ENCLOSURE GATE ASSEMBLY

Abstract

An enclosure gate assembly includes an extended surface flexible sheet material having a leading edge and a trailing edge, a columnar member having spaced apart ends and a longitudinal axis extending between the spaced apart ends, fastening means for attaching the trailing edge of the sheet material to the columnar member along the longitudinal axis thereof, a housing for enclosing and mounting the columnar member for rotation about the longitudinal axis of the columnar member, the housing including an elongate opening to allow serial travel of the sheet material therethrough, a spring mounted to the columnar member to normally maintain the sheet material rolled on the columnar member within the housing, and mounting means for positioning the longitudinal axis of the housing normal to a supporting surface.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/181,135 filed May 26, 2009, hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to gates and more particularly to a gate structure which may be used as a barrier for permitting egress and ingress to an area or alternatively may be coupled to similar gates to form a continuous boundary of a given area.

2. Prior Art

The prior art is replete with structures useful in establishing barriers for use in combination with one another for crowd control and for forming a temporary enclosure for containing individuals whether they be people or animals, for example. Those structures have been found to generally achieve desired objectives. Nevertheless the structures are typically heavy, relatively difficult to store and quickly move from storage to the location of use, and are expensive to manufacture and maintain.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In an attempt to overcome some of the disadvantages of the previously known structure, it has surprisingly been discovered that the present invention satisfactorily overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art and produces a barrier, a gate to enable selective egress or ingress, or an enclosure typically useful for containing animals, for example.

Successful objectives are typically achieved by an enclosure gate assembly incorporating the features of the invention and comprising an extended surface flexible sheet material having a leading edge and a trailing edge; a columnar member having a longitudinal axis; means for attaching the trailing edge of the sheet material to the columnar member along the longitudinal axis thereof; a housing for enclosing and mounting the columnar member for revolution about the longitudinal axis, the housing including an elongate opening to allow serial travel of the sheet material therethrough; a spring mounted to the columnar member normally retaining the sheet material rolled on the columnar member within the housing; mounting means for positioning the longitudinal axis of the columnar member in the housing normal to a supporting surface; and means mounted on the housing for selectively holding the leading edge of the sheet materials of adjacent assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above objectives, as well as others, invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from reading the following detailed description of an embodiment of the invention when considered in the light of the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an enclosure formed of a series of serially connected enclosure gate assemblies according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of one of the enclosure gate assemblies illustrated in FIG. 1 with a portion of the housing cut-away to more clearly disclose the structure; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view with a portion cut-away to more clearly illustrate the interlock mechanism for coupling the leading edge of the sheet material of one of the enclosure gate assemblies with an adjacent enclosure gate assembly as illustrated in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings, there is shown an enclosure gate assembly incorporating the features of the invention. It will be understood that the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1 shows a series of enclosure gate assemblies serially arranged to form an enclosure which may be used for holding a number of animals, for example. The enclosure may be easily and quickly assembled without requiring skilled assemblers of mechanics; or the need for specially designed tools. The enclosure may be maintained on a substantially permanent basis; or may be temporary. In the latter case, the assembly may be readily disassembled by uncoupling the leading edge of the sheet material of each of the individual assemblies from the associated couplings of the next adjacent assemblies. The disassembled assemblies may then be returned to the appropriate storage area.

The enclosure gate assemblies may also be used as crowd control barriers; fencing for various uses including the protection of construction sites, traffic control, restrict unauthorized personnel to areas of danger, and the like.

The enclosure gate assembly of the invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 10 on the drawings. The assembly 10 includes an outward elongate housing 12 having a hollow interior and an upper end 16 and a lower end 18. A columnar member 14 having a longitudinal axis is mounted within the hollow interior of the housing 12 and extends between the upper end 16 and the lower end 18. A length of flexible sheet material or webbing 20 includes a leading edge 22 and a trailing edge 24. The trailing edge 24 of the sheet material is secured or fastened to the columnar member 14. While the gate enclosure assembly 10 is in non-use or in storage, the sheet material 20 is wound upon the columnar member 14.

The upper end 16 of the housing 12 is typically enclosed by a separable closure cap 26. The cap 26 may be attached to the upper end 16 of the housing 12 by any well known attachment means, such as threaded fasteners, adhesive, webbing or the like. The determination of the particular type of fastener to be employed is dependent upon the type of material used to fabricate the housing 12 and the associated cap 26.

A spiral spring 28 is coupled between the housing 12 and the columnar member 14. The function of the spring 28 is to normally maintain the sheet material 20 in a rolled-up condition on the columnar member 14. When the assembly 10 is assembled in a position of use, the sheet material 20 is caused to be payed off from the columnar member 14 against the tension of the spring 28.

A support pad 30 is mounted at the lower end of the housing 12. The support pad 30 is normally attached to the lower end 18 of the housing 12. While the pad 30 may be permanently affixed to the housing 12, there are many advantages in mounting the pad 30 by removable fasteners, not shown, to reduce the overall profile for storage of the assembly 10. It will be understood that the primary purpose of the pad 30 is to assure proper disposition of the housing 12 during periods of use. Normally, in use, the housing 12 should be disposed in an upright position with the longitudinal axis of the housing being substantially perpendicular or normal to the supporting surface.

The pad 30 may include an anchor 32 capable of penetrating the soil or ground when such is a supporting surface.

A locking mechanism is employed to lock the sheet material when it is extended, as illustrated in the attached drawings. The illustrated embodiment of an effective locking mechanism includes an array of flanges 34, each provided with an opening therethrough and mounted in an upstanding relation in respect of the upper surface of the cap 26. The flanges 34 are arranged to surround the aperture in the closure cap 26 which receives the upper end of the columnar member 14. The upper end of the columnar member 14 is provided with a hole extending therethrough. When the opening of at least one of the flanges 34 and the hole in the upper end of the columnar member 14 are aligned, a locking pin 36 may be inserted to lock the columnar member 14 against any relative rotational movement between the columnar member 14 and the housing 12.

When it is desired to attach one enclosure gate assembly 10 to another adjacent assembly 10′, the assemblies are suitably mounted on a supporting surface and spaced apart the desired amount. Next, the leading edge 22 of the sheet material 20 is grasped and pulled to effect a pay-off of the sheet material from its associated columnar member 14 against the bias of the spring 28. It will be noted that the leading edge 22 is provided with a rod-like reinforcement 38. To facilitate the grasping of the rod-like reinforcement 38, an opening 40 is provided in the sheet material 20.

When it is desired to form an enclosure formed of a plurality of the assemblies 10, the assemblies 10 may be arranged as illustrated in FIG. 1. The individual assemblies 10 are disposed in an upright position. The leading edge 22 of the sheet material 20 is grasped and pulled out serially through the elongated slot S (FIG. 2) formed in the housing 12. Upon reaching the desired extension of the sheet material 20, the reinforcement 38 is connected to the bracket 42′ attached to the next adjacent assembly 10′. This procedure is duplicated until the completed configuration as illustrated in FIG. 1, is accomplished. As a non-limiting example, the bracket 42′ is substantially C-shaped in cross section. However, other coupling means can be used such as a spring clip, for example.

Other uses are contemplated including the use of an assembly 10 as a retractable gate. In such use, the housing 10 is placed at one side of the opening in a fence-line, for example, and the leading edge 22 is extended and coupled to a suitable bracket on the fence post defining the other side of the opening.

Another contemplated use of the enclosure gate assembly 10 is that of a barrier for crowd control. This use can readily be accomplished by using two or more of the assemblies 10 in spaced relation.

The sheet material 20 may be formed of a member of different flexible materials such as reinforced polyvinyl chloride sheeting, woven webbing material, or the like.

While the material used to fabricate the housing 12 is not deemed to be critical, satisfactory results may be realized by utilizing sheet metal or plastic materials, for example.

From the foregoing description, one ordinarily skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention and, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications to the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions.

Claims

1. An enclosure gate assembly comprising:

an extended surface flexible sheet material having a leading edge and a trailing edge;

a columnar member having spaced apart ends and a longitudinal axis extending between the spaced apart ends;

fastening means for attaching the trailing edge of the sheet material to the columnar member along the longitudinal axis thereof;

a housing for enclosing and mounting the columnar member for rotation about the longitudinal axis of the columnar member, the housing including an elongate opening to allow serial travel of the sheet material therethrough;

a spring mounted to the columnar member to normally maintain the sheet material rolled on the columnar member within the housing; and

mounting means for positioning the longitudinal axis of the housing normal to a supporting surface.

2. An enclosure gate assembly comprising:

an extended surface flexible sheet material having a leading edge and a trailing edge;

a columnar member having spaced apart ends and a longitudinal axis extending between the spaced apart ends;

fastening means for attaching the trailing edge of the sheet material to the columnar member along the longitudinal axis thereof;

a housing for enclosing and mounting the columnar member for rotation about the longitudinal axis of the columnar member, the housing including an elongate opening to allow serial travel of the sheet material therethrough;

a spring mounted to the columnar member to normally maintain the sheet material rolled on the columnar member within the housing;

mounting means for positioning the longitudinal axis of the housing normal to a supporting surface; and

means mounted on the housing for selectively holding the leading edge of the sheet material of an adjacent assembly.

3. An enclosure gate assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein the housing includes an upper end and a spaced apart lower end.

4. An enclosure gate assembly as defined in claim 3 wherein the upper end includes a separable closure cap.

5. An enclosure gate assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein the spring is a spiral spring.

6. An enclosure gate assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein the leading edge of the sheet material contains a reinforcement.

7. An enclosure gate assembly as defined in claim 6 wherein the reinforcement includes a rod formed of substantially rigid material.

8. An enclosure gate assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein the means for selectively holding the leading edge of the sheet metal of an adjacent gate assembly includes a bracket.

9. An enclosure gate assembly as defined in claim 8 wherein the bracket is substantially C-shaped in cross section.

10. An enclosure gate assembly as defined in claim 2 including a ground engaging pad for maintaining the housing in an upstanding position.

11. An enclosure gate assembly as defined in claim 10 wherein the pad is fastened to the housing.

12. An enclosure gate assembly as defined in claim 3 including a base fastened to the lower end of the housing.

13. An enclosure gate assembly as defined in claim 12 wherein the base is fastened to the lower end of the housing by threaded fasteners.

14. An enclosure gate assembly as defined in claim 12 including an anchor for penetrating the supporting surface to assist in maintaining the housing in an upright position.

15. An enclosure gate assembly as defined in claim 2 including a lock to prevent rotation of the columnar member about the longitudinal axis thereof.

16. An enclosure gate assembly as defined in claim 3 wherein one end of the columnar member extends through an aperture formed in the upper end of the housing.

17. An enclosure gate assembly as defined in claim 16 including at least one stationary flange attached to the upper end of the housing, an opening in the flange, a hole formed in the one end of columnar member, and alignable with the opening in the flange, and a locking pin for insertion in the opening of the flange and the hole in the columnar member when the opening and the hole are aligned.

18. An enclosure gate assembly comprising:

a housing having an elongate opening extending along a longitudinal axis thereof;

a shaft having a longitudinal axis disposed in the housing and rotatable about the longitudinal axis thereof;

a flexible webbing having a leading edge and a trailing edge, the trailing edge coupled to the shaft;

a spring coupled between the housing and the shaft and normally retaining the webbing the shaft in a rolled condition;

an anchor coupled to the housing for mounting the housing in a generally upright position; and

a coupler disposed on the housing for selectively engaging a leading edge of a webbing of another of the enclosure gate assembly.