Door hook

A sanitary door opening assembly (10) comprising a U-shaped bracket (12) disposed around the outer edge (20) and sides (14,15) of a door (16). A hook (24) is mounted to the U-shaped bracket (12) and door (16) by fasteners (52). The hook (24) is defined by an arcuate pocket (26) opening toward the outer swinging edge (20) of the door (16) for receiving a human forearm to pull open the door (16).

TECHNICAL FIELD 
This invention relates to a door opening assembly whereby the door can be 
pulled open with a human forearm. 
BACKGROUND ART 
Various assemblies for pulling open a door are known in the prior art. The 
U.S. Pat. No. 1,487,264 to Raymer discloses a decorative door opener 
attached to a door face with a projection extending vertically upwardly 
and outwardly. The U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,121,907 to Stebbins, 2,904,368 to 
Taubman, and 2,238,513 to Ward additionally disclose door openers of 
various hook configurations and orientations. However, the prior art fails 
to remedy the problem and discomfort occurring when the individual 
attempts to remove his forearm from the door hook. The various hook 
configurations formed in the prior art require the individual to 
deliberately pause after pulling open the door so as to disengage the 
forearm before passing through the doorway. Further, there is a need for a 
door opener of simple construction for easy and rapid mounting on existing 
doors. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION AND ADVANTAGES 
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a sanitary door 
opener assembly for mounting upon a door for opening same, a bracket 
adapted to be mounted on one side of the door with a forward extremity 
thereof adjacent the outer swinging edge of the door and a generally 
U-shaped bracket for presenting a concave pocket opening toward the outer 
swinging edge of the door for receiving a human forearm to open the door. 
This specific disposition of the hook is particularly advantageous when 
pulling open a door with the forearm. When the door has been pulled open 
far enough to effect an exit, the forearm can be easily disengaged from 
the hook by pulling the arm in the direction the individual exits through 
the doorway. In other words, it is not necessary to deliberately disengage 
the forearm from the concave pocket of the hook since the forearm will 
naturally follow out of the hook in the direction the individual exits 
through the doorway, thereby enabling a swift and unrestricted exit. In 
addition, the assembly is of simple construction and easily attached to 
doors already in use. 
This door opener assembly is particularly useful when incorporated onto the 
public restroom doors of an eating establishment or the like where, after 
having washed his hands, the individual can open the restroom door with 
his forearm thereby not exposing his hands to a germ infested restroom 
door handle before partaking in his meal. 
In addition, the subject invention lends itself to easy use by the 
handicapped whose hands are not capable of grasping and pulling open a 
standard door handle. Similarly, an individual carrying an armful of goods 
will find it more convenient to open a door equipped with the subject door 
opener assembly since the door can be opened without the use of the hands. 
If an individual does not wish to use a forearm to open the door as 
described, the hook 24 can be grasped by the hand as any standard door 
pull and opened in the conventional manner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
A sanitary door opening assembly for pulling open a door with the forearm 
is generally shown at 10. The door is of any well known structure having 
parallel sides or faces 14 and 15 interconnected by a front swinging edge 
20. The door opening assembly comprises a bracket 12 adapted for mounting 
onto the opposite sides or faces 14 and 15 of the door 16. A forward 
extremity 18 of the bracket 12 is positioned adjacent the outer swinging 
edge 20 of the door 16. 
A generally U-shaped hook 24 extends from the bracket 12 in a horizontal 
plane perpendicular to the forward extremity 18 of the bracket 12. The 
hook 24 defines a concave pocket 26 opening toward the outer swinging edge 
20 of the door 16. 
The bracket 12 includes at least one side plate 30 for engaging the side 14 
of the door 16. A front plate 32 is included in the bracket 12 for 
engaging the outer swinging edge 20 of the door 16. The preferred 
embodiment also includes a second side plate 34 extending from the front 
plate 32 in parallel relationship to the first mentioned side plate 30 to 
define a U-shaped bracket 12 for disposition around the outer edge 20 of 
the door 16 and to engage the opposite sides 14 and 15 of the door 16. In 
other words, the U-shaped bracket 12 is adapted to slide snugly over the 
exterior of swinging edge 20 and the faces 14, 15 of the door 16. 
A bottom 40 or rear extremity of the U-shaped hook 24 is substantially 
aligned with a rear extremity or edge 42 of the first side plate 30. The 
hook 24 extends out from first side plate 30 through an arc defining a 
concave pocket 26 to a distal end 46. The distal end 46 is spaced out from 
the first side plate 30 at least far enough to receive a human forearm 
into the concave pocket 26. The distal end 46 is disposed rearwardly from 
the forward extremity 18 at a distance at least as large as the distance 
between the distal end 46 and first side 30. In this manner, if the outer 
swinging edge 20 abuts a structural wall extending perpendicular to the 
first plate 30, there will exist sufficient clearance between the wall and 
distal end 46 for a human forearm to pass therebetween for engagement with 
the concave pocket 26. 
The hook 24 includes a second leg 48 for mounting to the first side plate 
30. The leg 48 is provided with holes 50 corresponding with holes in the 
first side plate 30 through which fasteners 52 extend into the door 16. 
The fasteners 52 retain the hook 24 onto the bracket 12 and secure the 
assembly 10 to the door 16. The fasteners 52 may extend fully through the 
door 16 and be retained by nuts (not shown) on the exterior of the second 
side plate 34. 
The side plates 30, 34 are generally characterized as being rectangular in 
shape with the front to rear length being approximately twice the top to 
bottom height. In other words, the side plates 30, 34 are nearly twice as 
long as they are tall. The distal end 46 of the hook 24 is disposed 
substantially midway between the front 18 and rear 42 extremities of the 
first side plate 30. 
Alternatively, the hook 24 can be attached to the door 16 directly by 
eliminating the bracket 12. In this embodiment, the hook 24 is maintained 
in the same orientation with respect to the door 16 as in the former 
embodiment. 
In operation, the door opener assembly 10 is affixed to a door 16 such that 
the hook 24 is located on the inward side 14 of the door 16 at a 
convenient height somewhere between waist and chest height. The door 16 is 
opened by placing a forearm into the concave pocket 26 of the hook 24 and 
pulling the door 16 in the direction of the door swing. Once the door 16 
has been opened far enough for the individual to pass through the doorway, 
the forearm is easily removed from the hook 24 as the individual proceeds 
through the doorway. This easy forearm removal from the hook 24 is due to 
the concave pocket 26 projecting towards the outer swinging edge 20 of the 
door 16. In other words, the individual can effect a swift unrestricted 
exit since the forearm will naturally disengage from the hook 24 as the 
individual walks through the doorway. 
The invention has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is to be 
understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in 
the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. 
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are 
possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be 
understood that within the scope of the appended claims wherein reference 
numerals are merely for convenience and are not to be in any way limiting, 
the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.