CN212781881U - Handle for case and case comprising same - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to a handle and including quick-witted case of this handle for quick-witted case. In one aspect, a handle for a chassis is provided. The chassis includes a panel provided with an aperture and including an edge defining the aperture, a handle for mounting to the panel. The handle includes a handle body having an inner cavity forming a hand insertion slot and having an opening at one side for a user to insert a hand into the hand insertion slot, the handle body having an inner wall surface defining the inner cavity and an outer wall surface opposite the inner wall surface, the opening facing outward and a portion of the handle body being inserted inside the panel via the aperture when the handle is mounted to the panel. A first positive-fit portion is provided at the outer wall surface and a second positive-fit portion is provided at the edge portion, the first positive-fit portion being adapted to fit with the second positive-fit portion to mount the handle to the panel. According to the utility model discloses, can ensure that the handle is correctly installed and/or reduce quick-witted case noise.

Description

Handle for case and case comprising same

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a handle for a case and a case including the same, and more particularly, to a handle improved in terms of correct mounting of the handle and/or reduction of noise of the case, etc.

Background

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure that is not necessarily prior art.

Generally, a plurality of handles are provided on a casing serving as an outdoor unit of a heat pump unit, an air conditioner unit, or a refrigeration unit. Handles are mounted in a panel (sheet metal) such as a chassis for lifting and moving the chassis. The handle is typically designed with color, reliability, weatherability, and structure considerations. In particular, the handle should be easy to mount and dismount, dust and water proof, and avoid noise caused by handle vibration when the device is in operation.

The handles of the related art typically include a handle body embedded within the sheet metal part via an aperture in the sheet metal part and an outer rim that rests outwardly on the sheet metal part. The handle body is provided with a handle inserting groove with an outward opening. The hand insertion slot enables a carrier to insert a finger to lift the apparatus. In the related art, a clip such as a flexible clip is provided on a handle body for fixing, and the clip is engaged with an outer edge of the handle, particularly, a sheet metal member is held between the clip and the outer edge, to fix the handle to the chassis.

Handle among the correlation technique lacks the fool-proofing design, especially initiative fool-proofing design, can lead to the handle to install in the sheet metal component upside down, especially when this sheet metal component has not yet installed in the quick-witted case. In addition, for ease of installation, there is often a large gap between the handle, e.g., the handle body, and the aperture of the sheet metal part, whereby the handle may be forced to vibrate after installation due to the vibrations in the operation of the equipment. Further, in the case where the clip is provided, it is inconvenient to detach the handle from the cabinet. In the case of providing the flexible clip, the flexible clip may be integrally formed on the handle body in a hollowed-out manner, and the hollowed-out portion between the flexible clip and the handle body may cause intrusion of dust and water. Finally, the flex clips in the related art tend to be small and not flexible enough to make the handles difficult to install and remove, particularly without the use of tools.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

An object of the present invention is to provide a handle for a chassis, which can overcome or alleviate at least one of the above-mentioned drawbacks in the related art.

In one aspect, the present invention relates to a handle for a chassis. The chassis includes a panel provided with an aperture and including a rim defining the aperture. The handle is for mounting to the panel, the handle including a handle body having an interior cavity forming a hand insertion slot and having an opening at one side for a user to insert a hand into the hand insertion slot, the handle body having an inner wall surface bounding the interior cavity and an outer wall surface opposite the inner wall surface, the opening facing outward and a portion of the handle body being inserted inside the panel via the aperture when the handle is mounted to the panel. A first positive-fit portion is provided at the outer wall surface and a second positive-fit portion is provided at the edge portion, the first positive-fit portion being adapted to fit with the second positive-fit portion to mount the handle to the panel.

In some forms the handle includes a rim disposed around the opening of the handle body, the rim abutting the panel from an outer side when the handle is mounted to the panel.

In some forms the first positive engaging portion is a rib provided adjacent the outer rim and adapted to engage with a recess provided at the edge portion acting as the second positive engaging portion.

In some forms, the handle defines an up-down direction, an inside-outside direction, and a transverse direction based on a use state, the rib is provided at an upper one of the outer wall surfaces, and the rib has a wedge shape in which a thickness of the rib in the up-down direction gradually decreases inward from the outer edge in the inside-outside direction.

In some forms, a boss is provided at the upper outer wall surface, the boss being adjacent the rim, the rim portion having an aperture wall defining an aperture, the boss abutting the aperture wall when the handle is mounted to the panel.

In some forms, the rib is provided at substantially the center of the upper outer wall surface in the lateral direction, and the bosses are plural and provided on both lateral sides of the rib.

In some forms the handle includes a support disposed at a lower one of the outer wall surfaces, the support being provided with a flexible clip that sandwiches the panel with the outer rim when the handle is mounted to the panel.

In some forms, the flex clip is cantilevered and includes a clip root and a clip tip adapted to rest against the panel; and the thickness of the clip root portion in the up-down direction is smaller than the clip tip portion, and/or the width of the clip root portion in the transverse direction is larger than the clip tip portion.

In some forms, a plurality of stepped snap-in portions are provided at an outer side of the clip tip adapted to abut the panel, one of the plurality of stepped snap-in portions engaging the edge portion when the handle is mounted to the panel.

In some forms, the support member includes a support piece extending in an up-down direction from the lower outer wall surface and a support plate extending in an inward-outward direction from the outer edge and supported by the support piece, and the support plate is provided with a cutout portion, and the flexible clip is provided to the support plate and aligned with the cutout portion in the up-down direction.

In some forms, a boss is provided at an outer wall surface of the handle body, the rim portion having an aperture wall defining an aperture, the boss abutting the aperture wall to form an interference fit when the handle is mounted to the panel.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a chassis. The chassis includes a handle as described above.

In some forms, the enclosure is an outdoor unit of a heat pump unit, an air conditioning unit, or a refrigeration unit.

According to the utility model discloses, set up abrupt rib and the notch of mutually supporting with shape fit on handle and sheet metal component (panel) to prevent that the handle from reversing the installation. The surface of the upper outer wall of the handle body of the handle is provided with a boss, so that the handle and the panel form interference fit in the vertical direction to avoid or reduce noise (such as noise caused by mutual collision between the panel and the handle when an outdoor unit of the heat pump unit works). The flexible clip is provided separately from the handle body of the handle so that the handle body remains intact without any hollowed-out portion, whereby the dustproof and waterproof performance can be improved and the appearance of the handle can be beautified. The flexible clip is made sufficiently flexible by being constructed in a long cantilever form or the like, so that the handle can be easily attached and detached. A plurality of step-shaped clamping parts are arranged at the tip part of the clamping piece of the flexible clamping piece, so that the handle can be suitable for sheet metal parts with different thicknesses.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Drawings

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Fig. 1 shows a front view of an equipment cabinet fitted with a handle according to the invention;

fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a handle and a sheet metal part according to the invention;

fig. 3 shows a top perspective view of a handle according to the present invention;

figure 4 shows a perspective view of the underside of a handle according to the present invention;

fig. 5 shows a right side view of a handle according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates an enlarged, partial perspective view of the support member of the handle of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 illustrates an enlarged, partial side view of the support member of the handle of FIG. 5; and

fig. 8 shows a schematic side view of a handle mounted to a sheet metal part according to the invention.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Detailed Description

Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and will fully convey the scope to those skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that no limitation to the scope of the disclosure is intended. In some exemplary embodiments, well-known methods, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

Fig. 1 shows a front view of a housing 10 of a device 1, such as a heat pump unit, an air conditioning unit or a refrigeration unit. The housing 10 has a handle 20 mounted on a panel (e.g., sheet metal) 12 thereof, for example, to facilitate handling and moving the housing 10. The handle 20 is defined with an up-down direction, an inward-outward direction, and a lateral direction based on the use state.

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a handle 20 and a panel 12 to which the handle 20 is to be mounted according to the present invention. As shown in fig. 2, the handle 20 has a handle body 30 and an outer rim 40. The handle body 30 has an interior cavity forming a hand well 32 and has an opening on one side for a user to insert a hand into the hand well 32. The handle body 30 has an inner wall surface defining an interior cavity and an outer wall surface 31 opposite the inner wall surface. The outer rim 40 is disposed around the opening of the handle body 30. Although the handle 20 is specifically described herein as including the rim 40, it is contemplated by those skilled in the art that the rim 40 may be omitted or other suitable alternative structures may be employed. The handle body 30 is inclined in an upward direction of the handle 20. The handle body 30 is embedded within the panel 12 via the aperture 14 in the panel 12. The shape of the aperture 14 follows the shape of the handle body 30, and when the handle 20 is mounted to the panel 12, the opening of the handle body 30 faces outward, and a portion of the handle body 30 is inserted inside the panel 12 via the aperture 14. At this time, a gap may be left between the aperture 14 and the outer wall surface 31 of the handle body 30 of the handle 20, so that the handle 2 can be easily mounted to the panel 12.

As shown in fig. 2, a rib 34 (which serves as a first form-fitting portion according to the present invention) is provided at an outer wall surface 31, particularly an upper outer wall surface 35 of the handle body 30. The ribs 34 are disposed adjacent the outer rim 40. Correspondingly, a notch 16 (which serves as a second positive fit according to the invention) is provided at an edge portion 15, e.g. an upper edge portion, of the aperture 14 of the panel 12. The recess 16 is generally rectangular. Ribs 34 cooperate with notches 16 to mount handle 20 to panel 12. In particular, the profile shape of the ribs 34 matches the shape of the recesses 16 so that the handle 20 can only be mounted to the panel 12 when in a predetermined orientation relative to the panel 12. In particular, the predetermined orientation is unique such that the handle 20 can only be mounted to the panel 12 when in the unique predetermined orientation, which completely avoids the handle 20 being mounted upside down to the panel 12, thereby rendering the handle 20 unusable. The rib 34 is wedge-shaped, and the thickness in the vertical direction of the handle 20 gradually decreases from the outer edge 40 inward in the inward-outward direction, i.e., toward the inner end of the handle body 30. The wedge shape of the rib 34 allows it to be more easily inserted into the recess 16. Thus, active fool-proofing is achieved by providing the ribs 34 on the handle 20 and the corresponding notches 16 on the panel 12, avoiding the handle 20 being mounted upside down to the panel 12, particularly before the panel 12 is finally mounted to the chassis 10.

Alternatively, one skilled in the art can envision that the ribs 34 of the handle 20 could also be provided on the underside or lateral side (e.g., left or right side) of the handle body 30. Correspondingly, the notch 16 may also be provided at a corresponding location of the edge portion of the panel 12 defining the aperture 14. Further, alternatively, one skilled in the art can envision that more than one rib 34 can be provided on the handle body 30. Preferably, the rib 34 of the handle 20 is provided at substantially the center of the upper outer wall surface 35 of the handle 20 in the lateral direction for ease of processing and reliably preventing mismounting. Alternatively, it is contemplated by those skilled in the art that the ribs 34 may be provided at any position of the handle 20 in the lateral direction. Alternatively, one skilled in the art can envision other shapes such as triangular, semi-circular, etc. so long as the profile shape of the ribs 34 matches the shape of the recesses 16. Further, it is contemplated that the ribs may be provided at the edge portion and the recesses or grooves may be provided at the handle. In general, the shape, location, number, etc. of the ribs 34 and notches 16 can be selected by one skilled in the art as desired, so long as positive fool-proofing is achieved.

By providing the recess 16 in the faceplate 12 and the rib 34 on the handle 20 to provide an active fool-proof design, erroneous reverse installation is prevented, thereby avoiding component damage during installation, reducing component scrap rate, and improving production efficiency of the device.

Fig. 3 shows a top perspective view of the handle 20 according to the present invention. As shown, two bosses 36 are provided adjacent to the outer edge 40 of the upper outer wall surface 35 of the handle body 30 on both lateral sides of the rib 34. The boss 36 is integrally formed with the handle body 30. When the handle 20 is mounted to the panel 12, the boss 36 abuts against the aperture wall 15a of the edge portion 15 of the aperture 14 of the panel 12 that defines the aperture 14 (see fig. 8), so that the handle 20 forms an interference fit (i.e., an interference fit in the up-down direction) with the panel 12. Thereby, the handle is prevented from vibrating and generating noise when the device 1 is operated. Similarly, the shape, location, number, etc. of the bosses 36 can be selected by one skilled in the art as desired, so long as a tight fit, clearance elimination, vibration noise avoidance are achieved.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the underside of a handle 20 according to the invention. Fig. 5 shows a right side view of the handle 20 according to the invention. The handle 20 includes a support 50 of a lower outer wall surface 37 provided in the outer wall surface 31 of the handle body 30. The handle body 30 may be integrally formed with the support 50, for example, via injection molding, or may be separately formed and then joined together whereby a mold of simpler construction may be employed. The support 50 is also adjacent the outer rim 40. The support 50 includes a plurality (three shown) of support tabs 52, a transverse support plate 54, and a flex clip 56 formed on the support plate 54. The support piece 52 extends from the lower outer wall surface 37 in the up-down direction of the handle 20. The support plate 54 extends from the outer rim 40 in the inward-outward direction of the handle 20 and is supported by the support piece 52. Preferably, the support tabs 52, support plates 54, and flex clips 56 of the support 50 are integrally formed, such as via injection molding. The support piece 52 may be connected to both the handle body 30 and the outer rim 40, and the support plate 54 may be connected to both the support piece 52 and the outer rim 40 so as to be supported thereby. For example, as shown, two flex clips 56 are formed on the support plate 54 in the lateral direction. The flexible clip 56 is used to sandwich the panel 12 with the outer rim 40 when the handle 20 is mounted to the panel 12.

The flexible clip 56 is provided on the support plate 54 so that the flexible clip 56 is separated from the handle body 30, thereby preventing a hollowed portion from being generated on the handle body 30, improving dust-proof and water-proof properties of the handle 20, and beautifying the appearance of the handle 20.

Fig. 6 illustrates a partially enlarged perspective view of the support 50 of the handle 20 shown in fig. 5. As shown, the support plate 54 is provided with a cutout 55. The flexible clip 56 is formed in the cutout 55 of the support plate 54 (in other words, the flexible clip 56 is provided to the support plate and aligned with the cutout in the up-down direction). Flex clip 56 includes clip body 57, clip tip 58, and clip root 59. Flex clips 56 are attached to support plate 54 at clip roots 59. Flex clip 56 includes a clip root portion 59 and a clip tip portion 58 adapted to abut panel 12. Flex clips 56 are cantilevered from clip root portions 59 to clip tip portions 58. Preferably, the thickness of the clip root portion 59 in the up-down direction of the handle 20 is smaller than the thickness of the clip tip portion 58 in the up-down direction of the handle 20. Preferably, the width of the clip root portion 59 in the lateral direction of the handle 20 is larger than the width of the clip tip portion 58 in the lateral direction of the handle 20. That is, clip root portion 59 is thinner than clip tip portion 58 and wider than clip tip portion 58. Thus, the flexible clip 56 itself is made sufficiently flexible to facilitate removal of the handle 20, while the flexible clip 56 itself is made relatively strong to ensure gripping performance. Handle 20 may be removed by deforming flexible clip 56, such as clip root 59, by pressing finger-like flexible clip 56 from inside panel 12 to remove handle 20. Thus, by providing flex clips 56 and their thinner clip roots 59, a technician can easily remove handle 20 without the use of tools. Further, the handle 20 can be reused to some extent because the flexible clips 56 are not broken when the handle 20 is removed.

Fig. 7 shows an enlarged partial side view of the support 50 of the handle 20 shown in fig. 5. As shown, a plurality of stepped snap portions 61 are provided on the outer side of clip tip 58 adapted to abut panel 12. The step height of each stepped catching portion 61 may be about 0.5mm to 2.0 mm. When the handle 20 is mounted to the panel 12, one of the plurality of stepped catches 61 engages an edge portion, particularly the lower edge portion 17, of the aperture 14 of the panel 12. Since the clip tip 58 is provided with the plurality of stepped catching portions 61, the lower edge portion 17 of the aperture 14 of panels 12 of different thicknesses is engaged with the corresponding catching portion 61, thereby accommodating panels 12 of different thicknesses while still providing sufficient holding fixing performance.

Fig. 8 shows a schematic side view of the mounting of the handle 20 to the panel 12 according to the present invention. When the handle 20 is mounted to the panel 12, the handle body 30 penetrates the panel 12 through the aperture 14 of the panel 12. On the upper side of the handle 20, the rib 34 of the handle 20 is fitted to the recess 16 of the aperture 14 of the panel 12. At the underside of the handle 20, the clip tip 58 of the flex clip 56 is deformed around its clip root 59 and rotated until one of a plurality of stepped snap portions 61 on the clip tip 58 engages the lower edge 17 of the aperture 14 in the panel 12. At this time, the reliable fixing of the handle in the up-down or lateral direction is achieved by abutment (press-fitting) of the boss 36 with the orifice wall 15a defining the orifice 14, and the edge portion of the panel 12 is tightly clamped between the outer edge 40 of the handle 20 and the flexible clip 56 by engagement of the flexible clip 56 with the lower edge portion 17 of the orifice 14, whereby the handle 20 cannot be loosened in the up-down/lateral direction and in the inward-outward direction.

According to the present invention, on the one hand, an active fool-proof design is provided by providing the notch 16 on the sheet metal part 12 and the rib part 34 on the handle 20, preventing a wrong upside down mounting. On the other hand, two bosses 36 are arranged on the outer wall surface of the handle body 30, for example, so that the handle body 30 and the sheet metal part 12 form an interference fit, and noise caused by handle vibration during operation of the chassis 10 is avoided. In yet another aspect, the flexible clip 56 is completely separate from the handle body 30, improving dust and water resistance, and enhancing the appearance.

In addition, the flexible clips 56 are designed to be sufficiently flexible to facilitate installation and removal of the handle 20 by hand only. In addition, the provision of a plurality of stepped snap portions 61 at the clip tip 58 of flex clip 56 accommodates different panel 12 thicknesses. Further, in contrast to the related art in which the stepped engaging portion is provided on the member that cannot be elastically deformed to move, according to the present disclosure, since the stepped catching portion 61 is provided on the flexible clip 56, the snap engagement of the handle 20 is achieved while allowing the handle 20 to be adapted to the chassis 10 having different panel thicknesses. Further, compared to the related art in which the flexible clip is not provided in the support plate extending to the outer edge, according to the present disclosure, since the support plate 54 extends from the outer edge and the flexible clip 56 extends from the support plate 54 to be provided in the hollowed-out portion 55, the abutment stability of the flexible clip 56 in the inward and outward directions is improved, so that the handle 20 can be more stably mounted to the panel 12.

Additionally, according to the utility model discloses, set up the abrupt rib on the outer wall surface of hand and between two parties, also set up the boss on the outer wall surface of hand and be located the horizontal both sides of abrupt rib to the flexible clamping piece setting that will separately set up with the handle body is outer wall surface under. By this rational arrangement, a reliable tight engagement of the handle and the panel in the up-down/lateral direction and in the in-out direction can be achieved more effectively so as to reliably avoid loosening, while still making the handle easy to process and mount.

The foregoing description of embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. These descriptions are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The various elements or features of a particular embodiment may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

Claims (13)

1. A handle for a chassis, the chassis including a panel provided with an aperture and including an edge portion defining the aperture, the handle for mounting to the panel, the handle including a handle body having an internal cavity forming a handle slot and having an opening at one side for a user to reach a hand into the handle slot, the handle body having an inner wall surface bounding the internal cavity and an outer wall surface opposite the inner wall surface, the opening facing outwardly and a portion of the handle body being inserted inside the panel via the aperture when the handle is mounted to the panel,

characterized in that a first positive fit is provided at the outer wall surface and a second positive fit is provided at the edge portion (15), the first positive fit being adapted to cooperate with the second positive fit (16) to mount the handle to the panel.

2. A handle according to claim 1, wherein the handle comprises a rim arranged around the opening, which rim abuts the panel from the outside when the handle is mounted to the panel.

3. The handle of claim 2, wherein the first positive-fit portion is a rib disposed adjacent the outer rim and adapted to fit with a notch disposed at the rim portion that serves as the second positive-fit portion.

4. The handle according to claim 3, wherein the handle defines an up-down direction, an inside-outside direction, and a lateral direction based on a use state, the rib is provided at an upper one of the outer wall surfaces, and the rib has a wedge shape, and a thickness of the rib in the up-down direction gradually decreases from the outer edge inward in the inside-outside direction.

5. A handle as claimed in claim 4, wherein a boss is provided at the upper outer wall surface adjacent the rim, the rim having an aperture wall defining the aperture, the boss abutting the aperture wall when the handle is mounted to the panel.

6. The handle according to claim 5, wherein the rib is provided at a substantially center of the upper outer wall surface in the lateral direction, and the bosses are plural and provided at both lateral sides of the rib.

7. A handle as set forth in claim 4 including a support disposed at a lower one of said outer wall surfaces, said support being provided with a flexible clip, said flexible clip and said outer edge sandwiching said panel therebetween when said handle is mounted to said panel.

8. The handle of claim 7, wherein:

the flex clip is cantilevered and includes a clip root and a clip tip adapted to rest against the panel; and

the thickness of the clip root in the up-down direction is less than the clip tip, and/or the width of the clip root in the transverse direction is greater than the clip tip.

9. A handle according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of stepped catches are provided at an outer side of the clip tip adapted to abut the panel, one of the plurality of stepped catches engaging the edge portion when the handle is mounted to the panel.

10. The handle according to claim 8, wherein the support member includes a support piece extending from the lower outer wall surface in the up-down direction, and a support plate extending from the outer edge in the inside-outside direction and supported by the support piece, and wherein the support plate is provided with a cutout portion, and the flexible clip is provided to the support plate and aligned with the cutout portion in the up-down direction.

11. A handle according to any of claims 1 to 3 wherein a boss is provided at an outer wall surface of the handle body, the rim having an aperture wall bounding the aperture, the boss forming an interference fit against the aperture wall when the handle is mounted to the panel.

12. A chassis comprising a handle according to any of claims 1 to 11.

13. The cabinet of claim 12, wherein the cabinet is an outdoor unit of a heat pump unit, an air conditioner unit, or a refrigeration unit.

Images