GB2270105A

GB2270105A - Wing frame locking arrangement

Info

Publication number: GB2270105A
Application number: GB9317658A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Dewson Beim
Original assignee: Monarch Aluminium Ltd
Current assignee: Hydro Building Systems UK Ltd
Priority date: 1992-08-26
Filing date: 1993-08-25
Publication date: 1994-03-02
Anticipated expiration: 2013-08-25
Also published as: GB9317658D0; GB2270105B; GB9218099D0

Abstract

An locking arrangement for the vent frame assembly of a window or door comprises two locking rods 14, 16 and a drive mechanism 19, 20 for displacing the locking rods in opposite directions so as to engage with a surrounding fixed frame. The frame members 4, 6, 8 are hollow extruded profiles and the locking rods extend along internal passageways within the hollow profiles, and extend between the drive mechanism and apertures 34, 15 at opposite ends of one of the frame members 8. L-shaped cleats 38 secure together the two profiles at each corner of the vent frame, and two of the cleats are formed with recesses 46 or bores along which the locking rods 14, 16 extend so that the cleats 38 support, and act as bearings for, the locking rods. <IMAGE>

Description

"Vent Frame Assemblies The invention relates to vent frame assemblies.

Many windows comprise a vent frame which surrounds and supports a pane of glass and is pivotally connected to a fixed window frame attached to a wall of a building. An effective way of releasably locking the vent frame to the fixed window frame, when the vent frame is in a closed position, is to provide the vent frame with a so-called "espagnolette" fastener. Such fastener comprises two vertical locking rods and a manually operated drive mechanism for displacing the locking rods in opposite directions between an extended configuration in which the ends of the ' locking rods project respectively into engagement with upper and lower parts of the fixed window frame so as to lock the vent frame thereto, and -a retracted configuration in which the locking rods are withdrawn within the periphery of the vent frame to allow it to be opened and closed.In the past, particularly in the case of window frames constructed from extruded plastics or aluminium profiles, such locking rods have been mounted on the outside of the vent frame. This is not only rather unsightly, but also has the disadvantage that separate holders and brackets must be provided for attaching the locking rods to the outside of the vent frame.

The invention seeks to provide an improved vent frame assembly which overcomes these problems, as well as providing other advantages.

According to the invention there is provided a vent frame assembly comprising a generally rectangular vent frame constructed from extruded hollow profiles, two locking rods, and a drive mechanism for displacing the locking rods in opposite directions between an extended configuration in which end portions of the locking rods are adapted to engage with a surrounding fixed frame, and a retracted configuration adapted to allow the vent frame to be opened and closed, the locking rods extending along internal passageways within one or more of the hollow profiles from which the vent frame is constructed, and extending between the drive mechanism and respective apertures provided at the external surface of the vent frame, from which apertures the end portions of the locking rods project at least when the rods are in their extended configuration.

The vent frame may be constructed from extruded aluminium profiles, or from profiles extruded from plastics, such as uPVC.

Preferably, the internal passageways are formed during the extrusion of the profiles.

Conveniently, both of the locking rods extend along an internal passageway in a single, integral extruded profile.

The vent frame assembly may further comprise a cleat for securing together two of said extruded profiles at a corner of the vent frame, the cleat being formed with a recess for receiving one of the locking rods.

The cleat is preferably adapted to support, and act as a bearing for, the locking rod.

The recess is preferably a groove or channel in the cleat, but could comprise a bore extending through the body of the cleat.

Conveniently, at least one of the locking rods is provided with an inner end which is threadably connected to the drive mechanism for adjusting the length of the locking rod.

Preferably, each locking rod is formed with an outer end portion which lies within a corresponding one of said apertures of the vent frame, at least when the locking rods are in their retracted configuration, and the end portion and its corresponding aperture are shaped so as to prevent rotation of the end portion within the aperture.

For example, the outer end portion and its corresponding apertures may be of complementary noncircular cross-section.

Preferably, the end portion remains within its corresponding aperture when the locking rods are in both their retracted and extended configurations.

Said apertures provided at the external surface of the vent frame may be formed in a separate element secured to said external surface so as to overlie a further aperture in the vent frame itself. Preferably the aperture in the vent frame is larger than the aperture in the separate element.

The corner of the vent frame adjacent the projecting end of the locking rod may be formed with a projection which is received in a recess in the fixed window frame when the window vent is in the closed position. For example, the recess may be formed in a keeper member mounted within the fixed window frame.

Said projection may be formed on the separate element in which said aperture is formed.

Preferably the projection and recess are of substantially constant cross-section in a direction at right angles to the general plane of the window vent.

Preferably the separate element and/or the keeper member are generally L-shaped to fit around the external corner of the vent frame or the internal corner of the fixed window frame respectively.

The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of part of a partly disassembled vent frame assembly, suitable for a window; Figure 2 is a partial view showing the mounting bracket for the extremity of each espagnolette locking rod; Figure 3 is an underside view of the mounting bracket; Figure 4 is a sectional view of a keeper plate for mounting on the fixed window frame for engagement by a locking rod; Figure 5 is an underside view of the keeper plate; Figure 6 is a sectional view through the vent frame of Figure 1, showing a drive mechanism; Figure 7 is a diagrammatic side view of the rod drive mechanism; and Figure 8 is a sectional view through the handle mechanism.

Figure 1 shows a portion of a window vent frame assembly 1 comprising a rectangular vent frame 2 constructed from extruded aluminium profiles. The vent frame 2 comprises a horizontal top section 4, a horizontal bottom section 6, a vertical section 8, and a further vertical section (not shown) which is connected to a fixed window frame (not shown) by means of hinges (not shown) for enabling the vent frame 2 to be opened and closed.

The vertical section 8 is integrally formed with a single internal passageway having upper and lower portions 10 and 12 for receiving upper and lower locking rods 14 and 16 respectively. Part of the vertical section 8 is cut away to provide a recess 18 for receiving a rod drive mechanism 20, shown in Figures 6 and 7, which is operated by a handle mechanism 19 to move the locking rods 14 and 16 in opposite directions between an extended configuration, in which the locking rods project into keeper plates mounted on the window frame so as to lock the vent frame 2 to the window frame, and a retracted configuration in which the vent frame 2 may be opened and closed.

Each locking rod 14 and 16 is provided with an elongate end portion 30, 32 respectively formed along opposite sides thereof with flats 13. The elongate end portion passes in sliding relation through a correspondingly shaped aperture 15 in a generally Lshaped bracket 17 which is mounted by self tapping screws (not shown) on the external corner of the vent frame, as best seen in Figure 2. The end portions 30 and 32 of the locking rods 14 and 16 pass through circular apertures 34 and 36 respectively in the top and bottom profiles 4 and 6, which underlie the apertures 15. Since the end portions 30, 32 are formed with flats, they are prevented from rotation relatively to the bracket 17 by their passage through the shaped holes 15.

Mounted in the fixed window frame adjacent each corner is a generally L-shaped keeper plate 9, the upper keeper plate being shown in Figures 1 and 4. The keeper plate comprises a horizontal portion 21 and a vertical portion 23 formed with holes by means of which the keeper plates may be secured within the corner of the fixed window frame by self tapping screws (not shown). The upper portion 21 of the keeper plate is forme#d with an elongate slot 25 which receives the extremity of the end portion 30 of the rod 14 when the espagnolette mechanism is operated to extend the rods 14 and 16 to lock the window when in the closed position.

The slot 25 is elongate to allow for slight variation in the position of the end of the locking rod, and the extremity of the end portion 30 is tapered, as indicated at 27 in Figure 2, to facilitate entry of the end of the locking rod into the slot 25.

The L-shaped bracket 17 is bent in a shape to provide a projecting boss 29 which, in the closed position of the window, is received within a corresponding recess 31 formed in the vertical portion 23 of the keeper plate 9. The boss 29 and recess 31 are of constant cross-section in a direction at right angles to the general plane of the vent frame. The inter-engagement between the boss 29 and recess 31 serves as an extra means for retaining the window in the closed position and as a safety feature. Thus, if an intruder is able to saw through, break or otherwise disengage one of the locking rods from its keeper plate, it is often possible, in conventional espagnolette systems, to deflect the window sufficiently to enable the intact espagnolette locking rod to be sprung out of engagement with its keeper.In the present arrangement the inter-engagement between the boss 29 and recess 31 prevents this so that an intruder can only force the window open after having sawn through or otherwise disengaged both locking rods.

An important feature of the present invention is the means for slidably supporting the locking rods 14, 16 adjacent the corners of the window frame, and such arrangement will now be described.

An L-shaped cleat 38 is provided, in conventional manner, for securing the bottom section 6 to the vertical section 8, and an identical cleat (which is not visible in Figure 1) is used to attach the top section 4 to the vertical section 8. The cleat 38 is provided with lateral grooves 40 adapted to receive small inwardly crimped portions of the outer walls 42 and 44 of the vertical section 8 and bottom section 6 respectively in order to firmly secure the cleat 38 to these two sections. Each cleat is also formed with a slot 46 extending vertically through the centre of its upright portion 48 for receiving and guiding the associated locking rod. As an alternative to this, the upright portion 48 of the cleat 38 may be formed with a circular cylindrical bore through which the rod passes.

Figure 6 is a sectional view through the vertical section 8 of the vent frame, showing a pane of glass 50 mounted within the vent frame 2. It also shows one form of rod drive mechanism 20 and the handle mechanism 19 fitted to the vertical section 8. The vertical section 8 is formed on extruded aluminium profile connected incorporating a rigid plastics thermal break 53, formed in known manner. The handle mechanism 19 comprises a toothed wheel 54 rotatably mounted within a housing 56 and connected to an operating handle 57.

The housing 56 is shown in greater detail in Figure 8, and contains two slidably mounted toothed racks 58 and 60 which are connected to the upper and lower locking rods 14 and 16 respectively by means of a linkage mechanism comprising a pair of arms, 62, 64 respectively (see Figure 6).

The rod drive mechanism 20 comprises a guide plate 66 which fits over and partly into the recess 18 in the vertical vent frame section 8. The inwardly facing surface of the plate 66 is formed with generally L-shaped recesses 68, 70 respectively in which respective generally L-shaped elements 72, 74 are a close sliding fit so that the elements 72, 74 may perform limited up and down sliding movement on the plate 66.

Mounted on the vertically extending arm of the element 72 is a rectangular block 76 formed with a central threaded bore into which is screwed the lower end of the upper locking rod 14. A similar block 78 is mounted on the vertical limb of the element 74 and has a threaded bore into which is screwed the upper end of the lower locking rod 16.

A circular cross-section drive pin 80 is secured to the horizontal limb of the element 72 so as to extend horizontally at right angles thereto. The pin 80 passes freely through a vertical slot 82 in the thermal break plastics material 53 and engages in an aperture in the arm 64 of the drive mechanism. A similar pin 84 (Figure 7) is mounted on the horizontal limb of the element 74, passes through a further elongate vertical slot 86 in the thermal break plastics material and engages in an aperture in the other arm 62 of the drive mechanism.

Turning of the handle 57 causes the toothed racks 58, 60 and respective arms 62, 64 to be displaced vertically in opposite directions, causing corresponding vertical displacement between the elements 72, 74 and hence the rods 14, 16 connected thereto.

As the rods 14, 16 are moved apart their respective end portions 30, 32 move into engagement with the registering slots 25 in the respective keeper plates 21, thus locking the window closed, whereas when the handle 57 is turned to draw the rods 14, 16 together, the end portions 30, 32 are retracted to permit the window to be opened.

For the purposes of initial assembly, the rods 14, 16 are passed longitudinally through the passage portions 10, 12 respectively in the vent frame section 8, the extremities of the rods projecting through the circular apertures 34 and 36 respectively. The inner threaded ends of the rods 14, 16 are then screwed into respective blocks 76, 78 of the drive mechanism until a mark (not shown) on the end portion of each rod is brought level with the surface adjacent the hole 34 or 36 through which it passes.

The brackets 17 are then fitted over the projecting ends 30, 32 of the rods, which pass through the shaped holes 15 in the brackets, and are screwed to the corners of the frame. Due to the provision of flats 13 on the end portions 30, 32 of the rods, and the corresponding shape of the holes 15, once the brackets 17 have been secured in position it is no longer possible for the rods 14, 16 to twist so as to be screwed into or out of the blocks 76, 78. Accordingly, the extent to which the end portion 30, 32 of the rods project from the frame is then fixed. If it is required to adjust the extent of projection, this may be simply effected by temporarily removing the brackets 17 and screwing the threaded ends of the rods further into or out the respective blocks 76, 78.

In the locking position of the mechanism the ends 30, 32 of the rods might be arranged to pass into suitable apertures in the profiles making up the fixed window frame. However, it is preferred to provide approximately shaped keeper plates as described. T h e rods 14, 16 may be smooth along most of their length, having threaded portions at their lower ends only, as shown in Figure 1. Alternatively, the rods may be in the form of studding which is screw threaded along the whole of its length. In either arrangement each rod may be cut to length according to the vertical dimensions of the window, although the use of wholly threaded studding allows greater latitude in the size of window which the rods may be cut to fit.

A major advantage of the described arrangement is that the mechanism can be removed for repair or replacement without the necessity of de-glazing the window.

Although the mechanism has been described as fitted to a vertical frame section of a window vent, it will be appreciated that it could equally well be fitted to a horizontal frame section, for example in the case where the window is mounted to pivot about a horizontal axis.

Claims

1. A vent frame assembly comprising a generally rectangular vent frame constructed from extruded hollow profiles, two locking rods, and a drive mechanism for displacing the locking rods in opposite directions between an extended configuration in which end portions of the locking rods are adapted to engage with a surrounding fixed frame, and a retracted configuration adapted to allow the vent frame to be opened and closed, the locking rods extending along internal passageways within one or more of the hollow profiles from which the vent frame is constructed, and extending between the drive mechanism and respective apertures provided at the external surface of the vent frame, from which apertures the end portions of the locking rods project at least when the rods are in their extended configuration.

2. A vent frame assembly according to Claim 1, wherein the vent frame is constructed from extruded profiles.

3. A vent frame assembly according to Claim 2, wherein the internal passageways are formed during the extrusion of the profiles.

4. A vent frame assembly according to Claim 2 or Claim 3, wherein both of the locking rods extend along an internal passageway in a single, integral extruded profile.

5. A vent frame assembly according to any of Claims 2 to 5, wherein the vent frame assembly further comprises a cleat for securing together two of said extruded profiles at a corner of the vent frame, the cleat being formed with a recess for receiving one of the locking rods.

6. A vent frame assembly according to Claim 5, wherein the cleat is adapted to support, and act as a bearing for, the locking rod.

7. A vent frame assembly according to Claim 6, wherein the recess is a groove or channel in the cleat, but could comprise a bore extending through the body of the cleat.

8. A vent frame assembly according to Claim 6, wherein the recess comprises a bore extending through the body of the cleat.

9. A vent frame assembly according to any of Claims 1 to 8, wherein at least one of the locking rods is provided with an inner end which is threadably connected to the drive mechanism for adjusting the length of the locking rod.

10. A vent frame assembly according to any of Claims 1 to 9, wherein each locking rod is formed with an outer end portion which lies within a corresponding one of said apertures of the vent frame, at least when the locking rods are in their retracted configuration, and the end portion and its corresponding aperture are shaped so as to prevent rotation of the end portion within the aperture.

11. A vent frame assembly according to Claim 10, wherein the outer end portion and its corresponding apertures are of complementary non-circular crosssection.

12. A vent frame assembly according to Claim 10 or Claim 11, wherein the end portion remains within its corresponding aperture when the locking rods are in both their retracted and extended configurations.

13. A vent frame assembly according to any of Claims 1 to 12, wherein said apertures provided at the external surface of the vent frame are formed in a separate element secured to said external surface so as to overlie a further aperture in the vent frame itself.

14. A vent frame assembly according to Claim 13, wherein the aperture in the vent frame is larger than the aperture in the separate element.

15. A vent frame assembly according to any of Claims 1 to 14, wherein the corner of the vent frame adjacent the projecting end of the locking rod is formed with a projection which is received in a recess in the fixed window frame when the window vent is in the closed position.

16. A vent frame assembly according to Claim 15, wherein the recess is formed in a keeper member mounted within the fixed window frame.

17. A vent frame assembly according to Claim 15 or Claim 16, wherein said projection is formed on a separate element in which said aperture is formed.

18. A vent frame assembly according to any of Claims 15 to 17, wherein the projection and recess are of substantially constant cross-section in a direction at right angles to the general plane of the window vent.

19. A vent frame assembly according to any of Claims 15 to 18, wherein the separate element and/or the keeper member is generally L-shaped to fit around the external corner of the vent frame or the internal corner of the fixed window frame as the case may be.

20. A vent frame assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.