Abstract:
A handle assembly is adapted for a panic handle having a latching mechanism. The handle assembly includes a handle that is moveable between extended and retracted positions and a slide moveable laterally corresponding to movements of the handle. The movement of the handle between the extended and retracted positions works to operate the latching mechanism.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a divisional of U.S. Application for Patent Ser. No. 09/469,813, filed on Dec. 22, 1999 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,104. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to doors handles and to latch assemblies for securing doors and the like in a closed position, and more specifically, the present invention is directed to latch actuating door handles of the panic handle type. 
     2. Brief Description of the Prior Art 
     Panic handles are generally operable to secure doors and the like in a latched position and provide unlatching by actuation of the door handle. A primary benefit of panic handles are that they provide unlatching of the door in a quick and simple manner, and for this reason, panic handles are often utilized in applications which require ready exit from a building in case of an emergency. Some examples of panic handles are illustrated in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,399 issued Jan. 23, 1990; U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,480 issued Dec. 8, 1987; U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,922 issued Mar. 26, 1985; U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,949 issued Dec. 6, 1983; U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,620 issued May 10, 1983 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,974 issued Jan. 4, 1983, all assigned to Blumcraft of Pittsburgh, the assignee of the present invention, the complete disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein. These above-referenced patents disclose panic handles comprising a bar carried by a door and having an internal latch mechanism that is activated to unlatch the door when the bar is moved from a position away from the door to a position close to the door. An advantage of these types of prior art devices is that the latch mechanism is located within the bar, which allows for use in broader applications since minimal panel preparation is required, such as with glass panels, and it also yields a more aesthetic overall appearance. Another advantage of such prior art devices is that the bar can be mounted spaced from the door, which makes the bar easier to grasp facilitating its ease of use and which also can be a particular benefit in emergency situations. The spaced mounting of the bar also works to contribute to the overall appearance of the panic handle. Still another advantage is that the bar can be provided in a number of different configurations, such as “L” shaped and straight, which further contributes to the versatility of such devices. 
     Other types of panic devices are known in the art that lack the properties noted with respect to the above-referenced patents. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,897,092 to Atkins discloses one type of panic handle comprising a latch mechanism mounted on the door and a separate bar pivotally mounted in order to operate the latch mechanism. Another type of panic handle is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,083,590 to Folger which comprises a latch assembly mounted on the door and a separate bar that is moved in inward and outward directions relative to the door for operating the latch assembly. Such types of devices have the additional deficiency that numerous different components are utilized, which results in a larger overall construction. In addition, the relative movement of the numerous different components in operation leave such devices susceptible to damage, which can result in complete failure of these types of panic handles. 
     The present invention is directed to another panic handle that has been developed in view of the prior art panic handles noted above. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a handle assembly for a panic handle and with the handle assembly including a handle movable in a direction substantially perpendicular the surface of the door between an outward position spaced from the door and an inward position closer to the door, and with the handle including an opening therein and means substantially within the opening of the handle for translating the handle between the extended and retracted positions. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a prior art panic handle shown and described in my earlier U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,974 issued Jan. 4, 1983, with the panic handle shown installed on a rectangular door. 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of the panic handle of FIG. 1 illustrating the relative motion of the panic handle in its outer (latched) position and inner (unlatched) position. 
     FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the lines III—III of FIG. 1, with the door and panic handle mechanism shown in the latched position. 
     FIG. 4 is a view like FIG. 3, but shown in the unlatched position. 
     FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the panic handle of FIG. 1, taken along the lines V—V of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of an embodiment of a panic handle in accordance with the present invention and illustrated mounted to a door. 
     FIG. 7 is a sectional top plan view of one embodiment of a handle assembly of FIG. 6 taken along the line A—A and with the handle assembly shown in an inward position. 
     FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the handle assembly of FIG. 7 shown in an outward position. 
     FIG. 9 is a sectional side elevational view of the handle assembly of FIG. 6 taken along the line  9 — 9  of FIG.  8 . 
     FIG. 10 is an isolated top plan view of a slide of the handle assembly of FIG.  6 . 
     FIG. 11 is a front view of the slide of FIG.  10 . 
     FIG. 12 is an isolated front view of an exterior handle member of the handle assembly of FIG.  7 . 
     FIG. 13 is an isolated front view of an interior handle member of the handle assembly of FIG.  7 . 
     FIG. 14 a  is an isolated front elevational view of an end cap of the handle assembly of FIG.  7 . 
     FIG. 14 b  is a right side elevational view of the end cap of FIG. 14 a.    
     FIG. 15 a  is an isolated front elevational view of an exterior connector of the handle assembly of FIG.  7 . 
     FIG. 15 b  is a right side elevational view of the exterior conector of FIG. 15 a.    
     FIG. 16 a  is an isolated front elevational view of a bushing of the handle assembly of FIG.  7 . 
     FIG. 16 b  is a right side elevational view of the bushing of FIG. 16 a.    
     FIG. 17 a  is an isolated front elevational view of a link of the handle assembly of FIG.  7 . 
     FIG. 17 b  is a right side elevational view of the link of FIG. 17 a.    
     FIG. 18 a  is an isolated front elevational view of an interior spacer of the handle assembly of FIG.  7 . 
     FIG. 18 b  is a left side elevational view of the interior spacer of FIG. 18 a.    
     FIG. 18 c  is a right side elevational view of the interior spacer of FIG. 18 a.    
     FIG. 18 d  is a top plan elevational view of the interior spacer of FIG. 18 a.    
     FIG. 19 a  is an isolated front elevational view of an exterior spacer of the handle assembly of FIG.  7 . 
     FIG. 19 b  is a left side elevational view of the exterior spacer of FIG. 19 a.    
     FIG. 19 c  is a top plan view of the exterior spacer of FIG. 19 a.    
     FIG. 20 is a sectional top plan view of a preferred embodiment of a handle assembly of FIG. 6 taken along the line A—A and with the handle assembly shown in an outward position. 
     FIG. 21 is an isolated top plan view of a slide and links of FIG.  20 . 
     FIG. 22 is a sectional side elevational view of the handle assembly of FIG. 20 taken along the line  22 — 22  of FIG.  20 . 
     FIG. 23 a  is an isolated front elevational view of an interior spacer of the handle assembly of FIG.  20 . 
     FIG. 23 b  is a left side elevational view of the interior spacer of FIG. 23 a.    
     FIG. 23 c  is a right side elevational view of the interior spacer of FIG. 23 a.    
     FIG. 23 d  is a top plan elevational view of the interior spacer of FIG. 23 a.    
     FIG. 24 a  is an isolated front elevational view of an exterior spacer of the handle assembly of FIG.  20 . 
     FIG. 24 b  is a right side elevational view of the exterior spacer of FIG. 24 a.    
     FIG. 25 a  is an isolated front elevational view of an exterior handle member door connector of the handle assembly of FIG.  20 . 
     FIG. 25 b  is a top plan view of the exterior handle member door connector of FIG. 25 a.    
     FIG. 26 a  is an isolated front elevational view of an end cap of the handle assembly of FIG.  20 . 
     FIG. 26 b  is a right side elevational view of the end cap of FIG. 26 a.    
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein like reference numerals indicate like elements throughout the several views, there is illustrated two embodiments of a panel handle in accordance with the present invention. The panic handles of the illustrated embodiments are similar in many respects to the panic handles disclosed in my earlier U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,480 issued Dec. 8, 1987; U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,922 issued Mar. 26, 1985; U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,949 issued Dec. 6, 1983; U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,620 issued May 10, 1983 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,974 issued Jan. 4, 1983. For the sake of brevity, the following description will focus only on the specific features of the present panic handles that are different from that disclosed in my prior panic handle patents listed above. The complete disclosures of my earlier U.S. Patents can be referred to for a detailed description of the remaining features that are not discussed in detail herein. For ease of reference, FIGS. 1-5 from my earlier U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,974 are reproduced in their entirety in FIGS. 1-5. 
     In FIGS. 6-9 is illustrated a panic handle in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention and mounted to a door  100 . As should be understood, the composition of the door  100  can comprise any of a number of different types of doors and made from various materials, such as wood, metal or glass, to name a few. In this embodiment, the door  100  is comprised of glass. The panic handle of the present embodiment as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 comprises a handle assembly  12 . The components of the handle assembly  12  of the present embodiment include an interior door handle  14  and a slide assembly. In this embodiment, the slide assembly comprises at least one slide member  18  and at least one link  20 . The handle assembly  12  of the present embodiment also preferably comprises an exterior door handle  16  and means for attaching the interior and exterior door handles  14  and  16  to the door  100 , which in this embodiment comprises at least one interior spacer  22 , at least one exterior spacer  24 , at least one bushing  26  and at least one fastener  28 . The panic handle of the present embodiment also preferably includes at least one end cap  31 . In the illustrated embodiment, there are provided two slides  18 , two links  20 , two interior spacers  22 , two exterior spacers  24 , two bushings  26 , two fasteners  28  and four end caps  31 , and with each end cap  31  at terminating ends of the interior and exterior handle members  14  and  16 , respectively. The various components of the panic handle of the present embodiment will be described in more detail below. 
     The interior door handle  14  in this embodiment is a substantially hollow member and generally “L” shaped in configuration defining a horizontal component  14   a  and a vertical component  14   b . In other embodiments, the interior door handle  14  can be of other configurations as well, such as straight, and adapted to be mounted to a door in a variety of different orientations, such as having any number of vertical and/or horizontal components as well as having any number of components of various angular positions. In addition, in the present embodiment, the interior door handle  14  incorporates both the slide assembly and latching assembly together in a single structure. In other embodiments, the slide assembly and latching assembly can be provided in separate structures where desired. 
     In operation, the horizontal component  14   a  of the interior door handle  14  is moved along a line substantially perpendicular the surface of door  100  between inward and outward positions shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, respectively. In this embodiment, the movement of the horizontal component  14   a  of the interior door handle  14  is provided by the relationship between the interior door handle  14 , slide  18 , the link  20  and interior spacer  22 . In operation, the movement of the interior door handle  14  coincides with lateral movement of the slide  18  in a direction substantially parallel the door surface. As illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, movement of the interior door handle  14  from its outward to its inward position corresponds with lateral movement of the slide  18  in the direction of arrow I. Similarly, movement of the interior door handle  14  from its inward to its outward position results with lateral movement of the slide  18  in the direction opposite that of arrow I, which is shown by arrow II. As will be described herein, an advantage of the handle assembly  12  is that the interior door handle  14  can be depressed and moved between its outward and inward positions through application of force by an operator anywhere along the length of the interior door handle  14 . In the present embodiment, preferably two each of links  20  and interior spacers  22  are provided, and at spaced separation, however, it should be understood that any number of these components and at various spacing can be provided for this same purpose. In the present embodiment, the slide  18  is a substantially tubular member and positioned within the cavity extending through the horizontal component  14   a  of the interior door handle  14 . Each link  20  is a generally “U” shaped member connected at one end to the slide  18  and connected to one interior spacer  22  at the second end. In this embodiment, preferably the slide  18  also includes a window  29  generally rectangular in configuration to allow additional clearance for the link  20  as the slide  18  is moved between its inward and outward positions. Each interior spacer  22  in turn is secured to the door  100 . In the present embodiment, the two bushings  26  are inserted in adjacent openings in the door  100  and the interior and exterior spacers  22  and  24  are placed into the opposite ends of each bushing  26 . The two fasteners  28 , comprising a hex screw/nut combination in this embodiment, extend through openings provided longitudinally through the interior and exterior spacers  22  and  24  and extend into a connector  30  positioned in the exterior handle member  16 . As shown in FIGS. 15 a - 15   b , the connector  30  is a generally cylindrical member and includes an opening  30   a  extending therethrough transverse its longitudinal axis into which the fastening member  28  is received. Preferably, the connector  30  is assembled by being press-fit in the opening extending through the exterior handle member  14 . As illustrated in FIGS. 16 a  and  16   b , each bushing is also generally cylindrical in configuration and is preferably comprised of a conventional sealing material, such as an elastomer. As illustrated in FIGS. 18 a - 18   b , each interior spacer is an elongate member defining a channel  59  in a first end, two spaced bosses  61  at a second end, a flange  63  proximate the second end and an opening extending longitudinally through the spacer  22 . As illustrated in FIGS. 14 a - 14   c , each exterior spacer  24  defines an elongate member comprising two spaced bosses  65  proximate a first end, a concave depression at a second end  67 , a flange  69  proximate the first end and an opening extending longitudinally through the spacer  24 . On assembly, the bosses  61  and  65  of the spacers  22  and  24 , respectively, are positioned within the bushing  26  located in the door opening and connected to prevent relative rotation of these elements in operation. The flanges  63  and  69  of the spacers  22  and  24 , respectively, are positioned against opposing surfaces of the door  100 . The fasteners  28  are received through the openings in the spacers  22  and  24  and then secured to the connector  30  positioned in the exterior handle member  16 , as shown in FIG.  9 . The structure and operation of the latching assembly of the panic handle of the present embodiment is the same as that set out in my &#39;974 patent and will not be further described herein for this reason. The panic handle of the present embodiment can be made from any suitable material, such as metal, and by any suitable manufacturing process. 
     In FIGS. 20-26 is illustrated a panic handle in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. For the sake of brevity, only the portions of the present panic handle that differ from the panic handle of the first embodiment will be described. As illustrated in FIG. 20, the difference of the present panic handle is the handle assembly  812 ; in particular, the handle assembly  812  as compared to the handle assembly  12  includes a variation in the structure of the slide  818 , link  820 , interior spacer  822 , exterior spacer  824  and connector  830 . As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the slide  818  in this embodiment includes at least one and preferably eight wheels  821  secured longitudinally along its surface, which facilitate the sliding movement of the slide  818  within the interior door handle  814 ; in particular, the wheels  821  come into contact with the inner surface  849  of the interior door handle  814 . For this purpose, in this embodiment, the slide  818  preferably includes a channel into which each wheel  821  is received and each wheel  821  is then secured by any suitable means, such as a pin member, to the slide  818 . In addition, in the present embodiment, the eight wheels  821  are preferably grouped into two sets of four, and with each wheel in a set of four being positioned at approximately 90 degree intervals. Further, in this embodiment, the slide  818  includes at least one section of reduced diameter along its longitudinal axis for added clearance relative to the inner surface  849  of the interior door handle  14 . The added clearance of the slide  818  can be beneficial in operation due to the load placed upon it; in particular, the load on slide  818  can result with some bending due to the connection of the slide  818  with the links  820  proximate its opposing ends. In this embodiment, the slide  818  preferably includes a reduced diameter portion  851   a  between its terminating ends as well as reduced diameter portions  851   b  and  851   c  proximate each terminating end. 
     As illustrated in FIGS. 20 and 23 a - 23   d , the interior spacers  822  include a slightly longer channel  839  along the longitudinal axis than the channel  59  in the interior spacers  22 , which operates as additional assurance that the position of the links  820  will be maintained in the channels  839  in operation. In the present embodiment, the longer length of the channels  839  is provided by a concave depression in the first end  859  of the spacer  822  rather than being substantially planer as with the spacer  22 . Further, the links  820  are preferably slightly longer in length in order to maintain the slide  818  substantially parallel when force is applied to it. Further, as shown in FIGS. 24 a - 24   b , the exterior spacers  824  include a boss  870  at its second end  867  rather than having a concave depression as present in the exterior spacer  24 . The structure of the connector  830  in the exterior handle member  816 , in turn, is changed to accommodate the exterior spacer  824 , as shown in FIGS. 25 a - 25   b . In this embodiment, the connector  830  is provided with an annular depression  873  and a central bore  875  to receive the second end  867  and boss  870  of the exterior spacer  824  on assembly. Finally, as shown in FIGS. 26 a  and  26   b , the end caps  831  include an opening  881  therethrough to receive a fastening member, such as a pin, to secure the connection of the end caps  831  to the ends of the interior and exterior handle members  814  and  816 . 
     In view of that set forth above, it should be understood that there are certain benefits and advantages disclosed that are attributed to the present invention. One advantage is that the present invention discloses a novel handle assembly that has broad application and can be used for a variety of purposes. Two embodiments of the handle assembly are illustrated in the present invention. One specific application for use of the handle assembly of the present invention is a panic handle device. The present application discloses the two embodiments of the handle assembly incorporated into panic handle devices of a type similar to my earlier patents, however, it should be understood that the handle assemblies disclosed can be utilized in other types of panic handles as well. 
     Another advantage of the present invention is that a panic handle is provided in which the operating mechanism is provided within the handle itself, the handle is spaced from the door and the panic device can be actuated by depressing anywhere along the length of the handle. 
     Still another advantage of the present invention is that a panic handle can be provided of different configurations and capable of being mounted to a door in different positions where desired. For example, a panic handle can be provided comprising a straight bar rather than an “L” shaped bar as disclosed. Other configurations, while not disclosed, are also possible. In addition, continuing with this example, the straight panic bar can then be mounted in any position on the door, such as horizontal, vertical or at any desired angle. 
     Accordingly, it should be understood that the description of the present invention is susceptible to considerable modifications, changes and adaptation by those skilled in the art, and that such modifications, changes and adaptations are intended to be considered within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.