LOCKING DEVICE
A barrier locking mechanism having a collared upright stem mounted to a base and a tubular sheath having an open lumen configured to receive the upright stem therein is disclosed. The tubular sheath has an opening through a lateral side of the tubular sheath axially positioned such that, when the upright stem is received within the lumen of the tubular sheath, the opening is positionable between the base and the collar of the upright stem. A threaded lock housing is externally mounted on the lateral side of the tubular sheath at a position coinciding with the opening in the tubular sheath so that a fastener can extend into the lumen of the tubular sheath at least as far as an outer perimeter of the collar.
This disclosure relates to a locking device especially useful for temporary construction barriers. The locking device can be quickly and efficiently deployed and is resistant to damage.
BACKGROUNDBarrier devices are commonly used at construction sites to safeguard workers from injury due to falling out of the work area, especially along rooftops and high traffic areas. Since the devices are temporary, they need to be easy to install and uninstall, while still providing secure restraint. Due to the temporary nature of their use, ideally, barrier devices can be uninstalled and transported for further use at a different worksite.
Typically, barrier devices comprise a support base and a barrier system mounted to the base. To lock the barrier system to the support base, some existing barrier devices rely on vertically extending elongated threaded members that are threaded through an upper side of the railing and engage with a corresponding elongated threaded member of the base. However, such devices are susceptible to damage due to accidental bending of the elongated threaded member during installation, storage or transport. Additionally, due to its length, the elongated threaded member is tedious to install and susceptible to cross-threading. Accordingly, there is need for a locking device that is both easy to use and resistant to damage.
SUMMARYWe provide a barrier locking mechanism comprising:
an upright stem mounted to a base;
a collar disposed on a distal end of the upright stem, the collar having an outer perimeter extending radially outward of the upright stem;
a tubular sheath having an open lumen configured to receive the upright stem therein;
an opening through a lateral side of the tubular sheath axially positioned such that, when the upright stem is received within the lumen of the tubular sheath, the opening is positionable between the base and the collar of the upright stem;
a threaded lock housing externally mounted on the lateral side of the tubular sheath at a position coinciding with the opening in the tubular sheath; and
a fastener having a threaded shaft adapted to threadably engage the threaded lock housing and pass through the opening of the tubular sheath such that a distal end of the threaded shaft is extendable into the lumen of the tubular sheath at least as far as the outer perimeter of the collar.
This disclosure relates to a locking mechanism utilizing a threaded fastener that is resistant to damage and can quickly and efficiently lock a barrier system to a base. Due to its durability and efficiency, the locking mechanism is particularly suitable for use with temporary safety barriers such as those used in construction projects. However, it should be understood that the device is not limited to any particular use.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the devices and methods disclosed herein reside in the combination of parts set forth in this disclosure and covered by the claims appended hereto, it being understood that changes in the precise structure and steps herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the disclosure.
Referring to
The barrier device 10 comprises at least one base 1 to secure the barrier device 10 in place and a barrier system 3 safeguarding against falls by workers. In the example shown in
In this example, the bases 1a and 1b of
Referring now to
At least one opening 19 extends through a lateral side of the wall of the tubular sheath 7. Additionally, a locking mechanism 15 is externally mounted on the lateral side of the tubular sheath 7 at a position coinciding with the opening 19 in the tubular sheath 7.
As the barrier system 3 of
Still referring to
A collar 13 (shown as 13a and 13b in
The outer perimeter of the collar 13 should be configured so that the collar 13 can pass through the lumen 9. This is because the lumens 9a and 9b of the barrier system 3 are configured to respectively receive the upright stems 11a and 11b therein. Preferably, lumens 9a and 9b are configured to entirely receive the respective upright stems 11a and 11b so that the distal ends 5a and b of the barrier system 3 can rest against the bases 1a and 1b.
The locking mechanism 15 will now be described in detail with reference to
The threaded lock housing 17 preferably has threaded members 23 positioned on an internal surface of a housing opening 25. The threaded members 23 and housing opening 25 are horizontally aligned with the opening 19 in the lateral side of the tubular sheath 7 such that the fastener 21 can be received through both the housing opening 25 and opening 19 in the lateral side of the tubular sheath 7.
Fastener 21 has a threaded shaft 27 adapted to threadably engage the threaded members 23 of the threaded lock housing 17. The threaded shaft 27 is also preferably adapted so that a distal end 31 thereof can that can pass through the opening 19 of the tubular sheath 7 and extend into the lumen 9 of the tubular sheath 7 at least as far as the outer perimeter of the collar 13. Preferably, a proximal end of the fastener 21 comprises a handle 29 to facilitate rotation and threading of the fastener 21 through the threaded lock housing 17. Suitably, the fastener 21 may have T-shaped handle 29, although other configurations are possible. In preferred examples, the threaded shaft 27 and the handle 29 of the fastener 21 are of unitary construction.
As can be seen in
Optionally, the distal end 31 of the threaded shaft 27 of the fastener 21 may be fitted with friction cap 33 such as a vinyl or rubber end-cap. If the distal end 31 of the threaded shaft 27 engages with upright stem 11, the friction cap 33 can provide additional frictional engagement to provide a more snug, non-slip engagement.
In other examples, locking mechanism 15 may further comprising a lock-nut 35 positioned on the threaded shaft 27 of the fastener 21. The lock-nut 35 has a perimeter greater than that of the housing opening 25 such that withdrawal of the fastener 21 from the locking mechanism 15 is restricted by the lock-nut 35.
As shown in
It will further be appreciated that alternative barrier systems 3 other than the one depicted in
Additionally, as noted above, the structure of the base 1 is not particularly limited and base structures other than that shown in
Although the devices and methods have been described in connection with specific forms thereof, it will be appreciated that a wide variety of equivalents may be substituted for the specified elements described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure as described in the appended claims.
Claims
1. A barrier locking mechanism comprising:
- at least one upright stem mounted to a base;
- a collar disposed on a distal end of the upright stem, the collar having an outer perimeter extending radially outward of the upright stem;
- a tubular sheath having an open lumen configured to receive the upright stem therein;
- an opening through a lateral side of the tubular sheath axially positioned such that, when the upright stem is received within the lumen of the tubular sheath, the opening is positionable between the base and the collar of the upright stem;
- a threaded lock housing externally mounted on the lateral side of the tubular sheath at a position coinciding with the opening in the tubular sheath; and
- a fastener having a threaded shaft adapted to threadably engage with the threaded lock housing and pass through the opening of the tubular sheath such that a distal end of the threaded shaft is extendable into the lumen of the tubular sheath at least as far as the outer perimeter of the collar.
2. The barrier locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein a tubular sheath has a U-shape and the threaded lock housing is provided on an inward facing side of the U-shape.
3. The barrier locking mechanism of claim 2, wherein a tubular sheath comprises a second threaded lock housing provided on an opposing inward facing side of the U-shape.
4. The barrier locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein at least a second upright stem is mounted to the base.
5. The barrier locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein the tubular sheath defines a hand-rail.
6. The barrier locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein the distal end of the threaded shaft of the fastener comprises a friction cap.
7. The barrier locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein a proximal end of the threaded shaft of the fastener comprises a handle.
8. The barrier locking mechanism of claim 7, wherein the threaded shaft of the fastener and the handle are of unitary construction.
9. The barrier locking mechanism of claim 1, further comprising a lock-nut disposed on the threaded shaft of the fastener.
10. The barrier locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein the base is selected from the group consisting of a parapet base, an anchor base, a weighted base, a Jersey barrier-mount base and horizontal mount base.
11. The barrier locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein the collar has a circular cross-section.
12. The barrier locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein the distal end of the threaded shaft is extendable into the lumen of the tubular sheath to engage the outer surface of the stem when the barrier locking mechanism is deployed.
13. The barrier locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein the opening through a lateral side of the tubular sheath and the collar of the stem are configured such that, when the barrier locking mechanism is deployed, the distal end of the threaded shaft engages a lower surface of the collar.
14. The barrier locking mechanism of claim 2, further comprising a second base.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 21, 2018
Publication Date: Aug 22, 2019
Inventors: Steve M. Stawychny (Hoffman Estates, IL), Raymond J. Keaveney (Chicago, IL)
Application Number: 15/901,017