ALARM ATTACHABLE TO A DOOR

• US 3,768,086 A
• Filed: 11/22/1971
• Issued: 10/23/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Charles B. Weeks, David S. Powell
• Original Assignee: Charles B. Weeks, David S. Powell
• Inventors: Powell, David S., Weeks, Charles B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Caldwell, John W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wannisky, William M.
• Application Number:
  US05/200,782
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• Field of Search: 340/274,276 200/61.7,61.71-61.76,61.81,61.62 315/84
• US Class Current: 340/546
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/08 by opening, e.g. of door, of window, of drawer, of shutter, of curtain, of blind

Abstract

An alarm has a housing attachable to a door and provided with a spring-operated actuator restrained by a striker that is either attached to doorway structure or so attached to the housing as to move relative thereto out of its actuator-restraining position as the door is opened. The alarm includes an operating member movable by the actuator when driven by its spring into an operative position only from a set position as the door is opened, in which operative position it closes an electric circuit to an audible signal. The operating member is wholly within the housing in its circuit-closing position and the housing has a plurality of identical, manually rotatable buttons exposed on its cover to a selected one of which an arm is connected that is operable to reset the operating member thereby to open the circuit.

Claims

1. An alarm attachable to a door, said alarm comprising a housing, a battery operated alarm device including an operating circuit, the device and the circuit within the housing, a first member including a control arm and supported within said housing for movement between an inoperative position, an operative position and an intermediate set position, said member operable to effect the closing of the circuit in said operative position and the opening of the circuit in said other positions, an actuating member within and supported by said housing for movement between a first position and a second position during which movement it engages and shifts said control arm to move said first member from its set into its operative position, said control arm being disengaged from and unaffected by return movement of said actuating member when the first member is in its operating position, a spring within the housing urging the actuating member into its second position, said actuating member including a head held in its first position when the door is closed but extending outwardly of the housing when the door is opened to a predetermined extent, said control arm being within the housing in the operative position of said first member and exposed in said other positions, and means carried by the housing and operable to return the first member from its operative position to another of said positions.

2. The alarm of claim 1 and a detent carried by the housing and releasably holding the control arm in said operative position.

3. The alarm of claim 1 in which the control arm and the actuating member include portions in engagement while the first member is being reset thereby to return the actuating member to its first position.

4. The alarm of claim 1 in which the actuating member is slidably supported by the housing and includes a shoulder engageable with the control arm when the actuating member moves from its set position towards its operative position and is engaged by said control arm when the first member is reset.

5. The alarm of claim 4 in which the striker arm is of resilient stock and shaped to be tensioned when the door is closed to force the striker into a position restraining the actuator.

6. The alarm of claim 4 in which the actuator head includes a pocket disposed and dimensioned to accommodate the striker if the door is closed with the actuating member in its first position.

7. The alarm of claim 1 in which the housing has a slot closed at one side and opening through the other side to provide a port, the actuating member includes side flanges slidable on the margins of the slot, a rearwardly disposed stem and a forwardly disposed head, the spring is carried by the stem and backed by the closed end of the slot, the side flanges are disposed to seat against said other side to establish the second position of the actuating member, and the head is dimensioned to be guided by said port in either of the positions of the actuating member.

8. An alarm attachable to a door, said alarm comprising a housing, a battery operated alarm device including an operating circuit, the device and the circuit within the housing, a first member supported within said housing for movement between an operative position in which it effects the closing of said circuit and a set position in which it effects the opening of said circuit, an actuating member within and supported by said housing for movement between a first position and a second position in which said first member is moved from its set into its operative position, said members being independent during movement of the actuating member from its second to its first position, means within the housing operable to effect movement of the actuating member into its second position when the door is opened to a predetermined extent, means within the housing releasably holding the first member when in its operative position and means carried by the housing and operable to reset the first member.

9. The alarm of claim 8 in which the reset means comprises an arm in the interior of the housing, a housing wall includes a plurality of identical buttons, each rotatably supported by said housing wall and having an outer portion exposed to be manually turned and to the inner portion of any one of which the reset arm could be attached and be operative, said reset arm being attached to the interior portion of a selected one of said buttons and disposed, when that button is turned, to engage and return the first member to its set position.

10. The alarm of claim 9 and a post within the housing and the first member is pivotally mounted in the housing thereon and includes a vertically spaced arm portion engageable by the reset lever.

11. The alarm of claim 10 and means supported by the post yieldably opposing the turning of the first member.

12. The alarm of claim 8 in which the circuit includes a switch having a fixed contact which is the means holding the first member when in its operative position and a pivotable conductor arm which is the first member.

13. The alarm of claim 12 in which the fixed contact includes a yieldable portion provided with an intermediate shoulder and the switch arm has a contact portion disposed to engage said yieldable portion and slide over the shoulder as the first member is moved into its operative position.

14. The alarm of claim 8 in which the alarm device circuit includes a switch having a conductor arm and a fixed contact, the first member includes inner and outer interconnected arms with the inner arm the switch arm, a pivot supports the first member, the fixed contact is engageable by the switch arm in the operative position of the first member, said pivot and said outer arm is a nonconductor of electricity, and reset means carried by the housing and movable to engage the outer arm and swing the first member from its operative into its set position.

15. An alarm attachable to a door, said alarm comprising a housing, a battery operated alarm device including an operating circuit, the device and the circuit within the housing, a first member supported within said housing for movement between an operative position in which it effects the closing of said circuit and a set position in which it effects the opening of said circuit position, an actuating member within and supported by said housing for movement between a first position and a second position in which said first member is moved from its set into its operative position, said members being independent during movement of the actuating member from its second to its first position, means within the housing operable to effect movement of the actuating member into its second position when the door is opened to a predetermined extent, said actuating member including a head extending outwardly of the housing, and a striker arm connected to said housing for movement relative thereto and dimensioned to engage with and be held against such movement by adjacent doorway structure when the door is closed, said arm including a striker portion engaging and holding said actuating member in its first position until the arm is freed by the opening of the door.

16. The alarm of claim 15 in which the striker arm is movable between first and second positions and includes a first portion engageable by and operable to hold the actuating member in its first Position when the striker arm is also in its first position, said striker arm also including a second portion disposed to bear against a portion of said doorway structure when the door is closed then to hold the striker arm from moving from its first into its second position.

17. The alarm of claim 16 in which the striker arm is pivotally connected to the interior of the housing and extends forwardly between the actuating member and the door and beyond the striker portion to enable the striker arm to bear against a portion of said doorway structure when the door is closed.

18. The alarm of claim 16 in which the striker arm includes an angularly disposed free end portion and a structure-engaging plate is adjustably connected to the end portion to be moved lengthwise thereof as required by the doorway structure it is to engage.

19. The alarm of claim 16 in which the striker portion is inclined forwardly relative to the path of the actuating member.

20. The alarm of claim 16 in which the head of the actuating means includes a cam surface engageable with the striker portion.