Balco, Inc.

Dean V Balocca

Ronny L Knak

Johnnie Daniel Hilburn, Jr

Ronald L Knak

A drainage system grate assembly for covering and allowing fluid passage into a watercourse includes: a crossbar having a plurality of spaced-apart upstanding knuckles defining a plurality of spaced-apart channels therebetween, each of the knuckles having a pin-receiving hole; a plurality of tread bars positioned in the channels between the knuckles of the crossbar, each tread bar having a pin-receiving hole axially aligned with the pin-receiving holes of the knuckles; and a pin positioned within pin-receiving holes in the knuckles and the tread bars, to secure the tread bars in the crossbar.

Grating system

An expansion joint cover () comprises a first plate () hingedly attached to a first surface () of an expansion joint (), a second plate () hingedly attached to the first plate (), and a housing () fixedly secured to a second surface () of the expansion joint (). During installation, a front plate () of the housing () can rotate about a hinge () to allow the second plate () to be installed within the housing (). In use, the second plate () slides within the housing () to accommodate variations in separation distance and vertical offset between the two surfaces (). Two hinges () accommodate variations in torsion between the two surfaces (). The combination of the second plate () sliding within the housing () and the two hinges () accommodates variations in lateral offset between the two surfaces ().

Expansion joint cover

A preferred drainage system grate assembly () broadly comprises a grate (), a frame () to support the grate (), and a locking device () to hold the grate () within the frame (). The grate () comprises two or more crossbars () and a plurality of tread bars (). Each crossbar () spans a watercourse () of a drainage system () and is supported by the frame () at both ends. The crossbar () includes an integral flange () that protrudes from the crossbar () substantially horizontally and at least one hole () centered within the flange (). The locking device () includes a penetration () where a bolt () is inserted through the hole (). As the bolt () is turned, the locking device () is raised until it contacts the frame (), thereby securing the grate () within the frame ().

Grate assembly

An expansion joint cover ( ) comprises a first plate ( ) hingedly attached to a first surface ( ) of an expansion joint ( ), a second plate ( ) hingedly attached to the first plate ( ), and a housing ( ) fixedly secured to a second surface ( ) of the expansion joint ( ). During installation, a front plate ( ) of the housing ( ) can rotate about a hinge ( ) to allow the second plate ( ) to be installed within the housing ( ). In use, the second plate ( ) slides within the housing ( ) to accommodate variations in separation distance and vertical offset between the two surfaces ( ). Two hinges ( ) accommodate variations in torsion between the two surfaces ( ). The combination of the second plate ( ) sliding within the housing ( ) and the two hinges ( ) accommodates variations in lateral offset between the two surfaces ( ).

Growing community of inventors

Wichita, KS, United States of America

Dean V Balocca