JP2006500083A - Bench guard - Google Patents

Abstract

A removable safety guard configured to prevent accidental biasing movement of an object or liquid beyond the edge of a fixed horizontal surface, wherein the edge is the object without the accidental biasing movement. Safety guard that does not hinder movement.

Description

  The present invention relates to safety devices associated with work surfaces such as kitchen tops, work or laboratories, and more particularly to means for preventing accidental movement of objects or fluid spillage from these work surfaces. .

  For many, accidental spills of materials or fluids and the lack of appropriate equipment to prevent accidental movement of objects from benches, cooktops and tables can cause serious damage and / or expense and extreme In some cases even an accident will result.

  Accidental spills of hot or caustic fluids (eg hot tea or coffee) from benches and kitchen tables are one of the main causes of small children and injuries in Western civilizations. Older and weaker people suffer from these deaths and injuries.

  Accidental movement of objects and fluid spills from work benches and tables can impact the industry both financially and injuries to employers. School science benches are another area of potential danger if an object is accidentally moved or there is a fluid spill. Hot and caustic substances are again the main cause of injury to school-aged children in the classroom.

  The purpose of the present invention is to provide assistance to prevent such events.

  Accordingly, in one broad aspect of the invention, a removable safety guard is provided that is configured to prevent accidental biasing movement of objects or liquids beyond the edges of the fixed horizontal surface. Without the accidental biasing movement, the edge does not prevent movement of the article.

  Preferably, the surface comprises a bench top, a cooktop or table top.

  Preferably, the guard substantially comprises an outwardly facing surface delimited by an edge extending along at least a portion of the edge of the surface and an inwardly facing surface. A vertically elongate rectangular member.

  Preferably, the edge is any edge of the surface, and the article can fall from the edge when biased within a range sufficiently close to the edge.

  Preferably, the guard is configured to be inserted into a slot in the surface.

  Preferably, the slot is provided with a cover strip. The strip is configured to prevent entry of dirt and other materials into the slot.

  Preferably, the guard is configured to be inserted into guard holding means attached to the surface.

  Preferably, the retaining means is in the form of an extruded channel, the channel being configured to be attached to the surface.

Preferably, the extrusion channel is
a) a coating adhesive;
b) a double-sided adhesive tape;
c) magnetic means;
d) suction means;
e) mechanical means including screws and rivets, etc.
Are attached to the surface by attachment means including one or more of the following:

  Preferably, the guard is attached to the surface by a hinged element.

  Preferably, the guard and the guard holding means are made of a metal material.

  Preferably, the guard and the guard holding means are made of a non-metallic material.

  Preferably, the guard and the guard holding means are composed of a combination of a metallic material and a non-metallic material.

  Accordingly, in another broad aspect of the invention, a method is provided for preventing accidental biasing movement of articles or liquids beyond the edges of a fixed horizontal surface. The method includes providing a guard member disposed along at least a portion of the edge of the surface. The guard member extends a sufficient height above the surface, thereby defining a barrier to movement of the article or liquid.

  Accordingly, in another broad aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of providing a fixed horizontal surface safety guard member that is inserted into a slot in which the guard member is disposed along an edge of the surface.

  Accordingly, in yet another broad aspect of the invention, a method for providing a safety guard member for an edge of a fixed horizontal surface, wherein the guard member is held in an extrusion channel fixed along the edge of the surface. Provided.

  Accordingly, in another broad aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of providing a safety guard member for an edge of a fixed horizontal surface to which the guard member is attached along the edge of the surface by a hinged element.

  Now, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  Embodiments of the present invention provide the addition of appropriate guard elements to the outer periphery of the work surface. The edges of these work surfaces are not protected without the addition of appropriate guard elements, such as by splashbacks or abutment walls.

  In a first preferred embodiment of the invention with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2, a guard element 1 is provided which is located on the holding element 2 (or 4) and extends in an upright manner. The guard element 1 is in the form of an elongated rigid strip of appropriate height and thickness that extends along at least a portion of the exposed edge of the work surface, as best shown in FIG.

  As can be seen from FIG. 5, in this first embodiment, the guard element 1 is secured to the work surface of the bench top surface 6 by a holding element 2 (or 4) in the form of an extruded channel cross section. The holding element 2 (or 4) can be fixed to the bench top surface 6 by various means as shown in FIG. 6, such as screws 9, rivets 10, or by a double-sided self-adhesive strip 8. Further methods of holding the holding element 2 (or 4) to the surface of the bench top surface 6 may also include bonding with a suitable adhesive or non-mechanical or suction means such as a magnetic strip.

  The guard element 1 can be fixed to the holding element 2 (or 4) permanently or releasably or semi-permanently (for example by a friction fit or by a molded locking fit) or no guard function is required Sometimes it can be held in place as a friction fit to allow removal of the guard element. The guard element 1 can optionally be formed with a hole 3 to allow the hook to be received in several convenient positions by suspending it from a hook (not shown).

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

  Also in this embodiment, the guard element 1 can be fixed in the slot 5 permanently or semi-permanently (for example by a friction fit or by a molded locking fit), or a friction fit so that it can be removed if desired. In combination, it can be installed in a slot. In this latter case, the slot 5 may be provided with a cover strip 7 (shown in FIG. 4) to prevent entry of material or liquid into the slot 5.

  In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the slot can be covered by a spring-loaded cover strip that is biased into a position beyond the slot when the guard element is removed.

  In yet another embodiment of the invention, the guard element 1 can also be attached to the bench top surface 6 by a hinge. The hinge can be permanently attached to the work surface on the top of the bench or it can be removably attached.

  In all the described embodiments, the guard element can be formed from any of a range of suitable materials including a laminate of sheet material, pressed fibers or plastic or combinations thereof, and metals such as steel or aluminum. Non-metallic materials can be transparent or opaque.

  In use, the guard elements work together to prevent fluid flowing beyond the edges or to prevent objects from accidentally being pushed beyond the edges of the bench top surface, and for small children to end. Acts as an obstacle to reaching the edge before pulling the object. In particular, guard elements arranged along the front face of the top of the countertop located on the top face of the kitchen bench serve to minimize the possibility of this extremely dangerous occurrence.

  For embodiments of the invention in which the guard element is removable from the slot, different guard elements may be provided with height ranges that are adapted to different work and safety conditions. Thus, for example, in a laboratory situation where a relatively tall container is used, a relatively tall guard can be inserted into the holding element, while in a situation where the only concern is only liquid spills. A low-profile guard can be appropriate.

  Referring to FIG. 7, a bench guard 10 according to any of the above-described embodiments is shown positioned on a stove or bench surface 11 and the head of a child on the floor 12 adjacent to the bench or kitchen top surface 11. When viewed from the height of the child's line of sight, the guard 10 serves as a visual barrier to the child viewing the article beyond the barrier on the kitchen top or bench top 11. The net result is that the child cannot see the items on the other side of the guard, so that the child cannot be attracted to these items. Conversely, because the adult's line of sight is not obstructed, adults can successfully manipulate items such as the saucepan 13 located on the stove or bench top surface 11 in the kitchen or similar environment.

  With reference to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, three embodiments of guards comprising guards 20, 30, and 40, respectively, are shown in perspective view. Each guard is arranged with a different height H above the surface of the bench top with heights H1, H2 and H3. It should be noted that the guard material itself is made from a transparent material and the user chooses from various heights H1, H2, H3 to achieve the result shown in FIG. 7 as between a child and an adult. Be able to.

  Referring to FIG. 8, the guard 20 is aligned upright inside to accommodate a substantially solid and adjacent guard member 23 that is slidable in an upright direction and spans the length of the slot 22. A guard support rail 21 having a slot 22 formed therein is provided.

  Separation of the guard member 23 from the slot 22, as indicated by the upright arrow, is accomplished by making a movement perpendicular to the rail 21 in the upward direction. Conversely, engagement occurs in the reverse direction. The shape and relative angle of the slot 22 compared to the bench top surface 11 is such that a substantially right angle engagement and disengagement is possible.

  This arrangement ensures that the guard member 23 cannot be separated by a transverse movement perpendicular to the longitudinal direction that a child can expect. On the other hand, it is relatively easy for an adult to engage in the direct image direction for cleaning or the like.

  The foregoing description, which describes only some embodiments and variations of the present invention, will be apparent to those skilled in the art, but can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

It is a perspective view of the bench top safety mechanism by the embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of another holding means of the embodiment of FIG. It is a perspective view of the bench top safety mechanism by a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of components for use with any one of the devices of FIG. 1, FIG. 2, or FIG. It is a perspective view of the attachment means of the component of embodiment of FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in use. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing visual alignment of a child's eye line with an adult eye line with and without an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a bench guard according to a further embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 shows a bench guard according to a further embodiment of the invention. It is a figure which shows the bench guard by another embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Guard element 2, 4 Holding elements 5 Slot 6 Bench upper surface 8 Cover strip 9 Screw 10 Rivet 11 Bench upper surface 12 Floor 13 Source pan 20, 30, 40 Guard 21 Bench upper surface 22 Slot 23 Guard member H1 Height of guard 20 H2 Guard 30 height H3 guard 40 height

Claims (24)

A removable safety guard configured to prevent accidental biasing of articles or liquids beyond the edge of a fixed horizontal surface,
If there is no accidental biasing movement, the edge is a safety guard that does not hinder movement of the article.   The safety guard according to claim 1, wherein the surface includes a bench top surface, a cooking range top surface, and a table top surface.   The guard substantially comprises an outwardly facing surface and an inwardly facing surface bounded by the edge extending along at least a portion of the edge of the surface. The safety guard of claim 2, comprising a generally upright elongated rectangular member.   The safety guard according to claim 3, wherein the edge is any edge of the surface from which the article can fall when biased within a range sufficiently close to the edge.   The safety guard according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the guard is configured to be inserted into a slot in the surface.   The safety guard of claim 5, wherein the slot is provided with a cover strip, the strip configured to prevent dirt and other materials from entering the slot.   The safety guard according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the guard is configured to be inserted into guard holding means attached to the surface.   8. A safety guard according to claim 7, wherein the retaining means is in the form of an extruded channel, the channel being configured to be attached to the surface. The extruded channel is
a) a coating adhesive;
b) a double-sided adhesive tape;
c) magnetic means;
d) suction means;
The safety guard of claim 8, wherein the safety guard is attached to the surface by attachment means comprising e) mechanical means including screws and rivets and the like.   The safety guard of claim 4, wherein the guard is attached to the surface by a hinged element.   The safety guard according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the guard and the guard holding means are made of a metal material.   The safety guard according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the guard and the guard holding means are made of a non-metallic material.   The said guard and the said guard holding means are safety guards of any one of Claim 1-10 comprised from the combination of a metallic material and a nonmetallic material. A method for preventing accidental biasing movement of articles or liquids beyond the edge of a fixed horizontal surface, comprising:
The method includes providing a guard member disposed along at least a portion of an edge of the surface, the guard member extending a sufficient height above the surface, whereby the article or liquid Defining a barrier to movement of the body.   A method of providing a safety guard member for a fixed horizontal surface edge, wherein the guard member is inserted into a slot disposed along the edge of the surface.   A method of providing a safety guard member for a fixed horizontal surface edge, wherein the guard member is held in an extruded channel that is fixed along the edge of the surface.   A method of providing a safety guard member for an edge of a fixed horizontal surface, wherein the guard member is attached along the edge of the surface by a hinged element.   A safety guard substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. A guard system for preventing accidental biasing movement of articles over the leading edge of a fixed horizontal surface,
The guard device is configured to align with the edge and secure to the surface, thereby being oriented in a substantially upright manner for slidable engagement of the guard member therein. Provided with a rail to provide a slot,
The guard member comprises a substantially rectangular cross section in both the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction,
The guard member is configured to engage and disengage in a substantially upright manner with respect to the slot formed in the rail;
A guard system, wherein the guard member is substantially opaque throughout.   The guard member is placed on the surface so that it acts as a visual barrier to the visualization of objects far from the guard member when viewed by a child rather than when viewed by an adult. The guard member according to claim 19, wherein is selected. A method of minimizing accidental biasing movement of an article from a surface relative to its edge,
21. A method comprising providing the guard member according to any one of claims 19 or 20 as a kit comprising two component parts.   The method of claim 21, wherein the two component parts comprise a rail with a slot formed therein and a guard member that is substantially opaque for receiving in an upright manner within the slot.   Guard device consisting of two and only two components. 24. The guard device according to claim 23, wherein the two components include a guard member and a rail formed with a slot that accommodates the guard member in an upright manner.

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