U.S. patent application number 11/010107 was filed with the patent office on 2005-06-16 for face plate and door handle assembly.
Invention is credited to Shyu, Song-Gen.
Application Number | 20050125954 11/010107 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34548176 |
Filed Date | 2005-06-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050125954 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Shyu, Song-Gen |
June 16, 2005 |
Face plate and door handle assembly
Abstract
An assembly includes a face plate to be assembled selectively
with first and second handle assemblies. For assembly with the
first handle assembly, a first fixing plate is attached to the face
plate, and a sleeve member is inserted into the holes of the face
plate and the first fixing plate. A first handle is inserted into
the sleeve member and connected to a first returning mechanism. For
assembly with the second handle assembly, a second fixing plate is
attached to the face plate. A second handle extends through the
holes of the face plate and the second fixing plate and connected
to a second returning mechanism. Each of the first and second
fixing plates has a spring retaining element to engage a spring end
of a torsion spring of the first or second returning mechanism.
Inventors: |
Shyu, Song-Gen; (Chia-Yi
Hsien, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LADAS & PARRY LLP
224 SOUTH MICHIGAN AVENUE
SUITE 1200
CHICAGO
IL
60604
US
|
Family ID: |
34548176 |
Appl. No.: |
11/010107 |
Filed: |
December 10, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
16/412 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10T 16/458 20150115;
E05B 3/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
016/412 |
International
Class: |
A45C 003/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 12, 2003 |
TW |
092221923 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A face plate and door handle assembly comprising: a face plate
including a face plate hole, and a plurality of hollow posts
projecting from said face plate and each having a female screw
hole; a fixing plate for attachment to said face plate, which
includes a hole, a spring retaining element projecting from said
fixing plate oppositely of said face plate, and a plurality of
slotted parts protruding from said fixing plate oppositely of said
face plate to respectively cover said hollow posts, each of said
slotted parts including a slot and a fastener extending threadedly
into a corresponding one of said hollow posts through said slot; a
rotary handle including a hollow connection part; and a returning
mechanism connected to said connection part for returning said
rotary handle after said rotary handle is turned, at least one of
said connection part and said returning mechanism passing through
said face plate hole and said hole of said fixing plate, said
returning mechanism including a torsion spring which has two
opposite spring ends, at least one of said spring ends being
engageable with said spring retaining element.
2. The face plate and door handle assembly as claimed in claim 1,
further comprising a sleeve member and a retaining ring, said
sleeve member being inserted into said face plate hole and said
hole of said fixing plate and including an annular shoulder and an
annular groove, said annular shoulder abutting with said face plate
opposite to said fixing plate, said retaining ring being received
in said annular groove and abutting with said face plate oppositely
of said annular shoulder, said connection part extending into said
sleeve member.
3. The face plate and door handle assembly as claimed in claim 2,
wherein said returning mechanism further includes a spring support
holding said torsion spring, and a tubular member which has an
inner end connected to said spring support, and an outer end
extending into said sleeve member and said connection part of said
rotary handle and engaging said connection part.
4. The face plate and door handle assembly as claimed in claim 1,
wherein said fixing plate further includes an annular collar
projecting from said fixing plate around said hole of said fixing
plate in a direction opposite to said face plate, said torsion
spring being disposed around and held by said annular collar.
5. The face plate and door handle assembly as claimed in claim 4,
wherein said returning mechanism further includes a spring support
plate which covers said torsion spring and said annular collar and
is provided with a hole substantially aligned with said face plate
hole, and two substantially opposite curved apertures on two sides
of said hole of said spring support plate.
6. The face plate and door handle assembly as claimed in claim 5,
further comprising a bearing ring fitted in said face plate hole,
said connection part extending through said bearing ring and said
hole of said fixing plate and including an annular shoulder
abutting with said bearing ring, two curved ends extending
respectively through said curved apertures, a retaining groove
formed in each of said curved ends, and a retaining ring received
by said retaining grooves of said curved ends to position said
spring support plate on said curved ends.
7. A kit comprising: a first door handle assembly; a second door
handle assembly; and a face plate which can be assembled
selectively with either one of said first and second door handle
assemblies, said face plate including a face plate hole, wherein
said first door handle assembly includes: a first fixing plate for
attachment to said face plate, which includes a hole, and a spring
retaining element projecting from said first fixing plate opposite
to said face plate; a rotary first handle having a connection part;
and a first returning mechanism for returning said first handle
after said first handle is turned, said first returning mechanism
including a tubular member which extends through said face plate
hole and said hole of said first fixing plate and has one end
inserted into said connection part, and a spring support connected
to the other end of said tubular member and holding a torsion
spring which has two opposite spring ends, at least one of said
spring ends being engageable with said spring retaining element,
and wherein said second door handle assembly includes: a second
fixing plate for attachment to said face plate, which includes a
hole, and a spring retaining element projecting from said second
fixing plate oppositely of said face plate; a second returning
mechanism including a torsion spring having two spring ends at
least one of which is engageable with said spring retaining element
of said second fixing plate, and a spring support plate which
covers said torsion spring of said second returning mechanism and
which has two substantially opposite curved apertures; and a rotary
second handle having a connection part extending through said face
plate hole and said hole of said second fixing plate and including
two curved ends extending respectively through said curved
apertures.
8. The kit as claimed in claim 7, wherein said face plate further
includes a plurality of hollow posts projecting from said face
plate and each having a female screw hole, each of said first and
second fixing plates further including a plurality of slotted parts
protruding in a direction opposite to said face plate to
respectively cover said hollow posts, each of said slotted parts
including a slot for alignment with a corresponding one of said
hollow posts, each of said first and second fixing plates further
including a plurality of fasteners each of which extends threadedly
into a corresponding one of said hollow posts through said
slot.
9. The kit as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a sleeve
member and a retaining ring, said sleeve member being inserted into
said face plate hole and said hole of said first fixing plate and
including an annular shoulder and an annular groove, said annular
shoulder abutting with said face plate opposite to said second
fixing plate, said retaining ring being received in said annular
groove and abutting with said face plate oppositely of said annular
shoulder, said connection part of said first handle extending into
said sleeve member.
10. The kit as claimed in claim 7, wherein said second fixing plate
further includes an annular collar projecting from said second
fixing plate around said hole of said second fixing plate in a
direction opposite to said face plate, said torsion spring of said
second returning mechanism being disposed around and held by said
annular collar.
11. The kit as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a bearing
ring fitted in said face plate hole, said connection part of said
second handle extending through said bearing ring and said hole of
said second fixing plate and further including an annular shoulder
abutting with said bearing ring, a retaining groove formed in each
of said curved ends, and a retaining ring received by said
retaining grooves of said curved ends to position said spring
support plate on said curved ends.
12. A kit comprising: a first door handle assembly; a second door
handle assembly; and a face plate which can be assembled
selectively with either one of said first and second door handle
assemblies, said face plate including a face plate hole, wherein
said first door handle assembly includes: a sleeve member inserted
into said face plate hole; a rotary first handle having a
connection part extending into said sleeve member; and a first
returning mechanism for returning said first handle after said
first handle is turned, said first returning mechanism including a
torsion spring, and a tubular member which is associated with said
torsion spring and which extends into said sleeve member and said
connection part; and wherein said second door handle assembly
includes: a second returning mechanism including a torsion spring,
and a spring support plate supporting said torsion spring of said
second returning mechanism and having two substantially opposite
curved apertures; and a rotary second handle having a connection
part extending through said face plate hole and including two
curved ends extending respectively through said curved apertures.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority of Taiwanese Utility
Application No. 92221923 filed on Dec. 12, 2003.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention relates to a door handle assembly, more
particularly to a door handle assembly associated with a unique
face plate mountable on a door.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Door handle assemblies basically include a handle which is
rotatable to operate a door latch, and a returning mechanism for
returning the handle to its original angular position after the
handle is rotated. For installation of door handle assemblies on
doors, face plates are used to mount and integrate the handle and
the returning mechanism into a unitary body. Various forms of face
plates have been provided in the art. However, there is no face
plate which can accommodate more than one type of handle assembly.
Due to a variety of handle constructions, a large amount of face
plates with different configurations have to be manufactured,
thereby increasing inventory requirements of the face plates. On
the other hand, face plates are large in size and require a
considerable amount of metal for manufacturing. In order to save
inventory costs and material consumption, there is a need of
providing a face plate which can accommodate different kinds of
handle assemblies.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a door
handle assembly with a face plate which is simple and which can
accommodate different kinds of door handle assemblies.
[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, a kit
comprises a first door handle assembly, a second door handle
assembly and a face plate which can be assembled selectively with
either one of said first and second door handle assemblies and
which includes a face plate hole. The first door-handle assembly
includes: a first fixing plate for attachment to the face plate,
which includes a hole, and a spring retaining element projecting
from the first fixing plate opposite to the face plate; a rotary
first handle having a connection part; and a first returning
mechanism for returning the first handle after the first handle is
turned. The first returning mechanism includes a tubular member
which extends through the face plate hole and the hole of the first
fixing plate and has one end inserted into the connection part, and
a spring support connected to the other end of the tubular member
and holding a torsion spring which has two opposite spring ends. At
least one of the spring ends is engageable with the spring
retaining element. The second door handle assembly includes: a
second fixing plate for attachment to the face plate, which
includes a hole, and a spring retaining element projecting from the
second fixing plate oppositely of the face plate; a second
returning mechanism including a torsion spring having two spring
ends at least one of which is engageable with the spring retaining
element of the second fixing plate, and a spring support plate
which covers the torsion spring of the second returning mechanism
and which has two substantially opposite curved apertures; and a
rotary second handle having a connection part extending through the
face plate hole and the hole of the second fixing plate and
including two curved ends extending respectively through the curved
apertures.
[0008] According to another aspect of the invention, a face plate
and door handle assembly comprises: a face plate including a face
plate hole, and a plurality of hollow posts projecting from the
face plate and each having a female screw hole; a fixing plate for
attachment to the face plate, which includes a hole, a spring
retaining element projecting from the fixing plate oppositely of
the face plate, and a plurality of slotted parts protruding from
the fixing plate oppositely of the face plate to respectively cover
the hollow posts. Each of the slotted parts includes a slot and a
fastener extending threadedly into a corresponding one of the
hollow posts through the slot.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] Other features and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent in the following detailed description of the
preferred embodiments of the invention, with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a face plate and door handle
assembly embodying the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of the face plate and
door handle assembly of FIG. 1;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a handle knob usable in the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of another face plate and door
handle assembly embodying the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the face plate and
door handle assembly of FIG. 4; and
[0015] FIG. 6 is a plan view of a second fixing plate shown in FIG.
4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0016] Before the present invention is described in greater detail,
it should be noted that same reference numerals have been used to
denote like elements throughout the specification.
[0017] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a face plate and door handle
assembly embodying the present invention is shown to include a face
plate 1 and a first fixing plate 2 attached to the face plate 1 on
an inner surface of the face plate 1. Preferably, the face plate 1
is provided with a plurality of hollow posts 12 (only one is shown
in FIG. 2) projecting inwardly from an inner surface of the face
plate 1 and each having a female screw hole 121. The first fixing
plate 2 is formed with a plurality of slotted parts 23 having
respective slots 231 in alignment with the respective hollow posts
12. Each slotted part 23 protrudes from the first fixing plate 1 to
cover the corresponding one of the hollow posts 12, and is fastened
to the corresponding hollow post 12 through a fastener or screw 24.
The face plate 1 further includes a face plate hole 11 which is
surrounded by the hollow posts 12. The first fixing plate 2 further
includes a hole 21 aligned with the face plate hole 11, and a
substantially L-shaped spring retaining element 22 projecting
inwardly from the inner side of the first fixing plate 2 opposite
to the face plate 1.
[0018] A sleeve member 3 is provided for insertion into the face
plate hole 11 and the hole 21, and includes an annular shoulder 31
abutting an outer surface of the face plate 1, and an annular
groove 32 formed between the annular shoulder 31 and an end 33 of
the sleeve member 3. A retaining ring 6 is received in the annular
groove 32 at the inner surface of the face plate 1 opposite to the
annular shoulder 31.
[0019] A rotary first handle which may be a handle lever designated
at 4 has a connection part 40 for insertion into the sleeve member
3. The connection part 40 of the handle lever 4 is hollow and has a
protrusion 41 and an aperture 42.
[0020] A first returning mechanism 5 for returning the handle lever
4 includes a tubular member 51 having one end connected to a spring
support 50 holding a torsion spring 55. The torsion spring 55 has
two spring ends 551 that project at two sides of a tab 53 of the
spring support 50. Another end of the tubular member 51 extends
through the face plate hole 11 and the hole 21 and is inserted into
the connection part 40. An engaging member 52 is provided in the
tubular member 51 and is biased by a spring 521 to project
resiliently outward to engage the aperture 42 of the first
connection part 40 so that the tubular member 51 is rotatable along
with the handle lever 4. Since the engaging member 52 is
conventional, it will not be detailed hereinafter. The tubular
member 51 further has an axial groove 54 to receive slidably the
protrusion 41 of the handle lever 4.
[0021] In assembly, the first fixing plate 2 is fastened to the
face plate 1, the sleeve member 3 is inserted into the face plate
hole 11 and the hole 21, the connection part 40 is inserted into
the sleeve member 3, and the tubular member 51 is inserted into the
sleeve member 3 and the connection part 40 and engages therewith
through the engaging member 52. The tab 53 of the spring support 50
is aligned with the spring retaining element 22 of the first fixing
plate 2 so that the two spring ends 551 extend on two sides of the
spring retaining element 22.
[0022] When the handle lever 4 is turned, the tubular member 51 and
the spring support 50 turn along with the handle lever 4 so that
one of the spring ends 551 engages the spring retaining element 22
and the other spring end 551 moves away from the spring retaining
element 22. After the handle lever 4 is released, the handle lever
4 is returned to its original position by the restoring force of
the torsion spring 55.
[0023] As mentioned above, the first fixing plate 2 is of a
separate piece from the face plate 1 and is fastened to an inner
surface of the face plate 1. Furthermore, the sleeve member 3 is
also a separate piece from the face plate 1 and is inserted into
the face plate hole 11. As the face plate 1 can be fabricated
independently of the first fixing plate 2 and the sleeve member 3,
the construction of the face plate 1 is simple and does not have
any means for cooperation with the torsion spring 55.
[0024] While the handle lever 4 is used in this embodiment, a
handle knob 4', which has a substantially spherical shape as shown
in FIG. 3, may be used in place of the handle lever 4.
[0025] Referring to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, another face plate and door
handle assembly embodying the present invention is shown to include
a face plate 1, a second fixing plate 2', a bearing ring 35, a
rotary second handle 4A and a second returning mechanism 5'. The
rotary second handle is a handle lever 4A. The second fixing plate
2' differs from the first fixing plate 2 in that the fixing plate
2' is provided with an additional annular collar 25 and two spring
retaining elements in the form of bosses 26. The annular collar 25
and the spring retaining elements or bosses 26 project from the
inner side of the second fixing plate 2' oppositely of the face
plate 1. The annular collar 25 is formed around the hole 21,
whereas the bosses 26 are provided on two sides of the hole 21.
[0026] The second returning mechanism 5' includes a torsion spring
55' disposed around and held by the annular collar 25. Two spring
ends 551' of the spring 55' engage respectively the spring
retaining elements or bosses 26 (see FIG. 6). The bosses 26 are
hollow and may be used to receive fasteners (not shown) which pass
through holes 13 of the face plate 1.
[0027] A spring support plate 50' is provided to cover the torsion
spring 55' and the annular collar 25. The spring support plate 50'
includes a hole 501', for alignment with the face plate hole 11,
two substantially opposite curved apertures 57' on two sides of the
hole 501', two opposite protrusions 56' between the curved
apertures 57', and two opposite prongs 58' on two sides of the
curved apertures 57' Each prong 58' engages one of the spring ends
551' in a conventional manner.
[0028] The handle lever 4A includes a connection part 40A which
includes an annular shoulder 41A, two opposite curved ends 42A and
two diametrically opposite notches 44A each defined between the
curved ends 42A. Each curved end 42A has a retaining groove
43A.
[0029] In assembly, the bearing ring 35 is fitted in the face plate
hole 11 and abuts with the second fixing plate 2', and the handle
lever 4A is inserted into the bearing ring 35 and the hole 21. The
two curved ends 42A of the handle lever 4A respectively extend
through the curved apertures 57' of the spring support plate 50',
and the two protrusions 56' project into the notches 44A of the
handle lever 4A, respectively. The retaining ring 6 is received in
the retaining grooves 43A of the curved ends 42A. A washer 61 is
provided between the retaining ring 6 and the spring support plate
50'.
[0030] The construction of the face plate 1 is used in either one
of the assembly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the assembly shown in
FIGS. 4 and 5. For assembly with the rotary first handle or handle
lever 4 and the first returning mechanism 5, the face plate 1 is
used in association with the first fixing plate 2, the sleeve
member 3 and the retaining 6. For the rotary second handle or
handle lever 4A and the second returning mechanism 5', the face
plate 1 is associated with the second fixing plate 2', the bearing
ring 35 and the retaining ring 6. Therefore, the face plate 1 can
be assembled selectively with either one of the handle levers 4 and
4A.
[0031] While the present invention has been described in connection
with what is considered the most practical and preferred
embodiments, itis understood that this invention is not limited to
the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various
arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest
interpretations and equivalent arrangements.
* * * * *