Emergency door with retractable nose piece, interiorly mounted operating hardware, and hinge supports

An emergency door comprising:

• a door body having a forward edge and a rearward edge said rearward edge adapted to accept hinge means for mounting the door for rotation about the hinge means between an open and a closed position;
• a nose piece mounted to extend along a substantial portion of the forward edge of the door body for movement outwardly from the door body to an extended position, whereby said nose piece can engage with a mating piece adjacent the forward edge of the door when the door is in the closed position to thereby close any gap that might otherwise be present along the forward edge of the door when in the closed position, and inwardly toward the door body to a retracted position whereby said nose piece is free of engagement with a mating piece adjacent the forward edge of the door so the door can move from the closed position to an open position;
• means operable by a person desiring to open the door for moving the nose piece from extended position to retracted position;
• a nose piece control member extending along a substantial portion of the forward edge of the door body;
• elongate link means pivotally connected to both the forward edge of the door and to the nose piece control member to thereby connect the nose piece control member to the forward edge of the door whereby movement of the nose piece control member along the forward edge of the door causes rotation of the link means in relation to the door and causes movement of the nose piece control member toward or away from the door as the link means rotate;
• means for moving the nose piece control member along the forward edge of the door;
• and
• means for transferring the movement of the nose piece control member away from the door to the nose piece.

In an emergency door including hinge means for mounting the door to a jamb surface, such hinge means including a generally C-shaped elongate hinge piece having opposite, inwardly directed elongate margins, a door hinge piece receiving channel extending along the rearward edge of the door body for matingly receiving an elongate margin of the door hinge piece and having a top, door hinge piece retaining means positioned in the door hinge piece receiving channel to retain the received elongate margin of the hinge piece in the door hinge piece receiving channel during opening and closing of the door, a jamb mounting piece adapter to be mounted to a jamb surface and having a jamb hinge piece receiving channel therein to receive the opposite elongate margin of the hinge piece therein and having a bottom, and jamb hinge piece retaining means positioned on the jamb hinge piece receiving channel to retain the received elongate margin of the hinge piece in the jamb hinge piece receiving channel during opening and closing of the door, the improvement comprising:

• a hinge piece support means secured at the bottom of the jamb hinge piece receiving channel upon which the hinge piece received in the jamb hinge piece receiving channel rests to thereby maintain the hinge piece in fixed vertical position in relation to the jamb mounting piece when the jamb mounting piece is mounted to the jamb surface;
• and
• a door support means at the top of the hinge piece receiving channel to rest on and remain above a hinge piece received in the channel to thereby maintain the door in fixed vertical position on relation to the piece when the door is mounted by the hinge means to the jamb surface.

Apparatus in combination with a door for retracting a latching element in the door when it is desired to open the door, wherein the apparatus is inside the door except for a push bar extending from the door to be pushed by a person desiring to open the door, comprising:

• a retraction bar;
• means mounting the retraction bar interiorly of the door for back and forth longitudinal movement;
• means coupling the retraction bar to the latching element so that longitudinal movement of the retraction bar in one direction causes retraction of the latching element;
• push bar link means pivotally connected to the retraction bar and to the push bar;
• and
• guiding link means pivotally connected to the push bar link means and to the door;
• whereby, when the push bar is pushed to move in a direction into the door, interaction of the push bar link means and the guiding link means cause the retraction bar to move in a longitudinal direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the push bar to pull, through the means coupling the retraction bar to the latching element, the latching element to retracted position.