EP0229760B1

EP0229760B1 - Stop

Info

Publication number: EP0229760B1
Application number: EP85905245A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ulla Strandlund
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1984-10-25
Filing date: 1985-10-17
Publication date: 1989-07-05
Also published as: SE444204B; DK156140B; DK297586A; DK156140C; SE8405335D0; WO1986002691A1; SE8405335L; DE3571335D1; EP0229760A1; DK297586D0

Abstract

Stop for retaining, when so desired, a door leaf (2) suspended from a frame (1) by means of a number of hinges (3), in an open position. The stop has two abutment bodies (6, 6') which are interconnected by means of a thin central piece (7). The central piece and at least one abutment body have a smaller thickness than the gap formed between the door leaf and the frame when the door is open, such that this abutment body and the central piece can be inserted through the gap. By turning the stop 90o after insertion thereof, it is activated, such that the door leaf is locked in the open position.

Description

Technical field of the invention

This invention relates to a stop for retaining, when so desired, a closure unit, such as a door leaf, a casement or other closure member, in an open position, said closure unit being of the type which is suspended from a frame by means of a number of hinges allowing pivotal movement of the closure unit between a closed position flush with such frame and an open position which makes an angle with the frame and in which a gap is formed between the frame and said unit.

Background of the invention

A door may sometimes give rise to more or less serious injuries from pinching. In fact, it happens rather often that children, for instance, have their fingers between the rear edge of the door leaf and the surrounding frame when the door leaf, either intentionally or accidentally, is caused to move from the open position towards the closed position. In order to avoid the risk of such accidents, special doorstops have been developed for reliably retaining the door leaf in the open position as long as desirable and are used for instance in day nurseries, flats etc. Door-stops hitherto used in this connection consist of a leaf spring provided at opposite ends with rubber feet intended to be pressed against the supporting floor once the leaf spring has been depressed and inserted underneath the door leaf. A major drawback of such door-stops however is that they tend to lift the door leaf. If, as is generally the case of present-day doors, the door leaf is light, it can be urged upwards to such an extent that it will fall off the hinges. Another notable drawback isthatthe stops concerned are relatively expensive. It should also be pointed out that a child is able without any major difficulties to remove such door-stops from underneath the door leaf which thus becomes freely pivotal.
In order to prevent injuries from pinching, it has also been suggested to permanently close the gap between the door leaf and the frame by mounting elongated resilient members between the door leaf and the frame (US-A-2,910,741). These undoubtedly serve their purpose but are difficultto mount and, in many cases, may imply an aesthetically unacceptable solution.
Another approach (US-A-2,681,479) in the same sense resides in mounting a resilient strip with a bead adjacent the connection of the door leaf to the door frame, such that the bead will resiliently move into the interstice or gap between the door leaf and the frame when the door is opened. This construction is however complicated to use since it must be removed throughout its entire length to permit closing the door.
US-A-1,944,101 discloses a cylindrical rubber body having a hook for suspension from a hinge, for use as a door-stop to prevent a door from being opened to an excessive extent. This construction does not stop the movements of the door leaf but in one direction and does not obviate the risk of injuries from pinching when the door moves in the direction of closure. Published and cancelled Swedish patent application 8204452-0 discloses the use of such a cylindrical body provided with a suspension hook, which is suspended on the other side of the door leaf to serve as a door-stop preventing closure of the door. There is still a risk of injuries from pinching, in this case when the door is fully opened. Therefore, the construction using a cylindrical body with a suspension hook is not satisfactory in all respects, if the risk of injuries from pinching should be completely obviated.

Brief description of the inventive concept

The present invention aims at overcoming the drawbacks of previously known door-stops of the above-related types by providing a stop which is cheap to manufacture and can be mounted substantially out of children's reach while at the same time the door leaf is not subjected to any upward pressure and the door is blocked against both closure and opening movements. Thus, the invention sets out from a known door-stop in order to retain, when so desired, a closure unit, such as a door leaf, a casement or other closure member, in an open position, said closure unit being of the type which is suspended from a frame by means of a number of hinges allowing pivotal movement of the closure unit between a closed position. flush with the frame and an open position which makes an angle with the frame and in which a gap is formed between the frame and said unit, said stop comprising a member insertable in the gap and an abutment body associated therewith for engaging the frame and the closure unit in the open position thereof. The drawbacks of such a known door-stop are overcome if the stop, in accordance with the present invention, is characterized in that it has two abutment bodies 6, 6', 6", 10, 10' which are interconnected by means of the member 7, 7', 15, 15' insertable in the gap 9 and forming a central piece, that the central piece 7, 7', 15, 15' is narrower than the width of the gap 9, that both the central piece and at least one abutment body 6, 6', 10, 10' have a thickness which is smaller than the width of the gap 9 to allow inserting the abutment body and the central piece laterally through the gap, and that both abutment bodies 6, 6', 6", 10, 10' have a larger width than thickness and are wider than the gap 9 in order, after the stop has been inserted edgewise through the gap and subsequently turned substantially 90° to an active position, to counteract and prevent pivotal movement of the closure unit 2 relative to the frame 1.
Although the invention will be described hereinbelow with reference more precisely to door leaves, it will be understood that the stop according to the invention can also be used for retaining other closure units, such as casements, hatches or the like.

Brief description of the accompanying drawings

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a stop according to the invention applied to a door, Fig. 2 is a horizontal section showing the same stop and door, and Figs. 3-12 are perspective views and end views illustrating a number of different alternative embodiments of the stop according to the invention.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention

In Figs. 1 and 2, 1 designates a frame and 2 a door leaf which is suspended in a conventional manner from the frame by means of a number of hinges 3 of which only the topmost is shown in Fig. 1. A conventional handle on the door leaf 2 is designated 4. It goes without saying that the door leaf 2 is pivotal between a closed position flush with the frame 1 and the open position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In the latter position, the door leaf advantageously, but not necessarily, extends at right angles to the plane of the frame.
Reference is now also made to Figs. 3 and 4 illustrating a first alternative embodiment of a doorstop 5 which according to the principle of the invention comprises two abutment bodies 6, 6' which are interconnected through a relatively thin intermediate or central piece 7. In this embodiment, each of the two bodies 6, 6' is round and, more specifically, has a substantially cylindrical shape. In practice, this can be achieved in that a strip-shaped blank is cut off and formed into two cylindrical tubes having a central hollow 8. This embodiment is particularly advantageous in that the stop can be hung on the handle 4 with the handle extending into the hollow 8. The stop may consist of plastic or metal.
In practice, the length of the two abutment bodies may amount to 5-10 mm, suitably about 7 mm. The diameter may amount to 30-80, suitably 40-60 mm.

Mode of operation of the invention

The door-stop described above is placed in the intended position by being inserted edgewise in the space or gap 9 (see Fig. 1) which is formed between the frame 1 and the door leaf 2 when this is swung out to its open position. This is possible since the stop has an axial extent or thickness (5-10 mm) which is less than the width of the gap 9. The stop is thereafter turned 90° and is allowed to descend onto the hinge 3 to be carried thereby. In this position, the two cylindrical bodies or parts 6, 6' will act as abutment means. Assuming that the door leaf 2 in Fig. 2 is subjected to a force tending to move it counterclockwise, the body 6' will then, by the movement of the door leaf, be subjected to a force tending to pull the central piece 7 inwardly through the gap. This tractive movement is however counteracted by the body 6 engaging the outer side of the frame and the outer side of the door leaf; in practice, this means that the door leaf is retained in its open position as long as the stop remains in said gap.
When the door leaf tends to pivot clockwise, the body 6' will similarly act as a stop or abutment which, in combination with the body 6, prevents the door leaf from opening further.

Brief description of further embodiments of the invention

In Figs. 5 and 6, there is illustrated an alternative stop 5' in which the two abutment bodies 10, 10' are angular or more precisely Y-shaped. This stop may advantageously be obtained by extrusion of plastic or metal, the blank produced being cut to suitable lengths to yield the desired stop.
In Figs. 7 and 8, there is illustrated a stop 5" whose central piece 7' consists of a resilient or elastically extensible material, such as rubber. In this embodiment, the two abutment bodies 6, 6' can be caused to abut with a certain pressure against, on the one hand, the frame and, on the other hand, the outer side of the door leaf and the rear edge thereof, respectively, so as to obtain a more distinct retention of the door leaf in the desired open position.
In Fig. 9, there is shown a stop similar to the stop in Fig. 3, however with the exception that one abutment body 6" has an axial length or thickness which considerably exceeds the thickness of the other abutment body 6'. In this manner, the abutment body 6" will be heavier than the other body, whereby the stop will constantly and automatically tend to occupy a correct, substantially horizontal position when it is allowed to descend onto the hinge concerned.
In Fig. 10, there is shown an embodiment in which at least one annular abutment body 6 can be supplemented with a special detachable weight 14 serving the same purpose as the abutment body 6" in Fig. 9.
In Figs. 11 and 12, there is illustrated an embodiment in which two annular abutment bodies 6, 6' are interconnected by means of two thin central pieces 15, 15' of an elastically yielding material (such as spring steel). In its unactuated state as shown in Fig. 11, the stop can be inserted edgewise in the gap 9, whereupon the central pieces are tensioned by turning the stop 90°, such that said pieces are clamped between the outer edge portion of the frame 1, on the one hand, and the inner edge portion of the door leaf 2, on the other hand, as indicated in Fig 12.
Naturally, the invention is not restricted only to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings. Thus, it is possible to modify the geometrical configuration of the abutment bodies in several different ways within the scope of the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. Stop for retaining, when so desired, a closure unit (2), such as a door leaf, a casement or other closure member, in an open position, said closure unit being of the type which is suspended from a frame (1) by means of a number of hinges (3) allowing pivotal movement of the closing unit between a closed position flush with said frame and an open position which makes an angle with the frame and in which a gap (9) is formed between the frame and said unit, said stop comprising a member (7, 7') insertable in said gap and an abutment body (6, 6', 6", 10, 10') associated therewith for engaging the frame and the closure unit in the open position thereof, characterized in that it has two abutment bodies (6, 6', 6", 10, 10') which are interconnected by means of the member (7, 7', 15, 15') insertable in the gap (9) and forming a central piece, that said central piece (7, 7', 15, 15') is narrower than the width of the gap (9), that both the central piece and at least one abutment body (6, 6', 10, 10') have a thickness which is smaller than the width of the gap (9) to permit inserting the abutment body and the central piece laterally through the gap, and that the two abutment bodies (6, 6', 6", 10, 10') have a larger width than thickness and are wider than the gap (9) in order, after the stop has been inserted edgewise through the gap and subsequently turned substantially 90° to an active position, to counteract and prevent pivotal movement of the closure unit (2) relative to the frame (1).

2. Stop as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that at least one abutment body (6, 6') has a round, suitably cylindrical shape.

3. Stop as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that at least one abutment body (10, 10') is angular, for instance Y-shaped.

4. Stop as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the central piece (7') is resilient or elastically extensible.

5. Stop as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one abutment body (6) has a hollow (8) permitting suspending the stop (5), for instance from a door handle (4).