Patent Application
20230031694
The present disclosure generally relates to exit devices, and more particularly but not exclusively relates to exit devices for selectively restricting access to an area that may be dangerous to children.
Many institutions include recreational areas that children should not be allowed to enter without a supervising adult, and which are typically gated or otherwise enclosed. For example, swimming pool areas are typically gated or otherwise enclosed to prevent free access to the pool, as unsupervised children run the risk of drowning. Doors providing access to such enclosed areas typically are provided with an exit device that allows free egress from inside the secured area, for example in the event of an emergency situation. The unsecured side of such doors are typically provided with a standard exit device trim, which is mounted opposite the exit device and at the same height as the exit device.
Regardless of whether the trim is locked or unlocked, some such systems have certain drawbacks. When the trim is locked, for example, only those having a proper key or credential will be able to actuate the trim in the manner required to access the secured area, which may be inconvenient for users and management personnel. When the trim is unlocked, however, any person able to manipulate the trim (e.g., by turning the handle thereof) will have potential access to the secured area. As will be appreciated, it may be undesirable for small children to have access to the secured area, particularly when that secured area includes a pool or other features that are both attractive and dangerous to children. For these reasons among others, a need remains for further improvements in this technological field.
An exemplary closure assembly includes a swinging barrier, a pushbar assembly mounted to a first side of the barrier, a remote trim assembly mounted to a second side of the barrier, and a transmission assembly that extends at least partially through the barrier and couples remote trim assembly and the pushbar assembly. The pushbar assembly includes a latchbolt and a pushbar operable to retract the latchbolt. The remote trim includes a handle that is operably coupled with the latchbolt via the transmission assembly such that the handle is operable to retract the latchbolt. The handle is positioned above the pushbar such that a vertical offset distance is defined therebetween. The offset distance is selected such that a user having a height within a selected range of heights is able to actuate the pushbar assembly, but cannot actuate the trim assembly. Further embodiments, forms, features, and aspects of the present application shall become apparent from the description and figures provided herewith.
Although the concepts of the present disclosure are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described herein in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit the concepts of the present disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives consistent with the present disclosure and the appended claims.
References in the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an illustrative embodiment,” etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may or may not necessarily include that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. It should further be appreciated that although reference to a “preferred” component or feature may indicate the desirability of a particular component or feature with respect to an embodiment, the disclosure is not so limiting with respect to other embodiments, which may omit such a component or feature. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to implement such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.
Additionally, it should be appreciated that items included in a list in the form of “at least one of A, B, and C” can mean (A); (B); (C); (A and B); (B and C); (A and C); or (A, B, and C). Similarly, items listed in the form of “at least one of A, B, or C” can mean (A); (B); (C); (A and B); (B and C); (A and C); or (A, B, and C). Further, with respect to the claims, the use of words and phrases such as “a,” “an,” “at least one,” and/or “at least one portion” should not be interpreted so as to be limiting to only one such element unless specifically stated to the contrary, and the use of phrases such as “at least a portion” and/or “a portion” should be interpreted as encompassing both embodiments including only a portion of such element and embodiments including the entirety of such element unless specifically stated to the contrary.
In the drawings, some structural or method features may be shown in specific arrangements and/or orderings. However, it should be appreciated that such specific arrangements and/or orderings may not be required. Rather, in some embodiments, such features may be arranged in a different manner and/or order than shown in the illustrative figures unless indicated to the contrary. Additionally, the inclusion of a structural or method feature in a particular figure is not meant to imply that such feature is required in all embodiments and, in some embodiments, may not be included or may be combined with other features.
With reference to
When in its closed position, the door 80 defines a barrier between an inner or secured region 61 and an outer or unsecured region 62, and has an inner or secured side 81 facing the secured region 61 and an outer or unsecured side 82 facing the unsecured region 62. The pushbar assembly 100 is mounted to the secured side 81 of the door 80, and the remote trim 210 is mounted to the unsecured side 82 of the door 80. The door 80 also has a hinge edge 83 and an opposite latch edge 84, as well as a top edge 85 and an opposite bottom edge 86. As described herein, the pushbar assembly 100 and the remote trim 210 are mounted to the door 80 at different heights such that certain users capable of actuating the pushbar assembly 100 are not capable of actuating the remote trim 210.
The pushbar assembly 100 generally includes a mounting assembly 110 configured for mounting to the door 80, a drive assembly 120 movably mounted to the mounting assembly 110, a latch control assembly 140 operably connected with the drive assembly 120, and a latchbolt mechanism 150 operably connected with the latch control assembly 140. The drive assembly 120 includes a manually actuated pushbar 122 which, when moved from a projected position to a depressed position, actuates the drive assembly 120. As described herein, such actuation of the drive assembly 120 actuates the latch control assembly 140 and retracts the latchbolt 152.
With additional reference to
The latch control assembly 140 further includes a pair of drivers 144 slidably mounted to the header plate 117, and a pair of pivot cranks 146 operably connecting the control link 142 with the drivers 144. More particularly, an upper driver 144a is connected to the control link 142 via an upper pivot crank 146a, and a lower driver 144b is connected to the control link 142 via a lower pivot crank 146b. Each of the control link 142, the upper driver 144a, and the lower driver 144b has a deactuated position in the deactuated state of the latch control assembly 140, and has an actuated position in the actuated state of the latch control assembly 140. The control link 142 has a proximal deactuated position and a distal actuated position, and moves in the longitudinal (X) directions during actuation and deactuation of the latch control assembly 140. Each of the drivers 144 has a laterally-outward deactuated position and a laterally-inward actuated position, and moves in the lateral (Y) directions during actuation and deactuation of the latch control assembly 140.
As used herein, the terms “laterally inward” and “laterally outward” may be used to describe the lateral (Y) directions with reference to the longitudinal (X) axis 102 along which the control link 142 extends. More specifically, the term “laterally inward” may be used to describe a lateral (Y) direction extending toward the longitudinal (X) axis 102, and the term “laterally outward” may be used to describe a lateral (Y) direction extending away from the longitudinal (X) axis 102. Thus, for the upper driver 144a, the laterally inward direction is the downward direction, and the laterally outward direction is the upward direction. For the lower driver 144b, by contrast, the laterally inward direction is the upward direction, and the laterally outward direction is the downward direction.
During actuation and deactuation of the latch control assembly 140, the pivot cranks 146 convert longitudinal movement of the control link 142 to lateral movement of the drivers 144 and vice versa. With the latch control assembly 140 in its deactuated state, actuation of the drive assembly 120 causes the control link 142 to move in the distal direction toward the actuated position thereof. As the control link 142 is driven toward its actuated position, the pivot cranks 146 translate the distal movement of the control link 142 to laterally-inward movement of the drivers 144, thereby moving the drivers 144 to the actuated positions thereof. When an appropriate deactuating force is exerted on the latch control assembly 140, for example by the drive assembly 120, the latch control assembly 140 returns to its deactuated state. During deactuation of the latch control assembly 140, the control link 142 and the drivers 144 return to the deactuated positions thereof, and the pivot cranks 146 correlate the laterally-outward movement of the drivers 144 with the proximal movement of the control link 142.
The remote trim assembly 210 generally includes a housing 212 mounted to the unsecured side 82 of the door 80, and a handle 214 rotatably mounted to the housing 212. A tailpiece 221 of the transmission assembly 220 is operably coupled with the handle 214 such that rotation of the handle 214 causes a corresponding rotation of the tailpiece 221. The handle 214 is biased toward a home position, and can be actuated by a user to rotate toward a rotated position. In the illustrated embodiment, the tailpiece 221 extends through the door 80 and engages the transmission assembly 220. In certain embodiments, the trim assembly 210 may include a lock cylinder 216 by which the handle 214 can be locked and unlocked.
With additional reference to
The cam 224 is operably coupled with the tailpiece 221 such that rotation of the handle 214 causes a corresponding rotation of the cam 224. The cam 224 includes a pair of radial arms 225 that extend away from the rotational axis of the cam 224, and the follower 226 includes a pair of ledges 227 that are adjacent the arms 225 when the cam 224 is in a home position corresponding to the home position of the handle 214. When the handle 214 is rotated from the home position, one of the arms 225 engages a corresponding one of the ledges 227 and drives the follower 226 downward. More specifically, rotation of the handle 214 in the clockwise direction causes a first of the arms 225 to engage a first of the ledges 227, and rotation of the handle 214 in the counterclockwise direction causes the other of the arms 225 to engage the other of the ledges 227. Thus, rotation of the handle 214 in either direction causes downward movement of the follower 226. Additionally, the housing 222 covers the cam 224 and the follower 226 to discourage users from tampering with cam 224 and/or the follower 226.
The downward movement of the follower 226 causes a corresponding downward movement of the rod 228. As a result, the rod 228 drives the upper driver 144a in its laterally inward actuating direction, thereby actuating the latch control assembly 140 and retracting the latchbolt 152. More specifically, the upper pivot crank 146a translates the downward movement of the upper driver 144a to distal movement of the control link 142, and the retractor 154 retracts the latchbolt 152 in response to distal movement of the control link 142.
In the illustrated form, the downward movement of the follower 226 is transmitted to the upper driver 144a by the rigid rod 228. It is also contemplated that another pushing member may be utilized to cause the upper driver 144a to move with the follower 226, such as a push/pull cable. Additionally, while the illustrated cam 224 and follower 226 are arranged to translate rotation of the tailpiece 221 to downward movement of the rod 228, it is to be appreciated that other arrangements may be utilized. For example, the cam 224 and follower 226 may be arranged to translate rotation of the tailpiece 221 to upward movement of the rod 228, and a rack and pinion arrangement may be utilized to drive the upper driver 144a downward in response to upward movement of the rod 228.
As should be evident from the foregoing, each of the pushbar assembly 100 and the remote actuating assembly 200 is operable to retract the latchbolt 152. As a result, the door 80 can be opened both from the secured region 61 (via the pushbar assembly 100) and from the unsecured region 62 (via the remote actuating assembly 200). More specifically, users in the secured region 61 can open the door 80 by depressing the pushbar 122 and pushing the door 80, thereby providing egress from the secured region 61 to the unsecured region 62. Conversely, users in the unsecured region 62 can open the door 80 by rotating and subsequently pulling the handle 214, thereby providing entry to the secured region 61 from the unsecured region 62.
The pushbar assembly 100 and the remote trim 210 are mounted to the door 80 at different heights such that certain users capable of actuating the pushbar assembly 100 are not capable of actuating the remote trim 210. More specifically, the pushbar assembly 100 is mounted to the secured side 81 of the door 80 with the pushbar 122 a first distance 91 from the bottom edge 86 of the door 80, the remote trim 210 is mounted to the unsecured side 82 of the door 80 with the handle 214 a second distance 92 from the bottom edge 86 of the door 80, and the second distance 92 is greater than the first distance 91 by an offset distance 93.
The ability of a user to actuate the exit device 90 depends in part upon the ability of the user to reach and manipulate an actuator (i.e., the pushbar 122 or the handle 214). Due to the varying heights at which the pushbar 122 and the handle 214 are mounted, different subsets of users are capable of actuating the pushbar assembly 100 and the remote trim 200. For example, users shorter than a first height corresponding to the first distance 91 are unable to reach the pushbar 122, and thus cannot actuate the exit device 90 from either side 81, 82 of the door. Users taller than a second height corresponding to the second distance 92 can reach both the pushbar 122 and the handle 214, and thus are capable of actuating the exit device 90 from either side 81, 82 of the door. Furthermore, there exists a subset of users whose height is greater than the first height and less than the second height. Such users are capable of depressing the pushbar 122 to actuate the exit device 90 from the secured side 81 of the door 80, but are not tall enough to rotate the handle 214 in the manner required to actuate the exit device 90 from the unsecured side of the door 80.
The various dimensions 91, 92, 93 may be selected to facilitate the actuation of the exit device 90 in certain manners while discouraging actuation of the exit device 90 in other manners. For example, the first height 91 may be selected to allow both children and adults to actuate the pushbar assembly 100, thereby facilitating free egress from the secured area 61. The first height 91 may, for example, be in the range of 38 inches to 44 inches. The second height 92 may be selected to allow adults to actuate the remote trim 210 while discouraging such actuation by children. The second height 92 may, for example, be in the range of 54 inches to 60 inches. The offset distance 93 may be selected to exclude a certain range of individuals that can actuate the pushbar assembly 100 from actuating the remote trim 210. The offset distance 93 may, for example, be in the range of 6 inches to 18 inches.
With additional reference to
As described herein, the transmission assembly 300 is arranged such that rotation of the handle 214 causes a corresponding rotation of the lower rotational transfer mechanism 320. The lower rotational transfer mechanism 320 is coupled to a cam such as the above-described cam 224, and a follower such as the above-described follower 226 is coupled to either the upper driver 144a or the lower driver 144b. The cam and follower are arranged such that rotation of the second rotational mechanism 320 drives the corresponding driver 144a/144b in its actuating direction, thereby actuating the latch control assembly 140 and retracting the latchbolt 152.
With additional reference to
Each end of the outer sheath 332 has an anchor 333, and each anchor 333 is coupled to a corresponding one of the brackets 310, 320 such that the sheath 332 remains relatively stationary relative to the door. Each end of the inner cable 334 has a coupler 335, and each coupler 335 is received in a slot 315, 325 formed in the corresponding pulley 314, 324 such that the couplers 335 travel with the pulleys 314, 324, thereby causing the lower pulley 324 to rotate with the upper pulley 314. In the illustrated form, the lower end of the cable 334 is partially wrapped around the lower side of the lower pulley 324 such that rotation of the upper pulley 314 in one direction (clockwise in
The upper pulley 314 is operably coupled with the handle 214 such that rotation of the handle 214 causes a corresponding rotation of the pulley 314. The lower pulley 324 is operably coupled with the cam such that rotation of the pulley 324 causes a corresponding rotation of the cam. Thus, rotation of the handle 214 is transmitted to the cam via the transmission assembly 300 such that the cam drives the follower in response to rotation of the handle 214. The follower in turn drives the corresponding driver 144a/144b in its actuating direction, thereby actuating the latch control assembly 140 and retracting the latchbolt 152. As a result, the handle 214 is operable to retract the latchbolt 152 to allow for entry to the secured area 61 from the unsecured area 62.
In the illustrated form, the flexible cable 330 is utilized in combination with an upper rotational transfer mechanism 310 and a lower rotational transfer mechanism 320. In certain embodiments, one or both of the rotational transfer mechanisms 310, 320 may be omitted. For example, in certain embodiments, the trim assembly 210 may include a mechanism that translates rotational motion of the handle 214 to linear movement of a lift finger. In such forms, the upper end of the sheath 332 may be anchored near the lift finger and the upper end of the cable 334 may be coupled to the lift finger such that linear movement of the lift finger drives the cable 334 in the actuating direction, and the upper rotational transfer mechanism 310 may be omitted. In certain embodiments, the lower end of the sheath 332 may be anchored to the header plate 117 and the lower end of the cable 334 may be coupled with one of the drivers 144 such that the cable 332 is operable to pull the driver 144 in its laterally inward actuating direction. In such forms, the lower rotational transfer mechanism 320 may be omitted.
With additional reference to
The rotational transfer mechanism 420 illustrated in
The rotational transfer mechanism 430 illustrated in
With additional reference to
The process 500 is a process of installing an exit device to a door, and generally includes a positioning procedure 510 in which various components of an exit device are positioned relative to the door, a connecting procedure 520 in which the components are connected to one another, and a mounting procedure 530 in which the components are mounted to the door. The door 80 generally includes a first side 81, an opposite second side 82, a top 85, and an opposite bottom 86. The exit device includes a pushbar assembly, a trim assembly, and a transmission assembly. While the process 500 is described hereinafter with specific reference to the exit devices 90, 90′ described hereinabove, it is to be appreciated that the process 500 may be utilized with other forms of exit devices that include a pushbar assembly, a trim assembly, and a transmission assembly.
The positioning procedure 510 includes positioning operations 512, 514, 516, which generally involve positioning various components of an exit device 90, 90′ relative to the door 80. The operation 512 involves positioning a pushbar assembly 100 on the first side 81 of the door 80, and the operation 514 involves positioning a trim assembly 210 on the second side 82 of the door 80. The operation 516 involves positioning at least a portion of the transmission assembly 300 within the door 80. The operation 516 may, for example, involve positioning the tailpiece 221 such that the tailpiece 221 extends through the door, positioning the connector 330 in the hollow interior 89 of the door 80, or passing a portion of the transmission assembly through an opening in a gate.
The connecting procedure 520 includes connecting operations 522, 524, which generally involve connecting various components of the exit device 90, 90′ to one another. The operation 522 generally involves connecting a transmission assembly with the trim assembly 210. In certain embodiments, the operation 522 may involve connecting the transmission assembly 220 with the trim assembly 210. For example, the operation 522 may include coupling the tailpiece 221 with the trim assembly 210 and/or the cam 224 such that rotation of the handle 214 causes a corresponding rotation of the cam 224, thereby lifting the follower 226 and the rod 228.
In certain embodiments, the operation 522 may involve connecting the transmission assembly 300 with the trim assembly 210 such that rotation of the handle 214 causes a corresponding movement of the cable 334. For example, the operation 522 may include coupling the upper rotational transfer mechanism 310 with the trim assembly 210 such that rotation of the handle 214 causes a corresponding rotation of the pulley 314. As another example, the operation 522 may include coupling the rotational transfer mechanism 410 with the trim assembly 210 such that rotation of the handle 214 causes a corresponding rotation of the cam 414, thereby lifting the follower 416. As another example, the operation 522 may include coupling the rotational transfer mechanism 420 with the trim assembly 210 such that rotation of the handle 214 causes a corresponding pivotal movement of the lever 424. As a further example, the operation 522 may include coupling the rotational transfer mechanism 430 with the trim assembly 210 such that rotation of the handle 214 causes a corresponding pivotal movement of the pivoting jaw 434.
As noted above, certain embodiments of the operation 522 involve coupling the cable 334 with a rotational transfer mechanism that translates rotation of the handle to linear movement of the cable 334. In other embodiments, the rotational transfer mechanism may be included in the trim assembly 210 such that rotation of the handle 214 drives a lift finger linearly. In such forms, the operation 522 may involve coupling the cable 334 to the lift finger such that rotation of the handle 214 causes movement of the cable 334.
The operation 524 generally involves connecting the transmission assembly with the pushbar assembly 100. In certain embodiments, the operation 524 may involve connecting the transmission assembly 220 with the pushbar assembly 100. For example, the operation 524 may involve coupling the rod 228 with the upper driver 144a. In certain embodiments, the operation 524 may involve connecting the transmission assembly 220 with the pushbar assembly 100. As one example, the operation 524 may involve mounting the follower 226 to one of the drivers 144, for example in embodiments in which the cam 224 is mounted to the lower pulley 324. As another example, the operation 524 may involve connecting the lower end of the cable 334 to a component of the latch control assembly 140, such as one of the drivers 144. In such forms, the lower rotational transfer mechanism 320 may be omitted.
The mounting procedure 530 includes operations 532, 534, which generally involve mounting various components of the exit device 90, 90′ to the door 80. The operation 532 involves mounting the pushbar assembly 100 to the first side 81 of the door 80 a first distance 91 from the bottom 86 of the door 80. In certain embodiments, the first distance 91 is between 34 inches and 48 inches. The operation 534 involves mounting the trim assembly 210 to the second side 82 of the door a second distance 92 from the bottom 86 of the door 80. As noted above, the second distance 92 is greater than the first distance 91 by an offset distance 93. In certain embodiments, the second distance 92 is at least 54 inches. In certain embodiments, the offset distance 93 is at least six inches.
While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the inventions are desired to be protected. It should be understood that while the use of words such as preferable, preferably, preferred or more preferred utilized in the description above indicate that the feature so described may be more desirable, it nonetheless may not be necessary and embodiments lacking the same may be contemplated as within the scope of the invention, the scope being defined by the claims that follow. In reading the claims, it is intended that when words such as “a,” “an,” “at least one,” or “at least one portion” are used there is no intention to limit the claim to only one item unless specifically stated to the contrary in the claim. When the language “at least a portion” and/or “a portion” is used the item can include a portion and/or the entire item unless specifically stated to the contrary.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16051646 | Aug 2018 | US |
| Child | 17724114 | US |
