Patent Grant
10927580
This application is a U.S. National Stage Application filed under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/GB2018/050394, filed Feb. 13, 2018, which claims the benefit of Great Britain Application No. 1702330.0, filed Feb. 13, 2017. Both of these applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
Embodiments of this invention relate to door closers of the type including an anchor assembly for fixing to a door frame and an actuator assembly intended for concealed fitting within the thickness of a door leaf and, more particularly, to door closers whereby the anchor assembly has an adjustor plate that is movable relative to a frame mounting plate such that a door leaf to which the actuator assembly is mounted can be raised and lowered relative to a door frame to which the frame mounting plate is fixed. Embodiments of the invention also relate door closers which have a link whose length is less than approximately 40 mm.
Door closers of the type having an anchor assembly for fixing to a door frame and an actuator assembly intended for concealed fitting within the thickness of a door leaf are disclosed in our earlier patent, GB2456508, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
A problem with such door closers is that they are not suitable for use in conjunction with door hinges that are vertically adjustable when a door leaf is mounted on a door frame. Door hinges having vertical adjustment when in situ allow for the raising and lowering of a door leaf relative to a door frame, without having to remove the door leaf from the door frame. Attempting to raise or lower a door leaf relative to a door frame when the door system is fitted with a door closer described in GB2456508 can cause various components of the door closer and/or door hinge to experience undesirable forces which can, in turn, reduce the lifespan of the door closer and/or door hinge. For example, referring to FIG. 2 of GB2456508, the linkages and parallel shafts of the door closer can become skewed out of the horizontal plane if the door leaf is raised or lowered relative to the door frame. Skewing the linkages and parallel shafts out of the horizontal plane can induce weaknesses in the door closer, in particular in the components of the operating assembly and/or damper mechanism. Such weaknesses can lead to premature failure of the door closer.
A further problem with such door closers is that they are not suitable for use with hinges that have a variable pivot axis.
A concealed hinge is one example of a hinge having a variable pivot axis. It is known that as the part of a concealed hinge that is connected to a door leaf pivots about the part that is connected to a door frame the axis about which the parts pivot moves in the horizontal plane. This is in contrast to a butt hinge, whereby as the part of the butt hinge that is connected to a door leaf pivots about the part that is connected to a door frame the axis about which the parts pivot remains fixed. Attempting to fit a door closer described in GB2456508 to a door system that is fitted with a hinge having a variable pivot axis (such as a concealed hinge) can also cause various components of the door closer and/or door hinge to experience undesirable forces which can, in turn, reduce the lifespan of the door closer and/or door hinge. For example, referring to FIG. 1 of GB2456508, when fitted to a door system having a variable pivot axis hinge the linkages and parallel shafts can come into contact with the edge mounting member and/or outwardly extending flange parts as the door leaf is pivoted relative to the door frame. Such contact occurs because the pivot axis of the hinge moves in the horizontal plane as the door leaf is pivoted. It is to be appreciated that such contact can induce weaknesses in the door closer which can, in turn, lead to premature failure of the door closer.
There is a need, therefore, to provide door closers that have increased lifespans and/or are more versatile when compared to known door closers.
Embodiments of the invention provide door closers that seek to overcome, or at least substantially reduce, the disadvantages discussed above in relation to lifespan and/or versatility. For instance, embodiments of the invention provide door closers that can be used in door systems that are fitted with hinges having any one or more of the following features: vertical adjustability when in situ; no vertical adjustability when in situ; a variable pivot axis; and a fixed pivot axis.
In one aspect of the invention, we provide a door closer, including:
Thus, when the door closer is in situ, the adjustor plate is movable relative to the frame mounting plate in either direction along the second axis (B-B), such that a door leaf to which the actuator assembly is mounted can be raised and lowered relative to a door frame to which the frame mounting plate is fixed.
The door closer may include more than one link.
The or each link may have a length of less than approximately 40 mm, e.g. between approximately 25 mm and approximately 40 mm, e.g. between approximately 30 mm and approximately 40 mm, e.g. between approximately 33 mm and approximately 37 mm, e.g. approximately 35 mm.
The or each link may be in the form of a rod-like member.
The or each link may be pivotably connected to the adjustor plate.
The adjustor plate may include one or more transverse pin(s), e.g. to which the or each link may be pivotably connected.
The or each transverse pin may pass through a selected one of the slots of the frame mounting plate, such that the or each transverse pin extends through the thickness of the frame mounting plate.
The door closer may include one or more fasteners which pass through respective slots of the frame mounting plate and engage with respective apertures of the adjustor plate.
The or each fastener may include an adjusting screw, whereby the adjusting screw is rotatable in order to vary the distance between the frame mounting plate and the adjustor plate.
The adjustor plate may include at least two separate plate members.
The door closer may include a door leaf mounting plate provided with one or more slot(s), wherein the or each slot is elongated along a third axis (C-C), the third axis (C-C) being generally orthogonal to the first axis (A-A) and generally orthogonal to the second axis (B-B).
The actuator assembly may include a damper mechanism operatively connected to the operating member so as to damp movement of the operating member at least as it is driven in a direction towards the fully retracted position.
In a second aspect of the invention, we provide a door closer, including:
The door closer may include more than one link.
The or each link may have a length of less than approximately 40 mm, e.g. between approximately 25 mm and approximately 40 mm, e.g. between approximately 30 mm and approximately 40 mm, e.g. between approximately 33 mm and approximately 37 mm, e.g. approximately 35 mm.
The or each link may be in the form of a rod-like member.
The anchor assembly may include:
The or each link may be pivotably connected to the adjustor plate.
The adjustor plate may include one or more transverse pin(s), e.g. to which the or each link may be pivotably connected.
The or each transverse pin may pass through a selected one of the slots of the frame mounting plate, such that the or each transverse pin extends through the thickness of the frame mounting plate.
The door closer may include one or more fasteners which pass through respective slots of the frame mounting plate and engage with respective apertures of the adjustor plate.
The or each fastener may include an adjusting screw, whereby the adjusting screw is rotatable in order to vary the distance between the frame mounting plate and the adjustor plate.
The door closer may include a door leaf mounting plate provided with one or more slot(s), wherein the or each slot is elongated along a third axis (C-C), the third axis (C-C) being generally orthogonal to the first axis (A-A) and generally orthogonal to the second axis (B-B).
The actuator assembly may include a damper mechanism operatively connected to the operating member so as to damp movement of the operating member at least as it is driven in a direction towards the fully retracted position.
The adjustor plate may include at least two separate plate members.
The adjustor plate may include a first part and a second part, the first part being attachable to a door frame and the second part being attachable to the frame mounting plate, one of the first part and the second part may include an aperture for receiving an adjustment member which enables the distance between the frame mounting plate and the adjustor plate to be varied, and one of the first and the second part may include a formation which enables adjustment of the position of the door leaf relative to the door frame in a direction parallel to the second axis (B-B).
The first part of the adjustor plate may include the aperture for receiving the adjustment member, and the second part of the adjustor plate may include the formation enabling adjustment of the door leaf relative to the door frame in a direction parallel to the second axis (B-B).
The formation enabling adjustment of the door leaf relative to the door frame in a direction parallel to the second axis (B-B) may include at least one elongate slot with which a fastener is engageable.
Embodiments of the various aspects of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
With reference in particular to
The anchor assembly 10 may include a frame mounting plate 11 which is fixable relative to the door frame, and an adjustor plate, indicated generally at 12, which is located adjacent the frame mounting plate 11 on the side thereof remote from the door leaf.
The actuator assembly 30 is so dimensioned as to be suitable for fitting within the thickness of a door leaf and for this purpose is provided with a housing 23 and a door leaf mounting plate 24. The door leaf mounting plate 24 is fixable relative to the door leaf so as to hold the housing 23 in place.
Within the housing 23 of the actuator assembly 30 there is provided an operating member which operates in a manner known in the art. In some embodiments, the operating member may include a pair of parallel shafts 32. An example of such a shaft 32 is shown in
In some embodiments, the operating member may include one shaft 32, or more than two (e.g. three, four, five, etc.) shafts 32.
The operating member is coupled by a link 20 to the adjustor plate 12 and mounted for a range of movements between a fully retracted position, in which the anchor assembly 10 is held adjacent the actuator assembly 30 when the door leaf is in the closed configuration, and an extended position, in which the anchor assembly 10 is in spaced relation to the actuator assembly 30 when the door leaf is in the open configuration.
The link 20 extends along an axis A-A and the operating member moves in the housing 23 along the axis A-A as the door leaf is opened and closed. It is to be appreciated, therefore, that the direction of the axis A-A changes as the door leaf is pivoted; the direction of the axis A-A moves in a horizontal plane as the door leaf is opened and closed.
The operating member is biased inwardly of the housing 23 towards the retracted or “door closed” configuration, e.g. as described in GB2456508.
In some embodiments, the actuator assembly 30 may include a damper mechanism (not shown) to regulate the rate of closure of the door leaf relative to the door frame.
In some embodiments, for example in embodiments where the door closer 1 has vertical adjustability, the adjustor plate 12 may include a first part 12a (shown in
With reference to
With reference to
In some embodiments, the second part 12b may have formed therein one or more aperture(s) 121b, which may be threaded. The embodiment shown in
Referring to
In some embodiments, the frame mounting plate 11 may be provided with one or more slot(s) 118, which align with the apertures 128a, 128b of the respective first and second parts 12a, 12b.
Referring to
Referring back to
In some embodiments, the slot(s) 111, 118, 119 may be elongated and extend in the direction of the axis B-B.
With reference to
Referring to
Referring back to
Referring to
Referring to
The link 20 may be in the form of a rod-like member (as shown in the figures).
In some embodiments, the link 20 may take other forms such as that of a plate-like member or a chain.
In some embodiments, there may be more than one link 20. For instance, the embodiments shown in the figures have two links 20 but in other embodiments fewer (e.g. one) or more (e.g. three, four, five, etc.) links 20 may be provided.
In some embodiments, the or each link 20 may have a length of less than approximately 40 mm. For instance, the or each link 20 may have a length of approximately 35 mm±2 mm.
In some embodiments, the link 20 may have a length of approximately 40 mm or greater, e.g. 45 mm±2 mm.
The or each link 20 may be pivotably connected to the adjustor plate 12 through the slots 118 of the frame mounting plate 11. In some embodiments, the adjustor plate 12 may include one or more transverse pin(s) 21, to which the or each link 20 may be pivotably connected.
Referring to
Referring to
In some embodiments, the or each transverse pin 21 may be fixed to the first part 12a of the adjustor plate 12 and pass through apertures 128b and slots 118 of the respective second part 12b and frame mounting plate 11, such that the or each transverse pin 21 extends through the thickness of the second part 12b and frame mounting plate 11.
In some embodiments, the or each transverse pin 21 may be formed integrally with the first part 12a and/or the second part 12b.
In some embodiments, an adjustment member, for example an adjusting screw 13 extends through the aperture 129b of the second part 12b and is engaged in the aperture 129a of the first part 12a of the adjustor plate 12. It is to be appreciated that the adjusting screw 13 passes through the slot 119 of the frame mounting plate 11. Rotation of the adjusting screw 13 varies the distance between the frame mounting plate 11 and the adjustor plate 12 in a manner known in the art.
In some embodiments, fasteners 14 may be provided which engage with the respective apertures 121b of the second part 12b. It is to be appreciated that the fasteners 14 pass through the slots 111 of the frame mounting plate 11.
Advantageously, in some embodiments the door closer 1 is such that a door leaf to which the actuator assembly 30 is mounted can be raised and lowered relative to a door frame to which the frame mounting plate 11 is fixed when the door leaf is hinged to the door frame.
Referring to
To move between the first and second configurations the fasteners 14 are loosened, so that the adjustor plate 12 can be moved relative to the frame mounting plate 11 along the axis B-B. This means that the actuator assembly 30 (and door leaf to which it is mounted) can be moved along the axis B-B relative to the frame mounting plate 11 (and door frame to which it is fixed).
The fact that the slots 111, 118, 119 are elongated along the axis B-B means that the adjustor plate 12 and the parts coupled thereto (such as links 20 and actuator assembly 30) can be moved without hindrance in either direction along the axis B-B.
An advantage of this aspect of the invention is that the links 20 and shafts 32 do not become skewed out of the horizontal plane as the door leaf is raised or lowered relative to the door frame. Instead, as can be seen from
The provision of the slot 119, in particular, has the further advantage that, if desired, it is possible to retain the feature of the adjusting screw 13 for varying the distance between the frame mounting plate 11 and the adjustor plate 12. It is to be appreciated that without the slot 119 it would not be possible to move the adjustor plate 12 along the axis B-B relative to the frame mounting plate 11 and have the ability to vary the distance between the frame mounting plate 11 and adjustor plate 12. It is also to be appreciated that in order for the door closer 1 to exhibit adjustability along the axis B-B and the ability to vary the distance between the frame mounting plate 11 and adjustor plate 12 the adjustor plate 12 must be formed into at least two separate parts 12a, 12b. The adjusting screw 13 is engaged with the first part 12a to permit variation in the distance between the frame mounting plate 11 and adjustor plate 12 and the fasteners 14 are engaged with the second part 12b to permit adjustability along or parallel to the axis B-B. This is adjustability enables the door leaf to be adjusted relative to the door frame vertically, i.e. in a direction parallel to the second axis (B-B).
The applicant has surprisingly found that by ensuring that the length of the or each link 20 is less than approximately 40 mm (e.g. approximately 35 mm±2 mm) the life of the door closer 1 and/or the door hinges can be prolonged. This is due to the fact that the pivoting connection between the or each link 20 and its respective shaft 32 exits the housing 23 via respective slots 248 in the door leaf mounting plate 24 as the door leaf pivots about the door frame towards its open configuration but before the pivot axis of the variable pivot axis hinge starts to move in the horizontal plane. Consequently, neither the link 20 nor its respective shaft 32 come into contact with the door leaf mounting plate 24 when the door closer 1 according to this aspect of the invention is fitted to a door system having a variable pivot axis hinge. In this situation the hinge(s) connecting the door leaf and door frame may or may not be vertically adjustable when in situ.
A further beneficial feature of the invention is the fact that the slots 248 extend along the axis C-C. Since the axis C-C is at 90° relative to the axis A-A there is an additional effect that neither the link 20 nor its respective shaft 32 come into contact with the door leaf mounting plate 24 as the door leaf pivots about the door frame towards its open configuration. Consequently, the life of the door closer 1 may be further prolonged.
It is to be appreciated that whilst the figures show embodiments in which the adjustor plate 12 includes separate first and second parts 12a, 12b, in some embodiments (for example embodiments where vertical adjustability is not essential) either one of the first and second parts 12a, 12b may be omitted. Therefore, features described in relation to the first part 12a may be provided on the second part 12b, and vice versa.
When used in this specification and claims, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps or integers are included. The terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.
The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1702330 | Feb 2017 | GB | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/GB2018/050394 | 2/13/2018 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2018/146496 | 8/16/2018 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 370468 | Griffing et al. | Sep 1887 | A |
| 642691 | Hillenbrand | Feb 1900 | A |
| 686025 | Cannon | Nov 1901 | A |
| 959001 | Tritsch | May 1910 | A |
| 5016317 | Hung | May 1991 | A |
| 5170530 | Kopec | Dec 1992 | A |
| 6871381 | Luca | Mar 2005 | B1 |
| 10301859 | Miglioranzo | May 2019 | B2 |
| 10472870 | Tassi | Nov 2019 | B2 |
| 20040111831 | Foster | Jun 2004 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 101166882 | Apr 2008 | CN |
| 201513043 | Jun 2010 | CN |
| 203559678 | Apr 2014 | CN |
| 0723621 | Jul 1996 | EP |
| 2044840 | Oct 1980 | GB |
| 2456508 | Jul 2009 | GB |
| 2503753 | Jan 2014 | GB |
| 2506236 | Mar 2014 | GB |
| WO 2015145364 | Oct 2015 | WO |
| Entry |
|---|
| International Search Report and Written Opinion dated Jun. 1, 2018 in PCT/GB2018/050394. |
| UK Search Report, dated May 18, 2017, in GB Patent Application No. 1702330.0, 2 pp. |
| Chinese Office Action, corresponding to Chinese Patent Application No. 2018800250643, dated Oct. 10, 2020, 2 pages. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20190383082 A1 | Dec 2019 | US |
