US228823A - Swinging gate - Google Patents

Description

2 She-ets-8heet 1 N H LONG Swinging-Gate. No. 228,823. Patented June 15,1880.

I I a a, I, 5/ 1 E INVENTOfiP.

WITNESSES. aww; v/ 9 UNITED STATES ATENT Erica.

NATHAN H. LONG, OF MUNGIE, INDIANA.

SWINGING GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 228,823, dated June 15, 1880. Application filed February 24, 1880.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, NATHAN H. LONG, of the city of Muncie, county of Delaware, and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Swinging Gates, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is, first, to pro duce an automatic gate in which, when the hinge-rod is forced around by the action of the "ehicle-wheels upon the trip-rods, the operatinghinge will be automatically lockedjn position, and thus remain until the gate has swung nearly or quite open or shut; and, second, to so construct the lower hinge and the hinge-rod upon which it bears that said hinge will be an additional means of causing the gate to swing open or closed, auxiliary to the tilting or throwing the gate out of balance, which is the primary means of causing said effect.

The first object is accomplished by the construction and operation of the upper end of the hinge-rod and its attachments, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and the second by the peculiarly-constructed lower gatehinge in combination with a projection on the hinge-rod.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, of which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved gate; Fig. 2, a longitudinal vertical section thereof; Fig. 3, an elevation of the gate when open, but just starting to close. Fig. 4 is a plan of the upper-hinge mechanism when the gateis closed. Fig.5 is a similar view when the gate is open; Fig. 6, a similar view to Fig. 4, except that the tilting mechanism has been operated and the gate is in position as just starting to swing open. Fig. 7 is similar to Fig. 5, except that the mechanism has been operated as in Fig. 6 and the gate is ready to swing shut. Fig. 8 is a plan view, similar to Fig. 4, of an alternate form of upper-hinge mechanism. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same on the dotted line mm. The remainder of this view, if completed, would be the same as Fig. 2, as the other parts are alike in both cases.

In said drawings, the portions marked A represent the gate proper; B, the post to which it is hung; G, the post against which it shuts; D, the post against which it opens; E, a vertical rod, forming the hinge-pintles for the gate. and, in connection with theother hinge mechanism, constituting the immediate means by which the gate is operated; F, a cross-bar or crank attachment on the bottom of the rod E, by which it is operated; G, connecting rods or bars, which connect the bar F and the triprods; and H, trip-rods, with which the wheels of the vehicles come in contact, and thus impart power to the gate-operating mechanism.

Attached to the rear gate-upright, A, are two hinge parts, ac, and attached to the post B are other hinge parts, b b.

The vertical rod E is either bent at the top,

as shown in Fig.2, or has an equivalent branch,

E, as shown in Fig. 9.

Interposed between the hinge parts a and bis a bar, I, having a heart-shaped opening centrally located therein. If the top of the rod E is constructed as shown in Fig. 2, this bar I is rigidly attached thereto, and a stud, 11 on the hinge part 1; passes through the heart-shaped opening, and serves as a pivot for said bar. If the rod E is constructed as shown in Fig. 9, the top of the straight part passes through the hinge partb and takes the place of the stud b while the branch E works in a slot in the bar I, instead of being rigidly affixed thereto. As will be readily understood, the operationof these parts is practically the same in both instances, the second described construction varying from the first only in that by it the rod E remains always vertical, while in the first it tips slightly as the stud changes its position in the heartshaped orifice in the bar I.

The operation of my gate is as follows: The vehicle-wheels operate, through the trip-rods H and connecting-rods G, to turn the vertical rod E in the usual manner of such gates. It is well understood by those familiar with such devices that the vehiclewheel forces the triprod entirely down almost instantaneously, and retains it there only momentarily, and therefore that there is no active pressure on the gate except for a very limited space of time, in which it is impossible for the gate to swing entirely open or shut. The result has been that such gates would often remain partially open by reason of a reaction of the mechanism after the wheel had left the trip-rod. By

means of the bar 1, having the heart-shaped orifice and appropriate catches, M, on the post B, I am enabled to avoid this difficulty.

As before indicated, the mechanism is operated at once to its full extent by the wheel impact upon the tri p-rods, and the vertical rod is consequently given the one-fourth revolution necessary to turn the gate instantaneouslyand before the gate has acquired any perceptible swinging motion. This causes the bar I to move on its pivot, so that said pivot shall occupy one of the sides of the heart-shaped orifice instead of its point, and the bar is thus made to move rearwardly a suflicient distance, so that its point will engage with one of the catches i or i, as shown in Figspo and 7, and is thereby held in position until the gate swings into position, when it draws the bar forward, and the pivot resumes its place, as in Figs. 4 and 5.

At the proper point in the rod E is set the horizontal stud 0, upon which one portion of the hinge part a rests. Said hinge part is inclined downwardly in the manner most clearly shown in Fig. 3, so that its face, which rests upon the stud, shall have a tendency to slide upon said stud, and thus accelerate the motion of the gate, or enable the same to be operated when tilted to a less angle than would otherwise be necessary.

Passing through the front upright, A of the gate is an ordinary spring-latch, J, pivoted atj, and actuated by the spring K and which engages with the catch L upon the post 0, or a similar catch, L, upon the post D. Upon the lower part of the catch L is a projection, M, and immediately above, upon the upright A is a corresponding projection, N, which rests upon the projection M when the gate is shut, and serves the double purpose of preventing the gate from sagging and insuring that the latch shall always hear the proper relation to the catch.

The hinge part to projects far enough backward to nearly come in contact with the pivot b when the gate is in closed position. This, while it does not interfere with the free working of the hinge mechanism, prevents the gate from being lifted or tilted back when the mechanism is not regularly operated, and thus secures it from being unlatched by animals pushing or lifting against it.

A double gate may be formed on my plan by simply adding another arm to the bar Fat the proper angle and connecting it by a rod to a corresponding arm of a similarly-operat ing mechanism on the second gate, the said rod usually being protected by passing it through a pipe or tube below the roadway.

As will be observed by an examination of Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, the hinge part b is attached to the post B to one side of the hingecenter, and extends out the proper distance toward the gate, and then turns at about right angles with itself, so that the stud b thereon may be central, while a space is left behind for the entry of the top of the rod E.

Having thus fully described my saidinvention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an automatic gate-11in ge mechanism, an intermediate bar, I, between the two halves of the upper hinge, said bar being constructed, by means of an opening larger than the pivot on which it rests, to recede when the mechanism is operated and engage with catches upon the gate-post, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In an automatic gate-hinge mechanism, the combination of the vertical rod E, having horizontal. stud c therein, and the down wardlyinclined hinge part a, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In an automatic gate-hinge mechanism in which a pivot passes through a heart-shaped or elongated slot in a bar, I, a projection upon the rear gate-upright, A, which comes in close proximity to said pivot, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

4:- In an automatic gate-hinge mechanism, an intermediate bar, I, between the two upper hinge parts, having a heart shaped orifice therein, through which the stud on which it moves passes, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. The combination of the trip-rods H, rods Gr, vertical rod E, hinge parts a and Z), intermediate piece, I, -and catches t i, all constrncted and operating substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

6. The combination of the trip-rods H, rods G, Vertical rod E, hinge parts a and b, and horizontal stud 0, working between the parts a and b, all arranged and operating substantially in the mannerand for the purposes herein set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, at Muncie, Indiana, this 10th day of February, .A. D. 1880.

NATHAN H. LONG.

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