This application relates to window operator handles and covers, and more specifically to casement and awning window operator handles and covers.
Casement and awning windows are typically opened and closed with an operator. The windows have a frame that forms an opening in a wall of a structure, and a sash is hinged to the frame to open and close the opening. The operator enables a user to drive the sash between open and closed positions, typically by a crank handle. An example of such an operator is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,464,619, owned by the owners of the present application, and hereby fully incorporated herein by reference.
The operator mechanism visible from the interior is typically concealed under an operator cover, a folding crank handle is engaged with the operator drive, and the handle may be secured in place on the cover by a feature formed in the cover. An example of such a handle and operator cover is disclosed in U.S. Design Pat. No. D913,783, owned by the owners of the present application, and hereby fully incorporated herein by reference.
A drawback of prior operator handles and covers, however, is that the folding handles are held in the closed position by mechanical methods, physical ledges, or pockets on the cover which engage with the handle or features on the handle. This can lead to dirt and dust collecting in the handle or cover features, difficulty for a user to ensure that the handle is properly engaged in the cover upon completing opening and closing of the window, and a cluttered aesthetic appearance to the handle and cover overall. Also, if cover recesses are used for the handle, the user can have difficulty grasping the handle with their fingers to extract the handle from a recess to operate the handle.
Moreover, the operator cover is usually attached to the operator with one or more mechanical pins, latches, or snap features. These mechanical attachment methods can be difficult to manipulate if it becomes necessary to detach the operator cover from the operator, and can be inadvertently broken.
What is needed is an operator handle and cover assembly that addresses the drawbacks of prior devices.
The inventions described in the present application address the drawbacks of prior devices by providing a handle that is secured in place on an operator cover with magnetic features, thereby eliminating the need for mechanical securing features, such as projections or recesses in either the handle or the cover. Further, since the handle is not received in a recess of the cover, the handle is easier for a user to grasp in order to unfold it into a position for operating the handle.
Magnetic features enable the handle to be positioned with a smoother appearance to the cover and help the handle self-locate to the cover. This means the user does not need to be as careful when folding the handle down and positioning the handle for storage. The magnets also secure the handle from falling away due to gravity from the cover into a drooping position.
In embodiments, the operator cover can also be attached to the operator with magnets. In such embodiments, the operator cover can be easily detached from the operator by simply pulling the cover away from the operator.
According to an embodiment, a window operator handle and cover assembly includes a shell adapted to be received on a window operator, the shell having a first magnetic handle securing component, and a handle portion adapted to couple with a rotatable drive of the window operator, the handle portion being shiftable between a folded position in which a lower surface of the handle portion abuts an outer surface of the shell and an unfolded position in which the lower surface of the handle portion is spaced apart from the outer surface of the shell. The handle portion has a second magnetic handle securing component disposed proximate the first magnetic handle securing component when the handle portion is in the folded position, wherein a mutual magnetic attraction between the first magnetic handle securing component and the second magnetic handle securing component secures the handle portion in the folded position.
The first magnetic handle securing component and the second magnetic handle securing component can each be magnets, or one of the first magnetic handle securing component or the second magnetic handle securing component can be a magnet and the other of the first magnetic handle securing component and the second magnetic handle securing component can be ferrous metal. At least one of the first magnetic handle securing component and the second magnetic handle securing component can be a neodymium magnet.
In embodiments, the shell can define a recess adapted to receive a portion of the window operator, a housing defining a cavity being disposed within the recess, the first magnetic handle securing component being received in the cavity. The handle portion can include a body defining a recess, a housing defining a cavity being disposed within the recess, the first magnetic handle securing component being received in the cavity. The handle portion can include a bottom cover at least partially covering the recess in the body.
In further embodiments, the shell can include a plurality of magnetic cover securing components, each one of the plurality of first magnetic cover securing components disposed so as to correspond with a separate one of a plurality of second magnetic cover securing components disposed on the window operator. A mutual magnetic attraction between each of the first magnetic cover securing components and the corresponding second magnetic cover securing component secures the cover portion to the window operator.
In an embodiment, a window operator assembly includes a window operator adapted to couple with a movable sash of a window, and a window operator handle and cover assembly. The window operator handle and cover assembly can include a shell received on the window operator, the shell having a first magnetic handle securing component, and a handle portion coupled with a rotatable drive of the window operator. The handle portion is shiftable between a folded position in which a lower surface of the handle portion abuts an outer surface of the shell and an unfolded position in which the lower surface of the handle portion is spaced apart from the outer surface of the shell. The handle portion has a second magnetic handle securing component disposed proximate the first magnetic handle securing component when the handle portion is in the folded position. A mutual magnetic attraction between the first magnetic handle securing component and the second magnetic handle securing component secures the handle portion in the folded position.
The first magnetic handle securing component and the second magnetic handle securing component can each be magnets, or one of the first magnetic handle securing component or the second magnetic handle securing component can be a magnet and the other of the first magnetic handle securing component and the second magnetic handle securing component can be ferrous metal. At least one of the first magnetic handle securing component and the second magnetic handle securing component can be a neodymium magnet.
In embodiments, the shell can define a recess receiving a portion of the window operator, a housing defining a cavity being disposed within the recess, the first magnetic handle securing component being received in the cavity. The handle portion can include a body defining a recess, a housing defining a cavity being disposed within the recess, the first magnetic handle securing component being received in the cavity. A bottom cover can at least partially cover the recess in the body.
In further embodiments, the shell can include a plurality of magnetic cover securing components, each one of the plurality of first magnetic cover securing components disposed so as to correspond with a separate one of a plurality of second magnetic cover securing components disposed on the window operator, wherein a mutual magnetic attraction between each of the first magnetic cover securing components and the corresponding second magnetic cover securing component secures the cover portion to the window operator.
The summary above is not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment or every implementation of the present disclosure. The figures and the detailed description that follow more particularly exemplify these embodiments.
Subject matter hereof may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments in connection with the accompanying figures, in which:
While various embodiments are amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the claimed inventions to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the claims.
There are depicted in
As depicted in
In embodiments of the invention, both magnetic handle securing components 28, 48, may be mutually attracting magnets, or one or the other may be made of a ferrous metal capable of being attracted by a magnet, and the other a magnet. In preferred embodiments, the magnets used for handle securing components 28, 48, can be neodymium or other high magnetic strength disc magnets as are commonly available. Of course, it will be appreciated that handle securing components 28, 48, can be made from any other suitable magnetic materials or materials attracted to a magnet, and can be any suitable shape. Moreover, it will be appreciated that although magnetic handle securing components 28, 48, are described above as being received in recesses 32, 46, defined by housings 30, 44, they may also be otherwise attached to or molded in shell 26, handle body 34, or knob 38. Also, although only one each of magnetic handle securing components 28, 48, is depicted, it will be appreciated any number of pairs of magnetic handle securing components 28, 48, can be used. Still further, magnetic handle securing components 28, 48, may be mounted so as to be visible from the exterior when handle assembly 34 is in the unfolded position depicted in
As depicted in
Cover assembly 22 fits over and is secured to base plate 54 or gear housing 56 of window operator assembly 52 with shaft 70 of worm gear 58 extending through aperture 86 defined in cover assembly 22. As described above, operator drive interface 40 of handle assembly 24 is coupled to shaft 70 of worm gear 58 with splines 68.
With handle assembly 24 in a folded position as depicted in
Optionally, as depicted in
It will be appreciated that although a dual-arm type operator is depicted, operator handle and cover assembly 20 can be adapted for use with any type or configuration of window operator. Moreover, although a casement window is depicted, the operator handle and cover assembly 20 can be used with any other type of window, for example awning style windows.
Hence, it will be appreciated that, by positioning a pair of magnets or a magnet and matching ferrous metal component on or in cover assembly 22 and a corresponding magnet and matching ferrous metal component in or on handle assembly 24, the handle securing components 28, 48, interact, helping to position and secure the handle assembly 24 in a folded position without the need for projections, notches, or recesses on cover assembly 22 to engage with handle assembly 24. As described, handle securing components 28, 48, can be attached inside cover assembly 22 and handle assembly 48, respectively, or molded into cover assembly 22 and handle assembly 48 for improved aesthetics and functionality. It will be appreciated that there may be an additional advantage to using a ferrous metal component for handle securing component 28 (rather than a magnet) to avoid attraction of metal particles or dust which may abrade and damage the finish of shell 26 over time. Similarly, cover assembly 22 can be secured to window operator assembly 52 with strategically located magnetic cover securing components 90, 94, to improve serviceability of window operator assembly 52.
Various embodiments of systems, devices, and methods have been described herein. These embodiments are given only by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed inventions. It should be appreciated, moreover, that the various features of the embodiments that have been described may be combined in various ways to produce numerous additional embodiments. Moreover, while various materials, dimensions, shapes, configurations and locations, etc. have been described for use with disclosed embodiments, others besides those disclosed may be utilized without exceeding the scope of the claimed inventions.
Persons of ordinary skill in the relevant arts will recognize that the subject matter hereof may comprise fewer features than illustrated in any individual embodiment described above. The embodiments described herein are not meant to be an exhaustive presentation of the ways in which the various features of the subject matter hereof may be combined. Accordingly, the embodiments are not mutually exclusive combinations of features; rather, the various embodiments can comprise a combination of different individual features selected from different individual embodiments, as understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, elements described with respect to one embodiment can be implemented in other embodiments even when not described in such embodiments unless otherwise noted.
Although a dependent claim may refer in the claims to a specific combination with one or more other claims, other embodiments can also include a combination of the dependent claim with the subject matter of each other dependent claim or a combination of one or more features with other dependent or independent claims. Such combinations are proposed herein unless it is stated that a specific combination is not intended.
Any incorporation by reference of documents above is limited such that no subject matter is incorporated that is contrary to the explicit disclosure herein. Any incorporation by reference of documents above is further limited such that no claims included in the documents are incorporated by reference herein. Any incorporation by reference of documents above is yet further limited such that any definitions provided in the documents are not incorporated by reference herein unless expressly included herein.
For purposes of interpreting the claims, it is expressly intended that the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) are not to be invoked unless the specific terms “means for” or “step for” are recited in a claim.
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/178,818 filed Apr. 23, 2021, said application being hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
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Entry |
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Co-pending U.S. Appl. No. 17/859,464, and entitled “Window Operator Handle and Cover With Magnetic Securing Features and Detent.” |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20220341238 A1 | Oct 2022 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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63178818 | Apr 2021 | US |