Abstract:
A pressure-mounted gate includes a first panel extending horizontally. A second panel is slidably coupled to the first panel. The second panel extends horizontally. A locking mechanism is coupled to the first panel and the second panel. The locking mechanism facilitates a widening of the gate by a ratcheting structure. The locking mechanism locks a position of the first panel and the second panel at a desired gate width.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    Security gates are commonly used to lock or close passageways such as conventional doorways and entrances to stairwells. The purpose of such gates is primarily security, such as keeping small children from accessing stairwells that could present a hazard, and also confinement, such as confining a pet to a particular room during the night. Many types of child and pet security gates are available on the market today that range from the accordion style gates formed from lattice-connected wood slats to lightweight plastic injected molded gates that permit adjustment to width and closure. 
         [0002]    A typical security gate is formed from one or more panels, each panel including a frame surrounding a mesh or other similar lattice structure formed therebetween. The mesh is typically used so that one can see through the gate when the gate is in place. 
         [0003]    Typically, each panel is manually positioned between two stationary elements, such as a door jamb. The security gate is then locked in place by a locking mechanism. However, some locking mechanisms only provide a selection of discrete gate positions in which the gate may be locked. The discrete positions provided may not permit the gate to fit tightly within the stationary objects. Furthermore, once the gate is unlocked and the gate is removed from between the stationary objects, the position of the panels is changed. To re insert the gate between the stationary objects, the panels need to be manually positioned again. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
         [0005]    Embodiments described herein relate to a quick fit gate. In one embodiment, a pressure-mounted gate includes a first panel extending horizontally; a second panel slidably coupled to the first panel, the second panel extending horizontally; and a locking mechanism coupled to the first panel and the second panel, the locking mechanism facilitating a widening of the gate by a ratcheting structure, the locking mechanism locking a position of the first panel and the second panel at a desired gate width. 
         [0006]    In another embodiment, a method of adjusting and locking a pressure-mounted gate comprises sliding two panels of the gate away from each other so that a width of the gate is increased and the gate is positioned to fit loosely between two stationary objects; lifting a first arm of the gate, a first end of the first arm being attached to a first panel of the gate; when the first arm of the gate is lifted a distance greater than a threshold distance, sliding a locking mechanism attached to a second arm of the gate along a portion of the first arm of the gate; and after the first arm is lifted a distance greater than the threshold distance, lowering the first arm of the gate, the lowering of the first arm of the gate causing the second arm to move a second panel of the gate horizontally away from the first panel of the gate, the lowering of the first arm of the gate causing the gate to tighten against the two stationary objects. 
         [0007]    In yet another embodiment, a locking mechanism for a gate comprises a housing that is configured to be pivotably attached to a first end of a first arm and slidably attached to a second arm; a cover for the housing, the cover for the housing including a pawl on one end of the cover; and a spring attached to a top of the housing and pressed against an inside of the cover for the housing, wherein when the spring is compressed, the pawl moves up a distance from the top of the housing. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a front view of an example quick fit gate. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the gate of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the gate of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the locking mechanism of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the arm bars and locking mechanism of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a front view of a released position of a pawl of the locking mechanism of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a front view of a locked position of the pawl of the locking mechanism of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a locked position of the gate of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an unlocked locked position of the gate of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 10  is another perspective view of a locked position of the gate of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 11  is a front view of a locked position of the gate of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 12  is a front view of an unlocked position of the gate of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 13  is another front view of a locked position of the gate of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0022]    Embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. Principles associated with this disclosure can, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Instead, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey principles of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. 
         [0023]    Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to quick fit gates, such as security gates for pets and children. Example gates described herein include a ratcheting mechanism that permits a gate to slide and that includes a bar and locking structure that permits the gate to expand in length incrementally. The locking structure also locks the gate in place when the bar is moved down. 
         [0024]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1-3 , a quick fit gate  100  is shown. Gate  100  includes panels  102 ,  104 . Each panel  102 ,  104  includes a frame  106 ,  108  surrounding a lattice structure formed by a mesh  110 . Panels  102 ,  104  are slideably connected for adjustment to a desired width to define a closure between two stationary elements such as, for example, a doorjamb. A fastener  114  is connected to a top and bottom of each panel  102 ,  104  to secure panel  102  to panel  104 . In addition, a pair of rubber bumpers  112  is connected to the side face of each frame  106 ,  108  to frictionally engage the stationary elements. 
         [0025]    Gate  100  also includes a locking structure  116  for locking panels  102 ,  104  at a desired width. Locking structure  116  includes a first arm  118  pivotally attached to frame  106  at a first end. A second arm  120  is pivotally attached to frame  108  at a first end. A locking mechanism  122  attached to a second end of second arm  120  is configured to engage one of a plurality of notches  124  formed on an upper surface of first arm  118 , and a clip mechanism  126  on a second end of first arm  118  is configured to engage and couple first arm  118  to second arm  120 . Locking structure  116  is configured to position and maintain panels  102 ,  104  at a desired width by ratcheting first arm  118  to the desired width and locking clip mechanism  126  to second arm  120 . Locking mechanism  122  also permits gate  100  to maintain a memory of the desired width when gate  100  is removed from between the stationary elements. 
         [0026]    Frames  106 ,  108 , first arm  118  and second arm  120  can be made of a variety of materials, such as metal, plastic, or wood. In the example shown, frames  106 ,  108 , first arm  118  and second arm  120  are made of wood. In other embodiments, frames  106 ,  108 , first arm  118  and second arm  120  can be made of different materials. For example, frames  106 ,  108  and second arm  120  can be made of wood, and first arm  118  can be made of metal or plastic. 
         [0027]    In addition, mesh  110  can be configured in a variety of patterns and can be made of a variety of materials such as metal, plastic or wood. In the example shown, mesh  110  forms a lattice structure and is made of plastic. 
         [0028]      FIG. 4  shows an exploded view of the locking mechanism  122 . The locking mechanism  122  includes a main housing  402  and a control mechanism  404 . The control mechanism  404  includes a button  406  and a pawl  410 . When the gate  100  is locked, the pawl  410  is inserted into one of the notches  124  on the first arm  118 , as explained in more detail later herein. The button  406  provides a means for releasing the pawl  410  from a locked position, so that panels  102  and  104  can move with respect to each other. The button  406  makes contact with a spring  408  on the main housing  402 . When the button  406  is pressed down against the spring  408 , the pawl  410  is lifted up from the notches  124 , unlocking gate  100 . Typically, the button  406  is used to unlock the gate  100  so that the width of gate  100  may be made smaller. To increase the width of gate  100 , ratcheting is typically used, as explained later herein. 
         [0029]      FIG. 5  shows a more detailed view of the notches  124  on the upper surface of the first arm  118 . When the pawl  410  is inserted into a notch, first arm  118  is prevented from moving with respect to the second arm  120  and the gate  100  is locked. When the pawl  410  is released from the notch, first arm  118  is free to move with respect to the second arm  120 . Because frame  106  of panel  102  is connected to first arm  118  and because frame  108  of panel  104  is connected to second arm  120 , when pawl  410  is released from the notch, panel  102  is permitted to move with respect to panel  104 . 
         [0030]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , when pawl  410  is released from a notch  124 , pawl  410  no longer holds first arm  118  in place. First arm  118  is free to move with respect to second arm  120 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , when pawl  410  is inserted into the notch  124 , pawl  410  prevents first arm  118  from moving with respect to second arm  120 . As a result, gate  100  is locked. 
         [0031]    Referring to  FIGS. 8-10 , a sequence is shown for adjusting a width of gate  100  between two stationary objects. In the sequence shown in  FIGS. 8-10 , the width is increased from a width W 1  to a width W 3 .  FIG. 8  shows gate  100  in a locked position at width W 1 . In order to increase the width of gate  100 , panels  102  and  104  are pulled away from each other until gate  100  fits loosely between the two stationary objects. This increases the width of gate  100  to a width W 2 . When panels  102  and  104  are pulled away from each other, the force of pulling panels  102  and  104  away from each other allows pawl  410  to ratchet along notches  124  until the width W 2  is reached. 
         [0032]    Width W 2  represents an approximate distance between the two stationary objects. In order for gate  100  to fit tightly between the two stationary objects, additional ratcheting is typically required. To implement the additional ratcheting, first arm  118  is lifted off second arm  120  ( FIG. 9 ). When first arm  118  is lifted a specific distance off second arm  120 , first arm  118  ratchets along notches  124  of first arm  118 . The specific distance corresponds to a threshold distance that first arm  118  needs to be lifted to release pawl  410  from a notch in first arm  118 . 
         [0033]    First arm  118  typically ratchets one or two notches when first arm  118  is lifted the threshold distance off second arm  120 . When first arm  118  ratchets, pawl  410  and locking mechanism  122  move up first arm  118  towards panel  104 . Because locking mechanism  122  is also connected to second arm  120  and second arm  120  is connected to panel  104 , panel  104  moves to the right when first arm  118  ratchets. 
         [0034]    Ratcheting occurs because when first arm  118  is lifted off of second arm  120 , button  406  of control mechanism  404  presses down on spring  408 . When button  406  presses down on spring  408 , pawl  410  lifts up from the notch of notches  124  in which pawl  410  is inserted. As first arm  118  continues to be lifted, pawl  410  slides one or two notches forward in notches  124 . The ratcheting only moves locking mechanism  122  in one direction, towards frame  108  of panel  104 . Because second arm  120  is attached to locking mechanism  122 , when locking mechanism  122  moves towards frame  108  of panel  104 , panel  104  moves away from panel  102 , thereby widening gate  100 . 
         [0035]    First arm  118  is then lowered towards second arm  120  and secured into place on second arm  120  via clip mechanism  126  ( FIG. 10 ). When first arm  118  is lowered, pressure is applied against second arm  120 . The pressure may cause second arm  120  to move further and tighten gate  100  between the two stationary objects. This increases the width of gate  100  to a width W 3 . 
         [0036]    Referring now to  FIGS. 11-13 , a sequence is shown for tightening gate  100  from a width W 2  to a width W 3 .  FIG. 11  shows gate  100  at a width W 2  with first arm  118  and second arm  120  in a closed position. As discussed, width W 2  represents a distance in which gate W 2  fits loosely between the two stationary objects. As shown in  FIG. 11 , pawl  410  is inserted in a notch of first arm  118  that is a distance D 1  from a start of the notches on first arm  118 . 
         [0037]    When first arm  118  is lifted ( FIG. 12 ), and moved higher than the threshold distance, pawl  410  is released from first arm  118  and ratcheted up one or two notches on first arm  118 . The threshold distance is a distance that first arm  118  needs to be lifted in order for pawl  410  to be released from the notch that is a distance D 1  from the start of the notches on first arm  118 . After pawl  410  is ratcheted up one or two notches on first arm  118 , pawl  410  is now inserted in a notch at a distance D 2  from the start of the notches on first arm  118 , where D 2  is greater than D 1 . 
         [0038]    First Arm  118  is now lowered so that clip mechanism  126  of first arm  118  is clipped onto second arm  120  ( FIG. 13 ). Because the distance from pawl  410  to the start of the notches on first arm  118  is now D 2 , when first arm  118  is lowered onto second arm  120  and clipped onto second arm  120 , pressure is applied to first arm  118  that causes second arm  120  to tighten against the stationary elements on either end of gate  100  and expand gate  100  to a width of W 3 , where W 3  is slightly greater than W 2 . 
         [0039]    When gate  100  is to be removed from between the two stationary objects, first arm  118  is lifted enough so that gate  100  can be removed. However, when gate  100  is removed, pawl  410  remains in the notch that is a distance D 2  from the start of the notches on first arm  118 . Because pawl  410  remains in the notch, gate  100  retains a memory of width W 2 . Therefore, gate  100  can be put aside and then reinserted between the two stationary objects without needing to resize the width of gate  100 . 
         [0040]    The various embodiments described above are provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed to limit the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize various modifications and changes that may be made to the present disclosure without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described herein, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure, which is set forth in the following claims.