Patent ID: 7677614

Claim:
A device for actuating a lock of a door or hatch of a vehicle, comprising: a stationary bracket on the door or hatch; a movable unit, including a handle manually accessible from the exterior of the door, which is pivotably supported on the bracket, wherein actuation of the handle in turn actuates the lock, the movable unit including a reversing lever; spring-loading, which holds the unactuated movable unit in a defined rest position on the bracket, and wherein upon actuation of the handle, the movable unit is actuated and capable of being pivoted together with the reversing lever against the spring-loading into a working position; and a damping mechanism, which slows down the return pivoting movement of the movable unit, wherein an elastomeric element is seated in at least one location on the movable unit and pivots along with the unit when the handle is actuated; a free section of the elastomeric element projects out from the movable unit; a stationary opposing surface on the bracket is arranged to cooperate with the projecting free section; wherein the free section is configured and the opposing surface placed in a position in a return path of the movable unit so that, with actuation of the handle, the free section strikes the opposing surface and begins to undergo deformation while the return movement is still in progress; the kinetic energy of the movable unit is substantially absorbed by the work of deformation of the free section by the time the unit reaches its rest position; and in the rest position, the deformed free section is supported against the opposing surface of the bracket.