Patent Abstract:
The present invention is directed to a latch actuating device that includes a handle and a base. The handle has a cavity that houses a lockset, a drive cam, and a driven cam. The drive cam has a protrusion that is removably received within a locking receptacle in the base so as to permit and restrict rotation of the handle with respect to the base. The drive cam causes the driven cam to translate along a rotational axis of the drive cam when the drive cam is rotated by the lockset, thus effectuating the insertion and retraction of the protrusion with respect to the locking receptacle.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No 62/034,273, filed Aug. 7, 2014, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to a latch actuating device that is used to actuate a latch for releasably sealing a door. Generally speaking, in one embodiment the latch actuating device includes a handle that is housed within a base. The handle is rotatable with respect to the base when in an unlocked position. There is a driven cam within the handle that translates along the body of the handle, i.e., along the axis of rotation of the handle, when the lockset is actuated, e.g., by a key. Thus, the rotation of the key rotates a tail of the lockset, thus causing the driven cam to translate along the housing and insert a protrusion into a locking receptacle of the base. There is a drive cam between the driven cam and the tail that engages the tail. 
     The Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and after-market manufacturers in the light truck and utility truck industries use a variety of handle actuated latches that secure doors and panels to storage areas contained on vehicles. This latch actuating device focuses on a common latching device known as a T-handle. The handles include a variety of key actuated tumbler locksets that offer a range of sophistication. A growing trend is to include locksets that offer the ability to mechanically program numerous locksets on one vehicle with one key configuration. This type of lockset is commonly called a codeable lockset. This invention uniquely provides features and benefits for use with codeable or traditional locksets. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one embodiment, a latch actuating device includes a handle and a lockset housed within the handle. The lockset has a rotatable tail that may be actuated by a key. There is a drive cam housed within the handle, with the drive cam being configured to receive the tail and be rotated by the tail. There is a driven cam housed within the handle. The driven earn has a protrusion that locks and unlocks the latch actuating device. A biasing element biases the driven cam toward the drive cam along the axis of rotation of the handle. There is a base that receives a portion of the handle such that the handle is rotatable with respect to the base. The base has a locking receptacle that receives the protrusion. As the driven cam translates along a rotational axis of the tail when the drive cam is rotated by the tail in a first direction, the protrusion is removably inserted into the locking receptacle to restrict rotation of the handle with respect to the base. 
     In another embodiment, the latch actuating device is a lockable actuator having a locked position and an unlocked position. The actuator includes a handle having a cavity and a lockset housed within, the cavity. The lockset has a rotatable tail. There is a rotatable drive cam housed within the cavity and coupled to the tail. A driven cam having a protrusion is coupled to the drive cam and housed within the cavity. There is a base that receives a portion of the handle. The base has a locking receptacle. The actuator is locked by rotating the tail in a first direction to move the driven earn along a rotational axis of the tail, thus inserting the protrusion into the locking receptacle of the base. This restricts rotational movement of the handle with respect to the base. The actuator is unlocked by rotating the tail in a second direction that is opposite the first direction, thus moving the driven cam along the rotational axis of the tail. This removes the protrusion from the locking receptacle. 
     In another embodiment of the invention, the latch actuating device includes a handle and a lockset housed within the handle. The lockset has a rotatable tail. There is a driven cam with a protrusion housed within the handle. A base receives a portion of the handle such that the handle is rotatable with respect to the base. The base has a locking receptacle for receiving the protrusion. When the tail is rotated, the driven cam translates along a rotational axis of the tail to removable insert the protrusion into the locking receptacle to restrict rotation of the handle with respect to the base. This locks the actuating device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective exterior view of one embodiment of the assembly. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective partially exploded view of the base assembly and the handle assembly of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective exploded view of the assembly of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the base of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the handle assembly of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective exploded view of the lockset, the drive cam, and the driven cam of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective a perspective exploded view of the drive cam and the driven cam of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective exterior view of another embodiment of the assembly. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective partially exploded view of the base assembly and the handle assembly of the embodiment of  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective exploded view of the assembly of the embodiment of  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective exploded view of the drive cam and the driven cam of the embodiment of  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the base of the embodiment of  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 13  is a cross-section of the handle assembly of  FIG. 8  shown in the unlocked position. 
         FIG. 14  is a cross-section of the handle assembly of  FIG. 8  shown in the locked position. 
     
    
    
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The latch actuating device provides transference of a rotational action at the exterior area of a storage compartment to the interior area, ultimately actuating a latching mechanism that holds an access door closed while providing security via a locking mode. A handle sub-assembly is captured by a base that is mounted to the door. The rotation of the handle transfers motion to the latching mechanism via a shaft that is integral to the handle. 
     The latch actuating device provides locking mode via 90 degree rotation of the lockset that actuates a drive cam with ramps to actuate a mating driven cam with corresponding ramps resulting in a linear translation of the driven cam that engages protrusions through the body of the rotating handle and into receptacles in the base. 
     One embodiment includes a pin that, depending upon the location in one of two holes, provides clockwise or counter clockwise biased rotation of the handle providing asymmetrical applications for the internal latching mechanism as required by left and right sides of compartment doors. In another embodiment, the latch actuating device is predetermined as a left turning or right turning actuator based upon the positioning of stops within the base. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIGS. 1-7  show one embodiment of the latch actuating device.  FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the latch actuating device  1 . The handle assembly  3  is received within the base assembly  4 , together forming the latch actuating device  1 . The general relationship between the handle assembly  3  and the base assembly  4  is shown in  FIG. 2 . The device further includes a washer  6  and a retainer  7  that cooperate to secure the handle assembly  3  to the base assembly  4 . More specifically, the base assembly  4  accepts a gasket  5  that resides in a flange  19  and provides a seal with a variety of compartment access doors. The gasket  5  has two holes, base aperture  5   a  and boss aperture  5   b , allowing portions of the base  10  to extend through a door (not shown) into the interior space of a compartment. A washer  6  and retainer  7  secure the assembly handle  3  to the base  10 . Boss  18  offers points of attachment of the latch actuating device  1  to a compartment access door (now shown) via a variety of known fasteners. 
       FIG. 3  is perspective exploded view of the latch actuating device  1 . A lockset  100  is housed within the handle  50  and operably corrects to a drive cam  90  that interfaces with a driven calm  80 . A biasing element, e.g., compression spring  70 , keeps constant linear force (along the axis of rotation of the lockset  100 ) oar the driven cam  80  to provide retraction of the driven cam  80  and protrusions  82  (show in  FIG. 6 ) when the tail  105  on the lockset  100  is in an unlocked position. A retainer  40  (or a plurality of retainers, not shown) captures the lockset  100  to the body of the handle  50  by passing through a channel  102  (shown in  FIG. 6 ) and the handle slot  52 . After assembly, the retainer  40  is secured by the support  1  (shown in  FIG. 4 ). An o-ring  60  provides sealing of the base  10  with the handle  50  to deter foreign material from entering the latch actuating assembly  1 . A drive shaft  20  is operably connected to the handle  50 , e.g., by a threaded fastener  21 . The drive shaft includes a bevel  23 . A stop  30  which in this embodiment is a pin  30 , is captured by a channel  56  (shown in  FIG. 5 ) in the handle  50  limiting the rotation of the handle  50  about the longitudinal axis of the base  10 . 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the base  10 . Rotation of the handle assembly  3  is restricted by a pin  30  that is pressed into hole  14  and supported, i.e., buttressed, by groove  16  or alternatively, a pin  30  that is pressed into hole  15  and supported, i.e., buttressed, by groove  17 . Pin  30  has a bevel at one end and a semi-sphere at the other end for ease of insertion into base  10 . Location of the pin  30  in hole  14  provides for a counter clockwise rotation of the handle assembly  3 . Location of the pin  30  in hole  15  provides clockwise, rotation of the handle assembly  3 . The handle  50  has stops  54  and  55  that engage the pin  30  and prevent rotation of the handle  50  (as shown in  FIG. 5 ). As discussed above, the alternative locations of the pin  30  control the rotational direction, i.e., either clockwise or counter clockwise, of the handle  50  relative to the base  10 . Thus, the lockset is customizable. Choosing the direction of rotation of the handle is important as the latch actuating device  1  may be installed on either the left side or right side of a compartment door, which typically have opposite latch configurations. Thus, the latch actuating device  1  may be used with either latch configuration. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the handle. The handle  50  has an annular channel  51  that receives the o-ring  60  that is compressed by the face  11  ( FIG. 4 ) on the base  10 . The retainer  40  includes a ledge  42  that is arrested by a stop  53  on the handle  50 . The curvilinear surfaces  41  are concentric with the cylindrical exterior body of the handle  50  and are flush upon insertion to allow the face  11  of the base  10  to envelop and contain the retainer  40 , deterring unauthorized disassembly of the latch actuating device  1 . A channel  56  is defined by a counter clockwise stop  54  and clockwise stop  55  that receives the pin  30  attached to either hole  14  or hole  15  on the base  10 . Openings  57  are mirrored to respectively receive the aligned protrusions  82  on the driven cam  80 . The protrusions  82  on the driven cam  80 , when engaging the openings  57  on the handle  50 , prevent rotation of the driven cam  80  when the drive cam  90  rotates. Ribs  58  (the embodiment shown has four ribs  58 ) each have a notch  59  that supports the retainer  7 . The retainer  7 , in conjunction with the washer  6 , keep the sub-assembly handle  3  attached to the base  10 . The gasket  110  is compressible by the flange  103  and provides variable thickness to better facilitate the retainer  7 . The washer  6  has a notch  6   a  that corresponds to the rib  58  allowing assembly. Boss  58   a  supports shaft  20 . 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective exploded vie % of the cams and the lockset, which are housed within a cavity, in the handle. In the embodiment shown, the cavity is generally cylindrical.  FIG. 7  is another perspective view of the cams. The lockset  100  provides rotational input to the drive cam  90  via the tail  105  that is rotated indirectly by a key, not shown, by insertion of the key into the slot  106 . The tail  105  engages the driven cam  90  via vertical receptacles  92 , which are sized to receive the tail  105  (shown in  FIG. 8 ). The tail  105  may non-circular cross section so as to provide an engagement member(s) that may be received by receptacles  92 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the tail  105  has two diametrically opposed protrusions extending from the perimeter of the tail  105 . The lockset  100  includes a facet  101  that provides orientation to the handle  50 . 
     The rotational force of the tail  105  is transferred to the drive cam  90  via the slots  92 . The tail  105  may be aligned with either set of opposed slots  92 . The drive cam  90  includes one or more ramps  91  that correspond to one or more ramps  81  on the driven cam  80 . The driven cam  80 , and therefore the driven ramp  81 , does not rotate because the protrusions  82  engage the openings  57  on the handle  50 . Stops  54  and  55  also prevent rotation of the driven cam. Therefore, when the drive cam  90  is rotated, the rotational motion is transformed into linear motion along the longitudinal axis of the device as the drive cam  90  rotates with respect to the driven cam  80 . As this rotation occurs, ramps  91  respectively travel along ramps  81 , thus pushing the driven cam  80  along the rotational axis of the device and against the force of the biasing element  70  toward the receptacles  13  on the base  10 . The protrusions  82  on the driven cam  80  extend through openings  57  to engage the locking receptacles  13  on the base  10  to establish a locked position of the latch actuating device  1 . In other words, engagement of the protrusions  82  with locking receptacles  13  prevents the handle  3  from rotating. A compression spring  70  biases the driven cam  80  away from the base  10  and toward the handle  50  so that when the tail  105  and drive cam  90  are rotated in the opposite direction, the compression spring  70  pushes the driven cam  80  along the axis of rotation and the protrusions  82  retract from the locking receptacles  13  on the base  10 , thus providing an unlocked position of the actuating device  1 . The compression spring  70  is held in place by a counter bore  83  on the driven cam  80 . Linear motion of the driven cam  80  is guided by counter clockwise stop  84  and clockwise stop  85 , which align with the corresponding counter clockwise stop  54  and clockwise stop  55  that are formed in the handle  50 . 
       FIGS. 8-14  show another embodiment of the latch actuating device  1 .  FIGS. 8 and 9  show perspective views of the latch actuating device  1 .  FIG. 9  shows an exploded view of the handle sub-assembly  3  with base sub-assembly  4 . The key slot  106  receives a standard or code-able key (not shown) that, when in an unlocked position, enables rotation of the drive shaft  20  about the longitudinal axis of the latch actuating device  1 . Handle assembly  3  is attached to a panel e.g., a component of a vehicle (not shown), with which the latch actuating device may be used, via the base assembly  4  providing a clamping force with threaded fasteners  120  engaging the handle assembly  3 . 
       FIG. 10  is a perspective exploded view of the handle  3 . Lockset  100  includes a channel  102  that receives a retainer  40  to retain the lockset  100  to the handle  50  via the slot  52  and when the retainer  40  is inserted into the slot  52 . The assembly may include a one or more channels  102 , corresponding slots  52  and retainers  40 . For example, the embodiment shown includes two channels  102 , two slots  52 , and two retainers  40 . The retainer  40  engages the channel  102  with ledge  42  contacting stop  53  properly positioning retainer  40 . Compression gasket  110  provides a seal between the flange  103  and the handle  50  and provides longitudinal adjustment of the lockset  100  and channel  102  to align with slot  52  to receive retainer  40 . Surface  41  is concentric with secondary cylindrical offset  54   b  to be flush with secondary cylindrical offset  54   b  after assembly. 
     Tail  105  is rotated about the longitudinal axis of the assembly  1  via a key (not shown) inserted into key slot  106  and rotates drive cam  90  by engaging vertical one or more receptacles  92 . As shown, one set of diametrically opposed receptacles  92  receive the tail  105 . Receptacles  92  may be of different configurations to match different configurations of tail  105 . As shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11 , drive cam  90  includes one or more ramped surfaces  91  that act upon the driven cam  80  resulting in the linear translation of the driven cam  80  along the longitudinal axis (i.e., the axis of rotation of the tail  105  and the drive shaft  20 ) of the latch actuating device  1 . Driven cam  80  is prevented from rotating via one or more stops  54  that engage corresponding stops  54  in the interior surface of the handle  3 . Lack of rotation of driven cam  80  results in longitudinal linear motion of the protrusions  82  that travel through openings  57  to engage or disengage with locking receptacle  13  as shown in  FIGS. 13 and 14 , providing locked or unlocked modes of the handle  50  to the base  10 . Compression spring  70  is contained by counter bore  83  and flange  88  and acts upon cam  80  to retract and disengage the protrusions  82  from locking receptacle  13  when the driven cam  80  is in an unlocked position. An O-ring  90  is received by an annular channel  51  providing a seal between the handle  50  and the base  10 . 
     The handle  50  is secured to the base  10  via a retainer  7 , which in this embodiment is an e-clip (see  FIG. 9 ). The retainer  7  is received within a groove  141  on the handle  50 , securing the handle  50  to the base  10 . A washer  6  distributes the longitudinal loads of the retainer  7  about the base  80 . The e-clip design enhances the serviceability of the latch actuating device  1 . For example, the c-clip may be removed for disassembly of the latch actuating device, e.g., so that the lockset  100  may be replaced. The handle  50  includes another annular groove  143  that retains an o-ring (see  FIG. 9 ) to seal the drive shaft support. 
     The handle assembly  3  includes lockset  100  that upon activation rotates drive cam  90 . As drive cam  90  rotates, the ramps  91  of drive cam  90  slide along the ramps  81  of the driven cam  80 , causing the driven cam  80  to linearly translate along the axis of rotation of drive cam  90 . Compression spring  70  biases driven cam  80  toward drive cam  90  and therefor provides constant contact between the two cams. Compression gasket  110  provides a seal between the lockset  100  and the base  10  to deter moisture and debris from entering the exterior view assembly. Lockset  100  is retained, within the handle  50  by one or more retainers  40  in conjunction with channels  102  and slots  52 . 
       FIG. 12  is a perspective view of base  10 . Base  10  includes at least one stop  30  that interacts with a corresponding stop  54  on the handle  50  to limit rotation of handle  50 . In this embodiment, the base  10  includes two diametrically opposed stops  30  and the handle includes two recessed sections  56  (or channels), with each recessed section  56  comprising a pair of stops  54 . Thus, each stop  30  is received within a recessed section  56 . As the handle  50  is rotated, the stop  30  travels along the recessed section  56  until contacting either end of the recessed section  56 , which are stops  54 . The interaction of the stop  30 , the recessed section  56 , and the stops  54  at either end of the recessed section, dictate the degree to which the handle  50  can rotate. The stops  30  may be positioned so that the latch actuation device will operate in a right-handed manner, i.e., as shown in  FIG. 12 , or in a left-handed matter, i.e., with the stops  30  oriented 90° from the position shown in  FIG. 12 . 
       FIG. 13  is a cross-section of the latch actuating device of  FIG. 8  (lockset  100  not shown), showing the assembly in an unlocked position. As shown, the protrusions  82  of the driven cam  80  are retracted from the locking receptacles  13  of the base  10 . In this position, the peaks of the ramps  91  on the drive cam  90  are substantially aligned with the valleys of the ramps  81  on the driven cam  80  so that the respective ramp-side surfaces of the cams are substantially flush. 
       FIG. 14  is a cross-section of the latch actuating device of  FIG. 8  (lockset  100  not shown), showing the assembly in a locked position. As shown, the protrusions  82  of the driven cam  80  are positioned within the locking receptacles  13  of the base  10  so that the actuating device is locked. In this position, the peaks of the ramps  91  on the drive cam  90  are substantially aligned with the peaks of the ramps  81  on the driven camp  80  so as to create spacing between the drive cam  90  and the driven cam  80 . 
     Thus, beginning at the unlocked position shown in  FIG. 13 , when the drive cam  90  is rotated, the peaks of the ramps  81  and  91  approach each other so as to translate the driven can  80  along the rotational axis of the drive cam  90  away from the drive cam  90  and against the force of the biasing element  70 . This causes the protrusions  82  to be inserted into the locking receptacles  13  as shown in  FIG. 14 . When the drive cam  90  is rotated in the opposite direction, the peaks of the ramps  81  and  91  move toward the respective valleys, causing the driven cam  80  to retract toward the drive cam  90  under the force of the biasing element  70 , thus returning the lock actuating device to the unlocked position. 
     Various alternatives and modifications are contemplated as being within the scope of the subject matter regarded as the invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4