AU2008202884A1 - Slide stopping device - Google Patents

Description

SLIDE STOPPING DEVICE Field of the Invention The present invention relates to locking arrangements and in particular to a slide stopping device for a sliding window or door. 5 The invention has been developed primarily for use with sliding windows and doors, and will be described hereinafter with reference to this application. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to this particular field of use. Background of the Invention Sliding windows and sliding doors are well known. They normally comprise two main 10 components: a frame and a sliding body that moves within the frame along top and/or bottom tracks. These tracks often take the form of elongate slots in the top and bottom of the frame. Sliding window and door locking arrangements are used to releasably lock the sliding body in a fixed position in relation to the frame. Such locking arrangements generally comprise a lock and a cooperating receptacle. The lock is generally attached to the sliding body by screws or 15 another form of attachment at the edge of the sliding body furthest from the fixed panel when the sliding body is in the closed position. This edge is known as the "leading edge". The edge of the frame that the leading edge touches when the sliding body is in the closed position is known as the "receiving edge". The receiving edge is generally permanently modified with a receptacle, to receive the locking element of the lock. For example, the locking element may 20 be a hook, and the receptacle may include a cross-bar for receiving the hook. In some arrangements, the lock may be located on the receiving edge and the leading edge may be modified to include a receptacle to receive the locking element. The modifications required to integrate the lock and the receptacle into the leading or receiving edge is a labour intensive process and errors in the positioning of the lock and 25 receptacle can easily be made. The risk is even greater when the sliding body (e.g. window or door) is old or fragile. The labour and potential complication and risk involved in the installation process dissuades many consumers from installing such locks themselves. In instances where such self installation is carried out, the permanent modifications may be objected to by the building's owner. 30 Sometimes a locking arrangement may allow a sliding body to be locked at a range of positions (e.g. open, closed, partially open). In such arrangements, the locking arrangement 1 is not installed on the leading and receiving edges. A partial opening may be used for ventilation or by a pet, whilst still preventing people from entering or exiting the building without a key to the lock. The present invention seeks to provide a slide stopping device which will overcome or 5 substantially ameliorate at least some of the deficiencies of the prior art, or to at least provide an alternative. It is to be understood that, if any prior art information is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the information forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country. 10 Summary of the Invention According to a first aspect of the present invention a slide stopping device is provided for stopping a sliding body from sliding along a track beyond a fixed point on the track, the track having a track aperture at the fixed point, the slide stopping device comprising: a housing, 15 a locking unit having a locking element and being adapted to slide through the housing between an unlocked and a locked position and to selectively maintain itself in the locked position, a rear member adapted for attachment to the housing, the housing and rear member defining a slot in use that is adapted to receive a portion of the track, 20 the arrangement being such that, when a portion of the track adjacent the track aperture is received in the slot, and the locking unit is moved to the locked position, the locking element extends through the track aperture and thus the sliding body is stopped from sliding along the track beyond the slide stopping device. Advantageously, no permanent modification beyond a small aperture through the inside wall 25 of the slide track of the frame is required to lock or limit the motion of the sliding body. This makes installation of a lockable sliding body in a frame less labour intensive, simpler and means that the slide stopping device can be used to lock fragile sliding bodies such as antique sliding doors and windows. Advantageously, to create multiple slide stop positions, only a corresponding number of 30 small apertures through the inside wall of the slide track need be created at the desired positions. 2 Advantageously, the slide stopping device can readily be moved between different sliding body and frame arrangements (e.g. windows or doors), whether in the same or a different building. This allows a person to take a set of locks with them if they move from one property to another and it allows a landlord to re-install their own set of locks during periods when 5 their dwelling is not occupied. Advantageously, since the slide stopping device is not attached to the sliding body, the sliding body can be freely slid between a closed position and the limited opening position set by the slide stopping device. Thus, the slide stopping device can simply be used to restrict the sliding range of the sliding body. If a user wanted to have a safe region along the slide 10 path of the sliding body (e.g. for the placement of a vase) they could simply attach the slide stopping device adjacent this safe region so that a user cannot accidentally slide the sliding body too far. Preferably, the rear member is attachable to the housing by an attachment. Advantageously, the rear member can be provided in different sizes, shapes and 15 configurations to allow the slide stopping device to fit a larger range of sliding body and frame arrangements. Furthermore, rear members of different colours can be interchanged if one colour is more desirable than another (e.g. to match a surrounding wall). Advantageously, this also allows the rear member to be cheaply replaced if damaged. Preferably, the attachment allows the width of the slot to be varied. 20 Advantageously, this allows the slide stopping device to be fitted to many different slide tracks (e.g. in different buildings) as the slide stopping device can be adjusted to fit the width of the inside wall of different tracks. Preferably, the rear member comprises an aperture adapted to receive an end region of the locking element when the locking unit is in the locked position. 25 Advantageously, this makes the attachment of the slide stopping device to the track stronger and more stable as it distributes the force from the sliding body across a greater cross sectional area of the slide stopping device when impacted. Preferably, the locking unit further comprises a locking pin and the housing further comprises a recess adapted to receive the locking pin, such that when the locking unit is depressed into 30 the housing, the locking pin is received in the recess to maintain the locking unit in the locked position until it is unlocked. Advantageously, this allows the sliding body to be locked (i.e. stopped from travelling along the track beyond the slide stopping device) by simply depressing the locking unit (e.g. if the 3 locking unit is a keyed locking unit no key would be required for locking). This is particularly useful in situations where a person needs to quickly lock up a building. Preferably, the locking pin is normally biased towards the recess and can be retracted by 5 unlocking the locking unit. Preferably, the locking unit is biased forwardly to the unlocked position. Preferably, the locking unit is a keyed locking unit. Brief Description of the Drawings Notwithstanding any other forms which may fall within the scope of the present invention, a 10 preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of the slide stopping device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in use; Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the slide stopping device of Fig 1 shown in use; 15 Fig. 3 is a top view of the slide stopping device of Fig 1 shown in use; Fig. 4 is a front view of the slide stopping device of Fig 1 shown in use; Fig. 5 is a front view of the housing of the slide stopping device of Fig 1; Fig. 6 is a rear view of the housing of Fig 5; Fig. 7 is a rear view of the rear member of the slide stopping device of Fig 1; 20 Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view of the slide stopping device of Fig 1 in a locked configuration shown in use; and Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view of the slide stopping device of Fig 1 in an unlocked configuration shown in use. Detailed Description of Specific Embodiments 25 Referring to Figs 1 to 7, a slide stopping device 10 is shown for stopping a sliding body, such as a sliding door or window, from sliding along a track 1000 beyond a fixed point. The track 1000 has a track aperture 1010 through its inside wall at the fixed point. 4 The slide stopping device 10 comprises a housing 15, a keyed locking unit 20, a rear member taking the form of a rear plate 25, two attachments taking the form of screws 30 and a spring 31. The housing 15 comprises a body portion 35 and a top portion 40 located on top of the body 5 portion 35 and set back from a front side 41 of the body portion 35. The body portion 35 has a central recess 45 that is adapted to slidingly receive the locking unit 20. A rear side 46 of the body 35 has a forward step 47 at approximately mid-height forming a housing recess 48. The central recess 45 has an end wall 50, two side walls 55, a top wall 60 and a bottom wall 65. The top portion 40 has a cavity 70 extending to and opening out at the rear of the top 10 portion 70. The top wall 60 has a top wall aperture 75 that extends through to the cavity 70. The end wall 50 comprises a housing locking element aperture 80, two housing screw apertures 85 and a spring recess 86. The rear plate 25 has a front side 90 and a rear side 95. The front side 90 has a forward step 100 at approximately mid-height forming a plate lug 105. The plate lug 105 is sized and 15 shaped to be received within the housing recess 48 in such a way that the plate lug 105 does not abut the rear side 46 of the body 35 but, together with the rear side 46, forms a slot 106 for receiving a portion of a track 1000 of a frame . The rear plate 25 comprises three through-apertures: a rear plate locking element aperture 110 and two rear plate screw apertures 115. When the plate lug 105 is located within the 20 housing recess 48, the rear plate locking element aperture 110 aligns with the housing locking element aperture 80 and the two rear plate screw apertures 115 align respectively with the two housing screw apertures 85. In use, the screws 30 are screwed through the two rear plate screw apertures 115 and into the two housing screw apertures 85. The screws 30 can be either wound or unwound to allow the width of the slot 106 to be varied to 25 accommodate different width tracks 1000. The keyed locking unit 20 is slidingly mounted within the central recess 45. The keyed locking unit 20 has a spring mounting pin 116 and a locking element 120 extending rearwardly, and a locking pin 125 extending upwardly. In use, a first end 130 of the spring 31 is fitted over the spring mounting pin 116 and a second end 135 of the spring 31 is snugly 30 received within the spring recess 86 such that the spring 31 biases the keyed locking unit 20 away from the end wall 50. The locking pin 125 is sized and located to be received in the top wall aperture 75 when the keyed locking unit 20 is depressed into the central recess 45. Referring to Fig. 8, in order to lock the slide stopping device 10 to a track 1000, the keyed locking unit 20 is first moved to the locked position. As the locking pin 125 aligns with the top 5 wall aperture 75 it extends under the action of a spring into the top wall aperture 75. In the locked position, the locking element 120 extends through the housing locking element aperture 80, the aperture 1010 in the track 1000 and into the rear plate locking element aperture 110. Extension of the locking element 120 into the rear plate locking element 5 aperture 110 makes the attachment of the slide stopping device 10 to the track 1000 stronger and more stable as it distributes the force from the sliding body across a greater cross sectional area of the slide stopping device 10 when impacted. Return forwards movement of the keyed locking unit 20 is limited when the locking pin 125 comes into contact with a vertical face 140 of the top wall 60. This serves to maintain the 10 keyed locking unit 20 in the locked position until it is unlocked. In this way, the locking element 120 locks the slide stopping device 10 to the track so that the sliding body is stopped from moving beyond the slide stopping device 10 and so that the slide stopping device 10 cannot be removed from the track . Referring to Fig. 9, in order to unlock the slide stopping device 10, the keyed locking unit 20 15 is unlocked. This causes the locking pin 125 to retract and the keyed locking unit 20 is then urged forwardly by the spring 31 until it reaches the unlocked position. In the unlocked position, the locking element 120 extends through the housing locking element aperture 80 but does not extend through the aperture 1010. In this position, the slide stopping device 10 can be removed from the track 1000. 20 In this embodiment, the housing 15 and the rear plate 25 are made of moulded plastic. In other embodiments, they could be made of metal, fiberglass or another composite. The slide stopping device 10 has a number of advantages, including: 1. No permanent modification beyond a small aperture 1010 through the inside wall of the slide track 1000 of the frame is required to lock or limit the motion of the sliding body. This 25 makes installation of a lockable sliding body in a frame less labour intensive, simpler and means that the slide stopping device 10 can be used to lock fragile sliding bodies such as antique sliding doors and windows. 2. It allows multiple slide stop positions by the mere creation of a corresponding number of small apertures through the inside wall of the slide track at the desired positions. 30 3. It can be readily moved between different sliding body and frame arrangements (e.g. windows or doors), whether in the same or a different building. This allows a person to take a set of locks with them if they move from one property to another and it allows a landlord to re-install their own set of locks during periods when their dwelling is not occupied. 6 4. It can be freely slid between a closed position and a limited open position set by the slide stopping device. Thus, the slide stopping device 10 can simply be used to restrict the sliding range of the sliding body. If a user wants to have a safe region along the slide path of the sliding body (e.g. for the placement of a vase) they can simply attach the slide stopping 5 device 10 adjacent to this safe region so that a user cannot accidentally slide the sliding body too far. 5. The rear plate 25 can be provided in different sizes, shapes and configurations to allow the slide stopping device 10 to fit a range of sliding body and frame arrangements. Furthermore, rear plates 25 of different colours can be interchanged if one colour is more desirable than 10 another (e.g. to match a surrounding wall). 6. The adjustability of the width of the slot 106 allows the slide stopping device 10 to be fitted to many different slide tracks 1000 (e.g. in different buildings). 7. It allows the sliding body to be locked (i.e. stopped from travelling along the track beyond the slide stopping device) by simply depressing the locking unit (e.g. if the locking unit is a 15 keyed locking unit no key would be required for locking). This is particularly useful in situations where a person needs to quickly lock up a building. 8. It can be fitted to sliding bodies that would not be able to accommodate a conventional lock due to the physical dimensions of the sliding body frame (e.g. older windows or doors) to meet security and/or insurance requirements. 20 While the invention has been described with reference to a number of preferred embodiments it should be appreciated that the invention can be embodied in many other forms. For example: 1. A spacer could be provided for location between the housing 15 and the rear plate 25 so that the slide stopping device 10 could better accommodate location over a thicker track 25 1000. The spacer could also be provided with screw holes so that the screws 30 could pass through it. 2. Differently shaped rear plates 25 could be provided, such as a curved plate. 3. The keyed locking unit 20 may be replaced by a locking unit that is locked and/or unlocked by another means, for example by a magnetic swipe card or an infrared remote control. 30 In this specification, the word "sliding body" is used to refer to any body that is capable of being slid along a track and includes all forms of sliding windows and doors. In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended 7 to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar technical purpose. Terms such as "forward", "rearward", "radially", "peripherally", "upwardly", "downwardly", and the like are used as words of convenience to provide 5 reference points and are not to be construed as limiting terms. In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" are used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition 10 of further features in various embodiments of the invention. 8

Claims (9)

1. A slide stopping device for stopping a sliding body from sliding along a track beyond a fixed point on the track, the track having a track aperture at the fixed point, the slide stopping 5 device comprising: a housing, a locking unit having a locking element and being adapted to slide through the housing between an unlocked and a locked position and to selectively maintain itself in the locked position, 10 a rear member adapted for attachment to the housing, the housing and rear member defining a slot in use that is adapted to receive a portion of the track, the arrangement being such that, when a portion of the track adjacent the track aperture is received in the slot, and the locking unit is moved to the locked position, the locking element extends through the track aperture and thus the sliding body is stopped from sliding along 15 the track beyond the slide stopping device.

2. A slide stopping device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rear member is attachable to the housing by an attachment.

3. A slide stopping device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the attachment allows the width of the slot to be varied. 20

4. A slide stopping device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rear member comprises an aperture adapted to receive an end region of the locking element when the locking unit is in the locked position.

5. A slide stopping device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the locking unit further comprises a locking pin and the housing further comprises a recess adapted to 25 receive the locking pin, such that when the locking unit is depressed into the housing, the locking pin is received in the recess to maintain the locking unit in the locked position until it is unlocked.

6. A slide stopping device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the locking pin is normally biased towards the recess and can be retracted by unlocking the locking unit. 30

7. A slide stopping device as claimed in claim 5 or 6, wherein the locking unit is biased forwardly to the unlocked position. 9

8. A slide stopping device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the locking unit is a keyed locking unit.

9. A slide stopping device substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 10