Vehicle door handle

Details Vehicle door handle Vehicle door handle

2000-03-09

2003-03-04

Miller, William L. (Department: 3677)

Closure fasteners

Knobs

C292S348000, C292S336300, C340S426110, C340S541000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06527316

ABSTRACT:

The present invention relates to a vehicle door handle.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a handle of the type comprising a connecting structure fitted to the vehicle door; a lever hinged to the connecting structure and operated, in use, by a user to open a lock on the door; and a detecting aerial housed inside the lever to identify the user.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In most applications, the lever is formed, normally molded, in one piece, and has a seat for the aerial, which is inserted inside the seat through an insertion opening formed in the lever and closed by a respective cover with the interposition of seals and/or the formation of sealing labyrinths. The aerial has its own electric wiring, which extends through a passage formed in the lever and projects outwards through a further opening normally different from the aerial insertion opening.
Known handles of the above type have several drawbacks, all due to the design characteristics of the lever, in which, above all, the aerial is never completely sealed off from the outside and therefore normally operates in a damp environment, which rapidly impairs reliability and efficiency. Besides involving a good deal of time and cost to produce or assemble, the openings, cover, labyrinths and seals do not permit levers to be formed with seamless outer surfaces, i.e. with no breaks such as lines, gaps or recesses, which, as is known, are very often undesired, especially for purely aesthetic reasons.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle door handle designed to solve the above problems in a straightforward, low-cost manner.
According to the present invention, there is provided a handle for a vehicle door, the handle comprising a movable member operated manually by a user to control, in use, a lock on said door, and said movable member comprising a strengthening body, a seat formed in said strengthening body and having a respective access opening, detecting means for identifying the user and housed inside said seat through said access opening, and closing means for closing said access opening; characterized in that said closing means comprise at least one continuous layer of material at least partly surrounding said strengthening body and sealing said seat in fluidtight manner.
In the handle as defined above, said closing means preferably also comprise at least one spacer body interposed between said detecting means and said layer of material to separate the detecting means from said layer of material. The spacer body is conveniently made of insulating material.


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Patent Abstracts of Japan, Pub. No. 09184156, Pub. Date Jul. 22, 1997.
English Abstract of German Pat. No. 196 17 038.
English Abstract of German Pat. No. 196 33 894.

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