GB2321497A

GB2321497A - Reversible handle

Info

Publication number: GB2321497A
Application number: GB9801700A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Lycett
Original assignee: Multi Stroke Ltd
Current assignee: Multi Stroke Ltd
Priority date: 1997-01-28
Filing date: 1998-01-28
Publication date: 1998-07-29
Anticipated expiration: 2018-01-28
Also published as: GB9701718D0; GB2321497B; GB9801700D0

Abstract

There is described a reversible handle for operating a pivotable member of a door-latching mechanism on an ISO container. The reversible handle is in the form of an elongate member and having means whereby the handle can be selectively disposed to project from one or other side of the pivotable member. A door-latching mechanism and ISO container incorporating the reversible handle are also described.

Description

Reversible Handle This invention relates to a reversible handle, and relates more particularly but not exclusively to a reversible handle suitable for use in the door-latching mechanisms typically fitted to ISO freight containers.

Door-latching mechanisms for ISO containers are known, and comprise locking cam members fitted at both ends of a pivot tube which is operated by a handle to engage keepers on the door. However, as soon as the handle is welded to the pivot tube, the assembly is either left-handed or right-handed according to which one of the two possible ways the components are assembled.

Thus, two sorts of assembly have to be kept in stock to supply container manufacturers.

According to the first aspect of the present invention there is provided a reversible handle comprising an elongate member adapted to be mounted in a pivotable member of a door-latching mechanism in a manner allowing pivoting of the pivotable member by manipulation of the handle, the elongate member being provided with means selectively allowing either end of the elongate member to be brought adjacent the pivotable member whereby the handle can be selectively disposed to project from one or other side of the pivotable member.

The elongate member of the reversible handle is preferably mounted for sliding movement through the pivotable member, and is preferably provided with end stop means preventing detachment of the elongate member from the pivotable member. The end stop means and/or other parts of the elongate member are preferably adapted to permit the handle to be disposed, when one or other end of the elongate member is adjacent the pivotable member, selectively either substantially radially with respect to the pivot axis of the pivotable member or substantially parallel to the pivot axis, and preferably also adjacent thereto when parallel.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a door-latching mechanism comprising the assembly of a reversible handle according to the first aspect of the invention and a pivotable member mounted for pivoting movement within the mechanism, the handle being mounted on the pivotable member such as to project selectively from one side or the other side of the pivotable member.

The pivotable member is preferably provided with stop means operable after selection of the projection side for the handle such as to stop the handle subsequently being displaced to the initially non-selected side.

The stop means can be a stop pin functioning, when installed, to stop movement of the elongate member of the handle through the pivotable member in which the elongate member is mounted.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided an ISO container fitted with a doorlatching mechanism according to the second aspect of the invention with the pivotable member thereof mounted closely adjacent the outer surface of a door of its container for pivoting movement about a pivot axis closely adjacent and substantially parallel to the outer surface of its door, the selectable projection of the handle permitting the pivotable member to be pivoted by a part turn in a selected one of two rotational directions away from a door-latching position according to the selected direction of projection.

The handle and/or another part of the door-latching mechanism is preferably adapted to be selectively locked in the door-latching position whereby to lock the container shut; the handle and the door upon which its pivotable member is mounted may be adapted to be mutually secured as by a padlock and hasp or the like.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is an elevation, to a larger scale than any other Figure, of a reversible handle in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is an elevation of a container locking mechanism incorporating the handle of Fig. 1; Fig. 2A is a fragmentary view of part of the mechanism of Fig. 2 and showing handedness in the mechanism; Fig. 2B is a fragmentary perspective view, to an enlarged scale, of part of the mechanism of Fig. 2 and showing the handle of Fig. 1 undergoing selective relocation, with provision for subsequent blocking of further re-location; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view, to a slightly reduced scale, of part of the mechanism of Fig. 2 and showing how the handle can be transferred to a storage position; and Fig. 4 is an end view, to a much reduced scale, of an ISO container and showing the fitting thereon of container locking mechanisms in accordance with the invention.

Referring first to Fig. 1, this illustrates an elevation of a reversible handle 10 in the form of an elongate member which is cut or otherwise formed from thick steel material or other suitable material. The handle 10 is generally in the shape of a central straight and parallel-edged portion 12 terminated at each end by relatively short L-shaped ends 14 and 16 respectively. A similarly shaped slot 18 is formed within the external boundary of the handle 10.

Referring now to Fig. 2, this illustrates a container locking mechanism 20. Hitherto this container locking mechanism required to be provided with alternative handle mounting arrangements according to its intended use, namely left-hand handles and right-hand handles.

Other components of the mechanism have handedness, such as the top and bottom cam members 22.

The mechanism 20 comprises a vertical tube 24 which is pivotally mounted in bushes 26 which are secured on the outer surface of one of the container doors in use of the mechanism 20 (see also the subsequent description of Fig.4).

In use of the mechanism 20, the cam members 22 are rotated into and out of door-latching keepers 122 by rotation of the tube 24 about its longitudinal (vertical) axis. The necessary rotation is about half a turn, and the direction of rotation from "door latched" to "door unlatched" is dependent on the handedness of the mechanism which is dependent in turn on the handedness of the respective container door, ie on whether the door has its hinges on the left side or the right side. For reasons which relate to the need to lock the door in its closed position, the handle is preferably resting substantially against the door in the "door latched" configuration, and this determines the side of the tube 24 from which the handle must project for correct operation of a mechanism of given handedness.

As shown in Fig.2 and to a larger scale in Fig.2B, the tube 24 is interrupted at a suitable height in the mechanism 20 (usually near the lower end to suit access to the handle; see Fig.4) by a sleeve 28 which couples to the handle 10 in the manner now to be described.

The sleeve 28 is conveniently in the form of a pair of semi-circular half-shells which clamp the ends of the tube 24 on either side of the sleeve 28 to provide mechanical continuity. The edges of the half-shells of the sleeve 28 are partly recessed to form a slot 30 of a width which allows the handle 10 to be a sliding fit, and of a height which is at least equal to the width of the handle ends 14 and 16 (for a reason subsequently explained with reference to Fig.3). A pin (not visible) extends horizontally across the interior of the sleeve 28 such as to pass through the handle slot 18 and thereby capture the handle 10 while leaving the handle 10 able to slide horizontally through the sleeve 28 between the edges of the slot 30 as depicted in Fig.2B.

Once the side on which the handle 10 is to project from the remainder of the mechanism 20 is decided, the handle 10 is moved through the slot 30 (eg to the right, as shown in full lines in Fig.2) and then prevented from returning to the other side by insertion of a lock pin 32 (Fig.2B) in the appropriate one of two laterally offset holes 34 and 36 formed horizontally through one side of the sleeve 28 just above the slot 30. With the handle 10 settled in the right-hand position shown in full lines in Fig.2, the handle 10 is prevented from returning leftwards by inserting the lock pin 32 into the left-hand hole 34. (If the handle 10 were to be kept on the left side as shown in chaindash lines in Fig.2, the lock pin 32 would be inserted in the right-hand hole 36).

The rounded shoulders on the outside of the corners joining the central and end portions (12; 14 and 16) as particularly shown in Fig.l allow the retained handle 10 to be re-positioned despite capture by the lock pin 32 such as to permit the handle 10 to be selectively re-positioned alongside the tube 24, as shown in chaindash lines in Fig.3. When the container door is unlatched, such re-positioning of the handle 10 obviates the danger presented by handles sticking out from the door. Nevertheless, the handle 10 can be returned to its operative position (shown in full lines in Fig.3) simply by lifting its free end 16 and ensuring its captive end 14 is seated in a central V-notch 38 at the bottom of the slot 30 within the sleeve 28. In this "up" position in which the handle 10 projects radially from the tube 24, the faces of the handle 10 engage opposite edges of the slot 30 such that manual force applied to the free end of the handle 10 in a direction tangential to a notional circle around the longitudinal axis of the tube 24 results in the application of torque to the tube 24 and eventually in the pivoting of the mechanism 20 in the requisite direction.

The mechanism 20 can be combined with other such mechanisms to form a container-locking security system as depicted in Fig.4 wherein an IS0 container 40 has a pair of end doors 42 and 44. The door 42 is hinged on its left and the door 44 is hinged on its right; the doors 42 and 44 meet, when closed, at about the midwidth of the container 40. As shown by way of example in Fig.4, the left-hand door 42 is fitted with a pair of the left-hand container locking mechanisms shown in chain-dash lines in Fig. 2, while the right-hand door 44 is fitted with a pair of the right-hand container locking mechanisms shown in full lines in Fig.2.

The mechanism 20 as described is primarily a doorlatching mechanism for an ISO container (or for any analogous use), and is converted to being a container locking mechanism by the application of one or more locks (not shown in the drawings) which may optionally function by preventing rotation of the tube 24 so as to prevent unlatching of the cam members 22. Such a rotation preventing arrangement could comprise a hasp (not shown) secured to the respective door so as to project through the handle slot 18 at or near the free end of the handle 10, whereupon the handle 10 (and hence the mechanism 20) can be locked by application of a padlock (not shown) to the hasp where it projects through the handle 10.

While certain modifications and variations of the invention have been described above, the invention is not restricted thereto, and other modifications and variations can be adopted without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A reversible handle comprising an elongate member adapted to be mounted in a pivotable member of a doorlatching mechanism in a manner allowing pivoting of the pivotable member by manipulation of the handle, the elongate member being provided with means selectively allowing either end of the elongate member to be brought adjacent the pivotable member whereby the handle can be selectively disposed to project from one or other side of the pivotable member.

2. A handle according to Claim 1 wherein the elongate member of the reversible handle is mounted for sliding movement through the pivotable member.

3. A handle according to Claim 2 wherein the elongate member is provided with end stop means preventing detachment of the elongate member from the pivotable member.

4. A handle according to Claim 3 wherein the end stop means and/or other parts of the elongate member are adapted to permit the handle to be disposed, when one or other end of the elongate member is adjacent the pivotable member, selectively either substantially radially with respect to the pivot axis of the pivotable member or substantially parallel to the pivot axis, and also adjacent thereto when parallel.

5. A door-latching mechanism comprising the assembly of a reversible handle according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 and a pivotable member mounted for pivoting movement within the mechanism, the handle being mounted on the pivotable member such as to project selectively from one side or the other side of the pivotable member.

6. A door-latching mechanism according to Claim 5 wherein the pivotable member is provided with stop means operable after selection of the projection side for the handle such as to stop the handle subsequently being displaced to the initially non-selected side.

7. A door-latching mechanism according to either one of Claims 5 or 6 wherein the stop means is a stop pin functioning, when installed, to stop movement of the elongate member of the handle through the pivotable member in which the elongate member is mounted.

8. An ISO container fitted with a door-latching mechanism according to any one of Claims 5 to 7 wherein the pivotable member thereof is mounted closely adjacent the outer surface of a door of its container for pivoting movement about a pivot axis closely adjacent and substantially parallel to the outer surface of its door, the selectable projection of the handle permitting the pivotable member to be pivoted by a part turn in a selected one of two rotational directions away from a door-latching position according to the selected direction of projection.

9. An ISO container according to Claim 8 wherein the handle and/or another part of the door-latching mechanism is adapted to be selectively locked in the door-latching position whereby to lock the container shut.

10. A door-latching mechanism as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. An ISO container as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.