Abstract:
A lever handle including a lever ( 11 ) rotatably mounted with an escutcheon ( 10 ) arranged for quick adjustment of the handing (e.g. for use with either a left or right swinging door). The handle includes a stop element ( 24 ) sliding between limiting positions ( 23 ) to be engaged with a mover ( 18 ).

Description:
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates to improvements in lever handles.  
           [0002]    Lever handles intended f or use with internal door locks are known. Such lever handles can comprise a lever having a boss or the like which is rotatably mounted with an escutcheon plate. The boss includes an angular bore (generally of square cross-section) into which the end of a shaft coupled to the lock can be engaged. By moving the handle in a downward direction the latch tongue or bolt of the lock is retracted. Release of the handle enables the lock tongue/bolt to once again project into the latching position. A backstop is provided in the lever handle construction to prevent the handle from moving in the wrong direction, eg upwards from the rest position.  
           [0003]    With such known constructions, handing of the lever handle can be a problem. While it is possible to rotate the escutcheon through, say, 180° to change the handing of the lever handle, this results in the backstop being positioned in the wrong place so that the lever handle needs to be lifted to retract the latch tongue/bolt because the backstop prevents the handle from moving downwardly. To overcome this problem, it is known to have an arrangement whereby the handle can be detached from the escutcheon and then moved to the opposite handing and reassembled. However, this is a time-consuming and fiddly operation.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a lever handle whereby the handing of the lever relative to an escutcheon can be changed without needing to disassemble the lever handle.  
           [0005]    Broadly, according to one form of the invention, there is provided a lever handle including a lever rotatably mounted with an escutcheon, a stop element movably mounted within said escutcheon, a mover associated with said lever and a limiter to limit movement of the stop element between limit positions.  
           [0006]    In a preferred form, the stop element is located for sliding movement along a curved guide. The curved guide preferably has a radius concentric with the axis of rotation of the lever. The limiter can be formed by abutments extending into the guide.  
           [0007]    The mover can in one form of the invention be a retainer element for retaining the lever handle with the escutcheon. In this form, the retainer includes a projection which is engageable with a part of the stop element. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 is a general assembly perspective view of an internal door set incorporating lever handles embodying the invention,  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 is an exploded view of one of the lever handles,  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3 is a rear face view of a lever handle,  
         [0011]    FIGS.  4   5  and  6  show stages of the lever being moved to achieve a lever handle of a different “hand”, and  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 7 is a further pictorial assembled view of the internal door set. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0013]    Referring firstly to FIG. 1, there is shown a pair of lever handles incorporating the present invention when combined in an internal door set. The lever handle includes an escutcheon  10  to which is rotatably mounted a lever  11 . The lever  11  has a mounting portion  12  which is rotatably retained with the escutcheon  10 . Openings  13  are formed in the escutcheon  10  to facilitate the mounting of fasteners F which pass between the pair of escutcheons  10  of the door set and the door to retain the escutcheons in position on the door.  
         [0014]    A lock L is located in a conventional manner between the escutcheons  10 , the body B of the lock L being, in accordance with normal practice, locating within a cavity in the door. The lock L has a face plate P and projecting from the face plate is a latch tongue T. A shaft S extends between the bodies  12  and engages with a drive member (not shown) of the lock L.  
         [0015]    Referring now to FIG. 2, the escutcheon  10  has a circular opening  14  in which rotatably locates bearing surface  15  of the boss  12 ′ of the body  12 . Extending axially within the body  12  and boss  12 ′ is an angular (generally square cross-sectional shaped) bore  16 . It is into this bore  16  that the shaft S fits.  
         [0016]    The boss  12 ′ includes outboard of the bearing portion  15  an angular portion  17  which is generally octagonal in shape. A retainer washer  18  has a correspondingly shaped angular (octagonal) opening  19 . The retainer washer  18  can thus fit onto angular portion  17 .  
         [0017]    In accordance with conventional practice, a circlip  21  engages on the distal end  20  of the lever handle body  12  to retain the boss in rotating connection with the escutcheon  10 .  
         [0018]    In accordance with the present invention, a guide  22  is formed adjacent the surface which defines opening  14 . Inward steps  23  defining the end of guide  22  form abutments the reason for which will hereinafter become apparent.  
         [0019]    According to the present invention, a backstop member  24  is provided. This is generally of arcuate shape as can be seen in FIG. 2. The backstop  24  is slidingly engaged with guide  22  and thus can move along the guide  22  between the limits formed by abutments  23 . This backstop  24  can thus be considered to form a “floating” backstop.  
         [0020]    Extending from the inner (relative to the outer surface of the escutcheon  10 ) surface of backstop  24  is a projection  26 . A projection  25  extends from the peripheral edge of retainer washer  18 . The relative position of projections  25  and  26  is such that, as will hereinafter be described, projection  25  can come into contact with the end of the backstop  24  which is opposite to the end nearest or in contact with an abutment surface  23 .  
         [0021]    As can be seen in FIG. 3, the backstop  24  in the “rest” position of the lever handle is captive between the upper abutment surface  23  and an edge of abutment  25 . The lever  11  can thus be moved in the direction of arrow A to rotate the shaft S engaged in bore  16  to thereby actuate the lock L. The extent of movement in direction A will, of course, be limited by the extent of movement of lock L to retract T. Thus, for example, lever  11  may move in the direction of arrow A by, say, up to 90°.  
         [0022]    If the handing of the lever handle needs to be altered, it is a simple matter to release the escutcheon  10  from the door or at least release the shaft S from bore  16 . Thus, generally, it will be necessary to remove one escutcheon  10  so that the shaft S can be released from the other escutcheon in a door set. Therefore, to change the handing of both lever handles only one needs to be actually demounted from the door.  
         [0023]    Once the extent of movement of lever  11  is not dictated by the extent of movement available by interengagement with lock L, the lever  11  can be moved as shown by arrow A′ in FIGS. 4, 5 and  6 . As the handle moves back to the position shown in FIG. 3 (eg see FIG. 5), the other edge of projection  25  will come in contact with the end of backstop  24  adjacent or engaged with the upper abutment surface  23 . Thus, when the lever  11  reaches the position shown in FIG. 6, the floating backstop  24  has been moved down into engagement with the lower abutment surface  23 . In this position, operation of the lock would need to have the lever move in the direction of arrow B′. However, by rotating the entire lever handle assembly through 180° about the axis of body  12 , the lever  11  will project on the other “hand”. Thus, the entire lever handle assembly can now be used on the opposite hand.  
         [0024]    Locksets of this type can where privacy is required, eg bathrooms and toilets, include a privacy lock or button  29 . This is mounted so that it can be pushed inwardly so that a part engages in an opening  30  in body B of the lock L so as to prevent the lock from operating. As shown in FIG. 7, a privacy lock override is provided whereby an opening  31  is formed in the escutcheon  10  to enable insertion of a wire into the latch mechanism to push the private button  29  from its engagement in the latch mechanism.  
         [0025]    By being able to adjust the handing of the lever handle assembly as previously described, the privacy lock button will always be positioned in the correct location relative to the lever  11 .  
         [0026]    In a preferred form of the invention, an angular opening  28  is formed in the escutcheon  10 . This enables an insert to be mounted for either the privacy button or the privacy override opening. Alternatively, a blanking insert could be located in opening  28  to blank off the opening in the event that a privacy lock mechanism is not required.  
         [0027]    In another embodiment, the use of tooling inserts could be used during the manufacturing stage to result in the opening  28  not being formed in the escutcheon  10 .  
         [0028]    In accordance with the present invention, the floating backstop enables the handing of the lever handle assembly to be quickly and readily altered without any need of disassembly of the lever from the escutcheon. Therefore, when the handing of the lever handle assembly is determined (generally at the time of mounting the lever handle assemblies on a door) the lever  11  can be rotated to position the floating backstop in the correct position for the lever to be operable in a downward position and with the privacy lock mechanism located in the correct orientation relative to the latch mechanism L.