Method of operating a turnstile gate

Abstract

A method of operating a turnstile gate for the purpose of controlling human thoroughfare. A thoroughfare-obstructing structure rotates around a fixed axis and has thoroughfare-obstructing means extending out of it and separated by equal angles. The thoroughfare-obstructing means can be shifted out of their usual state, the operational state, into a non-operational state, as the thoroughfare-obstructing structure rotates. The thoroughfare-obstructing means revolve out of a thoroughfare-obstructing position and into a thoroughfare unobstructing position. Another arm revolves into the thoroughfare-obstructing position whenever the arm directly downstream of it revolves out of the thoroughfare-obstructing position and into the thoroughfare unobstructing position. When a condition, a power failure for example, that interferes with regular operation occurs, at least the thoroughfare-obstructing means currently in the thoroughfare-obstructing position shift out of that position and into a non-operational state that allows continuous thoroughfare. Once the condition resulting in disengagement of the mechanisms that maintain at least the thoroughfare-obstructing means currently in the thoroughfare-obstructing position in the operational state has been eliminated, the means are shifted back into that state by force directed toward the thoroughfare-obstructing structure's axis of rotation and are maintained in that state such that they can be shifted out of it.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.