GB2194280A - Closure assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A closure assembly comprising an openable closure having a peripheral frame (10) movable relative to a fixed frame (11); and comprising apparatus, which includes an elongate carrier (22) slidably secured to one of said frames, at least one headed pin (23) carried by said carrier a mechanism (20) actuable to reciprocate said carrier longitudinally and a keeper (Fig. 2) secured to the frame (11). The keeper having a passage (31) for admitting the head (24) of the pin, and first and second parallel slots (28A and 29A) extending said passage. Reciprocation of the carrier (22) causes the pin to enter or leave slots (28A and 29A) to lock the closure respectively fully closed or partially open. In either slot the pin can move only towards the passage (31). Slots (28, 29) on the opposite side of the passage allow for an oppositely handed arrangement. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Closure securing apparatus for buildings This invention concerns securing apparatus, for securing a closure such as a door or window in a closed position in a fixed frame or like frame defining an opening or part thereof, of a kind comprising at least one movable member releasably engageable in a keep plate or a like receiving device; closure assemblies incorporating such apparatus; and keep plates or receiving devices for such apparatus.

It is a well known general problem that closures can often be opened illegally, e.g. by application of force to prise apart the closure and fixed frames to the extent that the movable member is or can be moved out of the keep plate to allow the closure to be opened.

This problem may be reduced by providing a plurality of movable members to secure the closure at a number of points, but there may be a commensurate increase in cost and complexity of the apparatus and the time required for operating the apparatus for releasing and securing the closure.

Said time is reduced in forms of the apparatus in which the movable members are movable in unison by a common actuating mechanism, and two basic forms are well known. In one form employed in doors, the movable members comprise bolts which are retractable by the mechanism, which bolts may be extended to project deeply into receiving sockets, keep plates or like receiving devices to improve security, but such bolts and mechanisms are complex and require more space than is reasonably available in relatively slender framed windows. In the other form, e.g.

espagnolette apparatus, the movable members are constituted by pins carried by a slender bar or rod carrier along one run of the fixed frame or of the peripheral frame of the closure, which bar is movable longitudinally of said run by a relatively compact mechanism so as to be easily accommodated in the frame, but this form has the disadvantage that the pins are not retractable and the extent of projection is relatively small thereby providing only shallow engagement in the keep plates or receiving devices.

In our co-pending Patent Application No.

8610258 we disclose forms of securing apparatus for reducing said problems in relation to retractable movable members, and an object of the present invention is to enable said problems and disadvantages to be reduced in respect of espagnolette and other forms of securing apparatus.

According to the present invention there is provided securing apparatus comprising a keep plate or like device, and at least one headed pin movable by an actuating mechanism; said receiving device comprising a body having a face portion, a passage extending from one edge of the body at least partially across the face portion for admitting the head of the pin into the body so that the pin extends through the face portion, and first and second parallel slots extending in one direction from one side of said passage and partially along the face portion to terminate adjacent to one end portion of the body, so that in use the head can be received behind the face portion in either of a primary and a secondary retaining positions spaced from each other and from the passage, and in which positions the pin is restrained substantially from movement in any direction other than towards said passage.

The invention also provides a keep plate or like receiving device, for receiving a headed pin of securing apparatus, comprising a body having a face portion, a passage extending from one edge of the body at least partially across the face portion for admitting the head of the pin into the body so that the pin extends through the face portion, and first and second parallel slots extending in one direction from one side of said passage and partially along the face portion to terminate adjacent to one end portion of the body, so that in use the head can be received behind the face portions in either of a primary and a secondary retaining positions spaced from each other and from the passage, and in which positions the pin is restrained from movement in any direction other than towards said passage.

The invention further provides a closure assembly comprising an openable closure having a peripheral frame movable relative to a fixed frame or frame part defining an opening or part thereof; and comprising apparatus, for retaining the closure in a closed position in the opening, which includes an elongate carrier slidably secured to a run of one of said frames, at least one headed pin carried by said carrier to project peripherally from said run, a mechanism actuable to reciprocate said carrier longitudinally of said run, and a receiving device secured to the other of said frames and characterised in that the receiving device comprises a body having a face portion, a passage extending from one edge of the body at least partially across the face portion for admitting the head of the pin into the body so that the pin extends through the face portion, and first and second parallel slots extending in one direction from one side of said passage and partially along the face portion to terminate adjacent to one end portion of the body, so that the head can be received behind the face portions in either of a primary and a secondary retaining positions spaced from each other and from the passage, and in which positions the pin is restrained from movement in any direction other than towards said passage.

The receiving device is preferably arranged so that handing is avoided by the provision of third and fourth slots which are mirror images of the first and second slots and extend from the opposite side of the passage; the passage has a closed end; the body is apertured to received securing fasteners closely adjacent to the closed ends of the slots; portions of the base extend below the passage and across its closed end; and the base and face portions are connected between the sloths.

The pin and body are preferably arranged so that the pin comprises a shank which extends to a junction with the head, the head providing an annular abutment face around said junction; and so that in each said retaining position at least 75% of the total area of said abutment face confronts an undersurface of said portion.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, wherein: Figure 1 shows a transverse cross section through apparatus, and parts of a closure assembly, of the invention; and Figure 2 shows a receiving device of the invention in front elevation; The closure assembly generally includes two frames 10 of which one is a peripheral frame of a closure and the other is an outer, further or fixed frame defining at least part of the opening to be closed by the closure. Each frame has a respective run 11 or 12, which runs 11 and 12 are provided with securing apparatus for retaining the runs together in predetermined positions.

The securing apparatus is in the form of an espagnolette device, and comprises an actuating mechanism 20 secured in the run 11, a handle 21 to operate the mechanism 20 and an elongate-bar carrier 22 slidably connected to the run 11 to extend in a peripherally outwardly open longitudjnal channel 13 provided in said run 11 in generally known manner. In this embodiment, the closure is pivotally connected to the outer frame, and the carrier 22 has fixedly secured thereto a plurality of movable members 23, eqch of which is of headed pin form and is shaped to provide a head 24 spaced peripherally outwardly from the carrier 22 to which the head 24 is connected by a shank 25.

The security apparatus further includes a receiving device 26 comprising a body having a base 40, and a face portion 27 formed to provide, as shown in Fig. 2, a first slot 28 and a second slot 29 parallel with the first slot which extend longitudinally of the face portion 27 from one side of a transverse passage 30 to which each of the slots is open at one end. The passage 30 is wider than the head 24 and extends at a right angle to the slots and transversely of the base and face portion to an opening 31 at one side of the receiving part for admitting the head 24 into the body. To avoid handing of the device, third and fourth slots 28A and 29A are provided, which slots are mirror images of the slots 28 and 29 and extend in parallel from the other side of the passage 30.End portions 32 of the receiving device are apertured adjacent to the closed ends of the slots to receive fasteners securing the receiving part to the run 12 so that the face portion 27 confronts the- run 11. The face portion 27 provides inclined rear or under surfaces 33 around the slots so that the thickness of the face portion increases in directions away from the boundaries of the slots, defined by slot defining edges, to merge with longitudinally extending base portions 34, which abut the run 12. One of said base portions extends across the closed end of the passage.

In the closed position of the closure, the shank 25 extends through the first slot 28 or third slot 28A to a primary retaining position at or adjacent the closed end of the slot to locate the head 24 within a recess 35 in the receiving device to the rear of the surface 33, so that the head is confined is said space so as to be restrained against any substantial movement in any direction oter than towards the passage, and in particular so that the application of force to separate the runs will be resisted by an annular abutment face 41 of the head engaging said surface 33. The closure may be opened by operating the mechanism to move the movable member along the slot until the head enters the passage 30, and then moving one run 11 or 12 transversely relative to the other run 12 or 11 causing the movable member to traverse the passage.If it is desired hold the closure in a fractionally open position, the mechanism may be actuated to move the movable member into one of the second and fourth slots 29, 29A to a secondary retaining position offset from the adjacent primary retaining position.

As indicated in broken lines in Fig. 2, in the retaining position, substantially the whole area of the face 41 is confronted by or engages said surface 33 except for the portion 42 below the slot.

The invention is not confined to details of the foregoing example, and many variations on and mechanical equivalents of the parts and functional relationships described may be adopted within the scope of the invention. For example, the shank is preferably cylindrical so that the curved surface thereof engages the slot defining edge at the open end of the slot as the movable member is urged into the slot whereby to provide a cam action to assist the closure being moved into the closed position in which resilient seals 36 are compressed between the frames. The receiving device is preferably an injection moulding of a strong plastics material, but is equally suitable for diecasting in aluminium or an alloy thereof.

Furthermore, the base 40 is preferably downwardly open below the slots 28, 28A, 29 and 29A, as shown in Fig. 1, so as not merely to facilitate moulding of the device, but more especially to accommodate foreign matter entering the device so as to minimise any risk of the pin being obstructed, and to permit moisture to seep out of the device to drains provided in the section 12 so as to minimise any risk of corrosion of the pin and device of the latter is not made of a corrosion resistant material such as plastics.

Claims (12)

1. A keep plate or like receiving device, for receiving a headed pin of securing apparatus, said receiving device comprising a body having a face portion, a passage extending from one edge of the body at least partially across the face portion for admitting the head of the pin into the body so that the pin extends through the face portion, and first and second parallel slots extending in one direction from one side of said passage and partially along the face portion to terminate adjacent to one end portion of the body so that in use the head can be received behind the face portion in either of a primary and a secondary retaining positions spaced from each other and from the passage, and in which positions the pin is restrained substantially from movement in any direction other than towards said passage.

2. Securing apparatus comprising a keep plate or like receiving device, and at least one headed pin movable by an actuating mechanism; said receiving device comprising a body having a face portion, a passage extending from one edge of the body at least partially across the face portion for admitting the head of the pin into the body so that the pin extends through the face portion, and first and second parallel slots extending in one direction from one side of said passage and partially along the face portion to terminate adjacent to one end portion of the body, so that in use the head can be received behind the face portion in either of a primary and a secondary retaining positions spaced from each other and from the passage, and in which positions the pin is restrained substantially from movement in any direction other than towards said passage.

3. A closure assembly comprising an openable closure having a peripheral frame movable relative to a fixed frame or frame part defining an opening or part thereof; and comprising apparatus, for retaining the closure in a closed position in the opening, which includes an elongate carrier slidably secured to a run of one of said frames, at least one headed pin carried by said carrier to project peripherally from said run, a mechanism actuable to reciprocate said carrier longitudinally of said run and a receiving device secured to the other of said frames and characterised in that the receiving device comprises a body having a face portion, a passage extending from one edge of the body at least partially across the face portion for admitting the head of the pin into the body so that the pin extends through the face portion, and first and second parallel slots extending in one direction from one side of said passage and partially along the face portion to terminate adjacent to one end portion of the body, so that the head can be received behind the face portion in either of a primary and a secondary retaining positions spaced from each other and from the passage, and in which positions the pin is restrained from movement in any direction other than towards said passage.

4. Apparatus, a device or an assembly as claimed in claim 1,2 or 3 and further comprising third and fourth parallel slots extending in the opposite direction from the other side of said passage and partially along the face portion to teminate adjacent to the opposite end portion of the body, to provide further primary and secondary retaining positions.

5. Apparatus, a device or an assembly as claimed in Claim 1, 2,3 or 4 wherein said body is die-cast or injection moulded.

6. Apparatus, a device or an assembly as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said body has apertures to receive fasteners, for securing the body to a fixed frame, which apertures are disposed in said end portions of the body.

7. Apparatus, a device or an assembly as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said body provides a base portion across the other end of the passage and further base portions underlying the passage.

8. Apparatus, a device or an assembly as claimed in Claim 7 wherein an intermediate one of said base portions is connected to the face portion between said first and second slots.

9. Apparatus, a device or an assembly as claimed in claim 8 as appended to claim 4 wherein said base portion is connected to the face portion between the third and fourth slots.

10. Apparatus, a device or an assembly as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the thickness of the face portion tapers to a minimum at the boundaries of the slots.

11. Apparatus, a device or an assembly as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the pin comprises a shank whch extends to a junction with the head, the head providing an annular abutment face around said junction; and wherein in each said retaining position at least 75% of the total area of said abutment face confronts or abuts an undersurface of said face portion.

12. Apparatus, a device or an assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.