GB2186617A

GB2186617A - Window control system

Info

Publication number: GB2186617A
Application number: GB08603410A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Edmond Mulkens; Robert Wilikens
Original assignee: Solvay SA
Current assignee: Solvay SA
Priority date: 1986-02-12
Filing date: 1986-02-12
Publication date: 1987-08-19
Also published as: GB8603410D0; GB2186617B

Abstract

A control system permitting the combined opening outwards of the opening panel of a window by direct opening about a vertical axis along one side and tilting about an axis along the upper cross member of the panel comprises a set of control rods (1), a pivot (14), a corner strike plate (8), a scissor stay (4) and a hinge plate (5) associated with the scissor stay (4), the pivot (14) and the corner strike plate (8) being arranged so that, when fitted, they are situated at the level of the upper cross-member of the frame (7), the pivot (14) comprising means (15, 16, 17, 18) which ensure that the opening panel is held suspended in a tilted position and the corner strike plate (8) being adapted to ensure that, in a tilted position, it cooperates with a corner bar (6) fixed to the opening panel (7) and forms a second point for holding the opening panel (7) suspended. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Window control system The present invention relates to a control system permitting the combined opening outwards of the opening panel of a window by tilting and direct opening.

In English-speaking countries, window frames are traditionally constructed so that they open outwards by pivoting of the opening panel either around an axis situated along a vertical stile of the frame (direct opening) or around an axis situated along the upper crossmember of the frame (tilting) and, consequently, control systems permitting one of these types of openings exist on the market in these countries. However, there is no simple system in existence which allows a choice between these two types of openings with one and the same frame.

On the other hand, in continental European countries it is more customary to construct window frames so that they open inwards by pivoting of the opening panel either around an axis situated along a vertical stile of the frame or, if appropriate, along an axis parallel to the lower cross-member of the frame (dropper) and, in this case, there is a range of control systems (swing-opening hardware) on the market, which permit these two types of openings to be implemented with one and the same window at will. These systems generally comprise a set of control rods with an angle return, a pivot arranged at one end of the lower cross-membwe of the frame, a corner strike plate situated at the other end of this cross member, a scissor stay and a hinge plate associated with the scissor stay and arranged on the end of the opper cross-member of the frame facing the pivot.

With this type of control system, the dropping opening is obtained by rotation of the opening panel around a horizontal axis in the bottom cross-member, the points of attachment of the opening panel consisting of the pivot and of the corner strike plate which support the weight of the opening panel by gravity, while direct opening is produced by blocking the scissor stay opening and rotation of the opening panel around a vertical axis, the points of attachment of the opening panel consisting of the pivot and of the hinge plate associated with the scissor stay.

However, these tilting-opening control systems as such are unsuitable for permitting opening in accordance with the "English" practice by being rotated through 1 8or when being installed in order to place the pivot and the strike plate in a high position. in fact, it appears that in this case the pivots and the strike plate which are used would not permit the opening panel to be held in a tilted position. In addition, these control systems are not designed to prevent any risk of a possible forced entry from the outside when used in this manner.

Consequently, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a tilting-opening control system which permits, in a secure manner, the opening outwards of the opening panel of a window by combined tilting and direct opening. Furthermore, the control system according to the invention can be made so as to prevent any possibility of entry by force from the outside when the window is closed.

The control system according to the invention and permitting the opening outwards of the opening panel of a window by combined tilting and direct opening, consists of a conventional control system of the opening and inwardly dropping type comprising substantially a set of control rods, a pivot, a corner strike plate, a scissor stay and a hinge plate associated with the scissor stay and is characterized in that the pivot and the corner strike plate are arranged so that, when fitted, they are situated at the level of the upper cross-member of the frame, that the pivot comprises means for ensuring that the opening panel is held suspended in the tilted position, and that the corner strike plate is adapted to ensure that it cooperates, in a tilted position, with an angle support bar fixed to the opening panel and to form a second point for holding the opening panel suspended.

The control system according to the invention permits the opening outwards by direct opening by blocking the opening of the scissor stay situated along the lower cross-member of the frame and rotation of the opening panel around a vertical axis, the points of attachment of the opening panel consisting of the pivot and of the strike plate associated with the scissor stay in a manner similar to the method of opening inwards with a conventional control system. On the other hand, during tilting opening, the opening panel can pivot around an axis parallel to the upper cross-member of the frame, the points of attachment and of retention of the opening panel consisting of the pivot and of the retention of the angle support bar on the corner strike plate.

According to an embodiment of the control system which is preferred, the pivot consists of an attachment component connected to the frame by means of a stirrup, a member fixed to the opening panel comprising an annular cylindrical body coaxial with the attachment component and an assembly screw fixed in the attachment component through the annular cylindrical body, the latter being capable of turning freely around the assembly screw and being supported by the head of this screw.

It is obvious, however, that the pivot can be made in any other manner provided that it comprises a means for maintaining the opening panel in a tilted position. Thus, for example, the annular cylindrical body can be threaded on to an axle which is integrally fixed to the attachment component whose end can be equipped with means such as pins or a component which is welded on, and which are responsible for retaining the annular cylindrical body and consequently the opening panel.

When the preferred way of producing the pivot is implemented, it is permissible to modify the annular cylindrical body so as to conceal the head of the assembly screw in this annular body. For this purpose, it is sufficient for the lower part of the annular cylindrical body to have an internal diameter which is greater than that of the head of the assembly screw, this lower part being at least equal in height to that of the head of the assembly screw. In this case we found it advantageous to provide a side opening directed inwards in the lower part of the annular cylindrical body, and to provide the head of the assembly screw with means enabling this screw to be adjusted through the opening. In this manner, when the opening panel is being fitted, it is possible to carry out a fine adjustment of its fitting without the need for access to the outer face of the opening panel.

According to a preferred embodiment, the attachment component is equipped with at least one side locking screw for the assembly screw which is preferably accessible only from inside. In this manner, during the fitting and after correct installation of the assembly screw in the attachment component it is possible to lock this assembly screw and to prevent any subsequent unscrewing, particularly due to successive openings and closings of the opening panel. This locking of the assembly screw also helps to prevent any unscrewing of the assembly screw from the outside and hence any possible entry by force when the window is closed.

The risk of such an accidental or illegal unscrewing of the assembly screw from the pivot can be reduced further by equipping the annular cylindrical body with at least one side locking screw which can be inserted into a peripheral groove provided in the assembly screw, the locking screw being arranged so that it is accessible solely from inside when the window is open. In this case, after the opening panel has been fitted when it is being installed, the locking screw must obviously be adjusted so that it enters the groove in the assembly screw without locking this screw, as this would interfere with any possibility of rotation of the annular cylindrical body around the assembly screw and consequently any rotation of the opening panel in the course of direct opening.Such a risk can be easily prevented by making the locking screw of such length that its end cannot come into contact with the assembly screw. In this embodiment it is also appropriate that the groove provided in the assembly screw be of such a size that the adjustment of the assembly screw is not hindered.

For reasons of a risk of entry by force, it is also preferred, in the control system according to the invention, that the connection between the attachment component and the part comprising the annular cylindrical body be made on the corresponding faces of the frame and the opening panel which are not accessible from outside when the window is closed.

Furthermore, in the control system according to the invention, the corner strike plate must be adapted so that it ensures a correct suspension of the open opening panel in a tilted position. To this end, the upper part of the strike plate must be shaped so that it can cooperate efficiently with the corner support bar fixed to the opening panel, the shape preferably consisting of a round-off facing upwards. In a tilted position, the end of the corner support bar which is fixed to the opening panel is held on the shaped portion of the corner strike plate by means of a roller of the set of rods, which is engaged in a suitable housing in the corner strike plate.

The control system according to the invention can be utilized on any window frame provided that the sections forming the opening panel have a suitable groove to receive the said system. The window frame can be made of any material, such as timber, metal, coated metal or plastics.

Furthermore, the control system according to the invention is explained in greater detail in the following description of a preferred embodiment given by way of an illustrative example.

In this description, reference will be made to the figures in the attached drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is an exploded view in perspective of a control system according to the invention; Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are elevation, profile and plan views of the pivot employed; Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the attachment of the pivot to a frame.

As can be seen in Fig. 1, the control system according to the invention comprises a set of control rods 1 which can be operated by means of a casement setting 2, and comprising an angle return 3, a scissor stay 4 associated with a hinge plate 5 and a corner support bar 6 which are arranged, when being fitted, in a peripheral groove provided in the sections forming the opening panel 7. The system also comprises strike plates 8, 9 and 10 fixed into the frame and responsible for the locking of the opening panel when it is closed, by means of rollers 11, 12 and 13 with which the set of control rods 1 is equipped, the corner strike plate 8 being furthermore modified as will be explained later.

Lastly, the system is completed by the pivot 14 which is arranged in the upper corner of the frame facing the hinge plate 5 associated with the scissor stay 4, this pivot 14 consist ing of an attachment component 15, a member 16 equipped with an annular cylindrical body 17 and an assembly screw 18.

As can be seen more clearly in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the cylindrical base of the attachment component 15 is threaded and connected by a stirrup 19 to a base plate 20 which is fixed to the frame 21 (Fig. 5) of the frame, by means of positioning pegs 22 and attachment screws 23. Finally, the cylindrical base is equipped with a side locking screw 24 which penetrates as far as its threading.

The member 16 comprises a base plate 25 which is attached to the opening panel 7 of the frame by means of positioning pegs 26 and attachment screws 27. The member 16 is equipped with the annular cylindrical body 17 which is coaxial with the threading of the cylindrical base of the attachment component 15. The annular cylindrical body 17 has a side opening 28 at its base, and its wall is equipped with a side locking screw 29.

The assembly screw 18 is equipped with a, threading which enables it to be screwed into the cylindrical base of the attachment component 15 and has a peripheral groove 30 situated, when fitted, facing the locking screw 29.

The head 31 of the assembly screw is cylindrical and has a hexagonal cavity 32 at its top, which enables it to be turned by means of a suitable key. The side wall of the head 31 of the assembly screw 18 also has a series of hollows 33 arranged in a staggered configuration.

As can be seen more clearly in Fig. 3, the lower part of the annular cylindrical body 17 has an internal diameter which is slightly greater than that of the head 31 of the assembly screw 18, the housing thus defined being capable of receiving the head of the assembly screw, when it is being fitted, and being then closed, if appropriate, by a plug 34.

When the pivot 14 is being fitted, the components 15 and 16 should first be fixed, respectively, to the frame 7 and to the opening panel 21 of the frame by means of the positioning pegs 22, 26 and attachment screws 23, 27 and then these two components should be assembled together by means of the assembly screw 18, which is inserted in the annular cylindrical body 1 7 and screwed into the cylindrical base of the attachment component 15. A fine adjustment of the positioning of the opening panel 21 relative to the frame 7 can then be carried out, at the pivot 14, by means of a pointed tool introduced into the hollows 33 in the head 31 of the assembly screw 18 through the opening 28 provided in the annular cylindrical body 17.

When this adjustment has been carried out, the assembly screw 18 can be locked for good by the side screw 24 and bolted in the annular cylindrical body 17 by the side screw 29. It should be noted, furthermore, that the opening 28 and the screws 24 and 29 are arranged so as to be accessible solely from inside (when the opening panel is open). It should also be noted that the peripheral groove 30 in the assembly screw 18 is sized so that it remains facing the locking screw 29 when the locking screw is being adjusted, this latter screw being of such length that its end can enter the groove 30 without a risk of locking of the assembly screw 18. As a general rule, the fitting of the pivot 14 is carried out in the workshop and the fine adjustment is made on site, since it has to be done from inside, when the opening panel is open.

In the control system it is also appropriate to note that the corner strike plate 8 has, on the one hand, a shaped bearing which can cooperate with the end of the corner support bar 6, this shaped bearing preferably having a round-off directed upwards and, on the other hand, a suitable housing (not shown) which cooperates with the roller 11 in a tilting operation to maintain the end of the corner support bar on the shaped bearing of the corner strike plate.

The operation of the system thus described when it is opened in these two manners is as follows: when the window handle 35 is in its upward vertical position, the window is closed in this position and bolted by the rollers 11, 12, 13, which are engaged in the strike plates 8, 9 and 10 (Figure 1).

a) Opening outwards by direct opening When the handle 35 is moved to a horizontal position, the set of rods 1 moves, via the casement bolt 2, the rollers 11, 12 and 13 which are released from the corresponding strike plates 8, 9 and 10 and moves, via the angle return, the rollers 36 which lock the opening of the scissor stay 4. It is then sufficient to push the opening panel outwards to cause it to open by pivoting around the hinge plate 5 associated with the locked scissor stay 4 and around the pivot 14 (pivoting of the component 16 around the assembly screw 18). When the pivoting begins the end of the angle component 6 slides over the shaped part of the corner strike plate 8 and is released from the latter.

b) Tilting opening When the handle 35 is turned downwards, the set of control rods 1 moves, via the casement bolt 2, the rollers 11, 12 and 13, the rollers 12 and 13 are released from the corresponding strike plates 9 and 10, while the roller 11 maintains its bolting in the strike plate. Furthermore, the set of rods 1 moves, via the angle return 3, the rollers 36, which release the opening of the scissor stay 4. It then suffices to push the lower part of the opening panel outwards to produce the required opening, the pivoting of the opening panel around an axis parallel to the top crossmember taking place at the stirrup 19 of the pivot 14 and of the roller 11 held in the corner strike plate 8.

While it pivots, the weight of the opening panel is carried by the head 31 of the assembly screw 18 of the pivot 14 and by the end of the corner support bar 6 held on the shaped section of the corner strike plate 8. In openings of this type, the opening panel can be held in the required position by any means such as a locking of the scissor stay 4 or by.

resorting to a traditional locking adjuster.

It is quite obvious, furthermore, that the control system described can be modified so as to produce any method of opening in predetermined positions of the control handle 35, other than those described above.

It should also be noted that, in the control system as described, as can be seen especially in Figs. 3 and 5, the screws 23, 24, 27 and 29, and the opening 28 of the pivot 14 are not accessible from outside when the window is closed and, as a result, any risk of entry by force by dismantling the opening panel from outside is ruled out.

It will be understood that the invention has been described above purely by way of example, and that various modifications of detail can be made within the ambit of the invention.

Claims

1. Control system permitting the combined opening outwards of the opening panel of a window by tilting and direct opening, consisting of a-conventional control system of the opening and inwardly dropping type comprising essentially a set of control rods (1), a pivot (14), a corner strike plate (8), a scissor stay (4) and a hinge plate (5) associated with the scissor stay, characterized in that the pivot (14) and the corner strike plate (8) are arranged so that, when fitted, they are situated at the level of the upper cross-member of the frame, that the pivot (14) comprises means (15, 16, 17, 18) which ensure that the opening panel (7) is kept suspended in a tilted position and that the corner strike plate (8) is adapted to ensure that, in a tilted position, it cooperates with a corner support bar (6) fixed to the opening panel (7) and forms a second point for holding the opening panel (7) suspended.

2. Control system according to Claim 1, characterized in that the pivot (14) consists of an attachment component (15) connected to the frame (21) by means of a stirrup (19), a component (16) fixed to the opening panel (7) comprising an annular cylindrical body (17) coaxial with the attachment component (15) and an assembly screw (18) fixed into the attachment component (15) through the annular cylindrical body (17), the latter being capable of turning freely around the assembly screw (18) and being supported by the head (31) of this sc.rew.

3. Control system according to Claim 2, characterized in that the lower part of the annular cylindrical body (17) has an inner diameter which is greater than that of the head (31) of the assembly screw (18), this lower part having a height which is at least equal to that of the head (31) of the assembly screw (18).

4. Control system according to Claim 3, characterized in that the lower part of the annular cylindrical body (17) comprises a side opening (28) directed inwards and that the head (31) of the assembly screw (18) comprises means (33) permitting this screw to be adjusted through the opening (28).

5. Control system according to any one of Claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the attachment component (15) is equipped with at least one side screw (24) for locking the assembly screw (18) which is accessible solely from inside.

6. Control system according to any one of Claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the annular cylindrical body (17) is equipped with at least one side locking screw (29) which can be inserted into a peripheral groove (30) provided in the assembly screw (18), the locking screw (29) being arranged so that it is accessible solely from inside when the opening panel is open.

7. Control system according to claim 1, substantially as described with reference to any- Figure or Figures of the accompanying drawings.