GB2127078A

GB2127078A - Reinforcement for doors

Info

Publication number: GB2127078A
Application number: GB08323620A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kent Nils Gunnar Fernstrom
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1982-09-03
Filing date: 1983-09-02
Publication date: 1984-04-04
Also published as: IT8322727V0; FR2532681A3; SE8205016D0; FR2532681B3; DE8325431U1; SE443827B; GB8323620D0; SE8205016L; GB2127078B

Abstract

A reinforcing device for doors to prevent or make burglary more difficult, comprises a frame structure (1) of members (2-6) to be attached to an existing door. A ladder-like configuration of members (7-9) is arranged centrally in the structure, which has one side formed with two mutually aligned members (5, 6) carrying at their free ends locking means (19, 20) for coaction with a reinforcing rail (28) attachable to the door jamb, the free end portions of said members (5, 6) and a portion (7) of the said ladder-like configuration forming a space for accommodating locking means customary to the existing door. A fixing rail (27) is attachable to the top portion (3) of the frame structure for hanging the frame structure (1) onto the door (38) whilst fitting or dismantling. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Reinforcing device for doors and the like The present invention relates to a device for reinforcing such as entry doors to flats and apartments, thereby to prevent, or make burglary more difficult.

The ever-increasing frequency of burglaries in apartments is to a large extent due to the door, doorframe and locking means are generally made much too light for being any appreciable obstacle to breaking in, e.g. with the aid of a crowbar, heavy screwdriver or the like.

There are a number of structures on the market in which doors have been reinforced with plates and reinforcement of different kinds such as to increase their resistance but in general such structures have required replacement of the entire door as well as the door frame, which is costly. It has also been proposed in the prior artto arrange grid-like structures for reinforcing existing doors. The present invention relates to devices of the latter kind, but constitutes an essential improvement on previously known designs. A device in accordance with the invention is easily fittable to an existing door and its implementation takes into account to the locking means and other mechanism already provided for the door.

The inventive device is formed as a framework and is self-supporting. The application of this device not only results in increased security against burglary but also in substantial stiffening of the door blade without considerably increasing the total mass of the door. With the aid of a special arrangement it is extremely simple to fit the device to an existing door, the same arrangement also being used for dismantling the device from the door.

The invention is distinguished by the disclosures in the following claims.

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the Figures of which illustrate an embodiment of it.

Figure 1 is an elevation of the reinforcing device as it would be fitted to a door, Figure 2 is a section along the line Il-Il in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a section along the line Ill-Ill in Figure 1, Figure 4 is a section along the line IV-IV in Figure 1, Figure 5illustrates a modification of the device according to Figure 3.

It should be noted that the Figures 2,3,4 and 5 depict the respective sections to an enlarged scale, with the device fitted to a door.

The device illustrated in Figure 1 comprises a frame structure 1 made from square-section tubular steel or other suitable material. The frame structure includes a side member 2, having its ends attached to an upper 3 and lower 4 cross member. The other ends of cross members 3 and 4 are attached to members 5, 6 which are parallel to member 2. Two posts 7 and 8, mutually connected by cross members 9, to form a reinforcing ladder-like configuration are arranged between the members 3 and 4. The post 7 is attached via cross members 10, 11 to portions of members 5, 6 facing towards member 2.

Further reforcing strips, e.g. steel flats 12, 13 and 14 are inserted between said post 7 and members 5,6.

The post 8 is attached to the member 2 via cross members 15,16,17 and 18. It should be noted that there is a space between the end edges of the member 5 and the cross member 10 on one side and the end edges of the member 6 and cross member 11 on the other side, is kept free so as not to interfere with the locking mechanisms already provided for the door. It will be seen from the drawing that the ends of members 5 and 6 carry locking mechanisms 19, 20 forming further safety locks for the device when it is fitted for coaction with the door. In each of the corners of the frame structure there are holes, 21, 22, 23 and 24 intended for attachment screws coacting with the door.On the top edge of the frame structure, i.e. on the member 3, a carrying rail 27 is arranged with the aid of screws 25, 26, and is intended for hooking over the top edge of the door when the frame structure is fitted.

The frame structure is adapted for coacting with reinforcing rails 28 and 29, which are fixable to the door jamb on the lock and hinge sides respectively.

The rails are adapted for screwing into the door jamb, the rail 28 including protective covers 30 for coaction with the bolts of said locks 19, 20. The rail 29 is provided with pins 31, adapted for thrusting into holes 32 in the member 2.

As will be clearly seen from Figure 2, the cross members 9 are attached to the posts 7, 8, such that there is room for the insertion of a security plate 33, which will lie between the cross members and the door. For preventing the insertion of means for sawing off the pins 31 or the bolts, for example, a steel strip 34 is arranged on one side of the member 2 and extends along the entire member, there being similar strips 35 and 36 along the edges of member 5 and member 6, respectively.

As will be seen from Figure 3, a screw is inserted through the attachment hole 21 in the member 5 and is brought into coaction with a door 38, i.e. the frame structure is attached to the door 38, although remaining attachment points are not shown. The door coacts with a door frame 39, attached to a wall opening in a wall portion 40. As will be seen, the reinforcing rail 28 is attached to said wall portion 40 with the aid of a long screw 41. The drawing also illustrates how the strip 35 coacts with both member 5 and locking rail 28. As will be also clearly seen, the bolt of the lock 19 can coach with the appropriate cover 30 on the rail 28. Figure 3 also illustrates an inner door 42 coacting with the door frame 39, as is customary in conjunction with entrances to apartments. The jamb is also provided with an angle strip 43 on the outside.

It will be seen that the procedure for fitting the frame structure to the door leaf in question has been considerably simplified by the use of the carrying rail 27, with the aid of which the whole structure is hung on the door blade. Accordingly, the person who fastens the structure on the door may have his hands free, since the structure hangs in position on the door. Holes for the attachment screws can then be made in the surface of the door through the holes 21-24 and through-holes in the door guided by those already made in the members, can be provided for keyhole plates for the locks 19 and 20. The attachment of keyhole plates to the door will also serve the purpose of further retaining the frame structure to the door. The holes 32 in the member 2 for the pins 31 have a clearance such that after fitting the frame structure, the door may be swung open freely.When all the attachment screws have been inserted and tightened, the screws 25 and 26 may be loosened and the rail 27 removed, the rest of the structure remaining rigidly attached to the door. The rail 27 and screws 25 and 26 may naturally be used in conjunction with dismantling the device, thus preventing the frame structure from falling when its attachment screws are removed.

As will be seen, the frame structure together with the reinforcing rails, jambs and door form a single unit which is very difficult to force, even for sophisticated burglary tools. All essential parts such as lock bolts and pins are protected, there being no space between members and cross members which is greaterthan 140 mm in practice, which is a guarantee that no one can force an entry through possibly broken-up portions of the door itself.

Figure 5 illustrates a device in which the door frame is not intended for use in conjunction with double doors. In this case it will be necessary to arrange further reinforcing with the aid of a rail 44 of an angle section protecting the area for the cover 30.

It should be noted here that a strip 45 is inserted between the wall portion 40 and the jamb, for preventing the insertion of tools in the space between jamb and wall, should the architrave be broken away. This strip 45 may also include reinforcing material.

In practice, the pins 31 projecting into the hinge jamb may consist of 20 mm hardened steel pins, the attachment of which will be clearly seen from Figure 4. Since the screws coacting with the reinforcing rails are screwed into the wall portions themselves the door frame cannot be knocked out of the door opening. The screws retaining the frame structure do not need to be remarkably heavy. They only have to carry and retain the reinforcing device on the door. The idea is that the device shall be dismantable. If a new tenant is not prepared to pay for the greater security provided by the invention, the departing owner may take his device with him. The screw and pin holes which remain ought not to cause more than minor repair and touching-up costs.

The reinforcing device in accordance with the invention may just as well be attached to an inner door as to the entry door. What is essential is that an obstruction difficult to force is in the way of somebody attempting to break in. Most burglaries take place in conjunction with a very pressing time factor, which means that if the burglar surmounts one obstacle only to find a further more difficult obstacle, then he will generally refrain from further attempts to break in.

The inventive device is naturally not limited to the embodiments illustrated. Other types than squaresection-tube can naturally come into use, both for the vertical members and cross-members. It should also be observed that the inside, i.e. the side of an entry door facing towards the apartment, can be covered with a sheet of metal or a sheet of particle fiber board to improve its appearance. The spaces between the vertical and horisontal members in the structure can naturally be filled with heat-insulating material, thus providing an increase in the insulating capacity of an entry door.

Claims

1. Reinforcing device for doors and the like, comprising a grid-like frame structure, characterized in that the structure (1) includes a centrally arranged ladder-like configuration (7,8,9) connected to the structure laterally via cross members (10-18), one side of the structure being made with members (5,6) mutually in alignment, and with their free end portions provided with locking means (19,20) for coaction with reinforcing rails (28) mounted in the respective door jamb, the mutually opposing end portions of said members (5,6), together with a contiguous portion (7) of said ladder-like configuration defining a space for accommodating the customary locking means of the door.

2. Device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the side of the frame structure opposite the mutually aligned members (5,6) comprises a member (2) in which there are holes (32) for coaction with locking pins in a further reinforcing rail (29) fastened to the door jamb.

3. Device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the members (5,6) carrying the locking means (19,20) are stiffly connected by the cross members (10,11,12,13,14) to one side (7) ofthe ladder-like configuration, the locking means being provided with keyhole plates or the like, which may be attached by screws to the door such as to form fastening points in the application of the frame structure to the door (38), said structure also being arranged (21-24) at its corners for fastening to the door.

4. Device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that strips (34,35,36) are attached along the free edge of said mutually aligned members of the structure, and along the member (2) opposite said members, for laterally closing off the space between the structure (1) and reinforcing rails (28,29) when the structure is fitted to a door.

5. Device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the ladder-like configuration is made from two side posts (7,8), which are connected to each other by cross members (9), the latter being disposed such that one or more sheets (33) of protective material may be inserted between the posts.

6. Device as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that a rail (27), hook-shapd in cross section, is connectable (25,26) to a lateral member (3) of the frame structure for coaction with the top edge of the door (38) in conjunction with fitting and dismantling the frame structure.

7. Device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that said rail (27) comprises two parallel, mutually opposing flanges projecting from a common web.

8. A reinforcing device for doors substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

9. A reinforcing device for doors substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to Figures 1,2,3 and 4.

10. A reinforcing device for doors substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to Figures 1,2,4 and 5.