US2804332A - Portable door fastener - Google Patents

Description

-Aug. 27, 1957 JQB. FRANKLIN PORTABLE DOOR FASTENER Fi led 1 1. 15, 1954 INVENTOR 4 thaw; B. Frail/Him ATTORNEY PORTABLE DOOR FASTENER Joseph B. Franklin, Alexandria, Va. Application February 15, 1954, Serial No. 410,368

4 Claims. (Cl. 292-292) This invention relates to a portable door fastener and has for its object the provision of a device which may be carried about by the owner from place to place and readily accessible to use as a positive means for securing a door against any unauthorized entrance.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described having means for readily adjusting the device to doors and door jambs of various thicknesses.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device that once adjusted to a door will hold the door in secure locked position to the door jamb.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device that is simple in construction, with a minimum of parts and eflicient to operate.

It is finally an object of my invention to provide a removable door securing device that can be used to securely lock from the inside, a door that is equipped with the usual mortise lock which can be easily unlocked by a pass key or a suitable door key.

With this and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my portable door fastener complete.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the portable door fastener showing position of the device when applied to the recessed mortise of a door jamb.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of Figure 2 showing the position of the bolt member when the device is in locked position in a door jamb.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2 showing the device in locked position and its relation to a door and a door jamb.

In the drawings, reference character 4 denotes a portion of a door and the reference character 6 denotes a portion of a door jamb having a recess or mortise 8 and a striker plate 10 to receive a latch bolt contained in a door.

Referring more particularly to my improved portable door fastener, numeral 12 denotes a plate member having a lug member 14 secured to one end thereof and on the opposite end, an aperture 16 in which to attach a chain 18, the opposite end of said chain being attached to a bolt member 26 for the purpose of securing same from loss or misplacement. The plate member 12 is formed with an inclined portion 19 extending upward and merging with a horizontal portion 20 (note Figs. 1 and 2), said horizontal portion providing a holding means when the device is placed between the door and door jamb. In the inclined portion of the angular plate 12, I provide a plurality of apertures 22, said apertures being spaced approximately equidistant from each other in an upward diagonal course, said apertures also being progressively spaced a predetermined distance from the lug member 14 as shown at line A-A in Figure 1 of the drawings.

nited States Patent p 2,804,332 Patented Aug. 27, 1957 While the apertures 22 are shown as being square, any suitable shape, preferably polygonal, may be adopted. Line A-A in Figure l of the drawings indicates the contact point of the lug member 14 with the vertical side wall of the recess 8 in the door jamb. The progressive spacing of the apertures 22 wherein each aperture is spaced a predetermined distance from the inner face of the lug member 14, provides the operator with a choice in selecting the desired aperture in which to insert the bolt member 26, thus compensating for the varying thicknesses of doors, it being important to place the bolt member 26 as close to the face of the door as possible to obtain a positive locking position of the device.

The apertures 22 are formed by punching out the metal in plate 12, preferably in the form of squares, each of the horizontal edges of said square apertures being formed with a bevel 24 to cause the bolt member 26 to be held in a downwardly inclined position to prevent said bolt member from jarring out of the selected square aperture while engaged in the locking position of the device. The above described construction provides apertures 22 having axes downwardly inclined to the plane of the plate 12.

Bolt member 26, at one end, is provided with a hole 28 in which to attach the opposite end of chain 18. A shoulder member 30 is formed on said bolt member 26 and is inclined to the longitudinal axis thereof to provide a stop means when said bolt member is inserted in aperture 22. A reduced portion 31 is provided between the shoulder 30 and the outer end of said bolt member, and is square in cross section to fit snugly in an aperture 22. The shoulder member prevents the bolt member from entering the square aperture too far to reduce the area of contact of the bolt member with the door.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I have designed a comparatively simple and practical device that Will positively secure a door from unauthorized entrance,

that can be readily applied and removed from a door jamb without damage to the door or the door jamb. The angular plate member 12 being made up from light gauge steel plate, can readily be fitted into the space found between the average door and door jamb without forcing or crowding the device. The plate member 12 is positioned when in operation, parallel to the direction of external pressure from the door when unauthorized entrance is attempted, therefore it will be obvious that the device can be of light steel construction and stand the maximum pressure or end thrust put upon it without rupture or breaking down. Its freedom from complicated parts and simplicity of design provides a device that is inexpensive to manufacture and practical and efficient to use. With the square apertures 22 being spaced a predetermined distance in a progressive arrangement, it will be obvious that the device is capable of adjustment to fit doors and door jambs of varying thicknesses and that a minimum number of square apertures with their graduated spacing from the lug member'14 will provide a wide latitude to cover all conditions found relative to the variation in door thicknesses in common use. However, more apertures may be employed if found necessary. The square apertures 22 are positioned in the plate member 12 so that the lower most aperture of the group will clear the striker plate 8 in the door jamb, as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. This clearance permits the reduced end 31 of the bolt member 26 to project through said aperture a sufficient distance to provide ample holding means for said bolt member when same is engaged in operating position against a door. It will be noted that the projecting end of said bolt member, when in an inclined position in an aperture, is designed to present a plane parallel to said plate member and the edge of the stile of a door frame, thereby permitting maximum engagement of said bolt member with said plate member when utilized in door frames with limited space to operate said bolt member.

Throughout this specification and claims, reference to directions, as downward, upward, horizontal or vertical are as they would appear in connection with an ordinary door having a vertical slide and corresponding jamb. Reference to outwardly relates to away from the door.

It will be obvious that various minor changes may be made in the proportions, shape and arrangement of the parts without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described this invention, what I claim is:

1. The combination in a portable 'door fastener of a plate member, a lug member integral with one end of said plate member and adapted to be inserted in a recess in a door jamb, a plurality of spaced apertures in said plate, each aperture having anaxis in a plane normal to the plane of the plate member, and said axes being inclined downwardly relative to the plane of the plate member, a bolt member connected by a chain to the end of said plate member opposite said lug member, said bolt member having at its free end a reduced portion adapted to be inserted crosswise in one of said spaced apertures, a shoulder means formed adjacent the free end of said bolt member adapted to engage the face of said plate member to limit the insertion of said bolt member into one of said apertures, said bolt member being adapted to hold said plate member in locking position relative to the in ail upwardly and outwardly direction whereby each such aperture is progressively spaced vertically and horizontally relative to the next preceding aperture, each aperture being spaced a predetermined distance from said lug member, to accommodate doors of different thicknesses.

3. Thesubject matter is claimed in claim 1 wherein the spaced apertures are rectangular having parallel horizontal and vertical sides, and wherein their horizontal sides are bevelled in downwardly direction substantially parallel to the inclination of the axis of said openings, whereby said bolt member will be maintained in a downt wardly inclined position when in operative position in References Cited in the'file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 588,619 Sullivan Aug. 24, 1897 663,036 Mitchell Dec. 4, 1900 735,962 Gartz Aug. 11, 1903 771,588 Taylor et a1. Oct. 4, 1904 1,318,987

Good Oct. 14, 1919

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