Door knob

• US 4,981,314 A
• Filed: 02/06/1989
• Issued: 01/01/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Anthony L. Carr
• Original Assignee: Anthony L. Carr
• Inventors: Carr, Anthony L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Richard E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Milano, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US07/306,637
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• Field of Search: D 8/300, D 8/301, D 8/302, D 8/305, D 8/310, D 8/321, D 8/322, 292/347, 292/336.3, 70/224, 250/466.1, 362/100, 116/9, 116/10, 116/139, 116/142, 116/153
• US Class Current: 292/347
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 1/0007 Knobs E05B1/0015, E05B1/0053, E05B1/0061, E05B1/0069 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 17/106 fluorescent
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/82 Knobs

Abstract

A door knob has a generally spherical flattened configuration with a front face provided with a representation of a human eye. The eye may be integrally formed with the door knob or bonded thereto. Various portions of the eye may be treated with a luminescent or phosphorescent paint such that the eye will glow in the dark. The door knob serves as a novelty item which also functions as an indicator for the position of the door knob at night due to the luminescent or phosphorescent treatment. In a second embodiment, the human eye representation is separately formed as a cylindrical plug rotatably mounted in a circular aperture formed through a front face of the door knob. A key hole is formed centrally through the pupil of the eye in alignment with a conventional lock cylinder. The glowing eye serves as a position indicator at night time to indicate the position of the key hole. In a third embodiment of the invention, the human eye is mounted for limited axial movement and serves to actuate a bellows type sound producing mechanism within the door knob.

Claims

1. A door knob, comprising:

a knob portion having a hollow interior and a front face;

an aperture formed through said front face of said knob portion and communicating with said hollow interior;

a representation of a human eye received for limited reciprocal axial movement through said aperture into said hollow interior;

a shank portion connected to said knob portion;

said shank portion having an elongated recess communicating with said hollow interior;

means for securing said shank portion to a shaft of a conventional door latch mechanism;

a bellows in said hollow interior of said knob portion, said bellows having an air outlet orifice configured to produce sound upon contraction of said bellows, said air outlet orifice disposed in alignment with said elongated recess in said shank for directing sound waves through said shank into a room interior;

an inner face of said human eye representation secured to one end of said bellows;

said bellows formed from a resilient material and axially outwardly biasing said human eye representation through said aperture in said knob portion; and

a radially extending retaining flange formed on an inner face of said human eye representation for retaining said human eye representation partially within said knob portion.

2. The door knob of claim 1, wherein said human eye representation is at least partially treated with a luminescent or phosphorescent material.