GB2288433A - Door or window stay - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an intruder stop and stay assembly, and in particular to an intruder stop for a movable panel mounted in a fixed surround. The intruder stop can be used with a slidable or pivotable panel. The intruder stop has an operative or enabled condition in which a panel is permitted only a limited opening movement relative to a fixed outer surround, and an inoperative or disabled condition in which full opening of the panel is permitted. The stay 20 is mounted for limited swinging movement about a pivot pin 22 which extends between the upstanding arms 12 of the holder, and is resiliently biassed by a torsion spring 23 towards its operative condition. The spring has its one end abutting the holder base 11 and its other end cranked to engage the upper surface 24 of the stay 20 with its intermediate coil round the pivot pin 22. Disabling means 30 prevents release of the stay from the holder. <IMAGE>

Description

INTRUDER STOP AND ASSEMBLY FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an intruder stop and assembly, and in particular to an intruder stop for a panel mounted in a surround, and to an assembly of panel, surround and intruder stop.

The intruder stop can be used with a panel which can be pivotally mounted for inwards opening e.g. a door for a dwelling, office or similar, or for outwards opening e.g. a window. The panel can also be slidably mounted e.g. a patio door or window.

The assembly will include an intruder stop having (a) an operative or enabled condition in which the panel is permitted only a limited opening movement relative to the fixed outer surround (door or window frame), and (b) an inoperative or disabled condition in which full opening of the panel (door or window) is permitted.

The intruder stop will have a substantially non-extensible retaining means secured in the assembled operative position both to the panel and to the surround, and having a length to determine the panel permitted limited opening.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION It is usually necessary for an occupant (partially) to open the door to a home, or other building, to identify a caller. The caller may however be an intending intruder, seeking an easier entry than by door breakage. Many householders, especially the elderly and infirm, unwittingly open a door to an intending intruder.

To overcome the increased public awareness of this means of obtaining unauthorised doorway entry by "bogus" callers, such intending intruders often pose as an official of a public service or utility; a supposed identification card or the like may be proffered for the occupant to check, requiring the door to be at least partially opened for the card to be studied. An intruder stop is therefore desirable which can be fitted to the door and its surrounding frame, designed to hinder or help prevent an intending intruder forcing fully open a door which has been partly opened by an occupant.

Often a window is left open in a partly open or "vent" condition. It is necessary to hinder or prevent unauthorised persons fully opening the window to gain unlawful access.

DISCLOSURE OF THE PRIOR ART One known door intruder stop utilises a rigid retaining means having its one end pivotally mounted to the surround and its other end fittable into a U-piece secured to the door. Disadvantages of this arrangement include that the intruder stop can only be enabled when the door is already partly opened; that the occupant cannot close the door e.g.

against intruders, with the intruder stop so enabled; and that when so enabled the retaining means can easily be lifted out of the U-piece by a thin tool inserted (from outside the doorway) between the door and its surround and so be disabled by an intending intruder.

For a window, the retaining means has apertures to receive an upstanding bar or peg secured to the window frame.

Another known door intruder stop utilises a chain as the retaining means between the door and its surround, one end of the chain being permanently secured to the door surround e.g. door jamb, whilst the other end carries a headed stud which can be temporarily secured to the door adjacent its opening edge; typically the headed stud is located in a holder fixed adjacent said opening edge, the holder having a key-hole shaped slot.Disadvantages of this known arrangement include that the chain is usually of thin material, and so relatively easily cut through by a known tool - which can (quickly) be inserted through the partly open door i.e. usually before the occupant has realised that the caller is an intending intruder; alternatively, and if the door has been left unattended in such partially open (vented) condition, the chain can perhaps be gripped by such tool and be manipulated so as to slide back the stud to its release condition. Furthermore before opening the door the occupant has to remember to insert the stud in the holder i.e. the intruder door stop has to be positively enabled by the occupant.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION We have realised that it is desirable for an intruder stop to operate automatically as the associated panel is opened to limit the panel permitted opening movement, yet with disabling means so that the intruder stop can be rendered inoperative by the authorised user whereby to permit full panel opening.

Furthermore we have realised that the disabling means should be controlled from inside the building, both at a selected time as required for instance to permit the door (or window) to be fully opened to a genuine caller, and in advance of a selected time for instance to allow the occupant to re-open the door from outside, as when returning to the building.

As to the latter requirement, it will be understood therefore that intruder stops are usually provided as an additional or supplementary security measure, in addition for instance to the usual door lock; such a door lock can be released (typically with a key) from outside the building to permit a key holder or occupant re-entry into the building.

According to one feature of the invention we provide an intruder stop adapted to limit opening movement of a panel mounted in a surround which includes retaining means securable in an operative condition between a panel and panel surround, in which the retaining means is a rigid stay, in which resilient bias means urge the stay towards the securing operative condition and in which a releasable disabling means can prevent movement of the stay towards the securing operative condition.

For an inwardly-opening panel and its surround, such as a door and its frame, preferably the stay is secured to the surround and is engageable by a bar or rod secured to the panel; desirably the bar, rod or peg is mounted for rigid connection to the panel.

For an outwardly-opening panel, such as a window, preferably the stay is secured to the panel and is engageable by a rod, bar or peg secured to the surround.

We also provide an intruder stop which includes a stay having a hooked end, and mounting means for the stay, said mounting means comprising (a) a pivot about which the stay can swing between operative and inoperative conditions (b) resilient bias means to urge the stay towards the operative condition and in which the hook can engage with a catch to limit opening movement of the panel, and (c) disabling means to hold the stay in the inoperative condition, the disabling means being releasable from the stay.

Thus we also provide an assembly which includes a movable panel positioned in a fixed outer frame or surround so that in the panel closed condition there is a clearance gap between the panel and a frame member, a rod mounted on one of the panel and frame member and having a length sufficient to extend across the gap whereby the rod can lie alongside one of the frame member and panel, and an intruder stop secured to the other of the panel and frame member and adapted to inhibit movement of the rod and thus of the panel by greater than a predetermined distance.

For a sliding panel, the rod will be parallel to the gap, with the retainer extending in its operative position across the gap.

Desirably an enabled intruder stop is self re-setting as the panel is closed, conveniently by the rod engaging the stay to pivot it against the force of the resilient bias means back to a stand-by condition; thus the intruder stop once enabled can always be ready for subsequent use, even for the most forgetful occupant.

The disabling means allows the intruder stop to be rendered inoperative at will from inside the building e.g. dwelling or office or store room, so as to permit an authorised person to open the door by the usual (key) means when returning to the building.

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which : Fig.l is a schematic side view of a frame part and associated hinged door, in a partly open condition, fitted with the intruder stop; Fig.2 is a schematic partial plan view of the door of Fig.l in the closed condition against the frame part; Fig.3 is a side sectional view of the holder and retainer of Figs.l and 2 in the disabled condition; Fig.4 is a side view of the holder and retainer of Fig.3, but enabled and in the operative condition; Fig.5 is a plan view of the holder of Fig.3.

Fig.6 is a view corresponding to that of Fig.2, but for an outwardly opening window, and Fig.7 is a view corresponding to that of Fig.2 but for a centrally-pivoted window.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS A rectangular frame forming a three-part surround 1 supports an openable door 2, in this embodiment a hinged door movable towards the open condition in direction "A!'.

The door has a handle 3 and lock 4, both to the inside of the-building e.g. house or workplace.

In the closed door condition of Fig.2 the edge of door 2 will be closely adjacent the facing side of part 5 of frame 1, with however the normal small clearance gap to permit closure even with door expansion as in wet weather.

As seen in Fig.2, in accordance with the invention a holder 10 of "U" cross-section is firmly secured to forward edge 6 of frame part 5, as by screws (not shown). Desirably the holder 10 is fitted above head height (Fig.1), which can readily be arranged if the intruder stop is a retrofit to an existing (house) external e.g. front, door.

Holder 10 has a base 11 (Fig.3) joining a pair of upstanding arms 12 to form a "U-shaped" channel, the screws securing the channel to the forward edge 6 being through the base of the channel.

A rod or bar 14 is firmly fixed to the inwards side of door 2 by screws (not shown) through mounting 13; in this embodiment bar 14 has an enlarged head portion 15, and is circular in cross section; although this is preferred other cross-sections can be used. In another embodiment the bar is not headed.

If the frame and door are of wood the screws can be directly inserted; if the frame and/or door are of metal or plastics a preliminary drilling operation may be needed so that the screws can engage with a metal strengthening insert. Thus the intruder stop of the invention is suited for original equipment fitting as well as for retro-fit.

The holder 10 carries a retainer in the form of a stay 20 (Fig.3) with a long return portion to form hook 21. In an alternative embodiment the stay has only a short return portion, but this embodiment may require a stronger spring as described below to ensure that the door cannot be opened faster than the follower movement of the stay induced by the spring. In this embodiment the stay is rectangular in cross section but can be of circular or other cross section.

The stay 20 is mounted for limited swinging movement about a pivot pin 22 which extends between the upstanding arms 12 of the holder, and is resiliently biassed by a torsion spring 23 (Fig.4) towards the operative condition of Fig.4.

The torsion spring has its one end abutting the holder base 11 and its other end cranked to engage the upper (as viewed in Fig.4) surface 24 of stay 20, with intermediate coils around the pivot pin 22, to one side of the stay 20.

Further clockwise movement as viewed of the stay beyond the operative condition of Fig.4 is prevented by abutment of the lower end 25 of the stay with the base 11 of the holder. In this manner, with bar 14 held by hook 21, further opening movement of the door is prevented i.e.

there is only a limited permitted door opening movement, determined by the position of the return forming hook 21.

The holder also mounts disabling means 30 (Figs 3,5). In this embodiment the disabling means has outwardly projecting guides 31a,b which are received in respective channels 32a,b in arms 12, whereby the disabling means is slidably guided (vertically as viewed in Fig.l) between the arms 12.

In alternative embodiments, for guiding of the disabling means each holder arm 12 can carry a separate guide pin which is received in a respective downwardly extending slot in each side of the disabling means, and the disabling means can carry sidewardly projecting pegs received in a downwardly extending slot in each respective arm 12.

The disabling means 30 also has a central verticallyextending aperture 33 through which a pin 34 extends, the pin being fixed into and between the arms 12 of the holder, whereby to determine the range of vertical movement of the disabling means 30.

Usefully the pin is a split resilient pin sized frictionally to engage the walls of aperture 33 so that the disabling means is held in its selected position (i.e. its upper or lower positions as viewed) by frictional resistance. In an alternative embodiment a peg or equivalent can be used to hold the disabling means in its upper (in the orientation of Fig.3) position. In a further but less preferred embodiment the friction between the guides 31a,b and channels 32a,b can be used to prevent inadvertent movement e.g. under induced vibration, of the disabling means.

In Fig.3 the disabling means has been pushed, by finger pressure e.g. on upper surface 35, downwardly into its disabling condition. Since the free (hooked) end 21 of stay 20 has been pivoted within the holder channel, as by finger pressure or by door closure by way of rod 14, the disabling means 30 can hold stay 20 whereby to prevent its pivoting even if door 2 is opened. This would therefore be the disabled condition in which the intruder stop is left when the occupant leaves the house, office etc, desiring re-entry.

In Fig.4, the disabling means 30 has been lifted, as by finger pressure on surface 36, whereby to enable the retainer i.e. the stay 20, to pivot under the action of torsion spring 23 to follow movement of rod 14 as the door 2 is opened, the surface 17 of the stay 20 remaining in sliding engagement with rod 14, the stay continuing to pivot steadily clockwise as the door 2 is opened, until bar 14 is held by hook 21.

For full door opening i.e. beyond the partial opening of Fig.4, as limited by stay 20 and bar 14, it is necessary for the door first to be closed, with the stay at the position shown in Fig.3. With the stay 20 received within the holder 10, the disabling means 30 is slid downwardly i.e. to secure the stay 20. When door 2 is now opened, the bar 14 can exit (horizontally as viewed) past hook end 26, without restraint.

However, if the disabling means 30 is not lowered into engagement with the stay, the stay can again follow peg 14 to the position of Fig.4 whenever door 2 is subsequently re-opened i.e. the intruder stop and bar 14 are automatically inter-engaged.

With the disabling means in its upper (enabling) position of Fig.4, and with the door already fully opened and with the stay thus standing waiting in the operative condition of Fig.4, as the (fully) opened door is closed the bar 14 lifts the stay hook 21, pivoting the stay against the action of the torsion spring 23. When the bar 14 passes the free end 26 of the hook 21, the surface 17 is snapped against the bar 14; further door closure movement moves the stay so that it pivots anti-clockwise towards its position in Fig.3.

If the door is fully closed, then the stay 20 will be held between holder arms 12 against the force of spring 23 by the normal door catch, until the door is next opened.

Although the embodiments have been described with the disabling means uppermost, it will be understood that the holder can be fitted at other angles and orientations as convenient to that installation (including the appropriate bar orientation).

When the intruder stop is in its enabled condition, it will be understood that the torsion spring 23 is desirably sufficiently strong to pivot the stay so that the surface 17 of the stay remains in contact with the bar 14 for the most rapid panel opening movements, such as when an attempt is made to force open a door i.e. to prevent a panel opened rapidly causing separation of the bar 14 from the surface 17 sufficient to pass the end 26 of the hook whereby the bar 14 becomes free of the stay 20 i.e. so that the intruder stop cannot function. For this reason, we prefer a strong spring and also a long hook 21 (as shown in the described embodiments), to reduce the possibility of such an occurrence.

Although preferably for use with pivotally mounted panels, the bar 14 could be connected to a sliding panel or its surround, with the retainer connected to the respective surround or panel. The bar would project inwardly into the building. rather than e.g. parallel to the (closed) panel as for the embodiment of Fig.l.

In the embodiment of Fig.6, the holder 10 is secured to the opening panel 62 of a side-hinged window, shown in the closed condition i.e. with the window part which is opposed to the hinged part adjacent the fixed (outer) window frame 65; the fixed frame 65 and the window member 62 are of wood. Rod 64 is secured to the fixed window frame 65, as by screws through mounting portion 63, and is headed; in this embodiment the rod projects from a side face of the frame. The window opens outwards of the room or building i.e. in the direction of arrow B, whereby to effect engagement of stay 60 with rod 64, generally as described in relation to the showing of Fig.4.

Fig.7 shows a holder, rod and stay, but each is of a different shape and dimension to those of the other embodiments. Rod 74 is not headed, though in an alternative embodiment it is headed. The holder 10 is secured to a proprietary plastics window profile 77 sealingly carrying separated glazing (double glazing) 78, the profile 77 having an internal C-strengthening member 79 of metal; in this embodiment the profile 77 is mounted to pivot about a central axis of fixed outer frame 75 whereby to provide a known "centrally pivoted1' window unit.

Weather-sealing (not shown) is provided as known to those in this art between the pivoted window and its frame, so to be effective when the window is in its closed condition as shown in Fig.7.

Claims (1)

1. An intruder stop adapted to limit opening movement of a panel mounted in a surround, the intruder stop having an operative condition in which the panel is permitted only a limited opening movement relative to the surround and an inoperative condition in which full opening of the panel is permitted, the stop including pivoted retaining means for the panel, the retaining means being a rigid stay, resilient bias means urging the stay towards the said operative condition, and disabling means to prevent movement of the stay towards the said operative condition, the disabling means being releasable to permit movement of the stay towards the said operative condition.

2. An intruder stop according to claim 1 in which the surround is fixed and which further includes a substantially rigid rod means adapted for connection to the other of the said movable panel and fixed surround, the said rod means being engageable by the retaining means in the said operative condition.

3. An intruder stop according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the retaining means has a hooked end for retention of the said rod means, and an opening to permit release of the rod means.

4. An intruder stop according to any of claims 1-3 in which the retaining means is carried by holding means, and in which the holding means is of U-section comprising a base and upstanding arms.

5. An intruder stop according to claim 4 in which the retaining means is pivotably mounted upon a pin carried by the arms of the holding means.

6. An intruder stop according to claim 4 or claim 5 in which the retaining means has an abutment engageable with the holding means to limit the pivotting movement of the retaining means.

7. An intruder stop according to any of claims 4-6 in which the disabling means is slidably mounted upon the holding means.

8. An intruder stop according to claim 7 in which the disabling means carries guide means, and the arms of the holding means carry channel means adapted to support and locate the said guide means.

9. An intruder stop according to claim 8 in which the disabling means is apertured to receive a pin mounted between the arms of the holding means.

10. An intruder stop according to claim 9 in which the pin is a friction fit within the aperture.

11. An intruder stop according to any preceding claim in which the resilient bias means is a torsion spring.

12. An intruder stop which includes a stay having a hooked end, and mounting means for the stay, said mounting means comprising (a) a pivot about which the stay can swing between operative and inoperative conditions, (b) resilient bias means to urge the stay towards the operative condition in which the hook can engage with a catch to limit opening movement of a panel, and (c) disabling means to hold the stay in the inoperative condition, the disabling means being releasable from the stay.

14. An intruder stop assembly including a movable panel positioned in a fixed outer surround with, in a panel closed condition, a clearance gap between the panel and a frame member, a substantially rigid rod means mounted on one of the panel and frame member and extending accross the said gap, the intruder stop assembly having an operative condition in which the retaining means can cooperate with the rod means to limit movement of the rod means by greater than a predetermined distance.

15. A retaining means for use with an intruder stop according to any of claims 1-13, or with the assembly of claim 14.

16. An intruder stop substantially as described with reference to Figs.3-5 of the accompanying drawings.

17. An intruder stop assembly substantially as described with reference to Figs.1 and 2, or Fig.6, or Fig.7 of the accompanying drawings.