Patent Publication Number: US-11391068-B2

Title: Door security assembly

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
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     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     The disclosure relates to security assemblies and more particularly pertains to a new security assembly for blockading a door in a lockdown situation. 
     (2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
     The prior art relates to security assemblies. Prior art security assemblies for doors many comprise devices that attach to opening mechanisms of doors. Prior art security assemblies also may comprise bars that extend past the door jambs of a doorway 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a blockade device. An element of the blockade device is configured to be insertable into a gap defined by a door and a crash bar that is engaged to the door. Each of a pair of fasteners engaged to the blockade device is configured to selectively engage the crash bar, so that the blockade device is reversibly engaged to the crash bar with the element positioned in the gap. The blockade device is configured to prevent actuation of the crash bar so that the door cannot be opened. The fasteners are positioned so that two hands are required to simultaneously disengage the fasteners from the crash bar to enable disengagement of the blockade device from the crash bar. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric perspective view of a door security assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a rear view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is an in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is an in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is an isometric perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is a front view of an alternative embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 6  thereof, a new security assembly embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 6 , the door security assembly  10  generally comprises a blockade device  12  for a door  14  having a crash bar  16  engaged thereto. An element  18  of the blockade device  12  is configured to be insertable into a gap  20  defined by the door  14  and the crash bar  16 . The crash bar  16 , also known as a panic bar, panic device, and a push bar, is a form of lever tumbler lock that allows unlocking of the door  14  in certain emergency situations, such as during a fire. The crash bar  16  is fixed horizontally to an interior face  52  of an outwardly opening door  14 . When the crash bar  16  is depressed, it activates a mechanism that unlatches the door  14 , allowing occupants of a room or a building to quickly leave. 
     Each of a pair of fasteners  22 , which is engaged to the blockade device  12 , is configured to selectively engage the crash bar  16 . The blockade device  12  thus is reversibly engaged to the crash bar  16  with the element  18  positioned in the gap  20 . The blockade device  12  is configured to prevent actuation of the crash bar  16  so that the door  14  cannot be opened. The present invention is anticipated to be useful in alternative emergency situations where blockade of the door  14  will protect the occupants of the room or the building, such as an active shooter situation in a school, commercial building, and the like. 
     The fasteners  22  are positioned so that two hands are required to simultaneously disengage the fasteners  22  from the crash bar  16  to enable disengagement of the blockade device  12  from the crash bar  16 . Therefore, even if a window  24  of the door  14  is broken, an active shooter exterior to the room or the building would have to reach through the window  24  with both arms and simultaneously manipulate both fasteners  22  to disengage the blockade device  12 —a difficult maneuver deterring opening of the door  14 . 
     The blockade device  12  may comprise a plate  26 , which has a cutout  28  extending thereinto from a lower edge  30  thereof. The cutout  28  is configured for insertion of the crash bar  16 . Concurrently, the plate  26  is inserted into the gap  20 . The plate  26  may be sized so that the plate  26  extends past at least one door jamb of a doorway in which the door  14  is positioned, as shown in  FIG. 4 . The plate  26  is configured to engage the at least one door jamb to resist opening of the door  14 . 
     The cutout  28  may be biased toward one of opposed ends  32  of the plate  26 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . The present invention also anticipates the blockade device  12  comprising other blocking means, such as, but not limited to, housings that are positionable over and engageable to the crash bar  16 , selectively sizeable rings positionable around the crash bar  16 , and the like. 
     In one embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the fastener  22  comprises a clip  34 , which is hingedly engaged to and which extends transversely from the plate  26  proximate to the lower edge  30  of the plate  26  and a respective opposed side  36  of the cutout  28 . The clip  34  is resilient so that the clip  34  is configured to hinge toward the respective opposed side  36  of the cutout  28  as the plate  26  is positioned over the crash bar  16 . The clip  34  is positioned to rebound when the crash bar  16  is fully inserted into the cutout  28 . The clip  34  engages a lower face  38  of the crash bar  16  to fixedly engage the plate  26  to the crash bar  16  within the gap  20 . The plate  26  is configured to prevent actuation of the crash bar  16  so that the door  14  cannot be opened. 
     In another embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the fastener  22  comprises a slide lock  40 . The slide lock  40  comprises a pin  42 , which is selectively extensible into the cutout  28  from a channel  44 . The channel  44  extends into the plate  26  from the respective opposed side  36  of the cutout  2 . The plate  26  has a slot  46  positioned in a front face  48  thereof. The slot  46  extends to the channel  44 . The pin  42  is spring loaded so that the pin  42  is biased to an extended configuration, as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     A knob  50  extends from the front face  48  and through the slot  46 . The knob  50  is engaged to the pin  42 . The knob  50  is configured to be grasped in digits of a hand of a user, positioning the user to selectively slide the knob  50  within the slot  46  away from the respective opposed side  36  of the cutout  28  to retract the pin  42  into the channel  44 . With the pins  42  retracted, the crash bar  16  can be inserted into the cutout  28 . Upon release of the knob  50 , the pin  42  extends from the channel  44  to engage the lower face  38  of the crash bar  16  to fixedly engage the plate  26  to the crash bar  16  within the gap  20 . The plate  26  is configured to prevent actuation of the crash bar  16  so that the door  14  cannot be opened. 
     The present invention also anticipates the fastener  22  comprising other fastening means, such as, but not limited to, clasps, latches, quick connects, and the like. 
     In use, the plate  26  is positioned above the crash bar  16  and then lowered so that the crash bar  16  is inserted into the cutout  28  and the plate  26  is inserted into the gap  20  between the crash bar  16  and the door  14 . As the plate  26  is lowered onto the crash bar  16 , the crash bar  16  deflects the clips  34  to the side. When the plate  26  has been fully lowered, the clips  34  are free to rebound and to engage the lower face  38  of the crash bar  16 . The clips  34  are positioned so that two hands are required to simultaneously disengage the clips  34  from the crash bar  16  to enable disengagement of the plate  26  from the crash bar  16 . 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the elements is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.