EP4600449A1

EP4600449A1 - Device for locking a wing, particularly a shutter, in the open configuration

Info

Publication number: EP4600449A1
Application number: EP25155521.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Silvio DE VALERI
Original assignee: R Zenti Srl
Current assignee: R Zenti Srl
Priority date: 2024-02-06
Filing date: 2025-02-03
Publication date: 2025-08-13
Also published as: IT202400002485A1

Abstract

A device for locking a wing, particularly a shutter, in its open configuration, comprises a movable arm (23) including an elongated straight portion (24) and a transverse retaining branch (26) extending from one end of said straight portion (24), a casing (20) fixed to a part (10a) of a frame of the wing (10) which accommodates at least a part of the straight portion (24), in which a through hole (20a) is formed to receive said straight portion (24) in a sliding and rotating manner, and elastic return means (28) of the arm (23) interposed between its straight portion (24) and the casing (20), so that the arm (23) can assume a retracted or extended position with respect to said casing (20) in the plane of the wing (10) and an angled position of approximately 90° with respect to the plane of the wing (10). The casing (20) is fast with a plate member (22) connected to the wing (10) at its lateral edge (10b), against which the transverse branch (26) of the arm (23) abuts in the retracted position, and the straight portion (24) is associated with limit-travel means (30) of its axial sliding.

Description

The present invention refers in general to a device for holding a wing, particularly a shutter, in its fully open configuration, that is rotated by about 180° with respect to its fully closed configuration.
More particularly, the invention concerns a device of the type defined in the preamble of the attached claim 1.
Devices of the type defined above are known, which are designed to be applied to the surface of a wing facing the outside environment when the wing is in its open configuration. Although these devices have the advantage of being able to be installed on any shutter wing with a few operations within the reach of even a less expert user, they have the drawback of involving a non-negligible frontal bulk for which they require a free space of several centimeters between the wing in its closed configuration and the window to which the wing is associated. Furthermore, the application of such a device on a shutter door may be unwelcome due to the fact that it involves a modification of the aesthetics of the front part of the door, or of its visible surface, when the door is in the open configuration.
In order to overcome these drawbacks, the object of the invention is a locking device having the characteristics mentioned in the attached claims.
In particular, by virtue of the fact that the casing of the straight portion of the arm is fast with a plate member intended to be connected to the door at one of its lateral edges and against which the transverse branch of the arm abuts in said retracted position, and to the fact that the straight portion of the arm is associated with limit-travel means for its axial sliding in said through hole of the casing, the latter, together with the straight portion of the arm with the related elastic return means and said limit-travel means being housed in an inner cavity of the wing, it is possible to make the device for blocking the door in the open configuration particularly effective and practical in use, leaving the aesthetics of the door unchanged compared to its configuration without the device of the invention. Moreover, the device can also be used in normal wings, originally without the device, with a few operations within the reach of an operator at the time of installation.
According to a preferred feature of the invention, the plate member has a seat for housing said transverse portion of the arm in the retracted position of the latter. By virtue of this feature, the movable arm in its retracted position in the plane of the door remains practically hidden from view.
According to another preferred feature of the invention, the casing has a non-circular cross-section, preferably substantially elliptical, to prevent its rotation with respect to said inner cavity of the door.
According to yet another preferred feature of the invention, the elastic return means of the arm consist of a helical spring arranged so as to coaxially surround at least a part of the straight portion of the arm outside of said casing.
According to a further preferred feature of the invention, said limit-travel means include a tubular member arranged coaxially outside of the straight portion of the arm, which tubular member extends for a length less than the difference between the length of said straight portion and the length of the casing. In this manner, it is possible to use elastic return means that are relatively large with respect to the dimensions of the wing, to generate, following to a reduced extension of the arm, a high locking force of the wing.
According to yet another preferred feature of the invention, the device comprises means for adjusting the maximum extension of the arm with respect to the casing, so that the device can be adapted to the specific geometry of the wing and the portion of the wall against which the transverse branch of the arm of the device is to be positioned.
Furthermore, and according to yet another feature of the invention, the device comprises an expulsion mechanism of the movable arm relative to the plate member, which mechanism includes a spring-loaded button which, when subjected to compression, causes the transverse retaining branch of the movable arm to be pushed away from the receiving seat of the plate member. This allows the movable arm of the device to be extracted in a simple and practical manner, without the need for the user to directly grasp its transverse branch to cause its extraction.
Further features and advantages of the invention will become more evident from reading the detailed description that follows, provided purely by way of nonlimiting example and referred to the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a shutter wing equipped with a locking device according to a first embodiment of the invention,
Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a detail of Figure 1 indicated by the arrow II,
Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 with the wing partially broken to make visible the device according to the first embodiment of the invention,
Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing a first phase of the movement of the locking arm of the device with respect to the wing in use, according to the first embodiment of the invention,
Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the device illustrated in Figure 4,
Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 4 showing a further step of the movement of the locking arm of the device according to the first embodiment of the invention,
Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view of the main components of the device of the first embodiment of the invention,
Figure 8 is a bottom elevation view of the device of Figure 3 from the side of arrow VIII,
Figure 9 is an enlarged side elevation view of a detail indicated by arrow IX of Figure 8,
Figures 10 and 11 are similar perspective views showing the device of the first embodiment associated with a related wing in two respective steps of operation,
Figure 12 is a rear elevation perspective view of the device according to the first embodiment of the invention,
Figure 13 is an enlarged perspective view of a detail indicated by arrow XIII in Figure 12,
Figure 14 is a schematic perspective view of the device according to another embodiment of the invention, provided with an expulsion mechanism of the locking arm,
Figure 15 is a view similar to that of Figure 14, sectioned along a longitudinal plane parallel to the locking arm,
Figure 16 is a side elevational view of the device shown in Figure 15 from the side of arrow XVI, with the expulsion mechanism of the arm in the inactive configuration,
Figure 17 is a view similar to that of Figure 16, with the expulsion mechanism of the arm in the active configuration,
Figure 18 is an elevational view corresponding to the configuration of Figure 17, and
Figures 19, 20, and 21 are three perspective views showing different profiles of the operating lever of the expulsion mechanism of the locking arm, respectively.

With initial reference to Figures 1 to 13, a wing, particularly of a shutter, associated with a window 12 delimited laterally by a pair of parallel vertical uprights 14, is indicated 10.
The wing 10, in a manner known per se, is rotatably mounted on hinges (not visible in the figures) which identify an axis of rotation thereof, so that it can rotate between a closed configuration in which it is placed in front of the window 12, and an open configuration (shown in Figure 1) in which it is placed at the side of the window 12 and adjacent to a wall in which the window 12 is installed.
The wing 10 usually comprises a rectangular flat frame which includes, among other things, a lower crosspiece 10a and a vertical lateral upright 10b adjacent to the window 12.
In modern shutter door frames made of aluminum or plastic material, the lower crosspiece 10a is usually shaped so as to already have an inner cavity 16. If this cavity is absent, as generally happens in the frames of wooden shutter wings, the cavity 16 can be prepared subsequently using a drilling tool.
In any case, a locking device 18 is introduced into the cavity 16 already present or formed for this purpose of the wing 10.
This device 18, in its simplest form with completely manual operation, comprises a generally L-shaped movable arm 23 including an elongated straight portion 24 and a transverse retaining branch 26 of reduced length which extends at approximately 90° from one end of the straight portion 24.
Part of the straight portion 24 of the arm 23 is slidably accommodated in a longitudinal through hole 20a formed in the lower part of a casing 20 intended to be fixed at the inner cavity 16 of the lower crosspiece 10a of the wing 10, in a position adjacent to the vertical upright 10b.
The casing 20 has a non-circular cross-section, preferably substantially elliptical, in order to avoid the possibility of it to rotate with respect to the inner cavity 16.
The through axial hole 20a is engaged by the straight portion 24 of the arm 23 which can slide and rotate therein to assume a retracted or extended position with respect to the casing 20 in the plane of the wing 10, and an angled position of approximately 90° with respect to the plane of the wing 10.
The hole 20a has a fluted inner surface (see for example Figure 13), that is provided with a plurality of small axial grooves, in order to reduce the friction generated by the sliding and rotation of the straight portion 24 inside it, and to collect any dust or small foreign bodies that could penetrate the hole 20a and insert between it and the straight portion 24, so as to avoid hindering the movement of the arm 23.
Elastic return means consisting of a helical spring 28 are associated coaxially to the outside of the straight portion 24 of the arm 23 to urge the latter towards its retracted position. In particular, one end of the spring 28 abuts against the casing 20, while its opposite end is arranged in abutment against shoulder means arranged close to the end of the straight portion 24 opposite the transverse branch 26, which means will be described in greater detail in the following of the description.
The straight portion 24 of the arm 23 is associated with limit-travel means for its axial sliding in the through hole 20a of the casing 20, which comprise a tubular member 30 arranged so as to coaxially surround a part of the straight portion 24 of the arm 23 and a part of the spring 28 in its fully extended configuration.
More specifically, the tubular member 30 is shorter than the part of the straight portion 24 surrounded by the spring 28 that protrudes beyond the casing 20 into the cavity 16 of the lower crosspiece 10a, when the arm 23 is in its fully retracted position and, in particular, it extends for a length less than the difference between the length of the straight portion 24 and the length of the casing 20, so that, in this position, it extends only over part of the spring 28. The tubular member 30 also abuts with one of its ends against the aforementioned shoulder means that provide the abutment of one end of the spring 28.
The casing 20 is fast with a plate member 22 intended to be connected outside of the wing 10 at its side edge 10b by means of screws inserted into a plurality of holes 22b, which casing 20 has a hollow seat 22a having the shape of a recess with a substantially semi-cylindrical profile in order to at least partially accommodate the transverse branch 26 of the arm 23 in the retracted position of the latter.
Close to the end of the straight portion 24 of the arm 23 opposite the transverse portion 26, a diametrical hole 34a is drilled for the insertion of a radial shoulder pin 34 adapted to be engaged also in a pair of diametrically opposed grooves of a series of pairs of grooves 36 having different axial extension formed on an axial face of a bush 32 that can be inserted on such straight portion 24.
This bush 32 has, with reference to Figures 4 to 9, 12 and 13, four pairs of diametrically opposed grooves 36 having the same depth in pairs, so that the pin 34 can engage one of these pairs of grooves 23 each of which involves a different position of the shoulder means for the helical spring 28 and for the tubular member 30, and therefore a different maximum extension of the arm 23 in the fully extended position.
Furthermore, between the bush 32, on the one hand, and the spring 28 as well as the tubular member 30, on the other hand, at least one spacer washer 38 can be inserted, for example three washers 38 each 1 mm thick with particular reference to Figures 7 and 9, to adapt the device 18 to the geometry of the wing 10 and its vertical upright 10a, and in particular the maximum extension of the arm 23 with respect to the wing 10 and the casing 20.
According to another embodiment shown in Figures 14 to 21, in which the same numerical references have been used to indicate parts equal to or similar to those of the previous embodiment, the device 18 can also be provided with a so-called "semi-automatic" expulsion mechanism of the locking arm 23 with respect to the casing 20 and the hollow receiving seat 22a formed in the relative plate member 22, indicated 40 as a whole.
The expulsion mechanism 40 includes a button 42 which can be operated by pressing with a finger against the action of a return spring 44, and a pushing lever 46 pivoted at a substantially intermediate through hole 48 thereof in which a transverse rotation pin 49, protruding from a body fixed to the plate member 22 on its side facing the wing 10, engages.
The lever 46 has a slightly angled or curved shape and comprises an upper operating portion 50 adjacent to the back surface of the button 42, on one side with respect to the through hole 48, provided with a hole 54 in which a pin 52 extending from the button 42 engages, and a lower pushing portion 55, on the other side with respect to the through hole 48, intended to come into contact with the transverse branch 26 of the arm 23 upon activation of the button 42, which lower portion 55 has a front active surface 56 intended to interfere with the branch 26 of the arm 23.
In this manner, the lever 46 can oscillate between an inactive position in which it is spaced from the hollow seat 22a and from the transverse branch 26 of the arm 23, and an active position in which it penetrates, through a specially provided opening, into the bottom of the hollow seat 22a in order to interfere with the transverse branch 26 to cause the extraction thereof with respect to the frame 10.
The active surface 56 of the lower portion 55 of the lever 46 is intended to interfere with the branch 26 of the arm 23 as a result of the actuation of the button 42 in order to transmit to this branch 26 the thrust necessary to extract it from the hollow seat 22a.
This surface 56 may have a different shape depending on whether it is desired to apply to the branch 26 only a longitudinal thrust parallel to the straight portion 24 of the arm 23, in which case it will have a flat profile 56a perpendicular to the sides of the lever 46 (see Figure 19) to cause the transverse branch 26 to come out straight or parallel to itself, or to cause, in addition to the straight thrust, also a torsion towards the right, in which case it will have a profile partially inclined towards the right 56b (see Figure 20), or to cause, in addition to the straight thrust, also a torsion towards the left, in which case it will have a profile partially inclined towards the left 56c (see Figure 21).
In the operation of the device 18, the arm 23 is in the completely retracted position when the wing 10 is in its closed configuration. In this position, the spring 28 is extended and partially arranged inside the tubular member 30 which remains spaced from the casing 20 (see Figures 3, 8 and 13), and the transverse portion 26 of the arm 23 is received in the seat 22a of the plate 22.
When the wing 10 is brought into its open configuration, angled at approximately 180° with respect to the closed configuration, by manually grasping the transverse portion 26 and applying a traction with respect to the wing 10 against the elastic action of the spring 28, the extraction of the arm 23 from the wing 10 takes place in the direction indicated by arrows A in Figures 4 and 6, to temporarily assume the position shown in Figures 5 and 10. In this position, the tubular member 30 abuts with one of its ends against the casing 20 (see Figures 4, 5 and 6) while its opposite end abuts against the shoulder means associated with the straight portion 24 of the arm 23, constituted by the bush 32 and any washers 38, so that the tubular member 30 performs a limit-travel function for the axial sliding of the arm 23.
The adjustment of the maximum extension of the arm 23 with respect to the wing 10 occurs by rotating the bush 32 so as to engage the pin 34 in a pair of opposing grooves 36 having a depth corresponding to the desired adjustment, and/or by inserting, if necessary, one or more spacer washers 38, normally having a thickness of about 1 mm, between the bush 32 on one side and the tubular member 30 and the spring 28 on the other side.
In the extended position of the arm 23, it is subjected to a rotation of about 90° around the axis of the straight portion 24, according to the direction indicated by the arrow B in Figure 6, so as to bring its transverse portion 26 at an area of the vertical upright 14 that is more adjacent to the window 12. By releasing the arm 23, its portion 26 rests against this vertical upright 14 as a result of the recall exerted by the spring 28, thus locking the wing 10.
To unlock the wing 10 and return it to the closed configuration, it is sufficient to act in the opposite mannner to what is explained above.
In the case of the second embodiment of the device, by applying compression to the button 42 with a finger, its movement is determined to cause the oscillation of the pushing lever 46 until its portion 55 interferes with the branch 26 of the mobile arm 23, to extract it from the hollow receiving seat 22a according to a straight translation or accompanied by a torsion to the right or left depending on the profile of the front surface 56 of the pushing lever 46 which can assume the shape 56a, 56b or 56c.

Claims

Device for locking a wing, particularly a shutter, in its open configuration, comprising:
- a generally L-shaped movable arm (23) including an elongated straight portion (24) and a transverse retaining branch (26) extending from one end of said straight portion (24),

- a casing (20) for receiving at least a part of the straight portion (24) of the arm (23), adapted to be fixed to a part (10a) of a frame of the wing (10), in which casing (20) a through hole (20a) is formed to receive slidably and rotatably said straight portion (24) of the arm (23), so as to allow the arm (23) to assume a retracted or extended position with respect to said casing (20) in the plane of said wing (10), and an angled position of approximately 90° with respect to the plane of the wing (10), and

- elastic return means (28) of the arm (23) operatively interposed between its straight portion (24) and said casing (20), to urge the arm (23) towards said retracted position,
characterized in that the casing (20) is fast with a plate member (22) intended to be connected to the wing (10) at one of its lateral edges (10b) and against which the transverse branch (26) of the arm (23) abuts in said retracted position, and in that the straight portion (24) of the arm (23) is associated with limit-travel means (30) of its axial sliding in said through hole (20a) of the casing (20), the latter, together with the straight portion (24) of the arm (23) with the relative elastic return means (28) and said limit-travel means (30) being arranged in an inner cavity (16) of the wing (10).
Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said plate member (22) has a seat (22a) for receiving said transverse portion (26) of the arm (23) in the retracted position of the latter.
Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said casing (20) has a non-circular, preferably substantially elliptical, cross-section to avoid the rotation thereof with respect to said inner cavity (16) of the wing (10).
Device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said elastic return means consist of a helical spring (28) arranged so as to coaxially surround at least a part of said straight portion (24) of the arm (23) outside said casing (20).
Device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said limit-travel means include a tubular member (30) arranged coaxially outside the straight portion (24) of the arm (23), which tubular member (30) extends for a length smaller than the difference between the length of said straight portion (24) and the length of the casing (20).
Device according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it includes adjustment means (32, 34, 38) of the maximum extension of said arm (23) with respect to said casing (20).
Device according to claim 6, characterized in that a diametrical hole (34a) is formed close to one end of the straight portion (24) of the arm (23) opposite said transverse branch (26) for the insertion of a radial shoulder pin (34) intended to be engaged in a pair of opposite grooves (36) of a series of grooves (36) with different axial extension formed in a bush (32) that can be inserted on the straight portion (24) of the arm (23) between said pin (34) and one end of said helical spring (28) and of said tubular member (30).
Device according to claim 7, characterized in that at least one spacer washer (38) is interposed between said bush (32), on the one hand, and said helical spring (28) and said tubular member (30), on the other hand.
Device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the inner surface of said through hole (20a) is fluted.
Device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it includes an expulsion mechanism (40) of said movable arm (23) with respect to the plate member (22), which mechanism (40) includes a spring-loaded button (42) which, when stressed under pressure, determines a thrust of the transverse retaining branch (26) of the movable arm (23) away from the receiving seat (22a) of the plate member (22).
Device according to claim 10, characterized in that the expulsion mechanism (40) includes a pushing lever (46) coplanar with said receiving seat (22a) of the plate member (22) and swingable about a pin (49) that extends from said button (42) and engages one articulation hole (48) thereof, having a control portion (50), on one side of said articulation hole (48) thereof, intended to move as a result of the compression of said button (42), and a thrust surface (56) adapted to contact the transverse branch (26) of the movable arm (23) to interfere with it in order to extract it from said receiving seat (22a).
Device according to claim 11, characterized in that the thrust surface (56) of said lever (46) has a profile (56a) flat and perpendicular to the general plane of said lever (46) for the purpose of extracting the movable arm in the plane of said wing (10) as a result of the contact of said thrust surface (56) with the transverse branch (26) of the movable arm (23).
Device according to claim 11, characterized in that the thrust surface of said lever (46) has a profile having an inclined portion (56b, 56c) with respect to the general plane of said lever (46) for the purpose of extracting the movable arm with an inclination towards the right or to the left with respect to the plane of said wing (10) as a result of the contact of said thrust surface (56) with the transverse branch (26) of the movable arm (23).