Knee-Actuated Door Bolt for Hands-Free Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing door systems lack practical mechanisms for locking or unlocking without direct hand contact, which is necessary to prevent germ transmission and are often costly or require significant installation space.
Innovation Solution
A door locking device with a bolt positioned at a user-friendly height for knee operation, incorporating a pusher means and a pull plate extension for foot actuation, allowing hands-free locking and unlocking, and optionally a pedal for foot-operated latch disengagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If automatic doors with motion sensors or weight sensors are used to enable hands-free operation, then hygiene is improved and hand contact is reduced, but installation cost increases and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex electronic sensor systems (motion sensors, weight sensors) with a simple mechanical knee-actuated bolt mechanism. The user's knee pressure directly moves the bolt through a pusher means, eliminating the need for sensors, control electronics, and power sources while achieving the same hands-free operation goal
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the user's own body (knee) as the actuating mechanism, eliminating the need for external sensors or control systems. The knee pressure itself serves as the input signal to operate the locking mechanism, making the system self-contained and requiring no external infrastructure
2Object-affected harmful factors
If doors are designed to be pushed with foot or shoulder to enable hands-free operation, then hygiene is improved, but installation space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent localizes the foot-actuation function to a specific small area (the pusher means positioned near the bottom of the door) rather than requiring the entire door to be pushable. This concentrates the hands-free operation capability in a compact zone, minimizing the space required while maintaining hygiene benefits
3Ease of operation
If the bolt is positioned at a height accessible by knee pressure, then ease of operation is improved for hands-free locking, but the structural requirements of the door may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the bolt mechanism with the existing door structure by integrating it into the handle assembly. The bolt, pusher means, and related components are combined with the handle, utilizing the existing structural elements of the door rather than requiring separate reinforcement or additional structural support
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a device (200) for locking a door, which comprises: a bolt (40) comprising a bar (52) configured to engage in a housing secured to the frame (80) accommodating the door and a pusher means secured to the bar (41) and spaced apart from the bar by a stem and in which the bolt is positioned on the door at a height relative to the foot of the door of between thirty and eighty centimetres, such that the bar of the bolt can be engaged with or disengaged from the housing secured to the frame by pressure applied by a user's knee against the pusher means.