US1785487A - Stairway guard - Google Patents

Description

D. E. M AVOY STAIRWAY GUARD Dec. 16, 1930.

Filed Jan; 24, 1930 2 sneets-si e't 1 llllly i-i I gww'ntoz; E/m au D 9 5, 1930- D. E. M AvoY 1,785,487

STAIRWAY GUARD Filed Jan. 24, 1950 2' Sheets-Sheet 2 {DANIEL nnwe'nn MbAvoirQoE oNG ISLANDYQITY, nnw ronx Patented Dec. 16, 1930 I TENTi-i FFT EFC YsI JA'IRWAYGUARD-w 7 A piicatioifiledJanuary 24,1930; "s riaiiqo. 423,144. ii

' i'lhis inve tibn iiiatsoagli ir f r ways, and more particularly to a gate designed to prevent persons from falling down Stairways. In some types of-residences and apartment ihous es,;,lan dings are proyided at he p. o h s irway, a d-itfrequ ntln eppens that persons walking on the landing, dueto darkness,- defective eyesight, or feebleness, are unaware of orinisjudge the top step o the a rs- "fieri l injury Often l P$ from falls caused-in this manner.-

The present invention contemplates a gate r.-g a whi; Whi e a pt t w e wu g ahout'a vertical axis, theusual manner, 1s moun e t i m n s w x e l s the angleof the -stairway,and is normally looked tO preVent swinging thereof, sq long as a downwardly directed for ceislexerted on the 1 gate. It is further intended to provide means for regulating the. rate of descent of he gate," so that it for ins support 015 ,personholding thereto f stood from a deseription'of one form thereof taken in connection appended j R ferring' to p the"; stairs" 1 1 m y e of'the we i t i To Wall :12 and having a banister" rail or 1 may" extend transverselypfia we'll t'ofajhut two walls 12, l-2", shown in Fig; j 3: '1 l In either case there is fastened to'the"wa 1l]12 a 5m 016 rails 14,

l ll by ni'eans of supporting.hi aeketsf155 the latter being firmly secured to the wall The supportingrails are sof nount'ed that theyare parallel to: "the angle the stairs "wlthg re speet to the horizontal; fEaehfof'the rails is substantially ohanneif-shaped in cross secti'on and; pro ided with inwardly turnedfflanges peetiye (Viewofftheiguard,

with respect to its support, hol'di The-gate or-guard 18isjIn0uI1l ed-tof the rails, the gate being supported in a tubu- 'lar castingor bracket 19 having arms 121, preferably; made integral therewith on the, ends ofwhioh are shoes 22 adaptedtofit with v a in the channelnof therails. If 'desiredantij friction bearings maybe interposed between theshoes andrails toperlnit the-shoestonide more readily on the rails. It is to benoted thatthe arms 21ers disposedatan; angleto h b l me r 1. 0 1 t a w en; the shoes are in slidingyengagementx with the rails the membenlQ will lee-in asubstantially yertica1position I r r V Slidably mounted on the tubularnembei' -19-is a post or standard 23 to which-areise; oured, by m'eansofpins or keys Q gothertubuT lar members, 2 5, 26', one se oure d to the upper end of the gate and-the otheifltothe lower end. 1 The upper is beveled at its lower endpas at 27, m ooactwitha similarly h ev'eled end t1": the member 19,50 that the weight of the gate; normally ,tends' to 1mm 7 the gate we positionwheitein it. liridgesitlie ,stalr passage; The ends z2 7, 2 8,@arefnrther provided with a key 29 andslfot 30,respeetiiie;

ly, to look the gate in bridging orolistructing the-gate"to'obstructing position, afcombind fastened to the ineinbers 19 and 263frespee lv l'yh s p ng t n w Sw ng t e? ate in its locked, orobstr'ucting pos way, cam plates" 32,133, are fastened to wall 12and areso positioned that they engage the p ioj ng 81 d 9f the post 28, when" the gate passes the top and bottomlstepsfto position. As a. furtheri means for swinging ne ate r e 0 1 fi dP, acent the top and bottomfs'te'ps of the stairs 'iswoundk The spring5the refore'tends tofre- Waite-sat teile-P s' tiele.edi eitltlieefiso t suf cientlt fermitjth gaste perjlanding at all times. Suitable tension or resistance means are associated with the drum to prevent too rapid winding or unwinding of the cable so that the gate will ascend or descend at a relatively slow and steady speed.

One-form'of speed regulating meansis A shown inFigL5 in which there is provided on the drum shaft a gear 38 meshing. with a worm 39. The worm shaft carries a pair of brake shoes 41 adapted tobe thrown by? centrifugal force into engagementTWith a brake drum 42 secured to the casing 41 or to is wound or'unwound too rapidly the shoes will be thrownout into braking position, and arrest the ascentor descent'o'fthe gate."

- As a'n'aid to those desiring to'usethe'gate as-a support while descending the stairs, that is',-'children or -feeble"persons,the gate is provided with" transverse bars 43, arrange'd at appropriate 'heights on the gate; These may be grasped by theuser who will be supported ;In operation;-the guard-normally obstructs the stairwayybutis capable of riding'down the railsat arelatively'slow rate ofspeed. 'l huae erson having walked or-fallen accidentally over the top step, will grasp the guard, and since the weight of the person ex ei'tsa-"downward pressure on the 'ate, it will remain its'locked or. obstructing j position but will move along the rails slowly enough to enable the personto regain 'hisor her bal ancei It'is-als'o apparent that the guard will befusefulto thosedesiring a support while descending the V stairs, and, "under :some circumstances, may beuti'lized as a fire escape. Whenit is desired to swingthe gate in either directiomit is necessary to elevate it against the pressure ofspring 31,-which may be done by liftingjthe gate by hand, or by moving the 1 end 'of' the post. against thefcamplates 32 or33 i*The gate maybe swung in either direction so that it opens at the top landing as well as at the bOttOmstep-Of the'stairs. Whenthegate is swung open the spring 31, b'eingffastened to the gate as well as to the supporting bracket, is subjected to atorsional stress'andtends to return the gate to its bridging orlocked position. V

fAlthough a spring controlled drumhas been employed inthejforniof the invention illustrated," it is obvious that equivalent me ansf,'"sucli as a weight, maybe utilized for the purpose of'returning the'gate to the upper landingof the stairs after thegate has been loweredli Other detailsofthe invention may also be modified without afiecting the opera" tion of the apparatus. V i

What;is'claimfedfis":5

.. ""-1 I 'A"guardifor stairs, comprising a gate,

guide means disposed inzparallel relation to saidfstaira aind means engaging, said guide means for supporting said gate, said supportguide means disposed. in parallel relation to sald stairs, means engaging sa d gulde means for supporting said gate, said supporting means beingslidable longitudinally of-the stairs along the guide means, and a hinged connection between said supporting means and said. gate. 7

3. Aguard for sta1rs,compr1sing a gate,

, guide'means disposed in parallel relation to said stairs, means engaging said guide 1 means ior'supporting: said gate, said supporting means being slidable along the guide means, and means-normally tending to move 'saidsupporting-means to the uppermost portion of said stairs. a V

4: Afguard for stairs, comprising a gate, a rail disposed in parallel relation to said stairs, means engaging said rail for supporting said gate, said meansbeing slidable alongthe rail, a hinged connection-between said supporting means" and said gate,.and locking means normally holding said gate in obstructing position transversely of the stairs.

5. A guard for stairs,'-comprisinga gate, a rail disposed in'parallel' relation to. said stairs, means engaging said rail for supporting, said gate, said means being slidable along the rail, a hinged connection between saidsupporting means and said gate, means normally. lockin'g'said" gate transversely of saidfstairs, and meansadjacent the topand bottom of said stairs'for automatically re- ;nection between said means-and said gate,

means for lockingthe gate to bridge'said stairs, and means at each end'of the stairs for releasing said locking means tov permit swinging movement of said gate'in either direction." v r 7'. A guard'for' stairs, comprising a gate, a rail disposed in parallel relation to, said stairs, bracket. slidablyjmounted-for movement along said rail avertical'tubular member on said bracket, said gate-being hingedly and-slidably mou'nted'in said member, means on said "ate and member for holding said gate in l said stairs, and means at each end ofthe stairs for releasing said holding means to permit swinging movement of said gate.

ridging position with respect to 8; Aguard for stairs, comprising a gate, means for slidablyv mountingsaid gate to permit the gateto be moved paralleltoiand longitudinally of the stairs, and: meansifor automatically regulating the speed at which the gate slides downwardly with respect to said stairs. g

9. A guard for stairs, comprising a gate,

' means for slidably mounting said gatevto permit the gate to be moved parallel to and longitudinally of the stairs, means normally acting on said gate to move the gate to the uppermost position of the stairs, and means for automatically regulating the speed-atwhich the gate may be moved downwardly with respect to said stairs.

10. A guard for stairs, comprising a gate,

means for slidably mounting saidgate to permit the gate to be moved parallel to and longitudinally of the stairs, and a plurality of transverse supporting bars on said gate.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

DANIEL EDWARD MGAVOY.

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