US1894549A

US1894549A - Gate operating device

Info

Publication number: US1894549A
Application number: US542120A
Authority: US
Inventors: Bertha B Akers
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1931-06-04
Filing date: 1931-06-04
Publication date: 1933-01-17
Anticipated expiration: 1950-01-17

Description

Jan. 17, 1933. B, AKERS 1,894,549 GATE OPERATING DEVICE Filed June 4, 1951 2 sheets-sheet 1 LAM Jan. 17, 1933. B. B. AKERS GATE OPERATING DEVICE Filed June 4. 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I BB fll era Patented Jan. 17,1933

TENT OFFICE I BERTHA B. AKERS, OF CHADRON, NEBRASKA GATE OPERATING DEVICE Application filed June 4,

This invention relates to gate openers, and more particularly to an automatic gate opener and closer.

An object of this invention is to provide 5 means operated by a vehicle whereby a closure member in the form of a gate or door will be opened from means disposed remotely from the closure.

Another object of this invention isto provide in a device of this kind means whereby the closure may be readily swung into closed position after having been opened by a vehiclepassing over a tripping member.

A further object of this invention is to provide in a device of this kind means whereby the gate will be readily maintained in open position until the vehicle has passed througa the opening, whereupon the vehicle is adapted to ride over a tripping member for releasing the open gate for swinging into closed position. I

A still further object of this invention is to provide a device of this kind which may be readily adapted for use with either gate constructions or door constructions whereby the gate or door will be opened upon engaging an operating member disposed remotely therefrom.

The above and various other objects and advantages of this invention will in part be described in and in part be understood from the following detailed description of the present preferred embodiment, the same being illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a detail top plan view of a de vice constructed according to the preferred embodiment of this invention;

Figure 2 is a detail side elevation partly in section taken on the line 22 of Figurel;

Figure 3 is a detail end elevation partly in section of one of the gate operating seg- 1931. Serial No. 542,120.

elevation of one of the gate operating cam members;

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 6; V

Figure 8 is an enlarged sectional view paatly in detail of the gate locking member, an

Figure 9 is a detail top plan view of a modification of this device.' Referring to the drawings wherein like numerals'of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral 10 designates a support which is disposed in vertical position and is shown in Figure 1 as a post or the like disposed on one side of a gate opening. A gate member 11 is swingably mounted on a vertical bar 12 which, is held in outstanding relation to the support 10 by means of I-bolts 13 or the like. The gate 11 is adapted to have vertical sliding movement and horizontal swinging movement with respect to the support 10. g

A pair of gate opening members, generally designamd as 14, are pivotally mounted on brackets 15 secured to the support 10 by means of a bolt 16 or the like. These gate opening members 14 are similar in construction and are provided with a cam member 17 disposedbeneath the lower portion of the gate 11, this cam portion 17 being outwardly curved at the outer end portion thereof and inwardly curved, as at 18, which inwardly curved portion terminates in a lever 19, the

purpose of which will be hereinafter de- 5 scribed. A pivot member 20 engages the gate operating member 1A for pivotally mounting this gate operating member on the bracket 15.

A remotely disposed tripping member, generally designated as 21, is connected to the lever 19 by means of a flexible cord or member 22. This lever operating member 21 comprises a base 23 having a bearing 24 mounted thereon, which rotatably receives a shaft 25 on one end of which is mounted a segmental member, generally designated as 26. This segmental member 26 is provided with radial arms 27 and a grooved segment portion 28 within which the gate operating cord or member 22 is adapted to be disposed upon partial rotation or rocking of the segmental member 26.

A weight 29 is carried by the segmental member 26 and is adapted to maintain the radial arms 26 in substantially vertical position when the segmental member 26 is inoperative. The opposite end of the shaft is provided with an L-shaped extension 30 which has one portion thereof in vertical position when the device is inoperative.

The other portion ofthe L-shaped member 30 is in horizontal position and overlies a plate 31 having spaced transverse grooves 32 in the upper surface thereof in which the horizontal leg of the L-shaped member 30 is adapted to be disposed upon engagement of this horizontal portion with a wheel passing over the plate 31. The opposite ends of the plate 31 are preferably tapered or upwardly inclined so as to permit a wheel to readily ride over the upper surface thereof and strike the remotely disposed gate openin member 30. A oair of s rin s 33 are con- 2: l P g member 28.

nected at one end to the vertical leg of the member 30, the opposite ends of the springs 30 being secured to the base 23 on opposite sides of the shaft 25, these springs 33 being adapted to coact with the weight 29 in maintaining the remotely disposed gate operating member 30 in upraised position.

In order to maintain the gate 11 in open position, I have provided a latch member 34 which is slidably disposed in the bracket 15 and is adapted to permit the downward rocking of the lever 19, but to prevent the upward rocking thereof until the latch member 34 has been moved inwardly of the bracket 15. A latch operating lever 35 is pivoted to the bracket 15 and engages this latch member 34, this latch lever 35 being constantly urged into latching position by means of a spring 36. A pair of opposed cam members 37 are carried by the bracket 15, these cam members 37 being constructed in the form of a segment and having the upper edge portion thereof downwardly and inwardly inclined so that when the gate opening cam member 14 is released by moving the latch 34 inwardly, the lower edge of the gate will engage the upper edge of the gate closing cams 37 and ride inwardly and downwardly thereon.

When the gate is closed, the gate is adapted to be disposed intermediate the inner ends of each of these opposed cam members 37. The gate opening cams 14 are constantly urged into released position with respect to the gate 11 by means of springs 38 which constantl urge these cam members 14 into lowermost position. The latch levers 35 are connected to the segment 26 by means of a flexible connecting member 39, one end of this flexible member 39 being connectedto one of the radial arms 27 of the segmental Preferably, this point of connection is opposite from the point of connecfacilitate the longitudinal movement of the' flexible member 39. In like manner, the

cable or flexible member 22 may be trained over pulleys 41 mounted on outstanding arms 42 car ied by the'bracket 15.

As shown in the drawings and particularly Figure 9, the device herein disclosed may be used in connection with the opening and closing of a door such as a garage door or the like, in which case only one bracket 15 will be mounted on one side of the garage for engagement with one door and another bracket of similar although opposed construction, will be mounted on the other side of the garage opening. In other words, a. left hand and a right hand door opening cam 14 will be pivotally mounted on the bracket 15 and provided with operating levers 19 which are similar in construct on to the pre ferred embodiment. p

In this modification, the doors 11 will be slidably carried by vertical sliding and horizontal swinginghinges, generally designated as 43. The arms 42 of the bracket 15 have double pulleys 44 through which the flexible members connecting the operating lever and tripping latch are connected to the door operating construction, generally designated as 21 which is similar to the construction of the preferred embodiment.

In the operation of this device, when one wheel of the vehicle rides over the plate 31 and strikes the gate tripping arm 30, the segment 26 will be partially rotated and the rotation of this segment will pull the cable or flexible member 22 and likewise rock the lever 19 so as to raise one of the arms 14 for swinging the gate 11 in a direction oppositely from;

the approach of the vehicle. The gate 11 will be lifted upwardly upon rocking of the lever 19 andat the same time, the gate will gravitatingly swing downwardly and outwardly on the upper curved surface of the cam member 14, being held in a position sub stantially in alinement with the line of travel of the vehicle by means of the latch member 34. The outward swinging of the gate 11 is facilitated by means of a roller 45 which is rotatably disposed on the lower edge of the the cam members 14 and 37. After the vehicle has passed through the gate opening, one of the wheels of the vehicle will strike a plate 31 disposed within the closure and rock another operating lever 30 so as to trip the latch lever 35 and pull the latch 34 inwardly and out of engagement with the cam operating lever 19. The gate will then gravitatingly swing inwardly and downwardly on the cam surface of the segmental cam member 37 into a position across the gate opening and will be held in this'position by means of resilient latch members 46 which are disgate ll in a position for contact with both of posed on the side of the gate opening oppositely from the'supporting post 10. These gate latch members 46 are constructed in pairs and have their inner ends disposed in spaced relation to each other, so as to hold therebetween the swinging or free end of the gate 11. When the gate is initially swung into open position, the gate is raised vertically until it is out of engagement with the latch members l6 so that free swinging movement of the gate will thereafter be permitted. It is, of course, understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claim.

I claim An automatic gate opener and closer comprising a support, a gate, means for mounting the gate on the support for Vertical and horizontal movement, a lever pivoted to the support, a curved cam member formed with the lever and extending beneath the gate, a spring engaging the lever to normally hold the cam depressed, a fixed cam carried by the support, remotely disposed means engaging the lever to raise the curved cam member and .coactively raise the gate for opening thereof, latch means engaging the lever to hold the first cam upraised and the gate open, and remotely positioned latch operating means,

said lever upon release from said latch discharging the gate onto the fixed cam, said fixed cam being so positioned as to swing the gate into closed position simultaneous with the downwardmovement thereof.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix' my signature.

1 BEBTHA B. AKERS.