Patent Publication Number: US-6669244-B1

Title: Securable cane bolt

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention is directed toward a bolt for securing a door or gate, and more particularly, toward a lockable bolt for securing a door or gate which bolt cannot be raised when the door or gate is closed. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Gates for selectively providing access to an enclosed area or for controlling access to a street, driveway or other pathway, are generally mounted between two spaced apart supports, which in turn may be part of a wall or fence. A pair of gates is often used, one gate being hingedly attached to each of the spaced-apart supports. The gates have inner edges which are juxtaposed or may even meet when the gates are both in a closed position, and one or both of the gates can be opened to allow a person or vehicle to pass therebetween. 
     It is known to secure such gates by using a cane bolt on a first one of the gates which bolt can be extended past the lower surface of the gate and into an opening in the ground. When the cane bolt is in this lowered position, the first gate cannot be moved. The cane bolt often includes an angled upper end that can be grasped by a user to lift the bolt from the round so that the gate can be opened. The first or second gate also includes another lock for securing the first gate to the second gate. This other lock may be an ordinary key-operated lock with a sliding bolt that extends between the first and second gates; alternately, a chain may be passed through a portion of each gate and secured with a padlock. However, in any such arrangement, the first gate is secured with respect to the ground and the second gate is secured to the first gate (and, optionally, to the ground with a second cane bolt). 
     If a cane bolt is used on a gate with openings, such as a gate formed from spaced-apart vertical bars, it may be possible for a person to reach through the bars and raise the cane bolt. With the bolt thus raised, it becomes easier to break the second lock by applying a force against the gates where they meet. Even when the cane bolt cannot be reached through the gate, it may be possible to insert a screwdriver or similar tool underneath a gate and raise the cane bolt out of the ground. Unless the gate is spaced from the ground by the smallest of clearances, a determined individual will likely be able to raise the cane bolt. 
     The cane bolt itself could be locked with a padlock to hold it in place, but this is expensive and makes a gate more difficult to open. It would therefore be desirable to provide a mechanism for securing a cane bolt that does not require the use of a padlock or separate key, that can be used even on gates having spaced-apart vertical bars, and that allows the cane bolt to be operated by a user in a manner similar to existing cane bolts. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     These problems and others are addressed by the present invention which comprises a cane bolt that can be held in place by a simple, hand-operated mechanism which is inaccessible when the gate is closed. In a preferred embodiment, the securable cane bolt comprises a fastening member that extends through the cane bolt and into a portion of the gate so that the cane bolt cannot be moved until the fastening member is released. Preferably, the fastening member comprises a spring-biased pin or plunger that is biased into a locking position but which can be retracted against the force of the spring to release the fastener. Furthermore, the fastening member is preferably housed in a recess which itself is covered when the two opposing gates are closed, but easily accessible when the gates are opened. Thus, the cane bolt is mounted on one of the two gates and inserted into the ground in a known manner. However, a fastener is used to hold the cane bolt in place in a lower position. When the second gate is closed, the recess housing the securable cane bolt is covered by the second gate leaving the fastening member inaccessible. 
     It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a mechanism for securing a pair of gates. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide a cane bolt that can be fixed in one or more positions. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cane bolt in a first gate with a fastening member that is inaccessible when a second gate is closed against the first gate. 
     It is still another object of the present invention to provide a cane bolt that cannot be raised when two gates are closed. 
     It is a still a further object of the present invention to provide a securable cane bolt that can be secured in two or more positions. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a securable cane-bolt that includes a spring-biased fastening mechanism. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     These and other objects of the present invention will be appreciated and understood by those skilled in the art from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention and the following drawings of which: 
     FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a securable cane bolt having a fastening mechanism according the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a sectional side elevation view of the securable cane bolt of FIG. 1 installed in a gate; 
     FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the fastening mechanism shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of a second embodiment of a securable cane bolt according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is side elevational view of the fastening mechanism of shown in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternate housing for the cane bolt of the subject invention; and, 
     FIG. 7 is top plan view of a metal blank for forming the housing of FIG.  6 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating several embodiments of the invention only and not for the purpose of limiting the same, a securable cane bolt  10  is shown that includes an elongated housing  12  preferably having a rectangular shape. Housing  12  includes a front wall  14 , a rear wall  16 , a first sidewall  18  and a second sidewall  20 , a top wall  24  having an opening  26 , and a bottom wall  28  having an opening  30  aligned with opening  26  in top wall  24 . Front wall  14 , as will be explained in a greater detail, includes an elongated slot  32  extending from near the bottom wall  28  toward top wall  24 . 
     First and second sidewalls  18 ,  20 , extend beyond front wall  14  to define a channel  44  along the length the front wall. Similarly, top and bottom walls  24 ,  28  extend beyond front wall  14  to form top and bottom ends of the channel. Therefore, channel  44  is defined by a first wall portion  36 , a second wall portion  38 , a third wall portion  40 , a fourth wall portion  42 , and front wall  14 . 
     Housing  12  also includes an upper flange  46  extending upwardly from the upper edge of third wall portion  40 , and a lower flange  48  extending from the lower edge of fourth wall portion  42 . As will be explained hereinafter, these flanges are used to secure cane bolt  10  to the inner edge of a gate. Upper and lower flanges  46 ,  48  each preferably have a screw opening  50  for receiving a fastening means such as, but not limited to, a screw  52 . Housing  12  further includes a first receiving opening  69  and a second receiving opening  70 . 
     The securable cane bolt further includes an elongated bolt  54  preferably having a cylindrical shape and a first end  56  and a second end  58 . Bolt  54 , preferably made of iron or steel, is slidably disposed within the housing between front and rear walls  14 ,  16  and extends through opening  26  in top wall  24  and opening  30  in bottom wall  28 . Bolt  54  further includes a threaded transverse aperture  60  for receiving a fastening member  34 . Aperture  60  extends across the diameter of cane bolt  54  and is preferably located about one third of the way between the ends of the bolt, closer to second end  58 . 
     Fastening member  34 , which is sometimes referred to hereinafter as a spring-biased plunger, is best seen in FIG.  3 . While various fastening members could be used, a suitable device is available under the tradename “Vlier Knurled Knob Plunger” from APW Engineered Solutions in Brighton, Mass., U.S.A. Fastener  34  comprises a round, flat head portion  61  having a boss  62  extending from one face thereof, said boss including first and second diametrically opposed projecting lugs  63 . A pin  64 , having a distal end  64   a , extends normally from boss  63  between the pins, and a sleeve  65  is coaxially mounted over the pin for longitudinal sliding movement with respect thereto and includes screw threads  66  on its outer surface. A spring  67  is mounted between sleeve  65  and pin  64  to bias sleeve  65  toward head  61 . Thus, sleeve  65  can be moved longitudinally with respect to pin  64 , but will return toward head  61  when released. Sleeve  65  further includes first and second diametrically opposed notches  68  at the end thereof closest to head  61  which are sized and shaped to receive lugs  63 . The amount of pin  61  extending from sleeve  65  varies depending on whether lugs  63  are received in notches  68  or offset from the notches. 
     Sleeve  65  of fastening member  34  is screwed into aperture  60  of bolt  54 , with lugs  63  positioned in notches  68 , until the distal end of pin  64  enters first receiving hole  69 . In this position, sleeve  65  is longitudinally fixed with respect to the bolt, but pin  64  is free to move within the sleeve when a user pulls head  61 . The diameter of knob  61 , and the height thereof, are selected so that plunger  34  and knob  61  have enough clearance from inner sides of first and second wall portions  36 ,  38  within channel  44 , either in the locking position or unlocking position of bolt  54 , to allow a user&#39;s fingers to grip to pull the knob  61 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 2, first and second hinged panels or gates  72 ,  74  are illustrated in a closed position with first hinged gate  72  being fitted with a securable cane bolt according to the present invention. First hinged gate  72  is hingedly connected to a first support  72 ′ and the second hinged gate  74  is hingedly connected to a second, support  74 ′. Securable cane bolt  10  is secured on the inner edge of first hinged gate  72  within housing  77  with screws  52  threaded through upper and lower flanges  46 ,  48 . 
     First and second hinged gates  72 ,  74  are illustrated in a closed position with no space between them; of course, there is often a slight spacing between two gates, and the present invention works for such gates as well. First hinged gate  72  is secured by bolt  54  with its second end  58  inserted into a ground hole  71 . To lock gate  72  with respect to the ground, bolt  54  is moved into ground hole  71  until pin  64  is aligned with transverse aperture  60 . Because spring  67  presses sleeve  65  away from head  61 , the end of pin  64  distal from head  61  moves into first receiving hole  69  when the pin and receiving hole are aligned. This locks bolt  54  with respect to housing  12 . In order to unlock securable cane bolt  10  and remove the cane bolt from the ground, plunger  34  is withdrawn by pulling knob  61  until pin portion  64  leaves hole  69  to release bolt  54 . At this point, knob  61  can be rotated about 90 degrees so that lugs  63  are out of alignment with notches  68  in the sleeve. This holds distal end  64   a  of the pin away from bolt  54  and allows the bolt to be moved without the pin rubbing against the side of the bolt  54 . The bolt is then raised until pin  64  is aligned with second receiving hole  70  and head  61  is rotated to align the lugs with the notches so that the distal end  64   a  of the pin will enter second receiving hole  70  and lock the bolt in an up position. Of course, it is not necessary to use a pin having lugs and notches as described above—a user could manually hold pin  64  in its retracted position while moving the bolt, or alternately, the fastening member could be unscrewed from opening  54  until the distal end  64   a  is free of opening  69 . However, the use of a spring-biased plunger as described above has been found to be the best way of practicing this invention. The bolt  54  can be returned to a lower, locking position by reversing the above steps. 
     It should be appreciated that underlying the present invention is the recognition that spring-biased plunger  34  becomes inaccessible when first and second hinged gates  72 ,  74  are in a closed position, as seen in FIG. 2, since the inner edge of second hinged door  74  becomes flush against or closely spaced from channel  44  and thus prevents a person from gaining access to knob  64 . As stated earlier, plunger  34  is configured and dimensioned to remain within the channel and in a clearance position from the inner edge of the second hinged gate when the plunger is in a first locking position, thereby allowing the second hinged gate to swing closed. Furthermore, the arrangement described above prevents the bolt from being forced upwardly from beneath the gate using a screwdriver or other tool. 
     It should further be appreciated that while sleeve  65  of the plunger is slidable along elongated slot  32  of front wall  14 , it also prevents cane bolt  54  from rotating axially. This will also allow pin portion  64  be accurately positioned and aligned with first or second receiving holes  69  and  70  on rear wall  16 . 
     Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, a second embodiment of the securable cane bolt is illustrated at  110 . In this embodiment, elements common to both the first and second embodiments are identified by like numerals. Broadly, the difference between the securable cane bolt in the second embodiment and the securable cane bolt in the first embodiment lies in the fastening member and portions of the elongated slot along the front wall. 
     More specifically, the front wall  14  is provided with an elongated slot  132  having first and second enlarged end portions  76 ,  78 , and a fastening member  134  is provided having a head or knob  80 , a tapered boss  82  attached to the head, and threaded portion  84  extending from the boss. Fastening member  134  is inserted into bore  60  so that threaded portion  84  passes through slot  132  with boss  82  spaced apart from the slot. In this configuration, bolt  54  is free to slide between a first position wherein fastening member  132  contacts end portion  76  and a second portion where the fastening member contacts the second opening  78 . When the bolt is in the first position, the fastening member can be rotated and screwed further into bore  60  until shank  80  enters the enlarged end portion  76 . The shank is small enough to fit within the enlarged end portion  76  but is wider than slot  132 ; therefore, bolt  54  is locked in place until the fastening member is unscrewed. Significantly, with this embodiment, there is no need to provide a hole in the housing to receive the end of the threaded portion, and if desired, bore  60  could be a blind bore rather than a through bore. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, a second embodiment of a housing for supporting bolt  54  is illustrated at  112 . In this embodiment, elements common to both the first and embodiments of the housing are identified by like numerals. Housing  112  is formed from a single piece of steel or similar material and includes a main wall  116  connected to a top wall  124  along a first fold line  92  and to a bottom wall  128  along a second fold line  94 . Housing  112  further includes an upper flange  146  connected to top wall  124  along a third fold line  90 , parallel with first fold line  92 , and a lower flange  148  connected to bottom wall  128  along a fourth fold line  96 , parallel to second fold line  94 . Upper and lower flanges  146 ,  148  each preferably have a screw opening  150  for receiving a fastening means such as, but not limited to, a screw  52 . 
     Main wall  116  includes a first receiving hole  169  configured and dimensioned to receive the pin portion of the spring-biased plunger for locking the cane bolt in a lower position, and a second receiving hole  170  configured and dimensioned to receive the pin portion of the spring-biased plunger for locking the cane bolt in an upper position. 
     Housing  112  also includes a first opening  176  formed in top wall  124  and main wall  116  which extends over fold or corner  92  and a second opening  178  formed in bottom wall  128  and main wall  116  that extends over fold or corner  94 . A cane bolt  54  is slidably received in the top and bottom wall portions of these openings and functions as in the same manner discussed above. 
     A blank  113  for forming housing  112  is shown in FIG. 7 which blank is formed into the housing of FIG. 6 by folding along the various fold lines in a manner that will be readily apparent. Significantly, the provision of openings that extend over the fold lines helps minimize distortion of the openings in the top and bottom walls when the blank is folded. If circular openings were provided in the top and bottom walls, these openings would tend to deform during the bending process and then require significant drilling or reworking to return them to a suitable shape for receiving the bolt. 
     While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration only, and this description should not be construed as limiting to the several claims appended hereto.