Patent ID: 7716874

Claim:
A variable width gate for spanning an opening comprising: a first gate section mounted to a second gate section, wherein one of the first gate section and the second gate section includes a plurality of sequentially spaced apart ribs, with each of the ribs including an oblique segment that is adjacent to the oblique segment of an adjacent one of the ribs, the oblique segments each having a length; a tracker operatively coupled to the other one of the first gate section and the second gate section, the tracker selectively slidably engagable with the oblique segment of at least one of the ribs to convert interaction between the tracker and the at least one rib into widthwise movement of the first gate section with respect to the second gate section; and a lock mounted to the first gate section to substantially secure the first gate section in relation to the second gate section, the lock comprising a handle operatively coupled to one of the tracker and the at least one rib so that displacement of the handle relative to the first gate section manipulates a position of the tracker in relation to the at least one rib in order to cause the interaction between the tracker and the at least one rib and the widthwise movement of the first gate section with respect to the second gate section, the handle being movable between a first position, a second position, and a plurality of third positions; wherein the handle operatively engages locking features of the first gate section to releasably secure the handle with respect to the first gate section in the first position and the plurality of third positions; wherein, in the first position, the handle allows the widthwise movement of the first gate section with respect to the second gate section within a first predetermined range by maintaining the tracker disengaged from the plurality of sequentially spaced apart ribs; wherein, in the second position, the handle allows the widthwise movement of the first gate section with respect to the second gate section within a second predetermined range, the second predetermined range being less than the first predetermined range and corresponding substantially to lateral spaces between the tracker and an adjacent pair of the plurality of spaced apart ribs; wherein, in the plurality of third positions, the handle causes the tracker to engage the oblique segment of the at least one rib; and wherein each of the plurality of third positions corresponds to a different point of engagement of the tracker with the oblique segment of the at least one rib such that moving the handle from a first of the third positions to a last of the third positions moves the tracker a distance substantially corresponding to the length of the oblique segment of the at least one rib.