GB2101201A - A flap brake stay - Google Patents

A flap brake stay Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2101201A
GB2101201A GB08211677A GB8211677A GB2101201A GB 2101201 A GB2101201 A GB 2101201A GB 08211677 A GB08211677 A GB 08211677A GB 8211677 A GB8211677 A GB 8211677A GB 2101201 A GB2101201 A GB 2101201A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
rod
housing
flap
pivoted lever
split
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
GB08211677A
Other versions
GB2101201B (en
Inventor
Derek Raymond Simpson
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Nico Manufacturing Ltd
Original Assignee
Nico Manufacturing Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Nico Manufacturing Ltd filed Critical Nico Manufacturing Ltd
Priority to GB08211677A priority Critical patent/GB2101201B/en
Publication of GB2101201A publication Critical patent/GB2101201A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of GB2101201B publication Critical patent/GB2101201B/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
    • E05C—BOLTS OR FASTENING DEVICES FOR WINGS, SPECIALLY FOR DOORS OR WINDOWS
    • E05C17/00—Devices for holding wings open; Devices for limiting opening of wings or for holding wings open by a movable member extending between frame and wing; Braking devices, stops or buffers, combined therewith
    • E05C17/02—Devices for holding wings open; Devices for limiting opening of wings or for holding wings open by a movable member extending between frame and wing; Braking devices, stops or buffers, combined therewith by mechanical means
    • E05C17/04—Devices for holding wings open; Devices for limiting opening of wings or for holding wings open by a movable member extending between frame and wing; Braking devices, stops or buffers, combined therewith by mechanical means with a movable bar or equivalent member extending between frame and wing
    • E05C17/12—Devices for holding wings open; Devices for limiting opening of wings or for holding wings open by a movable member extending between frame and wing; Braking devices, stops or buffers, combined therewith by mechanical means with a movable bar or equivalent member extending between frame and wing consisting of a single rod
    • E05C17/24—Devices for holding wings open; Devices for limiting opening of wings or for holding wings open by a movable member extending between frame and wing; Braking devices, stops or buffers, combined therewith by mechanical means with a movable bar or equivalent member extending between frame and wing consisting of a single rod pivoted at one end, and with the other end running along a guide member

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Pivots And Pivotal Connections (AREA)

Abstract

A flap brake stay for controlling the opening movement of a flap (8) (Fig. 1, not shown) on a piece of furniture comprises a rod (1) with means to enable it to be connected to the side wall (2), (Fig. 1, not shown) of a piece of furniture, a housing (5) journalled onto the rod (1), a tie rod (6) arranged to be connected to the opening flap (8) of a piece of furniture, and a lever (9) which is pivotally connected to the housing (5) and to the tie rod (6) and arranged so that tension in the tie rod (6) causes the pivoted lever (9) to pivot in one direction and urge the other end of the pivoted lever (9) into contact with the rod (1) generating a braking force between the rod (1) and the other end of the pivoted lever (9). The upper end of the housing (5) is split and is an interference fit on the rod (1) and the one end of the pivoted lever (9) includes means (13) to urge apart the opposite sides of the split housing (12) to provide clearance between the housing (5) and the rod (1) when the pivoted lever (9) is rotated in the other direction. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A flap brake stay This invention relates to a flap brake stay for controlling the downwards movement of a drop leaf door such as an opening flap on a cupboard.
Previously the most satisfactory types of flap brake stays have included pneumatic dash pots in which, as the flap is lowered, air is compressed by a piston and cylinder arrangement, the compressed air then being allowed to escape via a small bleed. With such a pneumatic arrangement a greater resistance is obtained at the lower end of movement of the flap which means that when the flap is initially opened and the component of the weight of the flap on the flap brake stay is low, then only a small braking resistance is exerted by the flap brake stay but, when the flap approaches its lowermost point so that the greatest weight of the flap is supported by the flap brake stay then the flap brake stay is exerting its maximum resistance to movement.
British Patent No. 1 137 006 describes a proposal that it alleges achieves just this effect using an entirely frictional arrangement. In this specification the flap brake stay is described as comprising a rod arranged to be connected to the side wail of a cupboard and having a housing arranged to slide up and down the rod, a tie rod arranged to be connected to the opening flap of a cupboard and being pivotally connected to an operating link which is in turn pivotally connected to the housing, the operating link causing a brake shoe to be urged into engagement with the rod.
With this arrangement the load of the flap is transmitted via the tie rod and the operating link to a brake shoe which engages the rod attached to the side wall of the cupboard. Thus, as the load of the flap increases as the flap is lowered this increased load results in a greater load being applied to the brake shoe to urge the brake shoe more tightly against the rod on the side wall of the cupboard. The specification explains that some means must be provided for exerting some preload between the braking shoe and the rod to ensure that the housing does not slide freely down the rod.Unless there is some pre-load between the brake shoe and the rod which prevents the free movement of the housing down the rod the arrangement will not operate effectively because, if the housing can simply slide down the rod with virtually no friction or resistance then, any loading applied to the end of the operating link by the tie rod will simply result in the housing sliding down the rod without the brake shoe being brought into operation. The specification describes this pre load as being provided by a coil spring arranged between the brake shoe and the housing urging the brake shoe into engagement with the rod or alternatively by the housing including an elastomeric tube surrounding the rod with means to vary the axial compression of the elastomeric tube to provide some braking action between the elastomeric tube and the rod.
As far as we are aware the flap brake stay described in this British patent specification has not been commercially successful and this probably results from the fact that the initial preloading that is applied between the brake shoe and the rod means that when it is desired to close the flap this initial pre-loading opposes the closure of the flap.This is particularly serious during the initial stages of closing because, with the flap in its lowermost position the force that is exerted on the tie rod upon attempting to close the flap has only a very small component in the direction of the axis of the rod and a very large component in a direction perpendicular to the rod and this means that the pre-loading exerted between the brake shoe and the rod is opposing only a small component of the closing force applied to the rod and thus the flap brake stay tends to jam and prevent closure of the flap.
According to this invention a flap brake stay for controlling the opening movement of a flap on a piece of furniture comprises a rod with means to enable it to be connected to the side wall of a piece of furniture, a housing journalled onto the rod, a tie rod arranged to be connected to the opening flap of a piece of furniture, and a lever which is pivotally connected to the housing and to the tie rod and arranged so that tension in the tie rod causes the pivoted lever to pivot in one direction and urge the other end of the pivoted lever into contact with the rod generating a braking force between the rod and the other end of the pivoted lever, the flap brake stay being characterised in that the upper end of the housing is split and is an interference fit on the rod and in that the one end of the pivoted lever includes means to urge apart the opposite sides of the split housing to provide clearance between the housing and the rod when the pivoted lever is rotated in the other direction.
Thus, with the flap brake stay in accordance with this invention an initial pre-loading is provided by the interference fit between the split portion of the housing and the rod which ensures that the housing does not simply slide freely down the rod as the flap is opened but ensures that the force generated by the weight of the flap and transferred via the tie rod and the pivoted lever to exert a braking influence between the other end of the pivoted lever and the rod to restrain the movement of the housing down the rod and hence restrain and controls the opening of the flap.
However, upon attempting to close the flap the closing movement is again transferred via the tie rod to the pivoted lever to cause rotation of the pivoted lever in the opposite direction and to cause the means on the one end of the pivoted lever to engage the opposite sides of the split portion of the housing to open up the split portion of the housing and so provide clearance between the housing and the rod so that the housing slides freely up the rod without any pre-loading between the housing and the rod. Preferably the flap brake stay includes a stop at the bottom of the rod which engages the housing to prevent further downward movement of the flap and so limit the opening of the flap once it has reached a horizontal or any other preferred position.
Preferably the means at the one end of the pivoted lever includes a wedge shaped portion which enters between the free ends of the split housing and, upon rotation of the pivoted lever in the other direction urges the opposed sides of the split portion apart. Preferably the housing is injection moulded from a plastics material and includes a weakened zone between its upper, split portion and the remainder of the housing, the weakened zone flexing to allow the opening movement of the split portion. In this case the remainder of the housing is a clearance fit with regard to the rod.
A particular example of a flap brake stay in accordance with this invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings; in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a flap brake stay fitted to a cupboard; Figure 2 is a side elevation of a slightly modified flap brake stay; Figure 3 is an exploded cross-section of the housing taken along the lines Ill-Ill shown in Figure 2; and, Figure 4 is a front elevation of the slightly modified flap brake stay.
The flap brake stay comprises a rod 1 fixed to a side wall 2 of a cupboard by end pieces 3 and 4, a housing 5 journalled onto the rod 1 a tie rod 6 and an angled trunnion 7 pivotally connected to one end of the tie rod 6 and fixed to a flap 8 of the cupboard. A pivoted lever 9 is pivotally connected to the housing 5 by a pin 10 and is pivotally connected to the other end of the tie rod 6 by a pin 1 The housing 5 includes an upper split portion 12 which is an interference fit on the rod 1. When the flap 8 is closed the housing 5 is located at the top of the rod 1 and opening flap 8 causes the tie rod 6 to pull the one end of the pivoted lever 9 generally outwards away from the bar 1 to cause the pivoted lever 9 to rotate in the clockwise direction as seen in Figure 2.This brings the other end of the pivoted lever 9 into contact with the bar 1. As the flap 8 opens further a component of the weight of the flap 8 acts along the tie rod 6 to urge the pivoted lever 9 to rotate further in the clockwise direction. Thus, the greater the component of the weight of the flap 8 carried by the tie rod 6, the greater the force with which the other end of the pivoted lever 9 is urged against the bar 1 so increasing the frictional resistance force between the other end of the pivoted lever 9 and the bar 1 and so increasing the resistance to movement of the housing 5 downwards along the rod 1. Once the flap 8 is in the horizontal position the base of the housing 5 engages the bottom end piece 4 which prevents further downwards movement of the housing 5 so that the flap 8 is supported in the horizontal position.The modification of the flap brake stay shown in Figures 2 and 4 uses only a single point fixing for the end pieces 3 and 4.
Upon attempting to lift the free end of the flap 8 the tie rod 6 is moved generally towards the rod 1 and so causes the pivoted lever 9 to rotate in the counter-clockwise direction as seen in Figure 2.
This releases the otner end of the pivoted lever 9 from the rod 1 and also urges a wedge shaped portion 1 3 located towards the one end of the pivoted lever 9 and shown most clearly in Figure 3 into a correspondingly wedge shaped portion 1 4 of the split portion 12 of the housing 5. This counter-clockwise movement of the pivoted lever 9 and the two correspondingly wedge shaped surfaces 13 and 14 cause the side limbs of the split portion 12 to open up and so provide a clearance between the split portion and the rod 1.
Thus, a clearance fit then exists between the rod 1 and the housing 5 so that the housing 5 is completely free to slide upwards along the rod 1 until the flap 8 is closed.

Claims (5)

1. A flap brake stay for controlling the opening movement of a flap on a piece of furniture comprising a rod with means to enable it to be connected to the side wall of a piece of furniture, a housing journalled onto the rod, a tie rod arranged to be connected to the opening flap of d piece of furniture, and a lever which is pivotally connected to the housing and to the c;;e rod ano arranged so that tension in the tie rod causes the-pivoted lever to pivot in one direction and urge the other end of the pivoted lever into contact with the rod generating a braking force between the rod and the other end of the pivoted lever, characterised in that the upper end of the housing is split, and is an interference fit on the rod and in that the one end of the pivoted lever includes means to urge apart the opposite sides of the split housing to provide clearance between the housing and the rod when the pivoted lever is rotated in the other direction.
2. A flat brake stay according to claim 1, which includes a stop at the bottom of the rod, the stop engaging the housing to prevent further downward movement of the flap and so iimit the opening of the flap once it has reached a horizontal or any other preferred position.
3. A flap brake stay according to claim 1 or 2, in which the means at the one end of the pivoted lever includes a wedge shaped portion which enters between the free ends of the split housing and, upon rotation of the pivoted lever in the other direction urges the opposed sides of the split portion apart.
4. A flap brake stay according to claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the housing is injection moulded from a plastics material and includes a weakened zone between its upper, split portion and the remainder of the housing, the weakened zone flexing to allow the opening movement of the split portion, with the remainder of the housing being a clearance fit with regard to the rod.
5. A flap brake stay according to claim 1, arranged substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
GB08211677A 1981-07-07 1982-04-22 A flap brake stay Expired GB2101201B (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB08211677A GB2101201B (en) 1981-07-07 1982-04-22 A flap brake stay

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8120928 1981-07-07
GB08211677A GB2101201B (en) 1981-07-07 1982-04-22 A flap brake stay

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB2101201A true GB2101201A (en) 1983-01-12
GB2101201B GB2101201B (en) 1985-03-27

Family

ID=26280045

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB08211677A Expired GB2101201B (en) 1981-07-07 1982-04-22 A flap brake stay

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (1) GB2101201B (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2312469A (en) * 1996-04-25 1997-10-29 Rover Group A motor vehicle door assembly

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2312469A (en) * 1996-04-25 1997-10-29 Rover Group A motor vehicle door assembly
GB2312469B (en) * 1996-04-25 1999-10-20 Rover Group A motor vehicle door assembly

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB2101201B (en) 1985-03-27

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PCNP Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee