GB2491578A

GB2491578A - Security Device for a door or window with retractable locking bars projecting on partial opening

Info

Publication number: GB2491578A
Application number: GB201109359A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stuart Graham Piper
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-06-03
Filing date: 2011-06-03
Publication date: 2012-12-12
Also published as: GB201109359D0

Abstract

A security device for door or window, comprising a locking member 1 movable between a first position which prevents rotation of a latch spindle 4 and a second position in which rotation is allowed. To permit retraction of a latch bolt L, the locking member is biased to the first position. The locking member may take the form of a sliding locking plate 1 with an aperture 9 surrounding the latch spindle 4. Furthermore, spring-loaded locking bars 2 which cooperate with stop brackets (fig 1, 8) may be provided which prevent full opening of the door. The locking member and locking bars may be connected with cables C1, C2, C3.

Description

Security Door or Window and Security Device The present invention relates to a security door or window and to a security device for limiting the opening of a door or window.

It is known to provide a security device which allows a door to be securely partially opened, in order to safely view and identify a caller outside of the door. The door is limited to opening only a small amount, and cannot be opened fully, so that a caller cannot enter through the doorway.

One such conventional device is a chain, extending between a door frame and an area adjacent to the door handle. This has the disadvantage that the chain is relatively weak, and so may be broken if a caller exerts a force on the door.

The fastenings connecting the chain to the door and the door frame are also relatively weak. Thus, an unwanted caller may be able to break through a partially open door secured with a chain.

UK Patent GB 2,422,403B (naming the present inventor) discloses a security device for securing a door pivotally mounted in a door frame, the security device comprising: a bar moveable relative to the door and a bracket which supports a first end stop spaced apart from the plane of the door frame; wherein the bar is moveable between: a first position in which the bar engages the end stop when the door is pivoted open and limits the opening of the door; and a second position in which the bar does not engage the end stop when the door is pivoted open and thereby allows the door to be fully opened, the bar, which is preferably vertical, being located closer to the hinged side of the door than the free side of the door.

In the described embodiment, the end stop is arranged so that the door can only be opened by about 100 mm when the bar engages the end stop. Any impact on the door (typically on the free side of the door, ic away from the bar, door hinges and end stop) will be absorbed by the flexing of the door and will not impinge directly on these elements. Accordingly the risk of impact damage to the bar, door hinges and end stop is reduced.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved security device in which the door or window can be latched shut and secured, at least to a degree, against forced entry.

Accordingly, in one aspect the invention provides a security device for securing a door or window pivotally mounted in a frame, the security device comprising: a locking member movable between a first position in which it prevents rotation of a latch spindle and a second position in which it allows rotation of the latch spindle to permit retraction of a latch bolt coupled to the latch spindle, the locking member being biased to the first position.

This arrangement has the advantage that the locking member automatically locks the door when it is latched shut.

Preferably the security device comprises a stop rigidly mounted with respect to the frame and spaced inwardly from the plane of the frame; at least one movable locking bar carried on the door or window, the locking bar projecting on partial opening of the door or window to engage the stop and thereby prevent full opening of the door or window, the locking bar being retractable by a handle to clear the stop and thereby allow full opening of the door or window, and a coupling connecting the locking bar to the locking member and arranged in use to move the locking member to the second position or allow movement of the locking member to the second position on closing the door or window.

This arrangement tends to prevent forced entry when the door is partially open, the natural resilience of the door or window tending to spring the door back to the latched position in which the locking member locks the door automatically Preferably said handle is connected to said locking member by at least one cable.

This preferred feature allows the handle and locking member to be placed in conventional positions (eg on opposite mid-portions of the door) with the cable following any convenient route eg around pulleys at the upper corners of the door.

Conveniently the security device comprises a locking plate on the inner side of the door or window which is movable by a user between a first position in which it allows retraction of said latch bolt by said handle and a second position in which it prevents retraction of said latch bolt by said handle.

Preferably said handle is coupled to a key-operated lock.

Preferably said locking member is in the form of a sliding locking plate having an aperture or slot therein through which said latch spindle projects in use, said latch spindle engaging opposite sides of said aperture or slot in said first position and being disengaged from said aperture or slot in said second position.

Preferably said sliding locking plate is mounted in a channel in a back plate, said back plate having one or more screw holes to enable it to be screwed to an inner face of the door or window.

This preferred feature provides a shallow construction of locking member and associated support which can be sandwiched between an inner face of the door or window and a conventional latch handle assembly.

In a preferred arrangement there are two spring-loaded movable locking bars which are located adjacent opposite sides of the door or window (eg the top and bottom horizontal sides), a hinged side (eg a vertical side) of the door or window extending between said opposite sides and said locking bars projecting substantially parallel to the hinge axis. Preferably the locking bars are mutually laterally offset. This feature maximises the resistance to forcing the door or window by ensuring that torque applied to the door or window is resisted by both locking bars as well as the hinge.

In another aspect the invention provides a security door or window, the security door or window comprising: at least one movable locking bar, said at least one movable locking bar projecting on partial opening of the door or window to prevent thu opcning of the door or window, the locking bar being retractable by a handle to allow full opening of the door or window; a locking member movable between a first position in which it prevents rotation of a latch spindle and a second position in which it allows rotation of the latch spindle to permit retraction of a latch bolt coupled to the latch spindle, the locking member being biased to the first position, and a coupling connecting the locking bar to the locking member and arranged in use to move the locking member to the second position or allow movement of the locking member to the second position on closing the door or window.

Preferably said handle is connected to said locking member by at least one cable.

Preferably said handle is coupled to a key-operated lock.

Preferably said locking bar is biased to the projecting position.

Preferably there are two movable locking bars which project from opposite sides of the door or window, a hinged side of the door or window extending between said opposite sides.

Preferably said movable locking bars project from positions on the door or window which are different distances from the hinge axis. as noted above, this feature enhances the resistance to a torque applied to the door by ensuring that both locking bars do not constitute a hinge axis.

S

Preferably the or each said locking bar is located closer to a hinged side of the door or window than to the opposite unhinged side.

The invention also provides a kit of parts for making the security device or security door or window.

An embodiment of the invention is described below by way of example only with reference to Figures 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a partial plan view of the door frame and bracket of a security device in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic elevation of the interior side of a security door in accordance with the invention; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of the security door of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a diagrammatic cut-away elevation showing a locking slide utilised in the security door of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a diagrammatic side view showing the interior of a lock utilised in the security door of Figure 2, and Figure 6 is a diagrammatic elevation of a rotary locking plate and associated cable couplings utilised in the lock of Figure 5.

Referring to Figure 1, a security door 50 is conventionally hinged by vertical hinges 51 to a door frame 52. A spring-loaded upper locking bar 2 is carried on the interior face of the door 50 near the top side and, in the partially open condition of the door shown in the Figure, projects upwardly within a slot formed in a bracket 8. Bracket 8 is secured, eg by screws, to the top of door frame 52 and acts as a stop to prevent full opening of the door. As described below, upper locking bar 2 is retractable (in the downward direction) to clear the slot and allow full opening of the door.

A similar locking bolt arrangement including a lower locking bar 2 is carried on the interior face of the door near the bottom side. The outer ends of the locking bars 2 are chamfered (see Figure 5) and/or engage ramp surfaces (not shown) which force them to retract against the action of their associated compression springs when the door 50 is closed, allowing the door to be shut with the upper and lower locking bars 2 flush with its upper and lower edges respectively.

Referring to Figure 2, upper and lower spring-loaded locking bars 2 are provided on the hinged (left) side of the door. The lower locking bar is laterally offset from the upper locking bar in order to ensure that any attempted opening of the door when the bars 2 are engaged in their brackets 8 will be resisted by at least one of the bars 2 (whereas if the bars 2 were mutually aligned they could define a hinge axis).

The bars 2 are coupled by cables C2 and C3 respectively to a key-operated rotary plate 11 of a cylinder lock 3 which is shown in detail in Figures 5 and 6. As shown in Figures 2, 5 and 6, this plate 11 is also coupled to a mortiee lock 10 which includes a conventional spring-loaded latch bolt L for securing the door 50 when it is shut. Rotary plate 11 is operated by a rotary handle assembly 14.

Accordingly, handle assembly 14 operates mortice lock 10 via cable Cl, as described in detail below with reference to Figure 4.

Referring to Figure 3, in which the cables Cl to C3 and the locking bars 2 are omitted for the sake of clarity and ease of illustration, a conventional handle assembly 19 on the inner face of the door 50 and a similar handle assembly 19' on the outer face of the door are connected to a latch spindle 4 on the unhinged (right) side of the door which operates spring-loaded latch bolt L. Thus latch bolt L can be withdrawn by operating the handles of either of handle assemblies 19, 19' to allow opening of the door 50. Either or both of these handle assemblies is provided with a keyhole (not shown) for operating the associated mortice lock 10 in a conventional manner.

Additionally, cylinder lock 3 is operated in a conventional manner by a key 12 and by its associated handle assembly 14.

in accordance with the invention, handle assembly 19 is modified by providing an assembly comprising a back plate 5 and a spring-actuated sliding locking plate 1 between handle assembly 19 and the inner face of the door SO. Locking plate 1 is coupled to handle assembly 14 and its associated lock mechanism by cable Cl and has a keyhole-shaped slot 9 (Figure 4) whose rectangular end normally engages latch spindle 4 (as shown in Figure 4) to prevent rotation of the latch spindle and hence to prevent withdrawal of latch bolt L by rotation of either of the handle assemblies 19, 19'.

Referring to Figure 4, Locking plate 1 is located between a casing 6 of handle assembly 19 and back plate 5. Back plate S is provided with screw holes 7 to enable it to be bolted to thedoor 50 and with an aperture 21 to allow the latch spindle 4 and key (not shown) to pass through from the door to the mortice lock 10. Locking plate 1 is mounted for vertical travel in a channel 20 formed in back plate S as indicated by the double-headed arrow and is biased to the lower position shown in Figure 4 by a tension spring Si. Accordingly, in this position the opposite sides of the slot 9 prevent rotation of latch spindle 4.

The end of cable Cl is coupled to locking plate 1 to enable the locking plate to be raised until the opposite sides of the rectangular portion of slot 9 disengage from latch spindle 4 and the expanded lower circular end of the slot 9 allows the latch spindle to be tuned. In the raised position, the locking plate 1 allows latch bolt L to be retracted by either of handle assemblies 19, 19' when their associated mortiee lock 10 is unlocked.

The default position shown in Figure 4 in which locking plate 1 is in the lowered position prevents opening of the door 50 from the outside and thus achieves the same security as a conventional cylinder latch (as normally found on wooden doors).

If a caller arrives and the occupant wishes to open the door 50 from the inside, the occupant can pull locking plate 1 upwards either by turning the handle of handle assembly 14 anticlockwise to tension cable Ci or by lifting a folded lug portion 1A of the protruding upper end of locking plate 1 (Figure 4), following which the handle of handle assembly 19 can be rotated anticlockwise to retract latch bolt L. At this stage, cables C2 and C3 allow spring-loaded locking bars 2 to project into their associated brackets 8 (Figure 2), so the door can only be opened about 100 mm. If the caller attempts a forced entry, eg by kicking the open side of the door 50, the resilience of the door in combination with the locking bars 2 will make the door spring back and latch bolt L will latch the door shut. Furthermore, the handle of handle assembly 19' will then be locked by locking plate 1, which will be rapidly pulled back to its lower position by tension spring Si.

The occupant is then given the opportunity to increase security by locking mortice lock 10 and any other latches or bolts (not shown) provided on door 50.

Altematively, if the occupant wishes to admit the caller, after partially opening the door to the limit allowed by locking bars 2, he or she can retract these locking bars by rotating the handle of handle assembly i4 anticlockwise, following which the door can be opened fully.

Raising the locking plate 1 (eg by turning the handle of handle assembly 14 clockwise) allows the door to be closed and then latched shut by the conventional latching action of latch bolt L. The ramp surfaces and/or chamfered ends (not shown) of locking bars 2 allow them to retract against their spring loading during the closing of the door.

Thus the door 50 can be opened either fully or partially (ie with an opening of up to about 100 mm at the right-hand side), depending on the user's assessment of the caller, and then latched shut by operating the handles of handle assemblies 14 and 19.

The occupant can also open the door 50 from the outside using a key 12 (Figure 3) to operate cylinder lock 3 and its associated handle assembly. Specifically, turning the key 12 in lock 3 anticlockwise (as viewed from the outside of door 50) will tension cable Cl and thereby raise locking plate 1, allowing the handle of handle assembly 19' to be turned to retract latch bolt L and allow opening of the dooii Referring to Figure 5, the mortice lock 3 incorporates a conventional locking cylinder 13 operated by key 12. A conventional cylinder tongue 16 engages a slot 15 in rotary plate 11 and enables the locking bars 2 to be withdrawn by the rotary plate.

The operation of cylinder lock 3 and its associated cables is explained in detail below: Referring to Figures 5 and 6, it will be seen that cables C2 and C3 are connected to diametrically opposite peripheral portions of a rotary plate 11 which is connected to and operated by rotary handle of handle assembly 14. Compression springs S2 and S3 of upper and lower locking bars 2 tension cables C2 and C3 and tend to rotate rotary plate 11 clockwise in the rest position shown in Figure 6. In this configuration the connection point of cable C2 is offset to the left of the top dead centre position and the connection point of cable C3 is offset to the right of the bottom dead centre position.

Anticlockwise rotation of the handle of handle assembly 14 by the user rotates the above connection points further away from the top and bottom dead centre positions and therefore retracts cables C2 and C3 and their associated locking bars 2.

Accordingly, if handle 14 is maintained in the fully rotated position as the door is opened, locking bars 2 do not engage their associated brackets 8 (Figure 1) and the door can be fully opened.

It will be appreciated that Figure 5, being purely diagrammatic, is not to scale and that the thickness of the door 50 is greatly exaggerated whereas the height of the door is greatly diminished.

Referring to Figure 6, clockwise rotation of the handle of handle assembly 14 moves the connection point of cable Cl (connected to locking plate 1) further away from the top dead centre position and tensions it so as to raise locking plate 1 and release the latch spindle 4. Conversely, cables C2 and C3 (coupled to the locking bars 2) are slackened by clockwise rotation of the handle and hence locking bars 2 are unaffected.

In a variant, cable Cl (which is shown running over pulleys located near the upper comers of door 50) could be replaced by a cable Cl' as shown in Figures 5 and 6.

This would allow the pulleys shown in Figure 2 to be dispensed with but would involve a cable running across the middle of the door 50. This may be acceptable in some cases, eg if the door (or window) is of two-panel construction.

The door 50 could be of wood or of PVC. When used on a PVC door, the need to pull the door shut, lift the handle and then lock the door with a key is eliminated.

The door can simply be pulled shut, as described above, locking both locks 3 and 10.

The door 50 could be the door of a building or of a vehicle (such as a lony trailer for example). In a further variant, the door 50 could be substituted by a window.

In a variant, keyhole-shaped aperture 9 in locking plate 1 could be replaced by a slot cut in eg one edge of locking plate 1. For example a slot could be cut in the lower edge of locking plate 1 and the locking plate could be raised to release the latching spindle 4 from the slot.

In a further variant, the hinges 51 could be on the right of the door 50, rather than on the left as shown in Figure 2.

In further variants, the coupling between the handle and the latch and/or movable S locking members could be electro-mechanical -eg solenoid operated.

Claims

Claims 1. A security device for securing a door or window pivotally mounted in a frame, the security device comprising: a locking member movable between a first position in which it prevents rotation of a latch spindle and a second position in which it allows rotation of the latch spindle to permit rctraction of a latch bolt coupled to the latch spindle, the locking member being biased to the first position.
2. A security device according to claim 1, further comprising: a stop rigidly mounted with respect to the frame and spaced inwardly from the plane of the frame; at least one movable locking bar carried on the door or window, the locking bar projecting on partial opening of the door or window to engage the stop and thereby prevent full opening of the door or window, the locking bar being retractable by a handle to clear the stop and thereby allow full opening of the door or window, and a coupling connecting the locking bar to the locking member and arranged in use to move the locking member to the second position or allow movement of the locking member to the second position on closing the door or window.
3. A security device according to claim 2 wherein said handle is connected to said locking member by at least one cable.
4. A security device according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein said handle is coupled to a key-operated lock.
5. A security device according to any preceding claim wherein said locking member is in the form of a sliding locking plate having an aperture or slot therein through which said latch spindle projects in use, said latch spindle engaging opposite sides of said aperture or slot in said first position and being disengaged from said aperture or slot in said second position.
6. A security device according to claim 5 wherein said sliding locking plate is mounted in a channel in a back plate, said back plate having one or more screw holes to enable it to be screwed to an inner face of the door or window.
7. A security door or window, the security door or window comprising: at least one movable locking bar, said at least one movable locking bar projecting on partial opening of the door or window to prevent full opening of the door or window, the locking bar being retractable by a handle to allow full opening of the door or window; a locking member movable between a first position in which it prevents rotation of a latch spindle and a second position in which it allows rotation of the latch spindle to permit retraction of a latch bolt coupled to the latch spindle, the locking member being biased to the first position. and a coupling connecting the locking bar to the locking member and arranged in use to move the locking member to the second position or allow movement of the locking member to the second position on closing the door or window.
8. A security device according to claim 7 wherein said handle is connected to said locking member by at least one cable.
9. A security door or window according to claim 7 or claim 8 wherein said handle is coupled to a key-operated lock.
10. A security door or window according to any of claims 7 to 9 wherein said locking bar is biased to the projecting position.
11. A security door or window according to any of claims 7 to 10 wherein there are two movable locking bars which project from opposite sides of the door or window, a hinged side of the door or window extending between said opposite sides.
12. A security door or window according to claim 11 wherein said movable locking bars project from positions on the door or window which are different distances from the hinge axis.
13. A security door or window according to any of claims 7 to 12 wherein the or each said locking bar is located closer to a hinged side of the door or window than to the opposite unhinged side.
14. A security device for a door or window, the security device being substantially as described hereinabove with reference to Figures 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings..
15. A security door substantially as described hereinabove with reference to Figures 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.17. A kit of parts for a security device or a security door or window, the security device or security door or window being as claimed in any preceding claim.