WO2013117572A1

WO2013117572A1 - A drop-bar keeper

Info

Publication number: WO2013117572A1
Application number: PCT/EP2013/052291
Authority: WO
Inventors: John Bradley
Original assignee: John Bradley
Priority date: 2012-02-08
Filing date: 2013-02-06
Publication date: 2013-08-15
Also published as: EP2812518A1; GB201202161D0

Abstract

A drop-bar keeper comprising a housing having an open mouth; a blocking member located within the housing and movable along the longitudinal axis of the housing between a rest state, in which the blocking member is located at or adjacent the mouth, and a displaced state, in which the blocking member is displaced from the mouth; and means for biasing the blocking member towards the open mouth, wherein a retaining member is provided for retaining the blocking member within the housing.

Description

A Drop-Bar Keeper

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a drop-bar keeper. In particular, the invention relates to a drop-bar keeper for receiving a co-operable drop-bar for holding a gate, or other closure member, in an open or closed position. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Drop-bars can be used for securing, for example, a gate or door at one position, typically open or closed. Conventionally, when used, part of the free end of a drop-bar is located within a keeper comprising a tubular member or socket within which the drop-bar is received, an upper end of the keeper being located at ground level. Over time the keeper tends to become blocked with debris such as dirt, grit and leaves. This blockage can become compacted until the keeper is completely obstructed and can no longer receive the drop-bar. In this blocked and in particular compacted state the debris can be difficult to remove rendering the keeper unusable. In order to alleviate this problem it is known to provide a spring loaded plunger within the keeper, wherein the plunger is biased towards the top of the keeper by a return spring located beneath the plunger to prevent foreign material from entering the keeper when the drop bar is removed therefrom. An example of such known arrangement is disclosed in WO 2009/082063. A problem with such known arrangement is that water may still collect within the keeper, leading to corrosion of the return spring. Thus the return spring is prone to failure. This typically requires replacement of the entire keeper assembly as the plunger cannot be removed once the keeper assembly has been installed. It is an object of the present invention to alleviate this problem in an efficient and cost effective manner. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a drop-bar keeper comprising a housing having an open mouth; a blocking member located within the housing and movable along the longitudinal axis of the housing between a rest state, in which the blocking member is located at or adjacent the mouth, and a displaced state, in which the blocking member is displaced from the mouth; and means for biasing the blocking member towards the open mouth, wherein a retaining member is provided for retaining the blocking member within the housing.

Preferably the retaining member is mounted in the housing to define a stop whereby the blocking member abuts the retaining member when in its rest state. In one embodiment the retaining member may comprise a circlip received within an annular recess or groove formed in an inner wall of the housing adjacent the open mouth of the housing. Preferably at least one end of the circlip is formed or shaped to facilitate removal of the circlip from the annular groove. At least one end of the circlip may be tapered and/or may comprise a reduced thickness region to permit insertion of a tool to prise said at least one end of the circlip out of the annular groove. Alternatively, a notch may be provided in the inner wall of the housing, said notch intersecting the annular groove and extending above the groove, whereby a tool may be insterted into said notch to prise the circlip from the groove.

Preferably the blocking member comprises a plunger dimensioned to be received within the housing with a sliding fit therein. The plunger may comprise a reduced diameter region adjacent an upper face thereof, an annular step being defined between said reduced diameter region and the remainder of the side wall of the plunger, said annular step being arranged to engage said retaining member when the blocking member is in its rest state.

Preferably the biasing means comprises a compression spring. Preferably the biasing means is located within the housing beneath the blocking member to urge the blocking member towards its rest state.

The housing may be provided with at least one drainage hole to allow liquid to drain free or wherein the keeper comprises a sleeve open at both ends.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a latch assembly comprising a drop-bar keeper in accordance with the first aspect of the invention, and a drop-bar, the drop-bar being deployable such that its free end is received by the keeper via the open mouth thereby displacing the blocking member to the displaced state. Preferably the drop-bar is provided on the gate or other closure member, the keeper being installed in the ground. The housing and/or blocking member may have any cross sectional shape.

Preferably, blocking member is arranged within the housing when in its displaced state such that the length of drop-bar that is held within the housing is at least enough so that the drop- bar cannot lodge free.

The blocking member may have any shape for example flat, concave, or convex that allows debris to be pushed out of the keeper. The blocking member may comprise a flat plunger.

Preferably, in use, the mouth of the keeper sits slightly above ground level so that debris expelled from the housing is more likely to be removed and the risk of debris entering the housing is reduced.

The housing may be provided with at least one drainage hole to allow liquid to drain free. For example, one or more drainage holes may be provided at the closed end of the housing. Alternatively, the keeper may be sleeve-like, i.e. open at both ends.

The latch assembly can be used to hold drop-bars from closure members such as gates or doors but also hold signposts and stanchions for example. The term gate used herein is intended to embrace any movable closure member, including doors.

The advantages of the present invention are that :- the possibility of debris entering the keeper is substantially reduced,

any debris that does gain access to the keeper can be substantially expelled,

should any part of the keeper require replacement, in particular the biasing means, the retaining member can be readily removed to permit removal of the blocking member and the biasing means without removing the housing of the keeper from the ground. A third aspect of the invention provides a gate installation comprising a latch assembly of the second aspect of the invention, the drop-bar being provided on the gate or other closure member, the keeper being installed in the ground. Further advantageous aspects of the invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of a specific embodiment and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

DRAWINGS OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like numerals are used to indicate like parts and in which: FIGURE 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a keeper in accordance with the invention, when not in use;

FIGURE 2 shows a schematic perspective view of the keeper of Figure 1 when in use; FIGURE 3 is a side view of the housing of a keeper in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the housing of Figure 3 from above; FIGURE 5 is a side view of the plunger of the keeper the first embodiment of the invention; FIGURE 6 is a plan view from above of the plunger of Figure 5;

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of the plunger retaining clip of the first embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 8 is a side view of the housing of a keeper in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention; FIGURE 9 is a plan view of the housing of Figure 8 from above;

FIGURE 10 is a side view of the plunger of the keeper the second embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 11 is a plan view from above of the plunger of Figure 10;

FIGURE 12 is a plan view of the plunger retaining clip of the second embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown schematically, generally indicated as 10, a drop-bar keeper embodying the present invention. The drop-bar keeper 10 forms part of a latch assembly (not shown) that also includes a drop-bar (partially shown in Figure 2). The latch assembly may be provided as part of a gate installation (not shown). The drop-bar keeper 10 comprises a hollow tubular housing 12 having an open mouth 13 and a closed lower end 15. The housing 12 is dimensioned to accept the free end of a drop-bar 20 (not shown in Figure 1). In use the housing 12 is embedded, and preferably secured, into the ground (not illustrated), typically by being embedded in a concrete base, so that the mouth 13 is level with, or sits just above, the ground surface.

A resilient biasing means, such as a coil spring 14, sits within the housing 12, positioned to allow movement up and down along the longitudinal axis of the housing 12. The spring 14 acts upon a plunger 16, which fits the transverse cross sectional area of the housing 12 to be slidingly received therein. The plunger 16 can move longitudinally along the housing 12, vertically up and down in use, between a rest state, wherein the plunger 16 is located in the mouth 13 of the housing 12, and a displaced state, wherein the plunger 16 is displaced downwardly away from the mouth 13 of the housing.

The spring 14 is arranged to urge the plunger towards its rest state adjacent the mouth 13 of the housing 12. The plunger 16 may be attached to an end of the spring 14 or may simply be in abutting relationship with the spring 14. A retaining member is provided for retaining the plunger within, as will be described below. Figure 1 shows the keeper 10 when not in use. As shown, the spring 14 is in an extended state and the plunger 16 sits at the mouth 13 of the housing 12 against the retaining member. This in effect substantially seals the mouth 13 of the housing 12 and reduces the likelihood of debris entering the keeper 10.

Figure 2 shows the keeper 10 in use. The free end of a drop-bar 20 is lowered onto the plunger 16. This causes the spring 14 to compress and the plunger 16 to move against the bias of the spring 14, into the housing 12 (downward as viewed in Figure 2) to its displaced state. As a result the keeper 10 partially accepts the free end of the drop-bar 20.

When the drop-bar 20 is removed through lifting in an upwards direction, the spring 14 extends and the plunger 16 is pushed upwardly towards the mouth 13 to its rest state against the retaining member. This movement will push debris within the keeper 10 upwards. Thus when the spring 14 has reached the extended state as shown in Figure 1 , and the plunger 16 sits at the mouth of the housing 12, the debris is expelled from the housing 12. Again in this conformation the plunger 16 substantially seals the housing 12 and reduces the likelihood of debris entering the keeper 10.

Hence, the mechanism provides a means of keeping the keeper 10 substantially free from debris.

As shown in Figures 3 to 12, preferably the retaining member is in the form of a circlip 22, located within an annular groove 24 provided adjacent the open mouth 13 of the housing 12, the circlip 22 defining a seat against which the plunger 16 abuts when in its rest state to retain the plunger 16 within the housing 12. The circlip 22 is adapted to be removed from the housing 12 to allow the plunger 16 and spring 14 to be removed for cleaning and/or repair.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 3 to 7, in order to facilitate removal of the circlip 22 from its groove 24, one end of the circlip is pressed or otherwise formed to define a reduced thickness or tapered region 26 having a thickness less than the width of the groove 24. This allows the insertion of a tool, such as the blade of a screwdriver, to be inserted between the circlip 22 and the groove 24 to prise the end of the circlip 22 out of the groove 24.

In an alternative embodiment, shown in Figures 8 to 12, a notch 30 extends vertically from a location at or adjacent the mouth of the housing 10 to intersect the annular groove 24, whereby a tool may be inserted into the notch 30 to prise the circlip 22 out of the groove 24.

An upper end of the plunger 16 has a reduced diameter region 25 arranged to extend past the circlip 22 when the plunger 16 is in its rest state so that an upper face of the plunger 16 lies flush (i.e. level) with an upper edge of the housing 12. The juncture between the reduced diameter portion 26 of the plunger 16 and the main body of the plunger defines a stepped seat 27 arranged to engage the circlip 22 when the plunger 16 is in its rest state.

If the spring 14 or plunger 16 is damaged it may be possible for these components to be repaired or replaced by simply removing the circlip 22 from its groove 24 to allow removal of the plunger 16 and spring 14 from the housing 12. This facilitates the repair or replacement of an individual damaged component.

As shown in Figures 3 and 8, one or more annular grooves 28 may be formed in the outer surface of the housing 12 of the keeper to assist retention of the housing 12 within the ground. For example, when embedded in concrete, the concrete may flow into such grooves 28. The grooves 28 may also be dimensioned to receive a cable tie to facilitate attachment of the housing to packaging prior to sale. An aperture or drain hole (not shown) may be provided in the lower end 15 of the housing 12 to allow water to drain from the housing 12 and to define a vent opening to allow free movement of the plunger 16 within the housing 12.

The keeper in accordance with the present invention may also be used to hold signposts and stanchions for example. In these examples the same mechanism and description of use as the latch assembly may apply but instead of receiving part of the free end of a drop-bar 20 the keeper 10 may receive part of the free end of a post. The same advantages of the invention also apply. The present invention is not limited to the embodiment(s) described herein, which may be amended or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A drop-bar keeper comprising a housing having an open mouth; a blocking member located within the housing and movable along the longitudinal axis of the housing between a rest state, in which the blocking member is located at or adjacent the mouth, and a displaced state, in which the blocking member is displaced from the mouth; and means for biasing the blocking member towards the open mouth, wherein a retaining member is provided for retaining the blocking member within the housing.

2. A drop-bar keeper as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the retaining member is mounted in the housing to define a stop whereby the blocking member abuts the retaining member when in its rest state.

3. A drop-bar keeper as claimed in claim 2, wherein the retaining member comprises a circlip received within an annular recess or groove formed in an inner wall of the housing adjacent the open mouth of the housing.

4. A drop bar-keeper as claimed in claim 3, wherein at least one end of the circlip is formed or shaped to facilitate removal of the circlip from the annular groove.

5. A drop bar-keeper as claimed in claim 4, wherein at least one end of the circlip is tapered and/or comprises a reduced thickness region to permit insertion of a tool to prise said at least one end of the circlip out of the annular groove.

6. A drop-bar keeper as claimed in claim 3, wherein a notch is provided in the inner wall of the housing, said notch intersecting the annular groove and extending above the groove, whereby a tool may be insterted into said notch to prise the circlip from the groove.

7. A drop-bar keeper as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the blocking member comprises a plunger dimensioned to be received within the housing with a sliding fit therein.

8. A drop-bar keeper as claimed in claim 7, wherein the plunger comprises a reduced diameter region adjacent an upper face thereof, an annular step being defined between said reduced diameter region and the remainder of the side wall of the plunger, said annular step being arranged to engage said retaining member when the blocking member is in its rest state.

9. A drop-bar keeper as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the biasing means comprises a compression spring.

10. A drop-bar keeper as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the biasing means is located within the housing beneath the blocking member to urge the blocking member towards its rest state.

11. A drop-bar keeper as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the housing is provided with at least one drainage hole to allow liquid to drain free or wherein the keeper comprises a sleeve open at both ends.

12. A latch assembly comprising a drop-bar keeper as claimed in any of claims 1 to 11, and a drop-bar, the drop-bar being deployable such that its free end is received by the keeper via the open mouth thereby displacing the blocking member to the displaced state.

13. A gate installation comprising a latch assembly as claimed in claim 12, the drop-bar being provided on the gate or other closure member, the keeper being installed in the ground.

14. A drop-bar keeper substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.