GB2480083A - Hand held device to force open locked doors - Google Patents

Abstract

The device is a portable self contained, hand held device used to force open a secured door D. The device includes an internal power source A that powers a drive system B that drives a ram R to force open the door. The device may include an electrical battery and an electro-mechanical drive system. The drive system may alternatively be powered by a flywheel, crank drive, gas or propellant charges. A spring may be used to provide a driving force to drive the ram. The device may be operated by placing it against a secured door and pressing a trigger to activate the drive mechanism, which moves the ram to strike against the door until the securing mechanism of the door is overcome.

Description

TITLE OF INVENTION

A portable, hand held, self contained device used to force open a secured door.

FIELD OF INVENTION AND BACKGROUND

This invention relates to a portable, hand held, self contained device used to force open a secured door.

Police, fire services, military and other authorities occasionally need to force open locked, secured or jammed doors. Tools typically used by operatives for this work include manual battering rams, hammers and axes.

However, these traditional methods often present certain problems, which in turn can delay the process. A new invention is therefore described further in this document which can overcome these problems.

A known device in this field is a previous embodiment, Patent GB 2189544 A, comprising an hydraulic apparatus with two-stage operation, which requires setting up by clamping onto door jambs, thereafter forcing a door open with an hydraulic piston.

However the new invention described herein uses different principles and design, is totally hand held and self-contained, performs the operation more speedily, is less cumbersome than the said apparatus and does not need to be secured to any structures.

Other known devices designed to exert force such as electrically driven hammers, military devices, impact drills and jack hammers would not be able to perform the work of forcing open a door as efficiently and safely as the new invention. These devices include: German Patent G 94 06 042.8, Netherlands Patent NL 10306430 02 20070613, US Patent Application Publication US 2002/0079111 Al, Netherlands Patent NL C 1030643,

PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH EXISTING DEVICES

Problems associated with existing tools used to force open locked doors include the risk of physical injury to the operative and others, difficulty in opening some doors and risk of excessive damage to property.

(i) With existing manual tools, the success of efficiently forcing open a door depends to a large extent on the strength, manual dexterity and skill of the operative while using a hammer, ram or similar device. Considerable strength needs to be applied by an operative to force open doors that are strongly secured, and in addition the operative requires a good sense of judgment and skill to place blows precisely on the required point of the door. However, the operative is not always able to direct blows accurately, thereby occasionally causing excessive damage to property and risking injury to himself and others in close proximity.

(ii) The securing mechanism of a door to be forced open sometimes has free play, where a gap exists between the securing component on the door and its counterpart on the doorjamb. In this case a significant amount of energy imparted by a blow will be absorbed by the door itself and other structures such as door hinges and surrounding air, instead of being transmitted mostly to the securing mechanism. If such a locked door is not forced open when the first blow is struck, the door may bounce back towards the operative before any successive blow is struck, prolonging the procedure.

(iii) The doorjamb or securing devices of a door to be forced open may have been intentionally reinforced, which can cause delays in opening the said door, or it may prove impossible to open the said door using traditional manual methods.

ADVANTAGES OF THE NEW INVENTION OVER EXISTING DEVICES

The new invention eliminates a number of problems associated with existing methods, as the device enables the door opening operation to be conducted more speedily and more safely.

In addition, the new invention offers the following solutions to the problems described in points (i), (ii), and (iii) above: (i) With the new invention, operatives of average strength and of either gender can operate the device, as it exerts sufficient force of its own to successfully complete the operation. All that is required of the operative is to hold the device against the required point on a door and to press a trigger.

(ii) The spacer mechanism of the new invention prevents bounce-back of the door and prevents any gap forming, as the spacer immediately moves forward to position itself against the surface of the door after the ram has pushed the door forward. The spacer mechanism ensures that the door is constantly pushed firmly forward in a position where the door securing component is held firmly again its counter part on the doorjamb, allowing the highest possible force to be transmitted to the securing mechanism when the ram strikes the door. The spacer is advanced a number of times in this manner, in accordance with each successive stroke of the ram until the door is forced open. If the door is not forced open after the spacer reaches its further most distance of travel, the spacer is retracted to its starting position, after which the above described sequence is repeated until the door is forced open.

(iii) The new device is more easily able to overcome reinforced or more secure door securing mechanisms than traditional methods are able to do, due to the higher force that the new invention is able to exert.

DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION OF ONE EMBODIMENT OF THE NEW INVENTION

WITH REFERENCE TO THE DRAWINGS: (A) SOLENOID EMBODIMENT: With reference to Drawings 1/5, Figure 1, Figure 2 and Figure 3. the labels identify the main components of the device as follows: Handles (H), Battery (A), Solenoid (B), Solenoid Shaft (C), Ram (R), Electronic Control Unit (E), Frame (F), Switch (SW1), Hand Switch (5W2), Solenoid (X), Solenoid Shaft (Y), and Spacer (Z). The Door to be forced open is labeled (D).

All electronic and electrical components are connected to the Electronic Controller (E), which monitors and controls the actions of Solenoids (X) and (B). Battery (A) provides power for electronic and electrical circuits. Ram movement is rapid in order to transmit sufficient force to the door to overcome the securing devices that secure the door.

Drawings 1/5, Figure 1, Figure 2 and Figure 3, show the device operated as follows: 1) ACTIONS OF OPERATIVE: Figure 1: The operative holds the device by Handles (H) and pushes the outer most point of Spacer (Z) against the required point on the door.

ACTIONS OF DEVICE: With the front end of the Spacer (Z) pushed against the surface of the locked door (D), electrical switch (SW1) is closed, informing (E) that the device is ready for operation.

2) ACTIONS OF OPERATIVE: Figure 2: The operative presses Switch (5W2).

ACTIONS OF DEVICE: (5W2) instructs (E) to activate Solenoid (B) and Solenoid (X), whereby Shaft (C) and Ram (R) are pushed forward, and Shaft (Y) and Spacer (Z) are pushed forward. The motion sensor in (B) feeds back shaft travel information to (E) which instructs Solenoid (X) to extend until the outer face of the Spacer stops after reaching the same outer face distance of the Ram from the device. If the door is forced open at this point, the operative ceases pressing (SW2) and the device will cease to operate.

3) ACTIONS OF OPERATIVE: Figure 3: If the door is not yet forced open, the operative continues to hold the device against the door and continues to press Switch (5W2) which signals (E) to instruct the device to continue operating further cycles.

ACTION OF THE DEVICE: The Spacer (Z) holds the door from returning while Ram (R) retracts in readiness for its next forward stoke.

4) Thereafter the reciprocating action of the Ram will continue as described in Point 2. and Point 3. above while (5W2) remains pressed by the operator, until the door is forced open. If the door still remains secured after the device has completed a number of cycles of operation and if the spacer reaches its further most distance of travel, the device will reset the spacer position whereby the spacer will return to its starting position as described in Point 1. above, after which the operative can continue to force the door using the device.

WITH REFERENCE TO DRAWINGS 1/5, FIGURE 1, FIGURE 2 AND FIGURE 3, A WORKING EXAMPLE OF THE NEW INVENTION IS DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: A metal Frame (F) with Handles (H), which an operative uses to hold the device. A rechargeable Battery (A) provides electricity to all electrical and electronic components.

A Solenoid (B) has a Shaft (C) that is connected to Ram (R). Solenoids (B) and (X) contain motion sensors which Electronic Controller (F) uses to monitor and control the movements of the Ram and Spacer. A manually operated electrical Switch (5W2) instructs Controller (E)to operate the device, provided that electrical Switch (SW1) is in the closed position. The Electronic Controller (E) can vary speed, power and distance travelled of the solenoids. Typical weight of the device is 15KG.

OTHER EMBODIMENTS OF THIS INVENTION

In the following embodiments, Electical Battery (A) supplies electrical power to all electrical and electronic components, all devices have a main Frame (F), Electronic Controller (E) controls all electronic and electrical components, hand Switch (SW2) is used by the operative to signal (E) to operate said components and there is a Ram (R).

(B) ELECTRIC MOTOR AND FLYWHEEL EMBODIMENT: Drawing 2/5 shows a Flywheel (W) which is attached to, and driven by an Electric Motor (M). The whole Motor and Flywheel assembly can move in the direction shown by arrow (J) so that Lobe (L) of the Flywheel strikes the end of the Ram Shaft (0), pushing Ram (R). A spring (I) returns the Ram and shaft assembly to its starting point in readiness for the following Lobe strike.

(C) RECOIL ABSORBSION EMBODIMENT: Drawings 3/5, Figure 1 and Figure 2 show Solenoid (B) mounted on a separate Mobile Carriage (G) situated within Frame (F) of the device, so that the Ram (R), relevant components and Carriage (G) can move in the opposite direction to that of the extended direction of the ram, thereby reducing recoil effect when the ram is extended rapidly against the Door (D). A Damper (P) is included in the device in order to slow the Carriage during its travel. Carriage (G) is returned by means of a spring which is contained within Damper (P).

(D) SPRING POWERED EMBODIMENT: Drawings 4/5, Figure 1, Figure 2 and Figure 3 show the three-stage operation of this invention using a Drive Spring (51) which is compressed by Linear Actuator (Bi) in Figure 2 to develop sufficient kinetic force.

When the operative presses Switch (5W2) in Figure 3, Solenoid (B2) retracts, which releases the Telescopic Holder (C) of the spring, allowing Drive Spring (51) to extend and push the Ram Shaft (D) and attached Ram (R) to extend. As soon as the Ram has fully extended, Solenoid (Bi) retracts, pulling the Drive Spring and its Telescopic Holder back to its starting position in readiness for the next cycle of operation, which continues as described until the operative releases (5W2).

(E) CRANK DRIVE EMBODIMENT: Drawing 5/5 shows a Connecting Rod (J) that is attached to both Shaft (0) and Wheel (W). A Clutch (C) connects the Electric Motor (M) to Wheel (W) when the operative presses Switch (SW2), causing the Wheel to rotate, which causes the Connecting Rod to push and pull the Shaft and Ram in accordance with the positon of rotation of the Wheel.

Although the drawings and descriptions illustrate some embodiments of this invention, combinations of these embodiments or other shapes, layouts and specifications of these embodiments can be used to produce a working model of this invention.

OTHER VARIATIONS OF THE DESCRIBED EMBODIMENTS IN POINTS (A) to (E) ON PAGE 3 AND PAGE 4 ARE DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: (1) The spacer mechanism described above in (A) can be used in any of the other embodiments.

(2) The electric motor described above in (B) and (E) can be replaced by an internal combustion engine.

(3) The recoil mechanism decribed above in (C) can be used in any of the other embodiments.

(4) A camshaft, cam follower or crankshaft can be used in any embodiment that uses a flywheel, motor or engine.

(5) A clutch set up can be used to transfer force from a drive system to a ram in any embodiment that uses a flywheel, engine, motor or crank system.

(6) A gas powered drive system can be used in any of the described embodiments in place of the described drive systems, where the said gas is stored in a container in the device and is used to drive a piston, which drives the ram.

(7) A propellent charge may be used in any embodiment in place of the described drive systems to provide force that can be used to drive the ram.

(8) One of more linear actuators or solenoids can be used to move or drive one of more components in any of the embodiments.

The following features can also be used in the new invention: CONTROL SYSTEMS: The electronic controller can enable some parts of the device to function automatically, but it can also be adjusted manually to vary the operating parameters of the device as required by the operative. The operator can change the driving force or speed of operation of the device. An electronic monitor can display operating conditions of the device to the operator. A laser distance measuring system can also be used by the control system as part of its monitoring and control system.

SAFETY AND SECURITY SYSTEMS: A human body sensor system can be built into the device to detect the presence of a person within the operating range of the device.

This system instructs the electronic controller to cease operating the ram in order to prevent possible injury to a person who may be detected by the sensor within the operating range of the device. The device can contain electronic security safeguard systems that allow only authorised operatives to use the device. These safeguard systems can comprise of a human fingerprint recognition system, a human eye recognition system or a security verification code system that must be matched to the operative before the device can be activated.

MANUALLY ADDED KINETIC ENERGY: A Ratchet and Lever system can be built into the device which can be manually operated to compress the drive spring embodiment as described in (0) on Page 4. This mamual system can also be used on other forms of kinetic energy drive systems.

BACKUP IN CASE OF FAILURE: If the device fails to operate during the course of its work, it can be used manuafly as a conventional battering ram if necessary.