Abstract:
Disclosed is a remotely operable opening mechanism for potentially booby-trapped latched panels, comprising a clamp member for clampable engagement with a structure on said panel, and a displaceable actuator mounted on said clamp member, said displaceable actuator having a protruding element engageable with a latch on said latched panel and a coupling element for connection to a line to permit remote activation of said actuator to release said latch and thereby permit said latched panel to be opened by remotely pulling on said clamp member.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/301,809 filed Jul. 2, 2001, incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to tools used to remotely manipulate vehicle, enclosure or building access where there is a potentially dangerous or hazardous situation.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    When trying to open doors, cabinets, drawers or other panels in a potentially dangerous or hazardous environment, there is a requirement to quickly and remotely manipulate these items to safely pull them open from a safe distance. The same requirement arises when attempting to clear and declare safe a potentially booby-trapped vehicle or when removing a suspect package from an office or vehicle via length of rope.  
           [0004]    Presently, a bomb technician, or other law enforcement officer, must improvise some device for this purpose. The devices are commonly improvised using already existing and readily available items such as vice-grips, rope, duct tape and hooks, which need to be configured and adapted according to each unique situation.  
           [0005]    Many times these panels are also latched in some manner, requiring that the latch be manually released prior to opening the panel.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    Disclosed is a remotely operable latched panel opening mechanism designed to both release a latch on a panel and open the panel after the latch has been released.  
           [0007]    According to one aspect, the remotely operable latched panel opening mechanism for potentially booby-trapped latch panels comprises a clamp member for clampable engagement with a structure on said panel, and a displaceable actuator mounted on said clamp member. The displaceable actuator has a protruding element engageable with a latch on said latched panel and a coupling element for connection to a line to permit remote activation of said actuator to release said latch and thereby permit said latched panel to be opened by remotely pulling on said clamp member. The panel may be a door, a drawer, a car hood or any other such barrier means. The line may be a rope, cable chain or the likes, serving as a pulling means.  
           [0008]    These clamps mainly consist of two arms, each having a jaw end and a handle end. The two members are pivotably joined by means to maintain the clamp in the closed position when released. Further, one of the members of these clamps has a passage for an adjustable blocking element, which abuts on the other member. The jaw ends of the clamp can have different teeth configurations to allow clamping engagement with the structure to be remotely manipulated.  
           [0009]    The displaceable actuator allows a latch to be remotely released in a separate action from using the clamp to open the panel. The displaceable actuator includes pivoting and sliding adjusting mechanisms for adaptation to particular situations.  
           [0010]    In another embodiment, there is provided a method of opening potentially booby-trapped latched panels using a remotely operable opening mechanism comprising a clamp member and a displaceable actuator mounted on said clamp member, said displaceable actuator having a protruding element and a coupling element, the method comprising the steps of clamping the clamp member with a structure on the panel, engaging the protruding element with a latch on the panel, and connecting the coupling element to a line to permit remote activation of said actuator to release said latch and thereby permit said latched panel to be opened by remotely pulling on said clamp member.  
           [0011]    In another embodiment, there is provided a kit of remotely opening latched panels, comprising a clamp member for clampable engagement with a structure on said panel, and a displaceable actuator mounted on said clamp member, said displaceable actuator having a protruding element engageable with a latch on said latched panel and a coupling element for connection to a line to permit remote activation of said actuator to release said latch and thereby permit said latched panel to be opened by remotely pulling on said clamp member.  
           [0012]    The mechanism allows law enforcement officers to release and open potentially booby-trapped panels.  
           [0013]    Other aspects and advantages of embodiments of the invention will be readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon a review of the following description. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]    Embodiments of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a clamp in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 2 illustrates a bolt that may be used as a blocking means to adjust the gap between the teeth of a clamp;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a finger latch attachment;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of the finger latch attachment of FIG. 3;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of the finger latch attachment of FIG. 3;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of the finger latch attachment of FIG. 3 mounted on the clamp of FIG. 1;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of a thumb latch attachment;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 8 illustrates a top view of the thumb latch attachment of FIG. 7;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 9 illustrates a side view of the thumb latch attachment of FIG. 7;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 10 illustrates a perspective view of the thumb latch attachment of FIG. 7 fastened to the clamp of FIG. 1;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an example of a clamp of larger dimension;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating the teeth shape of a basic small nose clamp;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 13 is a side view of a small long nose clamp;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 14 is a side view of a small short nose clamp;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 15 is a perspective view illustrating the teeth shape of a small needle nose clamp;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 16 is a side view of a small needle nose clamp;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 17 is a perspective view illustrating the teeth shape of a inner locking clamp;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 18 is a side view of a small inner locking clamp;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 19 is a top view of a large inner locking clamp;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 20 is a side view of the large inner locking clamp of FIG. 19;  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 21 is a top view of a large double inner locking clamp;  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 22 is a side view of the large double inner locking clamp of FIG. 21;  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 23 is a perspective view illustrating the teeth shape of a small flat clamp;  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 24 is a side view of a small flat clamp;  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 25 is a perspective view illustrating the teeth shape of a basic small clamp for use with vehicle door handles;  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 26 is a side view of a small round clamp;  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 27 is a side view of a small v-nose clamp;  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 28 is a top view of a hood latch;  
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 29 is a side view of the hood latch of FIG. 28;  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 30 is a top view of a spring loaded car door pull;  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 31 is a side view of spring loaded car door pull of FIG. 30;  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 32 is a top view of a locking car door pull; and  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 33 is a side view of the locking car door pull of FIG. 32. 
     
    
       [0048]    This invention will now be described in detail with respect to certain specific representative embodiments thereof, the materials, apparatus and process steps being understood as examples that are intended to be illustrative only. In particular, the invention is not intended to be limited to the methods, materials, conditions, process parameters, apparatus and the like specifically recited herein.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0049]    A basic clamp member is shown in FIG. 1. This comprises two clamp arms  1 ,  2 , each having a jaw end  3  and a handle end  4 . The jaw end  3  can embrace different teeth configurations as described below. The jaw end  3  is used for clamping engagement with a structure on a panel, such as a door knob or handle. In an exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, there are two teeth  10 , which are curved and sharpened so that the clamp member can be placed over and behind the structure to be pulled via pulling means, such as a cable or a rope (not shown). The members are pivotably joined together by means  5  (typically a spring) to maintain the clamp in clamping engagement with the structure to be pulled when released.  
         [0050]    Since these clamps are sometimes pulled with excess force, blocking means (illustrated in FIG. 2) can be used to avoid opening of the clamp when pulled. As an example, the blocking means is shown in FIG. 2 to be a screw  55 . The blocking means cooperates with a passage  9  in one arm of the clamp to abut on the opposite interior side of the other arm of the clamp. This blocking means is adjustable to variable depth depending on the desired gap between the jaw teeth  10 .  
         [0051]    Preferably, the clamp has a hole  8  in the handle end  4  of at least one arm to allow attachment of a pulling means (not shown), preferably a rope or a cable. Alternatively, the pulling means may attach at two holes  8  in each handle end. There is provision of a second passage  7  to fasten accessories or tools with the blocking means to be used in cooperation with the clamps  
         [0052]    As mentioned above, quite often the panel to be opened has a latch which must first be released. In this case, the clamp is used with a displaceable actuator designed to release a latch on a panel to be opened. A first such tool is shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and  5 . This finger latch mechanism  50  is used when a latch, usually designed to be pulled by a finger, has to be retracted prior to opening a panel, such as a door. This finger latch  50  comprises a latch operation end  20  having a boss  21  shaped to protrude behind the latch to pull on it. A pulling end  26  has a hole  27  used to attach pulling means (not shown), preferably a rope or a cable or any type of line to permit remote activation of actuation to release the latch. The latch operation end  20  and the pulling end  26  are joined together by two bars  24 ,  25 . A sliding element  23  movably retains the bars  24 ,  25  over the clamp with a second blocking means  22 .  
         [0053]    This mechanism is preferably bolted to the clamp via hole  7  after the clamp has been positioned on the structure to be pulled. FIG. 6 shows the finger latch  50  mounted on clamp  40 . The entire mechanism can be mounted upside down if needed, in particular when the finger latch is hinged horizontally along the length of a door handle. The rope is attached to the mechanism such that the attachment slides along the length of the clamp when the rope is pulled.  
         [0054]    In operation, the clamp is installed over a structure to be pulled, such as a handle, adjacent to the latch. The finger latch attachment  50  is installed such that the boss  21  is behind the latch to be pulled. A line serving as pulling means (not shown) is attached to the hole  27  in the pulling end  26  of the mechanism. The latch is then retracted by operating the latch attachment  50  by remotely pulling the line, and the door can then be opened by continuing to pull on the line.  
         [0055]    A second such displaceable actuator  60  is shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and  9 . This thumb latch mechanism is used when a latch, usually designed to be pushed by a thumb, has to be pressed prior to opening a door. This thumb latch  60  comprises a latch operation end  57 , a pivoting portion  55  and a pulling end  59 . The pivoting portion  55  and the pulling end  59  form an arcuate elongated member. The latch operation end  57  is at the opposite end of the pulling end  59  and is substantially perpendicular to the pivoting portion  55 . The pivoting portion comprises a series of holes  54  spaced to adapt to a wide variety of thumb latch spacing dimensions. The pulling end  59  has a hole  56  used to attach pulling means (not shown). The distance between the selected hole  54  according to the situation and the pulling end hole  56  provides the necessary lever action to push on the latch. FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate the bolt  65  threaded in a selected hole. The latch operation end  57  has an adjustably mounted plunger  51  to press on the latch. An elongated hole  58  provides a first axis adjustment of a plunging means  51 . The adjustments on the plungers on the plunger  51  help to accurately position the plunger  51  for maximum force. A threaded element joining the plunger  51  to a knob  53 , in cooperation with a bolt  52 , provides a second axis adjustment perpendicular to the first axis adjustment. When the plunger  51  is axially aligned with the center of the latch, the operator can block the plunger  51  in position by turning the knob  53 . The latch can now be pressed by pulling line attached to the pulling end hole  56 , and the door can be opened by pulling on the clamp.  
         [0056]    This mechanism is preferably bolted to the clamp via hole  7  after the clamp has been positioned on the structure to be pulled. FIG. 10 shows the thumb latch  60  mounted on the clamp member  40 . The whole mechanism can be oriented to accommodate various situations, as with the finger latch mechanism.  
         [0057]    With the use of the pulling means operating the clamp member and the displaceable actuator, a latch is released in an independent action from the pulling action of the clamp to open the panel. In an alternate embodiment, another pulling means is attached to the hole  8  of one handle end  4  of the clamp, such that one pulling means operates displaceable actuator and another pulling means operates the clamp.  
         [0058]    Various configurations of clamp teeth may be used on the jaw ends  3  of the clamp to be adapted to all kinds of structures, including hinges, knobs or handles. As will be obvious to one skilled in the art, the clamps can be also of various dimensions, adapted to the ease of installation. For most clamp dimensions, the external shape of the clamps are similar, but when the clamp become larger, the external shape changes, in order to obtain a larger gap  63  between the teeth, as seen in FIG. 11.  
         [0059]    The foregoing is by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. FIGS.  12  to  27  illustrate possible shapes of clamp teeth that may be used.  
         [0060]    [0060]FIG. 12 illustrates the basic shape of a small nose clamp. The clamp teeth size may vary. FIG. 13 illustrates a small long nose clamp, and FIG. 14 illustrates a small short nose clamp. The clamp of FIG. 14 is a shorter version of the clamp illustrated in FIG. 13, to allow it to fit in places where the longer clamp of FIG. 13 will not fit. Both these clamps are spring loaded clamps with a split in the opening end to enable the clamp to be fastened around hood latches that have a pull handle mechanism. The ends are curved and sharpened so that the clamp can be placed over and behind the structure to be operated via a rope, and the pull direction of the pulling means is along the length of the clamp.  
         [0061]    [0061]FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate a small needle nose clamp which is a spring loaded clamp with a narrow end to enable the clamp to be inserted and fastened around narrow items such as head rest supports, wires or other items where there is insufficient room for a larger clamp. The ends are curved and sharpened so that the clamp can be placed over and around the structure to be operated via a rope and the pull direction of the pulling means is along the length of the clamp.  
         [0062]    [0062]FIG. 17 illustrates the basic shape of an inner locking clamp. The clamp teeth size may vary. FIG. 18 illustrates a small inner locking clamp, which is a spring loaded clamp with a full width end to enable the clamp to be inserted and fastened around a variety of objects. It is a general purpose clamp that can be used to attach to vehicle door handles, vehicle rain gutters and numerous other surfaces and protrusions. The ends are curved and sharpened so that the clamp can be placed over and around the structure to be operated via a rope and the pull direction of the pulling means is along the length of the clamp.  
         [0063]    [0063]FIGS. 19 and 20 illustrate a large inner locking clamp, which is a larger version of the clamp of FIG. 18 with a full width jaw to enable the clamp to be inserted and fastened around a variety of objects. It is designed to attach to large railings, water pipes, road signs, wheel covers, car frames, commercial business door handles and may even be attached to 2″ pipe bombs. The ends are curved and sharpened so that the clamp can be placed over and around the structure to be operated via a rope and the pull direction of the pulling means is along the length of the clamp. This clamp is most often used with pulleys for change of direction during hook and line procedures.  
         [0064]    [0064]FIGS. 21 and 22 illustrate a large double inner locking clamp, which is a wider version of the clamp of FIGS. 19 and 20 with a triple width jaw to enable the clamp to be inserted and fastened around a variety of objects. It is designed to attach to large railings, water pipes, road signs, wheel covers, car frames, commercial business door handles and may even be attached to 2″ pipe bombs. With the increased width, the clamp will stay exactly where it is placed on a pipe and will not slide or twist when attached. The ends are curved and sharpened so that the clamp can be placed over and around the structure to be operated via a rope. This clamp is most often used with pulleys for change of direction during hook and line procedures.  
         [0065]    [0065]FIGS. 23 and 24 illustrate a small flat clamp, which is a spring loaded clamp with one side sharpened and curved and the other side flat. It is designed to attach to vehicle hood releases which are hinged on one side. The flat side is placed behind the hood release and the clamp is pushed all the way across the release until the curved end is completely around the hinge, and the pull direction of the pulling means is at 90 degrees to the length of the clamp. The ends are curved and sharpened so that the clamp can be placed over and around the item to be pulled via a rope.  
         [0066]    The clamp of FIG. 25 illustrates the basic shape of another small clamp. FIG. 26 illustrates a small round clamp of this type which is a spring loaded clamp with a sharpened and split end. While this clamp can be used for many other applications, it was specifically designed to hold the latch attachments in place on vehicle door handles. The clamp is attached to the vehicle door handle at right angles to the handle. The handle is placed in the first opening of the clamp since the clamp must be held firmly in position on the handle. The appropriate latch attachment either the thumb latch or finger latch mechanism is then bolted to the clamp via the threaded insert and a rope is attached to the latch attachment rather than to the clamp. As the rope is pulled in the appropriate manner, the attachment either depresses the thumb latch or pulls the finger latch behind the handle.  
         [0067]    The clamp of FIG. 27 is a small v-nose clamp which has a similar use to the clamp of FIG. 26. While this clamp can be used for many other applications, it was specifically designed to hold the latch attachments in place on vehicle door handles. The handle is placed in the first opening of the clamp since the clamp must be held firmly in position on the handle. The first opening in the clamp is smaller than that of FIG. 26. The clamp is used with the thumb latch attachment on narrower vehicle door handles, where the clamp of FIG. 26 is too large.  
         [0068]    Preferably, the thumb latch attachment is used in conjunction with the clamps of FIG. 26 and  27  when manipulating the car door handle, since the series of mounting holes accommodate the wide range of thumb latch spacing dimensions possible for vehicle door handles. This will permit the plunger  51  to be centered over the thumb latch so that when the rope is pulled, the plunger  51  will pivot on the appropriate mounting hole and depress the thumb latch mechanism. The choice of either the clamp of FIG. 26 or  27  is determined by the thickness of the vehicle door handle. The whole mechanism can be mounted upside down depending on whether the thumb latch is on the right or left side of the handle.  
         [0069]    The clamp of FIG. 27 is the primary clamp for use on finger latches, since the smaller opening prevents the clamp jaws from protruding too far behind the door handle, thus preventing the finger latch from retracting sufficiently enough to open the door. The clamp of FIG. 27 prevents the finger latch mechanism from retracting all the way on narrower door handles because the jaws almost meet when attached to the door handle at right angles. The clamp of FIG. 27 is also a spring loaded clamp with a sharpened and split end.  
         [0070]    In operation, the appropriate latch attachment is bolted to the clamp with teeth of FIG. 27 via the threaded insert, and a rope is attached to the latch attachment rather than the clamp. As the rope is pulled, the appropriate attachment either depresses the thumb latch or pulls the finger latch behind the handle. Once the latch is fully depressed, continued pull on the rope will cause the door to swing open. The first opening on this clamp is small so that the jaws do not protrude too far behind the handle and block the retraction of the finger latch, therefore, there is a limited portion of the clamp jaws attached to the door handle.  
         [0071]    The clamping member may also be a specialized clamp member designed for specific situations. FIGS. 28 and 29 illustrate a hood release  70  which is designed to attach to structures which are hinged, flat or have a lip where only one side of the clamp can be inserted. It can also be attached to engine compartment hood release mechanisms, as well as to the hood itself, to pull the hood open after the locking mechanism has been manipulated. The clamp member comprises a body  71  having a split jaw  72  defining two teeth  73  and a split  74 . The slide spring  75  is retracted to open the jaw  72  so that the end can be fitted behind the structure to be pulled. When attached, it will hold itself in place via the spring  75 . The jaws are split so that the clamp can be attached around protruding portions to whatever it is attached.  
         [0072]    [0072]FIGS. 30 and 31 illustrate a spring loaded car door pull, which is designed as a universal, hinged car door handle attachment which when attached to the door handle is held in place by the spring tension. The clamp has been designed to take advantage of the raised lip on the rear edge of all door handles of this type. This raised portion of the handle helps keep the fingers from sliding off the handle during opening. It also acts as a drip lip and runs the entire length of the handle on the reverse side. The narrow portion of the clamp is placed behind the handle and over top of the raised portion on the rear edge of the handle. There is sufficient tension on the clamp to keep the clamp attached to the handle during the pull. The spring tension is sufficient in almost all cases to prevent the clamp from sliding over the raised edge of the handle and disengaging. The larger rounded portion of the clamp provides a larger surface friction on the front of the handle surface and helps keep the clamp from sliding or twisting during normal pulls. The pull is kept substantially perpendicular to the door handle, since it is only the substantial spring tension which holds the clamp in place.  
         [0073]    [0073]FIGS. 32 and 33 illustrate a locking car door pull, which is designed as a universal, hinged car door handle attachment which can be manually locked on the handle by turning the threaded eye bolt on the end. There are instances where there is a misalignment of the car door on its frame which makes it difficult to open the door by pulling even after the door mechanism has functioned correctly. This misalignment can cause the clamp of FIGS. 30 and 31 to break away from the door handle when the pull is particularly difficult, since it is only held in place by the spring tension. In these situations the clamp of FIGS. 32 and 33 can be forcefully attached so that it will not slide off during the pull. The flat portion of the clamp is placed behind the door handle taking advantage of the raised portion of the handle. This raised edge is present on the reverse side edge of all door handles of this type. It prevents the fingers from slipping off the handle when pulling it open. The wide round portion of the opposite side of the clamp provides a wider surface area on the front of the handle to increase the holding ability and prevent the clamp from twisting during the pull. The direction of pull is not as critical when this clamp is forcefully attached.  
         [0074]    To be ready for any situation, all the parts are part of a kit, which can include a set of clamps of different shapes, dimensions and jaw teeth, along with the finger latch and thumb latch mechanisms and their accessories. The kit is brought to the site by the intervention team, so that they can select the proper clamp(s)/accessory(ries) in view of the situation.  
         [0075]    Numerous modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.