Integrated assist handle

A vehicle, comprising:

• a door frame defining a door opening;
• a door movable with respect to the door frame between a closed position, which blocks the door opening, and an open position, which allows access to the door opening;
• an assist handle movably attached to the door frame opposite a pivot point of the door, wherein the assist handle is movable between a retracted position, proximal to the door frame, and a deployed position, distal from the door frame, when the door is in the open position;
• a latch selectively adjustable between a locked setting, which restrains the door in the closed position, and a free setting, which allows the door to move between the closed position and the open position;
• and
• a power actuator attached to the assist handle and the door frame, wherein the power actuator moves the assist handle from the retracted position to the deployed position, such that the assist handle moves the door from the closed position to the open position when the latch is in free setting.

A method of operating a door mechanism having a door frame defining a door opening and a door selectively movable relative to the door opening, the method comprising:

• adjusting a latch from a locked setting, which restrains the door in a closed position that blocks the door opening, to a free setting, which allows the door to move between the closed position and an open position that allows access to the door opening;
• actuating an assist handle movably attached to the door frame opposite a pivot point of the door, such that the assist handle moves from a retracted position, proximal to the door frame, to a deployed position, distal from the door frame;
• and
• moving the door from the closed position to the open position with the assist handle.