GB2456762A

GB2456762A - Sliding Rod Locking Mechanism

Info

Publication number: GB2456762A
Application number: GB0801076A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Morgan; Robert Milne
Original assignee: Paddock Fabrications Ltd
Current assignee: Paddock Fabrications Ltd
Priority date: 2008-01-22
Filing date: 2008-01-22
Publication date: 2009-07-29
Also published as: GB0801076D0

Abstract

The sliding rod locking mechanism is for use on uPVC doors or the like. The sliding rod looking mechanism comprises a roller/slider (16) mounted to a slider rod (14). The roller/slider is mounted to the slider rod by means of an eccentric mounting, the orientation of the roller/slider being adjustable by rotation of the roller/slider. The roller/slider is provided with an orientation feature (40) for engaging a corresponding feature (56) of an assembly apparatus only when the roller/slider has a particular orientation.

Description

Sliding Rod Locking Mechanism The present invention relates to a multi point sliding rod locking mechanism of a type used extensively on uPVC doors. The invention also relates to an improved method of assembling a sliding rod lock.

Multi-point sliding rod locks are known that have a series of cylindrical rollers or sliders attached onto vertically sliding rods on the edge of the door. Typically, the sliding rods are moved by operation of a handle mechanism, for example an espagnolette type mechanism. On operating the lock to move the rods the cylindrical surfaces of the roller/sliders engage components that are fixed to the doorframe, so that a slight "cam" action occurs, which pulls the door tightly onto a sealing gaskst. This has two beneficial functions: firstly, it eliminates draughts and positions the door precisely ready for engagement of a deadbolt mechanism; secondly the tight engagement of multiple roller/sliders with the doorframe components increases the resistance to forced entry.

However, because the gasket materials tend to settle during their lifetime, there is a requirement for the roller/sliders to be individually adjustable. For this purpose, they are provided with an eccentric mounting stem, so that, when in situ, the whole body of the roller/slider can be rotated by means of a hexagon key inserted in a socket in the exposed face of the roller/slider. Rotation of the roller/slider then either increases or decreases the amount of the eccentric mounting to vary the position of the roller/slider relative to the doorframe component and so adjust the extent of the aforementioned "cam" action.

A problem arises during the initial assembly and commissioning of the doors because there is a need for the eccentricity of the rollerlsliders to be set at a nominal position. This may be done by an operator setting the orientation by eye before the door is mounted to an assembly apparatus. However, this technique is far from perfect particularly because the eccentricity of the mounting is quite small.

As a consequence, mis-rotated roller/sliders are a fact of life throughout the industry.

The present invention has been conceived with the foregoing in mind.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a sliding rod locking mechanism for use on uPVC doors or the like. The sliding rod locking mechanism comprises a roller/slider mounted to a slider rod. The roller/slider is mounted to the slider rod by means of an eccentric mounting, the orientation of the roller/slider being adjustable by rotation of the roller/slider. The roller/slider is provided with an orientation feature for engaging a corresponding feature of an assembly apparatus only when the roller/slider has a particular orientation.

In embodiments of the invention, the roller/slider has a socket for receiving a tool for effecting the rotational adjustment, and wherein the socket comprises the orientation feature. The socket may be a hexagonal socket for receiving a hexagon key, the.hexagonal socket having a modified shape wherein the orientation feature is disposed at one side of the hexagonal socket. The one side of the hexagonal socket may be disposed at a greater distance from the axis of rotation than the other sides of the hexagonal socket.

It is an advantage that the orientation feature means that the roller/slider can only locate onto the assembly machine in a specific orientation. This then makes it impossible to assemble the locking mechanism with an incorrectly orientated roller/slider. It is a further advantage that, where the orientation feature is formed from the shape of the hexagon socket, it can still be adjusted using a proprietary hexagon key According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of assembling a sliding rod locking mechanism on a door, window or the like. The locking mechanism comprises a roller/slider eccentrically mounted to a slider rod.

The method includes providing an assembly apparatus having an orientation feature for engaging a corresponding feature of the roller/slider only when the roller/slider has a particular orientation. The method includes mounting the sliding rod to the door/window and mounting the door/window in the assembly apparatus such that the orientation feature engages the corresponding feature of the roller/slider.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of part of a prior art locking device; Figure 2 shows, in third angle projection, front and side elevation views of the device part of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a rollerfslider forming part of the locking device of Figure 1; Figure 4 illustrates part of a doorframe that cooperates with the locking device of Figure 1; Figure 5 shows, in third angle projection, front and side elevation views of part of a locking device in accordance with the present invention; Figure 6 shows a cross-section through a roVer/slider forming part of the locking device of Figure 5; Figure 7a shows a side elevation of part of the locking device of Figure 5 and part of an assembly apparatus; and Figure Tb shows, in plan view, the assembly apparatus part of Figure 7a.

A known sliding rod locking device, of which a part 10 is shown in Figures 1 and 2, includes a faceplate 12, which in use is mounted to an edge of a door or the like. A slider rod, or strip 14 is mounted behind the faceplate 12 so as to be slideable in the longitudinal direction of the door edge. This arrangement is often to be found on uPVC doors, with the faceplate 12 mounted in a molded recess and the sliding rod 14 located in a molded groove behind the faceplate 12. The faceplate 12 includes a number of longitudinal slots 18, of which only one is shown in detail in the figures. A roller/slider 16 extends through the slot and is fastened to the slider rod 14.

Figure 3 shows more detail of the shape of the roller/slider 16. A small diameter cylindrical end portion 24 engages in a hole (not shown) in the slider rod 14 and is fastened thereto riveting. The fastening ensures that the roller/slider 16 is held tightly in the hole in the slider rod 14, sufficient to prevent the roller/slider 16 from moving during use of the locking mechanism. However, the tightness of the riveting is controlled so that it is not too tight to prevent the roller/slider 16 from being rotated by operation of a tool (as will be described below).

The roller/slider 16 has a central cylindrical portion 25, which is axially concentric with, but has a slightly larger diameter than, the end portion 24. The diameter of the central portion 25 is selected to have a close clearance fit with the slot 18. A cylindrical head portion 26 has a diameter larger than the width of the slot 18, and is eccentric with the end portion 24 and central portion 25. As can be seen in Figure 3, the cylindrical head portion 26 has an axis Y-Y, which is offset from the axis X-X of the end portion 24 and central portion 25.

Figure 4 illustrates how the roller/slider 16 functions in use. When the door is in a closed position, the head portion 26 of the roller slider 16 abuts a surface 27 of a component 28 that is mounted in the doorframe. The surface 27 extends longitudinally past one side of the slot 18 in the faceplate 12 of Figure 2, and is substantially perpendicular to the faceplate 12. A part 29 of this surface is inclined to the longitudinal direction of the door edge to provide a "cam" action. When the slider rod 14 is moved in the longitudinal direction (direction of arrow A) to activate the locking mechanism, the cylindrical surface of the head portion 26 moves along the abuthng surface 27 of the doorframe component 28 and is urged in a lateral direction by the inclined surface 29. This direction is selected to be the direction that urges the door into the doorframe and as it is so urged compresses a sealing gasket in the doorframe. The outer cylindrical surface of the head portion 26 may be formed of a separate annulus or tyre that is free to rotate (in which case the roller/slider 16 would properly be referred to as a roller). However, provided suitable materials are selected for the roller/slider 16 and the doorframe component, the roller/slider 16 can be formed as a one-piece item such that a low friction sliding action can be achieved (in which case the roller/slider 16 would properly be referred to as a slider).

Referring again to Figures 1 and 2, the head portion 26 of the roller/slider has an exposed end face, in the centre of which is a hexagonal socket 20, which is sized to receive a hexagonal tool such as an Allen key. The orientation of the eccentric head portion 26 (i.e. the orientation of axis Y-Y relative to axis X-X) is adjustable by use of the hexagonal key tool. Note that the adjustment requires the use of a tool because of the tightness of the riveting securing the roller/slider 16 to the slider rod 14, as explained above. This adjustment is required because the gasket materials of the door seals tend to settle during their lifetime. Adjustment by rotation of the roller/slider 16 then either increases or decreases the eccentricity of the mounting to vary the position of the roller/slider relative to the doorframe component and so adjust the extent of the cam" action.

During the initial assembly and commissioning of the doors there is a need for the cam action to be set at a nominal position, and this requires all the roller/sliders on a door to be oriented to the same degree. In an attempt to achieve this, the end face of the roller/slider 16 is provided with an orientation mark 22 so that an operator can set the orientation before assembly. However, because the hexagonal socket is on the opposite side of the component to the eccentric stem this relies on the operator being able to "eye" the component accurately to ensure the correct orientation. This technique, although well-developed, is far from perfect particularly because the eccentricity of the mounting stems is quite small. As a consequence, mis-rotated roller/sliders are a fact of life throughout the industry.

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate a modified roller/slider assembly 30 for the locking device 10. Identical features to those shown in Figures 1 to 4 use the same reference numerals. The roller/slider 30 is similar to the roller/slider 16 of Figures 1 to 3, having the same overall dimensions with a small diameter cylindrical end portion 34 that engages the slider rod 14, a central cylindrical portion 35, and an eccentric cylindrical head portion 36. However, the roller/slider 30 includes a modified hexagonal socket 32. Three of the six faces of the hexagonal socket 32 (the upper three faces, including uppermost face 38, in the orientation shown in Figure 5) are identical to a standard hexagonal socket as shown in the socket 20 in Figure 2. However, the socket 32 has a lowermost face 40 (in the orientation shown), which is displaced downwards. As can be seen in the cross-section of Figure 6, the lowermost face 40 is disposed at a greater distance from the axis than the uppermost face 38, and the other sides of the hexagonal socket 32.

The modified shape of the socket 32 means that it can still be used to receive a standard hexagon key (in any of the six orientations of the key) to make the adjustment, but can also be used to ensure correct orientation of the roller/slider.

Referring to Figure 7a, the assembly apparatus includes a mounting block 40 onto which the sliding rod locking device is mounted. The mounting block 50 is provided with a hexagonal stud feature 52 upstanding from a top surface 54. The stud feature 52 has a size and shape that corresponds to the modified hexagonal socket 32 of the roller/slider 30, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. Thus, as shown in Figure 7b, one vertical face 56 the hexagonal stud feature 52 is disposed at a greater distance from the axis of the hexagon than the other five faces. This means that the stud feature 52 can only engage the socket 32, when the socket 32 is correctly orientated (i.e. with the socket face 40 aligned with the stud face 56).

Thus, when the locking device is offered up to the assembly apparatus, each roller/slider must be orientated correctly in order for all of the roller/sliders to engage on the corresponding hexagonal stud feature. This ensures that all roller/sliders are correctly orientated.

Claims

Claims: 1. A sliding rod locking mechanism for use on uPVC doors or the like, comprising a roller/slider mounted to a slider rod, wherein the roller/slider is mounted to the slider rod by means of an eccentric mounting, the orientation of the roller/slider being adjustable by rotation of the roller/slider in the eccentric mounting, and wherein the roller/slider is provided with an orientation feature for engaging a corresponding feature of an assembly apparatus only when the roller/slider has a particular orientation.
2. The locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein the roller/slider has a socket for receiving a tool for effecting the rotational adjustment, and wherein the socket comprises the orientation feature.
3. The locking mechanism of claim 2 wherein the socket is a hexagonal socket for receiving a hexagon key, the hexagonal socket having a modified shape wherein the orientation feature is disposed at one side of the hexagonal socket.
4. The locking mechanism of claim 3 wherein said one side of the hexagonal socket is disposed at a greater distance from the axis of rotation than the other sides of the hexagonal socket.
5. A method of assembling a sliding rod locking mechanism on a door, window or the like, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a roller/slider eccentrically mounted to a slider rod, the method comprising: providing an assembly apparatus having an orientation feature for engaging a corresponding feature of the roller/slider only when the roller/slider has a particular orientation; mounting the sliding rod to the door/window; and mounting the door/window in the assembly apparatus such that the orientation feature engages the corresponding feature of the rollerlslider.