KR20050016562A - Bench guard - Google Patents

Abstract

A removable safety guard is provided that prevents accidental impulse fall of an article or liquid over an edge that does not prevent the article from falling on a fixed horizontal surface.

Description

Bench Guard {BENCH GUARD}

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to safety devices associated with work surfaces, such as the top of a kitchen, work bench or laboratory bench, and in particular to means for preventing accidental fallout or fluid spillage of objects from these work surfaces.

For many people, deficiencies in safety devices that prevent accidental spills of material or fluids and accidental fall of objects from benches, cabinet-ranges and tables can cause serious injuries and / or expenses, and in extreme cases, death. .

Accidental spillage of hot or caustic fluid (eg, hot tea or coffee) from kitchen benches and tables is one of the causes that can cause death and injury to young children of Western civilization. Older and weaker people or these accidents can cause injury.

Accidental falls and fluid spills from objects on work benches and tables can injure employees and have a financially industrial impact. The laboratory bench is another area of potential danger if an object accidentally falls or a fluid spills; Hot caustic substances can injure school-age children in the classroom.

The object of the present invention is to assist in preventing such an accident.

1 is a schematic diagram of a bench top safety feature according to a first embodiment of the invention;

2 is a schematic view of the optional retaining means of the FIG. 1 embodiment.

3 is a schematic illustration of a bench top safety feature according to a second embodiment of the invention

4 is a schematic representation of a part using one of the devices of FIG.

5 is a schematic view of the attachment means of the FIG. 1 embodiment part.

6 is a schematic diagram in which the embodiment of FIG. 1 is used;

7 is a schematic representation of the visual arrangement of the eye of a child compared to the adult eye with and without using an embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a schematic view of a bench guard according to another embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a bench guard according to another embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a bench guard according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Thus, in one aspect of the invention, a removable safety guard is provided that is on a fixed horizontal surface and that prevents an accidental urged fall of an article or fluid over an edge that does not prevent the article from falling.

Preferably, the surface comprises a bench top, cabinet range or table top.

Preferably. The guard includes an almost vertical elongated rectangular member having an outward facing surface and an inward facing surface coupled to the edge and extending along at least a portion of the surface edge.

Preferably, the edge is any edge of the surface on which the article may fall if subjected to some impulse within a range sufficiently close to the edge.

Preferably, the guard is inserted into a slot in the surface.

Preferably, the slot is provided with a cover strip; The strip prevents the ingress of dust and other materials into the slot.

Preferably, the guard is inserted into a guard holding means attached to the surface.

Preferably said retaining means is in the form of a protruding channel, said channel being attached to said surface.

Preferably, the protruding channel is

a) applied adhesive

b) double sided adhesive tape

c) magnetic means

d) suction means;

e) is attached to the surface by attachment means including at least one of mechanical means including screws, rivets and the like.

Preferably, the guard is attached to the surface by a hinged member.

Preferably, the guard and the guard holding means are formed of a metallic material.

Preferably, the guard and the guard retaining means are formed of a non-metallic material.

Preferably, the guard and the guard holding means are formed of a combination of metal and non-metallic material.

Thus, in another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for preventing accidental impulse fall of an article or fluid on top of an edge of a fixed horizontal surface, the method comprising guards disposed along at least a portion of the edge of the surface Providing a member, the guard member extending at a sufficient height above the surface to form a barrier against the fall of the article or fluid.

Thus, in another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for providing a safety guard member at an edge of a fixed horizontal surface, wherein the guard member is inserted into a slot disposed along the edge of the surface.

Thus, in another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for providing a safety guard member at an edge of a fixed horizontal surface, the guard member being held in a fixed protruding channel along the edge of the surface.

Thus, in another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for providing a safety guard member at an edge of a fixed horizontal surface, wherein the guard member is attached along the surface edge by a hinge member.

Embodiments of the present invention are disclosed with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Embodiments of the present invention provide suitable guard member additions around the work surface, otherwise the edge of the work surface is not protected by, for example, a splashing plate or abutting wall of the sink.

1 and 2, in a first preferred embodiment of the present invention a vertically extending guard member 1 is provided which is located in the retaining member 2 (or 4). The guard member 1 is in the form of an elongated rigid strip of appropriate height and thickness extending along at least a portion of the exposed edge of the working surface as can be seen in FIG. 6.

As can be seen in FIG. 5, in the first embodiment, the guard member 1 is fixed to the working surface of the bench top 6 by a retaining member 2 (or 4) in the form of a protruding channel section. The retaining member 2 (or 4) is attached to the bench top 6 by various means, for example by means of screws 9, rivets 10 or double-sided self-adhesive strips 8 as shown in FIG. 6. Can be fixed. Another method of securing the retaining member 2 (or 4) to the bench top 6 is by means of a non-mechanical or suction means such as a suitable adhesive or magnetic strip.

The guard member 1 is permanently or dismantled or semi-permanently secured to the retaining member 2 (or 4) (e.g., by a friction fit or by a molded locking fit). Or can be held in place in a tight fashion to remove it if a guard function is not required. The guard member 1 is optionally provided with a hole 3 so that the guard member 1 can be stored at a predetermined convenient position by suspension from a hook (not shown).

In a second preferred embodiment of the invention as shown in FIG. 3, the guard member 1 is mounted in a slot 5 located along the edge of the bench top 6. Slots may be formed as part of an edge strip attached to the edge of the bench top or by machining into the surface of the bench top.

In this embodiment, the guard member 1 is in close contact so that it can be permanently fixed semi-permanently (e.g. by means of close contact or mold lock attachment) in the slot 5 or optionally removed if desired. Can be located in the slot. In the latter case, the slot 5 may be provided with a cover strip 7 (FIG. 4) to prevent entry of material or liquid into the slot 5 and to preserve its appearance.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the slot may be covered with a spring-rod cover strip that presses a position on the slot as the guard member is removed.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the guard member 1 is operably attached to the bench top 6 by a hinge. The hinge can be permanently attached or detachably attached to the work surface on the bench top.

In all disclosed embodiments, the guard member may be formed from any range of metals, such as steel or aluminum, and suitable materials, including wood, compressed fibers or plastic laminates or combinations thereof. Non-metallic materials may be transparent or opaque.

The use of the guard member serves to prevent the liquid from flowing over the edge, or to prevent the object from accidentally falling over the edge of the bench top, and also serves as an obstruction when the small child pulls the object over the edge. In particular, guard members arranged along the front of the cabinet-like range arranged on the surface of the kitchen bench top minimize the possibility of a very dangerous situation.

In an embodiment of the invention, the guard member is removable from the slot, and different guard members in a height range suitable for different working and safety conditions can be provided. Thus, for example, in a laboratory where a relatively large container is used, a relatively high guard may be inserted into the retaining member, while a relatively low guard may be suitable if only a spill of liquid is involved.

With reference to FIG. 7, the bench guard 10 is shown in position on the stove or bench surface 11 in accordance with any embodiment disclosed above and the guard 10 adjacent to the bench or cabinet-like range 11 has a floor ( 12) arranged to have a barrier height H selected to serve as a visual barrier for items that the child sees over the barrier on the cabinet-like range or bench top 11 when viewed from the child's eye at the height of the child's head on. The barrier height H is also chosen so as not to disturb the adult gaze beyond the top of the guard 10. As a result, the child cannot see items on the other side of the guard, and the child is not interested in these items. On the contrary, the gaze of an adult is not disturbed so that an adult can work efficiently in an environment such as a kitchen having an item such as a saucepan 13 located on a stove or bench top 11.

8, 9 and 10, three embodiments of a guard, including guards 20, 30, and 40, respectively, are shown in schematic diagrams. Each guard is arranged to have a different height H over the surface of the bench top including the heights H1, H2 and H3. It should be noted that the guard material itself may be made of an opaque material, and the user may select various heights H1, H2, H3 to achieve the results shown in FIG. 7 between children and adults.

With reference to FIG. 8, the guard 20 has a vertically arranged slot 22 which slides therein in a vertical direction with a substantially solid and continuous guard member 23 of the length of the slot 22. The guard support rail 21 is included.

Disassembly of the guard member 23 as shown by the vertical arrow is achieved by vertical movement in the upward direction about the rail 21. In contrast, the joining is performed in the opposite direction. Compared to the bench top 11, the shape and relative angle of the slot 22 allows only nearly vertical mating and dismantling movements.

The present invention is not disassembled by lateral pull motions that can be expected by children. On the other hand, vertical dismantling for cleaning lamps is relatively easy for adults.

Only a few embodiments of the invention have been described above, and those skilled in the art will recognize that modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (24)

Removable safety guard on a fixed horizontal surface that prevents an accidental urged fall of the article or liquid over an edge that does not prevent the article from falling. The method of claim 1, And the surface comprises a bench top, cabinet range and table top. The method of claim 2, And the guard includes a substantially vertical elongated rectangular member having an outward facing surface and an inward facing surface coupled to the edge and extending along at least a portion of the edge of the surface. The method of claim 3, wherein And the edge is any edge of the surface from which the article may fall if subjected to any impulse within a range sufficiently close to the edge. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, And the guard is inserted into a slot of the surface. The method of claim 5, wherein The slot is provided with a cover strip, wherein the strip prevents the ingress of dust and other materials into the slot. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, And the guard is inserted into a guard holding means attached to the surface. The method of claim 7, wherein And said retaining means is in the form of a protruding channel, said channel being attached to said surface. The method of claim 8, The protruding channel is a. Applied adhesive b. Double sided adhesive tape c magnetic means d. Suction means e. Mechanical means including screws, rivets, etc. Removable safety guard, characterized in that attached to the surface by an attachment means comprising a. The method of claim 4, wherein And the guard is attached to the surface by a hinge member. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, And said guard and said means for holding said guard are formed of a metallic material. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, And the guard and guard holding means are formed of a non-metallic material. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, And the guard holding means is formed of a combination of metal and non-metallic material. A method of preventing accidental impulse fall of an article or liquid over an edge of a fixed horizontal surface, Providing a guard member disposed along at least a portion of the edge of the surface, the guard member extending at a sufficient height above the surface to form a barrier to the fall of the article or liquid How to avoid falling. A method of providing a safety guard member at an edge of a fixed horizontal surface, And the guard member is inserted into a slot disposed along the edge of the surface. A method of providing a safety guard member at an edge of a fixed horizontal surface, And the guard member is retained in a projected channel fixed along an edge of the surface. A method of providing a safety guard member at an edge of a fixed horizontal surface, And the guard member is attached along an edge of the surface by a hinge member. Safety guard disclosed with reference to the accompanying drawings. A guard system that prevents accidental impulse fall of an article over a leading edge of a fixed horizontal surface, The guard system includes a rail aligned about the edge and attached to the surface to provide a slot therein approximately vertically oriented for sliding engagement of the guard member; Said guard members of substantially rectangular cross-section are longitudinal and lateral; The guard member is substantially vertically engaged and disengaged relative to the slot of the rail; The guard member is substantially totally opaque. The method of claim 19, The height of the guard member is chosen such that the guard member acts as a visual barrier and, when mounted on the surface, visualizes an object on the far side of the guard member when visible on a child but not by an adult. A guard system characterized by the above. A method of minimizing accidental impulse fall of an article from a surface relative to an edge of the surface, the method comprising providing the guard member of claim 19 or 20 as a kit of two component parts. . The method of claim 21, Wherein said two component part comprises a rail having a slot therein and a guard member substantially opaque to the vertical receptacle in said slot. Guard device comprising two and only two parts. The method of claim 23, And the two components comprise a guard member and a rail having a slot therein with respect to the vertical receptacle of the guiding member.