EP2238304B1

EP2238304B1 - Antipanic kit for doors

Info

Publication number: EP2238304B1
Application number: EP07866817A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Fausto Fustini; Stefano Mencarelli
Original assignee: CISA SpA
Current assignee: CISA SpA
Priority date: 2007-12-19
Filing date: 2007-12-19
Publication date: 2013-02-27
Anticipated expiration: 2027-12-19
Also published as: ZA201005094B; RU2010129930A; EP2238304A2; CN101903609B; ES2405830T3; WO2009087692A2; RU2471052C2; UA101488C2; WO2009087692A3; PL2238304T3; DK2238304T3; CN101903609A

Abstract

An antipanic kit (1) for doors (2) of the type comprising an antipanic lock (3) provided with a push-operated handle (4) for retraction, by means of suitable guiding mechanisms, of at least one respective latch (5) which is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the lock (3), and of at least one retractable protrusion (6). The latch (5) protrudes from one end of the lock (3) and the at least one retractable protrusion (6) is connected to the lock (3) by means of a cable (8). Inside the lock (3), the end (9) of the guiding mechanisms is stably connected to one end (10) of the cable (8), the opposite end (1 1) is stably connected to means (12) for the retraction of the at least one retractable protrusion (6).

Description

Technical field

The present invention relates to an antipanic kit for doors.

Background art

Doors provided with locks of the antipanic type have a (generally transverse) element whose pressing entails the retraction of all the latches and bolts associated with the lock and therefore entails the free opening of the door by pushing.
This type of door is required in all public or private spaces as a consequence of specific statutory provisions.
Locks of the antipanic type can be fitted on practically any type of door, although the case of doors constituted by metal profiles is of particular interest.
This type of door is in fact widely used due to its constructive simplicity and excellent strength combined with good characteristics of resistance to external stresses (be they mechanical, thermal or corrosive).
By using for example profiled elements made of aluminum (or polymeric materials), it is possible to avoid the negative effects of oxidation, while the presence of the internal chambers ensures good thermal insulation between the inside and the outside of the door.
For these reasons, the adoption of doors made of metal profiles and double glazing units is extremely frequent in public places.
Doors made of wood (or of polymeric and/or composite laminates), in order to ensure better thermal insulation, also can be provided with hollow internal chambers to prevent the continuity of the material from constituting a bridge for heat conduction between the inside and the outside.
Antipanic locks suitable to be fitted to this type of door normally have three points of engagement on the jamb: a transverse tooth (latch), which is suitable to engage in a respective selvage aligned with the lock, and two retractable protrusions arranged at the upper and lower ends of the door.
The actual lock is connected to the two retractable protrusions by means of suitable lever systems arranged on the outside of the door and are normally protected against user contact by means of a housing.
It is evident that these lever systems and the respective housings have dimensions which are comparable to those of half a door (with reference to its longitudinal extension) and therefore their packaging and transport are complicated indeed due to their excessive overall dimensions.
Space occupation is also a problem in terms of storage of the packages of the lock.
Further, it is evident that the need to adapt the dimensions of the lever systems and especially of the housings to the (longitudinal) dimensions of the door onto which they are to be fitted entails customization work on the part of the personnel assigned to installing the device: cutting the housings and the other components is labor-intensive and economically onerous.
An antipanic lock that can be installed both on left and right opening doors is disclosed in the document FR 2 861 789 A1 . Document US 4 892 338 discloses a key operated lock, with upper and lower latches, suitable to be opened by pulling action of actuation rods, either flexible or rigid. An example of a multi-point door lock with flexible cable actuation that is pre-assembled in oredr to insure correct mounting on a door, is available from US 2007/0273158 A1 .

Disclosure of the Invention

The aim of the present invention is to provide an antipanic kit which has reduced dimensions.
Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide an antipanic kit for doors which can be installed easily and has minimal visual impact with respect to the door.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an antipanic kit for doors which can be packaged and stored in a warehouse with limited space occupation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an antipanic kit for doors which has a low cost, is relatively simple to provide in practice and is safe in application.
This aim and these and other objects, which will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by the antipanic kit for doors, according to the present invention that has the features set forth in claim 1.

Brief description of the drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of an antipanic kit for doors provided with internal chambers, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the antipanic kit according to the invention, according to a first embodiment;
Figure 2 is a view of the antipanic kit of Figure 1, in a configuration without the housing;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the antipanic kit according to the invention, according to a second embodiment;
Figure 4 is a view of the antipanic kit of Figure 3 in a configuration without the housing;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the antipanic kit according to the invention, according to a third embodiment;
Figure 6 is a partially sectional front elevation view of a first detail of an antipanic kit according to the invention, installed on a door;
Figure 7 is a partially sectional side elevation view of the same detail of Figure 6;
Figure 8 is a partially sectional front elevation view of a second detail of an antipanic kit according to the invention, installed on a door;
Figure 9 is a partially sectional side elevation view of the same detail of Figure 8.

Ways of carrying out the Invention

With reference to the figures, the reference numeral 1 generally designates an antipanic kit for doors 2.
The kit 1 comprises an antipanic lock 3 provided with a push-operated handle 4 for the retraction, by means of suitable guiding mechanisms, of at least one respective latch 5 which is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the lock 3, and of at least one retractable protrusion 6, which can be substantially either perpendicular or parallel to said direction.
In practice, the lock 3, suitable for association with the kit 1, can be of the traditional type according to the desired installation requirements.
In particular, it is possible to use locks 3 in which the handle 4 is constituted by an elongated element which is pivoted to the lock by means of two levers 7 (the embodiment shown in the accompanying figures) or locks 3 in which the handle 4 is a bar which is rigidly coupled to a lock body (a solution which is not shown in the figure) and can perform a translational motion with respect to said body and can retract therein following pushing actions from the outside in order to achieve opening. There are also other solutions of antipanic locks 3 of a known type: for all of them it is in any case possible to work in the kit 1 according to the invention.
The latch 5 protrudes from one end of the lock 3, while the at least one retractable protrusion 6 is connected to the lock by means of a cable 8.
In particular, the protrusions 6 can be two, arranged at the two ends of the door: a first protrusion 6 protrudes from the upper end in order to engage within a respective selvage which is rigidly coupled to the architraves of the door 2, and a second protrusion 6 protrudes from the lower end of the door 2 in order to engage a respective selvage installed within an appropriate seat of the floor.
The end 9 of the guiding mechanisms is arranged inside the lock 3 and is stably connected to one end 10 of the cable 8, the opposite end 11 being connected stably to means 12 for the retraction of the at least one retractable protrusion 6.
The retractable protrusion 6 is normally kept in the extracted configuration as a consequence of the action of at least one spring 13 in order to ensure that unless external actions by the handle 4 intended to open the door 2 are applied, the closed configuration of the door 2 is maintained stably and safely.
According to a first constructive embodiment of practical interest, the cable is arranged along the outer surface of the door 2 in alignment between a portion of the lock 3 and the corresponding at least one retractable protrusion 6.
The advantage of the adoption of the kit 1 according to the invention in this first embodiment is that the cable 8 can be of the flexible type and therefore the space occupation of the packaging of the kit 1 is quite limited.
In order to ensure maximum safety of this type of installation, the kit 1 comprises a security housing, which is rigidly coupled to the outer surface of the door 2, in order to cover the cable 8 along its entire length.
In any case, the housings can be provided by juxtaposing a plurality of consecutive segments: therefore, the space occupation of the housings also can be limited.
The provision of housings which can be deformed so that they can be collected in spools of unspecified length to be cut at installation time also is not excluded.
If the door 2 comprises internal cavities 14, the cable 8 can be arranged within at least one of said cavities 14, in alignment between a portion of the lock 3 and the corresponding retractable protrusion 6.
In this case, the surface of the door 2 must comprise at least one first hole 15 for access from outside to the internal cavity 14 at the lock 3 and at least one second hole 16 at the retractable protrusion 6.
According to a constructive solution of assured practical and constructive interest, the cable 8 is a metallic cable of the flexible type. In particular, it is convenient to adopt braided or wound multifilament cables 8, such as for example steel cables (a possible example is constituted by the cables normally used as guiding elements for the actuation of the brakes in many vehicles).
As an alternative, polymeric cables 8 of the flexible type and/or cables made of flexible composite material can be used: in these cases it is necessary to adopt polymers and composites which are scarcely deformable, so as to ensure promptness of the response of the protrusions 6 to the pressing action performed by a user against the handle 4.
According to an other example shown in Figure 5 which is not covered by the appended claims cable 8 is rigid and comprises at least one stem. 17 for engaging the guiding mechanisms of the lock 3, at least one shaft 18 which is functionally associated with the means for retraction of the retractable protrusion 6, and at least one rod 19 for connecting the free end of the stem 17 to the free end of the shaft 18, also with the interposition of mutual articulation elements 20.
In this case, it is convenient to note the application that provides for the installation of the rod 19 within the appropriately provided internal cavities 14 of the door 2 which are aligned with the line that connects the lock 3 and the retractable protrusion 6.
The stem 17 and the shaft, in this case, reach the cavity 14 by means of appropriately provided through holes 15 and 16 of the surface of the door 2.
Once the kit 1 has been installed on a door 2 provide with the internal cavities 14, it can be seen that it is scarcely visible and has a limited space occupation.
Moreover, the cable 8, by being contained within the cavities 14, is automatically protected without the need to have additional housings.
The adoption of a flexible cable 8 allows to install the kit 1 on any door 2 (regardless of its dimensions) simply by cutting to size the cable 8 at installation time from a spool provided by the manufacturer.
In practice, by adopting the kit 1 according to the invention it is possible to minimize the space occupation of the package of the kit 1, improving its transport and storage in warehouses.
It has thus been shown that the invention achieves the proposed aim and objects.
The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.
All the details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent ones.
In the exemplary embodiments shown, individual characteristics, given in relation to specific examples, may actually be interchanged with other different characteristics that exist in other exemplary embodiments.
Moreover, it is noted that anything found to be already known during the patenting process is understood not to be claimed and to be the subject of a disclaimer.
In practice, the materials used, as well as the shapes and dimensions, may be any according to requirements without thereby abandoning the scope of the protection of the appended claims.
Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

An antipanic kit for doors (2) of the type comprising: an antipanic lock (3) provided with a push-operated handle (4) for retraction, by means of suitable guiding mechanisms, of at least one respective latch (5) which is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of said lock (3); at least one retractable protrusion (6) contained in a housing, said latch (5) protruding from one end of said lock (3) and said at least one retractable protrusion (6) being connected to said lock (3); a cable (8) of the flexible type, said retractable protrusion (6) being normally kept in extracted configuration by action of at least one spring (13) and being connected to said lock (3) by means of said cable (8); and a security housing, which is suitable to be rigidly coupled to the outer surface of said door (2), in order to cover said cable (8) along its entire length, characterized in that the end (9) of said guiding mechanisms, arranged inside said lock (3), is stably connected to one end (10) of said cable (8), the opposite end (11) of said cable (8) being stably connected to means (12) for the retraction of said at least one retractable protrusion (6), said security housing for covering the cable (8) being deformable and collected on a spool of unspecified length to be cut at installation time.
The kit according to claim 1, characterized in that said cable (8) is arranged along the outer surface of the door (2) in alignment between a portion of said lock (3) and the corresponding at least one retractable protrusion (6).
The kit according to claim 1, characterized in that said door (2) comprises internal cavities (14), said cable (8) being arranged within at least one of said internal cavities (14) of the door (2), in alignment between a portion of said lock (3) and the corresponding at least one retractable protrusion (6).
The kit according to claim 3, characterized in that the surface of said door (2) comprises at least one first hole (15) for access from outside to said internal cavity (14) at said lock (3) and at least one second hole (16) at the at least one said retractable protrusion (6).
The kit according to claim 1, characterized in that said cable (8) is a metallic cable of the flexible type.
The kit according to claim 1, characterized in that said cable (8) is a polymeric cable of the flexible type.
The kit according to claim 1, characterized in that said cable (8) is a cable made of composite material of the flexible type.
The kit according to one of the claims 1-7, characterized in that said cable (8) is provided on a spool.
Use of an antipanic kit (1) as set forth in any of the claims 1-8, for installation on a door (2) comprising cutting to size the cable (8) provided on a spool at the installation time of the kit (1).