An integrated handle in the body, particularly the doors and/or the hatches, of a motor vehicle

The present invention concerns a handle integrated in the body, particularly the doors and/or hatches, of motor vehicles, vans and similar vehicles; more particularly, the invention concerns a handle made from synthetic resin fitted in a seat in the body of the door, which is easy to use and symmetrical so that the same moulded component can be used for both left and right-handed use, and in vertical positions on sliding doors.

In currently available motor vehicles, many types of handles are used to operate the doors, which handles differ from each other not only in terms of their shape and aesthetic appearance, but also their functional characteristics; for example, one type is an arcuate handle which projects from the vehicle body, and which turns about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the side of the motor vehicle; another type is constituted by a lever fitted in a recess in the door, which turns outwardly in a horizontal or vertical plane, perpendicular to the door; a further type is simply a push button on the door or side of the motor vehicle close to a recess which enables the user's fingers to be introduced behind an adjacent edge of the door; among those described, some types of handles for doors and/or hatches are mainly concerned with aesthetic principles rather than satisfying functional and practical needs and therefore may not be easy to use; in addition, particularly if it is desired for aesthetic reasons that some of the handle be in the same colour as the vehicle body, the known handles must be made in a number of elements which are then assembled on the body, necessitating relatively long assembly times and high costs.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a handle for operating the doors and/or hatches of motor vehicles which will be free from the disadvantages described above, which will be simple and comfortable to use and easily adapted to different models of motor vehicles, which will be of such a shape as to be usable for both left and right doors and horizontally sliding doors, and which will be relatively easy, quick and economical to mount on the motor vehicle.

In accordance with this object, there is provided a handle integrated in the body of a motor vehicle, particularly in the doors and/or hatches of a motor vehicle, characterised in that the said handle includes a hollow, shell-shape casing provided with two handling apertures; and a seat blanked from the said body and drawn outwardly of the motor vehicle, the said seat having two cut apertures separated by a continuous strip of the body; the said shell-shape casing being introduced into the said seat from the side facing inwardly of the motor vehicle, with the handling apertures aligned with the said cut apertures in the seat; the said shell-shape casing also including a transverse element positioned between the handling apertures and coupled so as to be superimposed over the continuous strip, from the side facing inwardly of the motor vehicle, to form, with the said continuous strip, a grip element for the fingers of a user's hand introduced into the said apertures.

Further characteristics of the invention will become clearer from the following description of a preferred embodiment, given by way of non-limitative example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: <ul id="ul0001" list-style="none" compact="compact"><li>Figure 1 is a perspective view of the handle according to the invention, mounted on a door;</li><li>Figure 2 is a front view of the handle of Figure 1;</li><li>Figure 3 is a section taken on the line III-III of Figure 2; and</li><li>Figure 4 is a section taken on the line IV-IV of Figure 2.</li></ul>

With reference to Figures 1 and 2, the reference numeral 1 indicates a door of a motor vehicle, equipped with a handle 2 according to the invention fitted in a seat 3 in the body 4, formed by an outward drawing 5 of the motor vehicle, delimited by a substantially elliptical outline 6 and having a horizontal major axis X-X and a vertical minor axis Y-Y; the depth of drawing is limited so as not to create a projection from the aerodynamic profile of the door 1 that is too pronounced, which would cause noise when moving.

At the same time as the drawing operation, the sheet metal of the seat 3 is cut to form two approximately ovoid apertures 7 which are symmetrical and separated by a continuous sheet metal strip 8 formed from that portion of the body 4 which is not cut when drawn to form the seat 3; the strip 8 joins two opposite sides 9 and 10 of the seat 3.

The handle 2 according to the invention includes the seat 3 and a hollow, approximately ellipsoid shell-shape casing 11 (Figures 3 and 4) formed from plastics material and including a closed rear wall 12 which joins to a front wall 14 provided with two handling apertures 15 the shapes and perimetral profiles of which are similar to and correspond with those of the apertures 7 of the seat 3; the apertures 15 are aligned with and face the apertures 7 and are bounded at their edges by a projecting protection bead 16 provided with a seat 17 which, during assembly, can be inserted with a slight force into the cut edge of the corresponding apertures 7 of the seat 3, working from the side of the body facing inwardly of the motor vehicle, to hold the shell 11 to the panel.

In use, the bead 16 projects out from the sheet metal of the body 4 of the motor vehicle and performs a double protective function: first, the bead 16 protects the user's finger when they grip the sharp corners of the continuous strip 8; secondly, it protects the paint on the door from being scratched or scored when the door is opened close to a vertical wall or the side of an adjacent motor vehicle.

The front wall 14 is therefore limited by a transverse portion 18 which is part of the shell 11 and which connects the two ends 20 and 21 of the shell 11, symmetrically separating the apertures 15; on mounting the shell 11 in the seat 3, the transverse portion 18 is positioned so as to be superimposed over the strip 8, from the inside of the motor vehicle, to form with the strip 8 a grip element 24 suitable to be gripped by the fingers of a user's hand; together with two facing portions 16' and 16'' (Figure 4), the bead 16 defines a seat 19 within which the continuous strip 8 is housed, which seat helps to hold the shell 11 in the correct position; the dimensions of the apertures 7 and 15 of the seat 3 and shell 11 respectively, are designed to provide comfortable access for four fingers, regardless of whether the left or right hand is used; similarly, the internal size of the shell 11 enables a user's fingers to be inserted and to bend around the transverse grip element 24.

At one end 10 of the transverse portion 18, in the zone where it joins with the panel around the body 4, a push button 26 is provided which is housed in a hole 27 and which can be pressed with the thumb for operating a lock or any opening/closure device, known and not shown, to unlock the door 1.

The hole 27 passes partly through the body 4 and partly through the shell-shape casing 11, in particular, through the continuous sheet metal strip 8 of the seat 3 and the transverse portion 18 of the shell 11.

By virtue of the symmetrical shape of the handle 2, the shell 11 can be produced in a single shape using a single mould, and can be used for all the handles of a motor vehicle; it may be mounted in either of two positions rotated by 180°, to operate the push button 26 with either the left or the right hand.

In addition, the handle 2 may be utilised in a position rotated through 90°, with the grip element 24 disposed vertically and the push button 26 consequently positioned above or below the grip element 24, for use on doors, particularly of vans, which are opened by sliding horizontally along a side of the vehicle.

In a possible embodiment, the push button 26 may be replaced by a lever 28 (shown in broken outline in Figure 3) disposed inside the shell-shape casing 11, behind the transverse portion 18 of this latter and the corresponding strip 8, and in such a position as to be easily manipulated with either the left or the right hand.

From what has been described, the advantages of the integrated handle according to the invention are clear; in fact, the limited projection of the handle 2 from the profile of the door 1 reduces drastically the formation of turbulence, even at high speeds, with a consequent reduction in noise, while it is extremely easy and quick to mount on the motor vehicle.

The absence of movable projecting handles to be gripped to operate the door eliminates the risk of scratching or scoring the paint around the handle; on the contrary, the integrated handle according to the invention, by forcing the user to insert fingers into the shell 11 to operate the door, means that the adjacent painted body is not touched. Therefore, from a stylistic point of view, the handle according to the invention, being obtained partly from a blanked and drawn portion of the body is, in use, painted the colour of the body and does not require parts to be painted separately from the rest of the body.

Finally, as already mentioned, the symmetrical shape of the handle enables a single model to be used for the shell 11, constructed from a single mould and usable for all of the handles of a motor vehicle, including the handle of a possible rear hatch, which may even therefore be orientated with the grip element 24 disposed vertically; in addition, the drawn and blanked seat 3 may be formed on all of the doors and/or hatches using a single die, with a significant saving in terms of equipment and production times.