US3174788A

US3174788A - Door knob cover

Info

Publication number: US3174788A
Application number: US258077A
Authority: US
Inventors: Mark H Williams
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-02-12
Filing date: 1963-02-12
Publication date: 1965-03-23
Anticipated expiration: 1982-03-23

Description

March 23, 1965 M. H. WILLIAMS 3,174,788

DOOR KNOB COVER Filed Feb. 12. 1963 INVENTOR.

3,174,788 DGGR KNOB COVER Mark H. Williams, 1323 W. Francis, Spokane, Wash. Filed Feb. 12, 1963, Ser. No. 258,077 1 Claim. (Cl. 292-347) This invention relates to closures and, more particularly, to a safety device for door knobs.

it is an object of the present invention to provide an accessory for use on door knobs which will prevent young children from opening doors or turning faucets, so as to prevent the opening of such doors or faucets which could lead to injury or harm.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a door knob cover of the type described which can be readily applied and removed from the door knob or faucet handle, and which when so applied may be squeezed by an older person to effect turning of the knob or faucet, but which will effectively prevent actuation by younger children.

A more general object of the invention is to provide an improved door knob cover which will produce new and unusual results in this particular art.

These and still other objects of the present invention will become apparent from a reading and study of the following specification and claim, taken together with the accompanying drawings in which like parts are referred to and indicated by like reference characters appearing throughout the specification and drawings, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of a door knob cover made in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the opposite side of the door knob cover shown in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a front plan view of the assembly shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, in actual use.

Referring now to the drawing, a door knob cover made in accordance with the present invention is shown to include a pair of substantially

semi-spheroidal elements

12, 14 defining an enlarged interior housing for receiving a door knob or faucet handle therewithin. These

elements

12, 14 are hingedly connected together along one side, by means of a flexible hinge member 16 which yieldably urges the elements toward a closed position around the handle.

The opposite side of the

elements

12, 14, defines a parting line 18, which is separable to allow insertion of the knob into the interior enclosure of the cover. The base of the

closure element

12, 14 is provided with a thickened section 20 to provide a degree of rigidity for holding the shape of the cover around the knob handle. The

elements

12, 14 are preferably constructed from a compressible sponge-type material, such as foam rubber or plastic, which can be manually squeezed to transmit a squeezing pressure from the hand to the knob or handle by a person having sufficient strength. Of course, a younger child will not be able to exert sufficient squeezing pressure to cause frictional engagement of the cover with the knob or handle.

With the

elements

12, 14 in the handle enclosing position, the one element 14 has a flap 22 extending across the face and part of the sides thereof which masks the seam line 18 of the assembly.

A latch assembly, enclosed within a protective cover 28, has a pair of outwardly extending stems 26 for releasing the latch mechanism to facilitate the opening of nited States Pater the two

pieces

12, 14, from enclosing engagement with the knob, and from around the shaft of the handle or knob which is received within the central opening 24 of the cover.

The stems 26 may also be used to spread the hinged elements 12, 14-, apart to facilitate the application or removal thereof with respect to the door knob or handle.

It will now be recognized that when supplied to the knob or handle, the assembly It will be loose fitting thereupon so as to be free-turning when rotated by a small child. However, an older child or adult may exert a squeezing pressure upon the cover assembly 10 to provide frictional engagement with the door knob or handle to facilitate the actuation of the door latch in a conventional manner. This device will therefore prevent small children from opening doors and valves, or the like, whenever the cover is supplied.

It will now be clear that an improvement in this art has been provided which accomplishes the objectives heretofore set forth. While the invention has been disclosed in its preferred form, it is to be understood that the specific embodiment thereof as disclosed and illustrated herein is not to be considered in a limited sense as there may be other forms or modifications which should also be construed to come within the scope of the appended claim.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

A safety door knob cover comprising in combination a pair of hollow, substantially semicylindrical elements, each of said elements being semi-spheriodal at one end and each having a generally flat opposite end wall of semicircular configuration for loosely enveloping a knob of a door, hinge means hingeably connecting one cylindrical side of each of said elements together and a latch means on the opposite cylindrical side for releasably securing the said opposite side of said elements together, each of said flat, semicircular end walls defining a thickened panel to give a degree of rigidity for holding the shape of the cover around a door knob handle, a semicircular opening in each said semicircular end wall defining together a circular opening for receiving a shaft of a door knob therethrough, said hollow, semicylindrical elements comprising compressible pads defining an enlarged interior housing freely receiving a door knob therewithin, said hinge means comprising a flexible strip carried by said one side of said elements yieldably urging said elements towards a closed position about a door knob, said latch means comprising a radially outwardly extending arcuate housing on each said element, said housing of each said element together containing a latch mechanism for releasably securing said opposite sides of said elements, and each said element having a radially outwardly extending stem for releasing said mechanism.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,329,913 2/20 McGuire -212 2,587,285 2/52 Broscoe 292-347 2,845,104 7/58 Frankel.

M. HENSON WOOD, 111., Primary Examiner.

ALBERT H. KAMPE, Examiner.