Patent Publication Number: US-2020289861-A1

Title: Fire rated pet door assembly and activation system

Description:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/818,995, filed on Mar. 15, 2019. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     The invention relates generally to a pet door assembly and activation system. 
     Currently there are no solutions for fire rated pet doors. Some of the pet doors attempt to address egress and ingress only or open with an alarm, but these solutions fail to meet the building and fire rating codes required because current pet doors are not fire rated. In the field of fire safety, it is well known that openings from a residential living area to a garage must be approved and fire rated. Any homeowner or his agent that cuts an opening in a fire wall from the living area to the garage invalidates the fire rating assembly requirements from fire and building departments and is illegal and not to code. It is further well known that insurance companies can invalidate the homeowner&#39;s insurance claim and not pay for damages if any opening for a non-rated fire door opening was installed that does not meet fire and building codes. It would be desirable to have a fire rated pet door assembly with a mechanical fusible link used in residential garage walls or access doors to seal an opening if a fire and heat hazard condition arises. Therefore, there currently exists a need in the industry for a fire rated pet door in order to meet present fire and building codes when a pet door is installed in a fire rated door or wall. Also, homeowner&#39;s insurance coverage does not pay if the pet door does not meet fire and building codes. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     Prior art emergency pet doors have been directed to the pet egress during emergency such as fire and smoke. Examples of such prior art patents all dedicated to the pet door activation for express egress during such emergencies in the following U.S. patents; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,651,331, 6,049,287, 8,464,663, 9,157,269. 
     In U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,331 a pet escape device is disclosed having a pet passageway normally closed which is open during activation by emergency with the owner&#39;s voice recording urging the pet to use the door and escape to safety. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,049,287 claims a door with an integrated smoke detector and apparatus which holds the pet door open upon activation allowing the pet to escape. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 8,464,663 is directed to an animal egress from a secure location during an emergency defined as smoke, gas or odor. A pre-recorded message once activated from the owner urges the pet to leave through the now open access pet door. 
     Finally, in U.S. Pat. No. 9,157,269 a device is illustrated that an automatic pet door is controlled by a smart phone wherein the pet door has multiple access control modes using a smart phone application for remote activation and setting. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front elevational view of a fire rated pet door of the present invention with the door raised for illustration. 
         FIG. 2  is a front elevational view thereof in operational use position. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view thereof. 
         FIG. 4  is a side view thereof within a wall with portions broken away. 
         FIG. 5  is a top plan partial sectional view of the pet door of the invention. 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged schematic diagram of the mechanical fusible line release assembly. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2, 4 and 5  of the drawings, a pet door fire closure  10  of the present invention can be seen mounted on the attached garage side of a fire rated wall or access door  11  to a structure such as a house with a living area, not shown. Although the description of the invention will be made with respect to a conventionally studded wall such as found in modernly constructed houses, it will be evident that other wall or door constructions may be utilized to accommodate the pet door fire closure  10 . The fire rated wall or door  11  defines an inside living area surface  12  and a garage side surface  13  laterally separated therefrom and a normally open pet access passageway  14  positioned there through. The passageway  14  has a two-way pet door and frame  15  being attached on the living area defined surface  12  in the example. 
     The pet door fire closure  10  of the invention has a generally U-shaped outer support frame  16  with spaced parallel side, frame elements  17  and  18  and an interconnected bottom frame element  19 . The frame elements  17 - 19  have longitudinally integrally extending flanges, each with a plurality of aligned longitudinally spaced apertures A therewith for receiving registering fasteners F for securing to the garage side surface  13  when so positioned about the hereinbefore described pet access passageway  14 . 
     A non-combustible fire rated closure panel  20  is slidably disposed within an upper frame extending portions  16 A of the support frame  16 , as seen in  FIGS. 1, 2 and 3  of the drawings. 
     To assure a smoke seal during closure panel  20  activation and deployment, as will be disclosed in greater detail hereinafter, an adhesive back band of intumescent material  21  is applied around the frame engagement surface of the fire rated closure panel  20  shown in broken lines in  FIGS. 1 and 2  of the drawings and along the bottom rail portion  22  of the frame  16  as seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3  of the drawings. Intumescent material  21  is well known in the art having the property to expand with the application of heat forming an expanding sealing surface in this application between the panel  20  and the frame  16  when so activated. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1, 2 and 6  of the drawings, a fusible release link latch assembly  23  can be seen having a mounting plate  24  with a fusible link element  25  held between an extension and tensioning spring  26  on a retainment pin  27  and a closer door support rod  28  by a split ring  29 . 
     The door support rod  28  is pivotally attached to the mounting plate  24  by a pivot pin  28 A and extends through an opening in the frame  18  for retainment engagement with a bottom edge  20 A of the closure panel  20  thereby holding the panel  20  in open position. 
     The fusible link element  25  is well known in the art having a temperature sensitive material M between two connecting plates P that effectively melts upon reaching the predetermined temperature which is indicative of a fire and releases thereby under the spring  26  tension allowing the door support rod  28  to freely pivot under the weight of the closure panel  20  releasing the panel  20  for sealing engagement within the pet access passageway  14 . The non-combustible fire rated closure panel  20  can be of a variety of materials within the scope as defined under the fire predicted performance classification within the art. It will be evident that given the orientation and nature of the closure panel  20  during activation that the pet access passageway  14  and its defined engagement surface would provide an overlapping registration seal, as noted, for the closure panel  20  as hereinbefore described. As noted, upon fusible link latch assembly  23  activation by release of the fusible link  25  the rod  28  will rotate freely and the closure panel  20  will be released dropping down by gravity into a closed position over the pet access passageway  14  indicated by the transitional broken lines generally in  FIG. 2  of the drawings. It will be evident from the above description that once the closure panel  20  has been released and dropped into place against the closure engagement surface  24  and the heat activated intumescent tape  21  expands and an effective fire stop barrier will be achieved with a smoke and draft seal to maintain between the adjacent described interiors thereby maintaining the code fire requirements for separation of a garage and living space as currently understood. 
     The pet access passageway  14  defines a closure engagement surface  24  there about which would provide an overlapping registration seal for the closure panel  20  upon release activation as herein before described. 
     The composition of the non-combustible fire rated closure panel  20  can be a variety of materials that come within the scope as defined under adapted fire product performance classifications. 
     It will thus be seen that a new and novel fire rated pet door assembly and activation system has been illustrated and described and that various changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention.