Abstract:
A housing containing a sublimable disinfectant with the housing having an adhesive on the rear end for securing the housing to the backing plate behind a door knob. The housing has circumferential slots in the front end thereof so that the sublimed disinfectant vapors may reach the door knob. The housing is split in half so that it can be fit around the door knob shaft behind the knob.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to sanitizing devices generally and more particularly to devices for supplying an atmosphere surrounding a door knob which coats the surface of the knob and thereby reduces microbiological activity on the surface of the door knob. 
     DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART 
     The usual method of reducing microbiological activity on the surface of a door knob is to spray or wipe the same with a strong disinfectant. This presents a great problem in that it is inconvenient to do this on a consistent basis, and a periodic wipe or spray is not sufficient. Other devices such as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,140, provide a cover for the knob. The disadvantages of this are that the treated cover can readily slip on the knob when the latter is grasped and turned and there is no storage capacity for a supply of disinfectant. To remedy the slipping this above patent provides slots in the cover so that the fingers may grasp the underlying knob. The slots, however, appear to be disadvantageous because they are locations which can result in the cover tearing or being twisted out or shape and the fingers extending through the cover to contact the underlying knob which may not be adequately sanitized. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The above problems and difficulties are overcome by the present invention which supplies an atmosphere surrounding the graspable surface of the door knob by having a supply, adjacent to the graspable knob, of anti-microbiological material, which materials is a disinfectant material which sublimes to envelope the surface of the knob and thereby provide protection to the user of the knob by microbiological action. The material is a fairly thick gel which is in a holding device which is mounted adjacent the knob. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front isometric view of the following device according to this invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a rear isometric view of the device of FIG. 1 having the elements of the device in an exploded relationship; 
     FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the of FIG. 1 about to be mounted adjacent a door knob; 
     FIG. 4 is a view like FIG. 3 of a device which is almost fully mounted; 
     FIG. 5 is a view like FIG. 4 with the device fully mounted, and 
     FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the lines  6 — 6  in FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly FIGS. 3,  4  and  5 , the graspable knob portion  10 , of a conventional door knob  12 , is conventionally carried by for unitary rotation by a shaft  14 , with the latter being rotatably mounted in a conventional latch for closing a door in a door jam. Since the latch and door may be of any configuration usable with a knob and shaft, such has not been shown. A conventional door knob plate  16  normally abuts the door on its back side  17  and is conventionally securely and non-rotatably mounted to the door and/or the remainder of the latch assembly. 
     Referring now to all the drawings a multi piece assembly of a holding device or carrier  20  for mounting the disinfectant materials is shown generally and includes a housing member  22  made of rigid plastic material and a split ring  23  of disinfectant material, more fully described hereinafter, a split washer,  24  of suitable rigid plastic material and a split washer  26  made of two sided adhesive tape. The housing member  22  is made of two semi-circular portions  22 A and  22 B hinged together by a hinge  22 C, which allows the portions  22 A and  22 B to move to an open position, as seen in FIG. 3, wherein the ends of the semicircular portions opposite the hinge  22 C to open and close to thereby allow the assembly  20  to be open as shown in FIG. 3 or closed, as seen in FIGS. 1,  4 ,  5  and  6 . With the assembly open as seen in FIG. 3, the assembly can be placed around the shaft  14  and then closed as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5 in a surrounding relationship with the shaft  14 , and as seen in FIG. 5, in an adhesively secured abutting relationship with the door knob plate  16 . An interlocking arrangement shown generally at  22 D is operative to secure the free ends of  40  and  41  of the assembly together. 
     The housing member  22  has a pair of semi-annular groves  30  and  31  therein, with the groove  30  in the member  22 A and the groove  31  in the member  22 B, which grooves are open at the side of housing member  22  facing the plate  16 . The split ring  23  of disinfectant material is made of semi annular segments  23 A and  23 B which segments are received in the grooves  30  and  31 , respectively. While the periphery of the segments  23 A and  23 B closely fit the periphery of the grooves they are spaced slightly forward of the rear  33  of the peripheral wall  34  of housing member  22 . 
     The inner annular wall  36  of the housing  22  does not extend quite as far back as the rear of the peripheral wall  34  so that the periphery of the washer can snugly fit within the peripheral wall and abutting the inner wall  36  so that the split ring  23  and washer  24  can open and close with the housing member  22  and thus placed about the shaft  14 . The locking member  22 D can secure the free ends  40  and  41  together. 
     The two sided adhesive washer  26  is also split so that it can be opened to be placed about the shaft  14 . This washer can preferably be prepared as a part of the assembly  20  with the ring  26  adheringly abutting the ring  24  and the split ends of the rings  24  and  26  aligned with the split ends of the member  22 , and once placed about the shaft  14 , the assembly  20  can be pushed back against the door knob plate  16  to thereby secure the former to the latter. 
     The front wall  40  of the housing member  22  has a plurality of semi annular grooves  42  and  44  therein extending axially therethrough to each form a passage from the grooves  30  and  31  directed to the area surrounding the shaft  14  and the knob  10 . 
     The split ring of antibacterial material  23  is preferably made of a fairly solid material which is a sublimable disinfectant. Additionally, if desired, a sublimable deodorizer can be incorporated along with the disinfectant. A suitable antibacterial material can be made from a mixture of 95 percent ethyl alcohol and 5 percent water (v/v) (this is a standard commercially available mixture) to which is added approximately 1.5 to 2 percent (w/w) RHEOLATE (R), 5000 which is a thickening agent. 
     This mixture is then neutralized by a base to pH of 7 by a neutralizer as follows to give a viscosity of about 20,000 cps (RVT,Spindle #5,201 rpm) 
     
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 NEUTRALIZING AGENT 
                 APPROX. WEIGHT RATIO 
               
               
                   
                 (R)5000 
                 OF BASS TO RHEOLATE 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                   Trictharolamine (TEA) 
                 1.5/1   
               
               
                   
                 Aminomethye Propanol (AMP) 
                 1/1 
               
               
                   
                 NaOH, 10% solution 
                 4/1 
               
               
                   
                 KOH, 10% solution 
                 4/1 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     The RHEOLATE (R) 5000 is available from RHEOX, Inc. of Highstown, N.J. and is a high molecular weight, water dispersable, carboxyarnyl copolymer, used as thickening and emulsifying agent in various formulation. The results, when used with the ethyl alcohol, is a thickened sublimable gel which can be formed into the split ring  23  in the assembly  20 . When the assembly  20  is mounted on the plate  16  the alcohol will sublime and some of its vapors collect on the knob  10  and the shaft  14 , so that when the knob is grasped the alcohol will act in a well renown manner so that there will be a substantial reduction in or elimination of active microbiological material on the knob or shaft to infect the user. 
     Other concentrations of alcohol (as low as a 65% solution of ethyl alcohol in water (v/v) have been found to be effective in killing bacteria. 
     While only a single embodiment of this invention has been shown and described, it is understood that modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of this invention as defined by the following claims.