CA2805517A1 - Wet floor warning devices and methods - Google Patents
Wet floor warning devices and methods Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2805517A1 CA2805517A1 CA 2805517 CA2805517A CA2805517A1 CA 2805517 A1 CA2805517 A1 CA 2805517A1 CA 2805517 CA2805517 CA 2805517 CA 2805517 A CA2805517 A CA 2805517A CA 2805517 A1 CA2805517 A1 CA 2805517A1
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- Prior art keywords
- doorway
- barrier member
- deployed
- cap
- boss
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Classifications
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- G—PHYSICS
- G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
- G09F—DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
- G09F19/00—Advertising or display means not otherwise provided for
- G09F19/22—Advertising or display means on roads, walls or similar surfaces, e.g. illuminated
- G09F19/228—Ground signs, i.e. display signs fixed on the ground
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- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E06—DOORS, WINDOWS, SHUTTERS, OR ROLLER BLINDS IN GENERAL; LADDERS
- E06B—FIXED OR MOVABLE CLOSURES FOR OPENINGS IN BUILDINGS, VEHICLES, FENCES OR LIKE ENCLOSURES IN GENERAL, e.g. DOORS, WINDOWS, BLINDS, GATES
- E06B7/00—Special arrangements or measures in connection with doors or windows
- E06B7/28—Other arrangements on doors or windows, e.g. door-plates, windows adapted to carry plants, hooks for window cleaners
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
- G09F—DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
- G09F7/00—Signs, name or number plates, letters, numerals, or symbols; Panels or boards
- G09F7/18—Means for attaching signs, plates, panels, or boards to a supporting structure
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
- G09F—DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
- G09F7/00—Signs, name or number plates, letters, numerals, or symbols; Panels or boards
- G09F7/18—Means for attaching signs, plates, panels, or boards to a supporting structure
- G09F7/22—Means for attaching signs, plates, panels, or boards to a supporting structure for rotatably or swingably mounting, e.g. for boards adapted to be rotated by the wind
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
- Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
- Accounting & Taxation (AREA)
- Marketing (AREA)
- Civil Engineering (AREA)
- Structural Engineering (AREA)
- Special Wing (AREA)
Abstract
Apparatus and methods for wet floor warnings feature a movable barrier member proximate a doorway at a height elevated above floor level for selective movement between a deployed position in which the barrier member spans at least partially across the doorway and a storage position in which the barrier member is less obstructive to the doorway than in the deployed position for selective display of wet floor warning indicia on the barrier member on a path of sight through the doorway to indicate that the floor surface situated beyond said doorway is wet and may present a slip and fall hazard. The visibility of the warning is improved over floor seated signs, and cleaning personnel going room to room in a large establishment like a hotel, hospital, nursing home, care home, etc. need not transport portable warning signs as they travel the premises.
Description
WET FLOOR WARNING DEVICES AND METHODS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to wet floor warning signs and barriers, and more particular to a wet floor warning and barrier device to be mounted at a doorway on a permanent or long-term basis for selective deployment across the doorway whenever needed to warn approachers of a wet floor beyond the doorway.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is well known to try and prevent slip and fall injuries by employing wet floor signs to warn people that a hard floor surface may be slippery after having been cleaned. Conventional wet floor signs are positioned on the floor itself, and can often go unnoticed by passersby who are not directing their sightlines downward to focus on the floor and other low-level objects. One solution to this has been to employ a hanging sign that is removably mounted across a doorway to provide an indication of wet floor conditions or room cleaning procedures existing or taking place in the room or area beyond the door. The sign employs a telescopic post that is spring biased into an extended condition, so that it can be manually collapsed to fit between the jambs of a doorway, and then allowed to expand against the jambs to suspend the post in doorway at a readily visible height and hang a "closed for cleaning" or other wet-floor or hazard sign from the generally horizontal post.
While the positioning of such a doorway sign in an otherwise open doorway at a height well elevated over the floor improves on the visibility of the sign over floor seated signs and further ensures that it is noticed by also acting as a barrier or obstruction to passage through the doorway, the doorway sign shares a different problem with floor resting signs, in that cleaning personnel going room to room in a large establishment like a hotel, hospital, nursing home, care home, etc.
need to transport a sign to each room, and likely need to carry multiple signs with them, as they will almost certainly need to move to a next room while the cleaned floor in the preceding room is still wet and still presents a slipping hazard.
Accordingly, there remains room for improvement in the field of wet floor caution products and methods.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to wet floor warning signs and barriers, and more particular to a wet floor warning and barrier device to be mounted at a doorway on a permanent or long-term basis for selective deployment across the doorway whenever needed to warn approachers of a wet floor beyond the doorway.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is well known to try and prevent slip and fall injuries by employing wet floor signs to warn people that a hard floor surface may be slippery after having been cleaned. Conventional wet floor signs are positioned on the floor itself, and can often go unnoticed by passersby who are not directing their sightlines downward to focus on the floor and other low-level objects. One solution to this has been to employ a hanging sign that is removably mounted across a doorway to provide an indication of wet floor conditions or room cleaning procedures existing or taking place in the room or area beyond the door. The sign employs a telescopic post that is spring biased into an extended condition, so that it can be manually collapsed to fit between the jambs of a doorway, and then allowed to expand against the jambs to suspend the post in doorway at a readily visible height and hang a "closed for cleaning" or other wet-floor or hazard sign from the generally horizontal post.
While the positioning of such a doorway sign in an otherwise open doorway at a height well elevated over the floor improves on the visibility of the sign over floor seated signs and further ensures that it is noticed by also acting as a barrier or obstruction to passage through the doorway, the doorway sign shares a different problem with floor resting signs, in that cleaning personnel going room to room in a large establishment like a hotel, hospital, nursing home, care home, etc.
need to transport a sign to each room, and likely need to carry multiple signs with them, as they will almost certainly need to move to a next room while the cleaned floor in the preceding room is still wet and still presents a slipping hazard.
Accordingly, there remains room for improvement in the field of wet floor caution products and methods.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a wet floor warning and barrier device comprising:
a barrier member movably mounted proximate a doorway at a height elevated above floor level and selectively movable between a deployed position in which the barrier member spans at least partially across the doorway and a storage position in which the barrier member is less obstructive to the doorway than in the deployed position; and indicia presented on the barrier member in a position viewable from an area approaching the doorway with the barrier member in the deployed position, the indica being indicative that a floor surface situated beyond said doorway from the approaching area may be wet and present a slip and fall hazard.
Preferably the barrier member is supported proximate an end thereof by a pivot mount beside the doorway for pivoting between the deployed and storage positions.
Preferably the device comprises a mounting bracket mounted to a wall surface of a wall through which the doorway passes, the mounting bracket being positioned adjacent to, and outside of, the doorway passing through said wall and at an elevation above the floor level, wherein the barrier member is carried on the mounting bracket and movable in a vertical plane parallel to the wall surface.
Preferably the barrier member, in the storage position, extends in a direction that follows along a side of the doorway more than in the deployed position.
Preferably the barrier member extends horizontally from the pivot mount in a direction crossing the doorway in the deployed position and extends vertically from the pivot mount in the storage position.
Preferably the barrier member is entirely unobstructive to the doorway in the storage position.
There may be provided stops operable to prevent movement of the barrier member past the deployed and storage positions.
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a wet floor warning and barrier device comprising:
a barrier member movably mounted proximate a doorway at a height elevated above floor level and selectively movable between a deployed position in which the barrier member spans at least partially across the doorway and a storage position in which the barrier member is less obstructive to the doorway than in the deployed position; and indicia presented on the barrier member in a position viewable from an area approaching the doorway with the barrier member in the deployed position, the indica being indicative that a floor surface situated beyond said doorway from the approaching area may be wet and present a slip and fall hazard.
Preferably the barrier member is supported proximate an end thereof by a pivot mount beside the doorway for pivoting between the deployed and storage positions.
Preferably the device comprises a mounting bracket mounted to a wall surface of a wall through which the doorway passes, the mounting bracket being positioned adjacent to, and outside of, the doorway passing through said wall and at an elevation above the floor level, wherein the barrier member is carried on the mounting bracket and movable in a vertical plane parallel to the wall surface.
Preferably the barrier member, in the storage position, extends in a direction that follows along a side of the doorway more than in the deployed position.
Preferably the barrier member extends horizontally from the pivot mount in a direction crossing the doorway in the deployed position and extends vertically from the pivot mount in the storage position.
Preferably the barrier member is entirely unobstructive to the doorway in the storage position.
There may be provided stops operable to prevent movement of the barrier member past the deployed and storage positions.
At least one stop may include a locking mechanism operable to secure the barrier member in a respective one of the deployed and storage positions.
The locking mechanism may comprise a clip operable to engage and disengage the barrier member.
The mounting bracket may comprise a base plate having a first face abutting against the wall surface, a second face facing outwardly therefrom, and a boss projecting outward from the second face along a pivot axis defined between the mounting bracket and the barrier member, and the barrier member comprises a socket-shaped cap having a hollow interior recessed thereinto from a inner side of the cap facing the base plate, the boss of the mounting bracket having a first outer peripheral shape over a first portion of said boss and a second outer peripheral shape over a second portion of said boss further from the base plate than the first portion of said boss, the socket-shaped cap having a first inner peripheral shape over a first portion of the hollow interior of the cap and a second inner peripheral shape over a second portion of the hollow interior further from the inner side of the cap than the first portion of the hollow interior, the first outer peripheral shape and first inner peripheral shape being respectively larger than the second outer peripheral shape and second inner peripheral shape, and wherein the shapes of the boss and the cap allow insertion of the second outer peripheral shape into the second inner peripheral shape from the inner side of the cap through the first inner peripheral shape and allow relative rotation between the cap and the boss when only one of the shapes of the boss is received in the matching one of the two shapes of the cap, but prevent relative rotation between the cap and boss when both shapes of the boss are received in the matching shapes of the cap.
The first outer peripheral shape and the first inner peripheral shape are both preferably of either circular shape or regular polygonal form, with the second outer peripheral shape and the second inner peripheral shape both being the other of either circular shape or regular polygonal form.
Preferably the first outer peripheral shape and first inner peripheral shape are circular, and the second outer peripheral shape and second inner peripheral shape are of regular polygonal form, a side of which on the boss faces across the doorway.
Preferably a spring is disposed between the cap and the boss to bias the cap away from the base plate along the boss into a position allowing relative rotation between said cap and boss.
Preferably there is provided a clamping device operable to clamp the cap toward the base plate against an acting force of the spring to lock the cap in a position Preventing relative rotation between said cap and said boss.
Preferably the clamping device threads into the boss via a through-hole in the cap, whereby tightening of a threaded engagement between the boss and the clamping device clamps the cap toward the base plate.
The clamping device may have a handle for manual locking and releasing of the clamping mechanism, or alternatively may have a keyed actuator for tool driven locking and releasing of the clamping mechanism.
The barrier member comprises a flexible, shape-retaining support on which is carried a display feature showing the indica, the flexible shape-retaining feature being bendable into different shapes to reposition the display.
The flexible, shape-retaining support comprises a length of a flexible metal conduit and the display feature comprises a sign carried at an end of said flexible metal conduit.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a wet floor warning and barrier device comprising:
a barrier member mountable proximate a doorway at a height elevated above floor level in a manner selectively movable between a deployed position in which the barrier member spans at least partially across the doorway and a storage position in which the barrier member is less obstructive to the doorway than in the deployed position; and indicia presented on the barrier member in a position viewable from an area approaching the doorway with the barrier member mounted and in the deployed position, the indica being indicative that a floor surface situated beyond said doorway from the approaching area may be wet and present a slip and fall hazard.
Preferably the indicia is presented on the barrier member on a side 5 thereof opposite additional indicia that is also indicative of a wet floor surface.
Preferably the barrier member comprises an elongated member.
According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a method of warning approachers of a doorway of a wet floor surface beyond said doorway, the method comprising deploying a barrier member installed proximate the doorway into a position extending at least partially across the doorway from a storage position in which the barrier member is less obstructive to the doorway than in the deployed position so that indicia on the barrier member is displayed on a path of sight through the doorway to indicate that the floor surface situated beyond said doorway is wet.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a method of facilitating wet floor warnings, the method comprising installing a movable barrier member proximate a doorway at a height elevated above floor level for selective movement between a deployed position in which the barrier member spans at least partially across the doorway and a storage position in which the barrier member is less obstructive to the doorway than in the deployed position for selective display of wet floor warning indicia on the barrier member on a path of sight through the doorway to indicate that the floor surface situated beyond said doorway is wet and may present a slip and fall hazard.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a wet floor warning and barrier device comprising:
a barrier member movably mounted proximate a doorway at a height elevated above floor level and selectively movable between a deployed doorway position in which the barrier member spans at least partially across the doorway, a deployed hallway position in which the barrier member juts into hallway to which an adjoining room is linked by said doorway, and a storage position in which the barrier . 6 member is less obstructive to the doorway than in the deployed doorway position and less obstructive to the hallway than in the deployed hallway position; and indicia presented on the barrier member in a position viewable from a hallway area approaching the doorway with the barrier member in the deployed doorway position and from another hallway area further along the hallway with the barrier member in the deployed hallway position, the indica being indicative that a floor surface situated beyond said barrier member may be wet and present a slip and fall hazard.
The barrier member preferably comprises a flexible, shape-retaining support having one end connected to a pivot mount installed proximate the doorway for pivoting in a plane parallel to a wall through which the doorway passes, and another end carrying a display feature showing the indicia.
According to yet another aspect of the invention there is provided a wet floor warning and barrier device comprising a mounting mechanism attached to a structure proximate a doorway, a barrier member connected to said mounting mechanism at a height elevated above floor level and selectively movable relative to said structure between a deployed doorway position in which the barrier member spans at least partially across the doorway and a storage position in which the barrier member is less obstructive to the doorway than in the deployed doorway position; and indicia presented on the barrier member in a position viewable from a hallway area approaching the doorway with the barrier member in the deployed doorway position and from another hallway area further along the hallway with the barrier member in the deployed hallway position, the indicia being indicative that a floor surface situated beyond said barrier member may be wet and present a slip and fall hazard;
wherein the barrier member comprises a flexible, shape-retaining support having one end connected to the mounting mechanism and carrying a display feature showing the indicia.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention:
Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a first embodiment wet floor warning and barrier device of the present invention installed at a room's entrance doorway.
Figure 2 is a close up elevational view of the wet floor warning and barrier device of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the wet floor warning and barrier device of Figure 2 as taken along line A ¨ A thereof.
Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of the wet floor warning and barrier device of Figure 2 as taken along line B ¨ B thereof.
Figure 5 is an elevational view of a second embodiment wet floor warning and barrier device.
Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the wet floor warning and barrier device of Figure 5.
Figure 7A is a perspective view of a third embodiment wet floor warning and barrier device installed adjacent the entrance doorway of a room and situated in a storage position withdrawn from said doorway.
Figure 7B is a close up view of the wet floor warning and barrier device of Figure 7A.
Figure 8A is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment wet floor warning and barrier device installed adjacent the entrance doorway of a room and situated in a deployed doorway position jutting across said doorway.
Figure 8B is a close up view of the wet floor warning and barrier device of Figure 8A.
Figure 9A is a perspective view of the doorway and third embodiment wet floor warning and barrier device of Figure 7, with the device in a deployed hallway position jutting away from the doorway and the room behind the doorway into the adjoining hallway.
Figure 9B is a close up view of the wet floor warning and barrier device of Figure 9A.
Figure 10A is an exploded perspective view of the fourth embodiment wet floor warning and barrier device of Figure 8.
Figure 10B is partial closeup view of the exploded wet floor warning and barrier device of Figure 10A.
Figure 10C is another partial closeup view of the exploded wet floor warning and barrier device of Figure 10A from another angle.
Figure 11 is a partial closeup view of the third embodiment wet floor warning and barrier device of Figures 7 and 9 an exploded state, similar the exploded view of the fourth embodiment device in Figure 10B.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Figure 1 shows a wet floor warning sign and barrier device 10 of the present invention installed on an internal wall structure 100 of a building at a position adjacent a doorway 102 in the wall structure. The device 10 features a barrier member 12 pivotally carried on a mounting bracket 14 that has been fastened to the wall structure a short lateral distance outward from the doorway. The barrier member 12 is pivotal along a vertical plane for selected movement between into and out of a useful position in which the member at least partially obstructs passage through the room entrance presented by the doorway 102. The barrier member has indica thereon to display a warning to people approaching the doorway that the floor of the room located through the doorway may be slippery and the person should therefore either avoid entry to the room altogether or tread cautiously when entering the room. Figure 1 shows the barrier member deployed in the useful position extending in a direction crossing the doorway at an elevation above floor level so that the warning indicia are readily viewable from the sightline of the average person. Even if the barrier member is not notice by an approacher, actual physical contact will take place between the person and the barrier member should the person attempt to pass through the doorway, thus ensuring the person will take notice of the device and heed its warning of a potential slip and fall hazard beyond the doorway.
Figure 2 shows one embodiment of the device 10 in greater detail.
The barrier device features a thin, flat sign plate 16 that has an elongated planar rectangular shape and has the warning "wet floor prominently displayed on each of the two opposing rectangular faces of the sign plate 16 in large letters spanning substantially the full width of the elongated sign plate so that the words read along the sign plate's lengthwise dimension.
A support 18 is fixed to the sign plate 16 and projects from one end of the sign plate 16 in the direction corresponding to the lengthwise dimension thereof.
The illustrated support 18 has an overall shape like an eyebolt, with a straight stem 18a portion projecting from the sign plate 16 to carry a loop 18b at the end of the support opposite the sign plate 16.
The mounting bracket 14 features a base plate 20 having opposing faces, one of which rests flat against the finished surface of the wall structure 100 when the bracket is installed, and the other of which faces outwardly away from the wall. The outer face 20a of the base plate features a cylindrical post or peg projecting perpendicularly outward from it, around which the loop 18b of the support 18 closes so that the support 18 and attached sign plate 16 are pivotal about the axis of the of the peg 22. The base plate 20 of the mounting bracket 14 is fixed to the wall structure, for example using screws 24 threaded into a wall stud or drywall anchors through fastener holes provided in the base plate 20.
As shown in Figure 3, the length by which the peg 22 projects from the base plate exceeds the thickness of the support that wraps around it, thereby allowing sliding displacement of the support back and forth along the peg 22.
A
head 26 at the end of the peg 22 opposite the base plate 20 has a diameter that exceeds both the outer diameter of the peg 22 and the inner diameter of the loop 18b of the support 18. The head 26 thus blocks sliding of the support loop 18b off the end of the peg in order to keep the loop 18b on the peg 22 between the base plate 20 and the head 26. The head 26 may be releasably fastened to the peg 22, for example by threaded engagement if the peg 22 is hollow and internally threaded at its outer end and the head 26 has a matable externally threaded shaft projecting from it, or the head 26 may instead be permanently fixed to the peg 22.
The illustrated embodiment has three resilient clips carried on the base 5 plate 20 spaced around the peg 22 at radial distances from the axis thereof that are outward from the loop 18b closing therearound, but are less than the radial distance from the peg axis to the sign plate 16 at the opposite end of the support stem 18a.
Two of the clips 28 are diametrically opposite across the axis of the peg 22 and are used at these opposing positions directly above and below the peg 22 to retain the 10 support 18 and sign plate 16 of the barrier member in storage positions extending along the vertical side of the doorway adjacent which the mounting bracket is installed, as shown by the broken line positions of the barrier member 12 in Figure 1.
A third clip 30 positioned at ninety degrees around the peg axis from each of the two storage clips 28 to reside laterally outward from the peg at an equal elevation thereto. The third peg is used to maintain the support 18 and sign plate 16 of the barrier member in the deployed position extending perpendicularly from the vertical side of the doorway in a lateral direction oriented across the doorway, as shown by the solid line position of the barrier member 12 in Figure 1.
Each clip is generally C-shaped, with the central span 32 of the C-shape fixed to the base plate 20 to leave two curved arms 34 projecting outward from the base plate 20 on opposite sides of the C-shapes central span 32. The space or gap 36 between the curved arms 34 at the open side of the C-shape is less than the diameter of the stem 18a of the support 18 when the clip is in its normal condition, while the inner radius of curvature of the C-shape is sufficient to accommodate the stem 18a therein. Therefore, with the gap 36 between the curved arms of the C-shape widening in a direction moving outward from inside the C-shape, the resiliency of the clip arms means that forcing the stem 18 against the distal ends of the clips arms at the gap 36 therebetween will cause the ends of the arms 34 to momentarily deflect apart until the stem 18 passes between them and completes entry into the interior space of the C, at which point the resilient arms 34 return to their normal positions, thereby capturing the stem 18a of the support 18 inside the clip. To subsequently release the support stem 18a from the clip, the stem is pulled outward from the clip, which again momentarily forces the clip ends apart to accommodate passage of the stem between them before returning to the clips normal condition. The orientation of the third peg 30 is rotated ninety degrees about an axis perpendicular to the base plate relative to the first storage pegs 28, so that the arm ends of the third peg 30 are vertically spaced from one another while the arm ends of each of the storage pegs 28 are horizontally spaced from one another.
As shown in Figure 3, the peg 22 projects further from the base plate than each clip 28, 30 by an amount greater than the thickness of the of the support stem 18 (as defined by the diameter thereof). Accordingly, with the support 18 pulled outwardly away from the base plate 20 to a position near or against the head 26, the support 18 is positioned outwardly past the clips and thus is free to 15 rotate or pivot fully around the peg 22. In this pulled-out position, the support 18 can thus be pivoted in a vertical plane between either of the storage positions (shown in broken lines in Figure 1) and the deployed position (shown in solid lines in Figure 1), or vice versa. The support 18 is then lockable in the selected position by pushing the support 18 back toward the base plate 20 from this pulled-out position over the selected one of the clips so that the clip captures the stem 18a of the support to secure it in the selected position until later withdrawn from the clip.
With reference to Figure 1, in either of the vertical storage positions, the support 18 and sign plate 16 of the barrier member 12 are withdrawn entirely from in front of the doorway, leaving the entrance to the room, hallway or other area beyond the door entirely unobstructed while the member remains locked in place along the vertical door jamb or casing at the side of the doorway by the top or bottom one of the three clips. When the barrier member 12 is in the deployed position extending cross-wise in front of the door, the "wet floor" warning is readily visible along a sightline through the doorway from an area approaching the doorway.
As its own entity separate from any door mounted in the doorway, the sign is readily recognizable when deployed in an otherwise open doorway. Permanently mounted to the wall adjacent the doorway, cleaning staff in a hospital, nursing home, care home or other large building or residence need not transport any wet floor sign around the building. The barrier member is simply deployed when needed to prevent room occupants or visitors from entering a room with a wet or slippery floor, or to at least warn them of the potential hazard, and then is simply moved back to a storage position until next required during subsequent cleaning rounds. The device can be used on any doorway or entranceway, regardless of whether an openable and closeable door is also hung there.
Any of a number of known materials may be employed for production of the above device, but materials and structures with a balance between light-weight characteristics with sufficient strength to avoid significant damage if the barrier member was accidentally walked into would is desirable. However, even constructions that would be damaged in such a scenario could be employed, with the invention that the affected parts could be replaced as required.
It will be appreciated that significant changes in the above-detailed structure may be made without departing from the basic principles of the present invention. For example, the barrier member need not have separate support and sign structures, as a single bar or plate presenting opposing faces for the warning indicia could instead simply have a through hole adjacent one end for fitting over the pivot peg and could similarly engage clips or other locking mechanisms in the storage and deployed positions. Similarly, the mounting bracket could be supported adjacent the doorway in ways other than the described mounting of a plate against the outer finishing surface of the wall, for example mounted on an upright post anchored to the floor in front of the wall adjacent the doorway or on a support structure depending downward from the ceiling. It may be possible to have alternate embodiments in which the barrier member is spring biased into a default one of the possible positions. The device need not necessarily have more than one storage position, one of which may be a free-hanging storage position in which the barrier member simply hangs vertically downward from its pivot support without need for further latching or locking.
Another embodiment may employ an over-center storage position in which a stop feature on the mounting bracket projects outwardly away from the wall to block pivoting of the barrier member past a position extending upward from the mounting bracket, but at an oblique angle extending away from the doorway.
Similarly, a lock, clip or latch corresponding to the deployed position could be omitted by likewise using a stop feature to simply block rotation past a horizontally deployed position extending across the doorway, thereby using a pair of stop features to limit movement of the barrier member between an upright storage position and a laterally projecting deployed position. Figures 5 and 6 show such an embodiment, which does not require the axial sliding of the barrier member along the pivot axis used in the illustrated embodiment to engage and disengage the locking clips.
Embodiments in which the barrier member is pivotal between a deployed position and a single vertical storage position may have each clip oriented differently relative to the base so that the stem of the support engages and disengages the clip by pivotal movement of the support about the peg axis in opposite directions rather than by axial sliding movement of the support along the peg axis in opposite directions. The peg could be shortened to maintain a consistent position of the support along the peg axis in alignment with the open sides or mouths of the clips, and operation of the device would require only pivotal movement of the support. Each clip would be oriented ninety degrees out the orientation of the respective clip of the illustrated embodiment about the axis around which the C-shape of the clip partially closes. A storage clip in the position of one of the two illustrated storage clips would open toward the side of the mounting bracket to which the support extends when deployed, and the other clip would open upwardly or downwardly toward the one storage clip.
Additional embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in Figures 7 through 11. The wet floor warning sign and barrier devices 10', 10"
of these embodiments have a number of features in common with the embodiment of Figures 1 to 4, particularly a barrier member 12' including a sign 16' attached to an end of an elongate support 18' whose opposing end is pivotally connected to a mounting bracket 14' mounted to the wall 100 adjacent a doorway 102 therein at a height above floor level. Referring to Figures 7 and 8, the barrier member 12' is movable between the above described useful doorway position horizontally spanning a significant portion of the doorway, and storage position running vertically along the side of the doorway to which the mounting bracket is located, just as in the first embodiment.
Also like the first embodiment, the mounting bracket 14' features a base plate 20' having opposing faces, one of which rests flat against the finished surface of the wall structure 100 when the bracket is installed, and the other of which faces outwardly away from the wall. The outer face 20a of the base plate features a boss 22' projecting perpendicularly outward from it, much like the post or peg of the first embodiment, to defined the feature on which the barrier member can pivot about a central axis of the boss 22'. The details of how this connection is accomplished between the barrier member and the boss differ from the first embodiment, and are detailed herein further below. The base plate 20' of the mounting bracket 14' is again fixed to the wall structure, for example using screw fasteners 24 fed through fastener holes 20b provided in the base plate 20', as shown in Figures 10 and 11.
As illustrated by Figures 7 to 9, the vertical wall surface to which the mounting bracket is fixed need not necessarily be the drywall or equivalent stud-covering panel material of the wall, and may for example be the outer face of doorway moulding bordering the sides and top of the doorway perimeter.
With reference to Figure 9, one distinctive feature of the third and fourth embodiments is that the support 18' is an elongate member of bendable, shape retaining structure, for example being formed from a length of flexible metal conduit. Accordingly, not only can the barrier member be pivoted on the mounting bracket to move between the aforementioned useful horizontal position jutting across the doorway and aforementioned vertical storage position withdrawn from the doorway, but can also be manipulated into another useful position jutting into the hallway away from the doorway and the adjoining room in order to mark a wet floor status of the hallway. That is, as shown in Figure 9, the barrier member can be pivoted into a horizontal orientation on the mounting bracket, and the bendable 5 support 18' manipulated into a ninety degree curve or bend, whereby the sign 16' is again horizontally oriented for convenient reading of the lettering and/or other indicia thereon, but instead of jutting across the doorway to present an entry-barrier to the adjoining room, the sign 16' juts in a lateral direction cross-wise to the hallway so as to be readable looking down the hallway. In this position, the sign 16' of the barrier 10 member also, at least partially, obstruct passage down the hallway. For subsequent use of the device for the adjoining room, the bendable support 18' is bent back into a straight or linear configuration so as to lie cross-wise to the doorway for the purposes outlined above for the other embodiments.
Figure 10 illustrates further detail of the fourth embodiment device 10'.
15 As shown in Figure 10A, the sign 16' may be of a multi-piece structure, for example having a frame 16a on which one or more removable sign plates 16b may be carried, whereby a sign plate with one particular configuration of indicia can be substituted for another by the manufacturer, distributer or end user, for example to tailor the language of a wet floor warning message according to the details of the intended application. Through use of the removable and reinsertable sign plate, the orientation of the sign plate can also be switched according to which side of the doorway the device is being installed on so that the indicia are oriented appropriately right-side-up for optimum readability. The illustrated sign frame 16a has a pair of top and bottom channels 16c, 16d on each side of the sign frame, whereby a respective sign plate or placard 16b can be slid into the channels on each side of the frame from open ends of the channels at an end of the frame opposite the bendable support 18', which is attached to the sign frame by a suitable coupler 40.
At the end of the flexible support 18' opposite the sign 16', a socket-shaped cap 42 is attached to the flexible support 18' by another coupler 40.
Turning to Figure 10B, the boss 22' of the mounting bracket 14' projects perpendicularly from the outer face 20a of the base plate 20, and a central axis of the boss 22' defines the pivot axis P between the mounting bracket 14' and the barrier member 12'. A
first portion 22a of the boss 22' adjacent the base plate 20' is cylindrical, having a circular outer periphery around the pivot axis P. A second portion 22b of the boss 22' is axially further from the base plate 20', and has a square-shaped outer periphery around the pivot axis P, with two vertical sides and two horizontal sides.
Accordingly, when the mounting bracket 14' is mounted to the wall in an orientation placing two parallel sides of the rectangular base plate in vertical orientations, one of the vertical sides of the square second portion 22b of the boss 22' will face across the width of the doorway 102. The two horizontal sides of the square second portion 22b of the boss will face in respective upward and downward vertical directions.
A threaded bore 44 extends into the distal end of the boss 22 on the pivot axis P. The distal end of the boss also features a circular recess 46 that is centered on the pivot axis P and larger in diameter than the threaded bore 44, which thus resides at the center of the recess. The recess 46 accommodates seating of a compression spring 48 therein. A hand-operated locking tool 50 features a threaded shaft 50a sized for receipt of the screw's shaft 50a in a through-hole 51 of the cap 42 along the pivot axis P. The threading of the tool shaft 50a mates with the threading of the central bore 44 in the boss 22' of the mounting bracket. The tool includes a handle 50b attached to the end of the threaded shaft on the side of the cap 42 opposite the mounting bracket 14'. The handle features a manual gripping lever 50c projecting in a direction radially outward from the pivot axis P for manually driven rotation of the tool 50 about the pivot axis to tighten or loosen the threaded engagement of the shaft with the boss of the mounting bracket.
Turning briefly to Figure 11, the third embodiment differs from the fourth embodiment only in that a lock screw 50' is used in place of the locking tool 50, and the through hole 51 of the cap may include a counter-sunk end at an outer end face of the cap 42a facing opposite the base plate 20 of the mounting bracket 14', whereby the head 50d of the locking screw 50 can be received in this countersunk end of the hole. The underside of the screw head and the countersunk end of the through-hole may be tapered at matching angles. The screw shaft 50a mates with the threading of the central bore 44 in the boss 22' of the mounting bracket, just like the matching threaded shaft of the locking tool of the fourth embodiment. The head 50d of the locking screw 50 may be keyed for operation with a standard conventional screwdriver, or keyed with a more specialized driver shape for operation only by a special locking/unlocking tool.
As the third and fourth embodiments are otherwise the same, details of the cap of the barrier member and its cooperation with the boss of the mounting bracket is common among both these embodiments.
The cap 42 is of a socket-shaped configuration, with a hollow interior 52 recessed into the cap from the inner side 42b thereof that faces toward the base plate 20' of the mounting bracket 14'. Like the boss 22', the hollow interior of the cap is centered on the pivot axis P and configured with two distinct portions of different peripheral shapes. That is, the inner periphery of the cap's socket-like perimeter wall is circular at a first portion 52a thereof adjacent the inner side 42b of the cap, and is square at a second portion 52b deeper inside the cap from the inner wall thereof. The circular and square shapes of these interior portions of the cap slightly exceed the respective circular and square shapes of the boss in size, whereby the boss will matingly fit within the hollow interior of the cap. The outer corner-to-corner diameter or diagonal measurement of the square distal portion 22b of the boss 22' is equal to or slightly less than the outer diameter of the round proximal portion 22a of the boss 22', and the inner corner-to-corner diameter or diagonal measurement of the square portion 52b of the cap's interior is equal to or slightly less than the inner diameter of the round portion 52a of the cap's interior.
Accordingly, the square distal portion of the boss can pass cleanly through the circular first portion 52a of the cap's hollow interior from the open inner side 42b of the cap for insertion into the mating square second portion of the cap's hollow interior.
The cap is accordingly installed over the boss, and secured in place by threading of the threaded shaft of the locking screw 50' or locking tool 50 into the threaded bore of the boss 22'. Tightening of this threaded engagement forces the cap 42 further toward the base plate 20' of the mounting bracket by the advancement of the screw head 50d or tool handle 50c against the outer side 42a of the cap 42. With the cap oriented at an angular position around the pivot axis P that places the sign-carrying end 42c of the cap in a 3-o'clock, 6-o'clock, 9-o'clock or 12-o'clock position around the pivot axis P, the internal square end of the cap's hollow interior will align with the square outer end of the boss, and sufficient tightening of the lock screw or tool will register the square end of the cap's interior over the square end of the boss. This mating of the square end of the boss in the square depth of the cap means that the mating flat sides of these square features will prevent relative rotation between the cap and the boss, thereby securing the cap, and thus the attached support and sign, in their current position around the pivot axis P until the locking screw or tool is subsequently loosened to withdraw the square-to-square engagement between the cap and the boss.
With the bendable support 18' in a linear configuration, such locking of the cap in place with the sign carrying. end 42c of the cap pointing horizontally toward the doorway will place the barrier member 12' in the useful doorway position of Figure 8. Loosening of the locking screw or tool by an amount sufficient to withdraw the square end of the boss from the square end of the cap's hollow interior, but leaving the round first portion of the boss inside the round first portion of the cap's interior, enables relative rotation between these mating round features to pivot of the cap about the pivot axis P, whereby the cap 42 can be turned to point vertically upward (12 o'clock position), where re-locking of the cap will secure the barrier member in the storage position of Figure 7. Similarly, the barrier member can be moved to, and locked in, a downward pointing orientation (6 o'clock position), the vertical orientation of which likewise removes the barrier member from the doorway opening for storage when not in use.
From the exploded figures, it will be appreciated that the compression spring 48 coils wrap around the shaft 50a of the locking screw or locking tool, with the ends of the spring abutting the end face of the circular recess 46 in the distal end of the boss and the square end face of the hollow interior 52 of the cap 42.
In its normal uncompressed state, the compression spring 48 has an axial length that exceeds the axial depth of the circular recess 46 in the distal end of the boss 22', whereby the compression spring acts to bias the cap 42 away from the base plate 20' of the mounting bracket 14' to encourage the cap 42 into the pivotable position where the rectangular end of its hollow interior is withdrawn from off the rectangular end of the boss. Accordingly, under sufficient loosening of the locking screw or locking tool, the cap will automatically enter the freely pivotable condition in which the user can select which of the four lockable positions the barrier member is to be moved into and re-locked.
The use of the built-in locking tool of the fourth embodiment makes for easier use by avoiding the need to carry or locate a suitable driver for the locking screw of the third embodiment, but also makes it easier for unauthorized personnel to move the barrier member into the useful position, causing potential confusion or inconvenience to those attempting to enter the room in question.
It will be appreciated that shapes other than square may be used in the mating of the boss and cap in order to establish at least one useful position jutting into the doorway opening, and at least one storage position withdrawn from the doorway, although a square or other regular polygon of greater number of sides may be best suited to accommodate seating of the compression spring for spring-biased embodiments where the cap will automatically withdraw to the free-pivoting position without manual pulling of the barrier member away from the base plate. Another embodiment may reverse the order of the square and round portions, placing the square portions of the boss and cap closer to the base plate of the mounting bracket, so long as the round distal end of the boss and round internal end of the cap interior are of sufficient length to enable withdrawal of the squared inner end of the cap from off the squared proximal end of the boss. With reference to the rounded corners of the illustrated 'square' portions of the boss and cap, it will be understood that the terms 'square' and 'regular polygon' are not limited to shapes with sharp, unrounded vertices between their sides.
Instead of using a compression spring to bias the barrier member into a pivotable position distal to the base plate, and using a clamping or locking mechanism to lock the barrier member against such spring-biased movement, other embodiments could employ a tension or extension spring to draw the cap toward the 5 base plate into a non-pivoting position, and forgo the use of a separate locking mechanism. In other words, such embodiments would spring-bias the barrier member toward the base plate into a locked position, and use manual pulling-out of the barrier member to move the cap into an unlocked pivotable condition. This would require the aforementioned reversal of the order of the square and round 10 features in relation to the base plate compared to the illustrated embodiment, i.e.
having the square mating features positioned nearer to the base plate, and the round mating features positioned further therefrom. However, the need to somehow attach the ends of a tension spring to the cap and the mounting bracket may add a level of design complexity beyond that of the illustrated embodiments.
15 Other embodiments of the present invention may employ a bendable, shape-retaining support like that of the third and fourth embodiments without the additional pivotal mounting features, whereby movement of the sign into and out of the doorway position, and also the hallway position if desired, may be accomplished solely through shape-manipulation of the bendable support.
20 It will also be appreciated that the indicia or markings on the barrier member need not necessarily be limited to a written expression such as "wet floor.
It is known in the art to employ a slip and fall warning illustration along with or instead of a written warning to better ensure understanding of the warning regardless of the written language(s) known to the viewer. Also, written messages like "closed for cleaning" or similar warning may likewise prevent entry to the room marked with the deployed device without necessarily making direct reference to a wet or slippery floor. Embodiments of the present invention include devices with warnings presented in different languages, and devices that have multiple languages on each unit. It may be possible to employ similar devices to provide other warnings, but at this time it is contemplated that wet or slippery floors that often result from cleaning procedures would be the most common application where a solution is required on a large enough scale to warrant installation of a dedicated device for each room or area concerned.
Although not illustrated, the device may include a concealing panel behind which the barrier members pivots when moved into the storage position so that the wet floor warning is concealed from site when the barrier member is in the storage position. Such a concealing feature may be part of the mounting bracket or may be a component of a different piece separately mounted to the wall adjacent the doorway therein. Other ways of configuring the device to only display the warning when deployed may alternatively be employed. Another embodiment may feature a mounting bracket configured to attach to a ceiling structure instead of a wall structure, and allows the sign to be moved from a raised storage position adjacent the ceiling to a lowered deployed position further from the ceiling and thus more visible. Such an embodiment may use pivoting of an elongate member like the illustrated embodiment, but with any warning indicia re-oriented so as to be readable with the elongate member in a vertical deployed position hanging downward from the bracket. Such an embodiment can be employed at locations other than at doorways connecting different rooms or areas of a building, for example along hallways.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
The locking mechanism may comprise a clip operable to engage and disengage the barrier member.
The mounting bracket may comprise a base plate having a first face abutting against the wall surface, a second face facing outwardly therefrom, and a boss projecting outward from the second face along a pivot axis defined between the mounting bracket and the barrier member, and the barrier member comprises a socket-shaped cap having a hollow interior recessed thereinto from a inner side of the cap facing the base plate, the boss of the mounting bracket having a first outer peripheral shape over a first portion of said boss and a second outer peripheral shape over a second portion of said boss further from the base plate than the first portion of said boss, the socket-shaped cap having a first inner peripheral shape over a first portion of the hollow interior of the cap and a second inner peripheral shape over a second portion of the hollow interior further from the inner side of the cap than the first portion of the hollow interior, the first outer peripheral shape and first inner peripheral shape being respectively larger than the second outer peripheral shape and second inner peripheral shape, and wherein the shapes of the boss and the cap allow insertion of the second outer peripheral shape into the second inner peripheral shape from the inner side of the cap through the first inner peripheral shape and allow relative rotation between the cap and the boss when only one of the shapes of the boss is received in the matching one of the two shapes of the cap, but prevent relative rotation between the cap and boss when both shapes of the boss are received in the matching shapes of the cap.
The first outer peripheral shape and the first inner peripheral shape are both preferably of either circular shape or regular polygonal form, with the second outer peripheral shape and the second inner peripheral shape both being the other of either circular shape or regular polygonal form.
Preferably the first outer peripheral shape and first inner peripheral shape are circular, and the second outer peripheral shape and second inner peripheral shape are of regular polygonal form, a side of which on the boss faces across the doorway.
Preferably a spring is disposed between the cap and the boss to bias the cap away from the base plate along the boss into a position allowing relative rotation between said cap and boss.
Preferably there is provided a clamping device operable to clamp the cap toward the base plate against an acting force of the spring to lock the cap in a position Preventing relative rotation between said cap and said boss.
Preferably the clamping device threads into the boss via a through-hole in the cap, whereby tightening of a threaded engagement between the boss and the clamping device clamps the cap toward the base plate.
The clamping device may have a handle for manual locking and releasing of the clamping mechanism, or alternatively may have a keyed actuator for tool driven locking and releasing of the clamping mechanism.
The barrier member comprises a flexible, shape-retaining support on which is carried a display feature showing the indica, the flexible shape-retaining feature being bendable into different shapes to reposition the display.
The flexible, shape-retaining support comprises a length of a flexible metal conduit and the display feature comprises a sign carried at an end of said flexible metal conduit.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a wet floor warning and barrier device comprising:
a barrier member mountable proximate a doorway at a height elevated above floor level in a manner selectively movable between a deployed position in which the barrier member spans at least partially across the doorway and a storage position in which the barrier member is less obstructive to the doorway than in the deployed position; and indicia presented on the barrier member in a position viewable from an area approaching the doorway with the barrier member mounted and in the deployed position, the indica being indicative that a floor surface situated beyond said doorway from the approaching area may be wet and present a slip and fall hazard.
Preferably the indicia is presented on the barrier member on a side 5 thereof opposite additional indicia that is also indicative of a wet floor surface.
Preferably the barrier member comprises an elongated member.
According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a method of warning approachers of a doorway of a wet floor surface beyond said doorway, the method comprising deploying a barrier member installed proximate the doorway into a position extending at least partially across the doorway from a storage position in which the barrier member is less obstructive to the doorway than in the deployed position so that indicia on the barrier member is displayed on a path of sight through the doorway to indicate that the floor surface situated beyond said doorway is wet.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a method of facilitating wet floor warnings, the method comprising installing a movable barrier member proximate a doorway at a height elevated above floor level for selective movement between a deployed position in which the barrier member spans at least partially across the doorway and a storage position in which the barrier member is less obstructive to the doorway than in the deployed position for selective display of wet floor warning indicia on the barrier member on a path of sight through the doorway to indicate that the floor surface situated beyond said doorway is wet and may present a slip and fall hazard.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a wet floor warning and barrier device comprising:
a barrier member movably mounted proximate a doorway at a height elevated above floor level and selectively movable between a deployed doorway position in which the barrier member spans at least partially across the doorway, a deployed hallway position in which the barrier member juts into hallway to which an adjoining room is linked by said doorway, and a storage position in which the barrier . 6 member is less obstructive to the doorway than in the deployed doorway position and less obstructive to the hallway than in the deployed hallway position; and indicia presented on the barrier member in a position viewable from a hallway area approaching the doorway with the barrier member in the deployed doorway position and from another hallway area further along the hallway with the barrier member in the deployed hallway position, the indica being indicative that a floor surface situated beyond said barrier member may be wet and present a slip and fall hazard.
The barrier member preferably comprises a flexible, shape-retaining support having one end connected to a pivot mount installed proximate the doorway for pivoting in a plane parallel to a wall through which the doorway passes, and another end carrying a display feature showing the indicia.
According to yet another aspect of the invention there is provided a wet floor warning and barrier device comprising a mounting mechanism attached to a structure proximate a doorway, a barrier member connected to said mounting mechanism at a height elevated above floor level and selectively movable relative to said structure between a deployed doorway position in which the barrier member spans at least partially across the doorway and a storage position in which the barrier member is less obstructive to the doorway than in the deployed doorway position; and indicia presented on the barrier member in a position viewable from a hallway area approaching the doorway with the barrier member in the deployed doorway position and from another hallway area further along the hallway with the barrier member in the deployed hallway position, the indicia being indicative that a floor surface situated beyond said barrier member may be wet and present a slip and fall hazard;
wherein the barrier member comprises a flexible, shape-retaining support having one end connected to the mounting mechanism and carrying a display feature showing the indicia.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention:
Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a first embodiment wet floor warning and barrier device of the present invention installed at a room's entrance doorway.
Figure 2 is a close up elevational view of the wet floor warning and barrier device of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the wet floor warning and barrier device of Figure 2 as taken along line A ¨ A thereof.
Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of the wet floor warning and barrier device of Figure 2 as taken along line B ¨ B thereof.
Figure 5 is an elevational view of a second embodiment wet floor warning and barrier device.
Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the wet floor warning and barrier device of Figure 5.
Figure 7A is a perspective view of a third embodiment wet floor warning and barrier device installed adjacent the entrance doorway of a room and situated in a storage position withdrawn from said doorway.
Figure 7B is a close up view of the wet floor warning and barrier device of Figure 7A.
Figure 8A is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment wet floor warning and barrier device installed adjacent the entrance doorway of a room and situated in a deployed doorway position jutting across said doorway.
Figure 8B is a close up view of the wet floor warning and barrier device of Figure 8A.
Figure 9A is a perspective view of the doorway and third embodiment wet floor warning and barrier device of Figure 7, with the device in a deployed hallway position jutting away from the doorway and the room behind the doorway into the adjoining hallway.
Figure 9B is a close up view of the wet floor warning and barrier device of Figure 9A.
Figure 10A is an exploded perspective view of the fourth embodiment wet floor warning and barrier device of Figure 8.
Figure 10B is partial closeup view of the exploded wet floor warning and barrier device of Figure 10A.
Figure 10C is another partial closeup view of the exploded wet floor warning and barrier device of Figure 10A from another angle.
Figure 11 is a partial closeup view of the third embodiment wet floor warning and barrier device of Figures 7 and 9 an exploded state, similar the exploded view of the fourth embodiment device in Figure 10B.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Figure 1 shows a wet floor warning sign and barrier device 10 of the present invention installed on an internal wall structure 100 of a building at a position adjacent a doorway 102 in the wall structure. The device 10 features a barrier member 12 pivotally carried on a mounting bracket 14 that has been fastened to the wall structure a short lateral distance outward from the doorway. The barrier member 12 is pivotal along a vertical plane for selected movement between into and out of a useful position in which the member at least partially obstructs passage through the room entrance presented by the doorway 102. The barrier member has indica thereon to display a warning to people approaching the doorway that the floor of the room located through the doorway may be slippery and the person should therefore either avoid entry to the room altogether or tread cautiously when entering the room. Figure 1 shows the barrier member deployed in the useful position extending in a direction crossing the doorway at an elevation above floor level so that the warning indicia are readily viewable from the sightline of the average person. Even if the barrier member is not notice by an approacher, actual physical contact will take place between the person and the barrier member should the person attempt to pass through the doorway, thus ensuring the person will take notice of the device and heed its warning of a potential slip and fall hazard beyond the doorway.
Figure 2 shows one embodiment of the device 10 in greater detail.
The barrier device features a thin, flat sign plate 16 that has an elongated planar rectangular shape and has the warning "wet floor prominently displayed on each of the two opposing rectangular faces of the sign plate 16 in large letters spanning substantially the full width of the elongated sign plate so that the words read along the sign plate's lengthwise dimension.
A support 18 is fixed to the sign plate 16 and projects from one end of the sign plate 16 in the direction corresponding to the lengthwise dimension thereof.
The illustrated support 18 has an overall shape like an eyebolt, with a straight stem 18a portion projecting from the sign plate 16 to carry a loop 18b at the end of the support opposite the sign plate 16.
The mounting bracket 14 features a base plate 20 having opposing faces, one of which rests flat against the finished surface of the wall structure 100 when the bracket is installed, and the other of which faces outwardly away from the wall. The outer face 20a of the base plate features a cylindrical post or peg projecting perpendicularly outward from it, around which the loop 18b of the support 18 closes so that the support 18 and attached sign plate 16 are pivotal about the axis of the of the peg 22. The base plate 20 of the mounting bracket 14 is fixed to the wall structure, for example using screws 24 threaded into a wall stud or drywall anchors through fastener holes provided in the base plate 20.
As shown in Figure 3, the length by which the peg 22 projects from the base plate exceeds the thickness of the support that wraps around it, thereby allowing sliding displacement of the support back and forth along the peg 22.
A
head 26 at the end of the peg 22 opposite the base plate 20 has a diameter that exceeds both the outer diameter of the peg 22 and the inner diameter of the loop 18b of the support 18. The head 26 thus blocks sliding of the support loop 18b off the end of the peg in order to keep the loop 18b on the peg 22 between the base plate 20 and the head 26. The head 26 may be releasably fastened to the peg 22, for example by threaded engagement if the peg 22 is hollow and internally threaded at its outer end and the head 26 has a matable externally threaded shaft projecting from it, or the head 26 may instead be permanently fixed to the peg 22.
The illustrated embodiment has three resilient clips carried on the base 5 plate 20 spaced around the peg 22 at radial distances from the axis thereof that are outward from the loop 18b closing therearound, but are less than the radial distance from the peg axis to the sign plate 16 at the opposite end of the support stem 18a.
Two of the clips 28 are diametrically opposite across the axis of the peg 22 and are used at these opposing positions directly above and below the peg 22 to retain the 10 support 18 and sign plate 16 of the barrier member in storage positions extending along the vertical side of the doorway adjacent which the mounting bracket is installed, as shown by the broken line positions of the barrier member 12 in Figure 1.
A third clip 30 positioned at ninety degrees around the peg axis from each of the two storage clips 28 to reside laterally outward from the peg at an equal elevation thereto. The third peg is used to maintain the support 18 and sign plate 16 of the barrier member in the deployed position extending perpendicularly from the vertical side of the doorway in a lateral direction oriented across the doorway, as shown by the solid line position of the barrier member 12 in Figure 1.
Each clip is generally C-shaped, with the central span 32 of the C-shape fixed to the base plate 20 to leave two curved arms 34 projecting outward from the base plate 20 on opposite sides of the C-shapes central span 32. The space or gap 36 between the curved arms 34 at the open side of the C-shape is less than the diameter of the stem 18a of the support 18 when the clip is in its normal condition, while the inner radius of curvature of the C-shape is sufficient to accommodate the stem 18a therein. Therefore, with the gap 36 between the curved arms of the C-shape widening in a direction moving outward from inside the C-shape, the resiliency of the clip arms means that forcing the stem 18 against the distal ends of the clips arms at the gap 36 therebetween will cause the ends of the arms 34 to momentarily deflect apart until the stem 18 passes between them and completes entry into the interior space of the C, at which point the resilient arms 34 return to their normal positions, thereby capturing the stem 18a of the support 18 inside the clip. To subsequently release the support stem 18a from the clip, the stem is pulled outward from the clip, which again momentarily forces the clip ends apart to accommodate passage of the stem between them before returning to the clips normal condition. The orientation of the third peg 30 is rotated ninety degrees about an axis perpendicular to the base plate relative to the first storage pegs 28, so that the arm ends of the third peg 30 are vertically spaced from one another while the arm ends of each of the storage pegs 28 are horizontally spaced from one another.
As shown in Figure 3, the peg 22 projects further from the base plate than each clip 28, 30 by an amount greater than the thickness of the of the support stem 18 (as defined by the diameter thereof). Accordingly, with the support 18 pulled outwardly away from the base plate 20 to a position near or against the head 26, the support 18 is positioned outwardly past the clips and thus is free to 15 rotate or pivot fully around the peg 22. In this pulled-out position, the support 18 can thus be pivoted in a vertical plane between either of the storage positions (shown in broken lines in Figure 1) and the deployed position (shown in solid lines in Figure 1), or vice versa. The support 18 is then lockable in the selected position by pushing the support 18 back toward the base plate 20 from this pulled-out position over the selected one of the clips so that the clip captures the stem 18a of the support to secure it in the selected position until later withdrawn from the clip.
With reference to Figure 1, in either of the vertical storage positions, the support 18 and sign plate 16 of the barrier member 12 are withdrawn entirely from in front of the doorway, leaving the entrance to the room, hallway or other area beyond the door entirely unobstructed while the member remains locked in place along the vertical door jamb or casing at the side of the doorway by the top or bottom one of the three clips. When the barrier member 12 is in the deployed position extending cross-wise in front of the door, the "wet floor" warning is readily visible along a sightline through the doorway from an area approaching the doorway.
As its own entity separate from any door mounted in the doorway, the sign is readily recognizable when deployed in an otherwise open doorway. Permanently mounted to the wall adjacent the doorway, cleaning staff in a hospital, nursing home, care home or other large building or residence need not transport any wet floor sign around the building. The barrier member is simply deployed when needed to prevent room occupants or visitors from entering a room with a wet or slippery floor, or to at least warn them of the potential hazard, and then is simply moved back to a storage position until next required during subsequent cleaning rounds. The device can be used on any doorway or entranceway, regardless of whether an openable and closeable door is also hung there.
Any of a number of known materials may be employed for production of the above device, but materials and structures with a balance between light-weight characteristics with sufficient strength to avoid significant damage if the barrier member was accidentally walked into would is desirable. However, even constructions that would be damaged in such a scenario could be employed, with the invention that the affected parts could be replaced as required.
It will be appreciated that significant changes in the above-detailed structure may be made without departing from the basic principles of the present invention. For example, the barrier member need not have separate support and sign structures, as a single bar or plate presenting opposing faces for the warning indicia could instead simply have a through hole adjacent one end for fitting over the pivot peg and could similarly engage clips or other locking mechanisms in the storage and deployed positions. Similarly, the mounting bracket could be supported adjacent the doorway in ways other than the described mounting of a plate against the outer finishing surface of the wall, for example mounted on an upright post anchored to the floor in front of the wall adjacent the doorway or on a support structure depending downward from the ceiling. It may be possible to have alternate embodiments in which the barrier member is spring biased into a default one of the possible positions. The device need not necessarily have more than one storage position, one of which may be a free-hanging storage position in which the barrier member simply hangs vertically downward from its pivot support without need for further latching or locking.
Another embodiment may employ an over-center storage position in which a stop feature on the mounting bracket projects outwardly away from the wall to block pivoting of the barrier member past a position extending upward from the mounting bracket, but at an oblique angle extending away from the doorway.
Similarly, a lock, clip or latch corresponding to the deployed position could be omitted by likewise using a stop feature to simply block rotation past a horizontally deployed position extending across the doorway, thereby using a pair of stop features to limit movement of the barrier member between an upright storage position and a laterally projecting deployed position. Figures 5 and 6 show such an embodiment, which does not require the axial sliding of the barrier member along the pivot axis used in the illustrated embodiment to engage and disengage the locking clips.
Embodiments in which the barrier member is pivotal between a deployed position and a single vertical storage position may have each clip oriented differently relative to the base so that the stem of the support engages and disengages the clip by pivotal movement of the support about the peg axis in opposite directions rather than by axial sliding movement of the support along the peg axis in opposite directions. The peg could be shortened to maintain a consistent position of the support along the peg axis in alignment with the open sides or mouths of the clips, and operation of the device would require only pivotal movement of the support. Each clip would be oriented ninety degrees out the orientation of the respective clip of the illustrated embodiment about the axis around which the C-shape of the clip partially closes. A storage clip in the position of one of the two illustrated storage clips would open toward the side of the mounting bracket to which the support extends when deployed, and the other clip would open upwardly or downwardly toward the one storage clip.
Additional embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in Figures 7 through 11. The wet floor warning sign and barrier devices 10', 10"
of these embodiments have a number of features in common with the embodiment of Figures 1 to 4, particularly a barrier member 12' including a sign 16' attached to an end of an elongate support 18' whose opposing end is pivotally connected to a mounting bracket 14' mounted to the wall 100 adjacent a doorway 102 therein at a height above floor level. Referring to Figures 7 and 8, the barrier member 12' is movable between the above described useful doorway position horizontally spanning a significant portion of the doorway, and storage position running vertically along the side of the doorway to which the mounting bracket is located, just as in the first embodiment.
Also like the first embodiment, the mounting bracket 14' features a base plate 20' having opposing faces, one of which rests flat against the finished surface of the wall structure 100 when the bracket is installed, and the other of which faces outwardly away from the wall. The outer face 20a of the base plate features a boss 22' projecting perpendicularly outward from it, much like the post or peg of the first embodiment, to defined the feature on which the barrier member can pivot about a central axis of the boss 22'. The details of how this connection is accomplished between the barrier member and the boss differ from the first embodiment, and are detailed herein further below. The base plate 20' of the mounting bracket 14' is again fixed to the wall structure, for example using screw fasteners 24 fed through fastener holes 20b provided in the base plate 20', as shown in Figures 10 and 11.
As illustrated by Figures 7 to 9, the vertical wall surface to which the mounting bracket is fixed need not necessarily be the drywall or equivalent stud-covering panel material of the wall, and may for example be the outer face of doorway moulding bordering the sides and top of the doorway perimeter.
With reference to Figure 9, one distinctive feature of the third and fourth embodiments is that the support 18' is an elongate member of bendable, shape retaining structure, for example being formed from a length of flexible metal conduit. Accordingly, not only can the barrier member be pivoted on the mounting bracket to move between the aforementioned useful horizontal position jutting across the doorway and aforementioned vertical storage position withdrawn from the doorway, but can also be manipulated into another useful position jutting into the hallway away from the doorway and the adjoining room in order to mark a wet floor status of the hallway. That is, as shown in Figure 9, the barrier member can be pivoted into a horizontal orientation on the mounting bracket, and the bendable 5 support 18' manipulated into a ninety degree curve or bend, whereby the sign 16' is again horizontally oriented for convenient reading of the lettering and/or other indicia thereon, but instead of jutting across the doorway to present an entry-barrier to the adjoining room, the sign 16' juts in a lateral direction cross-wise to the hallway so as to be readable looking down the hallway. In this position, the sign 16' of the barrier 10 member also, at least partially, obstruct passage down the hallway. For subsequent use of the device for the adjoining room, the bendable support 18' is bent back into a straight or linear configuration so as to lie cross-wise to the doorway for the purposes outlined above for the other embodiments.
Figure 10 illustrates further detail of the fourth embodiment device 10'.
15 As shown in Figure 10A, the sign 16' may be of a multi-piece structure, for example having a frame 16a on which one or more removable sign plates 16b may be carried, whereby a sign plate with one particular configuration of indicia can be substituted for another by the manufacturer, distributer or end user, for example to tailor the language of a wet floor warning message according to the details of the intended application. Through use of the removable and reinsertable sign plate, the orientation of the sign plate can also be switched according to which side of the doorway the device is being installed on so that the indicia are oriented appropriately right-side-up for optimum readability. The illustrated sign frame 16a has a pair of top and bottom channels 16c, 16d on each side of the sign frame, whereby a respective sign plate or placard 16b can be slid into the channels on each side of the frame from open ends of the channels at an end of the frame opposite the bendable support 18', which is attached to the sign frame by a suitable coupler 40.
At the end of the flexible support 18' opposite the sign 16', a socket-shaped cap 42 is attached to the flexible support 18' by another coupler 40.
Turning to Figure 10B, the boss 22' of the mounting bracket 14' projects perpendicularly from the outer face 20a of the base plate 20, and a central axis of the boss 22' defines the pivot axis P between the mounting bracket 14' and the barrier member 12'. A
first portion 22a of the boss 22' adjacent the base plate 20' is cylindrical, having a circular outer periphery around the pivot axis P. A second portion 22b of the boss 22' is axially further from the base plate 20', and has a square-shaped outer periphery around the pivot axis P, with two vertical sides and two horizontal sides.
Accordingly, when the mounting bracket 14' is mounted to the wall in an orientation placing two parallel sides of the rectangular base plate in vertical orientations, one of the vertical sides of the square second portion 22b of the boss 22' will face across the width of the doorway 102. The two horizontal sides of the square second portion 22b of the boss will face in respective upward and downward vertical directions.
A threaded bore 44 extends into the distal end of the boss 22 on the pivot axis P. The distal end of the boss also features a circular recess 46 that is centered on the pivot axis P and larger in diameter than the threaded bore 44, which thus resides at the center of the recess. The recess 46 accommodates seating of a compression spring 48 therein. A hand-operated locking tool 50 features a threaded shaft 50a sized for receipt of the screw's shaft 50a in a through-hole 51 of the cap 42 along the pivot axis P. The threading of the tool shaft 50a mates with the threading of the central bore 44 in the boss 22' of the mounting bracket. The tool includes a handle 50b attached to the end of the threaded shaft on the side of the cap 42 opposite the mounting bracket 14'. The handle features a manual gripping lever 50c projecting in a direction radially outward from the pivot axis P for manually driven rotation of the tool 50 about the pivot axis to tighten or loosen the threaded engagement of the shaft with the boss of the mounting bracket.
Turning briefly to Figure 11, the third embodiment differs from the fourth embodiment only in that a lock screw 50' is used in place of the locking tool 50, and the through hole 51 of the cap may include a counter-sunk end at an outer end face of the cap 42a facing opposite the base plate 20 of the mounting bracket 14', whereby the head 50d of the locking screw 50 can be received in this countersunk end of the hole. The underside of the screw head and the countersunk end of the through-hole may be tapered at matching angles. The screw shaft 50a mates with the threading of the central bore 44 in the boss 22' of the mounting bracket, just like the matching threaded shaft of the locking tool of the fourth embodiment. The head 50d of the locking screw 50 may be keyed for operation with a standard conventional screwdriver, or keyed with a more specialized driver shape for operation only by a special locking/unlocking tool.
As the third and fourth embodiments are otherwise the same, details of the cap of the barrier member and its cooperation with the boss of the mounting bracket is common among both these embodiments.
The cap 42 is of a socket-shaped configuration, with a hollow interior 52 recessed into the cap from the inner side 42b thereof that faces toward the base plate 20' of the mounting bracket 14'. Like the boss 22', the hollow interior of the cap is centered on the pivot axis P and configured with two distinct portions of different peripheral shapes. That is, the inner periphery of the cap's socket-like perimeter wall is circular at a first portion 52a thereof adjacent the inner side 42b of the cap, and is square at a second portion 52b deeper inside the cap from the inner wall thereof. The circular and square shapes of these interior portions of the cap slightly exceed the respective circular and square shapes of the boss in size, whereby the boss will matingly fit within the hollow interior of the cap. The outer corner-to-corner diameter or diagonal measurement of the square distal portion 22b of the boss 22' is equal to or slightly less than the outer diameter of the round proximal portion 22a of the boss 22', and the inner corner-to-corner diameter or diagonal measurement of the square portion 52b of the cap's interior is equal to or slightly less than the inner diameter of the round portion 52a of the cap's interior.
Accordingly, the square distal portion of the boss can pass cleanly through the circular first portion 52a of the cap's hollow interior from the open inner side 42b of the cap for insertion into the mating square second portion of the cap's hollow interior.
The cap is accordingly installed over the boss, and secured in place by threading of the threaded shaft of the locking screw 50' or locking tool 50 into the threaded bore of the boss 22'. Tightening of this threaded engagement forces the cap 42 further toward the base plate 20' of the mounting bracket by the advancement of the screw head 50d or tool handle 50c against the outer side 42a of the cap 42. With the cap oriented at an angular position around the pivot axis P that places the sign-carrying end 42c of the cap in a 3-o'clock, 6-o'clock, 9-o'clock or 12-o'clock position around the pivot axis P, the internal square end of the cap's hollow interior will align with the square outer end of the boss, and sufficient tightening of the lock screw or tool will register the square end of the cap's interior over the square end of the boss. This mating of the square end of the boss in the square depth of the cap means that the mating flat sides of these square features will prevent relative rotation between the cap and the boss, thereby securing the cap, and thus the attached support and sign, in their current position around the pivot axis P until the locking screw or tool is subsequently loosened to withdraw the square-to-square engagement between the cap and the boss.
With the bendable support 18' in a linear configuration, such locking of the cap in place with the sign carrying. end 42c of the cap pointing horizontally toward the doorway will place the barrier member 12' in the useful doorway position of Figure 8. Loosening of the locking screw or tool by an amount sufficient to withdraw the square end of the boss from the square end of the cap's hollow interior, but leaving the round first portion of the boss inside the round first portion of the cap's interior, enables relative rotation between these mating round features to pivot of the cap about the pivot axis P, whereby the cap 42 can be turned to point vertically upward (12 o'clock position), where re-locking of the cap will secure the barrier member in the storage position of Figure 7. Similarly, the barrier member can be moved to, and locked in, a downward pointing orientation (6 o'clock position), the vertical orientation of which likewise removes the barrier member from the doorway opening for storage when not in use.
From the exploded figures, it will be appreciated that the compression spring 48 coils wrap around the shaft 50a of the locking screw or locking tool, with the ends of the spring abutting the end face of the circular recess 46 in the distal end of the boss and the square end face of the hollow interior 52 of the cap 42.
In its normal uncompressed state, the compression spring 48 has an axial length that exceeds the axial depth of the circular recess 46 in the distal end of the boss 22', whereby the compression spring acts to bias the cap 42 away from the base plate 20' of the mounting bracket 14' to encourage the cap 42 into the pivotable position where the rectangular end of its hollow interior is withdrawn from off the rectangular end of the boss. Accordingly, under sufficient loosening of the locking screw or locking tool, the cap will automatically enter the freely pivotable condition in which the user can select which of the four lockable positions the barrier member is to be moved into and re-locked.
The use of the built-in locking tool of the fourth embodiment makes for easier use by avoiding the need to carry or locate a suitable driver for the locking screw of the third embodiment, but also makes it easier for unauthorized personnel to move the barrier member into the useful position, causing potential confusion or inconvenience to those attempting to enter the room in question.
It will be appreciated that shapes other than square may be used in the mating of the boss and cap in order to establish at least one useful position jutting into the doorway opening, and at least one storage position withdrawn from the doorway, although a square or other regular polygon of greater number of sides may be best suited to accommodate seating of the compression spring for spring-biased embodiments where the cap will automatically withdraw to the free-pivoting position without manual pulling of the barrier member away from the base plate. Another embodiment may reverse the order of the square and round portions, placing the square portions of the boss and cap closer to the base plate of the mounting bracket, so long as the round distal end of the boss and round internal end of the cap interior are of sufficient length to enable withdrawal of the squared inner end of the cap from off the squared proximal end of the boss. With reference to the rounded corners of the illustrated 'square' portions of the boss and cap, it will be understood that the terms 'square' and 'regular polygon' are not limited to shapes with sharp, unrounded vertices between their sides.
Instead of using a compression spring to bias the barrier member into a pivotable position distal to the base plate, and using a clamping or locking mechanism to lock the barrier member against such spring-biased movement, other embodiments could employ a tension or extension spring to draw the cap toward the 5 base plate into a non-pivoting position, and forgo the use of a separate locking mechanism. In other words, such embodiments would spring-bias the barrier member toward the base plate into a locked position, and use manual pulling-out of the barrier member to move the cap into an unlocked pivotable condition. This would require the aforementioned reversal of the order of the square and round 10 features in relation to the base plate compared to the illustrated embodiment, i.e.
having the square mating features positioned nearer to the base plate, and the round mating features positioned further therefrom. However, the need to somehow attach the ends of a tension spring to the cap and the mounting bracket may add a level of design complexity beyond that of the illustrated embodiments.
15 Other embodiments of the present invention may employ a bendable, shape-retaining support like that of the third and fourth embodiments without the additional pivotal mounting features, whereby movement of the sign into and out of the doorway position, and also the hallway position if desired, may be accomplished solely through shape-manipulation of the bendable support.
20 It will also be appreciated that the indicia or markings on the barrier member need not necessarily be limited to a written expression such as "wet floor.
It is known in the art to employ a slip and fall warning illustration along with or instead of a written warning to better ensure understanding of the warning regardless of the written language(s) known to the viewer. Also, written messages like "closed for cleaning" or similar warning may likewise prevent entry to the room marked with the deployed device without necessarily making direct reference to a wet or slippery floor. Embodiments of the present invention include devices with warnings presented in different languages, and devices that have multiple languages on each unit. It may be possible to employ similar devices to provide other warnings, but at this time it is contemplated that wet or slippery floors that often result from cleaning procedures would be the most common application where a solution is required on a large enough scale to warrant installation of a dedicated device for each room or area concerned.
Although not illustrated, the device may include a concealing panel behind which the barrier members pivots when moved into the storage position so that the wet floor warning is concealed from site when the barrier member is in the storage position. Such a concealing feature may be part of the mounting bracket or may be a component of a different piece separately mounted to the wall adjacent the doorway therein. Other ways of configuring the device to only display the warning when deployed may alternatively be employed. Another embodiment may feature a mounting bracket configured to attach to a ceiling structure instead of a wall structure, and allows the sign to be moved from a raised storage position adjacent the ceiling to a lowered deployed position further from the ceiling and thus more visible. Such an embodiment may use pivoting of an elongate member like the illustrated embodiment, but with any warning indicia re-oriented so as to be readable with the elongate member in a vertical deployed position hanging downward from the bracket. Such an embodiment can be employed at locations other than at doorways connecting different rooms or areas of a building, for example along hallways.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
Claims (36)
1. Wet floor warning and barrier device comprising:
a barrier member movably mounted proximate a doorway at a height elevated above floor level and selectively movable between a deployed position in which the barrier member spans at least partially across the doorway and a storage position in which the barrier member is less obstructive to the doorway than in the deployed position; and indicia presented on the barrier member in a position viewable from an area approaching the doorway with the barrier member in the deployed position, the indica being indicative that a floor surface situated beyond said doorway from the approaching area may be wet and present a slip and fall hazard.
a barrier member movably mounted proximate a doorway at a height elevated above floor level and selectively movable between a deployed position in which the barrier member spans at least partially across the doorway and a storage position in which the barrier member is less obstructive to the doorway than in the deployed position; and indicia presented on the barrier member in a position viewable from an area approaching the doorway with the barrier member in the deployed position, the indica being indicative that a floor surface situated beyond said doorway from the approaching area may be wet and present a slip and fall hazard.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein the barrier member is supported proximate an end thereof by a pivot mount beside the doorway for pivoting between the deployed and storage positions.
3. The device of claim 1 or 2 wherein the barrier member is supported on a wall through which the doorway passes.
4 The device of claim 1 comprising a mounting bracket mounted to a wall surface of a wall through which the doorway passes, the mounting bracket being positioned adjacent to, and outside of, the doorway passing through said wall and at an elevation above the floor level, wherein the barrier member is carried on the mounting bracket and movable in a vertical plane parallel to the wall surface.
5. The device of claim 4 wherein the barrier member is pivotally supported on the mounting bracket.
6. The device of any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the barrier member, in the storage position, extends in a direction that follows along a side of the doorway more than in the deployed position.
7. The device of any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the barrier member extends horizontally from the pivot mount in a direction crossing the doorway in the deployed position and extends vertically from the pivot mount in the storage position.
8 The device of any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the barrier member is entirely unobstructive to the doorway in the storage position.
9. Wet floor warning and barrier device comprising:
a barrier member mountable proximate a doorway at a height elevated above floor level in a manner selectively movable between a deployed position in which the barrier member spans at least partially across the doorway and a storage position in which the barrier member is less obstructive to the doorway than in the deployed position; and indicia presented on the barrier member in a position viewable from an area approaching the doorway with the barrier member mounted and in the deployed position, the indica being indicative that a floor surface situated beyond said doorway from the approaching area may be wet and present a slip and fall hazard.
a barrier member mountable proximate a doorway at a height elevated above floor level in a manner selectively movable between a deployed position in which the barrier member spans at least partially across the doorway and a storage position in which the barrier member is less obstructive to the doorway than in the deployed position; and indicia presented on the barrier member in a position viewable from an area approaching the doorway with the barrier member mounted and in the deployed position, the indica being indicative that a floor surface situated beyond said doorway from the approaching area may be wet and present a slip and fall hazard.
10. The device of claim 9 comprising a pivot bracket mountable on a wall surface to movably support the barrier member on a wall for movement along the wall surface.
11. The device of claim 9 comprising a mounting bracket mountable to a wall surface of a wall through which the doorway passes at an elevated above floor level at a position adjacent to, and outside of, the doorway with a face of said mounting bracket placed flat against said wall surface, the barrier member being carried on the mounting bracket in a manner selectively movable in a plane parallel to said face of the mounting bracket so as to be movable parallel to said wall surface for movement between the deployed position and the storage position.
12. The device of claim 11 wherein the barrier member is pivotally supported on the mounting bracket.
13. The device of claim 4 or 11 wherein the mounting bracket comprises a base plate defining the face for placement against the wall surface, a second face facing thereto, and a boss projecting outward from the second face along an axis, and the barrier member comprises a socket-shaped cap having a hollow interior recessed thereinto from a inner side of the cap facing the base plate, the boss of the mounting bracket having a first outer peripheral shape over a first portion of said boss and a second outer peripheral shape over a second portion of said boss further from the base plate than the first portion of said boss, the socket-shaped cap having a first inner peripheral shape over a first portion of the hollow interior of the cap and a second inner peripheral shape over a second portion of the hollow interior further from the inner side of the cap than the first portion of the hollow interior of the cap, the first outer peripheral shape and first inner peripheral shape being respectively larger than the second outer peripheral shape and second inner peripheral shape, and wherein the shapes of the boss and the cap allow insertion of the second outer peripheral shape into the second inner peripheral shape from the inner side of the cap through the first inner peripheral shape and allow relative rotation between the cap and the boss when only one of the shapes of the boss is received in the matching one of the two shapes of the cap, but prevent relative rotation between the cap and boss when both shapes of the boss are received in the matching shapes of the cap.
14. The device of claim 13 wherein the first outer peripheral shape and the first inner peripheral shape are both of either circular shape or regular polygonal form, and the second outer peripheral shape and the second inner peripheral shape are both the other of either circular shape or regular polygonal form.
15. The device of claim 14 wherein the first outer peripheral shape and first inner peripheral shape are circular, and the second outer peripheral shape and second inner peripheral shape are of regular polygonal form, a side of which on the boss faces across the doorway.
16. The device of any one of claims 13 to 15 comprising a spring disposed between the cap and the boss to bias the cap away from the base plate along the boss into a position allowing relative rotation between said cap and boss.
17. The device of claim 16 comprising a clamping device operable to clamp the cap toward the base plate against action of the spring to lock the cap in a position preventing relative rotation between said cap and said boss.
18. The device of claim 17 wherein the clamping device threads into the boss via a through-hole in the cap, whereby tightening of a threaded engagement between the boss and the clamping device clamps the cap toward the base plate.
19. The device of any one of claims 1 to 18 wherein the indicia is presented on the barrier member on a side thereof opposite additional indicia that is also indicative of a wet floor surface.
20. The device of any one of claims 1 to 19 wherein the barrier member comprises an elongated member.
21. The device of any one of claims 1 to 12 comprising stops operable to prevent movement of the barrier member past the deployed and storage positions.
22. The device of any one of claims 1 to 12 comprising a locking mechanism operable to secure the barrier member in at least one of the deployed and storage positions.
23. The device of claim 22 wherein the locking mechanism comprises a clip operable to engage and disengage the barrier member in a respective one of the deployed and storage positions.
24. The device of claim 22 wherein the locking mechanism comprises a clamping device operable to clamp the barrier member in place in the deployed and storage positions.
25. The device of claim 17, 18 or 24 wherein the clamping device comprises a handle for manual locking and releasing of the clamping mechanism.
26. The device of claim 17, 18 or 24 wherein the clamping device comprises a keyed actuator for tool driven locking and releasing of the clamping mechanism.
27. The device of any one of claims 1 to 26 wherein the barrier member comprises a flexible, shape-retaining support on which is carried a display feature showing the indica, the flexible shape-retaining feature being bendable into different shapes to reposition the display.
28. The device of claim 27 wherein the flexible, shape-retaining support comprises a length of a flexible metal conduit and the display feature comprises a sign carried at an end of said flexible metal conduit.
29. A method of warning approachers of a doorway of a wet floor surface beyond said doorway, the method comprising deploying a barrier member installed proximate the doorway into a position extending at least partially across the doorway from a storage position in which the barrier member is less obstructive to the doorway than in the deployed position so that indicia on the barrier member is displayed on a path of sight through the doorway to indicate that the floor surface situated beyond said doorway is wet.
30. The method of claim 29 wherein deploying the barrier member comprises moving the barrier member from the storage position to the deployed position in a vertical plane parallel to a wall surface of a wall through which the doorway passes.
31. The method of claim 30 wherein deploying the barrier member comprises moving said barrier member relative to a mounting bracket on which the barrier member is carried, the mounting bracket being mounted to the wall surface in a position that is adjacent to, and outside the doorway, and at an elevation above floor level.
32. A method of facilitating wet floor warnings, the method comprising installing a movable barrier member proximate a doorway at a height elevated above floor level for selective movement between a deployed position in which the barrier member spans at least partially across the doorway and a storage position in which the barrier member is less obstructive to the doorway than in the deployed position for selective display of wet floor warning indicia on the barrier member on a path of sight through the doorway to indicate that the floor surface situated beyond said doorway is wet and may present a slip and fall hazard.
33. The method of claim 32 wherein installing the movable barrier member comprises installing the movable barrier on a wall surface of a wall through which the door passes at a position elevated above floor level and adjacent to, and outside of, the doorway for selective movement of the barrier member in a vertical plane parallel to said wall surface.
34. A wet floor warning and barrier device comprising:
a barrier member movably mounted proximate a doorway at a height elevated above floor level and selectively movable between a deployed doorway position in which the barrier member spans at least partially across the doorway, a deployed hallway position in which the barrier member juts into hallway to which an adjoining room is linked by said doorway, and a storage position in which the barrier member is less obstructive to the doorway than in the deployed doorway position and less obstructive to the hallway than in the deployed hallway position; and indicia presented on the barrier member in a position viewable from a hallway area approaching the doorway with the barrier member in the deployed doorway position and from another hallway area further along the hallway with the barrier member in the deployed hallway position, the indica being indicative that a floor surface situated beyond said barrier member may be wet and present a slip and fall hazard.
a barrier member movably mounted proximate a doorway at a height elevated above floor level and selectively movable between a deployed doorway position in which the barrier member spans at least partially across the doorway, a deployed hallway position in which the barrier member juts into hallway to which an adjoining room is linked by said doorway, and a storage position in which the barrier member is less obstructive to the doorway than in the deployed doorway position and less obstructive to the hallway than in the deployed hallway position; and indicia presented on the barrier member in a position viewable from a hallway area approaching the doorway with the barrier member in the deployed doorway position and from another hallway area further along the hallway with the barrier member in the deployed hallway position, the indica being indicative that a floor surface situated beyond said barrier member may be wet and present a slip and fall hazard.
35. The device of claim 34 wherein the barrier member comprises a flexible, shape-retaining support having one end connected to a pivot mount installed proximate the doorway for pivoting in a plane parallel to a wall through which the doorway passes, and another end carrying a display feature showing the indicia.
36.. A Wet floor warning and barrier device comprising a mounting mechanism attached to a structure proximate a doorway, a barrier member connected to said mounting mechanism at a height elevated above floor level and selectively movable relative to said structure between a deployed doorway position in which the barrier member spans at least partially across the doorway and a storage position in which the barrier member is less obstructive to the doorway than in the deployed doorway position; and indicia presented on the barrier member in a position viewable from a hallway area approaching the doorway with the barrier member in the deployed doorway position and from another hallway area further along the hallway with the barrier member in the deployed hallway position, the indica being indicative that a floor surface situated beyond said barrier member may be wet and present a slip and fall hazard;
wherein the barrier member comprises a flexible, shape-retaining support having one end connected to the mounting mechanism and carrying a display feature showing the indicia.
wherein the barrier member comprises a flexible, shape-retaining support having one end connected to the mounting mechanism and carrying a display feature showing the indicia.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2805517 CA2805517A1 (en) | 2013-01-22 | 2013-01-22 | Wet floor warning devices and methods |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2805517 CA2805517A1 (en) | 2013-01-22 | 2013-01-22 | Wet floor warning devices and methods |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2805517A1 true CA2805517A1 (en) | 2014-07-22 |
Family
ID=51221014
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2805517 Abandoned CA2805517A1 (en) | 2013-01-22 | 2013-01-22 | Wet floor warning devices and methods |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2805517A1 (en) |
-
2013
- 2013-01-22 CA CA 2805517 patent/CA2805517A1/en not_active Abandoned
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