Installation body for door and/or window handles

Abstract

An installation body used as an axially fixed and rotatable receptacle for a handle. The handle consist of a circumferential engagement groove in a neck section of the handle that is in contact with the installation body. The installation body is composed of a base body with a passage opening aligned centrally with an axis (D), a guide bushing for the neck section of the handle, whereas the guide bushing is arranged inside the passage opening of the base body and locking mechanism, which fixates the handle inside base body in a releasable manner. The locking mechanism uses locking balls, which are adjustable arranged radially in the direction of the axis inside the guide bushing. The latter is positioner the passage opening of the base body in a direction (A) in an adjustable manner, wherein the guide bushing, or the base body, has a circumferential inclined surface that is acted upon by a pressure spring the direction (A).

Claims

1. An installation body for use as an axially fixed and rotatable receptacle for a handle, the handle having a circumferential engagement groove located in a neck section of the handle that is for contact engagement with the installation body, the installation body comprising: a) a base body that is provided with a passage opening centrally aligned with an axis (D); and b) a guide bushing for the neck section of the handle; and c) a locking mechanism, for releasably fixing the handle in the base body; d) wherein the locking mechanism uses locking balls that are adjustable and are arranged radially in the direction of the axis (D) inside the guide bushing; and e) wherein the guide bushing is positioned inside the base body in an axial direction (A) in an adjustable manner, wherein the guide bushing is acted upon by a pressure spring in the axial direction (A); and f) wherein the base body is provided with a circumferential inclined surface; and g) wherein the locking balls located inside guide bushing are pushed against the inclined surface in the axial direction (A) by the pressure spring in such a manner that a resulting force (F) is radially imparted upon the locking balls in the direction of the axis (D).

2. The installation body as defined in claim 1, wherein the guide bushing comprises a passage opening for the neck section of the handle centrally to the axis (D).

3. The installation body as defined in claim 2, wherein the guide bushing comprises bearing passage openings that are aligned radially to the axis (D).

4. The installation body as defined in claim 3, wherein every bearing passage opening on an inner circumference of the passage opening of the guide bushing has a diameter (V) that is smaller than a diameter (W) of the locking balls.

5. The installation body as defined in claim 4, wherein a wall thickness (T) of the guide bushing is smaller than the diameter (W) of the locking balls.

6. The installation body as defined in claim 5, wherein the guide bushing consists of two parts with the bearing passage openings for the locking balls are each divided into two halves, one upper section and one lower section of the guide bushing.

7. The installation body as defined in claim 6, wherein the upper section of the guide bushing is positioned on the lower section with an anti-twist mechanism being located between the upper section and the lower section.

8. The installation body as defined in claim 7, wherein the base body comprises an upper section and a lower section.

9. The installation body as defined in claim 8, wherein the circumferential inclined surface is positioned on the upper section of the base body.

10. The installation body as defined in claim 9, wherein the lower section of the base body has a receptacle for the guide bushing located therein.

11. The installation body as defined in claim 10, wherein guide bushing is rotatably mounted around the axis (D) against the spring force in a manner that is concentric to the passage opening of the base body.

12. The installation body as defined in claim 11, wherein the guide bushing forms a spanner flat for the handle within the passage opening.

13. The installation body as defined in claim 12, wherein the spring force is generated by at least one recuperating spring that is supported in the circumferential direction (U) on the base body with its first end and on the guide bushing with its second end.

14. The installation body as defined in claim 13, wherein recuperating spring presses the guide bushing against a stop in the base body in the circumferential direction (U).

15. The installation body as defined in claim 14, wherein the guide bushing is provided with at least one driver, and wherein each driver forms a thrust bearing for one of the recuperating springs and supports the guide bushing against the stop.

16. An installation body with an axially fixed and rotatable receptacle for removably receiving a handle, the handle being equipped with a circumferential engagement groove around a neck section thereof for engagement with the installation body, the installation body comprising: a base body having a passage opening therein which is centrally located with respect to an axis, the base body having a circumferentially inclined surface located therein; a guide bushing for the neck section of the handle, the guide bushing normally being positioned within the passage opening of the base body; and a locking mechanism for releasably locking the handle in place with the neck of the handle located inside the base body, the locking mechanism comprising: a plurality of locking balls positioned inside the guide bushing in such a manner that they can be shifted radially with respect to the axis; and a pressure spring arranged to load the guide bushing in the axial direction, whereby the locking balls located inside the guide bushing are urged in the axial direction by the pressure spring causing the locking balls to be pushed against the inclined surface and move in a radially inward direction with regards to the axis to engage the circumferential engagement groove in the neck section of the handle when the neck section of the handle is inserted into the base body.

17. The installation body as defined in claim 16, wherein the locking mechanism is arranged such that when the neck section of the handle is inserted into the base body, the guide bushing is pushed in the direction of the pressure spring in a manner causing the locking balls to disengage from the inclined surface and move radially outwardly, thereby allowing the neck section of the handle to be easily inserted into the installation body.

18. The installation body as defined in claim 17, wherein the guide bushing comprises a plurality of bearing passages aligned radially with respect to the axis, each bearing passage for the radial storage of a respective one of the locking balls, each bearing passage having an opening with a diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the locking balls at the inner extent of such bearing passage to prevent the locking ball in such bearing passage from falling inwards out of the bearing passage if the neck section of the handle has not yet been inserted into the installation body.

19. The installation body as defined in claim 18, wherein the guide bushing comprises two mating sections with an anti-twist mechanism being provided therebetween which is arranged such that once the two mating sections of the guide bushing are connected together, they will remain connected together in a rotation-resistant manner, wherein the bearing passages for the locking balls comprise two halves respectively located in the two mating sections of the guide bushing.

20. The installation body as defined in claim 16, wherein the guide bushing is rotatable with the handle, the installation body additionally comprising: a recuperating spring arranged to cause the guide bushing and a handle having its neck engaged with the guide bushing to returned into an initial position after any rotary actuation of the handle.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Other features, characteristics, and advantages of the invention result from the wording of the claims as well as the following description of embodiment examples (examples of further development) based on the enclosed in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows an exploded representation of the components of an installation body with handle and square spindle;

(3) FIG. 2 shows an exploded representation of FIG. 1 from a different perspective; and

(4) FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional representation of FIG. 1 with the handle mounted.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(5) The installation body identified as 10 in FIG. 1 comprises a base body 30 and a guide bushing 50. The base body, in turn, encompasses an upper section 36 and a lower section 37, between which a space is provided for the guide bushing 50. After assembling the upper section 36 and lower section 37, the guide bushing 50 is inserted into the base body. In this context, it is possible to provide a receptacle 38 for the guide bushing 50 inside the lower section 37 of the base body 30 that can simultaneously serve as a means to secure radial positioning.

(6) The installation body 10 is used as an axially fixed and rotatable receptacle for a handle 20, with the handle 20 being provided with a circumferential engagement groove 23 in a neck section 22 that is in contact with the installation body 10. The base body 30 of the installation body 10 is provided with a passage opening 34 centrally to the “D” axis. The guide bushing 50 that is centrally arranged with regard to the passage opening 34 inside the base body 30 is composed of a passage opening 51 that is flush with the other passage opening 34 through which the neck section 22 of the handle 20 and therefore a typically connected square spindle can be guided.

(7) A support ring 100 for the handle 20 is provided on the base body 30 through which the mounted handle 20 is axially supported on the installation body 10. This achieves a high degree of stability.

(8) A covering cap 120 can be attached to the base body 30, which then engages with the base body 30. This results in a smooth, easy to clean, and highly aesthetically pleasing surface and allows for the protection of the base body 30 as well as protecting all of the mechanical elements contained therein from environmental influences.

(9) The handle 20 is fixated in the base body 30 using a locking mechanism 70 from where it can also be unlocked again. The locking mechanism 70 preferably comprises a number of locking balls 75 that are arranged inside the guide bushing 50 and can be displaced radially in the direction of the “D” axis, and can thereby engage with the engagement groove 23 of the neck section 22. In this regard, the locking balls 75 are radially and flexibly mounted in bearing passage openings 52 of the guide bushing 50 that are radially aligned with the “D” axis. The guide bushing 50 is mounted concentrically to the passage opening 34 inside the base body 30 and can be moved in the axial direction “A”, wherein a pressure spring 80 imparts a force on the guide bushing 50 from the direction of the upper section 36 and/or the handle 20 and in the axial direction “A”. The lower section 37 of the base body 30 contains a receptacle 39 for the pressure spring 80.

(10) The base body 30 is provided with a circumferential inclined surface 35, which concentrically surrounds the passage opening 34. The locking balls 75 that are mounted inside the guide bushing 50 are pressed against the inclined surface 35 by the pressure of the pressure spring 80 in the axial direction “A” in such a manner that a resulting force “F” is radially applied to the locking balls 75 in the direction of axis “D” and with the locking balls 75 thereby being inclined to move inwardly in a radial motion. Accordingly, they automatically engage with the engagement groove 23 formed in the neck section 22 of the handle 20 after insertion of the neck section 22 of the handle 20.

(11) Upon insertion of the handle 20, the guide bushing 50 is forced away from the inclined surface 35 and against the pressure spring 80 force by the contact between the neck section 22 and the locking balls 75 so that the locking balls 75 can radially escape outward and it is thereby possible to insert the neck section 22 with very little force.

(12) In order to loosen the handle 20 from the installation body 10, a pointed object, such as a screwdriver, can be put through the passage openings of the upper section 36 of the base body 30 to exert an axial force on the guide bushing 50 and against the pressure spring 80 force, so that the guide bushing 50 is moved away from the inclined surface 35, thereby allowing for radial movement of the engagement grooves 75 to the outside. This allows the engagement grooves 75 to be taken out of engagement with the engagement groove 23 and allows the handle 20 to be removed.

(13) The guide bushing 50 is composed of two parts with a circular upper section 56 and a circular lower section 57, which can be connected in a form-fitting and thereby rotationally fixed manner. An anti-twist protection is provided by fitted keys 58 that radially protrude to the outside from the upper section 56 and engage with the corresponding recesses in the lower section 57 in a positive-locking manner. The bearing passage openings 52 are in equal parts designed as semi-circular recesses inside the upper section 56 and the lower section 57 whereas the bearing passage openings 52 are continuous, meaning that they lead to the inner circumference 54 of the passage opening 51. In order to prevent the engagement grooves 75 from falling out of the bearing passage openings 52, the diameter of the bearing passage openings 52 on an inner end that is opposed to the passage opening is reduced to a diameter “V”, which is smaller than the diameter “W” of the engagement grooves 75. A corresponding reduction in diameter can, if required, also be formed radially on the outer end, so that the engagement grooves 75 are stored safely inside the bearing passage openings 52 like in a bearing cage.

(14) The wall thickness “T” of the guide bushing 50, particularly of the upper section 56, is smaller than the diameter “W” of the locking balls 75. This allows the locking balls 75 to freely come into contact with the inclined surface 35 and thereby results in them being pushed radially inside the bearing passage openings 52.

(15) A special embodiment of this installation body 10 intends that the guide bushing 50 within the passage opening 34 of the base body 30 is also mounted rotatably around the axis “D” against a spring force. For this purpose, the guide bushing 50 is provided with a spanner flat 55 for the handle 20 within the passage opening 51, through the use of which a rotary movement of the handle 20 and/or the connected square spindle can be transferred to the guide bushing 50. A corresponding surface is formed particularly on the neck section 22, which is assigned to the key spring with the handle 20 mounted and thereby allows for a torque transmission between the handle 20 and guide bushing 50. The neck section 22 is then held inside the passage opening 51 of the guide bushing 50 in a positive-locking manner.

(16) The spring force is generated by at least one recuperating spring 90 that is supported in the circumferential direction “U” on the base body 30 with its first end 92, and on the guide bushing 50 with its second end 94. This causes each recuperating spring 90 to be pushed against a stop 40 in the base body 30 in the circumferential direction “U” by the guide bushing 50. To this end, the guide bushing 50 is provided with at least one driver 60, whereas each driver 60 forms a thrust bearing for one of the recuperating springs 90 and supports the guide bushing 50 against the stop 40.

(17) The return spring can be used in both rotary directions, meaning for both right-hand as well as left-hand rotations. This allows the installation body to be used in various applications. The spring function is only activated upon actuation of the handle so that the return spring is unloaded if the handle is in its initial position. Such a return spring allows for the commonly used recuperating springs of the door lock mechanism to be relieved.

(18) FIG. 2 shows the installation body 10 and the handle 20 from an opposite perspective compared to FIG. 1. The same elements are identified by the same reference signs. It can be seen that the support ring 100 has a conical inner surface, so that it is in contact with a correspondingly formed upper side of the upper section 36 in the area of the inclined surface 35 in the installed state. A suitable construction is provided on the underside of the lower section 37 to provide a firm hold, particularly with regard to the surface of a door leaf. Furthermore, passage openings for the placement of fixing screws are provided in the lower section 37 in order to fixate the lower section 37 and thereby the installation body 10 accordingly.

(19) FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional representation of the installation body 10 with the neck section 22 of the handle 20 inserted. The guide bushing 50 is axially pressed against the inclined surface 35 by the pressure spring 80, which caused the locking balls to be radially moved inside and partially engage the engagement groove 23. An axial withdrawal of the handle 20 is thereby prevented by the locking balls 75 by means of a positive-locking fit. These thereby represent a blocking body.

(20) The invention is not limited to the embodiments and developments detailed above, but can be modified in many ways. For example, a variant with six locking balls 75 is shown, which are positioned inside bearing passage openings 51, which are located inside the guide bushing 50 next to each other at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. But a different number of locking balls 75 would also be possible. It would also be possible to select a different geometric form instead of locking balls to realize this blocking body. Different variants for the recuperating spring are also conceivable.

(21) All characteristics, features and advantages arising from the claims, the description and the drawings, including any constructive details, spatial arrangements and process steps can be crucial to the invention by themselves as well as in various different combinations.

(22) Although the foregoing description of the present invention has been shown and described with reference to particular embodiments and applications thereof, it has been presented for purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the particular embodiments and applications disclosed. It will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes, modifications, variations, or alterations to the invention as described herein may be made, none of which depart from the spirit or scope of the present invention. The particular embodiments and applications were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such changes, modifications, variations, and alterations should therefore be seen as being within the scope of the present invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.

(23) While the current application recites particular combinations of features in the claims appended hereto, various embodiments of the invention relate to any combination of any of the features described herein whether or not such combination is currently claimed, and any such combination of features may be claimed in this or future applications. Any of the features, elements, or components of any of the exemplary embodiments discussed above may be claimed alone or in combination with any of the features, elements, or components of any of the other embodiments discussed above.

(24) TABLE-US-00001 List of Reference Signs A Axial direction D Axis F Force T Wall thickness (guide bushing) U Circumferential direction V Diameter (bearing passage opening) W Diameter (locking ball) 10 Installation body 20 Handle 22 Neck section 23 Engagement groove 30 Base body 34 Passage opening 35 Inclined surface 36 Upper section 37 Lower section 38 Receptacle 39 Receptacle 40 Stop 50 Guide bushing 51 Passage opening 52 Bearing passage opening 54 Inner circumference 55 Spanner flat 56 Upper section 57 Lower section 58 Fitted key 60 Driver 70 Locking mechanism 75 Locking ball 80 Pressure spring 90 Recuperating spring 92 First end 94 Second end 100 Support ring 120 Cover cap