Patent Abstract:
A play yard can include a plurality of side panels that are connected to one another and a gate panel connected to two of the side panels to create an enclosed space. The gate panel can include a panel frame that defines an opening and a gate that can be mounted to the panel frame in the opening to swing from a closed position to an open position. The gate panel can include a first locking mechanism on the gate to hold the gate in the closed position and a second locking mechanism on the gate to hold the gate in the closed position.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND 
     A play yard forms an enclosed space in which young children and/or animals can be placed for security and safety. A typical play yard is made up of several panels and is self-supporting. To enter and exit the play yard, it can be necessary to step over the play yard panels or unhook two of the panels to form a space. Both such actions can be difficult, particularly when carrying a larger child or animal into or out of the play yard. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one aspect, a play yard includes: a plurality of side panels coupled to one another; a gate panel coupled to two of the plurality of side panels to create an enclosed space, the gate panel including: a panel frame defining an opening; a gate mounted to the panel frame in the opening to swing from a closed position to an open position; a first locking mechanism on the gate to hold the gate in the closed position; and a second locking mechanism on the gate frame to hold the gate in the closed position. 
     In another aspect, a play yard includes: a plurality of side panels coupled to one another; a gate panel coupled to two of the plurality of side panels to create an enclosed space, the gate panel including: a panel frame including a panel base member and side members that define an opening; a gate mounted to the panel frame in the opening to swing from a closed position to an open position; a first locking mechanism on the gate to hold the gate in the closed position, the first locking mechanism including a hook member sized to engage an opening defined by the panel frame; and a second locking mechanism on the gate to hold the gate in the closed position, the second locking mechanism including a switch configured to move between locked and unlocked positions; wherein the gate is configured to be opened by allowing the second locking mechanism to be moved to the unlocked position, and the gate being thereupon moveable upwardly away from the panel base member to allow the hook member to disengage the opening of the panel frame. 
     In yet another aspect, a method for using a play yard includes: assembling a plurality of side panels and a gate panel including a gate to form an enclosed space; moving a first locking mechanism from a locked position to an unlocked position; lifting the gate in the gate panel to clear a second locking mechanism; and swinging the gate from a closed position to an open position. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of an example play yard. 
         FIG. 2  is a back perspective view of the play yard of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a front perspective view of an example gate panel of the play yard of  FIG. 1  with the gate in the closed position. 
         FIG. 4  is a back perspective view of the gate panel of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a front view of the gate panel of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 6  is a bottom view of the gate panel of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of the gate panel of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 8  is a back view of the gate panel of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 9  is a front perspective view of an example gate of the gate panel of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 10  is a back perspective view of the gate of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 11  is a front view of the gate of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 12  is a back view of the gate of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 13  is a first side view of the gate of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 14  is a top view of the gate of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 15  is a bottom view of the gate of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 16  is a second side view of the gate of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 17  is a front perspective view of the gate panel of  FIG. 3  with the gate in the open position. 
         FIG. 18  is a front view of the gate panel of  FIG. 3  with the gate removed. 
         FIG. 19  is a back view of the gate panel of  FIG. 18 . 
         FIG. 20  is a front view of the gate panel of  FIG. 3  with a locking mechanism in a closed position. 
         FIG. 21  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  21 - 21  of the gate panel of  FIG. 20 . 
         FIG. 22  is another front view of the gate panel of  FIG. 3  with the locking mechanism in the open position. 
         FIG. 23  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  23 - 23  of the gate panel of  FIG. 22 . 
         FIG. 24  is a front view of the gate panel of  FIG. 3  with a portion of the gate removed to show the locking mechanism. 
         FIG. 25  is an enlarged portion of the gate panel shown in  FIG. 8 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present disclosure is directed towards a gate for a play yard. Examples are provided herein. However, the disclosure is not limited to the examples. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1-2 , an example play yard  100  is shown. In this example, the play yard  100  includes a plurality of panels. 
     All but one of the panels in this example are identical and are referred to herein as side panels  110 . There are five side panels  110  in the play yard  100 . The side panels  110  are connected by hinges  116  and rods  118  to form five of the six sides of the play yard  100 . 
     The other panel is similar to the side panels  110 , except the panel includes a gate  114  and is referred to herein as a gate panel  112 . The gate panel  112  connects to the other side panels  110  in a similar fashion. The gate  114  of the gate panel  112  pivots between a closed position (as shown in  FIGS. 1-2 ) and an open position (as shown in  FIG. 17 ). 
     The panels  110 ,  112  together form an enclosed space into which a child and/or animal can be placed for security and safety. In this example, the enclosed space is generally hexagonal in shape. In other examples, other numbers of panels and sizes/shapes of the enclosed space can be used. 
     The gate panel  112  can be used to access the enclosed space by opening the gate  114  to gain access into and out of the enclosed space formed by the panels  110 ,  112 . 
     In examples, the play yard  100  is made of a plastic material, although other materials, such as wood or metal, can also be used. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3-8 , the gate panel  112  includes a base member  124  and side members  122 ,  126  that form an opening for the gate  114 . The gate  114  is mounted to pivot members  130 ,  132  on the side member  122  so that the gate  114  can pivot between the closed and open positions. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 9-16 , the gate  114  includes pivot members  142 ,  144  that engage the pivot members  130 ,  132  on the gate panel  112  to pivotally connect the gate  114  to the gate panel  112 . 
     The gate  114  also includes a base member  152  defining a space  153  that engages the base member  124  when in the closed position, as described further below. 
     The gate  114  includes a first locking mechanism  154  including a hook member  155  sized to engage a window opening  410  on the gate panel  112  when in the closed position. The gate  114  includes a second locking mechanism  156  that moves between locked and unlocked positions to lock and unlock the gate  114  from the gate panel  112 . Finally, a switch  158  moves between locked and unlocked positions to lock the second locking mechanism  156  so that the second locking mechanism  156  cannot be actuated when the switch  158  is in the locked position. Additional details on the first and second locking mechanisms  154 ,  156  and the switch  158  are shown in  FIGS. 17-25 , which are described further below. 
     The gate  114  includes a lattice structure  160  with a plurality of openings that allow the user to see through the lattice structure  160  into and out of the play yard  100 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 17-25 , additional details on the first and second locking mechanisms  154 ,  156  are provided. 
     In  FIG. 17 , the gate  114  of the gate panel  112  has been pivoted from the closed position (see, e.g.,  FIGS. 1-8 ) to the open position in a direction  302 . In order to move the gate  114  into this position, the switch  158  must be in the unlocked position, and the first and second locking mechanisms  154 ,  156  must be actuated. 
     The switch  158  is shown in more detail in  FIG. 24 . In this example, the switch  158  moves in directions  452 ,  454 . In the direction  452 , the switch  158  is unlocked. In the direction  454 , the switch  158  is locked, as shown in  FIG. 24 . 
     In the locked position, the switch  158  limits the travel of the second locking mechanism  156  in a direction  474  so that the second locking mechanism  156  remains locked with respect to the side member  126  of the gate panel  112 . 
     Specifically, the second locking mechanism  156  includes a member  460  that extends from a handle portion  468  to a pin member  464  that engages a window  304  in the side member  126  (see  FIGS. 17, 21, 23 ) to lock pivoting of the gate  114  relative to the gate panel  112  in the direction  302 . An end  462  of the member  460  is stopped from moving in the direction  474  by the switch  158  when in the locked position (i.e., in direction  454 ) so that the pin member  464  cannot clear the window  304  on the side member  126 , thereby retaining the gate  114  in the closed position. See  FIGS. 20-21 . 
     When the switch  158  is moved in the direction  452 , the end  462  can thereupon clear the switch  158  to allow the second locking mechanism  156  to be moved in the direction  474  until the pin member  464  is completely removed from the window  304  in the side member  126 , thereby unlocking the second locking mechanism  156 . See  FIGS. 22-23 . 
     The second locking mechanism  156  is biased in the direction  472  into the locked position so that force must be applied to the handle portion  468  to move the second locking mechanism  156  in the direction  474  to unlock the second locking mechanism  156  to allow the gate  114  to be moved to the open position. 
     In addition, the hook member  155  of the first locking mechanism  154  engages the window opening  410  on the gate panel  112  to secure the gate  114  in the locked position. See  FIG. 25 . In this position, an end  157  of the hook member  155  extends below the window opening  410  so that the gate  114  cannot be moved in the direction  302  to open the gate  114 . 
     In addition, the hook member  155 , when positioned in the window opening  410 , minimizes any tendency of the side member  126  to move or bow in a direction  702  away from the gate  114 , which could result in the inadvertent disengagement of the pin member  464  of the second locking mechanism  156  from the window  304  in the side member  126 . In this manner, the hook member  155  functions to maintain the gate  114  in the closed position should external forces be applied to the side member  126 . 
     To open the gate  114 , the gate  114 , including the hook member  155 , is lifted in a direction  602  until the end  157  of the hook member  155  clears the window opening  410 , thereby allowing the hook member  155  to fit through the window opening  410  and the gate  114  to pivot in the direction  302 . When the gate  114  is closed, the gate  114  is moved in a direction  604  by gravity to engage the hook member  155  with the window opening  410 . The amount of force necessary to move the gate  114  in the direction  602  can be modified so that small children and animals cannot provide the necessary force, while adults can easily move the gate  114  in the necessary direction to unlock the gate  114 . 
     Finally, in the closed position, the base member  152  of the gate  114  engages an edge  125  of the base member  124  of the gate panel  112  to resist movement of the gate  114  in the direction  302 . Specifically, when closed, the space  153  formed by the base member  152  of the gate  114  engages the edge  125  of the base member  124  so that the bottom of the gate  114  resists movement in the direction  302 . This can be important, for example, if small children or animals exert a force at the bottom of the gate  114 . 
     Only when the gate  114  is lifted in the direction  602  does a back edge  171  of the base member  152  (see  FIGS. 13 and 16 ) clear the base member  124  so that the gate  114  can be pivoted in the direction  302 . In the closed position, gravity moves the gate  114  in the direction  604  so that the space  153  formed by the base member  152  of the gate  114  engages the base member  124 . Again, the force needed to lift the gate in the direction  602  can be manipulated so that small children and animals cannot provide the needed force. 
     The steps necessary to open the gate  114  are as follows. Initially, switch  158  is moved in the direction  452  into the unlocked position, and the second locking mechanism  156  is moved in the direction  474  so that the pin member  464  clears the window  304  in the side member  126 . 
     Next, the gate  114  is lifted in the direction  602  so that: (i) the hook member  155  clears the window opening  410 , thereby allowing the hook member  155  to fit through the window opening  410 ; and (ii) the back edge  171  of the base member  152  clears the base member  124 . In this configuration, the gate  114  can be pivoted in the direction  302  to the open position. 
     To again lock the gate  114 , the second locking mechanism  156  is moved in the direction  474 , and the gate  114  is pivoted until the hook member  115  is positioned through the window opening  410  and the space  153  formed by the base member  152  is positioned above the base member  124 . In this configuration, the gate  114  is released, allowing the gate to move in the direction  604  so that the hook member  115  engages the window opening  410  and the base member  152  engages the base member  124  of the gate panel  112 . In addition, the second locking mechanism  156  is biased back in the direction  472  so that the pin member  464  engages the window  304 . Finally, the switch  158  can be moved in the direction  454  to resist inadvertent unlocking of the second locking mechanism  156 . 
     Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0