GB2515342A

GB2515342A - Butt flag hinges

Info

Publication number: GB2515342A
Application number: GB1311116.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Leonard Johnson
Original assignee: Grouphomesafe Ltd
Current assignee: Era Home Security Ltd
Priority date: 2013-06-21
Filing date: 2013-06-21
Publication date: 2014-12-24
Anticipated expiration: 2033-06-21
Also published as: CN203846911U; GB201311116D0; GB2515342B

Abstract

A butt flag hinge 1 has a packer 15 retained by, integrated with, or built into, at least one of the hinge flag leafs 3 and is adjustable in the lateral direction. The flag leaf 3 may have stepped construction 7, 8 connected by a vertical strip 9, to fit into a longitudinally extending groove in a door or window profile. The packer 15 may be retained by means of screws 20 turnable through threaded holes to move the packer 15 in or out 29. The packer 15 may be housed in a channel in the leaf 3, and may move in and out of the channel when adjusted. C shaped clip washers may be provided behind the retaining screws 20. The packer 15 may be a rectangular metal plate and the hinge flag leafs 3 may be PVC-U. The hinge 1 allows adjustment of a hinged door or window without dismounting it entirely, for example in the event of thermal expansion.

Description

Butt Flag Hinges This invention relates to butt flag hinges, more particularly but not exclusively for bi-fold doors or windows.

Butt flag hinges have two flag leafs provided with screw holes through which fixing screws for fixing the butt hinge to a door/window sash/surrounding frame and are typically capable of some kind of adjustment to adjust the distance/gap between the door/window sashes/ surrounding frame profiles.

Adjustable butt flag hinges come in two types, namely: Adjustable' for lateral, height and compression adjustments of the profile distance by means of a fixed component called a sledge in the door/window sash profile and adjusting a screw attached to a flag leaf to move the flag leaf backwards or forwards. One such adjustable butt flag hinge is manufactured and marketed by the Applicant under the trade mark Nexus'. In the Challenger' and Challenger Next Generation' adjustable butt flag hinges manufactured and marketed by the Applicant, a hinge flag leaf is adjusted by means of worm drives in the hinge body; Plain' for lateral adjustment of the profile distance by inserting a single separate packer or multiple thickness separate packers between the flag leafs and the door/window sashes profiles or door/window sash and frame profiles. Although plain butt flag hinges are considerably less expensive to make and sell than the multi-direction adjustable hinges, they have several disadvantages, namely:-a) the door or window fabricator has to measure the distance/gap between the sash and sash or sash and frame profiles and then fit the right size packer behind the flag leaf before securing the flag leaf to the profile; b) several separate packers of either the same or different thicknesses to suit the size/profile of the flag leaf are required and come with each hinge; c) the packers which are not used have to be thrown away which is a waste and is not good for the environment; d) if the door/window has already been fabricated and some hinges require extra separate packers under their flag leafs, then only one hinge can be adjusted at a time because the hinge flag leaf needs to be completely detached from the door/window sash/frame profile to fit another separate packer or remove the existing one; and e) if any further adjustments need to be made after fabrication of the doors or windows, another visit from the fabricators is required which increases costs, inconvenience and customer dissatisfaction.

Furthermore, extreme temperatures can cause thermal expansion problems with the known plain butt flag hinges. In hot weather the distance/gap between the profiles may be reduced, which might cause operating problems such as clashing between the door/window sash profiles and door/window sash/frame profiles so the doors/windows won't open oi close. In cold weather the thermal expansion may cause the distance/gap between the profiles to be increased resulting in draughts and reduction in room temperatures.

When butt flag hinges are made from PVC-U, for an original 1000mm length of PVC-U at 20°C and an increase in temperature to 40°C, the change in temperature is 20°C. The change in length is given by: 1000mm x 0.00006/°C x 20°C = 1.2mm, i.e. a total length after expansion islOOl.2mm. If the temperature is decreased to 0°C then the calculation is the same but the change in temperature is -20°C. So, the length changes by -1.2mm, i.e. a decrease in length to 998.8mm.

Therefore, under such circumstances there is a need for the butt flag hinges to be adjusted on site quickly and easily.

As will be appreciated, these disadvantages and resultant problems are multiplied with bi fold doors/windows.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable butt flag hinge utilising a packer but which avoids or at least substantially overcomes the aforesaid disadvantages of plain butt flag hinges.

To this end, and from one aspect, the present invention resides in a butt flag hinge having a packer which is retained by at least one of the hinge flag leafs for movement with respect thereto to enable lateral adjusting movement of the hinge.

Expressed in another way, the invention resides in a butt flag hinge having a packer which is retained by, integrated with, or built into at least one of the hinge flag leafs for movement with respect thereto to enable lateral adjusting movement of the hinge.

By means of the invention! the butt flag hinge can be laterally adjusted to vary the distance! gap between the cooperating door/window sash profiles and door/window sash/frame profiles without completely detaching the hinge flag leaf from the associated profile, From another aspect, the present invention resides in a butt flag hinge which is laterally adjustable by means of at least one packer which is interposed between at least one of the hinge flag leafs and cooperating door/window sash profiles and door/window sash/frame profiles, characterised in that the packer is retained by, integrated with, or built into, at least one of the hinge flag leafs, whereby when the hinge is mounted between the profiles, the hinge can be laterally adjusted to vary the distance gap between the profiles without completely detaching the flag leaf from the associated profile, As the lateral adjustment is obtained by means of a packer which retained by, integrated with or built into one or both of the flag leafs, the distance/gap between the cooperating profiles can be quickly and easily adjusted and there are no large packers to be thrown away as waste which is good for the environment. If such butt flag hinges do need to be adjusted on site then this can be quickly and easily be achieved by loosening the fixing screws which fix the at least one flag leaf to the associated profile, and laterally moving the retained/integrated/built-in packer with respect to the particular flag leaf.

During fabrication of a door/window, butt flag hinges constructed in accordance with the invention can be installed to the optimum air gap because the adjustment can be used to eliminate manufacturing tolerances of door/window sashes and frame without the use of separate packers. If extreme temperatures cause thermal expansion problems, then such butt flag hinges can be adjusted quickly and easily to enable the door/window to operate correctly again.

To facilitate retention, integration or building in of the packer, the or each hinge flag leaf is advantageously of stepped construction providing integrally joined inner and outer flag parts which lie in separate parallel planes. This enables the inner and outer flag parts to be fixed to the appropriate door/window profile by fixing screws passing through respective sets of screw fixing holes in the inner and outer flag parts, with the outer flag part projecting into, and being accommodated in, a longitudinal groove in the appropriate door/window profile. To provide the stepped flag leaf, the inner and outer flag parts may be integrally joined by respective longitudinally extending vertical strips.

In a preterred embodiment, the butt flag hinge can be adjusted quickly and easily by loosening the fixing screws which fix the flag leafs to the profiles and adjusting retaining means, such as two retaining screws, which retain the packers on the flag leafs, as by an Allen key for example, and then tightening the fixing screws back up, to enable the door/window to operate correctly again.

Advantageously, exact measurement of the laterally adjusted gap between the profiles may be achieved by placing or removing a washer such as a C" shaped washer, under the or each retaining screw. The washers may be of the clip-on kind for ease of retainment behind the retaining screws.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, an embodiment in accordance therewith will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-Fig. 1 is a front view of an adjustable butt flag hinge for a door/window, in a hinge-open, door/window closed position; Fig. 2 is a side view of the butt flag hinge of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the butt flag hinge of Figs.1 and 2; Fig. 4 is a rear view of the butt flag hinge of Figs. ito 3; Fig. 5 is a perspective view from the front and one side of the bull flag hinge of Figs. i to 4; Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section taken along the line A-A shown in Fig. 4 and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, of the bull flag hinge of Figs. ito 5; Fig. 7 is an exploded view of the butt flag hinge of Figs.1 to 6, to an enlarged scale showing the directions of adjusting movements; Fig.8 is a cross-section of the butt flag hinge of Fig. 1 to 7 fixed to cooperating sash and frame profiles of a bi-fold door/window; and Fig. 9 is a cross-section of the butt flag hinge of Fig 8 fixed to two cooperating sash profiles of a bi fold door/window, to the profiles of which the bull hinge is fixed therebetween.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 9 of the drawings, there is shown an adjustable butt flag hinge 1 having two flag leafs 3 mounted for inward and outward turning movement on a hinge pin 5 between a fully closed door/window position shown in Figs. 1 to 6, 8 and 9 and an unshown open door/window position. In Fig. 7, the upper (as shown) one of the flag leafs 3 is in the open position and the lower (as shown) flag leaf 3 is in the closed position. One set of three screw fixing holes 6 are provided in an inner flag part 7 and another set of three screw fixing holes 6 is provided in an outer flag part 8, for the passage of fixing screws (not shown) to fix the hinge 1 to oppositely facing door/window sash frame profiles. In each hinge flag 3, the inner and outer flag parts 7 and 8 are integrally joined by respective vertical strips 9 so that they are offset from each other to provide stepped flags 3 in which the inner and outer flag parts 7 and 8 lie in respective parallel planes. This stepped flag leaf 3 construction enables packers 15, to be described, to be retained by, integrated with, or built into the two flag leafs 3.

The fixing screws passing through the holes 6 in the inner and outer flag parts 7 and 8 fix the hinges ito sash and frame profiles 10 and 11 respectively of the sashes 12 and frame 13 (Fig.8) and to the sash profiles 10, 10 of the sashes 12, of a bi fold door 14. When fixed to the sash/frame profiles, the outer flag parts 7 project into, and are accommodated in respective grooves 17, 17a (Fig. 8) and 17, 17 (Fig. 9 in the respective sash/frame profiles 10,11 and sash profiles 10.

The two packers 15, which are rectangularly-shaped plates preferably of a metal such as steel, are respectively retained by, integrated with, or built into the outer flag parts 8 of the two flag leafs 3 by providing the outer flag pads with a channel 18. threaded through-holes 19 for headed retaining screws 20 whose free ends are spun as indicated at 21 in Fig. 6 to hold the packers 15 thereon in alignment with the channel 18. The retaining screws 20 are threadedly engaged in the threaded holes 19 in the outer flag pad 8 and with a headed threaded nut 22 (Fig.6) disposed within a longitudinal recess 23 in the outer flag part 8. The heads 24 of the retaining screws 20 cooperate with the outer flag part 8. Drive tool slots 25 are formed in the retaining screw heads 24 for a drive tool which is conveniently an Allen key 26 (Fig. 7) to turn the retaining screws 20 when necessary to adjust the distance/gap between the door/window profiles and laterally adjust the hinge 1. Exact lateral adjustment is obtained by means of washers 27 which are disposed under retaining screw heads 24. Such washers are advantageously of "C-shape and of the "clip-on" kind for ease of retainment behind the retaining screws 20.

To make lateral adjustments of the butt flag hinge 1, the profile fixing screws are loosened in their fixing holes 6. Then, the threaded retaining screws 22 are turned, in either of the directions indicated by the arrows 28 in Fig. 7, for example using the Allen key 26, thereby moving the retained packers 15 away from or towards the channel 18 and the outer flag part 8 in either of the directions indicated by the arrows 29 in Fig.7. This turning action of the retaining screws 20 in the case of the right-hand flag leaf 3 illustrated in Fig 7, varies the distance/gap 30 between the profiles 10, 11 and 10, 10 (see Figs. 3, Band 9) and enables lateral adjustment of the butt flag hinge 1 without completely detaching the flag leafs 3 from the profiles 10, 11/10, 10.

It will be appreciated from Fig. 3 that the packer 15 of the left hand flag leaf 3 of the butt hinge 1 is located in the channel 18. The bottom of the channel 18 can act as an end stop to define an end position in which there has been no adjustment. In the right-hand flag leaf shown in Fig. 3, the packer 15 has been adjusted by the amount illustrated so that the gap/distance 30 between the profiles has been increased has been decreased. Either one or both of the flag leafs 3 of the butt hinge 1 can be adjusted depending upon the distance/gap required, e.g. to compensate for manufacturing and fabrication mis-tolerances and temperature changes.

It will be appreciated that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, one only of the two flag leafs of a butt flag hinge may be provided with adjustable retained packers. The two flag leafs are conveniently made from PVC-U. Although the invention has been described with reference to butt flag hinges for bi fold doors/windows, the butt flag hinges described may have other uses, for example for casement windows.

Claims

Claims 1. A butt flag hinge having a packer which is retained by at least one of the hinge flag leafs for movement with respect thereto to enable lateral adjusting movement of the hinge.
2. A butt flag hinge having a packer which is retained by, integrated with, or built into, at least one of the hinge flag leafs for movement with respect thereto to enable lateral adjusting movement of the hinge.
3. A butt flag hinge which is laterally adjustable by means of at least one packer which is interposed between at least one of the hinge flag leafs and cooperating door/window sash profiles and door/window sash/frame profiles, characterised in that the packer is retained by, integrated with, or built into, at least one of the hinge flag leafs, whereby when the hinge is mounted between the profiles, the hinge can be laterally adjusted to vary the distance/gap between the profiles without completely detaching the flag leaf from the associated profile.
4. A butt flag hinge as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the flag leaf is of stepped construction providing integrally joined inner and outer flag parts which lie in separate parallel planes.
5. A butt flag hinge as claimed in claim 4, wherein the inner and outer flag parts of the stepped flag leaf are integrally joined by a longitudinally extending strip.
6. A butt flag hinge as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the outer flag part projects into, and is accommodated in, a longitudinally extending groove in the appropriate door/window profile when the hinge is fitted to the profiles.
7. A butt flag hinge as claimed in any of claims 4 to 6, wherein the inner and outer flag parts are provided with respective sets of screw fixing holes for the passage of fixing screws for fixing the flag leaf to the appropriate door/window profile.
8. A butt flag hinge as claimed in any of claims 4 to 7, wherein the retained, integrated or built in packer is retained, integrated with, or built into the flag leaf by means of retaining screws which pass through threaded holes in the outer flag part and are turnable in the threaded holes to move the packer inwards and outwards of the outer flag part to engage or disengage with an associated dooi/window profile foi lateral adjustment of the hinge.
9. A butt flag hinge as claimed in claim 8, wherein the retained, integrated or built in packer is aligned with a channel in the outer flag part and is movable out of and into the channel and visa versa when the letaining screws are turned.
10. A butt flag hinge as claimed in claim 9, wherein the retained, integrated, or built in packei is fixed to the free ends of the retaining sciews which pass through the channel.
11. A butt flag hinge as claimed in any of claims 8 to 10, wheiein the outer flag pait defines a longitudinal recess through which the retaining screws pass and wherein nuts are threaded on the two retaining screws respectively and are housed within the longitudinal recess.
12. A butt flag hinge as claimed in any of claims 8 to 11, wherein the retaining screws each have heads defining a respective tool drive slot for turning the retaining screws.
13. A butt flag hinge as claimed in any of claims 8 to 12, wherein washers are retained behind the retaining screw heads and are in engagement with the outer flag part.
14. A bull flag hinge as claimed in claim 13, wherein the washers are each in the form of a clip which is preferably of "C" shape.
15. A butt flag hinge as claimed in claims 8 to 13, wherein the butt hinge is laterally adjusted by loosening the fixing screws which fix the flag leafs to the profiles, turning the retaining screws to move the retained, integrated, oi built in packer to a desiied position relative to the associated profile and then tightening the fixing screws with the retained, integrated, or built in packer in the desired adjusted position.
16. A butt flag hinge as claimed in any of claims 1 to 15, wherein the retained, integrated, or built in packei is a rectangulaily shaped metal plate.
17. A butt flag hinge as claimed in any of claims 1 to 16, wherein the flag leafs are made from PVC-U.
18. A butt flag hinge having a retained, integiated, oi built in packei substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 7 of the accompanying drawings.
19. A bi fold dooi or window including a butt flag hinge having a ietained, integrated, or built in packer and as claimed in any of claims 1 to 17, wherein the bull hinge is loosably fixed to the associated door or window profile with the packer in, or to be in, moveable engagement with the profile.
20. A bi fold door or window including a butt flag hinge having a retained, integrated, or built in packer substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 8 or Fig. 9 of the accompanying drawings.