GB2337073A - Shootbolt assembly with transmission members which are in tension during locking - Google Patents

Abstract

A lock assembly for a door or window comprising a pair of shootbolts 7 linked to a central gear box/drive mechanism 4 by two pairs of elongate connecting elements 8 which move the bolts between the locked and unlocked positions. Each of the bolts is formed with an extension 26 carrying a rack 27 which is associated with a second rack 28 by a gear wheel 29 lying within end guides 10. When the assembly is locked, the connector 8 that is indirectly connected to each shootbolt is under tension, and a locking force is applied to each shootbolt through the rack mechanism in the end guide 10 which acts to reverse the direction in which the force is applied, hence locking the shootbolt.

Description

2337073 PATENTS ACT 1977 P 1 1862GI3-WW/jn DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION "A

DOOR OR WINDOW LOCKING ASSEMBLY" THE PRESENT INVENTION relates to a door or window locking assembly and more particularly to such an assembly incorporating a shootbolt locking mechanism.

In recent years there have been numerous advances in window locking mechanisms, particularly those suitable for use with extruded PVC windows and window frames. The recent introduction of industry standard tests for window security, for example the British Standards PAS 0 11 test have provided recognised methods for testing window security equipment. This has resulted in an overall improvement in security equipment of this type.

A common mechanism currently used to secure locking for windows, doors and the like involves the use of a shootbolt arrangement. A typical shootbolt arrangement consists of a handle connected to a gear box or drive mechanism adapted to drive a pair of bolts in opposite directions along a channel formed in the free edge of the window or door opposite its hinge, into respective keeps mounted on opposed parts of the surrounding frame. Typically, in addition to these two shootbolts, the gear box or drive mechanism also drives a conventional deadbolt into a corresponding keep in the frame, usually at a central position disposed between the positions where the shootbolts engage the frame.

2 VVIiiIst in the following description reference will be made to the use of the locking assembly with windows, it is to be appreciated that the arrangement can equally be used in doors and other similar openings.

Generally the handle and gear box, together with its associated deadbolt if provided, is located substantially centrally along the free edge of a window opposite the hinge. The two shootbolts are each connected to the gear box via a connecting rod. In use, when the window is to be locked actuation of the handle causes the gear box to drive the connecting rods in opposite directions along the channel in the edge of the window so as to drive the shootbolts into their associated keeps. During this locking operation the connecting rods are placed in a state of compression, with potentially very significant forces being applied to them (especially if the shootbolts do not initially align exactly with their keeps). The connecting rods therefore need to be manufactured to a relatively high specification and must be "fixed" in position at intervals along the channel in the edge of the window to prevent any unacceptable level of flexing or bending of the rods when they are placed in this state of compression. The fixings must not, of course, prevent unrestricted axial movement of the connecting rods as this would impede movement of the shootbolts to the locking position.

A further problem with existing shootbolt arrangements of the type described above is that in order to avoid having to produce connecting rods in a large number of different lengths, a small number of rods are produced Mi standard sizes and these have to be cut to length before they can be installed. This involves manually cropping the connector rods which is a time consuming and inefficient operation.

3 The present invention seeks to provide an improved window or door locking assembly of the type described above which includes a shootbolt locking mechanism.

According to the present invention there is provided a door or window locking assembly comprising a pair of shootbolts moveable between released positions and locking positions in which the bolts engage keeps on a fixed frame to secure the door or window in position relative to the frame, means for driving the bolts between the released and locking positions and at least one elongate connecting element associated with each shootbolt, the connecting elements being positioned between the drive means and the bolts, the arrangement being such that upon actuation of the drive means to move the bolts from the released to the locking positions the elongate connecting elements are placed in a state of tension as they transmit movement to the shootbolts.

Preferably the elongate connecting elements are additionally placed in a state of tension upon actuation of the drive means to move the shootbolts from the locking to the released positions.

Conveniently two elongate connecting elements extend between the drive means and each shootbolt, one of the elongate connecting elements transmitting movement to cause the shootbolt to move from the locking to the released position and the other elongate connecting element transmitting movement to cause the shootbolt to move from the released position to the locking position.

Advantageously each shootbolt is associated with first and second racks, a first rack being connected directly to its associated shootbolt, there being a 4 gear wheel positioned between the first and second racks such that movement of one rack in a first direction causes simultaneous movement of the other rack in an opposite direction, each of the racks being connected to one of the elongate connecting elements, the arrangement being such that upon actuation of the drive means to move the shootbolts from the locking to the released positions the connecting elements which are connected to the first racks are placed in a state of tension and retract the shootbolts from extended, locking positions to withdrawn, released positions and such that upon actuation of the drive means to move the shootbolts from the released to the locking positions the connecting elements which are connected to the second racks are placed in a state of tension and movement of the second racks is transmitted via the gear wheel between the racks to the first racks in order to throw the shootbolts from their withdrawn, released positions to their extended locking positions.

Preferably the drive means comprise a pair of drive members, each drive member having two oppositely extending arms, each arm being connected to an elongate connecting element which in turn extends to and is connected to one of the racks associated with the shootbolts.

Conveniently the drive members move linearly in opposite directions upon actuation of the drive means to move the shootbolts between the locking and released positions.

The assembly additionally comprises a deadbolt disposed at a position approximately mid-way between the shootbolts, the deadbolt being driven between extended and retracted positions by one of the drive members.

Advantageously each elongate connecting element comprises a non-rigid member, such as a flexible wire, strap or the like.

The drive means comprise a manually operable handle or an electric motor.

In an alternative emboduinent spring means may be provided to move the shootbolts from the locking to the released position.

In order that the present invention may be more readily understood and so that further features thereof may be appreciated the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view part of a window incorporating a locking assembly in accordance with the present invention; FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of one embodiment of the locking assembly of the present invention shown in the disengaged or released position; FIG. 3 is a front elevational view corresponding to Figure 2 but showing the assembly in the engaged or locking position; FIG. 4 is a side elevational view corresponding to Figure 3 but with parts of the gear box/drive mechanism which forms part of the assembly removed for illustrative purposes; FIG. 5 is a side view of the gear box/drive mechanism which forms part of the locking assembly but again with parts removed for illustrative purposes; 6 FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of one of the shootbolts which form part of the locking assembly of the invention, on an enlarged scale compared with Figure 2 and shown in the disengaged or released position; and FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to Figure 6 but illustrating the shootbolt in the engaged or locking position.

Figure 1 illustrates a window casing 1 provided with a locking assembly incorporating a shootbolt mechanism. It will be appreciated that the locking assembly is located adjacent the free edge of the window casing disposed opposite the hinge by which the casing is connected to a fixed firame (not illustrated). To accommodate the locking assembly the free edge of the window casing 1 is formed with an elongate channel 2 which, once the locking assembly has been installed, is closed or covered by means of a plastic strip or cover 3. The arrangement permits movement of the components forming the locking assembly within the channel 2 (which is commonly known as a ".euro groove") following the location of the strip or cover 3.

The components of the locking assembly are illustrated, removed from the window casing 1, in Figure 2 of the drawings and, in summary, comprise a central gear box/drive mechanism 4 incorporating a pair of drive members 5 which, upon actuation of an operating handle 6, transn-dt movement to shootbolts 7, which are disposed at opposite ends of the channel 2, via elongate connecting elements 8. The drive mechanism, incorporating the drive members 5, and the connecting elements 8 therefore serve to move the shootbolts 7 between disengaged or released positions shown in Figure 2 and engaged or locking positions shown in Figure 3.

7 The gear box/drive mechanism 4 has a housing incorporating a face plate 9 which lies substantially flush with the surface of the window casing 1 when it is mounted 'm position within the channel 2, as can be seen from Figure 1 of the drawings. The face plate 9 is provided with apertures through which screws or similar fixings pass in order to locate the gear box/drive mechanism 4 in position.

The shootbolts 7 are each accommodated within an end guide 10 which is generally L-shaped, as can be seen from Figures 1 and 4. One limb of each of the L-shaped end guides 10 is formed with an aperture within which a shootbolt 7 is received. The aperture guides movement of the shootbolt 7. This particular limb of the end guide 10 lies coaxial with the channel 2 when received therein. The end guides 10 are disposed at opposite ends of the channel 2 so as to extend around the corners of the window casing 1 and the second limb of each end guide 10 is formed with apertures to receive fixing means by way of which the guide is secured to the window casing 1. The end guides therefore serve not only to guide movement of the shootbolts 7 but also to reinforce the corners of the window casing 1.

Looking at the components of the locking assembly in slightly more detail, the gear box/drive mechanism 4 comprises a housing 11 which is formed in two halves, only one half of which is illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, the other half being substantially a mirror image and normally being joined to the first half by means of rivets or the like passing through apertures 12. The housing incorporates a quarter-turn, rotatable primary drive 13 which is connected to the operating handle 6. The primary drive 13 incorporates a projection 14 which is received within a recess 15 in one of the drive members 5. The drive members 5 are received within appropriate formations 'm the housing 11 so as to be linearly moveable in a direction parallel to a central longitudinal axis 16 8 of the assembly (see Figure 2). The first drive member 5 (being the one illustrated) has a central portion 17 of generally U-shape which defines the recess 15 and two outwardly extending arins 18, the free ends 19 of which project out of the housing 11 and are provided with formations 20 by way of which they are connectable to the elongate connecting elements 9.

The gear box/drive mechanism 4 also accommodates a deadbolt 2 1. The deadbolt incorporates, on both of its opposed surfaces, channels or slots 22. The U-shaped central portion 17 of the first drive member 5 is provided with a pair of upstanding projections 23 which are received within the slots or recesses 22 in the deadbolt such that movement of the first drive member 5 in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis 16 of the assembly results 'm movement of the deadbolt in a direction perpendicular to that longitudinal axis. In order to guide movement of the deadbolt the housing 11 is formed with a channel 24 which receives a small Droiection 25 formed on the deadbolt. There are in fact two projections 25, one on either side of the deadbolt and two channels 24, one in each half of the housing 11. It will be appreciated that the arrangement is substantially a mirror-image arrangement.

Although not illustrated in the drawings, the second drive member 5 will be positioned on top of the deadbolt 2 1, as seen in Figure 5 so that it is slightly offset sideways, relative to the illustrated drive member 5. The second drive member 5 may be of generally the same form as the illustrated drive member 5 having a central portion 17 carrying projections 23 which engage in the slots or recesses 22 in the deadbolt and a pair of arms 18 with appropriate formations 20 at their free ends for connection of the elongate connecting elements 8. The slots or recesses 22 on the surface of the deadbolt which is not visible in Figure 5 are shown dotted.

9 The arrangement of the projections 23 on the central portions of the drive members 5 and the slots or recesses 22 on the opposite surfaces of the deadbolt 21 are such that as the first drive member 5 moves in one direction, this movement causes movement of the other drive member 5 'm the opposite direction. It will be appreciated from Figures 2 and 3 that the drive members 5 are normally disposed at positions which are off-set from one another when the locking assembly is in either the locking or release position.

Small "running wheels" 30 may be provided within the housing 11 between the arms 18 of the two drive members in order to guide and assist the smooth movement of the drive members.

Looking at the arrangement of the shootbolts 7 in more detail, it will be appreciated from Figures 2, 3, 6 and 7 that each of the shootbolts 7 is formed with an extension 26 carrying a rack 27 and is associated with a second rack 28 which is received for linear movement within appropriately formed channels in the end guide 10. As shown in dotted lines in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings the shootbolt arrangement at the right hand end of the drawings are reversed compared with those illustrated at the left hand end and as shown in Figures 6 and 7. Thus at the left hand end it is the upper rack which is formed integrally with the shootbolt 7 whereas at the right hand end it is the lower rack. A description of only one of the shootbolt assemblies will be given. A gear wheel 29 is mounted within each of the end guides 10 so that its teeth mesh with the racks 27, 28. It will be appreciated therefore that linear movement of one of the racks 27, 28 in a first direction will result in linear movement of the other rack 'm the opposite direction.

Each of the racks 27, 28 is connected to the end of one of the arms 18 of one of the drive members 5 by way of an elongate connecting element 8. Each of the elongate elements 8 are in the form of a non-rigid element and may comprise a flexible wire, strap or the like which is connected at one end to one of the racks 27, 28 and at the other end to the free end of one arm 18 of one of the drive members 5. The connections between the elongate element 8 and the racks 27, 28 and the drive members 5 may be by any appropriate means. By way of example the elongate connecting element 8 may comprise a steel or plastic wire or strap which is passed through an opening m the ends of the racks 26, 27 and the end of the arm 18 and which has an enlarged formation at its end which then engages the rack or the arm. Of course, various other means of connection could be used. The advantage of using a flexible elongate connecting element instead of a rigid bar is that it is very cost effective and, as will be appreciated from the description below, it will operate in a state of tension at all times where it is extremely strong.

Following installation of the locking assembly in a window casing in the manner as illustrated in Figure 1 the assembly is operated via the handle 6. In order to move the assembly from the locking position to the released position i.e. in order to open a locked window, the handle 6 is tamed which will cause the quarter-tum. primary drive 13 to rotate in an anti-clockwise direction as seen in Figure 4. The projection 14 engages the central portion 17 of the drive member 5 and causes the illustrated drive member to move to the left, again as seen in Figure 4. This in turn causes the retraction of the deadbolt 21, the movement of which is transmitted via the slots 22 and projections 23 to the second drive member 5 which is caused to move in the opposite direction to the first drive member 5 illustrated in Figure 4.

The drive member 5 illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings is the lowermost drive member 5 shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. Thus, upon opening a window the lowermost drive member 5 in Figure-3 moves to the left 11 whilst the uppermost drive member 5 moves to the right. The movement of the lower-most drive member 5 to the left places the lower right hand elongate connecting element 8 in a state of tension and causes the lowermost rack on the right hand shootbolt 7 to be drawn to the left. It is this rack which is formed integrally with the shootbolt 7 on the right hand side of the illustration of Figure 3. Thus the shootbolt 7 on the right hand side of the illustration is withdrawn from its extended position as shown in Figure 3 to the retracted position shown in Figure 2.

Simultaneously with the movement of the lowermost drive member 5 to the left, the uppermost drive member 5 is moving to the right. This causes the uppermost elongate connecting element 8 on the left hand side of Figure 3 to be placed in a state of tension and to draw the associated rack 26 and shootbolt 7 from the extended position shown in Figure 3 to the retracted position shown in Figure 2.

Upon locking a window, the window casing is moved to the closed position and the handle is then moved in the opposite direction in order to rotate the quarter turn primary drive 13 in a clockwise direction as seen in Figure 4 which results in movement in the opposite direction to that explained above. It will therefore be appreciated that the uppermost drive member 5 illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 will be moved to the left whereas the lowermost drive member 5 will be moved to the right. Thus the drive members are moving from the positions illustrated in Figure 2 to the positions illustrated in Figure 3. During this movement the uppermost right hand connecting element 8 is placed in a state of tension and causes the upper rack associated therewith to move to the left. This rotates the gear wheel 29 between the two racks which in turn causes the rack which is formed integrally with the right hand shootbolt 7 to move to the right i.e. the shootbolt moves to the extended or locking 12 position. Simultaneously the movement of the lower drive member 5 to the right places the lowermost left hand elongate element 8 in a state of tension which draws the lowermost rack on the left hand side to be moved to the right. This movement rotates the gear wheel 29 which in turn moves the upper rack 27 and the shootbolt 7 which is formed integralIv therewith to the left, to the locking position shown in Figure 3.

It will be appreciated that with the arrangement described above the elements which connect the gear box/drive mechanism to the shootbolts are always in a state of tension as the shootbolts move between the locking and release positions. This avoids problems encountered with rigid bar connections which are placed in a state of compression upon operation and which require secure fixings.

In a modified arrangement it would be possible to use only a single connecting element 8 extending from one of the drive members 5 directly to the rack member which is not formed integrally with the shootbolt so that placing the connecting element in a state of tension would cause the shootbolt to be moved to the engaged position via the gear wheel and the second rack which is formed integrally with the shootbolt. In this arrangement a spring could be provided to move the shootbolt from the engaged to the disengaged position.

Other modifications may, of course, be made to the arrangement illustrated above. For example, it is not essential for a deadbolt 21 to be provided and in this case a small gear wheel or wheels could be positioned between the drive members 5 in order to transmit movement of one of the drive members to the other drive member. Also, the arrangement of the quarter-tum primary drive could be different to that illustrated and may take the form of a quarter-turn gear which engages with teeth formed in the first drive. member 5.

13 Whilst the arrangement which has been illustrated and described is operated manually by way of a handle, it would be possible to provide an arrangement which is driven electrically by means of a motor.

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Claims (14)

CLAIMS:

1. A door or window locking assembly comprising a pair of shootbolts moveable between released positions and locking positions in which the bolts engage keeps on a fixed frame to secure the door or window in position relative to the frame, means for driving the bolts between the released and locking positions and at least one elongate connecting element associated with each shootbolt, the connecting elements being positioned between the drive means and the bolts, the arrangement being such that upon actuation of the drive means to move the bolts from the released to the locking positions the elongate connecting elements are placed in a state of tension as they transnuit movement to the shootbolts.

2. An assembly according to Claim 1 wherein the elongate connecting elements are additionally placed in a state of tension upon actuation of the drive means to move the shootbolts from the locking to the released positions.

3. An assembly according to Claim 2 wherein two elongate connecting elements extend between the drive means and each shootbolt, one of the elongate connecting elements transmitting movement to cause the shootbolt to move from the locking to the released position and the other elongate connecting element transmitting movement to cause the shootbolt to move from the released position to the locking position.

4. An assembly according to Claim 3 wherein each shootbolt is associated with first and second racks, a first rack being connected directly to its associated shootbolt, there being a gear wheel positioned between the first and second racks such that movement of one rack in a first direction causes simultaneous movement of the other rack in an opposite difection, each of the racks being connected to one of the elongate connecting elements, the arrangement being such that upon actuation of the drive means to move the shootbolts, from the locking to the released positions the connecting elements which are connected to the first racks are placed in a state of tension and retract the shootbolts from extended, locking positions to withdrawn, released positions and such that upon actuation of the drive means to move the shootbolts from the released to the locking positions the connecting elements which are connected to the second racks are placed in a state of tension and movement of the second racks is transmitted via the gear wheel between the racks to the first racks in order to throw the shootbolts from their withdrawn, released positions to their extended locking positions.

5. An assembly according to Claim 4 wherein the drive means comprise a pair of drive members, each drive member having two oppositely extending arms, each arm being connected to an elongate connecting element which in turn extends to and is connected to one of the racks associated with the shootbolts.

6. An assembly according to Claim 5 wherein the drive members move linearly in opposite directions upon actuation of the drive means to move the shootbolts between the locking and released positions.

7. An assembly according to Claim 5 or Claim 6 wherein the assembly additionally comprises a deadbolt disposed at a position approximately midway between the shootbolts, the deadbolt being driven between extended and retracted positions by one of the drive members.

8. An assembly according to any one of Claims 1 to 7 wherein each elongate connecting element comprises a non-rigid member.

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9. An assembly according to Claim 8 wherein each elongate connectmig element comprises a flexible wire, strap or the like.

10. An assembly according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein the drive means comprise a manually operable handle.

11. An assembly according to any one of Claims 1 to 9 wherein the drive means comprise an electric motor.

12. An assembly according to Claim 1 wherein spring means are provided to move the shootbolts from the locking to the released position.

13. A door or window locking assembly substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

14. Any novel feature or combination of features disclosed herein.