Patent Publication Number: US-11396760-B2

Title: Telescoping flush handle for lift and slide doors

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application incorporates by reference and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application 62/665,675 filed on May 2, 2018. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present subject matter relates generally to sliding doors and, more particularly, to a telescoping handle that may be stored substantially flush with a door adapted to lift and slide such that the handle is out of the way while still being connected to the door. 
     A lift and slide door operates similar to a standard sliding door except it utilizes a roller system that allows the door panels to be lifted vertically above a track, so that the panels roll smoothly and quietly for opening and closing. As a result, a lift and slide door can efficiently divide and/or unify interior spaces of a house with exterior spaces of the house. A lift and slide door can also be utilized to divide interior spaces, replace traditional garage doors, among other applications. 
     Unlike traditional patio and sliding doors, lift and slide doors are more aesthetically pleasing as they may be completely hidden from view. For example, lift and slide doors allow the homeowner to open up an entire wall of the house to the outside such that the view is unobstructed as the door panels are hidden (i.e., the panels can either nest behind one another and stored to one side or disappear completely from view by being positioned inside an exterior or interior wall cavity). Lift and slide doors are commonly being used in warm climates and coastal areas to integrate the interior of the house with a sun room or rooms with an ocean view or the like. Not only do lift and slide doors allow for spectacular views of the surroundings, but they are being used to easily integrate a garden, balcony or surrounding areas with the interior of the house in order to provide the benefits of natural light into the home. 
     Advantageously, lift and slide doors maximize valuable living space while providing superior weather resistance properties. Namely, lift and slide doors provide superior sealing, which increases energy efficiency and, in turn, decreases heating and cooling costs. Finally, lift and slide doors are versatile as they may come in a variety of sizes, styles, panel configurations, materials, colors and other options to accommodate a particular homeowner&#39;s desires. 
     A common type of lift and slide door system includes a plurality of door panels, which may be stored to one side or “pocketed” inside an interior and/or exterior wall cavity when desired. The system uses an interlocking mechanism to couple the panels together so that the entire system opens and closes on stainless steel rollers on a track system. Specifically, the lift and slide door sits on grooved rollers that carry the door along a track in the floor. When locked, the rollers retract and the lift and slide door eases down, compressing a sill gasket on each side of the track. Simultaneously, wedge-shaped locking pins or hook type locking pins pull the door to one side, compressing the gaskets on each side. Further, the pins engage in the jamb at multiple points along the leading edge of the locking panel for providing a secure connection. Once open, the door may be lowered at any position and secured by moving the handle up. 
     Generally, a handle is used with a lift and slide door in order to unlock the door, move the door into a desired position and then lower the door once it is in the desired position. The handle typically protrudes from the door so an operator can grasp the handle in order to move, lower, and/or lock the door. One significant limitation associated with this type of handle is its protruding nature, which creates certain disadvantages. For example, the handle is not hidden from view, so it creates aesthetic issues. As the handle is not flush with door, it can be bumped into by persons or the handle may catch on clothing items or articles of furniture being moved into the room. 
     In addition, when multiple panels in a lift and slide door system roll parallel to another, the protruding handle on the door&#39;s stile prohibits the same doors to bypass one another. This limitation of not being able to bypass one another requires a deeper wall cavity for storage when the panels are nested in a wall cavity. Since the door panels are stopped by the protruding nature of the handles on opposite door, a deeper wall cavity is required because the doors have to be staggered in the wall cavity. Consequently, the deeper wall cavity takes up valuable living space in this arrangement. In addition, the protruding handles prevent the door panels from lining up flush with each other causing a displeasing stepped appearance to the entire door system. 
     In order to address these limitations associated with the handle not being flush with the lift and slide door, the handle may be removable from the door. However, this creates other problems, such as requiring an additional step to remove the handle and then reattach the handle when the door is to be moved. Furthermore, the inconvenience associated with attaching and removing the handle may be further complicated if the handle is misplaced or lost, which is not only time-consuming but expensive if the handle must be replaced. Moreover, removable handles can be accidentally dropped when assembling or disassembling causing damage to the floor and/or the user. 
     Accordingly, a need is identified for a handle for a lift and slide door, which may be stored substantially flush with the door such that it is out of the way while still being connected to the door while maximizing living space. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure provides a telescoping handle mounted flush to the door stile allowing the lift and slide doors to be pocketed and/or aligned with a flush edge panel appearance. The telescoping handle provides leverage to operate the gear in lifting 880 pound doors. 
     An advantage of the present system is providing a telescoping handle that can extend to a greater length to allow for more leverage when operating the handle to better control the movement of the doors. Further, because the handle is telescoping, the compressed handle has a minimal footprint flush within the door. 
     An advantage of the present system is providing a handle footprint that does not cause damage to the door frame or other door panels. 
     A further advantage of the present system is providing a spindle that can be scored to indicate length points at which the spindle can be trimmed for use with various door thicknesses. 
     Another advantage of the present system is that the handle can be made of stainless steel, aluminum, and/or brass. The handle can be made of corrosion resistant material. 
     Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the examples will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following description and the accompanying drawings or may be learned by production or operation of the examples. The objects and advantages of the concepts may be realized and attained by means of the methodologies, instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The drawing figures depict one or more implementations in accord with the present concepts, by way of example only, not by way of limitations. In the figures, like reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. 
         FIGS. 1A-1D  is a schematic of an example of the system disclosed herein.  FIGS. 1A-1B  illustrate the lift and slide doors including the disclosed telescopic handle.  FIG. 1C  illustrates the handle flush within a front face of the door.  FIG. 1D  illustrates extending the handle and rotating the handle to manipulate the placement of the door. 
         FIGS. 2A-2B  are perspective views of examples of pulling out the handle (both compact and expanded) from the handle housing and extending the handle to increase its length. 
         FIGS. 3-5  are perspective views of an example of rotating the handle 180 degrees from the first, starting position. 
         FIGS. 6A-6B  are perspective views of examples of the handle (both compact and expanded) at the second position, 180 degrees from the first position, wherein when the handle is at the second position, the door is lifted and free to open or close. 
         FIGS. 7-9  are perspective views of an example of the handle rotating from the second position back to the first position. 
         FIGS. 10A-10B  are perspective views of an example of the handle (both compact and expanded) back in the first position. 
         FIG. 11  is a top view of the extended handle pivoted away from the handle housing. 
         FIGS. 12A-12B  are an exploded view of an example of the handle assembly. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure includes a handle assembly system for use with lift and slide doors. The handle assembly can include a handle housing that can serve as a support frame for housing and securing the handle flush within a front face of the door. The handle can be pivoted out of the handle housing and extended to increase length, wherein rotating the handle allows a user to actuate the door panels in order to open and close the sliding door system. The telescoping handle can allow a user to grip the handle and provide a lever-type function to reduce the force required by the user to actuate the panel, such as to lift the panel onto or off (e.g., up or down) the track. Specifically, the rotation actuates a typical mechanism in the lift and slide door panel to raise the panel off the ground and move a bearing system in contact with an exposed bead of a track in the floor. The user can then use the handle and apply force in the direction he or she desires the door to be moved. 
     The handle system is contemplated to be used with lift and slide door assemblies, but can be used with substantially any type of door. The handle can be nested into a recess (e.g., handle housing) when not in use, which allows the handle to be substantially flush with a front surface of the door when not in use. By providing a flush handle, the panel can be easily stored, such as in a pocket structure of a door frame. Further panels may be stacked against other panels or another structure without the handle interfering with the position of the panel. 
       FIGS. 1A-1D  is a schematic of an example of the system  10  disclosed herein. As shown in  FIGS. 1A-1B , lift and slide doors  12  including the disclosed telescopic handle  18 .  FIG. 1C  illustrates the handle  18  flush within a handle housing  16  in the front face  17  of the door  12 .  FIG. 1D  illustrates pivoting the handle  18  out of the handle housing  16  and extending the handle  18  and rotating the handle to manipulate the placement of the door. 
     The handle housing  14  can be positioned on a face of the door  12 , wherein the handle housing  14  can be a carved out (e.g., recessed) void within the door  12  such that the handle  18  sits within the handle housing  16 , wherein the handle  18  sits flush with the surface of the door  12 . In an example, the handle housing  16  can have a footprint with the dimensions of 15¼″ by 2″. 
       FIGS. 2A-2B  are perspective views of an example of pulling out the handle  18  from the handle housing  16  and extending the handle  18  to increase its length. In an example, first the handle  18  can be pivoted from the first end  24  of the handle such that the second end  26  of the handle  18  extends out of the handle housing  16 , wherein the first end  24  of the handle  18  remains in the handle housing  16 . The angle (as indicated as θ in  FIG. 11 ) at which the first end  24  of the handle  18  pivots from the handle housing  16  and/or surface of the door  12  can be between, and including, 5-30 degrees. 
     Once the handle  18  is pivoted away from the handle housing  16 , the handle  18  can be expanded in length. For example, the handle  18  can be a telescoping handle such that once the handle  18  is pivoted away from the handle housing  16 , the telescoping handle can be extended (to form an extended handle) such that the length of the handle  18  can increase by sliding a first portion  30  of the handle  18  from the second portion  32  of the handle  18 .  FIG. 11  is a top view of the handle  18  pivoted away from the handle housing  16 , wherein the handle  18  has been rotated 90 degrees from the starting position. The handle  18  can pivot out of the handle housing  16 , wherein an angle is formed between the handle housing and/or front surface of the door panel  12 . The angle is maintained as the handle  18  is expanded, wherein the first portion  30  and second portion  32  are co-linear. 
       FIGS. 3-5  are perspective views of an example of rotating the extended handle 180 degrees from the first position  20 , starting position (e.g., 12 o&#39;clock).  FIGS. 6A-6B  are perspective views of an example of the handle at the second position  22  (e.g., 6 o&#39;clock), 180 degrees from the first position  20 , wherein when the handle  18  is at the second position  22 , the door  12  is lifted and free to open or close.  FIGS. 7-10B  are perspective views of an example of the handle  18  rotating from the second position  22  back to the first position  20 . 
     The handle can include at least one score mark. For example, the handle can include score marks for a 57 mm (2.25″) and 68 mm (2.677″) sash thicknesses with locks that are centered in the stile related to the interior and exterior surfaces of the panel. For doors with locks off set from center, the cut length or hole depth can be predetermined. For example, for a centered lock design, the spindle can be scored for 57 mm panel thickness and/or scored for 68 mm panel thickness. For an off-center lock design, the spindle  40  (see  FIGS. 12A-12B ) can be scored for 65 mm for maximum offset, and 39 mm for minimum offset. Alternatively, a clearance hole can be drilled for an extra spindle length to avoid cutting the spindle  40 . 
     The handle  18  rotation can operate to interface with a mechanism in the door panel  12  to raise or lower the door  12  and engage or disengage the bearing system in the door  12  with the tracks. Once the door panel  12  is lifted and the bearing system engages the track the user can move the door  12  along the length of the track. If an adjacent door panel  12  needs to bypass another door panel  12 , the handle  18  can be pushed back into the cavity of the outer frame. In the nested position, the latch spring and/or compression spring biases the latch towards a catch or groove defined in the hub to lock the handle in position. 
     If a door panel  12  needs to be set on the floor, e.g., when the opening is needs to be closed and sealed to prevent outside weather elements (e.g., rain, wind) from entering the structure, the handle can be pulled out at a finger grip at the end of the sliding handle to release the handle  18  and the handle  18  can be rotated (e.g., 180 degrees in the opposite direction to an original position), thus removing the bearing system from the track and lowering the door panel to the floor. The handle  18  can then be pushed back into a nested position within the outer frame flush with the surface of the panel  12  for a smooth aesthetic appearance. 
     The lever assembly allows the handle  18  to be substantially flush with the outer surface of the door panel  12  when not in use. The flush orientation of the handle  18  allows the door panels to slide past one another and also allows the panels to be stored against each other and/or within a wall pocket. For example, the door panels  12  are typically stored within a cavity defined within a structure, such as the frame of the door opening. Because the handle  18  is flush with the face of the door panel  12 , the door panel  12  can slide into the pocket of the door frame and the handle  18  can not protrude past the edge of the door frame. The handle  18  may be used with door panels  12  in lift and slide door assemblies and, with the related linkage, provides sufficient leverage to allow a user to engage the lifting mechanisms in the panels that may often weigh several hundred pounds each. Conventional lift and slide handles  18  extend from the door panel surface to provide for the lever action to offset the weight of the door panels  12  and are removable once the panels have been lifted onto the tracks in order for the door panels  12  to slide past one another. 
     The present disclosure includes an installation method that can include routing the door. The method can include ensuring the lift slide lock is installed in the door with the wheels in the up and locked position. The spindle length requirement can be determined and the spindle can be cut to the determined length. The handle can be inserted into the assembly with the operating handle in the upward position (12 o&#39;clock). A pilot hole can be drilled using a 1/16″ diameter drill bit, followed by mounting the handle with the included M4×20 mm mounting screws. 
     The present system can be used for slide doors of 37.5 mm backset. A 2¼″ minimum sash thickness for surface mount (drive gear centered), as well as 2½″ minimum sash thickness for recess mount (drive gear centered). The system can be used with any suitable doors, including, but not limited to, aluminum and/or steel doors with the 27.5 mm backset. 
     The handle can be made of any suitable material. In an example, the handle  18  is made of stainless steel, e.g., 304 grade. The handle  18  can have any suitable finish, such as, PVD protected Satin Stainless Steel, Satin Brass, and Expresso finishes. 
     It should be noted that various changes and modifications to the embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages. For example, various embodiments of the systems and methods may be provided based on various combinations of the features and functions from the subject matter provided herein.