Magnetic Door Holder with Integral Hinge Channels
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a small, yet strong device to hold heavyweight commercial doors in an open position, particularly for temporary use by hotel staff and firefighters, while also being easily portable and capable of functioning with doors having continuous vertical hinges.
Innovation Solution
A metallic door holder device with two integral rectangular channels and magnets, allowing it to be easily carried and stored, which is positioned to straddle the top of the spring-loaded hinge leaves, forcing the door to remain open by bracing against the door stop and preventing closure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a door prop device is made strong enough to hold heavyweight commercial doors, then the holding strength is improved, but the device becomes bulky and difficult to carry
Solution Approach 1:
The door prop device is designed to nest within itself when not in use, with the prop bar collapsing into a compact configuration that fits inside the handle assembly. This nesting principle allows the device to maintain full structural strength when deployed while reducing to a portable size for carrying in a pocket or on a belt.
Solution Approach 2:
The door prop employs a dynamic mechanism that transitions between a compact stored state and an extended operational state. The prop bar can be quickly deployed from a retracted position to a fully extended position where it engages the door, allowing the device to adapt its form factor based on operational requirements.
2Ease of operation
If the door prop device is made compact for easy carrying, then the portability is improved, but the device may lack the structural strength to hold heavyweight doors
Solution Approach 1:
The door prop device is segmented into distinct functional components: a handle assembly that remains compact and portable, and an extendable prop bar that provides structural strength when deployed. The segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the handle for portability and the prop bar for strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The device utilizes composite construction with high-strength materials concentrated in the prop bar and hinge mechanisms, while the handle and housing use lighter materials optimized for portability. This composite approach allows the small portions of the device that require strength to have it, without making the entire device bulky.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the door prop device is designed to work with continuous vertical hinges, then the adaptability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The door prop device is designed with universal compatibility features that allow it to work with both traditional hinge types and continuous vertical hinges. The prop bar engagement mechanism is configured to interface with the door structure in a way that adapts to different hinge configurations without requiring additional components or mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively maintains commercial doors in a fully open position, preventing closure and allowing easy access while being compact and convenient for use, with the ability to store on metallic surfaces when not in use.
Implementation Method 1
Two integral magnets also enable storage of the door holder device on the surface of a metallic door
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a door holder which comprises a planar, rectangular plate the plate constructed with two integral channels, oriented parallel to the left and right edges, respectively, of the rectangular plate. The door holder serves as a means to prop open a heavyweight, commercial door, the subject door being operated by spring-loaded hinges. The door may be continuously held open by means of bracing either edge of the rectangular plate against the outer edge of a doorstop. In conjunction with the placement of an edge of the door holder against the doorstop, one of the integral channels is then mounted so as to straddle the top of the shoulder of the leaf of one spring-loaded hinge. In this manner, the door is forcibly held in an open position, forming a ninety-degree angle between the plane of the door frame and the face of the door.