GB2409879A

GB2409879A - Restrictor

Info

Publication number: GB2409879A
Application number: GB0425059A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Samuel Robert Dilworth; Martin Crawley Franklin
Original assignee: Nico Manufacturing Ltd
Current assignee: Nico Manufacturing Ltd
Priority date: 2004-01-08
Filing date: 2004-11-12
Publication date: 2005-07-13
Anticipated expiration: 2024-11-12
Also published as: GB2409879B; GB0400352D0; GB0425059D0

Abstract

A restrictor for use with a moveable leaf in a fixed frame of a window or door. The restrictor comprises a base plate 1, a catch 3 pivotally mounted on the base plate 1, the catch 3 being pivotable between a first position and a second position, relative to the base plate 1, a bias means 11 for biassing the catch 3 into the first position, and a pivot pin 4 pivotally connecting the catch 3 to the base plate 1. The pivot pin 4 is fixed against rotation with respect to the catch 3, and the pivot pin 4 and base plate 1 have co-operating abutments which abut at the first position.

Description

RESTRICTOR

Restrictors are used in doors and windows to allow only limited opening of the door or window, mainly for safety and security reasons. Restrictors typically allow for a specified opening at the lock side of a side hung leaf or at the bottom of a top hung leaf. The restrictor can normally be released to allow further opening of the door or window when required.

Typically, restrictors comprise a base plate, a catch pivotally mounted on the base plate and a bias means for biassing the catch to a predetermined position. An example of such a prior art restrictor is disclosed in GB 2,263,934 A. A planar elongate catch member has a pivot end and a hooked end. The pivot end has a chamfered corner which abuts a stop protruding from the base plate to prevent further rotation of the catch member. A torsion spring biases the catch into this first position.

In use, when the movable leaf is opened from a closed position, a striker pin engages the hooked end of the catch thus restricting further opening of the movable leaf relative to the fixed frame. In order to release the restrictor, and so permit further opening of the movable leaf, the movable leaf is moved towards the closed position and the catch disengaged from the striker pin manually.

Once the catch has been disengaged from the striker pin the movable leaf may be moved towards a fully open position relative to the fixed frame and the torsion spring returns the catch member to the first position.

Upon closing the movable leaf to the partially open position the striker pin re-engages the catch and the movable leaf may then be returned to the closed position.

The restrictor is thus set to restrict subsequent opening of the movable leaf beyond the partially open position.

The prior art restrictor, such as that previously

disclosed, has many disadvantages. For example, the bearing surfaces of the base plate stop and the chamfered corner of the catch provide a pinch point which is exposed.

Fingers may become trapped in this pinch point. Also, the torsion spring terminal ends are exposed which may be sharp. This increases the possibility that the user's hands may be cut when using the restrictor. For a manually operated restrictor these disadvantages are clearly undesirable.

According to a first aspect of the present invention a restrictor, for use with a moveable leaf in a fixed frame of a window or door, comprises a base plate, a catch pivotally mounted on the base plate, the catch being pivotable between a first position and a second position relative to the base plate, a bias means for biassing the catch into the first position and a pivot pin pivotally connecting the catch to the base plate, the pivot pin being fixed against rotation with respect to the catch, and the pivot pin and base plate having co-operating abutments which abut at the first position.

According to a second aspect of the present invention a window or door comprises a fixed frame, a movable leaf pivotally connected to the fixed frame and movable between an open and a closed position relative to the fixed frame, a restrictor assembly comprising a restrictor in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention connected to the fixed frame or the movable leaf and a striker pin connected to the movable leaf or fixed frame, respectively, wherein, in use, the striker pin engages the catch thereby restricting opening of the movable leaf, the catch being manually movable to release the striker pin and thereby release the movable leaf.

Preferably the co-operating abutments of the restrictor comprise a pair of protrusions formed on the pivot pin and a co-operating first pair of stops formed in a recess of the base plate. A second pair of stops may also be formed in the base plate recess in order to restrict relative rotation between the pivot pin and the base plate to a predetermined arc, one extent of which is at the first position, the other being at the second position. By providing pairs of protrusions and co- operating stops a stronger design may be realised when compared with a design incorporating only a single protrusion and respective stop.

The pivot pin may be fixed against rotation with respect to the catch by any means, for example welding, but in a preferred embodiment one or more protrusions co- operate with one or more respective recesses and then the pin be simply spin rivetted to the catch.

In order to avoid any sharp wire protuberances, in a preferred embodiment the bias means is a coil spring which may be connected to the base plate and the catch by substantially complete loops at terminal ends of the spring around respective lugs extending from the base plate and the catch. However, in another preferred embodiment only one terminal end of the spring is formed in a substantially complete loop around a respective lug extending from the catch. The other terminal end of the spring is formed having an incomplete loop preferably of approximately 200 , around a respective lug extending from the base plate for ease of assembly. The coil spring may encircle a turret extending from the base plate such that movement of the catch from the first position towards the second position is resisted as the coil spring tightens about the turret.

This aids the coil spring in biassing the catch to the first position.

The co-operating abutments of the base plate and pivot pin are preferably concealed in order to minimise the possibility of trapping the user's fingers in the restrictor.

Accordingly, the present invention overcomes deficiencies in the prior art and provides a strong design with a neat appearance.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows an exploded perspective view of a restrictor in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 shows an exploded partial perspective view of the pivot end of the catch and the pivot pin of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the base plate and pivot pin of Figure 1; Figure 4 shows a partial perspective view of the pivot end of the catch and the coil spring of Figure 1; Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the restrictor of Figure 1 and a striker plate connected to a striker pin arranged in the catch; Figure 6 shows an exploded perspective view of a restrictor in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 shows an exploded partial perspective view of the pivot end of the catch and the pivot pin of Figure 6; Figure 8 shows a perspective view of the base plate and pivot pin of Figure 6; Figure 9 shows a partial perspective view of the pivot end of the catch and the coil spring of Figure 6; and, Figure 10 shows a perspective view of the restrictor of Figure 6 and a striker plate connected to a striker pin engaged in the catch.

Referring to the drawings, Figures 1 to 5 show the components of a restrictor in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention. A base plate 1 has two fixing holes 2 for fixing the base plate to a movable leaf of a window or door. A catch 3 is pivotally mounted on the base plate 1. The catch 3 is connected to the base plate 1 by means of a pivot pin 4.

The pivot pin 4 is fixed against rotation with respect to the catch 3. The connection between the pivot end 5 of the catch 3 and the pivot pin 4 is shown in Figure 2. The pivot pin 4 includes a pair of protrusions 6 which cooperate with a pair of recesses 7 formed in the catch 3.

Figure 3 shows the base plate 1 with the pivot pin 4 inserted. The base plate 1 includes two pairs of stops 8, 9 formed in a recess of the base plate 1. The pivot pin 4, in addition to the pair of protrusions 6 for cooperating with the catch recesses 7, includes a pair of protrusions 10. The pair of protrusions 10 co-operate with the two pairs of stops 8, 9 of the base plate 1. The pivot pin 4 allows the catch 3 to rotate with respect to the base plate 1 between a predetermined arc defined by the protrusions 10 abutting either the pair of stops 8 or the pair of stops 9 formed in the base plate 1. The protrusions 10 abut the pair of stops 8 when the catch 3 is in a first position, and the pair of stops 9 when the catch 3 is in a second position.

The catch 3 is biassed into the first position by a coil spring 11. The coil spring 11 is connected to the base plate 1 by means of a lug 12 extending from the base plate 1 and is connected to the catch 3 by means of a lug 13 extending from the pivot end 5 of the catch 3. The coil spring 11 encircles a turret 14 protruding from the base plate 1. The ends 15 of the coil spring 11 are formed in substantially closed loops such that they fit around the lugs 12 and 13 respectively. This construction prevents any sharp wire protuberances.

As mentioned previously, the catch 3 is biassed to the first position. By applying a force to the catch 3 against the bias of the coil spring 11 the catch 3 may be rotated relative to the base plate 1. This rotation against the bias is restricted to an arc terminating at the second position. During this rotation the coil spring 11 tightens about the turret 14 thus aiding the bias of the coil spring 11. The turret 14 also enables a greater bearing surface at each of the pairs of stops 8,9 and so provides greater strength to the design of the restrictor.

The catch 3 includes a hooked end 16 furthest from the pivot end 5. The hooked end 16 includes a bearing face 17 for engagement with a striker pin 18. The striker pin 18 is connected to a striker plate 19. The striker pin 18 and the striker plate 19 form a striker assembly which is fixed to a fixed frame of the window or door at a pair of fixing holes 20. Figure 5 shows the striker pin 18 of the striker assembly engaged with the bearing face 17 of the hooked end 16 of the catch 3 when biassed to the first position.

In use, the striker pin 18 engages the catch 3 in the first position thereby restricting opening of the movable leaf relative to the fixed frame of the window or door.

The movable leaf is thus restricted from opening further out of the fixed frame beyond the partially open position.

In order to release the restrictor the movable leaf of the window or door should be moved towards the closed position such that the hooked end 16 of the catch 3 may be manually disengaged from the striker pin 18. The movable leaf may then be moved to the fully open position relative to the fixed frame. Upon closing the movable leaf the striker pin 18 contacts the catch 3, when in the first position.

Further movement of the movable leaf towards the closed position causes the catch 3 to pivot against the bias of the coil spring 11, thus moving the catch 3 towards the second position. In this way the restrictor is reset such that subsequent opening of the movable leaf relative to the fixed frame will cause the striker pin 18 to re-engage the hooked end 16 of the catch 3.

Figures 6 to 10 show the components of a restrictor in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention. A base plate 101 has two fixing holes 102 for fixing the base plate to a movable leaf of a window or door. A catch 103 is pivotally mounted on the base plate 101. The catch 103 is connected to the base plate 101 by means of a pivot pin 104.

The pivot pin 104 is fixed against rotation with respect to the catch 103. The connection between a pivot end 105 of the catch 103 and the pivot pin 104 is shown in Figure 7. The pivot pin 104 includes a pair of protrusions 106 which cooperate with a pair of recesses 107 formed in the catch 103. The pair of recesses 107 are formed off set from a longitudinal access of the catch 103, unlike the first embodiment of the present invention described previously.

The Figure 8 shows the base plate 101 with the pivot pin 104 inserted. The base plate 101 includes two pairs of stops 108, 109 formed in a recess of the base plate 101.

Pivot pin 104 also includes a pair of protrusions 110 similar to those of pin 4. The pair of protrusions 110 cooperate with two pairs of stops 108, 109 formed in base plate 101. The pair of protrusions 106 are integrally formed with the pair of protrusions 110 for ease of manufacture. The abutment of the protrusions 110 with their respective stops are as described with reference to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The catch 103 is biassed by a coil spring 111 in a similar manner to that described with reference to the first embodiment. The coil spring 111 encircles a turret 114 protruding from the base plate 101. End 115 of the coil spring 111 is formed in a substantially closed loop such that it fits around lug 113 of the catch 103. Upon assembly of the restrictor the lug 113 is spin rivetted to positively hold terminal end 115 of the coil spring 111.

End 215 of the coil spring 111 is formed in a loop covering an arc of approximately 200 around lug 112 of the base plate 101. This construction enables easier assembly when compared with the first embodiment since the orientation of the spring is much easier to check. The location of the lugs 107 also enables ease of manufacture and checking of the spring orientation. The operation of the coil spring c 111 about the turret 114 is as described with reference to the first embodiment.

The catch 103 has a hook end 116 and a bearing face 117 for engagement with the striker pin 118 connected to a striker plate 119. The striker plate 119 may be fixed to a fixed frame of a window or door at a pair of fixing holes as described with reference to the first embodiment.

Figure 10 shows a restrictor in accordance with the second embodiment engaged with a striker assembly. Operation of the restrictor in accordance with the second embodiment is as described with reference to the first embodiment.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and a number of design alterations are feasible. For example, the base plate 1 may be connected to the fixed frame and the striker assembly may be connected to the movable leaf. The bias means need not be the coil spring 11, 111 but instead may be a torsion spring, tension spring, leaf spring or compression spring. In the above embodiments the catch 3, 103 includes a hooked end 16, 116. The catch 3, 103 may alternatively include any sort of engagement means for engaging with the striker pin 18, 118. These engagement means may include a cleat, a clip, or even a magnetic device.

Claims

1. A restrictor for use with a moveable leaf in a fixed frame of a window or door, the restrictor comprising: a base plate; a catch pivotally mounted on the base plate, the catch being pivotable between a first position and a second position, relative to the base plate; a bias means for biassing the catch into the first position; and, a pivot pin pivotally connecting the catch to the base plate, the pivot pin being fixed against rotation with respect to the catch, and the pivot pin and base plate having co-operating abutments which abut at the first position.

2. The restrictor according to claim 1, wherein the co- operating abutments comprise a pair of protrusions and a corresponding first pair of stops.

3. The restrictor according to claim 2, wherein the pair of protrusions is formed on the pivot pin and the first pair of stops is formed in a recess of the base plate, and wherein a second pair of stops is formed in the base plate recess to restrict relative rotation between the pivot pin and the base plate to a predetermined arc bounded by the first position and the second position.

4. The restrictor according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pivot pin is fixed against rotation with respect to the catch by one or more protrusions co- operating with one or more respective recesses.

5. The restrictor according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bias means is a coil spring.

6. The restrictor according to claim 5, wherein the coil spring is connected to the catch by a substantially complete loop at one terminal end of the spring around a respective lug extending from the catch.

7. The restrictor according to claim 6, wherein the coil spring is connected to the base plate by either a substantially complete loop or an incomplete loop at the other terminal end of the spring around a respective lug extending from the base plate.

8. The restrictor according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the coil spring encircles a turret extending from the base plate.

9. The restrictor according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the catch comprises an elongate planar member having a pivot end and a hooked end.

10. A window or door comprising: a fixed frame; a movable leaf pivotally connected to the fixed frame and movable between an open and a closed position relative to the fixed frame; a restrictor assembly comprising a restrictor in accordance with any one of the preceding claims connected to the fixed frame or the movable leaf and a striker pin connected to the movable leaf or the fixed frame, respectively; wherein, in use, the striker pin engages the catch thereby restricting opening of the movable leaf, the catch being manually movable to release the striker pin and thereby release the movable leaf.

11. The window or door according to claim 10, wherein the base plate of the restrictor is fixed to the movable leaf and the striker pin is connected to the fixed frame.

12. A restrictor or a window or door substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.