US 6,510,587 B2Granted

Door closure prevention apparatus and method

AssigneeSargent & Greenleaf, Inc.

InventorsNed R. Urschel, Wilbur Bewley, Gary Murphree

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Abstract

A door closure preventing device is mounted on the inside surface of a door and has a pivotal stop moveable between a deactivated position within the periphery of the door and the extended position extending beyond the periphery of the door to prevent closure of the door. The pivotal stop is moved to its extended position following opening of the door by a user and is then released to move by a spring to an intermediate position projecting beyond the door periphery following which closure of the door results in engagement of the door jamb by the stop to prevent complete closure. Engagement of the stop with the door jamb also returns the stop to is fully extended position and actuates a rotary latch so that upon subsequent opening movement of the door by the user the stop is automatically returned to its fully retracted position to permit a conventional door closure apparatus to fully close the door.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A door closure prevention device mountable on a moveable door positioned for movement between an open position and a closed position relative to a fixed door frame for selectively preventing movement of the door from an open position to a closed position while being easily deactivated to permit return of the door to its closed position, said door closure prevention device comprising:

(a) a mounting base including connection permitting means permitting attachment of said mounting base to a movable door having a periphery hingedly moveable relative to an adjacent fixedly positioned door frame structure between an open position in which the periphery of the door is largely external of said fixedly positioned door frame structure and a closed position in which said periphery of the door is positioned within said fixedly positioned door frame structure;
(b) a pivotable stop mounted on said mounting base for pivotal movement about a stop pivot axis in an opening direction from an unarmed deactivated position in which said pivotal stop is positioned within the periphery of the door to permit the door to be filly closed and a filly extended position in which said pivotable stop extends beyond the door frame so as to be capable of engaging a portion of the fixed door frame to preclude fill closure of the door and wherein said pivotable stop is also rotationally positionable in an armed intermediate holding position between said unarmed deactivated position and the filly extended position, said pivotable stop also being extended beyond the periphery of the door when in said intermediate holding position;
(c) rotary latch means positioned on and rotationally positionable relative to said pivotable stop in a first or transit position during movement of said pivotable stop from said unarmed deactivated position to said fully extended position, a second or latch ready cocked position for movement of said pivotable stop from said fully extended position to said intermediate holding position, a third or latching position for precluding movement of said pivotal stop from the intermediate holding position toward the unarmed deactivated closed position, a fourth or return enable position assumed in response to movement of said pivotal stop from the intermediate holding position to the fully extended open position and a fifth or return home position assumed for permitting movement of said pivotal stop from the intermediate holding position to the unarmed deactivated closed position;
and
(d) positioning means responsive to pivotal movement of said stop and a door opening movement followed by a partial door closure and a second door opening movement for sequentially positioning said rotary latch means in said first position, said second position, said third position, said fourth position and said fifth position.

2 more elements

A door closure prevention device comprising:

(a) a base means;
(b) a pivotal stop mounted for forward or rearward pivotal movement on said base between a first or deactivated stop position and a second or extended activated stop position;
(c) spring means urging said pivotal stop toward its deactivated position;
(d) rotary latch means supported on said pivotal stop for rotational movement into plural rotary latch positions relative to said pivotal stop;
(e) first, second, third and fourth cam surfaces on said base;
(f) said first cam surface being positioned to engage said rotary latch means concurrently with forward movement of said pivotal stop from said first or deactivated stop position into said second or extended stop position to effect positioning of said rotary latch means in a second latch position from a first latch position relative to said pivotal stop;
(g) said third and fourth cam surfaces being positioned to engage said rotary latch means in response to movement of said pivotal stop from said second or extended activated stop position to a third or intermediate partially extended stop position located between said first or deactivated stop position and said second or extended stop position for repositioning said rotary latch means from said second latch position into a third latch position in which said rotary latch precludes further movement of said pivotal stop toward said first or deactivated stop position;
(h) wherein rearward movement of said pivotal stop from said third or intermediate partially extending position back to said second or extended activated stop position effects contact of said rotary latch means with said first cam surface which moves said rotary latch means from its third position to a fourth position in which said rotary latch means does not impede subsequent rearward movement of said pivotal stop from said second or extended activated stop position through said intermediate partially extended stop position but brings said rotary latch means into contact with said third cam surface which moves said rotary latch means from said fourth latch position to a fifth latch position in which said latch means remains as said pivotal stop returns to its first or deactivated stop position.

5 more elements

A method of controlling a pivotable door closure preventing stop mounted for pivotable movement on a door that mounted in a door frame and is biased toward a closed position by a door closure effecting device, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a continuous biasing force on said stop tending to position said stop in an unarmed deactivated position within the periphery of the door;
(b) opening the door and manually pivoting said stop in an opening direction against said biasing force to an extended position in which said stop extends beyond the periphery of the door;
(c) permitting said biasing force to return said stop in a closing direction to an armed intermediate position between said extended position and said unarmed deactivated in which the stop remains in an extended position beyond the periphery of the door;
(d) positioning a latch in a latching position in response to steps (b) and (c) to prevent said stop from moving in a closing direction beyond said armed intermediate position;
(e) permitting said door to move in a closing direction so that said stop engages the door frame to both prevent full door closure and to pivot said stop in said opening direction to said fully extended position in which said stop prevents further closing movement of the door;
and
(f) repositioning said latch from said latching position in response to step (e) so that subsequent opening movement of the door permits said biasing force to return the stop to said closed position so as to permit the door to close completely.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/853,696Filed 14 May 2001
Published: US 2002/0166203 A114 Nov 2002
Granted: 28 Jan 2003
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

E05B 17/005
Accessories in connection with locks: preventing accidental lock-out, e.g. by obstruction in the striker
E05F 5/02
Braking devices, e.g. checks; Stops; Buffers: specially for preventing the slamming of swinging wings during final closing movement, e.g. jamb stops
E05F 3/00
Closers or openers with braking devices
E05F 3/10
With liquid piston brakes: with a spring, other than a torsion spring, and a piston, the axes of which are the same or lie in the same direction