Patent ID: 8894109

Claim:
A flush mounted, vehicle door handle for replacing an existing door handle of a vehicle, comprising: a handle having a first elongate portion configured for grasping and lifting and a second portion configured for depressing; a housing comprised of an outer wall defining an aperture having a contour similar to an outer contour of the handle, the first and second portions of the handle being at least partially received within the housing when the handle is positioned in a first, resting position; a pivot assembly coupled to the housing proximately between the first portion and the second portion, the handle coupled to the pivot assembly with the first elongate portion on one side of a fulcrum of the pivot assembly and the second portion on the other side of the fulcrum; a first back wall fixed to a back side of the housing and defining an abutment surface for limiting pivoting of the handle toward the housing such that a top surface of the handle is substantially flush with a top edge of the housing; a second back wall coupled to a back side of the handle proximate the second portion having a contour to substantially match an interior contour of the housing along the second portion and covering a portion of the aperture proximate the second portion; and an abutment surface on a back of the second portion of the handle configured to engage and actuate a door latch mechanism of a vehicle door when the handle is pivoted about the pivoting assembly such that the first portion is at least partially lifted out of the housing and the second portion at least partially retreats into the housing.