The present invention relates to a barrier having a gate, and more particularly relates to gate barrier having a visual indicator to show the end user one or more structural or functional features of the gated barrier.
A gated barrier is often a pressure apparatus that holds itself upright or in place between two vertical surfaces, such as two door jambs, by pushing out against the two vertical surfaces. A first amount of pressure may be more than sufficient for holding up the weight of the gated barrier. A second amount of pressure, greater than the first amount of pressure, may be more than sufficient for keeping the gated barrier upright and in place when the gate of the gated barrier is opened and closed. A third amount of pressure, greater than the first and second amount of pressure, may be more than sufficient for securing the gated barrier in its position even when kicked hard by an indoor baseball player over-sliding home plate and hitting the back stop, i.e., the gated barrier.
A feature of the present invention is the provision in a gated barrier, of a visual indicator showing that an oblique standard has been moved into a right angle relationship with a threshold.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a gated barrier, of a frame, where the frame includes a threshold, where the frame includes a first standard extending upwardly from the threshold, and where the frame includes a second standard extending upwardly from the threshold, of a gate in the frame between the first and second standards, of the first standard being set at a right angle relative to the threshold, of the second standard being set at an oblique angle relative to the threshold at a first time, the second standard being set at a right angle relative to the threshold at a second time, and of a visual indicator apparatus on at least one of second standard and gate that shows that the second standard has been set at a right angle relative to the threshold.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a gated barrier, of the visual indicator apparatus including a first vertically extending pin on the gate and a second vertically extending pin on the second standard, where the first and second vertically extending pins are laterally offset at the first time and laterally aligned at the second time.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a gated barrier, of the visual indicator apparatus including a receiver on one of the second standard and gate and a slide on the other of the second standard and gate, where the receiver includes an opening and the tongue includes a mark, where the mark is offset from the opening at the first time, and where the mark appears visible in the opening at the second time.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a gated barrier, of the visual indicator apparatus including a hand wheel and a threaded shaft, where the threaded shaft includes inner and outer ends, where the inner end of the threaded shaft is insertable into the second standard, where the outer end of the threaded shaft is adjacent to one of the opposing surfaces, where the hand wheel turns on the threaded shaft and is turnable against the second standard so as to draw the second standard from an oblique relationship with the threshold to a right angle relationship with the threshold, and where the hand wheel includes a receptacle formed therein with the receptacle opening toward the second standard.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a gated barrier, of a coil spring engaged between the second standard and the hand wheel, where the coil spring includes a predetermined amount of compression, and where the coil spring is received in the receptacle.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a gated barrier, of the coil spring being wholly received in the receptacle at the second time.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a gated barrier, of the visual indicator apparatus including a first toggle clamp between the second standard and one of the opposing surfaces.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a gated barrier, of a second toggle clamp between the second standard and one of the opposing surfaces, where the first toggle clamp is above the second toggle clamp.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a gated barrier, of a hand wheel between the first toggle clamp and the opposing surface adjacent to the second standard.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a gated barrier, of the visual indicator including a bubble level on the second standard, where the bubble level includes two markings, where a bubble in the bubble level is between the two markings at the second time.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a gated barrier, of the visual indicator including an over center mechanism, where the over center mechanism starts operation at the first time and finishes operation at the second time, and where the over center mechanism is under center at the first time and over center at the second time.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in a gated barrier, of a visual indicator showing that a gated barrier has been pressurized against two opposing surfaces.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a gated barrier, of a frame, where the frame includes a threshold, where the frame includes a first standard extending upwardly from the threshold, and where the frame includes a second standard extending upwardly from the threshold, of a gate in the frame between the first and second standards, of the first standard being set at a predefined angle relative to the threshold, of the second standard being set at a predefined angle relative to the threshold, of a visual indicator apparatus on the frame that indicates that the frame has been pressurized relative to one or more of the opposing surfaces.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a gated barrier, of the visual indicator including a threshold portion having an over center mechanism to pressurize ends of the threshold against the two opposing surfaces.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a gated barrier, of the visual indicator including a second standard portion having an over center mechanism.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in such a gated barrier, of the frame including a first telescoping member on the first standard and a second telescoping member on the second standard, where the first and second telescoping members are drawn apart and toward the opposing walls by an over center mechanism.
An advantage of the present invention is that reliance has been minimized on the hand wheel to determine how much a gate has been pressurized. A visual indicator of the present invention positively through sight lets the end user know when an oblique standard has been brought into a right angle relationship with the threshold.
An advantage of the present invention is that reliance has been minimized on the hand wheel to determine whether a gate has been pressurized. A visual indicator of the present invention positively through sight lets the end user know when the gated barrier has been pressured between two opposing surfaces.
As shown in
The gated barrier 10 includes a gate 20 that is swingable on a swing axis 22 to both sides of the threshold 18. The gate 20 includes a latch apparatus 24 that includes a latch 26 that slides into and out of a body of the latch apparatus 24.
The gated barrier 10 includes four sets of hand wheel apparatus 28. Hand wheel apparatus 28 includes a threaded shaft 30 that slips or slides into a horizontal tubular portion of the frame 12. Even though shaft 30 is threaded, shaft 30 does not threadingly engage such horizontal tubular portion of the frame 12. An inner end portion of the shaft is disposed within such horizontal tubular portion and is confined from inordinate wobble or up and down motion or side to side motion by a circular opening at the outer end of such horizontal tubular portion. Such circular opening is slightly greater than the diameter of the threaded shaft 30. Hand wheel apparatus 28 includes a disk outer end 32 that is rigidly or pivotally set at the outer end of the threaded shaft 30. Disk outer end 32 may be set in a wall cup that is anchored to a door jamb or wall of a house. Hand wheel apparatus 28 includes a hand wheel 34 that threadingly engages the threaded shaft 30. Hand wheel 34 is receptacle shaped and includes an inner wall. When hand wheel 34 is turned and travels inwardly toward the frame 12, such inner wall will begin to engaged the outer end of the horizontal tubular portion of the frame 12, whereupon the threaded shaft 30 and disk outer end 32 will be driven, relatively, outwardly of the frame 12, whereupon the disk outer end 32 will begin to place pressure upon each of the wall of the house and the U-shaped frame 12, whereupon the oblique vertical standard 16 is driven towards and into a right angle relationship with threshold 18, whereupon an upper portion of standard 16 engages latch 26, and whereupon the gated barrier 10 is operational.
Gated barrier 10 includes a visual indicator apparatus 36 that includes a vertically extending tab or pin 38 vertically extending from the oblique standard 16 and a vertically extending tab or pin 40 vertically extending from the latch 26. When pins 38, 40 are laterally aligned, as shown in
One of the thresholds that may be employed in gated barrier 10 includes threshold apparatus 64 shown in
Gated barrier 76 further includes a standard 80 in the nature of standard 14, where standard 14 is a standard set at a right angle at all times to threshold 18. Standard 80 runs between the threshold 18 and an upper horizontal tubular piece 82 that engages a latch receiver 84.
Over center mechanism or over center standard 78 includes upper and lower arms 86, 88, respectively, that are pivotally engaged to each other. Upper arm 86 is further pivotally engaged to horizontal tube 82 and lower arm 88 is further pivotally engaged to an outer end of the threshold 18.
Gated barrier 76 further includes a pair of modified upper and lower hand wheel apparatus 90. Hand wheel apparatus 90 includes a threaded shaft 30 and a hand wheel 34. Instead of the end disk 32, hand wheel apparatus 90 includes a cross-piece 92 such that threaded shaft 30 is T-shaped. Each of the ends of the cross-piece 92 rides in a curved slot 94 of an ear 96 of a wall connector 98. Wall connector 98 is U-shaped and includes a pair of the ears 96 extending from a base, where such base is engaged such as with screws to a wall.
In operation, the hand wheel apparatus 28 and 90 are operated by turning the hand wheels 34 inwardly. As the hand wheels 34 are turned inwardly, the center pivot 100, having a handle or knob, may travel inwardly such that the lower end of arm 86 and the upper end of arm 88 may hit the outer side of the standard and stop the over center mechanism 90 from such an inward pivoting. Then the hand wheels 28 and 90 are tightened as much as possible by hand. Then the knob of the pivot 100 is grasped and the over center mechanism 90 is pulled outwardly to an over center position. As this pulling step is occurring, the ends of the cross-piece 92 slide in the curved slot 94. The upper cross-piece 92 slides toward an upper end of its respective slot 94. The lower cross-piece 92 slides toward a lower end of its respective slot 94. When the upper and lower cross-pieces 92 are in their respective ends of their respective slots 94, the gated barrier 10 is under proper tension.
In gated barrier 76, it should be noted that the threaded shafts 30 of hand wheel mechanisms 90 extend through openings in their respective upper and lower arms 86 and 88 in the slip or slid manner that threaded shafts 30 extend into openings employed with hand wheel apparatus 28.
Gated barrier 102 further includes an over center mechanism or visual indicator apparatus 124. The over center mechanism includes a pair of arms 126, 128 that are pivotally engaged to each other by a central pivot 130 having a knob. Further, arm 126 is pivotally engaged to male threshold portion 118 and arm 128 is pivotally engaged to male threshold portion 122. In operation, the hand wheels 34 are turned inwardly to place the gated barrier 102 under pressure by hand. Then, to place the gated barrier 102 under further pressure, the center pivot 130 of the over center mechanism 124 is drawn down by its knob to push the male threshold portions 118, 122 apart. At the same time, male arms 116, 120 are drawn apart.
Over center mechanism 124 may be a tool 124 that is not permanently fixed to the gate 102. For example,
Preferably with gated barrier 102, all four sets of hand wheel apparatus 28 are first operated to pressurize the gated barrier 102. Then two tools 124 are operated at the same time to place further pressure between the gated barrier 102 and its two opposing vertical surfaces.
Gated barrier 140 includes a pair of toggle clamp apparatus 146, 148 or a pair of visual indicator apparatus 146, 148. Each of the toggle clamps 146, 148 includes a handle 150 rigidly fixed to a T-shaped piece 152 having a pair of ends 154, 156. End 156 is pivotally fixed to a tubular piece 158 that receives a shaft 30 of a hand wheel apparatus 28. End 154 is pivotally fixed to a bar 160 that is in turn pivotally fixed to frame 12 of gated barrier 140. In the case of the upper toggle clamp apparatus 146, bar 160 is pivotally affixed to a horizontal tube 162 that is rigidly fixed to an upper portion of standard 142. Horizontal tube 162 is further rigidly mounted on an L-shaped vertical frame support 164 that has a lower end that is rigidly affixed to a lower portion of standard 142. In the case of the lower toggle clamp apparatus 148, bar 160 is rigidly mounted on a threshold extension 166 that is rigidly mounted to an end of threshold 18. In operation, with the toggle clamp apparatus 146, 148 in a nontensioned state, the hand wheels 34 are turned inwardly so as to pressurize gate 140. Toggle clamp apparatus 146, 148, in their nontensioned state, provide longitudinal support. However, if desired, toggle clamp apparatus 146, 148 can include a rod 168 or other elongate rigid piece between tube 162 and tube 158 that permits tubes 162, 158 to be extended relative to each other but not to be drawn together, where such relationship has already been called out above with respect to rod 74 and visual indicator 66. In the case of toggle clamp apparatus 148, rod 168 would be disposed between threshold portion 166 and tube 158. Then, when hand wheels 34 have pressured gated barrier 140 to the desired degree, toggle handles 150 of the toggle clamp apparatus 146, 148 are pushed down, at the same time or at different times, to further pressurize gated barrier 140. It should be noted that, if desired, hand wheel apparatus 28 may not be disposed on tube 158. Tubes 158 can engage a wall friendly end such as an end disk 32.
It should be noted that the pivot at the inner end of bar or arm 160 may be slidingly mounted on tube 162 or portion 166. Such a slide mount may include a coil spring such that the inner end of bar or arm 160 may be adjusted longitudinally to adjust the amount of leverage it may take to operate clamp 146 or clamp 148.
As shown by the phantom line in
Thus since the invention disclosed herein may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or general characteristics thereof, some of which forms have been indicated, the embodiments described herein are to be considered in all respects illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is to be indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalents of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/258,493 filed Jan. 25, 2019 (U.S. Pat. No. 11,072,973 issued Jul. 27, 2021) and claims the benefit thereof under 35 U.S.C. § 120, which application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/623,522 filed Jan. 29, 2018, all of which applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties into this application.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16258493 | Jan 2019 | US |
Child | 17384692 | US |