EP3455439B1

EP3455439B1 - Lock for doors and/or windows

Info

Publication number: EP3455439B1
Application number: EP17761117.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giacomo Mario ALBAN
Original assignee: Alban Giacomo SpA
Current assignee: Alban Giacomo SpA
Priority date: 2016-08-03
Filing date: 2017-07-26
Publication date: 2019-08-07
Anticipated expiration: 2037-07-26
Also published as: IT201600081787A1; WO2018025123A1; EP3455439A1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a lock for doors and/or windows.
More precisely, the invention relates to a lock provided with a control of the axial thrust type, which converts the thrust or traction movement into a rotation movement applied to the handle follower.
The lock system of the invention is further installable on all locks using the classic rotating lowering system of the handle, simply by replacing the handle follower.
The lock of the invention has the advantage of allowing complete freedom in relation to the form of handle to be used, as the handle need only receive thrust or traction forces and no longer rotation forces in a vertical plane.
The present invention is advantageously applied in the sector of doors, windows and installations in general and in particular in the sector of closing and opening means thereof.

PRIOR ART

As is known, the doors or windows used for closing accesses to rooms of a building are provided with locks provided with a latch and/or a bolt.
Also known is that an installation is usually formed by a support frame mounted at the opening of a wall and comprising two opposite vertical uprights, or jambs, and a crossbar element arranged between the vertical uprights transversally thereto, and by a wing, being a door or a window, rotatably connected to an upright of the support frame.
In the background art, the lock comprises a box body inserted in a special housing of the wing; in particular, the box body is provided with a latch and/or a bolt slidably mobile between a retracted configuration inside the box body and an extracted configuration from the box body for engaging in a corresponding latch-hole and/or bolt-hole realised on one of the vertical uprights of the installation.
With particular reference to the latch, it is provided with an inclined surface able to abut and slide on an edge of a strike plate installed on the jamb, said inclined surface thus actuating the retraction of the latch inside the box body during the closing step of the door.
According to the prior art, the latch is opposed by a spring which tends to keep it in the normally-extracted configuration from the box body; therefore, after having abutted with the edge of the strike plate and having been retracted into the box body up to the exceeding of the above-said edge of the strike plate, the latch is returned into the extracted configuration by the spring, so that it can insert in the latch-hole fashioned on the jamb of the installation and thus actuate the closing of the installation.
To disengage the latch from the latch-hole and newly enable the opening of the installation, it is necessary to manually carry out the retraction of the latch inside the box body. This retraction is normally carried out with the use of a lever handle, which is connected to the latch by means of a series of kinematic mechanisms and is rotated about an axis that is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the latch. In greater detail, the rotation of the lever handle thus determines the sliding of the latch.
In the prior art, the need to apply a rotation movement for actuating the sliding of the latch and disengaging it from the latch-hole constrains manufacturers of the installations to the use of lever handles. The main drawback of the prior art is therefore represented by the fact that it does not enable a freedom of choice on the form of the handle to be used, which must necessarily be of the lever type. Further, and disadvantageously, the use of a lever handle does not allow freedom in the choice of the type of activation by the user, as the user is necessarily constrained to rotate a handle in order to enable the lock to be opened.
A lock for doors and/or windows according to the preamble of claim 1, in particular in which a translation movement of a control member is converted into a rotating movement of an actuator member by effect of the sliding of a cam follower element inside a cam, is disclosed in document GB2498340A .

AIMS OF THE INVENTION

In this context, the technical task underpinning the present invention is to disclose a lock for doors and/or windows which obviates the drawbacks of the known art as mentioned above.
In particular, an aim of the present invention is to provide a lock for doors and/or windows which is alternative to those at present on the market. Still more in particular, an aim of the present invention is to provide a lock able to guarantee a greater freedom in relation to the form of the handle to be used.
A further aim of the present invention is to provide a lock for doors and/or windows which has a simple and immediate operation.
A further aim of the present invention is to provide a lock for doors and/or windows which has modest size and weight.
A further aim of the invention is to realise a lock that is reliable and resistant to repeated forces, during the step of opening and closing the installation.
The stated technical task and specified objects are substantially achieved by a lock for doors and/or windows comprising the technical features disclosed in one or more of the appended claims. The dependent claims correspond to further embodiments of the lock according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following indicative, and hence non-limiting, description of one or more preferred, but not exclusive, embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the appended drawings, in which:

figure 1 illustrates an exploded perspective view of a lock according to the invention;
figure 2 illustrates an exploded view of a constructional detail of the lock shown in figure 1;
figure 3 is a perspective view in an assembled condition of the lock illustrated in figure 1;
figures 4 and 5 illustrate two views from below and in section of the lock illustrated in the preceding figures, in two different operating configurations;
figures 6 and 7 illustrate two lateral views corresponding to figures 4 and 5, which illustrate the lock in the two different operating configurations;
figures 8 and 9 respectively illustrate a frontal view and a lateral view of a further constructional detail of the lock shown in the preceding figures;
figures from 10 to 12 illustrate views from above and in section of the constructional detail shown in figures 8 and 9, respectively according to trace lines A-A, B-B and C-C of figure 9;
figures from 13 to 15 respectively illustrate frontal and section views of a first version of the lock according to the invention, equipped with built-in handles;
figures from 16 to 18 respectively illustrate frontal and section views of a second version of the lock of the invention provided with external handles;
figures from 19 to 21 respectively illustrate frontal and section views of a third version of the lock of the invention provided with grips.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the appended figures, and in particular figure 1, reference numeral 30 denotes in its entirety a lock for doors and/or windows and for installations in general.
The lock 30 comprises at least a box body 31 that in turn comprises a closing element 33, for example a bolt, a hook or a chain, mobile at least between an extracted configuration from the box body 31 and a retracted configuration in the box body 31.
In an embodiment of the invention, in order to carry out the extraction or retraction of the closing element 33 an actuator member 35 is used that is kinematically connected to the closing element 33. As will be more fully explained in the following the actuator member constitutes the handle follower which is connected to the closing element 33 by means of kinematic mechanisms that are neither further illustrated or described as they are of known type.
In an aspect of the invention, the actuator member 35 is able to activate the displacement of the closing element 33 between the extracted and retracted configurations, enabling the closing element 33 to project or retract with respect to a frontal plate 32 of the lock 30.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the actuator member 35 is mobile in rotation between at least two operating positions which respectively correspond to the above-said extracted and retracted configurations of the closing element.
In an embodiment better visible in figures 1, 6 and 7, the closing element 33 of the lock 30 is mobile in translation between said extracted and retracted configurations. In this embodiment, the translation direction of the closing element 33 is substantially transversal to the rotation axis of the actuator member 35. Said closing element 33 is preferably a bolt or a latch.
In a further embodiment, not illustrated, the closing element of the lock is mobile by rotation between said extracted and retracted configurations, for example it can comprise a rotating element of the hook type.
In accordance with the embodiment in which the closing element 33 is mobile in translation (for example figures 1, 6 and 7), the actuator member 35 comprises a hollow body 34, preferably cylindrical, subject to rotation about a transversal axis with respect to the sliding direction of the closing element 33; in particular said hollow body 34 defines a handle follower kinematically connected to the closing element 33.
In a further aspect of the invention shown, for example, in figures 1, 4 and 5, the hollow body 34 of the actuator member 35 is intercepted by a control member 37 kinematically connected to said actuator member 35 for controlling rotation thereof. In greater detail, the control member 37 is mobile along a translation direction between at least two operating positions which respectively correspond to the operating positions of the actuator member 35, which in turn correspond to the extracted and retracted configurations of said closing element 33.
In a further aspect of the invention, better visible in figures 8 and 9, the control member 37 has an elongate shape, preferably cylindrical, having dimensions such as to slide inside the actuator member 35; the control member is solidly constrained to at least a cam 38 having an extension that is at least partly helical. The actuator member 35 preferably has two cams 38 having a straight extension (for a first portion) and partly helical (for a second portion) arranged opposite one another relative to the rotation axis of the control member 37.
In a further aspect of the invention, more clearly visible in figures from 8 to 12, the cam 38 (or cams 38 if there is more than one) is slidably intercepted by a cam follower element 36 solidly constrained to the actuator member 35, so that the translation movement (see the arrows in figure 5) of the control member 37 is converted into a rotating movement of the actuator member 35 by effect of the sliding of the cam follower element 36 inside the cam 38.
In an aspect of the invention best visible in figures 1 and from 10 to 12, the cam follower element 36 is constituted by at least a hemisphere, preferably two hemispheres. In greater detail, the hemispheres are fashioned on the hollow body 34 which defines the handle follower and are facing towards an inside of the hollow body, being further arranged frontally to one another, i.e. diametrically opposite one another.
In a further aspect of the invention, better visible in figures 2 and 8, the control member 37 has at least a longitudinal groove 39 that is parallel to the translation direction of the control member 37, preferably two grooves 39. In this case, said grooves are arranged opposite one another relative to the rotation axis, alternating with said cams 38 having at least partly helical extensions.
According to a further aspect of the invention illustrated in figure 1, the control member 37 is associated to two bushings 42, and 44 which enable sliding thereof while preventing rotation at the same time so that said cams 38 having an at least partly helical extension impress a rotation on said actuator member 35 by sliding in the cams of the cam follower elements 36 solidly constrained to the actuator member 35 (figures 4 and 5).
Additionally, a first bushing 42 provided with a first tooth 43 is fixable to the box body 31, and a second bushing 44, provided with a second tooth 45 and also fixable to the box body 31 on the opposite side to the first bushing 42 with respect to the box body.
With reference to figures 1 and from 10 to 12, the control member 37 inserts in both the bushings 42, 44, crossing the box body 31 so that both teeth 43, 45 are slidably inserted in said longitudinal groove 39 of the control member 37, so that the control member can carry out linear movements following pressure or traction forces exerted thereon by a user.
In more detail, said bushings 42, 44 are reciprocally fixed and fixed on said box body 31 for maintaining the control member 37 in an engaging condition on the box body 31. The bushings 42 and 44 are preferably reciprocally fixed and fixed on the box body 31 by means of retaining means 46 of the screw type, or similar.
Also according to the invention, and better visible in figures 1 and 2, the control member 37 is associated to elastic means 40, preferably a spring, operatively active on the control member 37 for maintaining the control member 37 in an operating condition normally corresponding to said extracted configuration of the closing element 33. In greater detail, said elastic means are retained on the control member between a retaining element 41, preferably defined by a disc-shaped head of the control member 37 having greater dimensions with respect to the diameter of the control member 37, and a portion of the bushing 42, so that the elastic element is in a pre-loaded condition.
With reference to figure 2, first the elastic element 40 is mounted in abutment on the retaining element 41 of the control member 37 and then the control member 37 is inserted in the first bushing 42, and lastly a transversal plug 47 is fitted in the control member 37 for preventing the extraction of the bushing 42, so as to actuate the pre-loading of the elastic element. In greater detail, the length of the travel of the control member 37 corresponds substantially to the distance between the fixing point of the plug 47 to the control member and the retaining element 41.
Once the first part of the control member 37 has been assembled, it is inserted in the actuator member 35 and fixed to the box body 31, using the second bushing 44 positioned on the opposite side of the box body. Thereafter, the bushings are maintained in the seating thereof by the fixing means 46, at the same time enabling free translation of the control member 37 in opposition to the elastic means 40.
The operation of the lock is as follows.
By acting on the control member 37, i.e. exerting a pressure or traction force, a translation of the control member 37 is produced, so that the two hemispheres 36, intercepted by the at least partly helical cams 38, transform the translation movement of the control member 37 into a rotation movement of the actuator member 35, enabling the retraction of the closing element 33. In greater detail, the control member 37 is constrained to translate in an axial extension direction thereof, as the teeth 43 and 45 of the bushings 42 and 44 prevent rotation thereof; in this way, the at least partly helical cams 38 are able to exert an angular thrust on the hemispheres 36 and thus impress a rotation movement to the above-said handle follower 34 (i.e. the actuator member 35).
In figures from 4 to 7, a first and a second operating condition is illustrated, where "Y" indicates a translation distance of the control member 37 and "X" indicates the rotation angle of the actuator member 35. In particular, the entity of the translation "Y" of the control member 37 and the entity of the angular rotation "X" of the actuator member 35 depend on the amount of the displacement demanded on the closing element 33. For example, to obtain a displacement of 10 mm of the closing element 33 a translation di 6.5 mm is required of the control member 37 and a rotation by 27° of the actuator member 35.
Figures from 8 to 12 illustrate in greater detail the control member 37 with the respective at least partly helical cams 38, with the grooves 39 and further illustrate the position of the hemispheres 36 during the axial displacement of the control member 37.
With reference to figures from 10 to 12, three consecutive operating configurations of the hollow body 34 and the relative cam follower elements 36 are illustrated.
In figure 10 (section A-A) a mounted configuration is illustrated, in which the hemispheres 36 of the hollow body 34 insert in the straight portion of the cams 38 in order to be located in a neutral position, as is visible in figure 11 (section B-B). With particular reference to figure 11, an initial configuration is illustrated, in which the hemispheres 36 are in proximity of the initial part of the helical portion of the cams 38, at an instant preceding the activation of the rotation of the hollow body 34 (which is a part of the actuator member 35).
With reference to figure 12 (section C-C), an operating configuration is illustrated, in which the hemispheres 36 of the hollow body 34 have entered the helical portion of the cams 38, for activating the rotation of the hollow body 34 by the corner indicated by letter "X", so as to determine the displacement of the closing element 33.
With reference to figures from 13 to 15, a first version of the lock of the invention is illustrated (respectively in a frontal view and in section according to two different operating steps), in which the activating of the control member 37 occurs by use of a pair of built-in lever mechanisms 48. The lever mechanisms 48 are operatively active on the control member 37 for moving the control member 37 between at least two operating positions which respectively correspond to the above-mentioned extracted and retracted configurations of the closing element 33; in particular, each of said lever mechanisms 48 is rotatably connected, including indirectly, to the box body 31. In further detail, a first of said lever mechanisms 48 has a first end that is hinged to the box body 31, a second end that is free and an intermediate portion between said ends that is able to define an abutment for said control member 37, so that, at a nearing movement of the lever mechanism towards the box body 31, the intermediate portion exerts a pressure on the control member 37 causing the control member 37 to translate from the operating position corresponding to the extracted configuration of the closing element 33, to the operating position corresponding to the retracted configuration of said closing element 33.
The second of said lever mechanisms 48, which is positioned on the opposite side with respect to the box body 31, has a first end that is hinged to the box body 31, a second end that is free and an intermediate portion between said ends and engaged to the control member 37. In this way, at a distancing movement of the lever mechanism from the box body 31, the intermediate portion exerts a traction on the control member 37 causing the control member 37 to translate from the operating position corresponding to the extracted configuration of the closing element 33, to the operating position corresponding to the retracted configuration of said closing element.
Therefore, the lever mechanisms advantageously receive only thrust or traction forces and no longer rotation forces in an axis that is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the closing element 33.
With reference to figures from 16 to 18, a second version of the lock of the invention is illustrated (respectively in a frontal view and in section according to two distinct operating steps), in which the activation of the control member 37 takes place by use of a pair of lever mechanisms 49 which are located externally with respect to the surface of the door, differently to the lever mechanisms 48 that are in a built-in position.
The functioning of the lever mechanisms 49 of the second version of the lock is entirely alike that of the first version of the lock.
With reference to figures from 19 to 21, a third version of the lock of the invention is illustrated (respectively in a frontal view and in section according to two different operating steps), in which the activating of the control member 37 is done by using a pair of grips 50 solidly connected to the control member 37 and positioned on opposite sides with respect to the box body 31, so that, following a pressure action on a first grip or a traction on a second grip, the control member 37 translates from the operating position corresponding to the extracted configuration of the closing element 33 to the operating position corresponding to the retracted configuration of said closing element 33.
The lock of the invention offers the possibility to use numerous applicative variants of the thrust or traction movement means of the control member, with the possibility of a wide range of embodiments of the handles, which can built in or external to the door, or a knob with a very wide selection of aesthetic embodiments.
The invention has been described in the above with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof. However it is clear that the invention is susceptible to numerous variants which fall within the scope thereof, as defined by the appended claims, and which are technically equivalent.

Claims

Lock (30) for doors and/or windows, comprising:
- a box body (31);

- at least a closing element (33) housed inside the box body (31) and mobile at least between an extracted configuration from the box body (31) and a retracted configuration in the box body (31);

- an actuator member (35) kinematically connected to the closing element (33) for activating a displacement thereof between the extracted and retracted configurations, said actuator member (35) being mobile in rotation between at least two operating positions which respectively correspond to the above-said configurations of the closing element;

- a control member (37) kinematically connected to said actuator member (35) and mobile along a translation direction between at least two operating positions which respectively correspond to the operating positions of the actuator organ (35), which in turn correspond to the extracted and retracted configurations of the closing element (33), said control member (37) being solidly constrained to a cam (38) having an at least partly helical extension and in which a cam follower element (36) is slidably inserted, solidly constrained to the actuator member (35), so that the translation movement of the control member (37) is converted into a rotating movement of the actuator member (35) by effect of the sliding of the cam follower element (36) inside the cam (38); said control member (37) having at least a groove (39) that is longitudinal and parallel to the translation direction of the control member (37), a tooth (43, 45) being inserted slidably inside said longitudinal groove (39), which tooth is solidly constrained to the box body (31);

- a first bushing (42) fixed to the box body (31) and provided with a seating from which a first tooth (43) projects;
the lock being characterized in that it further comprises:
- a second bushing (44) fixed to the box body (31) and positioned on an opposite side to said first bushing (42) with respect to said box body (31), said second bushing (44) being provided with a seating from which a second tooth (45) projects, said bushings (42, 44) being reciprocally fixed and fixed on said box body (31) for maintaining the control member (37) in an engaging condition on the box body (31), wherein said control member (37) inserts in the seating of both the bushings (42, 44), crossing the box body (31) so that said first and second tooth (43, 45) are slidably inserted in said longitudinal groove (39) of the control member (37).
Lock (30) according to claim 1, wherein said closing element (33) is mobile in translation between said extracted and retracted configurations.
Lock (30) according to claim 2, wherein the translation direction of the closing element (33) is substantially transversal to the translation direction of the control member (37).
Lock (30) according to claim 3, wherein said translation directions are substantially perpendicular to one another.
Lock (30) of any one of the preceding claims, comprising a pair of lever mechanisms (48, 49) operatively active on the control member (37) for moving the control member (37) between the said operating positions, each of said lever mechanisms (48, 49) being rotatably connected, including indirectly, to the box body (31).
Lock (30) according to claim 5, wherein a first of said lever mechanisms (48, 49) has a first end that is hinged, including indirectly, to the box body (31), a second end that is free and an intermediate portion between said ends that is able to define an abutment for said control member (35), so that, at a nearing movement of the lever mechanism towards the box body (31), the intermediate portion exerts a pressure on the control member (37) causing the control member (37) to translate from the operating position corresponding to the extracted configuration of the closing element (33), to the operating position corresponding to the retracted configuration of said closing element (33).
Lock according to claim 5 or 6, wherein a second of said lever mechanisms (48, 49) has a first end that is hinged, including indirectly, to the box body (31), a second end that is free and an intermediate portion between said ends and engaged to the control member (35), so that, at a distancing movement of the lever mechanism from the box body (31), the intermediate portion exerts a traction on the control member (37) causing the control member (37) to translate from the operating position corresponding to the extracted configuration of the closing element (33), to the operating position corresponding to the retracted configuration of said closing element (33).
Lock (30) of any one of the preceding claims from 1 to 4, comprising a pair of grips (50) solidly connected to the control member (37) and positioned on opposite sides with respect to the box body (31), so that, following a pressure action on a first grip or a traction on a second grip, the control member (37) translates from the operating position corresponding to the extracted configuration of the closing element (33) to the operating position corresponding to the retracted configuration of said closing element (33).
Lock (30) of any one of the preceding claims, comprising elastic means (40) operatively active on the control member (37) for maintaining the control member (37) in an operating condition normally corresponding to said extracted configuration of the closing element (33).
Door or window, characterised in that it comprises a lock according to any one of the preceding claims.