Patent Application
20190221389
None.
The present invention relates to a multi-configuration mounting adapter for magnetic door sensors installed on a door.
An improved mounting adapter is provided for a magnetic door sensors and operating magnet which serves to enable magnetic door sensors, constructed to be mounted in a press fit relationship in wooden door frames and in wooden doors, also to be mounted in a self-locking relationship in steel doors and in steel door frames. This obviates the need for producing a first set of switches and associated magnets for installation in wooden doors and frames, and a second set for installation in steel doors and frames.
Magnetic switches and actuating magnets are widely used in alarm systems to respond and activate an alarm whenever the door in which they are mounted is opened by an unauthorized person. The improved adapter of the invention in a specific application permits the same size switches and actuator magnets to be used in conjunction with wooden doors and steel doors. This obviates the need to manufacture one line of switches for wooden doors and a second line for steel doors.
Magnetic switches are normally capable of virtually unlimited cycles of operation before failure. This is because the contacts of the magnetic switches are not exposed to corrosion from atmospheric conditions and there are no bearings to fail. Encapsulated magnetic contact switches have been used in the past in security systems and in position sensing applications because of this longevity and reliability.
When such switches are used in position-sensing application they are usually activated by the magnetic field of a permanent magnet which is movable with respect to the switch itself. The magnet is attached to one of two relatively movable objects, such as a door, while the switch itself is mounted on the other, such as the door frame.
As pointed out above, an objective of the present invention is to provide an improved adapter which is constructed to permit such switches which are constructed to be mounted in press fit relationship in relatively movable objects formed, for example, of wood or other pliable material; also to be mounted in a self-locking relationship in relatively movable objects formed, for example, of steel or other non-pliable material.
A general objective of the invention, accordingly, is to provide a mounting adapter which permits the same magnet switch and associated activating magnet assembly intended to be mounted in a press fit relationship in holes in a wooden door and wooden door frame and also to be mounted and locked in larger diameter holes in a steel door and steel door frame in a self-locking relationship that creates a very narrow magnetic field area of effect such that the switch cannot be tampered by an external magnetic source outside of the mounting adapter.
Door sensor switches and their corresponding actuation magnets are very sensitive to their gapping distances in between them. Some sensors may operate with a magnet as close together as 1/16″, and some as far as 1″ in between them. When gapping distances are exceeded (e.g. A 1.5″ gap distance for a sensor with a 1″ maximum gap tolerance), the probabilities of disfunction and false alarms would be inevitable.
Thus, against the backdrop of the problems identified above, this invention seeks to solve the problems identified in the existing prior art by creating a multi-configuration mounting adapter for a magnet switch that can work with multiple door configurations, and in providing an installer with an adjustment feature that can be utilized to maintain within proper gapping tolerances in between sensor switch and magnet.
The present invention is directed to a multi-configuration magnetic sensor mounting adapter to cover several common scenarios presented by different door configurations available in the market today with the additional purpose of reducing false alarms due to poor or suboptimal installation scenarios, or simple wear and tear over time.
In one embodiment, a magnetic sensor capsule, for use with magnetic sensors, comprising an enclosure surrounding a magnetic rod-shaped element, said enclosure including a threaded outer portion adapted to engage a threaded cavity in an object, wherein said threaded outer portion enables longitudinal positioning of said magnetic rod-shaped element within said cavity when said enclosure is rotated around a longitudinal axis thereof with respect to said threaded cavity.
In another embodiment, A magnetic sensor capsule and mounting adapter therefor, for use with magnetic sensors, comprising an enclosure surrounding a magnetic rod-shaped element, said enclosure including a threaded outer portion adapted to engage a threaded cavity in said mounting adapter, wherein said threaded outer portion enables longitudinal positioning of said rod shaped magnet within said threaded cavity when said enclosure is rotated around a longitudinal axis thereof with respect to said threaded cavity, said mounting adapter being adapted for insertion into and retention in a second cavity in an object.
The adapter comprises of a multi-configuration magnetic sensor mounting adapter and a magnetic capsule that can be mounted independently from the multi-configuration magnetic sensor mounting adapter as needed.
The multi-configuration magnetic sensor mounting adapter comprises of a substantially cylindrical inner body, a substantially cylindrical outer body that envelopes the upper portion of the inner body, a flat surface covering both the outer body and the inner body, and a threaded hole to mount the magnetic capsule within the inner body.
The flat surface covering both the outer body and the inner body is provided with a lip to secure the mounting adapter on a hole so that the whole adapter does not fall through the hole. A plurality of flexible legs can be provided on the perimeter of the outer body circumference to further secure the mounting adapter in the hole. The flexible legs are further provided with a plurality of flexible leg steps to improve the friction fit of the mounting adapter and the surface of the cavity where the mounting adapter will be ultimately mounted.
The Magnetic Capsule comprises of a piece of magnet shaped like a rod, a threaded enclosure, wherein an outer lip and screwdriver tab are provided on the upper flat portion of the threaded enclosure.
In the preferred embodiment, at least four different configurations are possible using the combination of the magnetic capsule and the multi-configuration magnetic sensor mounting adapter.
In a simple wooden door configuration, the magnetic capsule can be used independently without the multi-configuration magnetic sensor mounting adapter by drilling a hole on the door or the frame, and followed by inserting the magnetic capsule using its threaded enclosure.
The second configuration involves drilling a hole on the door or the frame and inserting the multi-configuration adapter such that the top flat surface is flush with the surface of the door or the frame. The magnetic capsule is then inserted into the threaded hole of the multi-configuration adapter such that the adapter's flat surface and magnetic capsule's top flat surface are both flush and creates a tight seal.
The third configuration involves drilling a hole on the door or the frame and inserting the multi-configuration magnetic sensor mounting adapter such that inner body section of the multi-configuration magnetic sensor mounting adapter is fully inserted to the hole, but the outer body of the adapter sits immediately on the surface of the door or the frame. This configuration is typically found where the door or the frame has a channel such that installing the magnetic capsule flush inside the channel would prevent the magnet making actual contact because the distance between the magnet on the door and the magnet on the frame is too great for the magnets to reliably connect with one another.
The fourth configuration involves mounting the multi-configuration magnetic sensor mounting adapter in an inverted position such that the top flat surface of the adapter makes a full contact with the surface of the door. Adhesives may be applied to the top flat surface portion of the adapter to properly secure the adapter in place. The magnetic capsule is then in turn inserted from the threaded opening on the opposite side of the flat top surface of the adapter, and said magnetic capsule can be height adjusted until it is flush with the top edge of the door channel or the bottom portion of the inner body, whichever creates the most optimum contact with the opposing magnet when the door is in a closed position.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following descriptions, appended claims and accompanying drawings where:
100—Mounting Adapter
101—Upper Flat Surface
102—Upper Lip
103—Outer Body
104—Tooling Slit
105—Inner Body
106—Flexible Leg
107—Leg Step
108—Threaded Hole
109—Bottom Flat Surface
200—Magnet Capsule
201—Threaded Housing Enclosure
202—Capsule Upper Flat Surface
203—Screwdriver Tab
204—Magnet Piece
300—Door
400—Door Sensor Switch
The threaded nature of the Magnet Capsule also allows the Capsule's height to be adjusted post installation by screwing or unscrewing the Capsule to adjust height accordingly.
On the other hand, the door sensor switch's reliability to read the magnet sensor diminishes considerably if the magnet is positioned outside of the maximum distance tolerance. At this stage, the door sensor switch cannot reliably sense the magnetic forces emanating from the magnetic capsule, resulting in false positives where the door sensor switch does not recognize the door is actually in a closed position.
In the Summary of the Invention above and in the Detailed Description of the Invention, and the claims below, and in the accompanying drawings, reference is made to particular features (including method steps) of the invention. It is to be understood that the disclosure of the invention in this specification includes all possible combinations of such particular features. For example, where a particular feature is disclosed in the context of a particular aspect or embodiment of the invention, or a particular claim, that feature can also be used, to the extent possible, in combination with and/or in the context of other particular aspects and embodiments of the invention, and in the invention generally.
The term “comprises” and grammatical equivalents thereof are used herein to mean that other components, ingredients, steps, etc. are optionally present. For example, an article “comprising” (or “which comprises”) components A, B, and C can consist of (i.e., contain only) components A, B, and C, or can contain not only components A, B, and C but also one or more other components.
Where reference is made herein to a method comprising two or more defined steps, the defined steps can be carried out in any order or simultaneously (except where the context excludes that possibility), and the method can include one or more other steps which are carried out before any of the defined steps, between two of the defined steps, or after all the defined steps (except where the context excludes that possibility).
The term “at least” followed by a number is used herein to denote the start of a range beginning with that number (which may be a range having an upper limit or no upper limit, depending on the variable being defined). For example, “at least 1” means 1 or more than 1. The term “at most” followed by a number is used herein to denote the end of a range ending with that number (which may be a range having 1 or 0 as its lower limit, or a range having no lower limit, depending upon the variable being defined). For example, “at most 4” means 4 or less than 4, and “at most 40%” means 40% or less than 40%. When, in this specification, a range is given as “(a first number) to (a second number)” or “(a first number)-(a second number),” this means a range whose lower limit is the first number and whose upper limit is the second number. For example, 25 to 100 mm means a range whose lower limit is 25 mm, and whose upper limit is 100 mm.
Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred version contained herein.
This Non-Provisional Patent Application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/617,269 filed on Jan. 14, 2018.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62617269 | Jan 2018 | US |
