Patent Abstract:
A retractable barrier particularly adapted to providing a readily viewable boundary across a pathway so that a child may be discouraged from wandering outside the safe zone established thereby. A main post assembly rotatably supports a net carrier for rotation about an axis. A net of substantial height is secured on one end to the net carrier and has a secondary post secured to the other end. A spring is disposed between a cap and an upper flange. The spring secures to the cap and engages the net carrier assembly to supply a retraction bias to the net carrier. A first ground sleeve is inserted in the ground and adapted to releasably engage the lower post mount. A second ground sleeve is inserted in the ground and adapted to releasably engage the second post. The barrier is moveable between a retracted configuration and a deployed configuration.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed generally the field of child safety devices, and more particularly to an apparatus for setting a boundary across a pathway, such as a driveway, so as to discourage children from venturing across the boundary and/or to discourage vehicles from entering. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It is well known that children are not always observant of safety risks. As such, an entire industry has developed that is dedicated to producing products that help protect children from injury. For example, Kidkusion, Inc. of Washington, N.C. produces a number of products that help shield children from the various sharp edges that exist indoors. 
     With respect to outdoor activities, one common problem is that children tend to wander away from play areas, even when specifically instructed not to. For instance, a parent may allow children to play on the portion of a driveway close to the house, but tell the children not to venture beyond a certain point on the driveway so as to keep them out of the street. However, once the children are playing, their attention to the relevant boundary markers is typically somewhat haphazard. One method of addressing this is to physically block the driveway with a large immovable object, such as a car. However, such objects themselves offer dangers, as they are typically fairly hard and unforgiving when fallen against. In addition, it may be inconvenient or otherwise undesirable to have to move a car just to establish a play zone. Likewise, it may be inconvenient or otherwise undesirable to have to move the car in order to allow unimpeded use of the pathway. 
     As such, there remains a need for child safety devices that allow for readily viewable boundaries across pathways to be established and removed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a retractable barrier that is particularly adapted to providing a readily viewable boundary across a pathway, such as a driveway, so that a child may be discouraged from wandering outside, and/or to discourage vehicles from entering, the safe zone established thereby. The retractable barrier includes a main post assembly that rotatably supports a net carrier assembly for rotation about an axis. The main post assembly also includes an upper flange, a lower post mount, and a non-rotating cap. A net is secured on one end to the net carrier and has a secondary post is secured to the other end. A spring is disposed between the cap and the upper flange. A first end of the spring is secured to the cap and a second end of the spring engages the net carrier assembly. The spring supplies a retraction bias to the net carrier assembly. A first ground sleeve is inserted in the ground and adapted to releasably engage the lower post mount. A second ground sleeve is inserted in the ground and adapted to releasably engage the second post. The barrier is moveable between a retracted configuration and a deployed configuration. In the retracted configuration, the net is substantially wound onto the net carrier assembly. In the deployed configuration the lower post mount is inserted in the first ground sleeve, the axis is generally vertical, the second post is remote from the first post assembly and inserted in the second ground sleeve, and the net extends therebetween. 
     With the net of the barrier device stretched across the pathway, a child playing in the protected portion of the pathway, such as riding a tricycle on a portion of the driveway close to the house, will be confronted with the visual barrier if they try to venture farther down the driveway and out onto the street. However, when it is desired to remove the device so that the pathway may be used unimpeded, the secondary post is simply lifted up out of the ground sleeve and walked slowly back towards the post assembly. The retraction biasing force of the spring will cause the net carrier assembly to rotate and thereby rewind the net onto the net carrier assembly. The post assembly may then be removed from the ground, leaving only the grounding sleeves in place. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the retractable barrier deployed across a driveway in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a partially exploded view of the retractable barrier of FIG. 1 with the net retracted. 
     FIG. 3 is a partially exploded view of the retractable barrier of FIG. 1 with the net deployed. 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a portion of the retractable barrier of FIG. 3 along line IV—IV with the net removed for clarity. 
     FIG. 5 is a top view of a portion the retractable barrier of FIG. 4 along line V—V with upper portion of the cap removed to shown the spring mounting thereof. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be in the context of a conventional paved driveway  10  as an illustrative example of a relevant pathway to be blocked. However, it should be noted that the present invention may be used with a wide variety of pathways, and is not limited to use solely with conventional driveways. Indeed, the present invention may also be used to delineate boundaries of outdoor play areas such as wooded areas, severely sloped area of yards, and the like. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 1, the barrier device of the present invention, generally indicated at  20 , can be used to create a boundary across the driveway  10  so as to deter a child  16  from venturing out of the protected area. With the net  90  of the barrier device  20  stretched across the driveway  10 , a child  16  playing in the protected portion of the driveway will be confronted with the visual barrier if they try to venture farther down the driveway  10  and out onto the street. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the barrier device  20  generally includes a main post assembly  25 , a retractable net  90  of substantial height, and a pair of ground sleeves  98 . The main post assembly  25  includes a center post assembly  30 , a net carrier assembly  60 , a cap  70 , and a spring  80 , as generally shown in FIGS. 2-5. The center post assembly  30  typically includes a center post  32 , a lower flange  40 , an upper flange  42 , and a shroud  50 . The center post  32  includes a main body  36 , an upper end  34 , and a lower end  38 . The portions  34 , 36 , 38  of the center post  32  may be formed of separate elements that are joined together, or may be integrally formed; the latter arrangement is shown in the figures for simplicity. The main body  36  of the center post  32  extends between the upper and lower flanges  40 , 42  and provides the main support of the main post assembly  25 . The upper end  34  of the center post  30  extends through a bore  44  in the upper flange  42  and advantageously includes a threaded end portion. The lower end of the center post  32  extends below the area associated with the net  90 , through the lower flange  40 , and forms the lower post mount  38 . In addition, a generally curved shroud  50  extends partially around the center post assembly  30  (e.g., 90°-180°) and is mounted to the upper and lower flanges  40 , 42  so as to extend therebetween. 
     The net carrier assembly  60  is rotatably mounted on the center post assembly  30  for rotation about a central axis  28  that runs generally along center post  32 . The net carrier assembly  60  typically takes the form of an elongate hollow tube. The lower portion of the net carrier assembly  60  is supported by the lower flange  40 . The upper portion of the net carrier assembly  60  includes a shoulder  64  that rests against a corresponding shoulder  44  on the upper flange  42 . In this manner, the net carrier assembly  60  is rotatably supported about the center post  32  between the upper and lower flanges  40 , 42 . The upper portion of the net carrier assembly  60 , referred to herein as the spindle  62 , extends upward through the upper flange  42  and terminates short of the inside surface of cap  70 . See FIG.  4 . The spindle portion  62  of the net carrier assembly  60  is mounted to the main body of the net carrier assembly  60  such that rotational forces applied to the spindle  62  cause the main body of the net carrier assembly  60  to rotate. If desired, the spindle portion  62  of the net carrier assembly  60  may be integrally formed with the main body of the net carrier assembly  60 . The spindle  62  advantageously includes a slit  66  for engaging the spring  80 , as described further below. One end of the net  90  is attached to the outer surface of the net carrier assembly  60  so as to rotate therewith, as described further below. 
     A cap  70  is disposed above the upper flange  42  and provides a cavity for holding the spring  80 . The spring  80  includes one end  82  anchored to the cap  70 , such as by riveting, and a second end  84  that engages the slit  66  in the spindle  62 . See FIG.  5 . The spring  80  is preferably of a type commonly referred to as a flat coil spring, and more preferably of a type commonly referred to as a constant tension flat coil spring. Thus, as shown in FIG. 5, the spring  80  is disposed about the spindle  62  of the net carrier assembly  60 , with one end  82  fixed to the non-rotating cap  70 , and the other end  84  engaging the rotating not carrier assembly  60 . The threaded upper end  34  of the center post  32  extends up through the spindle  62  and through a corresponding hole (not labeled) in the cap  70 . A nut with associated spring and flat washers (collectively  39 ) is secured to this threaded upper end  34  of a center post  32  and helps retain the center post  32  in the proper position. If desired, a washer  74  or other retainer may also be disposed about the center post  32  above the spring  80  so as to provide a bearing surface for the upper end of the net carrier assembly  60 , and to help retain the spring  80  in proper position with respect to the spindle  62 . The cap  70  is secured to the center post assembly  30  via the upper nut  39 , and to the upper flange  42  via additional screws  52  that engage the upper flange  42 , as may be desired. 
     As discussed above, the net  90  has a tethered end  92  secured to the net carrier assembly  60  and a free end  94  that is movable away from the main post assembly  25 . The tethered end  92  of the net  90  may be attached to the net carrier assembly  60  via any known method. For instance, the net  90  may be secured to the net carrier assembly  60  by sewing the net  90  to a vinyl strip that is in turn adhesively secured to the outer surface of the main body of the net carrier assembly  60 . The free end  94  of the net  90  has a secondary post  96  coupled thereto. The secondary post  96  may be permanently attached to the free end  94  of the net  90  in a manner similar to the affixation of the tethered end  92  to the net carrier assembly  60 , or the secondary post  96  may simply slide through a loop formed in the free end  94  of the net  90 , or other coupling approaches known in the art may be used. The net  90  is preferably of a somewhat open weave plastic net, and preferably of a readily visible color such as optic orange. Of course, other fabrics may be used, such as coated non-plastic nets, and/or other colors may be used, such as yellow, blue, green, etc. The weave of the net  90  should be relatively small, but need not be very fine; for instance, a knitted polyethylene net  90  with ⅛ inch by ⅛ inch mesh may be used. The net  90  should be long enough to stretch across the intended pathway, and be tall enough to provide a suitable visual barrier for a child. Thus, the lower edge of the net  90  should be very close to the ground forming the pathway  10 , and the upper edge of the net should be substantially above this level, preferably to a height taller than that of a typical young child. The net  90  may advantageously be a length of at least fifteen feet and a height of at least two feet, and more advantageously three feet or more. 
     The ground sleeves  98  may take the form of simple elongate tubes that are open on their upper end and are flattened or otherwise sharpened at their lower end. It is intended that the lower end of these ground sleeves  98  be inserted into the ground on opposing sides of the driveway. The upper ends of the ground sleeves are open and sized to accept the corresponding lower post mount  38  of the main post assembly  25  or the secondary post  96 . Preferably the lower post mount  38  and the secondary post  96  are of the same outer diameter and length, so that the ground sleeves  98  may be interchangeable. 
     The barrier device  20  may be assembled by coupling the tethered end  92  of the net  90  to the net carrier assembly  60  and winding the net  90  thereon. The lower flange  40  is secured to the center post  32 , for instance by inserting a pin (not shown) through the lower flange  40  and the center post  32 . With the lower flange  40  secured to the center post  32 , the net carrier assembly  60  is slid over the center post  32  and down onto the lower flange  40 . The upper flange  42  is then added by feeding the spindle  62  through the hole in the upper flange  42  such that the respective shoulder portions  64 , 44  engage each other. The shroud  50  is joined to the lower and upper flanges  40 , 42  via screws  52 . The cap  70 , with the spring  80  anchored on one end  82  thereof is fitted over the upper end  34  of the center post  32  and slid downward such that the spindle end  84  of the spring  80  engages the slit  66  in the spindle  62  and the center post  32  extends through the retaining washer  74 . The cap  70  is then turned a number of turns to pre-load the spring  80 , and secured to the upper flange  42  by additional screws and cap nut  39 . The secondary post  96  is then added to the free end of the net  90 . The main post assembly  25  and the ground sleeves  98  are then packaged with suitable instructions. At this point the barrier device  20  ready for deployment in the field. 
     In the field, the device  20  may be used to establish a boundary of a safe zone of a pathway, for instance a driveway, as follows. The ground sleeves  98  are driven vertically into the ground  14  on either side of the driveway  10 . The main post assembly  25  is then inserted into the ground sleeve  98  on one side of the driveway  10  such that axis  28  is generally vertical. At this point, the device  20  is still in its retracted position. That is, the net  90  is wound about the net carrier assembly  60  due to the retraction bias force of the spring  80 , such that the secondary post  96  is located proximate the main post assembly  25 . The secondary post  96  is then pulled across the driveway  10  and inserted into the ground sleeve  98  on that side. At this point, the barrier device  20  is in its deployed position with the secondary post  96  located remote from the main post assembly  25 , and the net  90  extending therebetween (FIG.  3 ). The lower edge of the net  90  is in close proximity to the driveway  10 , and the net extend generally vertically upward at least a couple of feet to a height taller than that of a typical young child. With the net  90  of the barrier device  20  stretched across the driveway  10 , from the grass  14  on one side to the grass  14  on the other side, a child  16  playing in the protected portion of the driveway, such as riding a tricycle  18  therein, will be confronted with the visual barrier of the net  90  if they try to venture farther down the driveway  10  and out onto the street. Thus, the barrier device  20  of the present invention provides a visual barrier across a pathway  10  in the deployed position. 
     When it is desired to remove the barrier device  20  so that the driveway  10  may be used unimpeded, the secondary post  96  is simply lifted up out of its ground sleeve  98  and walked slowly back towards the main post assembly  25 . The retraction biasing force of the spring  80  will cause the net carrier assembly  60  to rotate and thereby rewind the net  90  onto the net carrier assembly  60  between the flanges  40 , 42  and inside the shroud  50 . The main post assembly  25  may then be removed from the ground, leaving only the grounding sleeves  98  in place. 
     While not pointed out above, it may be advantageous for the upper flange  42  to include a peripheral recess (not shown) corresponding to the shroud  50  so that the upper end of the shroud  50  and upper flange  42  may fit inside the cap  70  for a more aesthetic appearance. In addition the various portions of the barrier device  20  may be integrally formed or assembled together as may be efficient from a cost perspective, provided that the net carrier assembly  60  is rotationally supported and biased toward retraction, and the main post assembly  25  and the secondary post  96  are releasably engaged by the ground sleeves  98 . 
     The present invention may, of course, be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the essential characteristics of the invention. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4