The present invention relates to an outwardly opening window or door assembly comprising a sash carrying a window pane or door leaf and being mounted in a frame movable between an open position and a closed position, a locking device comprising a housing being mounted in a cavity of a sash member of the sash, the locking device comprising at least one displaceable locking element adapted to engage a striking plate mounted on the frame and a handle adapted to displace the locking element between a locked position and an unlocked position, the handle protruding through an actuation opening in a face of the sash member, said face of the sash member being substantially at right angles to the window pane or door leaf.
In known outwardly opening window or door assemblies it may be difficult to replace the handle, as the entire housing of the locking device must be removed from the sash in order to disassemble the handle from the locking device. Furthermore, restrictions exist to the design of the handle, because the handle must be of such a form that it can pass through the actuation opening in the face of the sash member in order to be removed with the locking device.
The object of the present invention is to provide an outwardly opening window or door assembly, wherein the handle is easier to replace.
In view of this object, the outwardly opening window or door assembly is characterized in that the handle is provided with an at least partially circular engagement portion extending through the actuation opening in the face of the sash member, and in that the at least partially circular engagement portion is provided with a wedge shaped recess that is releasably engaged with a correspondingly shaped wedge shaped element pivotably arranged in the housing.
Thereby, the handle may be easily removed from the locking device by releasing the engagement between the at least partially circular engagement portion and the wedge shaped element. The at least partially circular engagement portion may be lifted out through the actuation opening, without the handle needing to pass through the opening.
In an embodiment, the wedge shaped element is pivotably arranged about an axis located near said face of the sash member being substantially at right angles to the window pane or door leaf. Thereby, a relatively close fit between the at least partially circular engagement portion and the actuation opening is possible, still allowing the at least partially circular engagement portion to be removed through the actuation opening. A close fit is esthetically preferable and avoids problems with dirt entering the locking device.
In an embodiment, the at least partially circular engagement portion is releasably engaged with the wedge shaped element by means of a pin extending tangentially in the at least partially circular engagement portion. Thereby, the handle may be removed without access to the locking device.
In an embodiment, the pin is accessible from outside the sash member, when the handle is in the unlocked position. Thereby, the pin is invisible in the locked position of the handle.
In an embodiment, the housing comprises two opposed side walls that extend through the actuation opening in the face of the sash member and cover the at least partially circular engagement portion of the handle, and the wedge shaped element is pivotably mounted in the two opposed side walls that extend through the actuation opening. Thereby, the engagement between the at least partially circular engagement portion wedge shaped element is invisible and protected from dirt, although the axis of the wedge shaped element is located at the outside of the sash member.
In an embodiment, the wedge shaped element is pivotably connected to a link arm that is pivotably connected to a first displaceable element that is arranged displaceably in the housing in the longitudinal direction of the sash member and carries a first locking element, and in that the pivot point between the wedge shaped element and the link arm, in the locked position of the handle, is arranged on the opposite side of the line that connects the pivot point between the wedge shaped element and the housing and the pivot point between the link arm and the first displaceable element when compared to the position of the pivot point between the wedge shaped element and the link arm in the unlocked position of the handle. Thereby, in the locked position, an unauthorized attempt to open the window or door by displacing the first locking element will result in the handle being rotated even more in the closing direction, which may be prevented by a stopper.
In an embodiment, a second displaceable element is arranged displaceably in the housing in the longitudinal direction of the sash member and carries a second locking element, and a gear in the form of a pivotable element with two arms protruding from a centre pivot is arranged such that a first of the two arms is placed in a recess in the first displaceable element and a second of the two arms is placed in a recess in the second displaceable element. Thereby, the first and the second locking elements will be displaced in opposite directions in order to engage their respective striking plates when locking the window or door, thereby preventing attempts to open the window or door by displacing the sash in the direction of the sash member comprising the locking device.
In an embodiment, the second of the two arms is longer than the first of the two arms. This may counteract the effect of backlash in the gear connecting the first and second locking elements, so that it is obtained that both locking elements travels the same distance during the locking operation.
In an embodiment, the first and the second displaceable elements are provided with locking elements in the form of a first and a second mushroom cam, respectively, for engagement with a centre striking plate mounted on a frame member extending along the sash member comprising the locking device. Thereby, the tamper proof effect of the opposite travel direction of the first and the second locking elements may be enhanced, as the first and a second mushroom cams may engage opposed recesses in a single striking plate. When trying to force one mushroom cam away from the centre striking plate, the other mushroom cam will be pressed more in to the centre striking plate.
In an embodiment, the first and the second displaceable elements are provided with locking elements in the form of first and second espagnolette bolts, respectively, extending along an outer edge of the sash member that comprises the locking device and being arranged for engagement with corner striking plates mounted at corners of the frame.
In an embodiment, the first and second espagnolette bolts have a rectangular shape with one dimension being larger than the other dimension, so that the larger dimension is arranged perpendicular to a general plane of the window pane or door leaf. In this way, the bolts do not protrude out from the sash very much. Furthermore, since the large dimension of the cross section of the bolts is arranged perpendicular to the general plane of the window or door assembly, the strength of the bolt in the direction which would be exposed to large forces during an attempted break-in will be very large.
In an embodiment, each of the first and second espagnolette bolts has an engagement portion adapted to engage a respective corner striking plate, wherein the engagement portion is split up into two separate end bolts spaced in a direction perpendicular to the general plane of the window pane or door leaf. Thereby, a ventilation position of the window or door is provided when only one of the separate end bolts is engaged with the corner striking plate.
In an embodiment, a centre striking plate comprises a first flange and a second flange which are arranged at an angle to each other, the second flange is mounted to an outwardly facing surface of a frame member extending along the sash member comprising the locking device, and the first flange comprises L-shaped recesses for engagement with the mushroom cams of the locking device. Due to the arrangement of the striking plate, in the case where the window or door assembly is attempted to be forced open, the striking plate will bend such that it is even more locked.
In an embodiment, first and second corner striking plates are arranged at the corners of the frame corresponding to the first and second espagnolette bolts, respectively, and each corner striking plate comprises a first flange having a recess for engagement with the respective espagnolette bolt and a second flange being mounted to an outwardly facing surface of both frame members at the respective corner. As the corner striking plate is attached to both frame members at the corner, the strength of the joint is increased, and the forces applied to the striking plate are allowed to be split between the two frame members. The striking plate is also arranged such that if force is applied during a break in attempt, the striking plate will bend about a line connecting the mounting screws across the corner, and the striking plate will bend into an even more locked position.
The present application further discloses a separate invention relating to a locking device for a window or door assembly, the locking device comprising a housing adapted to be mounted in a cavity of a sash member of the sash, the locking device comprising at least one displaceable locking element adapted to engage a striking plate mounted on the frame and a handle adapted to displace the locking element between a locked position and an unlocked position, the handle being adapted to rotate a rotating element arranged in the housing and being pivotably connected to a link arm that is pivotably connected to a first displaceable element that is arranged displaceably in the housing in the longitudinal direction of the sash member and carries a first locking element, and a longitudinal axis of the link arm, in the locked position of the handle, being arranged on the opposite side of the line that connects the pivot point between the rotating element and the housing and the pivot point between the link arm and the first displaceable element when compared to the position of the longitudinal axis of the link arm in the unlocked position of the handle.
The present application further discloses a separate invention relating to a locking device for a window or door assembly, the locking device comprising a housing adapted to be mounted in a cavity of a sash member of the sash, the locking device comprising first and second displaceable locking elements adapted to engage a striking plate mounted on the frame and a handle adapted to displace the locking elements between a locked position and an unlocked position, a gear in the form of a pivotable element with two arms protruding from a centre pivot is arranged such that a first of the two arms is placed in a recess in the first displaceable element and a second of the two arms is placed in a recess in the second displaceable element, and, preferably, the second of the two arms is longer than the first of the two arms. The displaceable elements may be provided with locking elements in the form of mushroom cams and/or espagnolette bolts.
The present application further discloses a separate invention relating to a centre striking plate comprising a first flange and a second flange which are arranged at an angle to each other, the second flange being adapted to be mounted to an outwardly facing surface of a frame member extending along a sash member comprising a locking device, and the first flange comprising L-shaped recesses for engagement with mushroom cams of the locking device, the centre striking plate preferably having a design substantially as shown in
The present application further discloses a separate invention relating to a corner striking plate adapted to be arranged at a corner of a frame, the corner striking plate comprising a first flange having a recess for engagement with an espagnolette bolt and a second flange being adapted to be mounted by means of screws to an outwardly facing surface of both frame members at the corner, the corner striking plate preferably having a design substantially as shown in
The inventions will now be explained in more detail below by means of examples of embodiments with reference to the very schematic drawing, in which
A locking device 7 forming part of an espagnolette mechanism is used to lock the sash in the closed position.
A window or door brake device 12 is mounted on the top sash element and is activated by the displacement of the upper espagnolette bolt 8 of the espagnolette mechanism. The window or door brake device 12 is arranged such that the window or door is held in the open position when the locking device 7 is in the locked position. When the locking device 7 is put into its unlocked position, the window or door brake device 12 allows the sash 3 to freely open and close.
As can be seen from
The espagnolette bolts 8 are also arranged such that the cross section of the bolts has a rectangular shape with one dimension being larger than the other dimension, see
As can be seen from
It should be noted that the pivotable element 106 takes the place of a toothed gear wheel usually used in mechanisms of this type. The use of a pivotable element with two arms instead of a toothed gear wheel results in a number of advantages. A first advantage is that the mechanism cannot be assembled incorrectly. Another advantage is that the arms of the pivotable element can be made stronger than the teeth of a toothed gear wheel. Yet another advantage is that the second 128 of the two arms may be longer than the first 127 of the two arms. This may counteract the effect of backlash in the gear connecting the first and second displaceable elements 103, 104, so that it is obtained that both displaceable elements travels the same distance during the locking operation.
A first espagnolette bolt 8a and a first mushroom cam 9a are connected to the first displaceable element 103 and a second espagnolette bolt 8b and a second mushroom cam 9b are connected to the second displaceable element 104. As the displaceable elements are displaced, the respective espagnolette bolts and mushroom cams are also displaced.
Furthermore, in the embodiment of the locking device 7 shown in
As can be seen from
As can be seen from
It should be noted, that when the handle is rotated to the closed position, the pin is not visible and cannot be removed, as its outward end is rotated with the handle to a position inside the housing 101. Due to this, if the handle is to be removed, it must first be rotated to the open position of the locking device. The housing 101 comprises two opposed side walls 137 that extend through the actuation opening 114 in the face 136 of the sash member and cover the circular engagement portion 133 of the handle 102, and the wedge shaped element 111 is pivotably mounted in the two opposed side walls 137.
The corner striking plate 10 shown in
It should be noted that in both the centre striking plate 11 and the corner striking plate 10 shown in
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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08153351.5 | Mar 2008 | EP | regional |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP2008/060960 | 8/21/2008 | WO | 00 | 11/12/2010 |