EP3892803A1 - Device for opening and closing doors - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for opening and closing a residential or community door using its elbow, replacing the traditional handles. This device could be called “elbow”. The device comprises a part adapted to be fixed to the opening of the door and being extended by a part adapted to receive the elbow, so that the user can easily either push, or pull the door leaf without using your hands or wrist, thus preventing the spread of viruses and bacteria. The device is comfortable and intuitive. Its simple realization does not generate a higher cost than those of the manufacture of a traditional handle.

Description

Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to a device for opening and closing a residential or community door using its elbow, replacing the traditional handles. This device could be called " cubit ".

Introduction

At the time of writing, 3 billion human beings are in almost total confinement on the planet, which is a first in the history of humanity.

The whole world is being forced - in record time - to change its habits and adopt strict preventive hygiene behaviors in order to limit the spread of covid-19.

The brutal trauma, the ensuing panic, the toll paid by the victims and the infinite economic consequences of this global pandemic will anchor these basic hygienic concerns in all of us in the future.

There will now be a before and an after Covid-19.

Long before the 2020 crisis, many of us were careful to avoid areas of hand contact as much as possible in certain public places. Among other things, at the level of the doors, some made sure (as much as possible) to open and close the doors with the arm or the foot.

The isolated and limited approach of those who wanted to avoid contact with objects touched by others, became, in 3 months, a barrier gesture, an elementary rule of protection.

It is no longer a question of acts linked to an excessive sensitivity to contact and "to microbes", but rather of a universal act, citizen, common sense and "obvious" for almost all the inhabitants of the planet. La Coudée is the alternative.

A simple answer directly linked to the need for change and adaptation to health risk.

Both in public establishments (public buildings and services, medical and hospital world, schools, bars, restaurants, shops, etc.) and private (businesses, homes), the Coudée helps to minimize the spread of bacteria or viruses, seasonal or not. , without particular constraints for the population and at no additional cost.

The Coudée principle provides "natural" protection for the risks of virus propagation linked to inevitable contact when opening a door.

The adoption of the Coudée involves not only a complete revisiting of the specifications for a multitude of building constructions, but also a gradual replacement of the stock of existing handles in all "sensitive" places, public or private.

Its extremely simple design is based on an intuitive gesture and an ergonomic shape adapted to the human body. The industrial production of the Coudée is easy to implement and no more expensive than the handle of traditional door currently manufactured on most of the planet.

This innovative system is based on the ease of understanding the concept and acquiring the reflex of use. The passage of the user of the handle, a system almost registered in the genes of each one, to the Coudée, will be considerably accelerated by the new fears of contamination which will be reinforced in the collective unconscious, and by the desire to contribute to the protection of oneself and others.

Background of the invention

Devices for opening doors without hands have already been described.

The document US 6,189,183 describes a device for opening sanitary doors. This device has a "handle" behind which you can wedge your wrist. Another variant requires the use of his foot. It is only a matter of pulling or pushing on a hinged door which does not have a closure, for example with a “latch bolt” type lock.

The document WO 2006/018499 (Where EP 1 781 874 B1 ) relates to rotating hygienic handles. These handles are intended to be manipulated by the forearm. It is not intended to use the elbow. These forearm handles are complex and bulky in shape. Their manufacturing cost is therefore high.

The document WO 2012/106157 describes a door opening device operable with the forearm or the wrist. The grip of the handle is not very precise. It is not not expected to be able to use it with the elbow. The use of the elbow would inevitably cause, for an adult of average height, an uncomfortable position with stiffness of the back.

None of these devices are really practical. They are relatively old, and it seems that none of these devices have been marketed, at least not on a large scale.

Summary of the invention

An object of the invention is to provide a door opening device, without the hands but with the elbow, which is simple, comfortable and does not require a high manufacturing cost.

This device is mainly intended to replace the handles on existing doors, without changing the rest of the closing device; these doors can be closed with a handle rotating on an axis by activating a “latch bolt” type lock.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which is ergonomic and comfortable, without causing stiffness in the back.

It is also possible to mount the device according to the invention on new doors, provided in particular with a lock of the “latch bolt” type. In this case, it will eventually be possible to adapt the location of the lock to the height of the door, in an appropriate manner by modifying the positioning of the handle on the door.

The present invention therefore relates to a device for opening and closing doors which comprises a part adapted to be fixed to the opening of the door and being extended by a part adapted to receive the elbow, so that the The user can easily either push or pull on the door sash without using the hands or wrist.

In particular, the device allows the actuation of a lock of the “bolt-striker” type; the axis is then rotatable and allows the device to pivot between a rest position where the lock is closed (bolt inserted into the strike) and an open position where the lock is open, the device being elastically returned to the position of rest.

In particular, the part adapted to receive the elbow comprises a distal part, preferably rounded; the part adapted to receive the elbow being, in the rest position, inclined at an angle between 30 and 60 degrees, preferably between 40 and 50 degrees, with its distal part disposed upwards.

The part suitable for receiving the elbow is advantageously in the shape of an oval or a flattened C and further comprises a rounded part facing the user and a return placed closer to the plane of the door.

Preferably, the internal distance (D1) between the distal part and the part capable of being fixed to the door is between 10 and 16 cm, preferably between 12 and 15 cm.

And the internal distance (D2) between the part facing the user and the return is between 5 and 9 cm, preferably between 6 and 8 cm.

Brief description of the figures

• la Fig. 1 est une vue de face du dispositif selon l'invention;
• la Fig. 2 illustre l'actionnement du dispositif entre la position de repos et la position d'ouverture ;
• la Fig. 3 montre le positionnement du coude dans le dispositif ;
• la Fig. 4 montre l'ensemble des deux côtés du battant de la porte ;
• la Fig. 5 est une vue de détail du dispositif selon l'invention ;
• la Fig. 6 montre différentes variantes de réalisation.

These and other aspects of the invention will be clarified in the detailed description of a particular embodiment of the invention, reference being made to the drawings, in which:

• the Fig. 1 is a front view of the device according to the invention;
• the Fig. 2 illustrates the actuation of the device between the rest position and the open position;
• the Fig. 3 shows the positioning of the elbow in the device;
• the Fig. 4 shows the assembly of both sides of the door leaf;
• the Fig. 5 is a detail view of the device according to the invention;
• the Fig. 6 shows different variant embodiments.

Detailed description of a particular embodiment of the invention

The Fig. 1 shows a cubit 1 according to the invention in the rest position. It comprises a straight part 2 disposed perpendicular to the plane of a door 3. This straight part 2 extending by a part in the form of an oval or in the form of a flattened C, comprising a rounded part 4 deviating from the plane of the door 3, a distal part 5 and a return 6. All of the parts 4, 5 and 6 being proportioned to allow the insertion of the elbow of an adult in a comfortable manner.

The door is fitted with a bolt lock 7 able to fit into the strike plate of the doorframe (not shown) of door 3.

As can be seen in more detail at Fig. 5 , the internal distance D1 between the straight part 2 and the distal part 5 is in the exemplary embodiment of the order of 14.5 cm and the internal distance D2 between the return 6 and the rounded part 4 is of the order of 7 cm.

Other dimensions and configurations can be imagined without departing from the scope of the present invention. Some are presented below at Fig. 6 .

To allow positioning of the elbow without excessive back curvature, the elbow is tilted approximately 45 degrees with its distal portion facing upward. This is primarily intended for cubits which are intended to replace existing door handles, which are at a standard height (typically 103-110cm from the floor).

• en position de repos (inclinaison de 45 degrés), la serrure est alors fermée et
• en position maintenue par le coude (position horizontale) la serrure est alors ouverte par le retrait du pêne hors de la gâche du chambranle de la porte.

The Fig. 2 illustrates the two positions of the cubit:

• in the rest position (inclination of 45 degrees), the lock is then closed and
• in the position held by the elbow (horizontal position) the lock is then opened by withdrawing the bolt from the keeper of the door frame.

The Fig. 3 is a partial view of a person with their elbow inserted into the elbow. In the position shown, the person places their shoulder toward the door opening and their wrist toward the door hinge (not shown). She can thus rest her forearm 9 on the distal part 5 of the elbow and actuate the opening of the door.

The Coudée is also suitable if the person wishes to use the reverse position: shoulder towards the hinge and wrist towards the door opening. The lock will then be actuated by pressing the elbow downwards, slightly obliquely.

The Fig. 4 illustrates both sides of door 3, front view.

To the Fig. 5 it can be seen that an axis 8 is arranged in the straight part 2 of the cubit. This pin 8 is extended into the lock to actuate the “latch bolt” mechanism. This axis has, as in standard handles, a square section.

The Fig. 6 illustrates 6 variants of execution which provide different styles while retaining parts 4, 5 and 6 which form an oval able to hold the elbow in place when the person pushes or pulls on the door.

One can also imagine that the cubit is used for swing doors without lock. In this case, only one position is necessary, there is no rotation necessary, nor axis. The elbow can be fixed to the door in an inclined or horizontal manner.

If the Cubicle is fitted directly to a new door, the position of the lock could be higher than the usual standard position. In this case, the inclination of the part adapted to receive the elbow can be reduced.

Advantages

The Coudée represents an innovative advance in the sense that it offers a simple and effective alternative to the traditional handle. Indeed, it brings an advantage comparison on it insofar as the use of the elbow avoids the contact of the hands on the handles. The device according to the invention offers hygienic protection to the user by preventing the spread of bacteria and viruses.

It does not require special technological know-how for manufacturers.

It does not require, any more than a traditional handle, a user manual or a user guide or any information related to its operation or its placement.

It offers the user at first glance an intuitive awareness of how to use it.

Its carefully designed shape presents almost no risk of inappropriate use (and at least no more risk than a traditional door handle).

Considering its extremely simple design, the cost of manufacturing the Coudée industrially will not be higher than the average cost of a normal handle.

For the same reasons, the Coudée, just like the traditional handle, can be made in various materials such as metal, plastic, wood, etc.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the examples illustrated and described above. The invention comprises each of the new characteristics as well as their combination. The presence of reference numbers cannot be considered as limiting. The use of the term "includes" can in no way exclude the presence of elements other than those mentioned. The use of the definite article "one" for introducing an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of these elements. The present invention has been described in relation to a specific embodiment, which has a purely illustrative value and should not be considered as limiting.

Claims (6)

Device for opening and closing a door, the device comprising a part (2) adapted to be fixed to the opening of the door (3) and being extended by a part (4, 5, 6) adapted to receive the elbow of a person, so that this person can easily either push or pull on the door leaf (3) without using the hands. Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that it allows the actuation of a lock of the “latch bolt” type; the part (2) able to be fixed to the opening of the door then comprises a rotary axis (8) which allows the pivoting of the device between a rest position where the lock is closed and an open position where the lock is open, the device being elastically returned to the rest position. Device according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the part suitable for receiving the user's elbow comprises a distal part (5), which is preferably rounded; the part adapted to receive the elbow being, when it is in the rest position, inclined at an angle of between 30 and 60 degrees, preferably between 40 and 50 degrees, with its distal part (5) disposed upwards. Device according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the part suitable for receiving the elbow is oval-shaped and further comprises a rounded part (4) and a rounded return (6). Device according to Claim 4, characterized in that the internal distance (D1) between the distal part (5) and the part (2) capable of being fixed to the door, is between 10 and 16 cm, preferably between 12 and 15 cm. Device according to any one of Claims 4 and 5, characterized in that the internal distance (D2) between the rounded part (4) and the return (6) is between 5 and 9 cm, preferably between 6 and 8 cm .

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