CA2573898C

CA2573898C - Semiautomatic finger protection device for a door

Info

Publication number: CA2573898C
Application number: CA002573898A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Kai Yip Li
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-07-20
Filing date: 2005-07-20
Publication date: 2009-10-20
Anticipated expiration: 2025-07-20
Also published as: HK1081623A1; WO2006007788A1; CN100519979C; CA2573898A1; CN1724843A

Abstract

A semiautomatic finger protection device for a door comprises a bumper (20) positioned between an outer surface of the door and an doorpost when the door is closed, and positioned in a gap on the hinge side of the door when the door is opened;
a securing member (300) to position the bumper; and a connecting member (40) having two ends retractably connected with said bumper (20) and said securing member (300) respectively. The bumper (20) or the secured member (300) has a flexible wrapping means received therein to extend/retract the connecting member (40).

Description

SEMIAUTOMATIC FINGER PROTECTION DEVICE FOR A DOOR
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a safety device for a door, and more particularly to a protection device to prevent fingers or hands from being injured by a door.

2. Description of Related Art It is very common that people carelessly have their hands or fingers injured by a door, especially for kids who are playing or not looked after.
An article, written by N. V. Doraiswamy etc., titled "Isolated finger injuries in Children-incidence and aetiology", published in an international journal <<Injury>>
(Injury, Int. J. Care Injured, Volume 31, Issue 8, October 2000, Pages 571-573) disclosed that: in a study, details were recorded prospectively in a specifically designed questionnaire for all children presenting to the Accident and Emergency Department with isolated finger injuries over a period of 6 months. Among the 426 injuries in 283 children, most occurred at home (59%) more in the <5 year age group (38%)...
"Jamming/crushing" was the commonest reason (48%), mostly caused by a child (59%) at the living room door (32%) and more commonly at the hinge side (49%)... It is less common for a child to cause self-injury while closing the door... But the present study indicates that a child closing the door is common - (60%), although adults are also responsible for (25%) some of the incidents... Both children and adults should be educated about causation, reiterating that damage to fingers may be prevented or reduced by observing safety measures.
A door stopper may be used for preventing the door from being closed. However, when the door stopper is not installed in a correct position to block the door, an accident will easily occur.
A finger guard for a door has been invented. The finger guard has a bumper mounted on a lock side or a hinge side of a door to prevent the door from closing. When there exists a need for closing the door, a user should remove the bumper from the door.
In other words, the bumper must be mounted on the door for taking effect when the user wants to prevent the door from closing. Therefore, once the bumper is not in position due to the user's neglect or carelessness, the probability of finger injuries still exists.
A finger protection device for a door is disclosed in DE Patent No. DE3626924, I

granted to Domer Jorg Dr. -Ing etc., and includes elongated strip-like or bar-like covering bodies which are fixed on door-gap openings at the hinge side of the a door by thin and flexible connecting means to cover the door-gap openings. Although this device prevents fingers from being nipped by the door-gaps at the hinge side of the a door, the fingers may still be nipped by the door-gap openings on the lock side of the a door. Moreover, because this device extends from the top of the door to the bottom of the door, it is inconvenient to install this device.
A door finger guard is disclosed in U.K. Patent No. GB2218449, granted to Steven Swaddle etc. The door finger guard includes a bridge-linking strip member being composed of two end portions and two middle portions. The two middle portions attach to each other by a hinge portion, and the two end portions are secured on a door and a frame respectively to cover door-gap openings on the hinge side of the door.
Because the components of the device are integrally made of plastic, the device has a short life of use, and is easy to be deformed or broken. Moreover, this invention still has the disadvantage of allowing the door-gap openings on the lock side of the door to nip the fingers.
U.K. Patent No. GB2306538 to Stephen Robert Webb also discloses a door finger guard. This device has a structure similar to the invention as described above, and its primary object is to cover the door-gap openings on the hinge side of the door, so the same problems appear in the device.
Therefore, the invention provides a finger protection device for a door to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A main objective of the present invention is to provide a semiautomatic finger protection device which may be securely provided on a door without reinstallation after the door is opened/closed to prevent hands or fingers from being nipped and injured by door-gap openings on the lock side of a door or on the hinge side of a door.
To achieve the objective of the invention, a semiautomatic finger protection device for a door comprises a bumper positioned between an outer surface of a door and a doorpost when the door is closed, and positioned in a gap on a hinge side of the door when the door is opened to prevent the door from being closed; a securing member to position said bumper; and a connecting member having two ends retractably connected with said bumper and said securing member respectively.

In an embodiment, the bumper comprises a flexible wrapping means received in said bumper to extend/retract the connecting member.
In another embodiment, the securing member comprises a flexible wrapping means received in the securing member to extend/retract the connecting member.
The flexible wrapping means has an outer tube on which a first elongated slot is longitudinally defined, the connecting member passing through the first elongated slot;
an inner tube received in the outer tube and fixed with one end of the connecting member; a spiral spring which is received in the inner tube; and a first lid and a second lid which are mounted on two open ends of the outer tube respectively, the spring having a first end connected with the first lid, and a second end secured on the inner tube.
A recess is defined in an interior wall of the first lid or the second lid, and an end of the inner tube is movably received in the recess.
Alternatively, a first recess and a second recess are respectively defined in interior walls of the first lid and second lid, and two ends of the inner tube are respectively and movably received in the recesses.
The first lid has a lug formed at an interior wall thereof, and the spiral spring is fastened on the lug.
Two bearings are respectively provided between two ends of the inner tube and the recesses.
The flexible wrapping means further has a shaft having a first end positioned in a first aperture defined in a free end of the lug of the first lid, and a second end positioned in a second aperture defined in the second recess of the second lid.
The connecting member is made of a pliant material with a small thickness for being received in the door gap when the door is closed.
In a further embodiment, the connecting member is made of a flexible material with a small thickness for being received in the door gap when the door is closed.
The bumper has a handling member mounted thereon. The handling member may be a cord fixed at two ends of the bumper.
The outer tube is made of a metal material, and has a first sheath provided outside the outer tube and made of a flexible material. A second elongated slot is defined through the sheath and aligned with the first elongated slot for the connecting member passing therethrough.
The securing member comprises a cylindrical part having a third elongated slot longitudinally defined through the cylindrical part for the connecting member passing therethrough; and an axle on which a second end of the connecting member is fixed.
The third elongated slot extends towards a first end of the cylindrical part to form as a semi-closed slot.
The securing member further comprises a first plug inserted in the first end of the cylindrical part to prevent the connecting member from escaping from the cylindrical part via the semi-closed slot. The securing member has an anti-slipping sheath provided outside the cylindrical part.
In another further embodiment, the securing member is a securing leaf.
The present invention addresses the problem of existing finger protection devices in which reinstallation of the devices is required for opening the door.
According to the present invention, no reinstallation of the device is required due to the unique structure and semiautomatic nature of the finger protection device. The bumper, positioned in a gap on the hinge side of the door when the door is opened, is allowed to return its original position with the aid of a spring force generated by the spring arranged therein, whereby blocking the door from being closed so as to prevent hands or fingers from being nipped and injured.
Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective sectional view of an embodiment of a semiautomatic finger protection device according to the present invention;
Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of Fig. 1;
Figs. 3A-3C are schematically practice views of the semiautomatic finger protection device; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to Fig. 1, a semiautomatic finger protection device for a door (10) in accordance with the present invention is composed of a bumper (20), a securing member (30) and a connecting member (40) by which the bumper (20) and the securing member (30) are connected with each other.
In a first embodiment, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the bumper (20) includes a flexible wrapping means (200), which has an outer tube (210), an inner tube (220) rotatably received in the outer tube (210), a spiral spring (230) positioned in the inner tube (220), and a first lid (240) and a second lid (250).
A first elongated slot (212) is longitudinally defined through the outer tube (210) for the connecting member (40) passing therethrough. The first lid (240) and second lid (250) are respectively mounted at two open ends of the outer tube (210). The spiral spring (230) has a first end attached to the first lid (240). In this embodiment, the first lid (240) has a lug (244) formed at an interior wall facing the spiral spring (230), preferably at the center of the interior wall. The first end of the spiral spring (230) is fastened on the lug (244) and a second end of the spiral spring (230) is fastened on the inner tube (220). A first recess (242) and a second recess (252) are respectively defined in the interior walls of the first lid (240) and second lid (250), and two ends of the inner tube (220) are respectively and movably received in the recesses (242, 252).
Two bearings (only one bearing (260) shown in Fig. 2 at the second recess (250)) are respectively provided between the inner tube (220) and the recesses (240, 250) for a smooth rotation of the inner tube (220) in the recess (240, 250).
In order to prevent the spiral spring (230) from twisting or deforming, a shaft (270) extends in the spiral spring (230) and has a first end positioned in a first aperture (246) defined in a free end of the lug (244) of the first lid (240). In this embodiment, the first lid (240) and the second lid (250) have a aperture (246, 254), respectively, and the shaft (270) passes through the spring (230) with its ends being respectively positioned in the apertures (246, 254).
The outer tube (210) is preferably formed with a cylindrical shape (but not limited to this shape), so that a pressure on the bumper (20) from the door and the hinge as well as frictions generated by the bumper (20) and the door and hinge are small.
The outer tube (210) is preferably made of a metal material having a sufficient hardness such as stainless steel. If directly struck by the outer tube (210) of the bumper (20), the door will be damaged under collision and friction between the outer tube (210) and the door, as a result, a sheath (280) is provided outside the outer tube (210). The sheath (280) may be made of an anti-slipping flexible material such as rubber. A second elongated slot (282) is defined through the sheath (280) and aligned with the first elongated slot (212).

The connecting member (40) is made of pliant material and so thin that it may pass through a gap between the door and a frame when the door is in a closed status. The connecting member (40), which passes through the elongated slot (212) of the outer tube (210), is reeled on the inner tube (220) with its first end fixed on the inner tube (220) and its second end fixed on an axle (320) in the securing member (30).
The securing member (30) has a cylindrical part (310). A third elongated slot (312) is longitudinally defined through the cylindrical part (310) and extending towards a first end of the cylindrical part (310) to form as a semi-closed slot. The second end of the connecting member (40) extends through the third elongated slot (312). A first plug (330) is inserted in the first end of the cylindrical part (3 10) to prevent the connecting member (40) from escaping from the open end of the third elongated slot (312).
A
second plug (340) is inserted in the second end of the cylindrical part (310) to conceal the axle (320) in the cylindrical part (310). The cylindrical part (310) and axle (320) may be made of a rigid material. An anti-slipping member is provided outside the cylindrical part (310) to prevent the securing member (30) from sliding downwards due to the gravity. The anti-slipping member may be a second sheath (350) made of net-like soft plastic with a large friction so as to stably position the securing member (30).
In addition, the securing member (30) may be provided with a flexible wrapping frame (not shown) capable of extending/retracting the connecting member. The wrapping frame may be secured on the inner surface of the door or the doorpost, for example, by screw magnetic force or adhesive. The connecting member has one end being winded onto the wrapping frame and another end being fixedly attached to the bumper.
The embodiment of the invention in use is illustrated in Figs. 3A-3C. With reference to Fig. 3A, the embodiment of the invention is in an original immovable status where the bumper (20) is located in a gap on the hinge side of the door, the securing member (30) is located between an inner side of the door (60) and a doorpost (70), and the connecting member (40) is received in the outer tube of the bumper (20) by the flexible wrapping means (200). The reeled connecting member (40) allows the bumper (20) and the securing member (30) to be positioned in a close manner in the gap on the hinge side of the door. Because the first and second sheathes are provided outside the bumper and the securing member, the bumper and securing member will not slide in the gap on the hinge side of the door.
With reference to Fig. 3B, when the bumper (20) is pulled, the connecting member (40) extends out from the wrapping means of the bumper (20) and is taken away from the gap on the hinge side of the door along the direction of A.
With reference to Fig. 3C, the door may be closed when the bumper (20) is taken away. The bumper (20) may be positioned between an outer side of the door (60) and the doorpost (70) under the elastic force. A handling member (50) such as a cord or a ring is provided on the bumper (20). In this embodiment, the handling member (50) is a cord fixed at two ends of the lids (240, 250). It is understood that other handling members may be used.
When the door is opened again, the connecting member (40) is reeled back to the inner tube (220) under the force of the spiral spring. Thus, the bumper returns to the original position, e.g. in the gap on the hinge side of the door, to block the door.
It is understood that the bumper (20) and the securing member (30) may be formed with other proper shapes.
In another embodiment (not shown), the structure and elements of the bumper and securing member may be exchanged. That is, the flexible wrapping means (200) may be installed in the securing member (30), in this case, the bumper (20) acts in a same way as the securing member in the first embodiment as described above.
In a third embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, all the components are the same as those of the first embodiment except that the securing member is constructed by a securing leaf (300). The securing leaf (300) is secured on the inner surface of the door or the doorpost by screws or adhesive. The second end of the connecting member (40) is fixed on the securing leaf (300). It is understood that the securing member may also be secured on the inner surface of the door or the doorpost by other means.
In a fourth embodiment of the present invention (not shown), the bumper and the securing member are securely connected with the connecting member. The connecting member is made of an elastic material with a very small thickness. The bumper may be a thing with any proper shape that is able to be clamped in the gap on the hinge side of the door to prevent the door from being closed, while the securing member may be a thing with any shape that is able to be secured on the inner surface of the door or the doorpost by using various conventional methods. In use, the objective of the present invention may be achieved by the retractable connecting member.
It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

Claims

1. A semiautomatic finger protection device for a door comprising:
a bumper (20) positioned between an outer surface of a door and a doorpost when the door is closed, and positioned in a gap on a hinge side of the door when the door is opened to prevent the door from being closed;
a securing member (30, 300) to position said bumper; and a connecting member (40) having two ends retractably connected with said bumper and said securing member respectively.

2. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bumper (20) comprises a flexible wrapping means (200) received in said bumper (20) to extend/retract said connecting member.

3. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said securing member (30) comprises a flexible wrapping means (200) to extend/retract said connecting member.

4. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said flexible wrapping means is a flexible wrapping frame received in said securing member (30), said wrapping frame being capable of extending/retracting the connecting member.

5. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said securing member (30) comprises a flexible wrapping means (200) received in said securing member (30) to extend/retract said connecting member.

6. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 2 or 5, wherein said flexible wrapping means (200) has an outer tube (210) on which a first elongated slot (212) is longitudinally defined therethrough, said connecting member (40) passing through said first elongated slot (212); an inner tube (220) received in said outer tube (210) and fixed with one end of said connecting member (40); a spiral spring (230) which is received in said inner tube (220); and a first lid (240) and a second lid (250) which are mounted on two open ends of said outer tube (210) respectively, said spring (230) having a first end connected with said first lid (240), and a second end secured on said inner tube (220).

7. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 6, wherein a recess is defined in an interior wall of said first lid (240) or said second lid (250), and an end of said inner tube (220) is movably received in said recess.

8. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 6, wherein a

9 first recess (242) and a second recess (252) are respectively defined in interior walls of said first lid (240) and second lid (250), and two ends of the inner tube (220) are respectively and movably received in said recesses (242, 252).
9. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said first lid (240) has a lug (244) formed at an interior wall thereof, and said spiral spring (230) is fastened on said lug (244).

10. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 8, wherein two bearings are respectively provided between two ends of said inner tube (220) and said recesses (240, 250) of said first and second lids.

11. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 9, wherein said flexible wrapping means (200) further has a shaft (270) having a first end positioned in a first aperture (246) defined in a free end of the lug (244) of the first lid (240), and a second end positioned in a second aperture (254) defined in said second recess (252) of said second lid (250).

12. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connecting member (40) is made of a flexible material with a small thickness for being received in the door gap when the door is closed.

13. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 2 or 5, wherein the connecting member (40) is made of pliant material with a small thickness for being received in the door gap when the door is closed.

14. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bumper (20) has a handling member (50) mounted thereon.

15. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 14, wherein said handling member (50) is a cord fixed at two ends of said bumper (20).

16. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said outer tube (210) has a first sheath (280) provided outside said outer tube (210) and made of an anti-slipping flexible material, a second elongated slot (282) is defined through said sheath (280) and aligned with said first elongated slot (212) for said connecting member (40) passing therethrough.

17. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said securing member (30) comprises a cylindrical part (310) having a third elongated slot (312) longitudinally defined through the cylindrical part (310) for said connecting member (40) passing therethrough; and an axle (320) on which a second end of said connecting member (40) is fixed.

18. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 17, wherein said third elongated slot (312) extends towards a first end of the cylindrical part (310) to form as a semi-closed slot (312).

19. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 17, wherein said securing member (30) further comprises a first plug (330) inserted in a first end of the cylindrical part (310) to prevent said connecting member (40) from escaping from said cylindrical part (310) via said semi-closed slot (312).

20. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 17, wherein said securing member (30) has an anti-slipping sheath (350) provided outside said cylindrical part (310).

21. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said bumper comprises a cylindrical part having a third elongated slot longitudinally defined through the cylindrical part for said connecting member passing therethrough;
and an axle on which a second end of said connecting member is fixed.

22. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 21, wherein said third elongated slot extends towards a first end of the cylindrical part to form as a semi-closed slot.

23. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 21, wherein said bumper (20) further comprises a first plug inserted in a first end of the cylindrical part to prevent said connecting member from escaping from said cylindrical part via said semi-closed slot.

24. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 21, wherein said bumper (20) has an anti-slipping sheath (350) provided outside said cylindrical part.

25. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said outer tube (210) is made of a metal material.

26. The semiautomatic finger protection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said securing member is a securing leaf (300).