Abstract:
A variable width gate for adaptively mating with boundaries of an opening to provide a barrier therebetween, the variable width gate comprising: (a) an extendable gate including a first gate section mounted to a second gate section, wherein at least one of the first gate section and the second gate section includes a rib; (b) a tracker adapted to engage the rib and operatively coupled to at least one of the first gate section and the second gate section; and (c) a lock mounted to the first gate section to secure the first gate section in relation to the second gate section, the lock comprising a handle operatively coupled to at least one of the tracker and the rib, such that displacement of the handle manipulates the position of the tracker in relation to the rib to reposition the first gate section with respect to the second gate section.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention is directed to an impediment to inhibit movement through an opening, and more specifically to an expandable gate adapted to occupy at least a portion of an opening to inhibit travel therethrough. The expandable feature of the gate provides the functionality of custom fitting to occupy at least a portion of the opening and thereafter to retract and/or pivot to no longer occupy the same portion of the opening, thereby allowing free movement through the unoccupied portion.  
         [0003]     2. Background of the Invention  
         [0004]     A variety of gates are known and presently on the market that are designed to prevent children from passing from one area into another or from ascending or descending stairways. Several of these gates can be adjusted for use in openings having various widths.  
         [0005]     Presently there are two common types of adjustable, pressure mounted, security gates that are used in the home for children and pets that include a plurality of gate panels that are roughly adjusted to inhibit movement through a passageway. The first type includes extendible bumpers on at least one side thereof that firmly engage the boundary defining of the passageway to hold the gate in place. The second type includes fixed position bumpers mounted to the gate panels that are caused to firmly engage the boundary defining the passageway by extending the gate panels.  
         [0006]     Gates having extendable bumpers may incorporate mechanisms that include numerous interconnecting parts that require precise fits and positioning to interact with each other to extend and retract the bumpers. Gates are also known that utilize actuating mechanisms that include a complex arrangement of links, cranks, pull rods and springs that are interconnected to a pull handle. An example of such an actuating mechanism is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,461.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The present invention is directed to an impediment to inhibit movement through an opening, and more specifically to an expandable gate adapted to occupy at least a portion of the opening to inhibit travel therethrough. The expandable gate includes the functionality of custom fitting to occupy at least a portion of the opening and thereafter to retract and/or pivot to no longer occupy the portion of the opening, thereby allowing movement through the opening.  
         [0008]     In an exemplary embodiment, the present invention comprises an expandable gate having a memory mechanism that provides for an incremental increase of the widthwise dimension of the gate to position the gate between boundary points of an opening and provide for an incremental decrease in the widthwise dimension of the gate to remove the gate from the opening without fully retracting the gate to conform to its minimum widthwise dimension. The invention allows for easy removal of the gate from the opening and retaining a memory of the width of the opening such that an incremental increase in the widthwise dimension of the gate will once again create the necessary width to secure the gate within the opening. Various methods of accomplishing such an incremental increase/decrease in the widthwise dimension as well as facilitating this change by manipulation of a handle are also disclosed herein.  
         [0009]     It is a first aspect of the present invention to provide a variable width gate for adaptively mating with boundaries of an opening to provide a barrier therebetween, the variable width gate comprising: (a) an extendable gate including a first gate section mounted to a second gate section, wherein at least one of the first gate section and the second gate section includes a rib; (b) a tracker adapted to engage the rib and operatively coupled to at least one of the first gate section and the second gate section; and, (c) a lock mounted to the first gate section to secure the first gate section in relation to the second gate section, the lock comprising a handle operatively coupled to at least one of the tracker and the rib, such that displacement of the handle manipulates the position of the tracker in relation to the rib to reposition the first gate section with respect to the second gate section. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  is a frontal view of a first exemplary embodiment in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a frontal view of the first exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 1  inhibiting widthwise variation;  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a rear view of a first exemplary gate section in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is a rear view of a second exemplary gate section in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is an elevated perspective view of the first exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  is an isolated view showing the interaction between the projections of the handle and the ribs at a first position of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 7  is an isolated view showing the interaction between the projections of the handle and the ribs at a second position of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention; and  
         [0017]      FIG. 8  is a frontal perspective view of a second exemplary embodiment in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0018]     The exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described and illustrated below as expandable gates or gate sections operative to occupy at least a portion of an opening to inhibit movement therethrough. For clarity and precision, only a single orientational or positional reference will be utilized. Therefore, the various orientational, positional, and reference terms used to describe the elements of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention are only used to describe the elements in relation to one another and may be reconfigured by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.  
         [0019]     Referring to  FIGS. 1-6 , a first exemplary embodiment  10  includes a first gate section  12  mounted to a second gate section  14 . Each gate section  12 ,  14  includes a front side  16  and rear side  22 , where the rear side of the first gate section  12  faces the rear side  22  of the second gate section  14  and the front side  16  of the first gate section  12  faces opposite the front side of the second gate section  14 .  
         [0020]     The front side  16  of the first gate section  12  includes a top channel  24  and a bottom channel  26 , each having an opening  28 ,  30  therethrough. Each opening  28 ,  30  is circumferentially bound by a raised wall  32 ,  34  having a top circumferential surface  36 ,  38  that acts as a slide and is adapted to contact a guide  40 . Each guide  40  includes a post  42  mounted to the rear side  22  of the second gate section  14  that protrudes through one of the openings  28 ,  30  to which a plate  44  is mounted thereto to facilitate sliding of the plate  44  over one of the top circumferential surface  36 ,  38 . In this exemplary embodiment, a screw is utilized as a fastener to mount the plate  44  to the post  42 . In this manner, the total width of the gate  10  may be varied by repositioning the first gate section  12  with respect to the second gate section  14 .  
         [0021]     The front side  16  of the first gate section  12  also includes two recessed areas  46 ,  48  at least partially bounded by an L-shaped raised area  50 . A middle channel  52  separates the two recessed areas  46 ,  48  that each include a series of orifices  54  therethrough to facilitate visual identification across the gate section  12  when in use. The front side  16  of the first gate section  12  also includes an opening  56  therein adapted to accommodate movement of a handle  58  therethrough. The handle  58  includes a detachable cup  60  and a repositionable tab  62  that is adapted to interface with a biased detent  64  and a series of rectangular holes  66  to secure the position of the handle  58  with respect to the first gate section  12 .  
         [0022]     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the rear side  20  of the first gate section  12  includes a recessed area  68  corresponding to the L-shaped raised area  50  on the front side  16 . The recessed area includes a T-shaped track  70  to guide movement of the handle  58 . The tapered portion  72  of the track  70  includes two alignment pins  74  that inhibit movement of the upper aspect of the handle  58  beyond the pins  74 .  
         [0023]     The rear side  22  of the second gate section  14  includes a recessed area  76  having a plurality of staggered ribs  78  with corresponding grooves  80  therebetween. Each rib  78  includes a top segment  82  essentially vertically oriented that transitions into an angled segment  84  occupying a majority of the length of the rib  78  that transitions into a bottom segment  86 . The grooves  80  between the ribs  78  are adapted to receive one or more projections  88  from the handle  58  to orient the first gate section  12  with respect to the second gate section  14 .  
         [0024]     Each gate section  12 ,  14  includes a stopper  90 ,  92  mounted thereto to inhibit movement of the gate sections  12 ,  14  beyond a predetermined point. A pair of resilient bumpers  94  are mounted to the ends of the gate sections  12 ,  14  to conform to minor imperfections in a boundary of an opening where the sections are adapted to be wedged.  
         [0025]     Referring to  FIGS. 1-7 , to configure the first exemplary embodiment  10  within an opening, for example a doorframe, the first gate section  12  is moved with respect to the second gate section  14  such that the distance between the stoppers  90 ,  92  is increased to position the bumpers  94  approximate the boundary of the opening. The handle  58  during this manipulation of the gate sections  12 ,  14  is in the upright position where a catch  98  associated with the tab  62  is seated within a recess  100  of the detent  64 . In this position, the projections  88  of the handle are not within one or more grooves  80  between the ribs  78 . After the gate sections  12 ,  14  have been repositioned approximate the boundary of the opening, evidenced by the bumpers  94  touching or nearly touching the boundary, the handle  58  is repositioned such that the projections  88  are aligned within at least two respective grooves  80 ; i.e., the projections  88  are between adjacent ribs  78  approximate the top segment  82  (see  FIG. 6 ). This position inhibits the sections  12 ,  14  from being repositioned with respect to one another beyond an incremental measure dictated by the contour of the ribs  78  and resulting grooves  80  therebetween. The projections  88  riding upon the ribs  78  are effective to transform the movement of the handle  58  into movement of the sections  12 ,  14 . In sum, the contour/orientation of the ribs  78  is determinative of how movement of the handle  58  will be transformed into movement of the sections  12 ,  14 . In this exemplary embodiment, vertical movement of the handle  58  is transformed into horizontal expansion of the gate  10 .  
         [0026]     For example, a rib oriented at a 45 degree angle would essentially accommodate vertical movement of the handle and result in a 1:1 correspondence where one inch of movement of the handle would result in a one inch change in width of the gate  10 . By varying the angle other than 45 degrees, the transformation can be modified. For instance, where the goal was to maximize changes in width of the gate using minimal handle movement, an angle approximating 0 degrees would be chosen. In contrast, where the goal was to minimize changes in width of the gate using maximum handle movement, an angle approximating 90 degrees would be chosen. In this exemplary embodiment, the angle has been chosen to be greater than 45 degrees, however, such an angle choice is within the purview of one of ordinary skill and all such angles between 0-90 fall within the scope of the present invention.  
         [0027]     Referencing  FIGS. 5-7 , the handle  58  may also be repositioned to mount the catch  98  within one of the holes  66 . This repositioning of the handle  58  causes the projections  88  to travel along the ribs  78  and transform the vertical movement of the handle  58  into incremental horizontal movement of the sections  12 ,  14  with respect to one another (compare  FIGS. 6 and 7 ). The incremental horizontal movement of the sections effectively changes the width of the gate to either wedge the sections  12 ,  14  within the boundary of the opening, preferable with the bumpers  104  contacting the boundary, or dislodge the gate from the boundary.  
         [0028]     The present invention is particularly advantageous where boundary dimensions are common. For example, in a residential dwelling, doorframe dimensions are typically uniform throughout. The present invention includes a memory feature that allows the incremental decrease in the widthwise dimension of the gate  10  to facilitate removal of the gate  10  from an opening, but enables the gate  10  to substantially conform to the opening or like dimensioned openings by simply repositioning the handle  58  to provide an incremental increase in width.  
         [0029]     Referencing  FIG. 8 , a second exemplary embodiment  200  of the invention includes a first gate section  202  slidably mounted to a second gate section  204 . The first gate section  202  includes a handle  206  that is repositionable through a slot  208  formed therethrough. The handle  206  includes a finger gripping aspect  210  and a loop  212  adapted to interface with two biased detents  214 ,  216 . The first detent  214  includes a block projection  218  adapted to be secured within the loop  212  that corresponds with free movement between the gate sections  202 ,  204  to accommodate expansion or contraction of the gate  200  anywhere between its fully contracted position and its fully extended position. Depressing of the block  218  to overcome the bias of the first detent  214  enables the loop  212  to pass thereby. The biased nature of the detent  214  pushes the block  218  into the line of travel of the loop  212  such that once the loop  212  passes the block  218 , upward movement of the handle  206  is inhibited beyond the position where the top of the loop  212  contacts the bottom of the block  218 . Repositioning the loop  212  below the block  218  corresponds with the positioning of a pin (not shown), coupled to the handle  206 , within a channel  220  formed by consecutive rods  222  associated with the second gate section  204 .  
         [0030]     The rods  222  are angled to convert the vertical movement of the handle  206  into horizontal movement of at least one of the gate sections  202 ,  204 . The angle of the rods  222  determines in part how the conversion of vertical movement by the handle  206  is converted to horizontal movement of at least one of the sections  202 ,  204 . Movement of the pin along the rod  222  causes an incremental change in the widthwise dimension of the gate  200 . As the loop  212  passes beyond the second detent  216 , the biased nature of the second detent  216  is directed into the line of travel of the loop  212  to inhibit upward movement of the handle  206  beyond the point at which the top of the loop  212  contacts the bottom of the second detent  216 . This movement of the handle  206  to a position where the loop  212  is beneath the second detent  216  effectively locks the widthwise dimension of the gate. In a further detailed exemplary embodiment, the loop  212  being positioned underneath the second detent  216  corresponds to the pin being positioned at the base  224  of the channel  220 .  
         [0031]     To decrease the width of the gate  200 , the second detent  216  is pushed out of the line of travel of the loop  212  to enable the loop  212  to pass thereby. This movement also corresponds with movement of the pin within the channel  220  to incrementally decrease the width of the gate  200 . To further decrease the width of the gate  200 , the block  218  of the second detent  214  is pushed out of the line of travel of the loop  212  to enable the top of the loop  212  to pass thereby, which corresponds to the pins being removed from the channels  220 .  
         [0032]     An exemplary procedure for using the second exemplary embodiment  200  to inhibit movement through a doorway, for example, may include positioning the block  218  within the loop  212  of the handle  206 . Thereafter, the gate sections  202 ,  204  are repositioned with respect to one another to approximate the boundary of the doorway. The block  218  may be depressed to allow travel of the handle  206  that seats the pin within one of the channels  220 . Concurrently therewith or following movement of the loop  212  beyond the block  218 , the handle  206  may be repositioned such that the loop  212  passes beyond the second detent  216  to effectively drive the pin lower within a channel  220  and wedge the gate  200  within the door opening. The opposite procedure may be followed to contract the gate  200  from its extended position to facilitate removal or repositioning of the gate  200 .  
         [0033]     Following from the above description and invention summaries, it should be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that, while the methods and apparatuses herein described constitute exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the inventions contained herein are not limited to these precise embodiments and that changes may be made to them without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. Additionally, it is to be understood that the invention is defined by the claims and it is not intended that any limitations or elements describing the exemplary embodiments set forth herein are to be incorporated into the meanings of the claims unless such limitations or elements are explicitly recited in the claims. Likewise, it is to be understood that it is not necessary to meet any or all of the identified advantages or objects of the invention disclosed herein in order to fall within the scope of any claim, since the invention is defined by the claims and since inherent and/or unforeseen advantages of the present invention may exist even though they may not have been explicitly discussed herein.