Patent Application
20100154306
The present invention relates generally to a customizable exterior door hanger and an integrated peep hole.
One of the benefits of home ownership is the ability to make the appearance of the home match the likes and interests of the home owner. One common way to accomplish this is by decorating the front door of the home. This is typically accomplished by drilling or nailing a conventional square-type hook into the door and suspending a decoration from the hook. When this occurs, the placement of the decoration often obstructs an existing peephole or prevents placement of a new peephole. As such, a homeowner is often unable to identify visitors to the home without exposing the owner to danger by opening the door. Moreover, as the hook is affixed with screws or nails, damage occurs to the door and prevents the owner from removing the hook without exposing the damage. Additionally, as the decorations tend to be seasonal in nature, the homeowner is often left with a bare hook attached to the front door which is unappealing and fails to show the interests of the homeowner.
The present invention is directed to a customizable door hanger and peephole. One embodiment of the present invention can include a main body having a top portion and a lower portion, and a hook for securing decorations. The embodiment may further include a peephole configured to attach the main body to a door through an opening.
Another embodiment of the present invention can include a method of manufacturing a customizable door hanger and peephole as described above.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention can include a door comprising a customizable door hanger and peephole as described above.
Presently preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the description in conjunction with the drawings. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the inventive arrangements in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.
Referring to
The housing 1 acts as a base to which the hook and the peep hole can be mounted. As shown in
In one embodiment, the upper portion of the housing 1A (upper housing) can take the shape of a football helmet and the opening 1B can be located near the bottom center of the housing 1A. By placing the peephole 2 in this location, the peephole can look like it is merely the earpiece of the helmet which will thus allow the peephole to be unnoticed by a visitor (See
The lower portion of the housing 1B (lower housing) can extend downward from the upper housing 1A and include a hook 3 or other securing means on the end opposite the upper housing.
In a preferred embodiment, the upper housing can have a length and width ranging between three (3) to twelve (12) inches, and a thickness ranging between one quarter (¼) of an inch to two (2) inches. Likewise, the lower housing 1B can have a length ranging between three (3) to twelve (12) inches, a width ranging between one-half (½) and four (4) inches and a thickness ranging between one quarter of an inch to 2 inches. The housing 1 can be made from virtually any sturdy material suitable for the intended purpose including but not limited to: plastic, foam, metal, wood composite or other similar materials. As would be understood to one of skill in the art, the above dimensions merely illustrate a preferred embodiment and are not limiting upon the invention.
The hook 3 can be a single element molded into the lower housing 1C as illustrated above or may take any shape commonly employed for hanging items from a door. For instance,
In operation, a customizable door hanger and peephole as described above can securely mount to a door without the use of damaging screws or nails. By incorporating a hook at the bottom of the device, items hung from the hook will not block the faceplate 20 (i.e. viewing portion) of the peephole thus providing additional visual security to a homeowner. Moreover, by including a cover, the apparatus itself can be customized to the likings of the homeowner thus eliminating the need for removal during seasons where the owner does not wish to hang decorations from the included hook.
If a peephole is present, the user removes the peephole in step 110 and proceeds to step 120. If there is no existing peephole, the user must create a door opening in step 115 and then proceed to step 120.
In step 120, the shaft of the peephole is inserted through the upper housing and the door opening. In step 125, the faceplate is positioned securely against the upper housing and the viewer is securely attached to the shaft at the inside of the door opening.
In step 130, a user can install the optional cover and hang a decoration from the hook in step 135.
Although described above with reference to an existing door, the invention can be included within the manufacture of a new door and thus produced as a single unit.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional Patent Application No. 61/139,450 filed on Dec. 19, 2008, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61139450 | Dec 2008 | US |
