Patent Application
20060209550
The present invention is related to the field of hardware for a door, a drawer or other fixture that is gripped by a user for the purpose of opening.
Over the years there have been a number of aesthetic variations on hardware to be used in conjunction with doorways, drawers and cabinets. Most of these variations have dealt with unique shapes or designs for doorknobs, handles or levers. Very little has been done to vary the appearance of these fixtures beyond their general shape, and even less regarding the other aesthetic and sensorial aspects of these fixtures.
A number of inventors have also attempted to improve the functionality of doorway and cabinetry fixtures by incorporating lighting elements into the fixtures. U.S. Pat. No. 941,576 to Hardin et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,438,847 to Dreese, U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,175 to Pea and U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,570 to Little disclose doorknobs and handles with illuminated door locks. U.S. Pat. No. 1,263,880 to Glossop and 6,729,740 to Gazard disclose illuminated doorknobs to aid in locating a door in a darkened room. However, none of these patents address the aesthetic appearance or other aesthetic or sensorial qualities of the door fixture. Further, none of these patents discloses any functionality other than illuminating a door lock or the doorknob or handle itself.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,741 to Fields discloses a door latch assembly having an incorporated light to indicate when the door is locked. The assembly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,741 has the light mechanism outside of the doorknob, and only includes a light that is capable of being on or off.
Therefore, it would be useful to provide a new type of fixture for a doorway, cabinet, drawer or other compartment that includes the aesthetic, sensorial and functional features not heretofore addressed in the art. Such a new fixture would address aesthetic features other than the shape of the knob, handle or lever incorporated into the fixture. It would also address other sensory perceptions of the fixture. Further, the new fixture would make use of light to provide various information about a room connected to a doorway.
In one embodiment the present invention is tactile fixture for a compartment or door, comprising either a knob, handle or lever. The knob, handle or lever comprises a rigid support substantially covered by a pliant polymer, which is deformable, such that when a user grips the knob, handle or lever, the pliant polymer deforms in response to the grip. When the grip is released the polymer relaxes substantially to its original shape. The tactile fixture of the present invention may be incorporated into a door for a doorway, a cabinet or a drawer for example.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides a fixture for a doorway comprising a grip in the shape of a knob, handle or lever with at least one light source disposed within. The grip is capable of transmitting light from the at least one light source incorporated therein, such that the fixture can be illuminated in a selected color. To achieve this the grip may comprise a rigid shell having a plurality of perforations therein for transmitting light. Alternatively, the grip may comprise a rigid transparent or translucent material, which may be glass or a polymer. Further, the grip may comprise a pliant translucent or transparent polymer disposed on a rigid support, such as a spine. The light source(s) may be of any type, preferably light emitting diodes. In a preferred embodiment the fixture contains a programmable light emitting diode capable of emitting at least two different colors, which are emitted alternately and thereby provide information about a room or compartment connected to a doorway. In another preferred embodiment, two or more lights of different colors may light alternately or simultaneously to convey other information to an individual, such as welcome, or to induce a specific behavior, such as silence. In a particularly preferred embodiment, three light sources of different colors may be disposed within the grip, which when lighted in different combinations and intensities produce multiple colors. For example, a red, green and blue light may be incorporated into the current invention, making the fixture capable of producing all colors in the spectrum.
The current invention also provides a method of conveying information about the status of a room. The method comprises providing a door having a fixture thereon. The fixture comprises a grip in the shape of a knob, handle or lever. The grip is capable of transmitting light from at least one programmable light source incorporated therein, such that said fixture can be illuminated in at least two colors alternately. To achieve this the grip may comprise an opaque material having a plurality of perforations therein for transmitting light. Alternatively, the grip may comprise a transparent or translucent material, which may be glass or a polymer. The light source is programmed so that the illuminated color of the fixture changes in response to the status of a room connected to the door.
The present invention is a fixture for a door or a compartment. The fixture is in the shape of a knob, lever or handle. In alternate embodiments of the invention, the inventive fixture provides an improvement on the aesthetic and sensorial qualities of fixtures currently available, and/or performs a purely functional purpose of providing information regarding the status of a room or compartment. The present invention also provides a method for conveying information about the status of a room or compartment.
In one embodiment of the current invention, a tactile fixture comprises a rigid support with a pliant polymer grip. By a pliant polymer as used herein is meant a polymer which yields and deforms when gripped by an individual, but relaxes substantially to its original shape when the grip is released. The tactile quality of the fixture imparts an improved aesthetic quality, which is more pleasing to a user than the cold hard feel of traditional door fixtures. The pliant polymer may be molded over the rigid support, or it may be produced separately so that various shapes and colors of cover can be interchanged on the same support.
In a preferred embodiment the tactile polymer is a polyurethane. In a more preferred embodiment, the polyurethane is a polyether/polyol, available from Bayer under the trade name Levagel®.
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The rigid support may be made of any rigid durable material, such as metal, wood, polymer or other composite material.
By substantially covered as used herein is meant that at least a major portion of the rigid support is covered by the polymer. It is preferred that the entire support be covered by the polymer. However, in some embodiments, a portion of the support may be exposed.
The knob or grip may be molded in a variety of colors to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the fixture. In addition, the tactile polymer may be transparent or translucent. In this embodiment the surface of the rigid support on which the polymer grip is disposed may be painted or otherwise tinted in a color that is complimentary to the color of the polymer, with fluorescent colors being preferred.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, at least one light source is included within a transparent or translucent grip substantially covering a rigid support. Again, substantially covered as used herein is meant that at least a major portion of the rigid support is covered. It is preferred that the entire support be covered. However, in some embodiments, a portion of the support may be exposed. The light source may be any light source, but is preferably a light emitting diode (LED). In combination with complimentary painting of the surface of the rigid support, the light source causes the entire transparent or translucent portion of the fixture to emit a soft glow. The light source provides a source of soft illumination, which serves the dual purpose of allowing an individual to locate a door in a darkened area and enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the fixture. In a preferred embodiment, the light source is a light emitting diode, more preferably a programmable light emitting diode capable of emitting at least two different colors. Where two or more LEDs of different colors, or one or more programmable LEDs are provided, the color emitted can be varied over time. Examples of different colors of LEDs that can be combined include green, blue, red and white. It should be clear that various combinations of these and other colors are possible and are within the scope of the invention.
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It should be noted that the embodiments illustrated thus far with reference to the figures all incorporate a rigid support for supporting a pliant polymer. It is envisioned that when a transparent or translucent rigid material is used to form the grip, that the rigid support will be unnecessary and is therefore optional. It should therefore be recognized that in such embodiments the fixture according to the current invention may comprise the grip without the supporting member. In such as case, the light source would be incorporated directly into the grip.
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Alternatively, the grip may comprise an opaque material, such as metal, wood, polymer or other composite having a plurality of perforations therein for transmitting light. In this embodiment the grip is hollow and light from the light sources is transmitted through the perforations, causing the fixture to glow. Again, in this embodiment the rigid support although optional is not necessary.
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According to another embodiment of the current invention, a fixture comprises a standard door latch assembly with a rigid support, on which may be a knob, handle or lever, with a translucent or transparent grip with at least one programmable light source incorporated therein. The light source may be any light source, but is preferably a light emitting diode (LED). The grip may comprise either a rigid material, such as glass, acrylic, polyketone, polycarbonate and polyimides, or it may be a pliant polymer, such as polyurethane. Again, alternatively, the grip may comprise an opaque material having a plurality of perforations therein for transmitting light. In this embodiment, light from the light sources is transmitted through the perforations, causing the fixture to glow. As previously discussed, where the grip comprises a rigid material, the rigid support is not necessary, and is therefore optional. According to this embodiment, the light source, or light sources, is capable of producing at least two different colors. In the case of two or more light sources, the light sources may be of different colors and light alternately or simultaneously, thereby conveying information about the status of a room connected to a doorway or to elicit a particular behavior from an individual. Examples of different colors of LEDs that can be combined include green, blue, red and white. Again, it should be clear that various combinations of these and other colors are possible and are within the scope of the invention. In the preferred embodiment, the light source is at least one programmable light emitting diode, which is capable of producing at least two different colors.
For example, a fixture according to this embodiment of the invention may be the door handle for a public bathroom. In this case, the fixture may have a green light and a red light, or preferably one or more programmable LEDs capable of producing both red and green light, disposed underneath or within the transparent or translucent grip. The light or lights are configured such that when the door of the bathroom is locked, a red light will be emitted causing the entire handle to glow red, indicating that the bathroom is occupied. When the door is unlocked a green light will be emitted causing the handle to glow green, indicating that the bathroom is unoccupied.
According to another example, the same combination can be used to convey a welcome, where the green light conveys the message, “Please Enter” and the red light conveys the message “Do Not Disturb.” Alternatively, red could be used to convey “Silence Please”, whereas green would mean “You May Speak.” This embodiment would have application where it is useful to have information conveyed that is not dependent on a particular language. In these and other embodiments where the change in emitted color is not triggered by an action, such as locking a door, the change may be actuated by other means a switch located on the door, or at a remote location.
In an alternative embodiment, where the at least two light sources are programmable light emitting diodes (LEDs), they may light simultaneously and thereby produce at least one additional color, which may be varied by varying the intensity with which the LEDs are lit. p In a further preferred embodiment, a grip may incorporate three light sources of different colors, for example red, green and blue. By varying the intensity of the lighting of the three light sources a multitude of further colors may be produced. This embodiment may be incorporated into a rigid or pliant translucent or transparent grip, or into an opaque grip having a plurality of perforations therein.
The application of the current invention beyond those examples described herein will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art. The examples are therefore not intended to be limiting. The full scope of the current invention will be defined by the claims appended hereto.
