Door catch

• US 9,725,936 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2015
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solar Innovations LLC
• Original Assignee: Gregory Header
• Inventors: Header, Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): MERLINO, ALYSON MARIE
• Application Number:
  US14/957,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20160083985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: 292DIG 60
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 17/46 in which the wing or a member fixed thereon is engaged by a movable fastening member in a fixed position; in which a movable fastening member mounted on the wing engages a stationary member
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 17/52 comprising a snap, catch, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 19/04 Ball or roller catches
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 5/02 specially for preventing the slamming of swinging wings during final closing movement, e.g. jamb stops

Abstract

Disclosed is a door catch that can help to prevent door sag, especially for heavy or tall residential or commercial doors, and provides for post-installation catch tension adjustment without removal or adjustment of mounting members. In one aspect, the door catch can include a ball catch base, a threaded ball plunger assembly, a catch bumper, and a bumper base. In another aspect, the catch bumper and the bumper base can optionally be combined into a single catch bar bracket. The ball plunger assembly is adjustably mounted within a threaded aperture of ball catch base. A ball captive in one end of the ball plunger assembly engages a detent in the catch bumper, or catch bar bracket, providing friction to hold the door open. The position of the ball plunger assembly can be adjusted vertically to increase or decrease the tension between the detent and the ball plunger assembly.

Claims

1. A door catch, comprising:

a ball plunger assembly including a body with a threaded exterior, a tool-engaging plunger base, a spring, and a ball captive within the body and loaded by the spring to partially extend out of the body opposite the tool-engaging plunger base;

a catch bar bracket including a first mounting portion and a catch bar base projecting directly away from the first mounting portion;

a catch bar including a catch bar bottom surface in which a detent is formed, the catch bar bottom surface being constrained to move along a top surface of the catch bar base with one degree of freedom, allowing incremental adjustment of the catch bar relative to the catch bar base;

a ball catch base including a second mounting portion and a base portion projecting directly away from the second mounting portion, the base portion including a base portion top surface and a base portion bottom surface with a threaded aperture therethrough that receives the ball plunger assembly;

the catch bar bracket and the ball catch base being mountable on opposing vertical surfaces of a mounting structure and a door by the first mounting portion and the second mounting portion, respectively, so that the ball and the detent frictionally engage vertically to hold the door in an open position, and a force of impinging of the ball against the detent is adjustable by rotating the body within the threaded aperture causing the ball to raise or lower with respect to the base portion top surface; and

the catch bar bottom surface and the top surface of the catch bar base include complementary serrated portions that engage to hold the catch bar in one of its incremental adjusted positions relative to the catch bar base.

2. A door catch, comprising:

a ball plunger assembly including a body with a threaded exterior, a tool-engaging plunger base, a spring, and a ball captive within the body and loaded by the spring to partially extend out of the body opposite the tool-engaging plunger base;

a catch bar bracket including a first mounting portion and a catch bar base projecting directly away from the first mounting portion;

a catch bar including a catch bar bottom surface in which a detent is formed, the catch bar bottom surface being constrained to move along a top surface of the catch bar base with one degree of freedom, allowing incremental adjustment of the catch bar relative to the catch bar base;

a ball catch base including a second mounting portion and a base portion projecting directly away from the second mounting portion, the base portion including a base portion top surface and a base portion bottom surface with a threaded aperture therethrough that receives the ball plunger assembly;

the catch bar bracket and the ball catch base being mountable on opposing vertical surfaces of a mounting structure and a door by the first mounting portion and the second mounting portion, respectively, so that the ball and the detent frictionally engage vertically to hold the door in an open position, and a force of impinging of the ball against the detent is adjustable by rotating the body within the threaded aperture causing the ball to raise or lower with respect to the base portion top surface;

the catch bar bottom surface includes a first serrated portion;

the top surface of the catch bar base top surface includes a second serrated portion; and

the catch bar bottom surface is slidable along the top surface of the catch bar base for the incremental adjustment of the catch bar relative to the catch bar base when the first serrated portion and the second serrated portion are not engaged with one another.