Railroad car vented hatch cover assembly including a replaceable combined vented hatch cover protector and gasket

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11548536-B1
Application number	US-201916380033-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 10, 2019
Priority date	Apr 26, 2018
Publication date	Jan 10, 2023
Grant date	Jan 10, 2023

Abstract

A railroad car hatch cover assembly including a replaceable combined hatch cover protector and gasket that can be quickly and easily mounted to a hatch cover of the vented hatch cover assembly and easily and quickly removed therefrom. In certain embodiments, the combined hatch cover protector and gasket includes an outer sealing member configured to be positioned in a pocket of the hatch cover, an inner protector element holder, a protector element held by and secured to the protector element holder, and a dual connector connecting the outer sealing member and the inner protector element holder, and configured to partially facilitate connection to the hatch cover.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A railroad car combined hatch cover protector and gasket comprising:
an annular outer sealing member configured to be positioned in an annular pocket of a hatch cover and configured to engage a coaming upwardly extending from a roof of a hopper railroad car;
an inner protector element holder;
a protector element secured to the inner protector element holder; and
a cylindrical dual connector integrally connecting the annular outer sealing member and the inner protector element holder, and configured to facilitate connection to the hatch cover, wherein the outer sealing member, the inner protector element holder, and the dual connector form a monolithic one-piece combined hatch cover protector and gasket component.

2. The railroad car combined hatch cover protector and gasket of claim 1 , wherein the outer sealing member includes an annular bottom wall configured to engage the coaming of the hopper railroad car, a cylindrical outer wall connected to and extending upwardly from an outer end of the bottom wall, and a cylindrical inner wall connected to and extending upwardly from an inner end of the bottom wall.

3. The railroad car combined hatch cover protector and gasket of claim 2 , wherein the outer sealing member includes two spaced apart cylindrical flanges connected to and extending upwardly from the annular bottom wall.

4. The railroad car combined hatch cover protector and gasket of claim 1 , wherein the protector element holder includes an annular outer support and a protector supporting crossbar.

5. The railroad car combined hatch cover protector and gasket of claim 1 , wherein the protector element holder includes an annular outer support and intersecting protector supporting crossbars.

6. The railroad car combined hatch cover protector and gasket of claim 5 , wherein the annular outer support and the intersecting protector supporting crossbars define four generally pie shaped protector openings.

7. The railroad car combined hatch cover protector and gasket of claim 1 , wherein protector material of the protector element is one of a polyester and a woven nylon.

8. The railroad car combined hatch cover protector and gasket of claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical dual connector includes a cylindrical upright wall having a top end integrally connected to a bottom wall of the outer sealing member and a bottom end integrally connect to an outer end of the outer support of the protector element holder.

9. The railroad car combined hatch cover protector and gasket of claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical dual connector connects the outer sealing member and the protector material holder at different levels.

10. The railroad car combined hatch cover protector and gasket of claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical dual connector defines spaced apart clip receiving slots configured to respectively receive clips outwardly extending from an inner rim of the hatch cover.

11. The railroad car combined hatch cover protector and gasket of claim 1 , wherein the outer sealing member, the inner protector element holder, and the dual connector are made from a polymer.

12. The railroad car combined hatch cover protector and gasket of claim 11 , wherein the outer sealing member, the inner protector element holder, and the dual connector are made from a thermoplastic elastomer and form the monolithic one-piece combined hatch cover protector and gasket component, wherein the monolithic one-piece combined hatch cover protector and gasket component is removably attachable to the annular pocket of the hatch cover so as to engage the coaming upwardly extending from the roof of the hopper railroad car.

13. A railroad car combined hatch cover protector and gasket comprising:
an annular outer sealing member configured to be positioned in an annular pocket of a hatch cover, the outer sealing member including an annular bottom wall configured to engage a coaming upwardly extending from a roof of a hopper railroad car, a cylindrical outer wall connected to and extending upwardly from an outer end of the bottom wall, and a cylindrical inner wall connected to and extending upwardly from an inner end of the bottom wall;
an inner protector element holder including an annular outer support and a protector supporting crossbar;
a protector element secured to the protector element holder; and
a dual connector including a cylindrical upright wall having a top end integrally connected to the bottom wall of the outer sealing member and a bottom end integrally connected to an outer end of the outer support of the inner protector element holder, the dual connector defining spaced apart clip receiving slots configured to respectively receive clips outwardly extending from an inner rim of the hatch cover to facilitate connection to the hatch cover, wherein the outer sealing member, the inner protector element holder, and the dual connector are made from a thermoplastic elastomer and form a monolithic one-piece combined hatch cover protector and gasket component.

14. The railroad car combined hatch cover protector and gasket of claim 13 , wherein the outer sealing member includes two spaced apart annular flanges connected to and extending upwardly from the bottom wall of the outer sealing member.

15. The railroad car combined hatch cover protector and gasket of claim 13 , wherein the protector element holder includes intersecting protector supporting crossbars.

16. The railroad car combined hatch cover protector and gasket of claim 13 , wherein the dual connector connects the outer sealing member and the protector material holder at different levels.

17. The railroad car combined hatch cover protector and gasket of claim 13 , wherein the outer sealing member, the inner protector element holder, and the dual connector are made from a polymer.

18. The railroad car combined hatch cover protector and gasket of claim 17 , wherein the outer sealing member, the inner protector element holder, and the dual connector are made from a thermoplastic elastomer and form the monolithic one-piece combined hatch cover protector and gasket component, wherein the monolithic one-piece combined hatch cover protector and gasket component is removably attachable to the annular pocket of the hatch cover so as to engage the coaming upwardly extending from the roof of the hopper railroad car.

19. A railroad car combined hatch cover protector and gasket comprising:
an annular outer sealing member configured to be positioned in an annular pocket of a hatch cover and configured to engage a coaming upwardly extending from a roof of a hopper railroad car;
an inner protector element holder integrally connected to the annular outer sealing member; and
a protector element secured to the inner protector element holder, wherein the outer sealing member and the inner protector element holder form a monolithic one-piece combined hatch cover protector and gasket component.

20. The railroad car combined hatch cover protector and gasket of claim 19 , wherein the outer sealing member includes an annular bottom wall configured to engage the coaming, a cylindrical outer wall connected to and extending upwardly from an outer end of the bottom wall, and a cylindrical inner wall connected to and extending upwardly from an inner end of the bottom wall.

21. The railroad car combined hatch cover protector and gasket of claim 20 , wherein the cylindrical inner wall includes an outer concave surface that defines a clip receiving pocket configured to respectively receive clips ou

Assignees

• Transp Ip Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Anderson John D
• Peach Walter J

Classifications

• B65D90/10

  Manholes; Inspection openings; Covers therefor · CPC title

• B61D7/00

  Hopper cars (flat bottomed cars convertible into hoppers B61D3/06) · CPC title

• B65D90/34

  Venting means (vehicle fuel tanks characterised by venting means B60K15/035) · CPC title

• B61D5/08 Primary

  Covers or access openings; Arrangements thereof · CPC title

• B61D17/16

  Hatches in roofs · CPC title