GB2284445A

GB2284445A - Panic exit door mechanism

Info

Publication number: GB2284445A
Application number: GB9503560A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James P Linder
Original assignee: International Door Closers Inc
Current assignee: International Door Closers Inc
Priority date: 1994-11-07
Filing date: 1995-02-22
Publication date: 1995-06-07
Also published as: GB9503560D0; AU1011195A; CA2139991A1

Abstract

A non-handed panic bar mechanism for left or right handed fixing to an exit door having a frame with a stile, upper and lower lock rods 36, 46 for vertically sliding in the stile, and a lock rod drive mechanism, fig 4a (not shown), with a drive pin, 128 projecting outward from the stile for up and down movement, with movement of the pin driving the upper and lower lock rods in opposite directions. The mechanism further includes a base for mounting on an exit door, a pressure bar, 11 carried on the base by a compression mechanism, (76) for movement toward and away from the base, a push rod (71) carried on the base for motion along the axis of the rod, a lever pivotally mounted on the base and having a slot for receiving the drive pin externally of the stile, and a link connected between the push rod and the lever for pivoting the lever to move the lock rods when the pressure bar is pressed toward the base to translate the push rod along it's axis. In alternative embodiments the pressure bar may move a pivoting latch bolt 121, fig 13(not shown) which engages a strike plate on a door frame. A dogging mechanism, Figs 8 - 10, 14, may lock the pressure bar in its compressed condition. <IMAGE>

Description

PANIC EXIT DOOR MECHANISM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to exit doors with panic bars and in particular, to a new and improved operating mechanism for doors with vertically-oriented locking bars in a stile of the door. More specifically, the present invention relates to an improvement on the panic exit door mechanism shown in U.S.

patent 5,088,786. The invention may be used with side latch mechanisms as well as with vertical lock bar mechanisms.

In the earlier design, the door is actuated by a "towel bar" comprising a rod carried on a pair of levers mounted on the door stiles, with a downward pressure on the rod actuating the mechanism to unlock the door.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved panic bar mechanism utilizing a "flat bar" mechanism with a presser bar which is moved horizontally to unlock the door.

A flat bar type system for operating a side latch is shown in U.S. patent 4,083,590. A flat bar arrangement for operating vertical lock rods is shown in U.S patent 4,295,673.

U.S. patents 3,663,047 and 5,169,185 show panic bar mechanisms with flat bars which can be arranged to operate a side latch or vertical lock bars.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a panic bar mechanism of the flat bar or presser bar type which overcomes the disadvantages of the earlier designs. A further object of the invention is to provide such a panic bar mechanism which can be utilized with an existing design having vertical lock rods and'a towel bar type actuation. Another object is to provide a new and improved lifter or compression mechanism for the presser bar.

It is a specific object of the invention to provide a flat bar mechanism which is non-handed, that *s, which can be used with both right and left-hand opening doors. Another object is to provide a flat bar mechanism with an improved dogging construction for locking the mechanism in the open condition. An additional object is to provide an improved compression mechanism and an improved dogging construction which can be used with side lock mechanisms as well as with vertical lock bar mechanisms.

These and other objects, advantages, features and results will more fully appear in the course of the following description.

The presently preferred embodiment of the panic bar mechanism operates with an exit door having a frame with a stile, upper and lower lock rods for vertical sliding in the stile, and a lock rod drive mechanism with a drive pin projecting outward from the stile for up and down movement, with movement of the pin driving the upper and lower lock rods in opposite directions, and includes a base for mounting on an exit door, a presser bar carried on the base by a compression mechanism for movement toward and away from the base, with the base and presser bar forming a housing, a push rod carried on the base within the housing for motion along the axis of the rod, a lever pivotally mounted on the base within the housing and having a slot for receiving the drive pin, and a link connected between the push rod and the lever for pivoting the lever to move the lock rods when the presser bar is pressed toward the base to translate the push rod along its axis.

The preferred embodiment also includes a compression mechanism having first and second arms, with one end of the first arm pivotally connected to the presser bar and with the other end of the arm pivotally connected to the push rod, and with one end of the second arm pivotally connected to the first arm intermediate the ends thereof and with the other end of the second arm pivotally connected to the base. The mechanism also includes a spring for urging the presser bar and push rod to the normal locked condition.

In the preferred embodiment, the lever with the slot is provided with two drive connections to selectively convert the panic bar from a right-hand door installation to a lefthand door installation, and vice versa. The preferred embodiment also includes a dogging or locking mechanism carried on the presser bar to maintain the presser bar in the door open condition.

In an alternative embodiment for a side latch door, the presser bar controls a lever which in turn actuates a latch to pivot between door locked and unlocked positions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a front view of an exit door incorporating the presently preferred embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig 1; Fig. 3 is a partial side view of the mechanism of Fig. 2 in the door locked position, with some of the elements broken away to show interior details; Fig. 4 is a view similar to that of Fig. 3, in the door unlocked position; Fig. 4A is a view similar to that of Fig. 4 illustrating components below those of Fig. 4; Fig. 5 is a top sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a top view of the dogging mechanism, which also appears in Figs. 12 and 13, Fig. 7 is a side view of the dogging mechanism of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. 7 showing the dogging pin in the normal position;; Fig. 9 is a view similar to that of Fig. 8 showing the dogging pin in the locking position; Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line 10-10 of Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is an exploded view of the mechanism of Figs. 2-10; Fig. .12 is a view of a second embodiment of the. invention, the view being similar to that of Fig. 5 and showing the compression mechanism with the presser bar in the normal or locked position and the alternative embodiment for a side latch; Fig. 13 is a view of the embodiment of Fig. 12, the view being similar to that of Fig. 12 and showing the presser bar and compression mechanism in the compressed or unlocked position; and Fig. 14 is an exploded view of the dogging mechanism of Figs. 7-10.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An exit door 10 is shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 11 with a presser type panic bar 11 carried on a frame or back channel 12 mounted on stiles 14, 15, respectively, of the door frame.

The frame 12 is attached to the stile 14. The presser bar 11 and frame 12 provide a housing for the components to be described and typically are aluminum extrusions. Preferably a base plate 17 is mounted on the frame 12 by screws 18, as best seen in Figs. 8-10, with the frame 12 and base plate 17 forming a base for various components to be described. Seals 19 may be provided between the panic bar 11 and frame 12, in grooves in the frame 12.

A shell 28 with side plates 29, 30 is mounted in the stile with mounting bolts 21. The base plate 17 is attached to a mounting plate 125 by screws at aligned openings 126.

The mounting plate 125 is attached to the stile 15 and the side plate 30 by bolts 21, as best seen in Fig. 2. A slide plate 127 is positioned between the mounting plate 125 and the side plate 30. A slide'pin 128 carried on the slide plate 127 projects through a slot 129 of the mounting plate 125. This assembly preferably is covered by a shroud or cover 130 attached to ears 131 of the plate 125.

A U-shaped plate 31 is mounted in the shell 28 on a shaft 32 for rotation about a horizontal axis. A conventional key operated cylinder locking mechanism can be incorporated for rotating the plate 31 if desired.

A U-shaped lower connector 34 is coupled to one end of the rotating plate 31 by a pin 35, and is coupled to a lower lock rod 36 by a pin 37 which rides in a slot 38 in the rod. The pin 37 also rides in slots 39 in the shell 28, a slot 39a in the stile 14, a slot 39b in the slide plate 127, and a slot 39c in the mounting plate 125. Slots 39d and 39e in the plates 127 and 125, respectively, similarly provide clearance for the pin 37 when the presser bar 11 is reversed for conversion between -left and right-handed installations.

In the embodiment illustrated, the pin 37 has a sleeve 37a on one end and a washer 37b on the other end held in place by expanding the hollow end of the pin. A spring 40 is positioned around the upper end of the rod 36 between a washer 41 engaging the lower end of the shell 28 and dimples 42 formed on the rod 36, for urging the rod downward into engagement with a strike or latch plate in the door mounting frame.

A U-shaped upper connector 45 is positioned between the rotating plate 31 and an upper rod 46 in a similar manner with pins 47, 48 and spring 49. In operation, rotation of the plate 31 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 3, moves the lower connector 34 upward and the upper connector 45 downward, thereby moving the lock rods 36, 46 vertically and out of the respective latch plates. The lock rods function as lock bolts. The construction and operation of the components in the stile are similar to that in U.S. patent 5,088,786.

A slot 99 in a lever 50 engages the pin 128 as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 11. With this arrangement, the panic bar mechanism with frame 12 and presser bar 11 is easily mounted on the door stiles by simply positioning the frame on the respective stiles with the pin 128 in the slot of the lever 50, and fastening the housing in place by the screws. The lever 50 maybe a flat plate, requiring only the slot 99, an opening for the mounting pin 100, and drive openings 101, to be described below.

A bolt 51 is carried at the upper end of the rod 46 for engaging a strike 52 in the wall. A latch 53 slides horizontally on a support block 54 mounted in the stile 15. A spring 55 is positioned in the block 54 and engages a tongue 56 of the latch 53, urging the latch outward to the right as viewed in Fig. 2. A pin 57 in the block 54 limits the outward movement of the latch.

When the presser bar 11 is pushed toward the door, the bolt 51 is moved downward out of engagement with the strike 52 with a notch 59 at the upper end of the bolt going below the latch 53. The spring then moves this latch to the right over the notch of the bolt, holding the bolt in the downward condition.

When the door swings from the open position to the closed position of Fig. 2, the tongue 56 of the latch engages a stop 60 adjacent the strike 52, compressing the spring and moving the latch to the left. This motion releases the bolt and permits it to move upward to engage the strike as shown in Fig. 2.

A similar construction is carried at the lower end of the lock rod 36 for engaging another strike. The bolt slides in a similar support block mounted in the stile. No corresponding latch is utilized at the lower end of the door in this embodiment.

A push rod 71 is mounted in openings in upturned ends 72 of two brackets 73 carried on the base plate 17 by the screws 18. The brackets 73 are positioned adjacent each end of the rod 71 for movem'ent along the axis of the rod, and one bracket is best seen in Figs. 3, 4, 12 and 13.

The push rod 71 is coupled to the presser bar 11 by a compression mechanism 76 shown in Figs. 12 and 13. The compression mechanism includes a first arm 77 anda second arm 78. The arms 77, 78 typically are channel shaped. Typically, two such compression mechanisms are spaced along the housing between the presser bar 11 and plate 17 and are interconnected by the push rod 71. One end of the first arm 77 is pivotally connected to the presser bar by a pin 79 in a pivot housing 79A attached to inner ledges 79B of the presser bar. The other end is connected to the plate 17 by a pin 80 riding in slots 81 of arms 82 of the bracket 73. One end of the second arm 78 is connected to the first arm 77 intermediate the ends by a pivot pin 83, and the other end is connected by rivets 84 to arms 85 of the bracket 73, with the pin 80 positioned in a hole in the push rod 71.

The compression mechanism 76 is shown in the expanded or normal position in Fig. 12 and in the compressed position in Fig. 13, with the push rod being translated along the axis from left to right when the presser bar is pressed by a person wishing to unlatch the door. The construction of the compression mechanism permits use of straight arms and links, without any need for curved surfaces.

A spring 91 is mounted on the push rod between the end 72 of the bracket 73 and a washer 94 and a pin 95 in the push rod, and urges the push rod to the left and the presser bar outward to the normal position of Fig. 12.

The push rod 71 is connected to the lever 50 by a link 96. Preferably a pin 97 carried on the push rod 71 rides in a slot 98 adjacent one end of the link 96. In the embodiment illustrated, the lever 50 is T-shaped with a stem and cross bar. A slot 99 at the base of the stem engages the drive pin 128 which projects from the slide plate 127. The lever 50 is pivotally mounted on the frame on a pin 100, with the cross bar joining the stem at the pivot point. The cross bar has openings at each end for pivot pins 102a and 102b for connection to the other end of the link 96. The link and lever connection as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is for a lefthanded door. For a right-handed door, the link 96 is connected to the pin 102b of the lever.With this arrangement, the entire structure can be the same for right and left-handed doors, with the only difference being the connection of the link 96 to the lever 50, which can be made at the factory or at the point of installation, resulting in a non-handed panic bar mechanism. The slide plate 127 and the mounting plate 125 provide for coupling the motion of the pin 37 in the stile to the pin 128 which engages the slot 99 of the lever 50. With this construction the position of the presser bar on the door will be the same for both left and right-handed installations. This construction permits use of the presser bar of the present invention with doors having the known stile construction with the pin 37 projecting from the stile.

With this connection, no components of the panic bar mechanism of the invention need project beyond the housing formed by the frame and presser bar, and particularly, none of the components needs to enter the stile.

Typically, the door includes a glass panel 106 mounted on the stile with mounting members 107. See Fig. 5.

A lock cylinder 108 may be attached to the stile, and a stop 109 may be attached to the door mounting frame 110. These arrangements are conventional, and other door constructions may be utilized as desired.

A mechanism, sometimes known as a dogging mechanism, provides for locking the presser bar in the compressed or door unlatched position. This mechanism is best seen in Figs. 2, 8-10 and 14. A top bracket 111 is supported on the ledges 79B of the presser bar 11 by screws 112, and has a cup shaped sleeve or center section 116. Preferably, the lower end of the sleeve 116 has an upper step 116a and a lower step 116b, with a stop 116c projecting downward from the lower step 116b.

If desired, notches or detent grooves 120 may be positioned in the lower step 116b on each side of the stop 116c. A dogging pin 113 is positioned in an opening in the top < :bracket 111, with a drive pin 114 carried at the lower end of the dogging pin. A spring 115 is positioned around the dogging pin 113 for urging the dogging pin upward. The dogging pin has a tool receiving opening in a plug 117 in the upper end of the pin, typically a hexagonal opening for an Allen wrench or a slot for a screwdriver. An opening 118 is provided in the presser bar 111 for access of a tool to the opening 117.

The dogging mechanism is shown in the normal condition in Fig. 8, with the presser bar in the raised or uncompressed position. In operation, the presser bar 11 is compressed to the condition of Figs. 9 and 10, and the dogging pin is compressed and rotated with the projecting portion of the drive pin 114 moving from the step 116a to the step 116b against the stop 116c bringing the exposed end of the pin 114 underneath the turned over top 119 of the bracket 93. When the dogging mechanism is in this position, the presser bar 11 cannot be raised from the condition of Figs. 9 and 10 to the condition of Fig. 8 by the action of the spring 91. Thus, the door is dogged or maintained in the unlatched condition. The pin 114 rests in one of the detents 120 for retaining the dogging pin in the position of Fig. 10.

This dogging mechanism construction requires a positive downward push in order to actuate the dogging action.

A downward push and a torque moves the drive pin 114 from the operating position of Fig. 8 to the dogged position of Figs. 9 and 10. A downward push and a torque moves the pin 114 out of the detent 120, and a further torque moves the pin 114 from the step 116b to the step 116a, returning the dogging pin 113 to the position of Fig. 8. Only one end of the drive pin 114 projects from the dogging pin 113 so that the dogging pin rests only in these two positions.

In operation, the door is normally latched with the bolts at the ends of the rods 36, 46 engaging the respective latch plates. Pressure on the presser bar 11 permits inward movement of the bar, axial translation of theLrod 71 and pivoting of the lever 50 counterclockwise from the position of Fig. 3 to the position of Fig. 4. Engagement of the slot of the lever 99 with the pin 128 moves the slide plate 127, the pin 37, the lower rod 36 and the connector 34 upward. This produces a clockwise rotation of the plate 31 as viewed in Fig. 4A, moving the connector 45 and the rod 46 downward, thereby releasing the door locks. Further pressure on the presser bar 11 swings the door open. A conventional door closure mechanism is usually incorporated in the installation so that when pressure on the bar 11 is released, the door will swing back to the closed position.

The presser bar with the compression mechanisms and dogging mechanism can be utilized in a side latch door as well as in a top and bottom latch door, as shown in Figs. 12 and 13. A latch bolt 121 is carried in a U-shaped housing 122 on a pivot pin 123. Another pin 125 in the housing rides in a guide slot 124 on the latch bolt 121. The latch bolt 121 is shown in the door locked position in Fig. 12 in engagement with a strike 126, and is shown in the door open position in Fig. 13 with the latch bolt out of engagement with the strike.

The latch bolt 121 is actuated by a lever 128 also mounted in the housing 122 on a pivot pin 129.

A first arm 131 of the lever 128 engages a plate 132 carried on the ledge 79B of the presser arm 11. A second arm 133 of the lever 128 engages a cam surface 134 of the latch bolt 121. When the presser arm is compressed from the position of Fig. 12 to the position of Fig. 13, the lever 128 is rotated clockwise and the latch bolt 121 is rotated counterclockwise, thereby releasing the side latch of the door from the strike of the frame.

A third arm 137 may be provided on the lever 128 for engagement with a key unlatching mechanism 138 for unlocking the door from the outside with a conventional key lock when the door is closed in the locked condition.

The housing 122 is attached to the base plate 17 by arms 139 and screws 140, one each of which are shown in Fig.

12. A spring 141 urges the bolt 121 clockwise toward the latched position of Fig. 12.

Claims

CLAMS :

l 1, A panic bar mechanism for an exit door equipped with vertically slidable upper and lower lock rods, and a lock rod drive mechanism with a projecting vertially-movable drive pin means, with movement of said drive pin means driving said upper and lower lock rods in opposite directions, the panic bar mechanism comprising: a base for mounting on the exit door; a presser bar carried on said base Uy a compression mechanism for movement toward and away from said base, said base and presser bar forming a housing; a push rod carried on said base within said housing for motion along the axis of said rod; a lever pivotally mounted on said base within said housing and having a slot for receiving said projecting drive pin means; and a link connected between said push rod and said lever for pivoting said lever to move said lock rods when said presser bar is pressed toward said base to translate said push rod along its axis.
2. A panic bar mechanism according to claim 1 wherein said lever is T-shaped with a stem and a cross bar joining at the lever pivot, with said slot at the base of said stem and with connection means at the ends of said cross bar for selective connection to said link.
3. A panic bar mechanism according to claim 2 wherein said link is connected at one end to said lever and at the other end has a slot engaging A post carried on said push rod.
4. A panic bar mechanism according to claim 3 including a slide plate carried on said base for 'sliding vertically relative to said base, and wherein said drive pin means including a first drive pin carried within said stile and a second drive pin carried on said slide plate, with said first drive pin engaging said slide plate and with said second drive pin engaging said lever.
5. A panic bar mechanism according to any preceding claim wherein said compression mechanism includes first and second arms, with one end of said first arm pivotally connected to said presser bar and with the other end of said first arm pivotally connected to said push rod, and with one end of said second arm pivotally connected to said first arm intermediate said ends thereof and with the other end of said second arm pivotally connected to said base.
6. A panic bar mechanism according to claim 5 including spring means carried on said push rod for urging said presser bar away from said base, with a first arm pin at said other end of said first arm connected to said push rod and sliding in a slot of a bracket carried on said base, and with connecting means at said other end of said second arm pivotally connecting said second arm to said base.
7. A panic bar mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein said compression mechanism includes first and second arms, with one end of said first arm pivotally connected to said presser bar and with the other end of said first arm pivotally connected to said push rod, and with one end of said second arm pivotally connected to said first arm intermediate said ends thereof and with the other end of said second arm pivotally connected to said base.
8. A panic bar mechanism according to claim 7 including spring means carried on said push rod for urging said presser bar away from said base, with a first arm pin at said other end of said first arm connected to said push rod and sliding in a slot of a bracket carried on said base, and with connecting means at said other end of said second arm pivotally connecting said second arm to said base.
9. A panic bar mechanism according to any preceding claim including a dogging mechanism carried on said presser bar and engageable with a dogging bracket carried on said base, said dogging mechanism including: a support plate mounted on said presser bar within said housing and having a cup shaped sleeve with a lower end; a first dogging pin rotatably mounted in said sleeve; a second dogging pin carried in an end of said first dogging pin and projecting from said first dogging pin to engage said lower end of said sleeve; spring means between said first dogging pin and said sleeve urging said second dogging pin into engagement with said sleeve lower end; a dogging bracket carried on said base and having a top spaced from said base;; said first dogging pin being rotatable to position said second dogging pin under said dogging bracket top when said presser bar is moved toward said base.
10. A panic bar mechanism according to claim 9 wherein said sleeve lower end is stepped with a detent notch in the lower step for receiving said second dogging pin.
11. A panic bar mechanism for an exit door having a door frame, the panic bar mechanism comprising: a base for mounting on the exit door; a presser bar carried on said base by a compression mechanism for movement toward and away from said base, said base and presser bar forming a housing; a push rod carried on said base within said housing for motion along the axis of said rod; a lever pivotally mounted on said base within said housing; and linking means connected between said presser bar and said lever for pivoting said lever to disengage said door from a strike plate when said presser bar is pressed toward said base to translate said push rod along its axis.
12. A panic bar mechanism according to claim 11 wherein said compression mechanism includes first and second arms, with one end of said first arm pivotally connected to said presser bar and with the other end of said first arm pivotally connected to said push rod, and with one end of said second arm pivotally connected to said first arm intermediate said ends thereof and with the other end of said second arm pivotally connected to said base.
13. A panic bar mechanism according to claim 12 including spring means carried on said push rod for urging said presser bar away from said base, with a first arm pin at said other end of said first arm connected to said push rod and sliding in a slot of a bracket carried on said base, and with connecting means at said other end of said second arm pivotally connecting said second arm to said base.
14. In a panic bar mechanism for an exit door having a frame and a strike for receiving a latch bolt, the panic bar mechanism comprising: a base for mounting on an exit door; a presser bar carried on said base By a compression mechanism for movement toward and away from said base, said base and presser bar forming a housing; a latch bolt pivotally mounted on said base; a lever pivotally mounted on said base within said housing, said lever having means for moving said latch bolt into and out of engagement with the strike on the frame; and said presser bar and said lever having interengagable means for actuating said lever when said presser bar is moved toward said base to move said latch bolt out of engagement with the strike.
15. A panic bar mechanism according to claim 14 further comprising: a push rod carried on said base within said housing for motion along the axis of said rod; said compression mechanism including first and second arms, with one end of said first arm pivotally connected to said presser bar and with the other end of said first arm pivotally connected to said push rod, and with one end of said second arm pivotally connected to said first arm intermediate said ends thereof and with the other end of said second arm pivotally connected to said base.
16. A panic bar mechanism according to claim 15 including spring means carried on said push rod for urging said presser bar away from said base, with a first arm pin at said other end of said first arm connected to said push road and sliding in a slot of a bracket carried on said base, and with connecting means at said other end of said second arm pivotally connecting said second arm to said base.
17. A panic bar mechanism substantially as described herein with reference to and as shown in Figs.

1-11 and Fig. 14, or Figs. 12 and 13.