HANDLE ARRANGEMENT

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an improved handle arrangement, preferably a handle arrangement for use with a lockable access point such as a door, a storage container, a compartment, a cover/hatch, transport box and bag and the like, which includes use of the same on vehicles, including motor vehicles or cycles.

The handle arrangement is one that may be operable by the central locking system of a motor vehicle, for example, a car, truck, bus or motorcycle.

Background of the Invention

Transport/delivery trucks arc often configured for security reasons with enclosed rear van areas, whereby access to the goods located therein is via one or more lockable doors. Similarly, recreational vehicles including mobile homes often contain hollow compartments that act as storage areas, where access to the inside of the compartment is via doors or hatches located on the outside of the vehicle's body.

A tradesperson's vehicle in the form of a motor vehicle utility often has one or more toolboxes or storage containers mounted on the utility's tray in which the tradesperson will store his/her tools. Sometimes, the open tray area of the utility can be covered with a solid hatch to protect and secure cargo thereunder.

Furthermore, motorcyclists will often have saddlebags affixed, to either side of the motorcycle frame to carry items in them as they travel around.

As the cargo placed inside each of these storage areas is valuable to its owner, there is a need to prevent unauthorized access to these access points and as a result, the above doors, compartments, boxes, containers, covers and bags are usually lockable. Naturally, the more difficult it is to gain access to these lockable points, the better.

The invention will be more particularly described herein with respect to doors on an enclosed van of a truck. However, the invention has general applicability as detailed above.

The presence of such lockable doors brings with it a problem where each door requires its own key for moving its locking mechanism between its looked and unlocked conditions. When the vehicle has a number of lockable doors, the driver has to act on each of the locking mechanisms in order to open its relevant door. One example is where the transport/delivery truck may have access doors into its rear enclosed van area, wherein behind each door is a bay holding different cargo relative to each other bay and the driver may need to unlock and open each of the eight doors in turn, until he finds the correct bay. For the driver to walk around the truck, unlocking and then rclockϊπg each door, comes at a time cost penalty, which is exacerbated when the doors do not have common locks and each requires a different key. If there are many keys, further time is spent by the driver trying multiple keys in a particular lock, until the correct one is found.

In addition, before the driver either leaves his vehicle or drives away, he must ensure that each door is locked. Thus, further time is wasted.

Further, when returning cargo to a bay in the transport vehicle, the driver may have to put the cargo down on the ground by the side of the vehicle and then find the appropriate key to insert into its relevant lock and then open the door to the desired bay. With the door open, the driver then needs to pick up the returned cargo, put it back into its bay and then close the bay door and relock it. Tf the driver is returning several different pieces of cargo, which are required to be located in and behind several different doors, more time is lost.

More particularly, if any of these events occurs at night, there is an even greater inconvenience to the driver who, in addition, may need to carry a flashlight to help him find the relevant key.

As the value of the cargo held in the storage bays increases, so must the standard and security of the door and its locking mechanism. Recently, the swing handle has found wide-spread acceptance as the door handle of choice on transport vehicles and the like, hi addition to being essentially flush-fitted relative to the compartment on the vehicle, such handles have been adapted to accommodate a high security locking means where required.

Furthermore, since most modern vehicles, particularly trucks and motor cars and even motorcycles, include central locking facilities, recent improvements to swing handles having high security locking arrangements have involved linking each door's central locking mechanism

to the vehicle's central looking system, while still maintaining the integrity of the high security lock as required.

These remotely controlled handle assemblies have become increasingly desirable due to the improved ease of locking various access points. However, the installation of such handle assemblies has proved to be quite time-consuming and difficult due to the number of differently shaped holes, spaced quite close together, which have to be pre-drilied into the mounting surfaces. In addition, in order to retrofit existing manually operated swing handles with the remotely controlled versions, the user has been required to re-drill specifically shaped holes on surfaces on which there may already be holes drilled to accommodate the previously installed handle.

Furthermore, although swing handles already in use have improved upon the security of the actual locking mechanisms thereof, it would be advantageous if the inaccessibility to the locking mechanism could be increased in the hope of deterring possible attack by vandals. In addition, as swing handles presently in use still present a problem regarding potential injury to passers-by, if protrusion of the handle above the surface on which it is mounted could be reduced, this would be extremely beneficial.

It is an object of the present invention therefore to provide a more secure and less obtrusive remotely controlled locking arrangement. More particularly, the present invention provides a locking arrangement, which seeks to ameliorate the disadvantages of the prior art.

Summary of the Invention According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a handle arrangement comprising: a dish having a perimeter flange, at least one sidewall, a dish floor and a recessed area defined by the at least one sidewall and the dish floor; a handle assembly, being at least partially receivable within the recessed area of £he dish; an independent locking mechanism fitted to said handle assembly; and an engagement means for working in cooperation with the locking mechanism to place the handle arrangement in a locked condition.

The dish, which is substantially the means for mounting the handle arrangement into or onto the surface of a door, compartment, lid, top, cover, hatch and/or the like, is preferably suitably shaped to at least partially accommodate the handle assembly therein. For this purpose, the dish preferably has a pair of opposing side walls. Preferably, each set of side walls extend from and diverge outwardly relative to the dish floor to end in the perimeter flange, which flange is substantially outwardly directed. The depth of the recessed area is variable such that the height that the handle assembly which would normally protrude above the mounting surface can be substantially reduced, thereby simultaneously reducing accessibility to the lock itself, thereby making it less vulnerable to attack. In one form, the depth is such that it can receive the handle assembly in a substantially flush arrangement with the perimeter flange when the handle assembly is placed in the closed position. The dish is more preferably of a substantially rectangular configuration. The positioning of the handle assembly in or on the dish floor is preferably such that the handle is readily accessible by the user,

The handle assembly preferably comprises a swing handle and a supporting frame therefor. In one preferred embodiment, the dish of the present invention is formed integral with the supporting frame of the handle assembly such that the dish becomes the supporting frame and the swing handle is then attached to the dish at a later stage in the manufacturing process. In yet another preferred embodiment, the dish is manufactured separately with the swing handle and its supporting frame subsequently attached thereto.

The swing handle preferably has a first end and a second end, wherein the handle may be lifted out of the supporting frame via its first end and wherein the handle is attachable to the supporting frame through the second end. The locking mechanism is preferably substantially supported on the swing handle at its first free end. The locking mechanism preferably comprises a movable pawl being separately movable between a locked and an unlocked condition relative to the locking mechanism. A locked condition is achieved when the engagement means and the pawl contact one another. The pawl is more preferably a substantially outwardly extending pawl. A preferred engagement means comprises a tongue member adapted to at least partially overlie the pawl when the pawl is located substantially therebeneath.

Preferably further, the supporting frame of the handle assembly has a frame chamber located therebeneath into which the locking mechanism and its outer casing are receivable, wherein the

outer casing is suitably shaped to receive and/or support the locking mechanism therein. The frame chamber preferably has a slot therein through which the tongue member is able to protrude and be movable within and/or along between a first position, where the tongue member is in contact with the pawl rendering the handle arrangement looked, and a second position, where the tongue member is no longer in contact with the pawl, thereby rendering the handle arrangement unlocked.

Preferred handle assemblies that can be used with the present invention are those described in International Patent Application No. PCT/AU2005/000999 (WO2006/005109). The subject matter of this specification is incorporated herein by way of reference. A preferred locking mechanism that can be used with the present invention has been described in. International Patent Application No. PCT/AU2006/000089 (WO2006/076779) and the subject matter thereof is also incorporated herein by way of reference.

The present invention is particularly suited to working in combination with a vehicle's central locking mechanism. In that form of the invention, the handle arrangement further comprises: an actuator to operate the engagement means; and a vehicle's central locking system to operate the actuator, wherein when the engagement means is placed in lockable contact with the locking mechanism of the handle assembly by the actuator, the handle arrangement is placed in a locked condition. In this way, the handle arrangement of the invention can be activated by remote control.

The engagement means is further more preferably directly or indirectly connected to the actuator, whereupon when the actuator moves to a first position in response to a first signal from the central locking system, the engagement means correspondingly moves into a lockable contact position with the pawl; and whereupon when the actuator moves to a second position in response to a second signal from the central locking system, the engagement means is correspondingly moved to a position whereby there is no lockable contact with the pawl.

The actuator preferably contains an actuation member that is controllable and preferably coupled to the central locking system of the vehicle. The actuation member can be of the type usually employed in a central locking system. A suitable actuation member is as shown in United States Patent No. D340938.

The actuator can therefore be of the type where its engagement means is pneumatically, hydraulically, electromagnetically and/or mechanically actuated. Preferably, the actuator is of the same type as used elsewhere in the vehicle, but it and its mode of operation may be different therefrom,

In a preferred form, (he actuator is electromagnetically actuated. Most central locking systems employ a receiver located on or within the vehicle whereby through activation of a portable transmitter by the vehicle's user, the receiver receives a signal or code. Due to the connection of the receiver to each actuator within or on the vehicle, a signal transmitted by the transmitter is received by the receiver, which relays at least one type of control input to the actuator. One control input is a lock signal and another input is an unlock signal.

The actuator can be of the type wherein upon receipt of a lock or unlock signal, the actuator's solenoid or motor is activated which in turn causes its working end to move forwardly upon receiving a lock signal and backwardly upon receiving an unlock signal or vice versa.

The independently Iockable locking mechanism can be of any typical type as known and used in. the Art. In a preferred aspect, the locking mechanism comprises a locking means, which can include a lock cylinder or barrel and key arrangement. In another preferred form, the locking mechanism is of the push-button type comprising a lock cylinder or barrel with an outwardly urged button connected to a lock means such as a lock pawl which is substantially retracted into the lock cylinder upon application of pressure upon the biased button. Preferably, the locking mechanism is of the high security barrel type, In one form, the locking mechanism may comprise a key-receiving end in the lock cylinder arid a locking bolt end, wherein the locking bolt end has a lock pawl. By rotating a key in the key-receiving end, the lock pawl in an unlocked condition can be placed in a locked condition. By rotating the key in an opposite manner or to a second position, the locked lock pawl can be placed into an unlocked condition. The lock pawl preferably co-operates with the engagement means or tongue member to enable the handle member of the handle assembly, preferably carrying the locking mechanism, to be locked to its supporting frame.

In yet another preferred embodiment, the handle arrangement further comprises a retaining means which may act independently of the actuator. In this form, the retaining means can be in the form of a snap- or quick-fit arrangement. In the snap- or quick-fit arrangement, a suitable female member can be positioned on the outer casing of the locking mechanism, while a suitable cooperating male member can be positioned on the inner wall of the frame chamber, or vice versa, wherein the male member can be releasably receivable within the female member, In a preferred form, the male member of the retaining means is a ball catch means located or positioned on or protrudes through the inner wall of the frame chamber and the female member is a suitably shaped recess correspondingly located on the outer casing of the locking mechanism. In use, aligning the swing handle with the frame chamber and applying downward pressure on the handle causes the locking mechanism with its outer casing to be lowered into the frame chamber. The outer surface of the casing causes the ball catch means to cooperate and frictioπaUy engage with the recess therein. This enables the handle to be secured in position or "parked" on the supporting frame. In this form, even when the handle is in the unlocked condition, the handle can be securely held in the supporting frame.

The handle arrangement of the present invention is preferably located upon a door, Kd, cover etc. that is to' be opened, which door, lid, cover, etc. is movable i.c. hinged, pivotable or slidable relative to the remainder of the vehicle body or the compartment, which, is to be locked or unlocked. Thus, for a door entry into the^ rear-enclosed van, the door preferably holds the handle arrangement, while the actuator and engagement means are mounted on the van body. Alternatively, the handle arrangement can be positioned on the vehicle van's body, while the actuator and engagement means are fitted to the door. In another form of the invention, the handle arrangement with its engagement means and the actuator are all mountable on the same access point The whole handle arrangement is preferably substantially encased in a housing to protect all the working parts of the actuator and the engagement means.

With the swing handle member positioned or sitting in its supporting frame and/or dish, part of the locking mechanism, namely its cylinder barrel and its lock pawl are preferably at least partially accommodated within that frame's chamber. When so positioned, the user is then able to operate the locking mechanism, whereby the lock pawl is caused to swing out (extend outwardly) of alignment with the remainder of the mechanism by approximately 30° to 45° (relative to the walls of the dish) to take up its locked condition. With the lock pawl in this

position, should the tongue member sufficiently protrude into or be positioned into the chamber whereby the lock pawl is contacted by, preferably retained under or by the tongue member, the locking mechanism and thus its handle member to which it is secured is substantially prevented from being able to be lifted out of the dish and is thus prevented from being moved.

If the tongue member is retracted from protruding into or is re-positioned within the chamber, where it no longer contacts or preferably retains the lock pawl thereunder, the locking mechanism and thus the first end of the handle member to which it is secured is able to be lifted out of the dish and can be moved, thereby permitting the access point to be opened. Accordingly, through causing the tongue member to co-operate with the lock pawl, the locking arrangement can be placed in a locked or unlocked condition.

The tongue member can be of a substantially T-shaped section comprising a cross-piece and a stem-piece. Preferably, the cross and stem-piece are formed integral with one another and formed from a single flange member of substantially the same thickness. Alternatively, the stem- piece may be of a reduced thickness relative to the cross-piece. In its various forms, the T-shaped section can be raountablc to or on a support body which acts to support the stem-piece. The stem-piece is adapted to be receivable within and/or, travel along the recess or slot in the frame chamber.

The cross-piece which may be supported by or is part of the support body may have a guide means, preferably a ball-catch member, located therein or thereon to assist in aligning the stem- piece of the tongue member relative to the actuator. The guide means being adapted to cooperate with a retaining member having means therein which will engage with the guide means to maintain the tongue member within the frame chamber's recess or slot The retaining member preferably comprising two spaced apart notches within or on the retaining member wherein through activation of the vehicle's central locking system, the actuator and its working end, moves the guide means to cooperate with the notch distal from the actuator. In this way, the tongue member has been caused to travel along the recess or slot to a position wherein the stem- piece overlies or can contact the locked pawl, Upon again actuating the actuator, but this time in the opposite direction thereto, whereby the guide means is caused to be removed from the distal notch and retract back to and engage with the proximate notch, the stem-piece will no longer overlie or contact the locked pawl. Depending upon the location of the locked pawl within the

frame chamber, the above operation can act in reverse whereby extension of the actuator causes the stem-piece to not overlie the pawl, while retraction of the actuator exposes the locked pawl for possible contact with the stem-piece.

With the handle arrangement of the present invention, the locking mechanism can always be maintained in a locked condition and the key permanently removed. In this way, with the lock pawl in the active locked condition where it extends outwardly from the mechanism simply by activating the tongue member via by the actuator, one is able to place the arrangement in a locked or unlocked condition. By causing the tongue member to protrude into or be placed in . the frame chamber it will preferably contact and/or overlie and retain the lock pawl located thereunder. By removing the tongue member out of contact or so it no longer overlies the pawl, the lock pawl (even though it itself is locked) is free to be lifted out of the frame chamber.

The present invention is also directed to a locking system comprising a plurality of access points on doors, compartments, lids, tops, covers, hatches and/or the like wherein the or each access point/s is cooperable with at least an equal number of the handle arrangement/s of the invention, such that the handle arrangement/s prevents entry into or through the or each access point/s when in a locked condition and when the handle arrangcment/s is in an unlocked condition, it/they permit/s entry into or through the or each access point/s being rendered in the unlocked condition.

In a preferred form of the invention, one or more of the locked access points is/are in an unlocked condition, while one or more other access points remain in the locked condition.

Preferably, when the locking mechanism is not in contact with the engagement means, the handle of the handle arrangement is not locked relative to the engagement means and is able to be moved to permit opening of the access point, such as a door or panel upon which it is located.

Accordingly, the user is able to set all of the individual door's locking mechanisms into the active locked condition and is able to remove each individual lock's key then through activation of the individual actuators, their relevant tongue members can slide into position into or within each chamber and thus all access points arc simultaneously locked. Using the central locking system to then actuate the actuator in the opposite direction causes each tongue member to

retract or move .out of lockable contact, then enabling each handle to be lifted and rotated. The activation signals can be selected to open any one or more of doors at once.

With the tongue member in its lockable contact position within its frame chamber, the user can still manually open a selected access point by inserting its relevant key and by turning this key, its relevant -look pawl is caused to be rotated out of engagement with its associated tongue member and that selected access point is then, able to be opened while all remaining access points are maintained in a locked condition,

The scope of the present invention also extends to a method of reversibly locking at least one lockable vehicle access point, wherein the vehicle has a central locking system and wherein the handle arrangement of the present invention is mountable on said access point. The method to lock the access point comprises activating the actuator by a first signal from the central locking system to bring the engagement means into lockable contact with the locking mechanism of the handle arrangement. In this way, the handle arrangement and the access point on which it is mounted is placed into a locked condition thereby preventing entry to or through the access point. The method to unlock the access points either comprises activating the actuator by a second signal from the central locking system to break the contact between the engagement means and the locking mechanism, thereby placing the handle arrangement and the access point in an unlocked condition, or alternatively, comprises unlocking the locking mechanism of the handle arrangement to break the contact between the engagement means and the locking mechanism, thereby permitting entry to or through the access point. The actuator of the present invention is preferably electromagnetically actuated.

Description of the Drawings.

Other features and advantages of one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from the following written description with reference to, and used in conjunction with, the accompanying drawings, in which;

Fig 1 is a perspective front view of one form of the handle arrangement of the present invention with the swing handle in the closed position;

Fig. 2 is a perspective front view of the form of the handle arrangement of Figure 1 with the swing handle in the lifted position;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the handle arrangement of Figure 1 with the swing handle in the closed position with the side view of the lifted position of the swing handle also shown in ghosting. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a rear perspective view of the second preferred embodiment of the invention with a cut- out region so that the assembled remote control mechanism can be seen;

Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of second preferred form of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment

Referring to all the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views., the handle arrangement 10 includes a locking mechanism 90 fitted to handle assembly 31 which handle assembly 31 is partially receivable within a dish 100.

In a preferred embodiment, the dish 100 comprises a perimeter flange 101, at least one pair of opposing side wall 102a and 102b, a floor 103 and a recessed area 104 formed by the floor 103 and the at least one set or pair of sidewalls 102 for at least partially receiving a handle assembly 31, wherein the handle assembly 31 has an independently lockable locking mechanism 90 and an engagement means 61 operable by an actuator 60, the actuator 60 itself being operable by the vehicle's central locking system (not shown). There is at least one opening 106 in the dish floor 103 to accommodate frame chamber 38 of the handle assembly 31, which supports the looking mechanism 90. The perimeter flange 101 is provided with suitable openings 105 for releasably securing the dish 100 to a door, lid or the like (not shown) using appropriate fastening means (not shown).

The handle assembly 31 preferably a swing handle assembly is as described in International Patent Application No. PCT/AU2005/000999 (WO2006/005109). The swing handle 32 is itself pivotal about and relative to attachment point 33. Handle shaft 36 passing through a second opening 107 in dish floor 103 is securable to handle member 32 via pivot point 33.

The swing handle 32 is partially receivable within its own supporting frame 34, which in one form of the invention is mounted onto dish 100, which is releasably securable to a door, Hd or like (not shown). This manner of securing the handle assembly 31 can permit flush-mounting of the handle assembly 31 onto a door, Hd or the like, the degree of flush-mounting being dependent upon the depth of the recessed area in which the handle assembly sits. Thus, by

altering the depth of the recess, the or part of the handle can be made to protrude above the height of the dish walls, In another form of the invention, supporting frame 34 is formed integral with dish 100 with handle 32 being subsequently attached thereto.

5 The swing ^, handle 32, by means of a lifting means 35 which can extend beyond the end of supporting frame 34 permitting the user to hold the first free end of the swing handle 32, can be lifted out of engagement with the supporting frame 34. When the swing handle 32 is lifted out of frame 34, it is then able to pivot about attachment point 33, thereby permitting the handle 32 to be rotated if required. The handle assembly 31 is suitably positioned in or on dish floor 103 to 10 allow ready access to the lifting means 35 of swing handle 32.

The locking mechanism 90 is housed in a preferably chamfered outer casing 37 located on the underside 32b of swing handle 32. The supporting frame 34 includes a chamber or well 38 located thereunder and into which at least part of the locking mechanism 90 housed in outer

1.5 casing 37 can be accommodated. Casing 37, which is suitably shaped to receive and/or support locking mechanism 90 therein, comprises an opening (not shown) through which the lock pawl (not shown) protrudes. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 6, chamber 38 is located on the underside 34b of frame 34. In a preferred embodiment, chamber 38 is formed integral with frame 34. Into the sidewall of chamber 38, which is nearest to tongue member 62, there can be 0 provided a chamber recess or slot 39, as shown in Fig. 6.

The handle assembly 31 can be used in a first preferred embodiment where the locking mechanism 90 is manually operable as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, or included in a second preferred embodiment where the locking mechanism 90 of the handle assembly 31 is operated by remote 5 control as shown in Figs, 4 to 6. In the second embodiment, the handle arrangement 10 also includes an actuator 60, which is adapted to co-operate with the locking mechanism 90 to hold the door member (not shown) in a locked or unlocked condition. A suitable locking mechanism 90 as shown in PCT/AU2005/000999 (WO2006/076779) can be located in the upper face 32a of the handle 32 (refer to Fig. 2). Preferably, the locking mechanism 90 is of a high security type 0 and comprises a. keyed cylinder/barrel 91 and associated lock pawl (not shown), whereby the lock pawl can be acted upon to render the locking mechanism 90 into a locked or unlocked condition. The locking mechanism 90 may also be of the keyed push button type.

As illustrated in Fig. 6, the engagement means 61 comprises the tongue member 62 mounted on Ot cormectable to a support body 50. The support body 50 can be of a substantially rectangular shape and may be of solid, partially solid or even substantially hollow. The support body 50 has opposing side walls 50a and 50b. 5

The actuator 60 is adapted to cooperate with the tongue member 62 of engagement means 61. To the working end 68 of the actuator 60, there is provided a coupling nose member 69 (refer to Fig. 6). The nose member 69 extends from the bellows 70 of the actuator 60, Since tongue member 62 can be releasably fastened to support body 50 via fastener means (not shown), nose 10 member 69 can couple with the tongue member 62 by screwing fastening member 71 through opening/recess 50c in side wall 50a of support body 50. In this way, movement of actuator 60 causes tongue member 62 to also move.

Preferably, tongue member 62 is of a substantially T-shaped configuration such as, for example, 15 a flange. The T-shaped configuration can be made up of a cross-piece 62a and a stem-piece 62b as shown in Fig. 6.

The recess or slot 39 of chamber 38 is adapted to receive therein stem-piece 62b of tongue member 62. Since the actuator 60 is coupled to tongue member 62, when the actuator 60 has

20 moved in the direction of arrow L, tongue member 62 has also moved in the direction of the L arrow and stem-piece 62b is in position to enable it to pass through slot 39 and thereby protrude into the inside of chamber 38. When the stem-piece 62b has been received in slot 39, the locking arrangement is in a locked condition. When the stem-piece 62b is removed from slot 39, the swing handle 32 can be lifted out of its supporting frame 34.

25.

The actuator 60 is connectable to and operable with the vehicle's general central locking system. The actuator 60 as shown is in Fig. 6 is of the electromagnetic type, as used in the vehicle central locking devices known in the art. The actuator's internal operator mcan(s) (not shown) is/are accommodated within a housing 67. A solenoid/motor 66 is usually connectabJe to the vehicle

30 central locking system by wiring. However, should the actuator 60 be pneumatically, hydraulically and/or mechanically actuated, suitable linkages other than the solenoid/motor 66 as known in the art can be used to connect and act upon the actuator 60.

Through activation of the actuator 60 via signals received by the solenoid/motor 66, the tongue member 62 (when coupled to the actuator 60 via its nose member 69 connection) is able to move in the direction shown by arrow L, resulting in the overall length of the actuator 60 being increased beyond its normal state and length. Upon receiving a second signal, the solenoid/motor 66 can move the connected tongue member 62 in the opposite direction as shown by arrow U, whereby the overall length of the actuator 60 returns to its normal state and length.

For the present purposes, when the tongue member 62 is moved in the direction of arrow L, the actuator 60 is placed in a locked condition. When the actuator 60 is caused to move in the direction of arrow U, the actuator 60 can be placed in an unlocked condition.

The actuator 60 can be formed separately from locking mechanism 90 and can therefore be separately securable to the underside of dish 100. In addition, to assist in the correct alignment of the actuator 60 relative to the looking mechanism 90, as shown in Figs. 4 to 6, the actuator 60 is preferably supported by its own mounting plate 110, which in turn is releasably mountable to dish 100. Mounting plate 101 also provides some protection to the otherwise exposed housing 67 of the contents of the actuator 60. Dish 100 is releasably securable to the front side of the door of the vehicle or lid of the compartment via fastening means (not shown) passing through openings 105 in the perimeter flange 101 thereof.

Housing 120 is releasably securable to mounting plate 110 via at least one fastcncr/s 72, for example, a nut, engaging with at least one threaded stud 109 located on the mounting plate 110, to provide protection to the actuator 60 and the tongue member 62 and to provide an alignment means for the positioning of the actuator 60 with the locking mechanism 90 of the swing handle 32. In this way therefore, the extent that the tongue member 62, to which the threaded fastener 71 is secured, can protrude from the remainder of actuator 60, which is essentially held in position, can be pre-set, Securing means 73, preferably threaded fasteners, can be provided for fixing the actuator to the mounting plate 110.

In a further preferred embodiment, the actuator 60 can be mounted directly onto the dish 100. In place of a mounting plate 110, which plate assisted in the alignment of the tongue member 62 relative to the actuator 60, there may be provided a retaining member 20. The retaining member 20 also acts to limit the extent of movement of the actuator 60 and the tongue member 62 when

operating therewith in the direction of either of arrows L or U. Accordingly, the retaining member 20 can determine the extent that the tongue member 62 can protrude from the remainder of the .secured actuator 60.

The retaining member 20 is preferably of a substantially solid construction and can be of any particular shape provided it is able to cooperate with the tongue member 62 directly or via its support body 50 when the tongue member 62 is secured thereto. A substantially rectangular solid block construction is preferred for the retaining member 20. The retaining member 20 and catch means 56 may operate to together to retain the tongue member 62. The retaining member 20 has two sufficiently spaced apart notches/bores 22a and 22b therein in its side wall 20a. The notehes/bores 22a and 22b having a generally counter-sunken configuration with a substantially circular circumference, the outside diameters of which are sufficient to receive or at least partially receive the or part of the ball 56a (not shown) of the catch means 56 therein. The retaining member 20 can be releasably fixed to the mounting plate 110 and to the dish 100, which can then be fitted to the door, Hd etc. (not shown) if required by way of fastening means 74 which can be screwed through passages 23 of the retaining member 20.

The door, Kd etc. (not shown) to which the handle arrangement is fitted contains a receiver (not shown) of a vehicle's central locking system device, which is positioned within the motor vehicle body structure and out of sight. The receiver is connected by wires 131, as shown in Figs. 4 to 6, connected to actuator 60, which wires 131 carry the control input thereto, the control input being a lock signal or an unlock signal. The signal received by the actuator triggers the solenoid 66 or motor into action whereby the working end of the actuator is -moved forwardly or backwardly and depending on whether the forward motion results in the actuator 60 acting on the tongue member 62 to position itself in a locked or unlocked condition is dependant upon the required arrangement of the tongue member 62. In any event, the next desired signal will trigger the opposite signal whether it is from the locked condition to the unlocked condition and vice versa.

Accordingly, with the handle arrangement 10 of the present invention, one can always place the handle assembly 31 in a locked condition. The swing handle 32 is then able to be lifted out of its supporting frame 34 depending on whether the position of the tongue member 62 and the actuator 60 inhibits the handle 32 from being lifted out of chamber 38. If the tongue member 62

via the position of the stem-piece 62b sufficiently protruding into the inside of chamber 38 and thus hindering the handle 32 from being removed from chamber 38, the handle arrangement 10 is in a locked condition. If the stem-piece 62b is sufficiently retracted such that it no longer hinders the handle 32 from being removed from chamber 38, the handle arrangement 10 is in - unlocked condition.

Alternatively, when the actuator 60 is in an extended condition with its stem-piece 62b extending sufficiently into the inside of chamber 38, by turning an appropriate key for the locking mechanism 90 and thereby actuating the lock pawl (not shown) to move from its locked condition to its unlocked condition, the swing handle 32 can be lifted out of the support chamber 34 enabling if need be, rotation of the handle assembly 31 to open the door, Hd or the like to which it is fitted. Accordingly, without disturbing any other locked access points like doors, lids etc. by deactivating the vehicle's central locking system, one is able to open an individual door, lid or the like.

In addition, if the lock pawl (not shown) is placed in the locked condition , one can simply by deactivating (i.e. unlocking) the central locking system render all or one or more of the doors, lids, or the like openable. This latter option therefore negates the need for the end-user to have to check that each door, lid, etc. is locked. The securing of any door, lid, etc. is achieved by arming (activating) the central locking system.

An advantage of the present system is that should all access points like the doors,. lids, etc. be locked with the actuator 60 in a locked condition and there is a battery failure whereby the vehicle's central locking system cannot be deactivated or cannot work, the end user can still gain access to each door, lid, by using the door's relevant key, Having opened the door, lid, etc. one can then use the same key to rclock the door, lid, etc. The vehicle's central locking system can be further programmed to lock or unlock one or more doors, lids, etc. at a time.

The handle assembly 31 and thus its swing handle 32 is often mounted in a vertical condition on a vehicle's door or compartment, such that when the swing handle 32 is not locked to its supporting frame 34 and the vehicle is in motion, for example, when turning a comer, the swing handle 32 can due to the force of the turn be caused to lift out of the supporting frame 34. If the vehicle travels over uneven ground, the swing handle 32 could also possibly be caused to jump

out of the supporting frame 34. In these situations, the swing handle 32 can cause an annoying rattle. The retaining means as described in PCT/AU2006/000089 (WO2006/076779) which acts to decrease the likelihood of the unlocked swing handle 32 dislodging and causing an unwanted noise is also included herein by reference, wherein the retaining means is in the form of a snap- or quick-fit arrangement. In one form of snap- or quick-fit arrangement, a suitable female member 140 can be positioned qn the outer casing 37 of the locking mechanism 90, while a suitable cooperating male member 150 can be positioned on the inner wall of the frame chamber

38, or vice versa, wherein the male member 150 can be releasably receivable within the female member 140. In a preferred form, the male member 150 of the retaining means is a ball catch means 150 located or positioned on or protruding through the inner wall of the frame chamber 38 and the female member 140 is a suitably shaped recess correspondingly located on the outer casing 37 of the locking mechanism 90. hi use, aligning the swing handle 32 with the frame chamber 38 and applying downward pressure on the handle 32 causing the locking mechanism 90 within the outer casing 37 to be lowered into the frame chamber 38. The outer surface of casing 37 causes the ball catch means 150 to cooperate and frictionally engage with the recess 140 therein, securing the handle 32 in position on the supporting frame 34. In this form, even when the handle 32 is in the unlocked condition, the handle 32 is securely held or "parked" in the supporting frame 34.

The advantage provided by having the dish as part of the handle arrangement is two-fold. Firstly, if retrofitting is required, rather than having to drill new holes into the mounting surface i.e. a round hole to accommodate the handle shaft to which the swing handle is connected at its attached end and a rectangular hole to accommodate the frame chamber of the swing handle located at its first free end, which required holes may be situated in different positions to those holes already drilled into the surface for the existing handle, only one larger opening in the mounting surface is required to be drilled to accommodate the dish of the new handle arrangement. In this way, either a new manually operated handle or its remotely controlled counterpart can be installed as one piece, thereby greatly facilitating either the installation of a new handle arrangement or the retrofitting of an old handle arrangement

The earlier disadvantages detailed in relation to previous locking mechanisms can be overcome or at least substantially ameliorated as can be seen by the present invention.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that although the invention described herein for. simplicity's sake has referred in particular to a delivery truck, it has a general applicability to motor vehicles in general. It is to be -understood that the invention includes all variations and modifications of the features identified, including all types of remote control devices, handles 5 and locks referred to or indicated in the specification individually or collectively and any and all combinations of any two or more of said features.

Where the terms "comprise", "comprises", comprised" or "comprising" are used in this specification, they are to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, 10 steps or components referred to, but not to preclude the presence or addition of one or more other feature, integer, step, component or group thereof.

15.