GB2593233A

GB2593233A - Door handle

Info

Publication number: GB2593233A
Application number: GB2005927.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Bruce Philip Charles Stuart-Smith James
Original assignee: Astor-Bannerman (medical) Ltd; Astor Bannerman Medical Ltd
Current assignee: Astor-Bannerman (medical) Ltd; Astor Bannerman Medical Ltd
Priority date: 2020-03-21
Filing date: 2020-04-23
Publication date: 2021-09-22
Also published as: GB202004148D0; GB202005927D0

Abstract

A door handle 1 operable by a foot or shoe comprising a mounting plate 3 secured to the door and an abutment face 5 spaced from the mounting plate and engageable by a foot or shoe to pull the door open. The door handle may comprise a support member spaced between the mounting plate and support member. The abutment face may be a bar (12, see fig. 2) spaced from the mounting plate. The mounting plate may extend to cover at least substantially the portion of the door likely to be contacted by the foot or shoe when the door handle is used. The abutment face may extend upward or downwardly. In another embodiment, the mounting plate may extend the full width of the door along its bottom.

Description

DOOR HANDLE

The present invention relates to door handles. More particularly it relates to door handles that can be operated using one's foot.

In recent years there has been increasing concern about the risks of disease transmission through touching door handles in public spaces. Various solutions have been proposed for this including door handles incorporating a sanitary cover which is automatically replaced after each use and pedal-operated door-opening mechanisms mounted adjacent a door. There are also available various foot-operated handles which can be fitted towards the bottom of a hinged door near the edge away from the hinges. These handles incorporate an abutment face that can hooked with the top or bottom of the toe of a shoe to pull the door open. They can also be pushed against to close the door.

The aim of the present invention is to provide an improved foot handle which is better in use and easier to install.

According to the present invention there is provided a door handle operable by a foot or shoe to open a hinged door, comprising a mounting plate to be secured to the door and an abutment face spaced from the mounting plate and engageable by a foot or shoe to pull the door open, wherein the mounting plate extends to cover at least substantially the portion of the door likely to be contacted by the foot or shoe when the door handle is used.

Preferably the abutment face is provided by a ledge spaced apart from the mounting plate by a support member.

Preferably the abutment face is provided by a bar spaced from the said mounting plate. Preferably the bar and mounting plate extend substantially the whole width of the door.

Preferably the abutment face is part of an extension portion extending from the mounting plate and configured to be engaged by at least one of a top surface of the foot or shoe and a bottom surface of the foot or shoe.

Preferably the said door handle is fixable to a door by at least five screws passing through the said mounting plate and spaced at least 50mm from each other.

The invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawing in which Figures land 2 show an examples of known foot-operated door handles, Figure 3 shows a first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, Figure 5 shows a further embodiment of the present invention, Figure 6 shows a further embodiment of the present invention and Figure 7 shows a further embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 1 shows a first example of a known foot-operated door handle 1 installed on a hinged door 2. The door handle 1 comprises a mounting plate 3 from which extends a support member 4, supporting a flanges extending upward from the support member 4. The door handle is screwed to the door 2 by means of screws or bolts 6 passing through the mounting plate 3. In use an operator engages their foot or more commonly the toe of their shoe with the flange and uses it to pull the door towards them. The variant shown has an upward extending flange Son which a user will typically push down with the sole of their shoe to give friction against the flange before pulling the handle towards them. Variants are also known with a downward extending flange which can be hooked with the toe of the user's shoe. The mounting 3 plate can also extend either above or below the support member 4.

Figure 2 shows a second example of a known foot-operated door handle 7 fixed to a hinged door 8. In this example the handle comprises a mounting plate 9 fixed to the door by means of screws or bolts 10. Extending from the plate 9 is a first portion 11 of a cylinder which is bent 90 degrees about a vertical axis about 6cm from the mounting plate, to produce a second portion 12 of the cylinder whose axis now runs parallel to the plane of the plate. This portion of the cylinder extends for about 15cm. In use an operator can hook the said second portion 12 of the cylinder with their foot or shoe, either from above or below, to pull the door open.

Both of these known designs have a disadvantage in that a careless user is likely to contact the door surface while using the handle. At present the recommended remedy is more frequent cleaning of the relevant area of the door. Although this has the advantage that the handle gets cleaned as well, rather than being ignored as often happens with handles that are out of the cleaner's normal eyeline, it remains not ideal. Over time the door will get scuffed and become unattractive and worn. The handles are fixed to the door primarily by means of screws. Because of the relatively large forces on door handles there is also supplied a through-bolt that goes the whole way through the door and is held by a nut on the other side. If a handle is fitted on both sides of the door then the bolt will pass through the mounting plates of both handles, spreading the load on both sides. This gives a secure fitment but adds precision and complexity to the installation.

Figure 3 shows a foot-operated door handle 14 incorporating a first embodiment of the present invention, shown fixed to a door 18.. The handle comprises a mounting plate 15, a support member 16 and a flange 17. The mounting plate handle is fixed to the door by means of screws or bolts 19 passing through the mounting plate 15. The mounting plate extends above and to each side of the support member 16, as well as extending below the support member at either end. It extends far enough so that it covers areas of the door likely to be inadvertently kicked when using the foot-operated handle. In the example shown it extends to the near edges of the door and about 15cm upwards as well as 10cm along the door on the side not bounded by an edge. While the mounting plate and handle will still get kicked and dirty they are easier to clean than a door surface. The door is also protected from damage.

Figure 4 shows a variant of the embodiment of Figure 3. In this embodiment the flange 17 is sufficiently long to mean that a user is unlikely to stray off it to the left or right. The mounting plate 15 is therefore approximately the same length as the flange but still covers the area likely to be kicked when the foot-operated handle is used. It remains approximately the same height.

Figure 5 shows a foot-operated handle 20 incorporating a further embodiment of the present invention, shown fixed to a hinged door 21. In this embodiment a mounting plate 22 extends the full width of the door 21 along its bottom. On the mounting plate towards the edge of the door away from the hinge is a U-shaped bracket 23 of circular section. The bracket 23 is dimensioned such that a foot or the toe of a shoe can engage with it and pull the handle towards the user. The mounting plate 22 extends above and below the bracket 23 sufficiently far that it covers the area a user is likely to kick if they use the bracket. The mounting plate 20 is mounted to the door 21 by means of screws. Although only four are shown in the drawing the plate will most typically have screw fixings every 50-200mm around the perimeter of the plate 20.

Many doors in public spaces and elsewhere will include a spring operated closer. However this is not always the case. As well as being usable to pull a door open, the handle of the present invention can be installed on the push side of a door and be used to pull the door closed. Figure 6 shows a variant of the embodiment of Figure 5 adapted to be installed on both sides of a door. In this variant the bracket 23 extends almost the full length of the mounting plate 22. This minimises the risk of a trip hazard at the bottom of the door and means that it can be pushed open by a trolley, for example, without the trolley catching on the bracket 23.

Figure] shows a further embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment the layout is similar to that of Figure 3 but the flange extends downwards rather than upwards. Because the foot-operated handle will be used both to open and to close the door, this embodiment has the mounting plate extending both above and below the support member, protecting the door both during opening and closing.

As described in relation to Figure Sabove, the embodiments shown the respective mounting plates can use their added size compared with the existing foot-operated door handles shown to use a large number of screws -at least five in each case -to fix the handles to the doors sufficiently securely not to need through-bolting while still keeping the screws sufficiently spaced as no not weaken the door unacceptably. This can simplify installation while improving security of fixing.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A door handle operable by a foot or shoe to open a hinged door, comprising a mounting plate to be secured to the door and an abutment face spaced from the mounting plate and engageable by a foot or shoe to pull the door open, characterised in that the mounting plate extends to cover at least substantially the portion of the door likely to be contacted by the foot or shoe when the door handle is used.
2. A door handle as claimed in claim 1 characterised in that the abutment face is provided by a ledge spaced apart from the mounting plate by a support member.
3. A door handle as claimed in claim 1 characterised in that the abutment face is provided by a bar spaced from the said mounting plate.
4. A door handle as claimed in claim 4 characterised in that the bar and mounting plate extend substantially the whole width of the door.
S. A door handle as claimed in any preceding claim characterised in that the abutment face is part of an extension portion extending from the mounting plate and configured to be engaged by at least one of a top surface of the foot or shoe and a bottom surface of the foot or shoe.
6. A door handle as claimed in any preceding claim characterised in that the said mounting plate is adapted to accept at least five fixings spaced at least 50mm from each other whereby to fix the handle to a door.