AU666453B2 - Improved door operating assembly - Google Patents

Description

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AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for service ATRO TRADE SUPPLIERS PTY LTD Robert Bruce MYNOTT y in Australia: CARTER SMITH BEADLE 2 Railway Parade Camberwell Victoria 3124 Australia Invention Title: IMPROVED DOOR OPERATING ASSEMBLY Details of Associated Provisional Application: PM 4440 filed 11 March 1994 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us L I II e~ pp.Y -2- TITLE: IMPROVED DOOR OPERATING ASSEMBLY This invention relates to the installation of door furniture particularly to a door handle and latch assembly and a door latch and mounting assembly.

A door handle and latch assembly generally has a pair of handles disposed one on either side of the door.

These handles are coupled to a latch bar to operate a latch mechanism which is installed in the door. The latch extends beyond the outer edge of the door but can be retracted by rotation of the latch bar by the handle.

In the handle and latch assembly relevant to the present invention the door handle is supported by a inner handle mounting member which is associated with the latch mechanism and which rotates with the latch bar and a rigid support 0 member which is fixed relative to the latch mechanism. The door handle has an i' inner sleeve which co-operates with the mounting member to position the handle :i and a concentric outer sleeve which eo-operates with the rigid mounting. Since the S 15 outer sleeve of the door handle must be able to rotate relative to the fixed rigid mounting, the rigid mounting is only able to provide limited support.

~Due to manufacturing tolerances, and to enable easy fitting of the door, a space exists between the rigid mounting and the rotatable rotating member. When a door handle is operated downward as well as rotational forces are generally applied by a person operating the door. As the rigid mounting and the door handle move relative to one another during the latch operating procedure, after numerous operations of the door handle, the rigid mounting is subject to considerable wear resulting in the rotatable mounting member bearing a substantial portion of the downward force applied to the door handle during operation of the latch.

As a consequence of the space and downward force, the rotatable mounting member is able to move laterally within the space provided by the rigid mounting, often resulting in the rotatable mounting member being able to be disengaged from the latch mechanism.

This is a serious problem since not only does it result in the door handle being inoperable but any security devices associated with the door handle are also DC]11:#15282 10 Motrh 1995 r- I I' ~m1 PF -7 At -2- TITLE: IMPROVED DOOR OPERATING ASSEMBLY This invention relates to the installation of door furniture particularly to a door handle and latch assembly and a door lhch and mounting assembly.

A door handle and latch assembly generally has a pair of handles disposed one on either side of the door.

These handles are coupled to a latch bar to operate a latch mechanism which is installed in the door. The latch extends beyond the outer edge of the door but can be retracted by rotation of the latch bar by the handle.

In the handle and latch assembly relevant to the present invention the door handle is supported by a inner handle mounting member which is associated with the latch mechanism and which rotates with the latch bar and a rigid support member which is fixed relative to the latch mechanism. The door handle has an inner sleeve which co-operates with the mounting member to position the handle and a concentric outer sleeve which co-operates with the rigid mounting. Since the outer sleeve of the door handle must be able to rotate relative to the fixed rigid mounting, the rigid mounting is only able to provide limited support.

Due to manufacturing tolerances, and to enable easy fitting of the door, a space exists between the rigid mounting and the rotatable rotating member. When a door handle is operated downward as well as rotational forces are generally applied by a person operating the door. As the rigid mounting and the door handle move relative to one another during the latch operating procedure, after numerous operations of the door handle, the rigid mounting is subject to considerable wear resulting in the rotatable mounting member bearing a substantial portion of the downward force applied to the door handle during operation of the latch.

As a consequence of the space and downward force, the rotatable mounting member is able to move laterally within the space provided by the rigid mounting, often resulting in the rotatable mounting member being able to be disengaged from the latch mechanism.

This is a serious problem since not only does it result in the door handle being inoperable but any security devices associated with the door handle are also BC:Jil:#15282 10 March 1995 -3rendered useless. Consequently, once the door handle, rotatable mounting member and latch bar are removed the latching mechanism is exposed and can be operated by inserting any suitable lever such as screwdriver into the recess normally occupied by the latch bar to operate the latching mechanism.

Therefore it is an object of the invention to provide a door handle and latching assembly which overcomes the problem of the existing assemblies.

Accordingly the invention provides a door handle and latching assembly including a latching means, a handle which receives a handle mounting member, said handle mounting member being rotatable with said handle, a latch activation means extending through said handle mounting member, said latch activation means being rotatable with the handle to operate the latching means, a mounting means for said handle mounting member fixed relative to said latching means, said mounting means including a mounting plate which co-operates with said handle mounting member to restrain axial movement away from the latching means while allowing rotational i 15 movement of said handle mounting member and a rigid mounting through which the Imounting member extends, and a mounting member support positioned between said handle mounting member and said rigid mounting, the handle mounting member support and said rigid mounting restricting lateral movement of said handle mounting member.

The door handle may have an inner sleeve which co-operates with said handle mounting member to position said handle and a concentric outer sleeve which co-operates with said rigid mounting but permits rotational movement of said handle relative to said rigid mounting member.

The proximal end of said handle mounting member may be provided with projections which in use bear against the mounting plate to prevent the mounting member from disengaging from the mounting plate thereby preventing axial movement away from the latching means.

For reasons relating to fitting the door handle and latching assembly, the proximal end of the mounting member may be cut away to permit the mounting member to be engaged after the latching means with mounting plate have been positioned. During normal operation of the door operating and latching assembly, \Q~cI:3 S282 28 Novembr 1995 L e-I Pr, -4the projections bear against the backing plate as long as the axis of rotation of the handle mounting member remains ivrizontal or axially aligned with the rigid mounting. If the axis of rotation of the mounting member becomes other than horizontal or varies from the axis of the rigid mounting, the handle mounting member cantilevers about the mounting plate and the projections disengage from the backing plate. As a consequence the handle and handle mounting member become disengaged from the latching mechanism.

However, when downward force is applied the mounting member support restricts and substantially prevents lateral movement of the handle mounting member relative to the rigid mounting thereby preventing the mounting member from disengaging from the backing plate. This situation applies even when the coupling between the rigid mounting and the outer sleeve of the door handle has become I"oo worn through numerous operations of the door handle and latching assembly and the rigid mounting provides reduced direct resistance against downward forces on the :014 *oo S' 15 door handle.

L In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided a door latch and handle mounting assembly including a latch means, a handle mounting )ij member rotatable relative to said latching means, a mounting means for the handle mounting member fixed relative to said latching means, said mounting means i including a mounting plate which co-operates with said mounting member to restrain axial movement of the handle mounting member away from the latching means while allowing rotational movement of said mounting member and a rigid mounting through which the mounting member extends, and a handle mounting member support positioned between the handle mounting member and said rigid 25 mounting restricting lateral movement of said handle mounting member.

The features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the description of the preferred embodiment and drawings in which:- Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a door handle and latching assembly in accordance with the invention; and BC:J[:#15282 10 Marh 1995 I I t-- Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the door handle mounting member backing plate and mounting member support.

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the door handle and latching assembly of Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 1, an embodiment of the door operating and latching i assembly 1 in accordance with the invention is shown fitted to a door 2. The door operating assembly includes a latching means shown as latch mechanism 3 operated iby turning door handle 4. The latch housing 5 of the latch mechanism 3 is I provided with a mounting plate 6 which is adapted to receive a handle mounting member 7.

The latch housing 5 is received within a latch housing cover 22 to which a rigid mounting 10 is fixed. The rigid mounting 10 is concentrically spaced from the handle mounting member 7 and the latch housing cover 22 is provided with an opening to enable the handle mounting member 7 to extend through the rigid mounting The handle mounting member 7 is provided with projections 8 which bear against the mounting plate 6 to prevent axial movement of the handle mounting member 7 away from the latching mechanism 3.

To allow the handle mounting member 7 to be fitted once the latching i mechanism and mounting plate has been fitted to the door 2, the proximal end of the mounting member may be cut away (Fig. 2) to allow the projections on the handle mounting member to pass through the opening 9 in the mounting plate 6 and locate against the back surface of the mounting plate 6.

The latch housing 5 is secured to an outer rigid mounting 23 which may be [j 25 provided with a screw thread for the mounting of a cover plate.

The inner door handle 4 has an inner sleeve (not showil) and an outer sleeve 12 spaced concentrically from the inner sleeve. The handle is positioned by receiving the distal end of the rigid mounting and the mounting member respectively within the outer and inner sleeve of the door handle.

The inner sleeve may have a recess which is able to receive a projection on BC:JsIIz#15282 10 Mamh 1995 L I -r t-' -6the mounting member. Thus when the projection is located in the recess the inner sleeve and mounting member can only be separated by depressing the projection out of the recess.

A latch activating bar 13 may be received in a slot 25 in inner handle mounting member 7. When the door handle is fitted, the latch bar extends the length of the handle mounting member and is received within a shaped recess (not shown) in the latching mechanism. Thus when the handle 4 and handle mounting member 7 are rotated through an angle of typically between 200 to 450, the latch bar operates the latch mechanism 3 to retract the latch 14 substantially to within the confines of the door 2. When the handle is released the bias 15 in the latching mechanism pushes the latch 14 into its engaged position.

*:,verThe outer door handle 4A is provided with a cylindrical mounting which fits over mounting member 7A and inside the outer rigid mounting 23. The cylindrical mounting is generally made to sufficiently close tolerances so that the clearance 15 between the mounting member 7A and the outer rigid mounting 23 is filled at the end distal to the latching mechanism to prevent lateral movement of the door handle 4A and handle mounting member 7A relative to the outer rigid mounting 23.

Outer mounting member 7A may also be provided with projections 8A which bear against mounting plate 6A to prevent axial movement of the handle mounting member 7A away from the latching mechanism.

For security reasons, the outer door handle is fitted with a security device such as a lock (not shown) and the latch bar (not shown) from the outer door handle extends from the security device through the handle mounting member 7A to the latch mechanism which prevents the door handle from rotating without the insertion of a key.

2The operation of the inner and outer handles latch bar and latching mechanism is well known as this type of mechanism has been available for a number of years. As an operator disengages the latch 14 by rotating particularly handle 4, the tendency is also to push downwardly while rotating the handle. Over numerous applications, the sleeves of the inner door handle and in particular the BC:JII:NI52 10 Mach 1995 r ~iil ~e r c I u -r -7outer sleeve tends to wear or deform allowing lateral movement of the mounting member in a downward direction as the door handle is operated.

Since the outer sleeve of the door handle rotates relative to the rigid mounting during operation of the latching mechanism, close fitting between the outer sleeve of the door handle and the rigid mounting is undesirable because this would increase the friction between the rigid mounting and the outer sleeve and thereby hinder Soperation of the door handle and increase wear. Wear to the outer door handle mountings on the handle mounting member 7A also is known to occur but to a i lesser degree.

Thus, as a result of wear following numerous applications of the door handle, H the door handle is able to move slightly laterally and usually in a downward direction. This lateral movement causes the mounting member 7 to cantilever about the mounting plate and disengage the projections 8 on the mounting member from the mounting plate. The projections no longer restrain movement of the mounting member away from the latching mechanism. The result is that the door handle and mounting member are able to be pulled from the rigid mounting.

The present invention overcomes this problem by providing a mounting member support 16 to be fitted over the mounting member and positioned between the rigid mounting and the mounting member 6. This mounting member support 16 prevents substantially all of the lateral movement of the mounting member thereby preventing the projections on the mounting member from being dislodged from the plate by maintaining the axis of rotation of tue mounting member substantially horizontal or in line with the axis of the rigid mounting The mounting member support 16 is shown in Figs 2 and 3 in the form of a J 25 sleeve which fits over the mounting member 7. The sleeve is fitted onto the -mounting member 7 from the end of the handle mounting member distal to the latch mechanism.

While the preferred form of the mounting member support 16 is a sleeve, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other embodiments such as a number of O-rings or washers are within the scope of the invention.

10 Ma ,h 1995 BC:JI :#1YS282 L I r -8- The mounting member support 16 preferably has a low fiction surface 17, 18 which bears against either or both of the mounting member 7 and the rigid mounting This allows the handle mounting member 7 to rotate relative to the rigid mounting The mounting member support 16 is made from a material which will not allow lateral movement of the mounting member and preferably is made from an inelastic polymeric material, cardboard or the like.

While not illustrated and optional over the normal operating life of the latch and :nounting assembly, the outer handle mounting member 7A may also be provided with a mounting member support similar to that fitted to mounting member 7 to substantially prevent lateral movement of the outer handle member 7A relative to the outer rigid mounting 23.

A cover plate 19, 20 is provided to improve the esthetics of the assembly 1 and provide some protection from tampering. As shown in Fig. 1 the mounting member support is shown fitted to the internal door operating assembly but may also be fitted to the external door handle assembly.

The invention also provides a mounting member support for use in door operating and latching assemblies of the type having a latching means door handles, a rigid mounting and rotatable handle mounting member co-operating with the door handle and a latching bar which operates the latching mechanism.

Depending on the shape and design of the door operating and latching mechanism, recesses in the mounting member support 16 such as those shown as 21 in Fig. 2, may oe provided to ensure that the mounting member support can be fitted correctly in relation to the other components of, for example the latching mechanism or handle mounting member.

BC:JII:15282 10 Maxvh 1995 L I

Claims (12)

1. A door handle and latching assembly including a latching means, at least one handle which receives a handle mounting member, said handle mounting member being rotatable with said hanidle, a latch activation means extending through said handle mounting member being rotatable with said handle to operate the latching means, a mounting means fixed relative to said latching means, said mounting means for said handle mounting member including a mounting plate which co-operates with said handle mounting member to restrain axial movement of the handle D mounting member away from the latching means while allowing rotational movement of said handle mounting member and a rigid mounting through which the mounting member extends, and a handle mounting member support positioned between the handle mounting member and said rigid mounting, the handle mounting member support and said rigid mounting restricting lateral movement of said handle mounting member.

2. The door handle and latching assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein the latch activation means is a latch bar which extends through the handle mounting member.

3. The door handle and latching assembly in accordance with claims 1 or 2 2 wherein the handle mounting member support is a sleeve fitted over the handle mounting member.

4. The door handle and latching assembly in accordance with claims 1 or 2 wherein the handle mounting member support is a series o washers fitted over the handle mounting member.

The door handle and latching assembly in accordance with any one of the preceding claims wherein said at least one door handle has an inner sleeve which co-operates with said handle mounting member to position said at least one handle and a concentric outer sleeve which co-operates with said rigid mounting but BCQJ11:15282 28 Novembcr 1995 I II I I III I II I I I 1 I permits rotational movement of said handle relative to said rigid mounting.

6. The door handle and latching assemby' i: accordance with any one of the preceding claims wherein the end of said handle mounting member proximal to said la:ching means is provided with projections which bear against the mounting plate to prevent axial movement of the handle mounting member away from the latching means. I

7. The door handle and latching assembly in accordance with any one of the preceding claimr, wherein the handle mounting support is provided with a low friction surface on at least one of the inner or outer surfaces of the handle mounting i t 10 support. S.

8. A door latch and handle mounting assembly including a latch means, a handle o mounting member rotatable relative to said latching means, a mounting means for the handle mounting member fixed relative to said latching means, said mounting means including a mounting plate which co-operates with said mounting member to r'strain axial movement of the handle mounting member away from the latching means while allowing rotational movement of said mounting member and a rigid mounting through which the mounting member extends, and a handle mounting member support positioned between the handle mounting member and said rigid mounting restricting lateral movement of said handle mounting member.

9. The door handle and latching assembly in accordance with claim 8 wherein a latch activation means extends axially through said handle mounting member and is rotatable with said handle mounting member. The door latch and mounting assembly in accordance with claims 8 or 9 wherein the handle mounting member support is a sleeve fitted over the handle mounting member. BC:11:#152

10 MNah 1995 L- 'I lr C

11- 11. The door latch and mounting assembly in accordance with any one of claims 8, 9 or 10 wherein the handle mounting support is provided with a low friction surface on at least one of the inner or outer surfaces thereof.

12. A door latch and mounting assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 0 t 0 DATED: 10 March 1995 0...o CARTER SMITH BEADLE Patent Attorneys for the Applicant: ATRO TRADE SUPPLIERS PTY LTD *tit4 I\ Mach 1995 1 -II I.I-- ~1~L p, ABSTRACT A latching and mounting assembly for a door including a latching means 3, a mounting handle member 7, 7A rotatable relative to the latching means, a mounting means for the handle mounting member 7, 7A and a handle mounting i member support 16 is disclosed. The mounting means includes a mounting plate 6, 6A which co-operates with the handle mounting member 7, 7A to restrain axial movement of the handle mounting member away from the latching means while allowing rotational movement of the handle mounting member 7, 7A and a rigid mounting 10, 23 through which the handle mounting member 7, 7A extends to the latching means. The handle mounting member support 16 is positioned over the I handle mounting member 7, 7A to fit between the handle mounting member 7, 7A H and the respective rigid mounting 10, 23 to restrict lateral movement of the handle mounting member 7, 7A. In this way the possibility of the handle mounting 15 member disengaging from its mounting means is considerably reduced. 'J BC:Jl:#15282 10 March 1995