A GATE WITH AN EXTENDABLE AND RETRACTABLE ARTICULATED STRUCTURE

Abstract: The articulated structure of the extendable and retractable gate is designed to avoid having to suspend sliding guided vertical support rods to the lintel of the opening and also to avoid having to provide a bottom runner for the opposite end of the said rods; the articulated structure is a lattice and consists solely of linkages (1, 2) inclined in two directions, interconnected with each other and to the supporting uprights (8, 9) with structural elements that make it self-supporting; the sole function of the wheel (18) is that of facilitating the sliding movement; the gate can be applied, as well as for closing doors and windows, also for openings in walls or fences that do not have a lintel.

Description: A gate with an extendable and retractable articulated structure. The invention concerns a gate with an extendable and retractable articulated structure, that is, a vertical lattice able to slide transversely to close-off openings in windows, doors, walls, or fencing in general, for safety purposes. The prior art involves single-piece extendable and retractable lattices for windows or french windows, made up of structures having an abutment, attached to the wall section, with a locking mechanism in which to secure a latch carried by a corresponding vertical sliding upright which is connected on its other side, by means of one or more sets of series of thin, short articulated linkages, cross-linked in a parallelogram configuration, to a sliding vertical upright having drilled flanges to attach it to the opposing wall section or fixed abutment: between the said sliding upright and this last fixed abutment, there being a number of evenly spaced vertical risers, each made up of two opposing C-sections, inside each of which there being, at the same height in each set of said crossed linkages, the pins that constitute the median node of each formation of linkages, whereas the pins that constitute the upper and lower hinges with respect to the median node can slide vertically inside the said vertical risers and inside the vertical upright that does not have the lock; the upper extremities of the said vertical sliding risers being suspended and guided in a square C- section runner, attached to the lintel, with supporting lips on its underside, whereas the lower extremities slide in a C-section runner. This type of extendable and retractable gate has the considerable drawback of requiring the lintels, sills and thresholds to be drilled in order to insert the screws or expansion plugs to attach the said runners, spoiling or damaging the respective surfaces, especially if they are made of marble, in such a way that they cannot be restored should this be required. Furthermore, the lower runner in particular constitutes an obstruction and a receptacle for dust and dirt. Finally, the necessity of making the said risers slide in the runners requires that tolerances be adhered to, especially the vertical tolerances, therefore requiring that the height of the risers be adjusted in function of the actual difference in height between the threshold, or sill and the lintel. The runners are also a source of difficulty in manoeuvering and installation as well as in using the gate, they reduce the effective height of the window or door and constitute an obstruction when hanging curtains, sheets or drapes at the window as required. It is also evident that this type of gate cannot be installed in openings that are not covered by a lintel as it is not possible to suspend the risers that carry the diagonal linkages that constitute the lattice structure itself. Lastly, such a structure is weak and not self-supporting: as a result it can be easily broken through, situation which cannot be improved with the use of larger section linkages, as this leads to excessive self-weight and making practically impossible the already difficult extending or retracting manoeuvres, which, furthermore, are subject to stick-slip and are noisy, even with lightweight structures. Such prior art may be subject to considerable improvements with a view to eliminating the said drawbacks. From the foregoing emerges the need of resolving the technical problem of inventing an extendable and retractable gate whose articulated structure, for example in single shutter configuration, is able to slide without requiring vertical support: this, also with a view to simplifying the said structure and to making it suitable for use also without a lintel, for example, in openings in walls or in fencing. The invention resolves the said technical problem by adopting, between the two abutments attached to corresponding supports, a sliding articulated structure, consisting of two layers of inclined thick gauge linkages, extending the entire height of the gate, inclined in two near-vertical directions, hinged to each other and to two supporting uprights by means of structural elements: one of the two uprights being mobile and securely closed with the abutment containing the lock (or other anchoring mechanism) , the other being inserted in and attached to the opposing abutment; the base of the mobile upright having a wheel with the function of facilitating movement across the sill, or threshold, especially for long gates to avoid overstressing the structure: the self-supporting condition being made possible by the use of hinging and distancing elements between the linkages and between the linkages and their supporting uprights. The advantages offered by the invention are: elimination of the vertical risers, of the suspension and sliding runner for the upper extremities of the risers and the runner for the lower extremities; elimination of the drilling of the lintels, the sills and the thresholds; elimination of the dust and dirt traps; increase in the effective dimensions of the openings; greater speed of installation and removal; reduced difficulty of operation due to improved smoothness; elimination of obstacles in hanging up drapery at windows; possibility of installing the gate in openings of walls or fencing. An embodiment of the invention is illustrated, by way of example, in the seven tables of drawings attached, in which: Figure 1 is a partial front view from the inside of the gate with the corresponding uprights in the closed position, shown, purely for the purposes of greater clarity, separated from the abutments and with only one of the far-side linkages, of which there are, in fact, as many as on the near-side, drawn with dashed lines, the front-side linkages being only shown in part: each linkage constituting a hinging support for the other linkages so creating the vertical articulated self-supporting structure of the gate; Figure 2 is the enlarged longitudinal centre-line section of one of the far-side linkages as drawn with dashed lines in Figure 1, showing the sections of the near-side linkages hinged at various heights to form the vertical structure; Figure 3 is an interrupted front view from the inside the gate as applied, for example, in the opening of a window; Figure 4 is an interrupted plan view, enlarged and partially sectioned, of the two extremities of the gate in its fully extended position, showing the abutment without lock and the two uprights; Figure 5 is an enlarged, interrupted and partially sectioned plan view of the closed gate, including the two abutments and the lock; Figures 6, 7, 8 are, respectively, enlarged and interrupted sections VI- VI, VII-VII, VIII-VIII, IX-IX of Figure 1, highlighting the articulation of the linkages by means of elements that render the gate self-supporting; Figure 10 is the front view of the support element that carries the lock; Figure 11 is the horizontal transverse section XI-XI of Figure iθ in the configuration of square section tubular element; Figures 12, 13 are, respectively, the interrupted front view and corresponding plan view of one of the two abutments (left); Figures 14, 15 are analogous frontal and plan views of one of the two uprights (left); Figures 16, 17 are analogous frontal and plan views of the other upright (right); Figures 18, 19 are analogous frontal and plan views of the abutment with the lock. The figures show: 1, the near-side linkages (i.e. internal) inclined from the vertical to one side; 2, the far-side linkages (i.e. external) inclined in the opposite way; 3, through holes in linkages 2 for the insertion, in each of the holes, of hollow spindle 4 (Figure 2) having on one side head or boss 5, on the other side screw thread 6 into which is screwed screw 7 with washer 7a, in such a way so that it cannot be removed: the hollow spindle extending into the corresponding hole in the other inclined linkage; 8, the C-section upright with lip 8a (Figure 4) located on the opposite side of upright 9, also with lip 9a in its C-section, having slot 10 for lock 11, fixed to abutment 12, also with C-section: upright 9 being mobile, whilst upright 8 is fixed; 13 (Figure 3), a handle for operating the gate; 14, the opposite abutment, with C- section, from the one with the lock; 15, holes in the sides of abutment 14, to attach upright 8 inside it by drilling during assembly and inserting transverse screw 16 (Figure 3); 17, the mechanism of lock 11; 18, an optional wheel located at the lower extremity of upright 9 to facilitate sliding across the sill, threshold or pavement, in order to make the operation faster and without overstressing the structure, keeping the distance from the underlying surface unaltered when pushing, especially for long gates; the structure of the gate being self- supporting, in other words, not requiring a support surface or to be suspended; 19, expansion plugs to attach the abutments to the wall; 20 (Figure 4), spacing washers between linkages 1, 2, coaxial with spindle 4 of head 5; 21, 22 spacing elements placed on pin 23, supported by a pair of sliding blocks 24 that slide against the inside of uprights 8, 9 to separate them from linkages 1, 2; the said uprights having guiding lips 8a, 9a; 25 (Figure 5), the key; 26 (Figure 5), the supporting element of lock 11 fixed to the inside of the abutment 12; 27 (Figure 10), the slot of supporting element 26 of the lock, having holes 28 for the mounting screws; 29 (Figure 8), the hinge pin of near-side linkage 1 in fixed upright 8; 30 (Figure 9), the support pin for wheel 18 centred by means of two equal length spacers; 31, another pin to hinge far-side linkage 2; 32, 33 different length spacers of linkage 1 hinged on pin 29, against the sides of upright 8 that support the pin; 34, 35, analogous spacers for linkage 2 against the sides of upright 9; 36, 37, the spacers for linkages 1, 2 in fixed upright 8; 38, the spacing washer placed between linkages 1, 2 at the points where they couple with the uprights. Assembly is as follows: once abutments 12, 14 have been attached to the walls, or to the fixed part of the structure with the opening, using expansion plugs and screws 19, upright 8 is inserted in corresponding abutment 14, fixing it in place with transverse screws 16 placed in holes 15, after the corresponding holes have been drilled with the upright in position; wheel 18 will roll across the sill or threshold, as abutment 14 and its corresponding fixed upright 8 are made shorter so as to keep them lifted by an amount approximately corresponding to the amount that the wheel protrudes from the lower extremity of mobile upright 9, also made correspondingly shorter. In practice, the materials, dimensions, and details of execution may be different from but technically equivalent to those described without departing from the giuridical domain of the present invention. For example, the abutment (14) opposite the one with the lock could be eliminated, advantageously or not, attaching the corresponding upright (8), by means of side plates and screws, directly to the wall section.

Claims: CLAIMS. l.A gate comprising an extendable and retractable articulated structure for barring openings, consisting of two layers of inclined members and at least one supporting upright, each layer of members inclined in opposing near- vertical directions, said members are connected to each other and to the supporting upright/s at a respective lateral extremity of the structure by means of connecting elements, said structure being attached to a fixed section of the opening having at least one abutment provided with anchoring means, characterised in that the inclined elements are connected to each other and to the supporting upright/s in such a way as to provide a self- bearing structure without the need for further vertical supporting elements. 2.Gate according to claim 1, wherein the inclined members extend substantially the entire height of the opening, in every configuration. 3.Gate according to claim 1, or 2, wherein the articulated structure comprises two supporting uprights, a first supporting upright engageable with the abutment having anchoring means and a second supporting upright at the other lateral extremity of the structure. 4.Gate according to claim 1, or 2, or 3, wherein each inclined member (1, 2) has, in addition to holes at its extremities, at least one hole (3), for the insertion of a connecting element which extends a sufficient distance to ensure secure coupling, on the side of intersection with the other inclined member of the facing layer and in line with its corresponding hole. 5.Gate according to claim 4, wherein the connecting element consists of a hollow spindle (4) having at one end a head (5) , at the other end an internal screw thread (6) into which is screwed a screw (7) with washer (7a): there being a spacing washer (20) between members (1, 2) coupled by means of said connecting element. 6.Gate according to any of claims 3 to 5, wherein the first supporting upright has a C-shaped cross section (9) with two lips (9a): said first supporting upright being insertable into and extractable from the associated abutment, which has a flared C-section. 7.Gate according to anv of claims 3 to 6. wherein the second supporting upriσht (12) has a C-shaped cross being inserted into and fixed to the said C-section abutment. 8.Gate according to claim 1 and 6 or 7, wherein the connecting elements between each lower extremitv of inclined members (1. 2 . and the C-section supporting uprights (8. 9). is made up of a pin (29. 31) that connects with the sides of the upright in its lower portion: the positioning of each said linkage in its vertical plane being achieved by means of two spacers (32, 33; 34, 35) of different length and arranged in inverse order. 9.Gate according to claim 1 or 2 or 3. wherein the first supporting upright (9) is fitted on its underside with a wheel (18) that rolls across the underlying surface of the opening that contains the gate to prevent accidental overstressing during operation. 10.Gate according to claim 9, wherein the said wheel rotates around a pin (30) attached to the sides of the supporting upright (9) on the closing side and centred by means of two identical spacers. 11.Gate according to claim 1 or 2 or 3 and in one or more of claims 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, wherein the one or both of the extremities of the members (1. 2) connected to the supporting uprights (8. 9) are coupled above their lowermost hinging point to a pin (23) attached to a pair of opposing sliding blocks (24) that slide vertically inside their respective uprights, confined by the sides, the back and the lips (8a, 9a) of the upright. 12.Gate as claimed in claim 11. characterised in that between each linkage (1. 2) and adiacent spacer (24) is inserted a spacer (36, 37); between the two linkages there being a spacing washer (38).

Inventors: FARINA MARCELLO, FARINA, MARCELLO
Applicants: FARINA MARCELLO, MODENBLIND DI FARINA MARCELLO, FARINA, MARCELLO
Application year: 1993
Main classification: E06B9
IPC codes: E06B9