WO2003102334A1

WO2003102334A1 - A lockable handle assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2003102334A1
Application number: PCT/GB2003/002318
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giovanni Maria Laporta
Original assignee: Giovanni Maria Laporta
Priority date: 2002-05-31
Filing date: 2003-05-28
Publication date: 2003-12-11
Also published as: GB2389141B; GB2389141A; GB0212639D0; AU2003234037A1

Abstract

The present invention provides a lockable handle assembly for a window or door including: a handle member having a lockable position to lock a window or door, said handle being moveable away from the lockable position in order to open the window or door; a locking device having a locked condition for preventing movement of the handle away from the lockable position and an unlocked condition for allowing movement of the handle away from the lockable position, wherein the locking device is configured to switch between the locked and unlocked conditions in response to an applied magnetic force.

Description

A LOCKABLE HANDLE ASSEMBLY

The present invention relates to a lockable handle assembly.

Most existing window or door handles have a locked position in which they may not be turned and an unlocked position in which turning the handle releases a latch member that allows the door or window to be opened. Opening of such conventional configurations requires a key to be inserted into a locking barrel of the handle and turned between a locked and an unlocked position.

Unfortunately, such locks can be relatively easy to open without a key due to space limitations allowing use of the lock to be circumvented which is often attributed to poor assembly. Furthermore, the keys tend to be small and so can be awkward for people who have limited use of their hands or have poor eyesight. An added problem is that it is also difficult to tell by looking at the handle whether it is in the unlocked or unlocked condition and so a physical check usually has to be carried out. According to the present invention there is provided a lockable handle assembly for a window or door including: a handle member having- a lockable position to lock a window or door, said handle being movable away from the lockable position in order to open the window or door; a locking device having a locked condition for preventing movement of the handle away from the lockable position and an unlocked condition for allowing movement of the handle away from the lockable position, wherein the locking device is configured to switch between the locked and unlocked conditions in response to an applied magnetic force. The locking device may be resiliently biased to the locking condition so that it remains in this condition when a magnet force is not present. The locking device may be resiliently biased by means of a spring or spring-type mechanism.

The assembly may include a key component including a magnet for controlling the locking device. The key can include a switch which is activated when the key is brought into proximity or into contact with the handle, the activation of the switch providing an indication that the locking device is being unlocked. The activation of the switch may switch on an LED. Alternatively, the actuation of the switch and the LED could show that the locking device is in the locked position. The assembly may include a handle mounting, the handle member being pivotally connected to a bore in the mounting by means of a shaft. The shaft may include a flexible, resilient protrusion at its end that can be pushed into the bore, but which cannot easily be removed. The mounting may include an abutment portion to help limit the rotation of the protrusion. An aperture leading to the bore in the mounting may be shaped to correspond with a corresponding shape such as a "bayonet type" assembly on the end of the shaft. Although the handle assembly has been described with reference to a handle operated by a magnetic force, it is envisaged that the 'bayonet-type' or other shaped end of the shaft could be used with conventional handles whether or not they are locking. It is also envisaged that in some situations, the handle needs to be permanently locked or unlocked. Particularly to comply with certain fire regulations, a window or door may need to be kept unlocked. This can be done by using an insert or pin that stops the assembly from being able to be deadlocked by the locking device. Whilst the invention has been described above, it extends to any inventive combination of the features set out above or in the following description. The invention may be performed in various ways, and, by way of example only, an embodiment thereof will now be described, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective side view of a preferred embodiment of the locking handle assembly;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the handle component and the handle mounting prior to assembly;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the handle and mounting after assembly with the handle fully open; Figure 4 is a plan view of the handle and mounting after assembly with the handle fully closed, and

Figure 5 is a perspective view detailing the connection between the handle and the mounting.

Referring to Figure 1, a handle mounting 2 is fixed to a door or window frame 3 by means of two screws 4, 5. More screws can be used for added security, or a single screw if this is all that the space on the frame will allow. The screws 4, 5 are fixed to the frame 3 through two respective sunken bores 6, 7 formed in the mounting 2. A cover 8 is provided to fit in the bore 7 to hide the head of the screw 5 that is at the right hand side of the mounting. The handle mounting 2 includes two further bores in its upper surface. The first of these is a spindle bore 9 intended to receive part of a handle component 12. The second one is a lock component bore 10 located adjacent the left-hand bore 6.

The handle component 12 is substantially conventional in shape and has a gripping portion 13 leading to a main body portion 14. The handle 12 is pivotally connected to the mounting 2 by means of a substantially cylindrical shaft 33 that extends downwards out of the handle body 14 and into the spindle bore 9. Turning the handle 12 about axis of the spindle 15 withdraws a latch of the window or door leaf (not shown) in a known manner so that the window or door can be opened.

The handle component 12 includes a cavity 17 accessible by an aperture in the lower surface of the main body 14. The cavity is dimensioned so that it can fully house a dual locking component 16 which is slidably mounted within it.

Two springs 18 are positioned between the upper surface of the locking component 16 and the surface forming the ceiling of the cavity 17. Although two springs are shown in the example it will be understood that one or any other reasonable number of springs could be used. The locking component 16 is thus resiliently biased downwards. When the handle is assembled and in its closed position, the locking component 16 can be pushed by the springs 18 to its locking position. The left-hand barrel of the locking component 16 is intended to fit into the top of the sunken bore 6, above the head of the screw, whilst the right-hand barrel is intended to fit into the lock component barrel 10. The handle 12 is thereby prevented from being rotated about the axis of the shaft 33 and is locked in that position.

A magnet 19 is fixed within an upper portion of the lock component 16, on to which one of the springs 18 is positioned. A plate 20, which may be made of titanium for lightness and strength and non-magnetic characteristics, is positioned to the upper end of the handle cavity 17. The plate 20 is intended as a security feature to help prevent a potential intruder from drilling through the handle 12 to remove the springs 18. Although titanium is mentioned, other non- ferrous materials can be used in accordance with cost and availability.

To the left of the cavity 17, a bulbous protrusion 13 extends downwards from the bottom of the handle 12. The protrusion 13 is intended to slide into a curved channel 13A in the upper surface of the mounting 2. The channel 13A is shaped to receive the protrusion 13 and follows its intended path as the handle 12 is rotated about the axis of the shaft 33. One end of the channel opens onto the side of the mounting 12, whilst the other end is blind and acts as a stop to prevent the handle being rotated further than intended when it reaches the osed position. The protrusion and channel arrangement is intended as an added security feature that helps prevent the handle 12 from being forced upwards away from the mounting 2.

A magnetic key 22 is used to move the locking component 16 out of the bores 6 and 10 to unlock the handle. The key 22 includes a magnet 24 that, when bought into proximity with the upper surface of the handle main body 14, can attract the magnet 19 of the locking component 16. This draws the locking component up out of the bores 6, 10 against the bias provided by the springs 18, and holds the locking component in the unlocked position. The key 22 can be left to sit on top of the handle 12, allowing the user to use both hands to operate the handle. Moving the key 22 away from the handle 12 allows the springs 18 to push the locking component 16 back down into the bores 6 and 10 and into the locked position. The strength of the magnet used is usually between 15 and 45 mgs; however, different types of magnets may be used for different types of locks to help try to prevent unauthorised uπiockiπg.

The magnet 24 is mounted at an angle within the key 22. An actuator switch 26 having a return spring 25 protrudes through the lower surface of the key 22. As the key 22 is placed near or onto the top of the handle 12, the switch 26 is activated. This completes a circuit between an LED 28 that partially protrudes out of the top of the key 22 and a battery 30, to light up the LED, thus providing a visible indication that the locking component 16 is in its unlocked position. When the key 22 is moved away from the handle, the switch 26 returns to its original position by means of the return spring 25, turning off the LED. An optional safety feature that can allow the handle to be unlocked without the magnetic key will now be described. A slot (illustrated by broken lines 23) is cut into the main body 14 of the handle, through a side wall of the body located beneath the gripping portion 13 and adjacent the aperture at the bottom of the handle component 12 that leads to the cavity 17. The locking component 16 includes a horizontal bore that can be accessed via the side slot 23. An elongate rod 31 is provided that can be inserted through the slot 23 and into the horizontal bore in the locking component 16. The rod 31 can then be pushed upwards to lift the locking component out of the bores 6, 10. A fill-in piece 21 (whose shape is detailed within the broken circle) can be used to close the aperture leading to the bore 23 when the rod 31 is not in use to prevent an unauthorised person trying to take advantage of the safety feature.

Referring to Figures 2 to 5, it can be seen that the aperture 32 leading to the spindle bore 9 is substantially circular in shape but has two diametrically opposed outwardly extending arc-shaped sections 34 at the perimeter of the circle. The base of the handle 12 from which the spindle 15 projects includes a hollow shaft 33 having two generally arc-shaped portions 36a, 36b arranged around it at diametrically opposed locations.

The portions 36a, 36b on the shaft 33 and the arc-shaped apertures formed between the sections 34 of the aperture 32 are dimensioned to generally correspond with each other so that the shaft 33 could be easily inserted through the aperture 32 when the shaft and the aperture are suitably aligned. However, one of the portions 34b on the shaft 33 includes a small ramp-shaped protrusion 38. The protrusions 38, 36a, 36b are formed of a flexible but resilient material so that they can be deformed sufficiently to allow the end of the spindle to be pushed through the aperture 32 when force is applied as the handle component 12 is being assembled with the handle mounting 2. Once the protrusion 38 has passed the walls of the aperture 32, it returns to its original shape. The shaft 33 is then rotated so that its protrusion 38 engages with a non-return ramp 39 located inside the body of the mount 2. The ramp 39 acts as a rotational limit stop for the protrusion. The mounting 2 can then be fixed to the door or window frame using the screws 4, 5. Thus, the handle component 12 cannot easily be removed from the mounting 2 without first removing the mount from the frame.

Claims

1. A lockable handle assembly for a window or door including: a handle member having a lockable position to lock a window or door, said handle being movable away from the lockable position in order to open the window or door; a locking device having a locked condition for preventing movement of the handle away from the lockable position and an unlocked condition for allowing movement of the handle away from the lockable position, wherein the locking device is configured to switch between the locked and unlocked conditions in response to an applied magnetic force.

2. An assembly according to Claim 1 , wherein the locking device is resiliently biased to the locking condition so that it remains in this condition when a magnet force is not present.

3. An assembly according to Claim 2, wherein the locking device is resiliently biased by means of a spring or spring-type mechanism.

4. An assembly according to any one of the preceding Claims, further including a key component including a magnet for controlling the locking device.

5. An assembly according to Claim 4, wherein the key includes a switch which is activated when the key is brought into proximity or into contact with the handle, the activation of the switch providing an indication that the locking device is being unlocked.

6. An assembly according to claim 5, wherein the activation of the switch switches on an LED.

7. An assembly according to any one of the preceding Claims, further including a handle mounting, the handle member being pivotally connected to a bore in the mounting by means of a shaft.

8. An assembly according to Claim 7, wherein the shaft includes a flexible,, resilient protrusion at its end that can be pushed into the bore, but which cannot easily be removed.

9. An assembly according to Claim 7 or 8, wherein the mounting includes an abutment portion to help limit the rotation of the protrusion.

10. An assembly according to Claim 9, further including an aperture leading to the bore in the mounting, the aperture being shaped to correspond with a corresponding shape on the end of the shaft.

11. An assembly according to any one of the preceding Claims, further including an insert or pin that stops the assembly from being able to be deadlocked by the locking device.