Patent attributes
The hands-free door latch mechanism includes two mutually opposed actuator plates to each side of the door, with the plates disposed vertically and orthogonally to the plane of the door. The plates are rigidly connected, with the connector bar also rigidly connected to the latch of the door. When either plate is pushed toward the hinge line of the door, the connector draws the latch into the door to release the latch from the strike plate. A horizontally disposed lock plate extends from one side of the door, with a transverse lock rod extending through the door. The lock rod has a tang that resides above the internal end of the latch when unlocked. When the lock plate is pushed down, the tang drops behind the latch to prevent retraction of the latch. The opposite end of the lock rod has a lock status indicator extending therefrom.
