GB2258691A - Securing device for safety barriers/gates. - Google Patents

Abstract

A gate fixture for securing a safety gate or barrier eg for children to an irregularly shaped support structure or post defining one boundary of a threshold. The gate fixture includes a receiving member 12 for receiving a complementary member 19, 26 of a safety gate or barrier and a gripping member 16 for gripping the support structure. The preferred gripping arrangement is a strap or band clamp 16 which can be fastened around eg the newel post of a staircase (Fig. 2). the strap carrying the necessary receiving member 12. <IMAGE>

Description

SECURING DEVICE FOR SAFETY BARRIERS/GATES The invention relates to child-proof safety gates or barriers suitable for temporary positioning across doorways, staircases, passageways or other thresholds, for preventing children from moving to a prohibited area.

Conventional safety gates and barriers are designed to fit between two regular and parallel surfaces such as the opposing uprights of a doorway or a pair of opposing walls at the top or bottom of a flight of stairs. It is desirable, however, to be able to position a safety gate or barrier, to block entrances to prohibited areas which may not be provided with a suitably adapted threshold. This is particularly the case at the top or bottom of some flights of stairs where the opening that requires blocking is bounded on one side by a wall but on the other or both by a post or railing.

Safety gates or barriers are generally secured in position between a pair of uprights by the exertion of pressure against the uprights through adjustable clamping members located one at each corner of the gate frame or barrier. Such adjustable clamping members are ill adapted for engagement with rounded or irregularly shaped posts as they easily slide from position when offset slightly from their intended location.

In addition to potential problems in securing a gate at the top or bottom of some flights of stairs, the lack of the required conditions a short way up a flight may also prevent a barrier being positioned at a more convenient location allowing a child limited access to the stairs.

The construction of many prior art gates and barriers restricts the places where they can be erected and as a consequence, the number of potentially dangerous areas from which children can be protected is considerably reduced.

It is an aim of the present invention to alleviate at least some of the aforementioned problems.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a gate fixture for securing a safety gate or barrier relative to a support structure defining one boundary of a threshold, comprising a receiving member for receiving a complementary member of a safety gate or barrier and a gripping member for gripping the support structure.

In one preferred embodiment the gripping member is a strap of adjustable length for surrounding and gripping a support providing an exposed 3600 surface.

Such an embodiment is of particular use in positioning gates or barriers across thresholds bounded on one side by a post as access is then provided to the entire surface of the post for attachment of the strap.

The strap is preferably formed from a high friction material that is kept in tension at all times during attachment. This ensures that the mounting member resists transverse shearing forces relative to the post and enables a gate mounted on a mounting member of this embodiment to withstand forces such as those experienced when a child walks into the gate or barrier.4 The strap is preferably inextensible, and flexible. A strap of woven material webbing, for example polyester fibre, coated and impregnated with a high friction material such as plasticised PVC has the required characteristics.

Preferably a lever action buckle is provided to achieve adequate tension in the strap as it is wrapped around the post.

In another preferred embodiment, the gripping member is provided with a pair of jaws and means to urge the jaws together to grip the support. Such an arrangement is particularly useful when part of the support is inaccessible such as when the support is a door frame with only roughly 3/4 of its circumference accessible. A gripping member comprising a pair of jaws can also, however, be used for attaching a mount to posts and the like. The means for urging the jaws of the gripping member together is preferably a strap.

The complementary member of a safety gate or barrier received by the mounting member, may be a securing member normally used for positioning the gate or barrier between opposed uprights. The complementary member may, however, be a downwardly projecting portion extending from the barrier or gate to act as a hinge that can be received by the receiving member to allow the gate to pivot relative to the gate fixture.

The receiving member may also comprise a catch member for receiving a complementary catch member of a gate pivoted with respect to the opposed upright.

The receiving member of either of the two preferred embodiments may comprise a first slot for receiving an extendible rod of the adjustable mount of the gate or barrier and a further slot disposed substantially perpendicularly to the first slot to accommodate the gate buffer of a gate or barrier conventionally used to contact the opposing uprights for locating the gate or barrier between a pair of opposing walls.

With a gate fixture of this arrangement, the gate or barrier is dropped into the gate fixture and the wall that defines the further slot provides means by which the gate or barrier is restrained against movement away from the support. With gate fixtures positioned on each side of the threshold the gate or barrier may be hung in two or more mounts and be held in position to restrain against movement. If, however, only one of the boundaries of the threshold is unsuitable for conventional positioning of a gate or barrier, the gate fixture gripping the support provides means by which the adjustable clamping means is held in a fixed position relative to the support, so that the gate or barrier can then be braced across the threshold in conventional fashion without being prone to being dislodged.

The gate fixture may, however, comprise a cup for receiving the gate buffer of the barrier or gate. The cylindrical walls of the mounting cup prevent lateral and vertical movement of the gate relative to the gate fixture.

The gate fixture of this invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to Figures 1 to 15 of the drawings of which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first type of gate fixture of a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the gate fixture of Figure 1 in position on a stair post; Figure 3 is perspective view illustrating the interaction between the gate fixture of Figure 1 and a gate for positioning at the irregular threshold; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a second type of gate fixture of the first embodiment of the present invention; Figures 5a and 5b are perspective views of a third type of gate fixture of the first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 is a perspective view of a fourth type of gate fixture of the first embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a gate fixture of the first embodiment of the present invention with a deformable pad; Figure 8 is a perspective view of a gate fixture of the first embodiment of the present invention with a detachable wedging member; Figure 9 is a perspective view of a gate fixture of the first embodiment of the present invention with a mounted wedging member; Figure 10 is a perspective view of the gate fixture of Figure 8 or Figure 9 in position on a tapered post; Figure 11 is a perspective view of a gate fixture of the first embodiment of the present invention having a split strap; Figure 12 is a perspective view of part of a spindle clamp of a second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 13 is a perspective view of the spindle clamp of Figure 12 in location on railings;; Figure 14 is a perspective view of one jaw of a gate fixture of a third embodiment of the present invention for use with a rectangular cross-section post; and Figure 15 is an illustration of the gate fixture of the third embodiment in position on a post of rectangular cross-section.

A first embodiment of a gate fixture 10 providing a mounting block 12 for securing a safety gate or barrier across an irregular threshold can be seen in Figures 1 to 11. Figures 1 to 3 illustrate a first type of mounting block 12 of the first embodiment.

The mounting block 12 provides an attachment for strap member 16. The attachment at one end of the mounting block 12 is adjustable to allow the gate fixture 10 to grip a variety of sizes of gate post.

In the embodiment illustrated, the mounting block 12 acts as a buckle to secure the fixture 10 to posts of a variety of thicknesses. The block 12 may be a single component or may comprise a plurality of interlocking components to provide for the necessary strap adjustment. Other means for adjusting the strap length could, however, be employed instead.

The gate fixture 10 is shown indicating the position of the securing members 18 of a conventional safety barrier in Figure 3. The mounting block 12 provides a slot 20 designed to receive the screw threaded extension rods 22 present at each corner of a conventional safety barrier or gate. A gap 24 is provided behind the slot 20 to accommodate the adjustable gate buffer 26 conventionally used to brace the safety barrier or gate between opposing uprights.

It is likely that the conditions on opposing sides of the threshold where a gate fixture finds utility will take different forms. For example there will be a post on one side and a wall on the other. In order to securely position a safety gate or barrier in position, conventional means of fixture will probably be used on the side of the threshold opposite to the post illustrated in Figure 2.

A second type of mounting block 12 of the first embodiment is illustrated in Figure 4. This provides a cup 13 for receiving a gate buffer 26 of a conventional safety barrier or gate. The cylindrical wall 15 of the cup 13 prevents lateral and vertical movement of the gate buffer 26 relative to the mounting member 12 while the gate is secured in position.

The first two types of mount allow conventional gates to be located across an irregular threshold. The third and fourth types of gate fixture 10 are designed to accommodate a complementary gate, designed for use with the gate fixtures. Figure 5 illustrates a mounting block 12 that provides a vertically extending cylindrical hole 17 for receiving a downwardly projecting member 19 of a gate or a barrier. Such a receiving arrangement may allow a gate to pivot relative to the mounting block 12 to provide a larger gateway for passing through when the gate is open.

Such a mounting may also, however, be used with a fixed mount on the opposing upright of the threshold to secure a barrier in position with no pivotal motion possible. Figure 5b shows the mounting member 12 with the downwardly projecting portion 19 located in the cylindrical hole 17.

Figure 6 illustrates a mounting block 12 providing a catch member 21 for receiving a spring-loaded catch on a gate hinged relative to the opposed upright of the threshold. As the gate swings shut a rod 23 is forced inwardly of the gate as it rides across a concave surface of the catch 21. The mounting member 12 secures the gate in the closed position.

In order to conform with safety requirements, it is important that a gate fixture 10 illustrated in any of Figures 1 to 11 resists rotation about a post to which it is attached. This ensures that, for example, a child walking into the barrier will not dislodge it from its position. To achieve this aim, the strap 16 can be made from a high friction inextensible material. The strap 16 should also be tensioned at all times while it is in position to ensure that it resists shearing forces about the post. One type of material suitable for forming the strap 16 is a webbing fabric coated and impregnated with a high friction material. An example of a webbing material suitable would be one made from polyester fibre impregnated with plasticised PVC.

To achieve adequate tensioning of the strap 16 around a post, a lever action buckle can be used to fasten the strap. This type of buckle allows the strap 16 to be pulled to a higher tension than can be exerted by a hand alone. Such a lever action buckle (not illustrated) would preferably incorporate an "overcentre" action. Such an arrangement provides a variable levering ratio as the strap is tightened. As the lever is operated the strap tightens. With progressive tightening, the levering ratio reduces so that operation of the lever becomes easier. At the end of the travel of the lever, the lever geometry is arranged so that the strap tension keeps the strap in the locked end position. This type of buckle is conventionally available in a number of common types of strap buckle.To aid attachment the strap 16 could be formed in two parts each attached to one end of the mounting block 12 joined by a buckle of the desired type. Preferably the block 12 is of two separate but interengaging parts each captive on the strap 16. The parts can be separated to allowing fitting of the strap around a post. One or both components allows adjustment of its position on the strap, hinging between the components provides the necessary levering and locking action.

To enable the gate fixture 10 and safety barrier to comply with safety regulations, two gate fixtures are preferably attached to the gate post to secure the gate or barrier in position. These are preferably positioned at the top and the bottom of the gate or barrier on the post side of the threshold.

As posts are not generally of uniform cross-section, it is desirable that the strap 16 attaching the mounting member 12 to a post is able to accommodate variations in post girth over the vertical extent of the mounting block 12. This can be achieved in any one of several ways.

A first manner in which this can be achieved is by the provision of a squashy resilient pad 25 on the rear of the mounting block 12 illustrated in Figure 7. Such a pad 25 may be formed from an elastic material such as rubber preferably with closed air cells so that it retains compressive force for extended periods. Such a squashy resilient pad 12 could also be provided between the strap 16 and the post to aid conformation around the complete girth of the post.

The second way in which variations in post circumference can be accommodated is through the provision of a wedge-shaped adapter 60 for location between the mounting block 12 and a post illustrated in Figure 8. Such an arrangement could be used with upwardly or downwardly tapering posts with the wedge 60 positioned to match the taper. A plate 62 hingedly attached to the rear of the mounting block 12 about a horizontal axle 64 can also be provided to match the taper of the post. This arrangement is illustrated in Figure 9 and can be used alone or in combination with wedge-shaped pieces 60. Figure 10 shows the gate fixture in position aided in gripping by a wedge, set to conform to the taper.

A third manner in which a gate fixture 10 of the present invention could be securely fitted around a non-uniform post is by splitting a wide strap 16 into two or more, preferably three, narrower straps 66 as illustrated in Figure 11. Each of the straps 66 could then be secured around the post. Each strap 66 need not then be buckled at a portion having the same circumference and the secured straps can have different lengths.

In a variation on any of the embodiments described, the gate fixture 10 is also utilisable without the strap 16, 18. The block 14 is provided with apertures 28 to allow it to be screwed or otherwise attached to a wall. By positioning a pair of strapped gate fixtures on a post on one side of the threshold to be blocked and a pair of strapless gate fixtures on a wall on the other side of the threshold, the extensible feet of the safety gate or barrier can be dropped into the slots 20 in the gate fixtures on either side of the threshold. The gate is accordingly held in position without the necessity for bracing the gate or barrier between opposing uprights. It is important under these conditions for the strap 16 to be secured tightly enough on the post to support the weight of the barrier or gate and more especially to secure the gate against shearing forces.

A second embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figures 12 and 13. This embodiment is designed to allow a gate to be positioned part way up a flight of stairs. The gate fixture 10 comprises a spindle clamp 40 that is provided in two parts 42, 44 that are joined together by a strap 46 of adjustable length. The spindle clamp 40 may be provided with a mounting member 12 similar in construction to any of those illustrated in Figures 1 to 6. By adjusting the length of the strap 46 that passes through slots 47 into part 44, the two parts 42, 44 of the spindle clamp 40 are pulled together until they grip the railings. A similar buckle arrangement to that described in relation to the first described embodiment may be used to tension the strap to secure the clamp in position. Similar tensioning properties are required for the strap 46 used in this embodiment.

However, the friction force holding the spindle clamp in position is between the two parts 42, 44 of the clamp 40 and the railings. Slots 49 are provided in the part 42 of the spindle clamp 40 to receive protrusions from the mounting block 12 to locate the block 12 relative to the spindle clamp 40. This ensures no lateral movement of the gate or barrier relative to the spindle clamp 40. Ribs 50 are provided to ensure that the block 12 is also secured against vertical movement relative to the spindle clamp 40 once in position.

Once secured to the railings 48, the spindle clamp 40 operates in the same manner as the gate fixture of the previous embodiment. Again a pair of spindle clamps 40 for securing both the top and bottom of a safety gate or barrier is desirable. Conventional bracing methods could be used to secure the barrier or gate in position provided the spindles can withstand the outward pressure for maintaining the gate or barrier.

As an alternative, strapless gate fixtures can be attached to the opposing upright at the desired location to allow the gate or barrier to hang in position.

A third embodiment for use preferably with square gate posts is illustrated in Figures 14 and 15. This embodiment may be used at the top or bottom of a flight of stairs bounded by an irregularly shaped square post or perhaps in a doorway in which one of the uprights is ill suited for the positioning of safety gates or barriers in a conventional manner.

A post gripper 51 of the third embodiment is provided with a pair of jaws 52 with teeth 54 that bite into opposed faces of a rectangular type gate post 56 to secure against lateral movement relative to the post.

A strap 58 of adjustable length is provided to encourage the teeth 54 of the gate fixture to bite into the gate post 56 by drawing the jaws 52 together.

The strap 58 passes through an aperture 61 in each of the jaws 52 to achieve this end. Otherwise the gate fixture of the third embodiment functions in the same manner as those of the previous embodiments. Again the block 12 is located relative to the jaws 52 by a protrusion (not shown) that fits snugly into one of the apertures 59 in the post gripper 51. Ribs 60 prevent the block 12 from moving up or down in relation to the jaw 52 of the post gripper 51 on which it is mounted.

The invention being thus described it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the scope of the invention.

There are described above novel features which the skilled man will appreciate give rise to advantages.

These are each independent aspects of the invention to be covered by the present application, irrespective of whether or not they are included within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (13)

CLAINS:

1. A gate fixture for securing a safety gate or barrier relative to a support structure defining one boundary of a threshold, comprising a receiving member for receiving a complementary member of a safety gate or barrier and a gripping member for gripping the support structure.

2. A gate fixture according to claim 1 wherein the gripping member comprises a strap of adjustable length for surrounding and gripping a support providing an exposed 3600 surface.

3. A gate fixture according to claim 2 wherein the strap is formed from a high friction material that is kept in tension at all times during attachment.

4. A gate fixture according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the strap is inextensible, and flexible.

5. A gate fixture according to claim 4 wherein the strap comprises a strap of woven material webbing.

6. A gate fixture according to any one of claims 1 to 5 further comprising a lever action buckle for adequately tensioning the strap as it is wrapped around the post.

7. A gate fixture according to claim 1 wherein the gripping member comprises a pair of jaws and means to urge the jaws together to grip the support.

8. A gate fixture according to claim 7 wherein the means for urging the jaws of the gripping member together comprises a strap.

9. A gate fixture according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the receiving member is adapted to receive a securing member used for positioning the gate or barrier between opposed uprights.

10. A gate fixture according to any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the receiving member is adapted to receive a downwardly projecting portion extending from the barrier or gate for acting as a hinge to allow the gate to pivot relative to the gate fixture.

11. A gate fixture according to any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the receiving member comprises a catch member for receiving a complementary catch member of a gate pivoted with respect to the opposed upright.

12. A gate fixture according to any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the receiving member comprises a first slot for receiving an extendible rod of the adjustable mount of the gate or barrier and a further slot disposed substantially perpendicularly to the first slot to accommodate the gate buffer of a gate or barrier conventionally used to contact the opposing uprights for locating the gate or barrier between a pair of opposing walls.

13. A gate fixture according to any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the gate fixture comprises a cup for receiving the gate buffer of the barrier or gate.