The present invention generally relates to exit devices for use in association with doors. A known exit device assembly comprises an exit device mounted on the door, an upper latch mechanism mounted adjacent the top of the door, and a lower latch mechanism mounted adjacent the bottom of the door. The exit device may have a pushpad or crossbar. The upper latch mechanism may be engageable with a strike on the door frame above the door, and the lower latch mechanism may be engageable with a recess in the floor below the door. The exit device may be operably connected to the latch mechanisms by rigid rods.
In one form, the present invention provides an exit device assembly for use with a door having a top, a bottom and a generally vertical surface, the assembly comprising an exit device configured to be mounted on the surface of the door, the exit device including a manually movable member, a latch mechanism configured to be mounted adjacent one of the top and the bottom of the door, the latch mechanism including a latch movable between a locking position and a non-locking position, and a non-rigid device for causing movement of the latch in response to movement of the manually movable member.
In another form, the present invention provides an exit device assembly for use with a door having a top, a bottom and a generally vertical surface, the assembly comprising an exit device configured to be mounted on the surface of the door, the exit device including a manually movable member, a first latch mechanism configured to be mounted adjacent one of the top and the bottom of the door, the first latch mechanism including a first latch movable between a locking position and a non-locking position, a mechanism for causing movement of the first latch in response to movement of the manually movable member, a second latch mechanism configured to be mounted adjacent the other of the top and the bottom of the door, the second latch mechanism including a second latch movable between a locking position and a non-locking position, and a non-rigid device connected between the first latch mechanism and the second latch mechanism for actuating the second latch mechanism.
In another form, the present invention provides a latch mechanism comprising a latch movable between a locking position and a non-locking position, and an anti-bounce arrangement.
In another form, the present invention provides an exit device assembly for use with a door having a top, a bottom and a generally vertical surface, the assembly comprising an exit device configured to be mounted on the surface of the door, the exit device including a manually movable member, a latch mechanism configured to be mounted adjacent one of the top and the bottom of the door, the latch mechanism including a latch movable between a locking position and a non-locking position, and the latch mechanism including an anti-bounce arrangement, and an actuating device for causing movement of the latch in response to movement of the manually movable member.
In another form, the present invention provides an exit device assembly for use with a door having a top, a bottom and a generally vertical surface, the assembly comprising an exit device configured to be mounted on the surface of the door, the exit device including a manually movable member, a latch mechanism configured to be mounted adjacent one of the top and the bottom of the door, the latch mechanism including a latch movable between a locking position and a non-locking position, a cable for causing movement of the latch in response to movement of the manually movable member, and a slack removal mechanism connected to the cable.
In another form, the present invention provides an exit device assembly suitable for use with a door disposed within a frame and an exit device. The exit device assembly includes a first latch mechanism having a movable portion and a fixed portion attachable to the door, the movable portion including a latch that selectively engages the frame to maintain the door in a closed position and disengages from the frame to allow movement of the door with respect to the frame. A slide member has a movable portion and a fixed portion attachable to the door such that a distance between the slide member and the first latch mechanism is substantially fixed. An enclosed cable includes an outer sheath and an inner cable. A first end of the outer sheath is attached to the fixed portion of the first latch mechanism, and a second end of the sheath is attached to the fixed portion of the slide member. A first end of the inner cable is attached to the movable portion of the first latch mechanism, and a second end of the inner cable is attached to the movable portion of the slide member such that movement of the movable portion of the slide member produces a corresponding movement of the latch.
In another form, the present invention provides a method of latching a door to a frame. The method includes providing a latch mechanism having a fixed portion that is attachable to the door and a movable portion having a latch that selectively engages the frame and providing a slide mechanism having a fixed portion that is attachable to the door and a movable portion movable between a first position and a second position. The method also includes connecting a first end of a cable to the latch mechanism and a second end of the cable to the slide mechanism. The cable includes an outer sheath that attaches to the fixed portion of the latch mechanism and the slide mechanism, and an inner cable that attaches to the movable portion of the latch mechanism and the slide mechanism. The method further includes moving the movable portion of the slide mechanism to the second position to move the movable portion of the latch mechanism to disengage the latch from the frame, and biasing the latch into engagement with the frame when the movable portion of the slide mechanism returns to the first position.
Other aspects of the present invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Before any embodiments of the present invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The present invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways.
Referring to
In one aspect of the invention, the exit device 34 is mounted in a recessed or partially recessed position within the door 14. In another aspect, the exit device 34 includes a pushpad mechanism 46 having a manually movable member or pushpad 50. However, it should be understood that other types of exit devices and manually movable members can be used in association with the present invention. The upper latch mechanism 38 is engageable with a strike 54 on the door frame 18 above the door 14, and the lower latch mechanism 42 is engageable with a recess 58 in the floor or door frame 18 below the door 15. However, it should be understood that the present invention further contemplates other embodiments with a single latch mechanism, and embodiments with one or mare latch mechanisms located at locations other than at the top 22 of the door 14 and/or the bottom 26 of the door 14.
Referring to
The upper latch mechanism 38 also includes a blocking member 90 mounted on the bracket 62 for pivotable movement relative thereto about a horizontal axis 94 between a blocking position (
The blocking member 90 includes diametrically opposed slots 110 and 114, both extending radially from the axis 94 and opening in opposite directions. The upper latch mechanism 38 also includes a rod 118 operably connected to the blocking member 90. As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, each slot 130 has an upper portion 134 (
In one embodiment, the pin 126 moves with the rod 118, and the rod 118 is biased in an upward direction or in a direction which moves the pin 126 to its upper position. The rod 118 is biased upwardly by a compression spring 142 extending between the bracket 62 and the rod 118. Specifically, the lower end of the spring 142 engages tabs 146 extending inwardly from the bracket walls 66, and the upper end of the spring engages a shoulder 150 (
Referring to
As should be appreciated, movement of the slide member 180 is controlled by actuation/de-actuation of the pushpad mechanism 46. As shown in
Referring to
The lower latch mechanism 42 also includes a lower blocking member 240 mounted on the bracket 204 for pivotable movement relative thereto about a horizontal axis 244 between a blocking position (
The lower latch mechanism 42 also includes a rod 260 operably connected to the blocking member 240. As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the pin 264 correspondingly moves with the rod 260, and the rod 260 is biased downwardly or in a direction which displaces the pin 264 to its lower position. The rod 260 is biased downwardly by a compression spring 272 extending between the bracket 204 and the rod 260. Specifically, the upper end of the spring 272 engages tabs 276 extending inwardly from the bracket walls 208, and the lower end of the spring 272 engages a shoulder 280 defined by the rod 260. The pin 264 moves in an upward direction, or toward its upper position, as the rod 260 moves upwardly against the force of the spring 272. As should be appreciated, movement of the rod 260 is controlled by a cable 284 operably connected to the upper end of the rod 260. In one embodiment, the cable 284 is an enclosed or Bowden cable surrounded by a sheath 288, and a lower end of the sheath 288 is fixed to the bracket 204. The lower end of the cable 284 is operably fixed to the upper end of the rod 260 by a yoke 292 and a pin 296. The pin 296 extends generally parallel to the horizontal axis 216 and travels within vertical slots 300 in the bracket walls 208.
As shown in
When the door 14 is closed and a user is not pushing on the pushpad 50, the slide member 180 is positioned in its upper position, both blocking members 90 and 240 are in their blocking positions, and both the upper latch 70 and the lower latch 212 are in their locking positions. Additionally, the upper latch 70 engages the strike 54 and the lower latch 212 extends into the recess 58. However, when a user pushes on the pushpad 50, the slide member 180 moves downward and pulls on the cable 154, which in turn pulls downwardly on the rod 118. The rod 118 in turn pulls downward on the pin 126, which pivots the blocking member 90 to its non-blocking position, thereby allowing the upper latch 70 to pivot to its non-locking position. When the upper latch 70 is in the non-locking position, the upper latch 70 engages the blocking member 90 and prevents movement of the blocking member 90 back to the blocking position. Thus, when the user releases the pushpad 50 and the slide member 180 no longer pulls down on the cable 154, the upper latch 70 prevents the blocking member 90 from returning to the blocking position, notwithstanding the force of the spring 142, and the upper latch 70 remains in the non-locking position. As should be appreciated, the upper latch 70 does not return to the locking position until the upper latch 70 engages the strike 54 upon closing of the door, at which time the strike 54 hits the leg 82 of the upper latch 70 and pivots the upper latch 70 to the locking position. This movement of the upper latch 70 thereby permits the blocking member 90 to return to the blocking position.
When the user pushes on the pushpad 50, movement of the upper blocking member 90 to the non-blocking position causes upward movement of the pin 304, which in turn pulls up on the cable 284. The cable 284 in turn pulls up on the pin 264, which pivots the lower blocking member 240 to its non-blocking position, thereby allowing the lower latch 212 to pivot to its non-locking position under the force of the spring 224. The leg 228 of the lower latch 212 is in turn pivoted out of the recess 58 in the floor, thereby allowing opening of the door. The lower latch 212 will remain in its non-locking position until the door closes, primarily because the lower blocking member 240 will be held in its non-blocking position by the upper blocking member 90 which does not return to its non-blocking position until the door closes. However, when the door closes and the upper blocking member 90 returns to its blocking position, the cable 284 is no longer pulled upward, thereby allowing the lower blocking member 240 to return to its blocking position under the force of the spring 272 on the lower rod 260. Movement of the lower blocking member 240 toward its blocking position pushes the lower latch 212 to its locking position, and the latch leg 228 once again extends into the recess 58.
In the illustrated embodiment of the exit device assembly 10, the upper latch mechanism 38 is provided with an anti-bounce feature or arrangement. With some prior art exit devices, a sufficient sudden force exerted on the door, as might be caused by flying debris during a hurricane or other weather events, may cause the latch to “bounce” out of its latched position and thereby allowing the door to inadvertently open. The anti-bounce feature associated with the upper latch mechanism 38 is designed to resist such unintended opening of the door 14.
As should be appreciated, if a sudden force is applied to the door 14 when the door 14 is locked, initial movement of the pin 126 in the slot 130 will only occur in the radial direction. Notably, radial movement of the pin 126 in the slot 130 will not exert any significant force on the walls of the blocking member slot 110, and therefore will not exert any significant torque on the blocking member 90 which would otherwise tend to pivot the blocking member 90 out of its blocking position. The blocking member 90 will therefore keep the upper latch 70 in its locking position. Also, if a person were to use a screwdriver or another device to strike the outside of the upper latch 70, the resultant force would only push the blocking member 90 in the direction away from the non-blocking position (i.e., would maintain the blocking member 90 in the blocking position) because of the orientation of the engaging surfaces 102, 106 on the upper latch 70 and on the blocking member 90 when the blocking member 90 is in the blocking position. More specifically, in this situation, the surfaces 102, 106 would be oriented such that a torque pushing the upper latch 70 toward the non-locking position would exert on the blocking member 90 a torque toward the blocking position, thereby maintaining the upper latch 70 in the locking position.
Referring to
In the illustrate embodiment, the mechanism 420 includes a spool 424 around which an end portion of the cable 154 is wound. More particularly, the spool 424 has a generally cylindrical outer surface defining a spiral or helical groove 428. The end of the cable 154 includes a barrel-shaped member 432 fixed thereon which is housed in a pocket in one end of the spool 424. As shown in
As should be appreciated, the cable 154 constitutes a non-rigid mechanism for causing movement of the upper latch 70 in response to movement of the pushpad 50. As should also be appreciated, the spool 424 can be accessed with the cable 154 installed in the door 14 (i.e., without having to remove the spool 424 or the cable 154), thereby allowing for convenient adjustment of the exit device assembly 10 while the door 14 is mounted to the door frame. As should be further appreciated, the exit device 34 and the upper and lower latch mechanisms 38, 42 are grounded through the cable system. Additionally, the distance between the latch mechanisms 38, 42 and the exit device 34 does not directly affect the functionality of the exit device assembly 10, and interconnection of the exit device 34 and the latch mechanisms 38, 42 does not require a direct line of sight and/or precise alignment, thereby allowing the exit device 34 and the latch mechanisms 38, 42 to have different backsets from the edge of the door 14 and/or from the front/back of the door 14. Furthermore, in view of the flexible and non-rigid nature of the exit device assembly 10 (i.e., the flexibility and non-rigidity provided by the cable system), if the latch mechanisms 38, 42 and/or the exit device 34 are displaced from their installed locations, the exit device assembly 10 does not necessarily require re-adjustment. Instead, the flexible and non-rigid nature of the exit device assembly 10 can alleviate or at least minimize the need for re-adjustment of the latch mechanisms 38, 42 and/or the exit device 34. Moreover, the flexible cable system is easy to install or remove from the door 14, even in instances where the door 14 is installed with a low ceiling clearance. Furthermore, a length of cable can be used for multiple door heights. The cable system also provides for direct attachment of the upper latch mechanism 38 to the lower latch mechanism 42, thereby removing or at least minimizing tolerances from the hold-open function and allowing a cable-based system to control operation of the lower latch mechanism 42. Additionally, concealment of the cable system within the door 14 results in a more aesthetic system, serves to protect the internal components and interconnections, and provides an added degree of security by eliminating potential tapering of the internal components and interconnections.
Referring to
It should be understood that other types of non-rigid mechanisms such as, for example, rotary cables, could be used to connect the exit device 34 to the upper and lower latch mechanisms 38, 42. It should also be understood that the latch mechanisms 38, 42 could be actuated by non-rigid devices that are not entirely mechanical (i.e., electrical devices or electro-mechanical devices). For example, the latch mechanisms 38, 42 could be actuated by solenoids or stepper motors that are remote from the centercase 188 (i.e., like the hydraulic device 514 in
Referring to
In the illustrated embodiment of the exit device assembly 610, a worm gear arrangement is mounted on one end of the casing 630. The gear arrangement includes a worm gear 650 fixed to an end of the spool 638, and a worm screw 654 (
In the illustrated embodiment, an L-shaped connecting member 674 connects the spool casing 630 to the pushpad mechanism 46 such that the spool 638 moves from the upper position to the lower position when the pushpad 50 is pushed in, and moves from the lower position to the upper position when the pushpad 50 is released. As should be appreciated, downward movement of the spool 638 pulls down on the cable 154 to operate the upper latch mechanism 38.
Referring to
In one embodiment, the adjustable latch mechanism 642 is configured similar to the lower latch mechanism 42 illustrated and described above, and is configured to operate in a manner similar to the lower latch mechanism 42. Specifically, in one embodiment, the adjustable latch mechanism 642 may be provided with many of the same elements and features found in the lower latch mechanism 42, and may be engaged with the cable 284 in a manner similar to that illustrated in
The adjustable latch mechanism 642 is mounted to the door 14 and is configured to allow an installer to variably adjust the vertical height or position of the lower latch 644 on the door 14. As should be appreciated, this adjustability allows for fine tuning of the vertical position of the lower latch 644 relative to the recess 58. In one embodiment, the adjustable latch mechanism 642 includes a base or carrier member 650 that is selectively moveable relative to a body or mount member 652. Additionally, a number of angled brackets or anchor devices 654 may be used to secure the mount member 652 to the door 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the carrier member 650 is moveable relative to the mount member 652 in a direction generally along a vertical axis V, and the carrier member 650 can be locked into a select vertical position relative to the mount member 652 via engagement of a locking pin 656 with one of a plurality of discrete locking locations along the vertical axis V. In one embodiment, the locking pin 656 may be positioned in aligned openings or apertures defined by the carrier member 650 and the mount member 652 to lock the carrier member 650 (and the lower latch 644) in a generally stationary position relative to the mount member 652. Specifically, the carrier member 650 may be provided with a plurality of openings or apertures (not shown) that are spaced from one another along the vertical axis V, and the mount member 652 may be provided with at least one opening or aperture that is selectively alignable with one of the openings in the carrier member 650 for receipt of the locking pin 656 through the aligned openings to thereby selectively lock the carrier member 650 (and the lower latch 644) in a generally stationary position relative to the mount member 652 (and the recess 58).
In one embodiment, a flexible cable or tether 658 may be attached to an end portion or head 657 of the locking pin 656. The tether 658 terminates in an enlarged end portion or cap 660. As should be appreciated, the tether 658 may extend toward a vertical edge of the door 14 with the cap 660 positioned adjacent the vertical edge. If adjustment to the vertical position of the carrier member 650 relative to the mount member 652 is required, the installer may pull on the cap 660 to disengage the locking pin 656 from the carrier member 650 and/or the mount member 652 to thereby permit vertical adjustment of the height of the carrier member 650 (and the lower latch 644) relative to the mount member 652 (and the recess 58). In this manner, the vertical position of the carrier member 650 relative to the mount member 652 can be easily and conveniently adjusted without having to remove the adjustable latch mechanism 642 from the door 14. Additionally, the locking pin 656 may be provided with a spring or another type of biasing member (not shown) configured to bias the locking pin 656 back into engagement with aligned openings in the carrier member 650 and the mount member 652 upon removal of the pulling force from the tether 658 to once again lock the carrier member 650 in a select vertical position relative to the mount member 652.
It should be understood that other devices and techniques for varying the vertical position of the carrier member 650 relative to the mount member 652 and/or for locking the carrier member 650 in a select vertical position relative to the mount member 652 are also contemplated. For example, in another embodiment, the adjustable latch mechanism 642 may include an continuous adjustment mechanism such as, for example, a gear train that allows for continuous variability or adjustment to the height of the carrier member 650 relative to the mount member 652. In another embodiment, a rack and pinion arrangement may be used to provide variable adjustment of the height of the carrier member 650 relative to the mount member 652. Additionally, it should be understood that other suitable mechanisms and techniques are also contemplated for providing variable adjustment of the height of the carrier member 650 relative to the mount member 652.
Various features and advantages of the present invention are set forth in the following claims. Additionally, changes and modifications to the described embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its intended advantages. While the present invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only selected embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes, equivalents, and modifications that come within the scope of the inventions described herein or defined by the following claims are desired to be protected.
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/638,350 filed Apr. 25, 2012, and also claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/526,595 filed Aug. 23, 2011, the entire contents of each application hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
61638350 | Apr 2012 | US | |
61526595 | Aug 2011 | US |