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:
May. 20, 2003
Filed:
Apr. 21, 2000
David R. Stuart, Middleville, MI (US);
Michael Boorsma, Grandville, MI (US);
Christian M Norton, Wixom, MI (US);
David Bruce Lehmkuhl, Dearborn, MI (US);
James Lee Salmon, Mariemont, OH (US);
ADAC Plastics, Inc., Grand Rapids, MI (US);
Abstract
A motor vehicle door handle assembly combining the use of a counterweight to preclude inadvertent opening movement of the door in a side impact scenario and the ability to install the handle assembly from outside of the vehicle by passing the handle assembly through an aperture in an outer skin of the door. The handle assembly includes a housing; a handle mounted for opening and closing movement on the housing; an actuator mechanism operative in response to opening movement of the handle to unlatch a latch mechanism of the door and allow opening of the door; and a counterweight. The counterweight is mounted on the housing for movement between an installation position within a profile of the housing, to facilitate installation of the handle assembly in a motor vehicle door by insertion of the handle assembly through an aperture in an outer skin, and an operative position in juxtaposition to the actuator mechanism in which it is operative in response to an impact against the side of the vehicle proximate the door handle assembly to resist movement of actuator mechanism in a door unlatching direction. Following passage of the handle assembly through the aperture in the door with the counterweight in its installation position, the handle member is moved relative to the housing to release the counterweight and allow it to be moved to its operative position under the biasing of the handle assembly return spring which normally acts to yieldably resist opening movement of the handle. The counterweight in its operative position pushes against the actuator mechanism but is free to move away from the actuator mechanism so as not to act to urge the actuator mechanism in a door unlatching direction in response to an impact against the side of the vehicle remote from the door handle assembly.