GB2148383A

GB2148383A - Locking fastener

Info

Publication number: GB2148383A
Application number: GB08425804A
Authority: GB
Inventors: W Tulloch; Richard John Ashmead
Original assignee: Titon Hardware Ltd
Current assignee: Titon Hardware Ltd
Priority date: 1983-10-14
Filing date: 1984-10-12
Publication date: 1985-05-30
Also published as: GB2148383B; GB8327630D0; GB8425805D0; GB2147941B; GB2147941A; GB8425804D0

Abstract

A locking fastener is disclosed e.g. for a door or window comprising a mounting plate 12, a handle 14 pivotally mounted on the plate for movement between a closed and an open position, and a substantially cylindrical locking member 34' having a substantially chordal segment removed therefrom and mounted for rotation with respect to the plate and handle with the axes of the handle pivot and the locking member substantially tangential to one another, rotation of the locking member with the handle in the closed position bringing a part of the member into or out of engagement with the handle or plate (or a formation thereon) respectively to restrict movement of the handle with respect to the plate or allow movement thereof to the open position. <IMAGE>

Description

1

SPECIFICATION

Locking fastener This invention relates to locking fasteners of the type used for locating and securing a window, or door in a closed or partially closed position within a frame.

The particular type of fastener with which the present application concerns itself comprises a base plate usually affixed to the door, or to the casement or sash of a window, and a handle pivotally mounted on the plate for the movement between open and closed positions. Window fasteners of this type, whether for casement or sash windows will usually be provided with a formation on the handle which will, in the closed position, engage the window frame or adjacent sash to prevent movement of the casement with respect to the frame, or of adjacent sashes with respect to one another, and in the open position be in effect retracted from contact with the frame or adjacent sash such that the window may be opened. Door fasteners of this type will usually be provided with means to operate an internal latch/ bolt arrangement. In both cases the fastener e.g.

may be aff ixed by its base plate to th door or window 90 frame, but this'reverse' arrangement is less commonly used.

The invention is particularly relevantto window fasteners, but the equivalence of function to door handles etc will be appreciated. Any references to window handles and catches may therefore betaken likewise as references to door handles etc having equivalent features, and vice versa, unless the context is to the contrary.

Normal such window fasteners operate simply on 100 a pivotal basis and have no means to restrain movement of the handle with respect to the plate. With these it is possible merely by breaking the window for a would-be intruderto move the fastener handle about its pivot relative to the mounting plate 105 and thereby release the window to gain access to the building. In order to prevent, or at least reduce the risk of this a number of arrangments have been proposed to enable the user, for example a householder, to lock the handle with respect to the mounting plate by some form of mechanical engagement. In high security applications a security lock requiring use of a key or perhaps a release combination may be used to enable some sort of mechanical engagement of a formation either on the 115 handle or the plate to engage and disengage from complimentary formation on the plate or handle. Where a lower degree of security is required simpler arrangements have been used, for example having a captive grub screw, usually located in the handle, which can be screwed by the user into and out of engagement with a recess on the plate with a simple hexagonal section key. Such lower security arrangements are particularly appropriate for use in loca- tions such as high rise residential blocks where it is not intruders which are of concern but the possibility of children being able to open windows and thereby or therethrough to come to harm.

Similar considerations apply to prior art door handles. For some internal uses, the security of e.g. a 130 GB 2 148 383 A 1 conventional tumbler type key and lock arrangement may be superfluous and provision for lower security locking acceptable.

It with the lower security type of arrangementthat the present invention is particularly concerned. The grub screw arrangement described above suffers a number of disadvantags, particularly cost in so far as accurate machining and threading is required, that higher specific performance materials are needed for the threaded parts of the fastener, and that the necessary displacement of the screw axis from the pivot axis of the handle can with repeated use of the screw arrangement lead to damage to the handle, e.g. by lever forces. It is therefore an object of the present invention to produce a satisfactory locking fastener towards the lower end of the security range which avoids or at least mitigates the disadvantages of the known systems at an acceptable commercial cost.

According to one aspect of the present invention a locking fastener comprises a mounting plate, a handle pivotally mounted on the plate for movement between a closed and an open position, and a substantially cylindrical locking member having a substantially chordal segment removed therefrom and mounted for rotation with respect to the plate and handle with the axes of the handle pivot and the locking member substantially tangential to one another, rotation of the locking member with the handle in the closed position bringing a part of the member into or out of engagement with the handle or plate (or a formation thereon) respectively to restrict movement of the handle with respect to the plate or allow movement thereof to the open position.

The closed position is that in which the handle or a formation thereon will restrict movement of a casement, sash or door relative to its frame; the open position is that in which the handle is rotated about its pivot so it does not restrict movement of the window or door for opening it.

The locking member is preferably captive between the plate and the handle (or formations thereon). By the term "captive" is meant that the locking member is retained in position by and in relation to the handle and the plate at all relative positions with respect to one another permitted of the handle and plate during normal operation. The handle and plate mayform between them a cavity to hold and locate the locking member, the cavity alone constraining the locking member from movement other than about its axis. This is preferably in the absence of any permanent affixation of the locking member either to the handle or to the plate. However the invention does encompass arrangements where affixation of the locking member to the handle or plate is provided. This maybe after assembly of the plate, handle and locking member and may, for example, involve affixing a key or knob to the locking member through a hole in the handle The locking member is preferably held captive in a cavity provided in the underside of the handle (that facing the base plate).

The cavity in the underside of the handle may be of any convenient form to provide the neessary 2 GB 2 148 383 A location of the locking member. It may for example be of rectangular section, or in a preferred form be segmental in section, both of course providing a small clearance for the locking member to enable it to rotate about its axis. Where a segmental section cavity is provided it preferably has a chordal length such thatthe cylindrical locking member may be inserted through the chordal opening into the cavity.

If this is not so, then means will have to be provided for the locking member to be inserted, e.g. axially, and the cavity closed round it by appropriate means.

In this form the locking member may be restrained from movement in a direction radial to its axis by e.g. a cavity in the underside of the handle and by abutmentwith an upper surface of the plate, and from movement in an axial direction by the ends of the cavity in the underside of the handle. This cavity may be provided in a formation on the handle, such as a skirt, extending towards the plate.

The fastener may be a window handle, e.g. for use on casements, a catch e.g. for use on sash windows, or a door handle.

With the axis of the handle pivot and the cylindric al locking member substantially tangential to one another, the locking member may be rotated into or 90 out of the position where it locks the handle to the plate from one or another side of the handle itself, e.g. through a hole through the handle so that it may be rotated by a user by use of an appropriate key.

Engagement of the appropriate part of the locking member to restrict handle movement may be by abutment against a formation on the handle or plate or, in a preferred form of the invenion, may be by entering into a recess in the handle or plate. The said recess into which the locking member may extend to 100 lock the handle in the closed position is preferably concave and part cylindrical in planar section, the cylinder radius of the recess being substantially that of the locking member such that it may receive the cylindrical part thereof. The said recess is preferably 105 a minor segment, the major segment being provided as above, the two segments between them forming a cylindrical cavity of radius slightly greater than that of the locking member. The minor segment (the said recess) is preferably provided in the base plate or a formation thereon such as a boss surrounding the handle pivot axis, the major segement (the cavity referred to above) being in the handle or formation thereon. Thus in a particularly preferred form of the invention the plate or a formation thereon and the handle or a formation thereon each have substantial ly axially extending recesses which, with the handle in the closed position, form between them a sub stantially cylindrical cavity for the substantially cylin drical locking member. In this case the said recesses are preferably substantially segmental in which either the handle recess or the plate recess may form the major segment to locate the cylindrical member.

The major recess is preferably in the handle or a formation thereon, and the minor recess/segment on 125 the plate or e.g. a boss surrounding the handle pivot.

The segment removed from the locking member may be such as leaves a concave recess, part cylindircal in planar section. Thus the term "seg ment" and "segmental" when used herein relate to the minimum cross-section area removed from a cylinder of constant radius. A greater cross-section area may be removed, for example to leave a concave recess as defined above without departing from the intended scope of the invention. Forming the locking member in effect by extension of the recess into the major segment of its cylinder of constant radius is therefore a part of the invention.

The present invention may be put into practice in various ways and specific embodiments will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a fastener according to the invention; Figure 2 is a section of a further fastener according to the present invention; Figure 3 shows an expanded sectional view of a cylindrical locking member and its recesses as may be used in the various fasteners embodying the invention, and Figure 4 shows a further partial view of the handle of Figure 2 from point of view B but with the base plate removed.

Referring to the drawings there is shown at Figure 1 a locking window fastener 10 comprising a mounting plate 12 and a handle 14. The handle 14 is pivotally mounted to the mounting plate 12 through its pivot 16 and appropriate known securement means 18. The handle is provided with a snib or catch piece (not shown) arranged to cooperate with a striker plate mounted on the frame when the fastener is mounted on the window casement or viceversa. When the handle 14 is rotated about its pivot 16 in an anticlockwise sense as shown in Figure 1 the snib or catchpiece will rotate away from the position where it engages its associated keeper thus allowing the window casement to be moved freely in relation to its frame. The mounting plate 12 is provided with screw holes for affixation of the mounting plate 12 to the window casement or f rame. The means of affixation may of course be varied in any conventional manner.

The mounting plate 12 is also provided with a boss 24 which surrounds and is substantially coaxial with the handle pivot 16.

Referring to Figure 1 there will be seen a concave recess 25' extending into the periphery of the boss 24. The handle 14 is provided with a skirt 28 which depends from the handle towards the mounting plate 12. In the skirt 28 is a part cylindrical recess 30'. The recesses 26' and 30' between them with the handle in the position shown in the figures provide a substantially cylindrical cavity of substantially circular cross-sectional area. The recess 26' provides the minor segment and the recess 30' provides the major segment of the circle. Located with the cavity is a cylindrical plug 34' of substantially circular section save in that a segement has been removed therefrom leaving a chordal surface 36. The plug 34' has an overal radius a little less than that of the cavity 26'130' such that it is located within the cavity 26/30' and may rotate therein.

With the plug 34' in this position shown in Figure 1 the handle 14 may rotate freely about the pivot 16 and the boss 24 of the mounting plate 12. When the 3 GB 2 148 383 A 3 plug 34' is rotated through 180' the surface of the plug 34'will nestle into the recess 26' on the boss 24 and thereby prevent rotation of the handle 14 relative to the mounting plate 12.

The recess 30' is of substantially the axial length of 70 the plug 34'.

The handle 14 is provided with a key hole (not shown) through which an appropriately shaped key may be passed to engage a key slot (not shown) in the plug 34'. The key hole and the appropriate key are of the "two wing" type such that the key may only be inserted into the key hole and the key slot in the plug 34' and removed therefrom at positions 1800 apart. Stopes or other guides may if necessary be provided between the plug 34' and its cavity such that the plug may not jam in a position between the two 180'C positions.

In alternate embodiments (not shown) the recess 26' may provide the major segment of the cavity and the skirt 28 provide the minor segment, in which case the plug 34'would be located and held within the major segment in the boss 24 rather than as shown.

Referring now to Figure 2 there is shown a view corresponding to that of Figure 1 but of a futher fastener of the present invention. When numerals are used as before they identify the same item or feature of the fastener. It wil I be seen that there is a recess 26" in the upper surface of the plate 12 extending generally tangentially thereof, the recess 26" being concave and part cylindrical in cross section. There is a recess 30" provided in the skirt part 28 of the handle, the recess 30" again being part cylindrical in cross-section and again having its cylinder axis substantially tangential to the axis of 100 the pivot 16 of the handle 14. The two recesses 26" and 30" between them form a cylindrical cavity within which is received a cylindrical plug 34" from which a minor segment has been removed. The plug 34" (and 34' above) is of cylinder radius slightly less 105 than the cavity but otherwise of comparable dimen sions so that itfits entirely within the cavity for rotation, with the handle in the position shown.

Rotation of the plug 34" about its cylinder axis will bring the cylindrical part of the plug 34" into the recess 26" when the handle 14 is in the closed position relative to the plate 12 thereby locking the handle 14 to the plate 12. Access to the plug 34" may again be from one side of the handle or either side by use of an appropriate key (not shown).

Figures 3 shows an expanded view of an alterna tive recess 30'/34" arrangement which may be used with either of the embodiments described hereto. It will be seen that the plug 34 and recess 26 are substantially as previously shown. Howeverthe recess 30 is shown as substantially rectangular in section. This arrangement will be particularly benefi cial with the fasteners shown as the recesses 30' may be cut into the skirt 28 of the handle leaving material at either end to hold the plug 34 captive. An 125 example of this is shown in Figure 4 this being relevant particularly to the fastener of Figure 2. In assembly of fasteners of Figure 1 and 2 the cylinder 34 is simply placed into the closed channel 30 as shown in Figure 4 and then the handle 14 assembled 130 to the base plate 12. A key hole shown in chain lines at 40 is provided for rotation of the plug 34.

If a recess 30 of segmental form as shown in Figures 1 and 2 is required it is preferred that the ratio of segments provided by the recesses 26 and 30 is such that the chordal length dividing them permits the plug 34 to be inserted in the recess 30 through the chordal opening so that a closed channel 30 in the manner shown in Figure 4 may be provided. If this is not the case it will be necessary to have a detached element of the handle or skirt e.g. adjacent the key entry hole 40 so that the plug 34 may be inserted axially into the recess 30 and the recess then closed about it.

It is believed thatthe present invention has considerable benefits not least of which are ease of operation and simplicity of function. However a prime advantage is believed to be in the manufacturing as it is expected that all or substantially all of the parts maybe cast in aluminium or other suitable material, that to include the plug and the key such that if casting is done to appropriate tolerances the assembly of the fastener will actually require only the normal operations of assembly of a fastener plus the operation of inserting the cylindrical plug member 34. Thus in comparison to the grub screw arrangement described earlier manufacturing processes and therefore cost are expected to be reduced substantially particularly as lesser quantities of higher performance materials are required and no drilling ortapping operation is expected to be needed.

The present invention relates to anyfeature or any combinations of features described herein.

Claims

1. A locking fastener comprising amounting plate, a handle pivotally mounted on the plate for movement between a closed and an open position, and a substantially cylindrical locking member having a substantially chordal segment removed therefrom and mounted for rotation with respect to the plate and handle with the axes of the handle pivot and the locking member substantially tangential to one another, rotation of the locking member with the handle in the closed position bringing a part of the member into or out of engagement with the handle or plate (or a formation thereon) respetively to restrict movement of the handle with respect to the plate or allow movement thereof to the open position.

2. A fastener as claimed in Claim 1 wherein rotation of the locking member with the handle in the closed position brings a part of the member into or out of a recess in the handle or plate (or a formation thereon) respectively to restrict movbement of the handle with respect to the plate or allow movement thereof to the open position.

3. A fastener as claimed in Claim 2 wherein the said recess is in the handle or pivot thereof.

4. A fastener as claimed in Claim 2 wherein the said recess is in the plate or a formation thereon.

5. A fastener as claimed in Claim 3 wherein the said recess is in a boss surrounding the handle pivot.

4 GB 2 148 383 A 4

6. A fastener as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the handle has a formation thereon extending towards the plate and providing a cavity to locate the locking member.

7. A fastener as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein access is provided through the handle for means for rotation of the locking member.

8. A fastener as claimed in Claim 7 wherein the said means for rotation is a removable key.

9. A fastener as claimed in Claim 7 wherein the said means for rotation is affixed to the locking member.

10. A fastener as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the locking member is captive between the plate and the handle (or formations thereon).

11. Afasteneras claimed in any of Claims 2to 10 wherein the said recess is concave and part cylindrical in planar section, the cylinder radius being substantially that of the locking member, such that it may receive the cylindrical part of the locking member.

12. A fastener as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the segment removed from the cylindrical member leaves a concave recess, part cylindrical in planar section.

13. A fastener as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the plate or a formtion thereon and the handle or a formation thereon with the handle in the closed position, form between them a substantially cylindrical cavity for the substantially cylindrical locking member.

14. A fastener as claimed in Claim 13 in which the said substantially cylindrical cavity is formed from a recess or recesses in the plate or formation thereon and/or the handle or formation thereon.

15. A fastener as claimed in Claim 14 wherein the said recesses are substantially segmental.

16. A fastener as claimed in Claim 15 in which the handle recess forms the major segmenet of the said cavity to locate the locking member.

17. A fastener as claimed in Claim 15 in which the plate recess forms the major segment of the said cavity to locate the locking member.

18. A locking fastener substantially as described - herein with reference to any of the accompanying drawings.

Printed in the UK for HMSO, D8818935,4.85,7102. Published by The Patent Office, 25 Southampton Buildings, London, WC2A lAY, from which copies may be obtained.