GB2275289A

GB2275289A - Barrier post assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2275289A
Application number: GB9403060A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Malcolm Boydell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-02-17
Filing date: 1994-02-17
Publication date: 1994-08-24
Anticipated expiration: 2014-02-17
Also published as: GB9403060D0; GB9303143D0; GB2275289B

Abstract

A barrier post assembly comprises a generally upright sleeve member (3) installed in the ground, a hollow post (2) slidably received in the sleeve member (3). A locking mechanism (12) comprises a lever (13) pivotally mounted in the post, and a transverse anchor pin (7) mounted in the sleeve member (3). The lever (13) co-operates with the pin to lock the post and the sleeve member against relative movement in a longitudinal direction in response to operation of a locking device (16). A compression spring (18) may act to bias the lower end of the lever (13) away from the wall (17) of the post (2) and out of engagement with the pin (7). The locking device (16) may be a bullet lock. <IMAGE>

Description

BARRIER POST ASSEMBLY This invention relates to a barrier post assembly for preventing access to a given area, for example a parking space, and to such post assemblies adapted to act as anti-ram post assemblies for preventing the forced progress of a vehicle beyond a predetermined point, for example to protect private or industrial property from so-called "ram raiders".

There are many known constructions of barrier posts.

A first form of barrier post assembly comprises those in which a post is hingedly connected to a base portion. Such posts are commonly either locked in a vertical position or spring loaded.

EP 0 095 032 shows a hinged barrier post assembly for a parking space which has a pedal to release a spring loaded pawl holding a post in a horizontal position.

DE 2 739 878 discloses another hinged barrier post assembly. This post has a pawl on the base portion engaging a protrusion on the pivoted main post portion to hold the post in a vertical position.

An alternative form of barrier post assembly comprises a main post portion held within a tubular sleeve, the tubular sleeve being embedded in the ground.

EP 0 369 860 shows such a barrier post assembly, in which a main post is moveable vertically and is lockable in position by the use of a key.

EP 0 380 884 shows another barrier post assembly, in which a retractable post slidable within a tubular sleeve member is lockable in a raised and a lowered position by means of a locking handle rotatable to locate a locking bar in one of two vertically spaced slots.

Both the hinged posts and the retracted posts suffer from the disadvantage that the post when upright (or extended) will tend to shear or bend under sudden impact or ramming.

According to our invention a barrier post assembly comprises a post slidably received within a generally upright sleeve member, the post being locked in an operative locked position by means of a releasable pawl mechanism.

The sleeve member may conveniently be installed vertically, and below ground. Preferably an upper end of the sleeve may be generally level with the ground surface and, when the post is removed from the sleeve, the open end of the sleeve may be closed by a hinged flap which may be lockable in its closed position.

The post may be lockable in position by use of a key.

Since the post may be constructed from a hollow metal section of substantial wall thickness it is able to withstand substantial bending forces of which the resistance is increased by the length of the post received within the sleeve.

In one construction the pawl mechanism comprises an elongate lever housed within the hollow post, and a transverse anchor pin in the sleeve member and with which the lever co-operates to retain the post in the sleeve against accidental withdrawal substantially in a vertical direction.

Preferably the lever is pivotally mounted in the post for angular movement about a pivot at an intermediate position in its length for movement between a retracted position in which it is disengaged from the pin, and the said operative position in which it engages with the pin, an externally operable locking mechanism being provided for urging the lever into its locked position against the force in a return spring normally acting to urge the lever into its retracted position The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a barrier post assembly according to the invention in vertical section; Figure 2 shows a vertical section of the barrier post assembly of Figure 1 normal to the section shown in that Figure 1 and with a locking mechanism in a locked position; and Figure 3 is a view similar to the lower portion of Figure 2 but showing the mechanism in an unlocked position.

Referring to Figure 1 the barrier post assembly 1 can be seen to comprise two parts; a main post 2 and a tubular sleeve 3. The post 2 and the sleeve 3 are conveniently of the same hollow cross-sectional shape, suitably square, and the wall thickness of both members are substantial.

The sleeve member 3 is installed below ground with its upper end 4 generally level with the surface 5.

The lower end 6 of the sleeve may be open, but is shown here as closed. A locating transverse anchor pin 7 extends through the opposite side walls of the lower end of the sleeve 3.

The post member 2 is open at its lower end and closed at its upper end.

Opposed complementary longitudinal cut-outs 9 extend inwardly from the lower end of the post 2 in each of one pair of spaced walls.

A pawl locking mechanism 12 is supported within the lower region 11 of the post member. The mechanism comprises a lever 13 mounted for pivotal movement upon a pivot pin 10 which extends between opposite walls of the post member.

The lever 13 has a U-shaped cut-out 14 at its lower end and an abutment surface 15 at its upper end.

A housing 23 of a bullet lock 16 defined a lock device is integral with or welded to the wall 17 of the post member 3 opposite the abutment surface 15 of the lever 13. The bullet lock 16 includes a finger 22 which is adapted to be withdrawn and removed from the housing 23 by the use of a key operated lock incorporated in a barrel from which the finger 22 projects.

When the bullet lock 16 is inoperative with the finger 22 removed from the housing 23, the lever 13 is normally held in a retracted position, shown in Figure 3 by biasing means. The biasing means comprises a compression spring 18 located below the level of the pivot pin 10 and acting between the lever 13 and a latch 19 pivotally connected to the lever 13 and co-operating with the internal wall of the post member 2.

The compression spring 18 therefore acts normally to urge the lower end of the lever away from the wall 17 by the co-operation of the latch 19 with the post member 2. When the post 2 is inserted into the sleeve member 3 the lever 13 assumes a rest position in which the U-shaped cut-out 14 at the lower end of the post fits over the anchor pin 7. The finger 22 is then inserted into and through the housing 23 of the bullet lock 16 to contact and exerts pressure on the abutment surface 15 of the lever 13.

This force causes the lever 13 to pivot about the pivot pin 10 against the force of the spring 18. The cut-out 14 on the lower end of the lever then engages the anchor pin 7 to prevent the withdrawal of the post while the lever is in this position, as shown in Figure 2.

Thus it can be seen that when locked by the pawl mechanism 12 into the vertical position the barrier post 3 is very strong as the post member 3 must be deformed over the edge of the sleeve 4 and is unlikely to shear off above the level of the sleeve 4.

The sleeve is embedded in concrete or masonry with the projecting ends of the anchor pin 7 acting as a key into the concrete or masonry.

The post 2 may also be fitted with a skeletal eye 25 for supporting a connecting chain or other barrier means.

When the post member 3 is withdrawn from the sleeve 4 there is a danger of the sleeve 4 becoming filled with debris, for example stones or litter, that will prevent the post member 3 from being inserted readily into the sleeve.

To avoid this the sleeve 4 is conveniently provided with a hinged flap 24 which in a closed position covers the open end of the sleeve. The hinged flap may be lockable into the closed position.

Claims

1. A barrier post assembly comprising a post slidably received within a generally upright sleeve member, in which the post is adapted to be locked in an operative locked position by means of a releasable pawl mechanism.

2. A barrier post assembly comprising a post, a sleeve member in which the post is adapted slidably to be received, a releasable pawl mechanism acting between the post and the sleeve member in an operative position to lock the post and the sleeve member against relative movement in a longitudinal direction, and a lock device carried by the post and adapted to co-operate with the pawl mechanism in the said operative position.

3. A barrier post assembly as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the post is hollow and the pawl mechanism comprises an elongate lever housed within the post, and a transverse anchor pin in the sleeve member and with which the pawl co-operates in the said operative position.

4. A barrier post assembly as claimed in claim 3 in which the lever is pivotally mounted in the post for angular movement about a pivot at an intermediate point in its length for movement between a retracted position in which it is disengaged from the pin and the said operative position in which it engages with the pin, an externally operable locking mechanism being provided for urging the lever into the said operative position against the force in a return spring normally acting to urge the lever into its retracted position.

5. A barrier post assembly as claimed in claim 3, in which the end of the lever remote from the locking mechanism is provided with a U-shaped cut-out which receives the pin when the lever is in its inoperative position.

6. A barrier post assembly as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 5, in which the lock device comprises a key operated lock.

7. A barrier post assembly as claimed in any of claims 2 to 6, in which the lock device comprises a housing carried by the wall of the post, a finger adapted to co-operate with the lever to urge it into the said operative position, and in which the lever is removable from the housing by the use of a key operated lock incorporated in a barrel from which the finger projects.

8. A barrier post installation incorporating a barrier post assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the sleeve member is installed generally vertically in the ground with its upper end substantially flush with the surface of the ground, and a flap hingedly connected to the sleeve member at its upper open end is adapted to be hinged into a closed position to close the open end of the sleeve member upon removal of the post from the hinge member.

9. A barrier post installation as claimed in claim 8, in which the flap is adapted to be locked in the closed position.

10. A barrier post assembly substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.