Abstract:
A portable grasping device for gripping door handles, water faucets, toilet seats, toilet flush handles and the like which might be handled by the public and accordingly contaminated by germs is described. The device has two arms, one or both of which bear on their inner surfaces a resilient gripping material which may conform to the shape of an item being handled and which may also provide a gripping friction. The material is thick enough on the arm(s) to be compressed slightly when the device is closed, trapping within the device germs which may be transferred to the surface of the material when the device has been used. The device is releasably lockable into a locked position, and can conveniently be locked and unlocked by one hand of a user, requiring little force to use.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to hand-held devices for grasping and handling things, and more particularly to devices which allow a user to grasp an item with his or her hand while limiting the user&#39;s exposure to germs which may be on the surface of the item.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Many people are concerned about contracting illnesses such as colds and flus by contact between themselves and the surfaces of items such as door handles, water faucets, toilet seats, toilet flush handles etc. which might be contaminated by “germs” (bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, etc.). It is frequently necessary to touch and handle such items in public places, and many illnesses are spread in this fashion.  
         [0003]     The use of grasping devices to assist in manipulating toilet seats, toilet flush handles, door knobs and such is generally known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,619,758 (Burkett), for example, discloses a hand-held toilet seat lifting device. U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,140 (Visco et al.) discloses a sanitary handle cover for door knobs to act as a barrier between the fingers of a person and the possibly contaminated surface of a door handle or toilet flush handle. Other patents such as, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,975,043 (Miles) disclose gripping devices for objects one may simply generally not desire to touch with one&#39;s bare hands.  
         [0004]     Of course, also known in the prior art are locking tongs in which the arms of the tongs can be locked in the closed the position. Examples of locking tongs are those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,092,847 to Kwan, U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,756 to Bartlett et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 2,864,645 to Meldrum.  
         [0005]     However, none of these prior art devices serves well as a simple, easy-to-use device to be used by people who wish to grasp a wide variety of items such as door handles, toilet seats, etc. Each of them is either too large, too unwieldy, or ineffective to grasp a variety of items. What has not yet been suggested, and what is currently desired by people hoping to avoid contamination by germs on items likely to be touched by members of the public, is a grasping device which might be conveniently carried in one&#39;s pocket, and which can be releasably locked into a closed position.  
         [0006]     Moreover, what is desired is an improved grasping device which has along its inner faces a resilient gripping material which can conform somewhat to the shape of the surface of an item being grasped when the device is in use, and which can also serve to trap germs in the device when the device is in a closed position (when, for example, the device is in the user&#39;s pocket or purse). What is also desirable is that the device be lockable into a closed position, and unlockable into an open position, with locking means which are preferably operable with one hand.  
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
       [0007]     The present invention is a device for grasping items which might be contaminated by germs. In the most basic embodiment of the invention, locking tongs are provided with resilient gripping material being provided on the interior surface of at least one arm of the tongs. In particular, the device has, in one embodiment, a lower arm having an upper face, a first end and a second end; an upper arm having a lower face, a first end and a second end, the second end of the upper arm attached to the second end of the lower arm; means for urging the first ends of the upper and lower arms apart from one another, thereby urging the device into an open position; and means for releasably locking the device into a closed position wherein the first ends of the upper and lower arms are nearer one another than in the open position.  
         [0008]     In this device, at least one of the upper face of the lower arm and the lower face of the upper arm bears resilient gripping material along a portion of its length, and when the device is in the closed position, this resilient gripping material is compressed, thereby trapping in the device whatever germs might have been transferred to the material from the item being handled.  
         [0009]     In the preferred embodiment of the device, the second ends of the arms are pivotally hinged to one another, although the arms can also be formed from one sheet of material bent over on itself, in which case the means for urging the first ends apart comprises the natural elasticity of the material. However, in the embodiment in which the arms are hinged together, the means for urging the first ends apart comprises a spring bearing on the upper face and on the lower face. The spring may be coiled around a pivot pin which hinges the two arms.  
         [0010]     One or preferably both of the arms may bear the resilient gripping material.  
         [0011]     In respect of the locking means, there may be provided a member grippable by a user&#39;s thumb, the member attached to one arm, preferably the upper arm, and having formed thereon a tab which is insertable into either a slot formed in the first end of the lower arm, in one embodiment, or into a notch formed in the second end of the lower arm in another embodiment. The member is movable between a first, locked position and a second, unlocked position. To aid a user in manipulating the device generally, and especially between a locked and unlocked position, the lower arm may be provided with a protrusion which the user may bear against with a finger.  
         [0012]     The gripping material may have a smooth surface, or, preferably, will have undulations or grooves or the like, and in this case the material may be preferably arranged on the upper and lower arms such that the undulations interdigitate when the device is in a closed position. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0013]     It will be appreciated that the particularized description of the invention described briefly above and which follows hereafter is rendered by reference to certain specific embodiments of the invention which are illustrated in the appended drawings. The drawings depict only a few typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope.  
         [0014]     Accordingly, in the accompanying drawings which illustrate specific embodiments of the invention, but which should not be construed as restricting the spirit or scope of the invention in any way:  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a grasping device of the present invention, fixed in a closed position.  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the grasping device shown in  FIG. 1 , but in an open position.  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  is a side plan view of an alternate embodiment of the grasping device of the present invention, fixed in a closed position.  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  is a top plan view of another alternate embodiment of the grasping device of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0019]     Throughout the following description, specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the invention. However, the invention may be practiced without these particulars. In other instances, well known elements have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative, rather than a restrictive, sense.  
         [0020]     Referring first to  FIG. 1 , the grasping device of the preferred embodiment of the present invention may be constructed generally of two arms, a lower arm  10  and an upper arm  20 . Lower and upper arms  10 ,  20  may be formed of one piece of material folded over onto itself, or, as shown in the figures, may preferably be separate pieces which are hinged together.  
         [0021]     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the lower arm  10  has a first (or front) end  16 , and a second (rear) end  18 . Similarly, the upper arm  20  has a first end  26  and second end  28 . As illustrated, in the device of the preferred embodiment the arms  10 ,  20  are pivotally hinged together at their second ends  18 ,  28 , by pivot pin  60 . The first ends  16 ,  26  of arms  10 ,  20  are accordingly generally free to move from a position in which they are near one another ( FIG. 1 ), when the device is in a closed position, and a position in which they are farther apart from one another, when the device is in an open position ( FIG. 2 ).  
         [0022]     The arms  10 ,  20  of the device each have an inner face. In the case of the lower arm  10 , this is the lower arm&#39;s upper face  15 . Upper arm  20  likewise has lower face  25 . At least one of upper face  15  of lower arm  10  and lower face  25  of upper arm  20  bears a strip of resilient gripping material  50  along at least a portion of its length. Resilient gripping material  50  may be any suitable compressible material which can conform somewhat to the shape of an item being handled, and which provides good gripping friction when the device is in use, but is preferably a rubber material such as neoprene.  
         [0023]     One important aspect of the invention is that material  50  provided on one or both of arms  10 ,  20  should be thick enough that when the device is in a closed position ( FIG. 2 ), the material  50  is at least slightly compressed. In other words, it is important that any germs which may be transferred to the face of material  50  from an item being handled by a user of the device be held onto the face of the material  50 , thereby lessening the chance that germs could escape from the device until it is cleaned. It will be appreciated that material  50 , if applied only to one of faces  15  and  25 , will need to be thicker than if applied to both of faces  15  and  25 . If applied only to one of faces  15 ,  25 , then the material  50  will hold germs between itself and the opposite face ( 15  or  25 ). If applied to both of faces  15 ,  25 , then the two strips of material  50  will seal germs between their respective surfaces.  
         [0024]     As previously described, hinged arms  10 ,  20  generally pivot about pivot pin  60  between a closed position and an open position. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, means  30  are provided for normally urging the first ends  16 ,  26  apart, forcing the device, when unlocked, into the open position. In the version of the device shown in the drawings (esp. in  FIG. 2 ), this urging means is a spring  32  which is coiled around pin  60  and which has arms which bear force against both of faces  25  and  15 . It should be clear that many other such means to urge apart the arms might be contemplated by those skilled in the art; such other devices are also contemplated by the inventor but not described herein in detail to avoid obscuring the invention.  
         [0025]     When the device has means for urging it into an open position, it also is provided with means for releasably locking the device into the closed position.  FIGS. 1 and 3  show alternate embodiments of the invention, each bearing different locking means. It should be clearly described now that the inventor contemplates that a person skilled in the art would know that there exist various mechanisms for locking a device such as the present one in a closed position. These include: a captured pin and aperture member as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,092,847 to Kwan; a channel shaped slidable locking member as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,631 to Thurlow et al.; a slidable bow spring member as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,338 to Kerr, a slidable locking plate as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,756 to Bartlett et al.; a rivet sliding in a slot and notch as described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,864,645 to Meldrum; a latch member and pin as described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,800,356 to Benton, a toothed rack, spring and slot as described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,263,965 to Fiori; a clip for supporting an operating cam as described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,049,259 to O&#39;Connor; and a pivotally mounted keeper as described in U.S. Pat. No. 772,566 to Hollowell. The applicant illustrates only two potential locking means to avoid unnecessarily obfuscating the description of the invention.  
         [0026]     In one embodiment of the invention ( FIG. 1 ), locking means  40  comprises a member  44  grippable by a user&#39;s thumb, which is attached to one of arms  10 ,  20  (in this case, arm  20 ) in a captured arrangement which allows member  44  to be slid by a user&#39;s thumb along the top face of arm  20  between a first, closed position, and a second, open position. In the closed position, a tab  46  formed on the end of member  44  is inserted into slot  42  formed in first end  16  of arm  10 , thereby preventing spring  32  from forcing arms  10 ,  20  apart. In the open position ( FIG. 2 ), member  44  is moved rearwardly (toward ends  18  and  28 ), causing tab  46  to be withdrawn from slot  42 , allowing arms  10 ,  20  to be forced apart.  
         [0027]     In an alternate embodiment ( FIG. 3 ), locking means  140  comprises a member  144  grippable by a user&#39;s thumb, which is attached to one of arms  10 ,  20  (again in this case, arm  20 ) in a captured arrangement which allows member  144  to be slid by a user&#39;s thumb along the top face of arm  20  between a first, closed position, and a second, open position. In the closed position, a tab  146  formed on the bottom of member  144  and extending through arm  20  is inserted into a notch  142  formed in a side flange formed on the second end  18  of lower arm  10 . It will be appreciated that tab  146  can extend the width of the device, in which case another notch (not shown) may be provided in a flange on the other side of the second end  18  of arm  10 . When tab  146  is contained within notch  142 , spring  32  is prevented from forcing arms  10 ,  20  apart. In an open position (not shown), member  144  is moved forwardly (toward ends  16  and  26 ), causing tab  146  to be withdrawn from notch  142 , allowing arms  10 ,  20  to be forced apart by spring  32 .  
         [0028]     To aid in the manipulation by one hand of locking means  40  or  140 , the bottom arm  10  may be provided with a protrusion  70  formed on the bottom surface thereof, and a user may bear against this protrusion with a finger to assist in the movement of locking means  40  or  140 .  
         [0029]     As shown in the figures, it will be appreciated that arms  10 ,  20  do not require a particular shape. They may be straight or curved, or have curved sections. In the embodiments of the invention shown in the figures, lower arm  10  has a curved front potion which overlaps the end of arm  20  when the devices in the closed position (seen best in  FIG. 3 ). This upward curving of the end of arm  20  (and overlapping of the end of material  50  on arm  20 ) allows arm  10  to further seal in the device germs which might otherwise escape through the front of the device. The curved nature of arm  10  also presents to the user somewhat of a “hook” with which to ease manipulation of a device. Although not illustrated, it is foreseen that sides could also be provided to the device, the device then having an open position in which the material  50  was free of the sides and able to grip an item desired to be handled, and a closed position wherein the side portions of material  50  were enclosed, limiting further the opportunity for germs captured within the device to escape.  
         [0030]     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, material  50  has formed on its surfaces undulations or grooves or the like, and in this case the respective strips of material may be preferably arranged on the upper and lower arms to face each other such that the undulations interdigitate when the device is in a closed position.  
         [0031]     It will be appreciated that the arms  10 ,  20 , need not be made of any particular material, but that they be constructed of a light material strong enough to withstand the forces applied to it. The inventor foresees, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, arms  10 ,  20  being constructed of aluminum or a plastic.  
         [0032]     As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing disclosure, many alterations and modifications are possible in the practice of this invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. For example, while the invention has been described as having a hinge between the lower and upper arms, the arms need not be hinged together for the invention to work. In fact, the arms need not even each be a single piece as previously described. As shown in  FIG. 4 , either one or both of the arms may be broken into two or more portions (shown as  200 A and  200 B in  FIG. 4 ), with each section connected to an adjacent section by material  50  which bridges the sections  200 A and  200 B. It is foreseen that this arrangement may lend more flexibility to arms  10 ,  20 , which may be desirable if it is desired to handle larger items with the device.  
         [0033]     What is important to the invention is that a light, small, portable, releasably lockable device be provided which has a resilient gripping material contained therein which material can trap germs transferred to it when the device is used to grip an item, and that the device be lockable and unlockable easily with one hand.  
         [0034]     Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be construed in accordance with the substance defined by the following claims.