GB2415739A

GB2415739A - Door jamb assembly selectively blocking swing door

Info

Publication number: GB2415739A
Application number: GB0504704A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Martin Hall
Original assignee: MB LOCKING LOGISTICS GROUP Ltd
Current assignee: MB LOCKING LOGISTICS GROUP Ltd
Priority date: 2004-06-30
Filing date: 2005-03-08
Publication date: 2006-01-04
Anticipated expiration: 2025-03-08
Also published as: GB0504704D0; GB2415739B; GB0414599D0

Abstract

A door control assembly for selective control of the opening of the door in first and second directions. The assembly includes a member 8, which has a free end 10 which is movable between a first position in which the same protrudes beyond an inner edge 12 of a doorway 6 to act as a door stop to prevent the door 5 opening in said second direction, and a second position in which the same lies flush or removed from the said inner edge 12 of the doorway 6 so as to allow the passage of the door 5 past the same to open in said second direction. The movement of the said member 8 is controllable at a location which is removed from the said inner edge of the doorway. The member 8 may be controlled by a tool, such as an allan key, or by electrical means. The member 8 may be resiliently biased to either of its two positions.

Description

24 1 5739 Releasable Door Jamb Assembly The invention to which this

application relates is an assembly which acts as a means for selectively stopping the movement of a door from a closed position about its hinges in a first direction, thereby allowing the door to only open in a second direction and furthermore, to provide an assembly in a manner which is releasable so as to allow said door, when the assembly is released, to open about its hinges in the first as well as the second direction.

In a number of environments, there are provided rooms which arc entered via a doorway and the door in the doorway is required, for various legislation and practical requirements, to be able to be openable from a closed position about its hinges in first and second directions. By this is meant that the door can be opened in a first direction such as away from the room, i.c.

Out into a corridor and a second opposite direction into the room.

It is also required that in normal operating conditions, for safety and/or practical and/or security reasons, that the door is only openable in one of the directions, the direction inwardly to the room. However, in certain emergency conditions such as, for example, in accommodation for mentally disturbed people, it is a requirement that the door is easily selectively openable in both directions. This is particularly the case if, for example, the person within the room has barricaded the door or is physically stopping the door from being opened inwardly of the room or indeed the carets simply require to gain immediate access.

It is known to provide a releasable door jamb assembly which allows the selective opening of the door in both directions to be achieved but this has several problems. The known assembly includes what is effectively a sprung mounted member which, in a normal condition, protrudes outwardly from the inner edge of the doorway frame and lies to the side of the door edge to be positioned externally from the room such that it protrudes to a sufficient extent to prevent the door from being opened outwardly of the room. To release the same, the caret, from a position outside the room, is required to press against the said member to press the same inwardly to lie flush with the inner edge of the doorway frame and in this condition, the door can then be opened outwardly into the corridor. While this apparatus does work, a main problem is that because of the location of the member and the requirement for the person to press the member inwardly, the person is required to stand in front of part of the door. This therefore means that if the person in the room is applying pressure onto the door at the instant at which the member is pressed inwardly, and the door is then freed to move outwardly, then the door will move outwardly with considerable force. This can trap the fingers of the person which are located on the member to press the same inwardly, hence damaging the fingers or indeed causing removal of the same, and/or the door will swing out and impact on the person causing them bodily and/or facial injury. It will therefore be appreciated that the use of these devices, although commonplace as there is no known alternative, is not satis factory.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a door control assembly which allows the required operation in normal conditions for the door to open in one direction and which can be selectively released to allow the door to be opened in both first and second directions and to do so in a manner which minimises the potential for injury in operation.

In a first aspect of the invention there is provided a door control assembly for selective control of the opening of a door in first and second directions, said assembly including a member which has a free end which is movable between a first position in which the same protrudes beyond an inner edge of a doorway to act as a door stop to prevent the door opening in said second direction, and a second position in which the same lies substantially flush with or withdrawn from the said inner edge of the doorway so as to allow the door to open in said second direction and wherein, the movement of the said member is controllable at a location which is removed from the said inner edge of the doorway.

Preferably, the said location is disposed outwardly of the door frame and may be offset on a wall to the side of the inner edge of the frame.

Typically, the movement of the member is controlled via a mechanism connecting the location to the member and is actuated via any of a handle or tool which can be selectively located and selectively moved by the person to act as an actuation means connected to the said member to allow the member to be moved between the first and second positions, or via an electrical drive which can be caused to operate in response to a button depression or a remote control signal.

In one embodiment, the member moves under mechanical actuation between said first and second position via the handle or tool and the manual or powered movement of the same. In one embodiment an electronic motor acts on the member, the operation o f which is controlled via a button or buttons mounted on the wall, in response to a received remote control s ign al. In one embodiment, a resilient biasing means is provided to act on the member which causes the member to move to a location at which the free end protrudes from the inner edge of the doorway frame. Typically, movement of the same to the retracted position acts against the biasing means and, upon release of the handle or tool, the member returns to the protruding position. In this arrangement, a user operable engaging means can be provided to allow the retention of the engagement member in the retracted position.

Typically, the portion of the elongate member which protrudes from the inner edge of the doorway frame is shaped so as to provide a surface against which the door rests, or is adjacent, when the door is in a closed position and hence prevents movement of the door in said second direction but allows movement of the door in the first direction.

Typically the assembly in accordance with the invention is used in addition to conventional door locking means which may be provided on the door and/or door frame to suit required locking requirements.

Thus, in accordance with the invention, there is provided a means for preventing movement of the door in a selected direction, while allowing the door to be normally movable in the opposing direction and furthermore, allowing said control assembly to be movable to a position to allow the selection of the door to be moved in either of said first and second directions and to do so in a manner which minimises the risk of injury to the caret or person operating the said assembly.

As a result of the invention the person is no longer required to locate their hands or fingers at a position at the edge of the door or inner edge of the doorway frame and, furthermore, the handle, or location for the insertion of the tool, to actuate the movement of the member is appropriately positioned so that the person or cater is no longer required to stand in front of the door to operate the assembly.

Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figures 1 a to c illustrate various views of the door control assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the invention in an extended position; Figure 2 illustrates a view of the control assembly in communication with actuating means; Figure 3 illustrates the door control assembly in a retracted position; leisure 4 illustrates the components of the assembly in accordance with one embodiment; Figures 5a and b illustrate a profile of the control assembly in accordance with the embodiment of Figure 4; Figures 6a and b illustrate a schematic representative of the two modes of operation of the door in accordance with the invention; Figures 7a and b show a perspective and plan view of a further embodiment according to the present invention; and, Figures 8a and b illustrate a part cut away view of the embodiment of figure 7.

Referring firstly to Figures 1 a to c, there is illustrated the control assembly 2 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention mounted in relation to a cut away section of a door frame 6 and shown in an extended position so as to prevent movement of a door 5 which would be located to the side 4 of the part of the door frame 6. 'lathe door 5 is operable in the direction away from the viewer or arrow 18 in Figure 6a but is not allowed to be opened about its hinges towards the viewer of Figure la or in the direction of arrow 16 as illustrated in l;igure 6a. 'this is achieved by providing a member 8 which has a free end 10 which extends outwardly from the inner edge 12 of the frame 6 as shown and extends sufficiently so as to contact with the door edge and prevent the door from passing the same in a direction towards the viewer. 1hc extension of the free end 10 of the member 8 on the inner edge 12 of the frame 6 is shown in greater detail in Figure lb. In Figure 1c, it is shown how the extension of the free end 10 prevents passage of a door to be opened in a direction 16 but would allow the door 5 to be opened in the direction 18.

Also shown in Figures la to c are an actuation means 20 which, for the purpose of illustration, is an Allan key, an end of which is inserted into an opening 22. It is clearly seen that the location of the actuation means 20 and opening 22 are removed from the inner edge 12 of the frame 6, in this case by a distance X and therefore, to operate the control assembly in accordance with the invention, the person with the actuation means 20 need not stand in front of the door 5 but rather can stand to a position offset from the edge of the door frame, at the wall 17 and therefore cannot be impacted if the door was unexpectedly to open towards them.

I;igure 2 illustrates the control assembly from a position which would not normally be seen as this part of the assembly would normally be contained within the wall cavity 24 which is defined by the wall portion 17 which would typically face outwardly towards a corridor, a wall portion, not shown, which normally faces into the room and defines a cavity 24, the end of which is defined by the face 26 of the doorway frame 6 which opposes the inner edge 12 of the same. It is therefore seen how the actuation means 20 passes through the aperture 22 to engage with a mechanical linkage 30 which in turn engages with the opposing end 32, as shown in Figure 5b, of the member 8 and hence allows the actuation of the member in a manner as will be described, between the extended position as shown in Figures la to c, and the retracted position as shown in Figure 3 and illustrated in Figure 6b where the end 10 of the member 8 is moved to lie within the housing 34 so as to lie flush with the inner edge 12 of the door frame 6 and so the door is free to move in the directions 16 and 18 as the member 8 no longer acts as a stop to the door.

Turning now to Figure 4, there are illustrated the key componcuts of the control door assembly. These components comprise the actuation means 20 which, as already described, can be in any suitable form to suit particular uses and requirements, the housing 36 which defines the aperture 22 for reception of the actuating means 20, the member 8 which moves between the extended and retracted positions and the mechanical linkage 30 which also incorporates the outer housing 34 for the member 8.

l;igures 5a and b illustrate the components as formed with the exception of the actuating means and housing therefore.

I lowcver, it will be appreciated that the actuation means are received within the aperture 40 shown in the mechanical linkage.

The actuation means, in this embodiment, are provided to be rotated by the user and the rotation is translated into linear movement of the member 8 to move the same between the retracted and extended positions. Thus, rotation of the actuation means in one direction causes the mechanical linkage to move the elongate member 32 to the extended position as shown in Figure 5b by way of connecting rod 38. In this position, the door cannot be opened in the second direction 16 and therefore can only be opened in first direction 18. Thus, access can be gained via the door in only one direction. It is covisaged that this will be the normal operating condition due to the need, in certain instances, for security purposes, to maintain patients in a secure room. However, in certain instances, and on many occasions in emergency situations, immediate access is required to be made into the room and, when access is not possible by opening the door in the first direction, there is a need to be able to open the door in the second direction. In order to achieve this, in accordance with the invention, the person requiring to open the door can stand to one side of the doorway, and hence not in front of the door, insert the actuation means, rotate the actuation means to cause the same to move the elongate member to a retracted position whereupon the free end 10 of the member is flush with the inner edge of the doorway and the door is then able to be opened in the first and second directions.

lhus, the person is able to gain immediate access to the room by opening the door in the first or second directions as required.

Once the need to open the door in the first and second directions is removed, then the person can operate the actuation means to move the member back to the extended position and hence return the door to be only openable in a first direction.

\ further embodiment of a door control assembly according to the present invention is shown in figures 7a and 7b prior to mounting relative to a door frame.

In this embodiment the housing 42 comprises a substantially cylindrical section 44 and a rectilinear section 46. The cylindrical section has a bore within which the member 48 is located such that the member can slide back and forth in a fashion similar to the member 8 shown in figures 1 to 6 so as to act as a bolt for a door. The housing has an end plate 60 for attachment to the inner face of the door frame by screws and which is secured to the remainder of the housing by an additional set of security screws.

The free end of member 48 is tapered and provided with one or more acetal faces which abut a striking plate on a closed door.

A connecting arm 50 extends from the rear of the member 48 into the rectilinear housing section towards a pivoting arm 52 which is connected between the member 48 and mechanical linkage 54. Side walls of the rectilinear housing section allow motion of the arms 50, 52 and linkage 54 in a single plane.

:Lhe linkage is provided with a receiving member 56 within a aperture 58 for reception of an actuation means (not shown). In this instance a standard Allan key would not operate the door control assembly and a key is required with a head shaped to fit around receiving member 56 and to engage the same so as to allow rotation of the mechanical linkage 54.

The operation of the door control assembly is shown in figures 8a and 8b. The member 48 is movable between an extended position in figure 8a and a retracted position in figure 8b by rotation of the mechanical linkage 54 substantially about 90 degrees which results in a linear movement of member 48 by virtue of pivoting arm 52. The mechanical linkage may be provided with a coiled spring biasing the member 48 to an extended position.

Retaining means in the form of two sets of apertures or detents 66 are provided within the housing 42 adjacent the bore for reception of a retaining member 68 which partially extends from the surface of the constrained section of member 48. The retaining member 68 comprises two sprung loaded ball bearings which extend into the radial detents when the member 48 is in either a fully extended or else fully retracted position holding the bolt in the correct orientation and providing an indication to an operator that the bolt is properly engaged or retracted.

Claims

1. A door control assembly for selective control of the opening of a door in first and second directions, said assembly including a member which has a free end which is movable between a first position in which the same protrudes beyond an inner edge of a doorway to act as a door stop to prevent the door opening in said second direction, and a second position in which the same lies substantially flush or withdrawn from the said inner edge of the doorway so as to allow the door to open in said second direction and wherein, the movement of the said member is controllable at a location which is removed from the said inner edge of the doorway.

2. A door control assembly according to claim 1, wherein said location is disposed outwardly of the inner edge of the doorway.

3. A door control assembly according to claim 1, wherein the said location is offset on a wall to the side of the inner edge of the doorway.

4. A door control assembly according to claim 1, wherein the movement of the member is controlled via a mechanism connecting the location to the member.

5. A door control assembly according to claim 4, wherein said mechanism includes at least one movable part arranged to convey motion between the location and the member.

6. A door control assembly according to claim 4, wherein the mechanism converts a rotational input to a linear movement of the member.

7. A door control assembly according to claim 1, wherein the movement of said member is controlled by removable actuation means.

8. A door control assembly according to claim 7, wherein the actuation means is shaped so as to be selectively attachable to a correspondingly shaped portion of a mechanism connecting the location to the member.

9. A door control assembly according to claim 1, wherein movement of the member is controlled by manual actuation means movable between first and second positions which correspond to said first and second positions of the member.

10. A door control assembly according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the actuation means comprises a tool or handle.

11. A door control assembly according to claim 1, wherein movement of the member is actuated by an electrical drive.

12. A door control assembly according to claim wherein the drive is remotely controlled.

13. A door control assembly according to claim 1, wherein said assembly includes a resilient biasing means biasing the member towards either of the first or second positions.

14. A door control assembly according to claim 1, said assembly including engaging means allowing retention of the engagement member in either of said first or second positions.

15. A door control assembly according to claim 1, wherein the door is provided with a door locking means which may be provided on the door and/or the inner edge of the doorway.

16. A door frame provided with a door control assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. A door control assembly according to claim 1, wherein the free end, when in the first position, extends to one side of the door, preventing movement of the door in said second direction beyond said free end.

18. A door control assembly according to claim 1, wherein the door is openable in said first direction only when the free end is in the first position.

19. A door control assembly substantially as hercinbefore described in relation to the accompanying figures.