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US 6,921,116 B2Granted
Door handle assembly
AssigneeHOPPE North America, Inc.
InventorGary L. Humes
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A door handle assembly includes a bias mechanism that maintains inside and outer handles in a generally horizontal position in which a latching bolt of a latching bolt mechanism is fully extended, the latching bolt being retracted upon rotating either handle only about 28° from the horizontal retracting the latching bolt to allow opening of a door on which the door handle assembly is installed.
Claims16
A door handle assembly comprising:
- a first door handle;
- a chassis assembly including
- a body;
- a spindle mounted on the body for rotational movement relative to said body, said first door handle mounted on said spindle and indexed to said spindle to prevent relative rotation between said first door handle and said spindle, said spindle rotatable by said first door handle between latching and unlatching positions;
- and
- a bias mechanism coupled to said spindle for producing a return bias force in response to rotation of said spindle as said first door handle is rotated away from the latching position toward the unlatching position, for returning said door handle to the latching position upon release of said first door handle, said bias mechanism including a first bias structure including a first bias element and a first actuating member coupled to said spindle and cooperating with said first bias element for causing said first bias element to produce said return bias force in response to rotation of said first door handle away from the latching position toward the unlatching position;
- and
- a second door handle indexed to said spindle, said bias mechanism including a second bias structure, said second bias structure including a second bias element and a second actuating member for causing said second bias element to produce said return bias force in response to rotation of said second door handle away from the latching position toward the unlatching position, said second actuating member operated in response to rotation of said second door handle and independently of the operation of said first actuating member, wherein the angle of rotation of said door handles between the latching position and the unlatching position is less than 45°.
5 more elements
A door handle assembly comprising:
- a first door handle;
- a chassis assembly including
- a body;
- a spindle mounted on the body for rotational movement relative to said body, said first door handle mounted on said spindle and indexed to said spindle to prevent relative rotation between said first door handle and said spindle, said spindle rotatable by said first door handle between latching and unlatching positions;
- and
- a bias mechanism coupled to said spindle for producing a return bias force in response to rotation of said spindle as said first door handle is rotated away from the latching position toward the unlatching position, for returning said first door handle to the latching position upon release of said first door handle, said bias mechanism including a first bias structure including a first bias element and a first actuating member coupled to said spindle and cooperating with said first bias element for causing said first bias element to produce said return bias force in response to rotation of said first door handle away from the latching position toward the unlatching position;
- said door handle assembly including a second door handle, said bias mechanism including a second bias structure including a second bias element and a second actuating member, said second actuating member coupled to said spindle and cooperating with said bias element for causing said second bias element to produce said return bias force in response to rotation of either one of said door handles, wherein the angle of rotation of said first and second door handles between the latching position and the unlatching position is less than 45°.
4 more elements
A door handle assembly comprising:
- first and second door handles;
- a chassis assembly including a body and a spindle mounted on the body for rotational movement relative to said body, said first and second door handles mounted on said spindle and indexed to said spindle to prevent relative rotation between said first and second door handles and said spindle, said spindle rotatable by either one of said door handles between latching and unlatching positions;
- and
- a bias mechanism including a first bias structure including at least a first bias element and a first actuating member indexed to said spindle to prevent relative rotation between said first actuating member and said spindle, said first actuating member causing said first bias element to produce said return bias force in response to rotation of one of said door handles from the latching position toward the unlatching position, and a second bias structure, said second bias structure including a second bias element and a second actuating member for causing said second bias element to produce said return bias force in response to rotation of the other one of said door handles away from the latching position;
- wherein the angle of rotation of either one of said door handles between a generally horizontal latching position and an unlatching position is less than 45°.
2 more elements
A door handle chassis assembly comprising:
- a body;
- a spindle mounted in said body for rotation relative to said body;
- a first bias structure including a first bias element and a first actuating member indexed to said spindle to prevent relative rotation between said first actuating member and said spindle;
- and
- a second bias structure including a second bias element and a second actuating member indexed to said spindle, wherein the angle of rotation of the actuating members between a first position and a second position is less than 45°.
2 more elements
A door handle assembly comprising:
- a first door handle;
- a chassis assembly including
- a body;
- a spindle mounted on the body for rotational movement relative to said body, said first door handle mounted on said spindle and indexed to said spindle to prevent relative rotation between said first door handle and said spindle, said spindle rotatable by said first door handle between latching and unlatching positions;
- and
- a bias mechanism coupled to said spindle for producing a return bias force in response to rotation of said spindle as said first door handle is rotated away from the latching position toward the unlatching position, for returning said door handle to the latching position upon release of said first door handle, said bias mechanism including a first bias structure including a first bias element and a first actuating member coupled to said spindle and cooperating with said first bias element for causing said first bias element to produce
- said return bias force in response to rotation of said first door handle away from the latching position toward the unlatching position;
- and
- a second door handle indexed to said spindle, said bias mechanism including a second bias structure, said second bias structure including a second bias element and a second actuating member for causing said second bias element to produce said return bias force in response to rotation of said second door handle away from the latching position toward the unlatching position, said second actuating member operated in response to rotation of said second door handle and independently of the operation of said first actuating member.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.