GB2418953A

GB2418953A - A positive closure door fastening acting to compress a waterproofing seal

Info

Publication number: GB2418953A
Application number: GB0422016A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stanley Hogarth
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-10-05
Filing date: 2004-10-05
Publication date: 2006-04-12
Also published as: GB0422016D0

Abstract

A door 20, e.g. for flood protection, locates in a frame 21 and a flexible waterproofing seal 22 is provided between door and frame faces. Fastening members 4 are first extended from the door into frame apertures 13 and are then rotated so that eccentric cams 8 fast on the ends of members 4 interact with the apertures 13 to pull the door closed and compress the seal. A door handle turns lever 2 so that pin 9 acts on lever 1 and pin 6 engages a plate 3 to move it to the left to extend the fastenings 4. On further rotation the lever 2 engages pin 15 to act via gear 16 on rack 12 to drive the plate 3 upwardly so that the cams 8 are rotated via pinion 18 on member 4. Linkages 36 and 37 transmit extension and rotation movements to a further cam on a shaft 39 mounted in a lower door edge.

Description

Flood Protection Device for Doors & Other Openings.

This invention relates to an apparatus which is fitted to doors and windows and hatches and other openings in a building or structure to prevent flood water from entering the building through doors, windows, hatches or other openings by means of a flexible seal operating between the door, window or hatch or other closure piece for an opening and its frame Over recent years there has been increased incidence of homes and other buildings being damaged with flood water when rivers break their banks and sea defences are breached caused by violent or prolonged rain storms Even though these storms are often predicted there is little chance of preventing severe damage because although sand bags and other makeshift protective measures are made they rarely stop the ingress of water passing between the door, window, hatch or other closure piece and the door-frame, window-frame, hatch-frame or frame Hereinafter when the terms "door" or "window" or "hatch" or "other closure piece" are used they will be meant to refer to each other as if they were the same Also when the terms "door-frame" or "window-frame" or "hatch-frame" or "frame" are used they will be meant to refer to each other as if they were the same The present invention's purpose is to eliminate or reduce the ingress of flood water into a building or structure so stopping or limiting damage caused to the contents of the building and to the structure of the building. There is a waterproof flexible material fitted to the door face or the frame which becomes trapped between the door face and the frame when the door is closed, this flexible material is fitted so that it forms an unbroken boundary around the face of the door. On or within the door or the frame there is provided a device which if operated when the door is closed creates a force which pulls the door tightly onto the frame so that the flexible material makes a waterproof seal between the door and the frame thus preventing water ingress to the building or structure According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a flood protection device for use in a door, said device comprising a plurality of pushrod assemblies, each pushrod assembly comprises a shaft with a pinion rigidly fitted at a first end of said shaft and an eccentric cam rigidly fitted at a second end of said shaft, and an activation means, wherein said plurality of pushrod assemblies have coplanar pivot axes and each of said pushrod shafts can be pivoted under the action of said activation means Preferably said activation means comprises an actuating plate slideably fitted and adapted to move vertically and horizontally in the same plane as the door face.

Preferably said activation means comprises a guide plate slideably fitted and adapted to move vertically, said guide plate is also slideably engaged with said actuating plate to allow horizontal movement relative to each other.

Preferably said actuating plate has a plurality of gear-toothed racks rigidly fitted which engage with said pushrod pinions such that horizontal movement of said plate causes horizontal movement of said pushrod assemblies and also so that vertical movement of said plate causes pivotal rotation of said pinions, said guide plate has a gear- toothed rack rigidly fitted which engages with a drive gear-train provided on said device such that rotation of said gear-train causes vertical movement of said guide plate and said actuating plate Preferably said activation means comprises flanges adapted to maintain the horizontal position of said pinions relative to said racks Said sliding movements of said actuating plate and said guide plate are sequenced to create the action required of said pushrods such that said eccentric cams move out of the door edge and then rotate in unison Preferably reverse sliding movements of said actuating plate and said guide plate causes the reverse sequence described above such that said eccentric cams rotate in unison and then retreat back into the door edge.

Preferably said activation means comprises a first lever with its axis freely rotatably fitted to a first spindle provided on said device, said lever can be made to pivot and is provided with a slot which slideably engages a pin, said pin is rigidly fixed to said actuating plate so that pivotal movement of said first lever is converted to said sliding movement of said pressure plate in said horizontal direction Preferably said activation means comprises a second lever with its axis freely rotatably fitted to a second spindle provided on said device, said lever can be made to pivot and is provided with pins which are adapted to engage with said first lever such that said first lever is caused to pivot in a sequence of clockwise and anti-clockwise directions Said clockwise and anti-clockwise directions causes said actuating plate to slide horizontally firstly in one direction then secondly to return in the opposite direction (to the left or right then to the right or left) Preferably said activation means comprises said drive gear-train consisting of a gearwheel with its axis freely rotatably fitted to said second spindle, said gearwheel being engaged with an idler pinion which is engaged with said gear- toothed rack (rigidly fitted to said guide plate) Said gearwheel is provided with pins which are adapted to engage with said second lever such that pivotal rotation of said second lever causes rotation of said gearwheel which being engaged with said rack via said idler pinion causes vertical movement of said guide plate.

Preferably there is provided a mounting plate on which to mount the device, said mounting plate will normally be an integral part of the door.

Preferably guide pins are fitted to said mounting plate such that all previously described horizontal and vertical movements are controlled.

Preferably a standard door handle is fitted to said second spindle and is adapted to engage with said second lever such that pivotal movement of said handle is transferred to said second lever Said handle also operates the normal door latching and locking mechanism Preferably there is provided locating holes in the door frame into which said eccentric cams can slide when the door is closed. Said holes are positioned so that each hole is aligned with one eccentric cam when the door is closed. Said holes are designed to allow an easy sliding fit with said eccentric cams Preferably the position of said first spindle relative to the position of said second spindle is adapted so that when the device is operated a sequence of horizontal and vertical movements of said actuating plate is created.

Preferably said horizontal outward (toward the door edge) movement of said actuating plate precedes and is completed before said vertical movement of said actuating plate commences during the sequence leading to the active condition of the device, and also that said vertical (reverse) movement precedes and is completed before said horizontal inward movement commences during the sequence leading to the rest condition of the device Preferably said gearwheel and said idler pinion of said gear-train will be arranged so that their common centre-line is horizontal in the rest condition Preferably the shaft on which said idler pinion rotates will have a limited floating capability and so will be able to move in substantially vertical directions when forces are created to cause it. Said forces are set up when the actuating plate is moving in a horizontal direction making vertical movement of said actuating plate impossible and so said gearwheel which is being driven causes said idler pinion and shaft to ride over said rack (fitted to said guide plate) in a vertical direction.

Preferably door hinge spring loaded mounting units are provided to allow the door to be pulled toward the door frame An adaption of the described components may be arranged to operate at any one edge or at multiple edges of a door An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures, where Fig 1 is a front elevation of the flood protection device as it may be fitted in a door, Fig 2 is a pictorial view showing a door edge and a door frame with a flexible material seal Figs 3 and 3a and 3b are side, front and side elevations of an edge mounted spring-loaded mounting unit for door hinge Figs 4 and 4a and 4b are side, front and side elevations of a face mounted spring- loaded mounting unit for door hinge Figs 5 and 5a are front and side elevations of a pushrod assembly Figs 6 and 6a and 6b and 6c are front elevations of the lever arms, actuating Plate and Guide Plate showing how they operate when the device is being made active.

The levers are being turned in an anti- clockwise direction. The travel paths of the pin and first lever are shown as dotted lines and the standard door handle is shown in dotted lines.

Figs 7 and 7a and 7b and 7c are front elevations of the lever arms actuating plate and guide plate showing how they operate when the device is returning to its rest condition The levers are being turned in a clockwise direction The travel paths of the pin and first lever are shown as dotted lines and the standard door handle is shown in dotted lines Fig 8 is a view of the first lever showing the pivotal toe arrangement Fig 8a shows front, side and plan views of the pivotal toe Fig 9 is a view of the arrangement of the main components within the device Fig 10 is a sectional view of the slide coupling Referring to Figs 1 to 10 the invention comprises a mountplate 40 in the door which contains the system of parts A waterproof flexible material 22 is situated between the door face and the frame face creating an unbroken line of seal when the device is in the active condition Actuating plate 3 is slideably fitted to said mountplate such that a sequence of horizontal and vertical movements can be achieved Actuating plate 3 is moved in a uniform horizontal direction by the action of lever 1 and pin 6, guide plate 17 is slideably fitted to said actuating plate so that relative horizonal movement between these plates is enabled Pushrod assembly 3 5 consists of a pushrod 4 with a cam 8 rigidly and eccentrically fixed at a first end and a pinion 18 rigidly and concentrically fixed at the opposite end Said pushrod assembly is engaged with geartoothed rack 19 and said geartoothed rack is rigidly fixed to said actuating plate 3 so that horizontal movement of said actuating plate causes similar horizontal movement of said pushrod assembly, vertical movement of said actuating plate 3 causes pinion 18 to rotate causing eccentric cam 8 to similarly rotate A plurality of pushrod assemblies may be fitted to the device. Said pushrod assemblies act in unison so that the eccentric cams 8 enter the holes 13 in the door frame and are then made to pivot which causes the door to be forced towards the frame such that the flexible material between the face of the door and the frame is squeezed and so a watertight seal is created around the door or that part of the door where the seal is required When eccentric cam 8 rotates in a fixed restricted hole 13 the effect is to tend to move the push rod 4 in an eliptical rotational motion However hole 13 is designed so that forces created by this motion is caused to be in one plane which is at right angles to the door face 20 In this embodiment the cross sectional shape of holes 13 are rectangular and sized so that the eccentric cam 8 contacts only two faces of the rectangular hole such that the force acts on only those two faces, these faces are parallel with the mounting plate plane. The device is rigidly fixed in the mounting plate plane so forces caused by the eccentric cams 8 are imparted at right angles to that plane which is parallel to the door face Anti-clockwise rotational movement of lever 2 causes Pin 9 in lever 2 to make contact with lever I and drives lever I in an anti-clockwise direction (in this embodiment), and with slot 5 of lever 1 being slideably engaged with pin 6 in said actuating plate 3 said actuating plate slides to the left which forces said cams 8 into said holes 13 in the door frame The aforementioned relative position of the spindle 7 of lever 1 and spindle l O of lever 2 is arranged so that pin 9 loses contact with lever I and so determines the horizontal distance travel to the left of said actuating plate 3 A pivotal toe 14 is rotatably fitted to said lever 1 and said toe 14 is able to pivot when acted upon by pin 9 in lever 2 when pin 9 is losing contact with lever 1, said pivotal movement allows said pin 9 to freely lose contact with lever I making the action smooth and reducing wear of these parts The sequence of the action described causes eccentric cams 8 to enter said holes 13 of the door frame when the door is closed With continued anti-clockwise rotation of lever 2 it comes into contact with pin which is rigidly fixed to gearwheel 11 forcing said gearwheel 11 and idler pinion 16 to rotate and causing upward vertical movement of said geartoothed rack 12 which is rigidly fixed to said guide plate 17 so forcing guide plate and actuating plate to move as one in a vertical upward direction causing said geartoothed rack 19 to rotatably drive pinion 18 and cam 8. Guide plate 17 is slideably fitted to said mountplate such that vertical sliding movement of said guide plate and said actuating plate relative to said mountplate can be achieved.

The sequence of action described causes the eccentric cams 8 to rotate within said holes 13 of the door frame when the door is closed forcing the door toward the door frame A clockwise rotation of said lever 2 causes pivotal toe 14 to pivot when contacted by said pin 9 to allow pin 9 in lever 2 to freely pass lever I Further clockwise rotation of said lever 2 causes it to contact pin 24 which is rigidly fixed to gearwheel 11 forcing said gearwheel and idler pinion 16 to rotate so driving said geartoothed rack 12, guide plate 17 and actuating plate 3 to move as one in a downward vertical direction, as previously described this action causes rotational movement of drive pinion]8 and cam 8 this time in the opposite rotational direction from that previously described forcing the door away from the door frame With continued clockwise rotational movement of lever 2, pin 23 which is rigidly fixed to lever 2 makes contact with lever 1 and drives lever 1 in a clockwise direction (in this embodiment) and with slot 5 of lever 1 being slideably engaged with pin 6 in said actuating plate 3 said actuating plate slides to the right causing withdrawal of said cams 8 from said holes 13 in the door frame. Guide pins 26 which operate within their relevant guide slots 27 will determine the horizontal travel distance to the right of said actuating plate when they reach the limit of the slot The sequence of action described causes eccentric cams 8 to withdraw from said holes 13 of the door frame when the door is closed.

Guide slots 27 and guide pins 26 are arranged to control said horizontal and vertical movements Transfer drive bar 37 and transfer drive shaft 36 are adapted to transfer lateral and rotational movements via a system of gearwheels and geartoothed racks and slide couplings to give the same operational features already described at other edges of the door Slide coupling 50 consists of slide boss 38 which is concentrically and rigidly fixed to pushrod 39; reciprocating shaft 46 is rotatably fitted to slide boss 38, slide pinion 42 is slidably fitted via parallel drive key 41 to slide boss 38 and is freely and concentrically fitted over pushrod 39, the lateral position of slide pinion 42 is constrained by being engaged in one of the gearwheels in the transfer drive system previously mentioned Lateral movement of reciprocating shaft 46 causes slide boss 38 to slide over slide pinion 42 and moves pushrod 39 in a vertical (in this embodiment) direction, passing through slide pinion 42 Rotational movement of slide pinion 42 drives slide boss 38 which drives pushrod 39 with the same rotational movement The sequence of actions are similar to that previously described causing eccentric cam 8 to enter into and rotate within said hole 13 of the door frame and then to reverse rotate and withdraw from hole 13 When the doorway is required to be made watertight using a door containing the flood protection device, the door is closed in the normal way The device is then caused to be in its active condition, with the device in the rest condition the door handle is rotated in the appropriate direction (anti-clockwise in this embodiment).

The door handle is rigidly fixed to lever 2 causing lever 2 to rotate about its axis spindle 7 and Pin 9 being rigidly fixed to said lever 2 said pin 9 makes contact with lever I and forces said lever I to rotate on its axis spindle 10 Slot 5 in lever 1 acts upon pin 6 which is rigidly fixed to actuating plate 3. This interaction of slot 5 and pin 6 converts said rotational motion of said lever I into lateral movement of said actuating plate 3 and causes said actuating plate to slide horizontally to the left Said horizontal movement of said actuating plate carries said pushrod assemblies in the same direction and said eccentric cams 8 enter said holes 13 in the door frame Simultaneously said transfer drive bar 37 is pulled to the left by said horizontal movement of said actuating plate 3 this horizontal movement is converted to a downward vertical movement by a system of geartoothed racks and pinions and so causes pushrod 39 to force eccentric cam 43 into its corresponding hole in the bottom section of the door frame Continued rotation of the door handle and said lever 2 causes said lever 2 to contact pin 15 in said gearwheel 11 causing said gearwheel 11 to rotate which drives said actuating plate 3 in a vertical upward direction which causes the attached geartoothed racks 19 to turn said pinions 18 which causes said eccentric cams to rotate, simultaneously said rotation is caused on eccentric cam 43 by means of a system of gearwheels driving said pushrod 39 This rotation of said eccentric cams 8 and 43 causes the door to be pulled toward the door frame and in so doing squeezes said flexible material 22 between the door face 20 and the door frame face 21 to create a watertight seal around the door or that part of the door as is required Door hinge spring-loaded mounting units 15 are designed to allow forces previously described to overcome the spring forces so that the door can move as required toward the frame face 21 whilst the hinge retains its correct alignment When the door is required to return to its rest condition and with the device in the active condition the door handle (and lever 2) is turned in the appropriate direction (clockwise in this embodiment) Said lever 2 makes contact with pin 24 which causes gearwheel 11 to rotate which drives said actuating plate 3 in a vertical downward direction causing eccentric cams 8 and 43 to rotate in the opposite direction from the previously described action so releasing the pressure between said door face 20 and door frame face 21 and the door hinge spring loaded mounting units 15 return to the rest condition under the influence of their springs Continued rotation of said door handle and said lever 2 causes pin 23 to make contact with said lever 1 causing said lever I to rotate and causing the interaction of slot 5 and pin 6 making said actuating plate 3 to slide horizontally to the right. This horizontal movement being the reverse of that previously described causes said eccentric cams 8 and 43 to retract from said holes 13 and return to their rest positions Door hinge spring-loaded mounting units 15 in this embodiment are designed to be fitted to the door edge as is normal on residential applications Fig 3. However alternative designs of door hinge spring-loaded mounting units 44 can be used for face mounted hinges Fig 4 Unit 15 (Fig 3, 3a & 3b) has an arrangement where casing 25 is fixed to the door edge and plate 45 is slideably fitted in casing 25, this sliding movement is designed to allow the door to move as required when the flood protection device is in use Spring 27 forces the plate 45 against face 28 of casing 25 and maintains this arrangement whilst the door is used in the normal way and only operates when the forces previously described come into action and overcome the spring's force allowing plate 45 to slide relative to casing 25 when the door moves toward the frame as previously described. Normal hinges can be used and are fixed to plate with set screws Unit 44 (Fig 4, 4a & 4b) has a spring-loaded plate arrangement where base plate 29 is fixed to the door face and spring plate 30 is held in place by springs 31 Springs 31 forces spring plate 30 against base plate 29 and maintains this arrangement whilst the door is used in the normal way and only operate when forces previously described come into action and overcome the springs' forces allowing relative movement between base plate 29 and spring plate 30 when the door moves toward the frame as previously described. Normal hinges can be used and are fixed to spring plate 30 with set screws The intelligent reader will realise that the sequence of actions described will take place when the door is locked and unlocked so eliminating the requirement of the tenant to make preparations when the danger of flood is threatened, the door is set to its active condition by the simple action of locking the door Although the description refers to the device being fitted to or within a door it should be understood that the device may also be fitted to or within a door frame These and other modifications and improvements can be incorporated without departing from the scope of the invention

Claims

Claims 1 A flood protection device fitted to a door comprising at least

one waterproof flexible material fixed to be between the door face and the door frame face; a system of components create a predetermined sequence of movements, said sequence of movements is initiated by the movement of a standard door handle causing at least one pushrod with its rigidly attached eccentric cam at a first end to slide from the door into a designed hole in the door frame when the door is closed and to then cause the eccentric cam to rotate within the designed hole causing the door to be forced toward the door frame face making the device active; similar but opposite movement of said standard door handle causes the system into reverse action rotating the eccentric cam and then causing said pushrod with its eccentric cam to slide out of the designed hole and to slide back into said door returning the door to its rest condition, a plurality of pushrod assemblies may be used in said door, spring loaded hinge units may be used to enable the hinged side of said door to be forced toward door frame 2 A device as claimed in claim I wherein there is a mountplate on which is located the system of levers, gearwheels, pinions, geartoothed racks, actuating plate, guide plate, guide pins, spindles, transfer drive bar, transfer drive shaft, pushrod assemblies, slide coupling and other minor but essential parts 3. A device as claimed in claim I wherein said predetermined sequence of movements is created by the inter-action of the pivotal movement of levers engaging with pins, gearwheels, geartoothed racks, guide pins, slots and guide slots to convert pivotal motion into reciprocal motion.

4 A device as claimed in claim 3 wherein there are two levers, each lever has a spindle which acts as a fulcrum for its lever, said fulcrums are uniquely positioned in relation to each other, a first lever is unidirectionally pivotally driven by a first pin rigidly fixed in a second lever, said first pin being positioned so that the different paths of movement causes said first pin to lose contact with said first lever at a predetermined position whereupon pivotal motion of said first lever ceases A device as claimed in claims 3 and 4 wherein a second pin is rigidly fixed in said second lever designed to pivotally drive said first lever in the counter direction from the direction driven by said first pin.

6 A device as claimed in claims 3 and 4 wherein a gearwheel is freely rotatable on said spindle of said second lever 7 A device as claimed in claim 6 wherein said gearwheel has a third pin and a fourth pin fitted to its face such that said third and fourth pins are in the path of the movement of said second lever lo 8 A device as claimed in claim 7 wherein said second lever drives said gearwheel rotationally when contact is made with said third pin 9 A device as claimed in claim 7 wherein said second lever contacts said fourth pin and drives said gearwheel in the counter direction from the direction driven by said third pin.

A device as claimed in claims 6, 7, 8, and 9 wherein said gearwheel is permanently meshed with an idler pinion which is in turn permanently meshed with a first geartoothed rack which is rigidly attached to said guide plate.

J. 1 A device as claimed in claims 2 and 10 wherein said guide plate is slidably attached to said mountplate to allow relative uni-directional sliding movement coplanar with said mountplate.

12. A device as claimed in claims 2, 10 and 11 wherein said guide plate is slideably attached to said actuating plate to allow relative unidirectional sliding movement coplanar with said mountplate.

13 A device as claimed in claims 2 and 12 wherein said actuating plate is slideably attached to said mountplate to allow relative bi-directional sliding movements coplanar with said mountplate; the different directional movements happen at different stages in said sequence of movements of the system.

14 A device as claimed in claims 2, 12 and 13 wherein said actuating plate is slidably attached to said transfer drive bar to allow relative uni-directional sliding movement coplanar with said mountplate.

15. A device as claimed in claims 2 and 14 wherein said transfer drive bar is slidably attached to said mountplate to allow relative uni- directional sliding movement coplanar with said mountplate.

16. A device as claimed in claims 2, 14, and 15 wherein said transfer drive bar in conjunction with racks & pinions drives a reciprocating shaft.

17 A device as claimed in claim 16 wherein said reciprocating shaft is slidably attached to said mountplate to allow relative uni-directional sliding movement coplanar with said mountplate 18 A device as claimed in claims 16 and 17 wherein a first end of said reciprocating shaft is rotatably fitted to a slide boss on a common axis; said slide boss is a component part of said slide coupling, said connection of said reciprocation shaft and said slide boss is designed to ensure that there is no relative axial movement between said reciprocating shaft and said slide boss.

19 A device as claimed in claims 17 and 18 wherein said slide boss is rigidly attached to said second pushrod so that lateral movement of said reciprocating shaft is transmitted to said slide boss and also to said second pushrod resulting in all three named components being able to move laterally as if as one unit coplaner with said mountplate.

20. A device as claimed in claims I and 2 wherein a first pushrod assembly is slidably attached to said mountplate to allow a first pushrod and a first eccentric cam to slide from said door into said designed hole in said door frame.

21 A device as claimed in claims 1, 2 and 20 wherein a pinion which is concentrically and rigidly fitted to a second end of said first pushrod and is permanently meshed with a second geartoothed rack, said second geartoothed rack being rigidly attached to said actuating plate.

22. A device as claimed in claims 1 and 2 wherein said transfer drive shaft is freely rotatable within support bearings and said support bearings are rigidly attached to, and coplanar with said mountplate.

23. A device as claimed in claims 1, 2 and 22 wherein a pinion is concentrically and rigidly fitted to a first end of said transfer drive shaft and is permanently meshed with a third geartoothed rack and said third geartoothed rack is rigidly attached to said guide plate 24 A device as claimed in claims 1, 2, 22 and 23 wherein a geartrain transfers rotational movement from said transfer drive shaft to said slide coupling which transfers said rotational movement to a second pushrod assembly A device as claimed in claim I wherein said standard door handle is designed to pivotally drive said second lever in a first direction to cause the door to be in the active condition and on a different occasion to drive said second lever in the counter direction to cause said door to be in the rest condition 26 A device as claimed in claims 1, 2 and 4 wherein said first lever is slidably attached to said actuating plate by the engagement of a slot in said first lever with a fifth pin which is rigidly fixed to said actuating plate 27. A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the movement of said standard door handle initiates a predetermined sequence of movements to change the closed door status from said rest condition to said active condition and when said door handle is moved in the counter direction changes the closed door status from said active condition to said rest condition, to firstly rotate said second lever causing said first pin to drive said first lever in the same directional rotation then to cause said actuating plate to slide laterally until said first pin loses contact with said first lever; simultaneously said transfer drive bar causes said reciprocating shaft to slide laterally; said lateral movements drive pushrods and eccentric cams out of said door and into said designed holes in said door frame, secondly, said second lever contacts said third pin and causes said gearwheel and said idler pinion to rotate causing said first geartoothed rack and guide plate and actuating plate to slide laterally causing rotational movement of said first pushrod and eccentric cam, simultaneously said third geartoothed rack causes said transfer drive shaft to rotate causing said slide coupling and said second pushrod and eccentric cam to rotate, on a different occasion to thirdly move said standard door handle in said counter direction and said gearwheel is caused to rotate when said second lever contacts said fourth pin causing reverse rotation of said eccentric cams, said second pin makes contact with said first lever causing reverse rotation and causing said pushrods and said eccentric cams to retreat from said designed holes back into said door.

28 A device as claimed in claim 4 wherein said first lever has a pivotal toe component which transfers the driving force from said first pin to said first lever and allows smooth disengagement of said first pin from said first lever and then during reverse action allows said first pin to smoothly pass said first lever 29 A device as claimed in claims 4 and 28 wherein said pivotal toe is pivotally attached by a stud to said first lever and is positioned so that said pivotal toe transfers the driving force of said first pin to said first lever when said device is being made active.

30. A device as claimed in claims 4, 28 and 29 wherein said pivotal toe turns on its axis during said reverse action when contact is made by said first pin; said first pin then loses contact with said pivotal toe without creating any drag effect on said first lever because of the designed shape of said pivotal toe and because the arc described by said pivotal toe has a smaller radius to the arc described by said first pin during the movement 31. A device as claimed in claims 4, 28, 29 and 30 wherein said pivotal toe is reset when said first pin makes contact with said pivotal toe at the start of the next sequence of movements to force the door to its active condition 32 A device as claimed in claims 1, 2, and 10 wherein the spindle of said idler pinion is allowed some movement substantially parallel with said first geartoothed rack in order to prevent lateral movement of said first geartoothed rack and said guideplate until said lateral movement is required 33. A device as claimed in claims 2, 18, 19 and 24 wherein said slide coupling comprises a slide pinion and a slide boss slidably assembled on a common axis, said slide boss and said slide pinion are able to slide axially relative to each other and are locked radially to prevent relative rotational movement, when slide boss and slide pinion are assembled rotational movement of said slide boss is transfered to said slide pinion, also, rotational movement of said slide pinion is transfered to said slide boss.

34. A device as claimed in I wherein said spring loaded hinge unit comprises a plate which is designed to allow a standard door hinge to be attached by set screws, said plate is slidably fitted to a casing and said casing may be attached to said door in the normal way.

A device as claimed in claims 1 and 34 wherein said plate is held under spring pressure against a face of said casing, said face being nearest to said door frame; the force created when said door is made active overcomes the force of said spring pressure to allow said door to move as previously described when said device is made active, when said door returns to said rest condition said spring pressure returns said plate to its original position against said face of said casing.

36 A device as described herein with reference to figures I - 10 of the accompanying drawings