Motor vehicle lock together with a manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9677304-B2
Application number	US-201213983336-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2012
Priority date	Feb 2, 2011
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lock having a lock housing ( 3, 4 ) together with a lock cover ( 2 ), a lock case ( 9 ), a locking mechanism which is mounted on the base surface of the lock case ( 9 ), and an activation device for opening the locking mechanism. An activation lever of the activation device is at least partially covered by a pivotable flap ( 5 ) of a lock covering means ( 2, 3 ). The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing the flap together with a lock cover ( 2 ) by injection molding.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A lock comprising: a lock housing and lock cover that covers the lock housing, a lock case with the lock housing being placed on the lock case, a locking mechanism mounted on a base surface of the lock case and an activation device for opening the locking mechanism, wherein:
the activation device includes an activation lever that is at least partially covered by a pivotable flap of the lock cover when the pivotable flap is in a closed position;
the pivotable flap has a pivot axis that is perpendicular to the base surface of the lock case;
the pivotable flap contains a first wall section and a second wall section, connected to each other along a common edge, wherein the first wall section has an edge connected to the pivot axis, and the second wall section extends perpendicularly from the first wall section along the common edge; and
the lock case includes a side wall that extends at a right angle from the base surface, and the first wall section extends along the side wall between the base surface and the second wall section to cover the side wall when the pivotable flap is in the closed position.

2. The lock according to claim 1 with a detent mechanism with which the pivotable flap can be latched in the closed position.

3. The lock according to claim 2 , in which the detent mechanism contains a flexible lever with a hook that is part of the pivotable flap.

4. The lock according to claim 1 , in which a Bowden cable is part of the activation device and in which the Bowden cable extends through an opening in the lock housing and in which the Bowden cable is detachably connected to the activation lever.

5. The lock according to claim 4 , in which the pivotable flap is fixed in such a way that it can be pivoted away from the opening in the lock housing for opening the pivotable flap.

6. The lock according to claim 1 , in which a detent mechanism abuts an opening in the lock housing for latching the pivotable flap in a closed position, through which a component of the activation device comprising a Bowden cable extends.

7. The lock according to claim 1 , with an opening in the lock housing, through which a component of the activation device extends and in which the opening is reinforced by a reinforcement insert made of metal.

8. The lock according to claim 1 , wherein the second wall section of the pivotable flap comprises a longitudinal section and a transverse section that overlap with a wall section of the lock housing in the closed position of the pivotable flap.

9. The lock according to claim 1 , wherein an edge section of the pivotable flap enters a groove or one or several groove sections of the lock housing when the pivotable flap is moved to the closed position.

10. The lock according to claim 1 , wherein the lock housing contains at least one internal wall abutting against one end of the activation lever.

Assignees

• Bendel Thorsten
• Kippes Thomas
• Muller Dorothea
• Gotzen Klaus
• Kiekert Ag

Inventors

• Bendel Thorsten
• Kippes Thomas
• Muller Dorothea
• Gotzen Klaus

Classifications

• Y10T292/03

  Miscellaneous · CPC title

• B29K2067/006

  PBT, i.e. polybutylene terephthalate · CPC title

• Y10S292/54

  Attachments and adjuncts · CPC title

• E05B85/02

  Lock casings · CPC title

• Y10T292/57

  Operators with knobs or handles · CPC title