Patent Application
20080061561
a shows an alternate view of the rod mount.
a and 6b show enlarged views of the second alternate embodiment of the locking apparatus.
The present invention comprises a locking apparatus for an automatic gate Referring to
Referring again to
Without the addition of the locking apparatus 11, the distal end 32 of the swing arm 26 is typically attached directly to the gate 12. Here, the distal end 32 of the swing arm 26 is pivotally attached to a bar 15. The bar 15 is mounted inside a tube 17 so that the bar 15 may move a certain distance in the tube. The extension of the arm 26 after the gate 12 is closed, as mentioned above, usually only creates tension on the gate 12 to help hold it in its closed position. The present invention uses this after-closing movement to move the bar 15 between an extended-locked position and a retracted-unlocked position. In the extended-locked position, a distal end 36 of the bar 15 extends through a hole 38 of a bolt receiver 40. The bolt receiver 40 is mounted on the post 14.
Referring in combination to
Referring again to
a shows an alternate embodiment of attaching the bar 15 to the gate 12. The bar 15 is mounted inside rings 19 so that the bar 15 may move a certain distance. This cuts down on friction with the bar 15 and keeps debris and ice from forming in the tube 17, while keeping the bar 15 from moving. The rings 19 are attached to the gate 12. The rings 19 serve as a mounting and support platform for the bar 15. The rings 19 are constructed of, for example, circular metal and are attached to the gate 12 so that the rings 19 are horizontally oriented and abut the gate 12. When mounted in this manner, the bar 15, regardless of the direction of force applied to it, may only move, if at all, parallel with the central axis of the rings 19. The position of the rings 19 is such that the bar 15 may move sufficiently to move the bar 15 between its locked and unlocked positions; that is, to move the distal end 36 in and out of the hole 38 in the bolt receiver 40.
The bar 15 is, in the preferred embodiment, a rod-like member. The length of the bar 15 is determined by the width of the gate 12. As the swing arm 26 pushes against the bar 15 while the gate 12 is being closed, the bar 15 tends to move toward the swinging edge 18 of the gate 12, and consequently tends to push the bar 15 toward its locked position. A mechanism is necessary for preventing extension of the bar 15 before the gate 12 is fully closed. The preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a spring to accomplish this.
A spring 74 has one end attached to an edge of the gate adjacent the support post 13, and another end connected to the distal end 32 of the swing arm 26 or the bar 15. In this configuration, the spring 74 resists movement of the bar 15 toward its locked position. The resistance of the spring 74 to stretching exerts a force against the extension of the distal end 36 toward its locked position slightly greater than the force required to move the gate 12 toward its closed position. Therefore, before the gate 12 is fully closed, when the force exerted by the cylinder 28 may be dissipated through movement of the gate 12, the distal end 36 remains in its retracted-unlocked position. Only when the gate 12 is fully closed and the force exerted by the cylinder 28 may no longer be dissipated by movement of the gate 12, is the combined resistive force of the spring 74 overcome allowing the distal end 36 to extend into its locked position. The spring 74 pulls the gate closed ahead of the force exerted by the cylinder 28, keeping the bar 15 in a retracted position. When the gate 12 reaches its stopping point, the force of the spring 74 is overcome by the cylinder 28, and the bar 15 is moved into the locking position.
Operation of the gate opener 24 having the locking apparatus 11 added is, from a user's standpoint, no different than without the locking apparatus 11; a user merely actuates the remote control (not shown) of the gate opener 24. When the gate 12 is open, the gate opener 24 responds by moving the swing arm 26 in a direction which pushes the gate 12 closed. As the swing arm 26 moves it gradually extends from the cylinder 28. The extension of the swing arm 26 and, to a lesser extent, the radial movement of the swing arm 26 in certain positions, tend to move the force bar 15 toward its locked position. Because of the spring 74 as above described, the forces exerted on the bar 15 are translated instead into movement of the gate 12. When the gate 12 may no longer move toward its closed position, whether by fully closing or by reaching an obstruction which prevents it from moving further, the resistive forces of the spring 74 are overcome and the bar 15 extends into its locked position. When properly closed, the distal end 36 of the bar 15 extends into the hole 38 of the bolt receiver 40 thereby locking the gate 12.
When the gate 12 is to be opened, the user again actuates the remote control (not shown). The swing arm 26 retracts into the cylinder 28, the bar 15 pulls the distal end 36 from the hole 38 of the bolt receiver 40, and the gate 12 is then free to swing open under force from the cylinder 28 and the swing arm 26.
Referring to
When the gate 12 is closed, and the spring force is overcome, as discussed above, the bar 15 begins to exert force on the disk 42 by pressing on the wall of the slot x. When this happens, the disk 42 begins to rotate, exerting force, via the slot y, on the bar 16, forcing it in a downward, into a receiver (not shown) located beneath the gate 12. When the gate 12 is opened, force is exerted by the bar 15 on the slot x of disk 42, thereby causing the disk 42 to rotate. The disk 42 then exerts force on the bar 16 via the slot y, pulling the rod 16 in an upwards direction and thereby releasing the lock.
In the same manner as with the previous embodiment, the bar 16 does not extend until the force from the swing arm 26 may no longer be dissipated through movement of the gate 12. When the swing arm 26 moves to open the gate 12, the bar 16 retracts under force from the spring 74.
Although the above embodiment is described with the bar 16 extending downwardly, it is also possible to have the bar 16 extend upwardly to engage in a receiver mounted above the gate.
Referring to
When this happens, the gate 12 is closed, and the bar 15 is extended, and the end 36 meets one of the blades of the propeller 52. The propeller 52 is allowed to turn in a counter clockwise direction by the spring 54 and the stopper 56, until the gate 12 is in the closed position, but is not allowed to turn in a clockwise direction, releasing the gate, so the gate remains locked.
When gate 12 is opened, force is exerted on the bar 15 thereby causing the end 36 of the rod to be pulled out of the locking apparatus 50, allowing the gate to open. In the same manner as previously described, the swing arm 26 moves to open the gate 12, which allows the bar 15 to retract under force from the spring 74.
The locking apparatus 50 can be utilized in combination with the bolt receiver 40 or in place of the bolt receiver.
Although described in connection with a gate, the inventive locking mechanism is equally applicable to a wide variety of systems ranging from doors to hospitals to aircraft landing gear. Basically, the invention can be used in virtually any system where a structure can be moved between at least two positions and needs to be locked in an end position.
While the invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms or practices set forth, but, on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined as the appended claims.
