Activators And Methods Of Using The Same For Barricading A Door

A method of barricading a door, comprising:

• providing a pivotable barricade arm having a pivot-axis at a fixed location on the barricade arm that is:
• (i) nearer to an edge of the door where a latching mechanism of the door is located than to an edge of the door where door hinges are located;
• and
• (ii) at an elevation lower than an elevation of a door handle,
• providing an activator, which when utilized results in pivoting of the barricade arm from the reserve-position to the barricade-position, wherein utilization of the activator is effected by a user executing an activation operation on the activator, the activation operation requiring the user to apply not more than three pounds of force;
• with the door in a closed position, executing the activation operation on the activator to cause the barricade arm to pivot about the pivot-axis:
• (a) from the reserve-position, where the barricade arm does not barricade the door, and a free-end of the barricade arm is at a first elevation measured above a floor adjacent to the door;
• (b) to the barricade-position, where the barricade arm barricades the door, and the free-end is at a second elevation measured above the floor adjacent to the door;
• wherein, the elevations are measured from the floor adjacent to the door, and the first elevation is less than the second elevation;
• and
• wherein when the barricade arm is in the barricade-position, the barricade arm does not span a width of the door and the barricade-position is achieved solely by the barricade arm pivoting from the reserve-position;
• wherein the first elevation is less than the second elevation and
• wherein the activator is disposed on a wall adjacent to the door, such that the activator is behind the door when the door is open so as to inhibit or prevent access to the activator when the door is open, and so as to permit access to the activator when the door is closed.