GB2112848A

GB2112848A - Door handle assemblies

Info

Publication number: GB2112848A
Application number: GB8230100A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Harry Maples Williams
Original assignee: MARSTON AND Co Ltd AL
Current assignee: MARSTON AND Co Ltd AL
Priority date: 1981-11-05
Filing date: 1982-10-21
Publication date: 1983-07-27
Also published as: GB2112848B; DE3240014A1; FR2515719A1

Abstract

A handle assembly for fitting to a door comprises a lever handle (1) rotatably mounted on an attachment plate (2) and able to occupy at least two alternative angular positions. Housed within the attachment plate (2) are a rectangular rotary member (3) keyed to a square-section spindle (11) turned by the handle (1) and a locating member (4) slidably guided in the channel-section body (5) of the attachment plate (2). Compression springs (16) retained in the body (5) urge the locating member (4) downwards into firm engagement with one of the sides (12, 12') of the rectangular member (3) so as to retain the handle (1) in a respective one of its alternative positions. The assembly can be used for operating a multi- point locking system and it does not have to rely on the springing of the lock mechanisms with which the spindle is associated to hold the handle in its alternative positions. The handle may be rotated through 180 DEG to change from one hand to another. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Safety window fitting This invention relates to door or like handle assemblies of the kind in which a handle is rotatably mounted on an attachment plate and is able to occupy at least two alternative angular positions relative to the attachment plate.

A handle assembly of the kind described may, for example, be used to operate a multi-point locking system, that is a system in which two or more bolts are provided on a door or the like and are arranged to be operated by a common handle.

For example, a bolt may be provided on a door or the like in the usual position at or near the centre of the opening side edge of the door or the like opposite the hinged edge, and further bolts may be provided at or adjacent the opposite ends of the door or the like, either in the side opening edge or in the end edges, and all of the bolts may be operated by one handle, conveniently positioned adjacent to the first-mentioned bolt. In such arrangements it is usual for the handle to occupy alternative positions, one of which it occupies when just one of the bolts is operative and from which it can be turned to release the bolt, and another of which positions it occupies when all the bolts are to be operative. Hitherto spring loading in the lock mechanisms has been relied upon to retain the handle in the alternative positions.

The present invention consists in a door or like handle assembly which comprises a handle rotatably mounted on an attachment plate and able to occupy at least two alternative angular positions relative to the attachment plate, a rotary member within the attachment plate rotatable with the handle and having at least two abutment surfaces at different angular positions relative to the axis of rotation of the handle, the angle between which positions of the abutment surfaces corresponds to the angle between the alternative angular positions of the handle, and a co-operating locating member also within the attachment plate spring urged towards the rotary member and adapted to engage with either one of the abutment surfaces, depending upon which of the angular positions is occupied by the handle, to retain the handle in the respective angular position.

A multi-point locking system in which two or more bolts are provided on a door or the like may be arranged to be operated by the handle of a handle assembly as set forth in the preceding paragraph, wherein the handle can be turned in one direction from one of its angular positions in which only one of the bolts is in an operative, projected position to an alternative angular position in which all of the bolts are in their operative, projected positions, and the handle can be turned in the opposite direction from its said one angular position to withdraw the said one bolt from its operative, projected position.

It will be appreciated that the handle assembly in accordance with the invention has its own spring means for retaining the handle in the alternative angular positions, and accordingly it does not have to rely on the springing of the lock mechanisms with which it is associated in use to hold the handle in the alternative positions, as in previously known assemblies of the kind described.

The handle, which for most applications will conveniently be a lever handle, may be arranged to occupy more than two alternative positions.

Whatever the number of positions which the handle can occupy the rotary member has a corresponding number of abutment surfaces at corresponding angular positions.

Preferably the hand of the handle is readily reversible without any necessity for it to be removed from the attachment plate to make the change, or for any other component of the assembly to be removed or repositioned to make the change. The handle may simply be rotatably through 1800 to change from one hand to another. For the purpose of ready reversibility it is desirable for the rotary member to have abutment surfaces with which the locating member is able to cooperate according to whichever hand the handle is set at.

The rotary member may be in the form of a plate with the abutment surfaces provided at its periphery, conveniently at straight edges. It may be retained to the handle or to a spindle turned by the handle.

The locating member may be a sliding block or like element having an abutment face for co-operation with the abutment surfaces. One or more helical compression springs may act on the member to urge it towards the rotary member.

There may be just the one handle, as for example when the handle assembly is to be applied to a door or the like which is to be handle operated from one side only. The door or the like may be key operated from the opposite side.

However, a handle assembly in accordance with the invention may have two handles for positioning at the opposite sides of a door or the like to which the assembly is applied for use. In such an arrangement the rotary member would be rotatably with both handles, usually by being retained to a common lock-operating spindle extending between the two handles.

The present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a partial back view of a handle assembly in accordance with the invention; and Figure 2 is a perspective view of a door provided with a multi-point locking system.

The handle assembly shown in Figure 1 is adapted for fitting to a door and comprises a lever handle 1 rotatably mounted on an attachment plate 2 in which a rotary member 3 and springurged locating member 4 are housed.

The attachment plate 2 has an oblong body 5 of extruded channel section closed at its opposite ends by inserts 6, only one of which is shown, provided with holes 7 for fixing screws for securing the attachment plate in position on a door. Usually the attachment plate is mounted so that its length extends vertically as shown in the drawing. Edges of side walls 8 of the channel section body 5 are turned inwards to form inwardly-directed lips 9. A key-hole is provided in a front wall 10 of the body 5 when the handle assembly is to be used in combination with a lock.

The lever handle 1 has a shank, now shown, journalled in known manner in a hole in the front wall 1 0 of the attachment plate body 5 for rotation relative to the attachment plate. A square-section spindle 11 of a lock mechanism, not shown, is engaged in a complementary socket in the shank for rotation with the lever handle.

The rotary member 3 which is formed by a rectangular plate, is keyed centrally to the spindle 11 for rotation with the spindle, and hence with the lever handle. The longer side dimension of the rotary member is sufficiently less than the distance between the side walls 8 of the attachment plate body to enable the member to rotate through 1 800 without interference with the side walls. The sides of the rectangular rotary member serve as abutment surfaces 12, 12' and 12", as will be described below.

Above the rotary member 3, as viewed in Figure 1, the locating member 4 is slidably housed in the attachment plate body. The locating member is of oblong slab form with two cut-away portions 13 in its opposite sides extending from about half way along its length to its upper end.

Thus, the member has a generally inverted T-shape. The cross part 14 of the T is of a width such that it is a sliding fit between the side walls 8 of the attachment plate body and is overlapped by the inwardly-directed lips 9 which serve to guide and retain the locating member in the body. A bottom end face 1 5 of the cross part 14 of the locating member is able to abut against any one of the abutment surfaces 12, 12' or 12" of the rotary member, depending upon the angular position of the lever handle relative to the attachment plate.

Two helical compression springs 1 6 located in the cut-away portions 1 3 urge the locating member downwards into firm engagement with whichever one of the abutment surfaces it abuts against.

Upper ends of the compression springs 1 6 bear against the insert 6 closing the upper end of the attachment plate body. The springs are partially overlapped by the inwardly-directed lips 9 of the body and thereby retained in position. There is clearance between the upper end of the locating member and the adjacent insert 6 to enable sliding movement of the member sufficient to allow the rotary member to turn to bring the longer, 12, and shorter, 12', abutment surfaces into engagement with the bottom end face 1 5 of the cross part 1 4 of the locating member.

Whilst the locating member has been described and illustrated as being above the rotary member, it may be accommodated in the attachment plate below the locating member if desired, or necessary.

Figure 2 shows a door 1 7 which is provided with a three-point locking system in which there is a bolt 1 8 at or near the centre of the opening side edge of the door and two other bolts 19 positioned respectively near the upper and lower ends of that side edge. The three-point locking system is arranged to be operated by the handle 1 of a handle assembly as illustrated in Figure 1 which is conveniently positioned adjacent to the central bolt 1 8. The lock mechanism may be of any known suitable kind. It is usual for the mechanism to be arranged to be operated such that the central bolt 1 8 may be made operative on its own, or all three bolts 18, 19 may be made operative together.

For operation of the central bolt 1 8 alone the lever handle 1 of the handle assembly may conveniently be arranged to occupy a horizontally extending position, as shown in Figure 2 and in full lines in Figure 1. In that position of the handle one of the longer abutment surfaces 12 of the rotary member is in engagement with the bottom end face 1 5 of the locating member and the spring loading of the locating member retains the handle positively in that position. Whilst the handle is in that position the central bolt 1 8 would normally be in its operative, projected position. The bolt 1 8 may be withdrawn by turning the handle angularly downwards. The springs 1 6 allow the necessary movement between the rotary member and locating member to permit this turning of the handle.The lock mechanism will normally prevent turning of the handle beyond an angle which would prevent the handle from being returned automatically by the springs when it is released to the initial horizontal position. Alternatively, a stop or stops may be provided within the attachment plate 2 to restrict the angular downward movement of the handle so as to ensure that it cannot reach a position where a corner or another side of the rotary member can engage with the bottom end face 15 of the cross part 14 of the locating member such as to prevent the handle returning automatically to the horizontal position.

For operation of all the bolts 1 8, 1 9 together the handle may be moved into an angular position in which it extends vertically upwards, as indicated in broken lines and by 1' in Figure 1. Moving the handle into this position moves one of the shorter abutment surfaces 12' into engagement with the locating member and the handle is again positively retained in that position by the spring loading on the locating member.

If the hand of the lever handle is required to be changed the handle can be rotated through 1 800 from one horizontal position to the other as indicated by 1" in Figure 1 so that the opposite longer abutment surface 12" of the rotating member then engages with the locating member when the handle is in the alternative horizontal position. The handle may still be turned downwards to release the central bolt and moved to the vertically upwardly-extending position to operate all of the bolts.

It will be understood that the handle may be arranged to be moved into and retained in other positions if required by providing a rotary member of a sided shape other than rectangular.

The invention, as will be seen from the embodiment described, enables a handle assembly to be provided of relatively simple and cheap construction which effectively retains the handle by spring loading in the operative positions in which it can be set for use.

Claims

1. A door or like handle assembly which comprises a handle rotatably mounted on an attachment plate and able to occupy at least two alternative angular positions relative to the attachment plate, a rotary member within the attachment plate rotatable with the handle and having at least two abutment surfaces at different angular positions relative to the axis of rotation of the handle, the angle between which positions of the abutment surfaces corresponds to the angle between the alternative angular positions of the handle, and a co-operating locating member also within the attachment plate spring urged towards the rotary member and adapted to engage with either one of the abutment surfaces, depending upon which of the angular positions is occupied by the handle, to retain the handle in the respective angular position.

2. A handle assembly according to claim 1 wherein the handle comprises a lever handle.

3. A handle assembly according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the handle is arranged to occupy more than two alternative angular positions and the rotary member has a corresponding number of abutment surfaces at corresponding angular positions.

4. A handle assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the handle is rotatable through 1 800 to reverse the hand of the handle, and the rotary member has abutment surfaces with which the locating member is able to co-operate according to whichever hand the handle is set at.

5. A handle assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the rotary member is in the form of a plate with the abutment surfaces provided at its periphery.

6. A handle assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the abutment surfaces comprise straight peripheral edges of the rotary member.

7. A handle assembly according to claim 5 and claim 6 wherein the rotary member comprises a rectangular plate.

8. A handle assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the rotary member is retained to the handle.

9. A handle assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the rotary member is retained to a spindle turned by the handle.

10. A handle assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the locating member comprises a sliding block or like element having an abutment face for co-operation with the abutment surfaces.

1 A handle assembly according to claim 10 wherein the body of the attachment plate is of channel section and the locating member is slidably guided between the side walls of the channel-section body.

12. A handle assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein one or more compression springs act on the locating member to urge it towards the rotary member.

13. A handle assembly according to claim 12 as appended to claim 11 wherein the locating member is of generally T-shape, the cross-part of the T-shape being of a width such that it is a sliding fit between the side walls of the channel section body of the attachment plate, the end face of the cross part constituting the abutment face of the locating member, and two compression springs being located alongside the stem part of the T-shape at opposite sides thereof and acting on the cross part to urge the end face of the cross part against one of the abutment surfaces of the rotary member.

14. A handle assembly according to claim 13 wherein the edges of the side wails of the channel section body of the attachment plate are turned inwards to form inwardly-directed lips which serve to guide and retain the locating member in the body and to retain the compression springs in position.

1 5. A multi-point locking system in which two or more bolts are provided on a door or the like and are arranged to be operated by the handle of a handle assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the handle is able to be turned in one direction from one of its angular positions in which only one of the bolts is in an operative, projected position to an alternative angular position in which all of the bolts are in their operative, projected positions, and the handle is able to be turned in the opposite direction from its said one angular position to withdraw the said one bolt from its operative, projected position.

1 6. A multi-point locking system according to claim 1 5 wherein the handle is prevented from being turned in said opposite direction beyond a further angular position in which the handle cannot be returned automatically when it is released to its said one angular position by the spring or springs which urge the locating member towards the rotary member.

1 7. A multi-point locking system according to claim 16 wherein the lock mechanism of the said one bolt prevents the handle from being turned beyond said further angular position.

1 8. A mulit-point locking system according to claim 1 6 wherein a stop or stops are provided within the attachment plate to prevent the handle from being turned beyond said further angular position.

19. A door or the like handle assembly substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated by Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.

20. A multi-point locking system substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.