Door closer

Abstract

 A door closer (1), comprising a plate (2) for anchoring to the door frame (3), a box-like body (4) which is rigidly coupled to the door (5), and two arms (6, 7), which are mutually pivoted at one end (8) and in which one (10) of the opposite ends (9, 10) is pivoted freely to the plate (2) and the other end (9) is associated rotatably with an elastic torsional means installed within the box-like body (4). The plate (2) is provided with pairs of holes (13, 14) for fixing to the door frame (3), which are arranged at the mutual distance conventionally used for conventional door closers, and the plate (2) can be installed on the door frame (3) according to a plurality of configurations which depend on the pair of holes (13, 14) used. The box-like body (4) comprises an adjustment element (15) for the action of the elastic means.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an adjustable door closer suitable for pre-fitting and for fitting to already-installed doors.

[0002] Some doors, as a consequence of their installation position or due to other specific reasons, require automatic closure after each opening movement.

[0003] The solution that is adopted universally is to associate with said doors, where necessary, an elastically-acting element, which is rigidly coupled to the wall in which the door is installed and to the door itself.

[0004] This element, known as door closer, is constituted in its simplest embodiment by a wall anchoring plate to which the first end of a driven arm is pivoted, while the second end of said arm is pivoted to the first end of an arm which is functionally associated with an elastic torsional element contained inside a box-like body installed directly on the door.

[0005] Opening the door entails a rotation of the driven arm and of the arm associated with the elastic element, with consequent torsion and loading thereof: by releasing the door, the elastic element tends to return to the rest condition, turning the arm associated therewith (and therefore also the other arm) to the position in which the door is closed.

[0006] The problem of this type of device is the need to associate a specific door closer with each door depending on its weight and size. It is known to use wall anchoring plates provided with a plurality of fixing holes for changing the lever arm with which the elastic element acts with respect to the door, but this entails a higher aesthetic impact, which penalizes their diffusion. Besides, the plate is normally installed on the door frame, which is specifically provided beforehand with the appropriate fixing holes: it is therefore impossible to move the plate depending on the action that one wishes to apply to the door unless other fixing holes are provided in the door frame (which would give rise to other aesthetic problems).

[0007] The aim of the present invention is to obviate the cited drawbacks and to meet the mentioned requirements, by providing a door closer which can be fitted to doors and door frames that are already preset for conventional door closers and has an adjustable action.

[0008] Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a door closer which is simple, relatively easy to provide in practice, safe in use, effective in operation, and has a relatively low cost.

[0009] This aim and this and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by the present door closer, of the type that comprises a plate for anchoring to the door frame, a box-like body which is rigidly coupled to the door, and two arms which are mutually pivoted at one end and in which the opposite ends are respectively pivoted freely to said plate and associated rotatably with an elastic torsional means installed within said box-like body, characterized in that said plate is provided with pairs of holes for fixing to the door frame, which are arranged at the mutual distance conventionally used for conventional door closers, said plate being installable on said door frame according to a plurality of configurations which depend on the pair of holes used, and in that said box-like body comprises an adjustment element for the action of said elastic means.

[0010] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a door closer, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a door closer according to the invention, installed on a door and a respective door frame;

Figure 2 is a front view of the door closer according to the invention, according to a possible installation;

Figure 3 is a front view of a door closer according to the invention, according to a possible installation;

Figure 4 is a front view of a door closer according to the invention, according to a possible installation;

Figure 5 is a front view of a door closer according to the invention, according to a possible installation;

Figure 6 is a closer front view of the method for fitting a door closer according to the invention;

Figure 7 is a top view, with the plate mounted in reverse, of a possible installation for a door closer according to the invention;

Figure 8 is a top view, with the plate mounted in reverse, of a possible installation for a door closer according to the invention;

Figure 9 is a top view, with the plate mounted in reverse, of a possible installation for a door closer according to the invention;

Figure 10 is a front view of an adjustment element for a door closer according to the invention.

[0011] With reference to the figures, the reference numeral 1 generally designates a door closer according to the invention.

[0012] The door closer 1 according to the invention comprises a plate 2 for anchoring to a door frame 3 and a box-like body 4 which is rigidly coupled to a door 5.

[0013] The plate 2 and the box-like body 4 are mutually connected by means of a pair of arms 6 and 7, which are mutually pivoted at one end 8 (the one that lies further outward with respect to the door 5); of the opposite ends 9 and 10, the end 9 of the arm 6 is associated rotatably with an elastic torsional means installed inside the box-like body 4, and the other end 10 of the arm 7 is freely pivoted in an eye 11 of a lug 12, which is perpendicular to the wall where the plate 2 is installed.

[0014] The plate 2 is provided with two pairs of holes 13 and 14 for fixing to the door frame 3, which are arranged at the mutual distance that is used conventionally for door closers of the traditional type.

[0015] The plate 2 therefore can be installed on the door frame 3 in four different manners: two possible installations for each pair of holes 13 and 14, the first one in which the plate 2 is oriented so that the eye 11 is spaced from the hinges 5a of the door 5 and the second one in which the plate 2 is oriented so that the eye 11 is closer to the hinges 5a.

[0016] The box-like body 4 comprises an adjustment element 15 for modifying the action of the elastic means (which is a torsional spring): the adjustment element 15 is a screw 16, which is associated with one end of the spring by means of which it is possible to modify the pre-tension of said spring, thus altering its action (the moment applied to the arm 6).

[0017] The screw 16 can be turned, by using an appropriate wrench (the figure illustrates the case in which the wrench is of the type with a hexagonal cross-section, known as Allen wrench), from a first configuration 17, in which it is looser and in which the spring has a low pre-tension, to a second configuration 18, in which it is screwed tighter and the spring has a high pre-tension: in the screw 16, the end that can be accessed for adjustment can be provided with a reference to be aligned with the indications provided on the surfaces of the body 4 that lie proximate to the seat of the screw 16.

[0018] The operation of the invention is intuitive: when the door closer 1 is fitted, it is necessary to fix the box-like body 4 to the door 5 in the same manner that would be used to install a conventional door closer.

[0019] For correct fitting, it is necessary to know the weight of the door 5 or at least know the closing force category to which it belongs according to the classification introduced by Directive EN1154.

[0020] It is then necessary to anchor the plate 2 to the door frame 3 by means of the pair of holes 13 or 14 that matches the weight of the door 5: the four possible installation modes of the plate 2 are indeed intended to modify the length of the lever with which the spring contained inside the box-like body 4 acts, increasing or reducing said action depending on the installation requirements.

[0021] In order to complete the setting of the door closer 1, it is necessary to position the adjustment screw 16 according to the weight of the door 5 and to the installation mode of the plate 2 on the door frame 3: in practice, the two configurations 17 and 18 in which the screw 16 can be arranged allow, in combination with the four fitting modes of the plate 2, to install the same door closer 1 on practically all doors 5 that belong to the various weight categories defined in Directive EN1154.

[0022] It has thus been shown that the invention achieves the proposed aim and object.

[0023] The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.

[0024] All the details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent ones.

[0025] In the embodiments that follow, individual characteristics, given in relation to specific examples, may actually be interchanged with other different characteristics that exist in other embodiments.

[0026] Moreover, it is noted that anything found to be already known during the patenting process is understood not to be claimed and to be the subject of a disclaimer.

[0027] The embodiment of the present invention shall be carried out in the most scrupulous compliance with the statutory and regulatory provisions related to the products of the invention or correlated thereto and following any required authorization of the corresponding competent authorities, with particular reference to regulations related to safety, environmental pollution and health.

[0028] In practice, the materials used, as well as the shapes and dimensions, may be any according to requirements without thereby abandoning the scope of the protection of the appended claims.

[0029] The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. BO2004A000351, from which this application claims priority, are incorporated herein by reference.

[0030] Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

1. A door closer, of the type that comprises a plate (2) for anchoring to the door frame (3), a box-like body (4) which is rigidly coupled to the door (5), and two arms (6, 7), which are mutually pivoted at one end (8) and in which one (10) of the opposite ends (9, 10) is pivoted freely to said plate (2) and the other end (9) is associated rotatably with an elastic torsional means installed within said box-like body (4), characterized in that said plate (2) is provided with pairs of holes (13, 14) for fixing to the door frame (3), which are arranged at the mutual distance conventionally used for conventional door closers, said plate (2) being installable on said door frame (3) according to a plurality of configurations which depend on the pair of holes (13, 14) used, and in that said box-like body (4) comprises an adjustment element (15) for the action of said elastic means.

2. The door closer according to claim 1, characterized in that said elastic torsional means is a spring and in that said adjustment element (15) is a screw (16) associated with one end of said spring, a greater tightening of the screw (16) being matched by a higher loading of the spring.

3. The door closer according to claim 2, characterized in that said screw (16) can turn from a first configuration (17), in which it is looser, and in which the spring has a low pre-tension, to a second configuration (18), in which said screw is tighter and the spring has a high pre-tension.

4. The door closer according to claim 3, characterized in that the end of said screw (16) that can be accessed for adjustment is provided with a reference and is arranged within a seat provided with pre-tension indications associated with said reference.

5. The door closer according to claim 1, characterized in that said plate (2) has a lug (12), which is perpendicular to the fixing wall and is provided with an eye (11) for the pivoting of the respective arm (7).

6. The door closer according to claims 1 and 4, characterized in that said pairs of fixing holes (13, 14) are two, said plate (2) being attachable to said door frame (3) according to four different modes, two possible installations for each pair of holes (13, 14), the first one with the plate (2) oriented so that the eye (11) is spaced from the hinges (5a) of the door (5), and the second one with the plate (2) oriented so that the eye (11) is closer to said hinges (5a).

7. A method for using a door closer according to claim 1, which consists in fixing said box-like body (4) to said door (5), in checking the weight of said door (5), in anchoring to said door frame (3) said plate (2) with orientation of the eye (11) and by means of the pair of holes (13, 14) depending on the weight of said door (5), and in positioning said adjustment element (15) in accordance with the weight of said door (5) and with the fixing mode of said plate (2).

Drawing