Door latch apparatus and associated system and method

A door latch system comprising:

• a door comprising a plurality of rod apertures;
• and
• a door latch apparatus coupled to the door comprising:
• a profile disc having a disc thickness and comprising a plurality of slots and a central aperture, wherein the plurality of slots and the central aperture each extends through the disc thickness, and wherein each one of the plurality of slots curves from a first slot end, adjacent to an outer disc edge of the profile disc, to a second slot end, adjacent to the central aperture;
• a handle system comprising a first handle, a second handle, and a rod co-rotatably coupling the first handle to the second handle, wherein;
• the rod extends through the central aperture of the profile disc and is co-rotatably fixed, relative to the profile disc, such that the first handle, the second handle, the rod, and the profile disc are co-rotatable;
• the first handle and the second handle is selectively rotatable between, and inclusive of, a closed handle position and an open handle position;
• and
• the first handle and the second handle each comprises a handle base and an extendable handle portion that is selectively movable between, and inclusive of, a folded position and an extended position, when in the folded position, the extendable handle portion is folded into the handle base and entirely within a perimeter of the profile disc, and when in the extended position, the extendable handle portion extends away from the handle base and at least a portion of the extendable handle portion extends beyond the perimeter of the profile disc;
• a plurality of sliders each engaged with a corresponding one of the plurality of slots so that, when the profile disc rotates, the plurality of sliders simultaneously slide along the plurality of slots;
• and
• a plurality of locking rods each coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of sliders, and each linearly movable between, and inclusive of, an extended rod position and a retracted rod position when the corresponding one of the plurality of sliders slides along the corresponding one of the plurality of slots;
• wherein:
• each one of the plurality of locking rods extends through a corresponding one of the plurality of the rod apertures of the door;
• when the first handle and the second handle are in the closed handle position, the plurality of locking rods are in the extended rod position and the plurality of sliders are positioned at the first slot end;
• and
• when the first handle and the second handle are in the open handle position, the plurality of locking rods are in the retracted rod position the plurality of sliders are positioned at the second slot end.

A method of operating a door latch apparatus, the method comprising:

• selectively moving an extendable handle portion of a handle of a handle system from a folded position, in which the extendable handle portion is positioned entirely within a perimeter of a profile disc, to an extended position, in which the extendable handle portion at least partially extends outside the perimeter of the profile disc;
• unlocking the door latch apparatus by rotating a handle of a handle system in an unlocking direction from a closed handle position to an open handle position to retract a plurality of locking rods from an extended rod position to a retracted rod position via a plurality of sliders simultaneously sliding along a curved path from a first slot end to a second slot end of a corresponding one of a plurality of slots of a profile disc;
• and
• locking the door latch apparatus by rotating the handle of the handle system in a locking direction, opposite the unlocking direction, from the open handle position to the closed handle position to extend the plurality of locking rods from the retracted rod position to the extended rod position via the plurality of sliders simultaneously sliding along the curved path from the second slot end to the first slot end of the corresponding one of the plurality of slots of the profile disc.