Vehicle door, in particular a tailgate

• US 6,416,115 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2001
• Issued: 07/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Compagnie Plastic Omnium (Burelle)
• Original Assignee: Compagnie Plastic Omnium (Burelle)
• Inventors: Ader, Stéphanie, Jacquemard, Claude, Pommeret, Maëlig
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ken
• Application Number:
  US09/799,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20010033092A1
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 296/146.8, 296/50, 296/56, 296/146.5, 296/57.1, 296/106, 296/76, 296/186, 292/336.3, 292/201, 292/DIG.29, 292/DIG.43, 292/216
• US Class Current: 296/146.8
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 5/10 arranged at the vehicle rear B60J5/04 takes precedence ; bonnets or lids B62D25/10; tail gates for pick-up trucks B62D33/0273; counterbalancing E05F; springs, e.g. pneumatic F16F
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 5/107 constructional details, e.g. about door frame, panels, materials used, reinforcements
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 83/16 Locks for luggage compartments, car boot lids or car bonnets
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 85/10 Handles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/43 Rear deck lid latches
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/57 Operators with knobs or handles

Abstract

A vehicle door, in particular a tailgate (1), the door comprising an outside face (2) and an end face (4) opposite from a region where it is hinged to the vehicle. It includes a handle (10) integrated in the end face (4) and an opening (14) in the outside face (2) of the door to give access to said handle when the door is closed.

Claims

1. A vehicle door, the door comprising an outside face and an end face opposite from a region where it is hinged to the vehicle, wherein the door includes a handle integrated in the end face and an opening in the outside face of the door to give access to said handle when the door is closed.

2. The door according to claim 1, wherein the handle has two bearing surfaces, one bearing surface serving to open the door, and the other being used to close it.

3. The door according to claim 1, wherein said bearing surfaces are constituted by integrally-formed walls of plastics material fitted to a box structure of the door.

4. The door according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said walls bears against a bearing surface of the box structure.

5. The door according to claim 2, wherein said bearing surfaces face each other.

6. The door according to claim 1, wherein the handle has an outside wall integrated in the end face of the door, a grip zone in the center of said outside wall, and a setback for receiving the end phalanges of the user'"'"'s hand while opening or closing the door.

7. The door according to claim 1, wherein the door includes a lock having a control member, and the handle presents a bearing surface that is used for opening and that is defined by a moving and/or deformable wall arranged to act on the control member of the lock while the user is exerting an upwardly-directed force on opening the door.

8. The door according to claim 1, wherein the fact that the moving and/or deformable wall is made in the form of a wall of rigid plastics material connected via a film hinge to the remainder of the handle.

9. A door according to claim 7, wherein the moving and/or deformable wall is made in the form of a flexible wall overmolded or fitted on the remainder of the handle.

10. The door according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the handle against which the user bears has a soft covering in order to increase user comfort.

11. The door according to claim 1, wherein the door is a tailgate.