Armrest support bracket for motorized vehicles

A door assembly operatively attached to a body of a motorized vehicle to selectively transition from a substantially closed position to a generally open position, the door assembly comprising:

• an inner support panel;
• a trim panel operatively attached to said inner support panel;
• an armrest assembly elongated longitudinally along said trim panel relative to the vehicle and extending inward therefrom, said armrest assembly having a pull-handle defining an internal cavity therein;
• and
• a support bracket including:
• a generally horizontal support member disposed at least in part in said internal cavity of said pull-handle;
• at least three leg members spaced apart from one another and operatively attached at a respective first end to said support member and extending downward therefrom to attach at a respective second end to said inner support panel;
• wherein at least a portion of each of said at least three leg members is oblique to said support member;
• wherein each of said at least three leg members extends downward from said support member at an angle of less than 45 degrees from a vertical axis extending through said respective second ends;
• wherein each of said at least three leg members is operatively attachable to said inner support panel via an attachment portion extending generally vertically from said respective second ends;
• wherein each of said at least three leg members forms a J-hook shape between said first and second ends;
• and
• wherein said leg members are operatively configured to sustain a predetermined minimum vertical loading condition and controllably deform under a predetermined threshold lateral loading condition.

A motorized vehicle having vehicle structure, comprising:

• a door assembly operatively attached to the vehicle structure to selectively transition from a closed position to an open position, said door assembly including an inner support panel with a trim panel operatively attached thereto;
• an armrest assembly operatively attached to said door assembly trim panel and extending inward therefrom, said armrest assembly having a pull handle defining an internal cavity therein;
• and
• a support bracket including:
• a generally horizontal support member configured to be disposed at least in part in said internal cavity of said pull handle;
• first, second, and third leg members spaced apart from one another and operatively attached at a respective first end to said support member and extending downward therefrom to attach at a respective second end to said inner support panel;
• wherein at least a portion of each of said first, second and third leg members is oblique to said support member;
• wherein each of said leg members is operatively attachable to said inner support panel via an attachment portion extending generally vertically from said respective second ends;
• wherein each of said leg members forms a J-hook shape between said respective first and second ends;
• and
• wherein said leg members are operatively configured to sustain a predetermined minimum vertical loading condition and controllably deform under a predetermined threshold lateral loading condition.