Doorway and passage barrier

Abstract

A doorway and passage barrier having a plurality of freely rotating members engaged upon a mounting member positioned upon a top edge of a frame of a child or pet barrier. The rotating members positioned adjacent the top edge of the frame form a bi-rotational shield preventing stationary contact with the top edge of the frame, thereby preventing a child or pet from using the top edge of the frame as a hand grip or foot positioner to climb over the barrier.

Claims

1. A doorway and passage barrier comprising: a mounting assembly, said mounting assembly having a first mount and a second mount, each positionable to a respective engagement upon a frame forming a gate or barrier, at opposing ends of said frame in an engaged position; said engagement of said first mount formed by a first connector positioned on said first mount, said first connector having a first slot therein sized to engage opposing side surfaces of portions of said frame therein, at a first connection; said engagement of said second mount formed by a second connector positioned on said first mount, said second connector having a second slot therein sized to engage opposing side surfaces of portions of said frame therein, at a second connection; said first mount in said first connection and said second mount in said second connection, both extending above a top edge of said frame and having a space therebetween; a plurality of rotating members each having a first side opposite a second side thereof; each of said rotating members having an annular member extending from the respective second side thereof to a distal end of said annular member; each of said plurality of rotating members having an axial passage communicating between the respective first side thereof to the respective distal end of the annular member extending from the respective second side thereof; a mounting member having a first end thereof connected to said first mount and a second end thereof connected to said second mount; said mounting member communicating through each respective axial passage of each of said plurality of rotating members; each of said plurality of rotating members rotating freely upon said mounting member in either of two directions; each said annular projection having a diameter sized to slide within an annular recess formed into the respective first side of each of the other of the plurality of rotating members positioned upon said mounting member; each said annular projection forming an annular shield preventing contact with said mounting member within gaps formed between the plurality of rotating members positioned upon said mounting member; and said plurality of rotating members rotating upon said mounting member defining a rotating shield above said top edge of said frame, said rotating shield preventing contact with said top edge.

2. The doorway and passage barrier of claim 1, additionally comprising: indicia positioned on some of said plurality of rotating members; and said indicia positionable to form words or color patterns.

3. The doorway and passage barrier of claim 1, additionally comprising: emitters located within at some of said plurality of rotating members, said emitters for generating sound or light; a light projector generating a light beam; and a trigger operatively connected to each of said emitters, each said trigger energizing a respective said emitter to thereby generate said light or sound upon a communication of said light beam upon said trigger.

4. The doorway and passage barrier of claim 1, additionally comprising: each of said plurality of rotating members having a diameter between 2.5 to 3.5 inches.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING FIGURES

(1) The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate some, but not the only or exclusive examples of embodiments and/or features of the disclosed doorway or passage barrier device herein also described as a baby gate. It is intended that the embodiments and figures disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative of the invention herein, rather than limiting in any fashion.

(2) In the drawings:

(3) FIG. 1 depicts a side plan view of the rotating barrier device herein engaged with a frame of a gate, showing side edges of the frame configured for hardware or frictional engagement with two wall surfaces, and showing a plurality of rotating members operatively engaged upon a horizontal mounting member mounted above the top of the frame, defining a freely rotating shield preventing direct contact with the top edge of the frame.

(4) FIG. 2 shows a gate or frame having a telescopic mounting member mounted above, and showing a telescopic frame configured to widen or shorten for engagement in positions of various widths, where clips which have slots for engagement to a provided or to an existing frame, to hold mounts for the mounting member, and showing the annular projections in any gaps between rotating members.

(5) FIG. 3 depicts the device with different colored rotating members.

(6) FIG. 4 depicts the device with indicia on some or all rotating members for play or education.

(7) FIG. 5 is a view of the annular projections and annular recesses preferably present in all modes of the rotating members.

(8) FIG. 6 is an end view of a rotating member showing the central passage communicating axially through the rotating member and the annular member and the annular recess.

(9) FIG. 7 shows the typical engagement of annular projections within annular recesses where the adjacent rotating members are freely rotating on a mounting member.

(10) FIG. 8 depicts a rotating member shaped as a lemon to show the rotating members can be any shape.

(11) FIG. 9 shows a rotating member in the shape of a heart.

(12) FIG. 10 depicts a mode of the device having emitters located in one or a plurality of the rotating members which are adapted to emit sound, light, or both, upon triggering by positioning of a rotating member to intersect a light beam.

(13) FIG. 11 is a side view of a rotating member having an emitter therein and positionable trigger to actuate it, and showing secondary passages for passage of a light beam therethrough.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(14) In this description, the directional prepositions of up, upwardly, down, downwardly, front, back, top, upper, bottom, lower, left, right and other such terms of direction or position, refer to the device as it is oriented and appears in the drawings and are used for convenience only, and such are not intended to be limiting or to imply that the device has to be used or positioned in any particular orientation.

(15) Now referring to drawings in FIGS. 1-11, wherein similar components are identified by like reference numerals, there can be seen in FIG. 1 the barrier device 10 herein which is especially well configured to operate as a baby gate or pet barrier. In all modes the device 10 includes a frame 12 which is configured for positioning of sides 14 of the frame 12 in contact with or immediately adjacent to an opposing side surfaces of the passage being blocked, such as a doorjamb or hallway or the like. This frame 12 may be provided in combination with the opposing mounts 17 and mounting member 16 having freely rotating members 22 thereon.

(16) As noted, alternatively, the mounts 17 can be provided in a mounting assembly, where the mounting assembly includes a pair of mounts 17, each of which is engageable with an existing frame 12 or barrier, using connectors 19 having slots 21 to engage the frame 12 and thereby position the mounting member 16 and engaged rotating members 22 above the top edge of an existing frame 12 or barrier. Of course, other connectors 19 as would occur to those skilled in the art may be used. However, the slotted 21 connectors 19 worked especially well in a frictional engagement which is then secured by a screw (not shown) impacting against the frame 12 surface to fix that slotted engagement.

(17) In all modes, above a top edge 16 of the frame 12, is operatively positioned a mounting member 16 (FIG. 2.) This mounting member 16 can be telescopic in length or fixed in length between a first end and second end, to allow easy engagement and removal with opposing mounts 17 engaged with the frame 12. A spring or other biasing means would be operatively positioned within the two telescopically engaged sections of the mounting member 16 to bias the two opposing ends in opposite directions which will automatically adjust the width of the mounting member 16 as the frame 12 widens or collapses if the frame is also telescopically configured. However, even where the frame 12 is fixed in width between the two sides 14, a spring loaded or otherwise biased and telescopically engaged mounting member 16 will allow for easy engagement and disengagement from the mounts 17 with the frame 12.

(18) If the frame 12 is formed to telescopically 23 expand and contract in total width between the two sides 14, then as noted, it would be preferable that the mounting member 16 also have sections which translate concurrently to lengthen or decrease in length. The frame 16 may have a top member 18 defining a top edge and a bottom member 20 defining a bottom edge of the frame 12 which are telescopically 23 configured to allow the frame 12 to increase or decrease in width between the sides 14. Alternatively, the frame 12 may be formed in a plurality of pieces which translate in a parallel engagement (not shown) to provide an adjustment in width between the two sides 14.

(19) As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and in enlarged form in FIGS. 5 and 7, each of the plurality of rotating members 22 is positioned for rotation in either direction upon the mounting member 16. On a first side of the rotating members 22 an annular projection 24 extends to a distal end. On an opposite second side of each of the rotating members an annular recess 26 depends into the second side. An axial passage 28 (FIG. 6) communicates through the annular projection 24 through the body of the rotating member 22 to the annular recess 26. Each of the rotating members 22 is engaged upon the mounting member 16 by passage of the mounting member 16 through the axial passage 28.

(20) As noted, this configuration of axial projection 24 into an adjacent axial recess 26 of an adjacent rotating member 22, positions the axial projection 24 within any gaps 30 between adjacent rotating members 22 which might be large enough for a finger or hair of a child to enter. The annular projections 24 in each gap 30 rotate at the same speed as the rotating member 22 and help to prevent pinching which could occur in wider gaps 30. While such might not be a concern where the gaps 30 are extremely narrow, where they widen due to expansion of the frame 12 width, these annular projections 24 become most preferred.

(21) Shown in FIG. 3 is a mode of the device 10 wherein the plurality of rotating members 22 have colors or patterns which are different than others in the plurality of rotating members 22, or preferably, have a plurality of colorized sections 32 running around the circumferential surface of each of the rotating members 22. Such will allow the child to align or dis-align the colorized sections 32 to form bands and patterns of color.

(22) The rotating members 22 in FIG. 4, are shown with indicia 34 thereon. This is preferable to allow the child to use the indicia 34, such as letters, to form words and the like.

(23) As noted, in FIG. 5 is shown an enlarged depiction of the annular projections 24 extending from a first side of the rotating members 22 which are adapted for rotational engagement within the annular recesses 26 depending into the second side of the rotating members 22.

(24) In FIG. 6 is shown an end view of a second side of a rotating member 22 showing the annular recess 26 depending into the second side and surrounding the axial passage 28. As noted the axial passage 28 communicates from this intersection with the annular recess 26 and through the body of the rotating member 22 and axially through the projecting member 24 on the first side of the rotating member 22.

(25) As described above, FIG. 7 shows the typical engagement of annular projections 24 extending from a first side of the rotating members 22 within annular recesses 24. This engagement is typical such as shown in FIGS. 1,3 and 4, and where the adjacent rotating members 22 are freely rotating in either direction operatively engaged upon the mounting member 16.

(26) As noted the rotating members 22 can be irregular in shape or depict familiar objects or the like. An example of such is shown in FIG. 8 which depicts a rotating member 22 shaped as a lemon, and in FIG. 9 showing a rotating member 22 formed to a heart shape.

(27) In FIG. 10 is shown a mode of the device 10 where emitters 36 are positioned in one or a plurality of the rotating members 22. These emitters 36 are configured to generate sound, light, or both, upon triggering which is accomplished by positioning the rotating member 22 to intersect a light beam 38 generated by a light projector 40 such as an LED or small laser which is operatively connected to electric power, such as to batteries 42.

(28) FIG. 11 depicts a mode of the rotating members 22 enabling operation of the device as in FIG. 10. As shown, it would require that the child rotate a rotating member 22 such as in FIG. 11, such that a trigger 44 intersects the light beam 38 which is communicated through openings 46 located in the rotating members 22 positioned on the mounting member 16 in-between the light projector 40 and the rotating member 22 of choice with the trigger 44. The trigger 44 can be photovoltaic component which generates electric power upon contact of the light beam 38 which powers the emitter 36. Or, the trigger 44 might be other configurations such as a light sensor which generates electric current only when impacted by the light beam 38, where the electric current is employed to close a switch between a battery and the emitter 36 causing light, sound, or both to be generated.

(29) It should be noted than any of the different depicted and described configurations and components of the barrier for a doorway or passage in different drawn figures, can be employed with any other configuration or component shown and described as part of the device herein. Additionally, while the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular embodiments thereof and steps in the method of production, a latitude of modifications, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosures, it will be appreciated that in some instance some features, or configurations, of the invention could be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. All such changes, alternations and modifications as would occur to those skilled in the art are considered to be within the scope of this invention as broadly defined in the appended claims.

(30) Further, the purpose of any abstract of this specification is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers, and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. Any such abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting, as to the scope of the invention in any way.