Door safety devices
View Patent ↗Gravity actuated door safety devices, which prevent injury to fingers and pet's tails, are provided. A swinging door safety device comprises a pair of spaced parallel bars connected to one another at one end by a crossbar. At the opposite end of each bar, a counterweight is provided. Each bar has a ring attached at a point between the first and second ends. With the rings mounted to oppositely facing door knobs such that the crossbar spans the leading edge of the door, gravity acting on the counterweight biases the device to rotate such that the bars extend outward from the leading edge and prevent closure of the door by contacting the door jamb. The device is manually rotatable to a position wherein the bars do not extend forward of the door leading edge in order to fully close the door. A sliding door safety device comprises a mounting bracket secured near the leading edge of the sliding door. A lever is pivotally mounted to the bracket and rotatable between a stop position and a retracted position. Gravity acting on the lever automatically deploys the lever to the stop position when the door is opened due to the lever geometry.
1. A sliding door safety device comprising:
a mounting bracket, the mounting bracket comprising a substantially flat plate;
a lever pivotably mounted to the bracket, and
a lever stop associated with the bracket;
wherein the lever is freely pivotable between a first position and a second position, regardless of a speed of rotation of the lever, and the first and second positions define limits of rotational movement for the lever, and
the lever is a substantially flat plate having two parallel edges and two non-parallel edges.
2. The sliding door safety device of claim 1 , wherein the mounting bracket is securable to a leading surface of a sliding door by an adhesive.
3. The sliding door safety device of claim 1 , wherein the mounting bracket includes at least one hole for receiving a fastening member.
4. The sliding door safety device of claim 1 , wherein the lever stop comprises a screw.
5. The sliding door safety device of claim 1 , wherein a threaded fastening member secures the mounting bracket to a sliding door.
6. In combination, a sliding door and a sliding door safety device, the safety device comprising:
a lever pivotably mounted to the sliding door, the lever defining a plane that is substantially parallel to a plane defined by the sliding door, the lever being freely pivotable, when the sliding door is open, between a first position and a second position; and
a lever stop mounted to the sliding door; wherein
in the first position, a first portion of the lever extends beyond a leading edge of the door, and in the second position, a second portion of the lever extends beyond the leading edge of the door.
7. The combination of claim 6 , wherein when the lever is in the first position, the lever prevents the door from closing.
8. The combination of claim 6 , wherein when the lever is in the second position, the lever does not prevent the door from closing.
9. The combination of claim 6 , wherein the lever is configured such that when the lever is in the second position, closing the door automatically pivots the lever to a third position intermediate the first and second positions.
10. The combination of claim 9 , wherein the lever is configured such that when the lever is in the third position gravity tends to pivot the lever to the first position.
11. In combination, a sliding door and a sliding door safety device, the safety device comprising:
a mounting plate secured to the sliding door;
a lever pivotably mounted to the mounting plate, the lever defining a plane that is substantially parallel to a plane defined by the sliding door, the lever being freely pivotable, when the sliding door is open, between a first position and a second position; and
a lever stop associated with the mounting plate; wherein
in the first position, a first portion of the lever extends beyond a leading edge of the door, and in the second position, a second portion of the lever extends beyond the leading edge of the door.
12. The combination of claim 11 , wherein when the lever is in the first position, the lever prevents the door from closing.
13. The combination of claim 11 , wherein when the lever is in the second position, the lever does not prevent the door from closing.
14. The combination of claim 11 , wherein the lever is configured such that when the lever is in the second position, closing the door automatically pivots the lever to a third position intermediate the first and second positions.
15. The combination of claim 14 , wherein the lever is configured such that when the lever is in the third position gravity tends to pivot the lever to the first position.