Post

Abstract

Post, in particular for a gate, intended to support or guide a sliding gate or a gate leaf, the post comprising: - a base (1) intended to be sealed to the ground, the base (1) defining a hollow interior (E), - a post body (2) defining a lower part engaged around the base (1), - fixing means (15) for stably fixing the post body (2) to the base (1), characterized in that the fixing means (15) are only accessible from the hollow interior (E) of the base (1) and are not visible from the outside of the post body (2). "Figure for abstract: figure 8"

Description

Title of the invention: Pole

[0001] The present invention relates to a post, in particular for a gate, intended to support a swing gate or to support and / or guide a sliding gate. For a double-leaf gate, two support posts are provided and for a gate with a sliding door, at least one support post, a receiving post and possibly one or more guide posts are provided.

[0002] Conventionally, a gate post is intended to be sealed to the ground and defines a hollow interior. The gate post also includes a post body defining a lower portion engaged around the base. Fastening means are provided for stably securing the post body to the base. These fastening means are often in the form of screws or bolts, which are screwed from the outside through the post body, so as to reach and fit into the base. The screw or bolt heads are then visible from the outside of the post, which detracts from the aesthetics of the gate. In addition, these screw or bolt heads may oxidize, if the screws or bolts are not of good quality, which further detracts from the aesthetics of the gate.

[0003] The aim of the present invention is to remedy the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art by defining more discreet, but not less effective, fixing means.

[0004] To achieve this, the present invention proposes that the fixing means are only accessible from the hollow interior of the base and are not visible from the outside of the post body. Advantageously, the fixing means are clamping means bearing on the base and exerting a clamping force against an internal wall of the post body. In other words, the clamping means do not penetrate into the material constituting the post body, but simply come into pressed contact, which is sufficient to ensure stable and robust fixing by friction. The clamping means do not pass through the wall thickness of the post body and are not received in a housing provided for this purpose. The contact surface formed by the post body can be perfectly flat and remain so after tightening.

[0005] According to a practical embodiment, the clamping means may comprise at least one bolt in threaded engagement with the base and coming into pressed contact with the post body. Of course, the more bolts there are, the more stable and robust the fixing. For example, one or two bolts may be provided on the majority of the faces of the post body.

[0006] Advantageously, the bolt comprises an actuating head connected to a threaded spindle which ends in a free end, the base forming at least one tapped bore, the threaded spindle being threadedly engaged in the tapped bore with the actuating head disposed in the hollow interior of the base and the free end in pressed contact against the post body.

[0007] According to another characteristic of the invention, the base may comprise an access opening opening into its hollow interior and the post body defines an access window aligned with the access opening of the base, so as to be able to reach the fixing means. Thus, an operator can easily operate the heads of the bolts using a suitable tool, such as a wrench, a screwdriver or a nutrunner. The tightening torque is adjusted according to the deformation threshold of the post body.

[0008] Advantageously, the access window of the post body is closed by a plate, which is advantageously received in a sliding and removable manner in an external rail of the post body. This plate, which can contribute to the aesthetics of the post, extends over all or part of the height of the post body. In its lower part, the plate is preferably solid to mask the access window, while in its upper part, it can be perforated.

[0009] According to another interesting aspect of the invention, the post body may comprise at least one reinforcing element, the fixing means engaging with this reinforcing element.

[0010] Advantageously, the post body forms at least one internal rail, the reinforcing element, advantageously in the form of a strip, is slidably engaged in the internal rail. Preferably, the post body comprises a front face forming the access window, two side faces and a bottom face, the two side faces and the bottom face forming internal rails each receiving a reinforcing element, the fixing means comprising at least one and advantageously at least two bolts per face to bear against the reinforcing elements.

[0011] According to a practical embodiment, the base may comprise a sealing plate intended to be sealed to the ground, a front side forming an access opening, two lateral sides each pierced with two tapped bores and a rear side pierced with two tapped bores, the sealing plate, the front side, the lateral sides and the rear side defining the hollow interior of the base, each tapped bore receiving a bolt with an actuating head arranged and accessible from the hollow interior of the base.

[0012] The base is preferably made of steel or stainless steel plate, with a thickness of the order of 5 to 10 mm, while the post body can be made of aluminum, in particular by spinning or extrusion, which makes it possible to form the internal rails for the reinforcing strips and the external rail for the plate.

[0013] The spirit of the invention lies first of all in the fact of carrying out the fixing of the post body on the base from the inside of the base. The spirit of the invention also lies in the fact of carrying out the fixing of the post body on the base without harming the integrity of the post body. Fixing by clamping is particularly advantageous, because it is not necessary to provide any arrangement, such as a bore, a housing, a receiving profile, at the level of the post body. This also avoids precise mutual positioning, which is often laborious. It is sufficient for the free end of the threaded pin to come to bear against the internal wall of the post body, which can advantageously be reinforced to avoid any deformation.

[0014] The invention will now be described in greater detail, with reference to the attached drawings, giving by way of non-limiting example, an embodiment of the invention.

[0015] In the figures:

[0016] [Fig-1] [Fig.l] is a perspective and transparent view of a base according to a embodiment of the invention,

[0017] [Fig.2] [Fig.2] is a view similar to that of [Fig.l] for a variant of the sheave lization of the base of the invention,

[0018] [Fig.3] [Fig.3] is a perspective view of a post body according to the invention,

[0019] [Fig.4] [Fig.4] is a perspective view of a plate to be mounted on the body of post of [Fig.3],

[0020] [Fig.5] [Fig.5] is a horizontal cross-sectional view through the body of post of [Fig.3] and the plate of [Fig.4],

[0021] [Fig.6] [Fig.6] is a perspective and transparent view of the post body of figures 3 and 5 engaged around the base of [Fig.2], with the plate raised to give access to the interior of the base,

[0022] [Fig.7] [Fig.7] is a view similar to that of [Fig.6], with the plate lowered, And

[0023] [Fig.8] [Fig.8] is a horizontal cross-sectional view through the body of post and the base of [Fig.6].

[0024] Reference will first be made to [Fig. 1] to describe in detail the structure of a base according to one embodiment of the invention. The base, designated as a whole by the reference numeral 1, comprises a saddle plate 10 which serves as a support for a box of overall parallelepiped shape.

[0025] The plate 10 is intended to be sealed to the ground, for example on a concrete foundation. It has a rectangular or square shape in this particular embodiment: the plate thus defines four corners. The plate 10 firstly comprises a large central opening 101, which allows the passage of electrical or other conduits. The plate 10 is also pierced with several holes 102 and 103. The holes 102 are holes for adjusting the plumb or level and the holes 103 are fixing holes. In In this particular example, there are four plumb adjustment holes 102 and four fixing holes 103. The plumb adjustment holes 102 are intended to receive adjustment screws, which will come into contact with the underlying concrete slab. The fixing holes 103 are intended to receive anchor bolts, which are sealed in drill holes made in the concrete slab.

[0026] It can be seen in [Fig.l] that the plumb adjustment holes 102 and the fixing holes 103 are made at the level of an external peripheral area which surrounds the box, which will now be described.

[0027] This box comprises two lateral sides 11, a front side 12 and a rear side 13. The lateral sides 11 extend substantially in parallel, just as the front side 12 is parallel to the rear side 13. The plate 10 and the lateral sides 11, front 12 and rear 13 together define a hollow interior E, which is widely open upwards.

[0028] The lateral sides 11 are here identical and formed by lateral plates 110 mounted vertically, for example by welding, on the plate 10. Each lateral plate 110 comprises a lateral window 111, as well as two tapped bores 14. The lateral windows 111 can be arranged close to the plate 10, while the tapped bores 14 are arranged above with a certain distance between them.

[0029] The front side 12 is formed of two spacers 120 separated by a wide access opening 121. One spacer 120 is arranged in the lower part, while the other spacer is located in the upper part. The lower spacer 120 is fixed, for example by welding to the two side plates 110, as well as to the plate 10. The upper spacer 120 is only fixed, for example by welding, to the two side plates 110.

[0030] The rear side 13 is also formed by two spacers 130, each of which is pierced with a threaded bore 14. These spacers 130 are fixed, for example by welding, to the two side plates 110.

[0031] The plate 10, the side plates 110 and the spacers 120 and 130 can be made from steel or stainless steel plates, having a thickness of the order of 5 to 10 mm, for example 8 mm. Indeed, it is essential that the base 1 be solid and non-deformable. Instead of welding, other fixing means can be used, such as screws or bolts.

[0032] It should be noted that the lateral sides 11 and the rear side 13 are each provided with two threaded bores 14, which pass through the thickness of the walls. Three threaded bores 14 may be located at the same axial height. Alternatively, the threaded bores 14 of the rear side 13 may be arranged offset from the bores 14 of the lateral sides 11. It may also be noted that the front side 12 is not provided with threaded bores. However, it is not excluded that the spacers 120 can be drilled with tapped bores. The access opening 121 constitutes the largest opening, which allows direct access to the tapped bores 14.

[0033] In [Fig. 2], we see a variant for the base, which has been designated by the reference numeral 1'. Only the plate 10' is different from the plate 10 of [Fig. 1]. Indeed, we can immediately notice that the plate 10' does not have a peripheral area like the plate 10. Thus, the plumb adjustment holes 102 and the fixing holes 103 are arranged inside the space E. As a result, the screwing of the plumb screws and the tightening of the fixing screws is done from the inside E of the base 1' through the access opening 121 on the front side 12.

[0034] The base 1 or the base 1' will be used depending on the location of installation. In both embodiments, the tapped bores 14 can be located in the same place with the same arrangement.

[0035] For purely indicative purposes, the base 1 or 1' may have a height of the order of 40 cm and a width of the order of 15 to 20 cm. The plate 10 may have a width of 25 to 30 cm.

[0036] Reference will now be made to Figures 3 and 5 to describe the structure of a post body 2 according to the invention. Overall, the post body 2 is in the form of a tube of square or rectangular cross-section open at both ends. It can be made by spinning or extruding aluminum. The post body 2 comprises a front face 22 provided with an access window 221 and two external longitudinal lateral flanges 222, defining between them an external rail 223. It can be noted that the access window 221 extends between the two external flanges 222 in the lower part of the post body 2.

[0037] The post body 2 also comprises two side faces 21, which may be identical. The two side faces 21 are arranged in parallel.

[0038] The post body 2 also defines a rear face 23, which extends parallel to the front face 22.

[0039] The lateral faces 21, as well as the rear face 23, are provided with internal longitudinal flanges 24 defining between them internal rails 25. Thus, each of the faces 21 and 23 is provided with an internal rail 25 which extends over its entire height. The internal rail 25 of a lateral face 21 can also be seen through the access window 221.

[0040] [Fig.4] shows a front plate 3, intended to be engaged by sliding in the external rail 223 formed by the two external longitudinal flanges 222. Once in place, the front plate 3 hides the access window 221.

[0041] In [Fig. 5], the post body 2 and the front plate 3 are clearly visible. The front face 22 is devoid of flanges and rail, while the side faces 21 and rear faces 23 are each provided with a rail 25 formed by internal longitudinal flanges 24. We see also that the front face 22 is provided with two external flanges 222 forming between them the external rail 223 intended to receive the front plate 3 by sliding.

[0042] For purely indicative purposes, the post body 2 may have a height of the order of 150 to 250 cm and a width of the order of 15 to 20 cm.

[0043] In [Fig.6], we see the post body 2, which has been engaged axially from above around the base 10', with the front plate 3 raised to clear the access window 221 which is aligned with the access opening 121 of the base 1'. In this position, an operator has ample access to the hollow interior E of the base 1'. More particularly, he can again check the adjustment screws and the fixing screws of the plate 10', but above all he can engage bolts 15 in the bores 14 of the side plates 110 and the spacers 130 on the rear side. We can directly see the bolt 15 of the left side plate 110, as well as the bolts 15 of the rear spacers 130 by transparency. In total, the operator places six bolts 15 in the six tapped bores 14 formed in the lateral sides 11 and the rear side 13. The tightening of these bolts 15 can be carried out using a wrench or a screwdriver or a bolt gun.Once the operation is completed, the operator can lower the front plate 3 to hide the access opening 121 and the access window 221, as shown in [Fig.7].

[0044] Referring now to [Fig. 8], we will see how the bolts 15 act on the post body 2. It should first be noted that reinforcing elements 26, for example in the form of aluminum or stainless steel strips, have been slidably engaged inside the internal rails 25, formed by the internal longitudinal flanges 24. The strips 26 are in the form of flat blades without any particular profile. They are substantially non-deformable.

[0045] The bolts 15 conventionally comprise an actuating head 151, for example with six faces, to which is connected a threaded pin 152 forming a free end 153. The actuating head 151 is arranged in and accessible from the hollow interior E. The threaded pin 152 is in threaded engagement in the tapped bores 14 with the free end 153 which comes into contact with the strips 26. Thus, by screwing the bolts 15 into the tapped bores 14, the free ends 153 will come into strongly pressed contact with the strips 26, thus achieving a particularly effective fastening by friction or friction.

[0046] It may be noted that this clamping fixing does not require any mutual positioning of the post body 2 relative to the base 1 or 1'. The pressed contact with the strips 26 can be made at any point along their height. The operator only has to tighten the bolts 15 without worrying about the post body 2, which is positioned perfectly vertically, given that the plumb or the level of the base has been achieved thanks to the plumb screws engaged in the plumb adjustment holes 102.

[0047] Although not shown, the post of the invention can be completed by a cover or cap, advantageously making it possible to block the front plate 3 in its external rail 223.

[0048] In the embodiment shown in the figures, six bolts 15 are provided, engaged in six tapped bores 14. Without departing from the scope of the invention, more or less than six bolts 15 and tapped bores 14 can be provided.

[0049] It has been seen that the bolts 15 make it possible to achieve a clamping fastening, which is accessible only from the hollow interior E of the base 1 or 1'. Instead of the bolts 15, other clamping fastening means can also be provided, such as for example lever clamp systems which press against the strips 26 or even wedges to be tapped or slid into slots in the base to achieve the tightening. The bolts 15 constitute a preferred clamping fastening means, because it is simple, effective and economical, but not limiting.

[0050] Thanks to the invention, a gate post is provided in which the post body 2 is fixed to its base 1 or 1' from the inside of the base, without any element visible from the outside. Fixing by clamping is preferred, because it does not require any particular characteristics at the level of the post body 2, apart from any reinforcing elements or strips 26.

Claims

Claims

1. Post, in particular for a gate, intended to support or guide a sliding gate or a gate leaf, the post comprising: - a base (1; 1') intended to be sealed to the ground, the base (1; 1') defining a hollow interior (E), - a post body (2) defining a lower part engaged around the base (1; 1'), - fixing means (15) for stably fixing the post body (2) to the base (1; 1'), characterized in that the fixing means (15) are only accessible from the hollow interior (E) of the base (1; 1') and are not visible from the outside of the post body (2).

2. Post according to claim 1, in which the fixing means (15) are clamping means bearing on the base (1; 1') and exerting a clamping force against an internal wall of the post body (2).

3. Post according to claim 2, in which the clamping means comprise at least one bolt (15) in threaded engagement with the base (1; 1') and coming into pressed contact with the post body (2).

4. A post according to claim 3, wherein the bolt (15) comprises an actuating head (151) connected to a threaded pin (152) which terminates in a free end (153), the base (1; 1') forming at least one threaded bore (14), the threaded pin (152) being in threaded engagement in the threaded bore (14) with the actuating head (151) disposed in the hollow interior (E) of the base (1; 1') and the free end (153) in pressed contact against the post body (2).

5. A post according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the base (1; 1') comprises an access opening (121) opening into its hollow interior (E) and the post body (2) defines an access window (221) aligned with the access opening (121) of the base (1; 1'), so as to be able to reach the fixing means (15).

6. A post according to claim 5, wherein the access window (221) of the post body (2) is closed by a plate (3), which is advantageously slidably and removably received in an external rail (222) of the post body (2).

7. A post according to any preceding claim, wherein the post body (2) comprises at least one reinforcing element forcing (26), the fixing means (15) engaging with this reinforcing element (26).

8. A post according to claim 7, wherein the post body (2) forms at least one internal rail (25), the reinforcing element (26), advantageously in the form of a strip, is slidably engaged in the internal rail (25).

9. Post according to claim 8, in which the post body (2) comprises a front face (22) forming the access window (221), two side faces (21) and a bottom face (23), the two side faces (21) and the bottom face (23) forming internal rails (25) each receiving a reinforcing element (26), the fixing means comprising at least one and advantageously at least two bolts (15) per face.

10. Post according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the base (1; 1') comprises a sealing plate (10; 10') intended to be sealed to the ground, a front side (12) forming an access opening (121), two lateral sides (11) each pierced with two tapped bores (14) and a rear side (13) pierced with two tapped bores (14), the sealing plate (10; 10'), the front side (12), the lateral sides (11) and the rear side (13) defining the hollow interior (E) of the base (1; 1'), each tapped bore (14) receiving a bolt (15) with an actuating head (151) arranged and accessible from the hollow interior (E) of the base (1; 1'). * * *