GB2258005A - Panic-bolt - Google Patents

Abstract

The panic-bolt 2 for use in an emergency e.g. fire comprises a spring-loaded bolt 6 which is held in a set position by a frangible ceramic tube 12. In an emergency, the panic-bolt 2 may be opened by breaking the ceramic tube 12. Tube may have breaking impact energy of between 0.1 and 0.7 joules; it may be coloured with luminous/fluorescent paint, or material itself may be formed with such materials. <IMAGE>

Description

PANIC BOLT The present invention relates to panic bolts and has particular, though not exclusive relevance to such bolts as are employed as temporary locks on doors and the like which may be broken in an emergency thereby unlocking the door.

Conventional panic bolts such as are employed to hold fire-doors locked until the bolt is released in an emergency generally include a hollow tube of transparent glass. The tube is disposed between a spring-loaded bolting mechanism and a stop. In an emergency, the glass tube may be smashed, thereby releasing the spring-loaded bolt mechanism to unlock the fire-door.

Such conventional panic bolts, therefore, when broken, generally leave shards of broken, razor sharp glass scattered around the vicinity of the fire-door. Clearly, in an emergency such as a fire within a building, people attempting to evacuate the building tend to panic. Hence the possibilities of a person falling on the broken glass are relatively high. Couple this with the fact that such fire-doors are generally the only means of exiting the building and a clear and real danger emerges.

Furthermore, in an emergency situation such as a fire, visibility may tend to be poor, therefore the broken glass may not be apparent to the people attempting to escape.

It is an object of the present invention to at least alleviate the aforementioned problems associated with broken glass in the vicinity of a broken panic-bolt.

According to the present invention there is provided a panic-bolt including a frangible ceramics member. Thus, by employing a ceramics member which may be broken in an emergency, as opposed to a glass tube as in the prior art, the present invention affords a much safer form of panic bolt because when broken, the ceramics member does not produce shards of sharp, dangerous material.

Preferably, the ceramics member is arranged for breaking under an impact energy of between 0.1 and 1.0 Joules.

Preferably, the ceramics member may be constructed from or coloured with a luminous colouration thereby to be visible in conditions of poor visibility.

Additionally or alternatively, the ceramics member may be formed from or coloured with a fluorescent colouration thereby to be visible more clearly than its surroundings.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a panic-bolt including a frangible ceramics member, and; Figure 2 is a schematic representation along the line X-X of Figure 1.

By referring to both drawings, it will be seen that a panic-bolt shown generally as 2 is affixed to a door 4.

The panic-bolt 2 comprises a spring-loaded bolt 6 which is arranged to co-operate with a latch member 8 mounted on a wall or door frame or other suitable immovable mount.

The panic-bolt 2 includes a vestibule 10 through which may be passed a frangible ceramics member such as a hollow ceramic tube 12 for loading the spring-loaded bolt 6. Once the tube 12 loads the spring-loaded bolt 6, then a stop 14 positioned on the side of the vestibule 10 remote from the spring-loaded bolt 6 is moved into a position which prevents the tube 12 passing back through the vestibule 10.

When the panic-bolt 2 is set in this position, then the spring-loaded bolt 6 is secured by the latch member 8 and the door 4 is locked shut.

There are two ways to release the panic-bolt 2. The first of which is to move the stop 14 so that it no longer prevents the ceramic tube 12 from being removed via the vestibule 10. In normal circumstances, it will be apparent that the stop 14 will itself be locked by way of a padlock or the like and only released when it is required to inspect the tube 12 for hairline cracks or alternative flaws.

The second way in which the panic-bolt 2 may be released is by physically breaking the ceramic tube 12.

The ceramic tube is constructed to preferably have a breaking impact energy of between 0.1 and 0.7 Joules.

Advantageously, this range may be narrowed to be between 0.3 and 0.5 Joules. This range of breakage impact energies will be apparent to those skilled in the art as being of importance in relation to safety standards for such emergency equipment.

In an emergency situation, such as a fire in a building, the panic-bolt 2, which would be situated on a door 4 clearly marked as a fire-door or other emergency exit, is opened immediately by breaking the ceramic tube 12. This may be facilitated by a hammer 16 or other suitable implement being situated in the vicinity of the panic-bolt 2.

In a situation such as a fire or other emergency when the ceramic tube 12 may not be more clearly visible than its surroundings, it is possible to colour the tube 12 with luminous or fluorescent paint or the like, or to form the ceramics material itself from such pigments or materials.

In any event, once the ceramic tube 12 has been broken, unlike the prior-known glass tubes, there are no shards of glass or other potentially dangerous sharp fragments scattered within the area of breakage.

Clearly, the ceramic tube 12 will fracture into debris, some of which may possess apparently sharp or unpleasant surfaces, yet due to the physical properties of ceramic material and the predetermined image energy of breakage, a person falling onto or treading on such debris is more likely to crush the fragmented ceramic material into a powder than suffer potentially serious lacerations.

Furthermore, because the ceramics material from which the tube 12 is formed is opaque, unlike the prior-known transparent glass tubes, both the unbroken tube 12 and the broken fragments thereof will be more clearly visible either during an emergency situation, or after such when the tube 12 needs to be replaced and the fragments removed.

Hence, by providing a ceramic tube for inclusion within a panic-bolt, the present invention provides for a more clearly visible, less potentially dangerous panic-bolt than is hitherto known.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that modifications may be effected to the foregoing whilst remaining within the scope of the invention.

Claims (10)

1. A panic-bolt including a frangible ceramics member.

2. A panic-bolt according to claim 1 wherein the frangible ceramics member is arranged for breaking under an impact energy of between 0.1 and 1.0 Joules.

3. A panic-bolt according to claim 2 wherein the impact energy is between 0.2 and 0.8 Joules.

4. A panic-bolt according to claim 3 wherein the impact energy is between 0.3 and 0.5 Joules.

5. A panic-bolt according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the frangible ceramics member is constructed from or coloured with a luminous colouration.

6. A panic-bolt according to any one of claims 1-5 wherein the frangible ceramics member is formed from or coloured with a fluorescent colouration.

7. A panic-bolt according to any one of the preceding claims* wherein the frangible ceramics member is in the form of a hollow tube.

8. A frangible ceramics member for use in a panic-bolt, the frangible ceramics member arranged for breaking at an impact energy of between 0.3 and 0.5 Joules.

9. A panic-bolt including a frangible ceramics member as substantially hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

10. A frangible ceramics member for use in a panic-bolt as substantially hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.