Patent Publication Number: US-2005125954-A1

Title: Face plate and door handle assembly

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
      This application claims priority of Taiwanese Utility Application No. 92221923 filed on Dec. 12, 2003.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      This invention relates to a door handle assembly, more particularly to a door handle assembly associated with a unique face plate mountable on a door.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      Door handle assemblies basically include a handle which is rotatable to operate a door latch, and a returning mechanism for returning the handle to its original angular position after the handle is rotated. For installation of door handle assemblies on doors, face plates are used to mount and integrate the handle and the returning mechanism into a unitary body. Various forms of face plates have been provided in the art. However, there is no face plate which can accommodate more than one type of handle assembly. Due to a variety of handle constructions, a large amount of face plates with different configurations have to be manufactured, thereby increasing inventory requirements of the face plates. On the other hand, face plates are large in size and require a considerable amount of metal for manufacturing. In order to save inventory costs and material consumption, there is a need of providing a face plate which can accommodate different kinds of handle assemblies.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      An object of the present invention is to provide a door handle assembly with a face plate which is simple and which can accommodate different kinds of door handle assemblies.  
      According to one aspect of the present invention, a kit comprises a first door handle assembly, a second door handle assembly and a face plate which can be assembled selectively with either one of said first and second door handle assemblies and which includes a face plate hole. The first door-handle assembly includes: a first fixing plate for attachment to the face plate, which includes a hole, and a spring retaining element projecting from the first fixing plate opposite to the face plate; a rotary first handle having a connection part; and a first returning mechanism for returning the first handle after the first handle is turned. The first returning mechanism includes a tubular member which extends through the face plate hole and the hole of the first fixing plate and has one end inserted into the connection part, and a spring support connected to the other end of the tubular member and holding a torsion spring which has two opposite spring ends. At least one of the spring ends is engageable with the spring retaining element. The second door handle assembly includes: a second fixing plate for attachment to the face plate, which includes a hole, and a spring retaining element projecting from the second fixing plate oppositely of the face plate; a second returning mechanism including a torsion spring having two spring ends at least one of which is engageable with the spring retaining element of the second fixing plate, and a spring support plate which covers the torsion spring of the second returning mechanism and which has two substantially opposite curved apertures; and a rotary second handle having a connection part extending through the face plate hole and the hole of the second fixing plate and including two curved ends extending respectively through the curved apertures.  
      According to another aspect of the invention, a face plate and door handle assembly comprises: a face plate including a face plate hole, and a plurality of hollow posts projecting from the face plate and each having a female screw hole; a fixing plate for attachment to the face plate, which includes a hole, a spring retaining element projecting from the fixing plate oppositely of the face plate, and a plurality of slotted parts protruding from the fixing plate oppositely of the face plate to respectively cover the hollow posts. Each of the slotted parts includes a slot and a fastener extending threadedly into a corresponding one of the hollow posts through the slot. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a face plate and door handle assembly embodying the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a fragmentary sectional view of the face plate and door handle assembly of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is a handle knob usable in the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  is an exploded view of another face plate and door handle assembly embodying the present invention;  
       FIG. 5  is a fragmentary sectional view of the face plate and door handle assembly of  FIG. 4 ; and  
       FIG. 6  is a plan view of a second fixing plate shown in  FIG. 4 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that same reference numerals have been used to denote like elements throughout the specification.  
      Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a face plate and door handle assembly embodying the present invention is shown to include a face plate  1  and a first fixing plate  2  attached to the face plate  1  on an inner surface of the face plate  1 . Preferably, the face plate  1  is provided with a plurality of hollow posts  12  (only one is shown in  FIG. 2 ) projecting inwardly from an inner surface of the face plate  1  and each having a female screw hole  121 . The first fixing plate  2  is formed with a plurality of slotted parts  23  having respective slots  231  in alignment with the respective hollow posts  12 . Each slotted part  23  protrudes from the first fixing plate  1  to cover the corresponding one of the hollow posts  12 , and is fastened to the corresponding hollow post  12  through a fastener or screw  24 . The face plate  1  further includes a face plate hole  11  which is surrounded by the hollow posts  12 . The first fixing plate  2  further includes a hole  21  aligned with the face plate hole  11 , and a substantially L-shaped spring retaining element  22  projecting inwardly from the inner side of the first fixing plate  2  opposite to the face plate  1 .  
      A sleeve member  3  is provided for insertion into the face plate hole  11  and the hole  21 , and includes an annular shoulder  31  abutting an outer surface of the face plate  1 , and an annular groove  32  formed between the annular shoulder  31  and an end  33  of the sleeve member  3 . A retaining ring  6  is received in the annular groove  32  at the inner surface of the face plate  1  opposite to the annular shoulder  31 .  
      A rotary first handle which may be a handle lever designated at  4  has a connection part  40  for insertion into the sleeve member  3 . The connection part  40  of the handle lever  4  is hollow and has a protrusion  41  and an aperture  42 .  
      A first returning mechanism  5  for returning the handle lever  4  includes a tubular member  51  having one end connected to a spring support  50  holding a torsion spring  55 . The torsion spring  55  has two spring ends  551  that project at two sides of a tab  53  of the spring support  50 . Another end of the tubular member  51  extends through the face plate hole  11  and the hole  21  and is inserted into the connection part  40 . An engaging member  52  is provided in the tubular member  51  and is biased by a spring  521  to project resiliently outward to engage the aperture  42  of the first connection part  40  so that the tubular member  51  is rotatable along with the handle lever  4 . Since the engaging member  52  is conventional, it will not be detailed hereinafter. The tubular member  51  further has an axial groove  54  to receive slidably the protrusion  41  of the handle lever  4 .  
      In assembly, the first fixing plate  2  is fastened to the face plate  1 , the sleeve member  3  is inserted into the face plate hole  11  and the hole  21 , the connection part  40  is inserted into the sleeve member  3 , and the tubular member  51  is inserted into the sleeve member  3  and the connection part  40  and engages therewith through the engaging member  52 . The tab  53  of the spring support  50  is aligned with the spring retaining element  22  of the first fixing plate  2  so that the two spring ends  551  extend on two sides of the spring retaining element  22 .  
      When the handle lever  4  is turned, the tubular member  51  and the spring support  50  turn along with the handle lever  4  so that one of the spring ends  551  engages the spring retaining element  22  and the other spring end  551  moves away from the spring retaining element  22 . After the handle lever  4  is released, the handle lever  4  is returned to its original position by the restoring force of the torsion spring  55 .  
      As mentioned above, the first fixing plate  2  is of a separate piece from the face plate  1  and is fastened to an inner surface of the face plate  1 . Furthermore, the sleeve member  3  is also a separate piece from the face plate  1  and is inserted into the face plate hole  11 . As the face plate  1  can be fabricated independently of the first fixing plate  2  and the sleeve member  3 , the construction of the face plate  1  is simple and does not have any means for cooperation with the torsion spring  55 .  
      While the handle lever  4  is used in this embodiment, a handle knob  4 ′, which has a substantially spherical shape as shown in  FIG. 3 , may be used in place of the handle lever  4 .  
      Referring to  FIGS. 4, 5  and  6 , another face plate and door handle assembly embodying the present invention is shown to include a face plate  1 , a second fixing plate  2 ′, a bearing ring  35 , a rotary second handle  4 A and a second returning mechanism  5 ′. The rotary second handle is a handle lever  4 A. The second fixing plate  2 ′ differs from the first fixing plate  2  in that the fixing plate  2 ′ is provided with an additional annular collar  25  and two spring retaining elements in the form of bosses  26 . The annular collar  25  and the spring retaining elements or bosses  26  project from the inner side of the second fixing plate  2 ′ oppositely of the face plate  1 . The annular collar  25  is formed around the hole  21 , whereas the bosses  26  are provided on two sides of the hole  21 .  
      The second returning mechanism  5 ′ includes a torsion spring  55 ′ disposed around and held by the annular collar  25 . Two spring ends  551 ′ of the spring  55 ′ engage respectively the spring retaining elements or bosses  26  (see  FIG. 6 ). The bosses  26  are hollow and may be used to receive fasteners (not shown) which pass through holes  13  of the face plate  1 .  
      A spring support plate  50 ′ is provided to cover the torsion spring  55 ′ and the annular collar  25 . The spring support plate  50 ′ includes a hole  501 ′, for alignment with the face plate hole  11 , two substantially opposite curved apertures  57 ′ on two sides of the hole  501 ′, two opposite protrusions  56 ′ between the curved apertures  57 ′, and two opposite prongs  58 ′ on two sides of the curved apertures  57 ′ Each prong  58 ′ engages one of the spring ends  551 ′ in a conventional manner.  
      The handle lever  4 A includes a connection part  40 A which includes an annular shoulder  41 A, two opposite curved ends  42 A and two diametrically opposite notches  44 A each defined between the curved ends  42 A. Each curved end  42 A has a retaining groove  43 A.  
      In assembly, the bearing ring  35  is fitted in the face plate hole  11  and abuts with the second fixing plate  2 ′, and the handle lever  4 A is inserted into the bearing ring  35  and the hole  21 . The two curved ends  42 A of the handle lever  4 A respectively extend through the curved apertures  57 ′ of the spring support plate  50 ′, and the two protrusions  56 ′ project into the notches  44 A of the handle lever  4 A, respectively. The retaining ring  6  is received in the retaining grooves  43 A of the curved ends  42 A. A washer  61  is provided between the retaining ring  6  and the spring support plate  50 ′.  
      The construction of the face plate  1  is used in either one of the assembly shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  and the assembly shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . For assembly with the rotary first handle or handle lever  4  and the first returning mechanism  5 , the face plate  1  is used in association with the first fixing plate  2 , the sleeve member  3  and the retaining  6 . For the rotary second handle or handle lever  4 A and the second returning mechanism  5 ′, the face plate  1  is associated with the second fixing plate  2 ′, the bearing ring  35  and the retaining ring  6 . Therefore, the face plate  1  can be assembled selectively with either one of the handle levers  4  and  4 A.  
      While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, itis understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretations and equivalent arrangements.