Patent Application
20220396991
This application relates to a security door device. More specifically, this application relates to a bullet-resistant security device for deterring attackers from entering or penetrating an entranceway.
Currently in the United States there have been over 400 mass shootings; shootings in America seem more prominent today than ever. Various entranceway security devices have been developed to mitigate this threat. Although standard bullet-resistant door devices contain polycarbonate and/or bullet resistant fiberglass which protect vital organs of an individual, these bullet-resistant door devices typically are expensive to make, install and maintain. Additionally, standard bullet-resistant door devices have an unwelcoming aesthetic.
Various embodiments include a protection device for safely securing an entranceway from attackers and to deter them from entering. Various embodiments can be used to secure doors and windows as well, and is portable and easy to install. Various embodiments may include a bullet-resistant curtain made of panels of multiple layers of bullet resistant material, such as Kevlar, sewn together so that the panels uniformly straighten to a height of an entranceway. The panels of multiple layers of bullet resistant material may be attached to multiple horizontal bars with a length greater than the width of the entranceway that are distributed among the length of the curtain. Bar retainer clamps may be firmly fixed on the perimeter of the entranceway, with the bar retainer clamps configured to lock the horizontal bars into place when the protection device is deployed. In an undeployed state the bullet-resistant curtain may be contained in a casing that can be mounted above the entranceway. Additionally, a quick release pin may be included and configured to support the bullet-resistant curtain in the casing, with the pin positioned in a hole located on the lower front or side of the casing.
In some embodiments, the protection device may include vibration sensors on the bullet-resistant multilayered curtain configured to detect vibrations or impacts from penetrative objects, such as bullets from an attacker's weapon. A vibration sensor control switch, such as on the perimeter of the entranceway, may be configured to control the vibration sensors on the bullet-resistant multilayered curtain. The vibration sensors may be configured to send notifications of impacts on the bullet-resistant multilayered curtain via a wired or wireless device to an authority, such security personnel and/or law enforcement, to provide information that could be useful in pinpointing an attacker's location.
In the event of an emergency an operator may manually pull the quick release pin out of the mounting casing, thereby releasing the bullet-resistant curtain to slide out of the casing and down to the bottom of the entranceway. Once the bullet-resistant curtain is straightened, the operator may lock the ends of each of the horizontal bars into respective horizontal bar retainer clamps by rotating each bar retainer clamp cover until a security stud on the bar retainer clamp is locked into place. Lastly, the operator may manually press the vibration sensor control switch to power on the vibration sensors on the bullet-resistant curtain.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute part of this specification, illustrate example embodiments of various embodiments, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the features of the claims.
Various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. References made to particular examples and embodiments are for illustrative purposes, and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims.
Various embodiments include an entranceway closure and protection device that can be quickly deployed to provide a bullet-proof barrier to entry though a doorway, window or other path for entering a room to protect occupants from attackers. Various embodiments include a bullet-resistant curtain made of panels of multiple layers of bullet resistant material selected and configured to stop projectiles from entering a room, with horizontal reinforcing bars interspersed along the length of the curtain and made of a material (e.g., titanium, steel, steel alloy, iron, etc.) strong enough to prevent entry by an individual when the bars are latched to bar retainer clamps mounted on the periphery of the entranceway. The horizontal bars may be long enough to extend beyond the width of the window or doorway and be engaged by the bar retainer clamps mounted on the periphery. Such bar retainer clamps may include a hinged cover (e.g., a semi-cylindrical cover), with each bar retainer clamp configured to lock one end of a horizontal bar when the hinged cover is rotated into place. The bullet-resistant curtain and horizontal bars may be stored in a casing configured to be mounted on the top of the doorway, window or other opening to a room and sized to receive the curtain and bars in a folded configuration.
Various embodiments provide a deployable bullet-resistant and sturdy barrier to entry into a room that can be deployed over any form of entranceway, such as a doorway, a window, an archway, or a doorless entrance. For ease of reference, the various forms of actual and potential accesses to a room or building that may be protected by various embodiments are referred to generally in the following descriptions and the claims as an “entranceway,” which is intended to encompass any form of opening (e.g., doors, archways, windows, etc.) into a room or building, as well as structures in a wall (e.g., glass, plexiglass, screen, louvers, and the like) that are vulnerable to being broken into or penetrated, and that can be covered by a deployable curtain as described herein.
In the stored configuration, the bullet-resistant curtain and horizontal bars may be retained in the casing by one or more quick release retainer pins. The one or more quick release retainer pins may be coupled to a ribbon or lanyard that can be pulled to remove the pin or pins from the casing, thereby enabling the curtain to extend through an opening in the bottom side of the casing and unfold until the entire entranceway is covered. A person deploying the bullet-resistant curtain can then quickly couple the horizontal bars to the bar retainer clamps mounted on the periphery by slipping the ends of the bars into respective bar retainer clamps and rotating the bar retainer clamp covers over the bars to lock the bars in place. Once the clamp covers have been engaged on or around the horizontal bars, the bar retainer clamps prevent further movement of the bullet-resistant curtain in any direction, thereby securing the entranceway until released from the inside by disengaging all of the bar retainer clamps. Between the strong bars locked in the bar retainer claims mounted on the perimeter of the entranceway and the multiple layers of bullet-resistant material, the entranceway will remained sealed against ballistic weapons and physical entry by an intruder.
The bullet resistant material used in the curtain may include multiple layers of bullet resistant materials, such as Kevlar, which may be sewn together so that the panels uniformly straighten to a height of an entranceway when deployed. The panels of multiple layers of bullet resistant material may be attached to the horizontal bars by various methods, including within pockets sewn into an interior side of the curtain, in pockets positioned between layers of bullet-resistant material, or sandwiched between coplanar bullet-resistant material layers. The horizontal bars may be positioned at locations along the length of the bullet-resistant curtain so that when deployed the horizontal bars that will prevent entry or displacement of the bullet-resistant curtain, including at the weakest points of the entranceway.
In some embodiments, the protection device may include sensors (referred to herein as vibration sensors) positioned on the bullet-resistant multilayered curtain and configured to detect vibrations of someone trying to push through the curtain and impacts from penetrative objects, such as bullets or an attacker's weapon. The vibration sensors may be activated or deactivated by a control switch, which may be mounted on the perimeter of the entranceway. The vibration sensors may be configured to send notifications of impacts or large vibrations on the bullet-resistant curtain to an authority, such security personnel and/or law enforcement. Such notifications may be transmitted via a wired or wireless network, in may be formatted to provide the authority with information that could be useful in pinpointing an attacker's location. In some embodiments, the bullet-resistant curtain may also include an opening or cutout positioned on the curtain to align with a doorknob and/or lock with the bullet-resistant multilayered curtain lowered in the deployed configuration to enable an operator to lock or unlock and/or open a door. The opening or cutout may be covered by a moveable flap or removeable cover.
In the event of an emergency, an operator may grab the ribbon or lanyard and manually pull the quick release pin or pins out of the mounting casing, thereby releasing the bullet-resistant curtain to slide out of the casing and down to the bottom of the entranceway. Once the bullet-resistant curtain is straightened, the operator may lock the ends of each of the horizontal bars into respective bar retainer clamps by rotating each clamp cover until a security stud on the bar retainer clamp is locked into place. The operator may also press or throw the vibration sensor control switch to power on the vibration sensors on the bullet-resistant curtain. To exit through the entranceway, the operator may disengage each of the bar retainer clamps, releasing the bars, and then lift the bullet-resistant curtain.
The casing 1 may be made of a strong material, such as steel, with the casing sized and configured to provide a strong anchor point for the bullet resistant curtain 6 when in the deployed configuration.
As illustrated in
In some embodiments, the quick release pin 10 may be coupled to a lanyard or ribbon 11, which may include a label, such as “PULL TO RELEASE,” to identify the function of the pin. The lanyard or ribbon 11 may be removably affixed to the front surface of the casing 1, such as by tape 19. The quick release pin 10 and ribbon 11 may be configured so that in the event of an emergency, an operator can quickly and easily pull on the ribbon 11 or lanyard to remove the pin 10 from the casing 1 and thereby release the bullet-resistant curtain 6 to deploy from the casing 1 by unfolding down to cover the entranceway from top to bottom.
The length of the casing 1 may be sized to extend beyond the width of the entranceway that is to be covered so that the bullet-resistant curtain 6 can be sized so that in its deployed state the curtain covers the entire entranceway. As a nonlimiting example, a casing 1 that is configured to fit over a conventional doorway may have a length of 36 inches, a width of 5 inches and a height of 8 inches. As a non-limiting example, the overall dimensions of the casing emergency sign 5 may include a length of approximately 34 inches, a height of approximately 6 inches and a width of approximately inches.
The casing 1 may have a nondescript aesthetic. The purpose of this aesthetic may be to avoid drawing attention to the protection device when not in use.
As illustrated in
As a non-limiting example, the overall dimensions of the bullet-resistant curtain may include a height of approximately 84 inches, a width of approximately 30 inches and a thickness of approximately 3 inches. However, the bullet-resistant curtain 6 can vary in measurements based on parameters such as entranceway size, and can have any shape, such as hexagon, octagon, oval, etc., to match the shape of the protected entranceway.
A plurality of horizontal bars 7 may be coupled to and extend across the width of the bullet-resistant curtain 6 via pockets or by sandwiching the bars between layers in the curtain (as illustrated in the dashed lines) via stitching (or other mechanisms) to hold each of the horizontal bars 7 in position on the curtain so as to match up to the bar retainer clamps matter on the periphery of the entranceway. As a nonlimiting example, the overall dimension of the horizontal pockets may include a length of approximately 30 inches and with a diameter of approximately 1½ inches. However, the bullet-resistant curtain 6 can be joined to the horizontal bars 7 using other known methods, such as adhesives, fasteners, etc. The horizontal bars 7 may be sized and made of strong materials (e.g., steel, titanium, iron, nickel alloys, etc.) so as to prevent an attacker's weapon and/or bodyweight from breaking through the bullet-resistant curtain 6.
As described above, in the deployed configuration, the bullet-resistant curtain 6 may hang from an extended horizontal bar 8 that is too long to fit through the rectangular cutout 3 in the casing 1. Also when deployed, each end of each of the horizontal bars 7 may be latched into bar retainer clamps 13 that are mounted on the periphery of the entranceway, such as via bolts or screws.
The horizontal bars 7 may be distributed along the length of the bullet-resistant curtain 6 and be connected to or sandwiched between the coplanar bullet-resistant layers at locations that provide sufficient reinforcement to prevent an attacker from being able to penetrate the deployed curtain. As a nonlimiting example, the horizontal bars 7 and the sewn horizontal pockets may be position approximately 16.8 inches apart along the length of the bullet resistant curtain 6. Alternatively or additionally, the horizontal bars 7 may be positioned on the bullet-resistant curtain 6 at locations that will support the weakest points of the entranceway when in the deployed state. In some alternative configurations, the horizontal bars 7 may be positioned in the front or back of the bullet-resistant curtain 6 and in any width or length of distribution along the bullet-resistant curtain 6.
The horizontal bars 7 fit into the covers 14 of the wall-mounted horizontal bar retainer clamps 13. The horizontal bars 7 may be configured in any suitable size and shape to fit into the covers 14 of the wall horizontal bar retainer clamps 13 provided the bars in the clamps perform the intended function of locking into the bar retainer clamps 13 and providing sufficient lateral support to the bullet-resistant curtain 6 across the entire entranceway to withstand and attacker's force from weapon and/or bodyweight. In embodiments in which the ends of the horizontal bars 7 are cylindrical in shape, the covers 14 of the wall horizontal bar retainer clamps 13 may be semi-cylindrical to match the contour of the bar ends, as illustrated in more detail in
As a nonlimiting example, the horizontal bars 7 may be round in cross-section, solid, made of grade 5 titanium, and long enough to extend beyond the width of the entranceway where the ends can be clamped and thus retained by the bar retainer clamps 13. As a nonlimiting example, the horizontal bars 7 may be of equal length of approximately 34 inches, and with a diameter of approximately 1½ inches, with the extended horizontal bar 8 having a length of approximately 36 inches, and with a diameter of approximately 1½ inches. In some embodiments, the extended horizontal bar 8 that remains in the casing 1 in the deployed configuration may be welded approximately 1 inch down from the top of the casing 1. However, the extended horizontal bar 8, the horizontal bars 7, and sewn horizontal pockets can vary in measurements based on parameters such as entranceway size and can be of various shapes, such as square, etc.
The vibration sensors 20 may be configured to detect vibrations and motions of the bullet-resistant multilayered curtain 6 resulting from penetrative objects, such as a bullet from the attacker's weapon and/or bodyweight. The vibration sensors 20 may include or be connected to a wireless or wired transceiver configured to transmit notifications or impact detection information to a monitoring device or station, such as to security personnel and/or law enforcement. A wireless transmitter with a transmission range of 100 meters transmitting at a frequency band of 2.4 gigahertz (GHz). Notifying the authority about sensed impacts or large vibrations on the bullet-resistant multilayered curtain 6 may provide information that could be used to pinpoint an attacker's location.
In some embodiments, the one or more vibration sensors 20 may include one or more indicator lights (not shown), such as low-power light emitting diode (LED) lights to indicate whether the sensor(s) are activated. For example, the one or more vibration sensors 20 may include a red LED that is illuminated when the bullet-resistant curtain 6 is deployed but the sensor(s) is/are off, and a green (blue, yellow or other color LED t is illuminated when the bullet-resistant curtain 6 is deployed but the sensor(s) is/are activated.
The vibration sensors 20 may be in a power-off state when the bullet-resistant multilayered curtain 6 is in the stored configuration within the casing 1. In some embodiments, a vibration sensor control switch 21 configured to control power to the vibration sensors 20 may be fixed on the perimeter of the entranceway. The vibration sensors 20 may be in a power-off state on the bullet-resistant multilayered curtain 6 until activated by the vibration sensor control switch 21. As a nonlimiting example, the overall dimensions of the vibration sensors 20 and the vibration sensor control switch 21 may include a width of approximately 4 inches and a thickness of approximately one-half inch, have a battery life of 2 years. In some embodiments, the vibration sensors 20 and the vibration sensor control switch 21 may have a startup and shutdown time of 15 seconds.
The vibration sensors 20 and vibration sensor control switch 21 can vary in size and configuration based on parameters such the entranceway size and can be of any shape such as oval, rectangle, etc.
The horizontal bar retainer clamps 13 each have a centered security stud 15, which may be made of a flexible material, such as rubber, plastic or flexible polymer. When the semi-cylindrical cover 14 is rotated the security stud 15 and the stud hole 16 lock the horizontal bars 7. At any time, the security stud 15 when operated can unlock the semi-cylindrical cover 14. In this way the operator is able to release the bullet-resistant 6 curtain quickly and efficiently, position each end of the horizontal bars 7 in their respective horizontal bar retainer clamps 13 and rotate the semi-cylindrical covers 14 down over each end of the horizontal bars 7 until the security stud 15 is locked into place. As a non-limiting example, the centered security stud 15 may have a height of approximately 1 inch and a width of approximately one-half inch. The security stud 15 may include a one-quarter inch edge configured to lock into a security stud hole 16 in the cover 14. As a non-limiting example, the semi-cylindrical cover 14 may include a centered stud hole 16 with a height of approximately one-eighth inch and a width of approximately one-half inch. The stud hole 16 may include an approximately one-quarter inch edge to lock the security stud 15. However, the security stud 15, and security stud hole 16 can vary in measurement based on parameters such as entranceway size, and can be composed of any shape, size, material such as and not limited to various types of rubber-like material, state such as hollow, etc., and number of locking studs, or stud holes.
Referring to
When mounted on the entranceway, the bar retainer clamps 13 may be positioned at any distance on the perimeter such that the bar retainer clamps function to lock each end of the horizontal bars 7 in place when the bullet-resistant curtain 6 is in its deployed state.
Referring to
Various embodiments provide an economically efficient structure for quickly securing an entranceway. Various embodiments may vary in dimensions, materials, configurations, and aesthetics depending upon the entranceway to be protected, the nature of the threat, and the nature of the building use. Once deployed, the protection device provides an effective and inexpensive physical security barrier in the entranceway that not only protects individuals from being wounded by bullets or shrapnel but also keeps attackers at bay.
The foregoing method descriptions and the process flow diagrams are provided merely as illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that the operations of various embodiments must be performed in the order presented. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art the order of operations in the foregoing embodiments may be performed in any order. Words such as “thereafter,” “then,” “next,” etc. are not intended to limit the order of the operations; these words are used to guide the reader through the description of the methods. Further, any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” or “the” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular.
The preceding description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the claims. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the following claims and the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/210,108 entitled “Bullet-Resistant Entranceway Curtain Security Device” filed on Jun. 14, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63210108 | Jun 2021 | US |
