Variable spring rate chassis

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10597900-B2
Application number	US-201715466980-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2017
Priority date	Mar 23, 2016
Publication date	Mar 24, 2020
Grant date	Mar 24, 2020

Abstract

An apparatus including a chassis assembly having a housing, a spindle rotatably mounted to the housing, a spring collar rotatably mounted to the housing, a first biasing element rotationally urging the spindle toward a spindle home position, and a second biasing element rotationally urging the spring collar toward a spring collar home position. The apparatus may further include a handle mounted on the chassis such that the chassis biases the handle to a handle home position with a return torque. The handle is engaged with the spindle such that the first biasing element contributes to the return torque. In certain embodiments, the handle may further be engaged with the spring collar such that the second biasing element contributes to the return torque.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a housing including a housing opening, the housing opening defining a longitudinally-extending rotational axis;
a spindle rotatably mounted to the housing, the spindle including a drive tube including a first torque-transmitting section, wherein the spindle is rotatable about the rotational axis between a spindle home position and a spindle rotated position;
a spring collar rotatably mounted to the housing, the spring collar including a spring collar opening and a second torque-transmitting section, wherein the drive tube extends through the housing opening without rotationally coupling the drive tube to the housing, wherein the drive tube extends through the spring collar opening without rotationally coupling the drive tube to the spring collar, and wherein the spring collar is rotatable about the rotational axis between a spring collar home position and a spring collar rotated position;
a first spring engaged between the housing and the spindle, wherein the first spring is configured to generate a first rotational biasing force in response to rotation of the spindle from the spindle home position toward the spindle rotated position, the first rotational biasing force urging the spindle toward the spindle home position; and
a second spring engaged between the housing and the spring collar, wherein the second spring is configured to generate a second rotational biasing force in response to rotation of the spring collar from the spring collar home position toward the spring collar rotated position, the second rotational biasing force urging the spring collar toward the spring collar home position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second rotational biasing force is greater than the first rotational biasing force.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first spring comprises a first torsion spring positioned on a distal side of the housing, and the second spring comprises a second torsion spring positioned on a proximal side of the housing.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising a distal protrusion positioned on the distal side of the housing and a proximal protrusion positioned on the proximal side of the housing, wherein the spindle includes a first flange that is aligned with the distal protrusion in the spindle home position, wherein the spring collar includes a second flange that is aligned with the proximal protrusion in the spring collar home position, wherein the first torsion spring comprises a first pair of arms, wherein the second torsion spring comprises a second pair of arms, wherein the distal protrusion and the first flange are positioned between the first pair of arms, and wherein the proximal protrusion and the second flange are positioned between the second pair of arms.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a handle including a manually graspable portion and a shank, the shank including a third torque-transmitting section and a distal end, wherein the first torque-transmitting section and the third torque-transmitting section are engaged with one another and rotationally couple the spindle and the handle, and wherein the handle is biased toward a handle home position by a total biasing force including the first rotational biasing force.

6. An apparatus, comprising:
a housing including a housing opening, the housing opening defining a longitudinally-extending rotational axis;
a spindle rotatably mounted to the housing, the spindle including a drive tube including a first torque-transmitting section, wherein the spindle is rotatable about the rotational axis between a spindle home position and a spindle rotated position;
a spring collar rotatably mounted to the housing, the spring collar including a spring collar opening and a second torque-transmitting section, wherein the drive tube extends through the housing opening and the spring collar opening, and wherein the spring collar is rotatable about the rotational axis between a spring collar home position and a spring collar rotated position;
a first spring engaged between the housing and the spindle, wherein the first spring is configured to generate a first rotational biasing force in response to rotation of the spindle from the spindle home position toward the spindle rotated position, the first rotational biasing force urging the spindle toward the spindle home position;
a second spring engaged between the housing and the spring collar, wherein the second spring is configured to generate a second rotational biasing force in response to rotation of the spring collar from the spring collar home position toward the spring collar rotated position, the second rotational biasing force urging the spring collar toward the spring collar home position; and
a handle including a manually graspable portion and a shank, the shank including a third torque-transmitting section and a distal end, wherein the first torque-transmitting section and the third torque-transmitting section are engaged with one another and rotationally couple the spindle and the handle, and wherein the handle is biased toward a handle home position by a total biasing force including the first rotational biasing force;
wherein the distal end includes a fourth torque-transmitting section, wherein the second torque-transmitting section and the fourth torque-transmitting section are engaged with one another and rotationally couple the spring collar and the handle, and wherein the total biasing force further includes the second rotational biasing force.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the manually graspable portion comprises a lever portion extending radially outward from the shank.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the distal end is not engaged with the second torque-transmitting section and the shank is rotationally decoupled from the spring collar, and wherein the total biasing force does not include the second rotational biasing force.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the manually graspable portion comprises a knob.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the housing further comprises an annular wall defining the housing opening, and wherein the annular wall is received in the spring collar opening.

11. An interchangeable handle set, comprising:
a chassis assembly including:
a housing;
a spindle rotatably mounted to the housing, the spindle including a first torque-transmitting section;
a spring collar rotatably mounted to the housing, the spring collar including a second torque-transmitting section;
a first spring urging the spindle toward a spindle home position with a first rotational biasing force; and
a second spring urging the spring collar toward a spring collar home position with a second rotational biasing force;

a first handle; and
a second handle;
wherein each of the first handle and the second handle is configured to be mounted to the chassis assembly;
wherein each of the first handle and the second handle includes a manually graspable portion and a shank extending from the manually graspable portion to a distal end portion, the shank including a third torque-transmitting section configured to engage the first torque-transmitting section to rotationally couple the shank with the spindle;
wherein in the first handle, the manually graspable portion is a knob portion, and the distal end of the shank is not operable to engage the second torque-transmitting section; and
wherein in the second handle, the manually graspable portion is a lever portion, and the distal end of the shank includes a fourth torque-transmitting section operable to engage the second torque-transmitting section.

12. The handle set of claim 11 , wherein one of th

Assignees

• Schlage Lock Co Llc

Inventors

• Holman Michael
• Murphy Nathanael S
• Malenkovic Peter

Classifications

• E05B15/0033

  Spindles for handles, e.g. square spindles · CPC title

• E05B1/003

  Handles pivoted about an axis perpendicular to the wing (E05B3/00, E05B5/00, E05B13/106 take precedence) · CPC title

• E05B55/005

  Cylindrical or tubular locks · CPC title

• E05B2015/0437

  Attachments or mountings; Mounting of springs · CPC title

• E05B2015/0448

  Units of springs; Two or more springs working together · CPC title