GB2313617A

GB2313617A - Facilitating assembly of shoot bolt mechanism

Info

Publication number: GB2313617A
Application number: GB9705294A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jason David Paddock
Original assignee: CHADWICK ANTHONY; Trojan Hardware and Design Ltd
Current assignee: CHADWICK ANTHONY; Trojan Hardware and Design Ltd
Priority date: 1996-04-17
Filing date: 1997-03-14
Publication date: 1997-12-03
Anticipated expiration: 2017-03-14
Also published as: GB2313618A; GB9707502D0; GB2312236A; GB9607908D0; GB9704893D0; GB9705294D0; GB2313618B; GB2312236B; GB2313617B

Abstract

In a drive for a bi-directional shoot bolt mechanism, for securing doors and windows, a quadrant gear 14 is arranged to drive two racks 18,20, one rack being secured to each of two bolt arms 22,24. One rack 18 engages the quadrant gear 14 directly. The other rack 20 is driven through a pinion wheel 16 which is itself in engagement with a second set of teeth on the quadrant gear 14, offset by half of one pitch, thereby to result in the two bolt arms 22,24 being driven in opposite directions upon rotations of the quadrant gear 14. A larger quadrant gear 52 and two reversing pinions 54,56 (Figure 8) may instead be employed to achieve a longer throw of the bolt arms 22,24.

Description

2313617 SHOOT BOLT MECHANISM This invention is concerned with improvements

in or relating to bidirectional shoot bolt mechanisms such as are used for securing opening 5 windows and doors in closed positions.

Such mechanisms comprise a housing for a drive mechanism which is adapted to be accommodated in a recess in an edge member of a window or door. Two bolt arms extend in opposite directions from a front face of the drive mechanism, to be moved longitudinally by the mechanism. The bolt arms are ordinarily adapted to be accommodated in shallow channels formed in the edge member, end portions of the arms being projectable beyond guide members which are secured to corners of the window or door, for engagement with keeps on an adjacent window or door frame. In an open condition of the mechanism, the bolt ends are drawn back from the keeps to permit the window or door to be opened.

It is an object of the present invention to provide improvements relating to the design of shoot bolt mechanisms which enable more convenient assembly.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a shoot bolt mechanism comprising bolt driving means provided within a housing and arranged to drive two oppositely -extending bolt arms in opposite directions from the housing, outer end portions of the bolt arms comprising end pieces which are secured in adjusted position by means which so enables variation of the length of the bolt arm, and inner end portions of the two arms being held secured to the housing by retaining elements of the housing when the mechanism is in an open condition with 2 the arms retracted but being free of the retaining elements when the mechanism is in a closed condition with the arms extended.

A mechanism according to the present invention can be assembled by introducing the inner end portions of the arms to their operating positions with respect to the bolt driving means and the housing when the mechanism is in the closed condition and subsequently the end portions can be brought into co-operation with the retaining elements for retention during further assembly of the mechanism, by adjusting the mechanism to the open condition. Easier and more convenient assembly of the mechanism, is so enabled. Adjustment of the lengths of the bolt arms, in fitting the mechanism to a window or door, can be effected at the outer ends of the bolt arms without attention to the inner ends at the housing.

is The retaining elements may be arranged to overlie opposite side edges of the bolt arms when the mechanism is in the open condition.

The retaining elements may comprise flanges which extend along a portion of the housing providing a simple way of retaining the two arms.

Preferably, the retaining elements extend along a middle portion of a front face of the housing, there being opposite end portions of the front face to which the retaining elements do not extend and the inner end portions of the bolt arms being unrestrained by the retaining elements when positioned at said end portions of the face when the mechanism is in the closed condition.

The flanges may extend for substantially half the length of"'t'h.t" housing, providing a convenient amount of housing free of. fla''ng'e in which to insert the two arms.

3 Preferably the inner end portions of the bolt arms are coupled respectively to interengaging formations of driving elements of the bolt driving means which prevent longitudinal movement of the arms relative to their respective driving elements. The driving elements may be oppositely driven rack members of the driving means.

Said interengaging formations may comprise upstanding studs of the bolt driving elements which are engaged in receiving sockets of the bolt arms.

Also in the preferred embodiment the open condition of the mechanism may correspond to the unlocked position of the window (or door) and the closed condition of the mechanism may correspond to the locked position of the window (or door).

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of assembling a shoot bolt mechanism, said mechanism comprising a housing and two oppositely-extending bolt arms which are arranged to be driven in opposite directions from the housing and in which adjacent inner end portions of the two bolt arms are held secured to the housing by retaining elements of the housing when the mechanism is in an open condition, with the arms retracted, but being free of the retaining elements when the mechanism is in a closed condition, with the arms extended, said method comprising laying said bolt arms in position with said mechanism in the closed condition and thereafter moving said mechanism to the open condition whereby to cause the bolt arms to become retained in the mechanism by the retaining elements.

4 A method according to the present invention is advantageous as it allows for an easier and more rapid assembly of the shoot bolt mechanism.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a window or door fitted with a shoot bolt mechanism comprising bolt arms which are arranged to be driven in opposite directions from an operating mechanism, outer end portions of the arms comprising separable end pieces which are secured in adjusted position in the arms and extend through end guides secured to the door or window, means securing the end pieces in the arms being releasable to permit removal of the end pieces through the guides without any need for disturbance of means securing the end guides to the window or door.

is There now follows a detailed description, to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, of a shoot bolt mechanism which illustrates the present invention by way of example.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of an operating mechanism (with a housing half removed) in an open condition of the shoot bolt mechanism; Figure 2 is a front face view of the operating mechanism, seen in the direction of arrow A in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged view in section on line III-III of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1 but with the mechanism in a closed condition; Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2 but with the mechanism in its closed condition; Figure 6 is an enlarged view in section on line VI-VI of Figure 4; Figure 7 is a face view of an end portion of the shoot bolt mechanism including a bolt end inserted through an end guide; Figure 8 is a side view of the assembly shown in Figure 7; Figure 9 is a view in section on line IXAX of Figure 8; and Figure 10 is a face view on an enlarged scale of means securing the bolt end to a transmission link extending from the operating mechanism.

An operating mechanism of a bi-directional shoot bolt, for securing a window or door, is shown in Figures 1 to 6. Two halves 10,12 of a housing provide support between them for a primary-drive quadrant gear 14, a reversing pinion 16 and first and second bolt driving elements comprising racks 18 and 20 of bolt driving means arranged to drive two elongate transmission bars 22,24 (of oppositely directed bolt arms) along their lengths.

The quadrant gear 14 is formed with an axially aligned slot 26 of square cross-section to receive a drive spindle which is secured to an operating handle (spindle and handle not shown, but can be of conventional form). As seen in Figures 1 and 3, the slot 26 extends through a cylindrical hub-forming portion 28 of the quadrant gear which 6 is of equal axial length to the width of the housing. A tooth-providing crest 30 of the gear extends about part only of the circumference of the hub-forming portion 28, being of shorter length than the hub-forming portion and being positioned centrally (in the axial direction). At each end of the gear, a groove 32,34 is cut into the root of the crest, adjacent to the cylindrical surface of the hub-forming portion 28, the groove extending about the hub-forming portions for the full extent of the crest 30.

The grooves 32,34 provide part-circular, open-ended, recesses to receive flanges 36,38, of corresponding dimensions, projecting inwardly from the housing halves 10,12; the grooves 32,34 and flanges 36,38 are concentric with the axis of the quadrant gear 14, and the flanges 36,38 bound circular openings 40,42 in which opposite end portions of the hub- forming portion 28 of the gear are received.

The flanges 36,38 of the housing halves provide radial support for the quadrant gear in the direction away from the racks 18,20 and reversing pinion 16. This support reduces the demands on the housing halves at the openings 40, 42 which form further bearings for the hubforming portion 28 of the quadrant gear. As a consequence, it is not necessary for the housing to surround the quadrant gear completely and, as best seen in Figures 1 and 4, the rearmost surface 44 of the hubforming portion of the gear is exposed through an opening in the housing and is generally flush with a rear face 46 of the housing. Rotation of the quadrant gear is so guided by the combination of the flanges 36, 38 and the part-cylindrical bearing surfaces formed by the housing halves around the openings 40, 42.

7 The teeth of the quadrant gear are held in engagement with the teeth of the first rack 18. Upon rotation of the quadrant gear clockwise from a starting position (shown in Figure 1) to a finishing position (shown in Figure 4) the rack and its associated transmission bar 24 are driven from left to right, as seen in the drawings, the two quadrant positions corresponding with fully open (Figure 2) and fully closed (Figure 5) conditions of the shoot bolt mechanism.

The quadrant gear teeth are also held in engagement with the reversing pinion 16, and the pinion is held in engagement with the teeth of the second rack 20. In rotating the quadrant gear from its starting position to its finishing position the second rack and its associated transmission bar 22 are, therefore, driven in the opposite direction from the first rack and transmission bar (i.e. from right to left).

is The pinion 16 and first rack 18 are positioned side by side (i.e. axially spaced) on the quadrant gear and the two racks 18,20 are likewise spaced axially of the gear, the teeth of the second rack 20 being at a greater radial distance from the axis of the gear for accommodation of the reversing pinion therebetween. The transmission bars 22,24 are of flat strip form and are overlain by a cover plate 48 applied to the front face of the housing.

As shown in Figures 7 to 10, each of the transmission bars 22,24 (bar 24 only being shown in the drawings, bar 22 being utilised in exactly the same manner) is secured towards its outer end to an end piece comprising a strip of suitable length forming a bolt end 50. As shown in Figure 9, the bolt end 50 is narrower than the transmission bar and extends beneath the bar, where they overlap, supported in an inner portion 52 of an extruded plastics channel 54. The broader transmission 8 bar 24, overlying the bolt end 50, is supported in an outer portion 56 of the channel, inturned outer margins 58,60 of the channel preventing the bar from lifting out.

The channel 54 extends continuously from the cover plate 48 of the operating mechanism to an L-shaped end guide member 62. Both the long and the short limbs of the guide member are arranged to be secured by fixing screws 64 to a frame corner. The short limb provides a slot 66 (extending perpendicularly to the long limb) through which the bolt end 50 is received to slide, the bolt end sliding over an inner portion of the limb which forms a fixing plate 68 by means of which the limb has previously been screwed to the frame. By means of this arrangement, it is not necessary for the bolt end to be slotted to give clearance for fixing screws, a nd furthermore the bolt end can be slid out through the guide member (when released from the transmission bar) without the need to remove guide member fixing screws.

The bolt end 50 is arranged to be secured in adjusted positions to the transmission bar 24 by clamping means shown in Figures 7,8 and 10.

An end portion of the transmission bar 24 is longitudinally slotted, serrated edges 70 being provided along each side of the slot 72. A clamp positioning member 74 comprises a plate-like portion 76, forming a head of the member to overlie the transmission bar, and a generally rectangular engagement portion 78 beneath the head to fit (in one orientation of the clamping member) into the slot 72. The engagement portion has serrated side edges to engage with the serrations of the slot edges 70, so that with the positioning member engaged in the slot it cannot move longitudinally of the slot. A headed screw 80 passed through a central hole in the positioning member into a tapped hole in the bolt end clamps the assembly together, preventing movement of the bolt end relative to the transmission 9 bar. To increase the range of possible adjustment, there are three longitudinal ly-spaced tapped holes 82 provided in the bolt end. As shown in Figure 10, upon slackening the screw 80 the engagement portion 78 of the positioning member 74 can be lifted out of the slot 72 and the member rotated through 90 to lie across the outer face of the transmission bar during adjustment of the position of the bolt end 50.

Figure 2 shows two inner end portions 19, 21 of the two bolt arms formed by adjacent end portions of the transmission bars 22, 24 respectively; the inner end portions 19, 21 are positioned at the front face of the housing with margins underlying two flanges 100, 102 of the housing 10, 12. Each of the flanges 100, 102 protrudes from a side wall of the housing so that side channels 104, 106 (shown in Figure 3) of suitable dimensions are formed in which the margins of the inner end portions 19, 21 slide.

The flanges 100, 102 only extend along a middle portion of the front face of the housing; there are areas 108, 110 at each end of the housing along which the flanges 100, 102 do not extend. The flanges extend for substantially half the length of the front face of the housing.

To assemble the mechanism, the quadrant gear 14 and the reversing pinion 16 are placed within one half of the housing 10 so that they are supported in the correct positions. The second rack 20 is placed in engagement with the reversing pinion 16 and the first rack 18 placed in engagement with the quadrant gear 14. The second half of the housing 12 is then applied to the first half 10 and the two secured together so retaining the components in place.

On each of the racks there are two upstanding studs 112, 114 (shown in plan on Figures 2 and 5) which function as interengaging formations preventing longitudinal movement of the bolt arms relative to their respective racks. The racks are arranged so that the studs 112, 114 are positioned within the end areas 108, 110, in the closed condition of the mechanism. In this condition, the inner end portions 19, 21 are laid in place on the racks, the studs 112, 114 on the racks being received into matching receiving holes forming sockets in the inner end portions 19, 21.

Once the inner end portions 19, 21 have been placed onto the racks, being engaged on the studs, they can be slid into the position shown in Figure 2, in which the housing flanges 100, 102 form retaining elements and overly the margins of the inner end portions 19, 21 by adjusting the components to the open condition of the mechanism. In that condition, the flanges 100, 102 hold the inner end portions 19, 21 secured to the housing whilst the remainder of the shoot bolt mechanism is assembled. Because the inner end portions 19, 21 interact with the studs 112, 114 of the racks, forced movement of the arms also operates the racks 18, 20 and rotates the reversing pinion 16 and the quadrant gear 14.

Finally the plate 48 is affixed to the housing and retains the inner end portions 19, 21 in place whilst they are in regions 108, 110, when the mechanism has been moved to the closed condition.

Claims

11 CLAIMS

1. A shoot bolt mechanism comprising bolt driving means provided within a housing and arranged to drive two oppositely-extending bolt arms in opposite directions from the housing, outer end portions of the bolt arms comprising end pieces which are secured in adjusted position by means which so enables variation of the length of the bolt arm, and inner end portions of the two bolt arms being held secured to the housing by retaining elements of the housing when the mechanism is in an open condition with the arms retracted but being free of the retaining elements when the mechanism is in a closed condition with the arms extended.

2. A shoot bolt mechanism according to claim 1 in which the retaining elements are arranged to overlie opposite side edges of the bolt arms when the mechanism is in the open condition.

3. A shoot bolt mechanism according to claim 2 in which the retaining elements comprise flanges which overlie the bolt arms in the open condition.

4. A shoot bolt mechanism according to either of claims 2 and 3 in which the retaining elements extend along a middle portion of a front face of the housing, there being opposite end portions of the front face to which the retaining elements do not extend and the inner end portions of the bolt arms being unrestrained by the retaining elements when positioned at said end portions of the face in the closed condition.

5. A shoot bolt mechanism according to claim 4 in which the retaining elements extend for substantially half the length of the front face of the housing.

12 6. A shoot bolt mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5 in which the inner end portions of the bolt arms are coupled respectively to interengaging formations of driving elements of the bolt driving means which prevent longitudinal movement of the arms relative to their respective driving elements.

7. A shoot bolt mechanism according to claim 6 in which the interengaging formations comprise upstanding studs of the bolt driving elements which are engaged in receiving sockets of the bolt arms.

8. A shoot bolt mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 7 in which at least the inner end portions of the bolt arms are in the form of flat strip.

9. A method of assembling a shoot bolt mechanism, said mechanism comprising a housing and two oppositely-extending bolt arms which are arranged to be driven in opposite directions from the housing and in which adjacent inner end portions of the two bolt arms are held secured to the housing by retaining elements of the housing when the mechanism is in an open condition, with the arms retracted, but being free of the retaining elements when the mechanism is in a closed condition, with the arms extended, said method comprising laying said bolt arms in position with said mechanism in the closed condition and thereafter moving said mechanism to the open condition whereby to cause the bolt arms to become retained in the mechanism by the retaining elements.

10. A method according to claim 9 in which the inner end portions of the bolt arms are coupled respectively with interengaging formations of driving elements of bolt driving means within the housing, whereby to 13 prevent longitudinal movements of the arms relative to their respective driving elements.

11. A shoot bolt mechanism substantially as described herein with 5 reference to the accompanying drawings.

12. A method of assembling a shoot bolt mechanism substantially as hereinbefore described.

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