Miscellaneous hardware (e.g. – bushing – carpet fastener – caster – Handle – handle component – or handle adjunct – Door handle
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-06
2003-04-08
Knight, Anthony (Department: 3676)
Miscellaneous hardware (e.g., bushing, carpet fastener, caster,
Handle, handle component, or handle adjunct
Door handle
C292S336300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06543090
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a handle device for an automobile door.
As a prior art, there has been known an automobile handle device in which a handle member is rotated in a horizontal direction to open an automobile door.
As shown in
FIG. 6
, the handle device is made up of a handle member
2
, a first base member
6
for fixing the handle member
2
on an automobile door panel
1
, and a second base member
12
.
On one end of the handle member
2
, there is protrusively provided an arm section
3
having an approximate L shape and which is mounted on the first base member
6
. The arm section
3
has a pivot shaft insert groove
4
provided on the top thereof. The pivot shaft insert groove
4
is formed to have an approximate U shape with a unilateral opening section
4
a
for improving operability in the assembling process. On the end of the handle member
2
opposite the arm section
3
, there is protrusively provided a projected section
5
having an approximately lateral concave shape and which is mounted on the second base member
12
.
The first base member
6
is to be installed in an edge portion of the handle member
2
on the side of the arm section
3
. As shown in
FIG. 7
, the first base member
6
has a fixed board section
7
disposed along the door panel
1
. The fixed board section
7
has an arm section insert hole
8
for inserting the arm section
3
of the handle member
2
. On the upper surface of the fixed board section
7
, there is provided a fixed section
9
to be positioned and fixed on the door panel
1
, while on the lower surface of the fixed board section
7
, there is provided a pair of frame board sections
10
extended from the edge of the arm section insert hole
8
. These frame board sections
10
are disposed parallel to rotative direction of the arm section
3
in the handle member
2
, and their top edges are integrally coupled by a coupling section
10
a
. On the top edge side of the frame board section
10
, there is disposed a pivot shaft
11
across the frame board sections
10
for rotatably supporting the handle member
2
through the arm section
3
.
The second base member
12
is to be installed in an edge portion of the handle member
2
on the side of the projected section
5
. As shown in
FIGS. 8
,
9
A, and
9
B, the second base member
12
has a fixed base section
13
disposed along the door panel
1
. The fixed base section
13
has a concave section
14
that matches with the shape of the edge portion of the handle member
2
. In this concave section
14
, there is provided an insert hole
15
for inserting the projected section
5
. Below the insert hole
15
, there is placed a lever
16
in a rotatable manner. The lever
16
is pressed downward in
FIG. 8
by a spring
20
. The fixed base section
13
also has a fixed section
17
to be positioned and fixed on the door panel
1
, and a key cylinder mounting section
19
for mounting a key cylinder
18
.
In order to mount the handle member
2
on the automobile door panel
1
by using the first base member
6
and the second base member
12
, first the arm section
3
of the handle member
2
is inserted into the arm section insert hole
8
of the first base member
6
so that the pivot shaft
11
is fit into the pivot shaft insert groove
4
. The projected section
5
of the handle member
2
is inserted into the insert hole
15
of the second base member
12
, and after the lever
16
is hooked on the projected section
5
by rotating the lever
16
, the lever
16
is rotatably supported together with the spring
20
by a pivot shaft. Then, a fastening section of the spring
20
is fastened to the lever
16
, so that the projected section
5
is urged downward in
FIGS. 6
,
9
A and
9
B by the lever
16
subjected to restorative force of the spring
20
.
In this way, the handle member
2
equipped with the first base member
6
and the second base member
12
is disposed on a mounting section
1
a
of the door panel
1
, where the handle member
2
is fixed on the door panel
1
through the fixed sections
9
and
17
of the base members
6
and
12
.
In this mounted state, the movement of the handle member
2
on the right side in
FIG. 6
is restricted by the second base member
12
. In addition, the lever
16
pressed downward by the spring
20
restricts the vertical movement within a certain extent. This prevents the handle member
2
from departing from the first base member
6
and the second base member
12
.
However, in the above-stated automobile handle device, the first base member
6
and the handle member
2
are kept in the mounted state only by the engagement of the pivot shaft
11
in the pivot shaft insert groove
4
, so that taking the handle member
2
in hand during mounting operation puts the first base member
6
in a freely rotatable state. Consequently, in the process of mounting the handle member
2
equipped with the first base member
6
and the second base member
12
on the door panel
1
, if an X-directional force, shown in
FIG. 10
, opposite to the direction of the opening section
4
a
of the pivot shaft insert groove
4
is applied to the handle member
2
, or if a Y-directional force, shown in
FIG. 10
, is applied to the first base member
6
, the first base member
6
and the handle member
2
are detached from each other by a release of engagement between the pivot shaft
11
and the pivot shaft insert groove
4
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an automobile handle device which prevents detachment of a base member for fixing a handle member on a door panel and enables to improve operability in the assembling process.
In order to accomplish the above object, an automobile handle device of the present invention comprises: a handle member having an arm section protrusively provided on one end thereof and a pivot shaft insert groove with an opening section on an edge of the arm section; a base member for fixing the handle member on an automobile door panel, made up of a fixed base board section to be fixed on the door panel, an arm section insert hole formed on the fixed base board section for inserting the arm section of the handle member, a pair of frame board sections protrusively provided in parallel from an edge of the arm section insert hole, and a pivot shaft provided across the frame board sections and received in the pivot shaft insert groove to rotatably support the handle member, wherein a cover member is provided which covers the base member and which has a first wall section for restricting the movement of the handle member in such manner that the pivot shaft does not depart from the pivot shaft insert groove within a rotational range of the handle member.
According to the above automobile handle device, the cover member has a first wall section for restricting the movement of the handle member in such manner that the pivot shaft does not depart from the pivot shaft insert groove of the arm section, which prevents detachment of the base member from the handle member.
In the automobile handle device of the invention, it is preferable to provide a step section on a pair of the frame board sections of the base member on the side of the opening section of the handle member, and to provide the cover member with a second wall section to be engaged with the step section. This ensures prevention of detachment of the cover member from the base member.
It is also preferable that an edge of the arm section insert hole of the base member and the first wall section of the cover member constitute a restricting section for restricting a rotational range of the handle member.
Alternatively, it is preferable that the first wall section and the second wall section of the cover member constitute a restricting section for restricting a rotational range of the handle member.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4883296 (1989-11-01), Laurie
patent: 5791703 (1998-08-01), Kritzler et al.
patent: 6059329 (2000-05-01), Spitzley
patent: 6363577 (2002-04-01), Spitzley
p
Hutton Doug
Knight Anthony
U-Shin Ltd.
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
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