GB2314876A - Structural support for lock protection - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a structural support for strengthening a frame of a door and/or window so that said frame cannot easily be broken or distorted by an intruder. Said structural support comprises an elongate plate 1 suitably adapted so as to be mounted on a frame 9 and suitably adapted so as to be aligned with a lock, with means 2 to accommodate striker 10 whereby a site where an intruder would try to break in by prizing apart a frame, is suitably re-enforced and thus safeguards against unauthorised entry.

Description

STRUCTURAL SUPPORT The invention relates to an improved structural support for strengthening the frames of particularly, but not exclusively, doors and/or windows.

Burglary is a hazard of modern life and the number of burglaries committed continues to rise in accordance with the general crime rate. Commercial property has always been vulnerable to burglary as it is typically left unattended overnight but, as domestic property is also increasingly being left unattended, so domestic burglaries are on the increase too. This is particularly true during the day when people are at work Many people live alone and so, inevitably, they leave their homes unattended when they go to work; furthermore, many couples do likewise because both partners have jobs - and if they have children, typically those children will be at school when their parents are at work; finally, people generally have more leisure time and are more likely to take holidays and short breaks away from home than they have been in the past.

In these circumstances, there is an understandable demand for products to improve the security of properties, both commercial and domestic. Security products typically fall into two categories; firstly there are those that are intended to catch burglars, such as alarms and surveillance equipment, and secondly there are those that are intended to make entry so difficult that burglars are deterred and, frankly, encouraged to go elsewhere. This latter group includes obstructive devices, such as security conscious locks, doors and window bars.

High-tech alarms and surveillance equipment are expensive to buy and install and, to be effective, they need back up services, such as security guard services and monitoring services, which makes them expensive to operate as well. Therefore, unless one has the resources to invest in expensive alarms and/or surveillance equipment and a round-the-clock monitoring service, there is little one can do to deter a detennined burglar from attempting to break-in.

For this reason, the majority of security products are adapted to make entry as difficult as possible. For example, a 5-lever lock is more difficult for a burglar to pick than a 34ever one and a 3-lever lock is more difficult to pick than a single lever one. Since would-be burglars typically rely on speed, aiming to be in and out of a property in a matter of minutes so as to minimise the risk of detection, a resilient lock can be a useful deterrent. A good door or window lock can cost a burglar precious seconds in breaking into a property and therefore cause them to abort their attempt. Indeed, crime prevention officers typically recommend the replacement of standard locks with ones that are more secure when they are surveying a property, and some insurance companies offer reduced premiums for properties on which such measures have been taken.

Nevertheless there are still many properties with single lever locks, including some older private properties and properties controlled by councils, such as those on council estates. There are easy to burgle.

Furthermore, the benefit of a good lock is often offset by the weakness of the frame around the door or window in which the lock is set. For example, the frame may be made of a weak material and/or it may be structurally weakened where it is gouged out to accommodate the lock keeper. In these circumstances, the frame can often be broken or distorted relatively easily for example, with a chisel or screwdriver or a crowbar - so that access is gained either by breaking off the part of the frame around the keeper of the lock and thereby circumventing the need to remove the bolt from the keeper, or alternatively by levering the bolt out of the keeper. In either case, the burglar does not need to tackle the mechanism of the lock and so the benefit of a secure mechanism is negated.

This problem is not limited merely to burglaries. With a rise in violent crime and a disturbing trend to take the law into one's own hands, the ease with which someone could break into one's own home is a matter of concern to many people, especially those who feel vulnerable such as the elderly, those who live or who are sometimes left alone, and those involved in domestic disputes such as divorce or child custody battles.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a means of strengthening the frame of a door or window so that it cannot be easily broken or distorted by an intruder.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is therefore provided a structural support adapted for attachment to a window or door frame which support is made of a relativity strong and rigid material and is sized and shaped so as to cover at least an area of said frame which has been structurally weakened and which is further provided with means to accommodate a striker plate of a door lock.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said means comprises an indentation which is positioned along a selected edge of said support structure so that, in use, it is aligned with said striker plate. Alternatively, in another embodiment of the invention the width of the plate is determined by the distance from a first selected, outer, part of said frame to a second selected, inner, part of said frame wherein said inner part is defined by an axis terminating inwardly of said striker plate. Thus in this latter embodiment the support structure is not flush with the inner most edge of the frame but rather terminates at a preselected distance therefrom, which distance is determined by the size of the striker plate. In this embodiment no indentation is necessary.

In yet a further preferred embodiment of the invention said support structure is provided with a plurality of said indentations ideally with a view to accommodating different doors or window locks and also accommodating right and left hand doors or window locks.

In yet a further embodiment of the invention a rear side of said support structure is fashioned so as to be flat so as to fit flush against a frame.

Alternatively, said rear side may be fashioned so as to positively engage with a raised and/or depressed surface(s) of said frame.

In yet a further preferred embodiment of the invention said support structure may be fashioned so that, in use, the front side thereof presents a pleasing appearance.

In yet a further embodiment of the invention said support structure may be provided either with bolt receiving means and/or with reciprocating bolts.

Where said supports structure is provided with reciprocating bolts, bolt keeper means are also provided and adapted so as to be attached to a door or window structure.

According to yet a further aspect of the invention there is provided a security kit comprising at least one support structure in accordance with the invention and preferably means for attaching said support structure to a frame and, optionally, bolt keeper means and/or bolt means.

Three embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying figures wherein; 1. Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a first embodiment in accordance with the invention.

2. Figure 2 represents a perspective elevation of a first embodiment in accordance with the invention when in use.

3. Figure 3 represents a front elevation of a first embodiment in accordance with the invention when in use.

4. Figure 4 represents a front elevation of a second embodiment in accordance with the invention.

5. Figure 5 represents a front elevation of a third embodiment in accordance with the invention when in use.

Referring to the Figures and firstly to Figure 1, there is shown an example embodiment of the invention which comprises an elongate plate-like member (1), one longitudinal edge of which contains an indentation (2). Holes (3), (4), (5), (6), (7) and (8) are provided for attaching member (1) to the frame of a door or window, either by means of screws or bolts. It is envisaged that bolts would provide a more secure fastening means than screws but that, for aesthetic reasons, bolts would only be used ordinarily when the structural support was intended for exterior use, for example on an outhouse.

Conversely, screws could be used when aesthetic considerations are important and it is envisaged that strong, full thread screws would provide a sufficiently secure fastening to render the structural support effective.

A rear side of plate-like member (1) is ideally fashioned so as to be flat so that, in use, it can fit flush against a frame member. Alternatively, the rear side may be provided with selected indentations or markings in order to mate with a similar, but complementary, surface on a frame to which plate-like member (I) is to be attached. When plate-like member (1) is to be used domestically, and thus aesthetic considerations are of importance, the front side thereof is typically adapted so as to present a pleasing appearance. For example, it may be finished with a suitable material such as brass plating and/or provided with a moulded raised or bevelled front face.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 a single indentation (2) is shown on one edge of said plate-like member (1). However, it is within the scope of the invention to provide indentation(s) on more than one edge of said platelike member and preferably on opposite edges.

In Figure 2, there is shown a perspective view of the example embodiment shown in Figure 1 when attached to a door frame. The elongate plate-like member (1) is mounted on the door frame (9) with one surface of the plate flush with the surface of the frame and the longitudinal edge containing the indentation (2) facing towards the edge of the frame that meets with the door.

More specifically, the elongate plate-like member (1) is aligned with the lock keeper (10) such that the indentation (2) accommodates the striker plate (11) of the lock keeper, ideally in terms of both the position of the striker plate on the door frame and the extent to which it is recessed into the frame.

The indentation (2) is sized and shaped so as to accommodate striker plate (11) and so various embodiments of plate-like member (1) are provided having regard to the variety of striker plates (11) available. Therefore, ideally indentation (2) will be of just a sufficient size to accommodate striker plate (11). However, it is not intended that the invention is limited in this fashion.

This is simply a preferred embodiment. In alterative embodiments, provided indentation (2) is fashioned to accommodate striker plate (11), the invention can be worked.

Although not apparent from Figure 2, keeper (10) is positioned on door frame (9) by locating same in a suitably sized and shaped aperture which has been deliberately fashioned so as to accommodate keeper (10). In other words, a hole or recess has been gauged out of frame (9) in order to accommodate keeper (10). This has important practical implications because it means that the structural integrity of frame (9) is impaired in the region of the door or window lock As a result of this, this is the site where an intruder would try to break-in by prizing apart frame (9). However, the provision of plate-like member (1) serves to reinforce this vulnerable area and thus safeguard against an intruder breaking-in.

In Figure 3, there is shown a front elevation of the example embodiment shown in Figure 1 when attached to a door frame, with the door shut as it would be when locked. The elongate plate-like member (1) is mounted on the door frame (9) adjacent to the door handle and lock assembly (12).

Member (1) is positioned so that the indentation accommodates the recessed striker plate (11) as described with reference to Figure 2 above.

In use, the structural support resists any rupturing or distortion of the frame when force is applied to the frame from the outside and therefore it compliments the lock and helps to maintain the integrity of the locked door and frame.

In Figure 4, there is shown a second embodiment of the invention. As with the example embodiment described with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3, there is an elongate plate-like member (13) which, in use, is attached to the frame of a door or window by screws or bolts that penetrate member (13) through holes (14), (15), (16), (17), (18) and (19). In this example embodiment, two indentations (20, 21) are provided for accommodating the striker plate of a lock keeper. This is because the striker plates of 3 and 5-lever locks are typically off-set (usually towards the upper end of the lock keeper) and thus, when in use on a door or window that opens left to right the elongate platelike member is attached to the door or window frame such that one of the indentations is aligned with the striker plate of the lock keeper and the other indentation is redundant. Conversely, when in use with a door or window that opens right to left, the structural support is attached to the door or window frame the other way up such that the previously redundant indentation is aligned with the striker plate and the other one is redundant.

With this arrangement, the midsection of the elongate plate-like member between the two indentations (20, 21) is not indented and this has the advantage of increasing the extent to which the embodiment supports the door or window frame in this region.

Alternatively, as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 4, plate-like member (13) may be provided with a single, in this instance, centrally positioned indentation so as to accommodate a single lever lock In Figure 5, there is shown a third example embodiment of the invention when in use. Once again, there is an elongate plate-like member (22) with holes (23), (24), (25), (26), (27) and (28) for attachment of the structural support to a door or window frame and, in this case, one indentation (29) for accommodating the striker plate. Additionally, there are two intrinsic bolts (30, 31) situated on the elongate plate-like member above and below the indentation. These engage the door or window as shown and thereby give extra security. As a yet further security measure, additional bolts (32, 33) could be engaged between the frame and the door or window as shown.

Alternatively, bolts (30, 31) may be provided on the door structure and platelike member (22) is simply provided with keeping means for said bolts.

It can therefore be seen that the invention provides a means for reinforcing a vulnerable part of a frame structure so as to compensate for any lack of structural integrity as a result of the provision of a security device such as a lock.

Claims (10)

1 A structural support adapted for attachment to a window or door frame which support is made of a relatively strong and rigid material and is sized and shaped so as to cover at least an area of said frame which is relatively structurally weak and which is further provided with means to accommodate a striker plate of a door lock.

2 A structural support according to Claim 1 comprising an indentation which is positioned along a selected edge of said support so that, in use, it is aligned with said striker plate.

3 A structural support according to Claim 1 wherein the width of said support is determined by its distance from an outer part of said frame and its distance from said striker plate.

4 A structural support according to any preceding claim wherein said support structure is provided with a plurality of said indentations so as to accommodate different doors or window locks and also so as to accommodate right and left hand doors or window locks.

5 A structural support according to any preceding claim wherein a rear side of said support structure is fashioned so as to be flat and so as to fit flush against said frame.

6 A structural support according to Claims 1-4 wherein said rear side of said support structure is fashioned so as to positively engage with a raised and/or depressed surface(s) of said frame.

7 A structural support according to any preceding claim wherein said support structure is fashioned so that, in use, the front side thereof presents a pleasing appearance.

8 A structural support according to any preceding claim wherein said support structure is provided with at least one bolt receiving means and/or with at least one recipicating bolt.

9 A security kit comprising at least one structural support according to any preceding claim and means for attaching said support to a frame.

10 A security kit according to Claim 9 further comprising at least one bolt keeper means and/or at least one bolt means.