Security barrier for outward-swing doors of vehicles and method thereof

Abstract

An apparatus for providing improved security to an outward-swing door of a vehicle. The outward-swing door is on a sidewall of a main housing of the vehicle and has a pivotal end and a distal end opposite to the pivotal end. The outward-swing door is outwardly pivotable about the pivotal end thereof. The apparatus comprises a connecting structure for coupling to a bottom wall of the main housing, a base structure for coupling to the connecting structure so as to locate adjacent the outward-swing door and outside a swing path of the outward-swing door, and a blocking structure demountably coupled to the base structure, at least a portion thereof extendable into the swing path of the outward-swing door for restricting the outward-swing door to open to a predefined maximum extent.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for providing improved security to an outward-swing door of a vehicle, said outward-swing door on a sidewall of a main housing of the vehicle and having a pivotal end and a distal end opposite to the pivotal end, said outward-swing door outwardly pivotable about the pivotal end thereof, the apparatus comprising:
 a connecting structure for coupling to a bottom wall of the main housing;   a base structure coupling to the connecting structure and locating adjacent the outward-swing door and outside a swing path of the outward-swing door; and   a blocking structure demountably coupled to the base structure, at least a portion thereof extendable into the swing path of the outward-swing door for restricting the outward-swing door to open to a predefined maximum extent.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the connecting structure is directly coupled to the bottom wall of the main housing. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the vehicle comprises a stair structure extending from the bottom wall of the main housing; and wherein the connecting structure is coupled to the stair structure thereby coupling to the bottom wall of the main housing. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the base structure is located adjacent the distal end of the outward-swing door at a distance to the pivotal end thereof greater than a width of the outward-swing door. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the base structure is located adjacent the pivotal end of the outward-swing door with an angle α to the distal end thereof with respect to the pivotal end thereof, and 90°≤α≤180°. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the base structure is located adjacent the pivotal end of the outward-swing door and below a bottom thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the base structure comprises at least one elongated hollow body having at least one opening for demountably receiving the blocking structure. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the at least one of the at least one elongated hollow body comprises a bottom wall. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the blocking structure comprises at least one coupling structure for demountably coupling to the base structure. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein each of the at least one coupling structure is a post receivable in a corresponding one of the at least one elongated hollow body; and wherein said post comprises a locking structure for locking the post to the elongated hollow body. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein said post comprises a stopper for delimiting a position of the post with respect to the elongated hollow body. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein said stopper is a protrusion extending from the post or a downwardly facing stop shoulder on the post. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the blocking structure further comprises a crossbar extending from the at least one coupling structure. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the crossbar is a curved bar. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the blocking structure comprise only one coupling structure; and wherein the crossbar extends from the top of the coupling structure along opposite directions thereby forming a T-shape or an L-shape blocking structure. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein said post is also the crossbar horizontally extendable into the at least one elongated hollow body. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the blocking structure comprise two coupling structures; and wherein the crossbar extends between the top ends of the two coupling structures thereby forming a blocking structure with a “[” shape. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the blocking structure comprise two coupling structures; and wherein the crossbar extends between the two coupling structures thereby forming an H-shape blocking structure. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the blocking structure comprise two coupling structures; and wherein the crossbar extends between the two coupling structures with an adjustable length. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the crossbar comprises a sleeve extending from one of the two coupling structures movably receiving there a bar extending from a second one of the other of the two coupling structures.