US3425165A - Extensible gate for elevator shafts - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 4, 1969 F, M. CLEVELAND 3,425,165

EXTENSIBLE GATE FOR ELEVATOR SHAFTS Filed Nov. 24, 1967 INVENTOR.

BIELOYD M. CLEVELH/VD 5 9 M arrow/EX United States Patent EXTENSIBLE GATE FOR ELEVATOR SHAFTS Floyd M. Cleveland, Plantation, Fla., assignor to General Safety, Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., a corporation of Florida Filed Nov. 24, 1967, Ser. No. 685,530

US. Cl. 49-465 10 Claims Int. Cl. E06b /00, 11/02; E05c 19/06 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An extensible gate for protectively spanning an elevator shaft opening of a building under construction which includes a plurality of pads to engage the marginal surface of the elevator opening in the vertical plane across the mouth of the opening and spring means to hold the gate in an extended position in abutting engagement with the sides of the building opening.

This invention relates to a device particularly useful in the construction of buildings and comprises a gate adapted to be positioned spanning the mouth of an elevator shaft opening to overlay a surface of the wall so that it cannot be thrust into the elevator shaft and which is yieldable for removal from the opening.

In the past, there have been numerous accidents which have occurred in the construction building by reason of open elevator shafts, and this invention is of a temporary gate to be installed at an elevator shaft opening which is under construction.

It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide an extensible gate composed of skeletal members joined together for expansion and contraction into abutting engagement with the sides of a mouth of an opening and having a plurality of surfaces to extend in overlaying relation on the vertical plane of the mouth of the opening with the gate in spanning relation thereof.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a simple and inexpensive gate for placement in the opening of elevator shaft which is adapted to be removed by collapsing the same on movement of the skeleton members toward one another against a spring pressure normally urging the members apart for abutting engagement with the sides of the mouth of an elevator shaft opening so that bearing surfaces are maintained in overlapping relation on the wall surface in the plane of the mouth of the elevator shaft opening to resist forces perpendicular to the plane of the opening and toward the dangerous elevator shaft.

It is a general object of this invention to provide a simple and inexpensive, collapsible gate for use in an elevator shaft opening which is portable, readily installed, and which is well adapted for the purposes explained above.

In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation view which has been broken away and which illustrates the gate in a normal position;

FIGURE 2. is a side elevation view of the gate of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the gate of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is an elevation view of the gate installed at an elevator opening.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding 3,425,165 Patented Feb. 4, 1969 parts throughout the difierent views, and referring particularly to FIGURE 1, there is shown a gate which is generally designated by the numeral 12. The gate is adapted to be placed in spanning relation of an elevator shaft opening with the lower lateral member 14 being supported on the floor at the margin of the opening. To the opposite ends of the lower member 14, there are provided upstanding legs 16 and 18 which ai'e pivotally connected as at 20 and 22 to: the lower member. The upper terminal ends 24 and 26 of the legs are spanned by an extensible member 28 to be described more fully hereinafter. Additionally, an intermediate member 30 may be provided, the intermediate member being anchored at one end 32 to one of the legs and connected in a pin and slot connection indicated by the numeral 34 for relative movement of the leg 18 with respect to' the member 30 on pivotal movement of the leg 18. Referring to the member 28, it is composed of a pair of telescopic tubular members, an inner member and an outer member 38. Within the outer member a spring 40 is captivated and bears against the end 42 of the inner member 36 so as to normally hold the leg 18 in the position shown in FIGURE 1. It will be seen on reference to FIGURE 2 that an angleshaped pad member, such as 44 and 46, is provided on each of the upper ends of the legs to which the ends of the member 28 are secured. Each of these pad members includes a flange, such as; 48 and 50, which bears against the face of the wall at the building opening. The other flange, 52 and 54 of the members 44 and 46 respectively, acts as a pad which bears against the sides of the elevator shaft opening when the leg 18 is in the vertical position, pressure being exerted by the energy stored in the captivated spring.

Referring to FIGURES 3 and 4, it will be seen that the gate may be contracted by compressing the spring on pivotal movement of the upstanding legs 16 and 18 toward one another and, thereafter, placing the gate at the building opening so that it will expand outwardly until the pads 52 and 54 engage the wall surface. Thereafter, any forces such as that indicated by the arrowed lines F which might occur, as jwhen a workman accidentally bumps the gate, will be transmitted to the building opening and he will not fall through. It will also be apparent that from the inside of'the elevator shaft the unit may be removed by someone'who desires to get off the elevator at that particular fioor at which the gate is installed simply by moving the upper ends of the upstanding legs together and pushing the gate away from the opening.

The unit may be made in any of several suitable sizes, and it will be realized that within the range of the size elevator shaft opening commonly encountered, the length of the lower member 14 should be sufficient to overlap on the wall surface and to be within the range of movement of extension which characterizes the upper member with the pin and slot arrangement of the intermediate member connection to the upstanding member 18 comprising stop means to limit extension of the upper member. When the gate is not installed in a building opening, the pin and slot operates as a stop to limit swinging movement of the leg 18, and additionally, in the preferred embodiment the legs 16 and 18 are of the angular configuration shown in FIGURE 3. In each pad a slot 62 and 64 is preferably provided to accommodate a fastener, not shown, if desired.

What is claimed is:

1. For protectively spanning the opening of an elevator shaft in a wall, an expansible gate comprising:

a lateral first member of a length greater than the span of an elevator shaft opening for spanning placement on a building floor in the vertical plane of the mouth of the opening with the opposite end portions of the --first-member'overlappingthemarginal face of the wall; 7"] a first and a second leg connected to one of the ends of the first member;

a laterally projecting pad in said vertical plane secured on the end of each of the legs and above the projecting portions of the lower member; each of said pads including an abutment face extending perpenvdicularly out of said'vertical plane in a common direction;

" means connecting the legs to the lower member to permit of relative swinging movement of the pads toward and away from one another in said vertical plane to carry the portions into and out of overlapping engagement on the wall face;

a lateral second member spanning the upper end of the legs, said second member comprising a telescoping tube system including, an inner tube and an outer tube and spring means captivated within said inner tube normally urging the outer tube to a legs apart position and yieldable for swinging movement of the legs from the legs apart position; and

stop means to limit extensible movement of the tube system members whereby the upper ends of the legs may be moved toward one another storing energy in the spring for placement of the gate with the pads and portions in the vertical plane overlying the marginal surface of thewall face at the mouth of the opening at four areas, a pair of upper and lower areas on either side of the plane of closure and with the abutment faces abutting the side surface of the opening, and

so that forces applied from outside the elevator shaft and toward the vertical plane will be transmitted through the overlapping pads and portions to the wall.

.2. The gate as set forth in claim 1 wherein an intermediate lateral member is provided, one end of said intermediate lateral member being fixed to said first leg and the other end of said lateral member having an elongate slot in the other end thereof and pin means movable in said slot and interconnecting said lateral member to said second leg, said pin and slot connection providing said stopmeans.

. 3. The gate as set forth in claim 1 wherein the opposite ends of said second lateral member are connected for movement with the opposite abutment faces.

4. The gate as setforth in claim 1 wherein each of said legs is of right angle construction as seen in plan with one surface lying in said vertical plane and with the other surface extending out of said vertical plane in a direction common to that of said abutment faces.

5. The device as set forth in claim 2 wherein the opposite ends of said second lateral member are connected for movement with the opposite abutment faces.

6. The device as set forth in claim 2 wherein each of said legs is of right angle construction as seen in plan with one surface lying in said vertical plane and with the other surface extending out of said vertical plane in a direction common to that of said abutment faces.

7. The device as set forth in claim 3 wherein an intermediate lateral member is provided, one end of said intermediate lateral member being fixed to said first leg and the other end of said lateral member having an elongate slot in the other end thereof and pin means movable in said slot and interconnecting said lateral member'to said second leg, said pin and slot connection providing said stop means.

8. The device as set forth in claim 3 wherein each of said legs is of right angle construction as seen in plan with one surface lying in said vertical plane and with the other surface extending out of said vertical plane in a direction common to that of said abutment faces.

9. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said legs is pivotally connected to said lower member.

10. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said pads are provided with laterally extending elongate slots for adjustment of a bolt therein.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 935,673 10/1909 Miller 49-55 1,943,768. 1/1934 Melaas 4957 XR 2,583,613 1/1952 Talbott 4955 XR 2,833,248 5/1958 Meyer et al. 49-55 XR 2,892,495 6/1959 Hadden 49-55 XR KENNETH DOWNEY, Primary Examiner.

Us. 01. X.R.

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