INTEGRATED LOCKING PIN

Abstract

A gate fastener is provided for securing a double gate, comprising a pivotable body that is fixable to a first gate, wherein the pivotable body comprises at least one recess for receiving a gate rail on the second gate; wherein the pivotable body comprises at least one aperture on a side thereof that is capable of retaining a locking pin; and wherein in a first position, the locking pin spans the recess and prevents movement of the gate rail out of the recess, and wherein in a second position, the locking pin is retracted from the recess such that a portion thereof is retained within the pivotable body without preventing movement of the gate rail out of the recess. Also provided is a gate having said fastener and a method of securing a double gate using the fastener.

Claims

1. A gate fastener (1) for securing a double gate (24, 26), comprising: a pivotable body (2) that is fixable to a first gate (24), wherein the pivotable body comprises at least one recess (4) for receiving a gate rail (32) on a second gate (26); wherein the pivotable body comprises a locking pin (12) and at least one aperture on a side of the pivotable body, the aperture retaining the locking pin, such that the locking pin is integrated within the pivotable body; and wherein: (a) in a first position, the locking pin spans the recess and prevents movement of the gate rail out of the recess, and (b) in a second position, the locking pin is retracted from the recess such that a portion thereof is retained within the pivotable body without preventing movement of the gate rail out of the recess.

2. The gate fastener of claim 1, wherein the locking pin is secured in a slot (10) on the side of the pivotable body, such that it cannot be freely protruded and/or retracted therethrough.

3. The gate fastener of claim 1, wherein the pivotable body comprises at least two apertures that are aligned on either side of its recess.

4. The gate fastener of claim 1, wherein one or more of the apertures in the pivotable body have a wide portion (8) and a narrow portion (10), with only the wide portion permitting movement of the locking pin between the first and second positions.

5. The gate fastener of claim 4, wherein the narrow portion is provided below the wide portion, such that the locking pin can fall into the first position in which it cannot be retracted or protruded without user intervention.

6. The gate fastener of claim 4, wherein the locking pin comprises a neck (16) that is of smaller diameter than its main body (12), and wherein the neck is of a diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the narrow portion of the one or more apertures in the pivotable body, such that it slots into the narrow portion, and wherein the main body is of a diameter that is larger than the diameter of the narrow portion but of a diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the wide portion of the one or more apertures in the pivotable body, such that the locking pin is secured in the narrow portion/slot.

7. The gate fastener of claim 4, wherein the first of two aligned apertures in the pivotable body has a wide and a narrow portion and the locking pin has a neck (16) designed to rest in the narrow portion of that first aperture.

8. The gate fastener of claim 7, wherein the second aperture has a diameter sufficient to allow a distal tip (34) of the locking pin to rest therein but is too narrow to accommodate a stop portion (18) of the locking pin.

9. The gate fastener of claim 4, wherein two apertures in the pivotable body have aligned wide and narrow portions and the locking pin has a neck and a collar (16, 20) designed to rest in the narrow portions of each aperture.

10. The gate fastener of claim 1, wherein the locking pin comprises a head (14) at a proximal end thereof; a neck (16); a main body (12); a collar (20); and a stop (18) at a distal end thereof.

11. The gate fastener of claim 10, wherein the stop prevents the locking pin from being removed from the pivotable body.

12. A gate comprising the gate fastener of claim 1.

13. A method for securing a double gate (24, 26) from opening, comprising fixing a gate fastener (1) having a pivotable body (2) to a first gate (24), such that the pivotable body may be pivoted about a first gate rail (28) of the first gate; wherein in the closed position the pivotable body lies in line with the first gate rail and at least partially houses it within a recess (4) in the pivotable body; wherein in the closed position the pivotable body lies in line with a second gate rail (32) on a second gate (26) and at least partially houses it within a recess (4) in the pivotable body; wherein the pivotable body comprises at least one aperture on a side thereof that retains a locking pin (12), such that the locking pin is integrated within the pivotable body; and wherein: (a) in a first position, the locking pin spans the recess and prevents movement of the second gate rail out of the recess, and (b) in a second position, the locking pin is retracted from the recess such that a portion thereof is retained within the pivotable body without preventing movement of the gate rail out of the recess.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the locking pin is secured in a slot (10) on the side of the pivotable body, such that it cannot be freely protruded and/or retracted therethrough.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one aperture in the pivotable body has a wide portion (8) and a narrow portion (10), with only the wide portion permitting movement of the locking pin between the first and second positions.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the narrow portion is provided below the wide portion, such that the locking pin can fall into the first position in which it cannot be retracted or protruded without user intervention.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the locking pin comprises a neck (16) that is of smaller diameter than its main body (12), and wherein the neck is of a diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the narrow portion of the one or more apertures in the pivotable body, such that it slots into the narrow portion, and wherein the main body is of a diameter that is larger than the diameter of the narrow portion but of a diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the wide portion of the one or more apertures in the pivotable body, such that the locking pin is secured in the narrow portion/slot.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a stop portion (18) prevents the locking pin from being removed from the pivotable body.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the pivotable body comprises at least two apertures that are aligned on either side of its recess.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein a second aperture has a diameter sufficient to allow a distal tip (34) of the locking pin to rest therein but is too narrow to accommodate a stop portion (18) of the locking pin.

Description

EXAMPLES

[0065] The invention is now illustrated in specific examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings (FIGS. 1-4) which show: [0066] End views of a gate fastener according to the invention (FIGS. 1A, 2A and 3A), with the integrated locking pin in different positions, [0067] Side views of a gate fastener according to the invention (FIGS. 1B, 2B and 3B), with the integrated locking pin in different positions, and [0068] A perspective view of a generic gate fastener that is mounted on a double gate in the closed position (FIG. 4).

[0069] As will be described in further detail below, FIG. 1A (end view) and FIG. 1B (side view) show a gate fastener (1) according to the invention, wherein the locking pin (12) is retracted from the recess (4) in the pivotable body (2), such that the pivotable body can be lifted (e.g., using the handle (6)) away from the second gate rail (32), allowing the double gates (24, 26) to be opened.

[0070] As will be described in further detail below, FIG. 2A (end view) and FIG. 2B (side view) show a gate fastener (1) according to the invention, wherein the locking pin (12) is partially protruded through the recess (4) in the pivotable body (2); this being a state representing the transition of the locking pin (12) between the retracted position, wherein the gates (24, 26) can be opened by lifting the pivotable body (2), and the protruded position, wherein the locking pin (12) spans the recess (4) and the gates (24, 26) are therefore closed and locked by the locking pin (12).

[0071] As will be described in further detail below, FIG. 3A (end view) and FIG. 3B (side view) show a gate fastener (1) according to the invention, wherein the locking pin (12) is protruded through the recess (4) in the pivotable body (2), such that the pivotable body is prevented from being lifted away from the second gate rail (32), due to the locking pin (12) abutting the bottom of the second gate rail (32). The double gates (24, 26) are thus closed and locked.

[0072] In more detail, the locking pin (12) is provided with a head (14) at its proximal end, which a user is able to grab and use to either protrude the locking pin through the recess or retract it from the recess. Next to the head is a neck (16) of smaller diameter than the head (14), followed by a main body (12) also of larger diameter than the neck (16). There is then provided a collar (20) of similar diameter to the neck (16), and at the distal end a stop portion (18) of larger diameter than the neck and collar (16, 20) with a distal tip (34) of similar diameter to the neck and collar (16, 20). In practice, the stop portion (18) at the distal end is screwed into the main body (12) and the collar (20) is formed between the two.

[0073] Aligned on either side of the recess (4) in the pivotable body (2) are two apertures, one of which has varying diametera wider portion (8) at the top and a narrower portion (10) at the bottom. When the double gates (24, 26) are closed and the second gate rail (32) sits in the recess (4), these two apertures are found below the bottom of the second gate rail (32). The narrow portion (10) of the first aperture is of a diameter sufficient to accommodate the neck and collar (16, 20) of the locking pin (12) but not the head (14), main body (12) or stop portion (18). The wide portion (8) of the first aperture (the first aperture being positioned at the proximal end of the locking pin when fully protruded through the recess) is of a diameter sufficient to accommodate the main body (12) but not the head (14) or stop portion (18). The second aperture (the second aperture being positioned at the distal end of the locking pin when fully protruded through the recess) is of a diameter sufficient to accommodate the distal tip (34) of the locking pin (12).

[0074] In use, a user lifts the pivotable body (2) with the locking pin (12) fully retracted, aligns the two gates (24, 26), and then lowers the pivotable body (2), such that the second gate rail (32) is housed in the recess (4) of the pivotable body (2). The user is then able to use the head (14) of the locking pin (12) to lift the locking pin into the wide portion (8) of the first aperture and then protrude it through the recess (4). The distal tip (34) of the locking pin (12) enters the second aperture when fully protruded. Protrusion is restricted by the stop (18) abutting the recess-facing side of the pivotable body (it is too wide to pass through either of the apertures). At this point the neck (16) is positioned above the narrow portion (10) of the first aperture and the distal tip (34) is positioned within the second aperture. The locking pin (12) can then be lowered, such that the neck (16) rests in the narrow portion (10) of the first aperture and the distal tip (34) rests in the second aperture.

[0075] Retraction of the locking pin (without user intervention) is prevented because the main body (12) of the locking pin is too wide to enter the narrow portion (10) of the first aperture. The gates (24, 26) are thus locked together.

[0076] When the user wishes to unlock the gates (24, 26), the user lifts the locking pin (12) using the head (14), such that it is positioned in the wide portion (8) of the first aperture. The user can then retract the locking pin (12) from the recess (4). Retraction is halted by the stop portion (18) of the locking pin abutting an internal (recess-facing) surface of the pivotable body (2) next to the first aperture. The locking pin (12) is thus integral to the gate fastener (1). The handle (6) can then be used to lift the pivotable body (2) and free the second gate rail (32), such that the two gates (24, 26) can be separated/opened.

[0077] In FIG. 4, there is shown a generic gate fastener (1)i.e., one without the integrated locking pin outlined above depictedmounted on a double gate (24, 26). A pivot pin (not shown) is secured through two aligned apertures (22) in the gate fastener and a corresponding set of aligned apertures (not shown) in the top rail (28) of the first gate (24). This provides the gate fastener with a pivotable body (2) that pivots about an axis (22). The pivot pin passing through the apertures (22) in the fastener and rail both secures the fastener to the rail and enables it to pivot about axis (22). An inverted U-shaped recess (4) runs the length of the body and fits over the top rails (28, 32) of both gates (24, 26).

[0078] A further pin or bolt (not shown) may be secured through two aligned apertures (30) in a downwardly projecting portion or lug of the pivotable body (2). This provides the gate fastener with a pivot stop, such that when the pivotable body (2) is pivoted about axis (22) upwards and away from the gate rail (32) of the second gate (26), i.e., by pulling on the handle (6), pivoting is restricted by the pivot stop pin or bolt abutting the underside of the gate rail (28) of the first gate (24).

[0079] With that pivot stop pin or bolt in place, sufficient pivoting movement of the body is permitted for the recess (4) to clear the second gate rail (32) to open the gates. Upon lifting of the handle (6) and hence opening of the gate fastener, which clears the top rail (32) of the second gate (26), the user can open and pass through the double gates (24, 26). The user can then close and realign the gates and allow the gate fastener to drop back into its closed position.

[0080] The gate fastener (1) may also optionally be locked in the open position using a pin or bolt (not shown) that passes through aligned apertures (30) in the downwardly projecting portion of the pivotable body (2). This is achieved by inserting the pin through the apertures (30) when the gate fastener is in the raised, open position and the apertures (30) sit above the top rail (28) of the first gate (24), i.e., when pushing down on the handle (6), pivoting is prevented by the pin abutting the topside of the gate rail (28) of the first gate (24).

REFERENCE LIST

[0081] Gate fastener (1) [0082] Pivotable body (2) [0083] Pivotable body recess (4) [0084] Pivotable body handle (6) [0085] Wide portion of aperture (8) [0086] Narrow portion of aperture (10) [0087] Main body of locking pin (12) [0088] Head of locking pin (14) [0089] Neck of locking pin (16) [0090] Locking pin stop (18) [0091] Collar of locking pin (20) [0092] Pivot pin aperture/axis (22) [0093] First gate (24) [0094] Second gate (26) [0095] First gate rail (28) [0096] Pivot stop apertures (30) [0097] Second gate rail (32) [0098] Distal tip of locking pin (34)

[0099] The invention hence provides a gate fastener having an integrated locking pin for double gates.