US2044904A - Sanitary doorknor - Google Patents

Description

z 936. M. Hm; 2,044,904

SANITARY DOQRKNOB Filed March 12, 1935 lNVE NTO R MAX HEI'SIG Patented June 23, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 15 Claims.

The invention relates to an antiseptic door knob of general application and particularly designed for use on the doors of toilets, cabinets and like situations where a person with soiled hands is required to rotate a knob.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a simplified means for automatically supplying to the hands of the user a restricted and minute amount of a liquid antiseptic as an instant of the user rotating the knob. The invention particularly features the supply of the antiseptic solution in such minute quantities as will prevent any objectionable amount of moisture being added to the hands, and the designing of the knob so that even the small amount of antiseptic discharged will be for the most part wiped off on the knob itself, thus maintaining the knob more or less covered at all times with a thin film of antiseptic and which by surface-evaporation will tend to maintain fumes of the antiseptic in the vicinity.

The invention further features the providing of means for maintaining a supplemental supply of the antiseptic housed within the door construction and if desired even looked in position to defeat theft of the antiseptic solution.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious from an inspection of the accompanying drawing and in part will be more fully set forth in the following pa ticular description of one form of knob embodying the invention, and the invention also consists in certain new and novel features of con- .struction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view-taken through .a hollow door knob constituting a preferred embodiment of the invention and taken at its midwidth and on the line l--! of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the door knob of Fig. 1 taken axially of the supporting knob bolt and taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow; and V i Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of an edge of a door showing a modified form of the invention from'the preferred form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 housed within the outline of the door and with --parts broken away to show normally hidden structure.

In the drawing and first referring to the simpler form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2 there is disclosed a hollow doorknob ll) of the usual ellipsoidal form and provided at diametrically opposite points in its circumference of maximum circular cross section shown in Fig. 1 with a, pair of round headed protuberants or finger engaging projections H and I2 adapted to act as stops engaged by the fingers of the hand of the user in the normal act of rotating the knob. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the lower portion of the knob is formed solid and the upper hollow space is divided by means of a vertically extending partition l3 disposed in a plane containing the axis of the knob spindle i4 and arranged to divide the upper portion of the knob into two liquid containing compartments l5 and Hi. It is suggested however that the entire knob be formed hollow or that an additional horizontal partition be used to define the bottom l8 and thus avoid the necessity of maintaining the lower part of the knob filled with liquid. Even in this case however sufiicient liquid will be splashed up on the interior faces of the walls I! in the act of rotating the knob and this splashed liquid will adhere to the wall and in flowing down will fill the vents i 8 and 20.

The outer wall ll of each compartment is reduced in thickness as it approaches the bottom l8 of each compartment and through this thin lower portion of the wall I! is drilled a fine diametered and short discharge vent IQ for the compartment l5 and a similar vent 20 for the compartment Hi. It will be understood that except for these fine discharge vents at the bottom of each compartment, the compartment is otherwise closed so that there is formed a compartment without a balancing air vent on the upper portion. These discharge vents are of extremely small discharging capacity and in one form of the invention the vent is about one-thirty-second of an inch in diameter and one-sixteenth of an inch in length.

The compartments are filled with a watery solution of a suitable antiseptic, preferably by the use of a pressure syringe introducing the liquid into each of the discharge vents which in this case function as filling vents and the liquid as intruded raised in the compartment as indicated. Due to the small diameter of the vent the liquid does not flow freely therethrough and as a matter of fact there is no leakage from the compartment whatsoever. However, in the act of passing his fingers across the outer face of the vent incidental to rotating the knob the operator withdraws through the vent, apparently by a frictional or perhaps by an adhesion action, a minute quantity of the antiseptic solution. The

amount discharged at each actuation of the knob is so minute as not to objectionably wet the hand of the user, but is sufficient to provide the requisite sterilizing or perhaps just a tendency towards sterilization of the operators hand particularly in that part which actually contacted with the handle.

In the more pretentious form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 3, means are provided for carrying a reserve supply of the antiseptic liquid so as to maintain the knob, or knobs as in the illustrated case, with the antiseptic solution for a longer period of time than is possible with the more limited capacity of the knob containing compartments [5 and it. In Fig. 3 there is disclosed a door 2! of conventional design provided with a knob set 22 including a pair of knobs 23 and 24 similar to the knob disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2 except that the partition 53 is omitted and there is but one compartment in each knob. The knob set includes the usual squared knob spindle 25 at the outer end of which the knobs 22 and 23 are conventionally secured so that the knobs disclose no evidence of their function featured herein. The spindle illustrated however distinguishes from conventional forms of such spindles in that it is provided with a liquid conveying bore 26 extending axially therethrough and opening at opposite ends into the interiors of the knobs 22 and 23. The spindle is also provided with a short upstanding nipple 21 positioned within the outlines of the door and located in the space between one side of the door and the conventional lock mechanism indicated at 28 and concealed by the usual face plate 29 secured by screws 30.

The portion of the door edge just above the lock and knob set is recessed to form a compartment 3! in turn closed by means of a face plate 32 secured by screws 33 or locked in closed position by means of a lock indicated at 34. Within the compartment is mounted a reservoir or receptacle 35 resting on a seat 36 and provided at its lower end with a discharge'nipple 3! offset from the seat. A discharge tube 38 preferably a glass tube is demountably secured in place by spring clips 39, has its upper end demountably attached by means of a short rubber collar 40 to the nipple 31 and leads downwardly towards the nipple 21. A flexible rubber tube 4! has its upper end telescoped on the lower end of the tube 38 and has its lower end in telescopic engagement with the nipple 21 so as to maintain the fluid conduit between the reservoir 35 and the bore 26 of the bolt in all rotated positions of the knob.

In operation it will be understood that from time to time the reservoir 35 is filled with some suitable antiseptic solution. The solution is free to flow through the connecting tube 38, through the bore 26 of the spindle and into' hollow spaces in the knobs from which it is permitted to be Withdrawn through the discharge vent l9 and 20 as has been hereinbefore described for the simpler form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

By means of the device of the type herein described, it is possible to maintain the door knobs of closets and other compartments in a sanitary condition and disposed to supply a limited amount of antiseptic to the hands of the user automatically as an incident of rotating the knob and no more solution is used up than is necessary to meet the current demands.

While there has been shown, described and pointed out in the annexed claims, certain novel features of theinvention, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a door provided at its free edge with a knob set including a knob spindle extending through the door and provided with a liquid conducting bore extending axially therethrough, a nipple opening into said bore within the outlines of the door, a pair of hollow knobs engaging opposite ends of the bolt and each adapted to receive the liquid discharge from the bore, the edge of the door above the knob set being recessed and having a face plate closing said recess, a receptacle contained in the recess and provided with a discharge nipple, means forming a conduit within the outline of the door, said means being detachably connected at its upper end to the receptacle nipple and similarly attached at its lower end to the spindle nipple, the lower poriton of said conduit means being formed of rubber to provide a flexible connection with the spindle nipple thereby to permit the conventional rotary movement of the knob bolt.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a door provided at its free edge with a knob set including a knob spindle extending through the door and provided with a liquid conducting bore extending axially therethrough, a nipple opening into said bore within the outlines of the door, a pair of hollow knobs engaging opposite ends of the spindle and each adapted to receive the liquid discharge from the bore, the edge of the door above the knob set being recessed and having a face plate closing said recess, a receptacle contained in the recess and provided with a discharge nipple, means forming a conduit within the outline of the door, said means being detachably connected at its upper end to the receptacle nipple and similarly attached at its lower end to the spindle nipple.

3. A door provided adjacent its free edge with a covered recess and a knob set including a hollow knob and a knob spindle with the knob mounted on one end of the spindle and the spindle in turn mounted in the door below said recess, a liquid reservoir housed in said recess, said spindle provided with a liquid passageway dischargr ing into the interior of the knob and said knob provided with a vent for discharging its contents to the exterior of the knob, and means housed within the door forming a conduit leading from the reservoir to the passageway in the spindle, said means including a flexible connection with the knob spindle to permit the spindle to rotate conventionally while maintaining the flow between the reservoir and the discharge vent.

4. A door provided adjacent its free edge with a covered recess and a knob set including a hollow knob and a knob spindle with the knob mounted on one end of the spindle and the spindle in turn mounted in the door below said recess, a liquid reservoir housed in said recess, said spindle provided with a liquid passageway discharging into the interior of the knob and said knob provided with a vent for discharging its contents to the exterior of the knob, and means housed within the door forming a conduit leading from the reservoir to the passageway in the spindle.

5. A door provided adjacent its free edge with a recess and a knob set including a knob and a knob spindle mounted in the door below the recess, said knob provided with a liquid discharge vent and means forming a reservoir in the recess and including a conduit leading from said reservoir for supplying an antiseptic solution to the discharge vent.

6. A sanitary door knob provided with a compartment for containing a liquid antiseptic and having a discharge vent leading from the lower portion of the compartment to the exterior surface of the knob, said vent being extremely restricted in both diameter and length having a diameter of approximately one-thirty-second of an inch and having a length of approximately one-sixteenth of an inch thereby to defeat any tendency of a watery liquid from flowing freely through said vent but permitting a restrained discharge of the liquid when the operator's hand is passed over the outer end of the vent.

7. A sanitary door knob provided with a compartment for containing a liquid antiseptic and having a single discharge vent leading from the lower portion of the compartment to the exterior surface of the knob and said compartment being otherwise free of discharge vents and provided on its outer side with a hand engaging area continuous except for the single discharge vent.

8. A hollow door knob of conventional ellipsoidal form having an external hand engaging surface, and provided at diametrically opposite points in its circumference of maximum circular cross section with two finger engaging projections and liquid discharge vents extending through each of said projections for feeding liquid from the interior of the knob to the operators fingers as they engage said projections in the act of rotating the knob.

9. A sanitary hollow door knob provided with a small liquid discharge vent opening through a hand engaging portion of the knob for automatically supplying a minute quantity of a liquid antiseptic confined to that portion of the hand of the person engaging the knob which is opposite the vent in the act of rotating the knob, and means within the knob for maintaining a constant supply of the liquid antiseptic to said discharge vent.

10. A door knob provided with a liquid discharge vent opening on to an exterior handengaging surface of the knob and a reservoir for supplying liquid to said vent.

11. In a door provided with a door knob, means for supplying an antiseptic solution to a portion of the knob which is likely to be grasped by the operator, a reservoir of such solution contained Within the outlines of the door and a conduit for supplying said means from the reservoir in all operative, rotative positions of the knob.

12. A door knob provided with a reservoir for containing a supply of an antiseptic solution and means including a discharge vent leading from the reservoir for feeding a limited amount of the solution to the operators hand automatically as the hand engages the knob in the act of rotating it.

13. A hollow door knob provided with an integral mounting shank for engaging with the knob bolt, an upstanding partition extending approximately in the vertical plane containing the axis of the shank and dividing the interior of the knob into two liquid containing compartments, each compartment provided with a single small diametered discharge vent adjacent its lower portion, said vents being at diametrically opposite sides of the perimeter of the knob and normally located in the horizontal plane containing the axis of the shank.

14. A hollow door knob provided with an integral mounting shank for engaging with the knob bolt, an upstanding partition extending approximately in the vertical plane containing the axis of the shank and dividing the interior of the knob into two liquid containing compartments, each compartment provided with a single small diametered discharge vent adjacent its lower portion.

15. A hollow door knob having therein a compartment forming a reservoir for a body of liquid, a small diametered discharge vent leading from the lower portion of the compartment and the compartment being otherwise closed.

MAX HEISIG.

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