GB2173237A

GB2173237A - Double glazing breaker

Info

Publication number: GB2173237A
Application number: GB08507060A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Harry Taylor; Neil Smith; Trevor Grand
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1985-03-19
Filing date: 1985-03-19
Publication date: 1986-10-08
Also published as: GB8507060D0; GB2173237B

Abstract

A breaker (12) comprises a body member (3) secured to a frame member of the glazing unit and housing an axially displaceable bolt (4), a latching means (6, 21, 22) to retain the bolt (4) in a retracted position against the action of a compressible spring but releasable means to permit the bolt to be fired to an extended position pierce at least one pane of the glazing unit. To release the bolt, a safety cover 11 is removed and circlip 9 extracted. This permits sleeve 7 to be moved rearwardly against the spring, so permitting retaining ball bearing 6 to project into pockets 23 in the sleeve. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Sealed unit breaker This invention relates to a breaker for sealed units, the latter comprising double or triple glazing, or synthetics plastics, and used, for example, for windows or doors.

Sealed units are employed on an increasing scale in the construction industry, either as part of initial installations, or as replacements, and offer significantly reduced noise levels and thermal energy savings, but sealed units do exhibit one major disadvantage compared with traditional, single glazed etc., units, this being upon the occurrence of a fire, for with the sealed unit, it is virtually impossible to break through the unit, e.g. for escape purposes.

The reason for this is the extremely high resistance to fracture inherent in sealed units as result of the sealed air gap formed between the two or three panes, the gap(s) acting in the manner of a cushion between the panes, to render pane fracture difficult, if not impossible.

However, once the seal is broken, the unit no longer exhibits the cushioning effect, and consequently the panes can be fractured with relative ease, e.g. to allow escape.

The object of the present invention is to provide a breaker for sealed units, whereby at least partial fracture of at least one pane is readily achievable by the user.

According to the present invention, there is provided a sealed unit breaker comprising a body member adapted, in use, to be secured to a frame member of the unit, the body member housing an axially displaceable bolt, a latching means adapted to retain the bolt in a retracted position against the action of a compressible spring means, and a user-operable means for releasing the latching means, to permit the bolt to be fired, under the action of the spring means, from its retracted position to an extended position, to pierce at least one pane of the unit with which the breaker is associated, thereby breaking the seal.

The breaker in accordance with the invention thereby causes at least partial fracture of at least one glass or plastics pane of the unit, thereby permitting full fracture to be readily achieved.

The breaker may comprise a body member, to a front portion of which is attached, e.g.

by a screwed connection, a front cap. To instal a breaker in accordance with the invention, the latter is attached to a frame member, e.g. of a fixed or opening light, by screws, bolts etc., with the assistance of a bracket or adaptor to suit the particular frame member in question, the bracket or adaptor being in turn attached to the front cap. The front cap may be provided with an axial through bore, and also with a recess which houses an "O"-ring.

The body may be provided with a tubular rearward extension terminating in a closed end wall and defining a hollow cylindrical interior to house the spring means, e.g. a coil compression spring. The spring means may bear at one end against the closed end wall and at the other end against an enlarged head of the bolt, the latter being of diameter such that it will freely slide through the bore of the front cap, and being of length such that a pointed leading end is just located within the bore when the bolt is in its retracted condition. The bolt may be latched in its retracted condition by providing the enlarged head with an annular inclined surface, and providing the rearward extension of the body member with a plurality, e.g. four, radially extending through holes, into each of which holes is located a ball bearing abutting portion of the inclined surface of the enlarged bolt head.The ball bearings may be retained within their associated holes by means of an outer sleeve slidably mounted on the rearward extension of body and having at a forward end an internal, annular recess or pocket, such that when the outer sleeve is displaced by the user rearwardly to a position in which the recess or pocket is located opposite the holes, the ball bearings are forced by the action of the spring on the enlarged head, and the inclined surface, into the recess or pocket, to release the latching means and to fire the bolt. The outer sleeve may have a rearward end adapted, in a forward position of the sleeve, to be engaged by a user-operable, pull-put safety clip adapted to be inserted into, or carried by, the end cap of the rearward extension of the body, thus preventing rearward movement of the outer sleeve, and consequently firing of the bolt, until the safety clip is removed.Control of the rearward movement of the outer sleeve, to align the recess or pocket with the holes, may be insured by a circlip, also provided on the end cap, but rearwardly of the safety clip. Finally, the outer sleeve may be provided with a rearward extension onto which is fitted a userremovable safety cap.

The invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a sectional view through a breaker in accordance with the invention, in its loaded state; Figure 2 is a sectional view through the breaker of Fig. 1 in its fired state; and Figures 3 and 4 are respectively sectional views showing the breaker of Figs. 1 and 2 relative to a sealed unit, in both its loaded and fired states.

In the drawings is illustrated a breaker 12 in accordance with the invention, for piercing at least one pane of a double or triple glazed unit, a double glazed unit being indicated at 14 in Figs. 3 and 4.

The breaker 12 comprises a body member 3 on to a front portion of which is screwed a front cap 1 by which the breaker 12 is attached to a frame, e.g. a window frame, by a bracket (not shown). It will be appreciated that a plurality of different bracket configurations will be required to accommodate the range of differing frames in use. The front cap 1 is provided with an axial bore 14 and with a recess 15 which houses an "0' '-ring 2.The body 3 is provided with a tubular rearward extension 16 terminating in a closed end wall 17 and defining a hollow, cylindrical interior 18 to house a coil compression spring 8 which bears at one end on the end wall 17 and at the other end on an enlarged head 19 of a bolt 4 of diameter such that it will freely pass through the bore 14 of the front cap 1, and of length such that a pointed leading end 20 of the bolt 4, is just located within the bore 14 when the bolt is in its retracted condition, as illustrated in Fig. 1.The bolt is latched in its retracted condition by providing the enlarged head 19 with inclinded surfaces 21 and providing the rearward extension 16 with four radially extending through holes 22, spaced 90 , into each of which holes 22 is located one ball bearing 6 abutting a portion of the suface 21 and retained within the associated hole 22 by means of an outer sleeve 7 slidably mounted on the rearward extension 16 and having at a forward end 5 an annular recess or pocket 23, such that when the outer sleeve 7 is displaced rearwardly to a position in which the recess or pocket 23 is located opposite the holes 22, the ball bearings 6 may be forced by the spring 18 into the recess or pocket 23, to fire the bolt 4.

The outer sleeve 7 has a rearward end 24 adapted, in a forward position of the sleeve 7, to be engaged by a manually operable, pullout safety clip 9 adapted to be inserted into, or carried by, the end cap 17 of the body 3, while control of the rearward movement of the outer sleeve 7 to align the recess or pocket 23 with the holes 22 is ensured by a circlip 10, also provided on the end cap 17, rearwardly of the safety clip 10. The outer sleeve 7 is also provided with a rearward extension 26 on to which is fitted by any suitable means, e.g. a tamper proof connection, a safety cap 11.

To operate the breaker from the loaded state illustrated in Fig. 1 to achieve the fired state illustrated in Fig. 2, firstly the safety cap 11 is removed, which gives access to the safety clip 9, which is tnhen pulled from the end cap 17, which then permits the outer sleeve 7 to be slid rearwardly until end 24 abuts the circlip 10 causing alignment of the recess or pocket 23 with the holes 22, to enable the inclined surface 21 to displace the ball bearings 6 radially into the pocket or recess 23, under the influence of the spring 18, thereby releasing the latching means retaining the bolt 4 to enable the end 20 to pierce the or each pane of the associated unit 13, extension of the bolt from the housing 3 and in particular the front cap 1 being halted when the enlarged head 19 strikes the cushioning "O"-ring 2.

Claims

1. A sealed unit breaker comprising a body member adapted, in use, to be secured to a frame member of the unit, the body member housing an axially displaceable bolt, a latching means adapted to retain the bolt in a retracted position against the action of a compressible spring means, and a user-operable means for releasing the latching means, to permit the bolt to be fired, under the action of the spring means, from its retracted position to an extended position, to pierce at least one pane of the unit with which the breaker is associated, thereby breaking the seal.

2. A sealed unit breaker as claimed in Claim 1, comprising a body member, to a front portion of which is attached a front cap.

3. A sealed unit breaker as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the front cap is attached by a screwed connection.

4. A sealed unit breaker as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 3, wherein the front cap is provided with an axial through bore.

5. A sealed unit breaker as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 4, wherein the front cap is provided with a recess which houses an "O"- ring.

6. A sealed unit breaker as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the body member is provided with a tubular rearward extension terminating in a closed end wall and defining a hollow cylindrical interior to house the spring means.

7. A sealed unit breaker as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the spring means is a coil compression spring.

8. A sealed unit breaker as claimed in Claim 6 or Claim 7, wherein the spring means bears at one end against the closed end wall and at the other end against an enlarged head of the bolt, the latter being of diameter such that it will freely slide through the bore of the front cap, and being of length such that a pointed leading end is just located within the bore when the bolt is in its retracted condition.

9. A sealed unit breaker as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the bolt is latchable in its retracted condition by providing the enlarged head with an annular inclined surface, and providing the rearward extension of the body member with a plurality of radially extending through holes, into each of which holes is located a ball bearing abutting a portion of the inclined surface of the enlarged bolt head.

10. A sealed unit breaker as claimed in Claim 9, wherein four through holes are provided.

11. A sealed unit breaker as claimed in Claim 9 or Claim 10, wherein the ball bearings are retainable within their associated holes by means of an outer sleeve slidably mounted on the rearward extension of body and having at a forward end an internal, annular recess or pocket, such that when the outer sleeve is displaced by the user rearwardly to a position in which the recess or pocket is located opposite the holes, the ball bearings are forced by the action of the spring on the enlarged head, and the inclined surface, into the recess or pocket, to release the latching means and to fire the bolt.

12. A sealed unit breaker as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the outer sleeve has a rearward end adapted, in a forward position of the sleeve, to be engaged by a user-operable, pull-out safety clip adapted to be inserted into, or carried by, the end cap of the rearward extension of the body.

13. A sealed unit breaker as claimed in Claim 11 or Claim 12, wherein control of the rearward movement of the outer sleeve, to align the recess or pocket with the holes is ensured by a circlip, also provided on the end cap, but rearwadly of the safety clip.

14. A sealed unit breaker as claimed in any one of Claims 11 to 13, wherein the outer sleeve is provided with a rearward extension onto which is fitted a user-removable safety cap.

15. A sealed unit breaker, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.