Guard plate assembly

Abstract: An improved automobile handle guard plate assembly which provides added strength via a lipped brace (3) which overlays and strengthens a security plate (4). The security plate (4) and the brace (3) are secured together with an adhesive and positioned between the exterior door handle and the automobile's door. The door handle is permitted easy access to the locking mechanism within the door via an opening in the security plate (4). A thief trying to enter the automobile by accessing the locking mechanism through the door, finds a security plate (4) to prevent access and a brace (3) on the security plate (4) for preventing deformation of the security plate (4).

Description: Background of the Invention: Theft of automobiles is on the rise and the easiest place for a thief to gain access to a locking mechanism is through the lock cylinder. Typically an automobile's door or trunk has an opening which is used to contain the activator mechanism/lock cylinder to the lock mechanism inside the door or trunk. The activator mechanism, by necessity, requires a hole in the door or trunk. Through this hole, a pry bar such as a screw-driver, is inserted and the interior locking mechanism is accessed. Recognition of this weakness in the security of an automobile has been around for many years; numerous devices have been developed which attempt to cure this deficiency. One such device is described in United States Patent number 4,160,368, entitled "Automobile Trunk Lock Guard" issued to Solow on July 10, 1979. This device provides a security plate which surrounds the lock cylinder. The plate is secured to the vehicle through the use of metal screws. The use of metal screws requires added complexity in the installation process and also is not aesthetically pleasing. Additionally, the apparatus is unsuitable for a handle situation since the added plate's thickness disrupts the dimensional requirements for the handle to reach the interior locking mechanism. Another attempt to provide additional security is described in United States Patent number 4,530, 223, entitled "Guard For Key Cylinder" issued to Oliver on July 23, 1985. This apparatus is a metal plate which bolts around the outside surface to protect the key cylinder. Again, the use of bolts are required and the plate is inoperative with a factory built handle. In both of these situations, strength for the security plate is accomplished by expanding the thickness of the generally flat plate. This additional thickness prevents a thief from buckling or deforming the security plate; but, the added thickness also requires the use of a replacement handle as the factory installed handle is no longer able to reach the door's locking mechanism properly. Recognizing that the less disruptive a device is to the existing automobile, the more likely the device is to be used, United States Patent number 4,619,123, entitled "Guard Plate and Method for Automobile Door Handle" issued to Hill on October 28, 1986, was developed. The Hill apparatus utilizes the existing door handle and places a security plate between the handle and the automobile door. No drilling or exterior screws were needed and all of the existing parts on the automobile still interact with each other. In certain situations though, the Hill security plate, being substantially a flat metal plate, could be bent or deformed by an aggressive thief and thereby permit access to the interior locking mechanism. EP-A-276 972 discloses a handle assembly for a vehicle door comprising a handle pivotally connected to a base plate. The base plate is imposed between the handle and the door panel and has a lip portion adapted to fix a gasket to the base plate. It is clear that there is a need for additional security at the activator mechanism. Summary of the Invention: This invention relates to a guard plate assembly as set out in the first part of claim 1. A thief trying to enter the automobile by accessing the locking mechanism through the door, finds a security plate to prevent access and a brace on the security plate preventing the deformation of the security plate. The above mentioned problems are solved by the characterizing features stated in claim 1. The assembly consists of three basic parts. The first part is a security member such as that described in United States Patent number 4,619,123, entitled "Guard Plate and Method for Automobile Door Handle" issued to Hill on October 28, 1986, incorporated hereinto by reference. Those of ordinary skill in the art readily recognize various other security plates which will also serve this function. This security member is generally a flat piece of metal having protective tags or flanges. The second part of the assembly is a brace member which is intended to overlay the security member, Around the peripheral of the brace member, a lip is formed so as to mimic certain contours of the security member. This lip, being at an angle, typically ninety degrees, to the plane of the brace member, provides additional structural strength for the final assembly. The third part of the assembly is an adhesive which is used to affix the security member to the brace member into one assembly which operates in the same manner as described in United States Patent number 4,619,123. In the preferred embodiment, a pair of sealing members are attached to the security device on the handle to plate surface and the plate to automobile body surface. These sealing members provide weather proofing once the assembly is attached to the automobile's door. Preferably, the width of the lip on the brace member is chosen to be less than the combined depth of the security member and the sealing member. In this manner, a proper seal is obtained since the lip from the brace member does not press against the automobile's door. The invention together with various embodiments thereof, will be more fully described by the following drawings and their accompanying descriptions. Drawings in Brief: Figure 1A is an exploded view of an embodiment of the invention illustrating the inter-relationship between the different members. Figure 1B is a perspective view of the embodiment of the assembled members from Figure 1A. Figure 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention as applied to an automobile's door and handle. Drawings in Detail: Figure 1A is an exploded view of an embodiment of the invention illustrating the inter-relationship between the different members. Rigid guard plate or security member 4 is of the type described before. Security member 4 is a substantially flat stock having a depth dl. Flanges 10 and 13 extend downward to enter the car door (not shown) and provide additional security from pry bars or the like. Brace member 3 is structured such that when it is placed over security member 4, lip 7 of brace member 3 matches selected contours of security member 4. Note that lip 7 does not have to entirely encircle security member 4 but is placed to provide additional support where needed. In this embodiment, brace member 3 is "U" shaped to provide added structural support around the edges indicated. Those of ordinary skill in the art readily recognize other shapes which will supply the proper structural integrity. Lip 7 has a width d3. It is lip 7 and its right angle relationship to the body of brace member 3 that provide the mechanical rigidity sought. In the basic embodiment, brace member 3 is adhered to security member 4, as shown by arrows 6, via an epoxy or other such adhesion means (not shown). In one embodiment of the invention, a sealant member 5 is adhered to security member 4 so as to provide a weather seal once the entire assemblage is placed on the automobile's door. Sealant member 5 has a depth d2. A second optional sealing member 5A is also used to seal between the handle (not shown) and the security member 4. Figure 1B is a perspective view of the embodiment of the assembled members from Figure 1A. In this embodiment, security member 4 is sandwiched between brace member 3 and sealant member 5. Note that the width of lip 7 is less than the combined depth of security member 4 and sealant member 5 (i.e. d3<d1+d2) which permits proper sealing of the handle guard plate assembly 8 to the automobile door 2 (Fig. 2). Also note that in this embodiment, brace member 3 does not completely cover security member 4. The opening through brace member 4 permits the automobile handle (not shown) to contact and press against security member 4. This permits the factory handle to reach the inner lock within the door without any modification. Figure 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention as applied to an automobile's door and handle. The method of installation in the preferred embodiment, involves first unlocking door 2 and opening it to expose screw 17 that is accessible by an ordinary screwdriver. This screw 17, together with a second screw 26 secure the handle to the door 2. Second screw 26 is concealed by a piece of removable trim 24 in recess 23 in the outer surface of handle mechanism 1. Second screw 26 extends through hole 25 in the front end of handle, through a bezel 27, and into a threaded hole 20 in the surface of door panel 2. After screws 17 and 26 have been removed, handle mechanism 1 is removed. A bezel 19, having a rectangular opening therein through which the inner operative portion of handle mechanism 1 extends, is provided on a variety of automobiles including the Volkswagen Rabbit model. This bezel or gasket is reusable depending on the thickness of the plate 4. The guard plate assembly 8 is inserted into opening 18 so that tab 13 and protective flanges 10 extend into the interior of door 2 through door panel opening 18. Alternatively, the inner operative part of the handle mechanism is inserted through opening 9 of guard plate 4 first, so that clearance hole 14 in tab 13 is aligned with threaded hole 22 in tongue member 21. Then both guard plate assembly 8 and handle mechanism 1 are simultaneously inserted through opening 18 in door panel 2, aligning clearance hole 16 in the end plate 15 of the door 2 with both clearance hole 14 and threaded hole 22. If desired, bezel 19 is reused or a thinner bezel or no bezel at all is used. Installation is completed by rethreading screw 17 through clearance hole 16, clearance hcle 14, and into threaded hole 22 of tongue member 21 and tightening it. Bezel 27 is positioned and screw 26 is tightened into threaded hole 20. The piece of trim 24 is reinserted into recess 23. In this manner, an automobile handle guard is installed which discourages thefts of the vehicle or its contents.

Claims: A guard plate assembly (8) for use on an automobile door having an exterior handle mechanism (1) operating a locking mechanism inside the automobile door (2), said guard plate assembly (8) comprising a rigid guard plate (4) structured to be imposed between said exterior handle mechanism (1) and said automobile door (2) such that portions of said guard plate (4) provide security from unauthorized access to said locking mechanism, said guard plate (4) having a substantially uniform thickness, said guard plate assembly being characterized by a) a brace member (3) having a lip portion (7) having a predetermined width (d3) and which mimics selected contours of said guard plate (4), and b) adhesion means for securing said guard plate (4) to said brace member (3). The guard plate assembly (8) according to claim 1, characterized in that the rigid guard plate (4) has an aperture (9) therein and has integral first and second flanges (10) extending inwardly from opposed upper and lower edges of the aperture (9) into an opening (18) in said automobile door (2), said rigid guard plate assembly (8) structured to be imposed between said exterior handle mechanism (1) and said automobile door (2) such that attachment of said exterior handle mechanism (1) to said door (2) affixes said rigid guard plate assembly (8) therebetween. The guard plate assembly (8) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the width (d3) of lip portion (7) is less than the thickness of said rigid guard plate (4). The guard plate assembly (8) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said brace member (3) is shaped to permit the exterior handle mechanism (1) to contact a portion of said rigid guard plate (4). The guard plate assembly (8) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said brace member (3) is structured to avoid contacting said exterior handle mechanism (1). The guard plate assembly (8) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further including a sealant member (5) attached to a peripheral portion of said rigid guard plate (4), said sealant member (5) positioned on an opposite side of said rigid guard plate (4) from said brace member (3). The guard plate assembly according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4 and 5, comprising a sealant member (5) attached to a peripheral portion of said rigid guard plate (4), the lip portion (7) of said brace member (3) has a width (d3) less than the combined thickness of said substantially uniform thickness of said rigid guard plate (4) and said sealant member (5). The guard plate assembly (8) according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein said guard plate (4) includes tabs (13) for insertion into said automobile door (2). The guard plate assembly (8) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein said guard plate (4) includes an orifice (9) structured to permit a portion of said exterior handle mechanism (1) to extend into said door (2) and contact said locking mechanism. An automobile door assembly comprising a guard plate assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

Inventors: HILL MARK LANGDON, HILL, MARK LANGDON
Applicants: HILL MARK LANGDON, HILL, MARK LANGDON
Application year: 1992
Main classification: E05B3
IPC codes: E05B17