Vehicle door handle assembly for different thickness doors

A handle and latch assembly is provided for a vehicle door and includes a housing, a latch on the housing and a handle on the housing. A mounting bracket secures the housing to the door using screws with the door being sandwiched between the housing and the mounting bracket. The mounting bracket can be positioned in multiple orientations to accommodate doors having different thicknesses. The housing includes tapered pins that that press fit onto the mounting bracket to provide a temporary hands-free positioning of the assembly into the door until the mounting screws are installed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Compartment doors and the like typically have a handle and latch assembly which is mounted on the outside of the door and secured with a bracket on the inside of the door. Often, the different manufacturers of vehicle doors have doors with different thicknesses, which necessitates the use of different mounting brackets with the handle assembly for each of the different door thicknesses. The need for multiple mounting brackets inherently increases the cost of the handle assembly and can complicate installation of the handle assembly since the installer must choose among the various mounting brackets.

Installation of the door handles is also tricky or difficult, and may require two people since the handle assembly is held in one hand and the mounting bracket held in the other hand. Thus, a third hand is typically needed to install the screws which connect the mounting bracket to the handle housing so as to sandwich the door between the bracket and housing.

Therefore, an improved door handle assembly is needed to simplify the installation process and to reduce costs.

An important and primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved door handle assembly which overcomes the problems of the prior art.

Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a door handle assembly utilizing a mounting bracket which can be positioned in multiple orientations to accommodate doors having different thicknesses.

A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a mounting bracket for a door handle assembly which can be positioned in four different orientations so as to accommodate four different thicknesses of doors.

Yet another objective of the present invention is the provision of a handle assembly for a door which can be installed by one person without the use of clamping or holding devices.

Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved handle assembly for a door which can be quickly and easily installed on various doors of various manufacturers.

Yet another objective of the present invention is the provision for a housing that includes tapered pins that press fit onto the mounting bracket providing a temporary hands-free positioning of the assembly into the door until the mounting screws are installed.

A further objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved handle and latch assembly for a door which is economical to manufacture and durable, secure, and safe in use.

These and other objectives will become apparent from the following description of the invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A handle assembly is provided for vehicle doors. The assembly includes a housing, a latch on the back of the housing moveable between latched and unlatched positions relative to the door frame, and a handle on the front of the housing to move the latch between the latched and unlatched positions. The assembly also includes a mounting bracket which can be mounted to the housing in a plurality of orientations so as to accommodate doors having different thicknesses.

The housing of the handle assembly also includes tapered pins so as to press fit the mount brackets onto the handle in the cutout of the door, and thereby retain the housing on the door until the mounting screws are installed to the handle assembly to the door. These mounting pins allow the assembly to be easily installed by one person.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A door handle and latch assembly according to the present invention is designated in the drawings by the reference number10. The structure and components of the assembly10are described in applicant's co-pending application entitled, “Twist Latch for Compartment Door”, filed Feb. 2, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention is directed towards the mounting of the handle and latch assembly10to the door12. The door12includes a cutout into which the handle housing14extends through so that a mounting bracket24can be installed, which will sandwich the door12between the housing14and the mount bracket24. More particularly, the housing14includes a front lip or flange16which engages the front surface of the door12, with a gasket18there between to provide a water-tight seal. The well20of the housing14extends through the door cutout. Each exterior corner of the well20includes a tapered pin23which defines a tapered interface for the mount bracket taper pin holes31. As the well20is inserted through the door cutout, the tapered pins23provide a frictional engagement with the taper pin holes31of the mount bracket24and thereby hold the housing14in place, without the need for the installer to manually hold the housing14against the door. The installer can then secure the handle and latch assembly10to the door12using a pair of mounting brackets24and screws26on the opposite ends of the housing14. The pins23thus provide a temporary hands-free positioning of the assembly10in the door12until the mounting screws26are installed.

The mounting bracket24can be oriented in four different positions so as to accommodate doors having different thicknesses.FIGS. 2-6show the bracket24in a first orientation for use on a relatively thin door, such as a 0.035 inch thickness.FIGS. 7-9show the bracket24in a second orientation for a slightly thicker door, such as a door having a thickness of 0.075 inch.FIGS. 10-12show the bracket24in a third orientation for an even thicker door, of an approximately 0.250 inch thickness. It is understood that the dimensions of the bracket24can be modified for other door thicknesses.FIGS. 13-15show the bracket24in a fourth orientation for the thickest door, of approximately 0.625 inch.

The bracket24includes a first wall or face28having a pair of mount holes30at opposite ends. A pair of opposite end walls32,34provide a C-shaped profile for the bracket24. An internal wall or rib36extends perpendicular to the first wall28and the end walls32,34. The wall36is not centered between the end walls32,34, but rather is offset, as best seen inFIGS. 19 and 20. A pair of mount holes38extend through wall36adjacent each of the end walls32,34.

Each of the sets of taper pin holes31provide four alternative orientations for the mounting bracket24on the mount bosses22for receipt of the screws26. It is noted in the drawings,FIGS. 3, 7, 10 and 14only show one mounting screw26, but it is understood that a second screw26is also used to secure the mounting bracket24to the mount bosses22.

In the first bracket orientation shown inFIGS. 2-6, the wall or rib36is positioned such that a notch or cutout40in the wall28faces forwardly towards the lip16of the housing14. In the second orientation, the cutout40matingly engages the housing well20with the end walls32,34facing forwardly towards the housing lip16. In the third orientation, the interior wall or rib36is positioned on the bosses22with a cutout42in the wall36matingly engaging the well20and the cutout42in the wall28facing forwardly towards the housing lip16. In the fourth orientation, the wall28is positioned on the bosses22, with the cutout42adjacent the housing well20and the wall36facing rearwardly. Thus, in each of the orientations, a different edge of the mounting bracket24engages the interior of the door12. One of the cutouts40,42resides adjacent the housing well20in each of the four orientations. The bracket24is rotated 180° end to end and/or 90° side to side in moving between the various orientations. In each orientation, the tapered pins23are received in one pair of the holes31, and from one direction or the other.

Thus, the multiple positions or orientations of the bracket24allow the handle and latch assembly10to be mounted on different doors having different thicknesses using a single mounting bracket. To assist the installer, indentia are provided on the mounting bracket for each of the positions. The indicia may take various forms. For example, in a preferred embodiment, when the bracket24is in the first position, there is a single notch44visible from the rear of the assembly10. In the second position, the first notch44and a second notch46are visible to the installer to the rear of the assembly10. In the third position, the notch46and two additional notches46,48in the end walls32,34are visible to the installer from the rear of the assembly10. In the fourth position, the notches48and another pair of notches50in the end walls32,34are visible to the installer. As an alternative to the notches, the indicia may be any visible marking, formed or added in any convenient manner. Thus, the first position has one visible indicia, the second position has two visible indicia, the third position has three visible indicia and the fourth position has four visible indicia so that the installer can quickly and easily confirm the proper orientation of the mounting bracket24on the bosses22, depending on the door thickness.

The ability to orient the mounting bracket in multiple positions allows the handle assembly to accommodate doors having various thicknesses, and minimizes the number of pieces or parts for the assembly, since a different mounting bracket is not needed for different door thicknesses.