Patent Application
20130305490
The invention relates to door pulls for glass doors and more to particularly to door pulls having a D-shape on their inside curvature. The invention is suitable for use with fixed door pulls and with “panic handles.”
Glass doors are used to allow people inside a room to see outside through the doors and likewise to allow people outside the room to see inside. Glass doors are attractive and allow sunlight or other ambient light to enter the room and increase illumination. Glass doors also create a greater sense of open space and have the effect of making a room appear larger. Glass doors are now a common feature found in office buildings throughout the United States.
As with any door, there is a need for a door pull to open a glass door. In the case of glass doors used in office settings, most commonly, the door hinges are spring loaded and therefore the doors are self closing. Hence, there is typically only a need to open the door and no need to physically close the door.
Prior art glass door pulls are commonly made of steel or acrylic tubing having a round cross-section. Prior art glass door pulls with round cross-sections, though functional, have a tendency to slip in a user's hand because the round cross-section of the pull does not conform well to a typical human hand. Attempts have also been made to produce glass door pulls fabricated from glass panels. Pulls of this type generally have a planar gripping surface, which also does not conform well to the human hand.
Glass door pulls also comprise a category of devices known in the art as “panic handles.” A panic handle is used with a lockable door. A panic handle has the ability to unlock a locked door by simply pressing on the handle. Commonly, panic handles are installed as interior handles in rooms with doors that are lockable from the outside. Thus, if an individual is accidentally locked in a room, he or she may readily exit the room by depressing the panic handle. Most panic handles currently in production are made from round tubing similar to fixed door pulls and consequently suffer from the same hand slippage problems associated with fixed door pulls, i.e. the door pull does not readily conform to the human hand U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,366,974 to Horgan; 4,382,620 to Horgan; and, 4,506,922 to Horgan are representative of panic handle designs. Notably, each reference refers to a handle composed of tubing having a circular cross section.
As may be seen, there remains a need for a glass door pull that has a cross-sectional shape that better fits the human hand and therefore is more easily grasped by the user and hence is less likely to slip when pulled. Ideally, such a door pull would also include a vertical pull/push bar to accommodate tall individuals for whom reaching for the horizontal pulls may be inconvenient. Horizontal door pulls are typically mounted at the mid-height or lower of the glass door.
The invention comprises an improved glass door pull having inner and outer horizontal pull members as well as a vertical pull member. In an alternative embodiment, the door pull comprises a vertical pull only. The pull members whether horizontal or vertical have a cross-sectional shape in the form a “D.” The inventor has found that a D-shaped cross-section better fits the human hand and therefore a user is less likely to lose his grip on the pull when in use. The D-shaped cross-section of the present invention is equally suitable for use in fixed door pulls and in “panic handles.” Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the course of the following description.
Referring to
At an end 24 of the outer horizontal door member 18 which is remote from the door hinge (not shown), the outer horizontal pull member 18 connects to a vertical pull member 26. The vertical pull member 26 runs vertically from the outer horizontal pull member 18 to an upper edge 28 of the door glass 10. The vertical pull member is supported and stood-off from the door glass 10 by an upper standoff 27 and by a lower standoff 29.
With reference to
The exemplary embodiment of the present invention door pull 16 is described as having the vertical pull member 26 placed on the outer surface 12 of the door glass 10. Those skilled in the art however, will readily understand that the vertical pull member 26 could also be located on the inside surface 14 of the door glass 10 by simply creating a mirror image of the design shown in
As best shown in
In the exemplary embodiment, the door pull assembly 16 is manufactured of extruded mild steel tubing, the tubing having the D-shaped cross-section 38. The tubes which form the inner 20 and outer 18 horizontal pull members are cut at 45 degree angles and welded to the standoffs 22 which are likewise cut at 45 degree angles. At the corner point 24 of the outer horizontal 18 and vertical 26 pull members, the horizontal pull member 18 and the vertical pull member 26 are also cut at 45 degree angles and welded together. In this instance, standoff 22 is cut flat to facilitate welding to the corner point 24, which comprises the intersection of the outer horizontal 18 and vertical 26 pull members. The lower standoff 27 and the upper standoff 29 are also welded to vertical pull member 26, as is known in the art. When the welding operations are completed, the welds are ground smooth and subsequently the door pull assembly 16 of the present invention may be buffed and chrome plated.
The door pull assembly 16 may also be fabricated from stainless steel and finished in either a polished or brushed finish. The door pull assembly 16 may also be fabricated from aluminum and given an anodized or polished finish. The door pull assembly 16 may also be made of acrylic and many other types of plastic, as is known in the art. For aesthetic reasons, clear plastics are generally to be preferred.
The inner and outer horizontal pull members 18 and 20 may be attached to the door glass via mechanical means as is known in the art. One such method is described here. With reference to
An opening 58 in the inner door pull 20 is fitted over the threaded block 56 and is attached to the threaded block via a press fit, structural adhesive or via mechanical fasteners such as screws, or via other means as known in the art. An opening 60 in the outside horizontal pull member 18 is fit over the stop block 48. The stop block 48 includes threaded holes 62 which align with holes 64 in the outer door pull 18. Screws 66 attach the outer door pull 18 to the stop block 48 via the threaded holes 62.
Referring to
The foregoing detailed description and appended drawings are intended as a description of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention and are not intended to represent the only forms in which the present invention may be constructed and/or utilized. Those skilled in the art will understand that modifications and alternative embodiments of the present invention which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the foregoing specification and drawings, and of the claims appended below are possible and practical. It is intended that the claims cover all such modifications and alternative embodiments.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/648,037, filed on May 16, 2012.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61648037 | May 2012 | US |
