Panic door

Claim 2

A door assembly comprising: a door frame; a door having two oppositely disposed lateral edges, one edge being hinged to said frame and the opposite edge being a free edge, said door being movable between an open position and a closed position; a laterally displaceable edge element mounted at the free edge of the door, said edge element having a projecting tongue, both said edge element and said tongue extending substantially the entire length of the free edge; a mating element in said frame for matinG engagement with said edge element in the closed position of said door, said mating element having a groove for mating engagement with said tongue, said tongue and said groove mating in said closed position of said door; an operating handle mounted to the door for opening the door; operating means interconnecting the operating handle and the laterally displaceable edge element for displacing the element laterally toward the door to disengage said tongue from said groove with the opening of the door by the operating handle, said operating means including a rod extending adjacent said free edge of the door and being movable between a locked position and an unlocked position; and toggle linkage means interconnecting said rod and said edge element, said toggle linkage means having a toggle position corresponding to the locked position of said rod.

Claim 3

The door assembly of claim 1 wherein: said toggle linkage means includes a two bar linkage connection with said rod, said two bar linkage having a first link connected with said edge element and a second link connected to the first link and to said door at a position laterally opposite the connection of the first link with the edge element, the locations of the connection of said first link with the edge element and said second link with said first link and said second link with said door forming essentially a straight line in said toggle position of said linkage.

Claim 4

The door assembly of claim 2 including: a spring-loaded catch means for automatically securing the linkage and the edge element in the withdrawn position with the opening of the door by the handle.

Claim 5

The door assembly of claim 3 further including: releasing means connected to the spring-loaded catch means and actuated upon movement of said door to said closed position for releasing the catch means thereby permitting the edge element to move from the withdrawn position to mating engagement with said mating element, said releasing means including means responsive to approach of said door to the enclosed position thereof to release said catch.

Claim 6

The door assembly of claim 4 wherein: a movable locking bolt is mounted on the door and is movable between a locking position and an unlocked position; and the mechanical linkage of the operating means is also connected to the bolt for moving the bolt to the unlocked position with the opening of the door by the operating handle.

Claim 7

A door assembly comprising: a door frame including two oppositely disposed lateral hinge posts, a doorsill connecting the hinge posts together at one end of the frame and a crossbeam connecting the hinge posts together at the other end of the frame; two doors hung respectively on the two hinge posts of the door frame, each hung door thereby having a hinged edge and a laterally opposite free edge, the two doors in the closed position substantially filling the door frame; bolting means mounted to one of the doors for locking the door to the door frame; an edge element mounted to and extending along the free edge of at least one of the doors and being laterally displaceable into engagement with the free edge of the other door at the closed position of the doors; operating means for actuating the edge element into and out of engagement with the free edge of said other door, said operating means including an operating rod extending substantially parallel to the free edge of said one door and being displaceable between a locking position and an unlocking position; and a two-bar linkage connected with the operating rod, said linkage having a first link connected with the edge element and a second link connected to the first link and to said one door at a position laterally opposite the connection of the first link with the edge element, the two-bar linkage having a toggle position corresponding substantially with the locking position of the operating rod.

Claim 8

A door assembly comprising: a door frame including two oppositely disposed lateral hinge posts, a doorsill connecting the hinge posts together at one end of the frame and a crossbeam connecting the hinge posts together at the other end of the frame; two doors hung respectively on the two hinge posts of the door frame, each hung door thereby having a hinged edge and a laterally opposite free edge, the two doors in the closed position substantially filling the door frame; bolting means mounted to one of the doors for locking the door to the door frame; an edge element mounted to and extending along the free edge of at least one of the doors and being laterally displaceable into engagement with the free edge of the other door at the closed position of the doors; operating means for actuating the edge element into and out of engagement with the free edge of said other door, said operating means including an operating rod extending substantially parallel to the free edge of said one door and being displaceable between a locking position and an unlocking position; and a two-bar linkage connected with the operating rod, said linkage having a first link connected with the edge element and a second link connected to the first link and to said one door at a position laterally opposite the connection of the first link with the edge element, the two-bar linkage having a toggle position corresponding substantially with the locking position of the operating rod.

Claim 9

The door assembly according to claim 6 wherein: the Confronting surfaces of the edge element on the one door and the free edge of the other door have mating portions engaging in laterally overlapping relationship.

Claim 10

The door assembly of claim 7 wherein: the mating portions have tongue-and-groove profiles.

Claim 11

The door assembly of claim 6 wherein: a laterally displaceable edge element is mounted to and extends along the free edge of each door, the elements having mated, confronting surfaces engaging in laterally overlapping relationship at the closed position of the doors; and said operating means are supported by each door and are connected respectively to the edge elements mounted on the respective doors for actuating the elements independently out of engagement with the other door.

Claim 12

The door assembly of claim 9 wherein: said operating means supported by the door bearing the bolting means is additionally connected to the bolting means for unlocking the bolting means from the door frame simultaneously with the disengagement of the associated edge element.

Claim 13

The door assembly of claim 10 wherein: bolting means are mounted to each door and are connected respectively to the said operating means of the respective doors for locking and unlocking the doors individually.

Claim 14

The door assembly of claim 6 wherein: the bolting means is mounted near the free edge of the one door and includes a bolt having a projecting end, the projecting end of the bolt being slidable parallel to the free edge of the door toward a locking position with the crossbeam of the door frame; and a spring biased, self-centering, bolt receiving cup is mounted on the crossbeam of the frame at the locking position of the bolt with the crossbeam.

Claim 15

The door assembly of claim 6 wherein: latching means is mounted near the free edge of the one door and includes a latch mounted adjacent the doorsill, the latch having a projecting tang rotatable from the door toward a locking position with the doorsill; and a tang-engaging lip extends along the doorsill at the locking position to engage the tang with the doorsill.

Claim 16

The door assembly of claim 13 wherein: the tang-engaging lip extends the entire length of the sill and has an inner side which contacts the tang at the locking position and an outer side opposite the inner side; and weather strips are mounted on the doors and extend between the hinge posts in contacting relationship with the outer side of the lip at the closed position of the doors.

Claim 17

The door assembly of claim 6 wherein: a third link is connected between the first link of the two-bar linkage and the operating rod to form a three-bar linkage; and a plurality of the three-bar linkages are connected between the operating rod and the edge element at the free edge of the door.

Claim 18

The door assembly of claim 15 wherein: the one of the doors bearing the edge element is comprised of a hollow channel member at the free edge of the door; the edge element is slidably mounted on the hollow channel member; and the operating rod and the plurality of three-bar linkages are mounted within the hollow channel member.

Claim 19

The door assembly of claim 6 wherein: said operating rod is connected to said bolting means, said edge element being engaged and disengaged with the other door and the bolt being locked and unlocked with the frame at the locking and unlocking positions of the operating rod respectively.

Claim 20

The door assembly of claim 17 wherein: catching means are connected to the one of the doors for holding the rod in the unlocked position.

Claim 21

The door assembly of claim 18 wherein: the catching means includes a releasing means; and resilient means are connected between the operating rod and the one of the doors for biasing the operating rod toward the locking position.

Claim 22

The door assembly of claim 19 wherein: the releasing means includes an actuating pin carried by the catching means in the one of the doors and contacting the frame at the closed position of the one of the doors.

Claim 23

A door assembly comprising: a door frame including two oppositely disposed lateral hinge posts, a doorsill connecting the hinge posts together at one end of the frame and a crossbeam connecting the hinge posts together at the other end of the frame; two doors hung respectively on the two hinge posts of the door frame and movable between open and closed positions, each hung door having a hinged edge and a laterally opposite free edge, the two doors in the closed position substantially filling the door frame; bolting means on at least one of the doors for locking the door to the door frame; a first edge element mounted on the free edge of one of said doors, said edge element having a projecting tongue, both said edge element and said tongue extending along substantially the entire free edge of said one door, said edge element being laterally displaceable with respect to said one door; a mating element on the free edge of the other door for mating engagement with said first edge element in the closed position of said doors, said mating element having a groove for mating engagement with said tongue; operating means supported by said one door and connected to said first edge element for actuating said first edge element laterally into and out of engagement with said mating element on said other door, said operating means including an operating rod extending adjacent said free edge of said one door and being movable between a locked position and an unlocked position; and toggle linkage means interconnecting said rod and said edge element, said toggle linkage means having a toggle position corresponding to the locked position of said rod.

Claim 24

A door assembly comprising: a door frame including two oppositely disposed lateral hinge posts, a doorsill connecting the hinge posts together at one end of the frame and a crossbeam connecting the hinge posts together at the other end of the frame; two doors hung respectively on the two hinge posts of the door frame and movable between open and closed positions, each hung door having a hinged edge and a laterally opposite free edge, the two doors in the closed position substantially filling the door frame; bolting means on at least one of the doors for locking the door to the door frame; a first edge element mounted on the free edge of one of said doors, said edge element having a projecting tongue, both said edge element and said tongue extending along substantially the entire free edge of said one door, said edge element being laterally displaceable with respect to said one door; a mating element on the free edge of the other door for mating engagement with said first edge element in the closed position of said doors, said mating element having a groove for mating engagement with said tongue; operating means supported by said one door and connected to said first edge element for actuating said first edge element laterally into and out of engagement with said mating element on said other door, said operating means including an operating rod extending adjacent said free edge of said one door and being movable between a locked position and an unlocked position; and toggle linkage means interconnecting said rod and said edge element, said toggle linkage means having a toggle position corresponding to the locked position of said rod.

Claim 25

The door assembly according to claim 21 including: latch means for latching said one door to said doorsill, said latch means including a projecting tang rotatable from said one door into locking engagement with said doorsill.

Claim 26

The door assembly of claim 22 wherein: said operating means is connected to said bolting means and to said latch means.

Claim 27

The door assembly of claim 22 including: a lip having first and second sides extending along said doorsill, said tang engaging one side of said lip in the closed position of said door; and weather strip means mounted on said doors and in contacting relationship with the other edge of said lip in the closed position of said doors.

Claim 28

The door assembly of claim 21 wherein: said mating element on the free edge of said other door is laterally displaceable with respect to said other door; and including operating means on said other door for actuating said mating element with respect to said other door.

Claim 29

The door assembly of claim 21 wherein: said bolting means is movable beyond the edge of said crossbeam; and including a spring biased, self-centering bolt receiving cup in said crossbeam to receive said bolting means in the closed position of said one door.

Claim 30

The door assembly of claim 21 wherein: said operating rod extends substantially parallel to the free edge of the door; and said toggle linkage includes at least one two-bar linkage connected to the operating rod, said two-bar linkage having a first link connected to the edge element and a second link connected to the first link and to the door at a position laterally opposite the connection of the first link with the edge element, said two-bar linkage having a toggle position corresponding substantially with the locked position of the operating rod.

Claim 31

The door assembly of claim 27 wherein: a third link is connected between the first link of the two-bar linkage and the operating rod to form a three-bar linkage; and a plurality of the three-bar linkages are connected between the operating rod and the edge element at the free edge of the door.

Claim 32

The door assembly of claim 21 wherein: said operating means includes an operating rod displaceable Between a locking position and an unlocking position; and including means biasing said rod toward said locking position; catch means mounted on said one door for holding said rod in the unlocked position; and means responsive to the approach of said one door to the closed position thereof for releasing said catch means upon movement of said one door to said closed position.