GB2400402A - Gate assembly with a secure drop bolt - Google Patents

Abstract

A gate assembly comprises first and second gates 12,14 which are movable between a closed position in which they extend across an opening and in which the free edges of the gates lie adjacent one another, and an open position wherein the first gate has a bolt 20,23 engageable with a fixed member 22 to hold that gate in its closed position, and there also being means 18 for locking the gates to one another at their adjacent free edges in their closed position, wherein the first and second gates 12,14 cooperate with each other when they are in their closed position to prevent the bolt 20,23 from being disengaged from the fixed member 22. Preferably the bolt has a handle 25 which is rendered inaccessible when the gates are closed. The gates may be locked together by a key lock. The nose portion 20 of the bolt may be provided with a plurality of protective covers 24.

Description

Description of Invention

This invention relates to a gate assembly comprising first and second gates supported for pivotal movement about respective axes at opposite sides of an opening, the gates being movable between respective closed positions in which they extend across the opening and in which free edges of the gates remote from their pivotal axes lie adjacent one another, and open positions in which the opening is at least partially unobstructed, the first gate having a bolt engageable with a fixed member to hold that gate in its closed position and there being means for locking the gates to one another at their adjacent free edges in their closed positions. Such a gate assembly will hereafter be referred to as a gate assembly of the kind specified.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a gate assembly of the kind specified in which the security thereof is enhanced.

According to one aspect of the invention, we provide a gate assembly of the kind specified wherein the first and second gates cooperate with each other when they are in their closed position to prevent the bolt from being disengaged from the fixed member.

In a gate assembly in accordance with the invention, security is enhanced when the gates are locked in the closed position in that an unauthorized person cannot cause the bolt to be disengaged from the fixed member without first releasing the means which locks the gates to one another in the closed position. In particular it is not possible to disengage the bolt and thereby free the gates for some movement which might facilitate an attempt to weaken, break, or otherwise attack the means which locks them closed.

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a À À e À À À À À À À À À À e À À À The bolt may be moveable by a handle member connected thereto, e.g. extending transversely thereto, and when the gates are in the closed position the handle member may be at least rendered inaccessible and preferably engaged to prevent it from being moved.

The bolt may be disposed within an element of hollow cross-section at or adjacent the free edge of the first gate, and the handle member extend outwardly of such hollow element through a slot in the wall thereof. Such slot may have, at or adjacent one end, a formation for holding the handle member in a position wherein the bolt is retracted.

The second gate may be provided with a receiving formation in which the handle member is engageable when the bolt is extended into engagement with the fixed member.

The bolt may be moveable in a direction generally lengthwise of the free edge of the first gate, such that a nose portion of the bolt is extendible to engage the fixed member and retractable to disengage it from the fixed member. It may extend downwardly from the gate to engage a fixed member embedded in the ground, and be retractable upwardly.

The receiving formation on the second gate may be adjacent the free edge thereof.

The first gate may include a closing formation which, when the gates are the closed position, closes the receiving formation on the second gate. Thus the receiving formation on the second gate is inaccessible from either side of the gate assembly, enhancing security against tampering therewith.

The closing formation on the first gate may be provided by a lip formation along the free edge thereof.

The nose portion of the bolt may have at least one rotatable covering element, e.g. a sleeve or a plurality of individual shorter sleeves contacting one another, to resist attack on the bolt by sawing.

À .. À À À Àe e À . À À À . À À À À À À À À À À À The second gate may comprise a further bolt which is engageable with a further fixed member, e.g. on or in the ground, to hold the second gate in its open position. The further bolt may be moveable by a further handle member connected thereto, e.g. extending transversely thereto, and when the gates are in the closed position such further handle member may be at least rendered inaccessible and preferably engaged by the first gate to prevent it from being moved.

Analogously to the arrangement of the bolt on the first gate, the further bolt may be disposed within an element of hollow cross-section at or adjacent the free edge of the second gate, and the further handle member extends outwardly of such hollow element through a slot in the wall thereof. Such slot may have, at or adjacent one end, a formation for holding the further handle member in a position wherein the further bolt is retracted. The first gate may have a further receiving formation to prevent movement of the further bolt from its refracted position.

The second gate may include a further closing formation which, when the gates are in the closed position, closes the further receiving formation on the first gate. Thus unauthorised tampering with the further bolt is prevented, and in particular it cannot be moved from its retracted position.

According to another aspect of the invention, we provide a gate including a bolt extendible from the gate into engagement with a fixed member to hold the gate in a required position, wherein a nose portion of the bolt accessible when engaged with the fixed member is provided with at least one covering element rotatable about the nose portion of the bolt.

There may be a plurality of sleeve elements rotatable about the nose portion.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: c c c e À À C À C C À ce- arc c À ace À C C C Figure 1 is a front view of a gate assembly in accordance with the present invention, in a closed position; Figure 2 is a rear view of part of a first gate of the gate assembly of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a front view of a lower part of a second gate of the gate assembly of Figure 1; Figure 4 shows a further rear view of a lower part of the first gate of the gate assembly shown in Figure 1; and Figure 5 shows a top view of the free edges of the first and second gates cooperating with each other in the closed position.

Referring firstly to Figure 1, there is shown a front view of a gate assembly 10 in accordance with the present invention, in a closed position. The gate assembly comprises a first gate 12 and a second gate 14. The first and second gates 12, 14 are carried by appropriate hinges (not shown) by respective gate posts 13, 15 at opposite sides of an opening, the gates 12, 14 being pivotally moveable about respective axes and their edges adjacent the gate posts. The posts 13, 15 have their lower ends set in the ground 16, extending sufficiently far below the ground surface to bee firmly supported. The first and second gates 12, 14 are securable together by locking means 18, which may be a key-operated lock carried by the first gate 12 and having a locking element engageable with the second gate 14.

The first gate 12 is provided with a bolt having a body portion 23 and a nose portion 20, the nose portion 20 being engageable with a recess in a fixed member 22 set in the ground 16, for holding the first gate 12 in the closed position. The fixed member 22 has a removable top plate 22a with an aperture through which the nose portion 20 of the bolt can enter the member 22; the ability to remove the top plate 22a enables any soil or gravel which might enter and fill up the member 22 to be cleaned out.

À ace À e : c: À . . À . . . : À À À e À Turning now to Figure 2, there is shown part of the first gate 12, being the lower part thereof in the vicinity of its free edge remote from the post 13.

Adjacent and parallel to its free edge the gate 12 includes a hollow box section element 12_ in which the body portion 23 of the bolt is slidable in the upwards and downwards direction, and when the bolt is in its uppermost position the nose portion 20 thereof is retracted or substantially retracted into the box section 12a.

The body portion 23 of the bolt has a handle 25 which extends transversely therefrom. The nose portion 20 of the bolt is enclosed by a plurality of rotatable collars 24, held on the bolt by a retaining element. The handle 25 extends out of the box section 12a through a slot 26 therein and is moveable along the slot 26. At its upper end, the slot 26 has a notch 27 with which the handle 25 is engageable to hold the bolt in its raised position with its nose portion retracted into the box section 12a.

Figure 3 shows a front view of a lower part of the second gate 14 of the gate assembly. Figure 3 also shows the bolt 20, 23 of the first gate 12, the bolt being shown with all adjacent parts of the first gate particularly the box section element 12a removed. Analogously to the first gate 12, the second gate has a hollow box section element 14a extending along its free edge, the box section element 14_ including a receiving formation namely an opening 28 therein.

The position of the opening 28 is such that when the gate 14 is in its closed position and the nose portion 20 of the bolt is engaged with the fixed member 22, on closing the second gate 14 the handle 25 of the bolt engages in the opening 28.

Analogously to the support of the bolt 20, 23 by the first gate, the box section element 14_ of the second gate 14 accommodates a further bolt 30 with a body part 31 from which a further handle member 32 extends transversely.

The handle member 32 is moveable along a slot 33 in the box section 14_, the slot 33 having a notch 35 at its lower end with which the handle 32 engages to À À À À . . À . À À . . ÀÀ . À À À À . . . . À À À . À À À À . À À hold the bolt 30 in its uppermost, retracted position. The further bolt 30, 31 is engageable with the ground or a member fixed to the ground to hold the second gate 14 in an open position.

The box section element 12_ ofthe first gate 12 includes an opening 34 therein, with which the handle 32 of the further bolt 30, 31 is engageable when the gates 12, 14 are in the closed position. Figure 4 shows the further bolt 30, 31 with all adjacent components, including the box section element 14a, of the second gate removed, to illustrate the engagement of the handle 32 with the opening 34.

Figure 5 shows in plan view the free edges of the first and second gates 12, 14 cooperating with one another in the closed position. They are provided with lip formations 40, 42 respectively. When the gates 12, 14 are in the closed position the lip formations 40, 42 close the openings in the respective box sections 12a, 14_ preventing the bolt nose portion 20 from being disengaged from the fixed member 22 and the further bolt 30 from being released to engage with the ground 16. The handles 25, 32 are inaccessible and unable to be tampered with when the gates are in their closed position.

The gate assembly is preferably of metal, e.g. steel, and the bolts of stainless steel. Other materials may be utilised as desired.

In the present specification "comprise" means "includes or consists of" and "comprising" means "including or consisting of".

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims (23)

À À À À À . À À a# À Àe. À. e À À ce. À a À À . . . CLAIMS

1. A gate assembly of the kind specified wherein the first and second gates cooperate with each other when they are in their closed position to prevent the bolt from being disengaged from the fixed member.

2. A gate assembly according to Claim 1 wherein the bolt is moveable by a handle member connected thereto, and when the gates are in the closed position the handle member is at least rendered inaccessible.

3. A gate assembly according to Claim 2 wherein the handle member is engaged to prevent it from being moved.

4. A gate assembly according to Claim 2 or Claim 3 wherein the bolt is disposed within an element of hollow cross-section at or adjacent the free edge of the first gate, and the handle member extends outwardly of such hollow element through a slot in the wall thereof.

5. A gate assembly according to Claim 4 wherein said slot has a formation for holding the handle member in a position wherein the bolt is retracted.

6. A gate assembly according to Claim 3 or Claim 4 or Claim 5 as appendant thereto wherein the second gate is provided with a receiving formation in which the handle member is engageable when the bolt is extended into engagement with the fixed member.

7. A gate assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the bolt is moveable in a direction generally lengthwise of the free edge of the À À - À Àe e À : a. . . . ee. À À À .

first gate, with a nose portion of the bolt extendible to engage the fixed member and retractable to disengage it from the fixed member.

8. A gate assembly according to Claim 7 wherein the nose portion of the bolt extends downwardly from the gate to engage a fixed member embedded in the ground.

9. A gate assembly according to Claim 6 wherein the receiving formation on the second gate is adjacent the free edge thereof.

10. A gate assembly according to Claim 6 or Claim 9 wherein the first gate includes a closing formation which, when the gates are in the closed position, closes the receiving formation on the second gate;

11. A gate assembly according to Claim 10 wherein said closing formation comprises a lip along the free edge of the first gate.

12. A gate assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein a or the nose portion of the bolt has at least one rotatable covering element.

13. A gate assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the second gate comprises a further bolt engageable with a further fixed member to hold the second gate in its open position.

14. A gate assembly according to Claim 13 wherein the further bolt is moveable by a further handle member connected thereto, and when the gates are in the closed positions such further handle member is at least rendered inaccessible by the first gate. À À À

15. A gate assembly according to Claim 14 wherein said handle member is engaged by the first gate to prevent it from being moved.

16. A gate assembly according to Claim 14 or Claim 15 wherein the further bolt is disposed within an element of hollow cross-section at or adjacent the free edge of the second gate, and the further handle member extends outwardly of such hollow element.

17. A gate assembly according to Claim 16 further provided with a formation for holding the further handle member in a position wherein the further bolt is retracted.

18. A gate assembly according to Claim 17 wherein the first gate has a further receiving formation to receive the further handle, and to prevent movement of the further bolt from its retracted position.

19. A gate assembly according to Claim 18 wherein the second gate includes a further closing formation which closes the further receiving formation on the first gate.

20. A gate including a bolt extendible from the gate into engagement with a fixed member to hold the gate in a required position, wherein a nose portion of the bolt accessible when engaged with the fixed member is provided with at least one covering element rotatable about the nose portion of the bolt.

21. A gate according to claim 20 comprising a plurality of sleeve elements rotatable about the nose portion.

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22. A gate assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.

23. Any novel feature or novel combination of features described herein andlor in the accompanying drawings.