Vehicle door/tailgate assembly with centering feature

A vehicle handle assembly comprising:

• a mounting base;
• a centering member having a plurality of camming surfaces which are surfaces on a triangularly-shaped tooth and including a generally annular body having a base and a cylindrical wall extending from said base, said base including a shaft opening, and said cylindrical wall having at least one of said camming surfaces formed thereon;
• a handle grip having a front surface and a rear surface, said handle grip including a shaft on said rear surface and a positioning collar depending from said rear surface of said handle grip and extending around said shaft, said shaft extending through and engaging said mounting base, and said positioning collar adapted to slidably engage said annular body of said centering member;
• said mounting base adapted to mount said handle grip on a vehicle panel, said mounting base having front and rear sides and a shaft receiving passage extending therethrough for receiving said shaft, said rear side of said mounting base including a collar having a plurality of camming surfaces which are surfaces on a triangularly-shaped notch, said camming surfaces of said notch corresponding to and receiving said camming surfaces of said centering member for slidably engaging said centering member, and said shaft extending through and journaled in said shaft receiving passage for rotational movement therein;
• said centering member slidably disposed on said shaft for longitudinal movement along said shaft and rotation with said shaft, said centering member being positioned on a portion of said shaft which extends through said shaft receiving passage, and said camming surfaces of said centering member slidably engaging said collar of said mounting base such that when a rotational torque is applied to said handle grip, said centering member slides along said shaft away from said rear side of said mounting base to permit said handle grip to rotate between at least one unlatching position and a centered position, said centering member aligning said handle grip with said mounting base in said centered position when the rotational torque is removed from said handle grip;
• and
• a spring urging said centering member against said rear side of said mounting base for slidably engaging said rear side of said mounting base.

A vehicle handle assembly comprising:

• a handle grip having first and second spaced surfaces, a stop, and a shaft which extends from said second surface for extending through a panel on a vehicle, said stop limiting rotational movement of said handle grip between an unlatching position and a neutral position;
• a centering member slidably disposed on said shaft for longitudinal movement along said shaft, said centering member positioned on a portion of said shaft for extending through the panel, said centering member adapted to slidably engage the panel and said handle grip to align said handle grip to a desired orientation;
• and
• a spring having a predetermined compression force, said spring urging said centering member against said handle grip and for urging said centering member against the panel to slidably couple said centering member to said handle grip and for slidably coupling said centering member to the panel whereby said centering member centers the rotational position of said handle grip to said desired orientation until such time that a torque inducing a force having a magnitude greater than said compression force of said spring is applied to said handle grip which then causes said centering member to slide away from said handle grip and the panel along said shaft until said stop limits rotation of said handle grip to an unlatching position.

A vehicle handle assembly comprising:

• a mounting base;
• a centering member;
• a handle having a handle grip and a shaft, said handle grip including first and second spaced apart sides and a stop, said shaft projecting from said second side and extending through said mounting base;
• said mounting base adapted to mount said handle to a support surface, said mounting base having first and second sides, a passage extending therethrough, and a projecting member on said second side, said projecting member being adapted to engage said centering member, said shaft extending through and being rotationally mounted in said passage and in said projecting member, said mounting base also including a pair of stop engaging surfaces which limit rotational movement of said handle in said passage between a first unlatching position and a second unlatching position;
• said centering member slidably disposed on said shaft, said centering member being positioned on a portion of said shaft which extends through said projecting member, and said centering member having a first portion engaging said projecting member and a second portion engaging said handle grip;
• and
• a biasing member having a compression force and urging said first and second portions of said centering member to fully engage said projecting member and said handle grip, said first and second portions aligning said handle grip on said mounting base in a centered position when said first and second portions of said centering member are fully engaged with said projecting member and said handle grip, respectively, and said centering member sliding along said shaft away from said projecting member and said handle grip and compressing said biasing member when a torque is applied to said handle grip, and said stop engaging surfaces limiting rotation of said handle to one of said first unlatching position and said second unlatching position.

A vehicle handle assembly comprising:

• a mounting base;
• a centering member;
• a handle grip having first and second spaced apart surfaces and a stop, said handle grip including a depending shaft which projects from said second surface and extends through and engages said mounting base;
• said mounting base adapted to mount said handle grip to a support surface, said mounting base having first and second surfaces, a passage extending therethrough, a projecting member on said second surface, said projecting member adapted to engage a centering member, said shaft extending through and being rotationally mounted in said passage and said projecting member, and said mounting base further including a pair of stop engaging surfaces which limit rotational movement of said handle grip between a first unlatching position and a second unlatching position;
• said centering member positioned on a portion of said shaft which extends through said projecting member and slidably disposed on said shaft for longitudinal movement along said shaft, and said centering member including a first pair of camming surfaces slidably engaging said projecting member and including a second pair of camming surfaces slidably, said second pair of camming surfaces engaging a portion of said handle grip to align said handle grip on said mounting base in a centered position;
• and
• a spring having a compression force urging said centering member against said projecting member to couple said centering member to said projecting member whereby said centering member aligns said handle grip on said mounting base in said centered position when said centering member is fully engaged with said projecting member but slides along said projecting member and said shaft when a torque is applied to said handle grip inducing a force that exceeds the compression force of the spring to permit the handle to rotate with respect to said mounting base, said stop limiting rotation to one of said first unlatching position and said second unlatching position.

A vehicle handle assembly comprising:

• a mounting base;
• a centering member, said centering member including a shaft receiving passage and first and second camming surfaces;
• a handle having a handle grip and a shaft, said handle grip having first and second spaced apart sides and a stop, said shaft projecting from said second side and extending through said shaft receiving passage of said centering member;
• said mounting base adapted to mount said handle to a support surface, said mounting base having first and second sides, a passage extending therethrough, and a protecting member on said second side, said shaft of said handle extending through and being rotationally mounted in said passage of said mounting base and said projecting member, and said mounting base further including a pair of stop engaging surfaces which limit rotational movement of said handle between a first unlatching position and a second unlatching position;
• said centering member positioned on a portion of said shaft which extends through said projecting member, said centering member being slidably disposed on said shaft, and said first camming surface of said centering member slidably engaging said handle grip, and said second camming surface of said centering member slidably engaging said projecting member of said mounting base, and said first and second camming surfaces being adapted to rotate said handle grip in said mounting base when said centering member slides along said shaft toward said mounting base and said handle grip;
• and
• a biasing member urging said centering member to slide along said shaft toward said said projecting member and said mounting base and urging said first and second camming surfaces to engage said handle grip and said projecting member, respectively, and to rotate said handle grip to said centered position when said first and second camming surfaces are fully engaged with said projecting and said handle grip member, respectively, said first and second camming surfaces urging said centering member away from said handle grip and said mounting base when a torque of sufficient force to compress said biasing member is applied to said handle, and said stop engaging surfaces limiting rotation of said handle to one of said first unlatching position and said second unlatching position.