GB2222850A

GB2222850A - Handles

Info

Publication number: GB2222850A
Application number: GB8822485A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Joseph James
Original assignee: MAP HARDWARE Ltd
Current assignee: MAP HARDWARE Ltd
Priority date: 1988-09-20
Filing date: 1988-09-20
Publication date: 1990-03-21
Also published as: GB8822485D0

Abstract

A lockable handle for a window comprises a lever handle member 1, and a pushbutton locking member 4 mounted in the handle member 1 and engageable with a handle mounting 2 to lock the handle member 1 in window-securing position. Key-freed latch means comprise a latch member 5 which is operative to retain the locking member 4 in the handle-locked position against a pushbutton return spring 12. A disabling formation of the mounting 2 engages the latch member 5 to disable the latch means when the handle member 1 is not in the window-securing position relative to the handle mounting 2. <IMAGE>

Description

"HANDLES" The invention relates to lockable handles for windows. It is particularly, but by no means exclusively, concerned with handles of fasteners for casement windows of the type comprising a pivoted lever handle with a mounting which is secured to the frame of the window pane and which engages a keeper member, mounted on the fixed window frame, to secure the window in closed position.

Lockable handles for casement windows generally possess the disadvantage that the locking mechanisms thereof can be activated when the handles are not in the window-fastening position, with the result that they then have to be unlocked with the appropriate key before the window can be secured. Existing handles also have locking mechanisms which tend to be of a complex nature and/or difficult of assembly.

The invention provides a lockable handle for a window with a simple but reliable locking mechanism which cannot be activated except when the handle is in the window-securing position. To this end it comprises a manually-operable locking member and key-freed latch means operative to retain the locking member in the handle-locked position, with means which disable the latch means when the handle is not in the window-securing position relative to the handle mounting.

Preferably the locking member is of pushbutton form and thus, with such a window handle in accordance with the invention, whilst the pushbutton can -be freely depressed in any handle position it will only be retained in the depressed locking position if the handle is at the time in the window-fastening position.

Preferably the latch means comprise a latch member constantly resiliently urged towards an operative retaining position in which, when not disabled, it directly engages the locking member to retain the latter in the locking position. Said disabling means may comprise a formation engaged by the latch member and acting to "hold back" the latter except when the handle is in the window-fastening position relative to the handle mounting.

The latch member is conveniently mounted in the handle alongside the locking member, with said formation taking the form of a part-circular raised boss on the handle mounting and centred about the handle pivot axis. A common spring may act between the locking member and the latch member, urging the former to the unlocked position and the latter to the operative retaining position. The locking member is preferably an integral pushbutton and locking bolt component mounted in the handle parallel to the pivot axis thereof and depressible, against a return spring urging it to the unlocked position, to a locking position in which the inner end of the bolt engages a locking recess in the handle mounting.Said boss formation, which acts to hold-off the latch member, may extend continuously from adjacent one side of the locking recess and around the pivot axis to adjacent the other side of the recess.

The handle, the locking member, the latch member and the handle mounting may all be plastics mouldings. A suitable moulding material is a glass-filled nylon.

The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a front view of a complete handle and mounting assembly for fitting to a casement window; Fig. 2 is a rear view thereof; Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view on the line III-III in Fig. 1; Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively side and inner end views of a locking member component of the assembly; Figs. 6 and 7 are respectively longitudinal-sectional and inner end views of a latch member component; and Fig. 8 is a detail partial view of a handle mounting of the assembly, to a larger scale.

The assembly illustrated comprises a lever handle 1, an elongate handle mounting 2 which has screw fixing holes such as 3 for fixing to the frame of a casement window pane, a locking member in the form of a pushbutton bolt 4 and a latch member 5 operative to retain the bolt 4 in the depressed locking position. A snap-on cover 6 conceals the fixing screws of the mounting 2 when the latter has been fixed, and the handle 1 has a main boss section 7 which is pivotally secured to the mounting 2 by a pivot screw 8 defining the pivot axis A. The handle section 7 has a projecting side nib 9 which in use engages, with a wedging action in the usual manner, a keeper member (not shown) of conventional form which is secured to the fixed window frame and this holds the window concerned securely fastened.

The locking member 4 has a pushbutton section 4a of square cross-section and which is slidable in a complementary bore 10 in the handle section 7, being depressible against a compression return spring 12 which acts against a projecting spring abutment 11 on the pushbutton section 4a. The projection 11 engages a stop face 13 in the handle section 7 to define the projecting handle-unlocked position of the locking member 4.

Said spring 12 seats in a blind bore 14 of the latch member 5 and thus acts not only as return spring for the locking member 4 but also to urge the latch member 5 towards an operative latching position, as will be described. The latch member 5 is of square cross-section and slidable in a complementarily-shaped recess moulded in the handle section 7 alongside the locking member 4. At the inner end the latch member 5 has a pointed end nose 15 with radiused edges and tapering away from the locking member 4, and a side latching projection 16. When the handle 1 is in the window-fastening position shown, the latch member 5 is aligned with and engages an inclined face 17 on the mounting 2. Under the influence of the spring 12 the nose 15 tends to slide down the face 17, so that the latch member 5 is urged towards the locking member 4.

The locking member 4 has a side latching recess 18, on the side facing the latch member 5, and a keyhole slot 19 in the pushbutton section 4a leads from the outer end thereof to the recess 18. The mounting 2 is moulded with a square-section locking recess 20 alongside the inclined face 17, and a latch-disabling formation 21 in the form of a part-circular raised boss centred around the pivot axis A of the handle 1. This formation 21, which has an inclined inner face 21a, is continuous from one side of the face 17 and around the axis A to the other side of the face 17. The functional inter-relationship of all the components of the assembly will now be described.

When the window has been closed and fastened by turning the handle 1 to the window-securing position shown, depression of the pushbutton locking member 4 against the spring 12 results in an inner end bolt section 4b thereof, which is of square cross-section, entering the locking recess 20. This locks the handle 1 relative to the mounting 2 and prevents unauthorized opening of the window.

As the locking member 4 reaches the depressed locking position recess 20 in the mounting 2, the nose 15 of the latch member 5 slides down the surface 17 and the latching projection 16 enters the latching recess 18 of the locking member 4. This retains the locking member 4 in the depressed locking position, and the spring 12 then holds the latch member 5 in the latching position.

Before the handle 1 can be turned to open the window, it has to be unlocked by insertion of the fitting key into the slot 19. When fully inserted with the inner end "ward" section of the key in the recess 18, the key is turned to engage the latching projection 16 and displace the latch member 5 away from the latching position which releases the locking member 4 which is returned, by the spring 12, to the projecting unlocked position.

The boss 21 moulded on the handle mounting 2 acts, in accordance with the invention, to disable the latch member 5 when the handle 1 is in any position other than the window-fastening position. As the handle 1 is turned from the latter position, the nose 15 of the latch member 5 runs around the inner inclined face 21a with the result that it is held back against the spring pressure and hence the latching projection 16 cannot engage the latching recess 18 of the locking member 4. Thus, in any handle position the pushbutton can be depressed but it is only in the window-fastening position that this will result in automatic latching by the latch member 5.

All the components of the illustrated assembly, other than the pivot screw 8 and the spring 12 are plastics mouldings. In each case the material used is preferably a glass-filled nylon, and the fitting key may also be moulded from this material.

Although the invention has been described more particularly herein with reference to a handle for a casement window and of the type referred to, it will be appreciated that it can be applied to any form of pivotable window handle which is lockable in the window securing position.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A lockable handle for a window which comprises a manually-operable locking member and key-freed latch means operative to retain the locking member in the handle-locked position, with means which disable the latch means when the handle is not in the window-securing position relative to the handle mounting.

2. A lockable handle according to claim 1, wherein the locking member is of pushbutton form and spring loaded to a projecting handle-unlocked position.

3. A lockable handle according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the latch means comprise a latch member constantly resiliently urged towards an operative retaining position in which, when not disabled, it directly engages the locking member to retain the latter in the locking position.

4. A lockable handle according to claim 3, wherein said disabling means comprise a formation engaged by the latch member and acting to "hold back" the latter except when the handle is in the window-fastening position relative to the handle mounting.

5. A lockable handle according to claim 4, wherein the latch member is mounted in the handle alongside the locking member and said formation takes the form of a part-circular raised boss on the handle mounting and centred about the handle pivot axis.

6. A lockable handle according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a common spring may act between the locking member and the latch member, urging the former to the unlocked position and the latter to the operative retaining position.

7. A lockable handle according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the locking member is an integral pushbutton and locking bolt component mounted in the handle parallel to the pivot axis thereof and depressible, against a return spring urging it to the unlocked position, to a locking position in which the inner end of the bolt engages a locking recess in the handle mounting.

8. A lockable handle according to claim 5 and claim 7, wherein said boss formation, which acts to hold-off the latch member, extends continuously from adjacent one side of the locking recess and around the pivot axis to adjacent the other side of the recess.

9. A lockable handle according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the handle, the locking member, the latch member and the handle mounting are all plastics mouldings.

10. A lockable handle according to claim 9,' wherein the moulding material is a glass-filled nylon.

11. A lockable handle for a window, constructed and arranged substantially as herein particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings.