GB2198172A

GB2198172A - Safety gates

Info

Publication number: GB2198172A
Application number: GB08624864A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael William Lusty
Original assignee: Baveystock & Co Ltd A
Current assignee: Baveystock & Co Ltd A
Priority date: 1986-10-16
Filing date: 1986-10-16
Publication date: 1988-06-08
Also published as: GB8624864D0

Abstract

A child's safety gate structure the stops 17 by which the gate engages the frame 22 each having cooperating studs 25 which can engage in recesses 20 in the stops to prevent the gate from being moved if struck by a high impact blow. It is stated to comply with a recent British Standard. <IMAGE>

Description

TITLE: SAFETY GATES DESCRIPTION The present invention relates to safety gates used to protect young children.

It has been the practice for many years to provide safety gates which are used at the top of stairs, and at the entrance to rooms so that small children will not accidentally fall down the stairs or stray to unwanted parts of the house. These have conventionally comprised a main gate structure, and laterally adjustable rubber stops, usually four in number, which can be screwed out or otherwise moved outwardly to engage the two jambs of a door, or between a bannister post and wall or the like. The frictional engagement between the studs, which are usually made of rubber, and the upright surface, such as the door jamb or wall, needs to be very large to ensure that the gate will not be knocked over if the child pushes very hard or falls accidentally against the gate.

There has recently been a British Standard Institute requirement requiring the gate to withstand a very high impact blow, of the order of 100 kilograms. It is very difficult to make a frictional force sufficient to deal with this.

It is now proposed, according to the present invention, to provide a safety gate structure comprising a gate, at least one pair of stops, with one stop on each side of the gate, at least one of the stops of each pair being adjustable laterally of the gate and a stud for each stop, the studs being securable to an upright surface on each side of the gate, each stop and its associated stud having portions interengageable with one another, so that with the studs secured to the upright surface and the gate positioned therebetween, the stop or stops can be adjusted laterally whereby said portions move into interengagement to prevent movement of the gate.

The studs can be screwed into the door jamb or wall and can be of a sufficiently small size not to be unsightly. Because the studs are actually screwed to the upright surface, they can provide a very considerable amount of strength to the gate when they are engaged with the stops on the gate.

In order to ensure that the stops themselves are sufficiently strong, they preferably each include a metal cup with a rubber or like material insert therein, which extends to a point outside the rim of the cup and including said portion interengageable with the stud.

The portion of the stop which is interengageable with the stud preferably comprises a recess in the cup into which the stud can engage. An alternative arrangement is one in which the stop comprises a projection which is engageable in a recess in the stud.

Advantageously, a threaded rod forms a stem extending away from the base of the cup, the threade & rod engaging a complementary screwthread on the gate to provide for the lateral adjustment of the stop.

While one may only have two stops and only one of these stops needs to be adjustable, preferably there are four stops and all of them are adjustable.

In order that the invention may more readily be understood, the following description is given, merely by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of safety gate according to the present invention shown in position between two upright surfaces; Figure 2 is an enlarged schematic view illustrating the formation of the stud and stop; and Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 of an alternative construction of stud and stop.

Referring first to Figure 1, the safety gate 10 illustrated therein comprises an upper bar 11 and a lower bar 12, which is provided with feet 13, the upper and lower bars being connected by vertical rods 14.

Engaged in each end of the upper and lower bars screwthreaded rods 15 provided with adjustment nuts 16 and end stops 17. These end stops 17 can be seen more clearly in Figure 2 and comprise a sheet metal cup 18, which is formed as a pressing and is welded to the threaded rod 15. Within the metal cup is an insert in the form of a rubber pressure pad 19 having a central recess 20.

At the far end of the threaded rod 17 is provided with a square cross-section fitting 23 which is inserted in the upper or lower bar 11, 12 and prevents rotation of the rod.

Secured to two upright wall surfaces 21 and 22 are four studs 25 as can be seen in Figure 1. Each stud comprises (Figure 2) a plastic or metal stud, similar to a door stop, secured to the upright surface by a screw 26.

The external surface 27 of the stud is shaped to fit within the recess 20.

In use, the gate is positioned so that the stops 17 are adjacent the studs 25 and the knurled nuts 16 are rotated to cause the rods 15 to move outwardly so that the recesses 20 in the inserts 19 engage over the external surfaces 27 of the studs 25. The assembly thus formed is extremely robust and it would be very difficult for a child to move the gate.

An alternative arrangement is shown in Figure 3, in which, instead of the studs 25 being simply projections, they are in the form of larger studs 25A having central recesses 28, the studs being held against the door jamb by screws 26 as before. The shape of the stops is different and these include projections 29 which can be inserted into the recesses 28.

Instead of having a screw adjustable arrangement, one could devise an alternative toggle type mechanism to cause the lateral adjustement of the stops.

Claims

1. A safety gate structure comprising a gate, at least one pair of stops, with one stop on each side of the gate, at least one of the stops of each pair being adjustable laterally of the gate and a stud for each stop, the studs being securable to an upright surface on each side of the gate, each stop and its associated stud having portions interengageable with one another, so that with the studs secured to the upright surface and the gate positioned therebetween, the stop or stops can be adjusted laterally whereby said portions move into interengagement to prevent movement of the gate.

2. A safety gate structure according to claim 1, wherein the stops each include a metal cup with a rubber or like material insert therein, which extends to a point outside the rim of the cup and including said portion interengageable with the stud.

3. A safety gate structure according to claim 2, wherein said portion on the stop comprises a recess in said insert into which the stud can engage.

4. A safety gate structure according to claim 2, wherein said portion on the stop comprises a projection engageable in a recess in the stud.

5. A safety gate structure according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein a threaded rod forming a stem extends away from the base of the cup, the threaded rod engaging a complementary screw thread on the gate to provide said lateral adjustability.

6. A safety gate structure according to any preceding claim, wherein there are four stops, each of which are laterally adjustable, one being arranged adjacent the top and one adjacent the bottom of each side of the gate, there being four cooperable studs.

7. A safety gate structure substantially as hereingbefore described, with reference to, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.