GB2187875A - Hinged door operated room signalling device - Google Patents

Abstract

A door signalling device consists of two sheet members 11, 12 hinged together, eg by means of adhesive tape 14, so that one sheet member may overlay the other to expose or to unexpose as the case may be an indicia mounted on the surface of one of the members, when the surfaces are either in the overlay position or free-hanging position as may be preselected. Sheet member 12 may carry on its rear surface indicia 18 which may be in the form of a red fluorescent warning surface. Under normal circumstances sheet member 12 hangs down and sheet member 11 is fixed to the door, room number 7 being shown on the front surface of member 12. When the door has been opened and the occupant removed, eg during evacuation of the building during fire, a warden swings the member 12 up over the sheet member 11 so that the warning indicia becomes visible, and member 12 is held in that position by door jamb 35 when the door is closed. On subsequent unauthorised opening of the door the sheet member 12 will swing down causing indicia 18 to move out of sight. Sheet member 12 may be longer than sheet member 11 (Fig. 8) and both sheet members are preferably made of rigid material such as sheet brass. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Hinged door operated room signalling device This invention relates to a hinged door operated signalling device and particularly to a device which is operated by the movement of a door to automatically expose a visible signal when the door is moved.

In hospitals, senior citizens' homes, and the like, one or more patients occupy an accommodation room or group of rooms which generally have only one outleading door therefrom communicating into a common area or hallway. The common area acts as the central corridor for access and egress by all patients to their respective rooms and to the outdoors.

Safety regulations require, from time to time, that the occupants of the suites be removed either during emergencies or at least during fire drills or other evacuation exercises.

A safety or fire warden "searches" each room immediately after their respective evacuation of the occupant to audit their removal.

From time to time, because of confusion during the evacuation, one or more wardens may "re-search' the same area unwarranted or, more significantly a patient or some other person may have gone back into an accommodation room and closed the door without authority. The wardens thus, either because of their own care or neglect, or because of clandestine movements by patients or others, are unsuccessful in fully evacuating the building.

It is an object of the invention to provide, therefore, a simple door signalling device for each outwardly leading door, the device having indicia thereon to indicate an "on" or "off" position (vacated or normal). The device is normally set in its off or normal position and may be placed in the on or vacated position by the warden. Any tampering of the door causes the device to swing to the off or normal position indicating the door has been tampered with as by someone opening the door and/or sneaking back into the accommodation room.

It is a further object of the invention to provide that the danger signal be obviously viewable from a relatively far distance thereby allowing the warden to see a number of such signals simultaneously and to avoid the need to physically reinspect each room individually on evacuation.

The invention therefore achieves a hinged door operated room signalling device, for mounting on an exposed moveable door swinging on its door frame, comprising; (a) a first flat sheet member; (b) a second rigid flat sheet member having indicia on one side thereof; (c) hinge means attached between each member so as to allow the second member to swing into an overlay position relative the first; (d) indicia mounted on the one side of a sheet member; and (e) means for mounting the first sheet member fixedly against a movable surface so as to permit the second member, when overlaying the first to expose or cover the its indicia and to swing away from the first member when the movable surface is moved away from its frame.

The invention specifically achieves a hinged door operated room signalling device, for mounting on an exposed moveable door swinging on its door frame, comprising; (a) a first flat sheet member; (b) a second rigid flat sheet member having indicia on one side thereof; (c) hinge means attached between each member so as to allow the second member to swing into an overlay position with the first and to expose thereby indicia mounted on the one side; and, (d) means for mounting the first sheet member fixedly against a movable surface so as to permit the second member, when overlaying the first to expose its indicia and to swing away from the first member when the movable surface is moved away from.

The invention will now be explained by way of example and reference to the accompanying drawings in which; Figure 1 is a perspective of the preferred embodiment; Figure 2 is a side elevation view of Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the signalling device of Figs. 1 and 2 in application indicating the room number 7; Figure 5 is a partial perspective illustrative of setting the signalling device of Figs. 1 through 3 for emergency indication; Figure 6 is a perspective of an alternative to the embodiment to Figs. 1 and 3 depicting emergency; Figure 7 is illustrative of the signalling device of Figs 1 and 3 self-setting to its normal position as a result of illicit entry by a patient.

Figure 8 is an alternative method of installation of the peferred device according to the invention.

Referring to Fig. 1, the novel device 10 consists of an upper sheet 11 carrying a lower sheet 12 with the aid of a flexible sheet hinge 14. The sheet 11 is preferably made of rigid material such as sheet brass and is sized so that its width is approximately 10 cm. and its length 8.5 cm.. The second depending sheet 12 can be of the same size as the first sheet 11 but I prefer that it be slightly larger than first sheet 11; hence be a square ridgid sheet 12, as preferably seen in Figs. 6 and 8. Each of the 2 rigid sheets 11 and 12 have a metal thickness of approximately 1 mm. Interposed between them so that the lower sheet 12 can be carried by the upper first sheet 11, is a flexible fabric adhesive tape 14 which bonds the 2 brass sheets 11 and 12 into a composite article or device 10.The flexible adhesive sheet hinge is mounted on the back of the surfaces of the first and second sheets 11 and 12 preferably leaving a gap of 15 of about twice the thickness of each of the rigid sheets i.e. about 2 mm. As will be seen this allows full folding of the second sheet upon the first sheet without undo stress on the fabric adhesive tape hinge 14. The backside of the lower sheet 12 has an "on" sign or indicia 18 thereon which, in the preferred embodiment, can be illuminous paint simply painted on the back or a polyethylene sheet, having a red florescent surface on one side and an adhesive surface on the other, so that the adhesive surface adhering to the back of the rigid lower sheet 12 when exposing to view shows the red florescent surface which thereby acts as an "on" indicator.The front of the lower sheet 12 is shown in Fig. 7 as carrying indicia 19; namely the number 7. The 7 could indicate the room number of the accommodation.

(It will be apparent that the indicia 19 likewise could appear on the front of the upper surface 12 or even on both fronts of each of the surfaces 11 and 12. Similarly it will become apparent that the "on surface" 18 and that of the indicia surface 19 could be reversed.) Along the backside of the upper sheet 11 is a double-sided adhesive tape 16 which, on the one hand, adheres over of the backside of the upper sheet 11, and to the front surface ofthe door 20 as seen in Figs. 3 through 6 this doublesided tape 16 acts as means for anchoring the device 10 to the door 20 and could replace any appropriate screws and holes extending through the upper number 11 and penetrating the front door surface that might be used as anchoring means.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, and the device 10 where each sheet 11 and 12 is equally sized, and the same is mounted on the front surface of a door 20 so that the upper margin 11' of the upper sheet is coincident with the upper margin 21 of the door. When the door is opened, and thus when the bottom sheet 12 is swung, as per arrow 30, to, fully, overlay the front surface of the upper sheet 11 and hence to expose the "signal" 18. The door is closed and the distal margin 12' of the lower sheet interfits between door jam 35 while coincident to surface 11' it is held there by the normal latch associated with the doorknob 25. So long as the door is latched closed, the signal surface 18 is displayed to the warden in the hall.

Referring to Fig. 6, when an occupant attempts to open the door and unlatches the door, during its swinging open, the door jam releases the distal margin 12' of the lower sheet and the lower sheet 12, swings down, arrow 40 in Fig. 7, exposing once again the indicia 19, and the room number 7. Even if the door is closed, indicia 7 is still exposed and the warning sign 18 covered up. This indicates to the warden that someone is in or has re-entered the room even though the room door may be closed.

It is preferred that the first and second sheets 11 and 12 be brass or polished or brushed stainless steel or chorme and sized as indicated since this gives some "weight" to the lower sheet 12 and provides for adequate swinging movement when the door is opened as in Fig. 7.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the indicia 19, and the "signal" 18 may be reversed so that the signal is exposed rather than the numeral 7 being exposed when the second sheet 12 is in the depending position Figs. 2 and 8. In that respect in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 when the hinge is folded the numeric surface is exposed rather then the signal surface. In the invention therefore it is irrevelant as to which side of the second sheet carries "indicia" or "signal" so long as in each application of multiple door use all devices according to the invention are similarly structured.

Now as shown in the Fig. 8, it is preferred that the lower sheet 12 is sized with a length about 1.5 cm larger than the upper sheet 11, as this provides a biasing means for downward swinging 40 of the second sheet 12 during the door opening of the door sequence of Fig. 7. The upper distal margin 12" of the lower sheet 12 provides a biasing means for downward swinging 40 of the second sheet 12 during the door opening sequence of Fig.

7, in a manner as will now be described with reference to Fig. 8.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 8 and a preferred embodiment of fabricating and mounting device 10' is fabricated with the lower sheet 12 sized square at 10 cm and the upper sheet 11 sized smaller (10 cmx8.5 cm) and is mounted so that the upper margin 11' of the first sheet 11 is not coincident with the upper surface 21 of the door 20 but when folded, the distal margin 12' of the second sheet 12 is coincident with the upper surface 21 of the door as shown. This provides a gap 40 between the door surface and the second sheet 12 and hence the opportunity for the upper margin 12' to bend into and occupy, in part, space 40 and hence to provide a biasing force, arrow F, against the door jamb 35 in direction F. When the door 20 is unlatched therefore a "spring" action is provided positively urging the second sheet 12 to swing away from the first sheet 11 as heretofore explained and to depend into the manner as shown in Fig. 3.

I prefer the second embodiment of sizing and mounting since this overcomes any problem should the door and jam not be "true" at the time of installation of device 10 (which is typically the case). A suitable hinge 18 is a fabric tape adhesive with adhesive on one surface and the spacing between the proximate margin of the surfaces 11 and 12 can be about 1 to 2 mm., at least sufficient to allow full overlaying juxtapositioning of the second surface 12 upon the upper surface 11 as when the door is closed and showing the signal surface 18 of Fig. 6.

Claims (4)

1. A hinged door operated room signalling device, for mounting on an exposed moveable door swinging on its door frame, comprising; (a) a first flat sheet member; (b) a second flat sheet member having indicia on one side thereof; (c) hinge means attached between each member so as to allow the second member to swing into an overlay position relative the first; (d) indicia mounted on the one side of a sheet member; and (e) means for mounting the first sheet member fixedly against a movable surface so as to permit the second member, when overlaying the first to expose or cover the its indicia and to swing away from the first member when the movable surface is moved away from its frame.

2. A hinged door operated room signalling device, for mounting on an exposed moveable door swinging on its door frame, comprising; (a) a first flat sheet member; (b) a second rigid flat sheet member having indicia on one side thereof; (c) hinge means attached between each member so as to allow the second member to swing into an overlay position with the first and to expose thereby indicia mounted on the one side; and, (d) means for mounting the first sheet member fixedly against a movable surface so as to permit the second member, when overlaying the first to expose its indicia and to swing away from the first member when the movable surface is moved away from.

3. The signalling device as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the first flat sheet member is rigid.

4. A hinged door operated room signalling device substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.