GB2164690A

GB2164690A - Door hinge guard

Info

Publication number: GB2164690A
Application number: GB08430849A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Edward Dean
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1984-09-19
Filing date: 1984-12-06
Publication date: 1986-03-26
Also published as: GB8423759D0; GB8430849D0; GB2164690B

Abstract

A safety device for doors comprises a flexible sheet wound on a roller within a tube which has a longitudinal slot out of which the sheet extends. The device is mounted adjacent a hinge opening such that when the door is opened the sheet extends across the opening and is drawn out of the slot, against a spring bias, to guard the opening thus preventing fingers from being trapped. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Door hinge guard This invention relates to guards for the hinge opening of doors.

It frequently happens that doors are closed accidentally, trapping a person's fingers. The danger is more severe at the hinge opening of a door for two reasons: firstly a person pushing a door closed from one side may not be able to see a person on the other side of the door adjacent the hinges, and secondly the closing force operates at the hinge edge through a lever arm the width of the door. Severe injuries have been caused to small children as the force is sometimes sufficient to crush or sever the fingers of an infant.

The present invention is directed towards preventing trapping of fingers, clothing or other items or parts of the body in hinge openings.

Accordingly the invention provides a safety device for doors comprising a flexible sheet adapted to have a first edge fixed to a roller and to be resiliently biased to a wound configuration, the device being adapted for mounting upon a door and door frame or wall proximate the hinge so that upon opening of the door the sheet is unwound and extends across the hinge opening defined between the door and door frame.

The invention is now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of part of a preferred embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is an exploded view of the embodiment of Figure 1 including the end assemblies; Figure 3 shows the preferred fixing brackets, and Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the embodiment of Figure 1 attached to a door and door frame.

The object of the invention is to provide a cover for the opening that exists between door and door frame on the outer side of a door (that is the side that the door opens away from) in line with the hinges. This cover should be flexible to accommodate the different angles through which the door may be opened, but should not be capable of easy deformation by the fingers when in position.

The drawings illustrate a convenient and effective apparatus that may be simply installed on most doors. The apparatus comprises an outer casing 1 that hoses a roller 2 to which one end of a length of fabric 3 can be attached, the other end of the length of fabric being attached to a rigid strip 4. A spindle 5 protrudes from each end of the roller 2 (this may be a single spindle that extends the length of the roller or two shorter spindles). At one end of the roller the spindle 5 is provided with a stepped shank 6 that has a longitudinal groove 7 for receiving the inner end of a spiral coiled spring 8. Each end of the roller is provided with an end cap 9 that has a slot 10 for the passage of the fabric 3 and the end cap for the stepped spindle end has a second slot or recess 11 into which the outer end of spring 8 can be engaged.

To assemble the apparatus the fabric 3 is at tached to the roller 2, this may be aided for exam ple by the provision of a slot or groove 12 in the roller: any suitably secure method of attachment may be used depending on the materials of the fabric and roller which for example may both be plastics, or the roller may be metal or wood. The spring 8 is then placed over the stepped spindle and the inner end engaged in the spring recess 7, then the end cap is placed over the spring and the outer end of the spring 8 located in the spring re cess 11. It is then necessary to tension the spring and this may be achieved by revolving the roller and either keeping the fabric unwound or, once the fabric has been wound up to unwind it manually without releasing the spring.In order to unwind the fabric, whether all at once or in stages in order to keep it unwound, it is necessary to ensure that the fabric is not positioned in the fabric slot 10.

Once the spring is tensioned, with the fabric unwound, the fabric may then be inserted into the fabric slot 10 and the roller released so that the spring unwinds causing the roller to rotate and wind up the fabric. If the tension is insufficient the tensioning procedure is repeated or partly repeated.

When the fabric is fully wound the roller and fabric are inserted into the casing 1 by introducing the non-stepped spindle end of the roller (without its end cap) into the casing and positioning the fabric in line with a fabric slot 13 in the casing and sliding the roller assembly into the casing until the casing engages in the end cap at the stepped spindle end. The second end cap is then put in position and the two fabric slots 10 and slot 13 should be aligned with the fabric threaded through them. The rigid strip 4 is held on the outside of the casing, it being made too large to pass through the fabric slots, and should not be able to be pulled to unwind the fabric and when released the fabric rewinds.

Brackets such as those shown in Figure 3 are provided for attachment to the door frame or wall.

The male brackets 14 are attached to the outer casing or end caps, or may even be formed integrally therewith, and the female brackets 15 are attached to the door frame or wall. The brackets 14 are double ended so that the apparatus may be mounted left or right handed by simple inversion.

Figure 4 illustrates the apparatus attached to a door and wall. The casing is attached by the brackets 14 and 15, usually two or three sets, and the rigid strip is screwed to the door, although other methods of attachment with clips or brackets for example could be used especially if it is desired to render the apparatus moveable from door to door.

When the door is closed the fabric rewinds on to the roller and when the door is opened the fabric unwinds progressively as the hinge opening widens. The tension in the spring should be sufficient to hold the fabric taught so that it cannot be significantly depressed by finger pressure. Also as the door is closed the fabric must remain similarly taught.

In Figure 4 the top part of a door is illustrated, however the lower region of the door is of more significance for children and it is important to lo cate the lower end of the apparatus level with the bottom of the door to cover the hinge opening ef fectively to ground level. Used as a safety device for children a hinge guard extending across the en tire height of the door is not essential, and a guard length of 1.5 metres may be adequate.

Various modifications to the apparatus while re taining the same principle are possible. In the em- bodiment described the end cap for the stepped spindle may be modified to two parts for easier tensioning. The fixings on the door and wall could be reversed, but the arrangement described is gen erally neater. The fabric may be woven or com prise plastics or other material or be a bonded composite, and although flexible should be strong and not flimsy.

In position there is little tendency for the door to close by virtue of the spring tension as the force tending to close the door acts too close to the hinge itself.

Claims

CLAIMS i

1. A safety device for doors comprising a flexi ble sheet adapted to have a first edge secured to a roller and to be resiliently biased to a wound con figuration, the device being adapted for mounting upon up a door and door frame or wall proximate the hinge so that upon opening of the door the sheet is unwound and extends across the hinge opening defined between the door and door frarne.

2. A safety device for doors according to claims 1 1 further comprising an outer casing for the roller and wound fabric and having a slot for the pas sage of the fabric to and from the casing as it winds and unwinds.

3. A safety device for doors according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the resilient biasing is pro vided by a spiral spring engaged between a part that rotates with the roller and a part that is fixed relative to rotation of the roller.

4. A safety device for doors according to claim 2 2 and claim 3 in which the fixed part comprises the outer casing.

5. A safety device for doors according to claims 2 and 3 in which the fixed part comprises an end cap for the roller.

6. A safety device for a hinged door, compris ing a flexible sheet adapted to be resiliently biased to a closed configuration, the device being adapted for mounting across a hinge opening between the door and an adjacent wall or frame such that when the door is opened the sheet is drawn out of the device to guard the opening.

7. A safety device according to claim 6 in which the sheet is mounted on a roller within an elongate housing having a slot out of which the sheet ex tends.

8. A safety device for doors substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.