AUSTRALIA Patents Act COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (ORIGINAL) Class Int. Class Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority Related Art: Name of Applicant: VKR Holding A/S Actual Inventor(s): Thomas Friis Jorgensen, Klaus Kornerup Address for Service and Correspondence: PHILLIPS ORMONDE & FITZPATRICK Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys 367 Collins Street Melbourne 3000 AUSTRALIA Invention Title: A STOP MEMBER FOR AN OPERATOR CHAIN Our Ref: 811617 POF Code: 1246/350190 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to applicant(s): 6- 1 - -2 A stop member for an operator chain The present invention relates to a stop member for an 5 operator chain in a chain operator housing. Such a housing is typically of the type used for a manually operated chain operator for windows. Chain operators for windows have been disclosed previously. Such chain operators generally include an 10 operator chain housed in a magazine, a sprocket engaging the chain for driving it in and out of the magazine, thereby opening and closing a window, which is coupled to one end of the chain. The sprocket is integral with, or at least directly connected to, a co-axial gear wheel, which 15 is coupled to a reduction mechanism. In its simplest form the reduction mechanism may be a worm gear, where the gear wheel constitutes the worm wheel, co-operating with the worm. Alternatively the gear wheel could constitute the sun wheel of a planetary reduction gear. The sprocket and 20 gears are mounted in a housing of which the chain magazine forms part. The housing comprises an exit opening through which the chain may be driven in and out by the sprocket so as to operate the window. Examples of such chain operators are found in e.g. US-A-4521993 and EP-A-624703. 25 Irrespective of the actual length of the operator chain it is always important to avoid the sprocket driving the chain too far out, i.e. out of engagement with the sprocket itself or even all the way out of the housing. US-A-4521993 addresses inter alia this problem. It is 30 suggested to use, as the last chain link, a special link with protrusions, which may abut a corresponding protrusion on a guide rib for the chain. If less than a full length of chain is to be used to open the window it is suggested -3 to place a removable insert in one of the driving spaces for the sprocket in the chain. This then blocks the space and prevents the sprocket from driving the chain any further. 5 The present invention provides a simple and cheap end stop for the chain. According to the invention there is provided a stop member for an operator chain in a chain operator, the stop member including a pin arranged in a rivet hole not 10 occupied by a rivet in the operator chain, said pin having a length exceeding the width of the operator chain. Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the word "comprise" and variations of the word, such as "comprising" and "comprises", is not intended 15 to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps. The discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles and the like is included in this specification solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not suggested or represented that 20 any or all of these matters formed part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this application. Embodiments of the invention will now be explained in 25 greater detail, by way of example only, with reference to the figures, on which fig. 1 shows an exploded view of the chain operator housing and chain magazine incorporating a stop member of an embodiment of the present invention, 30 fig. 2 shows an exploded partial view of the chain operator housing and chain magazine shown in fig. 1, -4 fig. 3 shows a top plan view of the operator housing and chain magazine with the respective lids and the barrier member removed, fig. 4 shows another exploded view of the operator 5 housing and chain magazine, with bottom details visible, but without the chain, fig. 5 is a perspective view of the chain placed in the operator housing and chain magazine. Fig. 1 shows an exploded view of a chain operator. 10 The operator includes a cast metal housing 1, e.g. of pressure die-cast zinc. The metal housing 1 has substantially planar bottom wall 2. From the internal side of the bottom wall 2 an essentially cylindrical wall 3 extends. The cylindrical wall 3 defines a bore in which a 15 spindle 4 is located in a fixed manner. The end surface 5 of the cylindrical wall 3 forms a bearing surface for a sprocket 6, which is arranged on the spindle 4. The sprocket 6 forms part of an assembly of the sprocket and a gearwheel 7. In the preferred embodiment the assembly is 20 formed by joining two separate parts in a fixed mechanical relationship, but it is to be understood that they could just as well be integrally formed or that they could be separate parts interlocking in the rotational direction only. 25 In cut-outs in the operator housing 1 two loosely fitted journal bearings 8 and 9 are located. These bearings serve as bearings for the opposite ends 10,11 of a shaft carrying a worm 12 meshing with the gear wheel 7. One of the opposite ends 11 is provided with a coupling 30 means for an external manual operating device (not shown). In the embodiment shown the engagement means is a recess with hexagonal cross section, but the skilled person will appreciate that any other coupling means, such as a hook, -5 an eyelet, a hexagonal head portion etc. could be used, as well of different cross sections of the recess and the head portion could be used. The operator housing 1 furthermore includes two 5 openings for an operator chain 13, viz. an entry opening 14 and an exit opening 15, both best visible in the fig. 2. As mentioned, the exit opening 15 is open to the external environment, and thus poses a problem in the sense that pollutants may enter into the operator housing 1 through 10 it. In order to protect the gear mechanism, which in the embodiment shown comprises the worm 12 and the gear wheel 7, a barrier member 16 is provided between the exit opening 15 and the gearwheel 7, preferably between the sprocket 6 15 and the gear wheel 7. The barrier member is preferably a separate injection moulded, one-piece plastic part, e.g. of PBT, which may be inserted in the die-cast part of the operator housing 1. The barrier member 16 is provided with a central opening 17, through which the gear wheel 7 20 passes. In the preferred embodiment shown the barrier member 16 further comprises a curved wall part 26 along which the operator chain 13 may slide during its motion. This lowers the friction as compared to friction against the die-cast zinc operator housing 1. The barrier member 25 16 is fixed in respect to the operator housing 1 by means of tubular friction locking members 18, held in corresponding grooves 19 in the operator housing 1, in which they are inserted. Furthermore their length is adapted such that the barrier member 16 is furthermore 30 positioned by means of a lid 20 covering the operator housing 1, and the end walls of the respective grooves 19. The lid 20 is preferably secured on the operator housing 1 by means of screws 21. In order to further ensure good -6 positioning and for stabilising the curved wall part 26 of the barrier member 16 against the pressure from the operator chain 13, the curved wall part has protrusions 27 engaging corresponding holes 28 in the bottom wall 2 of the 5 operator housing 1. It has been found that even though the barrier member 16 does not form a perfect seal along the inside of the walls of the operator housing 1 and around the gear wheel 7, protection against in particular corrosive salty mist 10 entering through the exit opening 15 for the operator chain 13. As already explained, the internal side of the bottom wall 2 an essentially cylindrical wall 3 extends. The cylindrical wall 3 defines a bore in which a spindle 4 is 15 located in a fixed manner. In this respect, however, the expression bore is to be understood as a generally cylindrical hole in a broad sense. In particular it should be understood that it is not restricted to a prefabricated bore in which the spindle 4 is inserted. Thus in the 20 preferred embodiment the spindle is secured in place during the die-casting, i. e. the zinc of the housing 1 is cast around one end part of the spindle 4, thereby forming the bore. This end part of the spindle may be provided with grooves, so as to hold the spindle securely in the housing 25 1. In order to secure the spindle 4 as well as possible, a protrusion 29 is formed on the outside of the bottom wall 2 of the housing 1. This provides an additional thickness of the bottom wall 2, allowing the spindle to be inserted 30 deeper into the housing wall without penetrating it. Thus the spindle is supported over a longer distance by the cylindrical and the bottom part of the bore, than would be possible without the protrusion 29. Preferably the -7 protrusion 29 is cylindrical. The cylindrical protrusion 29, furthermore provides a convenient means for positioning the operator with respect to a window. Hence, the protrusion 29 serves dual functions. 5 The spindle is furthermore supported by means of a corresponding cylindrical wall 40 with a central bore 41 for receiving the free end of the spindle 4. The operator chain 13 is of a generally known construction with links riveted together by means of short 10 cylindrical pins 22 in pairs of holes 23 along the length of the operator chain 13. One end 24 of the chain 13 is preferably adapted for engagement with a part of window. In order to prevent the operator chain 13 from being driven all the way out of engagement with the sprocket 6 a stop is 15 provided at the other end of the operator chain 13. According to one embodiment of the invention, this stop is a loosely held pin 25, simply being placed in the last existing hole of the operator chain 13 instead of a riveted pin. The loosely held pin 25 is preferably also 20 cylindrical and has a diameter corresponding to that of the last hole in the operator chain 13. The length of the pin is longer than the width of the chain, i.e. longer than the rest of the short cylindrical pins 22. The length of the pin is adapted so as not allow it to pass the entry opening 25 14 of the operator housing 1. When reaching the operator housing 2 the loosely held pin 25 abuts it and prevents the operator chain 13 from moving any further in that direction. This provides a cheap and simple stop for the operator chain 13. Preferably the loosely held pin 25 is 30 made of steel. This simple stop means conveniently allows for different lengths of operator chain 13 to be used. This is utilised in another aspect, in which the operator housing 1 is provided with means for attaching a separate operator magazine. The use of a separate operator magazine allows for the use of different sized magazines with the same operator housing 1, the size of the magazine being adapted 5 to the length of operator chain 13 needed for a specific window. In the figures only one size of magazine is shown. The skilled person however will know that this is merely a matter of adapting the length of the magazine. 10 The magazine comprises two parts, viz. a housing part 30 and a lid part 31. The housing part 30 contains a generally spiral guideway 32 with sidewalls 33,34 between which the chain 13 may slide. The bottom wall 35 of the guideway comprises a groove 36, in which one end of the 15 loosely held pin 25 is received. The loosely held pin 25 may thus slide in the groove 36, during motion of the chain 13. Similarly the lid part 31 comprises a corresponding groove 37 in which the other end of the loosely held pin 25 is received and may slide. In the assembled condition of 20 the chain magazine, the overall height from the bottom of the groove 37 in the lid part 31 to the bottom of the groove 35 in the housing part 30 generally corresponds to the length of the loosely held pin 25. The overall height between the bottom surface 35 of the guideway 35 and the 25 surface 38 of the lid part 31, in which the groove 37 is provided, generally corresponds to the height of the entry opening 14. Thus when that end of the chain 13, at which the loosely held pin 25 is located, reaches the entry opening 14 the loosely held pin 25 cannot pass the entry 14 30 opening into the operator housing 1. The loosely held pin thus serves as a stop means for the chain 13 in conjunction with the wall of the operator housing 1 around the entry opening 14.
- 9 The magazine housing 30 and the magazine lid 31 are provided with mutually cooperating locking means such as barbed resilient tabs 42 and holes 43. The skilled person will understand that this is only a preferred embodiment, 5 and know that the magazine lid 31 may be secured on the magazine housing 30 in many different ways. The magazine is attached to the operator housing 1 in a releasable fashion, allowing different magazines to be attached to the same operator housing 1 or to identical 10 operator housings 1 in an interchangeable way. Preferably this is done by means of elongate protrusions 44,45 with T shaped or L shaped cross sections on the operator housing 1. These protrusions may engage corresponding undercut grooves 46,47 in the magazine 15 housing 30 in a sliding fashion. The undercut grooves 46, 47 are permanently closed at one end, whereas the other end of the groove is closed by the magazine lid 31, when it is secured to the magazine housing 1. With the magazine lid 31 in place the protrusions 44,45 will thus be trapped 20 between the magazine lid 31 and the magazine housing 30 and prevent the protrusions 44,45 from disengaging the undercut grooves 46,47. Since the protrusions 44,45 and undercut grooves 46,47 are identical for different combinations of operator 25 housings 1 and magazine housings 30 the magazines are readily interchangeable without the use of tools. This furthermore applies to the chains 13 as well, since the only thing preventing the chain 13 from being withdrawn fully from the operator housing 1 is the loosely held pin 30 25, which may simply be gripped with the fingers of a hand once the magazine lid 31 has been removed. The magazine lid 31 itself being removable upon pressing the barbed locking members 42 with a finger of a hand. With the pin - 10 removed the sprocket 6 may be turned by means of the external manual operating device engaging the coupling means at one end 11 of the worm 12, as mentioned above, thereby driving the operator chain 13 entirely out of the 5 operator housing 1. Though in the preferred embodiment a combination of T shaped and L shaped protrusions are used, the skilled person will know that other configurations are well possible, e.g. dovetail, keyhole shape etc. 10 Also, though the above exemplary description of a preferred embodiment relates to a manually operated chain operator for windows, it should be noted that the principles of the invention are just as well applicable for electrically operated window operators, in which the 15 electrical motor and gear transmission may be protected by the barrier member.