Door alarm

• US 4,222,042 A
• Filed: 06/11/1979
• Issued: 09/09/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Richard E. Cantley
• Original Assignee: Richard E. Cantley
• Inventors: Cantley, Richard E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Swann, III, Glen R.
• Application Number:
  US06/047,576
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: 340/545, 340/546, 200/61.93, 200/61.78, 200/61.81, 200/61.62
• 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 improved door alarm which is mounted on the inside of a door adjacent the hinged edge thereof sounds an audible alarm when the door is opened. A housing containing a buzzer and a battery is mounted on the door by a pressure-sensitive adhesive. An arming lever is pivotally mounted on the housing and together with a conductor extends outwardly therefrom and operatively engages an actuator block which is mounted on the door frame adjacent the alarm housing. The lever and conductor are operatively connected with the battery and buzzer to form an alarm circuit which will actuate the buzzer when brought into contact with each other at the actuator block. The actuator block has an insulated shelf with which a hooked end of the arming lever is engaged when the alarm is armed and an alarm actuating zone wherein the lever end disengages the shelf and engages an end of the conductor located therein to complete the alarm circuit and actuate the buzzer. The shelf has an undercut into which the hooked end of the lever moves if the door is closed after the buzzer has been actuated to maintain contact between the lever end and conductor to keep the buzzer sounding. The actuator block has an adjustable top wall on which the lever end can be placed when the occupant leaves the protected dwelling so that when the door closes, the lever end engages the shelf to arm the alarm for actuation when the door is next opened.

Claims

1. A door alarm including:

(a) a housing adapted to be mounted on a door adjacent the hinged edge of said door;

(b) audible alarm means contained within the housing;

(c) an actuator block adapted to be mounted on the door frame adjacent the alarm means housing;

(d) conductor means operatively connected to the alarm means and extending between the alarm means and actuator block;

(e) lever means mounted on the housing and connected to the alarm means and cooperatively engageable with the actuator block and conductor means, with said lever means being movable upon opening of the door to contact the conductor means at the actuator block and actuate the alarm means; and

(f) means provided on the actuator block to maintain contact between the lever means and conductor means once the alarm means is actuated to keep the alarm means actuated upon closing movement of the door.

2. The alarm construction defined in claim 1 in which the conductor means is a metallic coil spring.

3. The alarm construction defined in claim 2 in which the coil spring terminates in an elongated end which extends along a portion of the actuator block and is engaged by the lever means to actuate the alarm means.

4. The alarm construction defined in claim 3 in which the actuator block has front shelf means formed of an electrical insulating material;

in which an opening is formed beneath the shelf means; and

in which the elongated spring end extends through the opening and beyond the shelf means.

5. The alarm construction defined in claim 4 in which the shelf means is formed with an undercut;

in which the lever means has a hook-shaped outer end; and

in which the lever means outer end projects into the undercut of the shelf means to maintain contact with the spring end to keep the alarm means actuated if the door is closed after said alarm means is actuated.

6. The alarm construction defined in claim 1 in which the actuator block and housing each have a pressure-sensitive adhesive on the bottom thereof for mounting said actuator block and housing on the door frame and door, respectively.

7. The alarm constuction defined in claim 1 in which the actuator block includes a bottom wall and a pair of spaced side walls;

in which a shelf is formed on a front portion of the bottom wall with the lever means being operatively engaged with said shelf when in an armed position;

in which the conductor means extends along the bottom wall of the actuator block adjacent the shelf; and

in which the lever means disengages the shelf and engages the conductor means when the door is opened to actuate the alarm means.

8. The alarm construction defined in claim 7 in which the actuator block has a top wall with a front edge that is spaced outwardly from the shelf;

in which the lever means has an extended end which is adapted to engage the conductor means to actuate the alarm means;

in which the extended end of the lever means is engageable with the top wall of the actuator block; and

in which said extended end moves past the top wall front edge and engages the shelf to automatically arm the door alarm.

9. The alarm construction defined in claim 8 in which the side walls of the actuator block are formed with rearwardly extending grooves;

and in which the top wall is slidably adjustably mounted in the side wall grooves.

10. The alarm construction defined in claim 8 in which a pair of spaced ribs is formed on the top wall of the actuator block and define a guide channel therebetween;

and in which the extended end of the lever means is located in the guide channel when engaged with the top wall.

11. The alarm construction defined in claim 8 in which the lever means is formed of spring steel and is formed to bias the extended end thereof toward the actuator block.

12. The alarm construction defined in claim 1 in which the alarm means includes a battery and a sound-producing buzzer operable by said battery.

13. The alarm construction defined in claim 1 in which the lever means is pivotally mounted on the housing and movable between an armed position and a disarmed position.

14. Door alarm construction including:

(a) a housing adapted to be mounted on a door adjacent the hinged edge of the door;

(b) battery-operated alarm means located within the housing;

(c) a metallic lever pivotally mounted on the housing and operatively connected to the alarm means, said lever means being movable between armed and disarmed positions;

(d) an actuator block adapted to be mounted on a door frame adjacent the housing;

(e) a metallic coil spring connected at one end to the housing and alarm means and at other end to the actuator block; and

(f) the lever having an extended end engageable with the actuator block when in armed position, whereupon opening movement of the door moves said extended end into engagement with the other end of the coil spring to actuate the alarm means.

15. The alarm construction defined in claim 14 in which the actuator block includes first means cooperating with the extended lever end to maintain the alarm means actuated when the door is reclosed.

16. The alarm construction defined in claim 14 in which the actuator block includes second means cooperating with the extended lever end to automatically arm the lever when the door is closed.

17. The alarm construction defined in claim 14 in which the lever is formed of spring steel and biases the extended end of the lever toward the actuator block.