Closure fasteners – Operators with knobs or handles
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-19
2001-04-03
Estremsky, Gary W. (Department: 3627)
Closure fasteners
Operators with knobs or handles
C292S347000, C292SDIG004, C292SDIG006, C296S076000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06209933
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to release handles for motor vehicle trunks. More particularly, but without restriction to the particular embodiment and/or use which is shown and described for purposes of illustration, the present invention relates to handles for releasing vehicle trunk lids that can be illuminated in the dark.
2. Discussion
In a conventional automobile, there is a passenger compartment and a cargo compartment. The passenger compartment typically consists of two rows of seats to accommodate a driver as well as a number of passengers. The cargo compartment, typically called a trunk, is separated from the passenger compartment by the rear row of seats. The trunk is bounded by the trunk lid, which acts to contain cargo within the trunk. Typically, the trunk lid is capable of being latched to the vehicle body to create such a bounded cargo compartment or trunk. When the latch is released, the trunk lid can pivot about a hinge to allow access to the trunk in order to add or remove cargo. Because of the trunk lid acting to secure and conceal cargo in the trunk while in the closed position, light is generally precluded from entering the trunk.
The use of latches on trunk lids to secure the lid in a closed position is well known in the art. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,961,504; 4,974,885; and 4,979,384 detail a representative sample of the state of the art of trunk latches and are herein incorporated by reference. While all of the devices described in these patents perform satisfactorily, sometimes there may be a desire to open the trunk latch from the inside of the trunk, which may be lacking visible light.
General Motors will soon employ a handle mechanism in the trunk of their motor vehicles that are capable of releasing the trunk latch. The General Motors handle is illuminated by a light source that shines directly upon the handle for up to 1 hour after the trunk is closed. This handle works satisfactorily, but it creates a drain on the vehicle battery for 1 hour every time the trunk is open that may be detrimental to vehicles in certain situations. There is, therefore, a desire to provide a handle that may be visible in the trunk while limiting the drain on the vehicle battery.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a principal objective of the present invention to provide a handle accessible from the inside of the trunk adapted to release the trunk lid latch.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a handle constructed of phosphorescent material enabling it to glow in the dark for hours after brief exposure to light.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a method for enabling a phosphorescent material disposed in the trunk of a vehicle to glow in the dark for an extended period of time.
It is still a further objective of the present invention to provide a handle disposed in a housing construction of phosphorescent material enabling the housing to glow in the dark for hours after brief exposure to light.
In one form, the present invention provides a release handle mechanism disposed on the interior surface of a trunk lid of a motor vehicle. The release handle mechanism includes a handle, that when activated can release the latch that couples the trunk lid to the vehicle body. The mechanism includes a housing having a plurality of sides. One side includes an inclined surface onto which the handle is pivotally connected such that the pivoting of the handle causes the handle to move outward and downward. The mechanism also includes a light source disposed within one side of the housing. The light source is disposed less than 4 inches away from the handle and is capable of directing light towards said handle as well as the trunk. The handle itself is comprised of a generally cylindrical horizontal portion and a pivot portion that is connected to the inclined surface. In the first embodiment the handle is comprised of a translucent thermoplastic resin, blend, or alloy, such as: (1) polycarbonate/polybutylene terephthalate alloy (PC/PBT), one such material is manufactured for commercial sale under the GE Plastics Zenoy family; (2) polycarbonate/ABS alloy/blend (PC/ABS), one such material is manufactured for commercial sale under the Dow Chemical's Pulse family resins; (3) acrylontrile/butadiene/styrene terpolymers, one such material is manufactured for commercial sale under the Dow Chemical's Magnum family of resins; (4) polypropylene/acrylic alloy, one such material is manufactured for commercial sale under the Montell Polymers' family of resins; (5) Polycarbonate; (6) acrylic polymers; or (7) long glass fiber reinforced polypropylene resins. The thermoplastic resin of the handle contains a phosphorescent additive, such as those phosphorescent color concentrates commercially available from Uniform Color Company or M. A. Hanna Color. In the second embodiment, the handle is made of a conventional plastic material such as polypropylene while the housing is constructed of a thermoplastic polymer resin, containing a phosphorescent additive.
In another form, the invention provides a method of illuminating an apparatus in a vehicle trunk. The method begins with the opening of the vehicle trunk lid. Then the light source, as previously described, is activated. The trunk can then be closed by the latching of the trunk lid to the vehicle. After the closing of the trunk lid, the light source remains activated for a pre-determined period of time, which is sufficient to provide a phosphorescent material to illuminate for a period of time. Also while the engine is running the light source may be activated periodically to provide additional staying power for the illumination of the phosphorescent material.
Additional benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates from a reading of the subsequent description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2996327 (1961-08-01), France
patent: 3543329 (1970-12-01), Gulette
patent: 3992909 (1976-11-01), Mcghee
patent: 4016450 (1977-04-01), Balekjian
patent: 4080812 (1978-03-01), Knott
patent: 4155233 (1979-05-01), Lira
patent: 4401050 (1983-08-01), Britt
patent: 4664437 (1987-05-01), Queveau
patent: 4835890 (1989-06-01), Nelson
patent: 4981314 (1991-01-01), Carr
patent: 5008551 (1991-04-01), Randolph
patent: 5053930 (1991-10-01), Benavides
patent: 5129694 (1992-07-01), Tanimoto
patent: 5445326 (1995-08-01), Ferro
patent: 5522243 (1996-06-01), Kusmiss
patent: 5580153 (1996-12-01), Motz
patent: 5607222 (1997-03-01), Woog
patent: 5655826 (1997-08-01), Kuono
patent: 5757111 (1998-05-01), Sato
patent: 5793358 (1998-08-01), Petkovic
patent: 5815228 (1998-09-01), Flynn
patent: 5859479 (1999-01-01), David
patent: 5861618 (1999-01-01), Berson
patent: 6086131 (2000-07-01), Bingle et al.
DaimlerChrysler Employee News Daily; Mar. 30, 1999; p. 2, third paragraph—An emergency trunk release . . .
DaimlerChrysler Employee News Daily; Dec. 16, 1998.
DaimlerChrysler Employee News Daily; Jun. 8, 1999.
Ang Leoncio C.
Bennett Robert F.
Clisham James F.
DaimlerChrysler Corporation
Estremsky Gary W.
Lorelli Marc
LandOfFree
Trunk release handle does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Trunk release handle, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Trunk release handle will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2487730