HORIZONTAL-AXIS VEHICLE GATE INCORPORATING LOCKING MECHANISM

• US 3,775,912 A
• Filed: 03/10/1972
• Issued: 12/04/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: John H. Walls
• Original Assignee: John H. Walls
• Inventors: Walls, John H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bell, J. Karl
• Application Number:
  US05/233,471
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: 49/12,35,131,262,263,269,271,272,273,274,364,386
• US Class Current: 49/131
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 11/02 Gates; Doors

Abstract

A vehicle gate is mounted for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis which is generally coincident with the surface of the roadway, and counterweights are provided to normally maintain the gate in an upright position. A disc is nonrotatably associated with the pivot shaft for the gate, and has a notch therein adapted to receive a pivotally-mounted latch bar. A lock mechanism is so located that it is adjacent the passenger compartment of the vehicle when the vehicle is stopped on the approach side of the gate. Such mechanism is adapted to be operated by the vehicle driver to effect lifting of the latch bar out of the notch. The driver then drives the vehicle against and over the gate, following which the gate moves automatically to its upright condition and becomes locked without need for further action by the driver. The locking of the lock mechanism is effected by the driver while the vehicle is still near (but not at) the position at which it is located while the lock mechanism is being unlocked, but the gate does not actually lock until after the vehicle is driven therethrough.

Claims

1. A vehicle gate assembly, which comprises:

a gate element, means to mount said gate element for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis, said means to mount said gate element comprising a hollow shaft which is coincident with said horizontal axis, said horizontal axis being disposed at an elevation near that of the surface oF the roadway over which said gate element is mounted, means to bias said gate element toward an upright road-blocking position, whereby said gate element is in said upright road-blocking position at all times except while a vehicle is driven thereagainst and thereover, an operating station disposed at one side of said roadway and spaced from said gate element, the location of said operating station being such that it is accessible to a driver sitting in the driver'"'"''"'"'s seat of a vehicle which is stopped on said roadway adjacent said gate element, latch means to latch said gate element in said upright position, means operable from said operating station to release said latch means and thus said gate element to thereby permit said vehicle to be driven against and over said gate element, said release means, said latch means and said bias means cooperating with each other to effect relatching of said gate element in upright roadblocking position after said vehicle has driven through said gate, and without requirement for further action by the vehicle driver, a second operating station provided on the side of said gate element remote from said first-mentioned operating station, said second operating station being on the other side of said roadway, and mechanical connection means provided between said second operating station and said release means, said mechanical connection means extending through said hollow shaft.

2. A vehicle gate assembly, which comprises:

a gate element, means to mount said gate element for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis, said horizontal axis being disposed at an elevation near that of the surface of the roadway over which said gate element is mounted, means to bias said gate element toward an upright road-blocking position, whereby said gate element is in said upright road-blocking position at all times except while a vehicle is driven thereagainst and thereover, an operating station disposed at one side of said roadway and spaced from said gate element, said operating station comprising an elongated movable actuating element, an elongated slide element mounted in fixed relationship parallel to said actuating element, and a plurality of tabs slidably mounted on said slide element, said tabs having overlapping portions which are apertured to receive padlocks, said tabs being adapted to prevent movement of said actuating element when all of said tabs are connected together in series relationship by said padlocks, but to permit movement of said actuating element when any one padlock is removed, the location of said operating station being such that it is accessible to a driver sitting in the driver'"'"''"'"'s seat of a vehicle which is stopped on said roadway adjacent said gate element, latch means to latch said gate element in said upright position, and means operable from said operating station and responsive to movement of said actuating element to release said latch means and thus said gate element and thereby permit said vehicle to be driven against and over said gate element, said release means, said latch means and said bias means cooperating with each other to effect relatching of said gate element in upright road-blocking position after said vehicle has driven through the gate, and without requirement for further action by the vehicle driver.

3. A self-closing and self-locking vehicle gate assembly, which comprises:

an elongated shaft, bearing means to rotatably mount said shaft in a horizontal position parallel to and adjacent the surface of a vehicle roadway, a gate rigidly connected to said shaft and normally extending vertically upwardly therefrom, a first lock station disposed on one side of said gate and on one side of said roadway, a second lock station disposed on the other side of said gate and on the other side of said roadway, both of said lock stations being so disposed as to be accessible to the driver of a vehicle while he is sitting in the driver'"'"''"'"'s seat of said vehicle and said vehicle is stopped adjacent and facing said gate, means to bias said gate toward vertically-upwardly extending position, a latching assembly normally adapted to prevent rotation of said shaft and of said gate when said gate is in said vertically-upwardly extending position, said latching assembly comprising a first element fixedly mounted on said shaft at one end portion thereof, said latching assembly also comprising a second element mounted generally above said first element for movement in generally upward and downward directions, said second element when in a downwardly-shifted latching position being adapted to prevent rotation of said first element and thus of said shaft and said gate, said second element when in an upwardly-shifted nonlatching position being adapted to permit rotation of said first element and of said shaft and gate, lift means movably mounted under said second element and adapted when moved from one position to another position to shift said second element to said upwardly-shifted position, first mechanical connector means extending from said lift means to said first lock station, and adapted when actuated by the vehicle driver to move said lift means from said one position to said other position, and second mechanical connector means extending from said lift means to said second lock station, and adapted when actuated by said vehicle driver to move said lift means from said one position to said other position.

4. The invention as claimed in claim 3, in which selective locking means are provided at both of said lock stations, in which the selective locking means at one of said lock stations must be unlocked before the mechanical connector means at such station may be actuated, and in which such selective locking means at said one lock station may be relocked, after the vehicle has been driven against the gate to pivot it away from vertically-upwardly extending position, witout locking said latching assembly and preventing additional pivotal movement of the gate.

5. The invention as claimed in claim 4, in which means other than said lift means are provided to maintain said second latching element in an upwardly-shifted nonlatching position after said gate has pivoted away from vertically-upwardly extending position, and after said lift means has disengaged said second latching element, such means for maintaining said second latching element in an upwardly-shifted nonlatching position being adapted to permit said second latching element to shift downwardly to said downwardly-shifted latching position after said gate swings back to said vertically-upwardly extending position.

6. The invention as claimed in claim 3, in which said shaft is hollow, and in which said first mechanical connector means has a portion which extends through said hollow shaft.

7. The invention as claimed in claim 3, in which each of said lock stations includes padlock means to prevent movement of the associated mechanical connector means until after the padlock means in unlocked.

8. The invention as claimed in claim 3, in which means are provided to constrain said second latching element to insure that it moves only along a predetermined path.

9. The invention as claimed in claim 3, in which damper means are provided to cause said gate to pivot relatively slowly, said damper means being connected at one end to an element fixed to said shaft, and at the other end to a fixed support.

10. The invention as claimed in claim 3, in which housing means are provided to enclose said latching assembly and prevent tampering therewith.