GB2160248A

GB2160248A - Security closure

Info

Publication number: GB2160248A
Application number: GB08513727A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hugh Gordon Mackinnon
Original assignee: JOLPINE Ltd
Current assignee: JOLPINE Ltd
Priority date: 1984-06-14
Filing date: 1985-05-31
Publication date: 1985-12-18
Also published as: GB8513727D0; GB2160248B

Abstract

A security closure 1 for a window opening in an empty building, comprises a panel 2 having side walls 10 having inward rim portions 12 for retaining end portions 16 of at least two anchor support members 3. Elongate connectors 4 are connected to each of said support members 3, and to anchors 5 so as to clamp a window opening surround between the panel side wall 10 and said anchors 5. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Security closure This invention relates to a security closure suitable for use in protecting window and like openings in temporarily unoccupied premises.

Property which is temporarily vacant for one reason or another for example during building renovation or between tenants, is being increasingly subject to damage due to theft and extensive vandalism. Since conventional win dows offer little if any protection against a determined attempt at forced entry it is neces sary to protect them on the outside with a protective screen of some form. Conventional protective measures generally comprise the securing of wooden or reinforced panels to the outer skin of the building around the opening. Such methods are however awkward and inconvenient to fix and may be pulled away so that their effectiveness is somewhat limited.

It is an object of the present invention to avoid or minimize one or more of the above disadvantages.

The present invention provides a security closure suitable for a window opening in a building, which closure comprises a panel having a shallow circumferentially extending side wall means having inwardly turned rim portions extending along parallel sides of said panel and formed and arranged for captively retaining respective support end portions of at least two anchor support members so as to permit lateral sliding movement of said support members in a direction parallel to said opposed sides whilst restraining them against movement perpendicular to the principal plane of said panel, at least two spaced apart elongate connector means connected to each of said support members, and anchor means having a length not substantially less than the length or width of said panel, said connector means and anchor means being formed and arranged for securing of the connector means to said anchor means so as to clamp an opening surround between said panel side wall means and said anchor means with said anchor means extending generally parallel to said panel.

In use of a security closure of the present invention, the panel is held up against the opening surround to cover over the opening and the support members slid along as required until they assume more or less optimum positions relative to the opening from the point of view of transmission of clamping force to the panel and routeing of the connector means secured to said support members through the opening or parts thereof e.g.

between the window frame and an opening light or through an opening light. The anchor means is then held up in position across the interior side of the opening surround and the connector means secured tightly thereto so that the window surround is clamped between the anchor means and the panel and the latter held firmly against the exterior side of the opening surround.

Thus the security closure of the present invention may be secured in position in a relatively simple and rapid manner whilst at the same time providing a high degree of resistance to attack from the outside.

Various forms of connector means may be used including for example flexible ones such as steel cables, or more or less rigid ones which may be straight, optionally deformable to assume a cranked form, or preformed in a cranked configuration e.g. with a predetermined offset. The connector means may moreover be advantageously slidably connected to the support members or releasably connected at any desired ones of a plurality of spaced apart securing points to facilitate optimum disposition thereof along the length of the support members.

Various forms of anchor means may also be used the securing of the connector means thereto also advantageously being provided for at any of a plurality of spaced apart positions for similar reaons to those indicated above.

The security closure of the invention may be made of any material having sufficient mechanical strength to resist attack by vandals and preferably, a degree of weather resistance. Conveniently the closure is made of steel, preferably galvanised steel.

Further preferred features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description given by way of example of some preferred embodiments illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a rear perspective view of a first security closure of the invention; and Figs. 2 and 3 are, respectively, vertical and horizontal sections through a closure according to Fig. 1 in use on a window opening: Fig. 4 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1 of a second embodiment; Fig. 5 is a detail view corresponding to Fig.

1 of a connector means and support member; and Figs. 6 and 7 are respectively a side elevation and a plan view of the connector means and support member of Fig. 5.

Fig. 1 shows a security closure 1 comprising a rectangular panel 2 having two elongate support members 3 each connected by two elongate connector means 4 to elongate anchor means 5. As may be seen in Figs. 2 and 3 the panel 2 is supported across a window opening 6 with the connector means 9 extending through the opening 6 and clamping together the anchor means 5 and panel 2 so that they engage the interior and exterior sides 7,8 of the window opening surround 9.

In more detail the panel 2 has a rearwardly disposed circumferentially extending side wall 10 which has an inwardly directed flange 11 provided with a retaining rim 12 turned back parallel to the side wall 10. The flange 11 is substantially continuous except for a small interruption 13 adjacent one side of the panel whose purpose will be explained below.

The elongate support members 3 are in the form of a top hat section with a plurality of more or less closely spaced apertures 14 disposed along the length of the central web 15. At each end of the central web 15 is provided an upstanding plate 16 which extends in a direction away from the outer flanges 17 at the base of the top hat section.

As may be seen in the drawings the outer flanges 17 are disposed adjacent the rear face 18 of the panel 2 holding the central web 15 spaced from said rear face. The plates 16 are hooked under the rim 12 of respective ones of two parallel opposed sides 19 of the panel, the support members being inserted in position via the opposed interruptions 13 in the flange 11.

The anchor means 5 comprise sections similar to the support members 3 with a plurality of regularly spaced apertures 20 in their central webs 21, and are disposed at right angles to the support members 3 so that the connector means 4 of different support members engage the same anchor means 5 thereby providing a more evenly distributed clamping force.

The connector means are in the form of elongate screwthreaded bolts 21 whose shanks 22 are threaded through the support member and anchor means apertures 14,20, with their heads 23 held captive behind the central webs 15 of the support members 3, and nut means e.g. wing nuts 24 screwthreadedly engaging the threaded shank ends 25 behind the outer faces 26 of the anchor means central webs 21.

As shown in Fig. 3 the connector means shanks 22 may conveniently be cranked at an intermediate portion 27 to provide a small offset to facilitate disposition of the connector means between the window frame 28 and opening light 29 when the latter is in a partly open condition as illustrated.

In order to install the closure over an opening it is simply necessary to bring up the panel on the exterior side of the opening with the support members mounted therein and the connector means projecting from the latter, the support members being laterally shifted along the panel as required to enable the connectors to be threaded between the partly open opening light and the window frame either side thereof. The anchor members are brought up on the interior side of the opening to bridge the opening and the free ends of the connectors threaded through the apertures in the anchor members whereupon the wing nuts may be screwed onto the connector bolts and tightened up against the anchor members to clamp the anchor members firmly against the interior side of the window surround and draw the panel firmly against the exterior side thereof.The closure of Figs. 4 to 7 is generally similar to that of Figs. 1 to 3, like parts being denoted by like reference numbers. In this case though the connector means instead of being fixed at selected predetermined points along the support members and anchor means are slidable therealong. In more detail the connector means is in the form of a flexible steel cable 30 with loops 31 at each end. One loop 31 is secured to a sliding retainer 32 in the form of a 'top hat' section ring which is a sliding fit around the support member 3. The other loop 31 is secured around a retaining bolt 33 mounted across the open end of a generally 'U'-shaped section channel retainer 34.In the base of the channel retainer 34 is provided a screw-threaded aperture 35 in which is engaged a clamping screw 36 having a turning lever 37 at one end and a spiked head 38 at its other end for biting into a timber beam 39 which extends through the channel retainer 34 and another one connected to the other support member and bridges the opening.

Various modifications may be made to the above described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Thus for example the connectors could be formed and arranged so as to be detachable from the support members even when these are mounted on the panel e.g. by the use of suitable key-hole shaped apertures in the support members of Fig. 1 and suitably shaped heads on the connectors. Also the main panel could be provided with a variety of relatively small perforations 40 in order to admit light into the protected premises without at the same time significantly impairing the strength of the security closure or affording any means for interfering with the securing means thereof.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a modified form of support member 3 in which the apertures 14' are elongate, extending longitudinally of the support member 3, the connector means 4 being provided with T-shaped heads 41 which can be threaded through the elongate apertures 14' and then rotated through 90 to extend transversely of the support member 3 and be retained captively thereby.

Figs. 9 and 10 show another modified form of the elongate connector means 4, like parts in these drawings being identified by like reference numerals. Fig. 9 is a perspective detail view of the connector means and parts of the support member and anchor means interconnected thereby, and Fig. 10 is a detail horizontal cross-section corresponding partly to Fig. 3 of a closure using the connector means of Fig. 9.

As shown in Figs. 9 and 10 the elongate connector means 4 is in the form of a metal strip 42 with a first aperture 43 at a first end portion 44 and a plurality of more or less closely and regularly spaced second apertures 45 at a second end portion 46, with first and second fastening means 47, 48 extending through respectively through respective first and second apertures 43, 45. The strip 42 is formed, e.g. of 25mm wide 18 gauge galvanised steel plate, so as to be more or less readily bendable about a transverse axis.

The strip 42 is cranked through a rightangle at its first end portion 44 so as to overlie part of the support member central web 15 around an aperture 14' therein so that a first fastening means 47 in the form of a T-headed bolt 49 can be threaded through said aperture 14 and the first aperture 43 in the strip 42 and secured thereto with a wing-nut 50. At its second end portion 46 the strip 42 is also cranked through a rightangle at a point along its length depending on the depth of the window opening so as to more or less closely overlie the rear of the anchor means 5 so that a second fastening means 48 in the form of a threaded bolt 51 can be threaded through the first second aperture 45 beyond the point at which said second end portion is cranked towards the free end 53 thereof and an opposed aperture 20 in the anchor means 5 and secured thereto with a wing nut 54.

As shown in Fig. 10 the strip 42 may be readily cranked to a greater or lesser extent, for example so as to provide a greater or lesser offset between its first and second end portions 44, 46, in order to facilitate fastening of the closure 1 over a window opening where there is only a narrow passage, which is also dog-legged, between the hinged side of the window 29 and the window frame 28 adjacent thereto.

It will be appreciated that the abovedescribed form of fastening can be readily secured in place and can readily accommodate a range of different window opening depths as well as situations in which only a very narrow and non-rectilinear route is available for location of the elongate connector means.

Claims

1. A security closure suitable for a window opening in a building, which closure comprises a panel having a shallow circumferentially extending side wall means having inwardly turned rim portions extending along parallel sides of said panel and formed and arranged for captively retaining respective support end portions of at least two anchor support members so as to permit lateral sliding movement of said support members in a direction parallel to said opposed sides whilst restraining them against movement perpendicular to the principal plane of said panel, at least two spaced apart elongate connector means connected to each of said support members, and anchor means having a length not substantially less than the length or width of said panel, said connection means and anchor means being formed and arranged for securing of the connector means to said anchor means so as to clamp an opening surround between said panel side wall means and said anchor means with said anchor means extending generally parallel to said panel, in use of said closure.

2. A closure according to claim 1 wherein the connector means are slidably connected to the support members for positional adjustment of their attachment point therealong.

3. A closure according to claim 1 wherein the support members are provided with a plurality of spaced apart securing points disposed along at least part of the length thereof, and said connector means are formed and arranged for releasable connection to any one of said securing points.

4. A closure according to claim 3 wherein said securing points comprise elongate apertures and said connector means include elongate transversely extending head portions formed and arranged so that they can be threaded through said apertures and then rotated to an angular position in which they are retainingly engaged by the support members to at least one side of said apertures.

5. A closure according to claim 3 wherein said securing points comprise apertures having increased and reduced width portions and said connector means include head portions having a width greater than said reduced width portions and less than or equal to that of said increased diameter width portions.

6. A closure according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein said connector is deformable so as to permit formation of an intermediate staggered portion therein.

7. A closure according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein said connector means are flexible.

8. A closure according to claim 7 wherein said connector means comprises cable means.

9. A closure according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein said connector means has a screw threaded portion and a fastener engageable with said portion for adjustment of the effective length of said connector means and thereby the separation between the support members and anchor means.

10. A closure according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein said connector means has a plurality of spaced apart securing points disposed along at least part of the length thereof and a fastener engageable with said securing points for adjustment of the effective length of said com ector means and thereby the separation between the support members and anchor means.

11. A closure according to any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein the connector means are slidably connected to the support members for positional adjustment of their attachment point therealong.

12. A closure according to any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein the anchor means are provided with a plurality of spaced apart securing points disposed along at least part of the length thereof, and said connector means are formed and arranged for releasable connection to any one of said securing points.

13. A closure according to any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein at least one of the support members and anchor means is in the form of a metal "top-hat" section beam.

14. A closure according to any one of claims 1 to 13 wherein said panel has a plurality of small apertures extending thereacross for ventilation and/or admission of light therethrough.

15. A security closure for a window opening substantially as described hereinbefore with particular reference to Figs. 1 to 3, Figs.

4 to 7, Figs. 1 to 3 and 8, or Figs. 9 and 10 of the accompanying drawings.