Spring-Loaded Door Latch Bracket for Adjustable Pet Barrier
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing door latch mechanisms fail to reliably hold doors open or closed at a prescribed distance, particularly for pet safety and child protection, while withstanding door slamming and allowing full door operation without modification or special doors.
Innovation Solution
A door latch apparatus with adjustable and flexible components, including a U-shaped bracket and tab system, that can be mounted in place of a strike plate or within the door frame, allowing for customizable door positioning and secure engagement with the door edge, ensuring pets and children are kept out while allowing smaller pets to pass through.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a door latch mechanism is designed to hold a door closed securely to prevent larger pets and children from entering, then the door remains reliably closed, but the door cannot be opened easily by smaller pets that need to pass through
Solution Approach 1:
The latch mechanism uses a spring-loaded button that changes its engagement parameter with the door. When pressed, the button retracts to disengage from the door's latch hole, allowing the door to open. When released, the spring automatically pushes the button forward to re-engage, automatically closing and latching the door without manual intervention.
2Strength
If a door latch is designed to withstand strong forces from door slamming and pet jumping, then the latch becomes sturdy and reliable, but the mechanism becomes more complex and difficult to operate
Solution Approach 1:
The spring-loaded button automatically performs the latching and unlatching functions without requiring complex mechanical operations. When the door closes, the button is pushed into the door's latch hole by the door's movement, automatically securing the door. When opened, the spring automatically returns the button to its engaged position, eliminating the need for manual re-latching operations.
3Reliability
If a door latch mechanism is designed to hold the door at a specific distance open for small pets to pass through, then pet safety is improved, but the device requires special doors or modifications to existing doors
Solution Approach 1:
The latch mechanism is designed to work with standard pre-hung doors that already have a latch hole. The spring-loaded button engages with this existing feature, making the device universally compatible with common door types. The mechanism can hold the door at various distances from the frame, creating a pet-safe barrier without requiring special doors or modifications to existing door structures.
Data Source
AI summary
The present inventive concept provides a door holding and/or a door latching apparatus including an elongated door latch bracket including a first end that is affixed to an area on a door frame that extends toward a substantially U-shaped door latch portion for engaging with and holding the edge of a door, wherein the U-shaped door latch portion extends toward a second end including a tab or flap member for flexing the bracket for engaging or disengaging the door with or from the U-shaped door latch portion and methods of using the same.