Folding barrier assembly and method of use

Abstract

A grate hatch and folding barrier assembly has a pair of doors that open in a cabinet-style manner and lie flat or generally flat atop a support structure within which the grate hatch and folding barrier assembly is installed. A folding barrier gate assembly may be deployed from a collapsed position to complete a four-sided barrier around the hatch or opening. The folded barrier gate assembly has two opposing barrier gates, and a pair of secondary barrier gates that connect with and extend between the two opposing barrier gates to form the four-sided barrier around the hatch opening when fully deployed. When the barrier is no longer needed, the barrier assembly may be folded or collapsed and stored in the opening beneath or below the doors and the doors may then be closed.

1 . A grate hatch and folding barrier assembly comprising:
 a frame including a first end and a second end defining a first direction therebetween, and the frame including a first side and a second side defining a second direction therebetween, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction;   wherein the frame defines an opening that is adapted to provide access to a volume of space below the frame;   a door assembly coupled directly or indirectly to the frame, wherein the door assembly includes at least one grated hatch door that opens and closes adapted to provide ingress and egress to the opening;   a folding barrier assembly coupled directly or indirectly to the frame that deploys from a collapsed position to a deployed position to create a barrier around the opening and the volume of space below the frame, wherein the folding barrier assembly comprises: 
 a first barrier gate that deploys to form a barrier aligned in the first direction along the first side of the frame; and 
 a second barrier gate that deploys to form a barrier aligned in the first direction along the second side of the frame. 
   
     
     
         2 . The grate hatch and folding barrier assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the folding barrier guard assembly further comprises:
 a first secondary barrier gate that deploys to form another barrier that is aligned in the second direction along one of the first end and the second end, wherein the first secondary barrier gate is carried by the second barrier gate.   
     
     
         3 . The grate hatch and folding barrier assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the first secondary barrier gate is moveable between a first position and a deployed second position, wherein the first secondary barrier gate is perpendicular to the second barrier gate in the deployed second position when viewed from above. 
     
     
         4 . The grate hatch and folding barrier assembly of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 a first connector that couples the first secondary barrier gate to the first barrier gate when the first secondary barrier gate is in the deployed second position, and wherein the first secondary barrier gate is perpendicular to the first barrier gate in the deployed second position when viewed from above.   
     
     
         5 . The grate hatch and folding barrier assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the folding barrier assembly further comprises:
 a second secondary barrier gate that deploys to form another barrier that is aligned in the second direction along the other of the first end and the second end opposite the first secondary barrier gate, wherein the second secondary barrier gate is carried by the second barrier gate.   
     
     
         6 . The grate hatch and folding barrier assembly of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a second connector that couples the second secondary barrier gate to the first barrier gate when the second secondary barrier gate is in the deployed second position, and wherein the second secondary barrier gate is perpendicular to the first barrier gate in the deployed second position when viewed from above.   
     
     
         7 . The grate hatch and folding barrier assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the door assembly further comprises:
 a first door and a second door, wherein the at least one door is one of the first door and the second door;   a first hinge defining a first axis aligned parallel to the first direction proximate the first side of the frame, wherein the first door pivot about the first axis to move from a closed position to an open position;   a second hinge defining a second axis aligned parallel to the first direction proximate the second side of the frame, wherein the second door pivot about the first axis to move from a closed position to an open position;   wherein the folding barrier assembly can only move from the collapsed position to the deployed position when both the first door and the second door are each in the open position.   
     
     
         8 . The grate hatch and folding barrier assembly of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 a first dimension of the frame measured from the first end to the second end;   a second dimension of the fame measured from the first side to the second side;   a width of the first door that is approximately half the second dimension; and   a width of the second door that is approximately half the second dimension.   
     
     
         9 . The grate hatch and folding barrier assembly of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 wherein the first hinge is a dual-action hinge that enables the first door to be positioned in an intermediate position between the closed position and the open position.   
     
     
         10 . The grate hatch and folding barrier assembly of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a top surface and a bottom surface of the first door, wherein the top surface and the bottom surface are aligned in the vertical direction when the first door is in the intermediate position between the closed position and the open position.   
     
     
         11 . The grate hatch and folding barrier assembly of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a first end and a second end of the dual-action first hinge, wherein the second end of the first hinge is positioned vertically above the first end of the first hinge when the first door is in the open position.   
     
     
         12 . The grate hatch and folding barrier assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a bracket that couples the first barrier gate to the frame below the door assembly.   
     
     
         13 . The grate hatch and folding barrier assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a hinge defining a first axis parallel to the first direction, wherein the first barrier gate pivots about the first axis.   
     
     
         14 . The grate hatch and folding barrier assembly of  claim 13 , further comprising: 
 a secondary barrier gate is carried by the second barrier gate; and   another hinge that defines another axis that is parallel to a normal line from the first axis.   
     
     
         15 . A grate hatch and folding barrier assembly comprising:
 a frame including a first end and a second end defining a first direction therebetween and defining a first dimension measured from the first end to the second end, and the frame including a first side and a second side defining a second direction therebetween and defining a second dimension measured from the first side to the second side, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction;   wherein the frame defines an opening that is adapted to provide access a volume of space below the frame;   a door assembly coupled directly or indirectly to the frame, the door assembly comprising: 
 a first door and a second door, wherein the first door and second door move independently between a closed position and an open position, wherein at least one of the first door and the second door includes grating slats aligned in one of the first direction and the second direction; 
 a first hinge defining a first axis aligned parallel to the first direction, wherein the first door pivots about the first axis to move between the closed position and the open position, wherein the first axis lies along a first plane that is near the first side of the frame, wherein the first plane is a first distance from the first side, wherein the first distance is equal to 2%-20% of the second dimension; 
 a second hinge defining a second axis offset parallel to the first axis, wherein the second door pivots about the second axis to move between the closed position and the open position, wherein the second axis lies along a second plane that is near the second side of the frame, wherein the second plane is a second distance from the second side, wherein the second distance is equal to 2%-20% of the second dimension; 
   a folding barrier assembly coupled directly or indirectly to the frame that is adapted to create a barrier to the opening and the volume of space below the frame, the folding barrier assembly comprising: 
 a first barrier gate that is moveable between a lowered position and a raised position when the first and second doors are in the open position, and the first barrier gate remains in the lowered position when the first and second doors are in the closed position; 
 a third hinge defining a third axis aligned parallel to the first direction, wherein the first barrier gate door pivots about the third axis to move between the lowered position and the raised position, wherein the third axis is disposed between the first side and the second side of the frame but closer to the first side of the frame than the second side of the frame; 
 a second barrier gate that is moveable between a lowered position and a raised position when the first and second doors are in the open position and the first barrier gate is the raised position, and the second barrier gate remains in the lowered position when the first and second doors are in the closed position; 
 a fourth hinge defining a fourth axis aligned parallel to the first direction, wherein the second barrier gate door pivots about the fourth axis to move between the lowered position and the raised position, wherein the fourth axis is disposed between the first side and the second side of the frame but closer to the second side of the frame than the first side of the frame; 
 a first secondary barrier gate carried by the second barrier gate, wherein the first secondary barrier gate is moveable between a first position and a deployed second position when the second barrier gate is in the raised position, and the first secondary barrier gate remains in the first position when the second barrier gate is in the lowered position; 
 a fifth hinge carried by the second barrier gate, the fifth hinge defining a fifth axis that is aligned parallel to the second direction when the second barrier gate is in the lowered position and is aligned vertically when the second barrier gate is in the raised position, and the first secondary barrier pivots about the fifth axis when the second barrier gate is in the raised position; 
 a first connector that couples the first secondary barrier gate to the first barrier gate when the first secondary barrier gate is in the deployed second position; 
 a second secondary barrier gate carried by the second barrier gate, wherein the second secondary barrier gate is moveable between a first position and a deployed second position when the second barrier gate is in the raised position, and the second secondary barrier gate remains in the first position when the second barrier gate is in the lowered position; 
 a sixth hinge carried by the second barrier gate, the sixth hinge defining a sixth axis that is aligned parallel to the second direction when the second barrier gate is in the lowered position and is aligned vertically when the second barrier gate is in the raised position, and the second secondary barrier pivots about the sixth axis when the second barrier gate is in the raised position; and 
 a second connector that couples the second secondary barrier gate to the first barrier gate when the second secondary barrier gate is in the deployed second position. 
   
     
     
         16 . A method of operation for a grate hatch and folding barrier assembly, the method comprising:
 moving a first door from a closed position to an open position about a first axis defined by a first hinge, wherein the first axis is aligned in a first direction and the first direction defined between a first end and a second end of a frame to which the first door is coupled, and wherein the first axis is located proximate a first side of the frame, wherein the frame is installed in a support structure above a volume of space defined by the support structure;   moving a second door from a closed position to an open position about a second axis defined by a second hinge, wherein the second axis is aligned in the first direction, and wherein the second axis is located proximate a second side of the frame;   moving a first barrier gate from a lowered position to a raised position about a third axis defined by a third hinge, wherein the first barrier gate defines a barrier aligned in the first direction along the first side of the frame when the first barrier gate is in the raised position;   moving a second barrier gate from a lowered position to a raised position about a fourth axis defined by a fourth hinge, wherein the second barrier gate defines a barrier aligned in the first direction along the second side of the frame when the second barrier gate is in the raised position; and   inhibiting ingress into and egress from the volume of space when the first barrier gate and the second barrier gate are in the raised position.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 moving the first door from the closed position to an intermediate position via the first hinge that is a dual-action hinge, wherein the first door is vertically aligned in the intermediate position, and thereafter moving the first door from the intermediate position to the open position in which the first door lies generally flat atop the support structure.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 moving a first secondary barrier gate from a first position to a deployed second position about a fifth axis defined by a fifth hinge, wherein the first secondary barrier gate defines a barrier aligned in a second direction along a first end of the frame when the first secondary barrier gate is in the deployed second position, wherein the first secondary barrier gate is carried by the second barrier gate; and   coupling the first secondary barrier gate to the first barrier gate via a first connector.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 moving a second secondary barrier gate from a first position to a deployed second position about a sixth axis defined by a sixth hinge, wherein the second secondary barrier gate defines a barrier aligned in the second direction along a second end of the frame when the second secondary barrier gate is in the deployed second position, wherein the second secondary barrier gate is carried by the second barrier gate; and   coupling the second secondary barrier gate to the first barrier gate via a second connector.