Door handles including hand sanitizer delivery systems, and related methods

• US 9,719,274 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2015
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ascension Health Alliance
• Original Assignee: Seton Healthcare Family
• Inventors: Allred, James, French, C. Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Nicolas, Frederick C
• Application Number:
  US14/705,073
• Publication Number:
  US 20160230418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 11/1052 Actuation means locking means therefor B05B11/1059; the dispensing stroke being affected by the stored energy of a spring B05B11/109
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 47/40 with drip catchers or drip-preventing means
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 1/0069 Sanitary doorknobs or handles, e.g. comprising a disinfectant
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 15/0033 Spindles for handles, e.g. square spindles
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 17/0041 Damping means for vehicles E05B77/42; time locks with retarders E05B43/00
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 17/0045 Silencing devices; Noise reduction resilient strikers E05B15/022; for vehicles E05B77/36
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/42 Means for damping the movement of lock parts, e.g. slowing down the return movement of a handle E05B77/38 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 1/12 with operating handle or equivalent member moving otherwise than rigidly with the latch
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 1/14 the handle or member moving essentially towards or away from the plane of the wing or frame
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/5762 With leakage or drip collecting

Abstract

Some embodiments of the present door handles include a housing, a hand sanitizer delivery system coupled to the housing, the hand sanitizer delivery system having a reservoir configured to contain hand sanitizer, a nozzle in selective fluid communication with the reservoir, and a pump configured to communicate hand sanitizer from the reservoir to the nozzle, and a first lever movably coupled to the housing, where the housing is configured to be mounted to a door having a movable latch such that movement of the first lever a first distance in a first direction actuates the door latch, and where the hand sanitizer delivery system can be actuated independently of the door latch. In some embodiments, the housing is configured to be mounted to the door such that movement of the first lever a second distance, smaller than the first distance, in the first direction actuates the hand sanitizer delivery system.

Claims

1. A door handle comprising:

a housing;

a hand sanitizer delivery system coupled to the housing, the hand sanitizer delivery system comprising;

a reservoir configured to contain hand sanitizer;

a nozzle in selective fluid communication with the reservoir; and

a pump configured to communicate hand sanitizer from the reservoir to the nozzle; and

a first lever movably coupled to the housing;

where the housing is configured to be mounted to a door having a movable latch such that;

movement of the first lever a first distance in a first direction actuates the door latch; and

the hand sanitizer delivery system can be actuated independently of the door latch.

2. The door handle of claim 1, where the first direction is away from the door.

3. The door handle of any of claim 1, where the first direction is towards the door.

4. The door handle of claim 1, where:

the door handle comprises a sensor configured to capture data indicative of a presence of an object beneath the nozzle; and

the hand sanitizer delivery system is configured to actuate based, at least in part, on data captured by the sensor.

5. The door handle of claim 4, where at least a portion of the first lever extends above the nozzle such that the first lever can be moved relative to the housing without actuating the hand sanitizer delivery system.

6. The door handle of claim 5, where the first lever comprises:

a first portion; and

a second portion extending from the first portion and above the nozzle;

where the second portion is disposed at a non-parallel angle relative to the first portion.

7. The door handle of claim 1, where the housing is configured to be mounted to the door having the movable latch such that movement of the first lever a second distance in the first direction actuates the hand sanitizer delivery system, the second distance being smaller than the first distance.

8. The door handle of claim 1, comprising:

a second lever movably coupled to the housing and configured such that;

movement of the first lever the first distance in the first direction moves the second lever to actuate the door latch; and

movement of the first lever relative to the second lever a second distance in the first direction actuates the hand sanitizer delivery system, the second distance being smaller than the first distance.

9. The door handle of claim 8, where the first lever is spaced apart from the second lever in a second direction that is opposite the first direction.

10. The door handle of claim 8, where movement of the first lever the second distance in the first direction does not move the second lever.

11. The door handle of claim 8, where movement of the second lever does not move the first lever.

12. The door handle of claim 8, where the first direction is away from the door.

13. The door handle of claim 12, where the first lever comprises a projection configured to engage the second lever.

14. The door handle of claim 8, where the first direction is towards the door.

15. The door handle of claim 14, where the first lever defines a recess configured to receive at least a portion of the second lever.

16. The door handle of claim 14, where the second lever defines a recess configured to receive at least a portion of the first lever.

17. The door handle of claim 1, comprising a drip tray coupled to the housing and disposed below the nozzle.

18. The door handle of claim 1, comprising a speaker configured to emit a sound upon actuation of the hand sanitizer delivery system.

19. A door handle comprising:

a housing;

a hand sanitizer delivery system coupled to the housing, the hand sanitizer delivery system comprising;

a reservoir configured to contain hand sanitizer;

a nozzle in selective fluid communication with the reservoir; and

a pump configured to communicate hand sanitizer from the reservoir to the nozzle;

a first lever movably coupled to the housing; and

a second lever movably coupled to the housing;

where the housing is configured to be mounted to a door having a movable latch such that;

movement of the first lever a first distance in a first direction moves the second lever to actuate the door latch; and

movement of the first lever relative to the second lever a second distance in the first direction actuates the hand sanitizer delivery system, the second distance being smaller than the first distance.

20. A door handle assembly comprising:

a first door handle disposed on a first side of the door, the first door handle comprising;

a housing;

a hand sanitizer delivery system coupled to the housing, the hand sanitizer delivery system comprising;

a reservoir configured to contain hand sanitizer;

a nozzle in selective fluid communication with the reservoir; and

a pump configured to communicate hand sanitizer from the reservoir to the nozzle; and

a first lever movably coupled to the housing;

where the housing is configured to be mounted to a door having a movable latch such that;

movement of the first lever a first distance in a first direction actuates the door latch; and

the hand sanitizer delivery system can be actuated independently of the door latch;

where the first direction of the first door handle is away from the door; and

a second door handle disposed on a second side of the door, the second door handle comprising;

a housing;

a hand sanitizer delivery system coupled to the housing, the hand sanitizer delivery system comprising;

a reservoir configured to contain hand sanitizer;

a nozzle in selective fluid communication with the reservoir; and

a pump configured to communicate hand sanitizer from the reservoir to the nozzle; and

a first lever movably coupled to the housing;

where the housing is configured to be mounted to a door having a movable latch such that;

movement of the first lever a first distance in a first direction actuates the door latch; and

the hand sanitizer delivery system can be actuated independently of the door latch;

where the first direction of the second door handle is away from the door; and

where the first door handle is configured such that movement of the first lever the first distance in the first direction of the first door handle actuates the door latch; and

where the second door handle is configured such that movement of the first lever the first distance in the first direction of the second door handle actuates the door latch.

21. A method comprising:

moving a first lever of a door handle a first distance in a first direction to actuate a door latch;

moving the first lever a second distance in the first direction to actuate a hand sanitizer delivery system coupled to the door handle without actuating the door latch;

where the second distance is smaller than the first distance; and

where moving the first lever the first distance moves a second lever of the door handle to actuate the door latch.