Device to assist in closing doors, and biasing mechanism for same
AssigneeTony Awad
InventorTony AWAD
Life of this patent
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Abstract
There is provided a device to facilitate closing doors for people who use wheelchairs or have other mobility challenges. The device can be secured to an internal or external door surface using conventional means, at a height similar to the height of a typical door handle, but closer to the hinges than a typical door handle. The device comprises a base portion for securing the device to the door surface, an arm extending from the base portion, and a handle at the distal end of the arm. During operation, the device allows a person in a wheelchair to close the door by grabbing the handle of the device without positioning the wheelchair within the door frame. There is also provided a biasing device to return the arm to a biased position.
Claims17
A device comprising:
- a base having a flat surface and a bottom portion;
- an arm extending from the base, the arm comprises a proximal end and a distal end, with the arm being secured to the base via a pivoting axis allowing the arm to pivot with respect to the base;
- a handle at the distal end of the arm;
- the arm including a cavity therein at the proximal end of the arm;
- and biasing means configured to bias the arm in a direction towards a first position where the arm is substantially parallel to the base, wherein the biasing means includes:
- a spring within the cavity of the arm;
- a concave ramp extending upwardly from the bottom portion, the concave ramp having a first end and a second end;
- and
- a rigid member positioned against the spring and extending out from the cavity to engage with the concave ramp;
- wherein the radial distance from the pivoting axis to the first end of the concave ramp is greater than the radial distance from the pivoting axis to any other point of the concave ramp, thus allowing the rigid member to extend the furthest out of the arm cavity when the arm is substantially parallel to the flat surface.
A biasing device, comprising:
- a base having a flat surface and a bottom portion;
- an element extending in a longitudinal direction from the base, the element comprising a proximal end and a distal end, with the element being secured to the base via a pivoting axis allowing the element to pivot with respect to the base;
- the element including a cavity therein at the proximal end of the element;
- and
- biasing means configured to bias the element towards a biased position, wherein the biasing means includes:
- a spring within the cavity of the element;
- a concave ramp extending upwardly from the bottom portion, the concave ramp having a lower first end and an upper second end;
- and
- a rigid member positioned against the spring and extending out from the cavity to engage with the concave ramp;
- wherein the radial distance from the pivoting axis to the concave ramp is greatest when the element is in the biased position, thus allowing the rigid member to extend the furthest out of the cavity when the element is in the biased position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.