A vermin barrier for installation in a sewage pipe

Abstract

The present invention concerns a barrier (1) for installation in a sewage pipe and for allowing a sewage flow within the sewage pipe to pass the barrier in a first direction of the sewage pipe, the first direction being a downstream flow direction, and for preventing rats or other vermin from passing the barrier in a second direction being opposite to the first direction upon installation of the barrier in the sewage pipe, the second direction being an upstream flow direction, said barrier comprising a support element (2) having a first end and a second end and a base plate (2c); a pipe section installable in the sewage pipe and provided at least at the first end of the support element; a shutter assembly (4) comprising at least one shutter (41, 42) pivotably mounted on the support element with the at least one shutter suspended and thereby hanging downwards from said support element, so that the at least one shutter prevents the vermin to pass in the upstream direction when the barrier is installed in the sewage pipe, wherein the shutter assembly is detachably mounted on the underside of the base plate of the support element in either a first position or a second position, in which second position the at least one shutter is vertically further away from the base plate than in the first position.

Description

[0001] 85745PC01

[0002] 1

[0003] A VERMIN BARRIER FOR INSTALLATION IN A SEWAGE PIPE

[0004] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The present invention relates to a barrier for installation in a sewage pipe and for allowing a sewage flow within the sewage pipe to pass the barrier in a first direction of the sewage pipe and for preventing rats or other vermin from passing the barrier in a second direction being opposite to the first direction upon installation of the barrier in the sewage pipe.

[0006] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Numerous solutions exist for preventing vermin, such as rats, from entering specific sections of a sewage pipe system.

[0008] EP2113615 relates to a barrier for preventing rats or other rodents from entering a sewage pipe. The barrier is installed within a sewage pipe, and the barrier comprises two support wings forming a pipe section of the barrier with a first contact surface and a second contact surface. The contact surfaces are provided at the sidewalls for abutting the inside of the sewage pipe. By pivoting the contact surfaces from a configuration, where the contact surfaces constitute relatively smaller exterior dimensions than the sewage pipe, to the configuration, where the contact surfaces constitute a relatively larger exterior dimensions of the pipe section, there is applied a repulsive force between the one contact surface and the other contact surface as the contact surfaces abut the inside of the sewage pipe. The repulsive force is applied by means of a vertically displaceable bushing acting on lever arms of each of the wings with the contacts surfaces.

[0009] The barrier comprises a support element that is mountable within the pipe, and a first shutter pivotally suspended within the support element for rotation about a horizontal axis and having a centre of gravity lying under the axis. The shutter is pivotable between a first angular position in which the first shutter is forming an acute angle with the direction of flow and at least substantially barring the aperture of the barrier, and a second angular position in which the first shutter is85745PC01

[0010] 2

[0011] forming a second relatively smaller angle with the direction of flow thus keeping the aperture of the barrier at least partly open. Preferably, a second shutter is placed upstream of a first shutter and is pivotally suspended about a second axis and having a centre of gravity located under the second axis.

[0012] In the sewer pipe there may be deposits in the pipes that may build up over time. This can cause that there is not enough room between the lower pipe wall and the barrier shutters for the shutters of the barrier to be fully suspended. Hence, it is an object address this drawback.

[0013] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0014] This object is achieved by providing a barrier for installation in a sewage pipe and for allowing a sewage flow within the sewage pipe to pass the barrier in a first direction of the sewage pipe, the first direction being a downstream flow direction, and for preventing rats or other vermin from passing the barrier in a second direction being opposite to the first direction upon installation of the barrier in the sewage pipe, the second direction being an upstream flow direction, said barrier comprising a support element having a first end and a second end and a base plate; a pipe section installable in the sewage pipe and provided at least at the first end of the support element; a shutter assembly comprising at least one shutter pivotably mounted on the support element with the at least one shutter suspended and thereby hanging downwards from said support element, so that the at least one shutter prevents the vermin to pass in the upstream direction when the barrier is installed in the sewage pipe, wherein the shutter assembly is detachably mounted on the underside of the base plate of the support element in either a first position or a second position, in which second position the at least one shutter is vertically further away from the base plate than in the first position.

[0015] Hereby, the barrier may be assembled on site after the fitter has inspected the conditions of the well and the sewer pipe where the vermin barrier is to be installed. The fitter may then assemble the barrier and mount the shutter assembly in accordance with the observed conditions and thereby ensure proper functioning of the barrier even if deposits in the pipes may build up over time.85745PC01

[0016] 3

[0017] Advantageously, the support element is provided with at least a first positioning aperture and a second positioning aperture of first size and a second size, respectively, where said second size is smaller than the first size, and wherein the shutter assembly is provided with a set of positioning tabs corresponding to said positioning apertures, each positioning tab having a first portion having the first size and a second distal portion having the second size, so that the shutter assembly is mountable in the first position by placing the first portion of the positioning tab in the first positioning aperture. Hereby, a simple and reliable mounting system of the shutter assembly is provided, which can easily be mounted in either the first or the second position of the height of the shutters.

[0018] In the preferred embodiment of the barrier of the present disclosure, the pipe section is formed by two support wings said wings having a first contact surface and a second contact surface, respectively, that are mutually displaceable and thereby applying a repulsive force between said wings by means of a vertically displaceable bushing which is provided on the second end of said support element. In particular, it is preferred that the support wings are provided with a curvature corresponding to the inner diameter of the sewage pipe.

[0019] Preferably, the shutter assembly is provided with two shutters pivotably suspended from the support element in said assembly.

[0020] Advantageously, the shutter assembly is mountable with either a first orientation or a second orientation on the support element so that the barrier is configured so that at least one shutter prevents the vermin to pass in the upstream direction irrespective of the orientation of the barrier when installed in the sewer pipe.

[0021] Hereby, besides mounting the shutters in different heights, the shutters of the barrier can also easily be mounted with the desired opening direction, i.e. so that it is ensured that sewage water can freely pass the shutters (by opening the shutters) flowing in a first direction but prevent a vermin to pass the barrier in the opposite direction (the upstream direction) which is the direction of the sewer pipe towards the house hold.85745PC01

[0022] 4

[0023] By the invention, it is realised that embodiments may be provided, wherein the shutter assembly is mountable in three or more number of positions, such as at least a first, a second and a third position, with the at least one shutter being in different distances from the base plate of the support element.

[0024] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In the following, the invention is described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0026] Fig. 1 is a perspective rear bottom view of a barrier according to the first embodiment of the disclosure;

[0027] Fig. 2 is a detailed perspective view of the barrier in a first configuration of the shutters;

[0028] Fig. 3 is a front view of the barrier in this first configuration;

[0029] Fig. 4 is a detailed perspective view of the barrier in a second configuration of the shutters;

[0030] Fig. 5 is a front view of the barrier in this second configuration;

[0031] Fig. 6 is a detailed front view of a shutter according to the present disclosure, and Fig. 7 is a top view of a base plate according to the present disclosure.

[0032] With reference to the figures, there are shown some embodiments of a vermin barrier 1 for installation in a sewage pipe (not shown). The barrier 1 when installed in a pipe allows for a sewage flow within the sewage pipe to pass the barrier in a first flow direction of the sewage pipe and prevents rats or other vermin from passing the barrier in a second flow direction opposite to the first flow direction. The barrier 1 comprises a support element 2 having a first end 2a and a second end 2b and a base plate 2c. At the first end 2a of the support element 2 there is provided a pipe section 3. On the underside of the support element 2 there are mounted a shutter assembly 4 with two shutters 41, 42 pivotably suspended from the base plate 2c of the support element 2.

[0033] As shown in the figures, the base plate 2c of the support element 2 is provided with two barrier stops 7, which is folded out of the plane of the otherwise flat base85745PC01

[0034] 5

[0035] plate 2c, so that the barrier is inserted into a sewer pipe until it reaches this stop 7.

[0036] The pipe section 3 of the barrier is made up of two support wings 31, 32. The support wings 31, 32 are pivotably mounted on the base plate 2c of the support element 2. These support wings 31, 32 having a first contact surface and a second contact surface, respectively, that are mutually displaceable and thereby applies a repulsive force between said wings 31, 32 in response to a vertically displaceable bushing of the mounting system 6, which is provided on the second end 2b of said support element 2. The support wings 31, 32 are formed with a pivotal mounting portions 31m, 32m provided between the curved flange portions 31c, 32c and a bushing engagement flange portion 31f, 32f provided at the second end 2b for abutting the displaceable bushing 64 for pivoting the curved flange portions 31c, 32c outwards.

[0037] The curved flange portions 31c, 32c are provided with a curvature, which is preferably semi-circular in shape with a diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the sewage pipe. The curved flange portions 31c, 32c of support wings 31, 32 are at least larger than half of the radius of the pipe in which the barrier is to be mounted.

[0038] The support element 2 of the barrier is provided with a mounting system 6. The mounting system comprises a rotatable pipe 61, which is secured to a bushing 64, which is threadedly engaged on a threaded rod 62. The threated rod 62 is provided at the second end 2b of the base plate 2c and the vertically displaceable bushing 64 is threadedly engaged on said threated rod 62 for the vertical displacement of said bushing 64 and thereby enabling the provision of the repulsive force between the wings 31, 32. Preferably a washer 63 is provided between the bushing 64 and the engagement flanges 31f, 32f. The engagement flanges 31f, 32f advantageously extend onto the other side of the barrier and thereby crosses each other. Hereby a longer distance from the pivot point of the wings 31, 32 to the engagement point on the underside of the bushing 64 (or washer 63) is achieved and the required repulsion force is easier achievable.85745PC01

[0039] 6

[0040] The rotation of the bushing 64 is achieved by rotating the pipe 61, which is connected to the bushing 64. The pipe 61 is provided with openings 61b so that a gripping tool (not shown) on the end of a shaft (not shown) can be attached to the pipe 61 so that a rotation of said shaft is transferred to the pipe 61 and thereby also transferred to the bushing 61b.

[0041] The shutter assembly 4 is shown in detail in the figures and separately shown in fig. 6. The shutter assembly 4 comprises two shutters 41, 42 that are pivotally suspended from a mounting bracket 44, which is mounted to the underside of the base plate 2c of the support element 2, so that the at least two shutters 41, 42 prevents a vermin to pass in the upstream direction U (see arrow U in figs. 2 and 4) when the barrier is installed in the sewage pipe.

[0042] The shutter assembly 4, and thereby the shutters 41, 42, is detachably mounted on the underside of the base plate 2c of the support element 2 in a first position (see figs. 4 and 5) or a second position (see figs. 3 and 4), in which the shutters 41, 42 are further away from the base plate 2c than in the first position.

[0043] With reference to fig. 7 in particular, the base plate 2c of the support element is provided with positioning apertures 43 for receiving the shutter assembly 4. The positioning apertures 43 preferably comprise at least a first positioning aperture 43b and a second positioning aperture 43a of first size and a second size, respectively. The second size is smaller than the first size.

[0044] On the mounting bracket 44 of the shutter assembly 4 there is provided with a set of positioning tabs 45 corresponding to said positioning apertures 43, each positioning tab 45 has a first portion 45a having the first size and a second distal portion 45b having the second size, so that the shutter assembly 4 is mountable in the first position (figs. 4 and 5) by placing the first portion 45a of the positioning tab 45 in the larger first positioning aperture 43b. Hereby, the shutters 41, 42 are positioned in their uppermost position (the first position). If the shutters 41, 42 are to be positioned in their lowermost position (the second position), the shutter assembly 4 is then mountable in the second position (figs. 2 and 3) by placing the distal second portion 45b of the positioning tab 45 in the smaller second positioning aperture 43a.85745PC01

[0045] 7

[0046] As can be appreciated in figures 2, 4 and 7, the mounting bracket 44 of the shutter assembly is provided with a set of two mounting tabs 45 with the corresponding positioning apertures 43 on the base plate matching the two sizes of the portions 45a, 45b of the mounting tabs 45. The positioning apertures 43 are provided along the longitudinal centre line of the base plate 2c (see fig. 7). Hereby, it is possible to mount the shutter assembly 4 with any one of two orientations on the support element 2 so that the barrier is configured so that the shutters prevent the vermin to pass in the upstream direction irrespective of the orientation of the barrier when installed in the sewer pipe. Thus, the upstream direction shown in figs. 2 and 4 can be reversed by turning the shutter assembly in another direction when mounting it on the support element. This mounting can be done on site by the fitter of the barrier.

[0047] All the components of the barrier may be produced in a steel material that the rat cannot gnaw on, for example acid-resistant stainless steel AISI 316. All welded joints may be stained after the joint has been sealed so that the welds are protected from corrosion. Hereby, the barrier is ensured a long service life.

[0048] In general, when directional terms like "upper" and "lower" or similar directional references are used in the present disclosure, these terms are meant to be understood as relative terms e.g. where the term "upper" refers to a direction essentially opposite to the "lower", but it is realised that the planar assembly when in use can be positioned with any orientation.

[0049] Although the present invention has been described in connection with the specified embodiments, it should not be construed as being in any way limited to the presented examples. The scope of the present invention is set out by the accompanying claim set. In the context of the claims, the terms "comprising" or "comprises" do not exclude other possible elements or steps. Also, the mentioning of references such as "a" or "an" etc. should not be construed as excluding a plurality. The use of reference signs in the claims with respect to elements indicated in the figures shall also not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. Furthermore, individual features mentioned in different claims, may possibly be advantageously combined, and the mentioning of these features in85745PC01

[0050] 8

[0051] different claims does not exclude that a combination of features is not possible and advantageous.

[0052] Above, the invention is described with reference to some currently preferred embodiments. By the invention it is realised that many of the above mentioned different embodiments may be combined in other manners than the embodiments shown in the figures without departing from the scope of the invention as it is defined by the accompanying claims.

Claims

85745PC019CLAIMS1. A barrier for installation in a sewage pipe and for allowing a sewage flow within the sewage pipe to pass the barrier in a first direction of the sewage pipe, the first direction being a downstream flow direction, and for preventing rats or other vermin from passing the barrier in a second direction being opposite to the first direction upon installation of the barrier in the sewage pipe, the second direction being an upstream flow direction, said barrier comprising:- a support element having a first end and a second end and a base plate; - a pipe section installable in the sewage pipe and provided at least at the first end of the support element;- a shutter assembly comprising at least one shutter pivotably mounted on the support element with the at least one shutter suspended and thereby hanging therefrom, so that the at least one shutter prevents the vermin to pass in the upstream direction when the barrier is installed in the sewage pipe,characterised in thatthe shutter assembly is detachably mounted on the underside of the base plate of the support element in either a first position or a second position, in which second position the at least one shutter is vertically further away from the base plate than in the first position.

2. A barrier according to claim 1, wherein the support element is provided with at least a first positioning aperture and a second positioning aperture of first size and a second size, respectively, where said second size is smaller than the first size, and wherein the shutter assembly is provided with a set of positioning tabs corresponding to said positioning apertures, each positioning tab having a first portion having the first size and a second distal portion having the second size, so that the shutter assembly is mountable in the first position by placing the first portion of the positioning tab in the first positioning aperture.

3. A barrier according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pipe section is formed by two support wings said wings having a first contact surface and a second contact surface, respectively, that are mutually displaceable and thereby applying a85745PC0110repulsive force between said wings by means of a vertically displaceable bushing which is provided on the second end of said support element.

4. A barrier according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the shutter assembly is provided with two shutters pivotably suspended from the support element in said assembly.

5. A barrier according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the support wings are provided with a curvature corresponding to the inner diameter of the sewage pipe.

6. A barrier according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the shutter assembly is mountable in either a first orientation or a second orientation on the support element so that the barrier may be configured so that the at least one shutter prevents the vermin to pass in the upstream direction irrespective of the orientation of the barrier when installed in the sewer pipe.

7. A barrier according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the shutter assembly is mountable in three or more number of positions, such as at least a first, a second and a third position, with the at least one shutter being in different distances from the base plate of the support element.

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