LAMBROU, Harris (31-33 Alfred Street, Blackburn, VIC 3130, AU)
| Claims 1. A handle mounting assembly including: a handle adapted for turning about an axis; a drive member operable on a latch and/or lock mechanism, the drive member being rotatably mounted to the handle; a handing plate non-rotatably mounted to the handle and including means to engage the drive member in at least one position relative to the axis of the handle to connect the drive member to the handle for rotation with the handle; an escutcheon which receives a part of the handle therethrough; a fixing means to substantially fix, in the direction of the axis of the handle, the handle relative to the escutcheon; and spring means biasing the drive member towards the handing plate. 2. A handle mounting assembly including the components below assembled in the following order: a handle adapted for turning about an axis; an escutcheon which receives a part of the handle therethrough; a spring means; a drive member operable on a latch and/or lock mechanism, the drive member being rotatably mounted to the handle; a handing plate non-rotatably mounted to the handle and including means to engage the drive member in at least one position relative to the axis of the handle to connect the drive member to the handle for rotation with the handle; and a fixing means to substantially fix, in the direction of the axis of the handle, the handle relative to the escutcheon, wherein the spring means biases the drive member towards the handing plate. 3. A handle mounting assembly including: a handle adapted for turning about an axis; an escutcheon having a boss receives a part of the handle therethrough; a drive member operable on a latch and/or lock mechanism, the drive member being rotatably mounted to the handle and positioned around said part of the handle; a handing plate non-rotatably mounted to the handle and including means to engage the drive member in at least one position relative to the axis of the handle to connect the drive member to the handle for rotation with the handle, the handing plate being positioned around said boss; a fixing means to substantially fix, in the direction of the axis of the handle, the handle relative to the escutcheon, the fixing means being positioned around said part of the handle; and spring means biasing the drive member towards the handing plate, the spring means being positioned around said boss. 4. A handle mounting assembly including: a handle adapted for turning about an axis; a drive member operable on a latch and/or lock mechanism, the drive member being rotatably mounted to the handle; a handing plate non-rotatably mounted to the handle and including means to engage the drive member in at least one position to connect the drive member to the handle for rotation with the handle; an escutcheon which receives a part of the handle therethrough; a fixing means to substantially fix, in the direction of the axis of the handle, the handle relative to the escutcheon; and spring means biasing the drive member towards the handing plate, wherein the location of the handle relative to the escutcheon is independent of the location of the drive member relative to the handing plate. 5. The handle mounting assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the handing plate includes means to engage the drive member in at least two angularly spaced apart positions relative to the axis of the handle to connect the drive member to the handle for rotation with the handle. 6. The handle mounting assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the handle and the handing plate are separate components. 7. The handle mounting assembly as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 5, wherein the handle and the handing plate are integrally formed. 8. The handle mounting assembly as claimed in 7, wherein the handle and the handing plate are integrally formed by casting, machining or moulding. 9. The handle mounting assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fixing means is positioned on one side of the handing plate and the drive member is positioned on the other side of the handing plate. 10. The handle mounting assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the handing plate is positioned on one side of the drive member and the spring means is positioned on the other side of the drive member. 11. The handle mounting assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the spring means has one side located with respect to the escutcheon and another side biasing the drive member away from the escutcheon and towards the handing plate. 12. The handle mounting assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fixing means also substantially fixes, in the direction of the axis of the handle, the handing plate relative to the escutheon. 13. The handle mounting assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fixing means engages the escutcheon. 14. The handle mounting assembly as claimed in any one 6f the preceding claims, wherein the escutcheon includes a boss which receives said part of the handle therethrough. 15. The handle mounting assembly as claimed in claim 14, wherein the fixing means is a circlip which engages the exterior of the boss. 16. The handle mounting assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the spring means is an annular wave washer. |
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a handle mounting assembly.
The invention has been primarily developed for use in mounting lever handles for door locks and latches and will be described hereinafter with reference to this application. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to this particular field of use and is equally suitable for mounting all types of handle that are non-symmetric about their axis of rotation and/or otherwise have a preferred orientation relative to the door or other component to which they are mounted.
Background of the Invention
Handles, such as those used for door locks and latches, can be broadly categorised as being symmetric about their rotational axis, for example knobs, and non- symmetric about their rotational axis, for example lever handles. Handle mounting assemblies for non-symmetric handles are known in which the orientation of the handle may be quickly and easily changed relative to an escutcheon or face plate. This process is known as handing.
Australian Patent No. 769827 discloses a handle mounting assembly of this type, which is preassembled with the handle oriented approximately parallel with the long axis of the escutcheon to reduce packaging size. The handle can then be quickly and easily reoriented at 90° to the escutcheon for use by simply turning the handle relative to the escutcheon, whereafter the handle locks into one of two (180° apart) positions. The chosen handing orientation may also be easily altered without disassembly.
The handle mounting assembly disclosed in Australian Patent No. 769827 includes a spring which biases a handing plate towards a drive member associated with the handle, in order to achieve the above functionality. However, the spring also serves to locate the handle relative to the escutcheon by biasing the handle towards the escutcheon. As a result, it is possible for a user to move the handle away from the escutcheon by applying a pulling force to the handle which deforms the spring. This movement results in an unsatisfactory customer feel and can also accelerate wear in bearing surfaces in the handle assembly, due to such surfaces becoming misaligned during the handle movement. Object of the Invention
It is the object of the present invention to substantially overcome or at least ameliorate one or more of the above disadvantages.
Summary of the Invention
Accordingly, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a handle mounting assembly including:
a handle adapted for turning about an axis;
a drive member operable on a latch and/or lock mechanism, the drive member being rotatably mounted to the handle;
a handing plate non-rotatably mounted to the handle and including means to engage the drive member in at least one position relative to the axis of the handle to connect the drive member to the handle for rotation with the handle;
an escutcheon which receives a part of the handle therethrough;
a fixing means to substantially f x, in the direction of the axis of the handle, the handle relative to the escutcheon; and
spring means biasing the drive member towards the handing plate.
In a second aspect, the present invention provides a handle mounting assembly including the components below assembled in the following order:
a handle adapted for turning about an axis;
an escutcheon which receives a part of the handle therethrough;
a spring means;
a drive member operable on a latch and/or lock mechanism, the drive member being rotatably mounted to the handle;
a handing plate non-rotatably mounted to the handle and including means to engage the drive member in at least one position relative to the axis of the handle to connect the drive member to the handle for rotation with the handle; and
a fixing means to substantially fix, in the direction of the axis of the handle, the handle relative to the escutcheon,
wherein the spring means biases the drive member towards the handing plate.
In a third aspect, the present invention provides a handle mounting assembly including: a handle adapted for turning about an axis;
an escutcheon having a boss receives a part of the handle therethrough;
a drive member operable on a latch and/or lock mechanism, the drive member being rotatably mounted to the handle and positioned around said part of the handle; a handing plate non-rotatably mounted to the handle and including means to engage the drive member in at least one position relative to the axis of the handle to connect the drive member to the handle for rotation with the handle, the handing plate being positioned around said boss;
a fixing means to substantially fix, in the direction of the axis of the handle, the handle relative to the escutcheon, the fixing means being positioned around said part of the handle; and
spring means biasing the drive member towards the handing plate, the spring means being positioned around said boss.
In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a handle mounting assembly including:
a handle adapted for turning about an axis;
a drive member operable on a latch and/or lock mechanism, the drive member being rotatably mounted to the handle;
a handing plate non-rotatably mounted to the handle and including means to engage the drive member in at least one position to connect the drive member to the handle for rotation with the handle;
an escutcheon which receives a part of the handle therethrough;
a fixing means to substantially fix, in the direction of the axis of the handle, the handle relative to the escutcheon; and
spring means biasing the drive member towards the handing plate,
wherein the location of the handle relative to the escutcheon is independant of the location of the drive member relative to the handing plate.
The handing plate preferably includes means to engage the drive member in at least two angularly spaced apart positions relative to the axis of the handle to connect the drive member to the handle for rotation with the handle.
In one form, the handle and the handing plate are separate components. In another form, the handle and the handing plate are integrally formed, most preferably by casting, machining or moulding. The fixing means is preferably positioned on one side of the handing plate and the drive member is positioned on the other side of the handing plate.
The handing plate is preferably positioned on one side of the drive member and the spring means is positioned on the other side of the drive member.
The spring means preferably has one side located with respect to the escutcheon and another side biasing the drive member away from the escutcheon and towards the handing plate.
The fixing means preferably also substantially fixes, in the direction of the axis of the handle, the handing plate relative to the escutheon.
The fixing means preferably engages the escutcheon. The escutcheon preferably includes a boss which receives said part of the handle therethrough. The fixing means is preferably a circlip which engages the exterior of the boss.
The spring means is preferably an annular wave washer.
Brief Description of the Drawings
A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of an example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Fig. 1 is an outer perspective view of an embodiment of a handle mounting assembly;
Fig. 2 is an inner perspective view of the handle mounting assembly shown in
Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is an exploded inner perspective view of the handle mounting assembly shown in Fig. 1 ;
Fig. 4 is an inner perspective view of the handle mounting assembly shown in Fig. 1 with the handle in a non handed orientation;
Fig. 5 is an inner perspective view of the handle mounting assembly shown in Fig. 1 during movement of the handle towards a handed orientation;
Fig. 6 is an inner perspective view of the handle mounting assembly shown in Fig. 1 with the handle in one of two handing orientations;
Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail partial cross-sectional view of the handle mounting assembly shown in Fig. 1, with the handle in the position shown in Fig. 4;
Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail partial cross-sectional view of the handle mounting assembly shown in Fig. 1 , with the handle in the position shown in Fig. 5; and Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail partial cross-sectional view of the handle mounting assembly shown in Fig. 1 , with the handle in the position shown in Fig. 6.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment
Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a handle mounting assembly 10. The assembly 10 includes a metal escutcheon 12 with a metal handle 14 mounted thereon. The handle 14 is able to be turned or pivoted about an axis 16. The escutcheon 12 includes a button 18, for operating a snib mechanism 22 (see Fig. 2), and an opening 20, for receiving a key cylinder (not shown). The purpose and function of such snib mechanisms and key cylinders are well known to persons skilled in the art and will not be described in any further detail.
Fig. 2 also shows a metal rotor 24, which is associated with the snib mechanism 22, and a spindle 26 and a spring 28. The purpose and function of these items are also well known to persons skilled in the art and will not be described in any further detail.
Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the assembly 10 and also shows: aplastic bush 30; a metal operating spring 32; a metal bearing shim 34; a handing spring means, in the form of a metal wave washer 36; a metal drive member 38; a metal handing plate 40; a metal handing plate shim 42; and a fixing means, in the form of a metal circlip 44.
Fig. 3 also shows that the escutcheon 12 has a hollow cylindrical boss 46. The handle 14 includes a part, in the form of spigot 48, which passes through the interior of the boss 46. The handle 14 includes a circlip groove 50 in the spigot 48 for receiving the circlip 44 when assembled. The spigot 48 also includes a pair of slots 52 which non- rotationally engage with a pair of inwardly facing teeth 54 on the handing plate 40. The handing plate 40 also includes a protuberance 56. The drive member 38 includes a pair of ramps 58 that have a non-handed recess 60 between them and two handed recesses 62 adjacent their respective ends.
The drive member 38 also includes teeth 66 which engage with teeth 68 provided on a driven member 70.
After assembly, the handle 14 and the handing plate 40 are fixed or located relative to the escutcheon 12, in the axial direction, by the circlip 44. The handing plate 40 is positioned around the spigot 48 between end 47 of the boss 46 and the circlip 44. The bush 30 and the shim 42 provide for smooth, low friction rotation of the handle 14 relative to the boss 46 of the escutcheon 12.
The drive member 38, and the spring 36 are also positioned around the boss 46. As mentioned previously, the handing spring is in the form of a wave washer 36, produced from spring steel. Wave washers are well known to persons skilled in the art and provide compressive axial deformation. When not axially compressed, wave washers have generally sinusoidal shape (when viewed radially). When axially compressed, wave washers flatten (when viewed radially). In Figs. 7 to 9, the wave washer 36 is represented as having a substantially V-shaped cross section when not axially compressed and a flattened cross section when compressed in order to allow its function to be more clearly shown.
The assembly 10 is assembled with the protuberance 56 positioned in the non- handed recess 60 between the two ramps 62. When the handle 14 is rotated relative to the escutcheon 12 in either direction, the protuberance 56 rides over one of the ramps 58, pushing the drive member 38 away from the handing plate 40, after which the
protuberance 56 locates into one of the handed recesses at 62. During this process, the drive member 38 is biased towards the handing plate 40 by the handing spring 36, as will be described in more detail below. When this handing process is completed, protuberance 56 engages the handing plate 40 with the drive member 38 and the drive member 38 thus turns with the handle 14. The operating spring 32 acts to return a turned handle 14 back to the position shown in Fig. 1.
In order to change from one of the handed recesses 62 to the other, a screwdriver or like tool is used to push the drive member 38 down against the bias of the handing spring 36, away from the handing plate 40 so that the protuberance 56 is moved out of the recess 62, so the handle 14 can be rotated to position the protuberance 56 back onto the adjacent ramp 58 for further rotation back into the non-handed recess 60 and then onto the other handed recess 62. During this process, the drive member 38 is again biased towards the handing plate 40 by the handing spring 36, as will be described in more detail below.
Fig 4 and Fig. 7 show the assembly 10 in a non-handed configuration suitable for packaging, with the protuberance 56 located in the non handed recess 60. Fig. 7 shows the fixing of the handle 14 relative to the boss 46 by the circlip 44 and also that the boss 46 includes an outwardly extending shoulder 72. One side of the handing spring 36 locates against the shoulder 72. The other side of the handing spring 36 presses against the drive member 38 in order to bias it away from the boss 46 and towards the handing plate 40.
Fig. 5 and Fig. 8 show the handle 14 being moved towards a handed position and the protuberance 56 riding over one of the ramps 58. During this process, the handing spring 36 is compressed or flattened as the drive member 38 moves axially away from the handing plate 40.
Fig. 6 and Fig. 9 show the assembly 10 after the handing process has been completed with the protuberance 56 located in one of the handing recesses 62. As mentioned above, the engagement of the protuberance 56 in the handing recess 62 locks the handing plate 40 and the drive member 38 together such that the rotation of the handle 14 and thus the handing plate 40 causes a corresponding rotation of the drive member 38. Further, the teeth 66 of the drive member 38 engage with the teeth 68 provided on the driven member 70. Accordingly, the rotation of the handle 14 and the drive member 38 causes rotation in the driven member 70 which is used to drive lock and latch components to, for example, withdraw a lock bolt (not shown), as is also well understood by persons skilled in the art.
Fig. 9 also shows that the handing spring 36 expands after the protuberance 56 has ridden over the ramps 58 and been received into one of the handed recesses 62.
The function of the handing spring 36 is independent of (ie. has no influence on) the location of the handle 14 relative to the boss 46, as that location is dictated solely by the circlip 44 snugly locating the handing member 40 relative to the boss 46 and thus the spigot 48 relative to the boss 46. As a result, the assembly 10 advantageously does not permit any movement of the handle 14 relative to the escutcheon 12 which could be construed as a sign of poor quality by a customer. The prevention of movement also reduces the opportunity for misalignment and resulting component wear. However, the assembly 10 also advantageously still allows initial ease of handing and also ease of re- handing without requiring disassembly or specialised tools.
Although the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms.
As an example, in the embodiment shown, the handing plate engages the drive member in two angularly spaced apart positions relative to the axis of the handle. In another embodiment (not shown), the handing plate engages the drive member in only one position relative to the axis of the handle. This still allows the handle mounting assembly to be shipped in a convenient form (with the handle oriented approximately parallel to the long axis of the escutcheon) and then re-oriented at another angle to the escutcheon into one operating position (eg. at approximately 90° to the long axis of the escutcheon). As another example, in the embodiment shown, the handle and the handing plate are separate components. In another embodiment (not shown), the handing plate is formed as part of the handle, most preferably by casting, machining or moulding.