WO2005059284A1

WO2005059284A1 - A door stopping device

Info

Publication number: WO2005059284A1
Application number: PCT/SG2003/000288
Authority: WO
Inventors: Siok Har Seah
Original assignee: Siok Har Seah
Priority date: 2003-12-17
Filing date: 2003-12-17
Publication date: 2005-06-30
Also published as: AU2003286991A1

Abstract

A stopping device to prevent swing doors or windows from closing completely or any framework hinged on one side to close completely on an opposite side. The stopping device involves a rotatable wheel or cylinder made of shock absorbing material that can be readily be displaced from a rest position to enable the ease in closing the door or window without having to remove the stopping device from its mounted position.

Description

A DOOR STOPPING DEVICE

TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to a device for keeping swinging doors open and more particularly to a device that can be fitted to any pivotally hinged panel that swing close on a frame like a door or window so as to keep the door or window ajar but not completely opened.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Although doors are primarily for completely enclosing a partitioned space to provide privacy, security or to minimize interferences of unwanted noise, there are times where it is desired to keep the door open or ajar. In the instance where the door is of the swinging type, mounted to a door frame by means of a hinge along one edge of the door, it is relatively easy for such doors to slam shut involuntarily like in the instance of having an accidental force exerted by unintentional individuals or by strong gusts of wind or if such a door is spring loaded, which would automatically cause the door to swing close when the opposing force to keep it open is released or removed. Traditional devices used for keeping a swing door ajar or to prevent the door from being accidentally closed come in the form of a wedge made of wood or elastomers inserted in a gap between the bottom edge of the swing door and the surface of the floor. Such a device is often not strong enough to keep the door open and is often displaced from its position. Therefore other forms of door-stops are devised, one of which operates as an obstacle when mounted to the edge of the door which is hinged at the door frame to prevent the door from closing completely. However, this type of door-stop needs to be removed when it is desired to close the door and over repeated use of mounting and removing, the door-stop would wear off easily and would need to be replaced more often. A disadvantage of this doorstop is the need to reach in between the hinged edge of the door and the doorframe to remove the device to close the door which would risk injuring of the hand or fingers. Another commonly used safety device for doors comes in the form of a foam shoe-horse that is clasped onto either the hinged side or the opening side of the door to protect fingers from being trapped. A problem with this device is that it cracks, breaks or slips off from the door easily and requires regular checking to ensure that the device remains in position as intended for its optimal function. A more recent device is a doorstop, which is shown in FIG. la-c and FIG. 2a-c.

This device provides for an operative position as shown in FIG 2c to keep a swing door 16 ajar and non-operation position as in FIG lc to allow the swing door 16 to be fully closed if desired. This device 10 is designed to enable the door to open from a closed position as shown in FIG 2a and FIG 2b but once the door is opened, it cannot be closed, completely as the main body 12 of the device 10 would have been allowed to reposition itself between the door 16 and the doorframe 18 as illustrated in FIG 2c.

Unless this main part of the device 10 is lifted to an angle to provide sufficient clearance for the door to close, the door will remain ajar and cannot be closed completely. The need to lift and maintain that main body 12 of the device 10 in such a position to facilitate the closing of the door creates difficulty in enabling the door to close smoothly as a person doing so would need to keep his hand on that part of the device for a while and risk having his fingers trapped between the door 16 and the doorframe 18, particularly if the person is closing the door from the opposite side from which the device is mounted. This need to lift the part as and when it is desired to close the door completely would lead to wearing of the device at the pivoting portion 14. Over a period of time the repeated lifting and holding of the main body 12 of the device for a prolonged period would stretch the device at the pivoting portion 14 which will then lead to its breaking and hence diminishing its durability. While the device 10 also provides the displaced position, it is often not utilized as this requires some effort to re-position the device. It is also not advisable for parents to change the device from operative as shown in FIG la and lb to displaced as in FIG lc whenever the door needs to be completely shut as there is a tendency to forget which may lead to unnecessary injury of little c tildren if the door accidentally slams and the device is not in the operative position. Therefore, it is desired to have a doorstop device for preventing the slamming of doors which at the same time allow easy and convenient closing of the door if desired without involving extra effort.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a stopping device for preventing complete closure of a pivotally mounted panel with respect to a frame. The device comprising a mounting component for mounting the device to one of the pivotally mounted panel and the frame; a base having an arm pivotally mounted at one end thereof; and a stopping component rotationally mounted at the other end of the arm, wherein the arm has a range of pivotable movement between an operative position in which that stopping component rests between the panel and the frame to prevent complete closure and a displaced position which allows movement of the panel with respect to the frame. Preferably, the stopping component acts as a shock absorber and so is referred to as an absorber in the following. The absorber may rotate about an axel, which extends from the arm. The arm is pivotally mounted at a hinge to a base, where the mounting component couples with for mounting the stopping device to a panel or a frame. The arm pivoting about the base allows the absorber to switch between an operative and displaced position. A biasing device, e.g. a spring, may be incorporated at the hinge at which the arm is pivoted such that the absorber returns to the operative position when displaced. A housing on the base may be provided for the biasing device. The biasing device may be a coil spring or any other spring that enables the absorber to return to its original operative position. The absorber preferably has a curved surface to contact an edge of the door can take the form of a wheel, a cylinder a sphere or a rounded body. It can be made from any material having shock absorption capabilities like elastomers, rubbers or polymers. The mounting component can be any suitable mounting arrangement for mounting the stopping device. One embodiment of the present invention provides for the stopping device to be mounted to a door or a doorframe by means of screws through the base. Alternatively, the stopping device is mounted to the door or doorframe by adhesives. The base can also slide into a bracket mounted to the door or doorframe. The present stopping device can also be used for preventing complete closure of a window or any other pivotally-mounted panel. According to the present invention, when in use, the device, being mounted on one of a pivotally mounted panel and a frame for preventing complete closure of the pivotally mounted panel with respect to the frame, has a base having an arm pivotally mounted thereto at one end thereof; and a stopping component rotationally mounted at the other end of the arm, wherein the arm has a range of pivotable movement between an operative position in which the stopping component rests between the panel and the frame to prevent complete closure, and a displaced position which allows movement of the panel with respect to the frame. According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided, a closure assembly comprising a frame and a panel pivotally mounted with respect to the frame, the panel being movable between a closed and an open position, wherein a device is mounted to one of the pivotally mounted panel and the frame, the device comprising a base having an arm pivotally mounted to the other end of the arm, wherein the arm has a range of pivotally movement between an operative position in which the stopping component rests between the panel and the frame to prevent complete closure, and a displaced position which allow movement of the panel with respect to the frame.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The details of the present invention will become apparent by reference to the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. la - lc is a series of perspective views of the prior art device mounted on a doorframe changing from an operative position to a displaced position; FIG. 2a - 2c is a series of perspective views of the prior art device acting behind a closed-door allowing the door to open and then operatively positioned to keep the door ajar; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the parts that make up an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5a is a perspective view of a component part of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5b is a perspective view of another component part of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a side view of a component of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of an embodiment of the present invention mounted on a doorframe in relation to a door;

FIG. 8a is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention mounted on a doorframe when the door is about to open;

FIG. 8b is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention between a door and a doorframe to keep the door ajar; FIG. 8c is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention mounted to a doorframe when the door is about to close;

FIG 9 is a side view of an embodiment of the present invention showing a range of motion of the device of the present invention;

FIG 10 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention mounted to an edge of a door abutting against a doorframe;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION. An embodiment of the present invention, a stopping device 20, illustrated in FIG.3 has a wheel 22 that rotates about an axle 26 formed from a pair of arms 24a and

24b that are hinged at a base 30. The wheel 22 is also used as an absorber of shock should the door be caused to slam shut. The axel has two parts 26a and 26b that extends from the respective arms 24a and 24b. FIG.4 shows the base 30 with a housing 28 for a biasing device in the form of a spring 48 to which the arm 24a engages with a pivot 40a that fits into the housing 28 to secure the spring 48 in position. The spring 48 and pivots 40a and 40b fit into the housing 28 forming a hinge, where the axis of the hinge is along the line A- A. The spring 48 in the hinge returns the arms 24a, 24b to an operative position when displaced. In FIG. 5a, the pivot 40a has a raised circular platform 41 having a groove 42 dividing the platform into two equal halves. The housing 28 is partitioned into half such that on one side of the partition inside the housing 28, shown in a cross-sectional view in FIG. 6, is a circular platform 46 with a groove 44 similar to that on the pivot 40a. The circular platforms 41 and 46 have smaller diameters to allow the spring 48 to fit over the circumference of the platforms. The grooves 42 and 44 accommodate the ends 49 on either side of the spring 48 locking the spring 48 into position when both arms 24a and 24b are secured together. The arms 24a and 24b are held together by a cylindrical clasp 32 formed of a shaft 32a and a sleeve 32b. The shaft 32a is a hollow cylinder on the arm 24a and has a portion with reduced diameter within the hollow cylinder forming a circular catch 36 as illustrated in FIG 5a. The sleeve 32b is a solid cylinder on the arm 24b with one end splitting into a pair of snaps. The snaps have semi-circular cross-sections such that the straight portion of the cross-section forms a flat surface while the circular portion of the cross-section forms a curved surface. The snaps are slightly spaced apart such with the flat surface on each snap facing each other. Each of the pair of snaps includes an extension 33 that ends with an enlarged head 34 that tapers from a base 35 as illustrated in FIG. 5b. The base 35 is of a larger circumference than the circumference of the extensions 33. When the shaft 32a and sleeve 32b couple together, the sleeve 32b slides into the shaft 32a and the extensions 33 are pressed together as the tapered heads 34 slide through the circular catch 36 in the shaft. Once the tapered head 34 pushes beyond the circular catch 36, the two extensions 33 spring back to their spaced apart positions and the base 35 of the heads 34 abut against the catch 36 preventing the arms 24a, 24bfrom decoupling. The clasped arms 24a, 24b provide two portions of the axel 26a and 26b for the wheel 22 to rotate about. Further to the shaft 32a and sleeve 32b is a lock that comprises of a slit 38 and a wall 39b. Along the side of the hollow cylindrical body of the shaft 32a, is the slit 38 that fits over the vertical wall 39b on the arm 24b. The lock restricts any rotation of the shaft 32a about the sleeve 32b and vice versa. This ensures that the arms 24a, 24b are hinged about the housing 28 and the spring 48 would enable the arms 24a, 24b to return to the operative position when displaced. Therefore, the clasp 32 and the lock function together to secure the arms 24a and 24b in a position for holding the spring 48 and the wheel 22 such that it is in operative position once it is mounted to a door or a doorframe. FIG. 7 shows the stopping device 20 mounted on a doorframe 52 on a side of a closed door 50. The stopping device 20 abuts against the closed door 50 in a resting position. This resting position is also the operative position of the stopping device 20 when mounted on a door or doorframe. When the door opens, a force 51 is exerted in the direction of the stopping device 20 as illustrated in FIG.8a. The force 51 that opens the door 50 causes the arms 24a, 24bto flip in a direction shown by arrow 60 from a resting position away from the base 30, and almost simultaneously rotates the wheel 22, which is in contact with the edge 54 of the door, about the axel 26 in the direction as shown by the arrows 62, 64.

When the door 50 fully opens, the force 51 ceases to act on the wheel 22 and the spring 48 in the housing 28 recoils returning the arms 24a, 24b to their operative position which in turn brings the wheel 22 that is mounted on the arms 24a, 24b from its displaced position to its operative position. In this operative position, the wheel

22 is sandwiched between the door 50 and the doorframe 52 as shown in FIG. 8b which keeps the door 50 ajar. In the event that it is desired to have the door 50 close completely, FIG. 8c shows the arm 24 of the stopping device 20 can be flipped in the direction of the arrow 70 about the housing 28 such that the wheel 22, from its operative position, is displaced to provide sufficient clearance for the door 50 to swing past the displaced stopping device 20 unhindered. Once the door 50 swings past the stopping device 20, the coupled arms 24a and 24b can be released allowing the wheel 22 to contact the surface along edge 54 of the door 50, which rotates in the direction indicated by arrow 66 and 68 to allow the door 50 to close completely. Alternatively the user can hold on to keep the wheel displaced from the operative position until the door closes completely before releasing the wheel to its resting position. The arms 24a and 24b have a range of motion which includes a rest position,

78 and a fully extended position, 80 as shown in FIG. 9. At the rest position, the curved surface of the wheel contacts the same plane 82 in which the base 30 lies. The rest position is also the operative position. In the extended position, the arms 24a and 24b are flipped away from the base 30 such that the wheel 22 completely passes ^■ a perpendicular 76 to the base 30. This range of motion allows the wheel 22 to clear the edge of the door 54 when the door 50 opens from or closes on a doorframe 52 on which the device is mounted. When the device is mounted on a door, this range of motion also allows the wheel to clear the edge of the doorframe as the door 50 opens from and closes on a doorframe 52. Alternative mounting of the stopping device 20 is further discussed with the illustration in FIG. 10. In FIG. 10, the base of the stopping device 20 can also be mounted on the door 50 such that when in operative position it forms an obstruction which abuts against the doorframe 52 keeping the door 50 ajar. The stopping device 20 is mounted either by adhesives, screws or sliding into a bracket already mounted on the door. The stopping device 20 is positioned onto the door such that the center of the wheel 22 aligns with the corner 74 along the edge of the door to form a straight line B-B as shown in FIG. 10. When the stopping device 20 abuts against the doorframe, the corner 72 along the edge of the doorframe also fall along the same straight line. With the device mounted in this manner, the impact from a slam is absorbed by the wheel 22 and the stopping device 20 is least easily dislodged from its position on the door 50 in this configuration with the door 50 and the doorframe 52. This alignment is also applicable when the device 20 is mounted to the doorframe 52. When it is desired to close the door 50 completely, the arms 24a and 24b of the device 20 having a range of motion allows the wheel 22 to be displaced from the operative position by flipping the pair of hinged arms 24a and 24b away from the edge 54 of the door 50. This provides clearance of the wheel 22 from the doorframe 52 and once the wheel 22 on the door 50 swing past the doorframe 52, the wheel 22 is allowed to return to its operative position which contacts the surface 56 of the doorframe 52 as the door continues to close. The closing motion of the door 50 translates to a rotational motion of the wheel 22 about its axel 26 through the contact with the surface 56 of the doorframe. The pair of arms 24a and 24b can be flipped to displace the wheel 22 from either side of the door 50 to enable complete closing of the door 50. If the user closes the door 50 from the same side on which the device 20 is mounted, the wheel can be displaced by flipping the arms 24a, 24b away from the operative position and when the door is closed completely, the arms 24a, 24bcan be released to allow the wheel to return to its resting position. Alternatively, the arms 24a, 24b can be released such that the wheel 22 contacts the edge of the door 50 or doorframe 52, depending on whether the device 20 is mounted on the door 50 or doorframe 52, when the door is closing, allowing the door or doorframe to contact the wheel and rotate during closing of the door. If the user is on the opposite side from which the device is mounted, the wheel can be displaced by pushing the wheel lightly through the ajar door 50 to flip the arms 24a, 24b about the hinge such that sufficient clearance is provided for the door to continue closing with no obstructions from the wheel 22. On release of the light pushing force, the wheel contacts the edge of the door 50 or the edge of the doorframe 52 and rotates as the door continues to close. This rotational feature enables the closing of the door with little effort even when the user is on the opposite side of the mounted device 20, which is an advantage over the prior art shown in FIG. la-c and 2a-c. The stopping device 20 when mounted at the edge of the door which is completely closed would have wheel displaced from operative position such that it abut against the doorframe 52. On opening of the door 50, the wheel 22, which is in contact with the doorframe 52 rotates about the axel as it is turned by the movement relative to the doorframe with the opening door 50. The biasing of the spring in the housing maintains the contact of the wheel 22 with the doorframe as in the case described above of opening the door with FIG 7 when the stopping device is mounted on the doorframe. The rotation stops once the door 50 is opened and the wheel returns to its operative position no longer contacting the doorframe 52. In this operative position, the door will not be able to completely close unless the arms are flipped to displace the wheel 22. The present device also provides an advantage over the prior art illustrated in

FIG 1 and 2 in that it provides the flexibility of mounting onto either the door or the doorframe. The device can be mounted on the door when the doorframe has an uneven surface with decorative carvings or is molded with an architrave which makes it difficult to have the device stick to the uneven surface of such a doorframe with adhesives. This is made possible by the wheel 22 and the mobility of the arms 24a, 24b on which it is mounted. The wheel 22 of the stopping device 20 is preferably made of elastomers or any type of material that absorbs the shock of impact from the slamming of the door 50. The structure of the wheel 22 can be altered accordingly for use with a lightweight door or a heavy fire safety door. For use with a lightweight door, the wheel 22 as shown in FIG. 8a - 8c is a made of less elastomeric material in the mid-section 58 to allow easy rotation about the axel 26. A reinforced structure as shown in FIG. 11 of the wheel 22 will be provided when the stopping device 20 is used with a heavy door to provide better shock absorption. The stopping device 20 of the present invention can also be used on a window or any other pivotally mounted panels that closes on a frame to prevent uncontrolled closing of such pivotally mounted panels which may shatter any glass or fragile parts incorporated as part of such panels. Various other embodiments of the invention provide advantages complementary to those already described without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presently disclosed embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims and all changes, which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are, therefore, to be embraced therein.

Claims

We claim:

1. A device for preventing complete closure of a pivotally mounted panel with respect to a frame, the device comprising: a mounting component for mounting the device to one of the pivotally mounted panel and the frame a base having an arm pivotally mounted at one end thereof; and a stopping component rotationally mounted at the other end of the arm, wherein the arm has a range of pivotable movement between an operative position in which that stopping component rests between the panel and the frame to prevent complete closure and a displaced position which allows movement of the panel with respect to the frame.

2. The device of claim 1 which includes a biasing device coupling the arm and the base such that the arm is biased to return to the operative position when displaced.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the stopping component has a curved surface arranged to contact an edge of the other of the pivotally mounted panel and the frame.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the stopping component has shock absorption characteristic which is made from a group of material consisting of elastomers, rubber, polymers and any material with shock absorption capabilities.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the stopping component is spherical in shape.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the stopping component is a wheel.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the stopping component is a cylinder.

8. The device of claim 2, comprising a housing on the base in which the biasing device is located.

9. The device of claim 2, wherein the biasing device is a coil spring.

10. The device of claim 2, wherein the mounting component comprises an adhesive is applied to the base for mounting the device to the door.

11. The device of claim 2, wherein the mounting component comprises a bracket into which the base slides.

12. The device of claim 2, wherein the mounting component comprises screws base is screwed to the door.

13. In use, a device for preventing complete closure of a pivotally mounted panel with respect to a frame, the device being mounted on one of the pivotally mounted panel and the frame and the device comprising: a base having an arm pivotally mounted thereto at one end thereof; and a stopping component rotationally mounted at the other end of the arm, wherein the arm has a range of pivotable movement between an operative position in which the stopping component rests between the panel and the frame to prevent complete closure, and a displaced position which allows movement of the panel with respect to the frame.

14. Use of a device according to claim 13, wherein the device is mounted on the frame.

15. Use of a device according to claim 13, wherein the device is mounted on the panel.

16. Use of a device according to claim 13, wherein the panel comprises a door.

17. Use of a device according to claim 13, wherein the panel comprises a window.

18. Use of a according to claim 13 wherein the device is mounted to one side of a panel at an edge such that the device, when in the operative position, abuts against a frame against which the panel closes.

19. A closure assembly comprising a frame and a panel pivotally mounted with respect to the frame, the panel being movable between a closed and an open position, wherein a device is mounted to one of the pivotally mounted panel and the frame, the device comprising: a base having an arm pivotally mounted to the other end of the arm, wherein the arm has a range of pivotally movement between an operative position in which the stopping component rests between the panel and the frame to prevent complete closure, and a displaced position which allow movement of the panel with respect to the frame.

20. A closure assembly according to claim 19 wherein the device is mounted on the frame.

21. A closure assembly according to claim 19 wherein the device is mounted on a panel.

22. A closure assembly according to claim 19 wherein the panel comprises a door.

23. A closure assembly according to claim 19 wherein the panel comprises a window.