FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to improved door handles. In particular the invention relates to latching door handles suitable for use with sliding doors.

BACKGROUND

Door handles for sliding doors are generally well known in the art. However, for sliding door handles and particularly interior latching sliding doors handles operated via a snib, in order to lock and/or unlock, it is desirable that they should preferably also be able to be easily manipulated by children, disabled people, and/or elderly people.

Further, the expectation that (especially public) doorways should be fitted with door handles suitable for operation by a wide range of people is increasing.

Further still, it is considered desirable for such door hardware to be aesthetically pleasing, and this often means that door hardware should be simple, sleek, and not adorned with multiple obtrusive functional features that may detract from the aesthetic of the hardware.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved sliding door latch that will ameliorate one or more of the abovementioned disadvantages or that will at least provide the public with a useful choice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect the invention broadly comprises a door handle comprising :

a body or housing defining a front face and two opposed sides,

a handle grip member extending from at least one of said opposed sides, a locking member associated with said front face, and adapted to lock with a corresponding strike, and

wherein said handle grip is movable with respect to said body or housing between a first condition in which said locking member is moved into an unlocked state, and a second condition in which said locking member is moved into a locked state. According to a further aspect said handle grip member extends through an aperture through a respective said opposed side, said aperture being larger than the portion of said grip passing through it, such that a window is defined. According to a further aspect said handle grip member causes indicia to become visible through said window, associated with movement of said handle grip between said first condition and said second condition.

According to a further aspect said indicia represents the locked and/or unlocked state of said handle.

According to a further aspect said handle grip moves between said first condition and said second condition by translating only. According to a further aspect said handle grip moves between said first condition and said second condition by translating vertically.

According to a further aspect said handle grip is connected to said handle at two locations, and said handle grip defines a closed loop between said locations.

According to a further aspect said handle grip is a 'D' handle configuration.

According to a further aspect said handle grip operates as a locking snib actuator. According to a further aspect said handle includes a pair of handle grip members.

According to a further aspect said handle includes a pair of handle grip members, only one of which is movable. According to a further aspect said handle includes an emergency access snib on a side opposite said movable handle grip.

According to a further aspect said handle includes a pair of handle grip members, both of which are movable.

According to a further aspect said body or housing is constructed in a single piece.

According to a further aspect said body or housing is constructed from multiple pieces. According to a further aspect said front face is substantially aligned with a closing edge of a sliding door in which said door handle is installed.

According to a further aspect said handle grip member is biased into said second condition.

According to a further aspect said locking member protrudes from said front face.

According to a further aspect each side including said movable handle grip does not include any additional movable slip member capable of locking and or unlocking said handle.

According to a further aspect the invention broadly comprises a door handle substantially as herein described with reference to any one or more of the accompanying drawings.

The term 'comprising' as used in this specification and claims means 'consisting at least in part of. When interpreting statements in this specification and claims which include the term 'comprising', other features besides the features prefaced by this term in each statement can also be present. Related terms such as 'comprise' and 'comprised' are to be interpreted in a similar manner.

It is intended that reference to a range of numbers disclosed herein (for example, 1 to 10) also incorporates reference to all rational numbers within that range (for example, 1, 1.1, 2, 3, 3.9, 4, 5, 6, 6.5, 7, 8, 9 and 10) and also any range of rational numbers within that range (for example, 2 to 8, 1.5 to 5.5 and 3.1 to 4.7) and, therefore, all sub-ranges of all ranges expressly disclosed herein are hereby expressly disclosed. These are only examples of what is specifically intended and all possible combinations of numerical values between the lowest value and the highest value enumerated are to be considered to be expressly stated in this application in a similar manner.

This invention may also be said broadly to consist in the parts, elements and features referred to or indicated in the specification of the application, individually or collectively, and any or all combinations of any two or more said parts, elements or features, and where specific integers are mentioned herein which have known equivalents in the art to which this invention relates, such known equivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as if individually set forth. As used herein the term '(s)' following a noun means the plural and/or singular form of that noun. As used herein the term 'and/or' means 'and' or 'or', or where the context allows both.

The invention consists in the foregoing and also envisages constructions of which the following gives examples only.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which :

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a door handle according to one preferred

configuration.

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the door handle of figure 1 shown in an unlocked position.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of another configuration of the door handle having a security shroud, and modified handle grip.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of a complimentary handle intended for application in a bi-parting door configuration. Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of another modified configuration intended for application in an emergency set.

Fig 6. Shows an exploded view of a partial assembly of the door handle of figure 1, illustrating a preferred example of operation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to figure 1, a handle assembly 1 is shown. The handle assembly 1 includes a chassis body or housing 2, made up of two opposed side plates 2a & 2b.

However, it is envisaged that alternative structures may be adopted in which the chassis is configured differently via one or more parts.

The handle assembly 1 also includes a front face 3, which is preferably planar and configured to abut against a door jamb (or another door in a bi-parting configuration). A locking member 4 is provided to extend through an appropriate aperture in the front face 3. In the most preferred configurations, the locking member protrudes from the handle 1 as it draws close to a corresponding strike member 5 via mutual magnetic attraction. This configuration is described in our corresponding patent published as WO2015/015405, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference. An advantage of this type of configuration is that the locking mechanism remains flush with front face plate 3 when the door is open, and cannot clash with the strike.

Alternatively, it is anticipated that any of a number of known locking mechanism and strike configurations may be employed. Handle assembly 1 also includes handle grip member 5. It will be appreciated that grip member 5 is shaped to provide an easy gripping portion, and to preferably be strong and sturdy. Such handles are particularly useful in applications where the intended users may have additional difficulty manipulating physical objects due to age or disability for example.

As can be seen in figure 1, gripping member 5 takes a so-called 'D' handle shape. In contrast, an alternative configuration (as shown in figure 3) where the handle is straight may be utilised. The configuration of figure 3 also shows a shroud around the locking member 4, which operates to prevent the lock being bypassed by sliding an object between the door and door jamb.

It will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, that there are many alternative design options, in particular for the gripping portion of the handle member 5. For example, the handle member 5 may be constructed from a single piece and a single material, or alternatively may be constructed from multiple parts which in turn, may be of the same, or different materials.

Preferably the handle grips and chassis parts are made from a metallic material, such as stainless steel, brass, aluminium or other suitable metallic material. Alternatively, one or more parts may be made from a suitable polymer material.

The handle grip member 5 preferably includes one or more mounting portions 6, connecting the handle grip 5 to the handle assembly (installed in a door). The example embodiment shown in figure 1 includes two such portions 6, which has been found to provide a robust connection between the gripping handle portion 5 and the chassis of the door handle assembly 1. In particular, the mounting portions 6 pass through an aperture 7 in the side plates 2a . The apertures 7 are larger than the mounting portion 6 that passes through it, so as to define a window 8 (in this case underneath mounting portion 6). In order to actuate the locking of the handle 1, the handle grip member 5 is simply moved vertically downwards (with respect to the chassis 2), as shown in figure 2. It will be appreciated that for the type of locking mechanism illustrated, this requires that the locking member 4 has been pulled from the front face 3 by a magnet (as described in WO2015/015405), thereby allowing the locking member 4 to translate downwards when actuated by movement of the gripping handle member 5. In this position, (as shown in figure 2), locking member 4 interacts with a correspondingly shaped strike (not shown). However, for more traditional locking mechanisms, it would be possible for the handle grip member 5 to be moved into and out of the locking position at any time. With reference to figure 4, a similar alternative handle 1 is shown having a strike aperture 10 in the front face 3. The strike aperture 10, preferably includes a magnet (not shown), that draws the locking member 4 out when they are brought together in sufficient proximity. It will be appreciated that the handle of figure 4 is intended for use in a bi-parting door configuration, in place of a strike located in a door jamb, as would be the case with a typical installation. That is, the handle configuration of figure 1 for example, may be used to mate with the handle configuration of figure 4, in a bi-parting door set up.

With further reference to figure 2, can be seen that the mounting portions 6 of the gripping handle member 5, project through the aperture 7. The previously described window 8, is now positioned above the handle mounting portion 6. It is preferred that indicia 9 is provided to be visible through the windows 8, in order to indicate the current state of the handle lock. For example, in the unlocked position as shown in figure 1, the indicia 9 may be a green coloured portion, visible below the handle mounting portion. In contrast, in the locked position as shown in figure 2, the indicia 9 may be a red coloured portion visible through window 8.

Accordingly, the handle 1 of the present invention provides a locking actuator operable by a user that is also the gripping handle, rather than a separate snib. In addition, this configuration provides an unobtrusive, but clearly visible indicator of the current state of the lock, by providing relatively larger windows 8 through which the mounting portion(s) of the grip member 5 protrude. That is, the window 8 is relatively larger in the direction of movement of the handle grip 5. With particular reference to figure 5, an alternative handle 1 configuration as shown. In this configuration, one side of the handle assembly 1 is substantially as described above with the movable grip member 5, that actuates the locking action. However, in some applications, it is desirable that the lock is easily usable from one side of the door, but is relatively difficult to operate from the other. This type of lock is typically used in a toilet or bathroom application and is often referred to as a privacy set.

Accordingly, the nearside of the handle 1 shown in figure 5 includes aperture 11, through which the locking mechanism can be manipulated. It is intended that this is a safety feature which typically requires a tool in order to unlock the lock, for example in an emergency situation. Accordingly, the handle portion on the emergency only side, is fixed with respect to the handle.

With reference to figure 6, a more detailed explanation of the operation of a preferred embodiment will now be described. In figure 6, some elements (such as the face plate, one side of the chassis, and several mounting screws) have been removed for clarity.

In this configuration, the housing of the handle 1 comprises three main parts, being chassis 12, and side plates 2a (and 2b not shown). These components are fixed to the door, and provide support for all of the other internal parts.

In particular, side plate 2a includes a slot 13 adapted to receive handle base plate 14, so as to allow the base plate to slide (i.e. translate) within it. In turn, the handle grip members 5 are attached to the handle base plate 14. This structure provides the degree of freedom of movement of the handle grip member 5 relative to the chassis/handle 1.

In some configurations, it may be preferred that the base plate 14 slides within the slot 13 with a resisted movement, so that the grip members 5 do not move under their own weight, and external user force is required. This prevents the lock from actuating by itself due to gravity, or when the door is slammed etc. Means may be provided for varying the amount of resistance provided in order to tailor the characteristics to the appropriate situation.

Alternatively still, it may be desired that the lock is biased into one of its locked or unlocked positions, so that it does operate automatically. Such bias may be provided by active elements such as one or more springs, or alternatively by the weight of the assembly and gravity. Handle base plate 14 includes aperture 15, which receives and mates with locking carriage protrusion 16. The locking carriage is movably supported on rods 17, which are carried by chassis 12, so that the locking carriage can translate vertically. The locking member 4 is carried on the locking carriage, and is further preferably biased into its unlocked condition.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that movement of the handle member 5, translates the locking handle base plate 14. In turn, movement of the base plate 14 is transferred to the locking carriage, thereby translating the locking member 4, into and out of its locked and unlocked configurations.

The above describes a relatively simple mechanism for transferring motion of the handle grip member 5 to the locking member 4. However, it will be appreciated that many other mechanisms appropriate to the locking configuration present themselves, and be readily adaptable to the present invention.

One advantage of the above-described mechanism, is that many common parts can be shared with different handle configurations, and conversion between one configuration and another may only require the swapping out of one or more parts. For example, the handle may be provided in a double sided locking configuration, and emergency/privacy set locking only on one side, or with a variety of indicia options that require swapping out inserts (to be viewed through window 8) as desired.