Door strike having a kicker and an adjustable dead latch release

An actuator controlled strike for operating in conjunction with a spring latch and a dead latch of a lockset, said strike comprising:

• a) a strike plate including a cutout portion;
• b) a housing attached to said strike plate, said housing having a latch receiving cavity therein, said housing having a longitudinal length, a width, and a depth extending away from said strike plate, wherein said longitudinal length is longer than said width;
• and
• c) a dead latch release comprising a body adjustably positionable in a direction parallel with said longitudinal length of said housing and a dead latch platform configured for making contact with said dead latch.

A method for unlatching a door, having a mortise lockset including a spring latch and a dead latch, the mortise lockset cooperating with a strike, wherein the strike includes a housing having a cavity therein, a keeper rotatably disposed in the cavity, wherein said keeper is rotatable between a first locked position and a second unlocked position, a kicker rotatably disposed in the cavity and cooperative with the keeper, an actuator operationally connected to the keeper, and a dead latch platform connected to said housing, wherein said dead latch platform is held in a first dead latch disabling position by said keeper and movable between said first dead latch disabling position and a second dead latch enabling position, and wherein, in a door latched mode, the spring latch is engaged by the keeper and the dead latch is engaged by the dead latch platform,

• the door unlatching method comprising the steps of:
• a) activating said actuator to permit said keeper to rotate to said second unlocked position;
• b) applying force in a door-unlatching direction to said spring latch;
• c) rotating said keeper a first amount toward said second unlocked position to unlatch said dead latch platform from said first dead latch disabling position;
• d) pivoting said dead latch platform into said cavity, allowing said dead latch to extend into said cavity, thereby enabling withdrawal of said spring latch from said lockset;
• e) cooperating said keeper with said kicker to cause said kicker to engage the spring latch;
• and
• f) moving said kicker to force said spring latch toward a release position to unlatch the door.

An actuator controlled strike for operating in conjunction with a spring latch and a dead latch of a lockset, said strike comprising:

• a) a strike plate including a cutout portion;
• b) a housing attached to said strike plate, said housing having a latch receiving cavity therein, said housing having a longitudinal length, a width, and a depth extending away from said strike plate, wherein said longitudinal length is longer than said width;
• and
• c) a dead latch platform configured for making contact with said dead latch, wherein said dead latch platform is adjustably positionable in a direction parallel with said longitudinal length of said housing.