Patent ID: 8152209

Claim:
An inertia activated mechanism coupled to a handle assembly of a door latch mechanism in a door of a vehicle, the handle assembly having a moving component that is moved to unlatch the door, the inertia activated mechanism comprising: a housing defining a window; a bar slidable in said housing and extending outwardly from said window; a tether movable in said housing and having an end connected to said bar; a spring biasing said bar to a home position; a weight connected to an opposite end of said tether from said end connected to said bar, said weight and said tether being movable relative to said housing from acceleration forces experienced during a vehicle event, movement of said weight and said tether causing movement of said bar from said home position to an active position; said bar disposed in a non-interfering position relative to the moving component of the handle assembly when said bar is in said home position, and disposed in an interfering position relative to the moving component of the handle assembly in the active position, to impede operation of the handle assembly upon the inertia activated mechanism being activated by the vehicle event; and said housing and said bar defining a delaying structure for delaying movement of said bar during return of said bar to said home position from said active position relative to movement of said bar from said home position to said active position.