Embodiments of a hold open arm assembly described herein relate generally to a door with apparatus for holding the door open, and more particularly to a hold open arm that facilitates the hold open function.
Conventional assemblies include a hold open arm pivotally mounted to a soffit plate that is mounted to the soffit of the door. A spring-biased vertical plunger may be provided that rides on the end of a button head rivet disposed on the soffit plate when the door is in the hold open position. An opening in the end of the plunger ends up resting beneath the head of the rivet. As the plunger approaches the rivet, contact is made between the side of the plunger and the side of the rivet, resulting in lateral force between the two parts, and significant friction as the plunger is forced down the side of the rivet. This may result in excessive wear and/or premature failure of the parts.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a new hold open arm assembly that reduces or avoids failures that may be seen with conventionally designed plungers and rivets.
In accordance with one embodiment, a soffit ramp for a door hold open assembly including a soffit plate and a plunger is provided. The soffit ramp includes a body distributed around first, second, and third perpendicular, intersecting axes, such that there is a first surface substantially distributed around a plane that includes the first and second axes, and a second surface. The second surface is opposite the first surface, and the distance between the first and second surfaces parallel to the third axis defines a thickness. The second surface defines a channel extending substantially along the first axis, with the channel including a wall on each side and a bottom. The second surface also defines a first sloped surface extending generally in the alignment of the second axis on a first side of the channel from the periphery of the body proximate to the first surface where the thickness is relatively small, to the wall of the channel where the thickness of the body is relatively large.
In accordance with another embodiment, a hold open arm assembly is provided for a door mounted to a door frame including a soffit. The door is urged to close by a door closer mounted to the door. The assembly includes a soffit plate substantially distributed about a major plane and adapted to be mounted to the soffit, and a holding feature including a head, with the holding feature mounted to the soffit plate such that the head extends substantially perpendicularly from the major plane. A soffit ramp extends from the soffit plate in a direction away from the major plane. The soffit ramp provides a sloped surface laterally on at least one side of the head, and the distance from the sloped surface to the major plane is greatest proximate to the head. A first arm member has a longitudinal axis, a proximal end, and a distal end, where the proximal end of the first arm member is pivotally mounted to the soffit plate. A housing is mounted to the first arm member, and a resiliently biased plunger having a free end is received in the housing. The plunger extends substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis and defining a recessed area in the free end. A second arm member has a proximal end and a distal end, and the proximal end of the second arm member is pivotally mounted to the distal end of the first arm member and the distal end is adapted to be pivotally mounted to the door closer. When the first arm member pivots relative to the soffit plate and the plunger approaches the head, the plunger engages the sloped surface of the soffit ramp, slides along the sloped surface toward the head, and receives at least a portion of the head in the opening in the free end.
In accordance with another embodiment, a method of operating a door is provided. The door is mounted to a door frame including a soffit and is operatively connected to a door closer. A soffit plate is mounted to the soffit, a first arm is pivotally mounted to the soffit plate, a resiliently biased plunger is mounted to the first arm and defines a recessed area in a free end, a second arm is pivotally mounted to the first arm and to the door closer, and a soffit ramp extends downward from the soffit plate. The soffit ramp includes a sloped surface and a holding feature with a head adjacent to the sloped surface. The method includes pushing the door open in a first direction until the plunger engages the sloped surface of the soffit ramp, and continuing to push the door in the first direction. The plunger is caused to be increasingly depressed as the plunger slides along the sloped surface, until the plunger engages the head and receives the head in the recessed area to hold the door open.
For a more complete understanding, reference should now be had to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings and described below. In the drawings:
The embodiments of a hold open arm assembly described herein may be for use with a conventional door closer, including, for example, a spring and a hydraulic cylinder. Moreover, it is understood that the overall construction of the door closer is not critical. Accordingly, although exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein with respect to a door closer function, detailed explanations of the functioning of the door closer components are deemed unnecessary for understanding by one of ordinary skill in the art.
Certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to be taken as a limitation. For example, words such as “upper,” “lower,” “left,” “right,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” “upward,” and “downward” merely describe the configuration shown in the figures. The components may be oriented in any direction and the terminology, therefore, should be understood as encompassing such variations unless specified otherwise.
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding or similar elements throughout the several views, an embodiment of a hold open assembly for use with a conventional closing and holding open of a door is shown in
A housing 84 is mounted to the first arm 66 substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the first arm 66. A plunger 86 is disposed in the housing 84. The assembly 50 further includes a holding feature, shown as a rivet 88, a stop 89 mountable to the soffit plate 62 on either side of the rivet 88 for preventing movement of the door past a set angle, and a soffit ramp 90. The soffit ramp 90 is mounted to the bottom side of the soffit plate 90.
The pivotal connection of the first arm 66 to the soffit plate 62 is shown in
In the embodiment shown, the rivet 88 (
While many dimensions are possible, the soffit ramps 90a, 90b may be, for example, about 1.3 inches along the major axis X-X and about 0.75 inches along the minor axis Y-Y. The thickness of the ridges 130a, 132a, 130b, 132b in top plan view may be, for example, 0.11 inches at their intersection with the minor axis Y-Y.
In
The hold open arm assembly 50 in general may be made of conventional materials for such components, such as steel alloy. The soffit ramp 90 may be made of case hardened steel, such as, for example, AISI 8620 steel. Preferably, the soffit ramp 90 will have a carbon nitride surface hardness of Rc 55 to 60 equivalent, with 0.035 to 0.040 inches total effected depth. Also preferably, the grain in the steel will run along the length of the sloped surfaces 126a, 128a, 126b, 128b and have a surface finish of approximately 63 micro inches. Further preferably, no tool marks should be left on the soffit ramp's finished surface. As an alternative to being a separate component, the soffit ramp may be cast or forged as part of the soffit plate as a unitary construction, and preferably would be heat treated for hardening.
Although a rivet 88 is shown as the holding feature, other hardware could be used. For example, the holding feature could be a screw with a rounded head, or could be a staked-in ball bearing, with the ramp 90 configured to capture the ball bearing.
Although only a few exemplary embodiments have been shown and described in considerable detail herein, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that we do not intend to be limited to such embodiments since various modifications, omissions and additions may be made to the disclosed embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings. Accordingly, we intend to cover all such modifications, omission, additions and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope as defined by the following claims. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures. Thus, although a nail and a screw may not be structural equivalents in that a nail employs a cylindrical surface to secure wooden parts together, whereas a screw employs a helical surface, in the environment of fastening wooden parts, a nail and a screw may be equivalent structures.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20130000208 A1 | Jan 2013 | US |