US474426A - Farm-gate - Google Patents

Description

' (N0 MOdeL) N HORN.

FARM GATE.

No. 474,426. Patented May 10;"189-2.

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GEORGE VAN HORN, OF \VALLIS RUN, PENNSYLVANIA.

FARM-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 474,426, dated May 10, 1892.

Application filed July 6,1891. Serial No. 398,626. (No model.)

T 60% whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE VAN HORN, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at WVallis Run, in the county of Lycoming and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Farm-Gate, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of swinging gates which are used for carriage-ways and opened by means of overhanging, ropes adapted to be pulled by the occupant of the carriage without alighting therefrom.

My object is to provide more simple, cheap, durable, effective, and better working mechanism for accomplishing this purpose than has hitherto been conceived.

Having this object in contemplation, my invention consists in the peculiar features and combinations of parts more fully described hereinafter, and pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my invention as seen from the rear of the gate; Fig. 2, a view of the latch-keepers on the fence-post; Fig. 3, a detail view of the adjusting mechanism for the upper hinge; Fig. 4, a detail side view of the connecting-link for the doublelatching device 5 and Fig. 5, a view of thelower hinge, forming the pivot.

The gate proper a swings between vertical posts I) and 0, located on opposite sides of the roadway. The rear end bar 61 of the gate is provided with a rearward extension cl, on the outer end of which rests a counter-balance e for the purpose of balancing the outer end of the gate in the usual manner.

The gate is hung upon a hingef and pivot g. The pivot g, which forms the lower hinge, consists of a bar having oppositely-extending points g, connected bya transverse neck g". The points enter the vertical bard and bearing cl" at the bottom of the post I). The upper hinge f consists of a horizontal eyebolt f, which passes through the gate-bar d, and the end opposite the eye f" is provided with a thread f and nutf, by which means the bolt is made adjustable lengthwise. The opposite bolt h is provided with a vertical pin h, which enters the eye f and forms the up per pivotal point. This bolt h isadj ustable longitudinally by means of a thread h" throughout its length and the nuts h and h' on opposite sides of the post I). These two nuts serve to lock the bolts against endwise play in either direction. The entire weight of the gate rests on the pivot g, and by adjusting the pivotal point at the top of the post I), so that its axis will be out of line with the axis of the lower pivot, or, in other words,off center, the gate will swing by its own gravity to right or left.

Side posts 4;, provided with overhanging armsj, form stops for the free end of the gate when it is thrown open. The means for opening and closing the gate when thushung consists of a pair of oppositely-extending ropes 11', the inner ends of which ropes are fastened to the free end of a pair of cross-levers n a, hinged at 0 to a cross-bar p on the end of arm d. The outer ends of these ropes extend through staples k on the under side of the overhanging armsj of the side posts 1', and each rope is provided with a pendant m m. The ropes pass over anti-friction pulleys p in the opposite ends of the cross-bar p. The latch mechanism is arranged to co-operate with these cross-levers in the opening and closing operation, and it consists in a horizontal lever q, having one end passing loosely through a pair of staples q on the underside of the cross-levers m m. This lever q is fulcrumed in a recess 1' in bar cl, and its opposite end is pivotally attached to a pair of links 8, which have their lower ends pivotally attached to another horizontal lever t, fulcrumed at t in the diagonal brace-bars t. The front end of this lever forms the upper latch, and it is connected to a lower latch 14 by means of a vertical link 1;. The lower end of the link fits snugly in an aperture in the lower latch, while the upper end of the link passes through an oblong vertical slot win the lever 25', by means of which both links are allowed a limited amount of play independent of each other to facilitate the latching operation, as will be more carefully described hereinafter.

The keepers a: 00, with which the latches engage, are provided each with bevel-surfaces y y, over which the end of the latches slide. Each keeper is provided with a notch as for the reception of the latches. Each keeper is provided with two vertical walls 0' 0', one of WlllCll 0" 1s higher than the other to arrest the latch when moving from left to right. The higher wall of the upper keeper is faced in an opposite direction to arrest the upper latch when moving from right to left. The lowerwall c confines the latch within the notch to prevent the gate from being tilted and holds it always in rigid vertical position, which would not be the case were each keeper provided with one oppositely-faced wall, as in prior patents of this kind.

Having thus described the preferred construction of my invention, I will now proceed to set forth its operation.

Assuming that the gate is closed and is approached by a person in a vehicle, it can be opened by reaching out of the vehicle and pulling down on the pendent end of the rope Z, whereupon the free arm of the lever m will be raised, carrying with it the end of the lever q and depressing the opposite end of the latter. This action pushes down on the rear end of the lever t, which forms the upper latch and raises it up and out of notch z. The-force of the draft upon the rope, together with the gravity of the gate, causes the latter to swing away from the operator and against the side post '6. After having passed through the operator pulls down upon the opposite pendant m, which draws upon the outer end of the cross-bar p and swings the gate back, and as it approaches the post 0 the latches strike the beveled surfaces of the keepers so 00' and slide over them. The end of the lower latch to is arrested by the higher face 0" of the lower keeper and stops the gate. In this action it will be seen that if it were not for the vertical oblong slot in the upper latch the lowerlatch would be lifted above the higher wall of its keeper and the gate would swing past the post instead of stopping; but the oblong slot permits the upper latch to be lifted higher than the lower one without carrying the lower one with it,

and it also permits the lower latch to belifted higher than the upper one when the gate moves in the opposite direction, so that the upper latch will not be raised above the higher wall of the keeper. If this were not the case and the latches were raised and lowered an equal distance, they would pass the keepers instead of engaging with them, and hence it will be seen that this limited independent movement is necessary.

Among the advantages of this construction might be mentioned the fact that the gate can be easily adjusted to suit any slight change in the position of the posts, that it can be balanced to any suitable degree, that it can be built at small expense, and its construction is such as to insure strength and durability together with ease of operation. The double locking mechanism keeps its front end in secure position, so that it cannot be tilted from above or below by hogs or stock of any kind.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination, in a swinging gate, of a rearwardly-extending arm provided with a cross-bar, a pair of cross-levers hinged to the under side of said cross-bar, a lever fulcrumed on the gate and having one end loosely connected with said cross-levers and its opposite end with a link pivotally connected toa lever forming the upper latch, alower latch having its free end connected with the upper latch by means of an oblong slot or opening, forming a loose connection, a pair of oppositelyfaced keepers, and overhanging ropes for actuating the gate and latch mechanism, all arranged and adapted to operate substantially as described.

GEORGE VAN'HORN.

WVitnesses: y

F. P. OUMINGs, WV. M. STEPHENS.

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