Orlando Sentinel:
In the aftermath of the 2004 hurricane season, several clients of Michael Cennamo’s home-trim business complained of leaks from their front doors damaged from the storms.
The 57-year-old Eustis resident wanted to come up with a solution to make entrance doors stronger during powerful storms. He invented a safety lock bolt to install at the top corner of an exterior door that would help keep the door intact despite bad weather.
In the following years, Cennamo realized his Tri-Bolt system brought added security that would prevent intruders from easily breaking into homes. He said its placement high up on the door helps to avoid tragedies, such as children entering backyard pools unsupervised where drowning could occur.
Tri-Bolt is a unique safety lock that is installed into an exterior door near the top.
“It’s high enough that you can’t kick it and you can’t see it from the outside,” Cennamo said.
The bolt has the appearance of a regular locking system. But within the door’s structure, a stainless steel rod drives out to the top of the door and connects into the top of the door frame.
Once Tri-Bolt is locked, it can withstand high winds in inclement weather and prevent intruders from using traditional methods of prying a door open, Cennamo said.
Photo by Orlando Sentinel.