Door safety barrier

• US 20010050486A1
• Filed: 04/18/2001
• Published: 12/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michael Christopher Bunting
• Original Assignee: Michael Christopher Bunting
• Inventors: Bunting, Michael Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 6,572,160 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 292/342
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 45/06 Electric alarm locks E05B45/005 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 17/48 comprising a sliding securing member
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 5/02 specially for preventing the slamming of swinging wings during final closing movement, e.g. jamb stops
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/15 Door, checks, floor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/71 Wedges

Abstract

A door safety barrier for being positioned adjacent a doorway having a door mounted therein for interfering with movement of the door relative to the doorway. The door safety barrier defines a security opening between the door and the doorway for preventing entry therethrough, and includes a housing for being embedded into a floor adjacent the door. The housing defines a chamber therein. An elongate plunger is positioned within the chamber for reciprocating movement between an extended, operative position above the floor for engaging a side of the door to prevent movement of the door past the plunger, and a retracted, inoperative position below the bottom of the door for permitting passage of the door over the plunger. A latch assembly cooperates with the housing and the plunger for alternately locking the plunger in the extended, operative and retracted inoperative positions, respectively.

Claims

1. A door safety barrier for being positioned adjacent a doorway having a door mounted therein for interfering with movement of the door relative to the doorway and defining a security opening between the door and the doorway for preventing entry therethrough, comprising:

(a) a housing for being embedded into a floor adjacent the door, said housing defining a chamber therein;

(b) an elongate plunger positioned within the chamber for reciprocating movement between an extended, operative position above the floor for engaging a side of the door to prevent movement of the door past said plunger, and a retracted, inoperative position below the bottom of the door for permitting passage of the door over the plunger; and

(c) a latch assembly cooperating with the housing and the plunger for alternately locking the plunger in said extended, operative and retracted inoperative positions, respectively.

2. A door safety barrier according to

claim 1

, and including a flange attached to an upper edge of the housing and adapted for being secured to an upper surface of the floor.

3. A door safety barrier according to

claim 2

, and including a plurality of spaced-apart holes defined by the flange and adapted for receiving screws therethrough for attaching the flange to the upper surface of the floor.

4. A door safety barrier according to

claim 1

, wherein said latch assembly comprises an elongate rod having a first end positioned on an interior floor of the housing and a second end centrally disposed within a concentrically-positioned bore defined within and extending along the axial length of the plunger for supporting the plunger within the housing.

5. A door safety barrier according to

claim 4

, wherein said latch assembly further comprises a spring formed around and extending along the length of said rod and captured between the floor of the housing and an interior surface defining said bore for moving the plunger through said opening of the chamber by expanding and contracting in response to the presence and absence, respectively, of downward pressure on an upper face of the plunger.

6. A door safety barrier according to

claim 5

, wherein said latch assembly further comprises a follower member having a first end engaged with the interior floor of the housing and a second end for slidably engaging a complementary cam groove defined in a sidewall of the plunger for selectively moving the plunger between the extended, operative and retracted, inoperative positions.

7. A door safety barrier according to

claim 6

, wherein said second end of said follower member comprises a hooked tip captured within said cam groove for selectively engaging complementary first and second release points defined within and interconnected by the cam groove for maintaining the plunger in the retracted, inoperative position and the extended, operative position, respectively, in the absence of downward pressure on said upper face of the plunger.

8. A door safety barrier according to

claim 1

, and including a sensor in communication with the door stop for producing an alarm in response to stimuli detected by said sensor.

9. A door safety barrier according to

claim 8

, wherein said sensor comprises an electromagnetic sensor.

10. A door safety barrier according to

claim 9

, wherein said electromagnetic sensor comprises a magnetic field sensitive device connected to the housing and cooperating with a complementary magnetic field producing device connected to the plunger.

11. A door safety barrier according to

claim 9

or

10

, wherein said magnetic field sensitive device comprises at least one Hall Effect sensor.

12. A door safety barrier according to

claim 9

or

10

, wherein said magnetic field producing device comprises at least one magnet.

13. A door safety barrier according to

claim 2

, and further comprising at least one annular spacer positioned between said flange and the upper surface of the floor for preventing damage to the upper surface.

14. A method for installing a door safety barrier, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a door safety barrier for being positioned adjacent a doorway having a door mounted therein for interfering with movement of the door relative to the doorway and defining a security opening between the door and the doorway for preventing entry therethrough, comprising;

(i) a housing for being embedded into a floor adjacent the door and secured to an upper surface of the floor, said housing defining a chamber therein;

(ii) an elongate plunger positioned within the chamber for reciprocating movement between an extended, operative position above the floor for engaging a side of the door to prevent movement of the door past said plunger, and a retracted, inoperative position below the bottom of the door for permitting passage of the door over the plunger; and

(iii) a latch assembly cooperating with the housing and the plunger for alternately locking the plunger in said extended, operative and retracted inoperative positions, respectively;

(b) drilling a hole through the floor, said hole defined by cylindrical sidewalls adapted for receiving the housing therethrough;

(c) positioning the door safety barrier through the hole such that the housing engages said cylindrical sidewalls for permitting reciprocating movement of the plunger through the hole between said extended, operative and retracted, inoperative positions; and

(d) securing the housing to the upper surface of the floor.

15. A method according to

claim 14

, wherein said securing comprises attaching a flange connected to an upper edge of the housing to the upper surface of the floor.

16. A method according to

claim 15

, wherein said securing further comprises placing a plurality of screws through complementary spaced-apart holes defined by said flange and adapted for receiving said screws therethrough for attaching the flange to the upper surface of the floor.

17. A method according to claims 15 or 16, and further comprising the step of providing at least one annular spacer for being positioned between the flange and the upper surface of the floor for preventing damage to the upper surface.

18. A method according to

claim 17

, and further comprising the step of positioning said at least one spacer around an exterior sidewall of said housing prior to positioning the door safety barrier through the hole.