GB2357802A - Espagnolette handle - Google Patents

Abstract

An espagnolette handle 1 is pivoted on a base plate 2 and carries a depending stop member 6 which, when the handle is pivoted towards an espagnolette-locked position, moves through one of the apertures 21a, 21b into a respective recess 20a, 20b to engage against the opposite wall of the recess at the espagnolette-locked position. The arrangement allows for a non-latching limit to the movement of the handle to the locking position. A key-operated lock can act to depress the stop 6 further into the aperture to retain the stop therein and restrain the handle.

Description

2357802 A LOCKABLE HANDLE FOR A WINDOW OR DOOR

is Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to handles for windows and doors and relates particularly, although not exclusively, to a handle for a window having an espagnolette fastening, that is to say a fastening having two long bolts which operate in slots at the top and bottom of the window when the handle is turned.

Prior Art

GB-A-29188,671 A to Regent Lock Company Limited describes a handle for windows and doors. The handle, e.g. an espagnolette handle for a window, has a handgrip part offset from a boss in which a plunger is mounted captive-in a bore. An escutcheon plate mounts a bolt which projects from the escutcheon plate in the open position of the handle. To fasten the handle, the hand grip part is grasped and pivoted so that the boss rides over the projecting bolt, depressing the latter into the bore until the latch and a hole in the boss are aligned. The bolt then moves under spring pressure to latch into the hole in the boss, to fasten the handle. To unfasten the handle, the plunger is depressed so that the bolt is depressed to or below the plane of separation of the 2 handle and escutcheon plate so that the handle can be pivoted backito the original position. Details of escutcheon plate mounting are illustrated. In a second embodiment the depressible plunger is it41f lockable by a key in either fastening or unfastdning condition. Th 5 lock may be spaced from the plunger.

h 1 GB-A-2,288,631 (Patrick J. Daly) describes a handle which may be used in relation to a window with an espagnolette fastening system, or may be used for other purposes. The specification describes a fast neri comprising a base plate or escutcheon plate for attachment to an object to be fastened e.g. a window, a handle pivotally mounted on the base plate so as to be moveable between a fastened position and a released position, a cooperating latch and detent associated with the handle andi base plate for releasably retaining the handle in the fastened position, and a lock for locking the handle in the fastened position. 1 The detent is provided on the base plate. The handle has a bore extending therethrough, a lock element is disposed in the bore and includes the latch at one end thereof and a thumb control at the other end and is pivotally moveable within the bore between a latch-engaged and a latch-disengaged position. Biasing means are provided fM1 biassing the lock element towards the latch engaged position. A kEepe element disposed within the bore is moveable by means of a key between an unlocked position allowing pivotal movement of the lock element and a locked position preventing such pivotal movement.

One general difficulty which arises with espagnolette fastening systems is that the user will often not fasten the windows or doors properly. The handle may be pivoted too far or not far enough. Pivoting the handle an insufficient distance may result in insecure fastening. Pivoting the handle too far may also have the same result 1 or, depending on the particular espagnolette mechanism, may cause wear and tear or damage. A handle may drop out of the aligned position Also, incorrectly aligned handles are very unsightly. These probl ms do not arise with the handles disclosed in the two abovementioned)rio art documents, because in each case a latch mechanism is present wlichl, 1 latches when the handle reaches the correct position. However, it, is not always desirable to have a latch mechanism. These may be expensive and complex to manufacture. Users may find it tiresome to undo latch mechanisms each time they wish to open and close a window. At the same time there is a demand for an espagnolette system in which firm and secure locking is achieved when desired, for example when the house is to be left vacant for some time.

Object and Summary of the Invention

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a window handle which will satisfy the various, possibly competing or conflicting requirements set out above, and which furthermore is simple to manufacture, simple to install, and simple and effective in use.

is The present invention provides a lockable handle comprising:

(i) a handle body mountable on a substrate; (ii) a cavity extending through the handle body; (iii) a hollow housing mountable in the cavity and having an internal wall defining a bore therethrough and also defining a helical guideway around part of the circumference of the bore, the internal wall having receiver openings therein spaced circumferentially and axially from one another; (iv) a barrel having a bolt extending axially from one end thereof for engagement with the substrate, the barrel being rotationally and axially moveable in the bore between a bolt-retracted position and a bolt-extended position, the barrel having a follower configuration on the circumferential surface thereof for cooperating with the helical guideway, and also having a keyhole at the end of the barrel remote from the bolt; (v) a keeper receivable in a chamber in the barrel and moveable transversely of the barrel between a projecting position in which a locking portion of the keeper projects from the circumferential surface of the barrel and engages one of the receiver openings in the housing and a housed position in which the keeper is inside the barrel, the keeper being moveable to and retainable in the 4 housed position by a key inserted in the keyhole; (vi) a first spring to urge the keeper to the projecting position, ad (vii) a second spring acting on the barrel to urge it towards the bolt-retracted position, the helical quideway being configured such that rotation of the barrel by means of a key inserted in the keyhole causes the barrel to move rotationally and axially between the bolt-retracted position in which th.e locking portiO i of the keeper is aligned with one of the receiver openings and the bolt-extended position in which the locking portion of the keeper is aligned with the second of the receiver openings.

The invention provides a lock assembly in which the bolt is lockable in both the retracted and extended positions and cannot be i moved unless a suitable key is inserted in the keyhole. Push-button operation of the lock is prevented. The assembly is simple to put together and install in the handle.

In one embodiment of the invention, there are two receiver openings which are spaced circumferentially from one another by 1 0 In this embodiment, the helical quideway suitably extends around approximately one half of the circumference of the bore and as limits corresponding to the two receiver openings. This embodiment is desirable because it allows 180 0 rotation of the key between the two locked positions of the bolt.

Preferably the barrel (including the bolt) is of metal. Thi o enhances the strength of the locked assembly, as compared to a bol f plastics material. The metal bolt can be of substantial cr lion e.g. 5-1Omm diameter.

The housing and keeper suitably are of plastics material, preferably hard plastics material such as nylon.

In a particular embodiment the lock assembly includes a ret iner,' component having one part of a snap-fit fastening thereon, the complementary part of the snap-fit fastening being on the housingt Desirably the retainer component also has a portion which projects from the handle body to act as a stop against part of the substrate. This limits movement of the handle relative to the substrate when the bolt is in the retracted position. The retainer component also is suitably of plastics material, preferably hard plastics material such as nylon.

Most suitably, the handle body is pivotably mountable on the substrate and the cavity extends through the handle body substantially parallel to the pivot. The invention is particularly suitable for use with an espagnolette handle.

In accordance with one aspect the invention provides an escutcheon (or base plate) and pivotally moveable handle mounted thereon including stop means for stopping pivotal movement of the handle at a predetermined position corresponding to an espagnolette fastened position, characterized in that the stop means are non-latching.

The advantage of this arrangement is that an espagnolette fastening system may be securely fastened without the expense or inconvenience of providing a latch system.

Preferably the escutcheon has a recess spaced apart from the pivotal axis of the handle, and a stop projecting from the handle engages a face of the recess thereby preventing further pivotal movement of the handle.

Preferably the stop is made of resilient material so as to minimize wear and tear arising from repeated contact of the stop and escutcheon plate.

Preferably the stop limits pivotal movement of the pivot handle in two fastened positions.

6 Preferably the escutcheon is of elongate shape, includes a pair of recesses, one at each side of the pivot axis of the handle, and each recess includes a side window to allow the stop on the handle to ente5 or leave the recess through one side thereof.

Preferably the escutcheon and handle include a lock for locking the handle in the fastened position. Most svitably the lock is as defined above. 10 Description of the -Drawinn

The invention will now be described more particularly with reference to the accompanying drawings which show. by way of example only, one construction of lockable espagnolette handle in accordance r with the invention. In the drawings:

Figure la is a sectional side elevation showing the window loc with the bolt retracted and the keeper in the projecting position; 20 Figure 1b is a similar view, but showing the window lock with the bolt extended and the keeper in the housed position; Figure lc is a rear elevation of the housing and latch stop, 4nd 25 intended to show a particular detail of the assembly; Figures 2a and 2b are sectional elevation and plan views respectively of a base plate to be secured to the window, and on wh,ch i the window handle and window lock are mounted; 30 Figures 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d are various views of a lock housing, i suitably made of plastic material, which forms part of the locking mechanism, and consist of a sectional side elevation view, a front elevation, a rear elevation and an underneath plan view respective'y; Figures 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d are various views of a barrel which fl, ms part of the locking mechanism, shown in the orientation of Figure and are sectional side elevation, rear view, front view and plan view respectively; Figures 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d are various views of a keeper, suitably made of plastic material, which forms part of the locking mechanism, shown in the orientation of Figure lb, and are side elevation. rear elevation, front elevation and plan view respectively; the views in Figure 5 are on a larger scale (X 2) as compared to the other Figures; Figures 6a, 6b and 6c are various views of a latch stop which forms part of the locking mechanism, and are a side elevation view, a rear view, and a plan view respectively; and Figure 7 is a sectional side elevation of the assembled handle and.base plate, in the position of Figure lb.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment

Referring now to the drawings, these show a base plate 2 intended to be mounted on a window frame; a window handle 1 pivotally mounted on the base plate 2; and a locking mechanism mounted in a bore 10 in the window handle 1 for permitting or preventing pivotal movement of the window handle 1 relative to the base plate 2. The locking mechanism includes the following principal components; a housing 3, suitably of plastic, mounted in the bore 10; a barrel 4, suitably of metal, which is slidable in the housing 3 and whose lower part forms the bolt; a keeper 5, suitably of plastic; a stop 6, suitably of plastic; a key 7, suitably of metal; a small coil spring 8 for biasing the keeper 5; and a large coil spring 9, biasing the barrel 4 upwardly.

One aspect of the invention will now be described in general terms. Referring initially to Figures 2a and 2b, it will be seen that the base plate 2 includes two recesses 20a, 20b above the fastening holes 24a, 24b for screws or the like. Each of the recesses 20a, 20b has a "window" 21a, 21b formed by an opening cut down into the wall defining the recess, both windows being at the same side of the base 8 plate. Referring now to Figure 7 it will be seen that the stop 6 projects below the lower face of the pivotal handle 1 and furthermore projects downwards be ond the upper edge of the base plate 2. In tie y espagnolette fastened position the stop 6 projects into recess 20b. In! order to unfasten the espagnolette it is necessary to pivot the hanEe 0 1 through 180. As will be appreciated from Figure 2b, pivotal movement in the anti-clockwise direction indicated by arrow A is not possible because the stop 6 engages against a side face of the recess 20b. However, pivotal movement in the clockwise direction indicate] by arrow B is possible, as the stop 6 can pass over the window]edge of i the window 21b at the side of the recess 20b. The handle 1 is then! pivotally moved through 180 and at the far end of the pivotal movement the stop 6 passes over the window]edge of the window 21a in the recess 20a and engages the opposite inner face of that recess, thereby preventing any further pivotal movement. Thus the movement of the pivotal handle 1 is constrained so as to stop exactly at the fastened and unfastened positions of the espagnolette. The choice)f plastic as the material of the stop 6 is particularly advantageous,, because of the somewhat resilient nature of even rigid plastic material, bearing in mind the repeated impacts of the stop 6 agains the side walls of the recesses 20a, 20b.

A second aspect of the invention will now be described in genral terms. Referring to Figure 1 it will be seen that locking is accomplished by means of a barrel 4 which is of large diameter (appmx.

8mm) and which is moveable between the raised (bol t- retracted) position shown in Figure la and the lowered (bolt-extended) position shown ii Figure 1b and Figure 7. In the lowered position the barrel 4 mates i into a semi -cylindrical bore or locking recess 22a or 22b in the base plate 2, at one side of main recess 21a or 21b respectively close to the pivot journal 23. Such a large diameter barrel acting as a '0 1 gives firm and secure locking, and particularly when made of metal ay be contrasted with the plastic locking elements of prior art device.

From a consideration of Figures 2a and 2b it will be apprecia ed that the window handle is "universal", in other words separate lefti! hand and right hand versions are not necessary. If it is desired that when installed the window handle 1 should pivot in the direction of arrow A instead of B, all that is necessary is that the base plate 2 be fixed the other way around. This universality presents advantages in manufacturing, stocking and during installation.

As shown in Figure 3, the housing 3 is a generally cylindrical hollow body of rigid material, suitably plastics material, defining a central bore 35 in which the barrel 4 is moveable. The upper part of the housing is extended rearwardly to form a flange 36 having substantially square corners (with rounded tips). This shape cooperates with a similarly shaped opening in the bore 10 of the handle, so as to lock the housing against rotation relative to the handle.

The front wall of the housing is penetrated by an upper slot 32 while the rear wall (below the flange 36) is penetrated by a lower slot 33.

The upper part of the housing 3 is of greater wall thickness than the lower part. The transition is formed by a]edge 37 which extends helically downwardly for approximately half of the circumference of the interior wall creating a quideway or cam 31 as seen in Figure 3a. For the other approximate one half of the circumference, the greater wall thickness extends down to a flat]edge 38 close to the bottom of the housing, below the lowest point of the guideway 31. The two ends of the wall defining the]edge 38 provide limits 39a, 39b to the helical guideway.

The lower part of the housing is extended rearwardly into a pair of jaws 34 which are splayed upwardly and have stepped interior engagement faces.

As shown in Figure 4, the barrel 4 is generally cylindrical with a cylindrical collar 43 at about two thirds of its length from the top. Above the collar there is a vertically extending rib 41 which projects radially from the circumferential surface of the barrel aid whose upper end forms the guide key for cooperating with the guidew ly 31 of the housing. Above the rib 41 the barrel is hollow and defiMs al chamber 46 which extends with flat parallel walls between circumferentially opposed slots 47, 48. The chamber 46 is an inverted T-shape, and the slots 47, 48 have a corresponding shape except tha- i there is a pillar 49 in the middle of the cross-limb 47b of slot 47, The small coil spring 9 acts against the pillar 49.

Above the chamber 46, the barrel is penetrated by a key slot 71 which extends from the top of the barrel to the chamber 46. The loier part 42 of the barrel, below the rib 41, is solid and acts as a bolt engaging in either of the locking recesses 22a or 22b.

As shown in Figure 5, the keeper 5 comprises a stem 51 and a oot 52 extending from the base of the stem. The stem 51 is narrow and dimensioned to pass through the vertical part 48a of the slot 48 in the! barrel during assembly of the lock and to fit (in part) into the vertical part 47a of the slot 47 when the keeper 5 is in the housed position (see Fig. lb). Its front face has a slight rearward inclination towards the top. The foot 52 is broader and is dimensionedli to pass through the horizontal part 48b of the slot 48 and to fit (in part) into the horizontal part 47b of the slot 47 when the keeper 5 is in the housed position. The foot 52 has a broad winged portion 53 and a nose portion 54 extending therefrom. The nose portion 54 has a curved leading edge 55. There is a channel 56 on the underside of the winged portion 53 to receive the small coil spring 8 and the pillarl 49 of the barrel. The channel 56 is closed by the nose portion 54.

The stop 6 comprises a main body portion 61 with a flange 62 extending forwardly therefrom. The flange 62 has an arcuate recess 63 which defines part of the sliding surface for the lower part of th( 1 barrel 4. Below the flange 62, there is a winged stop portion 64 Which is broader than the main body portion. The winged stop portion 64 cannot enter into the bore 10 in the handle and it therefore serves to prevent upward movement of the stop 61 and to form the stop means Whic - 11 stands proud of the lower face of the handle and which butts against an inner face of recess 20a or 20b when the espagnolette is in the fastened position.

At the top of the latch stop 6 there is a bi-furcated arrow head with a]edge 66 which engages one of the steps on the jaws 34 when the arrowhead is pushed between the jaws.

As shown in Figure la, the key 7 is shaped to slide in the key slot 71. It has an inclined front edge 72.

The assembly of the lock will now be described. The first step in assembly is that the keeper 5 and the small coil spring 8 in the channel 56 are inserted through side slot 48 into the chamber 46 in the barrel 4. The small coil spring 8 is compressed against the pillar 49. Because the small coil spring 8 is under compression, it is necessary to hold the keeper 5 firmly in position to prevent the keeper 5 being pushed back out of the barrel 4. The sub-assembly comprising barrel 4, keeper 5 and small coil spring 8 under compression are then inserted upwardly into the bore 10 in the housing 3. The key 7 is inserted downwardly into the key slot 71 and its front edge 72 retains the keeper 5 in the housed position inside the barrel. As the sub- assembly moves upwardly the guide key 41 may (depending upon the orientation of the barrel) engage the helical guideway or cam 31 in the lower part of the interior surface of housing 3, in which case the sub- assembly undergoes an upward helical motion. The upward movement is continued until the nose portion 54 of the keeper 5 comes into register with the upper slot 32 of the housing 3, and when the key is withdrawn the small coil spring 8 then acts to move the keeper 5 to the projecting position and to engage the nose portion 54 in this slot 32. The large coil spring 9 is then fitted over the lower end 42 of the barrel 4, with an upper coil of the large coil compression spring 8 engaging against the circumferential collar 43 on the barrel. The assembly of housing 3, barrel 4, keeper 5, small coil spring 8 and large coil spring 9 are then inserted downwardly into the bore 10 in the window handle 1. A lower coil of the large spring 9 is trapped by 12 a semicircular]edge portion 11 of the handle body projecting into the bore 10. Finally, the latch stop 6 is inserted upwardly into tile bore 10 in the window handle 1 from below and pressed home. The bi-furcated arrowhead 65 at the top of the latch stop encounters th pair of jaws 34 projecting from the housing, resiliently deforms in response to the upward pressure so as to pass through the jaws 34 aid then regains its undeformed state and is thus held by the jaws, thereby preventing the assembly from being withdrawn upwardly or the latch stop from being withdrawn downwardly, and thus holding the entire lockinj mechanism in position in the window handle. The arcuate flange 62 Dn the latch stop provides a further action surface for the large spri g 9, level with the liedge portion 11 of the handle body.

The operation of the locking mechanism will now be described aith' reference to Figures la and 1b and 7. As seen in Figure la, the barrel 4 is in an upper position in which the keeper 5 is in the projecting position and engages in the upper slot 32 of the housing. It will e seen that the small coil spring 8 is in the expanded (non-compress ed state. The large coil spring 9 is also in the expanded (non-compressed) state. In particular it will be noted that the bclt portion 42 of the barrel 4 is retracted and does not project downwardly:

out of the window handle 1 for any significant distance. The key 7 is i, shown in Figure la as partially inserted into the ke slot 71 but t y engaging the keeper 5. To operate the lock, the key is inserted further downwardly so that the inclined front edge 72 of the key engages the chamfered stem 51 of the keeper 5. As the key is pres!ed further downwardly it pushes the keeper 5 rearwardly (to the rig t in Figure la), withdrawing the nose portion 54 of the keeper 5 from t e upper slot 32 against the action of the small spring 8 so that the keeper 5 is retained in housed position in the space 46 inside the barrel 4 and the barrel is therefore free to rotate and to move downwardly. The key 7 is rotated clockwise, this causes the sub-assembly of barrel 4, keeper 5, and small coil spring 8 to rotite axially through 180 0 and as a result of the cooperation of the guile key 41 and the helical guide way 31 to move axially downwardly thr)ugh the housing 3 against the action of the large coil spring 9. Afte, - 13 rotation of the key through 1800, further rotation is prevented by the rib 41 on the barrel butting against one end 39b of the]edge 38. The sub-assembly has reached the lower position shown in Figure 1b with the bolt 42 extended and the nose portion 54 of the keeper 5 aligned with the lower slot 33. Both the small coil spring 8 and the large coil spring 9 are in the compressed state. The key 7 is then withdrawn and the small spring 8 pushes the keeper 5 into the projecting position (to the right in Figure 1b) so that the nose portion 54 enters the lower slot 33, thus locking the barrel in the lower position. The bolt 42 of the barrel 4 projects downwardly out of the window handle 1 into the locking recess 22a or 22b in the base plate 2 (see Figure 7), thereby preventing the window handle 1 from pivoting relative to the base plate 2.

is To unlock the window handle 1, the key 7 is inserted to withdraw the keeper 5 to the housed position inside the barrel and then is rotated anti-clockwise. The sub-assembly moves upwardly assisted by the action of the large coil spring 9, rotating back through 1800 as the guide key 41 moves along the quideway 41, from the initial position in which the keeper 5 is aligned with the lower slot 33 to a final position in which the keeper 5 is aligned with the upper slot 32, the helical movement being stopped when the rib 41 buts against the other end 39a of the]edge 38. The key is then withdrawn again and the nose portion 54 of the keeper 5 is pushed by the small spring 8 into the upper slot 32.

While the invention has been specifically described with reference to an espagnolette handle, the locking mechanism is useful also in other types of handles. For example it may be used in a casement window handle of the "Cockspur" type which is pivoted on a boss raised above the base plate. In this case, the bolt 42 engages in a recess in the top surface of the boss. The stop portion 64 of the latch stop 6 may have no latching function but a flange extending downwardly from a side edge of the handle body limits the extent of rotation of the handle relative to the base plate.

The word "front" is used herein to refer to the pivot end of he handle and the word "rear" is used to refer to the handgrip end. Tie 11 i words "up", Mown", upper", "lower" and the like are used to refer to the orientation shown in the drawings and not to the position of thb 5 handle in use on a window or door.

is

Claims (6)

1. An escutcheon (or base plate) (2) and pivotally moveable espagnolette handle (1) mounted thereon including stop means (64) for stopping pivotal movement of the handle (1) at a predetermined position corresponding to an espagnolette fastened position, characterised in that the stop means (64) are non-latching.

2. An escutcheon and handle as claimed in claim 1, the escutcheon having a recess spaced-apart from the pivot axis of the handle, and the stop means comprises a stop projecting from the handle to engage a face of the recess stopping pivotal movement of the handle at a predetermined position corresponding to an espagnolette fastened position.

is

3. An escutcheon and handle as claimed in claim 2 wherein the escutcheon includes a pair of recesses, one at each side of the pivot axis of the handle, and each recess includes a side window to allow the stop to enter or leave the recess through the window.

4. An escutcheon and handle as claimed in claim 3 wherein both windows are at the same side of the escutcheon.

5. An escutcheon and handle as claimed in claim 3 or 4 wherein the escutcheon includes fastening holes for screws or the like and the recesses are located above the fastening holes.

6. An escutcheon and handle as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the stop is made of resilient material.