Vehicle door handle
First Claim
1. A vehicle door handle assembly for opening a door of a vehicle comprising:
- a base which is mountable at the door of the vehicle;
a handle portion which includes first and second portions, said handle portion being operable to open the door via movement of said handle portion relative to said base, said first portion of said handle portion comprising a first polymeric material having a first material hardness, said second portion of said handle portion 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 portion providing a soft touch co a user of said handle assembly when the user operates said handle portion to open the door of the vehicle; and
an illumination source, said illumination source being operable to provide illumination to said handle portion in response to at least one of a touch of said handle portion, a movement of said handle portion relative to said base, actuation of a remote keyless entry module, and an insertion of a key into a key hole at said vehicle door handle assembly, said illumination source being automatically deactivated a period of time following activation of said illumination source.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle door handle assembly for opening a door of a vehicle includes a base which is mountable at the door of the vehicle and a handle portion which is operable to open the door via movement of the handle portion relative to the base. The handle portion includes a first portion having a first material hardness and a second portion having a second material hardness. The first material hardness is greater than the second material hardness, such that the second portion provides a softer feel to a user of the door handle assembly when opening the door of the vehicle. The door handle assembly may further include an illumination source for illuminating the handle portion and/or a heating element for heating the handle portion.
97 Citations
59 Claims
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1. A vehicle door handle assembly for opening a door of a vehicle comprising:
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a base which is mountable at the door of the vehicle;
a handle portion which includes first and second portions, said handle portion being operable to open the door via movement of said handle portion relative to said base, said first portion of said handle portion comprising a first polymeric material having a first material hardness, said second portion of said handle portion 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 portion providing a soft touch co a user of said handle assembly when the user operates said handle portion to open the door of the vehicle; and
an illumination source, said illumination source being operable to provide illumination to said handle portion in response to at least one of a touch of said handle portion, a movement of said handle portion relative to said base, actuation of a remote keyless entry module, and an insertion of a key into a key hole at said vehicle door handle assembly, said illumination source being automatically deactivated a period of time following activation of said illumination source. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A vehicle door handle assembly for opening a door of a vehicle comprising:
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a base which is mountable at the door of the vehicle;
a handle portion which includes first and second portions, said handle portion being operable to open the door via movement of said handle portion relative to said base, said first portion of said handle portion comprising a first polymeric material having a first material hardness, said second portion 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 portion providing a soft touch to a user of said handle assembly when the user operates said handle portion to open the door of the vehicle; and
a heating element positioned within said handle portion and operable to increase a temperature of at least said second portion of said handle portion in response to at least one of a touch of said handle portion, a movement of said handle portion relative to said base, actuation of a remote keyless entry module, a motion detection at the vehicle, and an insertion of a key into a key hole at said door handle assembly wherein said heating element deactivates a period of time following actuation of said heating element. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59)
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37. The vehicle door handle assembly of claim wherein said exterior surface is molded around said center portion.
Specification