Barrier safety gate

Abstract

A barrier safety gate is provided which flexes and moves apart in order to receive the vertical path of motion of forks of a fork lift for loading and unloading from a raised platform. The barrier safety gate includes a first and a second pair of opening, flexible guidance members having a default, closed position and an opening, flexible path of motion. In particular, each pair of guidance members are laterally aligned to flex apart to receive the width of each respective fork of the fork lift which provides an opening force through their vertical paths of motion.

Claims

1. A barrier safety gate operable to flex and move apart in order to receive a vertical movement of forks of a fork lift for loading and unloading from a raised platform, comprising: (a) a first pair and a second pair of opening, flexible guidance rails, the first pair and the second pair of guidance rails are laterally positioned for receipt and vertical passage of each respective fork, each pair of guidance rails having a default, closed position and an opening, flexible path of motion, wherein each pair of guidance rails are laterally aligned to flex apart to receive and have constant contact with each respective fork of the fork lift providing an opening force throughout their respective vertical paths of motion; and (b) a support assembly for supporting the first and second pair of guidance rails through their respective opening paths of motion, the support assembly comprising: i) a first pair and second pair of stationary, laterally spaced, upright support members; ii) at least one lateral support member operably connecting each guidance rail with their respective upright support member, wherein the lateral support member is a rigid structure which is statically connected to the respective guidance rail and configured to be movable to and freely embrace the respective upright support member providing a limited path of lateral movement between the support member and the guidance rail; and iii) at least one spring operably positioned between each guidance rail and each corresponding support member for providing a resistive counter force to the application of the opening force produced by the forks through their respective vertical paths of motion and biasing the guidance rails in their respective default, closed position, whereby during the vertical movement of the forks of the forklift, the first and second pair of guidance rails move and flex apart to accommodate the width of each fork as the forks move through a vertical path of motion, and when the forks are removed, the barrier safety gate will revert to the default, closed position.

2. The barrier safety gate of claim 1, wherein at least one of the upright support members comprises a rigidly attached guidance pin and the respective lateral support member comprises a lateral slot, wherein the guidance pin is adapted to travel along the lateral slot permitting the corresponding guidance rail to move towards and away from the upright support member in a limited lateral path of motion as well as pivot about the guidance pin, whereby providing flexibility and vertical stability of the guidance rail throughout the opening path of motion of the guidance member.

3. The barrier safety gate of claim 2, wherein the first and second pair of guidance rails further comprise angled top surfaces and an angled bottom surfaces, each angled surface facing inwardly central of each pair of the first and second pair of guidance rails, whereby, initially, the angled top and bottom surfaces assist in smoothly engaging the forks as they travel through their respective vertical paths of motion through the barrier safety gate.

4. A barrier safety gate operable to flex and move apart in order to receive a vertical movement of forks of a fork lift for loading and unloading from a raised platform, comprising: (a) a first pair and a second pair of opening, flexible guidance rails, the first pair and the second pair of guidance rails are laterally positioned for receipt and vertical passage of each respective fork, each pair of guidance rails having a default, closed position and an opening, flexible path of motion, wherein each pair of guidance rails are laterally aligned to flex apart to receive and have constant contact with each respective fork of the fork lift providing an opening force throughout their respective vertical paths of motion; (b) a support assembly for supporting the first and second pair of opening guidance rails through their respective opening paths of motion, the support assembly comprising: i) a first and second pair of stationary, laterally spaced, upright support members paired with the first and second guidance rails respectively; and ii) at least one lateral support member operably connecting each respective flexible guidance rail with the corresponding upright support member, wherein the lateral support member is a rigid structure which is statically connected to the respective guidance rail and configured to be movable to and freely embrace the respective upright support member providing a limited path of lateral movement between the support member and the guidance rail; iii) at least one spring operably positioned between each guidance rail and each corresponding support member for providing a resistive counter force to the application of the opening force produced by the forks through their respective vertical paths of motion and biasing the guidance rails in their respective default, closed position; and iv) wherein at least one of the upright support members comprises a guidance pin and the corresponding lateral support member comprises a lateral slot, wherein the guidance pin is adapted to travel along the lateral slot permitting the corresponding guidance rail to move towards and away from the upright support member in a limited lateral path of motion as well as pivot about the guidance pin, whereby providing flexibility and vertical stability of the guidance rail throughout the opening path of motion of the guidance rail.

5. The barrier safety gate of claim 4, wherein the first and second pair of guidance rails further comprise angled top surfaces and an angled bottom surfaces, each angled surface facing inwardly central of each pair of the first and second pair of guidance rails, whereby, initially, the angled top and bottom surfaces assist in smoothly engaging the forks as they travel through their respective vertical paths of motion through the barrier safety gate.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description and accompanying figures where:

(2) FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a version of the invention shown in the default, closed position;

(3) FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the version shown in FIG. 1 in the default, closed position;

(4) FIG. 3 is an up-close view of the lateral support member taken from FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 4 is an up-close view of an adjacent lateral support member taken from FIG. 1;

(6) FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the version shown in FIG. 2 taken along lines 4-4;

(7) FIG. 6 is an illustrative front perspective view of the version shown in FIG. 1 showing the forks of a fork lift approaching the top of the barrier safety gate;

(8) FIG. 7 is an illustrative front perspective view of the version shown in FIG. 1 showing the fork lift moving downward through its vertical path of motion, opening and flexing the barrier safety gate;

(9) FIG. 8 is an illustrative front perspective view of the version shown in FIG. 1 showing the fork lift moving downward through its vertical path of motion towards the bottom of the gate; and

(10) FIG. 9 is an illustrative front perspective view of the version shown in FIG. 1 showing the forks completing travel through the barrier safety gate positioned at the bottom of the barrier safety gate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(11) Referring now to the figures wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating a preferred version of the invention only and not for purposes of limiting the same, the present invention is a barrier safety gate configured to move and flex open in order to accommodate and receive the vertical movement and presence of the forks of a fork lift for the delivery of goods to a platform. This provides a safe, ergonomic safety barrier for preventing falls and injury as well as a gate that is minimally and effectively opened by existing fork lift equipment.

(12) The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary versions of the invention. The description is not to be taken in the limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

(13) Various inventive features are described below that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other features.

(14) With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1-FIG. 5 thereof, a new barrier safety gate for preventing falls while delivering a load to a platform embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be disclosed.

(15) As best illustrated by FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the barrier safety gate 10 generally comprises a first and second pair of opening, flexible guidance members or rails 12, 14 which have a default, closed position (depicted by FIG. 1-FIG. 5) and an opening, flexible path of motion (depicted by FIG. 6-FIG. 9); and a support assembly generally depicted by reference numeral 16 for supporting the first and second pair of guidance rails 12, 14 through their respective opening paths of motion.

(16) In the version, the first and second pairs of guidance members 12, 14 are two pairs of elongated, laterally aligned rails 12a, 12b, 14a, 14b generally positioned in vertical parallel with each other. The first and second pairs of guidance rails 12, 14, within each pair, mirror one another within the pair, with each having an inner contact surface 26 facing the other.

(17) In the illustrated version, each guidance rail 12a, 12b, 14a, 14b may have angled top 28 and bottom surfaces 30, with each angled surface facing inwardly central of each pair of the first and second guidance rails 12, 14. Thus, initially, the angled top 28 and bottom surfaces 30 assist in effectively engaging the forks as they travel through their respective vertical paths of motion through the barrier safety gate 10.

(18) The support assembly 16 generally provides a rigid, stationary structure which in combination with the first and second pairs of guidance rails 12, 14 in their default, closed position form a barrier for preventing falls. The barrier safety gate 10 is typically rigidly attached via the support assembly 16 at a delivery point within a safety railing system located at the perimeter of a mezzanine structure or other raised platform. The barrier safety gate 10 can be utilized in conjunction any type of safety railing configuration and delivery point accessing the raised platform.

(19) In the version and as illustrated, the support assembly 16 comprises a first and second pair of stationary, laterally spaced, upright support members 18, 20. The first pair of guidance rails 12 are laterally positioned, primarily in parallel, between the first pair of upright support members 18 and the second pair of guidance rails 14 are positioned similarly between the second pair of upright support members 20. It will be known that the inner two upright support members 18b, 20a may be one in the same and are generally connected together by one or more rigid connection members 36.

(20) In the version and best shown FIG. 1, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, each guidance rails 12a, 12b, 14a, 14b are flexibly attached to their respective upright support member 18a, 18b, 20a, 20b by at least one lateral support member 22. The lateral support member 22 is rigidly attached to the respective guidance rail 12a and operably attached to the corresponding upright support member 18a which provides a limited path of lateral movement between the support member 18a and the guidance rail 12a. In the specific illustrated version, multiple support members 22 are utilized in combination to support and provide lateral movement of the first and second pair of guidance members 12, 14 through their respective opening, flexible paths of motion. It will be known that other configurations may be utilized to carry out the aforementioned supporting functionality.

(21) In the particular version, the lateral support member 22 is an open rectangular encasement configuration which rigidly attaches to the guidance 12a member and freely embraces the respective upright support member providing a limited path of motion between the support member 18a and the guidance rail 12a. Other configurations of the lateral support member 22 may be contemplated which carry out the same objective of providing a structure that allows the first and second pairs of guidance rails 12, 14 to move and flex apart during operation.

(22) Moreover, at least one elastic compression means 24 is operably positioned between each guidance rail 12a, 12b, 14a, 14b and each corresponding upright support member 18a, 18b, 20a, 20b for providing a resistive counter force to the application of the opening force produced by the forks through their respective vertical paths of motion and simultaneously biasing the guidance rails 12a, 12b, 14a, 14b in their respective default, closed position. Thus, during the vertical path of motion of the forks of the forklift, the first and second pair of guidance rails 12, 14 move and flex apart to accommodate the width of each respective fork as the forks move through a vertical path of motion, and when the forks are removed, the barrier safety gate 10 will revert to the default, closed position. The elastic compression means 24 can be one or more conical compression springs 24. In the illustrated version, there are three conical compression springs 24 operably inserted between each upright support member 18a, 18b, 20a, 20b and respective guidance rail 12a, 12b, 14a, 14b held in place by fasteners.

(23) In the illustrated version as best shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the upper most lateral support members 22 of each pair comprise a lateral slot 34 which is coupled with a corresponding guidance pin 32. The guidance pin 32 is rigidly connected to the respective upright support member 18a, 18b, 20a, 20b, wherein the guidance pin 32 is adapted to travel along the lateral slot 34 permitting the corresponding guidance rail 12a, 12b, 14a, 14b to move towards and away from the upright support member 18a, 18b, 20a, 20b in a limited lateral path of motion as well as pivot about the guidance pin 32. Thereby providing flexibility and vertical stability of the guidance rail 12a, 12b, 14a, 14b throughout its opening path of motion. Preferably, the guidance pin 32 is a fixed bolt. The fixed bolt 32 connects the upright support member 18a, 18b, 20a, 20b to the lateral support member 22 by passing through both the upright support member 18a, 18b, 20a, 20b and a front and rear pair of aligned lateral slots 34. It will be known, that select lateral support members 22 may optionally utilize the guidance pin and slot configuration to create differing opening, flexible paths of motion of the first and second pair of guidance rails 12, 14.

(24) The flexible safety gate 10 is a solid framed gate preferably made of steel or other form of metal. The flexible safety gate 10 is constructed in a manner that is sturdy and safe to lean on and provides a barrier while in the default, closed position that meets or exceeds OSHA safety gate requirements. While in the default, closed position, the resistive force provided by the one or more springs 24 is sufficient to meet or exceed hand rail standards, thus providing a safe, sturdy and reliable barrier which people can lean on and push down on without the gate moving.

(25) Now referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 6-FIG. 9, the method and operation of the version will be described in detail.

(26) FIG. 1 shows the barrier safety gate 10 in the default, closed position. The barrier safety gate 10 in this position is strong and sturdy providing a minimum distance within each pair of guidance rails 12, 14 meeting OSHA guidelines preventing falls and serious injury.

(27) FIG. 6 shows the forks 52 of a fork lift applying a downward force to the angled top and bottom surfaces 28, 30 of the first and second pair of guidance rails 12, 14. Thereby, effectively engaging and initiating the opening and flexing of the barrier safety gate 10.

(28) FIG. 7 shows the forks 52 moving downward through a path of motion simultaneously moving and flexing the first and second pairs of guidance rails 12, 14.

(29) FIG. 8 shows the forks 52 moving down through a path of motion approaching the bottom of the barrier safety gate 10 continuing to move and flex the first and second pairs of guidance rails 12, 14.

(30) FIG. 9 shows the forks 52 at the lowest point of the path of motion at the platform 50 surface where the load 58 can be removed from the forks 52 safely behind the barrier safety gate. The forks 52 can then return by ascending back through the barrier safety gate 10 or by horizontally removing them from the bottom of the thereof.

(31) The present invention can be made in any manner and of any material chosen with sound engineering judgment. Preferably, materials will be strong, lightweight, long lasting, economic, and ergonomic.

(32) The invention does not require that all the advantageous features and all the advantages need to be incorporated into every version of the invention.

(33) Although preferred versions of the invention have been described in considerable detail, other versions of the invention are possible.

(34) All the features disclosed in this specification (including and accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.