GB2425158A

GB2425158A - Transport bush

Info

Publication number: GB2425158A
Application number: GB0507543A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Craig John Barnett
Original assignee: Spire Group Ltd
Current assignee: Spire Group Ltd
Priority date: 2005-04-14
Filing date: 2005-04-14
Publication date: 2006-10-18
Anticipated expiration: 2025-04-14
Also published as: GB0507543D0; GB2425158B

Abstract

A bush (40) which is adapted for fitment into a fixing hole in the profile of a window or door panel, the fixing hole being provided to allow insertion of a fastener (30) to secure an operating handle of a gearbox, comprises a body (42) and a projection (44). The projection (44) is adapted to engage pad of the gearbox and is separable from the body (42).

Description

TRANSPORT BUSH

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a transport bush, and in particular to a bush which can be used during the transportation of a window or door panel from the manufacturing location to the customer. Whilst as indicated the invention could be used with doors (and perhaps other articles) it is most likely to be used with windows, and the following description will therefore refer mostly to windows.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Many window panels are now made of plastics, and comprise a hollow extruded profile to which the glazing panel, the hinges (which will typically be in the form of friction stays) and the locking components are fitted.

The locking components will often comprise an espagnolette or cremone mechanism comprising a gearbox and one or two shoot bolts. The gearbox is usually mounted within an opening created in the hollow profile and the shoot bolts are usually mounted either within the profile or to the edge of the profile. In this way, both of the gearbox and the shoot bolts are substantially hidden from view. The gearbox is driven by an operating handle mounted to the surface of the profile, and which can typically be rotated through around 90 , this rotation driving the gearbox and in turn the shoot bolts to move between a locking position and an unlocking position, in known fashion.

To allow fitment of the operating handle, holes are formed through the wall of the profile adjacent to the gearbox, and the gearbox is provided with tapped holes.

Screws or bolts are used to connect the operating handle to the gearbox by way of the formed holes in the profile. When assembled, a part of the profile is therefore clamped between the gearbox and the handle, and this serves to secure both the operating handle and the gearbox to the window profile.

The shoot bolts have holes formed therethrough to accommodate screws or other fasteners by which the shoot bolts will be secured to the window profile. The shoot bolts are also connected to the gearbox, and whilst the connection between the shoot bolts and the gearbox is not rigid, the shoot bolts help to retain the gearbox in position within the window profile.

Many manufacturers have appreciated that since the gearbox is clamped to the window by the operating handle, and is also retained by the shoot bolts, there is no requirement for separate securement of the gearbox to the window, and whilst some types of gearbox include provision for screws or other fixings to secure the gearbox directly to the window profile, many gearboxes which are presently available do not include such provision but instead rely upon the operating handle to secure the gearbox to the window profile.

The operating handle necessarily projects from the window profile. During transportation of the window from the manufacturing location to the stockist and/or end user, the handle will often be supplied separately so that the volume occupied by the window is minimised, and the window is substantially flat and can be transported more easily and economically.

Without the handle being fitted, the gearbox is often retained only by the shoot bolts, and as above indicated this is not a rigid connection. It is known in these circumstances for the gearbox to move relative to the profile during transportation, and in some cases to release the gearbox from the shoot bolts, If the gearbox does become released from the shoot bolts the connection must be remade upon delivery of the window, and this may entail significant work including the partial or complete removal of the shoot bolts. In addition, the gearbox may have moved sufficiently far that the fixing holes for the handle are no longer aligned with the holes through the profile, so that the gearbox must be manipulated back into position before the operating handle can be secured.

Notwithstanding that movement of the gearbox during transportation is a major disadvantage to the window installer, the advantage to the gearbox manufacturer in not having to provide independent fixings for the gearbox to the profile, and to the window manufacturer in not having to secure those independent fixings, result in many gearboxes not having means for independent fixing to the window profile.

Instead, other means of preventing movement of the gearbox during transportation have been sought.

The most commonly used means of seeking to prevent the gearbox moving during transportation is to provide a plug which can be inserted into the holes in the profile and engage the fixing holes in the gearbox. The plug has a body which is necessarily a tight fit into the holes in the profile and the fixing holes in the gearbox (to prevent the plug falling out during transportation), and includes a flat "head" limiting insertion of the plug. The "head" is chosen to be have as low a profile as possible so that the increase in volume during transportation is minimised. Before the handle is fitted the plug must be removed and removal is made more difficult by the low profile of the head and the tightness of the fit within the profile.

Despite its advantage in substantially preventing movement of the gearbox during transportation, therefore, the plug has its own disadvantages which preclude its more widespread utilisation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to provide a bush which can act similarly to the above-described plug in providing temporary fixing of the gearbox during transportation, and yet avoids or reduces the disadvantages associated therewith.

According to the invention therefore, there is provided a bush for fitment into a hole provided for securing an operating handle in the profile of a window or door panel, the bush having a projection which can engage a part of a gearbox within the profile, characterised in that the bush is adapted to be left in place during subsequent fitment of the operating handle.

Preferably, the projection is adapted to locate into a threaded fixing hole of the gearbox, and is designed to break off when the screw or other fixing is inserted thereinto. Desirably, the projection is a tight fit in the threaded fixing hole.

Preferably also, the bush has a body to which the projection is connected, the connection between the projection and the body being breakable. Desirably, the projection is carried by an end wall of the body, and the connection comprises a thin annular part of the end wall which will break upon force being applied by a user during fastening of the operating handle.

Preferably, the body of the bush is hollow, with a diameter slightly greater than the outer periphery of the threads of the fixing screw or bolt, so that the body acts as a sleeve around the screw or bolt. In this regard, it will be understood that the manufacturers of windows, and the manufacturers of hardware such as locking gearboxes and operating handles, seek to make their components as standardised as possible so that the components are interchangeable. In the UK at least, it is therefore substantially standard practice to use fastening screws or bolts with threads having an outer diameter of approximately 5.2 mm, and an inner diameter of approximately 4.1 mm, and the bush manufacturer can make the bush to suit those dimensions.

In addition, it is normal practice to provide two fixing holes in the gearbox, and therefore two holes in the window profile. In the UK the holes in the profile are substantially standardised at approximately 10mm in diameter. Also, it is substantially standard practice for the operating handle to include a projecting boss of approximately 10mm diameter and a depth of approximately 1.5mm, which boss can locate into a hole in the profile and locate the operating handle upon the profile as the fixing screws are inserted. Accordingly, to fit within such holes the outer diameter of the body of the bush should be substantially 10 mm, so that the bush is a tight enough fit within the holes so as not to fall out during transportation.

The body of the bush can act as a spacer member is use, i.e. when the fixing screws are tightened the operating handle is kept at the chosen spacing from the gearbox by the body of the bush(es). This avoids a significant problem with prior art arrangements in which tightening of the fixings could force the gearbox to move towards the handle, resulting in the gearbox tilting within the window profile and perhaps leading to premature failure of the locking mechanism.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig.1 shows a schematic representation of a typical window panel fitted with shoot bolts and a gearbox but without the operating handle; Fig.2 shows a cross-section of a transport bush according to the present invention, and a fixing screw; Fig.3 shows an end view of the bush of Fig.2; and Fig.4 shows a crosssection through a window profile fitted with shoot bolts and a gearbox, and a transport bush according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The window 10 is manufactured from plastics materials, specifically a hollow profile which is mitred and joined at the corners to provide a locking edge 12, a hinged edge 14 and two connecting edges 16 (the term "hinged edge" in particular being for reference purposes only, as it is recognised that the "hinges" will typically be friction stays mounted upon the connecting edges 16.

Located within a recess in the profile of the locking edge 12 is a gearbox 20. The detailed structure of the gearbox 20 is largely irrelevant to the present invention, and this can be any of the wide variety of gearboxes presently available.

Substantially standard features of all such gearboxes are {i} a means to connect the gearbox to the shoot bolts 22 (the shoot bolts 22 in this embodiment being secured to the edge of the locking edge 12 by fixings 24) , {ii} a central (square) aperture to receive the drive bar of the operating handle (not shown), and a pair of threaded fixing holes 26 to receive respective fixing bolts 30 (Fig.2) by which the operating handle and gearbox are secured together.

As indicated above, the gearbox 20 and the locking edge 12 of the window profile incorporate several standardised features (at least in the UK), including {i} the provision of 10 mm diameter holes 32 in the profile of the locking edge 12, the holes 32 being concentric with the holes 26, {ii} the fixing bolt 30 having threads with an outer diameter Dl of approximately 5.2 mm and an inner diameter D2 of approximately 4.1 mm (see Fig.2). These standard dimensions allow a transport bush to be provided with dimensions which can fit many different window and gearbox combinations (though it will be understood that the transport bush of the invention can be used for non-standardised arrangements by a suitable choice of its dimensions).

As above described, it will be understood that the window 10 may be transported in the condition shown in Fig.1 (either with or without a fitted glazing panel as desired). In this condition, the gearbox is retained in position within the locking edge 12 of the window profile only by its (non-rigid) connection to the shoot bolts 22. Also, the shoot bolts 22 are themselves secured to the locking edge 12 by fastenings 24 which are located some distance away from the gearbox 20.

Accordingly, during transportation the gearbox 20 may move relative to the locking edge 12, and may become released from the shoot bolts 22, and perhaps even become separated from the locking edge. In each case, the gearbox must be repositioned within the profile of the locking edge 12, i. e. with the holes 26 substantially concentric with the holes 32, before the operating handle can be fitted and secured.

The transport bush 40 shown in Figs. 2 and 3 is designed to fit to the locking edge 12 so as to secure the gearbox 20 thereto during transportation. Specifically, the transport bush 40 comprises a body 42 and a projection 44. In this embodiment the body 42 and projection 44 are integral, being formed as a single injection moulded component.

The body 42 comprises a tube with an outer diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the hole 32 (e.g. 10 mm), and an inner diameter equal to or slightly larger than the dimension Dl. In this way the body 42 can be pressed into the hole 32 and form a friction fit therewith, and the fixing screw 30 can be inserted into the body 42 and be a sliding fit therewithin.

The projection 44 in this embodiment is solid and has an outer diameter equal to or slightly greater than the dimension D2, i.e. so that the projection can be pressed into the threaded hole 26 and form a friction fit with the threads thereof.

The projection 44 and the body 42 are connected together by an annular waIl 50.

The width w of the annular wall 50 corresponds substantially to the depth of the threads on the fixing bolt, i.e. half the difference between dimensions Dl and D2, and the thickness t of the annular wall 50 is sufficient to retain the projection 44 and body 42 together during transportation, but thin enough to allow the projection 44 to be broken off from the body 42.

The location of the transport bush 40 is shown in Fig.4. In this crosssectional view, the gearbox 20 is located within its recess in the profile of the locking edge 12, and the shoot bolt 22 is secured to the locking edge by its fasteners (not shown). In this embodiment the shoot bolt 22 carries locking elements 46, but the form of the locking elements, and of the shoot bolt itself, is not relevant to the present invention.

The gearbox 20 is mounted so that its threaded fixing holes 26 (only one of which can be seen in Fig.4) are concentric with the respective holes 32 in the locking edge 12 (again, only one of the holes 32 can be seen in Fig.4). Prior to transportation, and ideally as part of the manufacturing process of the window immediately after fitment of the gearbox 20, a transport bush 40 is pressed into the hole 32 so that the projection 44 enters the hole 26. In this preferred embodiment the body 42 of the transport bush 40 has a length L slightly less than the separation S between the gearbox 20 and the surface 34, so that when the body 42 is pressed into engagement with the gearbox 20 its end opposed to the projection lies slight below the surface 34.

In this preferred embodiment the length L is 12 mm, and is chosen to be 1. 5 mm less than the separation S of 13.5 mm of this particular profile. When fully inserted, therefore, the transport bush 40 leaves a small well adjacent the surface 34, which well can accommodate the (1.5 mm deep) boss of a typical operating handle (not shown), which boss is provided to serve as a location for the operating handle upon the locking edge 12.

It is recognised that the separation S between the gearbox 20 and the surface 34 of the locking edge 12 (see Fig.4) is not a standard dimension, and varies considerably between window profile manufacturers (e.g. from around 2.5 mm to around 20 mm). To accommodate the variation in the separation S a range of transport bushes 40 must be made, with different length bodies 42, to suit each profile (or group of profiles having the same dimension S). Alternatively, if the dimension S is not known in advance, a range of bushes could be made varying in body length in increments of 0.5 mm or 1 mm for example. It will be understood that only the length L of the body 42 must be varied, and this can easily be accommodated by making a moulding tool with an adjustable length of cavity to enable the production of a bush having any of a number or range of chosen lengths of body.

It will be understood that after fitment of the operating handle, a fixing screw 30 can be fitted through the mounting plate of the operating handle and into the body 42 of the transport bush 40, until it engages the projection 44. Pressure upon the fixing screw 30 will break the annular wall 46, whereupon the screw 30 can be screwed into the threaded fixing hole 26, pushing the projection 44 ahead of the screw and into the body of the profile.

The additional benefit of the transport bush will be apparent, namely that of providing a sleeve for the fixing screw 30. As above described, without the body 42 of the transport bush 40 remaining in place between the gearbox 20 and the operating handle, as the fixing screws 30 are tightened there is a tendency to distort the walls of the profile (which are plastic and therefore not rigid against the considerable force which can be applied), so that the gearbox 20 tends to pivot counter-clockwise as viewed in Fig. 4, and the operating handle tends to pivot clockwise. Clearly, such pivoting of the gearbox 20 can put additional strain upon the connection with the shoot bolts 22, and upon the components of the gearbox and shoot bolts, often leading to excess force being required to move the operating handle, and premature failure of part of the locking assembly.

With the body 42 remaining as a sleeve around the fixing screw 30, however, the body 42 helps to maintain the desired separation S between the gearbox 20 and the operating handle, and therefore assists in maintaining the gearbox in its chosen position and orientation.

The transport bush 40 will preferably be made of a plastics material, ideally polyethylene, though other materials could be suitable, If the transport bush is made of polyethylene then a suitable thickness t for the annular wall 46 would be approximately 0.25 mm and a suitable width w for the annular wall 46 would be approximately 0.55 mm. The length of the projection 44 should preferably be at least around half of the thickness of the gearbox 20, so that a firm connection can be made (i.e. the projection 44 can engage several turns of the thread within the hole 26), and in this embodiment the length of the projection 44 is 6 mm.

Clearly, in addition to the variable body lengths which could be provided, modifications to the other stated dimensions can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention, and a transport bush could be made to suit the dimensions of a particular window profile / gearbox / handle combination, even if fewer of the dimensions are standardised In addition, it can be arranged that the inner diameter of the body 42 is less than the diameter Dl so that the fixing screw has to be screwed into the body 42 (perhaps with the screw forming its own threads). This would enable the projection 44 to be broken off by rotation of the fixing screw in addition to axial pressure thereupon.

Claims

1. A bush adapted for fitment into a fixing hole in the profile of a window or door panel, the fixing hole being provided to allow insertion of a fastener to secure an operating handle to a gearbox which is mounted within the profile, the bush having a body and a projection, the projection being adapted to engage a part of the gearbox, the projection being separable from the body so that the body can remain in the fixing hole after fitment of the operating handle.

2. A bush according to Claim 1 in which the projection is adapted to locate into a threaded fixing hole of the gearbox, and can be separated from the body as the fastener is inserted.

3. A bush according to Claim 2 in which the projection is a friction fit in the threaded fixing hole.

4. A bush according to Claim I in which the projection has an integral connection with the body, the connection being breakable.

5. A bush according to Claim 4 in which the projection is carried by an end wall of the body, and the integral connection comprises a thin annular part of the end wall.

6. A bush according to any of Claims 1-5 in which the body is hollow.

7. A bush according to Claim 6 in which the inner diameter of the body is slightly greater than the outer periphery of the threads of the fastener which is to be fitted.

8. A bush according to any of Claims 1-7 in which the body in use acts as a sleeve around the fitted fastener.

9. A bush according to Claim 8 in which the body in use also acts as a spacer substantially maintaining a desired separation between the gearbox and the fitted operating handle.

10. A bush according to any of Claims 1-9 in which the inner diameter of the body IS approximately 5.2 mm.

II. A bush according to any of Claims 1-10 in which the outer diameter of the body is approximately 10mm.

12. A method of using a transport bush comprising the following steps: {i} providing a window or door panel having a profile within which is located a lock gearbox, the lock gearbox having a fixing hole for receiving at least one fastening; {ii} providing at least one fixing hole in the profile, aligned with the fixing hole in the gearbox, the fixing holes being adapted to receive a fastening by which an operating handle can be secured to the lock gearbox, {iii} inserting a bush into the fixing hole in the profile, the bush having a body which is adapted to lie within the fixing hole in the profile and a projection which can fit into the fixing hole in the gearbox, {iv) transporting the window or door panel to a desired location, and {v} fitting the operating handle without removal of the bush.

13. The method according to Claim 12 in which the step of fitting the operating handle includes the step of inserting a fastening through the body of the bush and into the fixing hole in the gearbox so as to separate the projection from the body of the bush.

14. A bush constructed and arranged substantially as described in relation to Figs. 2-4 of the accompanying drawings.