AU2003252762A1

AU2003252762A1 - Door opening device

Info

Publication number: AU2003252762A1
Application number: AU2003252762A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Warren Broe; Lyndon Pyper
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Broe Warren
Priority date: 2002-10-03
Filing date: 2003-10-03
Publication date: 2004-04-22

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: "DOOR OPENING DEVICE" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 1 DOOR OPENING DEVICE This invention relates to a door opening device to assist disabled people, especially those that are bound to a wheelchair, to open doors.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION A realisation has grown in western society of the desirability of taking account of the needs of disabled people. Legislation has been introduced in many countries to ensure that wheelchair access is available into all new buildings and most public places. This development has greatly enhanced the quality of life of people suffering from an ambulatory disability.

Although most new buildings and many old buildings have wheelchair access via ramps, they only serve to bring a disabled person to a door that they generally find difficult, if not impossible, to open.

There are numerous examples of devices designed to assist people to open doors. The majority of these are designed to assist with the opening of doors with round doorknobs. One typical example is described in United States patent number 4971375 in the name of Grecco.

Other solutions have focussed on means for automatically opening doors. These systems typically consist of a signal source, such as an infrared transmitter, that sends an activation signal to an actuator. The actuator opens the door in response to the signal.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide a door opening device that is easy to use when in a wheelchair.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a door opening device that can also secure a door.

Other objects of the invention will be evident from the following discussion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one form, although it need not be the only, or indeed the broadest, form the invention resides in a door opening device comprising: an elongate body; a grip projecting from the elongate body; brackets fitted to the door and slidably holding the elongate body at an upper and lower position; and a spring means associated with the elongate body and biasing the elongate body to a first position; wherein sliding of the device between the first position and a second position causes latching or unlatching of the door.

Suitably a door handle capture zone is formed at a connection between the grip and the elongate body. In use, a door handle is captured in the door handle capture zone such that movement of the device from the first position to the second position causes movement of the door handle to 3 unlatch the door. Upon release of the device the spring means returns the device to the first position.

In a further form of the invention, the device includes a floor engaging portion at a lower end that is adapted to engage a complimentary space formed in a floor. Suitably, the space in the floor is near the base of the door when in a closed position so that movement of the device to the second position and engagement of the floor engaging portion in the space in the floor effects latching of the door.

Preferably the spring means is a resilient strut located within the elongate body. The strut is suitably fixed at an upper end to the elongate body and at a lower end to the door, such that movement of the device from the first position to the second position compresses the strut and upon release the strut returns the device to the first position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Preferred embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the following figures in which: FIG 1 is a sketch of a first embodiment of a door opening device; FIG 2 shows the door opening device of FIG 1 fitted to a door; FIG 3 shows a second embodiment of a door opening device locking a door.

4 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG 1 there is shown a door opening device 1 having an elongate body 2. The body is suitably formed from tubular stainless steel, although other material could also be used. It is also not essential that the elongate body be hollow although it is convenient for the spring 3 to be contained within the elongate body 2.

The spring 3 is contained within a plug 4 that fits within the top end of the elongate body. A rod 5 extends downwards from the spring 3 and is supported at a lower end in a block 6. A fixing means 7 fixes the lower end of the rod 5 in a manner described below with reference to FIG 2.

It will be understood that the spring and rod arrangement shown in FIG 1 is merely one example of a spring means. The inventors have found that an hydraulic strut or a gas strut, of the type commonly used on hatchback vehicles, is particularly suitable.

A grip 8 projects from the elongate body 2. The grip is suitably formed from the same material as the elongate body and can be shaped by rolling then welding to the body. In the first embodiment, the elongate body 2 and the grip 8 form a handle capture zone 9 that captures a door handle 10, as shown in FIG 2.

In use the door opening device 1 is fixed to a door 11 with an upper bracket 12 and a lower bracket 13. The elongate body 1 is able to slide and rotate in the brackets 12, 13. As shown in FIG 2, the fixing means 7 attaches the lower end of the rod 5 to the door 11 and the door handle 10 is captured in the capture zone 9. The grip 8 of the door opening device 1 is grabbed and pulled downwards, thus pulling down and unlatching the door handle 10. A slot 14 in the elongate body 1 allows movement of the door opening device relative to the fixing means 7.

Once unlatched the door can be easily opened by pulling the device towards the user. As the device can rotate, a grip can be maintained throughout much of the range of movement of the door without a need to move the wheelchair, if the user is wheelchair bound. This addresses a particular problem with prior art door handles that require movement of the user to maintain a grip while opening the door and then to move around the open door. The required range of movement is not available to a disabled person in a wheelchair.

When the door opening device is pulled down to unlatch the door, the rod 5 compresses the spring 3. Once the grip 8 is released the spring 3 returns the device to the first position.

A second embodiment of the door opening device 1 is shown in FIG 3.

A floor engaging portion 15 is included at the lower end of the body 1. In one form, the floor engaging portion 15 is a key that engages a space, such as a key way 16, formed in the floor 17. This variation can be used to lock the door. When the handle is pulled down the key 15 locates into the keyway 16. Rotation of the device I by ninety degrees causes the key 15 to be captured in the keyway 16, thus locking the door. Rotation and release of the device 1 will unlock the door. In other respects the door opening device 6 may be identical to the embodiment of FIG 1 and 2. The inventor envisages that the door opening device can replace existing door locks, particularly in disabled toilets.

The invention can also be used with doors having round door knobs.

The invention mentioned earlier in United States patent number 4971375 can be applied to a round door knob to provide a retrofit lever that is captured in the handle capture zone. The door opening device is then used in the normal way.

The invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments. It will be appreciated that various modifications can be made which will fall within the scope of the invention. For instance, the spring could be arranged external to the elongate body. Another variation could be in the arrangement of the handle. The requirement for a handle capture zone can be met in any suitable manner.

Claims

1. A door opening device comprising: an elongate body; a grip projecting from the elongate body; brackets fitted to the door and slidably holding the elongate body at an upper and lower position; and a spring means associated with the elongate body and biasing the elongate body to a first position; wherein sliding of the device between the first position and a second position causes latching or unlatching of the door.

2. The door opening device of claim 1 further comprising a door handle capture zone formed at a connection between the grip and the elongate body.

3. The door opening device of claim 1 wherein the spring means is suitably fixed at an upper end to the elongate body and at a lower end to the door, such that movement of the device from the first position to the second position compresses the spring means and upon release the spring means returns the device to the first position.

4. The door opening device of claim 1 wherein the elongate body is tubular.

The door opening device of claim 4 wherein the spring means comprises a plug fitted in a top end of said tubular elongate body, a spring housed within the plug, and a rod extending downwards from the spring 8 within the tubular elongate body, said rod being fixed at one end to the door such that the elongate body is resiliently slidable relative to the door but biased to said first position by said spring.

6. The door opening device of claim 4 wherein the spring means is an hydraulic strut located within the tubular body.

7. The door opening device of claim 4 wherein the spring means is a pneumatic strut located within the tubular body.

8. The opening device of claim 4 wherein the spring means is a resilient strut located within the elongate body.

9. The door opening device of claim 1 wherein said elongate body is slidable and rotatable in said brackets.

The door opening device of claim 1 further comprising a floor engaging portion at a lower end of the elongate body that is adapted to engage a complimentary space formed in a floor.

11. The door opening device of claim 10 wherein the space in the floor is near the base of the door when in a closed position so that movement of the device to the second position and engagement of the floor engaging portion in the space in the floor effects latching of the door.

12. The door opening device of claim 10 wherein the floor engaging portion is a key, and the complimentary space is a keyway.

13. A method of opening a door with the door opening device of claim 1 including the steps of: capturing a door handle in a door handle capture zone formed 9 between the elongate body and the grip; and sliding the door opening device from the first position to the second position to unlatch the door.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein upon release of the device the spring means returns the device to the first position. The method of claim 13 further including the step of rotating the elongate body in the brackets while opening the door. Dated this 2nd day of October 2003 Griffith University By their Patent Attorneys FISHER ADAMS KELLY