The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 02, 1992
Filed:
Oct. 25, 1990
Jye P Swan, Brunswick Hills, OH (US);
Lee S Weinerman, Median, OH (US);
Joel T Vargus, Middleburg Heights, OH (US);
Other;
Abstract
A vehicle door lock system includes, interior and exterior handle assembies that are accessible, respectively, from interior and exterior sides of a vehicle door on which the door lock system is mounted. The door lock system includes a rotary latch that is configured to releasably engage a door-frame-mounted striker to 'latch' and 'unlatch' the door. The door is 'locked' and 'unlocked' by selectively enabling and disabling driving connections between the handle assemblies and separate release arms of the rotary latch. More specifically, locking and unlocking of the door are effected either by operating an exterior key cylinder, or by operating an interior sill button. The handle assemblies, the key cylinder and the sill button preferably are commercially available units that are arranged as may be appropriate for use with a particular vehicle door, with these units being interconnected for operation by a novel and highly versatile linkage, with elements of the linkage being operable to interact so that, 1) when the door is 'latched' but not 'locked,' either of the handle assemblies may be operated to unlatch the door, 2) when the door is both 'latched' and 'locked,' neither of the handle assemblies may be operated to unlatch the door, and, 3) such locking and unlocking movements as are executed by the key cylinder will cause corresponding movements of the sill button between its locked and unlocked positions whereby the position of the sill button is operable to provide an indication of the 'locked' and 'unlocked' status of the door lock system.