Abstract:
A child safety barrier for positioning across an opening includes a frame and a gate which is hinged to the frame and can be swung from a closed position where the gate lies in the plane of the frame to an open position out of the plane, the gate including an upper rod having a closing mechanism for locking the gate in a closed position or unlocking the gate to allow it to be opened. The closing mechanism includes a pivotable handle and a spring-loaded locking button which cooperates with the handle to retain it in a position wherein it locks the gate in a closed position.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/171,653 filed Mar. 19, 1999, now abandoned which was a national phase of PCT/DK97/00190, filed Apr. 24, 1997. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a safety child barrier of the type which includes a gate mounted in a frame, the barrier being fastenable in an opening using clamping devices which can be clamped against the sides of the opening. 
     Child safety gates are used as temporary barriers across doorways, stairways, windows, and similar openings to prevent small children and animals from passing therethrough. 
     There are known child safety barriers which include a frame with a central gate and there are also known barriers where the gate is located at one side thereof. 
     The purpose of this invention is to provide gates of enhanced reliability. The barrier has a special hinge construction which prevents buckling at the hinge, and the barrier has also a special closing mechanism having an extra protection against unintended opening. Finally, the barrier includes an indicator device to indicate the clamping in the opening. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     An embodiment of the invention shall be explained further below with reference to the enclosed drawings. 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a child safety barrier constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the barrier including a frame and a gate hinged thereto, 
     FIG. 2 is a view of one end of the base member of the frame and showing a closing mechanism for clamping against a side of an opening in which the barrier is positioned, 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a locking hinge between the upper end of the gate and vertical post of the frame, 
     FIG. 4 is a view of a hinge between the lower end of the gate and the base member of the frame, 
     FIGS. 5,  5   a ,  6  and  7  depict the closing mechanism at the free end of the upper rod of the gate, 
     FIGS. 8,  9  and  11  depict embodiments of a blocking device located at the free end of the upper rod of the gate, 
     FIG. 10 shows a pressure indicator unit in the upper rod of the frame, and 
     FIG. 12 shows a cross section of a free end of a threaded bar of the closing mechanism. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The child safety barrier includes a frame having a base member  2  and an upright post member  4 , a short upper rod member  6  extending to one side at the upper end of the post member. Vertical rods  8  extend between the upper rod member and the base member. On the other side of the post a gate  10  is hinged. 
     For fastening of the barrier in the opening there is in each corner of the plane of the barrier, i.e., in both ends of the base member  2  and the free end of the upper member  6  a threaded rod  12  with a friction block. The threaded rods can be pulled in and out and fixed by means of a counter nut  14  so that their length can be adjusted to the size of the actual opening. 
     The gate includes a closing mechanism  48  which also has a corresponding threaded bar with a friction block which can be pulled in and out and fixed with a counter nut, and which by means of the closing mechanism can be clamped against the opening. 
     At the top of the gate  10  is hinged to the post  4  by means of a specially designed hinge  16 . As shown in FIG. 3, a substantially tubeshaped upper hinge part  18  of plastic with a hole  20  for a pivot pin  22  is mounted over the upper rod  54  of the gate. At this location the hinge part is solid. On the lower part of the hinge part there is a slot  24 . The other hinge part  26  is attached to the post  4 , on to which an angle  28  is welded. The hinge part has a pocket, by means of which this can be slipped in over the perpendicularly projecting flap of the angle on the post. On the upper part of the hinge part there is a fin  30  projecting upwards, which fits loosely up into the slot  24  on the other hinge part. There is also a through-going hole  32  for the pivot pin  22 . The hole is carried through the angle so that the hinge part is fixed by means of the pivot pin  22 . On the lower side of the hinge part the hole is continued in a tube section and at the back there is a contact surface facing the post or more precisely the angle. Furthermore, there is a reinforcing rib. The pivot pin  22  is attached by tight fitting or by screwing it into the upper part  18  of the hinge, and in the closed position of the gate the pivot is still hidden in the hinge, i.e., the pivot does not project beneath the hinge. 
     As shown in FIG. 4, at its bottom the gate is hinged to the base member by means of a pivot pin  34  situated through a hole in the bottom rod  36  of the gate further down through a hole in the top side of the base member  2  of the frame. The end of the pivot pin  34  is bent to the side so that it functions as a stop for pulling up the gate. The pivot pin is inserted by manipulating it through the hole in the bottom rod of the gate and further down into the bottom rod of the frame. The pivot pin  34  can be welded to the gate by the head. 
     To open the barrier the gate is lifted by means of which the upper part of the hinge  16  is lifted clear of the fin  30  on the lower part  26 . When the gate is swung open the upper part  18  will ride on the fin  30 . The vertical lift of the gate is as mentioned limited by the pivot pin  34  in the bottom hinging of the gate. In the closed position of the gate the hinge is fixed against sideways deflection as the fin  30  here is situated in the slot  24  on the under side of the upper part  18  of the hinge. Furthermore, the forces appearing in the upper member of the gate will be transmitted directly to the vertical post  4 , as the rear edge of the upper hinge part is at the top shaped as an planar contact plane  40  for contact against the pillar whereas the edge at the slot region is shaped as rounded sliding surfaces  42  situated within the contact plane. In the open position the contact plane  40  is lifted above the pillar  4  and by swinging up the gate, the sliding surface  42  will slide upon the pillar. Altogether, the upper part of the barrier will in closed position stand as a nearly rigid through-going connection including the upper rod the gate, the upper part of the pillar and the upper rod of the frame. 
     In closed position the front corner at the bottom of the gate is secured against deflection by means of an U-shaped element  44  gripping around the top side of the base member  2 . By lifting the gate for its opening, the element  44  clears the base member. The element  44  is positioned on the rounding where the lower rod of the gate curves into the front rod  46 , by means of which the wedge-shaped space next to the base member is blocked so that children cannot get their toes or fingers caught in the gate. 
     As seen in FIGS. 5-7, the gate includes a closing mechanism  48 , which also has a threaded bar  50  with a friction block  50   a . The threaded bar is situated in a through-going hole in a sliding element  52  and extends with its end into the upper rod  54 . In the element  52  a nut  56  is cast so that the threaded bar can be screwed in and out to fit the actual size of an opening. At the front the element  52  has a sideways projecting cross wall  58 , to which in each side a recess with a camface  60  is contiguous. A handle  62  (see FIG. 5 a ) includes two parallel sidewalls  64 , which on the rear section is connected with a curved member  66  fitting the upper rod  54  of the gate. At the front the sidewalls have a side plate with a projection  70  cooperating with the camface  60  in the recess on the element  52 . When the handle  62  is closed, i.e., in horizontal position, the threaded bar and thereby the friction block are in their projecting locked position. When opening the gate, the handle is turned, thus causing the pins  70  in cooperation with the camface to pull back the threaded bar with the friction block out of contact with the opening in which the barrier is placed. The gate can then be lifted and opened as described previously. When closing the gate, the handle is pushed downwards, thus causing the front edge of the sides  64  to press against the cross wall  58  of the element by means of which this is pushed forward to clamp the friction block against the opening. On the edge of the element there is a projection  72  cooperating with a slot  74  in the side plates. In a closed position the projections are positioned in the slot. By lifting the handle to open the gate, the projections  72  will counteract this. Only with an extra firm grip on the handle it will be possible to swing it upwards as the sidewalls thereby are forced from each other and slide on top of the projections. On the other hand, the projections will cooperate in causing the handle to shut with a “snap effect” and to remain in the closed position. 
     As an additional securing feature preventing opening of the gate, the handle is blocked by means of a spring-loaded blocking knob  76  located in an element in the shape of flat plastic block  78  (see FIGS.  8  and  9 ). This block is firmly fixed between a projecting end of the upper rod  54  of the gate and a parallel flat iron  80  welded to the front rod  46 , which is a pipe, and the neighbour rod  82  of the gate. The rear edge of the block is undercut and grips around the rod  82 . At the front the block is fixed by means of a pin  84  which projects downwardly into the pipe  46 . The axis of rotation of the handle is embedded in a cross hole  86  in the block. The blocking knob  76  is designed as an entity with the plastic block and placed directly against the side plates  68  or designed as shown in FIG. 11 as a spring-loaded  100  loose knob  102  embedded in a recess  104  in the plastic block  78 , and which grips into a hole in the side plate  68  of the handle. The handle is thus blocked in the closed position. In order to open the gate two independent movements are thus necessary, i.e., pushing in the blocking knob  76  as well as lifting the handle. Beyond this, the entire gate has to be lifted. The gate is hereby effectively secured against unintended opening, and at the same time it is still easy to open for an adult person. Besides being an integrated part of the plastic block, the blocking knob can of course also be shaped as a separate spring-loaded knob embedded in the plastic piece. 
     Due to the yielding of the opening where the barrier is placed, e.g., yielding banisters, it can be difficult to decide how hard the gate has to be clamped. For this purpose the upper rod of the frame is shaped as an indicator unit. As shown in FIG. 10, a spring  87  is positioned in rod  6  for affecting a pipe section  88  in which the threaded bar  12  with the friction block  12   a  is situated. On the pipe there are two indication marks  90 , 92 , the first showing the sufficient clamping of the frame itself, the second showing sufficient clamping of the closing mechanism of the gate. 
     In order to improve the securing of the rubber or plastic coating (covering)  94  of the friction block on the supporting plate  96 , this can be equipped with one or several holes  98 , mainly three evenly distributed over the plate, and where the coating penetrates into the holes, such as by protrusions  94   a , cf. FIG.  12 . The coating is thus effectively secured against stripping off by sideways forces on the gate. This applies to a loosely fixed coating as well as a vulcanized coating.