Patent ID: 6112460
Filing Date: 2000-09-05
Classification: E06B

Abstract:
A gate assembly that is manually extendable in the absence of a spring bias force, for placement of the gate assembly between two horizontally spaced apart and vertically extending surfaces that define an opening to be closed by said gate assembly, comprising:a first generally planar gate section having a first outer face and a first inner face;a second generally planar gate section having a second outer face and a second inner face;U-shaped mounting means engaging said first and second outer faces for slidably holding said first and second inner faces in a generally abutting and overlapping relationship, said mounting means being constructed and arranged to facilitate relative horizontal manual movement of said first and second gate sections and to manually vary an amount of said overlap as said gate assembly is horizontally extended to close the opening;a first horizontally extending U-shaped slot in said first inner face, said first slot having a first slot end adjacent to a first end of said gate assembly, and said first U-shaped slot having a second slot end, said first U-shaped slot having two physically spaced and parallel arms that extend orthogonally from a common center arm;a second horizontally extending U-shaped slot in said second inner face in horizontal alignment with said first U-shaped slot, said second U-shaped slot having a first slot end corresponding to said first slot end of said first U-shaped slot, said second U-shaped slot having a second slot end corresponding to said second slot end of said first U-shaped slot and adjacent to a second end of said gate assembly, and said second U-shaped slot having two physically spaced and parallel arms that extend orthogonally from a common center arm;a first low friction slide mounted at a fixed position within said first U-shaped slot at a location that is generally adjacent to said first end of said first gate section, said first low friction slide having a first U-shaped portion extending from said first U-shaped slot and being freely and slidably received by said second U-shaped slot, said first U-shaped portion having two physically spaced and parallel surfaces that extend orthogonally from a common center surface;a second low friction slide mounted at a fixed position within said second U-shaped slot at a location that is generally adjacent to said second end of said second gate section, said second low friction slide having a second U-shaped portion extending from said second U-shaped slot and being freely and slidably received by said first U-shaped slot, said second U-shaped portion having two physically spaced and parallel surfaces that extend orthogonally from a common center surface;first gate mounting means on a first end of said gate assembly; andsecond gate mounting means on a second end of said gate assembly.