ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 21 -- United States Patent no. 12,686,988, issued on July 21, was assigned to OMEGA METALWORKS LLC (Colorado Springs, Colo.).
"Frame and cover for inground utility enclosures" was invented by John Mason Cathey (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Joseph Charles Niemi (Colorado Springs, Colo.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Described are hatch assemblies comprising a frame having sidewalls, a pivotally connected cover, and a number of easily repairable and replaceable torsion-spring-assisted hinge assemblies. Hinge assemblies may comprise a torsion spring having a coiled body along the center axis of which a carriage bolt is inserted. Once one end of the torsion spring that exten...