Patent Application
20230166560
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The disclosure relates to roller devices and more particularly pertains to a new roller device for enhancing opening and closing a gate. The device includes a bracket that has a horizontal portion and a vertical portion and a roller that is rotatably disposed on the horizontal portion. The vertical portion is retained on a gate with a plurality of J-shaped bolts such that the roller engages a support surface. In this way the roller rolls along the support surface when the gate is opened and closed.
The prior art relates to roller devices including a roller that is attachable to a bottom surface of a wooden gate. The prior art discloses a self aligning gate device that includes hinges that bias a gate into a closed position and a roller that is disposed on the gate. The prior art discloses a gate wheel device that includes a shaft which is attached to a free edge of a gate and a wheel that is rotatably disposed on the shaft. The prior art discloses a gate roller device that includes a plurality of u-bolts that are positioned on opposite sides of a gate and a roller that is rotatably disposed on distal ends of the u-bolts. The prior art discloses a ladder roller device that includes a bracket which engages a leg of a ladder and a roller that is rotatably disposed on the bracket for rolling along a support surface when the ladder is being carried.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a bracket that has a vertical portion and a horizontal portion. The vertical portion is positioned against a gate having the horizontal portion extending away from the gate. A plurality of bolts is provided and each of the bolts extends through the vertical portion of the bracket to engage the gate for retaining the bracket on the gate. A plurality of nuts is provided and each of the nuts threadably engages a respective one of the bolts for retaining the first plate on the gate. A roller is rotatably disposed on the horizontal portion of the bracket to roll along the support surface when the gate is opened or closed.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The first plate 20 is elongated between the top side 28 and the bottom side 30, and the first plate 20 has a plurality of holes 36 each extending through the front surface 22 and the back surface 24. The plurality of holes 36 is spaced apart from each other and is distributed along an axis extending between the top side 28 and the bottom side 30. The plurality of holes 36 is arranged into a plurality of sets of the holes 38 and each of the sets of holes 38 are positioned adjacent to a respective one of the first lateral side 32 and the second lateral side 34. Furthermore, the sets of holes 38 are spaced apart from each other and are distributed along the axis extending between the top side 28 and the bottom side 30.
The horizontal portion 16 includes a pair of second plates 40 and each of the second plates 40 has a first lateral surface 42, a second lateral surface 44 and an exterior edge 46 extending between the first lateral surface 42 and the second lateral surface 44. The exterior edge 46 has a rear side 48, a front side 50, an upper side 52 and a lower side 54, and the upper side 52 of the exterior edge 46 of each of the second plates 40 has an angled portion 56 and a straight portion 58. The angled portion 56 angles downwardly between the upper side 52 and the straight portion 58. Moreover, the straight portion 58 extends between the angled portion 56 and the front side 50 such that the rear side 48 has a length that is greater than the front side 50.
The rear side 48 of each of the second plates 40 is coupled to a respective one of the first lateral side 32 and the second lateral side 34 of the perimeter edge 26 of the first plate 20. The first lateral surface 42 of a respective one of the second plates 40 faces the second lateral side 34 of a respective one of the second plates 40. Additionally, each of the second plates 40 extends away from the front surface 22 of the first plate 20. The lower side 54 of the exterior edge 46 of each of the second plates 40 is aligned with the bottom side 30 of the perimeter edge 26 of the first plate 20.
A plurality of bolts 60 is provided and each of the bolts 60 extends through the vertical portion 14 of the bracket 12. Each of the bolts 60 engages the gate 18 for retaining the bracket 12 on the gate 18. Each of the bolts 60 has a first end 62 and a second end 64, and each of the bolts 60 has a curve 66 that is positioned closer to the first end 62 than the second end 64 such that each of the bolts 60 has a J-shape. Each of the bolts 60 has a threaded portion 68 extending from the second end 64 toward the first end 62.
Each of the bolts 60 is extendable through a respective one of a respective one of the sets of holes 38 in the first plate 20 having the second end 64 being spaced from the front surface 22 of the first plate 20. Furthermore, the curve 66 on each of the bolts 60 engages a respective one of a plurality of horizontal members 70 of the gate 18 having the back surface 24 of the plate abutting the horizontal members 70. A plurality of nuts 72 each threadably engages a respective one of the bolts 60 for retaining the first plate 20 on the gate 18. Each of the nuts 72 threadably engages the threaded portion 68 of the respective bolt having the nuts 72 engaging the front surface 22 of the first plate 20 thereby drawing the curve 66 in each of the bolts 60 toward the back surface 24 of the first plate 20.
A roller 74 is provided and the roller 74 is rotatably disposed on the horizontal portion 16 of the bracket 12. In this way the roller 74 can roll along a support surface 76, which may comprise the concrete floor of the livestock pen, when the gate 18 is opened or closed. Thus, the roller 74 enhances opening and closing the gate 18 and the roller 74 inhibits the gate 18 from damaging the concrete floor of the livestock pen. The roller 74 has a first sidelong surface 78, a second sidelong surface 80 and an outer surface 82 extending between the first sidelong surface 78 and the second sidelong surface 80.
The outer surface 82 is continuously arcuate about an axis extending between the first sidelong surface 78 and the second sidelong surface 80. In this way the outer surface 82 can roll along the support surface 76. The roller 74 is positioned between each of the second plates 40. The first sidelong surface 78 faces the first lateral surface 42 of a respective one of the second plates 40. Furthermore, the second sidelong surface 80 faces the second lateral surface 44 of a respective one of the second plates 40. An axle 84 extends through each of the second plates 40 and extends through each of the first sidelong surface 78 and the second sidelong surface 80 of the roller 74 such that the roller 74 is rotatably retained on the second plates 40. The axle 84 may comprise a nut and bolt or other type of elongated member around which the roller 74 can rotate.
In use, each of the bolts 60 is attached to respective horizontal members 70 of the gate 18 such that the bracket 12 is positioned adjacent to a bottom 86 of the gate 18. In this way the roller 74 can rotatably engage the support surface 76. Thus, the roller 74 rolls along the support surface 76 when the gate 18 is opened and closed. In this way the roller 74 reduces the effort required to open and close the gate 18. Additionally, the roller 74 inhibits the gate 18 from damaging the support surface 76 that would result from the gate 18 frictionally engaging the support surface 76.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
