Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2117 9 7 6 Docket No. 2034-SL-VD
SPRING PLUNGER LATCH ASSEMBLY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an overhead door holder
assembly and, more particularly, to an overhead mounted
door holder assembly having two pivotably connected arms
that are lockable to hold open a door.
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Temporarily holding a door in an open position is
often necessary for convenience and safety. One commonly
employed method of holding open a door uses an overhead
mounted door control device that includes a pivoting arm
attached between an upper portion of a door jamb and an
upper part of a door. When the door is to be held open ~
at an angle that does not exceed about 110 degrees, an ~ ;-
overhead mounted door control device is efficient,
e~Yective, and convenient to install and maintain, is
les~ subject to damage by vandalism or accidents, and
doe~ not pre~ent a potential stumbling hazard.
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~owever, many conventional overhead mounted door
control devices are di~icult or impossible to disable,
with the door holding mechanism permanently active. Most
conventional overhead mounted door holder assemblies
cannot be selectively engaged, are not easy to install,
and do not have wear elements that are ad~ustable or
replaceable without s1gniricant ef~ort and expertlse.
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Docket No. 2034-SL-VD
The door holder should be set to permit easy engagement
of the door holder, hold the door against minor amounts
of ~ostling contact without release, and yet still permit
clo~lny the door wi.thout undue effort.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist
in present devices and methods. Thus, it is apparent
that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative
directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set
forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is
provlded including ~eature~ more fully disclosed
hereina~ter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect of the present invention, this is
accomplished by providing overhead mounted door holder
assembly for attachment between a door jamb and a door
~or ~electively holding the door in an open posltion
in~ludin~ a ~amb bracket attached to the door jamb and a
i doubl~ arm assembly plvotally attached to the jamb
bracket, the double arm assembly being configured with a
~ir~t arm pivotally connected to a second arm, and the
~irst arm also pivotally connected to the ~amb bracket; a
. channcl assembly attached to the door, having a channel
therein and a slide assembly positioned for movement in
i the channel in response to opening or closing of the
door, the sllde assembly being pivotally attached to the
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2117 9 7 6 Docket No. 2034-SL-VD
second arm of the double arm assembly; a spring plunger ~:
assembly supported by the double arm assembly, the spring
plunger assembly having a plunger housing configured to
~etain a plunger replaceably conne~ted to a manually
5 turnable plunger handle, and a lock plate engageable by
the plunger to prevent pivoting movement of the first arm
with respect to the second arm, effectively holding the
door in a user defined open position until a
predetermined amount of force is applied to disengage the
plunger from the lock plate.
The foregoing and other aspects will become apparent
~rom the following detailed description of the invention
when considered in conjunction with the accompanying
drawing figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view o~ an overhead
mount~d door holder assembly that includes a spring
plunger mechanism according to the present invention;
Flgure 2 i5 a bottom plan view of an overhead
mounted door holder assembly, ~howing a handle used for
operatlng the spring plunger mechanism;
Figure 3 is an elevatlonal cross sectional view
through the plunger housing and a lock plate; and
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- 2117 9 7 6 Docket No. 2034-SL-VD
Figure 4 is an elevational cross sectional view
similar to that of Figure 3, but with the plunger
retracted into the housing, disabling the door hold
feature o~ the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, an overhead
mounted door holder assembly 10 has a channel assembly 22
positioned adjacent to the top of door 12. The channel
assembly 22 is attached to the door 12 so that its
longitudinally extending generally U-shaped channel 23 is
upwardly open. Positioned ~or longitudinal sliding
movement within the channel 23 is a slide assembly 26.
The assembly 10 also includes a jamb bracket 16 fixed to
a door jamb 14. A double arm assembly 18 extends between
the jamb bracket 16 and the channel assembly 22 to
connect the door 12 and door jamb 14. Double arm
a~semblv 18 include~ a ~irst arm 20 and a second arm 21
conneated to each other by a pivot 34, with the'~irst arm
20 al~o belnq pivotally connected to the ~amb bracket 16 and
the e~cond arm being pivotally connected to the slide
as~embly 26. A stop 42 is attached to ~irst arm 20 and
extend~ downward to engage and prevent pivoting o~ the
~irst arm 20 across the ~econd arm 21. In pre~erred
~5 embodiments, the ~amb bracket 16, double arm assembly 18
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21~ 7976 ~
Docket No. 2034- SL-VD
and channel assembly 22 are formed from brass or other
durable, wear resistant material such as steel.
The door can be releasibly held in an open position
by eng~ying a spring plunger assembly 28 attached to the
5 second arm 21 below a lock plate 32 affixed to the first
arm 20. As seen in Figures 3 and 4, the spring plunger
assembly 28 includes a plunger handle 30 engaged with a
plunger 36. The plunger 36 is formed from hardened steel
to increase its resistance to wear, and is configured to
have a beveled edge 37 that enhances the ability of the
plunyer 36 to ~lide into and out of an aperture 33
defined in the lock plate 32. The plunger 36 and plunger
handle 30 are partially contained by a plunger housing 40
which is cylindrically configured to accommodate a
plunger spring 38 which simultaneously engages the
plunger 36 and the plunger housing 40 to bias the plunger
36 outward ~rom the housing 40 to engage the lock plate
32 when the door is fully opened.
Plunger 36 can be extended from the housing 40 to
enable, or retracted to disable the door holding feature
oP the pre~cnt invention. The plunger handle 30 has a
detcnt 48 th~t can be rotated with the plunger handle and
once properly aligned can drop into a lock notch 44 that
allows extension of the plunger 36 into its normal door
hold open positlon. Continued rotation of the plunger
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2117 9 7 6 Docket No. 2034-S~-VD
handle through an angular distance of about so degrees
pulls the plunger 36 up against the resistance of the
spring 38, disabling the door hold feature, and allows
the detent ~ to drop into a shallowly incised open notch
~6. In this position, the plunger 36 will not engage the
aperture 33 of the lock plate 32. Even when the hold
open feature is enabled by rotation of the plunger handle
detent 48 into position in the lock notch 44, the door 12
can still be forced from a hold open position by exertion
of sufficient force so the beveled edge 37 of the plunger
contacts the edge of the lock plate aperture 33 and acts
as a ramp to ease sliding retraction of the plunger 36
into the housing 40 against the biasing force of the
spring 38.
With time, scraping contact of the beveled edge 37
o~ the plunger 36 with the lock plate 32 wears away
material of the plunger 36 and results in reduced
~ngagement e~fectiveness and the need to replace the
pl~n~er 36. Wlth the present invention, such replacement
lh ea~v and inexpensive. The door is rotated until the
plunger 36 1B exposed, and the plunger 36 is fixed in
po~ition by in~erting a rod or other device lnto a
plunger hold aperture. The plunger handle 30 is held and
the plunger 36 is rotated to unscrew it from the plunger
handle. The worn plunger 36 is discarded, and an
lnexpensive replacement is attached to the plunger handle 30.
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