US 7,398,664 B1Granted

Handle and housing assembly

AssigneeThe Eastern Company

InventorsLee S. Weinerman, Scott S. Kalanish

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Abstract

A handle and housing assembly includes a housing having front and rear sides. A handle is connected on the front side of the housing to a shaft that extends through the housing along a forwardly-rearwardly extending axis. The handle may be used to turn the shaft, to turn components connected to a rear portion of the shaft, and/or to move shaft-connected components forwardly and rearwardly along the axis of the shaft. In some embodiments, the housing defines a forwardly facing recess, and the handle is nestable within and extendable from the recess. In some embodiments, the handle is nestable within the recess in a variety of orientations. In some embodiments, housing-defined stop formations limit the range through which a shaft-connected component is permitted to turn. In some embodiments, housing-defined formations guide movement of a lock bolt that may engage a shaft-connected component to retain the shaft, the handle and the shaft-connected component in one or a plurality of orientations.

Claims55

Dependent claims

A handle and housing assembly, comprising:

a) a housing having a front side and a rear side, and defining a forwardly facing recess of circular shape formed by four contiguously extending pie-shaped, quadrant-like recess sectors arrayed about a forwardly-rearwardly extending principal axis that intersects a center point of the circular recess;
b) a shaft extending along the principal axis through the housing and turnable about the principal axis;
c) a handle i) sized and shaped to be nestable within the circular recess in each of four orientations where, when nested, the handle overlies central parts of different ones of the four recess sectors, and ii) pivotally connected to the shaft at a central location within the recess on the front side of the housing by a handle-to-shaft connection that permits the handle to pivot relative to the shaft between positions nested in the recess wherein the handle overlies a central part of different ones of the recess sectors, and positions extended forwardly from the recess wherein the handle is graspable to turn the shaft about the principal axis;
d) a control member on the rear side of the housing coupled to the shaft by a member-to-shaft connection that permits the control member to turn about the principal axis to and from a specific orientation;
and,
e) wherein the member-to-shaft connection has engageable formations that can be assembled in a first way which requires the handle to turn in one direction about the principal axis when turning the control member to the specific orientation, and in a second way that requires the handle to turn in an opposite direction about the principal axis when turning the control member to the specific orientation.

3 more elements

A handle and housing assembly, comprising:

a) a housing having a front side and a rear side and defining a forwardly facing recess of circular shape formed by four contiguously extending pie-shaped, quadrant-like recess sectors arrayed about a forwardly-rearwardly extending principal axis that intersects a center point of the circular recess;
b) a shaft extending along the principal axis through the housing and turnable relative to the housing about the principal axis;
c) a handle on the front side of the housing i) sized and shaped to be nestable within the circular recess in each of four orientations where, when nested, the handle overlies central parts of different ones of the four recess sectors, and ii) pivotally coupled to the shaft by a handle-to-shaft connection that permits the handle to pivot relative to the shaft between positions extending forwardly from the recess wherein the handle can be grasped and turned to turn the shaft about the principal axis, and to pivot rearwardly toward the housing to positions nested in the recess overlying central parts of different ones of the recess sectors when not being grasped to turn the shaft;
d) a control member on the rear side of the housing coupled by a member-to-shaft connection that permits the control member to turn about the principal axis together with the shaft between a first orientation and a second orientation in response to turning of the handle and shaft about the principal axis;
and,
e) wherein a selected one of the handle-to-shaft and the member-to-shaft connections includes formations that can be assembled in a first way to enable the handle to turn about the principal axis through a first range of motion to cause movement of the control member from the first orientation to the second orientation, and in a second way to enable the handle to turn about the principal axis through a second range of motion to cause movement of the control member from the first orientation to the second orientation.

3 more elements

A handle and housing assembly, comprising:

a) a housing having a front side and a rear side, and defining a forwardly facing recess of circular shape formed by four contiguously extending pie-shaped, quadrant-like recess sectors arrayed about a forwardly-rearwardly extending principal axis that intersects a center point of the circular recess;
b) a shaft extending along the principal axis through the housing and turnable about the principal axis;
c) a handle i) sized and shaped to be nestable within the circular recess in each of four orientations where, when nested, the handle overlies central parts of different ones of the four recess sectors, and ii) pivotally connected to the shaft at a central location within the recess on the front side of the housing by a handle-to-shaft connection that permits the handle to pivot relative to the shaft between positions nested in the recess wherein the handle overlies a central part of different ones of the recess sectors, and positions extended forwardly from the recess wherein the handle is graspable to turn the shaft about the principal axis;
d) a member on the rear side of the housing coupled to the shaft by a member-to-shaft connection that permits the member to be turned by the shaft between a first orientation and a second orientation in response to turning of the shaft by the handle, wherein the member-to-shaft connection has engageable formations that can be assembled in a first way which enables the handle and shaft to turn in one direction when turning the member from the first orientation to the second orientation, and in a second way which enables the handle and shaft to turn in an opposite direction when turning the member from the first orientation to the second orientation;
e) a lock bolt connected to the housing for movement along a path of travel to and from a locked position wherein the lock bolt engages the member to prevent turning about the principal axis of the member, the shaft and the handle;
and,
f) a formation connected to the rear side of the housing having a first portion configured to be engaged by the member to limit turning movement of the member about the principal axis when the member is in the first orientation, and configured to engage the lock bolt to guide movement of the lock bolt along the path of travel.

4 more elements

A handle and housing assembly, comprising:

a) a housing that defines a forwardly facing recess;
b) a shaft connected to the housing and extending rearwardly from the recess along and being turnable relative to the housing about a forwardly-rearwardly extending principal axis of the recess between a first orientation and a second orientation;
c) a handle connected to the shaft for movement among i) an extended position wherein the handle can be grasped to turn the shaft about the principal axis, ii) a first nested position wherein the handle is nested in the recess while the shaft and the handle are in the first orientation, and iii) a second nested position wherein the handle is nested in the recess while the shaft and the handle are in the second orientation;
and,
d) a housing-connected handle engagement formation configured to extend into a depression defined by the handle to support a portion of the handle and to inhibit turning of the handle about the principal axis when the handle is in a selected one of the first nested position and the second nested position.

2 more elements

A handle and housing assembly comprising:

a) a housing that defines a forwardly facing recess of a circular shape formed by four contiguously extending pie-shaped, quadrant-like recess sectors arrayed about a forwardly-rearwardly extending principal axis that intersects a center point of the circular recess;
b) a handle sized and shaped to be nestable in the recess of the housing in each of four different orientations wherein the handle, when nested in each of said orientations, overlies a central part of a different one of the recess sectors;
c) a shaft i) extending through the housing along the principal axis, ii) having a front portion pivotally connected at a central location within the recess to the handle to permit the handle to pivot while in any of the four different orientations from being nested in the recess to an extended position wherein the handle projects forwardly from the recess, and iii) being turnable about the principal axis together with the handle when the handle is in the extended position;
d) a member connectable to the shaft along the principal axis at a location behind the recess and being turnable with the shaft to a selected position as the result of the handle being turned, while in the extended position, from one of the four orientations to another of the four orientations;
and,
e) connection formations on the shaft and on the member that can be assembled in a selection of different ways to enable the handle, when in the extended position, to turn about the principal axis between different selected pairs of the four orientations to turn the member to the selected position.

3 more elements

A handle and housing assembly assembled from components that comprise:

a) a housing that defines a forwardly facing recess of a circular shape formed by four contiguously extending pie-shaped, quadrant-like recess sectors arrayed about a forwardly-rearwardly extending principal axis that intersects a center point of the circular recess;
b) a handle sized and shaped to nest in the recess of the housing in each of four different orientations where, in each of the four orientations, the handle, when nested, overlies a central part of a different one of the four recess sectors;
c) a shaft 1) extending through the housing along the principal axis, 2) having a front portion pivotally connected at a central location within the recess to the handle to permit the handle to pivot while in any of the four different orientations from being nested in the recess to an extended position wherein the handle projects forwardly from the recess, and 3) being turnable about the principal axis together with the handle when the handle is in the extended position;
d) a member connectable to the shaft along the principal axis at a location behind the recess and being turnable with the shaft between first and second positions when as the result of the handle being turned, while in the extended position, from one of the four orientations to another of the four orientations;
and,
e) connection formations on the shaft and on the member that can be assembled in a selection of different ways to enable the handle, when in the extended position, to turn about the principal axis in a selected one of two opposite directions of rotation to and from any selected one of the four different orientations to turn the member between the first and second positions.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.