Patent ID: 8894108

Claim:
An inertial blocking member subassembly being part of a release handle assembly associated with a vehicle door, the inertial blocking member subassembly being activated by an acceleration force associated with an impact event, the release handle assembly having a release handle framework supporting a bell crank assembly and a manually actuatable door handle grip, the door handle grip operatively coupled to the bell crank assembly to unlatch the vehicle door upon actuation, the inertial blocking member subassembly comprising: a blocking member associated with the release handle assembly framework, movable in at least one of rotation about an axis of rotation and translation along the axis of rotation; wherein the blocking member has a center of gravity which is offset from the axis of rotation; and the blocking member being movable between an at-rest position, in which the blocking member does not interfere with the bell crank assembly to prevent unlatching of the vehicle door by actuation of the door handle grip, and an engagement position, in which the blocking member interferes with the bell crank assembly to prevent unlatching of the vehicle door by actuation of the door handle grip, and in which engagement position the center of gravity is approximately aligned with a vector of the acceleration force and the axis of rotation; whereby, as a result of the acceleration force acting on the blocking member center of gravity, the blocking member is moved to the engagement position; further comprising a biasing element associated with the blocking member, the biasing element biasing the blocking member to the at-rest position, and a blocking member retainer comprising at least a first element associated with the release handle assembly framework and at least a second element associated with the blocking member; wherein the engagement of the at least first and second elements of the blocking member retainer with one another retains the blocking member in the engagement position even after the acceleration force has attenuated sufficiently so that the biasing element could move the blocking member to the at-rest position; and wherein the release handle grip is operative to disengage the at least first and second elements of the blocking member retainer from each other so that, after the acceleration force has attenuated sufficiently for the biasing element to move the blocking member to the at-rest position, the biasing element can move the blocking member to the at-rest position.