GB2220700A - Multi-point locking for a window/door assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A window/door assembly 1, 2 has a multi-point locking system (8, 12, 15, 19, 22, K) with a fully retractable projecting bolting element 19. This bolting element 19 has a nose 21 of greater dimension than its body and this nose engages behind lips X on keeper K in the locked position of said locking system. The bolt 19 is movable into and out of locked positions with the associated keeper K by linear movement of movable element 22 along the edge of the sash 2 and consequently linear movement of housing component 15 relative to facing strip 8. Sides of the slot 16 act on pins 20 and as the pins 20 are forced to move along the slot the bolt pivots into and out of engagement with associated keeper K. <IMAGE>

Description

WINDOW OR DOOR ASSEMBLY This invention relates to a window or door assembly having a locking or bolting system and in particular to the application of such a system to windows and doors with minimal or variable cavity gaps in between the window/door and a frame of the assembly.

It is already known to provide multi-point locking systems in which a strip of metal (on which there are projections of various configurations) can be moved along the edge of a sash, casement or moving element of a door or window assembly. This linear movement causes the positions of the multiple projections to change so that they can disengage from a keeper or retainer (hereinafter called a keeper) on the frame, enabling opening of the window/door to take place and re-engagement to be made when the linear movement is reversed to achieve closure of the window/door. It is known in such arrangements to provide keepers which receive such projections having enlarged or mushroom heads in such a manner that the enlarged or mushroom head of the projection is moved into engagement with an overhanging lip or flange in the associated keeper.Since such a projection is proud by a pre-set distance of the face of the window/door, the keeper is usually also proud of the face of a rebate on the frame in order to receive the projection for the retention of said enlarged or mushroom head.

There are certain characteristics inherent to many materials used in window and door construction, which in conjunction with this type of locking system tend to create problems. Plastics extruded profile is known to expand and contract under changing weather conditions, as does timber and particularly softwood. The gap between sash (window/door) and frame rebate can increase due to profile shrinkage and manufacturing tolerances to the point where engagement between projection and keeper fails to take place or is unsatisfactory, and where expansion of the profile causes the gap to reduce, it follows that there tends to be risk of fouling or jamming of the sash (window/door) in the frame where the upstand of the projection or the combined upstands of projection and keeper are too great for the restricted gap.

It is known to provide a multi-point locking or bolting system where projections or bolting elements are retracted within the door/window to lie flush with the surface of the sash rebate in an opening position and caused to project by linear movement of a strip parallel to the closing edge of the sash so as to engage keepers on the frame. The extent of engagement or the penetration of these projections into an associated keeper or keepers is similarly dependent on the gap size which, as explained above, can vary with seasons and type of material. It is, moreover, possible to force apart the sash and the frame and constructions using plastics profiles are particularly vulnerable to this abuse due to their construction, so that the projections can be disengaged from the keepers to break the locking system.

An object of at least one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a multi-point locking system which has retractable bolting projections and, in cooperation with an associated keeper or keepers, is more secure against attempts to disengage the projections from the keeper or keepers in a practice known in the trade as spreading.

According to the present invention there is provided a window or door assembly having a multi-point locking system, said multi-point locking system comprising a bolting projection retractable within the window or door and movable between a locking, extended position, in which it engages a keeper on a frame of said assembly, to a retracted, unlocked position in which it is both free of the keeper and substantially flush with the closing edge of the window/door, by actuation of a movable element or strip, preferably, along an edge of the window or door, characterised in that the retractable bolting projection is provided with means to lock the projection to the keeper, said means preventing or restraining forced dislodgement of the bolting projection from the keeper whilst the locking system is in a locking mode.

Usually, the bolting projection locking means will comprise boss means (preferably in the form of opposed lateral bosses) which is engageable behind lips (preferably opposed lips) or flange means on the keeper.

Usually, the bolting projection will be pivotable into and out of a recess in a retainer block of the keeper, said recess having a wider portion to permit the entry of said boss means into the keeper and a narrower portion having said lips or flange means behind which said boss means rests once the bolting projection has been moved to its fully extended position within the keeper. The retainer block may or may not be spring loaded in a housing of the keeper.

In one embodiment the bolting projection is mounted to pivot about a pivot axis which is fixed relative to a facing strip on the window or door, said bolting projection preferably being held on a component upstanding from, and fixed to, the facing strip (preferably by rivetting). The multi-point locking system may comprise a housing component slidable relative to said facing strip and said upstanding component, with said housing component having sides or side plates embracing the bolting projection, said housing component having means for receiving bosses or pins on the bolting projection such that movement of said movable element along the edge of the window or door causes corresponding movement of the housing relative to said upstanding portion and said facing strip, thereby moving the bosses or pins along the edge of the window or door relative to the facing strip and also moving said bosses or pins along recesses in the housing receiving said bosses or pins. Preferably, the housing is also provided with recesses for receiving said boss means on the bolting projection that engages with the lips or flange means in the keeper, when the bolting projection is in the retracted position. Movement of the housing relative to the facing strip may be limited by engagement of the housing with stop means on the upstanding component on the facing strip; the side plates may engage lateral projections on the upstanding component said lateral projections constituting said stop means.

Further advantageous features of the present invention will be apparent from the description and drawings which follow later.

Further according to the present invention there is provided a multi-point locking system comprising an element movable along a facing strip, which strip is attachable to the edge of a window sash, said movable element being connected or connectable to a housing receiving a bolting projection, which bolting projection is, in use, arranged to be received in an associated keeper of the multi-point locking system, said keeper being attachable to a window frame, said bolting projection being pivotally attached to an upstand on said facing strip and said housing being movable relative to said upstand, movement of the movable element causing cam means on the housing to act on cam follower means on the bolting projection to cause the bolting projection to pivot into and out of engagement with the keeper.

Another patent application filed by this Applicant is directed towards a locking system adapted to contend with the problem of variability of cavity gap size and employs a spring loaded keeper. This application is Application No. 8816133.6 and the keepers of that Application (the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference) may be utilised with the present invention.

The content of the patent application filed prior to the filing date of the present application and claiming priority from 8816133.6 is also hereby incorporated by reference.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a multi-point locking system comprising two elongated strips, one of which is fixed to the closing edge of a sash, and the other of which is free to move for a limited distance parallel to that fixed strip.

There are many methods of imparting movement to the moving strip, for example by a pivotable operating handle, and these are not, therefore, described further in this specification.

By the present invention according to the immediately preceding paragraph, a bolting projection having an enlarged nose (boss means) may be positively connected to both the static and moving strips in such a manner that there is no free or slack residual movement in the bolting projection at any stage of its opening or closing movement. This positive movement in both opening and closing directions prevents the dislodgement of the projection from the keeper by the illegal use of a thin bladed tool taking advantage of the free or slack movement.

The present invention in its different aspects will now be described in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

In said drawings, FIGURE 1 is a schematic side-hung window showing the sash in an open position and indicating the likely position of bolts, keepers and operating handle; FIGURE 2 is a schematic top-hung window showing the sash in an open position with similar indications of bolts, keepers and operating handle as FIGURE 1; FIGURE 3 is a schematic horizontal sliding window in an open position with similar indications of bolts, keepers and operating handle as FIGURES 1 and 2; FIGURE 4 is a schematic hinged door in an open position with similar indications of bolts, keepers and operating handle as in the previous FIGURES;; FIGURE 5 is a typical plastics window or door assembly profile showing a cross section of the sash through one point or location of a multi-point locking system attached thereto, in the locked or bolted position, and of a frame having a spring loaded floating keeper trapping a head of a bolt or bolting projection on the sash in a locking position; FIGURE 6 is a small section of a cover or facing strip which is fixed to the closing edge of the sash and through which strip the bolt or bolting projection of the locking system is free to move to project or to be retracted into the sash; FIGURES 7 and 8 show sectional (section taken on line VII-VII of FIGURE 8) and outside perspective views of an upstanding component which is fixed to the facing strip;; FIGURES 9 and 10 show perspective and front elevational views of a housing component which is attached at either or both ends to an associated movable strip illustrated in part in FIGURE 13; FIGURES 11 and 12 show sectional (section taken on line XI-XI of FIGURE 12) and outside perspective views of a bolt (bolting projection) of the multi-point locking system; FIGURE 13 shows a shaped cranked end of the aforementioned movable strip, one or more movable strips may be fixed at either or at each associated end of the housing component; FIGURE 14 is a view of a spring loaded floating keeper which can receive the bolt (bolting projection) shown in FIGURE 12 (also in FIGURE 18); FIGURE 15 is a perspective view of an assembly of the parts shown in FIGURES 6 to 13, at the fully retracted position;; FIGURE 16 is a view looking in the direction of arrow A in FIGURE 15 and showing the bolt (bolting projection) in its retracted position ready for opening the sash; FIGURE 17 is a view looking in the direction of arrow B in FIGURE 18 with the bolt fully extended; FIGURE 18 is a view similar to FIGURE 15 of a single point of the multi-point locking system showing the position of the components when the bolt is fully extended; FIGURES 19 and 20 should be viewed in conjunction with FIGURES 21, 22, 23 and 24 which all together schematically illustrate movements of the bolt from the fully retracted position to fully extended position. In FIGURES 19 and 20 the bolt 19 is fully retracted and shown in side elevation in FIGURE 19 and in front elevational view in FIGURE 20. In FIGURE 20 the bolt is shown juxtaposed to an opening in the associated keeper (FIGURE 14).

FIGURES 21 and 22 are similar to FIGURES 19 and 20 but show the bolt at a point midway between fully retracted and fully extended positions. The front view in FIGURE 22 indicates the position of the bolt in relation to the associated keeper.

FIGURES 23 and 24 show the bolt in its fully locked (extended) position with the front view in FIGURE 24 indicating the position 9 of the bolt in relation to the associated keeper.

In FIGURES 1 and 2, sash 2 of a window assembly 1,2 is shown in an open position with an operating handle 3 in its normal unlocked position. Two points of a multipoint locking system are indicated at A1 and A2 on the sash whilst co-operating spring loaded floating keepers (retainers) of said system are indicated as being located at B1 and B2 on window frame 1.

FIGURE 3 shows a horizontal sliding window with the sliding sash 5 partly open within the frame 4 whilst a fixed sash is shown at 5A. The multi-point locking elements (bolts or bolting projections) and keepers of a multi-point locking system are shown at A1, A2, B1 and B2 in a similar manner as in FIGURES 1 and 2 and operating handle 3 is shown in the normal unlocked position.

FIGURE 4 shows a hinged door 7 set within a rebated frame 6. Multi-point locking elements of a multi-point locking system are located at B1 to B4 on the frame 6 and the co-operating spring loaded keepers (retainers) are shown as being located at A1 to A4 on the sash 7. It should be noted here that the type of door indicated in FIGURE 4 is a flush door 7 closing into a rebated frame 6 which is the usual style of door for the U.K. On the continent of Europe it is usual to use an over-rebated arrangement whereby a rebate is provided on the opening element 7 which, by covering the cavity gap, permits the use of multi-point locking or bolting systems in which the bolt or bolting element is not retractable.

FIGURE 5 is a schematic cross section of a typical sash and frame profile in which a single bolting projection 19 of a multi-point locking system is shown in cross section in the fully projected (extended) or locked position. Projection 19 is attached to the sash and in locking engagement with spring loaded keeper 25 which is attached to the frame 1. The other numbered components will be more easily identified with reference to FIGURES 14 and 18 and the description in relation thereto set out below.

In FIGURES 6 through to 16 components of the multipoint locking system are shown and the method of assembly thereof should be apparent from the drawings and following description.

FIGURE 6 shows a section of a facing strip or fixed element 8 of the multi-point locking system. It is shown in view from the inside face (face that contacts the sash edge) in FIGURE 6 and from the outer face or outside in FIGURE 16. Strip 8 has a recess 10 and a T-shaped recess (9,9A) with a narrow slot portion 9 and wide, lower slot portion 9A.

FIGURE 7 shows a sectional view of an upstanding component 12 taken on lines VII VII in FIGURE 8.

Component 12 has two through holes, 13 and 14, and a projection 12A. Projection 12A is a push-fit into recess 10 in facing strip 8 where it is fixed by rivetting, for instance, as shown in FIGURE 16.

FIGURES 9 and 10 show perspective and front views of a housing component 15 which may be a casting or a pressing. Component 15 has two sides or side plates 13B having front lower slots or recesses 18 and rear openings 16 and 17 having special functions as described below.

Into recesses 18 fit the ends 18A of movable strip 22 shown in FIGURE 13, when components are assembled to housing component 15 as shown in FIGURE 15. The sides or side plates 13B also have the two rearward openings 17 as aforesaid and these are semi-circular. Only one semicircular opening 17 is shown in FIGURE 9 although there is a similar recess in the other side plate 13b (see FIGURE 10). Slot 12B in housing component 15 is an elongated narrow hole able to allow component 12 to pass through the base (rear) of housing 15. Slot 12B opens at the lower end to a full width hole shown as 19A able to allow the passage therethrough of the body of bolting projection 19 (see FIGURES 11 and 12).

A roll-pin 13A (or similar) is of a diameter able to be securely held within through-hole 13 (see FIGURES 8 and 9) in component 12 and of a length no greater than the width of housing component 15 and is also of sufficient length to overlap (see FIGURE 15) front upper edges E of the sides or side plates 13B, to act as stop means as later described.

FIGURE 11 is a sectional view of the bolting projection taken on line XI-XI in FIGURE 12. Projection 19 has two, opposed bosses or pins 20, a slot 12C and boss means in the form of two longer opposed bosses 21.

There are through-holes 14B (see FIGURE 12) which receive a pivot pin 14A. The movable strip 22 shown in FIGURE 13 has crank portion 23 and with lateral projections 18A at an upper end thereof to provide a good fit in recesses 18 in side plates 13B.

In FIGURE 14 there is shown a spring loaded keeper K having a base 24 for attachment to the frame 1,4,6. The keeper K has a spring-loaded retainer block 25 in which there is a recess R having sufficient width at a lower portion 26 thereof to accept or receive the bolting projection 19 with its bosses 21 and having an upper narrower slot portion 27 defining opposed lips (or flange means) or overlaps X underneath which the bosses 21 in the projection 19 can move (in between the frame and lips X) to become retained.

In FIGURE 15 an assembly of parts in FIGURES 6 to 13 is shown, which assembly has been achieved in the following way: Upstanding component 12 is attached to facing strip 8 by passing projection 12A of component 12 through recess 10 in strip 8 and rivetting thereto. To the lower end of the component 12, the bolting projection 19 in FIGURE 12 is presented so that its slot 12C receives the lower portion of component 12 until hole 14 in component 12 is aligned with and in between the two holes 14B in bolting projection 19. Pivot pin 14A is now inserted through the aligned holes 14, 14B to secure the projection 19 pivotally to the facing strip 9.The housing component 15 with attached movable strip 22 (lateral projections 18A engaged in recesses 18), is presented to the facing strip 8 by being passed over the upstanding component 12 which is already attached to the strip 8 by rivetting as aforesaid. Referring to FIGURE 10, it should be apparent that the upper portion of component 12 can pass through slot 12B whilst bolting projection 19 can pass through the wider slot 19A with its bosses 20 entering into and being contained by the rear openings 16 in side plates 13B (see FIGURE 15) with the bosses 21 being received within the semi-circular openings 17 in the retracted position. At this point, roll-pin 13A is entered into the through-hole 13 in component 12 and with exposed end portions of pin 13A (lateral projections) resting on the elongated edges E of ribs 13B of housing 15 the assembly is complete.End portions of roll pin 13A provide stop means to limit the movement of housing component 15 in an upward direction relative to the facing strip 8.

The method of operation will be described below: As FIGURES 15 and 16 illustrate the position of components of the assembly (8,12,15,19,22) with the bolting projection 19 in the fully retracted or opening position, so FIGURES 17 and 18 show the assembly with projection 19 in the fully extended or locked position.

It will be observed that the roll-pin 13A is above and remote from the curved shoulders 13'B of associated side plates 13, the movable strip 22 attached to housing 15 having been moved upwardly by an amount which should be apparent when comparing FIGURES 15 and 18. In FIGURE 15, hole 11 for the fixing screw (not shown) of the facing strip 8 is at the upper limit of clearance slot 24 in moving strip 22. In FIGURE 18 being the locked position, that fixing hole 11 is at the opposite (lower) end of the clearance slot 24. Bearing these two assembly situations in mind and turning to FIGURE 19, the bolting projection 19 is shown fully retracted with its pivot pin 14A at approximately 2 o o'clock relative to the small boss 20 which is itself at approximately mid-way along the open elongated slot 16.Slot 16 can be thought of as cam means which moves cam follower means in the form of the bosses or pins 20 on movement of said movable strip 22.

The projection 19 is shown in FIGURE 20 in its position relative to key-hole shaped recess R in the keeper K. In FIGURE 21 the projection 19 is at the mid-point of its movement between fully retracted to fully projected positions and the pivot pin 14A has moved to a position 4 o'clock relative to the small boss or pin 20 which is now at the limit of its travel inwardly along the slot opening 16. In FIGURE 22 it can be seen that the bosses 21 have now moved behind the lips X of the narrow part 27 of the key-hole recess R. In FIGURE 23, the projection 19 is at its fullest extended position with the pivot pin 14A having moved to a position at 5 o'clock relative to the small boss 20, which boss 20 has returned to a position about mid-way of the slot 16. In FIGURE 24, the bosses 21 are shown well entered into and retained by the lips X of the narrow slot 27 in the keeper K. It will be observed in the three movement phases that the bosses 21 leave their parking place (recesses 17) in side plates 13 at an early stage in the movement from the fully retracted to fully extended positions.

Because the housing 15 is moved by the movable strip element 22, and because the bosses 20 are off-set relative to pivot pin 14A, the impact of the sides of the slots 16 (cam means) on those bosses 20 (cam follower means) urges the bolting projection 19 through 90 degrees of radial movement from its fully retracted position to its fully projected position. When the movement of the strip 22 is reversed, so the opposite sides of slots 16 are brought to bear on bosses 20 and the projection 19 is retracted. It will be appreciated that in the fully extended position, with the operating mechanism which imparts movement to the movable strip 22 locked from the inside of the window or door, the bolting projection 19 cannot be moved. Furthermore, the bolting projection 19 is itself locked to the associated keeper K by cooperation of the bosses 20 with the overlapping lips X.

It is to be understood that the scope of the present invention is not to be unduly limited by the particular choice of terminology and that a spcific term may be replaced by any equivalent or generic term where sensible. Further it is to be understood that individual features, method or functions or kits or parts related to the window or door assembly or retainer/keeper or retainer/keeper block or combinations thereof might be individually patentably inventive.

Use of the term "multi-point locking system" or "multi-point bolting system" in this specification is meant to include a system which has at least two spaced bolting projections that can be moved into and out of a locking mode at two associated spaced locations or points.

The present invention may be applicable to a locking system which is not necessarily of the multi-point type.

Claims (16)

1. A window or door assembly having a multi-point locking system, said multi-point locking system comprising a bolting projection retractable across a gap in between the window/door and a frame of the assembly and movable between a locking, extended position, in which it engages a keeper on the frame of said assembly, to a retracted, unlocked position free of the keeper by actuation of a movable element or strip, preferably, along an edge of the window or door, characterised in that the bolting projection is provided with means to lock the projection to the keeper, said means preventing or restraining forced dislodgement of the bolting projection from the keeper whilst the locking system is in a locking mode.

2. An assembly as claimed in Claim 1 in which the bolting projection locking means comprises boss means which is engageable behind lips (preferably opposed to one another) or flange means on the keeper.

3. An assembly as claimed in Claim 2 in which the boss means is in the form of opposed lateral bosses.

4. An assembly as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 3 in which the bolting projection is pivotable into and out of a recess in a retainer block of the keeper, said recess having a wider portion to permit the entry of said boss means into the keeper and a narrower portion having said lips or flange means behind which said boss means rests once the bolting projection has been moved to its fully extended position within the keeper.

5. An assembly as claimed in Claim 4 in which the retainer block is spring loaded in a housing of the keeper.

6. An assembly as claimed in Claim 4 or Claim 5 in which the bolting projection is mounted to pivot about a pivot axis which is fixed relative to a facing strip on the window or doorr said bolting projection, preferably, being held on a component upstanding from, and fixed to, the facing strip.

7. An assembly as claimed in Claim 6 in which the multi-point locking system comprises a housing component slidable relative to said facing strip and said upstanding component, with said housing component having sides or side plates embracing the bolting projection, said housing component having means for receiving bosses or pins on the bolting projection such that movement of said movable element along the edge of the window or door causes corresponding movement of the housing relative to said upstanding portion and said facing strip, thereby moving said last-mentioned bosses or pins along the edge of the window or door relative to the facing strip and also moving those bosses or pins along recesses in the housing receiving said bosses or pins.

8. An assembly as claimed in Claim 7 in which the housing is also provided with recesses for receiving said boss means on the bolting projection that engages with the lips or flange means on the keeper, when the bolting projection is in the retracted position.

9. An assembly as claimed in Claim 7 or Claim 8 in which movement of the housing relative to the facing strip is limited by engagement of the housing with stop means on the upstanding component on the facing strip.

10. An assembly as claimed in Claim 9 in which the side plates engage lateral projections on the upstanding component said lateral projections constituting said stop means.

11. A window or door assembly substantially as herein described and illustrated with reference to FIGURES 1 (or 2, or 3, or 4) and 5 to 20 of the accompanying drawings.

12. A multi-point locking system for an assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

13. A multi-point locking system comprising an element movable along a facing strip, which strip is attachable to the edge of a window sash, said movable element being connected or connectable to a housing receiving a bolting projection, which bolting projection is, in use, arranged to be received in an associated keeper of the multi-point locking system, said keeper being attachable to a window frame, said bolting projection being pivotally attached to an upstand on said facing strip and said housing being movable relative to said upstand, movement of the movable element causing cam means on the housing to act on cam follower means on the bolting projection to cause the bolting projection to pivot into and out of engagement with the keeper.

14. A multi-point locking system comprising two elongated strips, one of which is fixed to the closing edge of a sash, and the other of which is free to move for a limited distance parallel to that fixed strip.

15. A system as claimed in Claim 14 comprising a bolting projection having an enlarged nose (boss means) positively connected to both the static and movable strips in such a manner that there is no free or slack residual movement in the bolting projection at any stage of its opening or closing movement.

16. A system as claimed in any one of Claims 12 to 14 having any new feature or combination of new features derivable from this specification.