Patent Publication Number: US-10787844-B2

Title: Door guard and method of using the same

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present innovation relates to door guards configured to prevent a door from being opened and methods of making and using such door guards. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Personal safety can often be improved by use of locks or other devices configured to prevent a door or window from being opened. Some internal doors may not always have locks or may only have weak locks. In some settings, it can be necessary to ensure that a door can be reinforced to ensure that an attacker is unable to easily pass through a door. A door without a lock or a door with a lock that is easily broken by kicking the door or shooting the door handle with a firearm may not provide sufficient protection for some circumstances. Examples of different mechanisms that can be utilized for locking a door can be appreciated from U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2017/008188, 2016/0281416, and 2008/0263958 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,435,147, 9,303,434 and 7,637,130 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     I determined that a new method and apparatus of guarding a door is needed. Embodiments of such methods and apparatuses can be configured to help prevent a door from being opened even after a lock of the door is broken by an attacker. Embodiments of the door guard apparatus can also be configured to utilize a lock mechanism to limit how the apparatus may be used within a room to try and prevent improper use of the apparatus. 
     In some embodiments, a door guard apparatus can include an elongated member having a first end and a second end opposite the first end and a carrier having a front and a rear. The front of the carrier can have a vertically extending arm. The elongated member can pass through a middle portion of the carrier between the front and the rear of the carrier. The elongated member can be connected to the carrier so that the first end of the elongated member extends away from a first side of the carrier and the second end of the elongated member extends away from a second side of the carrier that is opposite the first side of the carrier. A first locking mechanism can be connected to the carrier. The first locking mechanism can be moveable between a locked position and an unlocked position. A biasing mechanism can be connected between the carrier and the locking mechanism to bias the locking mechanism to the locked position. 
     Embodiments of the door guard apparatus can also include a mounting body that is attachable to a door. The mounting body can include an inner door surface plate and an outer plate connected to a first side of the inner door surface plate and a second side of the inner door surface plate such that a slot is defined between the inner door surface plate and the outer plate. The slot can be configured to receive the vertically extending arm. In some embodiments, the outer plate can have a projection that extends outwardly away from the slot and away from the inner door surface plate and the locking mechanism can be configured to contact the projection of the outer plate and move from the locked position to the unlocked position and stay in the unlocked position as it moves along the projection until it reaches a bottom edge of the projection while the vertically extending arm is moved into the slot. The biasing mechanism can be configured to move the locking mechanism from the unlocked position to the locked position so that the locking mechanism contacts the bottom edge of the projection of the outer plate and latches on to the bottom edge to lock the carrier onto the mounting body when a moveable finger of the locking mechanism is at the bottom edge of the projection and the vertically extending arm is within the slot. The vertically extending arm can be at a bottommost position in the slot when the moveable finger contacts the bottom edge of the projection to latch on to the bottom edge to lock the carrier onto the mounting body. 
     The biasing mechanism can include at least one spring. For example, the biasing mechanism can include at least one torsion spring, at least one elastomeric spring, or at least one spring member. 
     In some embodiments, the elongated member can be adjustably connected to the carrier within a central opening of the carrier between the front and the rear of the carrier such that an extent to which the elongated member extends away from the first side of the carrier and an extent to which the elongated member extends away from the second side of the carrier are adjustable at the same time. A first end cap can be connected to the first end of the elongated member for contacting a wall or door frame adjacent a first side of a door and a second end cap can be connected to the second end of the elongated member for contacting a wall or door frame adjacent a second side of the door. 
     Embodiments of the door guard apparatus can also include a hanger that is mountable to a wall adjacent a door. The hanger can have a first finger and a second finger spaced apart from the first finger to define a gap so that the elongated member is passable through the gap. The hanger can be configured to contact the first side of the carrier or the second side of the carrier to hold the carrier such that the elongated member passes through the gap while the carrier is held by the first and second fingers. The hanger can also include a wall mounting body attached to the first and second fingers such that the first and second fingers extend away from the wall mounting body. 
     Embodiments of a method of using a door guard apparatus to brace a door of a room can include providing an embodiment of our door guard apparatus, mounting a mounting body of the door guard apparatus to a door, and moving a vertically extending arm attached to a carrier into the slot such that the locking mechanism engages the mounting body and moves from a locked position to an unlocked position as the vertically extending arm is passed into the slot and moves from the unlocked position to the locked position when the vertically extending arm is at a bottom position in the slot. The first end of the elongated member can extend past a first side of the door and a second end of the elongated member can extend past a second side of the door when the vertically extending arm is within the slot to prevent the door from being pulled open by a person outside the room. 
     In some embodiments of the method, the moving of the vertically extending arm into the slot such that the locking mechanism engages the mounting body and moves from a locked position to an unlocked position as the vertically extending arm is passed into the slot and moves from the unlocked position to the locked position when the vertically extending arm is at a bottom position in the slot can include: a moveable finger of the locking mechanism contacting a projection extending outwardly and downwardly away from the slot and the outer plate such that the finger is moved away from the slot and guided along the projection until the vertically extending arm is at the bottom position in the slot, the moveable finger being at a bottom edge of the projection when the vertically extending arm is at the bottom position in the slot, and the biasing mechanism acting on the moveable finger to cause the moveable finger to engage the bottom edge of the projection to latch on to the bottom edge of the projection to lock the carrier onto the mounting body while the vertically extending arm is at the bottom position in the slot. 
     Embodiments of the method can include other steps or elements. For example, the method can include moving the moveable finger away from the bottom edge to unlatch the finger from the bottom edge and move the locking mechanism to the unlocked position, and while the moveable finger is moved away from the bottom edge of the projection and the locking mechanism is in the unlocked position, sliding the vertically extending arm out of the slot. The method can also include adjusting a position of the elongated member within a central opening of the carrier between the front and the rear of the carrier such that an extent to which the elongated member extends away from the first side of the carrier and an extent to which the elongated member extends away from the second side of the carrier are adjusted at the same time. 
     The method can further include hanging the carrier on a wall via a hanger mounted to the wall. For example, the carrier can be hung via the hanger such that first and second spaced apart fingers of the hanger contact the first side of the carrier or the second side of the carrier to hold the carrier and the elongated member passes through a gap between the first and second fingers while the carrier is held by the first and second fingers. 
     Embodiments can also be configured as door guard. The door guard can include an elongated member having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, a carrier having a front and a rear. The front of the carrier can have a vertically extending arm and the elongated member can pass through a middle portion of the carrier between the front and the rear of the carrier. The elongated member can be connected to the carrier so that the first end of the elongated member extends away from a first side of the carrier and the second end of the elongated member extends away from a second side of the carrier that is opposite the first side of the carrier. A locking mechanism can be connected to the carrier. The locking mechanism can have a moveable finger that is moveable between a locked position and an unlocked position. At least one spring member can be connected between the carrier and the locking mechanism to bias the moveable finger of the locking mechanism to the locked position. A mounting body that is attachable to a door can be included in the door guard. The mounting body can include an inner door surface plate and an outer plate connected to a first side of the inner door surface plate and a second side of the inner door surface plate such that a slot is defined between the inner door surface plate and the outer plate. The slot can be configured to receive the vertically extending arm. 
     The outer plate can have a projection that extends outwardly away from the slot and away from the inner door surface plate in some embodiments of the door guard. The moveable finger can be configured to contact the projection and move from the locked position to the unlocked position and stay in the unlocked position as the moveable finger moves along the projection until it reaches a bottom edge of the projection while the vertically extending arm is moved into the slot. The moveable finger can be biased to contact the bottom edge and latch on to the bottom edge of the projection to lock the carrier onto the mounting body via the at least one spring member when the moveable finger is at the bottom edge of the projection. In some embodiments, the vertically extending arm can be at a bottommost position in the slot when the moveable finger contacts the bottom edge of the projection to latch on to the bottom edge to lock the carrier onto the mounting body. 
     Other details, objects, and advantages of a door guard and methods of making and using the same will become apparent as the following description of certain exemplary embodiments thereof proceeds. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Exemplary embodiments of a door guard apparatus and methods of making and using the same are shown in the drawings included herewith. It should be understood that like reference numbers used in the drawings may identify like components. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first exemplary embodiment of a door guard apparatus. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the first exemplary embodiment of the door guard apparatus. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a mounting body component of the first exemplary embodiment of the door guard apparatus. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a carrier component of the first exemplary embodiment of the door guard apparatus. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an exemplary hanger component that can be included with the first exemplary embodiment of the door guard apparatus. 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic view of the first exemplary embodiment of the door guard apparatus positioned adjacent a door. 
         FIG. 7  is a view similar to  FIG. 6  with the door guard apparatus positioned to prevent the door from being opened. 
         FIG. 8  is a flow chart of an exemplary method of using a door guard apparatus to brace a door of a room. 
         FIG. 9  is a fragmentary perspective view of the first exemplary embodiment of the door guard apparatus positioned to prevent the door from being opened in which a second locking mechanism is used to lock the apparatus in this position. 
         FIG. 10  is an enlarged fragmentary view of the first exemplary embodiment of the door guard apparatus that illustrates a lock that can be used in the second locking mechanism. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-10 , an embodiment of a door guard apparatus  1  can be configured as a door guard or a door guard assembly. The door guard apparatus  1  can include a carrier  11  that is releasably attachable to a mounting body  21 . The carrier  11  can be configured to removeably connect to an elongated member  31  that can be configured to extend along a width of a door to contact opposite sides of a door frame and/or walls  4 ,  6  on opposite sides of the door  2  to prevent the door  2  from being pulled open by a person outside of the room. The walls  4 ,  6  can define a door opening or help define a door frame to which the door  2  is connected. The door may be hingedly connected to the door frame so that a user must pull the door open from a hallway to gain access to a room in a building. After the door is pulled open such that the room facing surface of the door is moved into the hallway, a user may be able to pass through the open doorway and into the room. When the door is closed, the door facing surface may face towards the room and be in the room and out of the hallway. 
     The carrier  11  can include a front  11   a , a rear  11   b  opposite the front, a middle portion  11   c  that defines a cavity or other type of opening therein. The carrier can also include a first side  11   d  and a second side  11   e  that is opposite the first side  11   d . The first and second sides  11   d  and  11   e  can extend from the front  11   a  to the rear  11   b  of the carrier. The carrier  11  can be composed of metal such as steel, or another type of suitable material (e.g. a suitable ceramic material, polymeric material, composite material, other type of metal, etc.). 
     The carrier  11  can have a vertically extending arm  13  that is attached to the front  11   a  of the carrier  11  or is defined on the front  11   a  of the carrier  11 . In some embodiments, the vertically extending arm  13  can be a separate element that is welded or otherwise attached to the front  11   a  of the carrier  11 . In other embodiments, the vertically extending arm  13  can be a portion of the front  11   a  of the carrier that is formed when the carrier  11  is formed, molded, and/or fabricated. The vertically extending arm may extend linearly from the front  11   a  of the carrier to a position below the carrier  11 . The vertically extending arm  13  can have a tapered bottom edge  13   a  positioned below a body of the carrier  11  that may define at least a portion (or an entirety) of the middle portion  11   c  that defines a cavity  11   g  in which the elongated member  31  is positioned. 
     The front  11   a  and/or the vertically extending arm  13  can have a hole  14  defined therein for facilitating attachment of an adjustable connection mechanism  41  to the carrier  11  for facilitating connection between the carrier  11  and the elongated member  31 . For example, the hole  14  can be configured to permit a threaded rod  41   e  (e.g. a bolt, a bar, a rail, etc. that has a threaded exterior surface) or other type of element of a connection mechanism  41  to be passed into the carrier to facilitate a connection between the carrier  11  and the elongated member  31 . The rear  11   b  of the carrier  11  can also have a hole through which a distal end  41   b  of such a rod or other type of element of the connection mechanism  41  is positionable. The middle portion  11   c  of the carrier  11  can also have a structure configured to facilitate attachment of an opposite distal end  41   c  of the rod or other type of element of the connection mechanism  41  as can be seen from  FIG. 2 , for example. 
     The elongated member  31  can have a plurality of spaced apart holes  31   a  defined therein. The holes of the elongated member can be configured to permit the elongated member  31  to be adjustably attached or removably attached to the carrier  11  so that a length to which the elongated member  31  may extend away from the first and second sides  11   d  and  11   e  of the carrier  11  is adjustable to account for different type of door configurations and provide mounting options for door mounting of the door guard apparatus. For instance, a rod element of the connection mechanism  41  can be removed from the carrier  11  and the elongated member  31  can be positioned to pass through a cavity defined by the middle portion  11   c  of the carrier to a desired position. The rod can then be passed through holes in the carrier and a hole  31   a  in the elongated member  31  to secure the elongated member to the carrier  11 . The rod  41   e  can be rotated to affix the rod  41   e  to the carrier  11  so that one or more threads defined on the rod  41   e  can engage threads defined in the carrier  11  adjacent at least one of the holes of the carrier. At least one moveable nut  41   a  can also be attached to the rod  41   e  and be moveable along at least one thread defined on the rod  41   e  along a length of the rod  41   e  for moving into engagement with the elongated member  31  in the cavity  11   g  to lock the position of the elongated member  31 , affix the elongated member  31  to the carrier  11 , and maintain the elongated member in its selected position in the cavity. If the position of the elongated member  31  needs adjusted after this affixation, the one or more nuts  41   a  may be loosened out of engagement with the elongated member  31 , the rod  41   e  can be removed from the carrier  11  to decouple the elongated member  31  from the carrier  11  so that the elongated member&#39;s position can be adjusted. Such adjustment can adjust the extent to which the elongated member  31  extends away from the first and second sides  11   d  and  11   e  of the carrier  11  (e.g. moving the elongated member so it extends further away from the first side  11   d  to a longer length away from the first side  11   d  and so it extends a shorter distance away from the second side  11   e  or vice versa). Once the elongated member  31  is in a new user desired position, the rod  41   e  may be reinserted into the carrier  11  and the one or more nuts  41   a  can be repositioned on the rod  41   e  for locking the position of the elongated member  31  to the carrier  11  at its new position. 
     The elongated member  31  can have a first distal end and a second distal end opposite its first distal end. A first end cap  33   a  can be attached to the first distal end of the elongated member and a second end cap  33   b  can be attached to the second distal end of the elongated member. Each end cap can be composed of rubber or other type of material (e.g. polymeric material, elastomeric material, composite material, etc.) to help the ends of the elongated member engage a wall or door frame and provide increased friction for that engagement. The end caps can also be configured to try and minimize damage that may occur to the door frame and/or walls from such contact by providing a softer or more resilient contacting surface for when the elongated member engages the walls or door frame to prevent the door  2  from being pulled open. 
     The mounting body  21  can be configured for attachment to an internal surface of the door  2  that is the surface of the door that faces into a room. The door  2  can be configured so that a user must pull the door from an adjoining hallway to open the door  2  and gain access to the room. The inner surface of the door  2  to which the mounting body  21  is attached can be within the room and face into the room when the door is closed and be positioned in the hallway adjoining the room when the door is opened. 
     The mounting body  21  can include an inner plate  23  that is attached to an outer plate  25  to define a slot  27  between the inner plate  23  and the outer plate  25 . The inner plate may have a top  23   a , a bottom  23   c , and a middle portion  23   b  that extends linearly from the top  23   a  to the bottom  23   b . The inner plate  23  can be configured as an inner door surface plate for contacting the inner door surface when the mounting body  21  is mounted onto the door (e.g. fastened to the door, affixed to the door, attached to the door, etc.). 
     The outer plate  25  can have a first side  25   c  and a second side  25   d  opposite the first side  25   c  of the outer plate  25 . The first and second sides  25   c  and  25   d  can extend from a bottom  25   f  of the outer plate  25  to a top  25   e  of the outer plate  25 . The middle portion  25   g  of the outer plate between the first and second sides can be configured to be positioned more outwardly from the inner plate  23  than the edges of the first and second sides  25   c  and  25   d  of the outer plate  25 . The middle portion  25   g  of the outer plate  25  can also have a projection  25   a  that extends outwardly and downwardly from the middle portion  25   g  of the outer plate  25  towards a distal tapered bottom edge  25   b  of the projection  25   a . The projection  25   a  may be the outermost portion of the outer plate  25  that is formed when the outer plate is molded or fabricated so that the projection  25   a  is positioned so its top edge is closer to the top  25   e  of the outer plate than its bottom edge  25   b . The top of the projection  25   a  can be defined on the middle portion  25   g  so that the projection  25   a  extends downwardly and outwardly away from the middle portion  25   g  and slot  27  to the bottom edge  25  so the bottom edge  25  is spaced apart from the middle portion  25   g  and is below the top of the projection  25   a . Alternatively, the projection  25   a  may be welded to the middle portion  25   g  or otherwise attached to the middle portion  25   g  such that the projection  25   a  is in this position or in this type of configuration. 
     The outer plate  25  can be coupled to the inner plate  23  at the first and second sides  25   c  and  25   d  of the outer plate via welding or during the molding and/or fabrication of the mounting body  21 . The outer plate  25  and inner plate  23  can also have aligned holes configured to facilitate receipt of fasteners for the mounting of the mounting body  21  to the inner surface of the door  2 . 
     The slot  27  defined by the middle portion  25   g  of the outer plate  25  and the middle portion  23   b  of the inner plate  23  can be configured to receive at least a portion or at least a substantial portion of the vertically extending arm  13  (e.g. at least 50% of the length of the vertically extending arm or at least 80% of the length of the vertically extending arm or an entirety of the vertically extending arm that extends below the body of the carrier  11 ). The slot  27  can be defined so that the vertically extending arm is slideable into the slot  27  along the middle portion  23   b  of the inner plate  23  to a bottommost position within the slot  23  for affixing the carrier  11  and elongated member  31  to the mounting body  21  (and door  2  to which that mounting body  21  can be attached and/or mounted). 
     A first locking mechanism  47  can be connected to a lower body portion of the carrier  11  adjacent the front  11   a  of the carrier  11  and behind the vertically extending arm  13  such that a moveable finger  48  of the first locking mechanism  47  is positioned behind the vertically extending arm  13  and is closer to the rear  11   b  of the carrier  11  than the vertically extending arm  13  is to the rear  11   b  of the carrier  11 . 
     The first locking mechanism  47  can be attached to the carrier so that a biasing mechanism  61  engages the first locking mechanism  47  to bias the moveable finger  48  into a locked position. The moveable finger can have an outer bottom surface  49  that is configured to permit a user to place a finger or hand on the surface  49  to press upwardly on the surface  49  to rotate or otherwise move the finger  48  away from its locked position to at least one unlocked position. For example, the finger  48  may rotate about a pivotal axis to move between the locked and unlocked positions. The biasing mechanism  61  can be configured so that when a user force is removed from the finger  48 , the finger is caused to move back to its locked position via the biasing mechanism  61  acting on the finger  48 . In some embodiments, the biasing mechanism  61  can be configured as a spring member or include a spring member. For example, the biasing mechanism  61  can include a torsion spring or be a torsion spring that has one end that engages the body of the carrier  11  and another end that engages the finger  48  to bias the finger  48  toward the locked position. 
     The first locking mechanism  47  can be configured to work in conjunction with the vertically extending arm  13  for facilitating an interlock with the mounting body  21  so that the carrier  11  and elongated member  31  are attachable to a door&#39;s inner surface to brace the door  2  to prevent the door from being opened by a person outside of the room pulling the door via a door handle. For example, when a user slides the vertically extending arm  13  into the slot  27 , the finger  48  of the first locking mechanism  47  can be positioned to contact the projection  25   a  and slide along an upper surface of the projection to the bottom edge  25   b  of the projection  25   a  extending downwardly away from the outer plate member  25 . As the vertically extending arm  13  is slid downwardly into the slot  27 , the finger  48  may be moved to an unlocked position via its contact with the projection  25   a  and can slide downwardly along the projection  25   a  as the vertically arm  13  is slid downwardly into the slot  27  toward the vertically extending arm&#39;s bottommost position within the slot  27 . When the vertically extending arm is at its bottommost position in the slot, the moveable finger  48  can be at the bottom edge  25   b  of the projection  25   a  such that the finger  48  is caused to move to its locked position via the biasing mechanism  61  to contact the bottom edge  25   b  of the projection to engage the projection  25   a  and interlock with the bottom edge  25   b  of the projection  25   a . The interlock between the finger  48  and the bottom edge  25   b  of the projection along with the slot  27  retaining the vertically extending arm  13  can couple the carrier  11  and the elongated member  31  to the mounting body  21 . When so coupled to the mounting body  21 , the first end of the elongated member  31  can extends past a first side of the door to the door frame and/or wall adjacent the first side of the door frame and a second end of the elongated member can extend past a second side of the door to the side of the door frame and/or wall adjacent the second side of the door when the vertically extending arm  13  is within the slot  27  to engage the wall(s) and/or door frame to prevent the door from being pulled open by a person outside the room. 
     When coupled to the mounting body  21  that is attached to the door, the carrier  11  can extend horizontally from its rear to its front so that the carrier  11  is level or is substantially level (e.g. within 5°-20° of being level, within 10° of being level, etc.). The elongated member  31  can extend horizontally from its first end positioned adjacent a wall past a first side of the door  2 , through the carrier  11 , to its second end adjacent a wall past the second side of the door  2  such that the elongated member is horizontal or substantially horizontal as well (e.g. within 5°-20° of being level, within 10° of being level, etc.) and is oriented transverse or perpendicular to the carrier  11  In other configurations, it is contemplated that the carrier can be coupled to the mounting body  21  in other embodiments so that the carrier  11  and elongated member  31  are oriented in different ways. 
     The finger  48  can be configured so that the carrier  11  cannot be removed from its coupling with the mounting body  21  via projection  25   a  and slot  27  until a user moves the finger  48  to the unlocked position via surface  49  and (while the finger  48  is in the unlocked position), provides an upward force to move the vertically extending arm  13  out of the slot  27 . The elongated member  31  may be decoupled from the carrier  11  at the same time the carrier  11  is removed from the slot  27  via the elongated member&#39;s attachment to the carrier  11  via connection mechanism  41 . 
     When not in use for bracing a door during a lockdown situation or other emergency type situation, the carrier  11  and elongated member  31  coupled to the carrier  11  can be positioned adjacent the door  2  via a hanger  51  mounted to a wall adjacent the door  2 . The hanger  51  can include a body having a plate member  51   a  and a plurality of fingers that extend from the plate member  51   a . The fingers can include a first finger  51   b  that is spaced apart from a second finger  51   c  to define a gap  51   d . The gap  51   d  can be sized to permit the elongated member  31  to pass through the gap when the fingers retain the carrier  11  adjacent the plate member  51   a  as can be seen from  FIG. 6 , for example. The distal ends of the fingers can be structured to help retain the carrier  11 . For example, the distal ends of the fingers can be curved so that the middle portion of the fingers extend horizontally or relatively horizontally while the distal ends of the fingers extend upwardly above the middle portions of the fingers. The plate member  51   a  can include holes to receive fasteners so that the plate member  51   a  is mountable to a wall via the fasteners being passed through the holes and into the wall. 
     When an emergency situation arises or is detected, a user can remove the carrier  11  and elongated member  31  attached to the carrier  11  from the hanger  51  and attach the carrier  11  to the mounting body  21  mounted to the door  2  via the slot  27  and first locking mechanism  47  to brace the door  2 . The hanger  51  can keep the carrier  11  and elongated member  31  near the door for quickly and easily facilitating attachment to the door for improving the safety of personnel in the room. When the emergency situation is over, the carrier  11  and elongated member  31  can be decoupled from the mounting body  21  and repositioned on the hanger  51  on the wall so that the hanger  51  holds the carrier  11  and elongated member  31  attached to the carrier  11  until it is needed again. 
     In some work environments, such as classrooms involving high school or middle school age children, it may be desired to have a mechanism by which the position of the carrier  11  and elongated member  31  can be locked so that a student cannot move the carrier  11  and elongated member  31  off the hanger  51  and to its engaged position on the door  2  via the slot  27  and first locking mechanism  47  without approval or instruction from a teacher. A second locking mechanism  71  can be provided to help avoid such a circumstance arising or some other problematic type situation (e.g. a student improperly uses the guard apparatus to locks a teacher out of a classroom or to hit a teacher or removes the carrier  11  and elongated member  31  from the holder  51  to use it to hit another student, etc.). The second locking mechanism  71  can be configured as a positional locking feature that prevents a person from moving the guard apparatus freely around a room or using the guard apparatus for an unintended and improper purpose (e.g. hitting a student). The second locking mechanism  71  can be include a mounting plate  70  that can be mounted adjacent a door  2  (e.g. to a door frame or a wall adjacent a door frame). A lock connector body  72  can be connected to the mounting plate and include an opening through which an elongated element  77  (e.g. a cable, rubber coated metal braided cable with loops on each end, a chain, a wire, etc.) can extend. In some embodiments, the connector body  72  can be configured as a swivel metal piece with a hole. In other embodiments, the connector body can be configured as a protrusion or projection that has an opening (e.g. a hole, a hook structure, an opening in communication with a closeable slit, etc.). 
     The elongated element  77  can be flexible or otherwise configured to be curved, bent, or flexed into different positions and may be configured to extend from the lock connector body  72  to the carrier member  11  or the elongated member  31  for attachment to the carrier member  11  and/or the elongated member  31 . For instance, a first end of the elongated element  77   a  can be connected to the connector body  72  and the second end  77   b  of the elongated element can be connected adjacent an end of the elongated member  31  as shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . A middle portion  77   c  of the elongated element that is between its first and second ends  77   a  and  77   b  can be positioned through a hole in the elongated member and inserted through a loop defined in the second end  77   b  of the elongated element  77  for attachment of the elongated element  77  to the elongated member  31 . The first end  77   a  of the elongated element  77  can be connected to the lock connector body  72  via a lock that can be positioned through the opening in the connector body  72  as shown, for example, in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . The lock  73  can be a commercial padlock, a combination lock, a lock that requires use of a key to move the lock from a locked position to an unlocked position, or another type of lock. In some embodiments, the lock  73  can be configured to be adjusted between its locked and unlocked positions via use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology (e.g. closeness of a fob), a Bluetooth connection between the lock and a teacher&#39;s smart phone, or another type of actuation mechanism. 
     When in the locked position, the lock  73  can connect the elongated element  77  to the connector body  72  so that the elongated member  31  and carrier  11  cannot be moved freely about a room. When so connected to the plate  70  via the connector body  72  and lock  73 , the elongated element  77  can function to constrain the possible positions for the carrier  11  and the elongated member  31  to adjacent the door (e.g. either positioned on holder  51  or in an engaged position with first locking mechanism  47  on the door  2 ) so that it cannot be used for an improper purpose unless the lock  73  is moved to its unlocked position to release the elongated element  77 . Such an impediment should limit, if not fully prevent, improper use of the door guard apparatus. 
     It should be appreciated that other modifications of the method, a door guard, and apparatus for guarding a door may be made to meet different sets of design criteria. For instance, the elongated member  31  can be configured as a rod, a bar, a rail or other type of elongated member. The elongated member can be composed of metal, such as steel or may alternatively be composed of another type of suitable material. The carrier  11  can be composed of metal or another type of suitable material and have any of a number of different shaped bodies. As yet another example, the mounting body  21  size and shape can be any of a number of suitable shapes and sizes to accommodate a particular type of door or a range of different door structures. For instance, the shape and size of the inner and outer plates  23  and  25  can be any of a number of suitable shapes and sizes (e.g. polygonal, elliptical, circular, etc.) and the shape and size of the projection  25   a  can be any type of suitable shape or size. As yet another example, the shape and structure of the finger  48  and/or biasing mechanism  61  can be any of a number of different shapes and structures for accommodating different shape or geometries. Additionally, the mounting body  21  can be mounted to a door in any number of different ways (e.g. use of fasteners, use of double sided tape and fasteners, use of an adhesive, combinations thereof, etc.). In some embodiments, it is contemplated that the biasing mechanism  61  can include a coil spring or other type of spring mechanism instead of a torsion spring or could include some other type of biasing mechanism. Thus, while certain exemplary embodiments of a door guard, door guard assembly, apparatus for guarding a door and methods of making and using the same have been shown and described above, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.