US2348012A - Enclosure - Google Patents

Description

May 2, 1944.

| E. LEVI ENCLOSURE Filed Sept. 8', 1943 4 INVENTOR. Leslie. E.Lev1'.

I ATTORNEY Patented May 2, 1944 U N l T E D 1S FTEENT O F F] C E ENCLOSURE p l a i September 8, 1943, #Serial No. 501,540

3 Claims.

This invention. relates to enclosures, and more particularly to structures of that character for use as a play pen for small children.

Play pens as heretofore constructed have been generally of either one of two types, namely, rigid or folding. While the rigid type has its advantages, the permanent bulkiness constitutes such an outstanding disadvantage that it is not particularly popular with users, and the folding type is in far greater demand and use. However, the folding types have the serious fault of hinged rails between the hinged ends of which a child may get seriously pinched.

An object of the present invention'is to provide a collapsible play pen which avoids joints in I which a childs fingers can be pinched.

A further object is to provide an improved collapsible play pen the rails of which are continuous or uninterrupted from end to end or corner to corner.

More specifically, an object of the invention is to obtain a secure interlocking at the releasable joints.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide interlocking corner joints which may be released by appropriate manipulation, but which will not be subject to release by a small child such as would be using the play pen. 7

Still another object of the invention is t9 pro.- vide a play pen which may be constructed entirely of wood and requires no metal parts.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the description progresses, both by direct .recitae tion thereof and by implication from the context.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views;

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a play pen set up for use, and shows the preferred embodiment of my invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a corner part of the play pen and showing the rails separated for illustrating the interlocking rails and corner post; and

Figure 3 is an elevation next the corner of the play pen but with parts broken away for condensing the View Without unduly reducing the scale of drawing.

In the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated in said drawing, a play pen is shown which is substantially square, having four sides of approximately equal size, and which, for convenience in description, will be arbitrarily designated back, front, right and left sides as occasion requires. To further avoid confusion in terms, each of said four sides will be referred to as a section. Opposite sections are alike. but adjacent sections have differences which will be more fully explained hereinafter. Thus the front and back are interchangeable as are also the two sides, but the sides cannot be substituted for either the front or back.

Since front and back sections of the play pen are alike, description of one will sufiice for both, and it will be observed that each provides top and bottom rails ill and II respectively which are parallel and spaced the desired height of the pen. Intermediate the ends of these rails are upright balusters l2 or other means rendering the area impassable to a small child. As shown, the balusters l2 are perpendicular to the rails and evenly spaced and parallel to each other. The rails and balusters are of wood, with the ends of the balusters inserted in sockets l3 in the rails, said so kets preferably having depth less than the thickness of said rails so the ends of the balusters are not exposed. The balusters are permanently secured in place in the sockets of the rails, as by use of glue or other appropriate means.

At each end of each top and bottom rail of said front and back sections, the same is stepped back, that is to say, half of the rail is cut-away at the upper face of the top rail and at thelower face of the bottom rail providing thereby a tenon tongue M at each end of each said rail. In the particular illustration and with regard to the arbitrary designation of the sections as expla ned above, the tenon tongues i l of the top rail are next the under surface thereof whereas the tenon tongues of the bottom rail are next the upper surface thereof. The lengths of these tongues and cut-outs are equal to the width of the top and bottom rails of the side sections so the outer ends of the tongues will be flush with the outer side faces of the respective rails of the side sections.

As the side sections have been indicated as being alike, description of one will suflice for both, and it will be observed that each provides a. top rail 1 5 and a bottom rail Hi parallel thereto, connected at evenly spaced intervals, as above described for the front and back sections, by upright balusters l2 similarly secured in sockets I3 in the rails. These rails and balusters are likewise of wood and of appropriate length so the height of the side sections agrees with that of the front and back sections.

structure. Preferably all rails have equal thickness and all tenon tongues and cut-outs are of equal size so either side rail may be applied ateither end of the front and back section and with the sections either side up, and similarly the front and back sections are interchangeable and reversible. The tongue of the side rail fills the cutout of the front or back section with which associated and similarly thertongues of the front and back sections fit the cut-out of the side sections, forming in eachinstance a right-angle tenon joint. Due to the cut-out being made for forming the tenon tongue, a shoulder I8 is thereby provided which will engage the inner side face of the tenon tongue applied in the cut-out, andthus insure the several sections being set up as.a substantial rectangle or square as shown;

It is to be particularly observed that since the tenon tongue of the top rail of the side baluster may pass fully through the alined holes of all tenons and tenon tongues at the corner where used. Said corner balusters and said holes are preferably square in cross-section and the balusters made to fit snugly in said holes sothat when inserted therein will not be likely to be displaced by the child using the pen and so as to assist in insuring the rectangular assembly of the several sections.

In use, an adult may readily assemble one section with another by overlapping the appropriate tenon tongues and then inserting the corner baluster downwardly as far as it will go section overlies the tenon tongue of the contigui spect to each other when the tenon tongues are i in'their overlapped positions forming the completed tenon joint. Each tenon tongue'has a vertical hole 19 therethrough with the holes so situated that for any pair of overlapped tongues the said holes will be in registration and for any particular corner the holes of the lower tenon joint will aline with the holes in the upper tenon joint.

The holes in all tongues preferably extend entirely through the tongues, having the advantage, inter alia, of enablingpthe sections to be assembled interchangeably either. side up.

Removable corner balusters 20 are provided for each corner, each such baluster having a knob 2| attached at the upper end thereof and constitutes, in addition'to its decorative function, means for limiting insertion of the baluster or downward sliding thereof, as well as a means for readily manipulating said baluster when ap plying or removing the same. The said corner baluster and knob' maybe constructed of wood and glued or otherwise secured together. The length of said corner baluster from beneath the said knob to the lower end of the baluster is preferably equal to the full height from the under or floor-engaging face of the bottom rail to the under side of the knob corresponding to the overall height of the sections, whereby the in the several alined holes in the four overlapping tenon tongues at that corner. The assembled structure at each corner prevents vertical as well as lateral displacement of one section with respect to its contiguous section, obtains a right-angular disposition of one section with respect to its contiguous section, and maintains the rectangular or'square assembly of the several sections forming the front, back and sides of the play pen. Each section is a complete unit from end to end conducive to sturdiness and avoidance of joints which will be apt to pinch the child using the pen, and yet the pen is readily collapsed by withdrawing the corner balusters and easily assembled as above described.

.. I claim:

1. A play pen comprising a plurality of sections releasable at the corners thereof, each said section having tenon tongues at the top and bottom thereof at each end, all of the tongues at each corner of the pen having holes therein alined vertically, and a removable corner baluster insertable in and removable from the alined holes thereat.

2. A play pen comprising a plurality of sections releasable at the corners thereof, eachsaid section having tenon tongues at the top and bottom thereof at each end, all of the tongues at each corner of the pen having holes therein alined vertically and all of said holes being square in cross-section, and a removable baluster correspondingly square in cross-section adapted to slidably fit said holes and insertable in and removable from the alined holes at a corner of the pen.

3. A play pen comprising a plurality of sections each having top and bottom rails and each having tenon tongues at each end, the top and bottom tenon tongues of one section overlapping one above and the other below the corresponding tenon tongue of a contiguous section, said overlapping tenon tongue having alined holes therein; and a removable baluster insertable in said alined holes, said baluster having a length enabling it to be in all of the alined holes at a corner simultaneously.

LESLIE E. LEVI.

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