Security device

A security device for a door in a doorway. The device includes a floor-carriable portion and a door-carriable portion magnetically co-operable with the floor-carriable portion to stop the door opening past a communication position at which the door is positioned to guard the doorway and ajar to enable the communication via the doorway. At least one of the floor-carriable portion and the door-carriable portion is reconfigurable to allow the door to open past the communication position.

PRIORITY CLAIM TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a U.S. national stage filing under 35 U.S.C. § 371 from International Application No. PCT/AU2019/050413, filed on 6 May 2019, and published as WO2019/210374 on 7 Nov. 2019, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119 to Australia Application No. 2018901521, filed on 4 May 2018, the benefit of priority of each of which is claimed herein, and which applications and publication are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD

The invention relates to security devices and other hardware for doors.

BACKGROUND

A door chain is a well-known security device. A typical door chain includes a chain. One end of the chain is fixed by a bracket screwed in place on a door frame. The other end of the chain carries a feature selectively engageable with a slotted bracket screwed in place on the door.

The length of the chain is selected so that, when engaged with the bracket carried by the door, the chain serves to prevent the door opening past a communication position at which the door is positioned to guard the doorway whilst the door is ajar to enable communication via the doorway. Utilising a door chain, the door can be opened a short distance to provide a gap through which the occupant of a residence can talk to a visitor whilst the door, held in place by the chain, prevents the visitor from entering the premises until the chain is disengaged.

The present inventors have recognised that door chains are not infallible. With sufficient force applied to the door, the screws by which the chain is attached to the door frame can pull out of the door frame. Additionally, when the chain is working to stop the door at its communication position, the chain is readily accessible to be cut by an unwelcome visitor utilising a tool such as a bolt cutter.

For the sake of convenience to the user, door chains are typically mounted at about shoulder height where they can detract from the aesthetic of the interior of the door. The door chain adds to the other hardware items such as locks, doorknobs and doorstops which can be less than attractive.

With the foregoing in mind, the present invention aims to provide improvements in and for door security, or at least to provide an alternative for those concerned with door security.

The inventors have recognised that elements of their doorstops described in international patent application no. PCT/AU2017/050007 (published as WO 2017/117628 A1) can be utilised to produce an advantageous door security device. The content of publication WO 2017/117628 A1 is incorporated herein by reference. The interested reader is directed to that document for further information.

It is not admitted that WO 2017/117628 A1 is common general knowledge.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the invention provides a security device, for a door in a doorway, including

a floor-carriable portion; and

a door-carriable portion magnetically co-operable with the floor-carriable portion to stop the door opening past a communication position at which the door is

positioned to guard the doorway andajar to enable the communication via the doorway;
at least one of the floor-carriable portion and the door-carriable portion being reconfigurable to allow the door to open past the communication position.

Preferably the door-carriable portion includes

an operative portion and

a mounting arrangement by which the operative portion is mountable to move relative to the door such that the door-carriable portion is reconfigurable, to allow the door to open past the communication position, by moving the operative portion relative to the door.

Preferably the mounting arrangement is configured to enable the operative portion to move parallel to the door and/or to move horizontally.

The floor-carriable portion may include a blocking member. The magnetic co-operation may be to lift the blocking member to a blocking position to stop the door opening past the communication position. The blocking member may be an upright pin.

The floor-carriable portion and the door-carriable portion are preferably co-operable to hold the door in the communication position.

A preferred embodiment includes a further floor-carriable portion magnetically co-operable with the door-carriable portion to stop the door opening past an open position beyond the communication position. The further floor-carriable portion may be substantially identical to the floor-carriable portion. The further floor-carriable portion and the door-carriable portion are preferably co-operable to hold the door in the open position.

Another aspect of the invention provides an access point including the device, the door and the doorway.

Another aspect of the invention provides the use of the device to stop the door opening past the communication position.

Another aspect of the invention provides a floor-carriable portion, for a door stop, comprising

a guide-sleeve; and

a pin configured to slide within the guide sleeve and magnetically co-operable, with a door-carriable portion of the door stop, to be lifted to a blocking position to stop a door;

one or both of the guide-sleeve and the pin being shaped to vent a bottom of the guide-sleeve to a top of the guide-sleeve.

Preferably an interior of the guide sleeve and an exterior of the pin have mutually different cross-sections to vent a bottom of the guide sleeve to a top of the guide sleeve.

The exterior of the pin may be substantially cylindrical. The guide sleeve may be shaped to define a well under pin. The pin and guide sleeve may have complementary stop portions abutable to stop the pin falling into the well. Optionally the complementary stop portions comprise a projection projecting upwardly from a bottom of the well and an underside of the pin.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

FIG.1illustrates an access point1, such as the entrance to a family home. The access point incorporates a doorway3defined by a doorframe framing the door5. The door5is a swing door and as such is pivotally mounted by the hinge7to the doorway3to pivot about an upright axis. Other variants of the access point may take the form of a sliding door.

The access point1further includes a security device9incorporating a door-carriable portion11and floor-carriable portions13,15.

The mounting bracket17takes the form of an elongate channel incorporating a base17abracketed by a pair of side walls17b. Each of the walls17bhas a respective flange17cinwardly directed to overlie the base17a. In this example, the bracket17is metallic and substantially consists of a single piece of material.

The base17ais punctuated by an array of screw holes by which the bracket is fastenable, to an interior face of the door, adjacent a lower edge of the door and proximal to the free edge of the door distal to the hinge7. In this example, the mounting bracket is fastened to the door with the aid of four screws23. Other fastening arrangements are possible. Indeed, other mounting arrangements are possible, e.g. the bracket17might be replaced with a suitable arrangement of features integral to the skin of the door.

The operative portion19includes features co-operable with the portions fixed to the door. In this example, the portion19includes a rectangular-plate-like backing portion25dimensioned for receipt between the walls17band to be captured between the base17aand the flanges17c. The portion19is thus configured to slide along the bracket17.

The operative portion19further includes a body portion27that extends forwardly from the backing portion25.

The fascia21incorporates an elongate opening to accommodate the body27and is shaped to clip onto the mounting bracket17whereby the operative portion19is captured on the door5whilst being permitted to slide horizontally along the door to differing radii from the hinge17.

In this example, the bracket17and fascia21together constitute the static portions of the door-carriable portion whilst the operative portion19constitutes a movable portion of the door-carriable portion11. The static portions and the movable portion are preferably configured to frictionally engage each other when the movable portion is at the communication position, and preferably also when the movable portion is at the opening position. One implementation of the concept, entails a respective small rectangular plate at each end of the bracket17and into which the screws23are countersunk. Corresponding small rectangular plates are siliconed (or otherwise resiliently adhered) to the interior of the fascia21. The backing plate25of the operative portion19is thus sandwiched between a pair of small steel plates at each of its stroke. The small rectangular plates are steel plates magnetically co-operable with the magnet of the operative portion19. Thus, the pair of plates at each end of the operative portion19together with the operative portion19constitutes a magnetic holding-arrangement for holding the operative portion at the user selected position. The benefits are twofold. Firstly, holding the operative portion in this way suppresses rattling that might otherwise occur. Secondly, the holding arrangement serves to resist inadvertent movement of the operative portion.

The small rectangular plates are but one example of magnetically co-operable material that might be arranged to form part of a magnetic holding arrangement. Indeed, other forms of holding arrangements are possible. By way of example, the door-carriable portion may include a detent mechanism, such as a ball detent mechanism, such that the operative portion clicks into position.

The floor-carriable portion13incorporates a fixed sleeve13aand stainless steel pin13b. The sleeve13ahas a radial flange encircling its upper end, which flange outwardly tapers to present a negligible tripping hazard when mounted in the floor.

The pin13bis a cylindrical pin mounted to slide within an upwardly open cylindrical bore of the sleeve13a.

The operative portion19, or more specifically its body27, carries a magnet magnetically co-operable with the pin13b.

As the words are used herein, a magnet is an item capable of magnetically attracting certain other materials, that attraction is referred to as magnetic co-operation, and each of the magnet and the certain other materials is said to be a magnetically co-operable material.

Other magnetically co-operable arrangements are possible, e.g. the pin13bmay be a magnetic pin co-operable with a stainless steel operative portion19.

The bracket17a, fascia21and backing plate25constitute a mounting arrangement by which the operative portion19is mounted to move relative to the door.FIG.3shows the operative portion19slid to the right-hand side of the opening of the fascia21. Thus, the operative portion19is positioned, and the door-carriable portion11is configured, to co-operate with the floor-mountable portion13.

Returning toFIG.1, the floor-mountable portion13is positioned a short distance inward (i.e. into the interior of the building accessible via the access point1). When the door is opened inwardly, the portions11,13magnetically co-operate to lift the pin13bto serve as a blocking member. The blocking member engages a stop portion of the door-carriable portion11, e.g. on an underside of the body27. The upright edge of the door remote from the hinge7is illustrated in its communication position in phantom lines5′ inFIG.1. At this position, a gap between the door and the doorway is defined to enable individuals on opposite sides of the door5to converse and potentially exchange small items such as letters.

The floor-carriable portion13is positioned to limit the opening of the door to prevent an unwelcome visitor entering via the access point1, i.e. so that the door guards the doorway.

FIG.3illustrates the door-carriable portion11in its communication/door-guarding configuration.FIG.4illustrates that portion in its door-opening configuration to enable the door to open and corresponding to door-carriable portion11′ inFIG.1.

When the door-carriable portion11/11′ is in its door-opening configuration, the operative portion19is positioned to bypass the door-guarding floor-carriable portion13. In this example of the device9, a further floor-carriable portion15is provided which advantageously may be substantially identical to the floor-carriable portion13. The floor-carriable portion15is positioned to co-operate with the door-carriable portion11(in its door-opening configuration ofFIGS.4and11′) to limit the opening of the door, e.g. to protect an adjacent wall.

Preferred variants of the door-carriable portion11incorporate a detent arrangement by which the operative portion19clicks into place at its respective communication and opening positions.

Some variants of the described device may be suited to hold the door in its communication and open positions. For this purpose, and underside of the operative portion19may have a socket into which the pin13bis receivable.

For other applications, such as fire doors that should not be held open, the security device9may be configured to limit movement beyond the communication and open positions without holding the door at those positions. For this purpose, an underside of the operative portion19may present a surface that is configured to slide over the pin13bso as to present negligible resistance to the door-closing device. This surface may be inclined. Fire rated versions of the device9are contemplated.

The invention is not limited to the described example. Rather the invention is defined by the claims.

In the illustrated example the operative portion19is mounted to slide horizontally along the bottom of a swing door to reconfigure the door-carriable portion. Movement in other directions is possible, e.g. the operative portion19might be lifted to avoid lifting the pin13band thereby enable the door to open past the communication position. On a sliding door the operative portion might be mounted to move normal to the plane of the door. Indeed, entirely different modes of reconfiguration are possible. By way of example, the operative portion19might be rigidly fixed to the door and the device9made reconfigurable by the inclusion of a floor-mounted latch to hold down the pin13bto enable the door to pass the communication position.

The pin13bis but one example of a potential blocking portion. The blocking portion could take the form of a floor-mounted flap.

FIGS.5to7illustrate a preferred guide sleeve113acomprising a tubular body115and a flanged head117. The sleeve113ais configured to sit within a suitable hole in the floor, e.g. to sit in a hole drilled into a concrete floor, so that its flanged head117sits just above the floor height. The tapered profile of the flanged head minimises any tripping hazard imposed.

The guide sleeve113ais configured to receive a blocking pin with a loose sliding fit whereby the pin is free to slide upwards when magnetically attracted to the door-carriable portion. The interior of the sleeve113ahas a vertical length and a non-circular profile over most of that length. In this particular example the cross-section includes a circular array of four pin contacting portions115afor contacting and vertically guiding a cylindrical pin. The pin guiding portions115aare separated by set-back portions115b. In this example the set back portion115bare smaller radii portions eccentric to the contacting portions115a.

When the pin (dimensioned from a closing siding fit with the portions115a) is in place each of the portions115bdefines a respective crescent-shaped vent by which a bottom of the sleeve113ais vented to the top of the sleeve113a.

The bottom of the sleeve113ais closed so as to define a well119for holding moisture and debris. In this example the well has a disc-like base119afrom which a tubular boss119projects upwardly. The boss119bconstitutes a stop for abutting the underside of the pin to stop the pin falling into the well119.

The present inventors have recognised that the accumulation of moisture and debris within a conformally-fitting guide sleeve can lead to the pin sticking and thereby impede the function of the door stop.

The well119provides space for a small amount of moisture and/or debris to sit below the pin without impeding the pin's operation. At the same time the crescent-shape vents (defined by the setback portions115b) allow the moisture to escape over time thereby reducing the frequency with which the sleeve113ashould be cleaned and dried.

Many variations on these concepts are possible. By way of example, the stop119bmight be replaced by a slender downward projection on the underside of the pin or some other form of complementary stop formation, e.g. higher up on the pin/sleeve combination.

In this example, the pin has a cylindrical exterior whilst the interior of the sleeve113ahas a different shape to provide venting. Another option might entail a cylindrical sleeve in combination with a non-cylindrical pin. Indeed the pin might be hollow to provide venting and/or the sleeve113acould be a more elaborate structure with a vent path separate from the main bore of the sleeve. The sleeve113aincludes venting and a well in combination although these features may be separately useful, e.g. vents may be useful for drying out the drilled hole in the concrete floor in the context of an open-ended guide sleeve.

In the described example, the magnetic co-operation upwardly draws the pin13b. In other examples the magnetic co-operation may downwardly draw a blocking portion from the door-carriable portion, e.g. downwardly draw a blocking portion against a spring bias by which that blocking portion is otherwise held up.

The access point1could be an interior door, e.g. the doorway to a bedroom. This would allow a sleeper to leave a door open for fresh air and/or to allow pets to enter whilst providing an additional degree of security if an intruder finds their way into the home.