Vehicle door handle
First Claim
1. A door handle assembly for a door of a vehicle comprising:
- an elongated handle which includes a pair of spaced snap clasp members extending therefrom; and
a base which includes spaced apart axle members mounted at said base and supported at each end, wherein said snap clasp members of said elongated handle are engagable with said spaced axle members, said axle members being pivotably received within snap clasp members such that said elongated handle is pivotable relative to said base.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A door handle for a door of a vehicle includes a handle portion and a housing or base portion. Preferably, the handle portion is assembled to the base portion by a snap fit of a pair of snap clasps onto a corresponding pair of axles or cross members attached to the housing. The snap clasps engage the cross members via a tapered opening to guide the cross members into the snap clasps, thereby easing the assembly process of the handle assembly. The snap clasps are snapped onto the cross members marked by an audible click to pivotally secure the handle portion to the housing, such that pivotal movement of the handle relative to the housing may be operable to open the door of the vehicle. Preferably, a biasing member is included to bias the handle portion toward its closed position relative to the housing, while the handle and the housing comprise polymeric materials. Also, the handle preferably comprises a soft touch material molded along an inner or back side of the handle to improve comfort of the handle to a user thereof when the user grasps the handle to open the door, and a heating element may also be included. One or more illumination sources may be provided at the housing or otherwise adjacent to the handle to provide illumination of the handle in response to electrical signal.
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Citations
47 Claims
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1. A door handle assembly for a door of a vehicle comprising:
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an elongated handle which includes a pair of spaced snap clasp members extending therefrom; and
a base which includes spaced apart axle members mounted at said base and supported at each end, wherein said snap clasp members of said elongated handle are engagable with said spaced axle members, said axle members being pivotably received within snap clasp members such that said elongated handle is pivotable relative to said base. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A door handle assembly for a door of a vehicle comprising:
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a handle portion comprising a paddle portion having back and front surfaces and a pair of snap clasp members extending from said back surface of said paddle portion, said handle portion comprising a polymeric material; and
a housing which defines a cavity and includes a pair of cross members, said cross members being supported at each end at said housing, said housing further including a pair of openings positioned generally adjacent to each of said cross members, said snap clasp members of said handle portion being insertable through said openings such that each of said snap clasp members engages a corresponding one of said pair of cross members, said cross members being pivotally received within said snap clasp members such that said paddle portion is pivotable relative to said housing and is positioned at least partially within said cavity of said housing. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A handle assembly for a door of a vehicle comprising:
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a base which is mountable at the door of the vehicle; and
a handle portion which is pivotally mounted to said base, said handle portion comprising a paddle portion and a pair of mounting arms for pivotally mounting said paddle portion to said base, said paddle portion including first and second surfaces, said handle portion being operable to open the door via pivotal movement of said handle portion relative to said base, said first surface of said paddle portion comprising a first polymeric material having a first material hardness, said second surface comprising a second polymeric material having a second material hardness, said first material hardness being greater than said second material hardness, said second material being joined to said first material, said second material of said second surface of said paddle portion providing a soft touch to a user of said handle assembly, said base defining a recess for said handle portion, wherein each of said pair of mounting arms defines a snap clasp member for pivotally receiving a corresponding axle member at said base. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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Specification