Patent Application
20220178168
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The disclosure relates to door hardware devices and more particularly pertains to a new door hardware device for opening doors without contact.
The prior art relates to door hardware devices. Existing devices allow doors to be opened without use of the hands. These devices focus on different ways of unlocking door mechanisms without using the hands, but generally do not provide a way of physically opening the door without using the hands. Few devices allow for the foot to be used to pull open a door.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a foot pull apparatus and a hands-free door hardware apparatus. The foot pull apparatus comprises a pull plate configured to be coupled to a door. A pull body is coupled to the pull plate. The pull body has an arcuate profile and an open body bottom side. The pull body and the pull plate define a pull cavity dimensioned to receive a user's foot. The hands-free door hardware apparatus comprises a sensor housing configured to be coupled to a wall adjacent the door. A fob sensor is coupled within the sensor housing. The fob sensor recognizes the presence of an authorized key fob. A transmitter is coupled within the sensor housing. The transmitter is in operational communication with the fob sensor. A sensor battery is coupled within the sensor housing. The sensor battery is in operational communication with the transmitter. An electronic door handle is configured to be coupled within the door. A receiver is coupled within the electronic door handle and is in operational communication with the transmitter. A handle battery is coupled within the electronic door handle and is in operational communication with the receiver.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
In an alternative embodiment of the invention shown in
A pull body 34 is coupled to the pull plate 16. The pull body 34 may have an arcuate profile 36 and an open body bottom side 38. The pull body 34 may taper thinner towards a quarter-spherical body top side 40. The pull body 34 and the pull plate 16 defining a pull cavity 42 dimensioned to receive a user's foot 44.
The hands-free door hardware apparatus 14 comprises a sensor housing 46 configured to be coupled to a wall 48 adjacent the door 18. The sensor housing 46 may be rectangular prismatic with beveled edges. A fob sensor 50 is coupled within the sensor housing 46 to recognize the presence of an authorized key fob 52. A transmitter 54 is coupled within the sensor housing 46 and is in operational communication with the fob sensor 50. A sensor battery 56 is coupled within the sensor housing 46. The sensor battery 56 is in operational communication with the transmitter 54.
An electronic door handle 58 is configured to be coupled within the door 18. A receiver 60 is coupled within the electronic door handle 58 and is in operational communication with the transmitter 54. The electronic door handle 58 selectively engages and disengages a throw 62 to prevent or allow the door 18 from opening. A handle battery 64 is coupled within the electronic door handle 58 and is in operational communication with the receiver 60. A status light 66 may be coupled to the sensor housing 46 and is in operational communication with the fob sensor 50.
In use, the user presents the key fob 52 to the sensor housing 46 to be detected by the fob sensor 50. The electronic door handle 58 then frees the door 18 to be opened. The user may then place his or her foot in the pull cavity 42 to open the door with no hands for convenience and to prevent the spread of viruses, bacteria, and germs.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
