Disclosed embodiments are related to safety gates and more specifically to gate hinge assemblies and related methods of use.
Safety gates are often employed to restrict or inhibit access to a certain area for a child or pet. Such safety gates may employ a latch and hinge arrangement that allow an adult to open the safety gate, while inhibiting a child from opening the gate. For example, a gate can be installed to help prevent a young child from accessing areas of a house, and a gate latch and gate hinge can be configured to allow an adult to perform one or more steps to open the gate barrier.
In some embodiments, a gate hinge includes an upper hinge portion configured to support a gate barrier. The upper hinge portion includes a first receptacle, a first ramp disposed adjacent the first receptacle, where the first ramp is inclined downward away from the first receptacle in a first direction, and a second ramp disposed adjacent the first receptacle, where the second ramp is inclined downward away from the first receptacle in a second direction opposite the first direction. The gate hinge also includes a lower hinge portion configured to support the upper hinge portion, where the lower hinge portion is configured to allow the upper hinge portion to rotate about a rotation axis and translate along the rotation axis, and where the lower hinge portion includes a first projection configured to engage the first receptacle to inhibit relative rotation of the upper hinge portion and the lower hinge portion.
In some embodiments, a gate hinge includes an upper hinge portion configured to support a gate barrier. The upper hinge portion includes a receptacle, and a receptacle projection extending from a base of the receptacle. The gate hinge also includes a lower hinge portion configured to support the upper hinge portion, where the lower hinge portion is configured to allow the upper hinge portion to rotate about a rotation axis, where the lower hinge portion includes an annular projection configured to engage the receptacle, and where the annular projection is further configured to receive the projection.
In some embodiments, a gate includes a gate barrier and an upper hinge configured to rotatably support the gate barrier about a rotation axis. The upper hinge includes a first upper hinge portion coupled to the gate barrier, the first upper hinge portion including a first receptacle, and a first ramp disposed adjacent the first receptacle, where the first ramp is inclined downward away from the first receptacle in a first direction. The upper hinge also includes a second upper hinge portion configured to support the first upper hinge portion, where the second upper hinge portion is configured to allow the first upper hinge portion to rotate about the rotation axis and translate along the rotation axis, where the second upper hinge portion includes an upper hinge projection configured to engage the first receptacle to inhibit relative rotation of the first upper hinge portion and the second upper hinge portion. The gate also includes a lower hinge configured to rotatably support the gate barrier about the rotation axis. The lower hinge includes a first lower hinge portion coupled to the gate barrier, the first lower hinge portion including a receptacle and a lower hinge projection extending from a base of the receptacle, and a second lower hinge portion configured to support the first lower hinge portion, where the second lower hinge portion includes an annular projection configured to engage the receptacle, and where the annular projection is further configured to receive the lower hinge projection.
It should be appreciated that the foregoing concepts, and additional concepts discussed below, may be arranged in any suitable combination, as the present disclosure is not limited in this respect. Further, other advantages and novel features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of various non-limiting embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures may be represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. In the drawings:
Safety gates are often employed in access points (e.g., doorways) to help prevent children or pets from accessing certain areas. Such safety gates include a gate barrier that can be moved by an adult. Safety gates typically employ mechanisms to ensure that an adult can operate the gate, while inhibiting a child or pet from opening the gate. Some gate barriers swing when moving between an open and a closed position. In such swing gates, one side of the barrier is rotatably attached at an upper hinge and lower hinge so that the gate swings open and closed, and the other side has a latching arrangement to secure the barrier in the closed position. On the securing side of a gate, a gate latch may secure a gate barrier in place by retaining a latch member that extends from the gate barrier. On the hinge side of the gate, the gate may be liftable (e.g., in a direction along a rotation axis of the hinge). Some conventional hinges may employ a biasing arrangement configured to urge the gate barrier toward the closed position through at least a portion of the swing of the gate. Such biasing arrangement may employ internal ramps on which the gate barrier is suspended, which may result in increased wear reducing efficacy over time and less support for the gate barrier to resist external forces. Some conventional hinges also include hold-open features configured to hold the gate in the open position. In some instances, holding the gate barrier open may be undesirable as the access point may be accidentally left unsecure to a child or pet.
In view the above, the inventors have appreciated the benefits of a hinge arrangement for a safety gate that reliably biases a gate barrier toward a closed position from an open position. In particular, the inventors have recognized the benefits of an upper gate hinge configured to bias a gate barrier to the closed position when the gate barrier has been rotated 80 to 90 degrees from the closed position. Additionally, the inventors have appreciated the benefits of a hinge arrangement configured to lock the hinge in the closed position, such that a gate barrier must be lifted before the hinge arrangement allows rotation. The inventors have appreciated that such an arrangement improves the security of the gate against externally applied torques compared with relying on a latch alone. Furthermore, the inventors have appreciated the benefits of a hinge arrangement that is configured to resist external forces by employing contact surfaces in a hinge that are disposed on an exterior of the hinge. Such an arrangement may improve the capability of the hinge arrangement in resisting and transferring torques.
In some embodiments, a gate hinge may include an upper hinge portion configured to support a gate barrier, and a lower hinge portion configured to support the upper hinge portion. The lower hinge portion may be configured to allow the upper hinge portion to rotate so that the gate barrier may swing between a closed position and an open position. The lower hinge portion may also be configured to allow the upper hinge portion to translate within a range along a rotation axis of the gate hinge, such that the upper hinge portion may be lifted relative to the lower hinge portion. The upper hinge portion may include a first receptacle and a first ramp disposed adjacent the receptacle which is inclined downward away from the first receptacle in a first direction. In some embodiments, the first ramp may extend downward in a circumferential direction about the rotation axis. In some embodiments, the first receptacle may extend in a direction parallel to the rotation axis. The lower hinge portion may include a first projection configured to engage the first receptacle to inhibit relative rotation of the upper hinge portion and the lower hinge portion. That is, the first receptacle may receive the first projection such that the first projection and first receptacle interfere with one another and inhibit relative rotation of the upper hinge portion and the lower hinge portion. In some embodiments, when the upper hinge portion is in a closed position, the first projection may be aligned with the first receptacle such that the first projection can engage the first receptacle. In some embodiments, a user may lift the upper hinge (e.g., move the upper hinge away from the lower hinge portion) to remove the first projection from the receptacle to allow the upper hinge portion to rotate relative to the lower hinge portion. In some embodiments, the first projection may also be configured to engage the first ramp to lift the upper hinge when the upper hinge portion is rotated from the closed position to the open position. In some embodiments, the gate hinge may include a spring configured to bias the upper hinge portion toward the lower hinge portion.
In some embodiments, a method of operating a gate includes lifting an upper hinge portion relative to a lower hinge portion from a locked position to an unlocked position. In some embodiments, such lifting may be against the biasing force of a spring. Lifting the upper hinge portion relative to the lower hinge portion may disengage a projection disposed on the lower hinge portion from a receptacle disposed on the upper hinge portion. The method may also include engage a ramp of the upper hinge portion with the projection. The ramp may extend downward from the receptacle, such that engaging the ramp with the projection lifts the upper hinge portion relative to the lower hinge portion. The method may also include rotating the upper hinge portion relative to the lower hinge portion from a closed position to an open position when the upper hinge portion is in the unlocked position. Such a rotation may slide the projection along the ramp, which may further lift the upper hinge portion relative to the lower hinge portion. In the open position, the upper hinge portion may be at its highest position relative to the lower hinge portion. The ramp of the upper hinge portion may bias the upper hinge portion toward the closed position, such that releasing the upper hinge portion in the open position may cause the upper hinge portion to rotate to the closed position. In some embodiments, the method may include releasing the upper hinge portion when the upper hinge portion is in the open position to allow the upper hinge portion to rotate to the closed position. When the upper hinge portion reaches the closed position, the projection and the receptacle may be aligned, which may allow the receptacle to fall over the projection, allowing the hinge to move from the unlocked position to the locked position. In this manner, the upper hinge portion may be secured and unable to rotate in the locked and closed position.
In some embodiments, a lower gate hinge may include an upper hinge portion configured to support a gate barrier and a lower hinge portion configured to rotatably support the upper hinge portion. The lower hinge portion may allow the upper hinge portion to rotate between a closed position and one or more open positions. The lower hinge portion may also allow the upper portion to translate along its rotation axis to allow the gate barrier to be lifted. In cases where the lower gate hinge is employed with an upper gate hinge according to exemplary embodiments described herein, such an arrangement may allow the upper gate hinge to function by allowing a projection of the upper gate hinge to be removed from a receptacle in a translation direction parallel to a rotation axis of the lower gate hinge. The upper hinge portion may include a receptacle and a receptacle projection extending from a base of the receptacle. The receptacle may face downwards toward the lower hinge portion. In some embodiments, the combination of the receptacle and receptacle projection may form an annular opening which may receive an annular projection of the lower hinge portion. The lower hinge portion may include an annular projection configured to engage the receptacle and receive the receptacle projection. In this manner, the upper hinge portion may nest into the lower hinge portion, which results in a stronger support structure for the gate barrier. The annular projection may increase the diameter of the sliding surfaces engage with one another on the upper hinge portion and lower hinge portion, thereby increasing the strength of the hinge to externally applied forces by having a greater total engaged surface area. That is, by moving the engaging surfaces between the upper hinge portion and lower hinge portion away from the central axis, the lower gate hinge is stronger and more able to resist external forces.
In some embodiments, a receptacle projection may also function as an internal rotation stop for the gate, which may ensure a gate barrier does not open past a desired amount, and any biasing of the gate barrier toward a closed position is ensured without any external elements that may be accessible to a user. In some embodiments, the receptacle projection may include at least one tab extending in a radial direction. An annular protrusion of a lower hinge portion may include a corresponding shelf extending in a radial direction that is configured to engage the at least one tab of the receptacle projection. The shelf may inhibit rotation of the upper hinge portion relative to the lower hinge portion in one direction. In some embodiments, the annular protrusion may include a second shelf configured to function as a rotation stop in the opposing direction compared to the first shelf, such that a limited range of rotation can be provided for the upper gate portion. In some embodiments, an angle between a closed position of the upper hinge portion and an open position of the upper gate portion may be between 80 and 90 degrees. According to such embodiments, a total range of rotation of the upper hinge portion may be between 160 and 180 degrees between two open positions each defined by a stop (e.g., a shelf). Of course, any suitable range of rotation may be employed for a lower gate hinge, as the present disclosure is not so limited. Additionally, while in some embodiments the receptacle projection may include a tab and the annular projection may include a shelf, in other embodiments the annual projection may include a tab and the receptacle projection may include a shelf, as the present disclosure is not so limited.
According to exemplary embodiments described herein, components of a gate hinge may be integrally formed. For example, one or more components may be integrally molded (e.g., injection molded), 3D printed, or another suitable process. In some embodiments, an upper hinge portion of an upper gate hinge may be integrally molded, and a lower hinge portion of the upper gate hinge may be integrally molded. Likewise, in some embodiments, an upper hinge portion of a lower gate hinge may be integrally molded, and a lower hinge portion of the lower gate hinge may be integrally molded. Such an arrangement may simplify manufacturing of a gate hinge according to exemplary embodiments described herein.
According to exemplary embodiments described herein, a gate hinge may include one or more fasteners and one more springs. In some embodiments, the one or more fasteners may be employed to couple an upper hinge portion to a lower hinge portion. In some embodiments described herein, a binding post and barrel bolt may be employed to couple an upper hinge portion to a lower hinge portion. Of course, in other embodiments, other suitable fasteners may be employed, including binding posts, pins, screws, bolts, or rivets. In some embodiments described herein, a spring may be employed to bias a gate hinge component in a direction. For example, a spring may be employed to bias an upper hinge portion toward a lower hinge portion. In some embodiments, the spring may be a compression spring. In other embodiments, any suitable spring may be employed, including a tension spring, torsion spring, air spring, or another type of spring, as the present disclosure is not so limited. Additionally, while in some embodiments herein a spring is employed urge an upper hinge portion toward a lower hinge portion, in some other embodiments no spring may be employed and solely the effect of gravity may be employed to engage the upper hinge portion with the lower hinge portion, as the present disclosure is not so limited.
It should be noted that while in exemplary embodiments certain hinge arrangements may be configured as an upper hinge and other arrangements may be configured as a lower hinge, in other embodiments a hinge arrangement may be employed at any location on a gate, as the present disclosure is not so limited. For example, embodiments of an upper hinge described herein may be employed as a lower hinge. As another example, embodiments of a lower hinge described herein may be employed as an upper hinge.
Turning to the figures, specific non-limiting embodiments are described in further detail. It should be understood that the various systems, components, features, and methods described relative to these embodiments may be used either individually and/or in any desired combination as the disclosure is not limited to only the specific embodiments described herein.
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While the present teachings have been described in conjunction with various embodiments and examples, it is not intended that the present teachings be limited to such embodiments or examples. On the contrary, the present teachings encompass various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.
This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/336,488, filed on Apr. 29, 2022, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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[No Author Listed], Regalo Top of Stairs Gate Installation (Model #1250). RegaloBaby YouTube Channel. Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u46GzucNH_Y. Uploaded Sep. 19, 2019. 1 page. |
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