Door vacancy indicator
AssigneesSteven Mares, Joey Mares
InventorRod Hosilyk
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A stall structure includes a door mounted between two pilasters. The stall also includes an occupancy indicator. The occupancy indicator is engaged by the action of closing the door so that the occupancy indicator changes from indicating the stall as vacant to indicating the stall as occupied. The indicator may include a display having a VACANT indicator and an OCCUPIED indicator. An engagement element may engage the stall structure as the door is closed and move the display from the VACANT indicating position to the OCCUPIED indicating position.
Claims24
An occupancy indicator for use in a stall structure comprising a door, the occupancy indicator comprising:
- (A) a housing;
- (B) a mounting arrangement for mounting the housing to the stall structure;
- (C) a display element retained in the housing, the display element moveable between at least two distinct positions, the at least two distinct positions comprising a vacant indicating position and an occupied indicating position;
- and
- (D) at least one engagement surface operatively connected to the display element so that movement of the engagement surface causes movement of the display element between the vacant indicating position and the occupied indicating position;
- (E) wherein, in use, the mounting arrangement is mounted to the stall structure such that the action of closing the door of the stall structure causes the at least one engagement surface to engage the stall structure and to be moved by the stall structure, wherein the movement of the engagement surface by the action of closing the door of the stall structure causes the display element to move from the vacant indicating position to the occupied indicating position;
- (F) wherein the housing comprises a first aperture for viewing the display element in the vacant indicating position and a second aperture for viewing the display element in the occupied indicating position.
A stall structure comprising:
- (A) a first pilaster;
- (B) a second pilaster;
- (C) a closed door space between the first pilaster and the second pilaster;
- (D) a door hingedly connected to the first pilaster;
- and
- (E) an occupancy indicator comprising:
- (a) a housing comprising a first slot within the housing;
- (b) a mounting arrangement for mounting the housing to the stall structure;
- (c) a slider block that slides within the first slot between a vacant indicating position and an occupied indicating position, the slider block comprising an engagement surface such that movement of the engagement surface causes movement of the slider block between the vacant indicating position and the occupied indicating position;
- (d) wherein, in use, the mounting arrangement is mounted to the stall structure such that the action of closing the door of the stall structure causes the engagement surface to engage the stall structure and to be moved by the stall structure, wherein the movement of the engagement surface by the action of closing the door of the stall structure causes the slider block to move between the vacant indicating position and the occupied indicating position;
- (e) wherein the engagement surface extends from the housing when the door is in the open position.
An occupancy indicator for use in a stall structure comprising a door, the occupancy indicator comprising:
- (A) a housing comprising a first slot within the housing;
- (B) a mounting arrangement for mounting the housing to the stall structure;
- (C) a slider block that slides within the first slot between a vacant indicating position and an occupied indicating position, the slider block comprising a display element and an engagement surface such that movement of the engagement surface causes movement of the slider block between the vacant indicating position and the occupied indicating position;
- and
- (D) wherein, in use, the mounting arrangement is mounted to the stall structure such that the action of closing the door of the stall structure causes the engagement surface to engage the stall structure and to be moved by the stall structure, wherein the movement of the engagement surface by the action of closing the door of the stall structure causes the slider block to move between the vacant indicating position and the occupied indicating position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.