Electrically Controlled Hold-open Device

Abstract

An electrically releasable hold-open device for use with a door closing mechanism employing a latch device that is engaged by an element reciprocating in a trackway. The element when moved to hold-open position shifts the latch device up an inclined ramp to a location in which the latch device is releasably held by retaining means. The retaining means is controlled by an electrically energized solenoid so that it is released in the event of an emergency.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an electrically controlled system for rendering inactive a door hold-open device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Public buildings, such as hospitals, hotels, factories, offices, and the like, often are provided with fire doors for closing the passages connecting various areas in the building in the event of an emergency. Automatic devices are used for closing the fire doors.

There are times, however, when it is desirable to hold these doors in open position, so as to allow circulation of air, or to allow free flow of traffic. Many hold-open devices have been used that are released automatically in the event of fire. Some of the hold open systems use electrical devices for maintaining the door in hold-open position that permit the door to close in the event of fire, for example, the devices shown in Peterson U.S. Pat. No. 3,415,562, and Arnold U.S. Pat. No. 3,164,404.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is, therefore, a principal object of the invention to provide improved electrically controlled means to release a hold-open mechanism and automatically close a door. It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved hold-open release means automatically operated upon electrical failure. It is another object of the invention to provide an electrical hold-open release which is sufficiently simple in construction to make it economical to manufacture, and yet sufficiently reliable in service to provide for optimum safety and use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a door closing and checking mechanism having a connecting arm to a trackway with which is associated the electrically controlled hold-open device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal view illustrating the trackway of FIG. 1 with the roller in a position corresponding to that in which the door is at least partially closed.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal view illustrating the trackway with the roller in a position corresponding to that in which the door is kept in hold-open position by the apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken along lines 4-- 4 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, a door closing mechanism 10 of a conventional type is shown mounted in the door 11. The door closing mechanism has a spindle 12 operated by a spring (not shown) imparting closing movements to the door and usually also contains some sort of a checking system for regulating the speed of the closing movements in a predetermined manner.

During opening and closing movements of the door, the spindle 12 is rotated. An arm 14 is secured at one end to the spindle 12 of the door closing mechanism 10. The other end of the arm 14 is pivotally connected to an element 21 that is reciprocated in trackway 22. As best shown in FIG. 4, the element 22 comprises a spindle 25 that supports a roller 28 that is adapted to reciprocate in trackway 22. The trackway 22 is affixed to the door frame immediately above the door. Referring now to FIG. 4, spindle 25 is inserted in an aperture in the arm 14. A boss 21 on the spindle 25 bears against the top side of the arm 14. The spindle journals the roller 28 on bearing 32 for free rotation. The roller is reciprocated in the trackway 22 as the arm 14 is moved by the opening and closing movements of the door 11. The outer periphery of the roller has an arcuate configuration to permit inclination of the axis of the roller with respect to the trackway as more fully explained in Flint U.S. Pat. No. 2,772,439. The trackway has two spaced parallel sides 35 and 36. Side 35, which is nearest the door closing mechanism, has an arcuate concave track 27 bounded by a pair of shoulders that are inclined away from the roller 28 to prevent sliding friction. The opposite side 36 has a disked portion which has a somewhat larger radius of curvature on the concave face thereof than the outer periphery of the roller to permit some tilting of the roller with respect to the trackway.

From the foregoing it is clear that as the door is opened the arm is pivotally turned by the spindle 12 and the roller 28 is caused to travel within the trackway 22. During the opening movement, the roller will move from right to left in FIGS. 2 and 3 whereas during closing movements the roller will travel from left to right. The roller is shown in door closed position in FIG. 2, and a door hold-open position in FIG. 3.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the hold-open mechanism will now be described. A latch 40 in trackway 22 is slidably mounted on a ramp 41. The latch 40 is slidably contained between a pair of sides 42 on the ramp 41. The latch has a shoulder 43 and a hook 44 adapted to be contacted and engaged by the spindle 25. It will be noted that when the door is opened the spindle 25 will contact the shoulder 43 of the latch and shift the latch up the inclined ramp 41 so that the hook 44 opposite the shoulder 43 positively holds the spingle 25 as shown in FIG. 3. The lower surface of the latch 40 that rides on ramp 41 is provided with a socket 46. A plunger in the form of a detent ball 56 is provided in an opening in the ramp 41 located in a position corresponding to hold-open position of the socket 46 when the latch 40 is shifted up the ramp in order to enter the socket 46. The detent ball is biased toward and into socket 46 by shaft 68 through a lever and linkage system actuated by solenoid 60.

The solenoid 60 when energized retracts armature 61 which is connected by a link 62 to a lever 63 pivoted at 64. The lever 63 is provided with a toe 66 that operates to move a shaft 68 against the detent ball 56.

Referring to FIG. 3, when the solenoid 60 is energized the shaft 68, through the linkage and lever, it forces the detent ball 56 through a partial opening in the surface of the ramp in order to enter the socket 46 in the latch 40 to hold the spindle 25 in a door hold-open position. On the other hand, when the solenoid 60 is deenergized the linkage and lever are pivoted to the position shown in FIG. 2 so that the closing mechanism 10 can move the spindle 25 and automatically close the door.

From the foregoing it is believed that the operation of the door hold-open mechanism of the invention is apparent. The solenoid 60 is normally energized through the control circuit and power supply in the building. A number of doors may be connected to a suitable single power supply circuit, and that power supply circuit may be provided with suitable fusible switches that open the circuit and deenergize solenoid 60 in the event of fire.

The door 11 may be a fire door which is normally maintained in an open position as shown in FIG. 1. When the door 11 is moved to open position the spindle 25 engages latch 40 and the latch is shifted up the inclined ramp 41 to a location in which detent 56 projects into socket 46. In that position the latch provides a shoulder 44 to keep the spindle in a fixed position. The force provided by solenoid 60 through linkage 62, lever 63, and shaft 68 against the detent 56, keep the latch 40 in the door hold-open position at the upper end of the ramp 41.

In the event of fire the power supply circuit is deenergized. This deenergizes the solenoid 60 and the armature 61 is shifted to release the bias on the detent through the linkage to shaft 68, so that detent 56 drops out of socket 46 and the closing mechanism can shift the latch 40 down the inclined ramp to free the spindle 25. After the spindle is freed, the door closing mechanism can automatically close the door.

The invention is not to be limited to, or by the details of construction of the particular embodiments thereof illustrated by the drawing, as various other forms of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention, or the scope of the claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. An electrically releasable door hold-open mechanism for use in combination with a door closing mechanism, the combination comprising, an element mounted for reciprocable movements along a predetermined path during door opening and closing movements, an arm pivotably connected at one end to said element for causing reciprocable movements of said element and connected at the other to a door closing mechanism, latch means located in the path of said reciprocating element for engagement thereby when the door is moved toward a hold-open position, a fixed inclined ramp member for slidably supporting said latch means, said latch means having a keeper member normally positioned outside of the path of said element and when said latch means slides upwardly on said inclined ramp when engaged by said reciprocating element to a door hold-open position the keeper member is moved to a position to traverse the path of said reciprocating element to perform a hold-open function, electrically energized means, and means under the control of said electrically energized means for releasably keeping said latch means in the hold-open position after it is moved upwardly along the inclined ramp by said reciprocating element to the door hold-open position, said electrically energized means adapted to be deenergized in an emergency to allow the latch means to move the keeper member to the position outside of the path of said element.

2. The electrically-releasable hold-open mechanism defined by claim 1 wherein a plunger member associated with said ramp releasably engages said latch member in hold-open position, and wherein said plunger member means is controlled by said electrically energized means, said plunger means allowing release of said latch means upon manual closing of said door, said electrically energized means allowing release of said latch means upon deenergization.

3. The electrically-releasable hold-open mechanism defined by claim 1 wherein a plunger member associated with said ramp releasably engages said latch member in hold-open position, and wherein said plunger member means is controlled by said electrically energized means, said plunger means allowing release of said latch means upon manual closing of said door, said electrically energized means allowing release of said latch means upon deenergization.

4. The electrically-releasable hold-open mechanism defined in claim 1 wherein said electrically energized means includes an armature member actuated by a solenoid.

5. In an apparatus of the character described adapted for combination with a door mounted for opening and closing movements and with a door closing means having an arm connected to an element movable in a trackway, the combination comprising, an inclined ramp member fixedly mounted within said trackway, latch means supported on said inclined ramp within said trackway adapted to be engaged by said movable element and shifted upwardly along said inclined ramp from an unlatched position to a latched position, said element in latched position releasably held in a hold-open position by said latch means, retaining means for keeping said latch means in hold-open position adapted to be manually overcome to close said door, and electrically operated means for holding said retaining means in latched position and for releasing said retaining means in an emergency to allow said retaining means to move to an unlatched position in order to deactivate the hold-open function.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said electrically operated means for controlling said retaining means includes a solenoid and armature.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said latch means is shifted on an inclined trackway between the latched and unlatched positions.