US 11,607,091 B1Granted

Deployable handle devices

AssigneeNuWhirl Systems Corporation

InventorsJeff Harlan, Yves Grandmaitre

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Handle devices for building, including bathing, environments that can be stored in and deployed from recesses in the walls of the environments. The handle devices may include emergency contact capabilities to enable a user to contact an emergency contact. Universal handle devices can be mounted to the contoured walls of a free standing tub. Handle devices may have a handle, a handle housing, a gear shaft connected to the handle, a spring and a lock housing. Other handle devices have housings with a gear rod and a guide channel. Some handle devices have a plurality of links rotatably coupled to the housing and the handle, and a stowage locking lever housed within the handle.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A handle device movable from a stowed configuration to a deployed configuration for grasping by a user, the handle device comprising:

a handle configured to be grasped by a user, the handle configured to move between a stowed configuration and a deployed configuration, wherein in the stowed configuration, the handle is configured to be substantially flush with a surrounding wall, and in the deployed configuration, the handle is configured to protrude from the surrounding wall for the user to grasp the handle;
a handle housing configured to be positioned in the surrounding wall with the handle at least partially positioned in the handle housing, the handle housing comprising a first gear track, a second gear track, and an elongate protrusion on one or more walls of the handle housing, the first gear track positioned on a same wall of the one or more walls as the second gear track, the first gear track spaced from the second gear track on the same wall, wherein the handle is configured to move relative to the handle housing between the stowed and deployed configurations, wherein the first and second gear tracks extend on the same wall of the handle housing along a travel direction of the handle between the stowed and deployed configurations, and wherein the elongate protrusion extends along the travel direction on the one or more walls;
a gear shaft connected to the handle, the gear shaft comprising a first gear fixed to the gear shaft and a second gear fixed to the gear shaft, the first gear spaced from the second gear on the gear shaft, the first gear engaging the first gear track, the second gear engaging the second gear track, wherein the handle moving relative to the handle housing between the stowed and deployed configurations is configured to rotate the first and second gears via the first and second gear tracks moving along the travel direction and engaging the first and second gears, wherein the first and second gears are configured to rotate together a same arc length by being fixed to the gear shaft such that the first and second gears move the first and second gear tracks a same linear distance along the travel direction between the stowed and deployed configurations by the first and second gears rotating the same arc length to mitigate movement of the handle in directions other than along the travel direction relative to the handle housing;
a spring connected to the handle housing and configured to bias the handle to the deployed configuration;
and
a lock housing connected to the handle and configured to move with the handle between the stowed and deployed configurations, the lock housing comprising a groove extending in the travel direction, the groove configured to receive the elongate protrusion of the handle housing in the stowed configuration, the lock housing comprising a cavity having a locking mechanism positioned in the cavity, the locking mechanism comprising an engagement body configured to move in the cavity and an arm connected to the engagement body extending out of the cavity, the arm configured to block the elongate protrusion from entering the groove of the lock housing to inhibit movement of the elongate protrusion into the groove to lock the handle in the deployed configuration.

3 more elements

A handle device comprising:

a handle configured to be grasped by a user, the handle being configured to translate between a stowed configuration that is substantially flush with a surrounding wall and a deployed configuration which allows for the user to grasp the handle;
a housing configured to house the handle in the housing in the stowed configuration, the housing comprising a gear rack and a guide channel, the guide channel comprising a contour configured to facilitate locking the handle in the stowed configuration;
a gear rod comprising a gear configured to engage with the gear rack, the gear rod being configured to rotate with movement of the handle between the stowed and deployed configurations with the gear remaining engaged with the gear rack;
a lock spring arm connected to the handle, wherein the guide channel is configured to move the lock spring arm within the guide channel with the movement of the handle between the stowed and deployed configurations;
and
a spring coupled to the housing and configured to bias the handle to the deployed configuration outside of the housing,
wherein the guide channel is configured to move the lock spring arm into the contour of the guide channel with the handle in the stowed configuration to lock the handle in the stowed configuration,
wherein the guide channel is configured to move the lock spring arm from the contour of the guide channel by the handle being moved further into the housing from the stowed configuration, and
wherein the spring is configured to move the handle from within the housing with the lock spring arm moved out of the contour of the guide channel.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

A handle device movable from a stowed configuration to a deployed configuration for grasping by a user, the handle device comprising:

a handle configured to be grasped by a user, the handle configured to move between a stowed configuration and a deployed configuration, wherein in the stowed configuration, the handle is configured to be substantially flush with a surrounding wall, and in the deployed configuration, the handle is configured to protrude from the surrounding wall for the user to grasp the handle;
a handle housing configured to be positioned in the surrounding wall with the handle at least partially positioned in the handle housing, the handle housing comprising a first gear track, a second gear track, and an elongate protrusion on one or more walls of the handle housing, the first gear track positioned on a same wall of the one or more walls as the second gear track, the first gear track spaced from the second gear track on the same wall, wherein the handle is configured to move relative to the handle housing between the stowed and deployed configurations, wherein the first and second gear tracks extend on the same wall of the handle housing along a travel direction of the handle between the stowed and deployed configurations, and wherein the elongate protrusion extends along the travel direction on the one or more walls;
a gear shaft connected to the handle, the gear shaft comprising a first gear fixed to the gear shaft and a second gear fixed to the gear shaft, the first gear spaced from the second gear on the gear shaft, the first gear engaging the first gear track, the second gear engaging the second gear track, wherein the handle moving relative to the handle housing between the stowed and deployed configurations is configured to rotate the first and second gears via the first and second gear tracks moving along the travel direction and engaging the first and second gears, wherein the first and second gears are configured to rotate together a same arc length by being fixed to the gear shaft such that the first and second gears move the first and second gear tracks a same linear distance along the travel direction between the stowed and deployed configurations by the first and second gears rotating the same arc length to mitigate movement of the handle in directions other than along the travel direction relative to the handle housing;
a spring connected to the handle housing and configured to bias the handle to the deployed configuration;
and
a lock housing connected to the handle and configured to move with the handle between the stowed and deployed configurations, the lock housing comprising a groove extending in the travel direction, the groove configured to receive the elongate protrusion of the handle housing in the stowed configuration, the lock housing comprising a cavity having a locking mechanism positioned in the cavity, the locking mechanism comprising an engagement body configured to move in the cavity and an arm connected to the engagement body extending out of the cavity, the arm configured to block the elongate protrusion from entering the groove of the lock housing to inhibit movement of the elongate protrusion into the groove to lock the handle in the deployed configuration.

3 more elements