FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a door handle with an automatic cleaning function.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION Doors, and in particular hinged doors, are in widespread use in buildings to separate one room from another room, or to separate a room from a corridor, for example. The invention is primarily intended for an internal door which is not fitted with a lock or a latch, such as the door of a washroom or the like. The use of the invention for an internal door having a lock and/or a latch, and for an external door, is not, however, precluded. Whilst reference is made to a door handle and it is expected that the invention will be predominantly used in such applications, the use of the handle for panels other than doors is not excluded.

In public buildings, offices and the like it is known for the handles of doors to be grasped by many different people, sometimes in close succession, and it is known that germs, viruses and other contaminants can be transmitted from one person to another by way of a door handle.

It is commonplace to undertake regular manual cleaning of door handles to remove or kill any contaminants upon the handle. For example, the handle can be wiped with a cleaning fluid as part of a routine cleaning operation. However, it is rarely practicable to clean a door handle manually each time it is used so that there remains the possibility of transmission of contaminants in between the cleaning operations.

The cleaning fluid can for example be a soap, a disinfectant, an anti-bacterial agent, an anti-viral agent, an anti-microbial agent, or a chosen combination of these materials (and this list is not exhaustive); the term “cleaning agent” will be used in this application as a general term for all materials which are suitable for use in the described cleaning operation.

The automated cleaning of door handles is known. In particular, it is known for the handle of a door (for example the door of a public washroom or the like) to be treated with a cleaning agent substantially continuously, the cleaning agent being stored in a reservoir mounted to the door. The cleaning agent may be applied to the handle itself, or to the user’s hand as the handle is gripped.

A first group of known devices use gravity to deliver the cleaning agent from the reservoir to the handle, the agent flowing in a generally downwards direction from the reservoir to the handle. Examples of this first group of device are disclosed in GB 2421 897, GB 2495471 and WO 2018/073579.

A second group of known devices use a wick to deliver the cleaning agent (in liquid form) from the reservoir to the handle, the provision of a wick allowing the cleaning agent to flow upwards from the reservoir to the handle. An example of this second group of device is disclosed in GB 2506386.

WO 2007/107784 discloses embodiments in the first and second groups of known devices.

Whilst the first and second groups of devices are mechanically simple they are not always reliable and it is often preferred to have some means of forcing the cleaning agent to flow to the handle.

Devices in the first and second groups suffer the disadvantage that a compromise is necessary in the rate of delivery of cleaning agent to the handle. If the rate of delivery is too high the handle might become overloaded with cleaning agent and some of the cleaning agent might drip onto the floor and be wasted. If the rate of delivery is too low insufficient cleaning agent will be applied to the handle between successive uses of the handle and contaminants might be transferred from a first user to subsequent users. Since the number of people passing through a washroom door for example cannot be known accurately in advance, and will in any event be highly variable, it is not possible to set an appropriate rate of delivery for all periods of use. Alternative devices which overcome this particular problem are known and operate by delivering cleaning agent to the door handle each time the door handle is used.

A third group of devices are electrically-powered and positively spray or otherwise deliver a cleaning agent onto a door handle or onto the hand of a user. Examples of this group are GB 2 510 041 and US 5 314 668. The requirement for an electrical supply adds cost and complexity to these devices. Furthermore, it may not be possible to provide an electrical supply to a particular door so that these devices cannot always be employed as desired.

Some users dislike having a cleaning fluid sprayed onto their hand without warning, or at least without choice, so that devices in this group which spray the cleaning agent onto the handle when it is not gripped by a user are generally preferred.

A fourth group of devices utilises movement of the handle relative to the door to force (typically to pump) the cleaning agent to the handle. Examples of this fourth group of device are CN 2 110 676, WO 2013/153168 and WO 2016/177912. In particular, WO 2013/153168 discloses a handle for a door of a washroom or the like, the handle being oriented vertically. The handle is mounted to a fixed base by a pivot at its bottom end. The top end of the handle is movable away from and towards the base, the relative movement actuating a pump whereby a cleaning agent is driven to a nozzle for delivery to the handle. The cleaning agent may be sprayed onto the handle from a nozzle mounted to the base (the term “spray” and derivatives indicating that the cleaning fluid crosses an air gap between the nozzle and the handle). Alternatively, there may be nozzles in the handle to dispense the cleaning agent directly onto the handle. The cleaning agent can be dispensed onto the user’s hand as the handle moves, or it can be arranged that movement of the handle primes the pump to deliver the cleaning agent to the handle after the handle has been released. WO 2016/177912 discloses a door handle which is pivotably mounted to a fixed base, movement of the handle actuating a pump to spray a cleaning agent onto the handle. The spraying of the cleaning agent is delayed by a damper mechanism. The handle can rotate about its own longitudinal axis so that the cleaning agent is sprayed onto more of the surface of the handle. The rotation of the handle is in one direction only, controlled by a ratchet mechanism.

Devices which spray a cleaning agent onto the handle or onto the hand of a user cannot be used with all cleaning agents, and typically require cleaning agents with a relatively low viscosity. The pressures which are generated by the known devices are typically not sufficient to spray cleaning agents with a relatively high viscosity. Alcohol gels, for example, which are particularly suitable for killing viruses, typically cannot be used.

In addition, it is not always possible to ensure that all of a sprayed cleaning agent will hit the handle and stick to the handle (or the hand of a user), so that at least some of the sprayed cleaning agent is typically wasted. Cleaning agents which are formed into an aerosol for spraying cannot always be accurately directed and the smaller particles at least might remain suspended in the air. It is therefore also necessary to ensure that the cleaning agent is not an irritant to the lungs. Also, a partial obstruction of the nozzle can significantly affect the rate and direction of sprayed cleaning agent.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a door handle with an automated cleaning function with the forced flow of cleaning agent. The present invention therefore seeks to improve upon the reliability of operation of those known products which utilise gravity or a wicking arrangement for the flow of the cleaning agent. It is another object of the present invention to provide a door handle with an automated cleaning function which operates with movement of the door handle. The present invention therefore seeks to avoid the compromise in the rate of delivery of the cleaning agent by linking the delivery of the cleaning agent to the movement of the handle.

It is another object of the invention to provide a door handle with an automated cleaning function without electrical componentry. The present invention therefore seeks to avoid the requirement for an electrical supply to the door handle.

It is another object of the invention to provide a door handle with an automated cleaning function in which a cleaning agent can be applied to the handle without spraying. The present invention is therefore sought to be suitable for use with a wide range of cleaning agents and is not limited to the use of cleaning agents with a particular range of viscosities. In addition, the present invention seeks to provide a device which can if desired be used with different cleaning agents at different times, for example a cleaning agent suited to killing germs can routinely be used but can be replaced by a cleaning agent suited to killing viruses in the event of a specific viral epidemic.

It is another object of the invention to provide a door handle with an automated cleaning function in which a cleaning agent can be applied directly to the handle, as opposed to being applied to the user’s hand. The inventors appreciate that the device could be used to supplement a user’s personal hygiene regime by applying a cleaning agent to a person’s hand. However, it is preferred that the device be used to prevent or at least limit the transmission of contaminants from one user to a subsequent user and this can be achieved by applying the cleaning agent to the handle whereby to kill germs, viruses or the like which have been transferred to the handle by one user before the next user grasps the handle.

It is another object of the invention to provide a door handle with an automated cleaning function in which the force causing the flow of the cleaning agent is generated by movement of the handle relative to the door. The present invention can therefore take advantage of the fact that the doors in public buildings, offices and the like are often biased closed by a spring mechanism. The provision of a spring bias to automatically close a door is often a legal requirement to prevent the spread of fire, but in any event is commonplace for the door to a washroom or the like. To leave the washroom the user must typically pull the door open and the force required must overcome the spring bias. A proportion of the applied force can be used to pump the cleaning agent to the handle (or at least to prime a part of the pump mechanism for the subsequent delivery of cleaning agent to the handle).

According to the invention there is provided a door handle with an automated cleaning function comprising a handle and a housing, the handle being mounted to the housing by a mounting mechanism and being movable relative to the housing between a rest position and an activated position, the handle being resiliently biased to the rest position, the housing containing a primary reservoir for a cleaning agent, the door handle having a secondary reservoir for the cleaning agent, the secondary reservoir being located adjacent to the handle, a part of the mounting mechanism being connected to a pump mechanism for driving the cleaning agent from the primary reservoir to the secondary reservoir, the handle having a longitudinal axis and being rotatable about the longitudinal axis relative to the mounting mechanism, the mounting mechanism having a rotation mechanism controlling the rotation of the handle, the rotation mechanism substantially preventing rotation of the handle as the handle moves from its rest position to its activated position and driving the handle to rotate as the handle moves from its activated position to its rest position.

Preferably the pump mechanism generates a positive (above-atmospheric) pressure to drive the cleaning agent from the primary reservoir to the secondary reservoir.

The secondary reservoir is a temporary reservoir configured to apply the cleaning agent to the handle. The secondary reservoir is adjacent to the handle and cleaning agent in the secondary reservoir contacts the surface of the handle. Preferably the secondary reservoir is carried by the mounting mechanism. Preferably also the secondary reservoir moves with the handle between its rest and activated positions. It is preferably arranged that the secondary reservoir comprises a trough or other open-topped receptacle and accommodates a part of the handle. The secondary reservoir can if desired contain an absorbent pad in engagement with the handle, the absorbent pad becoming impregnated with cleaning agent and delivering the cleaning agent to the handle. Desirably, the cleaning agent is delivered from the secondary reservoir to the surface of the handle as the handle rotates.

Because the handle rotates only as it is moved from its activated position to its rest position, and because the user’s grip upon the handle will typically be released before the handle moves from its activated position to its rest position, the cleaning agent is typically delivered to the surface of the handle whilst it is not gripped. If the cleaning agent is an alcohol gel for example, some or all of the cleaning agent may evaporate from the surface of the handle before the next user grasps the handle. The next user might therefore be unaware that the handle has been cleaned, and in particular might be unaware that viruses and like which were adhering to the handle have been killed by the automatic operation of the device.

Preferably the handle rotates through less than one complete rotation during movement of the handle from the activated position to the rest position. Whilst it might be expected that at least one complete rotation is required for the entire surface of the handle to pass through the secondary reservoir and become coated with the cleaning agent, the inventors have appreciated that only a proportion of the surface of the handle can be gripped by a user and it is therefore only necessary to apply the cleaning agent to that proportion of the surface. In particular, a user cannot grip that part of the handle which lies within the secondary reservoir.

Preferably, the secondary reservoir spans approximately one third of the circumference of the handle. Preferably also, the handle rotates through less than 300°, and ideally through approximately 240°, during movement of the handle from the activated position to the rest position. Reducing the rotation of the handle reduces the complexity and/or size of the device without any loss of cleaning performance. Preferably the handle is pivotable relative to the housing between the rest position and the activated position. Preferably also the pivot axis is parallel with the longitudinal axis of the handle. The handle therefore pivots relative to the housing, and rotates relative to the housing, about parallel axes, which enables a mechanically simpler and more cost-effective mounting mechanism.

The housing can have a removable cover, removal of the cover allowing access to the primary reservoir. The primary reservoir is preferably replaceable so that an empty primary reservoir can be removed and replaced. The primary reservoir is preferably a “pump action” dispenser whereby reciprocating movement of a tubular plunger at the top of the reservoir causes the contents of the reservoir to be dispensed by way of the plunger. Pump action dispensers for liquid hand soaps and alcohol gels are in widespread use and are generally cost-effective and reliable. The use of a similar system in the present invention reduces the cost and complexity of the door handle. Desirably, and in common with many of the known pump action dispensers, cleaning fluid is pumped through the plunger as the plunger is pressed towards the primary reservoir.

Preferably the pump mechanism operates to drive the cleaning agent from the primary reservoir to the secondary reservoir as the handle is moving from the rest position to the activated position. In such an arrangement cleaning agent is delivered to the secondary reservoir whilst the handle is being moved by the user but is not rotating; some (or preferably all) of that cleaning agent subsequently passes to the surface of the handle as the handle rotates after it has been released by the user.

Preferably the housing has at least one conduit between the primary reservoir and the secondary reservoir. Desirably the housing has a manifold between the primary reservoir and the secondary reservoir. The provision of a manifold enables the connection of a single conduit to the primary reservoir and multiple conduits to the secondary reservoir. Preferably the multiple conduits are connected at spaced locations along the secondary reservoir. It is desirable to provide multiple conduits delivering the cleaning agent to several spaced locations of the secondary reservoir to better ensure that the full length of the handle receives a substantially uniform coating of cleaning agent.

Preferably a push rod is connected to the manifold, the push rod being driven to reciprocate as the handle moves repeatedly between its rest and activated positions. The reciprocating push rod preferably causes corresponding reciprocation of the manifold. Desirably the conduit between the manifold and the primary reservoir is substantially rigid so that reciprocating movement of the manifold causes the cyclical pumping of cleaning agent from the primary reservoir to the secondary reservoir. Preferably the manifold is connected directly to the tubular plunger of the primary reservoir. Desirably also the conduit(s) between the manifold and the secondary reservoir are flexible so as to accommodate the reciprocating movement of the manifold and also to accommodate the (pivoting) movement of the secondary reservoir and handle between the rest and activated positions.

Preferably the manifold is releasably connected to the plunger whereby the plunger of an empty primary reservoir can be disconnected from the manifold and replaced by the plunger of a replacement primary reservoir. Desirably the push rod is connected to a drive arm. Desirably also the drive arm is connected to a driven gear and the driven gear meshes with a drive gear. It is preferably arranged that the drive gear is connected to the mounting mechanism to move with the handle. Ideally the drive gear is coaxial with the pivot axis of the mounting mechanism. The drive gear undergoes partial rotation as the handle moves between its rest and activated positions. Movement of the handle between its rest and activated positions therefore causes partial reciprocating rotation of the drive gear, corresponding partial reciprocating rotation of the driven gear, corresponding reciprocating pivoting movement of the drive arm, corresponding reciprocating movement of the push rod and corresponding reciprocating movement of the manifold.

It will therefore be understood that each cycle of movement of the handle from its rest position to its activated position and back to its rest position (caused by the user grasping and pulling the handle and then releasing the handle) causes a cyclical movement of the manifold in two opposing directions. This cyclical movement can be communicated directly to the tubular plunger of the pump action dispenser to pump cleaning agent from the primary reservoir through the manifold to the secondary reservoir.

It is preferably arranged that movement of the handle from its rest position to its activated position causes movement of the manifold towards the primary reservoir. The inventors do not exclude the alternative arrangement in which the manifold is moved towards the primary reservoir as the handle is moving from its activated position to its rest position, but that alternative arrangement is not preferred because the force generating the movement from the activated position to the rest position is provided only by a return spring. Preferably the mounting mechanism has a pinion connected to a drive shaft, the drive shaft engaging the handle. Desirably the drive shaft is coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the handle. Desirably also the drive shaft engages only one end of the handle and a rotation shaft engages the other end of the handle. Desirably also the rotation shaft is coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the handle. Preferably the handle is mounted by way of the drive shaft and the rotation shaft and is desirably supported at its opposing ends by the drive shaft and rotation shaft. The drive shaft and the rotation shaft preferably define the rotation axis of the handle. Preferably the pinion meshes with a fixed gear segment (the gear segment preferably being mounted to the housing). It is thereby arranged that the pinion moves with the handle whilst the gear segment remains stationary (relative to the housing). As the handle moves between its rest and activated positions the pinion is caused to rotate by way of its meshing with the gear segment, and this causes corresponding rotation of the drive shaft.

Desirably, a first one-way rotation element is mounted between the drive shaft and the handle. Desirably also a second one-way rotation element is mounted between the rotation shaft and the handle. The one-way rotation elements are preferably both sprag gears. The first and second one-way rotation elements cooperate so that when the handle moves from its rest position to its activated position the rotation of the drive shaft is not communicated to the handle and the handle does not rotate about its longitudinal axis. The first and second one-way rotation elements further cooperate so that when the handle moves from its activated position to its rest position the rotation of the drive shaft is communicated to the handle and the handle rotates about its longitudinal axis. Such an arrangement is preferred since users would not expect the handle to rotate as it is being pulled and such rotation might be disconcerting to users. After the handle has been released by the user to move back to its rest position, however, it rotates relative to the secondary reservoir so that the cleaning agent is applied to the chosen area of the surface of the handle. Preferably the secondary reservoir has a wiper at its downstream side. Preferably also the wiper engages the surface of the handle. The wiper is not sufficiently rigid, nor is it pressed sufficiently firmly against the surface of the handle, to remove all of the cleaning agent which has been applied to the handle. Instead, the wiper can act to remove excess cleaning agent and return it to the secondary reservoir for subsequent use. The wiper can also help to spread the cleaning agent along the full length of the handle and thereby help to ensure that the entire surface of the handle which passes the wiper is coated with cleaning agent.

The wiper can also act to close a part of the secondary reservoir and thereby help to prevent the unwanted evaporation of the cleaning agent into the atmosphere, particularly during extended periods of non-use. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig.1 shows a perspective view of the door handle with an automatic cleaning function according to the invention;

Fig.2 shows an exploded view of the door handle of Fig.1 ;

Fig.3 shows a further exploded view of a part of the door handle of Fig.1 ;

Fig.4 shows another further exploded view of a part of the door handle of Fig.1 ;

Fig.5 shows yet another further exploded view of a part of the door handle of Fig.1 ;

Fig.6 shows a sectional view through a part of the door handle;

Fig.7 shows a sectional view through the handle part;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The door handle 10 comprises a handle 12 and a housing 14. The handle 12 is mounted to the housing 14 by a mounting mechanism 16, 18 and is movable relative to the housing 14.

Two different numerals 16 and 18 are used to identify the separate parts of the mounting mechanism (one at each end of the handle 12), but the mounting mechanism is referred to in the singular because it comprises a composite structure which moves as a single unit. The handle 12 is shown in Fig.1 (and also in Figs. 2-4) in its rest position relative to the housing 14. The mounting mechanism 16, 18 is mounted to the housing by way of a pivot shaft 20 (see Fig.5). One end of the pivot shaft 20 is visible in Fig.2 and the pivot shaft defines the pivot axis A-A for the mounting mechanism 16,18 and handle 12. The two mounting arms 22 of the mounting mechanism 16,18 are cut away at 24, and the top cover 26 of the housing 12 is cut away at 28, to permit the mounting mechanism to pivot through an angle of approximately 30° (generally in the anti-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig.3) to the activated position.

The mounting mechanism 16,18 and handle 12 are resiliently biased to the rest position by a torsion spring 30 (Fig.5). The torsion spring 30 is mounted adjacent to one end of a shaft 32 upon which a driven gear 54 and drive arm 56 are mounted (see Fig.6) with its coils passing around the shaft 32; one end of the torsion spring engages the drive arm 56 and the other end of the torsion spring engages the back wall of the housing 14.

The housing 14 contains a primary reservoir 34 for a cleaning agent. The primary reservoir 34 is a commercially available container for a chosen cleaning agent such as an alcohol gel. The container is fitted with a pump-action dispenser 36 of known form. In particular, the pump-action dispenser 36 has a tubular plunger at its top, which plunger is connected to a dispensing mechanism inside the container. In known fashion, when the plunger is pressed towards the container (i.e. downwardly as viewed) the cleaning agent is pumped through the tubular plunger. The dispensing mechanism includes a spring to lift the plunger back to its rest position when the downwards pressure is removed.

The tubular plunger is connected to a manifold 40. The manifold communicates the cleaning agent delivered through the tubular plunger to four conduits 42. The four conduits are all connected to a secondary reservoir 44 for the cleaning agent, the secondary reservoir 44 being carried by the mounting mechanism 16,18 and located immediately adjacent to the handle 12. As seen in Fig.4, the container 34 is secured by a flexible strap 38, which is also ideally somewhat resilient. In addition, the plunger of the pump action dispenser is releasably connected to the manifold 40 so that an empty container can be removed and replaced with a full container.

The secondary reservoir 44 comprises a trough, the bottom of which is defined by a lower wall 46. The lower wall 46 has an opening for each of the conduits 42. In the assembled door handle a part of the handle 12 lies in the trough and the surface of the handle is very close to the lower wall 46.

A drive gear 48 is mounted adjacent to one end of the pivot shaft 20. The drive gear has a boss (not seen) and a fastener passes through a hole in the boss and into a corresponding hole 58 in the pivot shaft. Rotation of the pivot shaft 20 is therefore communicated directly to the drive gear 48.

The non-circular part 50 of the drive shaft 20 mates with a correspondingly non circular hole 52 in one of the mounting arms 22 (see Fig.4). Accordingly, pivoting movement of the handle 12 between its rest and activated positions causes corresponding rotation of the pivot shaft 20 and the drive gear 48 (through approximately 30°).

The drive gear 48 meshes with the driven gear 54 which is mounted to rotate upon the shaft 32. One end of a drive arm 56 is fixed to the driven gear 54 and the other end of the drive arm is pivotably connected to one end of a push rod 60. The other end of the push rod 60 is pivotably mounted to the manifold 40.

It will be seen that in this embodiment the driven gear 54 is smaller than the drive gear 48. This causes the angular movement of the driven gear 56 to be greater than that of the drive gear, and causes a correspondingly larger linear movement of the push rod 60 and manifold 40.

It will thereby be understood that angular movement of the handle between its rest and activated positions causes linear movement of the manifold 40 and connected plunger whereby to pump cleaning fluid from the primary reservoir 34 to the secondary reservoir 44 (by way of the tubular plunger, manifold 40 and conduits 42). The relative sizes of the drive gear 48 and driven gear 54, and the length of the drive arm 56, can be chosen to provide the required linear movement of the manifold 40 for the available angular movement of the handle 12.

The handle has a longitudinal axis L-L which is parallel with the pivot axis A-A. The door handle 10 is designed for fitment with the longitudinal axis L-L and the pivot axis A-A horizontal.

Fig.7 shows a cross-section through the handle 12 and the adjacent parts of the mounting mechanism 16,18 at each end of the handle. The handle 12 is rotatable about the longitudinal axis L-L relative to the mounting mechanism 16,18. The mounting mechanism has a rotation mechanism which controls the rotation of the handle 12. Specifically, one end of the handle 12 is mounted to the part 16 of the mounting mechanism by a drive shaft 62 and the other end of the handle 12 is mounted to the part 18 of the mounting mechanism by a rotation shaft 64. The drive shaft 62 and the rotation shaft 64 are both coaxial with the longitudinal axis L-L.

A pinion gear 66 is fixed to the drive shaft 62. The pinion gear 66 meshes with a gear segment 68 which is seen in Figs. 4 and 5. The gear segment 68 is fixedly mounted in the housing 14 and has an arcuate geared surface centred on the pivot axis A-A. The pinion gear 66 is caused to rotate (partially) as the handle 12 is moved between its rest and activated positions with the pinion gear rolling along the arcuate geared surface of the gear segment 68.

The drive shaft 62 rotates with pinion gear 66. Relative rotation between the drive shaft 62 and the part 16 of the mounting mechanism 16 is enabled by a bearing 70.

A first sprag bearing 72 is mounted to the drive shaft 62 and a second sprag bearing 74 is mounted to the rotation shaft 64. The sprag bearings 72,74 permit relative rotation between their outer edge and the inner edge in one direction only, in known fashion. Specifically, when the handle 12 is moved from the rest position to the activated position the pinion gear 66 and drive shaft 62 are driven to rotate anti-clockwise (as viewed in the orientation of Fig.3). This anti-clockwise rotation is not, however, transmitted to the handle 12, the first sprag gear 72 permitting relative rotation between the drive shaft 62 and handle 12 in that direction. Furthermore, the second sprag gear 74 resists rotation of the rotation shaft 64 (and consequently the handle 12) relative to the part 18 of the mounting mechanism in that direction of rotation. Accordingly, as the user grasps the handle 12 and pulls it from the rest position to the activated position the handle pivots about the pivot axis A-A but does not rotate about the longitudinal axis L-L.

Also, as the handle 12 moves from its rest position to its activated position, the drive gear 48 rotates and the manifold 40 is driven to pump cleaning agent along the conduits 42 and into the small gap between the lower wall 46 and the surface of the handle. The small gap between these components ensures that the cleaning agent passes along the lower wall to engage the full length of the handle 12. When the user releases the handle 12 the torsion spring 30 drives the handle 12 back to its rest position. This reverses the rotation of the drive gear 48 and reverses the movement of the manifold 40, ready for the next pumping procedure.

Also, the pinion gear 66 rolls back along the gear segment 68, rotating in the clockwise direction as viewed in the orientation of Fig.3. This clockwise rotation is transmitted to the handle 12 by the first sprag gear 72 so that the handle 12 rotates about its longitudinal axis L-L, and specifically relative to the trough 44. The cleaning agent in the secondary reservoir is thereby applied to the surface of the handle 12 as that surface rotates in the trough 44.

It will be understood that the second sprag gear 74 permits rotation of the rotation shaft 64 (and the handle 12) relative to the part 18 in that (clockwise) direction. It will be understood that the circumferential length of the handle 12 which passes through the trough 44 and thereby becomes coated with cleaning agent depends upon the angular rotation of the pinion gear 66, and specifically the number of gear teeth of the pinion gear 66 compared to the number of gear teeth of the gear segment 68. It is preferably arranged that the handle 12 undergoes an angular rotation of approximately 240°. It could of course be arranged that the handle 12 undergoes a complete 360° rotation (or more), but that would require a larger gear segment or a smaller pinion. It would also result in the amount of cleaning agent delivered into the trough 44 in each pumping cycle to be spread over a larger area of the handle surface, which may not be desirable. In the embodiment shown approximately one third (i.e. a circumferential length of approx. 120°) lies within the secondary reservoir 44; it is therefore not necessary to apply a cleaning agent to that part of the handle surface for each use of the handle since that part of the handle cannot be gripped by the user.

The downstream edge of the secondary reservoir carries a wiper blade 76. The wiper blade engages the surface of the handle 12 and serves to limit the thickness of cleaning agent applied to the handle to a thin film. It is recognised that only a thin film of cleaning agent is required to decontaminate the handle and it is desired to use no more of the cleaning agent than is required. The wiper blade 76 also serves to help ensure that the full length of the handle 14 is coated with cleaning agent.

In addition an absorbent pad 78 is provided for the secondary reservoir, which pad lies between the lower wall 46 and the handle 12 in the assembled device, the absorbent pad 78 helping to temporarily store the cleaning agent between its delivery into the secondary reservoir and its application to the handle.

Fig.3 shows that the lower surface 46 does not extend fully across the secondary reservoir. This embodiment of the invention is designed primarily for use with alcohol gels which have a relatively high viscosity. In addition, it will be understood that most of the cleaning agent remains in the absorbent pad within secondary reservoir only for a very short time, i.e. the handle is released and the cleaning agent is applied to the surface of the handle very soon after the handle has been pulled to deliver the cleaning agent into the trough 44. The relatively small volume of alcohol gel which is delivered into the trough 44 is not likely to leak out of the trough 44 in this short time. In an alternative embodiment intended for cleaning agents with a lower viscosity, the lower wall could extend across more (or all) of the secondary reservoir.

It will be appreciated that the movable handle 12 (or more likely the movable mounting mechanism 16,18) may be connected to latching and/or locking componentry if desired. Thus, whilst it is envisaged that the invention will be primarily used for doors which are biased closed but do not latch or lock in the closed position, it would be possible to incorporate latching and/or locking componentry if desired, or to utilise the door handle alongside separate latching and/or locking componentry.