Claims
- 1. A flood gate, comprising:a frame defining a fluid passageway therethrough; a door pivotally mounted in said frame for rotation between a plurality of open positions to permit flow of fluid therethrough; and at least one latching mechanism for holding said door in a closed position, said latching mechanism sensing a fluid force acting on said door and releasing said door when the fluid force meets a preset level, wherein said latching mechanism includes a float disposed within said door to determine the level of the fluid force.
- 2. The flood gate according to claim 1, wherein said door contains at least one aperture for permitting the fluid force to act upon said float.
- 3. The flood gate according to claim 1, wherein said latching mechanism includes a sensing and releasing device to sense the fluid force acting on said float and to release said door when the fluid force acting on said float meets said preset level.
- 4. The flood gate according to claim 3, wherein said frame defines an open slot adjacent said float, said sensing and releasing device is a pin extending from said float, said pin adapted to be inserted into said open slot, said pin being positioned within said open slot thereby preventing said door from pivoting.
- 5. The flood gate according to claim 4, wherein said open slot includes an opening, the position of said opening determining said preset level, whereby upon the fluid force acting upon said float meets said preset level, said pin exits said opening of said open slot and said pin is unconstrained by said open slot thereby enabling said door to rotate between said open positions.
- 6. The flood gate according to claim 5, wherein said frame defines a channel enabling passage of said pin through said frame when said door rotates between said open positions.
- 7. The flood gate according to claim 1, wherein said latching mechanism resets said door to said closed position when the fluid force acting on said door drops below said preset level.
- 8. The flood gate according to claim 1, further comprising at least one stake for attaching said flood gate to a structure.
- 9. The flood gate according to claim 8, wherein each stake includes:a longitudinal member; and an attachment portion.
- 10. The flood gate according to claim 1, wherein said frame defines a tine slot for receiving said longitudinal member, said longitudinal member insertable into said tine slot in a one direction and resistant to removal in an opposite direction.
- 11. The flood gate according to claim 1, wherein said frame defines opposing door slots, said door slots including opposing door pins respectively positionable within said opposing door slots, each said door slot including a bottom defining a resting vertical and horizontal position of said door pins upon insertion into said door slots.
- 12. The flood gate according to claim 11, wherein each said door slot includes a door slot opening positioned above said resting vertical and horizontal position.
- 13. The flood gate according to claim 11, wherein each said door pin is respectively pivotable within said door slot.
- 14. The flood gate according to claim 1, wherein said door comprises:a ventilation opening; an automatic louver assembly for controlling air flow through said ventilation opening; and a screen covering said ventilation opening.
- 15. The flood gate according to claim 14, wherein said automatic louver assembly opens and closes responsive to ambient temperatures.
- 16. The flood gate according to claim 14, wherein said automatic louver assembly comprises:at least one louver; a temperature sensitive actuating device; and a member connecting said louver to said temperature sensitive actuating device.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This is a Continuation-In-Part of application Ser. No. 09/386,791 filed Aug. 31, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 6,287,050, which is a Continuation-In-Part of application Ser. No. 09/079,611 filed May 15, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,445. application Ser. No. 09/079,611 claims the benefit of provisional application No. 60/052,819 filed Jul. 10, 1997.
US Referenced Citations (36)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
2147933 |
May 1985 |
GB |
55085720 |
Jun 1980 |
JP |
04203112 |
Jul 1992 |
JP |
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60/052819 |
Jul 1997 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09/386791 |
Aug 1999 |
US |
Child |
09/821397 |
|
US |
Parent |
09/079611 |
May 1998 |
US |
Child |
09/386791 |
|
US |