first end panel and a second end panel, the floor portion being restable on a horizontal surface of the pit, the floor portion having a lower surface and an upper surface, the upper surface being disposed at a level at least as high as the lower surface of the ingress opening, the floor portion being sized to permit a user to sit on the upper surface of the floor portion prior to entering a crawl space, the tub shaped body having a first end disposed adjacent the first end panel, a second end disposed adjacent to the second end panel and a middle portion disposed between the first and second end panels of the tub portion, the second end panel including a side wall opening mateable with the below grade ingress opening, wherein the second end of the tub shaped body has a cross-sectional area generally similar to the cross sectional area of the middle portion of the tub shaped body the sidewall and floor defining a body member interior, the body member including an edge defining a upwardly facing upper opening disposed in a plane generally perpendicular to the plane of the side wall opening, wherein a user standing at or above grade can move generally vertically through the upper opening into the tub interior and generally horizontally through the side wall opening into a crawl space.