The present invention relates to door accessories and, more particularly, to a door locking device for emergency first responders, for example, that prevents doors from closing and locking.
In the course of their work, emergency first responders routinely enter and exit buildings. When they enter a building, or a room in a building, it is important that the first responder maintain an open exit. Some doors, such as roof access doors, may allow a user to exit onto the roof, but may not permit reentry into the building if the door closes tight.
Conventional ways to keep doors open, or prevent them from closing and locking, may include placing objects in front of the door, placing a wedge or other object into the door jamb, or the like. These methods, however, can be thwarted by other first responders moving objects intentionally or unintentionally, or by persons with malicious intent to prevent first responders from backtracking through a previously opened door.
As can be seen, there is a need for a device to prevent a door from closing and locking that cannot be easily removed once installed on a door.
In one aspect of the present invention, a door locking prevention device comprises a first bracket having a male member extending therefrom; a second bracket having a female member extending therefrom, wherein the male member fits inside the female member; a threaded bolt extending into the female member; a threaded connector disposed in the male member, the threaded connector adapted to threadably engage with the threaded bolt; and a spring disposed about the threaded bolt, the spring adapted to push the first bracket away from the second bracket.
In another aspect of the present invention, a door locking prevention device comprises a first bracket having an L-shape and a male member extending therefrom; a second bracket having an L-shape and a female member extending therefrom, wherein the male member fits inside the female member; a threaded bolt extending into the female member; a threaded connector disposed in the male member, the threaded connector adapted to threadably engage with the threaded bolt; a spring disposed about the threaded bolt, the spring adapted to push the first bracket away from the second bracket; and a locking mechanism to prevent the first bracket from being separated from the second bracket, even when the threaded bolt is unthreaded from the threaded connector.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.
The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.
Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a door locking prevention device that can be placed on a door to prevent the door from closing tight and locking. The door locking prevention device may be useful for first responders so that, upon passing through a door, then can be assured that tactical retreat back through the door is not prevented due to the door closing and locking. The door locking prevention device may include a feature where, once installed on a door, removal without an appropriate tool or key is difficult or impossible. The door locking prevention device includes two members that can be tightened together to clamp on an outer periphery of a door, preventing the door from closing fully. The door locking prevention device may include a lamp, strobe, GPS locator or other feature to help find deployed devices.
Referring to
A bolt 20 may fit into the female member 18 and extend generally parallel to the axis of the female member 18. A nut 28, or some other threaded member adapted to accept the threads of the bolt 20, may be disposed inside the male member 26. When the male member 26 is inserted into the female member 18, the threads of the bolt 20 may engage with the nut 20 and turning the bolt 20 may cause the distance between the padding elements 16 of the bracket members 12, 14 to decrease. A washer 22 may be disposed adjacent a head of the bolt 20.
A spring 24 may be disposed along the bolt 20 inside the female member 18 such that the spring 24 resiliently maintains the bracket members 12, 14 at their farthest distance apart. This configuration allows a user to pre-assembly the bracket members 12, 14 together with the bolt 20 and nut 28 and easily apply the door locking prevention device 10 to a door without the bracket members 12, 14 closing together by simply sliding together.
In the embodiment of the present invention shown in
The door locking prevention device 10 may include a battery power supply 48 that may connect, via a wire 46, for example, to an indicator 44. The indicator 44 may be a light emitting diode (LED), a strobe, or some other light source. In some embodiment, the indicator 44 may include a GPS device, allowing the location of the device 10 to be recorded and tracked. The indicator 44 may include reflectors as well. While only two indicators 44 are shown in the device 10 of
Referring now to
In the embodiment of
Still in
While
The door locking prevention device may be made of various materials. For example, the door locking prevention device may be made of plastic, resin, metal or the like. Depending on the application, a non-sparking metal, such as bronze, or plastic may be used in potentially explosive environments.
It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/484,375 filed May 10, 2011, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20120284963 A1 | Nov 2012 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61484375 | May 2011 | US |