Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02332670 2001-O1-29
Operating Handle
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to operating handles for apparatus, especially
cleaning apparatus,
such as wiper apparatus, wiper mops, brooms or like, whereby the handle
includes a pair of
tubular handle elements which can be connected with one another. More
particularly, the
invention relates to operating handles with two handle elements which form a
hollow interior and
a connecting member for connection of the handle elements.
Background of the Invention
Operating handles are know which include interconnecting first and second
hollow handle
portions and interconnecting connecting members which extend at least
partially into the hollow
interior of the handle elements. The connecting members thereby include first
and second
connecting portions which are constructed for connection with the first and
second handle
elements respectively. In the known handles, the first andlor second
connecting portion of the
connecting members include a screw-in thread, which can be engaged with
connecting means on
the first and/or second handle element. However, this construction requires
two connecting
members respectively provided for attachment to one of the two tubular handle
elements. One
connecting member is affixed to the first handle element and the other to the
second handle
element. For that purpose, one of the connecting members includes a connecting
pin with a
helical thread and the other an internal thread complementary thereto. It is a
disadvantage of this
known construction, that the manufacture is difficult and thus, expensive,
since two separate
CA 02332670 2001-O1-29
connecting members are required for the connection of two handle elements.
Furthermore, the
known handles do not have optimal stability in the region of connection of the
handle elements.
Summary of the Invention
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a handle of the above-
mentioned principle
construction which can be especially easily and cheaply manufactured and has a
high stability.
This object is solved in an operating handle in accordance with the invention
in that the first
and/or second connecting portion has a supporting surface for resting against
the inner surface of
the handle elements and that the thread is positioned in the region of the
supporting surface. A
stable connection of two handle elements with only a single connecting member
is achieved in
this manner. An especially good transmission of forces can be achieved because
the location of
the engagement with the supporting surface is on the inside of the handle
elements. Since
furthermore only a single connecting member is required for the connection of
the two handle
elements, the manufacturing costs are significantly reduced.
Connecting means are preferably provided on the handle elements which are
formed as at least
one projection extending into the interior cavity of the handle element. This
projection can then
engage a thread provided on the connecting member in the region of the
supporting surface.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the connecting means are
at least a pair of
projections, which are placed on an imaginary, helical connecting line. The
pitch of the
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CA 02332670 2001-O1-29
imaginary helical connecting line thereby preferably corresponds to the pitch
of the screw-in
thread on the connecting member. This construction has the advantage that the
manufacturing
costs are significantly lowered since it is not necessary to form any threaded
insert or to form a
thread on the handle element which is expensive to manufacture.
The tubular handle element is preferably made of metal, especially steel.
The projections can be made especially costs efficiently by localized
deformation of the handle
element when the handle element is made of metal. Point embossments are
preferably provided
on the outside of the handle elements, which result in inward deformation of
the handle material
and formation of projections that project into the hollow interior of the
handle elements.
In a further improved embodiment, a flange is provided on the connecting
member in the region
between the first and the second connecting portions, which flange protrudes
from the supporting
surface of the first and/or second connecting portion. The flange functions
especially as a stop
for the screw in thread and allows the build-up of tension or pressure in the
connection which
increases the stability of the connection between the handle element and the
connecting member.
In yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the connecting portions
are essentially
cylindrically shaped. This renders them substantially complementary in shape
to the also
preferably cylindrical hollow interior of the tubular handle elements. A large
area engagement
between the support surfaces of the connecting portion and the tubular handle
elements can be
CA 02332670 2001-O1-29
achieved in this manner.
The connecting member is preferably hollow to further reduce manufacturing
costs. It is further
preferred to make the connecting member of plastic, especially polyamide.
An especially cost-efficient manufacture is achieved by providing a thread on
the connecting
member only in the region of the first connecting portion, while shaping the
supporting surface
in the region of the second connecting portion as a cylinder. A connection
between the second
connecting portion and the second handle element can in this case be achieved
by inserting the
cylindrical connecting portion into the handle end and subsequently deforming
the tube material
to achieve a force transmitting and/or tight connection between the second
handle element and
the second connecting portion. It is thereby sufficient for a safe connection
to limit the
deformation to only a localized deformation, for example point embossing or
punching.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Preferred embodiments of the invention will be further described in the
following with regard to
the drawings, wherein
Figure 1 is a perspective view of an operating handle in accordance with the
invention;
Figure 2 is a partial top plan view of an operating handle element in
accordance with the
invention;
Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the handle element in accordance with the
invention shown in
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Figure 2; and
Figure 4 is a top plan view of a connecting member in accordance with the
invention.
Detailed Description of the Invention
Figure 1 shows a preferred embodiment of an operating handle 1 in accordance
with the
invention for an apparatus. The handle can be used especially for cleaning
apparatus, such as
wiper apparatus, wiper mops, brooms or the like. The handle 1 thereby has at
least a pair of first
and second tubular handle elements 2, 2', which can be connected with one
another. At its upper
end, the handle 1 has a grip 3, which is positioned at the end of the first
handle element 2 and
upwardly terminates the latter. Additional identically formed handle elements
can be added to the
lower end of the illustrated second handle element 2'. In this manner it is
possible to achieve a
handle with relatively large overall length, using multiple relatively short
handle elements 2,2'.
This is especially then advantageous when the handle 1 is to fit into
relatively small packaging.
A connecting member 4 is provided for connection of the first handle element 2
with the second
handle element 2'. A comparable and identically constructed connecting member
4' is found at
the lower end of the second handle element 2'.
In one application in accordance with the invention, the handle 1 is connected
by way of
connecting means (not illustrated) at the lower end with cleaning apparatus,
for example a wiper
apparatus, wiper mops, brooms or the like.
S
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Further details of the connection between the tubular handle elements 2,2' by
way of first and
second connecting members 4,4' are illustrated in Figures 2 to 4
The first connecting member 4 is constructed in such a way that it extends at
least partially into
the hollow interior 5 of one of the handle elements 2,2'. The first connecting
member 4 thereby
has a first connecting portion 6 and a second connecting portion 7. The first
connecting portion 6
is thereby constructed for connection with the first handle element 2 and the
second connecting
portion 7 is constructed for connection with a second handle element 2'. In
the embodiment
shown in Figure 4, the first and second connecting portions 6,7 both have a
screw-in thread,
which can be brought into engagement with connecting means provided on the
first and/or
second handle element 2, 2'. Furthermore, the first and second connecting
portions 6,7 are
respectively provided with first and second supporting surfaces 9,9', which
are positioned and
constructed for engagement with the inner surfaces of the first and/or second
handle element 2,
2'. The outer shape of the supporting surfaces 9,9' is thereby adapted in
shape and size to the
respectively engaged inner surface 10 of the handle element 2,2' shown in
broken lines.
Furthermore, a screw in thread I 1 or 11' is provided in the region of the
supporting surfaces 9,9'.
The screw in thread 11, 11' thereby preferably only takes up a relatively
small portion of the
supporting surface 9,9'. Preferably, the screw in thread 1 l, 11' takes up
less than 40 %, most
preferably less than 20 % of the supporting surface 9,9'.
In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 4, the screw-in thread 1 l, 11' at the
base of the thread has
a radius adapted to the dimensions of the connecting means 8 of the handle
elements 2,2' in such
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a way that the handle element 2 or 2' and the connecting member's 4 or 4' can
be screwed
together by hand.
The connecting means 8 are shaped as at least one projection which projects
into the hollow
interior 5 of the handle element 2. In the embodiment illustrated in figures 2
and 3, four
projections are provided. However. a reliable connection between the handle
element 2 and the
connecting member 4 can already be achieved with only two projections. The
projections 8 are
thereby positioned on an imaginary helical connecting line, the pitch of which
corresponds to the
pitch of the screw-in thread 11, 11'.
According to the preferred embodiment, the tubular handle elements 2,2' are
made of metal, in
particular steel. The projections 8 are formed by point deformations of the
handle elements 2,2'.
This can be achieved especially cost-efficiently by providing point
embossments or punch points
on the outer surface of the handle elements 2,2' which sufficiently deform the
handle elements to
produce corresponding projections on the inside of the handle elements.
An annular flange 12 is provided on the connecting member 4 in the region of
the first and
second connecting portions 6,7, which flange projects above the supporting
surface is 9,9' of the
first and second connecting portions 6,7. The height of the flange is thereby
selected such that it
corresponds at least to the material thickness of the tubular handle element
2,2', so that a
continuous outer surface of the assembled handle 1 is achieved.
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The outside of the connecting portions 6,7 is preferably essentially
cylindrically shaped, while
their inside is preferably hollow. The connecting members 4, 4' are preferably
made of plastic,
especially polyamide.
Different from the embodiment illustrated in Figure 4, the connecting member 4
is preferably
provided with a thread only in the region of the first connecting portion 6,
while the supporting
surface 9' in the region of the second connecting portion 7 is preferably a
continuous, especially
cylindrical surface. A reliable and lasting connection between the second
connecting portion 7
and the handle element 2' can then be produced by first inserting the second
connecting portion 7
into the interior of the handle element 2,2' and then deforming the tubular
material of the handle
elements, for example by embossing or punching, to achieve a force tight
connection between the
connecting member 4 and the handle element 2. The deformations produced on the
handle
elements 2,2' can be formed as described above in relation to the connecting
means 8 and
essentially encompass any deformation of the handle material which essentially
guarantees a
permanent connection.
