Patent ID: 8287021

Claim:
A vehicle handle assembly comprising: a handle comprising a front wall and a back wall, the front wall and back wall defining a downwardly open pocket sized to receive one or more of an operator's fingers for a pulling operation to move the handle between latch and unlatch positions; and a panel adjacent the handle, the panel having a portion located behind the pocket with the handle in the latch position and a portion below the pocket with the handle in the latch position, the panel having an outer surface facing the handle having a contour such that a distance from the outer surface of the panel to an end of the back wall of the handle is maintained at less than a maximum distance as the handle is moved from the latch position to the unlatch position the maximum distance selected to prevent placement of an object between the outer surface and the end of the back wall of the handle; wherein the end of the back wall of the handle traces a curved path as the handle is moved from the latch position to the unlatch position, the outer surface being curved such that the curvature of the curved path substantially matches the curvature of the outer surface.