Patent Publication Number: US-6702341-B1

Title: Door opening inhibiting apparatus

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/658,581, filed Sep. 8, 2000. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to security locks for doors and more particularly pertains to a new and portable device designed to enhance an individual&#39;s security at home and away from home by allowing the individual to easily and securely secure virtually any door by using the invention to secure the door at the door hinge. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     The use of secondary locks for securing doors against unauthorized entry is known in prior art. Specifically, primary and secondary locks whose function is to prevent unauthorized entry through standard and commercial doors have been permanently affixed to the latch side of the door opposite of the door hinges. While providing added security for the door they are affixed to, these devices have a number of drawbacks. One such disadvantage is their lack of portability as they are installed permanently to one door only. Additionally, the initial installation process can be time-consuming and difficult, often requiring the consumer to obtain professional installation which can be expensive. Many of these devices can also be easily overcome by a skilled criminal. 
     The door opening inhibiting apparatus according to the present invention substantially departs from conventional concepts and designs of prior art, and in doing so, provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing the enhanced security of a secondary locking device which is highly portable for carrying on the person and being attached to virtually any door for which the user desires enhanced security. Additionally, it differs from concepts and design in prior art by attaching to the door hinge and applying a clamping force to the door hinge and the adjacent door and door frame to resist unauthorized opening of the door. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of door safety locks, the present invention provides a new door opening inhibiting apparatus wherein the same can be utilized for providing enhanced safety for consumers employing this invention. 
     To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a hinge restricting member for mounting on a hinge. The restricting member has first and second ends, lateral sides, and a forward surface for orienting toward a door. The restricting member comprises a mounting portion for mounting on the door hinge, and a pair of wing portions extending laterally outward from the mounting portion. The mounting portion includes a channel for receiving a portion of the barrel of the hinge. The channel opens into the first end of the restricting member and extends from the first end toward the second end of the restricting member. A slot is provided for receiving a portion of the leaves of the hinge when a portion of the barrel is positioned in the channel, and is in communication with the channel. The slot extends from the first end of the restricting member toward the second end. 
     This new invention successfully provides secondary security to its user which is portable, easily installed, and removed, and in a very cost-effective manner. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be clearly understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. These and additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter and will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate the conception, upon which the disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis of designing other structures for carrying out portable door security employing the invention of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     The use of the invention provides additional resistance to unauthorized entry through a door in addition to the primary locking structure of the door. The apparatus is in a form that is sufficiently compact and portable to permit carrying in the shirt pocket or jacket pocket or purse of the user, attachment to a wide variety of door hinges, and removal from the door hinge without any damage or marking of the door. 
     The invention thus provides a cost-effective alternative to expensive and difficult to install security locks presently available. 
    
    
     These, together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operation advantages and the specific objects obtained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are preferred embodiments of the invention. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention 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 a schematic perspective view of a new door opening inhibiting apparatus according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic rear view of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic bottom view of the present invention taken from the perspective of line  3 — 3  in FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 4 is a schematic cross sectional view of the present invention taken along line  4 — 4  of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 5 is a schematic front view of a second embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of the second embodiment of the present invention shown mounted on a hinge. 
     FIG. 7 is a schematic top view of the second embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of the second embodiment of the present invention shown in position for mounting on a hinge. 
     FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view of an optional wedge member of the present invention shown positioned between the hinge restricting member and the inner surface of the door. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 9 thereof, a new door opening inhibiting apparatus embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention will be described. 
     As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4 and  9 , a first embodiment of the door opening inhibiting apparatus  10  of the invention is highly suitable for use with a door hinge  1  having a barrel  2  and a pair of leaves  3 ,  4  that extend from the barrel and are pivotable with respect to each other. Typically, the barrel  2  is comprised of annular extensions of the leaves that are interlinked together by a pin  5  to form the barrel. The hinge has a closed condition in which the leaves  3 ,  4  are positioned adjacent to each other, and the hinge also has an open condition in which the leaves are pivoted away from the adjacent positions. The hinge  1  is typically mounted on and generally between a door  6  having an inner surface  7  and a door jamb or frame  8  having an inner surface  9 . 
     The device  10  may comprise a hinge restricting member  12  for mounting on the hinge  2 . The hinge restricting member  12  may have first  14  and second  16  ends, and may have lateral sides  18 ,  20 . The hinge restricting member  12  may include a front with a forward surface  22  for orienting toward the inner surfaces of the door and the door jamb, and a rear with a rearward surface  24  for orienting away from the door and door jamb. 
     In a broader sense, the hinge restricting member  12  includes a mounting portion  26  and a pair of wing portions  28 ,  30  that extend laterally outward from the mounting portion  26 . The mounting portion  22  is adapted for mounting on the hinge  1 , and may receive a portion of the barrel  2  and the leaves  3 ,  4  of the hinge. A portion of the forward surface  22  of the hinge restricting member may be located on the mounting portion  26 . 
     The mounting portion  26  may include a channel  32  for receiving a portion of the barrel  2  of the hinge  1 . The channel  32  opens into the first end  14  of the hinge restricting member, and extends from the first end toward the second end  16  of the hinge restricting member. The channel  32  may have a blind end  34  that is located between the first  14  and second  16  ends, and may be located between a midpoint between the ends  14 ,  16  and the second end  16 . The channel  32  may have a central longitudinal axis  36 . In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the central longitudinal axis  36  of the channel is relatively closer to the forward surface  22  of the hinge restricting member toward the first end  14  thereof and is relatively farther from the forward surface toward the second end  16 , so that the channel is closer to the forward surface at the first end than at the blind end  34 . Advantageously, this angled characteristic of the channel serves to move the forward surface  22  of the hinge restricting member toward the inner surfaces of the door and door jamb as the barrel  2  of the hinge  1  is moved further into the channel  32 . This movement toward the door surface can serve to adjust the fit of the hinge restricting member to hinges having a variety of distances between the barrel and the door surface, and permit a portion of the hinge restricting member to be snugly wedged between the barrel of the hinge and the door surface. Illustratively, the angle between the plane of the forward surface  22  and the central longitudinal axis  26  is between approximately 1 degree and 5 degrees, and in one preferred embodiment the angle is approximately 2 degrees. 
     The channel  32  may have a substantially circular cross sectional shape for receiving the generally cylindrical shape of most barrels of hinges. The channel  32  may have a diameter, and the diameter may be substantially uniform along the length of the channel. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the diameter of the substantially circular channel is greater than a distance between the central longitudinal axis  36  of the channel and the forward surface  22  of the hinge restricting member such that the channel intersects or passes through the forward surface and the channel therefore is not a complete cylinder, but a partial cylinder that intersects but does not extend beyond the forward surface  22 . 
     The intersection of the channel  32  with the forward surface  22  of the hinge restricting member forms a slot  38  for receiving a portion of the leaves  3 ,  4  of the hinge when a portion of the barrel  2  is positioned in the channel. The slot  38  is thus in communication with the channel  32 . The slot  38  may extend from the first end  14  of the hinge restricting member  12  toward the second end  16  of the member  12 . In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the slot is relatively wider (in a direction extending between the lateral sides  18 ,  20  of the member  12 ) at the first end  14  and is relatively narrower toward the second end  16 . The slot  38  may be defined by a pair of edges  40 ,  42 , and the edges  40 ,  42  may diverge toward the first end  14  and converge toward the second end  16 . Advantageously, the converging edges  40 ,  42  tend to pinch the leaves  3 ,  4  of the hinge  1  together as the leaves are moved further into the slot. 
     The pair of wing portions  28 ,  30 , which extend laterally outward from the mounting portion  26 , may extend from the mounting portion in substantially opposite directions. Each of the wing portions  28 ,  30  may form a portion of the forward surface  22  of the hinge restricting member. In one preferred embodiment, the portions of the forward surface  22  on the wing portions all lie in a substantially common plane with each other, although this is not a critical requirement of the invention. 
     In greater detail, the forward surface  22  of the hinge restricting member  12  may be substantially planar for facilitating the ability of the forward surface to abut against the inner surfaces of the door and jamb door. In one embodiment of the invention, the forward surface  22  may have a plurality of recesses  44  that are formed therein to define a plurality of ribs  46  extending from the lateral sides  18 ,  20  of the hinge restricting member  12  toward a middle of the hinge restricting member between the lateral sides, and thus the forward surface is not necessarily continuous. 
     In one embodiment of the invention, the rearward surface  24  of the hinge restricting member  12  is curved between the lateral sides  18 ,  20  and is substantially straight between the ends  14 ,  16 . In this embodiment, a thickness of the hinge restricting member  12  is relatively thicker at a middle location between the lateral sides  18 ,  20  and tapers thinner toward the lateral sides. The hinge restricting member  12  may include a rear wall  48  that is substantially continuous between the lateral sides  18 ,  20 . The rear wall  48  may have lateral edges  50 ,  52  that are positioned at the lateral sides  18 ,  20  of the hinge restricting member. The rear wall  48  may comprise a portion of a cylindrical wall that arcs between the lateral sides  18 ,  20 . The hinge restricting member  12  may also have a pair of end walls  54 ,  56  that are positioned at the ends  14 ,  16  of the hinge restricting member. Each of the ends walls  54 ,  56  may comprise a portion of a circle. 
     Optionally, a vent hole or passage may extend from the blind end  34  of the channel  32  to the rearward surface  24  or the exterior surface of the end wall  56  to alleviate any vacuum that might form between the upper end of the barrel  2  of the door hinge  1  and the blind end  34  of the channel  32  to facilitate removal of the device from the hinge  1 . 
     Illustratively, the device may be formed of a glass filled polycarbonate material for a suitable combination of strength, low weight and economy of cost, although other materials, including woods, metals, and composites may be used. In one embodiment of the invention, the width of the device between the lateral sides is approximately 8 cm (approximately 3.8 inches), and the length between the ends is approximately 13 centimeters (approximately 5 inches). Illustratively, the device may have a maximum thickness of approximately 2.8 centimeters (slightly more than approximately 1 inch), and a radius of curvature of the rearward surface is approximately 5.5 centimeters (slightly more than approximately 2 inches). In one preferred embodiment, the channel has a diameter of approximately 1.5 centimeters (approximately 0.6 inches). 
     In the use of the invention, a door to which the invention is to be applied is moved into a closed or substantially closed position. At least an upper portion of the barrel of the hinge is moved into the channel in a downward movement of the device  10 , with a portion of the leaves moving into the slot. The device may be permitted to move downwardly over the barrel to a position where further movement of the device in a downward direction is resisted by resistance of the barrel to move further into the channel, or by the forward surface of the device coming into contact with the inner surface of the door and/or the inner surface of the door jamb. Only a somewhat snug fit is required, and the barrel of the hinge does not have to be completely moved into the channel for the device to be effective for resisting opening of the door. 
     The device  10  restricts or inhibits the opening of a door in at least two ways, including restricting operation of the door hinge by pinching or clamping the leaves together to bias the leaves into a closed position of the hinge by the edges of the device defining the slot. Additionally, the wing portions of the device tend to resist movement of the inner surface of the door toward the inner surface of the door jamb as the hinge moves from the closed position toward the open position. The device  10  may also directly bear against the inner surface of the door and the inner surface of the door jamb to resist movement of the door toward the door jamb. Any attempt to pivot the door from a substantially closed position toward an open position presses the inner surface of the door against the forward surface on one of the wing portions, and against an edge of the rear wall. This force may be transferred through the curved rear wall and presses the other of the edges of the rear wall and to the inner surface of the door jamb. The structure of the device resists the compression of the rear wall between the inner surfaces of the door and the door jamb, and tends to resist further opening of the door. 
     Significantly, the angling of the channel  32  with respect to the forward surface  22  of the hinge restricting member  12  can permit the channel to be made relatively large (in a plane transverse to the central longitudinal axis) to accept relatively large barrel sizes therein, while the hinge restricting member is still able to be effectively wedged between the barrel and the surface of the door. Also, the gradual narrowing of the slot  38  permits hinge leaves of various sizes (e.g., thicknesses) to be accepted into the slot, with relatively thinner hinge leaves being movable further into the slot than relatively thicker hinge leaves. It should be noted that the hinge barrel need not be fully inserted into the channel, nor the hinge leaves be fully inserted into the slot, for the hinge restricting member to become sufficiently wedged between the barrel and the door surface, and the hinge leaves to become sufficiently wedged between the edges  40 ,  42  of the slot, for the hinge restricting member to be effective at resisting the opening of the door. 
     As an optional feature of the invention is a wedge member  70  that may be used in conjunction with the hinge restricting member  12  (see FIG.  9 ). The wedge member may be used, for example, in situations where there is a significant differential between the plane of the inner surface of door and the plane of the inner surface of the door jamb, such as may occur when the walls of the building structure are relatively thick and the door is somewhat inset. The wedge member may be elongate with a relatively thinner end  72  and a relatively thicker end  74 , and a substantially gradual thickening of the wedge member from the thinner end  72  to the thicker end  74 . The wedge member may be mounted on the inner surface which is inset with respect to the other, such as the surface of the door. In one embodiment of the invention, one face  78  of the wedge member may have an adhesive applied thereon for adhering the wedge member to the surface in a relatively permanent mounting. The wedge member  70  should be positioned on the surface such that as the hinge barrel moves into the channel  32 , a portion of the forward surface  22  of the hinge restricting member  12  contacts and moves along a face of the wedge from the thinner end  72  toward the thicker end  74 . The wedge member  70  thus tends to move the forward surface  22  of the hinge restricting member  12  away from the inner surface on which the wedge member is mounted. 
     A second embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 5 through 8 of the drawings. The door safety lock  60  is generally comprised of a cylindrically shaped housing  62  of hollow design, closed at one end  64 , with a slot  66  in one side of the housing, and of sufficient length to encompass the hinge-pin of the typical residential or commercial door hinge. 
     The door safety lock  60  is most suitably employed on a typical swinging door which utilizes the common butterfly style hinge, although other applications of the invention may also be envisioned by those skilled in the art. Such applications include hinges where pivot points are used to create joints, where that pivot point allows moving parts to travel in different directions simultaneously and/or where one part remains stationary and a second part moves at a pivot point. One such application is in the heavy equipment industry. 
     In this embodiment of the invention, the door safety lock housing  62  has an internal diameter which may be determined by the diameter of a range of typical hinge-pins for which the housing is designed to encompass. Additionally, the width of the slot  66  may be determined by the width of a range of typical hinge plates when the hinge plates are in the closed position. Both dimensions must be sufficient to allow for easy installation and removal, yet of close enough tolerance to provide the security of the required clamping force to prevent the hinge from opening. The determining factor for the outer dimensions of the housing is such that the overall size of the housing allows it to be installed and removed from a hinge that is in place on a working door. In one preferred embodiment, one end  64  of the housing  62  of the door safety lock  60  is closed to prevent the hinge from sliding through the housing to keep the hinge in the closed position. 
     Optionally, a pair of apertures  68 ,  69  may be formed in the housing  62  toward the open end  65  of the housing permits a shackle bar of a padlock or other locking means to be passed through the aperture. When the hinge is inserted into the housing, the shackle or other bar may be passed through the apertures to prevent the hinge from being with drawn from the slot and interior of the housing until the shackle or bar is removed from the apertures of the housing. 
     A significant feature of this invention is the portability and this embodiment of the present invention would be of a size that could easily be carried by the user from location to location. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other configurations might be employed. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, 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 the present invention.