GB2468746A

GB2468746A - Handle arrangement with a stowed position and active position

Info

Publication number: GB2468746A
Application number: GB1002835A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Brian Chelton
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-03-18
Filing date: 2010-02-19
Publication date: 2010-09-22
Anticipated expiration: 2030-02-19
Also published as: GB201002835D0; GB2468746B; GB0904666D0

Abstract

A handle arrangement, for a locking mechanism, comprises a housing 4 for mounting the handle to a panel, the housing 4 being mounted so as to form part of a beading 40, such as a glazing bead, of the panel; handle 6 is supported by the housing for movement between a storage position in which the handle is located in a recess 5 of the housing and an operational position in which it extends out of the housing and can be rotated to actuate the locking mechanism. Preferably the handle is biased into the retracted stowed position by a tension spring (15, fig.7). The handle arrangement may comprise a pivot shaft connected to a rack and pinion mechanism to drive at least one shoot bolt or locking pin. The handle assembly may comprise an anti-ligature feature such as a pivot shaft which fractures under excess loading such as a force greater than 550N. An anti-ligature moulding (31, fig.7) may be provided at the pivot shaft to close the gap between the handle. The handle housing may be integral with the glazing beading or separately attached.

Description

Control Mechanism

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a control mechanism for controlling a locking mechanism of a panel that is moveably mounted within a frame.

Background to the Invention

A common type of window or door comprises a panel (formed from glass encased in a frame or a solid panel for a window or door respectively) mounted on at least one hinge within a frame. There are a number of ways that a window or door may be opened and unlocked (or closed and locked). A common arrangement is a handle mounted on one side of the panel which can pivot between a position in which it engages with the frame, locking the panel in a closed position via a locking mechanism such as a pawl and a position where the handle and locking mechanism do not engage with the frame allowing the panel to be rotated on the hinge(s) to open it. However, in recent times there has been an increased need for a more secure method of controlling the unlocking of the window or door. In GB-A- 2443043, I describe a new window construction in which a window stay is used to operate a locking mechanism such as a pair of shoot bolts upon rotation of the stay.

Although the known approaches work well, there is a continuing need to improve the known control mechanisms.

Summary of the Invention

In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention we provide a control mechanism for controlling a locking mechanism of a panel movably mounted within a frame, the control mechanism comprising: a housing for mounting the control mechanism to the panel, the housing being mounted so as to form part of a glazing bead of the panel; and a handle supported by the housing and adapted to move relative to the housing between a storage position in which it is located in a recess of the housing and an operational position, wherein the handle is coupled to the locking mechanism in use; and wherein when the handle is moved from the storage position to the operational position, the handle extends out of the recess such that it may be gripped by a user and rotated to actuate the locking mechanism.

The housing of the control mechanism can either be mounted separately to the glazing bead of the panel or be formed as an integral part of the glazing bead of the panel.

The invention deals with the problems mentioned above by utilizing a novel control mechanism in which a handle is not only used to control the locking mechanism but is also movable to a storage position in which it is located in a recess of the housing forming part of the glazing bead, thus leading to an aesthetically pleasing structure while avoiding the need for the use of a stay to control the locking mechanism.

The control mechanism can be used in a variety of applications, for example doors and other closure panels including all doors and windows of horizontal and vertical applications.

In some cases, the handle is completely contained within the recess of the housing when in the storage position but in other applications it may be flush with an upper surface of the housing or indeed protrude slightly from the housing.

A particularly aesthetic arrangement is achieved when the handle, in plan form, substantially fills the recess opening.

Typically, the handle is pivoted to the housing for movement in and out of the recess about the pivot whereby a user can press part of the handle beyond the pivot so as to cause the other part of the handle to rise out of the recess so that it can be gripped.

Conveniently, the control mechanism further comprises a retention device such as a tension spring urging the handle back towards the storage position. In other cases, the handle may be urged out of the storage position by an urging means such as a compression spring and retained in the storage position by a catch or the like.

Conveniently, when the handle has been rotated to unlock the locking mechanism and then released, it engages an edge of the recess under the influence of the retention device, the handle extending transversely to the recess. This makes it easier for the user subsequently to grip the handle so as to rotate it back towards its storage position when the locking mechanism is locked.

The coupling of the handle to the locking mechanism can be achieved in a variety of ways. In one approach, the handle is coupled to a pinion which engages a rack movably mounted relative to the housing, the rack being coupled to the locking mechanism in use. In other options, a square spindle could protrude from the back of the handle into a gear box located outside the housing. This is particularly suitable for doors and the like.

The handle may comprise a number of recesses for the user's fingers to enable the user to grip the handle and move the handle from the storage position to the operational position. These recesses are "finger shaped" such that the user's fingers may easily fit into the recesses. The handle may also be formed without these recesses.

The housing is typically fabricated from any one of aluminium, wood, uPVC or a plastic. Plastic is preferred as this is easy to mould. However, any suitable material The housing of the control mechanism may further comprise an anti-ligature moulding comprising a flange, said flange substantially closing the gap between the handle and the housing on at least one side of the control mechanism when the handle is in the storage position. Further, the pivot shaft about which the handle pivots may be adapted to fracture if excess force is applied to the handle, for example, a body weight.

These abovementioned features are anti-ligature features to help address the health and safety of people in schools and public buildings. For example, substantially closing the gap between the handle and the housing prevents a rope or a shoe-lace being tied around or threaded through the control mechanism when the handle is in the storage position. These features are particularly useful in prisons and the like.

Preferably, the locking mechanism comprises at least one shoot bolt or at least one locking pin. The control mechanism can be adapted to control and actuate a number of locks around the perimeter of the door or window. These can comprise shoot bolt locking pins or can be a single spindle lock or any other suitable type of lock adapted for use on windows and doors.

Other methods of rotating a handle to actuate a locking mechanism such as gears, springs or wires are also envisaged.

AJthough the invention is particularly applicable to windows where the panel is fabricated from glass, other applications are envisaged where the panel is a door such as wood, uPVC or a plastic based material.

Brief Description of the Drawings

An example of a control mechanism according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-Figure 1 is a front view of the control mechanism in the storage position; Figure 2 is a cross section of the control mechanism in the storage position; Figure 3 is a partly cut-away side view of the control mechanism in the storage position; Figures 4 and 5 are views of the control mechanism in its operative position and from opposite sides with the glazing bead omitted; Figure 6 is a perspective view of the control mechanism with the handle extending out of the recess; Figures 7 and 8 are exploded views showing two different methods of mounting an anti-ligature moulding to the control mechanism; and Figure 9 is a front view of the control mechanism in the storage position, showing the case where the housing is an integral part of the glazing bead.

Description of Example

The control mechanism 1 shown in the drawings is for operating a locking mechanism for a window. However, it could readily be adapted to other applications such as all doors and windows of horizontal and vertical applications. The window, which is not shown in the drawings, comprises a glass pane mounted in an aluminium frame 2 which extends around the pane. The aluminium frame 2 is in turn mounted by one or more hinges (not shown) to an outer frame enabling the window to pivot between an open and closed position. In this example, the locking mechanism is of the type described in more detail in GB-A-2443043 comprising a slide bar 50 coupled by known means to one or more shoot bolts, pins or other multi-point lock which engages with corresponding recesses in the outer frame when the window is in its closed position so as to achieve locking.

A plastics moulding 3 defines a housing 4 within which is located an elongate recess 5.

A plastics handle 6 is pivotally mounted to the housing 4 so that in a storage position it is located, as shown in Figures 1-3, substantially within the recess 5.

The pivotal mounting of the handle 6 is seen most clearly in Figure 2. Thus, a spindle 7 is rotatably mounted in an aperture 8 in the base of the recess 5 and a pivot shaft 9 is mounted towards the end of the spindle 8 to which part of the handle 6 is pivotally connected.

The other end of the spindle 7 is fixed to a pinion 10 of a gear box 11, teeth 12 of the pinion 10 engaging corresponding teeth 13 of a rack 14 secured to the slide bar 50.

In one embodiment (Figures 1-3) the housing 4 is secured to the frame 2 by screws (not shown) extending through apertures 20 formed in flanges 21 of the housing.

In another embodiment the housing 4 is formed as an integral part of a glazing bead of the frame 2, as shown in Figure 9.

The handle 6 is urged into its storage position shown in Figures 1 to 3 by means of a tension spring 15 (seen in figures 7 and 8) extending between the underside of the handle 6 at 25 and the base of the recess 5.

In operation, assuming the window is in its locked position, the handle 6 will be located in its storage position shown in Figures 1 to 3. In order to unlock the window, the user presses a part 30 of the handle 6 which causes the remaining part ol the handle 6 to pivot outwardly from the recess about the pivot shaft 9. At this point, the handle 6 is at the position shown in Figure 6.

The user can then grip the handle 6 with the aid of gripping recesses 32 and pivot the handle further about the pivot shaft 9. The handle 6 can then be rotated about the axis defined by the spindle 7 so as to rotate the spindle 8 and hence the pinion 10. As can be seen more clearly in Figure 3, as the pinion 10 rotates, the rack 14 will move linearly in a direction 34 causing disengagement of the lock. The window can then be opened using the handle 6 and the handle 6 is then released. At that point, the handle will remain in its operative position as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the underside of the handle engaging against one of the walls of the recess 5. It is urged against that wall by means of the tension spring.

When the user wishes to close and lock the window, he firstly closes the window with the help of the handle 6, rotates the handle 6 back into alignment with the recess 5, and then releases it so that it returns into the recess. The rotational movement of the handle 6 causes rotation of the spindle 7 and corresponding linear movement of the slide bar 50 (in a direction opposite to that of arrow 34) and engagement of the lock.

An important feature of the invention is that the housing can be moulded to conform with or even to be integrally formed with a glazing bead 40. Thus the control mechanism can be used as an integral part of the manufacture/security of the window with the option of a face mounted version of the control mechanism if so desired. In one embodiment (Figures 1 to 3) the housing is mounted separately to the glazing bead 40 and the glazing bead 40 conceals the screws which attach the housing to the frame. This leads to a particularly pleasing appearance. In another embodiment the housing 4 is formed as an integral part of the glazing bead, as seen in Figure 9.

It will be noted that the recess 5 is substantially the same shape and dimensions as the handle 6 to enable the handle 6 to fit completely within the recess. This feature allows for a more aesthetically pleasing appearance since the handle is not protruding from the housing 4.

In summary, one handle and control mechanism controls a plurality of locks around the perimeter of the window and provides a more secure locking means for securing the window (or door). Since the handle forms part of the window or door it is unobtrusive to the eye and more aesthetically pleasing.

Another important preferred feature of the invention is an anti-ligature capability.

Figures 7 and 8 show how two examples of how the anti-ligature moulding may be attached to the control mechanism. Figure 7 shows the anti-ligature moulding 31 fitted separately to a standard pivot plate 51 of the spindle 7. The anti-ligature moulding 31 has an opening in its base so as to fit over a pair of ears 52 on the pivot plate. The handle is then attached to ears 52 via the pivot shaft 9 protruding through aligned apertures 54, thus maintaining the anti-ligature moulding in position.

When the handle is in the storage position, the upstanding flange 56 on the anti-ligature moulding 31 substantially closes the gap between the handle and the housing. When the handle is rotated about the axis of the spindle 7, the anti-ligature moulding will rotate with the handle.

Figure 8 shows an alternative way of attaching the anti-ligature moulding to the control mechanism. Here the combination of the standard pivot plate 51 of the spindle 7 and the anti-ligature moulding 31 seen in Figure 7 is replaced by a single pivot plate 51a moulded with an anti-ligature flange 58. The handle is attached to the ears 52 via the pivot shaft 9 as before.

When the handle is in the storage position, the flange on the anti-ligature moulding substantially closes the gap between the handle and the housing on at least one side of the control mechanism. This prevents, for example, a shoe lace, rope or thin wire being threaded through said gap which could be used in self-harm. As a result, the present embodiment is particularly useful in prisons, mental and self harm establishments, as well as in schools to fight against self harming..

When the handle is in the operational position, as seen in Figure 6, there is an opportunity to tie, for example, a rope or a shoe lace, around the handle. To prevent this acting as a ligature, the pivot shaft 9 is designed to fracture when an excess weight is applied to it. As an example, the average weight of a man may be 75kg and that of a woman 65kg. Thus the pivot shaft 9 is preferably made of a material and fractures under a load of 550N. This would allow plenty of force for which to use the control mechanism without the pivot shaft breaking, but the pivot shaft would easily fracture under the load of a body weight.

A further embodiment utilises a different locking mechanism to the one described above. The handle operates an independent (rather than integral) gearbox using a square spindle protruding from the rear of the handle and into the independent gearbox. This independent gearbox then actuates the locking mechanism on a standard window or door.

Claims

Claims 1. A control mechanism for controlling a locking mechanism of a panel moveably mounted within a frame, the control mechanism comprising: a housing for mounting the control mechanism to the panel, the housing being mounted so as to form part a glazing bead of the panel; and a handle supported by the housing and adapted to move relative to the housing between a storage position in which is it located in a recess of the housing and an operational position, wherein the handle is coupled to the locking mechanism in use; and wherein when the handle is moved from the storage position to the operational position, the handle extends out of the recess such that it may be gripped by a user and rotated to actuate the locking mechanism.
2. A control mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said housing is removably mounted to the glazing bead of the panel.
3. A control mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said housing is an integral part of the glazing bead of the panel.
4. A control mechanism according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a retention device to urge the handle towards the storage position.
5. A control mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the retention device comprises a tension spring.
6. A control mechanism according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the handle is completely contained within the recess of the housing when in the storage position.
7. A control mechanism according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the handle is flush with an upper surface of the housing when in the storage position.
8. A control mechanism according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the handle further comprises a number of recesses for the user's fingers to enable the user to grip the handle and move the handle from the storage position to the operational position.
9. A control mechanism according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the handle is adapted to engage an edge of the housing when the handle is rotated to actuate the locking mechanism so as to prevent the handle returning to the storage position.
10. A control mechanism according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the housing is fabricated from any one of aluminium, wood, uPVC or a plastic.
11. A control mechanism according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a pinion coupled to the handle and a rack engaged by the pinion, movably mounted relative to the housing, and coupled to the locking mechanism in use.
12. A control mechanism according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the control mechanism comprises an anti-ligature moulding comprising a flange, said flange substantially closing the gap between the handle and the housing on at least one side of the control mechanism when the handle is in the storage position.
13. The control mechanism of claim 12, wherein the flange on the anti-ligature moulding is integrally formed with the housing.
14. The control mechanism of claim 12, wherein the anti-ligature moulding is retro-fitted to the control mechanism.
15. The control mechanism of claim 12, wherein the anti-ligature moulding is mounted to a spindle coupling the handle to the locking mechanism.
16. The control mechanism of claim 15, wherein the anti-ligature moulding is an integral part of the spindle.
17. A control mechanism according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the pivot shaft is adapted to fracture if excess force is applied to the handle.
18. The control mechanism of claim 17, wherein the pivot shaft is adapted to fracture under a load of 550N or more.
19. A panel moveably mounted within a frame and secured in a closed position within the frame by a locking mechanism, wherein the panel comprises a control mechanism according to any of the preceding claims coupled to the locking mechanism.
20. A panel according to claim 19, wherein the panel comprises a glass pane.
21. A panel according to 19 or 20, wherein the locking mechanism comprises at least one shoot bolt or at least one locking pin.