FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The field of the present invention relates to door stops and related mechanisms. More particularly, the field of the present invention relates to door stop assemblies that employ the use of at least one magnet and at least one hinge.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Over the years, a variety of different door stops have been developed and placed into use, ranging from the very simple door stop (consisting of a basic coiled spring with a rubber tip) to more complex magnetic door stops. Despite the existence of a large variety of door stops, there continues to be a need for a magnetic door stop that is effective to not only hold a door in an open state, but also allow a door to be pushed (and held in an open position) that is closer to a wall (e.g., in order to maximize the entry space of a doorway).
The present invention addresses such demands, and provides other benefits that are not provided by currently-available door stop assemblies.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to certain aspects of the present invention, door stop assemblies are provided, which generally comprise a door stop component that includes a stem portion, a distal side that includes a first magnetic element, and a proximal side. The door stop further includes at least one hinge (i.e., one or multiple hinges) located between the distal side and proximal side thereof. In addition, the assemblies further comprise a door stop receiving element that is equipped with at least one spring and a second magnetic element that is magnetically attracted to the first magnetic element (located in the door stop).
The above-mentioned and additional features of the present invention are further illustrated in the Detailed Description contained herein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
FIG. 1 is an illustration that shows the interaction between the door stop and the door stop receiving element described herein.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the door stop and the door stop receiving element described herein.
FIG. 3 is a topside view of the door stop and the door stop receiving element described herein, with the door stop making contact with the door stop receiving element.
FIG. 4 is a topside view of the door stop and the door stop receiving element described herein, with the door stop making contact with the door stop receiving element and causing the door stop to rotate about a hinge.
FIG. 5 is a side view of the door stop described herein, which includes a cutaway view of the interlocking terminal side thereof.
FIG. 6 is a drawing that illustrates how the interlocking terminal side of the door stop may be maneuvered to lock the door stop into position—or to remove the door stop from a wall or door.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the door stop described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The following will describe in detail several preferred embodiments of the present invention. These embodiments are provided by way of explanation only, and thus, should not unduly restrict the scope of the invention. In fact, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate upon reading the present specification and viewing the present drawings that the invention teaches many variations and modifications, and that numerous variations of the invention may be employed, used, and made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.
According to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, and referring to FIGS. 1-7, door stop assemblies 2 are provided, which generally include a door stop 4 that comprises a stem portion 6, a distal side 8 that comprises a first magnetic element, and a proximal side 10 (which is affixed to a wall or door). The door stop 4 further comprises a hinge 12 (or multiple hinges), which preferably allows the door stop 4 to swing horizontally (parallel with a floor surface) within a 180-degree range of motion, as described herein and illustrated in FIG. 4. In certain alternative embodiments, however, the door stop 4 shown in FIG. 4 may be oriented in such a way, e.g., by rotating the door stop 4 90-degrees, such that the hinge 12 allows the door stop 4 to swing vertically (perpendicular with a floor surface). The first magnetic element may be located within, and/or on the surface of, the distal side 8 of the door stop 4. The door stop assemblies 2 further comprise a door stop receiving element 14 that comprises a spring and a second magnetic element that is magnetically attracted to the first magnetic element.
Referring now to FIGS. 5-7, the proximal side 10 of the door stop 4 comprises an interlocking element 16 that may be disposed through an aperture 20 located in a base portion 18, rotated 26 approximately ninety-degrees, and reversibly connected to the base portion 18. According to such embodiments, the interlocking element 16 preferably comprises a rectangular shape (element), having a first pair of parallel sides 22 that are greater in length than a second pair of parallel sides 24. The invention provides that the aperture 20 of the base portion 18 will be adapted to receive the interlocking element 16, and will exhibit a rectangular dimension that is slightly larger than the dimension of the interlocking element 16, such that the interlocking element 16 may be disposed therethrough in a first orientation. In other words, according to such embodiments, the aperture 20 will have a first pair of parallel sides that are greater in length than a second pair of parallel sides, which are configured to be slightly larger than the corresponding sides of the rectangularly-shaped interlocking element 16.
As illustrated in FIG. 6, such embodiments allow the interlocking element 16 to be disposed through the aperture 20 in a first orientation and rotated approximately ninety-degrees 26 (to position the interlocking element 16 in a second orientation) in order to reversibly connect the proximal side 10 of the stem portion 6 to the base portion 18, i.e., the interlocking element 16 would not be able to be pulled back through the aperture 20 in the second orientation, unless and until it is rotated back the other way approximately ninety-degrees (to position the interlocking element 16 in the first orientation). The invention provides that such configuration allows a user to reversibly connect different door stops 4, which may exhibit different shapes, sizes, and aesthetics, to a base portion 18. The invention provides that the base portion 18 may be attached to a wall or door vis-à-vis nails, screws, other mechanical attachments, adhesives, or combinations thereof.
The invention provides that, in certain preferred embodiments, the distal side 8 of the stem portion 6 will comprise a spherically-shaped cap 28 (FIG. 5). However, in certain alternative embodiments, the cap may exhibit other shapes and sizes—or may be collinear with the other parts of the stem portion 6. As explained above, the invention provides that the door stop receiving element 14 will preferably comprise a base portion 18 that is adapted to be attached to a wall or door. In addition, the door stop receiving element 14 will preferably comprise a movable surface 30 (FIG. 3) that is operably connected to a spring. According to such embodiments, the spring is housed within the door stop receiving element 14, which allows the movable surface 30 to move in a plane 32 (FIG. 3) that is perpendicular to a surface of the wall or door 34. According to such embodiments, the movable surface 30 will preferably reside within (or be surrounded by) the base portion 18 of the door stop receiving element 14.
The invention provides that the first magnetic element will comprise a magnetic material (e.g., disposed at the distal side 8 of the door stop 4), whereas the second magnetic element will comprise a metallic material that is magnetically attracted to the magnetic material (e.g., disposed in the door stop receiving element 14). According to such embodiments, the distal side 8 of the door stop 4 will be magnetically attracted to the door stop receiving element 14, such that a door may be held in an open position as desired (and closed by pulling the door away from the door stop receiving element 14 with a modest amount of force to break the magnetic attraction between the door stop 4 and the door stop receiving element 14). Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that, alternatively, the first magnetic element may comprise a metallic material, whereas the second magnetic element may comprise a magnetic material that is magnetically attracted to the metallic material. Importantly, as explained above and referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, when the distal side 8 of the door stop 4 makes contact with the movable surface 30 of the door stop receiving element 14, a magnetic force (attraction) exists between the door stop 4 and the door stop receiving element 14 to connect such components to each other.
According to certain preferred embodiments of the invention, the at least one hinge 12 is located at a point between the proximal 10 and distal end 8 of the door stop 4. In certain embodiments, the hinge 12 is configured to be locked into one or more positions within the 180-degree range of motion described herein, such as perpendicular with a wall or door, or at a position that is 45-degrees relative to the plane of a wall or door (and/or other angles). The invention further provides that although FIG. 1 depicts the door stop 4 being attached to a wall, and the door stop receiving element 14 being attached to a door, in certain alternative embodiments, the door stop 4 may be attached to a door, and the door stop receiving element 14 may be attached to a wall. The invention provides that the door stop 4 and the door stop receiving element 14 may be constructed from various materials, such as plastics, metals, wood, and/or other materials (in addition to the use of the magnetic and metallic materials described herein).
Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described herein, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to those described, and that various other changes or modifications may be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.
Patent Application
20110298226
