GB2044337A - A Biasing Unit for a Door Handle and Backplate Assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A self contained basing unit for a door handle and backplate assembly comprising a body (10) for non- rotatably fitting in a backplate, the body rotatably mounting therein a stop member (27) having a central non-circular section bore (29) therethrough and a pair of abutments (34, 35) extending outwardly therefrom in opposite radial directions respectively, the abutments each having a hook-shaped end (37, 39) extending into an elongated cavity (12, 13) in the body to engage a compression spring therein, which biases the stop member to a rest position. The biasing unit is self- contained so that it can easily be fitted in a number of different types of backplate to provide biasing means for the door handle. It also can fit left- and right-hand closing doors. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Biasing Unit for a Door Handle and Backplate Assembly The present invention relates to a biasing unit for a door handle and backplate assembly. The door handle can be of the lever or knob type.

Conventionally, a spring loaded door handle and backplate assembly is designed so that the component parts thereof are assembled together prior to the parts leaving the factory. Thus assemblies are supplied to a site ready for use with associated spindles.

It will be appreciated that the storage at the factory of assembled items takes up more space than would storage of the component parts of the items, since once assembled, the assemblies cannot as conveniently be stacked together.

Another disadvantage of such assembled items is that once assembled, each assembly will be handled, that is, it will only be suitable for fitting to a particular side of a door.

There has previously been designed an assembly in which the handle can be fixed on site to a spring loaded backplate assembly and this eases the above mentioned storage problem. This assembly is described in our U.K. Patent Application No. 37731/75. (Serial No. 1360990).

However, the disadvantage of the assembly being handled still remains.

Another disadvantage of known door handle and backplate assemblies, is that the backplate is often produced in a particular configuration in order to receive and engage an associated spring.

If a pair of such door handle and backplate assemblies are used at opposite sides of a door, and the door has a conventional latch, then a total of three spring actions are being employed, one at each door handle and backplate assembly and one at the latch.

Whilst this is acceptable in some countries, in other countries it is considered unnecessary, and it is preferred merely to rely on the spring action of the latch. Accordingly a manufacturer supplying backplates for use in various countries may well have to supply two different types of backplate, one type being designed for reception of a spring and another type for use with no spring. This is obviously inconvenient and increases costs.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a self-contained biasing unit for a door handle and backplate assembly, which enables the aforementioned disadvantages to be at least minimised.

According to.the invention, a self-contained biasing unit for a door handle and backplate assembly comprises a body intended to be nonrotatably fitted in the backplate, in use, the body rotatably mounting a stop member, the stop member being adapted to engage, non-rotatably in use with a shank of the door handle or a spindle extending from said handle, the body carrying resilient means which act on part of the stop member normally to bias the stop member to a first position corresponding to a rest position of the handle, angular movement of the handle, in use, in a predetermined direction away from its rest position causing said stop member to move against the bias of said resilient means, which means thereafter return said stop member to its first position and thus the handle to its rest position when the handle is released in use.

The invention will now be described, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of part of a body of a biasing unit constructed in accordance with the present invention, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view on the line 3-3ofFigure 1, Figure 4 is a perspective view of the part of the body shown in Figure 1, Figure 5 is a plan view of a stop member of the biasing unit, Figure 6 is a side view of the stop member, in the direction of the arrow A in Figure 5, Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of an assembled biasing unit of the invention, the section being taken as for Figure 2, and Figure 8 is a schematic, perspective view showing how a pair of biasing units of the invention are fitted, in use, to a pair of door handle and backplate assemblies at opposite sides of a door, the handles being interconnected by way of a spindle.

Figures 1 to 4 show a first part 10 of a body of the biasing unit of the invention. The part 10 could be made of zinc and formed by die-casting or it could alternatively be formed by injection moulding.

The part 10 is generally square but is bevelled at its corners. At its centre, there is provided a circular through bore 11. Extending tangentially to the bore 11 are a pair of elongated cavities 12, 13 respectively. The cavities 12, 1 3 are mutually parallel and extend parallel to and alongside respective sides 14, 1 5 of the part 10, as shown in Figure 1. The cavity 12 extends from one bevelled corner, which joins the side 14 to a side 1 6 of the part 10, to a position just short of the other bevelled corner which joins the side 14 to a side 17 of the part 10, the sides 16 and 17 being parallel. The cavity 1 3 extends in the opposite direction from the bevelled corner joining sides 15 and 1 7, to a position just short of the bevelled corner joining sides 1 5 and 1 6.Each cavity is generally semi-circular in transverse crosssection, as shown best in Figure 2.

A part annular channel 18 extends around part of the circumference of the bore 11 and has the same centre thereas. The channel 1 8 communicates with the cavity 12 near its open end and extends away from the cavity to terminate in a fiat end surface 19, which lies in a radial plane through the centre of the bore 11 parallel to the sides 14 and 1 5. The channel 18 is slightly less deep than the cavities 12, 1 3 and has a flat bottom surface 20. Moreover the channel 18 has a radial width substantially equal to that of each of the cavities 12, 13.

Similarly a part annular channel 21 of the same form as the channel 18, communicates with the cavity 13 near its open end. The channel 21 terminates in a flat end surface 22 in the same plane as the end surfaces 19 of the channel 18, as can be seen from Figure 1, and has a flat bottom surface 23.

At positions adjacent the sides 1 6, 1 7 respectively of the part 10, at opposite sides of said radial plane through the centre of the bore parallel to the sides 14, 1 5, there are provided upstanding cylindrical pegs 24, 25 for locating and securing a second, cover part 26 (Figure 7) of the body of the biasing unit onto the first part 10.

Figures 5 and 6 show a stop member 27 of the biasing unit. The member 27 has a central generally cylindrical portion 28 through which extends a non-circular hole 29 for the reception, in use, of a correspondingly shaped shank of a door handle. The hole 29 has a pair of opposite, parallel flat surfaces 30, 31 joined by respective arcuate surfaces 32, 33. The radius of the external circular surface of the portion 28 is slightly less than the radius of the bore 11, so that on assembly of the biasing unit, as will be described, the portion 28 fits in the bore 11 as shown in Figure 7. However the stop member portion 28 is longer than the depth of the body 10, so that when the member 27 is fitted in the body 10, one end of the portion 28 projects beyond the body, by an amount substantially equal to the height of the pegs 24, 25.

The stop member, which can be made of brass or other relatively hard metal, has a pair of integral abutments 34, 35 extending outwardly from the external surface of the portion 28. Each abutment substantially matches the shape of the channels 18,21 and thus has an arcuate outer surface with curvature slightly less than that of the outer surface of each of the channels 18, 21 so that the radial extent of each abutment from the portion 28 is just less than the radial width of each channel 18,21.

The abutment 34 has a flat end surface 36 lying in a radial plane through the centre of the portion 28 and parallel to the surfaces 30, 31.

The abutment 34 extends around the surface of the portion 28 by substantially the same distance as the channels 18, 21 extend around the bore 11, and is formed with an arcuate hook-like end 37 spaced radially from the surface of the portion 28. As viewed in Figure 5, the abutment 34 extends anticlockwise from its surface 36, whilst the abutment 35, which is of identical form to the abutment 34, also extends anti-clockwise from its flat end surface 38 to its hook-like end 39, the surface 38 lying in the same plane as the end surface 36. The abutments are relatively thin compared to the depth of the portion 28, and as can be seen in Figure 6, they are disposed approximately half way between the ends of the portion 28. The abutments have respective arcuate ledge portions 34a, 35a, extending around the portion 28 by the same amount as the abutments respectively.However said portions extend only a short distance radially from the surface of the portion 28.

The second, cover part 26 of the body, which is shown in Figure 7 and is preferably a steel pressing, is in the form of a plate of the same external shape as the part 10, being square with bevelled corners. It has a central circular hole 40, the radius of which is slightly greater than the external radius of the cylindrical portion 28 of the stop member 27. The cover part has two holes therethrough for reception of the pegs 24,25, and the thickness of the cover part 26 substantially equals the height of the pegs.

Shown in Figure 7, in a schematic form, are resilient means in the form of a pair of compression springs 41, 42 respectively disposed in the cavities 12, 13 of the part 10. The spring 41 has its one end against the closed end of the cavity 1 2 and its other end against the abutment 34 of the stop member 27, which fits in the part 10. Similarly the spring 42 has one of its ends against the closed end of the cavity 13 and its other end against abutment 35. The hook-like ends of the abutments serve to engage the ends of the respective springs. Alternatively said hooklike ends may bear against respective metal inserts, fitted in the ends of the springs adjacent said abutments respectively.

To assemble the biasing unit in use, the springs 41,42 are inserted into the cavities 12, 13 respectively with the stop member 27 being fitted in the part 10 of the biasing unit body as shown in Figure 7. In this position the abutments 34, 35 rest on the flat bottom surfaces of the channels 1 8, 21 respectively with the hook-like ends 37, 39 of the abutments extending into the cavities 12, 1 3 to engage respective ends of the springs, as described. In this state, the springs are compressed and thus act together to force the stop member clockwise as viewed in Figure 1.

The surfaces 36 and 38 of the abutments are thus forced against the end surfaces 19 and 22 respectively of the channels 1 8 and 21. The cover part 26 is then placed onto the part 10 and member 27 as shown in Figure 7 to conceal the springs and abutments. The pegs 24, 25 pass through the holes in the cover part 26 and the top part of the cylindrical portion 28 is received in the hole 40. To secure the part 26 to the part 10, the pegs can be rivetted over. Any other suitable means of achieving this securement could however, be used, depending on the material of the part 10.

Once assembled as described, the biasing unit is self-contained and thus the biasing unit and backplate need not be assembled together prior to fixing on site.

In use, the spring unit is non-rotatably fitted in a backplate of channel cross-section. The unit could either simply be fitted in the backplate so that its opposite sides engage opposite sides of the channel of the backplate or the interior of the channel could be provided with suitable projections for engaging the spring unit to stop it rotating and hold it in position in the backplate.

Figure 8 illustrates how a pair of biasing units 43, 44 are fitted, in use, in a pair of backplates 45, 46 respectively which are secured at opposite sides of a door 47 and are interconnected by a spindle 48 and respective handles 49, 50.

Each unit 43, 44 is constructed as described and as shown in Figure 7. Each backplate is of conventional form defining a channel with closed ends, with a circular hole in the channel base. The unit 43 is placed in the channel, as shown, as a close fit, with the flat surfaces 30, 31 of the stop member parallel to the longitudinal walls of the channel and the arcuate surfaces 32, 33 of the stop member aligned with corresponding arcuate parts of the circular hole in the backplate. An alternative form of backplate can be used, in which the channel is closed by removable end pieces, and the unit 43 can be fitted in the backplate by removing an end piece and sliding the unit longitudinally into position, thereafter replacing the removed end piece.

To connect together the backplates of Figure 8 the unit 44 is firstly fitted in the backplate 46, as described. The shank of the handle 50, is then inserted through the hole in the backplate 46 and into the complementarily shaped non-circular hole 29 of the stop member 27, so as nonrotatably to engage therewith. A suitable washer can be disposed on the shank to lie between the handle and the outer surface of the backplate 46, in a conventional manner. The cover part 26 of the unit 44 is arranged to face outwardly of the channel so that the handle 50 can be moved downwardly from its horizontal rest position. If the unit were disposed the other way around, with the part 26 against the channel base, the handle would only be able to move upwardly, as viewed in Figure 8.

With the spindle 48 pre-fitted at one of its ends in the shank of the handle 50 in the conventional manner, the handle, backplate and spindle can be offered up to the door 47. The spindle passes through a hole (not shown) in the door to emerge at the other side, and can co-operate with a latch assembly fitted in the door, in the usual manner.

The backplate 46 is secured to the door by screws received in holes 51 at the corners of the backplate.

The backplate 45, having the unit 43 fitted therein, with the cover part 26 thereof against the channel base is represented upto and fixed to the opposite side of the door from the backplate 46 by screws in holes 52 in the backplate 45, so that the free end of spindle 48 projects through the holes 29 and 40 of the unit 43 and the hole in the backplate 45.

The spindle 48 has a longitudinal slot 53 therein, adjacent its end and an adjusting screw 54 is screw-threadedly engaged in said end, so that the end of the screw 54 can be moved into or out of the slot 53 by rotation of the screw.

The correct adjustment of the screw can be determined by the use of a spacer template appropriate for the particular door thickness and the position of a hole 55 in the handle 49 for receiving a fixing pin 56 to secure the handle 49 to the spindle 48.

With the screw correctly adjusted, the handle 49, with associated washer on its shank, is presented up to the backplate 45 and the shank is received through the hole in the backplate and non-rotatably engages in the hole 29 in the stop washer 27. The pin 56 is then screwed into the hole 55 so that the end of the pin engages in the slot 53 immediately adjacent the end of the screw 54. The assembly is now complete.

In use, the handle 49 would normally be at the inner side of the door, as this would prevent someone at the outer side of the door tampering with the pin 56 securing the handle 49 to the spindle 48. The means for securing the spindle 48 to the handle 50 is a pin passing through a hole in the shank portion of the handle, and this pin would, of course, be concealed once the handle 50 is rotatably mounted in the backplate 46.

With no force applied to either of the handles, the respective stop members of the units 43, 44 are biased by the springs in the manner described to a first position in which for each stop member its abutments contact the surfaces 1 9 and 22 of the body. The handles are thus in their normal, or rest positions, as shown in Figure 8.

If a handle, for example the handle 50, is moved angularly in a clockwise direction from its rest position shown in Figure 8, the abutments on the stop member 27 in the unit 44 will move arcuately in the cavities 1 2, 1 3 to compress the springs 41, 42 and thus the handle movement is opposed by spring force in the conventional manner. Release of the handle causes the springs to be released from their compression and they thus return the stop member to its first position and thus the handle to its rest position. Such movement of the handle 50 causes corresponding movement of the handle 49, since the handles are connected together by way of the spindle 48.

Thus it can be appreciated that the provision of this self-contained biasing unit enables fixing of the spring means to the backplate on site, instead of in the factory and since the handle is also assembled on site no storing of assembled items occurs in the factory, or in the merchant's premises thereby reducing storage costs and assembly site costs.

Moreover, the biasing unit is self handling as by inverting it prior to fitting it in the backplate, the assembly becomes of opposite hand.

Therefore the handling can be chosen on site.

Instead of the unit having two separate body parts, the body could be one piece with access for positioning the springs and stop member. It might also be possible for the cover part of the illustrated body to be omitted provided the springs and stop member are securely retained in place.

Only one spring need be used, although two are preferable to retain the balance of the unit.

Other suitable types of springs or other resilient means could of course be used in place of compression springs.

If necessary the door to which the backplate and spring unit is fitted, in use, could have a rebate to accommodate part of the spring unit.

However this is usually not necessary as the spring unit is contained within the depth of the backplate.

The backplate in which a biasing unit is fitted need not be of the form shown. For example the backplate could be provided with locating means other than the channel sides for correctly locating the biasing unit non-rotatively relative to the backplate. Such locating means could be projections integral with the backplate. The backplate could, moreover, be circular instead of rectangular in external shape, the interior of the circular backplate being shaped so as correctly non-rotively to position the biasing unit therein.

As shown in Figure 8, the backplates may have keyholes 57 for a key to operate a lock (not shown).

Although both backplates 45, 46 of Figure 8 have biasing units therein, only one backplate need contain a biasing unit. The other backplate may have a different biasing means or may have no biasing or spring means at all.

Thus the invention enables the manufacturer to produce a single type of backplate without any biasing means, which backplate can be supplied to certain countries which require no biasing means in the backplate, and which can, for other countries, easily be provided with biasing means simply by way of the biasing unit being fitted in the backplate as described.

Claims (17)

Claims

1. A self contained biasing unit for a door handle and backplate assembly, comprising a body intended to be non-rotatably fitted in the backplate, in use, the body rotatably mounting a stop member, the stop member being adapted to engage non-rotatably, in use, with a shank of the door handle, or a spindle extending from said handle, the body carrying resilient means which act on part of the stop member normally to bias the stop member to a first position corresponding to a rest position of the handle, angular movement of the handle, in use, in a predetermined direction away from its rest position causing said stop member to move against the bias of said resilient means, which means thereafter return said stop member to its first position and thus the handle to its rest position when the handle is released, in use.

2. A biasing unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said body comprises a cavity in which said resilient means is disposed, said resilient means acting on an abutment formed on the stop member normally to bias said stop member to said first position, movement of said stop member away from said first position causing said abutment to move to compress said resilient means in said cavity.

3. A biasing unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein said stop member has a generally cylindrical centre portion rotatably mounted in the body, through which centre portion extends a noncircular bore in which said shank of the door handle or said spindle can non-rotatably engage, in use, the stop member also having a shaped abutment extending from its outer periphery in a generally radial direction, one end of said abutment extending into said cavity and being engaged by said resilient means, which normally biases said stop member to said first position in which the other end of the abutment bears against a part of the body to prevent rotation of the stop member in the direction in which the biasing force of said resilient means acts.

4. A biasing unit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, in which said stop member has a generally cylindrical centre portion rotatably mounted in the body, through which centre portion extends a non-circular bore in which said shank of the door handle or said spindle can nonrotatably engage, in use, the stop member having a pair of shaped abutments extending from its outer periphery in opposite generally radial directions respectively, each abutment having one flat end surface, with said respective flat end surfaces of the two abutments iying in a common radial plane through the centre of the cylindrical centre portion, and the body having a pair of parallel cavities therein at opposite sides of said centre portion of the stop member, the cavities containing respective resilient means which act on said abutments normally to bias the stop member to its first position.

5. A biasing unit as claimed in claim 4, wherein at its end opposite to its flat end surface, each abutment is hook-shaped, the arrangement being such that the hook-shaped ends of the respective abutments extend into said cavities containing said resilient means and are engaged by said resilient means which thus bias the stop member in one direction to its first position, in which said flat end surfaces engage against respective abutment surfaces of the body to prevent further rotation of the stop member in said one direction.

6. A biasing unit as claimed in claim 5, wherein the body is provided with a pair of diametrically opposed annular channels centered on the axis of rotation of the stop member, the channels communicating with said cavities respectively and being closed by said respective abutment surfaces which are flat and are in the same plane through the axis of rotation of the stop member and parallel to the cavities, the abutments being disposed, in said first position of the stop member, in said annular channels and being of substantially complementary shape thereto, with said hook-shaped ends thereof extending into said cavities which are deeper than said channels, the respective flat end surfaces of the abutments engaging said flat abutment surfaces of the channels.

7. A biasing unit as claimed in claim 6, wherein said channels are of substantially semi-circular cross-section and contain respective compression springs.

8. A biasing unit as claimed in claim 7, wherein said hook-shaped ends engage against inserts in the ends of the springs respectively, rotation of the stop member in a direction to move the hookshaped ends into the cavities, causing compression of said springs and thus a resistance to said movement, said springs returning said stop member to its first position when the force causing said rotation is removed.

9. A biasing unit as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said body has a first part, which rotatably mounts the stop member, and a second part, in the form of a cover, secured to the first part.

10. A biasing unit as claimed in claim 9, wherein said cover part is in the form of a thin plate having a central circular hole of a diameter to accommodate said cylindrical centre portion of the stop member.

11. A biasing unit as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the body has a pair of parallel sides which are, when the stop member is in its first position, themselves parallel to a pair of parallel, flat surfaces of the stop member's non-circular bore, so that the parallel sides of the body can be engaged, in use, between opposite flat sides of the channel defined by the backplate, so that in the first position of the stop member, the handle engaged, in use, with the backplate and biasing unit is horizontal.

12. A. method of fitting together a door handle and backplate assembly at one side of a door, comprising providing a backplate with a hole therein, non-rotatably fitting in the backplate a self-contained biasing unit which includes a rotatable stop member normally biased to a first position, and through which is defined a noncircular bore, said bore being aligned with said hole in the backplate when said biasing unit is fitted therein, presenting up a door handle to said backplate, non-rotatably engaging with said door handle a non-circular section spindle, the arrangement being such that either a part of the handle rotatably engages with the backplate and non-rotatably engages in said bore or said spindle non-rotatably engages in said bore and rotatably mounts said door handle on the backplate, with the spindle extending through a hole in the door, and the backplate being secured to said one side of the door.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, comprising disposing at the other side of the door a further backplate with a hole therein, nonrotatably fitting into the further backplate a further self-contained biasing unit which includes a rotatable stop member normally biased to a first position, and through which is defined a noncircular bore, said bore being aligned with said hole in the further backplate when the further biasing unit is fitted therein, presenting up to the further backplate a further door handle, engaging said spindle non-rotatably in said further door handle and securing said further handle to said spindle, with either part of the further handle rotatably engaging with the further backplate and non-rotatably engaging in said bore in said further biasing unit or said spindle non-rotatably engaging in said bore in said further biasing unit and rotatably mounting said further door handle on said further backplate, and securing said further backplate to said other side of the door.

14. A method as claimed in claim 12 or claim.

13, wherein a non-circular section shank portion of the or each door handle non-rotatably engages in said non-circular bore of the or each stop member and said non-circular section spindle non-rotatably engages in the or each shank portion, the hole in the or each backplate being circular so as rotatably to mount the or each door handle.

15. A method as claimed in any of claims 12 to 14, wherein the or each biasing unit is fitted in its associated backplate so that the handle mounted on the backplate is horizontal in its rest position, corresponding to the first position of the stop member of the or each biasing unit, and that the permitted movement of the handle from its rest position is downwardly.

1 6. A self-contained biasing unit for a door handle and backplate assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

17. A method of fitting together a door handle and backplate assembly at one side of a door substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 8 of the accompanying drawings.