Patent Application
20150096471
The present invention is directed toward a door blocking desk or table and, more particularly, toward such a piece of furniture that can be easily moved into place in a doorway of a school room or the like and that can be locked in place to prevent a person or a bullet from getting through.
Unfortunately, in our society today there is a growing need for methods of self protection particularly against persons with guns. Gun violence over the past number of years has increased significantly. Mass shootings, in particular, have become prevalent.
Tragically, many mass shootings have occurred in schools and, most recently, in an elementary school where numerous innocent young children were killed and numerous others injured.
Several proposals have been set forth to prevent such mass killings. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0152096 to Peters, for example, shows various articles of furniture including school desks and office furniture that are constructed of bullet-proof material allowing a student or teacher to hide under the desk for protection. Unfortunately, once a gunman enters a room it may be too late for the children to protect themselves.
There have also been proposals for automatically locking doors or making it easy to close and blockade a door. Insofar as Applicant is aware, such proposals have not been accepted since it would be easy for a gunman to shoot through a door or otherwise break down an entrance door.
There is, therefore, a need for an arrangement that would allow a teacher or even students to quickly and easily blockade a door to the classroom and which would provide protection to the students therein.
The present invention is designed to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art discussed above. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a door blocking desk or table that is effective in preventing someone from passing through the doorway.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a door blocking desk that can be easily moved into position and locked in place.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a door blocking desk that not only prevents a person from passing through a doorway but also prevents bullets from passing therethrough.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiments demonstrating features and advantages of the present invention, there is provided a door blocking desk or table that includes a substantially rectangular frame having two sides, two ends and four corners with legs extending downwardly from each corner to support the frame on the floor. A rectangular bullet-proof top is supported on the frame and is pivotable between a first position where it is horizontal and lying on the frame and a second position wherein it lies in a substantially vertical plane in substantial alignment with one of the frame ends. The entire desk is movable toward a doorway so that said upper surface of the top can block said doorway when the top is in its second vertical position and slide bolts or other locking members carried on the undersurface of the top lock the top to the door frame to prevent persons or bullets from passing through.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings.
For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the accompanying drawings one form which is presently preferred; it being understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference numerals have been used throughout the various figures to designate like elements, there is shown in
Extending downwardly from each of the corners is a leg such as shown at 32, 34 and 36. The legs obviously support the frame on the floor. Although not necessary in all environments, the legs may include rollers or wheels 33, 35 and 37 or the like at the bottom of each of the legs to make it easier to move the desk on the floor.
A substantially rectangularly shaped top 38 is supported on the upper portion 14 of the frame 12. The top includes an upper surface 40 and a lower surface 42. In its normal configuration, as shown in
As shown most clearly in
While not specifically shown in the drawings, the far end (the right side as viewed in
Also attached to the undersurface 42 of the top 38 is a pair of slide bolts 56 and 58. The slide bolts 56 and 58 are located adjacent either side edge of the top 38 and can be slid between positions where they are essentially hidden beneath the top 38 and where they extend out beyond the edges of the top 38 as shown in
Mounted to the wall at locations just outside of the door frame of a doorway 60 is a pair of catch plates or keepers 62 and 64. When the desk 10 is moved or slid over into position so that the top 38 blocks the doorway 60, the slide bolts 56 and 58 are extended outward so as to engage the keepers 62 and 64.
The door blocking desk 10 is used in the following manner. In its normal position, the top 38 is horizontal as shown in
When it is desired to block a doorway, the top 38 is slid to the right as shown in the figures into the position shown in
As should be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, the slide bolts 56 and 58 and the keepers 62 and 64 are only one possible way of securing the top 38 to the door frame 60. Other types of locking mechanisms could also be used. Magnetic locks, for example, are frequently used in construction to securely hold panels together. Other equivalent locking devices could also be employed.
Furthermore, while the top 38 bolted to the doorway may effectively prevent a person from entering, a standard table or desktop would not prevent bullets from passing through. Accordingly, it is preferable that the top 38 be comprised of or include a layer of bullet-proof material. Such bullet-proof material for tables or desktops or the like is clearly described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0152096 to Peters, published on Jun. 21, 2012. The entire subject matter thereof is incorporated herein by reference.
In a second embodiment of the invention as shown in
To make it easier to lift the top 138, it may be beneficial to add hydraulic lifters or the like between the top and the frame of the desk. Such lifters, are per se, well known and are widely used to assist in the raising of automobile hoods and trunk lids. Hydraulic lifters could, of course, be used with either embodiment of the invention described above.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.
