CN1658778B - Workbench protection part - Google Patents

Abstract

A removable safety guard adapted to prevent an item or liquid from being accidentally pushed over the edge of a fixed horizontal surface; the edge does not otherwise prevent removal of the article.

Description

Workbench protection

technical field

The present invention relates to safety equipment associated with work surfaces such as kitchen countertops, countertops or test benches, and more particularly to devices for preventing the accidental removal of objects or spillage of fluids from the work surface.

Background technique

For many people, the lack of proper equipment to prevent accidental spillage of substances or fluids and the accidental removal of objects from worktops, cooktops, and tables has resulted in them being seriously injured and/or considerable expense, and even death in some extreme cases.

Accidental spillage of hot or corrosive fluids, such as hot tea or coffee, from kitchen work surfaces and tables is one of the leading causes of death and injury for small children in Western countries. Elderly and infirm people also suffer from such accidents.

Accidental removal of objects from workbenches and tables and accidental spillage of fluids from workbenches and tables can impact businesses both financially and by injuring employees. School science benches are another potentially hazardous area if objects are accidentally removed or fluids are spilled; in classrooms, hot and corrosive substances are also a leading cause of injury to school-age children.

The object of the present invention is to provide an auxiliary device to prevent such accidents.

Contents of the invention

Thus, in one broad form of the invention there is provided a removable safety guard adapted to prevent objects or liquids from being accidentally pushed past the edge of a fixed horizontal surface; means to prevent the removal of said items.

Preferably, said surface comprises a worktop, a cooktop or a tabletop.

Preferably, the guard comprises a substantially vertical elongate rectangular member having an outwardly facing surface and an inwardly facing surface joined by an edge and extending along at least a portion of the edges of said surfaces.

Preferably, the edge is any edge of the surface from which the item will fall when the item is pushed into close enough proximity to the edge.

Preferably said guard is adapted to be inserted into a slot on said surface.

Preferably, said slot is provided with a cover strip; this cover strip is adapted to prevent dirt and other matter from entering said slot.

Preferably said guard is adapted to be inserted into a guard retaining mechanism associated with said surface.

Preferably, said retaining means is in the form of an extruded groove adapted to be attached to said surface.

Preferably, the extrusion groove is connected to the surface by one or more connection methods, including:

a. Coated adhesive

b. Double-sided tape

c. Magnetic way

d. Empty suction method

e. Mechanical methods, including screws and rivets, etc.

Preferably, the guard is connected to the surface by means of hinge elements.

Preferably, the guard and the guard retaining mechanism are made of metallic material.

Preferably, the guard and the guard retaining mechanism are made of non-metallic material.

Preferably, the guard and the guard retaining mechanism are made of a combination of metal and non-metal.

Accordingly, in another broad form of the invention there is provided a method of preventing objects or liquids from being accidentally pushed past the edge of a fixed horizontal surface, the method comprising providing A portion of the guard member is provided, said guard member extending above said surface to a sufficient height to constitute a barrier for preventing removal of said item or liquid.

Accordingly, in yet another broad form of the invention there is provided a method of providing a safety guard for an edge of a fixed horizontal surface, wherein said guard is inserted into a slot provided along said edge of said surface middle.

Thus, in yet another broad form of the invention there is provided a method of providing a safety guard for a fixed horizontal surface edge, wherein said guard is retained in an extrusion groove fixed along said surface edge.

Thus, in yet another broad form of the invention there is provided a method of providing a security guard for an edge of a fixed horizontal surface, wherein the guard is connected to the edge of the surface by a hinge element.

Description of drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a worktop safety structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an alternative retention mechanism for the embodiment of FIG. 1 .

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a work surface safety structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of components used with the structure of any one of FIGS. 1 , 2 or 3 .

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the connection manner of the components of the embodiment of Fig. 1 .

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the embodiment of Figure 1 in use.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the visual alignment of a child's eye compared to an adult's eye with and without an embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a perspective view of a bench guard according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a table guard according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a table guard according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

Embodiments of the present invention add suitable guards to the periphery of work surfaces whose edges are not otherwise protected by, for example, splash guards or adjoining walls.

In a first preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to Figures 1 and 2, a vertically extending guard element 1 placed in a holder 2 (or 4) is provided. The guard element 1 is in the form of an elongated rigid strip of suitable height and thickness, and as can be clearly seen in Figure 6, the guard element 1 extends along at least a part of the exposed edge of the working surface.

As can be seen from figure 5, in this first embodiment the protective element 1 is fastened to the working surface of the worktop 6 by means of a holder 2 (or 4) in the form of an extruded groove part . As shown in FIG. 6 , the holder 2 (or 4 ) can be fastened to the worktop 6 in various ways, for example by means of screws 9 , rivets 10 or with a double-sided self-adhesive tape 8 . Other methods of securing the holder 2 (or 4) to the surface of the countertop 6 may include joining with a suitable adhesive, or by non-mechanical means such as magnetism, or by air suction.

The guard element 1 may be fixed permanently, or releasably, or semi-permanently (for example by a friction fit or by a molded lock fit) in the holder element 2 (or 4); or may be fixed in place as a friction fit, so that it can be removed when the protective function is not required. Optionally, the protective element 1 may be provided with holes 3 in order to be able to store it in some convenient place by hanging it on a hook (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 3 , in a second preferred embodiment of the invention, the guard element 1 is mounted in a slot 5 provided along the edge of the worktop 6 . The slot may be formed by machining into the surface of the countertop, or may be formed as part of an edge strip attached to the edge of the countertop.

Likewise, in this embodiment, the guard element 1 may also be fixed in the slot 5 in a permanent or semi-permanent manner (for example by a friction fit or by a molded lock fit), or alternatively placed in the slot 5 with a friction fit. slot so that it can be removed if required. In the latter case, the slot 5 may be provided with a covering strip 7 (shown in FIG. 4 ) in order to prevent substances or liquids from entering the slot 5 and to benefit the appearance.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the slot can be covered with a spring-loaded covering strip which is pushed into position covering the slot when the guard element is removed.

In yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the protective element 1 is operatively connected to the worktop 6 by means of a hinge. The hinge can be permanently attached to the work surface of the countertop, or alternatively, the hinge can be removed.

In all embodiments described, the protective element may be made of any suitable material, including: plywood; extruded fiber, or extruded plastic, or combinations thereof; and metal such as steel or aluminium. Non-metallic materials can be transparent or opaque.

In use, the guard element serves both to prevent liquids from flowing over the edge or objects to be accidentally pushed over the edge of the worktop, and to act as a barrier to prevent children from reaching objects and pulling them over the edge. In particular, the protective elements arranged along the front of the cooktop placed on the kitchen worktop surface will minimize the possibility of such highly dangerous accidents.

For the embodiment of the present invention in which the protective elements can be removed from the slits, different protective elements can be arranged within a certain height range to adapt to different working and safety conditions. Thus, for example in a laboratory environment where relatively tall containers are used, a relatively tall guard element can be inserted into the holder, whereas a relatively low guard is suitable where only liquid spillage is prevented.

Referring to Figure 7, a bench guard 10 according to any of the preceding embodiments is shown in position on a cooktop or bench surface 11 and is configured to have a barrier height H selected in the following manner: when On the floor 12 near the worktop or worktop 11, the guard 10 acts as a visual barrier preventing the child from seeing anything other than the barrier on the cooktop or worktop 11 when the child's eyes are looking at the height of the child's head. The height H of the barrier is further selected so as not to be so high as to obstruct an adult's view above the top of the shield 10 . The end result is that children will not see and be attracted to objects on the other side of the guard. On the contrary, the sight line of an adult is not obstructed, so an adult can still effectively use things such as a saucepan 13 placed on the stove or the work surface 11 to operate in a kitchen or similar environment.

Referring to Figures 8, 9 and 10, three different embodiments of guards consisting of guards 20, 30, 40, respectively, are shown in perspective views. Each guard is configured to have a different height H from the table surface, including heights H1 , H2 and H3. Bear in mind that the guard material itself is made of an opaque substance so that the user can choose from different heights H1 , H2 , H3 in order to obtain the effect shown in FIG. 7 between children and adults.

With further reference to FIG. 8, the guard 20 includes a guard support rail 21 having a vertically aligned slot 22 therein which slidably receives a substantially solid uninterrupted The guard element 23 is contained therein and runs the entire length of the slot 22 .

The guard element 23 is removed from the slot 22 by performing an upward vertical movement relative to the rail 21 as indicated by the vertical arrow. Instead, install in the opposite direction. The shape of the slot 22 and the angle relative to the table 11 are such that only substantially vertical mounting and dismounting movements are allowed.

This arrangement ensures that the protective element 23 cannot be dismantled by a possible sideways pushing action by a child. On the other hand, vertical disassembly is relatively simple for adults to achieve cleaning and other purposes.

The foregoing describes only some embodiments of the invention and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

Claims (6)

1. A guard system for preventing articles from being accidentally pushed over the front edge of a fixed horizontal surface; said guard system comprising a track and a removable safety guard, said track being adapted to align with said front edge , and adapted to be fixed to said surface so as to present a substantially vertically oriented slot for slidably fitting said guard therein; said guard having a substantially rectangular shape longitudinally and transversely cross-section; the guard is adapted to be assembled and removed substantially vertically relative to the slot in the track; the guard is substantially opaque as a whole. 2. The shielding system of claim 1, wherein said shielding member comprises a substantially vertical elongated rectangular member having an outwardly facing surface and an inwardly facing surface joined by an edge, and along said front edge of said surface at least a portion of the extension. 3. The guard system of claim 2, wherein when an item is pushed into close enough proximity to the front edge, the item falls off the edge. 4. The guard system of claim 1, said guard extending above said surface a sufficient height to constitute a barrier for preventing removal of said item or liquid. 5. The guard system of claim 1, wherein the height of the guard is selected such that when mounted on the surface, the guard acts as a visual barrier when viewed by a child but not by an adult Objects distal to the above guard. 6. A method of minimizing the likelihood of an item being accidentally pushed off the front edge of a surface; said method comprising providing the guard system of claims 1 to 5 as a kit of component parts, whereby Fits to countertops, cooktops, or tabletops.

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