The invention generally relates to locks for double doors, and more particularly relates to an astragal for securing a swinging door panel in a closed position.
Exterior entryways of modern homes and buildings often include cooperating pairs of swinging doors commonly referred to as double doors or French doors. Such doors include an inactive swinging door panel, and an adjacent active swinging door panel. The sets of doors may swing inwardly into the structure (so-called “inswing” doors), or may swing outwardly from the structure (so-called “outswing” doors). The inactive door panel typically includes a generally T-shaped astragal mounted along the entire extent of its non-hinged vertical edge. As used herein, the term “astragal” generally means an elongated member attached to and substantially coextensive with the non-hinged vertical edge of one of a pair of swinging double doors. In a conventional arrangement, an astragal is mounted along the non-hinged vertical edge of an inactive door panel, and provides a stop against which a cooperating active door panel strikes when both door panels are closed.
In its simplest form, an astragal consists of a single length of wooden molding attached along the non-hinged edge of an inactive door panel by screws, nails, or the like. Such simple astragals serve no role in fixing an inactive swinging door panel in a closed position in a doorway. Instead, special unrelated locking hardware is required for that purpose. Such locking hardware can be internally mounted within specially formed pockets or recesses within the housing of the inactive door panel or the astragal. Such pockets or recesses must be specially formed in the edge of the door by routing, milling, chiseling, or the like. The locking hardware typically includes independently operable top and bottom shoot bolts which are received in specially drilled bores in the top and bottom of the inactive door panel proximate to the door panel's non-hinged vertical edge. When extended, the top and bottom shoot bolts selectively engage aligned pockets or holes in the top jamb and doorsill of the associated doorway, thereby fixing the inactive door panel in a closed position. When retracted, the top and bottom shoot bolts permit the inactive door panel to swing open. Both the top and bottom shoot bolts typically are actuated by either a slide or lever mechanism either integral with the shoot bolts or installed along the non-hinged vertical edge of the inactive door panel.
Some modern astragals for inactive door panels include vertically moveable top and bottom shoot bolts disposed in a flush-mounted elongated housing. One such astragal is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,491,326 to Endura Products, Inc., for example. Like the simple astragal described above, the housing of such locking astragals is surface-mounted along the non-hinged vertical edge of an inactive door panel, and provides a stop for a cooperating active door panel. When the inactive panel is closed and the top and bottom shoot bolts are vertically extended, the top and bottom shoot bolts are respectively received in pockets or holes in the top jamb and doorsill of the associated doorway, thereby fixing the inactive panel in a closed position. In order to permit the inactive panel to be opened, the top and bottom shoot bolts can be selectively retracted from their associated pockets or holes in the doorframe. The top and bottom shoot bolts can be vertically extended and retracted by a lever or slide actuating mechanism disposed within the housing. Unlike shoot bolt mechanisms that must be internally installed within specially formed recesses or pockets in a door, such locking astragals can be removably installed relatively easily on a substantially planar external surface or surfaces of an inactive door panel.
The inventors have determined there is a need for an astragal with shoot bolts whose separation can be adjusted. Particularly, there is a need for an astragal that can be adjusted to the height of the door on which it will be installed.
While modern locking astragals can be removably installed to external surfaces of an inactive door panel, these astragals must be provided in several lengths to accommodate the variety of doorway heights found in the marketplace. The internal locking assemblies used to control the shoot bolts have conventionally been prefabricated based on the height of the door onto which the astragal is going to be installed, resulting in a fixed distance between the top and bottom shoot bolts in their respective extended and retracted positions. Any attempt to substantially shorten the astragal would be impeded by the rigid drive bars used to extend between the actuator, located generally near the middle of the astragal, and the shoot bolts on each end. Generally a lever actuator is in a fixed location and the drive bars are a discrete length. Shortening these locking astragals would therefore require complete disassembly, cutting of the parts and reassembling.
Thus, embodiments of the present disclosure include an adjustable length astragal having a housing with an upper shoot bolt and a lower shoot bolt positioned adjacent opposite ends of the housing. An actuator is attached to the housing, connected to and configured to simultaneously extend or retract the upper and lower shoot bolts. An adjustable connection assembly is provided between the actuator and at least one of the shoot bolts, where the connection assembly adjusts the distance between the actuator and the respective shoot bolt in each of the shoot bolt's extended and retracted positions.
Further embodiments of the present disclosure include selectively removable interlocking links for use in the adjustable length astragal. The links comprise a body having a front side, a back side, a first end surface, a second end surface, and a rotational axis passing through each of the end surfaces. A pair of tabs extends from the first end surface, offset from the rotational axis. A front clamping pocket is formed on the front side, and a back clamping pocket is formed on the back side. Rotation of the body by 90 degrees or less about the rotational axis R interlocks one link with an adjacent link such that each tab of the pair of tabs engages a respective one of the front and back clamping pockets.
Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are described below and illustrated in the accompanying figures, in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views. The embodiments described provide examples and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention. Other embodiments, and modifications and improvements of the described embodiments, will occur to those skilled in the art and all such other embodiments, modifications and improvements are within the scope of the present invention. Features from one embodiment or aspect may be combined with features from any other embodiment or aspect in any appropriate combination. For example, any individual or collective features of method aspects or embodiments may be applied to apparatus, product or component aspects or embodiments and vice versa.
One embodiment of a locking astragal 100 for an inactive door panel is shown in
At least one strike plate 120 can be positioned along the housing 102 to receive respective latches from a cooperating active door panel (not shown). The astragal 100 may also include a dead bolt plate for receiving a deadbolt from a cooperating active door panel. One or more housing trim plates 128 can be provided between the various exposed components (actuator 122, strike plates 120, dead bolt plate, and shoot bolt assembles 150, 160) to provide the exposed side of the astragal 100 with a finished appearance. These trim plates 128 may be snap-fit to the exposed side of the astragal housing 102. In a preferred embodiment, the strike plates 120 and the optional dead bolt plate can be adjustable along the length of the housing 102 to ensure proper alignment with respective latch bolts.
Further details of the astragal 100 can be seen in the exploded views shown in
As should be understood from
As best seen in
According to aspects of the present disclosure, the first end 210 of each connector 200 may be indirectly coupled to the slide bars 105, 110 by a linkage 275 made up by one or more selectively removable interlocking primary links 300 and secondary links 400. By increasing or decreasing the number of interlocking links 300, 400 between each of the connectors 200 and their respective slide bars 105, 110, the distance between the shoot bolt assemblies 150, 160 can be increased or decreased, thereby helping to adapt the astragal 100 to doors of different heights.
Turning to
A rotational axis R passes through the body 302 and each end surface 303. Each primary link 300 is configured to interlock with an adjacent primary link 300 with approximately a 90 degree (quarter-turn) rotation about the rotational axis R. The body 302 may include a limiting wall 305 to prevent more than 90 degrees of relative rotation. Less than 90 degrees of relative rotation may be necessary to interlock adjacent primary links 300.
With respect to the rotational axis R, the body 302 comprises a shaft 304 protruding from one end of the body 302 along the rotational axis R and comprises a recess 306 formed into the body 302 at the opposite end thereof, the recess 306 also being along the rotational axis R. Thus the shaft 304 of a first primary link 300 is configured to reside within the recess 306 of an adjacent primary link 300 when a plurality of primary links 300 are joined together.
The body 302 further comprises a pair of wings 308 and 310 extending perpendicular to the rotational axis R. As best seen in
With respect to the rotational axis R, one end of the body 302 includes a pair of tabs 312, 314 offset from the rotational axis R, but extending outwardly from the body 302 along the direction of the rotational axis R. In the illustrated embodiment, the tabs 312, 314 extend from the end of the body 302 having the recess 306. As best seen in
The body 302 further defines a front side 330 and a back side 332. The front side 330 may be rotationally symmetric to the back side 332 about the rotational axis R. However, in the illustrated embodiment, the front side 330 is similar to but not exactly rotationally symmetric to the back side 332. The front side 330 includes a front clamping pocket 334. The front clamping pocket 334 includes a front clamping surface 336 generally along the front side 330. The front clamping pocket 334 also includes a front stop wall 338 positioned normal to the front clamping surface 336, offset from an end of the body 302. The front clamping pocket 334 also includes a front protrusion 340 extending normal to the front clamping surface 336 positioned adjacent to an end of the body 302.
The front clamping pocket 334 of a first primary link 300 is configured to interlock with the second tab 314 of an adjacent primary link 300. In the interlocked position, the second tab 314 resides between the front stop wall 338 and the front protrusion 340, the grooved abutment surface 318 contacts the front clamping surface 336, which can be oppositely grooved to mesh with the grooved abutment surface 318, and the front protrusion 340 protrudes into the slot 320. Engagement between the front protrusion 340 and the slot 320 helps prevent adjacent primary links 300 from separating along the direction of the rotational axis R when the adjacent primary links 300 are interlocked. Therefore interlocked links are able to translate together along the housing 102 in response to use of the actuator 122.
The back side 332 includes a back clamping pocket 344. The back clamping pocket 344 includes a back clamping surface 346 generally along the back side 332, a back stop wall 348 generally normal to the back clamping surface 346 and a back protrusion 350 extending normal to the back clamping surface 346. Therefore the back clamping pocket 344 should be understood to be similar to the front clamping pocket 334. The back clamping pocket 344 of a first primary link 300 is configured to interlock with the first tab 312 of an adjacent primary link 300. In the interlocked position, the first tab 312 resides between the back stop wall 348 and the back protrusion 350, the smooth abutment surface 316 contacts the back clamping surface 346, and the back protrusion 350 protrudes into the slot 320 of the second tab 314. Engagement between the back protrusion 350 and the slot 320 helps prevent adjacent links from separating along the direction of the rotational axis R when the adjacent links 300 are interlocked.
Turning to
Again, the secondary links 400 have many of the same features as the primary links 300. Therefore the secondary links 400 also include a shaft 404, a recess 406, and a pair of tabs 412, 414. The secondary links 400 also include a front and back side 430, 432 each having a clamping pocket 434, 444 with an abutment surface, stop wall and protrusion. Each present portion of the secondary links 400 may be understood as substantially similar to related portions of the primary links 300. However, in the illustrated embodiment, the secondary link 400 is 180 degrees rotationally symmetric around the rotational axis R, while the illustrated primary link 300 was not.
The first channel 134 is spaced from the second channel 136 by a cavity 138. As seen in
Referring back to
In the illustrated embodiment, a primary link 300 is connected to each of the slide bars 105, 110 by first inserting the first wing 308 through the aperture 106, and then fitting the second wing 310 into the notch 111. As shown, the wings of the end most link 300 of the linkage 275 are used to connect with the slide bars 105, 110. As should be understood, the ends of the two drive bars 125 opposite the actuator 122 may also include one of an aperture 106 and a notch 111. The second end 220 of each connector 200 may include wings substantially similar to those of the primary link 300 to couple a respective connector 200 to a respective drive bar 125. The first end 210 of the connectors 200 may be configured to include clamping pockets substantially similar to those of the primary link 300 in order for the connector 200 to be coupled to a distal one of the plurality of links 300, 400 in the linkage 275.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the astragal 100 can facilitate a method of fitting the astragal 100 to doors of varying heights. According to these embodiments, the astragal 100 would be provided with a housing 102 having a length equal to the height of one of the tallest commonly available doors, such as 96-inch tall doors. The astragal 100 as provided could include a plurality of interlocking primary links 300 and secondary links 400 preloaded between respective slide bars 105, 110 and connectors 200, thereby providing the astragal 100 in a ready-to-mount configuration for tall doors.
Then, if mounting the astragal 100 to shorted doors is desired, the astragal 100 can be modified without being fully replaced. Avoiding the full replacement, or need for a completely separate astragal 100, can reduce costs by reducing the need to keep various length astragals in inventory. The process of modifying the astragal 100 to a shorter height can include one or more of the following steps:
removing trim plates 128;
removing the second wing 310 of at least one primary link 300 from the notch 111 of the second slide bar 110;
removing the first wing 308 of the primary link 300 from the aperture 106 of the first slide bar 105;
removing a plurality of the primary links 300 and/or secondary links 400 from the chamber 138;
separating one or more of the links 300, 400 from the plurality thereof (i.e., the linkage) to shorten the chain of links 300, 400 by the desired amount;
removing one or both trim caps 130, 132;
removing one or more bars 105, 110, 125 from the housing 102;
cutting one end of the housing 102 to remove the extra length thereof;
reassembling the astragal 100, this time with fewer, if any, links 300, 400 between the slide bars 105, 110 and the connectors 200.
The above descriptions of preferred embodiments of the invention are intended to illustrate various aspects and features of the invention without limitation. Persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that certain changes and modifications can be made to the described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, while the invention has been described for use with swinging door panels, a locking system according to the invention can also be applied to casement window panels and casement window frames, or the like. All such changes and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the appended claims.
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Endura Performance Standard “What Does Performance Standard Mean for You?”, Ultimate Astragal Family brochure, known at least as early as Jan. 20, 2014, 5 pgs. |