Fluid handling – With casing – support – protector or static constructional... – Jacketed
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-20
2004-05-25
Chambers, A. Michael (Department: 3753)
Fluid handling
With casing, support, protector or static constructional...
Jacketed
C138S155000, C138S158000, C285S047000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06739353
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in a pipe cover system and more particularly, to a type of under-sink pipe protective system which includes a plurality of jackets capable of being disposed about a P-trap and waste arm pipe assembly in an under-sink pipe arrangement.
2. Brief Description of Related Art
In recent years, the need and desirability of providing a protective cover over pipe fixtures for plumbing installations has become well recognized. This is particularly important in public facilities, such as restaurants and like institutions, for unambulatory individuals and, particularly, wheelchair bound individuals. In the case of the wheelchair bound individual who attempts to move a wheelchair close to a sink, that individual suffers the risk of being sufficiently close to piping under the sink that his or her knees or lower legs will come into contact with the hot water pipe of the sink. Contact with a hot water pipe can result in a rather serious burn.
In other cases where maintenance personnel or the like attempt to repair pipes or to maintain or even inspect the pipes in an under-sink installation or in another installation, they will frequently engage one or more pieces. If there are any sharp edges present, such as on the locking nuts or the like, these personnel can easily and readily cut their hands. Inasmuch as the plumbing conditions are not particularly clean on the exterior, cuts must be treated quickly or infectious situations can result.
In the relatively recent past, and particularly in the United States, the American Disabilities Act (ADA Act) provides for a requirement to insulate under-sink piping and similar piping in plumbing fixture installations. This requirement exists in order to overcome or at least reduce the possibility of burn injury to wheelchair bound individuals and others.
There are numerous U.S. patents which disclose protective covers for hot water pipes. Representative of these patents are U.S Pat. No. 5,055,335 to Gabriel Lechuga. This reference discloses one of the first highly effective pipe covers having a longitudinally slit pipe cover jacket which can be disposed about and secured to a hot water pipe.
There are also other references disclosing injection molded pipe covers, such as vinyl injection molded, heat protective pipe covers of the type illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,598 to Helmsderfer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,739 to Helmsderfer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,463 to Helmsderfer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,412 to Helmsderfer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,730 to Trueb, et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,031 to Trueb, et al. These references all disclose various embodiments of heat protective covers for hot water pipes. The heat protective cover for hot water pipes disclosed in the Helmsderfer U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,598 is permanently installed on the pipe itself. In the other prior art references, the jacket is longitudinally slit along its length so as to be capable of having the edges adjacent the slit spread apart and then opened sufficiently to receive a pipe section. The edges of the slit are then allowed to close and held together by some fastening means, such as locking pins, or the like, as taught in the aforesaid Lechuga patent.
There are numerous problems associated with the heat protective cover systems of the type taught in certain of the prior art. First of all, they are designed for tight fitting disposition about the pipes and, hence, they are difficult install and requires effort on the part of the installer to properly position same. Moreover, the need to install locking pins in aligned apertures on opposite sides of the slit is time consuming and, in some cases, difficult to lock depending upon the space available in an under-sink installation. Each of the prior art jackets are assembled together in a desired configuration to cover a pipe assembly.
Frequently, many under-sink pipe installations comprise a J-shaped pipe and an L-shaped pipe with the L-shaped pipe connected to the short leg of J-shaped pipe. Consequently, many of the prior cover systems use a J-shaped cover or jacket and an L-shaped cover or jacket. Not only is this unnecessary, but in many cases it can be undesirable. It would be desirable to provide one cover for almost the entire J-shaped pipe and a straight pipe cover section for the straight leg of the L-shaped pipe. Moreover, the prior art cover systems use a complex fastening means, as aforesaid. It would be desirable to provide a cover system where installation, and even maintenance, could be considerably reduced. It would also be desirable to provide a cover system where the jackets are actually spaced apart from the walls of the pipe and which do not necessarily provide a snug fitting disposition thereabout.
Certain of the prior art cover assemblies rely upon an enlarged socket being formed on an end of the one of the jackets as, for example, an end of the J-shaped jacket, as well as a portion of the other jacket which extends into that socket. Frequently, there is no means to lock one jacket to the other and, hence, they are not necessarily tamper resistant.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, one of the primary objects of the present invention to provide a heat protective cover system for water carrying pipes comprising a plurality of jackets which are capable of being fitted about individual pipe sections in a pipe configuration, and follow the general contour of the pipe configuration.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a heat protective cover system of the type stated which provides for a unique locking mechanism for holding two jackets disposed over portions of the pipe configuration in an assembled relationship.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a heat protective cover system of the type stated which includes a longitudinal slit forming a pair of overlapping edges in a jacket for being envelopingly disposed about a pipe section and which includes unique fastening means capable of being easily and quickly operated.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a protective cover system of the type stated in which the various components of the cover system do not precisely follow the shapes of the pipes forming part of a pipe installation.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a protective cover system of the type stated which is effectively usable to fit a wide variety of pipe installations, easily installable and capable of protecting against heat burns or cuts and abrasions.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a heat protective cover system of the type stated which can be manufactured at a relatively low cost and which is highly reliable in operation.
It is another salient object of the present invention to provide a method of supplying a protective cover system about pipes of a plumbing configuration in a highly efficient manner.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a heat protective cover system of the type stated in which a plurality of cover pieces are assembled together about a pipe installation, and where each of the cover pieces can optionally have a non-circular cross-sectional shape.
With the above and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement and combination of parts and components presently described and pointed out in the claims.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention broadly relates to a protective cover system for disposition about hot water pipes forming part of a plumbing installation comprised of a plurality of pipes. The heat protective cover system comprises a plurality of individual jackets which are each longitudinally slit along a portion of their length forming a pair of abutable edges or surfaces which are capable of being spread apart to allow the jacket to be enveloping wrapped about individual pipe sections. The edges or surfaces are then brought back together and secured by a uniq
Chambers A. Michael
Schaap Robert J.
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