Patent ID: 8161681

Claim:
A release apparatus for a swing gate, comprising: a gate arm having a first end attached to the swing gate and in a first position said gate arm defining a linear axis; an operator comprising a motor connected to a drive shaft and operable for rotating the drive shaft in opposite first and second rotational directions, said drive shaft connected to a second end of said gate arm so that rotation of the drive shaft in the first direction moves the gate arm to thereby move the swing gate between open and closed positions and so that rotation of the drive shaft in the second direction moves the gate arm to thereby move the swing gate between the closed and open positions; and a release mechanism interconnecting the second end of said gate arm to the drive shaft, said release mechanism operable in a first mode in which the gate arm and the swing gate are moved when the drive shaft rotates in either the first or second directions, and a second mode in which the swing gate and the gate arm are movable when the drive shaft is stationary, wherein said release mechanism operates in the second mode when force is applied to the gate arm along the linear axis when the gate arm is in the first position.