US1884447A

US1884447A - Vehicle barrier

Info

Publication number: US1884447A
Application number: US607460A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lloyd J White
Original assignee: SOUTHERN PRISON Co
Current assignee: SOUTHERN PRISON Co
Priority date: 1932-04-25
Filing date: 1932-04-25
Publication date: 1932-10-25
Anticipated expiration: 1949-10-25

Description

J- WHITE VEHICLE BARRIER Filed April 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l is 5: MN

Gttorneg Oct. 25, 1932. L. J. WHITE VEHICLE BARRIER Filed April 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Gttorneg Patented Oct. 25, 1932 UNITED STATES jPATENT OFFICE LIDY'D" awaits, or sen Anronio, Texas; nssrenon To; son'rnnnn raises coMrAnzor SAN ANTONIO, rnx'As; A co'nronnrron or TEXAS vnHic'LE Application filed Apri125,

. This invention relates to vehicle barriers or safety stops and, among other objects; aims to provide stop members adapted to be pro j'ected, at will, into the path of traflicfor the protection of gate entrances and the like. More specifically, the idea is to provide counterbalanced, vertically movable columns or barrier members adapted to be elevated and loweredalternately in the path of vehicles at m spaced gate entrances to prevent vehicles of any'kind from crashing the gates. F urthermore, the invention provides remote controlled pairs of barriers specially adapted for use in connection with vehicle locks which provide entrances to prison enclosures or yards, the purpose being to prevent mutinying or escaped prisoners from commandeering motor trucks, tractors or, even, locomotives and crashing the gatesso as to afford an avenue of escapefor all of the prisoners.

Gtherobjects and advantages of the invention will appear in the specification,when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: V

F ig. 1 is a plan view disclosing one embod ment of the invention applied'to a vehicle lock for a prison yard or the like; v 7 Fig. 2 is asectional view taken on the line 22 inFig. 1;

.Fig, 3is a sectional view taken on the line 33 in Fig. 2;

Fig. e is a sectional view taken on the line in Fig. 2; p v Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 in Fig. 2; and

F ig. dis a sectional viewtaken'on the line 66 in Fig. 2.

Referring particularly to the drawings, theillustrated embodiment of the invention A d is there shown as being applied to a vehicle lock 10 forming; the entrance to a prison yard-surrounded by walls 11. It will'be understood, however, that such barriersare capable-of many other uses. Inthisinstance, the vehicle loclrhas a pair of alined gates'12 and 13 adapted to be opened and. closed al ternately either manually or mechanically to permit-vehicles to passthrou'ghthe lock and into the prison yard over the roadwayjlt in'rnu-ch-the samemanner as aboat passing tannins 1932; Serial m.- ?,460.

through a canal look. It is quite common to provide such vehicle locks in prisonyards to guard against the escape ofprisoners. It will be understood that the entrance gate 12 first opened to permita vehicle to pass into the lock, andthen closed. After the gate 13 is closed or, as it closes, the gate 12 is opened to permit the vehicle to pass ;into the prison yard where prisonersmay be ex; ercising or at work. For the purposeof this illustration, the gates 12 and13 may be con: sidered as being slidable vertically' to open and close. In some installations of locks of this character,prisoners have beenknown to mutiny-and connnandeer vehicles to crash both gates from the outside. A locomotive might be used very etiectively tor this pur; pose if a spur'traclr runs into the prison yard. It the main purpose ofthis invention to provide means effectively to prevent the crashing of the gates by any type of vehicle or alocomotive. 7 V I V 7 Referring to Figs. 1 and 2,

thej gates

12 and 13 are shown as being guarded or protected by barriers in the form of a pair of vertically projecting columns 15' and 16, column 15 being arranged adjacent to and on the outside of gate 12 illtllG path of approaching-vehicles; while the column 16 is arranged adjacent to the gate 13 onthe inside of the prison yard. WVhile the plunger-like columns may be made of many different shapes anddesigns, they are here shownas being fabricated of pairs of connected channel beams 17' suitably secured-together at theirupper and lower ends by

end plates

18 and 19,the arrangement being such'that the columns are more or less rectangular and the webs oit'the channel beams extend in the direction of the trathc to afiord' considerable bending resistance; Each of the columns, which may be of any desired height or length, is shown 'as being guided to be raised or lowered in a vertical metaljcasing20 of such depth that, when either of the columns is lowered, to its bottom; its" top plate 18 will lie flush with the roadway or ground. These casings are preferably embedded in concrete, shown at 21 in Fig. 2, so that the casings cannot be bent when afprojected'col- 7 umn is struck a severe blow. To prevent dirt two columns are connected and counterbal anced by means of a cable 24 secured at its ends to the lower ends of the columns, passin over guide pulleys or sheaves 25 journa ed in transverse plates 26 near the upper ends of the casings 20; thence, through underground conduits 27 and being wound on drum 28 conveniently journaled in a housing W. The housing 29 is here shown as being arran ed inside of the vehicle lock and has a man ole cover 30 to afford access to it.

The arrangement is such that the drum 28 ma be rotated in either direction to raise an lower the columns or barriers alternatel They are suspended by the cable 24 so that both columns are normally supported at a' height of about two feet above the level of the driveway, protecting both gates. While the drum 28 may be power-driven and controlled from a remote station, it is shown as being manually operable by an attendant in a watchtower 31. To this end, the drum has an internal ring gear 32 driven by a pinion 33 on a shaft 34 which extends through an underground housing or conduit 35 to a point below the watchtower. The shaft 34 is geared to be driven by a vertical shaft 36 extending into the watchtower and geared to be operated by a hand wheel 37 which may be mounted on a control panel, pedestal or the like (not shown). The arrangement is such that the guard or operator in the tower may observe the position of both barriers and control the traflic passing through the lock without leaving his station or coming in contact with either the drivers of vehicles or the prisoners.

To limit the movement of the columns,

' beams 17 are conveniently provided with vertical connecting plates 38 welded or otherwise secured to their flanges near the lower ends (Figs. 2 and 5). The upper ends of these plates are arranged to strike stop lugs or projections 39 which may be welded to the casings 20 below the sheave brackets or plates 26 (Fig. 2). 3 Thus, the operator in the tower may turn the hand wheel 37 in either direction to the limit of its movement and be assured that one of the columns is projected to the limit of its height, while the other one is flush with the ground at its top.

While one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail as applied to vehicle locks for prisons, it will be ap rent that such barriers, with or with out o vious mechanical changes, may be used to control entrances or approaches of various kinds.

Obviously, the present invention is not restricted to the particular embodiment thereof herein shown and described. Moreover, it is not indispensable that all the features of the invention be used conjointly, since they may be employed advantageously in various combinations and sub-combinations.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a roadway entrance having a gate, a vehicle stop protecting the gate comprising a plunger-like member mounted below the roadway to be projected upwardly into the path of a vehicle; and remote controlled means for operating the stop.

2. In combination with a roadway having I a gate a vehicle stop in front of the gate comprising a plunger-like member mounted below the roadway to be projected vertically upwardly into the path of a vehicle; a casin beneath the surface of the roadway pro vi ing a guide for said member; operating means connected to the member; and remote controlled means for raising and lowering the member.

3. In combination with a roadway entrance, a pair of spaced barriers comprisin counterbalanced vertical columns arranged to be projected in the path of vehicles; and remote controlled means for raising and lowering said columns, one of the columns being arranged to be lowered substantially flush with the roadway surface, while the other is projected above the surface.

4. In combination with a vehicle entrance to enclosures having spaced gates, a pair of counterbalanced vehicle stops normally projected into the path of the vehicles so as to protect said gates; and operating means for said stops connected to move one of them out of the path of an approaching vehicle and the other into the path of a vehicle. 5. In combination with a vehicle lock having spaced gates, a pair of movable vehicle stops adjacent to the gates; and remote operating means connected to both stops to move one at a time out of the path of an approaching vehicle. I

6. In combination with a vehicle lock having spaced gates, providing an entrance to a walled enclosure, a pair of counterbalanced, plunger-like vehicle stop members arranged adjacent to the gates; and remote controlled means for raising one of the stop members and simultaneously lowering the other.

7. In combination with a vehicle lock having spaced gates providing an entrance to a walled enclosure, a pair of counterbalanced, plunger-like vehicle stop members arranged adjacent to the gates; vertical guide casings for said stop members anchored below the 130 surface of the roadway; and a single, remote controlled means connected to raise one of the stop members and simultaneously lower the other.

8. In combination with a vehicle lock for prison enclosures and the like having spaced gates a pair of vertical casings embedded in the ground adjacent to the gates; a fabricated steel column constituting a vehicle stop slidably mounted in each of said casings; a single cable connecting the columns so that one counterbalances the other and arranged normally to suspend both columns in the path of vehicles approaching both gates; a drum over which said cable is wound; and remote controlled means for operating the drum so as to project one of the columns above its normal suspended position and lower the other col-V umn so that its upper end lies substantially flush with the surface. a

9. In combination with a vehicle lock for prison enclosures and the like having spaced gates, a pair of vertical casings embedded in the ground adjacent to the gates; a heavy steel column constituting a vehicle stop slidably mounted in each of said casings; asingle cable connecting the columns so that one counterbalances the other and arranged normally to suspend both columns in the path of vehicles approaching both gates; a drum over which said cable is wound; gearing connected to the drum; an underground shaft for operating the drum through said gearing; and manually operable means connected to the shaft arranged at a remote controlled station and adapted to raise one of the columns above its normal suspended height and to lower the other column below the path of an approaching vehicle.

10. In combination with a vehicle lock providing an entrance to a walled prison enclosure and having spaced gates, a pair of counterbalanced, plunger-like columns constituting vehicle stops to protect the gates; vertical casings providing guides for the columns anchored in the ground below the roadway; counterbalancing means including a cable connected to the lower ends of the barriers and trained over sheaves journaled in the casin gs adjacent to their upper ends; an underground winding drum over which said counterbalancing cable is wound; operating means for the winding drum including a manually operable member arranged at a remote control station and connected to impart raising movement to one of the columns and simultaneous lowering movement to the other column out of the path of a vehicle approaching the adjacent open gates; and means associated with the columns and their casings to limit the vertical movement'of both columns.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature.

L. J. WHITE.