Doorknob anti-rotation device

• US 4,869,305 A
• Filed: 12/14/1988
• Issued: 09/26/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jones, Mark T.
• Original Assignee: Jones, Mark T.
• Inventors: Jones, Mark T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Price, William
• Application Number:
  US07/284,163
• Time in Patent Office: 286 Days
• Field of Search: 150/155, 292/347, 292/DIG. 2, 16/DIG. 2, 16/DIG. 30, 16/DIG. 12
• US Class Current: 150/155
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 13/001 Covers preventing access to handles or keys
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/02 Auxiliary knob slip covers, guards

Abstract

A doorknob cover that defeats facile rotation of a doorknob. Two layers of cloth or other low friction material are placed in juxtaposition with one another and joined at their respective outermost peripheral edges. A second attachment is made between the materials just radially inwardly of the outermost peripheral edge to form a toroidal cavity to receive a drawstring. The device is placed over a doorknob and the opposite ends of the drawstrings are tied together tightly so that the device cannot be removed from the doorknob unless the knot is first untied. Young children are unable to rotate a doorknob covered by the device due to the double layer of cloth and the low frictional engagement between the inner piece of cloth and the doorknob.

Claims

1. A device that defeats facile rotation of a doorknob, comprising:

a first piece of flexible material having cloth-like properties;

said first piece of material having a predetermined geometrical configuration and having a predetermined size sufficient to overlie the front, sides and back of a doorknob when wrapped thereabout;

a second piece of flexible material having cloth-like properties;

said second piece of material having generally the same geometrical configuration and size of said first piece of material;

said second piece of material being disposed in overlying relation to said first piece of material so that the respective outermost peripheral edges of said first and second pieces of material are in registration with one another when said first and second pieces of material are generally conformed to the shape of a doorknob;

first closure means joining the respective outermost peripheral edges of said first and second pieces of material to one another;

second closure means, spaced radially inwardly from said first closure means, joining said first and second pieces of material to one another;

a passageway means being formed between and defined by said first and second closure means;

an opening formed in said passageway means;

an elongate drawstring means received within said passageway means;

opposite ends of said drawstring means protruding through said opening;

a doorknob-receiving cavity means defined by said first piece of material when said first and second pieces of material are wrapped around a doorknob, said cavity means generally conforming to the configuration and size of a doorknob; and

said cavity means having a mouth portion the size of which is made smaller when said drawstring means opposite ends are pulled;

whereby said device is secured to a doorknob by enlarging the size of said mouth portion of said cavity means so that said cavity means receives said doorknob, reducing the size of the mouth portion of said cavity means by pulling the opposite ends of said drawstring means until said mouth portion substantially closes around a stem portion of said doorknob, and tying a knot to secure the opposite ends of said drawstring means to one another so that a child cannot separate the device from the doorknob.

2. The device of claim wherein said material has a very low degree of friction when disposed in frictional engagement with a doorknob.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the predetermined configuration of said first and second pieces of material is generally circular.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein said first and second closure means are sewed stitches formed by thread.

5. The device of claim 2, wherein said first and second pieces of material are formed of cloth.

6. The device of claim 2, wherein said second piece of material is slightly larger in diameter than said first piece of material.

7. The device of claim 2, wherein said first and second pieces of material are formed of acrylic.

8. The device of claim 2, wherein said first and second pieces of material are formed of goatskin.

9. The device of claim 2, wherein said first and second pieces of material are formed of a shammy material.

10. The device of claim 2, wherein said first and second piece of material are formed of cotton.

11. The device of claim 2, wherein said first and second pieces of material are formed of a cotton/polyester blend.