Abstract:
A portable public restroom door lock for holding stall doors of restrooms closed when the locking system normally provided for the door is inoperative. The device comprises opposed metal or plastic elastic arm members that can be squeezed together and slidably positioned between the stall door and the stall wall and then released to engage the stall door and the stall wall to hold the stall door in closed relationship with the stall wall.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 60/932,038, filed May 29, 2007. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a portable door lock and more particularly to a portable public restroom door lock for holding stall doors of restrooms closed when the locking system provided is inoperative. 
     It is not uncommon for public restrooms to be poorly maintained and to find restroom stall door locks to be inoperative. This renders the restroom stall difficult and uncomfortable to use because the door will not remain in a closed position. 
     It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a portable public restroom door lock. 
     Another object is to provide such a lock which is small and compact in size and which can conveniently be carried in a purse or on the person of a user. 
     A further object of the invention is the provision of such a lock which can be quickly and easily utilized to lock a public restroom door in a closed position when the restroom door lock is inoperative. 
     Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages are realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     To achieve these and other objects, the present invention provides a portable door lock for holding a hinged public restroom stall door in a closed position, the lock comprising: a first elastic arm member defining first and second ends; a second elastic arm member defining third and fourth ends; the first and third ends connected together at a location to form an acute angle with each other at the location and with the second and fourth ends normally spaced apart from each other; a third arm member connected to the second end and extending perpendicularly from the first arm member, a fourth arm member connected to the first arm member, located a first predetermined distance from the third arm member and extending perpendicularly from the first arm member; a fifth arm member connected to the fourth end and extending perpendicularly from the second arm member, and a sixth arm member connected to the second arm member, located a second predetermined distance from the fifth arm member and extending perpendicularly from the second arm member. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing the lock of this invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a fragmentary perspective view showing the lock in use; 
         FIG. 3  is a fragmentary perspective view showing the lock in position between a restroom stall door and a restroom stall wall; and 
         FIG. 4  is a fragmentary top plan view showing the lock in position between a restroom stall door and a restroom stall wall. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown a portable door lock  10  in accordance with this invention for holding a conventional hinged public restroom stall door  12  in a closed position with respect to a conventional public restroom stall wall  14 . 
     In accordance with the invention, lock  10  includes a first elongated, elastic arm member  16  defining first and second ends  18 ,  20 , respectively. 
     Lock  10  further includes a second elongated, elastic arm member  22  defining third and fourth ends  24 ,  26 , respectively. 
     First and third ends  18 ,  24  are conventionally connected together at location  28  to form an acute angle A with each other with second and fourth ends  20 ,  26  normally spaced apart from each other. (See  FIG. 4 .) 
     Further in accordance with the invention, a third arm member  30  is conventionally connected to second end  20  and extends outwardly and perpendicularly from first arm member  16 . 
     A fourth arm member  32  is also conventionally connected to first arm member  16 , and is located a first predetermined distance from third arm member  30 . Fourth arm member  32  also extends perpendicularly and outwardly from first arm member  16 . 
     A fifth arm member  34  is conventionally connected to fourth end  26  and extends perpendicularly and outwardly from second arm member  22 . 
     A sixth arm member  36  is similarly conventionally connected to second arm member  22  and is located a second predetermined distance from fifth arm member  34 . Sixth arm member  36  extends perpendicularly and outwardly from second arm member  22 . 
     Further in accordance with the invention, the first and second predetermined distances are each greater than the thicknesses of conventional restroom stall doors  12  and conventional restroom stall walls  14 , respectively. 
     First elongated arm member  16  defines a lengthwise dimension between second end  20  and location  28  equal to the lengthwise dimension of second arm member  22  between fourth end  26  and location  28 . Arm members  16 ,  22  are elastic in directions substantially parallel with respect to arm members  30 ,  32  and arm members  34 ,  36 , respectively, and perpendicular to their lengthwise dimensions for enabling a user of lock  10  to squeeze arm members  16 ,  22  together such that second and fourth ends  20 ,  26  are positioned in contacting, or nearly contacting, relationship with each other. (See  FIG. 2 .) 
     Arm members  16 ,  22  are further dimensioned for enabling them to be slidably positioned between a conventional public restroom door  12  and a conventional public restroom stall wall  14  when arm members  16 ,  22  are squeezed together by a user. 
     Lock  10  further includes first and second handle grip portions  38 ,  40 , respectively, of arm members  16 ,  22 , respectively, for enabling a user to comfortably grip lock  10 . First handle grip portion  38  is located between fourth arm member  32  and location  28 , and second handle grip portion  40  is located between sixth arm member  36  and location  28 . All edges of handle grip portions  38 ,  40  and all other edges of lock  10  are preferably rounded for comfort of use and safety. 
     In operation and use, first and second arm members  16 ,  22  are squeezed together by the user grasping handle grip portions  38 ,  40  and exerting pressure on the handle grip portions using the user&#39;s thumb and forefinger. (See  FIG. 2 .) This results in arm members  16 ,  22  being brought together with ends  20 ,  26  positioned in contacting, or nearly contacting, relationship with each other. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4  arm members  16 ,  22  are then positioned by the user to fit between stall door  12  and stall wall  14 . Arm members  32 ,  30  are positioned to be located adjacent to rear and front surfaces  14 ′,  14 ″, respectively, of stall wall  14 . Likewise, arm members  36 ,  34  are positioned to be adjacent to rear and front surfaces  12 ′,  12 ″, respectively, of stall door  12 . 
     Lock  10  is then slid between stall door  12  and stall wall  14  until lock  10  is positioned in a location desired by the user. (See  FIG. 3 .) Handle grip portions  38 ,  40  are then released, and arm members  16 ,  22  spring outwardly so that arm members  16 ,  22  are pressed against wall  14  and against door  12 , respectively. (See  FIG. 4 .) 
     Arm members  32 ,  30  may come to rest against rear surface  14 ′ and front surface  14 ″ of wall  14 , respectively, to help maintain lock  10  in fixed position between door  12  and wall  14 . Similarly, arm members  36 ,  34  may rest against rear surface  12 ′ and front surface  12 ″ of door  12 , respectively, to help maintain lock  10  in position between door  12  and wall  14 . 
     Lock  10  can be quickly and easily removed from its position between door  12  and wall  14  by the user squeezing handle grip portions  38 ,  40  together and by sliding lock  10  upwardly or downwardly along the gap between door  12  and wall  14  until lock  10  can be removed. 
     Lock  10  may preferably be made of sixteen-gauge steel, plastic or a combination of plastic and sixteen-gauge steel. 
     The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details shown and described, and departures may be made from such details without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.