Compartment doors and the like typically have a handle and latch assembly which is mounted on the outside of the door and secured with a bracket on the inside of the door. Often, the different manufacturers of vehicle doors have doors with different thicknesses, which necessitates the use of different mounting brackets with the handle assembly for each of the different door thicknesses. The need for multiple mounting brackets inherently increases the cost of the handle assembly and can complicate installation of the handle assembly since the installer must choose among the various mounting brackets.
Installation of the door handles is also tricky or difficult, and may require two people since the handle assembly is held in one hand and the mounting bracket held in the other hand. Thus, a third hand is typically needed to install the screws which connect the mounting bracket to the handle housing so as to sandwich the door between the bracket and housing.
Therefore, an improved door handle assembly is needed to simplify the installation process and to reduce costs.
An important and primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved door handle assembly which overcomes the problems of the prior art.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a door handle assembly utilizing a mounting bracket which can be positioned in multiple orientations to accommodate doors having different thicknesses.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a mounting bracket for a door handle assembly which can be positioned in four different orientations so as to accommodate four different thicknesses of doors.
Yet another objective of the present invention is the provision of a handle assembly for a door which can be installed by one person without the use of clamping or holding devices.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved handle assembly for a door which can be quickly and easily installed on various doors of various manufacturers.
Yet another objective of the present invention is the provision for a housing that includes tapered pins that press fit onto the mounting bracket providing a temporary hands-free positioning of the assembly into the door until the mounting screws are installed.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved handle and latch assembly for a door which is economical to manufacture and durable, secure, and safe in use.
These and other objectives will become apparent from the following description of the invention.
A handle assembly is provided for vehicle doors. The assembly includes a housing, a latch on the back of the housing moveable between latched and unlatched positions relative to the door frame, and a handle on the front of the housing to move the latch between the latched and unlatched positions. The assembly also includes a mounting bracket which can be mounted to the housing in a plurality of orientations so as to accommodate doors having different thicknesses.
The housing of the handle assembly also includes tapered pins so as to press fit the mount brackets onto the handle in the cutout of the door, and thereby retain the housing on the door until the mounting screws are installed to the handle assembly to the door. These mounting pins allow the assembly to be easily installed by one person.
A door handle and latch assembly according to the present invention is designated in the drawings by the reference number 10. The structure and components of the assembly 10 are described in applicant's co-pending application entitled, “Twist Latch for Compartment Door”, filed Feb. 2, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention is directed towards the mounting of the handle and latch assembly 10 to the door 12. The door 12 includes a cutout into which the handle housing 14 extends through so that a mounting bracket 24 can be installed, which will sandwich the door 12 between the housing 14 and the mount bracket 24. More particularly, the housing 14 includes a front lip or flange 16 which engages the front surface of the door 12, with a gasket 18 there between to provide a water-tight seal. The well 20 of the housing 14 extends through the door cutout. Each exterior corner of the well 20 includes a tapered pin 23 which defines a tapered interface for the mount bracket taper pin holes 31. As the well 20 is inserted through the door cutout, the tapered pins 23 provide a frictional engagement with the taper pin holes 31 of the mount bracket 24 and thereby hold the housing 14 in place, without the need for the installer to manually hold the housing 14 against the door. The installer can then secure the handle and latch assembly 10 to the door 12 using a pair of mounting brackets 24 and screws 26 on the opposite ends of the housing 14. The pins 23 thus provide a temporary hands-free positioning of the assembly 10 in the door 12 until the mounting screws 26 are installed.
The mounting bracket 24 can be oriented in four different positions so as to accommodate doors having different thicknesses.
The bracket 24 includes a first wall or face 28 having a pair of mount holes 30 at opposite ends. A pair of opposite end walls 32, 34 provide a C-shaped profile for the bracket 24. An internal wall or rib 36 extends perpendicular to the first wall 28 and the end walls 32, 34. The wall 36 is not centered between the end walls 32, 34, but rather is offset, as best seen in
Each of the sets of taper pin holes 31 provide four alternative orientations for the mounting bracket 24 on the mount bosses 22 for receipt of the screws 26. It is noted in the drawings,
In the first bracket orientation shown in
Thus, the multiple positions or orientations of the bracket 24 allow the handle and latch assembly 10 to be mounted on different doors having different thicknesses using a single mounting bracket. To assist the installer, indentia are provided on the mounting bracket for each of the positions. The indicia may take various forms. For example, in a preferred embodiment, when the bracket 24 is in the first position, there is a single notch 44 visible from the rear of the assembly 10. In the second position, the first notch 44 and a second notch 46 are visible to the installer to the rear of the assembly 10. In the third position, the notch 46 and two additional notches 46, 48 in the end walls 32, 34 are visible to the installer from the rear of the assembly 10. In the fourth position, the notches 48 and another pair of notches 50 in the end walls 32, 34 are visible to the installer. As an alternative to the notches, the indicia may be any visible marking, formed or added in any convenient manner. Thus, the first position has one visible indicia, the second position has two visible indicia, the third position has three visible indicia and the fourth position has four visible indicia so that the installer can quickly and easily confirm the proper orientation of the mounting bracket 24 on the bosses 22, depending on the door thickness.
The ability to orient the mounting bracket in multiple positions allows the handle assembly to accommodate doors having various thicknesses, and minimizes the number of pieces or parts for the assembly, since a different mounting bracket is not needed for different door thicknesses.
The invention has been shown and described above with the preferred embodiments, and it is understood that may modifications, substitutions and additions may be made which are within the intended spirit and scope of the invention. From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.