Patent Abstract:
A handle of a door is covered by a disposable tissue when that handle is used to open the door. The tissue is dispensed from a housing mounted on the door superadjacent to the handle. Tissues from the housing are sized so the tissue will remain attached to the housing but will cover the handle. Disinfectant can be sprayed onto a handle before the handle is grasped via the tissue. Once the door is opened, a user simply pulls the tissue out of the housing and discards it. As one tissue is pulled out of the housing, that tissue pulls the next tissue out of the housing.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to the general art of doors, and to the particular field of covers for door handles. 
     2. Discussion of the Related Art 
     Many people are reluctant to use public restrooms due to actual or perceived sanitary conditions of those restrooms. However, in some instances, such use is unavoidable. 
     These people try to avoid touching any surface after they have washed their hands. However, touching a surface of the restroom is nearly unavoidable because the person must touch the handle of the door to exit the restroom. 
     Some people carry gloves, wipes or the like to use in such public restrooms. Some people take an extra paper towel to use to cover the door handle. All of these techniques work, but are not efficient. Therefore, there is a need for a means and a method for efficiently and effectively covering a handle of a door so a person opening that door can avoid direct contact with the handle. 
     Covering a door handle is quite effective in preventing a person from contacting the door handle during operation of the door. However, there are times when it is also desirable to clean the door handle and disinfect the door handle. This generally requires a person to carry a liquid spray into a room, spray that liquid onto the door handle and then wipe the handle clean. This procedure requires a person to carry items with him or her for the cleaning procedure. This can be cumbersome and inefficient. 
     Therefore, there is a need for a means and a method for efficiently cleaning a handle of a door. 
     Still further, some people wonder when the last time a door handle was cleaned, and even if there is some form of protection for this person, they are uncomfortable touching the door handle. These people are not satisfied by the mere existence of some means for avoiding contact with the door handle. 
     Therefore, there is a need for a means and a method for efficiently cleaning a handle of a door which can be operated at any time by any user. 
     PRINCIPAL OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     It is a main object of the present invention to provide a means and a method for efficiently and effectively covering a handle of a door so a person opening that door can avoid direct contact with the handle. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a means and a method for efficiently cleaning a handle of a door. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a means and a method for efficiently cleaning a handle of a door which can be operated at any time by any user. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     These, and other, objects are achieved by a means and a method in which long tissues are stored in a dispenser housing superadjacent to a handle of a door. The tissues are dispensed in a known manner but are different from known tissues in that they are long enough to remain attached to the dispenser housing but to also cover a handle of a door. A spray system includes a spray nozzle on the housing and which is oriented to spray fluid from the housing onto the handle of the door. 
     The door handle protector of the present invention thus places tissues in position for anyone to use a tissue to grasp a door handle and thus avoid contact with the door handle. The protector also includes a spray system that the user can activate to spray cleaning fluid or disinfecting fluid onto the door handle at any time. The tissue can be used to wipe the handle dry. This will be convenient if the protector has run out of tissues. The handle can be cleaned before touching it and a degree of comfort can be obtained. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the door handle protector dispensing unit embodying the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of a portion of the housing of the device embodying the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a partially perspective view showing the device embodying the present invention including a door and a door handle which is to be protected. 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the device embodying the present invention with a dispensed tissue being indicated. 
     FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the device embodying the present invention with a spray and a dispensed tissue being indicated. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. 
     Referring to the figures, it can be understood that the present invention is embodied in a door handle protector  10 . Door handle protector  10  comprises a door  12  having a handle  14  which is used to open and close the door  12 . Handle  14  has a top end  15 , a bottom end  16 , and a length dimension  17  which extends between the top end  15  of the handle  14  and the bottom end  16  of the handle  14 . 
     A housing  19  is mounted on the door  12  superadjacent to handle  14  of the door  12 . Housing  19  includes a front wall  20 , a rear wall  21 , a top wall  22 , a bottom wall  24 , a first side wall  26 , and a second side wall  28 . An axial dimension  30  extends between the top wall  22  and the bottom wall  24 , a width dimension  32  extends between the first side wall  26  and the second side wall  28 , and a thickness dimension  34  extends between the front wall  20  and the rear wall  21 . 
     An interior wall  40  extends between the top wall  22  and the bottom wall  24  in the direction of the axial dimension  30  of the housing  19 . A liquid-containing compartment  42  is defined between first side wall  26  and interior wall  40  and between top wall  22  and bottom wall  24 . A tissue-containing compartment  44  is defined between the interior wall  40  and the second side wall  28  and between the top wall  22  and the bottom wall  24 . The rear wall  20  of the housing  19  is mounted on the door  12 . A length dimension  18  is defined between the bottom wall  24  of the housing  19  and the bottom end  16  of the handle  14 . 
     The housing  19  is mounted on the door  12  so that a dimension  45  is defined between the bottom of the housing  19  and the bottom of the handle  14 . 
     A tissue-compartment cover  50  is removably mounted on the top wall  22  of the housing  19  between the interior wall  40  of the housing  19  and the second side wall  28  of the housing  19 . 
     A liquid-compartment cover  52  is removably mounted on the top wall  22  of the housing  19  between the interior wall  40  of the housing  19  and the first side wall  26  of the housing  19 . 
     As will be understood from the teaching of this disclosure, the covers  50  and  52  are removed to replenish either tissues or liquid contained in the housing  19 . 
     A tissue-dispensing slot  60  is defined in the bottom wall  24  of the housing  19  between the interior wall  40  of the housing  19  and the second side wall  28  of the housing  19 . Tissue-dispensing slot  60  is located superadjacent to the handle  14  of the door  12 . Tissues  62  are dispensed through slot  60 . 
     Tissue  62  includes a top  63  located inside compartment  44  and a bottom  64  located outside the tissue compartment  44  when the tissue  62  is in use. Tissue  62  has a length dimension  66  measured between the top  63  of the tissue  62  and the bottom  64  of the tissue  62 . Length dimension  66  is greater than length dimension  67  defined between the bottom wall  24  of the housing  19  and the bottom end  16  of the handle  14 . This length dimension  66  can be, for example more than one foot. Thus, when the tissue  62  is located outside of the housing  19  as shown in FIG. 1 with the top  63  of the tissue  62  still inside the housing  19 , the length of the tissue  62  is sufficient to cover the handle  14  from the top  15  end of the handle  14  to the bottom end  16  of the handle  14  while the tissue  62  is still attached to the housing  19 . 
     The length dimension  66  of the tissues  62  allows each tissue  62  to be dispensed in a known manner, but the tissue  62  will be long enough to cover the handle  14  of the door  12 . This will permit a user to operate the door  12  using the handle  14  of the door  12  by grasping the handle  14  via the tissue  62  covering the handle  14 . After opening the door  12 , the user then simply pulls the tissue  62  out of the housing  19  and discards the tissue  62 . As the tissue  62  exits the housing  19 , it pulls the next tissue  62  down out of the dispensing slot  60  far enough so that this next tissue  62  covers, or at least partially covers, the handle  14  of the door  12  and is ready for the next user. If a tissue  62  does not fully cover the handle  14 , a user can pull the tissue  62  out of the housing  19  far enough to cover the handle  14  of the door  12  while he or she is using the handle  14  to open the door  12 . 
     A liquid dispenser nozzle  70  is located on the bottom wall  24  of the housing  19  between the interior wall  40  of the housing  19  and the first side wall  26  of the housing  19 . The liquid dispenser nozzle  70  is a known type of nozzle and is fluidically connected to the liquid compartment  44  of the housing  19  to receive fluid therefrom. The liquid dispenser nozzle  70  is oriented to spray liquid in direction  72 . Direction  72  is in the direction of the axial dimension  30  of the housing  19  away from the bottom wall  24  of the housing  19  and in a direction away from the first wall  26  of the housing  19  toward the second wall  28  of the housing  19  and is toward the handle  14  of the door  12  when the liquid dispenser nozzle  70  is activated. This spray will impinge on the handle  14  of the door  12 . 
     The liquid sprayed on the handle  14  can be a cleaning liquid or a disinfecting liquid or the like. The liquid is sprayed on the handle  14  prior to a user grasping a tissue  62  and using that tissue  62  to grasp the handle  14  of the door  12 . In this manner, the handle  14  can be cleaned and/or disinfected prior to a user grasping the handle  14 . A tissue  62  will then dry the handle  14  as the user grasps the handle  14  via the tissue  62 . 
     A spray-actuator button  76  is mounted on the front wall  20  of the housing  19  and suitable means, which includes elements such as movable wall  78  of a liquid-containing package  80  located in the housing  19  with the package  80  fluidically connected to the nozzle  70 , connects the spray-actuator button  76  to the liquid dispenser nozzle  70  and to the liquid compartment  42  of the housing  19  to spray liquid contained in the liquid compartment  42  of the housing  19  from the liquid dispenser nozzle  70  when the spray-actuator button  76  is operated. 
     The present invention is also embodied in a method of protecting a door handle. As can be understood from the foregoing disclosure, the method comprises mounting a dispenser unit on a door superadjacent to a door handle used to open and close the door; spraying door handle cleaning liquid from the dispenser onto the door handle; dispensing a door handle covering tissue from the dispenser unit; covering the door handle with the tissue while the tissue is connected to the dispenser unit and forming a covered door handle; grasping the covered door handle via the tissue covering the door handle; opening the door using the covered door handle; after the door is opened, removing the tissue covering the door handle from the dispenser unit to form a removed tissue; as the removed tissue is removed from the dispenser unit, pulling another tissue out of the dispenser unit to replace the removed tissue; and discarding the removed tissue. 
     It is understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangements of parts described and shown.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0