Integrated Door Pull Handle With Rotating Standoff Lock
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Fixed door pull handle assemblies often compromise aesthetics due to separate locking mechanisms, which are inconveniently placed to minimize visibility but impractical for frequent use in residential settings.
Innovation Solution
A fixed door pull handle assembly with a user-rotatable standoff that engages a door latch assembly via a spindle, allowing for rotational captive cooperation, and an alternative center-pivoting handle that recesses within the elongated door pull handle to lock or unlock doors, accommodating various latch types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate locking mechanism is used, then the door can be securely locked, but the aesthetic appearance of the door is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the locking mechanism with the door handle assembly by integrating a standoff that serves dual purposes: supporting the handle and providing the locking function. The standoff is rotatable and engages with a latch assembly, combining what were previously separate components into a unified structure that maintains aesthetic appearance while providing secure locking.
Solution Approach 2:
The standoff component performs multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a structural support for the door handle, serves as the locking mechanism through its rotatable engagement with the latch, and can be configured in different lengths to accommodate various door types. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate locking components that would compromise aesthetics.
2Shape
If the lock is placed at the top of the doorframe out of site, then the lock is less visible and aesthetics are improved, but it becomes inconvenient for frequent use
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is merged with the door handle assembly, placing the lock in a prominent but aesthetically pleasing location on the handle itself rather than at the top of the doorframe. The rotatable standoff on the handle provides easy access for frequent use while maintaining a clean appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of hiding the lock away at the top of the doorframe, the invention inverts the approach by making the lock prominently visible on the handle assembly. The rotatable standoff engages the latch in a position that is easily accessible to users, prioritizing ease of operation while the integrated design maintains aesthetic appeal.
3Shape
If a user rotatable standoff is used to engage the latch, then the locking mechanism is integrated into the handle, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The standoff is designed as a multi-functional component that simultaneously serves as a structural support for the door handle and as the locking mechanism. By making the standoff rotatable and engaging it with the latch assembly, the design achieves integration without requiring multiple separate components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The spindle is embedded and hidden within the hollow interior portion of the user rotatable support standoff, creating a nested structure. This nesting approach integrates the locking mechanism within the support structure, achieving seamless integration while minimizing additional complexity by utilizing the existing hollow space within the standoff.
4Reliability
If a center-pivoting handle is used instead, then the locking function is maintained, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The door handle assembly is segmented into distinct functional components: the elongated door pull handle, the user rotatable support standoff, the spindle, and the latch assembly. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured and assembled separately with standard tolerances, reducing the overall manufacturing precision requirements compared to a monolithic center-pivoting handle design.
Solution Approach 2:
The spindle is nested within the hollow interior portion of the user rotatable support standoff, allowing the spindle to be manufactured separately and then inserted into the pre-formed standoff. This nesting approach separates the manufacturing processes, reducing the precision requirements for the final assembly compared to creating a single integrated center-pivoting handle.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed in one aspect is the fixed door pull handle assembly that includes an elongated door pull handle with two or more support standoffs projecting away from the elongated door pull handle and securing the elongated door pull handle to the doorframe or to the body of the door. One of the support standoffs is user rotatable, and rotatably engages a door latch assembly within the door. In another aspect, the support standoff is not user rotatable. Instead, a center-pivoting handle is mounted in-line with one of the support standoffs and rotatably engages the door latch assembly within the door. The center-pivoting handle is recessed within the elongated handle.