US3667404A

US3667404A - Revolving door lock mechanism and trap floor assembly

Info

Publication number: US3667404A
Application number: US107096A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ernest Foster
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1971-01-18
Filing date: 1971-01-18
Publication date: 1972-06-06
Anticipated expiration: 1989-06-06

Abstract

The revolving door lock mechanism and trap floor assembly includes means for automatically locking a revolving door with a person trapped therein from a point remote from the door. A trap floor is provided beneath the door assembly. A room is provided beneath the trap door for incarcerating a person. The trap floor includes means for automatically opening thereof when a person is standing thereon and, subsequently, for automatically closing the floor after the person has fallen into the room beneath the trap floor.

Description

United States Patent 1151 3,667,404 Foster June 6, 1972 54] REVOLVING DOOR LOCK 1,807,944 6/l93l Thibault 109/3 MECHANISM AND TRAP FLOOR 1,921,967 8/1933 Eckerson..... 109/3 ASSEMBLY 2,090,520 8/1937 Schneider ..49/43 x Primary Examiner-Dennis L. Taylor Attorney-Whittemore, Hulbert & Belknap [5 7] ABSTRACT The revolving door lock mechanism and trap floor assembly includes means for automatically locking a revolving door with a person trapped therein from a point remote from the door. A trap floor is provided beneath the door assembly. A room is provided beneath the trap door for incarcerating a person. The trap floor includes means for automatically opening thereof when a person is standing thereon and, subsequently, for automatically closing the floor after the person has fallen into the room beneath the trap floor.

8 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures v 1 REVOLVING DOOR LOCK MECHANISM AND TRAP FLOOR ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In recent years the crimes of armed robbery, shop-liftingv and the like in banks and retail stores have become a serious problem. It is difficult to catch the perpetrators of such crimes because the personnel in banks and retail stores are not security people and do not have the means or training to effectively engage the violent people involved in such criminal activities.

The present invention provides a means for capturing such people without physically confronting them. Primary and secondary spaces for incarcerating a fleeing felon are provided in accordance with the present invention. The invention is adapted to be used in connection with a building having a revolving door at the entrance thereof. The primary space for capturing a person comprises a room provided beneath the revolving door-through which the felon must pass. A trap floor and means for remote operation thereof are provided beneath the revolving door. Means are provided for latching the revolving door in a position where the criminal will be standing on the trap floor as he attempts to leave. It is preferred that the criminal fall through the trap floor and into the room therebeneath because this provides greater security from danger from the criminal. However, latching of the revolving door will at least temporarily restrain the criminal in the event that for some reason the trap floor system fails to effectively operate. Such temporary detainmentwould in most cases be sufficient to result in law enforcement people being at least nearer to the criminal if he manages to break out of the door and will more likely result in'his capture.

The system is relatively simple and relatively inexpensive for a device of this type. The device has the advantage that once installed, it will not involve expensive maintenance costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The revolving door lock mechanism and trap floor assembly includes a revolving door having a plurality of door elements spaced around a vertical axis. The door is mounted for rotation about the vertical axis. Latch means are mounted above the door. The latch means includes a latch element. First power means are provided to extend and retract the latch element. First control means are actuatable to energize the first power means. The door elements include means to engage the latch when the latch is extended. trap floor is provided beneath the revolving door. Second power means are provided to open and close the trap floor. A room for incarcerating a person is provided beneath the trap floor. Second control means are provided for actuating the second power means.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of the floor layout of a bank in which one embodiment of the revolving door lock mechanism and trap floor assembly of the present invention is incorporated;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the revolving door lock mechanism and trap floor assembly taken substantially along the line 22 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the revolving door lock mechanism;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the electrical control mechanism; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the control circuit for an electric motor forming part of an M-G set to provide auxiliary power in case of a power failure.

Referring to FIG. 1, it will be noted that the revolving door lock mechanism and trap floor assembly of the invention is illustratively shown as being installed in a bank 10, the floor plan of the main floor of the bank being illustrated. The layout comprises a row of teller cages 12 along one wall with an administrative office and control room 14 being provided at the end of the row of cages. A main floor area 16 is provided for the bank customers. The usual desks 18 are provided along one wall for the convenience of the customers in filling out the various forms necessary for transaction of banking business.

Swing type outer doors 20 are provided at the entrance to the bank. The doors 20 permit access to a corridor 22 which'is divided into two halves by means of a dividing wall 24. A revolving

door

26, 28 is provided on either side of the wall 24. One revolving door 26 is provided for entrance to the interior of the bank. This revolving door is designed to operate in one direction only and cannot be used for exit purposes. The oneway trafiic concept may, for example, be effectuated by means of the use of parallel bars forming the door portions and cooperating parallel bars intersecting one side thereof in the manner of the usual tumstile provided at various public places such as sports arenas, subways, and the like. Altemately, the revolving door assembly 26 may be of conventional structure with the lock mechanism and trap floor assembly of the invention also incorporated therein.

The revolving door lock mechanism and trap floor assembly 30 is incorporated into the revolving door assembly 28. The assembly 30 includes a room 32 located beneath the door assembly 28. The room 32 may, for example, be about l0 feet in height to easily receive a person. The width and length are such as to easily accommodate the person without undue crowding. A door 34 is provided for access to the room 32. The door 34 has a bullet-proof barred window 36 to permit exterior viewing of the room. A padded floor element 38 is provided to cushion the fall of a person into the room.

A trap floor assembly defines a portion of the floor of the main room 14 in the area of the revolving door 28 and, obversely, the ceiling of the room 32. The trap floor assembly comprises two door elements 40, 42 hingedly mounted at their

ends

44, 46. The trap floor assembly occupies a space approximately equal to the area between two

adjacent door elements

48, 50 as will be noted in FIG. 1. The revolving door assembly 28 has four

door elements

48, 50, 52, 54 arranged at right angles as is customary. A curved wall 56, 58 is provided at diametrically opposed locations of the revolving door assembly, one wall 56 being provided adjacent the room divider 24 while the other wall 58 is adjacent main room wall 60. When the door assembly 28 is pivoted as illustrated in FIG. I so that two of the

door elements

48, 50 are positioned between the ends of the wall 58, a confined space is defined. The lock mechanism is designed to, when desired, lock the door 28 in this position, to thus provide a secondary space to confine a person.

The trap door elements 40, 42 are manipulated by means of

power cylinders

62, 64. Each of the cylinders is mounted on the underside of one of the main floor portions 66, 68 adjacent to one of the trap door elements 40, 42. Each cylinder comprises a hollow cylindrical housing in which is slidably mounted a piston 78. A spring 80 is provided behind the piston and biases the piston towards the room 32. A piston rod 82 extends from the piston 78 through an opening in the end of the cylinder housing. A rod 82 is pivotally connected at its outer end to links 84, 86. The link 84 is fixedly connected to the hinge point of the door element 40. The link 86 is freely pivotable and extends through a pair of loops 88, 90, each of which is secured to the underside of the forward edge of the door elements 40, 42. The link 86 serves to brace the door elements while the link 84 is utilized to pivot the door element downwardly when it is desired to drop a person into the room 32.

Similar links

92, 94 are connected to the piston rod 96 of the cylinder 62. v

The locking mechanism 98 for the revolving door 28 is illustrated in FIG. 3, while the electrical circuitry for actuating the locking mechanism 98 and

cylinders

62, 64 is illustrated in FIG. 4. The locking mechanism 98 comprises a solenoid actuated slidable latch 100 which is located in the ceiling 102 above the revolving door 28. A housing 104 is received in a recess provided in the ceiling 102. The latch 100 is guided between

guide elements

106, 108 which extend into the housing 104 for about half the distance thereof. An electrical solenoid 110 is provided above the

elements

106, 108. A coil spring 112 biases the solenoid 110 towards the

elements

106, 108. A limit switch 114 is mounted in an opening 116 of the housing 104. The limit switch is normally open and has a spring urged plunger 118 which extends into the housing 104 and which is positioned slightly above the solenoid 110. The top edge of each

door element

48, 50, 52 and 54 is provided with a recess 120 and a cam structure 122 in alignment with the housing 104. In operation, when it is desired to lock the revolving door 28, the solenoid 110 is energized whereupon solenoid rod 124 which is secured to the latch 100, is extended. The latch 100 then assumes the dotted line position illustrated in FIG. 3. As the door '28 is revolved, the cam structure 122, after making contact with the latch 100, will force the latch back into the housing 104 against the action of the spring 112. This causes the solenoid 110 to be moved over the plunger 118 with the result that the switch 114 is closed. When the recess 120 is in alignment with the latch 100, the spring 112 causes the latch to again be extended into the recess to thus lock the door. The bottom surface 126 of the recess is somewhat above the full extension point of the latch 100 so that when the latch 100 is received in the recess, thesolenoid 110 will still be over the plunger -1 l8 thus'maintaining the switch 1 l4 closed.

The circuitry for energizing the solenoid 1 l and for actuating the

cylinders

62, 64 is illustrated in FIG. 4. The circuit comprises a pair of

main lines

128, 130 connected across a source of commercial AC power 132. A lead 134 extends between the

lines

128, 130. Parallel arranged

switches

136, 137, 139, 141 are in series with a coil 138 of a relay in lead 134. The switches are foot operated switches provided in each teller cage 12. The teller may close his switch whenever an emergency situation arises. Five electrically operated

cameras

140, 142, 144, 146, 148 are connected in parallel across the coil 138. The carnerasare strategically located to photograph any person in front of a tellers cage or a person at the revolving door 28. The teller automatically energizes the cameras along with the coil 138.

Normally open contacts 150are caused to close upon energization of coil 138. The contacts 150 are provided in lead 152 along with the coil 154 of the solenoid 110. Closure of contacts 150 result in energization of the solenoid coil with the result that the latch 100 is extended to the dotted line position illustrated in FIG. 3. The teller will close his switch when the person it is wished to confine enters the revolving door 28. As the revolving door is turned, the latch 100 will be received in the recess 120 thus initially confining the person within the space between'two door elements of the door 28.

The limit switch 114, which is closed upon latching of the door 28, is located in lead 156 along with the coil 158 of a second relay. Normally open contacts 160, located in lead 162, are closed upon energization of relay coil 158. A second set of normally closed contacts 164 are provided in series with contacts 160 and'with an electric motor 166 which drives an hydraulic pump 168 (FIG. 2). The pump 168 is in fluid communication with theforward ends of the

cylinders

62, 64 via fluid lines 170, 172. Energization of the motor 166 is effective to actuate the pump 168 and cause high pressure hydraulic liquid to flow into the

cylinder

62, 64 with the result that the pistons 78, 97 will move against the action of the springs 80, 81. The links 86, 94 will be retracted and fall freely as indicated in dotted lines. Retraction of the pistons will cause the

links

84, 92 to pivot the trap door elements downwardly with the result that the person confined in the revolving door 28 will fall into the room 32. It will be noted that the

links

84, 92 have slots'at their ends to permit the swinging motion thereof during trap door movement.

The padded floor structure 38 which is provided on the floor of the room 32 to break the fall of the person dropped through the trap door has a switch 180 integral therewith. The switch 180 is normally open but will close when a person falls onto the floor structure 38 and will remain closed as long as a persons weight is exerted on the floor structure.

The switch 180 is located in a lead 182 in which is also located the coil 184 of a third relay. The contacts 164 are associated with the coil 184. Consequently, upon closure of switch 180, contacts 164 will open thus de-energizing the motor 166 and relieving pressure in the

cylinders

62, 64. The springs 80, 81 will then bias the pistons back to the original position thus closing the trap door and confining the person in the room 14. The person may then be removed via the door 34 after he has been subjugated. Upon removal of the person, the links 86, 94 are manually reset. The system as a whole will return to its original position upon opening of the

switch

136, 137, 139, 141 by the teller who initially caused it to close.

An auxiliary power system is provided in the event of a power failure. Such could occur as, for example, the result of a criminal cutting the power lines leading to the bank. The auxiliary power system comprises an M G set including the generator 186 connected to main leads 128, via lead 188 to thereby, when driven, provide the desired electrical power to the circuitry. The generator is driven by an internal combustion engine 190.

FIG. 5 illustrates the ignition system for the engine. The ignition system is conventional and includes a storage battery 194 having the negative side grounded by lead 196 and the positive side connected to an ignition switch 198 via lead 200. The switch 198 includes a pair of switchelements 202, 204 which are ganged together to close on contacts 206, 208 upon initial starting of the engine as is conventional in automobiles. One of the switch elements provides power for a starting motor 210 while the other switch element connects a standard ignition system 212 to the positive side of the battery. As is conventional, as soon as the engine has been started, the switch 198 is released from manual pressure whereupon the switch element 204 will open under spring pressure and the switch element 202 will remain closed to thereby provide for continuous operation of the engine. The switch 198 may be conveniently located in control room 14 for actuation by security personnel.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a revolving door lock mechanism and trap floor assembly for a revolving door having a plurality of door elements spaced around a vertical axis and means mounting the door for rotation about the vertical axis, latch means mounted above the door, said latch means including first power means for actuation thereof, first control means actuatable to energize the first power means, said door elements including means to engage the latch means upon energization of the first power means, a trap floor beneath the revolving door, second power means to open and close the trap floor, a room for incarcerating a person beneath the trap floor, and second control means for actuating the second power means. 7

2. An assembly as defined in claim'l, further characterized in that said latch means includes a latch element, said first power means being an electrical device to extend and retract the latch element, said first control means being electrical means actuatable to energize said first electrical power means, said revolving door elements including means to engage the latch element when the latch element is extended.

3. An assembly as defined in claim 2, further characterized in the provision of an upstanding curved wall around at least a portion of said revolving door, said curved wall forming with two of the revolving door elements a secondary space for incarcerating a person, said latch means being positioned to latchingly engage a door element when a pair of door elements are positioned to define with said curved wall the secondary space for incarcerating a person.

4. An assembly as defined in claim 3, further characterized in that said trap floor is located beneath the secondary space for incarcerating a person.

5. An assembly as defined in claim 4, further characterized in that said trap floor comprises a pair of hingedly mounted door elements, said second power means comprising a pair of fluid actuated cylinders each including an extensible and retractable rod, each of said rods including linkage connected to one of the door elements, said rods being operable upon retraction to open the trap door elements and operable upon extension to close the trap door elements.

6. An assembly as defined in claim 2, further characterized in the provision of manually operable switch means remote from said first and second power means, circuitry interconnecting said switch with said power means to energize both power means and cause latching of the revolving door and opening of the trap floor.

7. An assembly as defined in claim 6, further characterized in the provision of switch means on the floor of the room for incarcerating a person falling onto the floor, said switch means being interconnected in said electrical circuitry and operative to actuate said second power means to close the trap floor upon a person falling into the room.

8. An assembly as defined in claim 6, further characterized in the provision of a plurality of cameras located strategically in the general area of the revolving door, said cameras including electrical means for energization thereof to automatically cause film exposures, said switch being connected in the circuitry of the electrical means for actuating the cameras whereby closure of said switch is effective to actuate the cameras.

Claims

1. In a revolving door lock mechanism and trap floor assembly for a revolving door having a plurality of door elements spaced around a vertical axis and means mounting the door for rotation about the vertical axis, latch means mounted above the door, said latch means including first power means for actuation thereof, first control means actuatable to energize the first power means, said door elements including means to engage the latch means upon energization of the first power means, a trap floor beneath the revolving door, second power means to open and close the trap floor, a room for incarcerating a person beneath the trap floor, and second control means for actuating the second power means.

2. An assembly as defined in claim 1, further characterized in that said latch means includes a latch element, said first power means being an electrical device to extend and retract the latch element, said first control means being electrical means actuatable to energize said first electrical power means, said revolving door elements including means to engage the latch element when the latch element is extended.