GB2362187A

GB2362187A - Securing a locking cylinder in a locking handle

Info

Publication number: GB2362187A
Application number: GB0111084A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter James Harrison
Original assignee: J Banks and Co Ltd
Current assignee: J Banks and Co Ltd
Priority date: 2000-05-08
Filing date: 2001-05-05
Publication date: 2001-11-14
Also published as: GB0111084D0; GB0010913D0

Abstract

This invention relates to securing a locking cylinder 40 in a locking handle 14. <SB>The invention relates primarily to a locking espagnolette handle 14 for a movable panel such as a window and the like. There is provided a locking cylinder 40 for a locking handle, the locking cylinder having a resiliently-biassed part 44 which is adapted in use to engage a cooperating part of the handle so as to retain the locking cylinder in the handle, the resiliently-biassed part of the locking cylinder being integral with the body of the locking cylinder.</SB>

Description

2362187 LOCKING CYLINDER FOR A LOCKING HANDLE, LOCKING HANDLE, AND METHOD

OF ASSEMBLY THEREOF

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 5

This invention relates to a locking cylinder for a locking handle, to a locking handle, and to a method of assembling the locking handle.

The present invention relates primarily to a locking espagnolette handle for a movable panel such as a window and the like and the following description will therefore relate primarily to such a panel; however, the use of the locking handle and method on another type of panel is not thereby excluded. Espagnolette handles of this type are often referred to as casement fasteners and spur fasteners.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION 20

Operating handles are used for many purposes, including the securement of an opening panel relative to a fixed frame, such as a window or door. Typically, the handle will be located upon the panel, and will be fitted to the "inside" surface of the panel, i.e. the side of the panel accessible to the occupier of the building to which the panel is fitted. The handle will therefore normally be inaccessible to a person outside of the building.

Since the handle is normally inaccessible to a person outside of the building, if that person is intent on making unauthorised entry into the building it is known that some or all of the glass of the window panel can be broken or removed, enabling the person to operate the handle to open the window, so that unauthorised access may be gained.

In order to prevent the person being able to operate the handle after the glass of the window has been broken or removed, locking handles have been developed, which handles can be locked in the panel securing position. If the handle is locked, it cannot be operated even if an intending intruder can embrace the handle from outside of the 5 building.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Figs. 1,2 and 3,4 show respective designs of parts of existing locking handles. The design of Figs. 1 and 2 employs a locking cylinder 10 which is located within a opening 12 in the handle part 14. The locking cylinder includes a spring-biassed key-plate (not shown) which is slidably received in slot 16. In known fashion, the keyplate normally projects from the slot 16, but can be drawn back into the slot 16 upon insertion of the correctly profiled key into the key-way 20.

As can be seen from Fig.1, the locking cylinder 10 can be depressed relative to the handle part (moved towards the bottom of the sheet of paper in the orientation of Fig.1); it will be understood by those skilled in the art that such depression causes the lock cylinder to move to its operative position in which a part of the cylinder projects from the bottom of the opening 12, and into engagement with a recess in the mounting plate (not shown) of the handle. Engagement of the locking cylinder with the recess in the mounting plate prevents rotation of the handle, so preventing operation of the handle. As the locking cylinder 10 is depressed, the slot 16 passes the step or ledge 22 located within or adjacent to the bottom of the opening 12, and the spring-biassed key-plate can project from the slot 16. The key-plate will retain the locking cylinder in the operative position until a key with the correct profile is inserted into the key- way 20.

The locking cylinder 10 is normally biassed upwardly (as drawn in Fig.1), as for example by a return spring located in well 28. In this way, insertion of the correctlyprofiled key causes the locking cylinder 10 automatically to 5 move to its inoperative position as shown in Fig.l.

In order to assemble the locking handle, the locking cylinder has a groove 24 to receive a circlip 26. During assembly of the locking handle 16 the locking cylinder 10 is inserted into the opening 12 until the groove 24 is accessible, and the circlip fitted thereto. As will be seen from Fig.1, once the circlip is fitted the locking cylinder is retained within the handle part 14 by engagement of the circlip 26 with the step 22.

In the design in Figs.3 and 4 the locking cylinder 30 has a slot 32 (similar to the slot 16), which slot 32 can receive a clip 34. The clip 34 is biassed outwardly of the cylinder 30 by a compression spring 36. The clip 34 can retain the locking cylinder 30 within the housing part 14 in a similar fashion to the circlip of the design of Figs. 1 and 2.

It will be noted that the clip 34 has an opening 38, and is formed very similarly to a key-plate fittable into the slot 16 (with the correctly-profiled key passing through the opening). However, the commonality of design is for convenience only, since the key is not required to engage the clip 34.

The designs shown suffer from significant disadvantages. The design of Fig.1 requires access to the bottom of the opening 12, so that the circlip can be fitted to the groove. This requirement limits the freedom of the handle designer, and also makes the assembly process more difficult and time- consuming. Specialised jigs and fixtures are required to ensure that the groove can remain accessible whilst the circlip is fitted thereto (the jigs and fixtures overcoming the bias of the return spring). The jigs and fixtures must provide access to both ends of the opening 12 (so that the locking cylinder can be fitted thereinto, and the circlip can subsequently be secured thereto), or else the locking handle must be located by one set of jigs and fixtures whilst the cylinder is fitted into the opening 12, and then loaded into a separate set of jigs and f ixtures so that the circlip can be fitted.

The design of Figs. 3 and 4 overcomes some of the disadvantages of the design of Figs. 1 and 2, in that the clip 34 is automatically biassed to retain the locking cylinder, without requiring access to the bottom of the opening. However, this design has its own disadvantages. One disadvantage is that the clip 34 must be retained within the slot 32 prior to assembly; the clip 34 is often a loose f it into the slot 32, and is in any event biassed outwardly of the slot by the spring 36 - there is therefore a significant chance of the clip being released from the slot prior to assembly, with the consequent likelihood of loss of one or both of the clip and spring.

A second disadvantage is that it is necessary that the clip be pushed into the slot before the cylinder can be loaded into the handle, and in a production environment this requires specialised tooling.

A third disadvantage is that the clip 34 must not be interchanged with the key-plate, since the interchanging of these components will result in the key-profile to unlock the device having to be altered. Alternatively, the key plate and clip can be identically configured, i.e. with identical apertures 38, but this introduces another level of complexity and the requirement for greater control, during manufacture of the lock cylinder.

Other specific designs of locking handle are known, but these all suffer from some or all of the above-stated disadvantages, and perhaps also additional disadvantages of the particular designs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to provide a locking cylinder for a locking handle, and a method of assembly thereof, which overcomes or reduces the disadavanages with the known designs described above.

According to the invention therefore, there is provided a locking cylinder for a locking handle, the locking cylinder having a resiliently- biassed part which is adapted in use to engage a cooperating part of the handle so as to retain the locking cylinder in the handle, characterised in that the resiliently-biassed part of the locking cylinder is integral with the body of the locking cylinder.

Since the resiliently-biassed part is integral with the body of the locking cylinder it cannot become separated therefrom during transportation or assembly; accordingly, no special provisions or control steps to retain the resilientlybiassed part need to be undertaken prior to assembly of the locking cylinder in the handle.

Preferably, the resiliently-biassed part comprises at least one barb member, the barb member(s) being deflectable so as to permit the barb member(s) to pass through the opening.

Preferably also the or each barb member has a tapered leading edge. The provision of a deflectable barb member with a tapered leading edge permits the locking cylinder to be fitted to the handle merely by pressing the locking cylinder into the opening, the tapered leading edge permitting the locking cylinder to enter the opening without any special fixtures or tools being required to overcome the resilient bias.

There is also provided a method of assembling a locking handle including the steps of: ji) providing a handle with an opening and a step in the opening, fiij providing a locking cylinder as herein defined, (iii) loading the 5 locking cylinder into the opening so that the resilientlybiassed part engages the step.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 10

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig.1 is a side view, partly in section, of part of a 15 prior art locking handle; Fig.2 is a perspective view of the locking cylinder of Fig.1;

Fig.3 is a side view, partly in section, of partof another prior art locking handle;

Fig.4 is a perspective view of the locking cylinder of Fig.3; Fig.5 is a side view, partly in section, of part of a locking handle with a locking cylinder according to the invention; and Fig.6 is a perspective view of the locking cylinder according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 35

The description of the prior art designs of Figs. 1,2 and Figs. 3,4 has been included in the "Description of the Prior Art" section above.

In the design of Figs. 5 and 6, according to the invention, the locking handle part 14 is identical to the handle part 14 of Figs. 1 and 3; in other embodiments the design of the locking handle can be different, and it will be understood that the precise design details of the handle part are not part of the present invention.

As seen in Fig. 6, and in common with the prior art designs, the locking cylinder 40 has a slot 16 for a key-plate (not shown); the key-plate of the locking cylinder 40 operates in the same way as the key- plate of the prior designs, and is provided for the same purpose.

The bottom edge 42 of the locking cylinder 40 is formed into two legs 44, the legs 44 being separated by a slot 46 formed in the body of the cylinder 40. Each leg 44 has a barb member 50. To facilitate fitment of the locking cylinder, the barb members 50 are tapered, the bottom edge of the barb members (which is the leading edge when the locking cylinder is being fitted into the opening 12) having a diameter dl, and the trailing edge of the barb members (adjacent the shoulder 52) having a diameter d2The diameter of the opening 12 is D, and it is arranged that the diameter dl is less than D, whilst the diameter d2 is greater than D.

It will be appreciated that there is no particular requirement for the locking cylinder to have a circular cross-section, though such a crosssection is expected to be generally preferred. In embodiments with an acircular (perhaps polygonal) cross-section, the "diameters" referred to above would be cross-sectional dimensions.

The locking cylinder in this embodiment is made of a resilient material such as metal or plastic, and the size of the legs 44 (i.e. the thickness of the slot 46) is chosen so that the legs 44 can readily be deflected towards one another as the barb members are pressed into the opening 12.

It is intended that the legs can be deflected by manual pressure alone, i. e. no special tools are required to force the locking cylinder 40 into the opening 12.

In other embodiments, more than two legs are provided, each carrying a respective barb member, for example four or six legs can be provided by respectively two or three slots similar to slots 46. An odd number of legs can also be provided if desired, but this is not preferred since it is more difficult to manufacture - the slots separating such legs only passing part-way across the body of the locking cylinder.

Also, it is not necessary that each leg carry a barb member, i.e. it is possible that two legs similar to the legs 44 could be provided, but that only one of those legs carry a barb member, with the other leg being substantially straight-edged and playing little or no part in retaining the locking cylinder in the handle.

Should the locking cylinder ever require to be removed from the handle 14, it can be arranged that the bottom of the opening 12 is accessible, and a tool such as a pair of pliers can be used to deflect the legs 44 so that the shoulder 52 of the barb members 50 can pass the step or ledge 22 of the opening 12.

The advantages of the design of Figs 5 and 6 over the designs of Figs 1,2 and 3,4 include: (i) the avoidance of additional (small) components which might become separated from the lock cylinder and perhaps lost, fii) the requirement for the locking handle assembler to have adequate stocks of several (separate) components, fiii) the avoidance of a requirement for specially designed tools, jigs and fixtures to assemble the locking cylinder to the locking handle, (ivJ a reduction in the cost and complexity of the locking cylinder and therefore the assembled locking handle, fvJ a reduction in the time taken to assemble the locking handle. The first and second of the above-stated advantages are more significant if the locking handle assembler is not the same as the locking cylinder manufacturer, i.e. the locking cylinder needs to be transported to a separate manufacturer prior to assembly into the locking cylinder; the likelihood of small components becoming lost increases with such transportation, as does the likelihood of the assembler being unable to complete the assembly because he has inadequate stocks of one or other of the locking cylinders or circlips (for example).

Claims

A locking cylinder for a locking handle, the locking cylinder having a resiliently-biassed part which is adapted in use to engage a cooperating part of the handle so as to retain the locking cylinder in the handle, the resiliently-biassed part of the locking cylinder being integral with the body of the locking cylinder.
2. A locking cylinder according to claim 1 in which the resilientlybiassed part includes an outward ly- directed shoulder.
3. A locking cylinder according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the resiliently-biassed part comprises a barb member.
4. A locking cylinder according to claim 2 in which the barb member is tapered.
5. A locking cylinder according to any one of claims 1-4 in which the resiliently-biassed part is provided by the bifurcation of part of the locking cylinder.
6. A locking cylinder according to any one of claims 1-5 including a locking plate which is resiliently-biassed to project therefrom.
7. A locking handle including a locking cylinder according to any one of claims 1-6 in which the handle has an opening adapted to receive at least part of the locking cylinder, and said cooperating part of the handle is a ledge means located in or adjacent to the opening, a shoulder of the resiliently-biassed part engaging the ledge means.
8. A locking handle according to claim 7 having at least two resilientlybiassed parts, each comprising a tapered barb member, the cross-sectional dimension of the leading edge of the barb members being less than the cross-sectional dimension of the opening, and the cross-sectional dimension of the trailing edge of the barb members being greater than the cross-sectional dimension of the opening.
9. A locking handle according to claim 7 or claim 8 in which the locking cylinder has a longitudinal axis and the or each resiliently-biassed part is biassed laterally with respect to the longitudinal axis, the locking handle including a further resilient biassing means acting along the longitudinal axis to bias the locking cylinder so that the shoulder is moved towards and into engagement with the ledge means.
10. A method of assembling a locking handle according to any one of claims 7-9 including the steps of: fi} providing a handle with an opening and a ledge means in or adjacent to the opening, fii} providing a locking cylinder according to any one of claims 1-6, fiii} loading the locking cylinder into the opening so that the shoulder of the or each resilientlybiassed part engages the ledge means.
11. A locking cylinder constructed and arranged substantially as described in relation to Figs. 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.
12. A locking handle constructed and arranged substantially as described in relation to Fig.5 of the accompanying drawings.