Hydrant protective cap and cover structure and operating wrench therefor

{
  "publication_number": "US4651771A",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A",
  "title": "Hydrant protective cap and cover structure and operating wrench therefor",
  "abstract": "A fire hydrant cap and cover assembly which is provided with a hydrant operating wrench therefor. The cap of the assembly has an interior threaded cap portion which attaches to the threaded portion of the hydrant water outlet discharge pipe. The exterior cover is rotatably attached to the cap (and rotates with respect thereto) through an annular groove on the cap, the groove engaging a ring bead fixed on the cover. A pentagonal shaped wrench is inserted into the pentagonal shaped recessed portion in the cap by way of a circular opening in the exterior of the cover to engage the cap. Through rotation of the cap, its interior threaded portion can be unscrewed from the threaded hydrant water outlet discharge pipe to enable the removal of the cap and cover assembly. This arrangement prevents tampering with the hydrant water discharge pipe. The cap recessed portion is provided with a fluid drain and vent aperture communicating with the hydrant valve and indication of leaking on the seat.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A fire hydrant comprising: a vertically extending tubular body for communication with a supply of water; a valve in the body for controlling the flow of water out of the discharge pipe; a horizontally extending water discharge pipe; a cap and cover arrangement on the outlet end of the discharge pipe and extending generally horizontally outward thereof and including: a cap releasibly mounted on the outlet end of the pipe in generally horizontal alignment with the pipe; a cover mounted on the cap for rotation with respect thereto and in general axial alignment with the cap and the pipe; said cap having generally a cap wrenching receiving means and adapted to be engaged by an associated wrench for rotatable removement from the end of the pipe; said cover having a cover wrench receiving aperture in axial alignment with the cap receiving means and said cup receiving means being disposed within the interior of the pipe end through which the associated wrench passes for reception by the wrench receiving means for easy torquing and untorquing movement of said cap and said cover with respect to the outlet end of the discharge pipe; said cover and said cap defining an annular space therebetween and in which is located coupling means for providing for rotational movement of said cover relative to said cap and said cover substantially encompasses said cap.",
    "2. The invention according to claim 1, and said cap wrench receiving means including a recess portion within the cap.",
    "3. The invention according to claim 1, and said cap having an outer wall portion between the hydrant valve and the cover and a vent and drain means in said outer wall portion allowing contaminants to exit from the valve and discharge pipe.",
    "4. The invention according to claim 1, and a wrench having a cap operator engageable with said cap wrench receiving means in mounting and removing said cap carrying said cover and; said hydrant having a valve stem connecting with valve and being in said upright hollow tubular portion and said wrench having a valve operating portion and a valve operator on said hydrant connecting with said stem and said wrench having the valve operating portion engageable with said valve operator to open and close the valve.",
    "5. The invention according to claim 4, and said wrench comprising handle and an end portion connecting with the handle and having the cap operator on one side thereof and having the valve operator on the other side thereof.",
    "6. The invention according to claim 1, and said cap having a cap wall over the end of the discharge pipe and a skirt portion extending axially of and surrounding the end of the discharge pipe and having pipe coupling means on the skirt releasibly coupling with the pipe.",
    "7. The invention according to claim 6, and said wrench receiving means comprising a recess portion in the cap end wall and extending inwardly thereof into said pipe; said cover having a cap wall extending over the cap wall and axially outward thereof and a cover skirt and extending around the cap skirt and the cap and the cover coupling means including being disposed between the skirts and connecting the same for rotation of the outer cover skirt relative to the inner cap skirt.",
    "8. The invention according to claim 6, and said wrench receiving means comprising an axially extending pentagonal shaped recess portion adapted to receive of a complimentally shaped pentagonal projection portion of a cap removal wrench.",
    "9. The invention according to claim 6, and said cap and cover coupling means including bearing means attached to and between the skirts; said bearing means including an annular member fixed one of the skirts and groove in the other skirt constrained by the annular member for axially movement and rotatably supported for movement relation to the annular member.",
    "10. The invention according to claim 1, and said cap having a pentagonal recess and said valve having a pentagonal projection and a wrench having a pentagonal projection for fitting the cap recess and a pentagonal recess for fitting the valve means, all of the recesses and projections be of the same fitting diametric dimension for opening and closing the valve means and discharge pipe.",
    "11. The invention according to claim 1, and the vent in the cap recessed portion, the base of the cap recess portion, and the cover aperture all being in general axial alignment with one another.",
    "12. A protection device for fire hydrants comprising: a cap having a water closed outer end portion adapted from releasible securement to the end of the hydrant discharge pipe and having a horizontal cap wrench receiving means on the outer end portion; a cover being rotatably mounting the cover on the cap over the cap end portion and including a wrench receiving aperture on its outer end in alignment with the recess for receiving a wrench therethrough and extending into the recess for removal of the cap and cover carried thereby from the discharge pipe while allowing easy torquing and untorquing movement of said cap and said cover with respect to the discharge pipe end; said cap receiving means adapted to be disposed within the interior of the discharge pipe end, said cover and said cap defining an annular space therebetween and in which is located coupling means for providing for rotational movement of said cover relative to said cap and said cover substantially encompasses said cap.",
    "13. The invention according to claim 12, and said cap wrench receiving means including a recess portion within the cap.",
    "14. The invention according to claim 12, and a wrench having a cap operator engageable with said cap wrench receiving means in mounting and removing said cap carrying said cover.",
    "15. The invention according to claim 12, and said cap having an outer wall portion between the hydrant valve and the cover and a vent drain means in said outer wall portion allowing contaminants to exit from the valve and discharge pipe.",
    "16. The invention according to claim 12, and a wrench having a cap operator engageable with said cap wrench receiving means in mounting and removing said cap carrying said cover and; said hydrant having a valve stem connecting with valve and being in said upright hollow tubular portion and said wrench having a valve operating portion and a valve operator on said hydrant connecting with said stem and said wrench having a valve operating portion engageable with said valve operator to open and close the valve; said wrench comprising handle and an end portion connecting with the handle and having the cap operator on one side thereof and having the valve operator on the other side thereof.",
    "17. The invention according to claim 12, and said cap having a cap wall over the end of the discharge pipe and a skirt portion extending axially of and surrounding the end of the discharge pipe and having pipe coupling means on the skirt releasibly coupling with the pipe; said cover having a cap wall extending over the cap wall and axially outward thereof and a cover skirt and extending around the cap skirt and the cap and the cover coupling means including bearing means being disposed between the skirts and connecting the same for rotation of the outer cover skirt relative to the inner cap skirt; said cap and cover coupling means including bearing means attached to and between the skirts; said bearing means including an annular member fixed one of the skirts and groove in the other skirt constrained by the annular member for axially movement and rotatably supported for movement relation to the annular member.",
    "18. The invention according to claim 12, and said cover wrench receiving aperture being slightly larger diametrically than said cap wrench receiving means by receiving an associated wrench therethrough.",
    "19. The invention of claim 1 or claim 12, and a wrench for operating the valve and discharge pipe caps and covers protective device including a wrench socket portion and a wrench handle; the wrench socket portion being at one end of the handle and having a projection portion on one side and at one end of the handle and on the opposite side and at the same end thereof a socket recessed portion having the same shape and internal diameter as the projection portion, the recessed portion being substantially an inversion of the projection portion, the wrench projection portion being adapted to extend through an aperture in the hydrant discharge pipe cover and into operative engagement with the conforming recessed portion of the associated cap in alignment with the cover aperture and rotatably carrying the cover portion and adapted to be releasably mounted on the end of the hydrant discharge pipe, the wrench recessed portion being adapted to couple on the conforming protection nut of the hydrant valve operator and operative thereof.",
    "20. The invention according to claim 19, and said socket wrench recess portion having pentagonal shaped configuration for attachments to and operative of the hydrant valve complimentally pentagonal shaped nut, said socket wrench projection portion being a pentagonal sided shaped projection for attachment to and operative of the hydrant discharge pipe attaching cap and cover."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "1. Field of the Invention\n\nThis invention relates to improvements in fire hydrants in particular for providing a tamper proof hydrant arrangement.\n\n2. Description of the Prior Art\n\nIt is known for instance, to provide for a fire hydrant which may not be operated by unauthorized persons and which can be operated only by use of a key member, the hydrant being arranged so that the outlets there are normally covered and can only be uncovered when the hydrant is unlocked and in particular the hydrant valve nut member is concealed which is located on top of the hydrant and which controls the opening and closing of the hydrant valve. Such an arrangement is shown by U.S. Pat. No. 2,869,576 to W. Kennedy. Further there is shown U.S. Pat. No. 3,450,148 to R. Mongelluzzo et al. a locking arrangement for a hydrant that includes lock bolt means removably received in the bolt opening in the housing and in the valve stem for securing the cap means over the valve stem and preventing movement of the valve stem. Further U.S. Pat. No. 3,556,131 to R. Diaz discloses a hydrant arrangement where the nut that operates the valve is concealed and a special wrench is required to engage the nut through a limited access. Similarly U.S. Pat. No. 3,623,498 to G. Manahan provides for a top barrel bonnet to the top of hydrant for limiting operation of the hydrant valve. Further U.S. Pat. No. 3,709,249 to R. Diaz provides for a novel wrench arrangement to operate the top collar covering the hydrant valve whereby the hydrant valve. U.S. Pat. No.",
  "cpc": [
    "E03B 9/06",
    "Y10T 137/5468",
    "Y10T 137/7062",
    "Y10T 137/9247"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "E03B 9/06"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Daniel W. Borenstein",
    "Arnold L. Borenstein"
  ],
  "filing_date": "1986-07-07",
  "publication_date": "1987-03-24",
  "grant_date": "1987-03-24",
  "priority_date": "1986-07-07",
  "application_number": "US-88633086-A",
  "family_id": "25388867",
  "cited_by_count": 47,
  "citations": [
    "US2063678A",
    "US2519572A",
    "US2605665A",
    "US3157203A",
    "US3935877A",
    "US4182361A",
    "US4526193A"
  ]
}