Patent Abstract:
Disclosed is a door catch that can help to prevent door sag, especially for heavy or tall residential or commercial doors, and provides for post-installation catch tension adjustment without removal or adjustment of mounting members. In one aspect, the door catch can include a ball catch base, a threaded ball plunger assembly, a catch bumper, and a bumper base. In another aspect, the catch bumper and the bumper base can optionally be combined into a single catch bar bracket. The ball plunger assembly is adjustably mounted within a threaded aperture of ball catch base. A ball captive in one end of the ball plunger assembly engages a detent in the catch bumper, or catch bar bracket, providing friction to hold the door open. The position of the ball plunger assembly can be adjusted vertically to increase or decrease the tension between the detent and the ball plunger assembly.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates to door catches, and more particularly door catches utilizing a ball catch mechanism. 
     Door catches can generally be utilized to hold doors or similar structures in either an open or closed position. In addition, door catches used to hold a door or the like in an open position can be configured to prevent the door from hitting and damaging a wall and therefore can also perform the function of a doorstop. 
     Door catches come in a variety of different types. For example, roller catches, magnetic catches, hinge pin doorstops, kick down holders, j-hook catches, strike and catch automatic wall holders, and ball catches. One class of door catches relies on tension between two portions of the door catch to hold the door open. 
     One of the challenges in door catch design, is adjustment of catch tension, particularly for door catches that can be utilized to hold a door in the open position by relying on tension between two portions of the door catch. For example, catch tension adjustment sometimes requires that one of the mounting members be moved relative to the mounting surface. Alternatively, catch tension adjustment may require removal of one of the mounting members from the mounting surface. Either of these can be inconvenient for the installer or maintainer of the door. In many door catch designs, the installer or maintainer is required to drill new holes in order to adjust the position or catch tension. In these designs, micro-adjustments are not possible. Micro-adjustment of catch tension may be particularly important over time, as the door or doorframe shift and settle or as the door sags. 
     SUMMARY 
     Doors often sag under their own weight over time. This can damage the hinges or cause the door not to close properly when the door is no longer in alignment with the door opening. This problem is particularly exasperated for heavy or tall residential or commercial doors. The inventor recognized that a door catch could be devised that helps to prevent door sag in addition to solving the problem of providing for micro-adjustments of catch tension while the door catch is mounted to the door. 
     Disclosed is a door catch that can help to prevent door sag, and provide for post-installation catch tension adjustment without removal or adjustment of mounting members. In one aspect, the door catch includes a ball plunger assembly, a catch bar bracket, and a ball catch base. The ball plunger assembly includes a ball captive within the body of the ball plunger assembly. The exterior of the ball plunger body is threaded. The bottom surface of the ball plunger assembly includes a tool-receiving pattern, such as a slot head, Philips, hex head, or Torx head pattern. The catch bar bracket includes a mounting portion for mounting the catch bar to a door, wall, or doorframe. A catch bar includes a detent on the side facing the ball catch base. The catch bar projects away from the mounting base of the catch bar bracket. The ball catch base also includes a mounting portion for mounting the ball catch base to a door, wall, or wall frame. The ball catch base also includes a base portion that projects away from the ball catch mounting portion. The base portion includes a threaded aperture and the ball plunger assembly is threaded into the threaded aperture with the ball facing and aligned with the detent when the catch is engaged. 
     The catch bar bracket and the ball catch base are mountable on opposing surfaces of a wall structure and the door so that the ball and detent frictionally engage to hold the door open when the door is in an extended position. The frictional force impinging the ball against the detent is adjustable by rotatably engaging the tool-receiving pattern causing the ball to raise or lower with respect to the detent. 
     In order to ensure that the door catch can properly sustain the downward force of the door and help keep if from sagging, it is helpful to make sure that door catch components are designed to sustain the force without slippage. One way to help assure this is to provide apertures on the mounting portions that are shaped to hold the fastener in a fixed and non-adjustable position, for example, a recessed aperture with corresponding complementary fastener head. 
     The catch bar bracket and or corresponding mounting portion in one aspect, can be fabricated from a single piece of metal or otherwise made as a non-separable unit. Alternatively, in another aspect, the catch bar can be separable from the rest of the catch bar bracket. This allows for the possibility of creating a catch bar bracket where the distance between the downward facing detent and its corresponding mounting portion is adjustable. 
     One example of a catch bar bracket where the distance between the downward facing detent and its corresponding mounting portion is constructed with an integrated base portion projecting away from the mounting portion that includes a serrated top surface. The catch bar includes a serrated bottom surface configured to engage the serrated top surface of the base portion. In combination, they adjust a distance of the detent with respect to the mounting portion of the catch bar bracket. The base portion can include a fastener receiving threaded aperture through the serrated top surface and the catch bar bracket, a slot for receiving and securing a threaded fastener to the fastener receiving threaded aperture. 
     Another aspect of the disclosed door catch that allow for distance adjustment of the detent with respect to the catch bar mounting portion separates the catch bar bracket into a mounting portion and a catch bumper portion where the catch bumper portion includes the downward facing detent. The two portions are separated by a rod. If the rod is threaded, the distance between the catch bumper portion and the mounting portion may be adjusted by screwing the threaded rod into the mounting portion or the bumper portion. Alternatively the rod may allow for distance adjustment by a securing a pin between the bumper portion or the mounting portion and one of several holes mounted at various distances along the rod. 
     In another aspect, the disclosed door catch can be adapted to work on a pivot door. In this aspect, the catch bar is formed in the shape of a downward facing L-bracket and the mounting portion of the catch bar bracket is configured as a planar back with respect to the downward facing L-bracket. 
     This Summary has introduced a selection of concepts in simplified form that are described the Description. The Summary is not intended to identify essential features or limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a door catch of the present disclosure mounted near the top of a door and corresponding wall. 
         FIG. 2  shows a portion of  FIG. 1  detailing the door catch in relation to the door and corresponding wall. 
         FIG. 3  shows a portion of the door and frame in the open position of  FIG. 1  with corresponding door catch. 
         FIG. 4  shows the door catch of  FIG. 1  in top perspective view. 
         FIG. 5  shows a sectional view of the door catch of  FIG. 4  shown along section lines  5 - 5 . 
         FIG. 6  shows a top perspective exploded view of the ball catch base and the ball plunger of the door catch of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 7  shows a top assembled view of the ball catch base and ball plunger assembly of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 8  shows a sectional view of the  FIG. 7  shown along section lines  8 - 8 . 
         FIG. 9  shows a front view of the ball catch base and ball plunger assembly of  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 10  shows a bottom view of the ball catch base and ball plunger assembly of  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 11  shows the ball plunger assembly of the door catch of  FIG. 4  in top view. 
         FIG. 12  shows a cross sectional view of the ball plunger assembly of  FIG. 11  taken along section lines  12 - 12 . 
         FIG. 13  shows a side view of the ball plunger assembly of the door catch of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 14  shows a bottom view of the ball plunger assembly from the door catch of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 15  shows a front top perspective view of the catch bar bracket of the door catch of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 16  shows a front bottom perspective view of the catch bar bracket of  FIG. 15 . 
         FIG. 17  shows a top view of the catch bar bracket of  FIG. 15 . 
         FIG. 18  shows a sectional view of  FIG. 17  taken along section lines  18 - 18 . 
         FIG. 19  shows a top view of a door catch with alternative catch bar bracket and alternative ball catch base construction. 
         FIG. 20  shows a sectional view of the catch bar bracket of  FIG. 19  taken along section lines  20 - 20 . 
         FIG. 21  shows a bottom view of the catch bar bracket of  FIG. 19 . 
         FIG. 22  shows a bottom view of the ball catch base of  FIG. 19 . 
         FIG. 23  shows a top perspective view of a door catch with an alternative catch bar bracket and catch bar base where the position of the catch bar detent from the wall or doorframe is adjustable. 
         FIG. 24  shows a cross sectional view of the door catch of  FIG. 23  taken along section lines  24 - 24 . 
         FIG. 25  shows a cross sectional view of the door catch of  FIG. 23  taken along section lines  24 - 24  with an optional spacer. 
         FIG. 26  shows a top view of the catch bar of  FIG. 23 . 
         FIG. 27  shows a bottom view of the catch bar of  FIG. 23 . 
         FIG. 28  shows a side view of the catch bar of  FIG. 23 . 
         FIG. 29  shows a top view of the catch bar base of  FIG. 23 . 
         FIG. 30  shows a sectional view of  FIG. 29  taken along section lines  30 - 30 . 
         FIG. 31  shows a top perspective view of the catch bar base of  FIG. 29 . 
         FIG. 32  shows a top view of an alternative door catch where the position of the catch bar detent from the wall or doorframe is adjustable by a threaded rod. 
         FIG. 33  shows a sectional view of  FIG. 32  taken along section lines  32 - 32 . 
         FIG. 34  shows a side exploded view of catch bar assembly of  FIG. 32 . 
         FIG. 35  shows a top view of an alternative door catch where the position of the catch bar detent from the wall or doorframe is adjustable by a rod and pin arrangement. 
         FIG. 36  shows a sectional view of  FIG. 32  taken along section lines  36 - 36 . 
         FIG. 37  shows a side exploded view of the catch bar assembly of  FIG. 35 . 
         FIG. 38  shows a bottom exploded view of the catch bar assembly of  FIG. 35 . 
         FIG. 39  shows an upper portion of a partially open pivot door in top front perspective view illustrating an alternative door catch. 
         FIG. 40  shows a bottom view of the pivot door and door catch of  FIG. 39  with the pivot door in the closed position. 
         FIG. 41  shows a bottom view of the pivot door and door catch of  FIG. 39  with the pivot door in the open position and with the door catch fully engaged. 
         FIG. 42  shows a front perspective view of the catch bar bracket of the door catch of  FIG. 39 . 
         FIG. 43  shows a front view of the catch bar bracket of  FIG. 42 . 
         FIG. 44  shows a side view of the catch bar bracket of  FIG. 43 . 
         FIG. 45  shows a bottom view of the catch bar bracket of  FIG. 44 . 
         FIG. 46  shows a front detail view of the door catch assembly mounted to the door and door frame in closed position. 
         FIG. 47  shows an alternative door catch in top perspective view mounted to the bottom of a door and wall. 
         FIG. 48  shows a sectional view of the door catch of  FIG. 47  shown along section lines  48 - 48 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     The following description is made with reference to figures, where like numerals refer to like elements throughout the several views,  FIG. 1  shows a door catch  10  of the present disclosure mounted near the top of a door  11  and corresponding wall  13 .  FIG. 2  shows a portion of  FIG. 1  detailing the door catch  10  in relation to the door  11  and corresponding wall  13 .  FIG. 3  shows a portion of the door  11  in the open position where the catch portions are separate and not engaged. Referring to  FIGS. 2-3 , the door catch  10  of  FIG. 2  includes a catch bar bracket  15  secured to the door and a ball catch base  17  secured to the wall. Referring to  FIG. 3 , the catch bar bracket  15  includes a detent  19  in the lower surface of the catch bar portion of the catch bar bracket  15 . The door catch  10  holds the door  11  in place through friction. When the door  11  is in the fully open position, the detent  19  aligns a ball plunger assembly  21  in order to create a friction force that holds the door open. One of the utilities of the door catch  10  of this disclosure is the ability to adjust the frictional force that holds the door in place without removing or moving the catch bar bracket  15  or ball catch base  17 . The friction between the ball plunger assembly  21  and the detent  19  can be adjusted by moving the ball plunger assembly  21  up and down relative to the top of the ball catch base  17 . The ball plunger assembly  21  is shown from the bottom with a slot  27  for engaging a screwdriver or similar tool for adjusting the height of the ball plunger assembly  21  relative to the ball catch base  17 . 
     In  FIGS. 1-3 , the catch bar bracket  15  and ball catch base  17  are shown as mounted between a door  11  and a wall  13 . It should be understood by the reader, that in  FIGS. 1-3 , and throughout this disclosure, that the catch bar bracket  15  and ball catch base  17  can be mounted between the door  11  and other mounting surfaces that can be intersected by a door when open; for example, a folding door panel. 
       FIG. 4  shows the door catch  10  of  FIG. 1  in top perspective view showing the relationship between the catch bar bracket  15  and the ball catch base  17  when frictionally engaged; for example, when the door  11  is open and proximate to the wall  13 .  FIG. 5  shows a sectional view of the door catch  10  of  FIG. 4  shown along section lines  5 - 5 . Referring to  FIGS. 4-5 , the catch bar bracket  15  and ball catch base  17  are secured respectively to the door  11  and wall  13  by apertures  23  and corresponding threaded fasteners  25  through the apertures  23  through the surface of the catch bar bracket  15  and the ball catch base  17 . The catch bar bracket  15  and the ball catch base  17  need to be mounted in a way to withstand the rotational torque of the door  11  with respect to its hinges in order prevent the door  11  from sagging over time. One way to assure this is to provide mounting holes where the fastener is mounted in fixed mounting holes without any possibility for vertical or horizontal movement within the hole. As an example, the apertures  23  in  FIGS. 4-5  are round and countersunk. 
     In  FIG. 5 , the ball plunger assembly  21  is shown threaded into the ball catch base  17  and can be rotated to increase or decrease friction between the ball plunger assembly  21  and the catch bar bracket  15 . A slot  27  is provided to engage a screwdriver or other similar tool. When the ball plunger assembly  21  is rotated upward into the ball catch base, the friction between the ball plunger assembly  21  and the catch bar bracket  15  is increased. As the ball plunger assembly  21  is rotated downward out of the ball catch base, the friction between the ball plunger assembly  21  and the catch bar bracket  15  is decreased. 
     The door  11  is illustrated in  FIG. 5  as being made of wood. The wall  13  is illustrated as having a drywall outer surface with the threaded fasteners  25  engaging drywall anchors or the like. The door catch  10  can be mounted on most common commercial or residential door materials. For example, the door material can be steel, steel over foam core, metal, wood, or fiberglass framed-glass. 
       FIG. 6  shows a top perspective exploded view of the ball catch base  17  and the ball plunger assembly  21  of the door catch of  FIG. 4 .  FIG. 7  shows a top assembled view of the ball catch base  17  and ball plunger assembly  21  of  FIG. 6 .  FIG. 8  shows a sectional view of the  FIG. 7  shown along section lines  8 - 8 .  FIG. 9  shows a front view of the ball catch base  17  and ball plunger assembly  21  of  FIG. 7 .  FIG. 10  shows a bottom view of the ball catch base  17  and ball plunger assembly  21  of  FIG. 7 . Referring to  FIGS. 6-10 , a bumper  29  is shown optionally attached to the ball catch base  17 . Depending on the whether the ball catch base  17  is secured to the door  11 , wall  13  of  FIG. 1  for example, or a doorframe, the bumper  29  can be used to protect the opposing surface from damage. The bumper  29  can be made generally of a pliant material such a soft plastic or an elastomer such as silicone rubber or butyl rubber. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize materials suitable for the bumper  29 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , the ball catch base  17  is illustrated in the shape of a bracket. The ball catch base  17  includes a base portion  31  that when mounted to a wall or door projects approximately perpendicularly away from the door. If the door is mounted vertically, as in the door  11  illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3 , then a top surface  33  of the base portion  31  lies substantially in the horizontal plane. The ball catch base  17  includes a mounting portion  35  that lies in the same plane as the mounting surface of the door, wall, or doorframe. The mounting portion  35  projects approximately perpendicularly away from the plane of the top surface  33  of the base portion  31  of the ball catch base  17 . While the mounting portion  35  is shown projecting upward from the base portion  31 , the mounting portion  35  can optionally be constructed to project both upward and downward with respect to the base portion  31  for additional support. 
       FIGS. 6-10  all show the mounting portion  35  in various views.  FIGS. 6 ,  8 , and  9  show the apertures  23  for mounting the ball catch base  17  to the wall or door in relation to the mounting portion  35 .  FIGS. 6 and 8  shows the apertures  23  as countersunk. As previously described, the aperture  23  is shaped so that threaded fastener  25  of  FIGS. 4-5  is fixed in position without the opportunity to slide or move under the downward torque of the open door. 
       FIG. 6  shows a threaded aperture  37  sized and threaded to receive the ball plunger assembly  21 .  FIG. 8  shows the ball plunger assembly  21  threaded inside the threaded aperture  37 . The ball plunger assembly  21  can be moved up and down with respect to the top surface  33  of the base portion  31  of the ball catch base  17  by rotationally engaging the slot  27  with a screwdriver or similar tool. Referring to  FIGS. 6-9 , the ball plunger assembly  21  includes a tension ball  39 . Referring to  FIGS. 8-10 , the ball plunger assembly  21  includes a tool-engaging plunger base  41  with a slot  27  or other shape for engaging a tool in rotational motion. 
       FIG. 11  shows, in top view, the ball plunger assembly  21  of the door catch  10  of  FIG. 4 .  FIG. 12  shows a cross sectional view of the ball plunger assembly  21  of  FIG. 11  taken along section lines  12 - 12 .  FIG. 13  shows a side view of the ball plunger assembly  21 .  FIG. 14  shows a bottom view of the ball plunger assembly  21 .  FIGS. 11-13  show the tension ball  39 . The tension ball  39  is shown in cross section in  FIG. 12 . The tension ball  39  generally has a circular profile or spherical shape. Other shapes can be used to produce specific frictional profiles. For example, an elliptical shape with the top of the tension ball  39  along the major axis of the elliptical shape, assuming uniform deformation of the tension ball  39 , the force at the point of contact with the detent  19  of  FIG. 3  would tend to be concentrated over less of an area than a tension ball  39  that is spherically shaped. The door would tend to release more abruptly as the force of friction would be overcome over less surface area than the tension ball  39  of spherical shape. Similarly, an elliptical shape with the top of the tension ball  39  along the minor axis of the elliptical shape, assuming uniform deformation of the tension ball  39 , would tend to release less abruptly than a tension ball  39  with a corresponding spherical shape. 
       FIG. 12  shows the internal construction of ball plunger assembly  21  including the tension ball  39 , the threaded ball plunger body  43 , tool-engaging plunger base  41 , and the slot  27 . The ball plunger assembly  21  is similar in construction to spring plungers used in the art for positioning fixtures, punch presses, or forging dies. The tension ball  39  is typically installed through the top opening using a plunger wrench. The plunger wrench typically includes projections that are complementary to rectangular insertion points  45  shown in  FIG. 11 . 
     Referring again to  FIG. 12 , the ball plunger assembly  21  includes a spring  47 . The spring provides compression force, and thereby holding friction, when the tension ball  39  makes contact with the detent  19  of  FIG. 3 . In  FIGS. 13-14 , the ball plunger assembly  21 , when rotated, moves linearly as an integrated unit within the threaded aperture  37  of ball catch base  17  of  FIG. 6 . The slot  27  of the tool-engaging plunger base  41  is a typical tool-engaging screw drive. Alternatively, other tool-engaging screw drives may be used, for example, Phillips, Frearson, Cross, Robertson (square shaped), Allen (hex shaped), Torx, or TTAP, as long as they are able to engage the ball plunger assembly  21  with sufficient force and grip to prevent stripping. 
       FIG. 15  shows a front top perspective view of the catch bar bracket  15  of the door catch  10  of  FIG. 4 .  FIG. 16  shows a front bottom perspective view of the catch bar bracket  15 .  FIG. 17  shows a top view of the catch bar bracket  15 .  FIG. 18  shows a sectional view the catch bar bracket  15  of  FIG. 17  taken along section lines  18 - 18 . Referring to  FIGS. 15-18 , the catch bar bracket  15  includes an integrated catch bar/base  49  and a mounting portion  51 . The mounting portion  51  projects approximately perpendicularly away from integrated catch bar/base  49 . In  FIGS. 15-16  and  18 , the mounting portion  51  is shown projecting perpendicularly away from both above and below both the integrated catch bar/base  49 . With a typical vertically mounted door, wall, and doorframe, the mounting portion  51  would be oriented vertically and the integrated catch bar/base  49  would be projecting horizontally away from the door. The mounting portion  51  includes apertures  23 . The apertures  23  of the catch bar bracket  15  are round and countersunk to prevent any possibility of vertical or horizontal movement within the hole so as to withstand the rotational torque of the door  11  with respect to its hinges in order prevent the door  11  from sagging over time as previously described. 
       FIGS. 17 and 18  show the detent  19  for frictionally engaging the tension ball  39  of  FIGS. 11-14 . The detent  19  is shown having a circular profile that is complementary to the spherical shape of the tension ball  39  of  FIGS. 11-14 . Other arcuate shapes can be used to adjust the frictional force of engagement or disengagement. For example, given the same spherically shaped tension ball, an elliptical shaped with the center line along its minor axis would tend to more gradually disengage and engage but potentially provide a weaker frictional holding force than a comparable spherical shaped detent. 
       FIG. 19  shows a top view of a door catch  10  with alternative construction of the catch bar bracket  15  and alternative construction of the ball catch base  17 .  FIG. 20  shows a sectional view of the door catch  10  of  FIG. 19  taken along section lines  20 - 20 .  FIGS. 19-20  show the alternatively constructed versions of the catch bar bracket  15 , ball catch base  17 , the ball plunger assembly  21 , and an alternatively shaped version of the bumper  29 , in engaged cooperation as previously described. A catch stop  53  projects downward from the catch bar bracket  15  and functions to horizontally limit the motion of the ball catch base  17  when frictionally engaged with the catch bar bracket  15 . The bumper  29 , here shown as hemi-spherically shaped, dampens the force between the catch stop  53  and the ball catch base  17 . 
       FIG. 21  shows a bottom view of the catch bar bracket  15  of  FIG. 19 .  FIG. 22  shows a bottom view of the ball catch base  17  of  FIG. 19 .  FIG. 21  shows in the detent  19  and the catch stop  53 .  FIG. 22  shows bumper  29  and the bottom of the ball plunger assembly  21 . The ball plunger assembly  21  is shown with the slot  27  for rotationally engaging the ball plunger assembly  21 , as previously described. 
       FIGS. 23-38  show several configurations of door catches  10  where the catch bar is horizontally adjustable with respect to its mounting surface. This may be desirable when a specific distance between the open door and wall needs to be maintained.  FIGS. 23-31  illustrate horizontal adjustment using a serrated catch bar and catch bar base with complementary serrations.  FIG. 23  shows a top perspective view of a door catch with a catch bar  55  and catch bar base  57  where the position of the detent  19  from the wall  13  or doorframe is adjustable. The ball catch base is shown secured to a door  11 . The detent  19  is shown in hidden lines.  FIG. 24  shows a cross sectional view of the door catch  10  of  FIG. 23  taken along section lines  24 - 24  with the catch bar base secured to the wall  13  and the ball catch base secured to the door  11 . The door  11  is illustrated as having a fiberglass or metal frame, and the wall including a wood member. As previously described, the door catch  10  can be mounted to most common residential door and wall materials.  FIG. 25  shows a cross sectional view of the door catch  10  of  FIG. 23  taken along section lines  24 - 24  with a spacer  59 .  FIG. 26  shows a top view of the catch bar  55  of  FIG. 23 .  FIG. 27  shows a bottom view of the catch bar  55  of  FIG. 23 .  FIG. 28  shows a side view of the catch bar  55  of  FIG. 23 .  FIG. 29  shows a top view of the catch bar base  57  of  FIG. 23 .  FIG. 30  shows a sectional view of the catch bar base  57  of  FIG. 29  taken along section lines  30 - 30 .  FIG. 31  shows a top perspective view of the catch bar base  57  of  FIG. 29 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 23 , the door catch  10  includes the ball catch base  17  previously described for  FIGS. 6-10 , the catch bar  55  and catch bar base  57 . Referring to  FIGS. 27-28 , the catch bar  55  includes a detent  19  that frictionally engages the ball plunger assembly  21 ; the ball plunger assembly  21  is illustrated frictionally engaging the catch bar  55  in  FIGS. 24-25 . The force of friction between the ball plunger assembly  21  and the catch bar  55  is adjustable by rotationally engaging the ball plunger assembly  21  causing it to move up or down depending on the direction of rotation as previously described. The distance between the catch bar base  57  and the ball catch base  17  can be adjusted by extending the catch bar  55  along the catch bar base  57 . A slot  61 , shown in  FIGS. 23 , and  26 - 27 , can adjustably secure the position of the catch bar  55  relative to the catch bar base  57 . Complementary serrations on the bottom surface of the catch bar  55 , shown in  FIGS. 23-25 , and  27 - 28 , and the catch bar base  57 , shown in  FIGS. 23-25 , and  29 - 31  ensure that the when secured, slippage may not occur between the catch bar  55  and catch bar base  57  under the forces exerted by the door. The threaded fastener  25  is illustrated in  FIGS. 23-25 .  FIGS. 29-30  show the threaded aperture  37  for receiving the threaded fastener  25 . 
     The catch bar  55  of  FIGS. 23-28  can be manufactured in different standard lengths to accommodate various distance ranges between the door and wall/doorframe. Alternatively, a universal catch bar can be supplied that can be designed to be cut to length to accommodate a specific installation requirement. In  FIG. 25  a spacer  59  secured to the front of the catch bar base  57  to provide a bumper surface between the catch bar base  57  and the ball catch base  17 . The spacer  59  is shown secured to the catch bar base  57  by a threaded fastener  25 . The spacer  59  can similarly be secured by a spring-loaded snap fit fastener. 
       FIGS. 30-31  show the mounting portions  51  projecting perpendicularly upwardly and downwardly away from the horizontal plane of the catch bar base  57 . As previously discussed, the mounting portion  51  includes apertures  23 . The apertures  23  of the catch bar bracket  15  are round and countersunk to prevent any possibility of vertical or horizontal movement within the hole so as to withstand the rotational torque of the door with respect to its hinges in order prevent the door from sagging over time as previously discussed. 
       FIG. 32  shows a top view of the door catch  10  alternatively constructed where the position of the detent from the door  11  or alternatively the wall is adjustable by a threaded rod  63 .  FIG. 33  shows a sectional view of  FIG. 32  taken along section lines  32 - 32  showing the door catch assembly in the catch position between the door  11  and wall  13 .  FIG. 34  shows a side exploded view of catch bar assembly  65  of  FIG. 32  showing the detent  19  in broken lines representing hidden lines. Referring to  FIGS. 32-34 , the catch bar assembly  65  includes the threaded rod  63 , a mounting base  67 , jamb nut  69 , and a catch bumper  71 . Referring to  FIG. 34 , the mounting base  67  and the catch bumper  71  include a threaded aperture  37  for receiving the threaded rod  63 . The jamb nut  69  locks the threaded rod  63  in place once the distance is adjusted. The threaded rod  63  can come in a variety of standard lengths to accommodate specified distances between the door  11  and wall  13  of  FIGS. 32-33 . Optionally, a universal length version of the threaded rod  63  can provided and cut to length by the door installer. The ball catch base  17  of  FIGS. 32-33  and the ball plunger assembly  21  of  FIG. 33  can be the same ball catch base  17  and ball plunger assembly  21  as previously described in  FIGS. 6-10 . The apertures  23  of the mounting base  67  are round and countersunk to prevent any possibility of vertical or horizontal movement within the hole so as to withstand the rotational torque of the door with respect to its hinges in order prevent the door from sagging over time as previously discussed. 
       FIG. 35  shows a top view of the door catch  10  of alternative construction where the position of the catch bar detent from the wall or doorframe is adjustable by a rod and pin arrangement.  FIG. 36  shows a sectional view of the door catch  10  of  FIG. 32  taken along section lines  36 - 36 .  FIG. 37  shows a side exploded view of the catch bar assembly  65  of  FIG. 35 .  FIG. 38  shows a bottom exploded view of the catch bar assembly  65  of  FIG. 35  showing the detent  19 . Referring to  FIGS. 35-37 , the catch bar assembly  65  includes a non-threaded rod  73 , a mounting base  67 , holding pins  75 , and a catch bumper  71 . Referring to  FIG. 37 , the mounting base  67  and the catch bumper  71  each include an aperture  23  for receiving the non-threaded rod  73 . Each of the apertures  23  is indicated by broken lines.  FIG. 38  shows a series of apertures  23  in the non-threaded rod  73  and a corresponding apertures  23  in the mounting base  67  and the catch bumper  71  for receiving the holding pin  75  of  FIG. 37 . In  FIG. 36 , the holding pins  75  are inserted in place in the non-threaded rod  73  once the distance is adjusted. The non-threaded rod  73  of  FIGS. 35-38  can come in a variety of standard lengths to accommodate specified distances between the door and the wall. Optionally, a universal length version of the non-threaded rod  73  can provided and cut to length by the door installer. The ball catch base  17  of  FIGS. 35-36  and the ball plunger assembly  21  of  FIG. 36  can be the same ball catch base  17  and ball plunger assembly  21  as previously described in  FIGS. 6-10 . The apertures  23  of the mounting base  67  are round and countersunk to prevent any possibility of vertical or horizontal movement within the hole so as to withstand the rotational torque of the door with respect to its hinges in order prevent the door from sagging over time as previously discussed. 
     The door catch of this disclosure may readily be adapted for use with a pivot door.  FIG. 39  shows an upper portion of a pivot door  77  in a partially open position in top front perspective view. An alternative version of the door catch  10  is shown mounted to the top of the pivot door  77  with respect to a doorframe  79 .  FIG. 40  shows a bottom view of the pivot door  77 , the door catch  10  of  FIG. 39 , the doorframe  79 , and the wall  13  with the pivot door  77  in the closed position.  FIG. 41  shows a bottom view of the pivot door  77  and door catch  10  of  FIG. 39  with the pivot door  77  in the open position and with the door catch  10  fully engaged.  FIG. 41  shows the pivot door  77  in relation to the doorframe  79  and the wall  13 . In  FIGS. 39-40 , the door catch  10  includes a ball catch base  17  and a catch bar bracket  15 . The same ball catch base  17  can be used as previously described, for example, in  FIGS. 6-10 ,  23 - 25 , and  32 - 33 . Using the same ball catch base  17  across multiple applications simplifies manufacturing, forecasting, and inventory management. 
       FIGS. 42-46  shows the catch bar bracket  15  of  FIGS. 39-40  in several views.  FIG. 42  shows the catch bar bracket  15  in a front perspective view,  FIG. 43  in front view,  FIG. 44  in side, and  FIG. 45  in bottom view. Referring to  FIGS. 42-45  the catch bar bracket  15  of  FIGS. 39-40  includes a downward facing L-bracket portion  81  and a planar-back mounting portion  83 . The planar-back mounting portion  83  is shown with apertures  23  for mounting the planar back to doorframe  79  of  FIGS. 39-41 . The apertures  23  of the catch bar bracket  15  of  FIGS. 42-43 , and  46  are round and countersunk to prevent any possibility of vertical or horizontal movement within the hole so as to withstand the rotational torque of the door with respect to its hinges in order prevent the door from sagging over time as previously discussed. In  FIG. 46  the catch bar bracket  15  is shown secured to the doorframe  79  with threaded fasteners  25 . A metal stiffener plate  85  is shown to provide added support if needed. In  FIG. 44-45 , the bottom the downward facing l-bracket portion  81  includes the detent  19  for frictionally engaging the top of the ball plunger assembly  21  of  FIG. 46 . Note that in  FIG. 46 , the ball plunger assembly  21  and the corresponding ball catch base  17  is mounted in the opposite direction as in  FIG. 6-10 . This reversible configuration allows the ball catch base  17  to be used in a variety of different applications. In  FIG. 46 , the ball catch base  17  is shown mounted to the door  11  with the mounting portion  35  facing downward. As in the other disclosed configurations, the ball plunger assembly  21  is rotationally adjustable from below. 
       FIG. 47  shows an alternative door catch in top perspective view mounted to the bottom of a door  11  and wall  13 .  FIG. 48  shows a sectional view of the door catch of  FIG. 47  shown along section lines  48 - 48 . Referring to  FIGS. 47-48 , the door is shown with the catch bar bracket  15  frictionally engaged with the ball plunger assembly  21  of the ball catch base  17  to hold the door open. The ball catch base  17  is shown with mounting portion extending perpendicularly upward and downward for additional support. This configuration allows the ball catch base  17  to be fully supported in either the upward facing or downward facing direction. In  FIGS. 47-48 , where the door catch  10  is mounted at the bottom of the door, the slot  27  of the ball plunger assembly  21  is facing upward for easy adjustment with a screwdriver or the like from above. As the ball plunger assembly is rotated so it screws downward and into the ball catch base  17 , the ball plunger assembly  21  and catch bar bracket  15  become more frictionally engaged. As the ball plunger assembly is rotated so it screws upward and out of the ball catch base  17 , the ball plunger assembly  21  and the catch bar bracket  15  become less frictionally engaged. Also shown in  FIGS. 47-48  are the threaded fasteners  25  and aperture  23  for receiving the threaded fasteners  25  into either the door  11  or wall  13 . In  FIG. 48 , both the wall  13  and the door  11  are shown as wood. The door  11  or wall  13  can also be any combination of standard door and wall materials. For example, the wall  13  can be drywall, metal, or concrete or a fiberglass frame and the door can include a fiberglass or metal frame structure in addition to the illustrated wood structure. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize other suitable door and wall materials. 
     The door catch thus far described has been applied to frictionally hold a door in an open position. It may also be desirable to frictionally hold a door in a closed position. For example, local fire and safety codes may require certain exit door include a crash bar or “panic bar” where a simple push on the bar releases the door for easy egress during an emergency. Many historical buildings require that their facade be maintained including the original doors and these may not suitable or adaptable for integration of a panic bar. In this situation it may be possible to adapt the door catch  10  described thus far to function in the closed position. For example by extending perpendicular brackets outward from the inside of the door and the wall to provide suitable mounting surfaces for the catch bar bracket  15  and ball catch base  17  while the door is in the closed position. 
     A novel door catch has been described. It is not the intent of this disclosure to limit the claimed invention to the examples, variations, and exemplary embodiments described in the specification. Those skilled in the art will recognize that variations will occur when embodying the claimed invention in specific implementations and environments. As an example, while the catch bar bracket is shown in specific examples mounted to a door and in others mounted to a wall, those skilled in the art will readily recognize from the disclosure that the catch bar bracket can be mounted on either the door or the wall in any of the examples. The same can be said for the ball catch base. In addition, various materials, for example, wood, metal, fiberglass, or drywall has been shown for the wall material in specific examples. Similarly, various material variations have been shown for the door. It should be understood, that the choice of material is simply as an aid in understanding the broad scope for which the disclosed door catch can be utilized. In each example, any of the other disclosed materials as well as any standard material for commercial or residential door and wall construction can be used to mount the door catch. 
     It is possible to implement certain features described in separate embodiments in combination within a single embodiment. Similarly, it is possible to implement certain features described in single embodiments either separately or in combination in multiple embodiments. It is the intent of the inventor that these variations fall within the scope of the claimed invention. While the examples, exemplary embodiments, and variations are helpful to those skilled in the art in understanding the claimed invention, it should be understood that, the scope of the claimed invention is defined solely by the following claims and their equivalents.

Technology Classification (CPC): 8