EP2592210B1

EP2592210B1 - Locking assembly for windows or doors

Info

Publication number: EP2592210B1
Application number: EP20110188338
Authority: EP
Inventors: Zhijun Dong
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-11-08
Filing date: 2011-11-08
Publication date: 2015-01-21
Anticipated expiration: 2031-11-08
Also published as: EP2592210A1

Description

The invention relates to a locking assembly, for windows and doors having a sash arranged to be openable with respect to a main frame, the locking assembly comprising:

a strike plate designed to be mounted on the main frame, having at least one stationary locking member; and a latching device designed to be mounted on the sash so as to be located opposite the strike plate when the sash is in a closed position, comprising a casing and at least one latching hook secured to a pinion which is rotatable inside the casing, further comprising an actuation slider having at least one rack portion engaged with said pinion so that a motion of said actuation slider entails said pinion to rotate, said actuation slider being guided in the casing to slide between a locking position in which said at least one latching hook is in locking engagement with a corresponding stationary locking member to lock the sash in the closed position and an unlocking position in which said at least one latching hook is disengaged from said stationary locking member to allow opening of the sash.

Such a locking assembly is known from the international patent application published WO 2011/113212 . Moreover, a tilting window on which such a locking assembly is mounted is described in the international patent application published WO 2011/113213 .
Referring to FIG.7 of WO 2011/113213 , which is reproduced in FIG. 28 of the present application, a tilting window having a sash 104 able to pivot with respect to a main frame 100 is represented in an open position. A locking assembly 112 includes a latching device 114 having two latching hooks, mounted on the sash 104, and a strike plate 120 mounted on the main frame 100. The actuation slider of the latching device 114 is able to be actuated by a pivoting ventilation flap 214 on which is secured a handle bar 212, through a hinged rod mechanism which links the flap to the slider. As long as the window remains opened, the ventilation flap 214 and the latching device 114 are respectively in their open and unlocked positions. To close the window, a person must push on the handle bar 212 until the sash 104 arrives in the closed position, like represented in FIG.6A of WO 2011/113213 which is reproduced in FIG. 29 of the present application. Then, to lock the window, the person must push further on the handle bar 212 to make the ventilation flap 214 to pivot and actuate the latching device 114 to its locked position.
The Applicant has found that when pushing on the handle bar 212 to pivot the sash 104, there is a risk that the ventilation flap 214 pivots to its closed position and therefore locks the latching device 114 before the sash 104 arrives in the closed position. In that event, the latching hooks are not properly positioned so that they will abut against the stationary locking members of the strike plate, which will impede the window to be shut.
In this regard, the Applicant has found desirable to conceive a security device in order to prevent the ventilation flap 214 from actuating the latching device 114 as long as the sash is in an open position.
To this end, the invention provides a locking assembly further comprises a security device adapted to retain said actuation slider in its unlocking position as long as the sash is in an open position, said security device comprising a retention pawl mounted moveable on the latching device and further comprising an unlocking member provided on the strike plate, said retention pawl being able to occupy a retention position in which it engages a retention part of said actuation slider to retain said actuation slider in its unlocking position and further being able to be displaced from said retention position by said unlocking member so that it disengages from said retention part when the sash arrives in the closed position.
By means of these dispositions, the actuation slider is retained in its unlocking position as long as the sash is in an open position. The actuation slider is released from its unlocking position when the latching device arrives opposite the strike plate, i.e. when the sash arrives is in the closed position.
In embodiments of a support mechanism according to the invention, the support mechanism comprises one or more of the following dispositions, possibly taken in combination:

at least in its retention position the retention pawl is urged by elastic means which maintain it in engagement with the retention part of the actuation slide; which provides a reliable engagement of the retention pawl;
the retention pawl traverses an opening provided in a top shell of the casing and has a contact portion located outside said opening which is arranged to come in pressing contact with the unlocking member of the strike plate when the sash arrives in the closed position; which enables the retention part of the actuation slider to be protected by the casing;
the retention pawl is able to pivot about a pivot axis mounted on the top shell of the casing; which provides a simple and reliable structure to guide the displacement of the retention pawl;
the actuation slider includes a recess portion having a side wall, and the retention part of said actuation slider is formed by a portion of said side wall; which provides a simple structure of the retention part;
the retention pawl comprises a plate which is parallel to the pivot axis, the actuation slider extends generally in a plane, and said plate has a lower edge remaining parallel to said plane and able to engage the retention part of said actuation slider; which enables a reliable and compact structure of the security device;
the pivot axis is perpendicular to said plane, and said lower edge has a distal corner able to engage said retention part; which provides a simple structure of the security device;
said lower edge remains flush with a bottom wall of said recess portion; which enables compactness of the security device;
the plate of the retention pawl has a forward face presenting the contact portion which is arranged to come in pressing contact with the unlocking member of the strike plate when the sash arrives in the closed position; which enables a wide enough contact portion;
the top shell of the casing has a generally flat part in which said opening is provided, and further has an extension part located above said opening, and said extension part (16B) bears at least one end of the pivot axis of the retention pawl; which provides a stiff structure to bear the pivot axis;
said pivot axis is perpendicular to said generally flat part and has a first end borne by said generally flat part and a second end borne by said extension part;
said extension part has a top flat wall which is substantially flush with a top end of the at least one latching hook; which enables a compact locking assembly when the latching device arrives opposite the strike plate.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention defined by the appended claims appear from the following detailed description of embodiments thereof, given as a non limitative examples and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :

FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective and partial view of a ventilation flap together with the latching device of a locking assembly according to a first embodiment of the invention, represented in an unlocked position;
FIG. 2 shows a schematic top view of the latching device of FIG. 1, represented in the same unlocked position and without a top shell of the casing;
FIG. 3 shows a schematic sectional view along the line III-III through the latching device of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 shows a schematic front view of the top shell of the casing, including the retention pawl of the security device mounted on the casing;
FIG. 5 shows a schematic bottom view of the top shell of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 shows a schematic top view of the actuation slider of the latching device of FIG. 2;
FIG. 7 shows a schematic sectional view along the line VII-VII through the actuation slider of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 shows a schematic perspective and oblique bottom view of the actuation slider of FIG. 6;
FIG. 9 shows a schematic top view of a bottom shell of the casing;
FIG. 10 shows a schematic perspective and oblique bottom view of the bottom shell of FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 shows a schematic perspective and oblique bottom view of a strike plate of a locking assembly according to the first embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 12 shows a schematic perspective and oblique rear view of the latching device of FIG. 2, represented in the same unlocked position;
FIG. 13 shows a schematic perspective and oblique rear view of the latching device of FIG. 1 when arriving opposite the strike plate of the locking assembly;
FIG. 14 shows a schematic sectional side view of the latching device of FIG. 2, represented in the locked position after a user has actuated the handle bar to make the ventilation flap to pivot;
FIG. 15 shows a schematic and partial perspective and oblique rear view of the locking assembly including the latching device of FIG. 14 represented in the same locked position;
FIG. 16 shows a schematic top view of the latching device of FIG. 14 represented in the same locked position;
FIG. 17 shows a schematic perspective and oblique front view of the latching device of the locking assembly according to the first embodiment of the invention, represented in the locked position;
FIG. 18 shows a very schematic sectional and partial side view of a locking assembly according to a second embodiment of the invention, represented when the latching device is about to arrive in contact with the strike plate;
FIG. 19 shows a very schematic sectional and partial side view of the locking assembly of FIG. 18, represented when the retention pawl of the latching device is pushed by the strike plate;
FIG. 20 shows a schematic perspective and oblique front view of the latching device of a locking assembly according to a third embodiment of the invention, represented in the locked position without a top shell of the casing;
FIG. 21 shows a schematic perspective and oblique bottom view of a strike plate of a locking assembly according to the third embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 22 shows a schematic perspective and oblique bottom view of the latching device of FIG. 20, represented in the locked position without the casing;
FIG. 23 shows the latching device of FIG. 22, represented in the unlocked position;
FIG. 24 shows a schematic perspective and oblique bottom view of the retention pawl of the latching device of FIG. 20, represented together with an urging helical spring;
FIG. 25 shows a schematic sectional side view of the retention pawl of FIG. 24;
FIG. 26 shows a very schematic sectional and partial side view of the locking assembly according to the third embodiment of the invention, represented when the latching device is about to arrive in contact with the strike plate;
FIG. 27 shows a very schematic sectional and partial side view of the locking assembly of FIG. 26, represented when the retention pawl of the latching device is pushed by the strike plate;
FIG. 28 reproduces the tilting window of FIG.7 of WO 2011/113213 , including additional numeral references;
FIG. 29 reproduces the tilting window of FIG. 6A of WO 2011/113213 , including additional numeral references.

As represented in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the latching device 2 of a locking assembly, according to the first embodiment of the invention, is represented in the unlocked position together with a ventilation flap 7 and a hinged rod mechanism 6 which links the flap to an actuation slider 4 of the latching device.
The latching device 2 is designed to be mounted on a sash of a window or a door, which sash is arranged to be openable with respect to a main frame. The latching device is particularly suitable for being mounted on a sash of a tilting window, for example on the sash 104 represented in FIG. 28, in order to replace the latching device 114 of the locking assembly 112.
The latching device 2 comprises a casing 10 and two latching hooks 11, 12, which are each secured to a corresponding pinion 13, 14, rotatable inside the casing through a displacement of the actuation slider 4. The casing includes a bottom shell 15 and a top shell 16. The actuation slider 4 is able to slide in translation on the bottom shell 15, and comprises two laterally opposed rack portions 41, 42, each engaged with a corresponding pinion 13, 14, so that a motion of the slider entails the pinions to rotate in opposite turning directions. Further explanations on the operation of such a locking assembly, particularly on the cooperation of the latching hooks with the stationary locking members of the strike plate to lock the window, can be found in the publication WO 2011/113212 .
The actuation slider 4 is able to slide between a locking position in which each latching hook 11, 12, is in locking engagement with a corresponding stationary locking member 21, 22 provided on the strike plate 20 of the locking assembly (FIG. 11), to lock the sash in the closed position, and an unlocking position as represented in FIG. 1 in which each latching hook is disengaged from its corresponding stationary locking member to allow the sash to be opened. According to the present invention, the locking assembly further comprises a security device 3 adapted to retain the actuation slider 4 in its unlocking position as long as the sash is in an open position.
The security device 3 comprises a retention pawl 30 mounted moveable on the latching device and able to occupy a retention position in which it engages a retention part 45 of the actuation slider to retain the slider in its unlocking position (FIG. 2, FIG. 3). The actuation slider 4 includes a recess portion 43 having a side wall, and the retention part 45 is formed by a portion of the side wall.
In the first embodiment of the locking assembly according to the invention, the retention pawl 30 is able to pivot about a pivot axis 34 which is mounted on the top shell 16 of the casing and is perpendicular to a plane in which the actuation slider 4 extends generally (FIG. 1, FIG. 2). The retention pawl 30 comprises a plate 30A which is parallel to the pivot axis 34 and is urged by a spring 35 which maintains it in engagement with the retention part 45 of the actuation slider.
As represented in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the plate 30A of the retention pawl 30 traverses an opening 17 provided in a generally flat part 16A of the top shell 16 of the casing. The plate 30A has a contact portion 30A1 located outside the opening 17 and which is arranged to come in pressing contact with the unlocking member of the strike plate when the sash arrives in the closed position. The plate 30A further has a lower edge 30E remaining parallel to the plane of the actuation slider and which has a distal corner 30C able to engage the retention part 45 of the slider. The lower edge 30E remains flush with a bottom wall 46 of the recess portion 43 of the actuation slider (FIG. 7).
The top shell 16 has an extension part 16B located above the opening 17, inside which the retention pawl 30 is located (FIG. 4). The pivot axis 34 is perpendicular to the generally flat part 16A, and has a first end borne by said flat part 16A and a second end borne by the extension part 16B.
As represented in FIG. 6, FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the recess portion 43 of the actuation slider 4 has a bottom wall 46 and a side wall 44, and the retention part 45 is formed by a portion of the side wall 44. Advantageously, said portion 45 of the side wall 44 is arc-shaped following a circle centred on the pivot axis 34, so that the pivoting displacement of the retention pawl 30 to disengage from the retention part 45 can be made without displacing the actuation slider 4. A distal lateral side of the plate 30A of the retention pawl 30 is also advantageously arc-shaped accordingly and has smooth edges, at least at the distal corner 30C on that lateral side, in order to avoid substantial wear of the parts.
The bottom side of the slider has a guiding protrusion 48 which remains protruding inside a rectangular hole 18 of the bottom shell 15 of the casing and is adapted to longitudinally guide the slider along the hole 18 (FIG. 9, FIG. 10).
As represented in FIG. 11, the security device further comprises an unlocking member 23 provided on the strike plate 20 of the locking assembly. The unlocking member 23 presents a slanted contact portion 23C which is designed to enter in pressing contact with the contact portion 30A1 of the retention pawl 30 while avoiding significant wear of the two contact portions, when the sash arrives in the closed position. The stationary locking members 21 and 22 preferably include cylinder sleeves able to rotate, in order to avoid significant wear with the corresponding latching hooks 11 and 12 as well.
As represented in FIG. 12, the security device 3 impedes the actuation slider 4 to be displaced as long as the retention pawl engages the retention part 45 of the slider. However, if a pushing force in the direction represented by the top arrow is exerted on the retention pawl and is sufficient to overcome the urging force of the spring 35, the retention pawl is made to pivot in the direction represented by the arrow below, which disengages the retention pawl from the retention part 45 and allows the slider to be displaced.
As represented in FIG. 13, when the sash arrives in the closed position, the latching device 2 is displaced in the direction represented by the right side arrow to arrive below and opposite the strike plate 20. The security device still impedes the actuation slider 4 to be displaced, which ensures that the latching hooks 11 and 12 are properly positioned to later rotate and engage the corresponding stationary locking members of the strike plate. As visible, the unlocking member 23 of the strike plate is about to enter in pressing contact with the retention pawl. The strike plate 20 and the latching device 2 are secured respectively to the main frame and to the sash in positions determined so that when the sash completely shuts the main frame, the unlocking member 23 completely unlocks the security device 3 by disengaging the retention pawl from the retention part, thereby allowing the ventilation flap 7 to be pivoted by acuating a handle bar 8 to lock the locking assembly 1 as represented in FIG. 14.
As further visible on FIG. 14, FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, once the locking assembly has been locked by pushing the handle bar 8, the slider 4 has moved forward in the casing. The plate 30A of the retention pawl 30 is positioned rearwardly in the recess 43 of the slider, while being maintained pivoted by the unlocking member 23 so that said plate is not in contact with the slider. In FIG. 16, the pressure exerted by the unlocking member 23 (see FIG. 15) on the retention pawl 30 is represented by the arrow at the recess 43.
As represented in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17, when the latching device 2 is locked, the locking position of the actuation slider 4 is such that a front edge of the slider is substantially flush with a front side of the casing 10. Moreover, as further visible on FIG. 17, the extension part 16B of the top shell of the casing has a top flat wall which is substantially flush with the top ends of the two latching hooks. The above dispositions allow a relatively compact and esthetical casing.
In a second embodiment of the invention as represented very schematically in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19, a locking assembly according to the invention may differ from the one of the first embodiment above described only by the pivoting direction of the retention pawl and the positioning of the retention part in a recess of the actuation slider. The retention pawl 31 is able to pivot about a pivot axis 34 which is parallel to a plane in which the slider 5 extends. The pivot axis 34 is mounted on an extension 16B of the top shell 16 of the casing, and has its two ends borne by said extension part 16B. The retention pawl 31 is urged by a spring 35, and includes a plate part having a lower edge remaining parallel to the plane of the slider and able to engage the retention part 55 of said slider.
The side wall of the recess of the actuation slider is inclined to form the retention part 55. The retention pawl 31 includes a contacting part on which is formed the contact portion 31A which is arranged to come in pressing contact with the unlocking member 23 of the strike plate when the sash arrives in the closed position.
As represented in FIG. 18, the latching device is about to arrive in contact with the strike plate. The slider 5 is still maintained by the retention pawl 31. As represented in FIG. 19, when the latching device arrives in contact with the strike plate, the unlocking member 23 makes the retention pawl 31 to pivot so that the slider 5 is not any more maintained. A pushing effort on the handle bar (not shown) entails the slider 5 to slide forwards in the casing 15, thereby locking the locking assembly.
As represented in FIG. 20 and FIG. 21, according to a third embodiment of the invention, the retention pawl may be formed by a generally cylindrical element. For sake of simplicity, the same numeral references as in the first embodiment above described are used to design identical or functionally analogue elements. The retention pawl 30 has a lower part 30E (FIG. 22) inserted in a guiding part 15B of the bottom shell 15 of the casing, so that it is able to be displaced in translation perpendicularly to a plane in which the actuation slider 4 extends generally. A cylindrical part of the retention pawl 30 traverses an oblong hole 4H provided in the slider 4. The lower part 30E of the retention pawl remains below the slider (FIG. 22, FIG. 23).
The cylindrical part of the retention pawl has a top surface which is inclined so as to form a contact portion 30A1 located outside an opening of the top shell of the casing (not shown). The contact portion 30A1 is arranged to come in pressing contact with a contact surface 23E of an unlocking member 23 of the strike plate (FIG. 21) when the sash arrives in the closed position.
As represented in FIG. 22, FIG. 23, FIG. 24 and FIG. 25, the cylindrical part of the retention pawl is hollow so that a helical spring 35 is located inside the pawl to permanently exert on the pawl an upward pushing force. A lower end of the spring bears on a bottom portion of the guiding part 15B. The actuation slider 4 has a recess 45 formed below the slider at an end part of the oblong hole 4H close to a front guiding protrusion of the slider. When the latching device 2 is in its locked position (FIG. 20, FIG. 22), the lower part 30E of the retention pawl is not engaged in the recess 45, and the slider 4 can be displaced. When the latching device gets unlocked (FIG. 23), the recess 45 arrives above the lower part 30E of the retention pawl which engages in the recess under the force of the urging spring 35. The lower part 30E being maintained by the guiding part 15B, the slider 4 is therefore retained in its unlocking position.
As represented in FIG. 26 and FIG. 27, when the retention pawl 30 arrives in contact with the unlocking member 23 of the strike plate, the pawl is pushed downwards so that the lower part 30E of the pawl is disengaged from the recess 45 of the slider, thereby allowing the slider 4 to be displaced towards its locking position.
As will be appreciated, the present invention defined by the appended claims does not limit itself to the embodiments described here above purely as examples; the invention also extends to other embodiments covered by the claims.
In particular, it will be appreciated that the present invention defined by the appended claims does not limit itself to a locking assembly having two latching hook. It may for instance be provided a locking assembly in the scope of the invention in which the latching device comprises only one latching hook, in which case the strike plate may have only one stationary locking member and the actuation slider may have only one rack portion. A window or door may be equipped with two or more such locking assemblies.

Claims

A locking assembly (1), for windows and doors having a sash (104) arranged to be openable with respect to a main frame (100), the locking assembly comprising:
a strike plate (20) designed to be mounted on the main frame (100), having at least one stationary locking member (21, 22); and

a latching device (2) designed to be mounted on the sash (104) so as to be located opposite the strike plate (20) when the sash is in a closed position, comprising a casing (10) and at least one latching hook (11, 12) secured to a pinion (13, 14) which is rotatable inside the casing, further comprising an actuation slider (4; 5) having at least one rack portion (41, 42) engaged with said pinion (13, 14) so that a motion of said actuation slider (4) entails said pinion to rotate, said actuation slider (4) being guided in the casing (10) to slide between a locking position in which said at least one latching hook (11, 12) is in locking engagement with a corresponding stationary locking member (21, 22) to lock the sash in the closed position and an unlocking position in which said at least one latching hook is disengaged from said stationary locking member to allow opening of the sash, characterised in that

the locking assembly further comprises a security device (3) adapted to retain said actuation slider (4; 5) in its unlocking position as long as the sash (104) is in an open position, said security device comprising a retention pawl (30; 31) mounted moveable on the latching device and further comprising an unlocking member (23) provided on the strike plate (20), said retention pawl (30; 31) being able to occupy a retention position in which it engages a retention part (45; 55) of said actuation slider to retain said actuation slider in its unlocking position and further being able to be displaced from said retention position by said unlocking member (23) so that it disengages from said retention part (45; 55) when the sash (104) arrives in the closed position.
A locking assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least in its retention position the retention pawl (30; 31) is urged by elastic means (35) which maintain it in engagement with the retention part (45; 55) of the actuation slider (4; 5) .
A locking assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the retention pawl (30; 31) traverses an opening (17) provided in a top shell (16) of the casing and has a contact portion (30A1; 31A) located outside said opening (17) which is arranged to come in pressing contact with the unlocking member (23) of the strike plate when the sash (104) arrives in the closed position.
A locking assembly according to claim 3, wherein the retention pawl (30) is able to pivot about a pivot axis (34) mounted on the top shell (16) of the casing.
A locking assembly according to claim 4, wherein the actuation slider (4) includes a recess portion (43) having a side wall (44), and wherein the retention part (45) of said actuation slider is formed by a portion of said side wall.
A locking assembly according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the retention pawl (30) comprises a plate (30A) which is parallel to the pivot axis (34), the actuation slider (4; 5) extends generally in a plane, and said plate (30A) has a lower edge (30E) remaining parallel to said plane and able to engage the retention part (45; 55) of said actuation slider.
A locking assembly according to claim 6, wherein the pivot axis (34) is perpendicular to said plane, and said lower edge (30E) has a distal corner (30C) able to engage said retention part (45).
A locking assembly according to claim 6 or 7, wherein said lower edge (30E) remains flush with a bottom wall (46) of said recess portion (43).
A locking assembly according to any of claims 6 to 8, wherein the plate (30A) of the retention pawl (30) has a forward face presenting the contact portion (30A1) which is arranged to come in pressing contact with the unlocking member (23) of the strike plate when the sash (104) arrives in the closed position.
A locking assembly according to any of claims 4 to 9, wherein the top shell (16) of the casing has a generally flat part (16A) in which said opening (17) is provided, and further has an extension part (16B) located above said opening (17), and wherein said extension part (16B) bears at least one end of the pivot axis (34) of the retention pawl (30).
A locking assembly according to claim 10, wherein said pivot axis (34) is perpendicular to said generally flat part (16A) and has a first end borne by said generally flat part (16A) and a second end borne by said extension part (16B).
A locking assembly according to claim 10 or 11, wherein said extension part (16B) has a top flat wall which is substantially flush with a top end of the at least one latching hook (11, 12).