DOOR HANDLE FOR PROVIDING A BUFFERING EFFECT

A door handle for providing a buffering effect has a base, a rotator, an elastic component, a linker, a handle lever, and a damper. The rotator is engaged through the base. The elastic component hooks a limiting rod of the base and the rotator. The linker is disposed around the rotator and has a restricting rib and a pivot rod. The handle lever is inserted into the rotator. A mini buffer of the damper has a cylinder body mounted to the base, and a piston rod. A pivot arm of the damper is disposed around a shaft of the base and rotatably mounted to the piston rod. An extending arm is rotatably mounted to the pivot arm and the pivot rod, respectively. Since damping impact of the buffer effectively retards the restoring process, the strike of the backwardly swinging handle lever is buffered.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a door handle, and more particularly to a door handle for providing a buffering effect.

2. Description of Related Art

Generally, a conventional door handle comprises a pair of handle levers and a pair of bases. The two bases are oppositely installed on the two sides of a door plank, and the two handle levers are rotatably inserted into the two bases, respectively. Moreover, a latch tongue that is retractably mounted on the door plank connects to the two handle levers via a connector. When a user turns the handle levers, the latch tongue will be retracted, so the user can open the door.

With reference toFIG. 6, each one of the pair of conventional door handles comprises a base90, a handle lever91, a linker92, and an elastic component93. The linker92is connected to the handle lever91, and is rotatable relative to the base90by the handle lever91. In addition, the linker92is connected to the latch tongue. The elastic component93is disposed between and connected to the base90and the linker92, so the elastic component93is able to offer a restoring torque to drive the linker92and the handle lever91to revolve backwardly after the user releases the handle lever91.

However, the conventional door handles have the following shortcomings.

1. Due to the strong restoring torque provided by the elastic component93, at the moment the user releases the handle lever91, the elastic component93instantly drives the linker92and further makes the handle lever91swing back rapidly. As a result, the user's hand could be easily hit and hurt by the handle lever91.

2. The rapid restoring process also causes the conventional door handle to produce loud noises.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The main objective of the present invention is to provide a door handle for providing a buffering effect which is able to retard the restoring swing-back process of a handle lever, in order to solve the problems of hurting the user and the loud noises produced during the process.

The door handle for providing a buffering effect comprises a base, a rotator, an elastic component, a linker, a handle lever, and a damper. The base has an installation hole, two sockets, a limiting rod, and a shaft. The installation hole is disposed through the base and is connected to an outer side and an inner side of the base. The two sockets are disposed on the inner side of the base and on two sides of the installation hole. The limiting rod protrudes on the inner side of the base and is located below the two sockets. The shaft protrudes on the inner side of the base and is located beside one of the two sockets. The rotator is rotatably engaged with the installation hole of the base and has a noncircular handle hole disposed through the center of the rotator. The elastic component has its two ends respectively hooking the limiting rod of the base and the rotator. The linker is disposed around the rotator and has a restricting rib and a pivot rod. The restricting rib extends from the linker into an area between the limiting rod and the socket that is other than the socket beside the shaft. The pivot rod protrudes on the linker and is spaced apart from the restricting rib. The handle lever has a noncircular end for insertion into the handle hole of the rotator. The damper has a mini buffer, a pivot arm, and an extending arm. The mini buffer comprises a cylinder body mounted to the base, and a piston rod that retractably extends from the cylinder body. The pivot arm is disposed around the shaft by a middle portion and has one of two ends rotatably mounted to the piston rod of the mini buffer. The extending arm has two ends rotatably mounted to the other one of the two ends of the pivot arm and the pivot rod of the linker, respectively.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference toFIGS. 1 to 3, a door handle for providing a buffering effect in accordance with the present invention comprises a base10, a rotator20, an elastic component30, a linker40, a handle lever50, a damper60, and a cover70.

The base10is a rectangular cap, and has an inner side, an outer side, an installation hole11, two sockets12, a limiting rod13, a shaft14, and a fixing rod15. The installation hole11is formed through the base10to communicate with the inner side and the outer side of the base10. The two sockets12are disposed on the inner side of the base10, and are disposed on two opposite sides along a radial direction of the installation hole11. In addition, the two sockets12are tubular in shape. The limiting rod13is disposed below the two sockets12. The shaft14protrudes beside one of the two sockets12, away from the installation hole11. The fixing rod15protrudes adjacent to the limiting rod13.

The rotator20is rotatably mounted to the installation hole11of the base10, and has a rotation center, an inner end, a surface, a handle hole21and a slot22. The handle hole21is formed through the rotation center of the rotator20, and has a noncircular shape. In the present embodiment, the handle hole21is rectangular. The slot22is recessed from the inner end of the rotator20, and the slot22communicates with the handle hole21. Moreover, the rotator20has a C-clip23engaged with the surface of the rotator20near the inner end of the rotator20.

With reference toFIGS. 2 and 3, the elastic component30is connected to the base10and the rotator20, with one of two ends of the elastic component30hooking the limiting rod13, and the other one of the two ends hooking the slot22. In the present embodiment, the elastic component30is a torsion spring.

The linker40is engaged with the rotator20, and makes the elastic component30located between the base10and the linker40. The linker40comprises an inner circumference, an outer circumference, two connecting ribs41, a restricting rib42, a pivot rib43, and a pivot rod44. The two connecting ribs41respectively protrude inwardly from two diametrically opposite points on the inner circumference of the linker40, and the two connecting ribs41are engaged into two ends of the slot22. The restricting rib42is disposed on the outer circumference of the linker40, and the restricting rib42extends into an area between the limiting rod13and one of the two sockets12. The pivot rib43is disposed on an opposite side of the linker40, relative to the restricting rib42. The pivot rod44is protruded on the pivot rib43away from the base10. In addition, the C-clip23, which is engaged with the rotator20, enables the linker40and the elastic component30to firmly mount to the rotator20, and prevents the linker40from falling off the rotator20.

With reference toFIGS. 1 to 3, the handle lever50is L-shaped and has a noncircular cross section. In the present embodiment, the cross section is rectangular, which corresponds to the handle hole21. The handle lever50comprises two ends. One of the two ends of the handle lever50is inserted into the handle hole21of the rotator20, and a user can grab on the other one of the two ends of the handle lever50so as to turn the handle lever50.

The damper60is movably mounted to the base10and is connected to the linker40. The damper60comprises a mini buffer61, a pivot arm62, and an extending arm63. The mini buffer61comprises a cylinder body610and a piston rod611. The cylinder body610is disposed around the fixing rod15of the base10, and the piston rod611retractably extends from the cylinder body610. Additionally, the mini buffer61can be either a hydraulic cylinder or a pneumatic cylinder. The pivot arm62has a shaft hole620formed through a middle portion of the pivot arm62, and the pivot arm62is rotatably mounted to the shaft14via the shaft hole620. One of two ends of the pivot arm62is rotatably mounted to the piston rod611. The extending arm63is connected with the pivot arm62and the pivot rod44, by two ends of the extending arm63rotatably mounted to the pivot rod44and the other end of the pivot arm62, which is away from the mini buffer61, respectively.

The cover70covers the inner side of the base10, to make the rotator20, the elastic component30, the linker40, and the damper60received and mounted inside the base10. The cover70has a through hole71and two assembly holes72. The through hole71is formed through the cover70and aligns with the installation hole11. The two assembly holes72are formed through the cover70, and are respectively aligned with the two sockets12.

To assemble the door handle for providing a buffering effect, with reference toFIGS. 3 to 5, the first step is to prepare a pair of the door handles mentioned above. Secondly, install the two door handles on a door plank80, and fasten the two bases10with pins (not shown in the figures) through the sockets12and the door plank80. With reference toFIG. 5, a front side of the door plank80engages a latch tongue81. Via a connector, the latch tongue81is connected to the two rotators20of both of the door handles.

With reference toFIGS. 3 and 4, when the user turns the handle lever50of one of the door handles to drive the rotator20thereof, the rotator20will compress the elastic component30and rotate the linker40in a clockwise direction. As a result, the restricting rib42revolves from the limiting rod13toward the corresponding socket12, and further drives the connector to retract the latch tongue81. So the user can open the door.

Furthermore, when the linker40is rotated in the clockwise direction, the extending arm63mounted to the pivot rod44is pushed rightward (with reference toFIG. 4). Thus the pivot arm62is simultaneously rotated in the clockwise direction, making the piston rod611pushed and retracted into the cylinder body610.

As the user releases the handle lever50, as shown inFIG. 3, a restoring torque provided by the elastic component30drives the rotator20to rotate backwardly. The linker40is therefore pulled, making the restricting rib42revolve backwardly and contact on the limiting rod13. Due to rotation of the linker40, the pivot rod44pulls the extending arm63to move leftward (with reference toFIG. 3). Consequently, the pivot arm62revolves in a counterclockwise direction, and pulls the piston rod611out of the cylinder body610, to an extended position.

At this moment, because the displacement of the piston rod611relative to the cylinder body610tends to be obstructed by the pneumatic pressure or the hydraulic pressure of the mini buffer61, the rotation of the pivot arm62is effectively slowed down. As the extending arm63, the linker40, and the rotator20are further retarded, the angular velocity and the torque of the backward swing of the handle lever50are able to be damped, so as to buffer and reduce noises during the restoring process.