Lockable obstruction post
OwnerPeter A. Mazzoneinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tube is supported in a base member mountable at the entrance to a parking space. A pin passes through upstanding walls on the base member and through axially elongated holes in the tube, permitting pivotal and limited axial movement of the tube. A locking rod within the tube is rotatably mounted on the pin and carries a coil spring urging the tube away from the base member. The post is locked in its vertical, obstructing position by pressing the tube downwardly into a socket in the base member and a spring-urged latch then locks the tube to the rod. The latch can be released by a key-operated lock, permitting the coil spring to axially move the tube out of the socket so that the tube can be pivoted to a horizontal, non-obstructing position. Ground-contacting bumpers and a top closure are also provided.
Claims3
An obstruction post mountable on a support surface to selectively prevent or permit access to an area adjacent the post comprising the combination of
- a base member having a generally horizontal portion mountable on the support surface, upstanding, spaced apart walls, and a generally cup-shaped socket;
- a pin passing through said walls and defining a pivot axis;
- an elongated locking rod;
- a sleeve attached to one end of said locking rod and rotatably surrounding said pin for coupling said rod to said pin to permit said rod to be pivoted about said pivot axis;
- a tube surrounding said rod;
- means in said tube defining transversely aligned openings for receiving said pin, said openings being elongated longitudinally relative to said tube to permit limited axial movement of said tube relative to said pin between a first position in which the axis of said tube is substantially vertical and the lower end of said tube engages said socket, and a second position in which the lower end of said tube is disengaged from said socket so that said tube is pivotable around said pivot axis to a substantially horizontal position;
- first spring means for urging said tube axially toward said second position;
- latch means within said tube and engageable with said rod for latching said tube in said first position,
- said latch means comprising
- a mounting plate fixedly attached to and movable with said tube and extending transversely across the interior of said tube, said plate having a central opening to slideably receive said rod,
- a latch member pivotally mounted on said plate for motion in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said rod, and
- second spring means for urging said latch member toward said rod,
- said rod having a recess to receive said latch member when said tube is moved to said first position;
- and
- means for manually releasing said latch means including
- a key-operated lock mounted in said tube, said lock having a portion within said tube which is rotatable from a locked position to an unlocked position by a key inserted into said lock from outside said tube;
- and
- link means connected between said rotatable portion and said latch member for moving said latch member out of said recess when said portion is rotated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.