Commercial door hardware always has had to be able to fulfill many requirements. Now it also has to enable a door to be opened without even being touched!
Although automatic door operators are being used for more applications than ever before, automatic door operators aren’t suitable for every opening because of the nature of the opening or the cost. As a result, more security manufacturers are adding and promoting so-called low-touch solutions, such as arm pulls and foot pulls, that don’t require as much use of the hands to open.
Here are a few options available.
Buss Innovations Restroom UP LoK
The Restroom UP LoK is a new type of door handle that features total hands-free operation without the use of electronics or motors. The UP LoK is meant for in-swing doors on single-use bathrooms.
How does it work? You bump an unlocked door from the outside to open the door. (The entire face of the door is a potential push point.) Inside, after the door closes, you raise the interior U-shape latch handle with an arm, which locks the door. To unlock, you bump the latch down and pull the door open with your wrist on the handle.
The simple device also includes an integrated locked-status indicator on both sides of the door.
The UP LoK easily retrofits on all standard-size doors that have a 161 cylindrical lock preparation. A 161 prep is a cylindrical lock prep that has a 2-1/8-inch hole and 2-3/4-inch backset, where the door edge prep is 1-1/8 by 2-1/4 inches.
The UP LoK is meant for indoor use only, and it’s suggested that a wall- or floor-mounted door stop is positioned at least 4 inches away from the adjacent wall. The company further suggests a spring-loaded automatic door closer for complete hands-free operation.
Locksmith Ledger contacted Jon Buss of Buss Innovations for more.
Locksmith Ledger (LL): Tell us about the thought behind this product.
Jon Buss: I’m an industrial designer and inventor, with an interest in low-profile everyday products that have obvious design flaws.
The public-washroom door handle is another example of a “tolerated irritant” we all have to deal with at one time or another. It’s pretty obvious the door hardware industry has failed to produce a good door handle based on the public health-specific realties that comprise a sanitary restroom experience, and most users are reminded of this every visit. Grabbing that extra paper towel or pulling down the shirt sleeve [to open such a door without touching it] is how and why it’s tolerated.
I realized a total rethink of how we interact with doors in public places could be time and development dollars well-spent. With the journey starting in 2012, it took years of ideation, 3D-printed models and focus-group testing to yield a clear path forward in creating the ultimate privacy lock — hands-free in operation and the capability to communicate locked status on both sides of the door. My company is determined to redefine how we interact with latching, locking doors in public places. The single-user restroom door is the obvious starting point.
LL: Where are your products manufactured?
Buss: With the exception of fasteners that are imported from the United States, every component is manufactured in the metro Vancouver area of British Columbia, Canada. Our team has been producing high-quality consumer and professional products in western Canada for nearly a quarter-century.
LL: What makes your products unique?
Buss: To my knowledge, there is no other manually operated door handle that has a locking device that provides the user total hands-free-optional operation while automatically communicating the locked status on both sides of the door. The sensor-triggered automatic door operator could be considered the closest competitor. This motorized device brings the same valuable features to the restroom user, but at a significantly higher price.
Hands-free operation without the need for electric power and subsequent ongoing maintenance is made possible by some of the unique low-key technical triumphs of the UP LoK. The double-beveled latch that automatically retracts on the open and close is, as an example, a significant improvement over the manually retracting latch found on all grip-and-twist handles. The use of only a few robust machined components also differentiates our product from traditional privacy locks that rely on numerous low-cost sheet-metal parts patched together in complicated subassemblies.
LL: Who are your customers?
Buss: We anticipate the prime movers for our new hands-free technology will be businesses that prioritize providing their customers and employees with sanitary, safe facilities.
The healthy-hardware category has been growing for years as personal health and hygiene awareness increasingly factors into how architectural hardware is designed and where it’s implemented.
I expect the post-pandemic world will continue to put space between our hands and common public surfaces.
LL: How can a locksmith buy your products?
Buss: The www.restroomlock.com website is the sales hub. We recently started shipping the product on a weekly basis. There is an ongoing effort to attract reseller partners in our inaugural year and have these stocking distributors listed on the site.
LL: Do you provide tech support?
Buss: Yes, absolutely. Providing sales and technical support is a serious matter for the company. Besides the amount of detailed technical information on the website, we respond to all email requests within 20 minutes, seven days a week, during our normal business hours.
The ability to communicate with a product expert and company executive within a matter of minutes has been a central tenet of our past successes.
LL: Is any training required to install your product?
Buss: The installation process is fairly simple; however we highly recommend installers follow the four-minute guide on our website to ensure everything is done correctly. Despite the ease of installation, we expect the work to be done by someone who is familiar with installing door hardware as well as having the required tools for the job.
For more information, go to www.restroomlock.com or email [email protected]
Ives hands-free door pulls
To promote a healthy environment, Allegion brand Ives has hands-free door pulls in a variety of styles and designs that enable people to operate a door with their arm, wrist or foot to avoid contacting surfaces with their hands.
These products are easy to retrofit on any opening and feature rust-free brass or stainless steel construction.
The AP101 Arm Pull is designed for easy forearm opening and is made of one-eighth-inch-thick stainless steel. Through bolts are included for secure mounting.
Dimensions: 4 in. (w) x 5-1/8 in. (h), with a 3-7/8 in. projection
The FP100 Foot Pull has a wide design and serrated foot edge, which enhances the grip for opening a door. Through bolts are included for secure mounting, and the foot pull is made of one-eighth-inch-thick stainless steel.
Dimensions: 5 in. (w) x 2-3/4 in. (h), with a 3-1/8 in. projection
More info: https://us.allegion.com/healthy-buildings
Precision Hardware APEX 2000 with UltraShield
Exit devices are a natural low-touch solution because they can be bumped and the door opened by a hip or back against the exit device pushpad. However, for extra protection on APEX 2000 exit devices and other door hardware by dormakaba divisions, there’s UltraShield.
UltraShield, made in partnership with Agion Technologies, is an optional antimicrobial finish that inhibits the growth of bacteria and other microbes on the surface of door hardware.
UltraShield is low maintenance and requires no reapplication, and UltraShield coated access control surfaces can be cleaned easily with mild cleansers or soap. (Bleach isn’t recommended.)
More info: www.precisionhardware.com, www.dormakaba.com
RIXSON and SARGENT electromagnetic door holders
Of course, a door that remains open doesn’t require hands to touch it to pass through. ASSA ABLOY Group brands RIXSON and SARGENT offer a broad range of electromagnetic door holders or releases for virtually any remote door-release application, thus helping to reduce touchpoints on various doors throughout a facility. These door holders also can be tied into fire and security systems to release doors to close during an alarm or via a remote switch.
Floor-mounted units are available for single or back-to-back doors. Wall-mounted units feature concealed or surface wiring, low-profile projection or high hold force.
RIXSON and SARGENT electromagnetic door holders are available in multiple finishes, including MicroShield, ASSA ABLOY’s antimicrobial coating for door hardware. It’s made with silver-ion-based technology from Agion Technologies. MicroShield is available on products from ASSA ABLOY Architectural Door Accessories, ASSA ABLOY Glass Solutions, Adams Rite, Corbin Russwin, SARGENT and Yale.
More info: www.rixson.com, www.sargent.com
Adams Rite 4590 and 4591
The 4590 Deadlatch Paddle is an ergonomically friendly alternative to a knob or lever handle that operates with a simple push or pull and is designed to work with Adams Rite deadlatches. Push or pull hardware allows doors to be opened with a pull of your arm or push of the hip. The 4590’s design reduces unsafe catchpoints on clothing.
The 4591 is field-configurable and available with monitoring options.
More info: www.adamsrite.com
ABH Arm Pull AP100, Foot Pull FP100
The AP100 and FP100 work on latchless commercial wood or metal doors to eliminate the spread of germs, prevent cross-contamination and reduce costs.
However, for additional protection against germs, ABH has a copper-based antibacterial coating option, known as CuVerro, which is known to kill bacteria, including those that cause staph and MRSA.
More info: www.abhmfg.com
Trimco Ultimate Restroom Pulls
Trimco’s 1035 and 1835 Ultimate Restroom Pulls are manufactured with Healthy Hardware, which is a bactericidal copper. The pull has a special design that allows the user to pull the door open using their arm. They use the hands-free 1135 hospital grip, which complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and are combined with a .05” or a one-eighths-inch push plate, depending on the model.
They’re aimed at use in nurseries and preschools, commercial and industrial buildings, government and military facilities, hospitals and health-care facilities and manufacturing facilities.
Trimco’s UFP – Ultimate Foot Pull allows the opening of a restroom door without the use of hands. The UFP includes rubber bumpers for wall protection and is through-bolted for maximum durability. It’s made of marine-grade stainless steel.
More info: www.trimcohardware.com
Camden Door Push Plate Switches
Push plate switches that are 36 inches tall are a good alternative to automated no-touch solutions, because they can be operated easily with an arm, elbow, hip or foot.
Originally developed to comply with state and provincial building-code requirements for high or low push plate switches (that are installed at the height of a hand or a wheelchair foot), 36-inch-tall push plate switches, including Column switches, also help to reduce the spread of germs.
More info: www.camdencontrols.com
Tim O’Leary is an experienced security consultant and a regular contributor to Locksmith Ledger.
Tim O'Leary
Tim O'Leary is a security consultant, trainer and technician who has also been writing articles on all areas of locksmithing & physical security for many years.
