EP1707709A2

EP1707709A2 - A recessed handle, especially for sliding doors and windows

Info

Publication number: EP1707709A2
Application number: EP06110750A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Marco Lambertini
Original assignee: GSG International SpA
Current assignee: GSG International SpA
Priority date: 2005-03-08
Filing date: 2006-03-07
Publication date: 2006-10-04
Also published as: ITBO20050124A1; EP1707709A3

Abstract

A recessed handle, especially for sliding doors and windows, comprises: a first handle body (2) attachable to a mobile frame, the first handle body (2) being fitted with a pair of guides (5) for slidably housing a recessed operating rod (6); a slider (7), supported by the operating rod (6), equipped with an element (8) protruding transversally from the mobile frame and adjustable, through the operating rod (6), between a first locked position, and a second, open position in which the mobile frame is free to slide relative to a fixed frame; security means (9) acting on the operating rod (6) and designed to prevent the slider (7) from moving from the first to the second position as a result of direct action on the element (8); key opening means (10), located on a second handle body (11) and acting on the slider (7) in such a way as to enable the element (8) to move from the first to the second position; means (13) for disabling the handle (1) security means (9), mounted between the operating rod (6) and the second surface (12) and acting on the operating rod (6), when the key means (10) are operated, in such a way as to enable movement from the first to the second position also by operation of the key means (10).

Description

This invention relates to a recessed handle, especially for sliding doors, windows and the like. At present, in the door and window hardware industry, several kinds of operating units for sliding doors and windows, especially those with metal frames, are known.
The handles most commonly used for doors and windows of this type are recessed pull handles. These handles consist basically of one or more bodies attachable to the inside and/or outside surface of the sliding door or window and having a central cavity, commonly known as "recess". Inside the handle body, there is a hand-operated element associated with the recess.
This element is associated, usually by means of a grub screw, with a catch which engages and disengages the sliding frame relative to the fixed frame, whilst the recess affords a secure grip to slide the door or window.
This type of catch or lock is usually operated by hand by moving the slider directly up and then down using the recess.
One of the drawbacks of recessed handles of this kind was that they did not have a security lock to prevent movement of the recess and, hence, of the catch mechanism, which made them insecure for use on doors and windows separating the interior of a building from a balcony or internal garden.
The door or window could be opened from the outside by simply inserting a thin object between the sliding frame and the fixed frame to move the catch vertically to the open position, enabling a burglar to break into the building.
These handles were therefore structurally adapted in several ways, even by the same Applicant as this invention, using security mechanisms acting on the lower portion of the recess to prevent the slider from being moved from the closed to the open position by direct action on the catch supported by the slider.
Basically, these means (for example, elastically compliant means) enable the door or window to be opened only by a user indoors pressing the recess downwards at an angle.
This makes it impossible to open the door or window from the outside by operating the catch in a vertical direction.
This mechanism, however, cannot be used if the outdoor part of the handle unit has a handgrip with a lock and key device as in the case of a door leading outdoors (for example to an internal garden).
The handgrip with the lock and key device on the outdoor side usually has a rotatable element with a horizontal operating rod extending into the door frame. This pin, when actuated by turning the key in the lock cylinder, comes into contact with the slider and pushes both the slider and the recess down vertically in such a way as to release the catch.
Opening in this way would not be possible if the indoor part of the handle unit were fitted with the above mentioned security means and the current tendency is therefore to mechanically disable these security means on handles of this kind.
This however leaves the door or window without protection in the event of break-in attempts or accidental movement of the catch as a result of strong blow on the window when closed.
The aim of this invention is to overcome the above mentioned disadvantages by providing a handle unit with the anti-burglary security mechanism even if the handle on the outdoor side is fitted with a lock and key device.
According to the invention, the above mentioned aim is achieved by a recessed handle, especially for sliding doors and windows, comprising: a first handle body attachable to a mobile frame, the first handle body being fitted with a pair of guides for slidably housing a recessed operating rod; a slider, supported by the operating rod, equipped with an element protruding transversally from the mobile frame and adjustable, through the operating rod, between a first position in which the mobile frame is locked, and a second, open position in which the mobile frame is free to slide relative to a fixed frame; security means acting on the operating rod and designed to prevent the slider from moving from the first to the second position as a result of direct action on the element; key opening means, located on a second handle body and acting on the slider in such a way as to enable the element to move from the first to the second position; means for disabling the handle security means, mounted inside the handle itself and acting on the operating rod, when the key means are operated, in such a way as to enable movement from the first to the second position also by operation of the key means.
The technical characteristics of the invention, with reference to the above aims, are clearly described in the claims below and its advantages are apparent from the detailed description which follows, with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention provided merely by way of example without restricting the scope of the inventive concept, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view, with some parts cut away in order to better illustrate others, of a recessed handle according to the invention, especially for sliding doors and windows;
Figure 2 is a side view, with some parts cut away and others in cross section, showing the recessed handle of Figure 1, in an assembled state;
Figure 3 illustrates a part of the handle of Figures 1 and 2, that is to say, the main recessed body, in a front view of the inside of the main body itself;
Figures 4 and 5 are both scaled-up views of a detail A from Figure 2 in two different operating configurations of the recessed operating rod.

With reference to the accompanying drawings, in particular Figures 1, 2 and 3, the handle according to the invention, labelled 1 in its entirety, is of the recessed type used in particular for sliding doors and windows. The handle 1 essentially comprises:

a first handle body 2 attachable to a first surface 3 of a mobile frame having a respective slot 4 to accommodate it; the first handle body 2 has a pair of longitudinal guides 5 for slidably housing a recessed operating rod 6;
a slider 7, mounted at one end of the operating rod 6, equipped with an element 8 protruding transversally from the mobile frame and adjustable, through the operating rod 6, between a first locked position (arrow F, Figure 3), in which the element 8 stably couples and locks the mobile frame to a respective slot in a fixed frame (not illustrated) and a second, open position (arrow F1) in which the element 8 is released so that the mobile frame is free to slide relative to the fixed frame.

As clearly shown in Figure 2, the mobile frame and the fixed frame are not illustrated since they are of known type, whilst the surface 3 and the slot 4 are drawn in a dashed line style.
Similarly, the element 8 is also of known type and consists of a catch whose shape is symmetrical making it reversible and applicable to both left- and right-hand opening doors.
The handle 1 also comprises:

security means 9 acting on the recessed operating rod 6 and designed to prevent the slider 7 from moving from the first to the second position as a result of direct action on the protruding element 8 mounted on the slider 7 itself;
key opening means 10, located on a second handle body 11 attachable to a second surface 12 of the mobile frame, opposite the first surface 3; the key means 10 act on the slider 7 in such a way as to enable the element 8 to move from the first to the second position; and lastly
means 13 for disabling the handle 1 security means 9, mounted between the recessed operating rod 6 and the second surface 12 and acting on the operating rod 6, when the key means 10 are operated, in such a way as to enable movement from the first to the second position also by operation of the key means 10.

In other words, the disabling means 13 use the key means 10 to accomplish from the outdoor side the same movement made by the operating rod 6 when the operating rod 6 is operated manually from the indoor side to open the door or window.
Looking in more detail (see also Figures 4 and 5), the security means 9 (of known type) might, in one non-restricting embodiment for the purposes of the solution according to the invention, consist of a pin 9a mounted on a supporting element 9b associated with the first handle body 2. The tip of the pin 9a comes into contact with a cam-like member 6a (consisting of an enlarged portion) made on the part of the recessed operating rod 6 opposite the part that is associated with the slider 7: this structure makes it possible to keep the slider 7 in the locked position and, by elastically deforming the pin 9a, to move it to the second position and vice versa. The deformation (shown in Figure 5) is accomplished by a pre-opening movement of the operating rod 6 towards the inside of the mobile frame.
The above mentioned key means 10 may, for example, consist of lock cylinder 10a fitted in a suitable housing in the second handle body 11 and equipped with a drive pin 10b designed to engage the slider 7 when turned in the direction indicated by the arrow F2 in Figure 3.
The above mentioned means 13 for disabling the security means 9 are associated with both the recessed operating rod 6 and the slider 7 in such a way as to move the operating rod 6 before the drive pin 10b comes into contact with the slider 7.
More specifically, these disabling means 13 comprise:

a main body 14 stably associated with the slider 7 and extending in a direction parallel to the operating rod 6; the main body 14 has a contact head 15, located at the top end of the main body 14, and designed to permit contact with the drive pin 10b before the slider 7 so as to impart a first operating movement to the main body 14;
an element 16 for driving the rod 6, associated with the rod 6 near the latter's lower end; the drive element 16 is controlled by guide means 17 located near the element 16 itself and forming part of the main body 14 so that when the above mentioned operating movement is made, the drive element 16 can impart the pre-opening movement to the rod 6 (as clearly shown in Figures 4 and 5).

As clearly illustrated in Figure 3, between the main body 14 and the drive element 16 there are elastic means 18 designed to push the rod 6 back to the first, locked position when no force is applied to the contact head 15 (and to the slider 7) or to the operating rod 6.
These elastic means may, for example, comprise a concertina-shaped spring 18 associated, at one end, with the main body 14 and, at the other end, with the drive element 16.
The above mentioned contact head 15 consists of a plate 15a associated with the main body 14, through respective fastening means 19 (for example, a screw), and positioned close to the slider 7.
The plate 15a has a working surface 15b extending in an inclined plane and whose lower section coincides with the surface of the slider 7 that comes into contact with the drive pin 10b; the upper section of the working surface 15b, on the other hand, defines the point of initial contact and engagement with the drive pin 10b to permit the above mentioned first operating movement of the main body 14.
In practice, the distance D between the upper section of the surface 15b of the plate 15a and the contact surface of the slider 7 defines a stroke through which the main body 14 moves in order to permit the pre-opening movement of the recessed operating rod 6 before the mobile frame is actually opened.
As illustrated in Figures 2 to 5, the drive element 16 may consist of a plug 16a attached to the operating rod 6 by respective fastening means 20 (for example, a screw).
The plug 16a is positioned in a slot 14a made in the main body 14, the slot 14a having two inclined surfaces 17a and 17b, constituting the above mentioned guide 17, which come into contact with respective inclined walls 16p of the plug 16a so that when the main body 14 makes the above mentioned first operating movement, the pairs of surfaces 17a, 17b, 16p can slide relative to each other in such a way as to move the plug 16a and the operating rod 6 away from the first surface 3 of the mobile frame, thereby elastically deforming the pin 9a in order to produce the pre-opening movement of the operating rod 6.
In practice, when the key means 10 are operated from the outside, the drive pin 10b initially engages the plate 15a which moves down together with the main body 14 (see arrow F14). This movement results in compression of the spring 18 and contact between the inclined 17a, 17b and 16p of the body 14 and of the plug 16a.
This contact causes the plug 16a and the lower section of the operating rod 6 to move backwards (arrow F6, Figure 5) in such a way as to deform the pin 9a (arrow F9, Figure 5).
Under these conditions, when the pin 10b then comes into contact with the slider 7, the slider 7 and the operating rod 6 can move down in the normal manner to their second, open position allowing the mobile frame to be opened.
The spring 18 then causes the rod 6 to move back to the first, locked position since the drive pin 10b is no longer applying any force.
The invention as described above achieves the aforementioned aims by offering a full-featured handle offering a high level of security even in combination with a lock and key system.
This is achieved in an extremely simple structure by a system for disabling the security means using a key to accomplish from the outside the same opening action that occurs when the door or window is opened from the inside.
The security means, however, remain active in the event of an attempt to break in by acting directly on the catch.
This structuring is achieved with the aid of an element mounted inside the mobile frame (and thus hidden from view) and without altering the basic constructional components of the handle.
It will be understood that the invention described may be useful in many industrial applications and may be modified and adapted in several ways without thereby departing from the scope of the inventive concept. Moreover, all the details of the invention may be substituted by technically equivalent elements.

Claims

A recessed handle, especially for sliding doors and windows, the handle (1) comprising at least:
- a first handle body (2) attachable to a first surface (3) of a mobile frame having a respective slot (4) to accommodate it; the first handle body (2) having a pair of longitudinal guides (5) for slidably housing a recessed operating rod (6);

- a slider (7), mounted at one end of the operating rod (6), equipped with an element (8) protruding transversally from the mobile frame and adjustable, through the operating rod (6), between a first locked position in which the element (8) stably locks the mobile frame to a respective slot in a fixed frame, and a second, open position in which the element (8) is released so that the mobile frame is free to slide relative to the fixed frame, the handle (1) being characterised in that it further comprises:

- security means (9) acting on the recessed operating rod (6) and designed to prevent the slider (7) from moving from the first to the second position as a result of direct action on the protruding element (8) mounted on the slider (7) itself;

- key opening means (10), located on a second handle body (11) attachable to a second surface (12) of the mobile frame, opposite the first surface (3), the key means (10) acting on the slider (7) in such a way as to enable the element (8) to move from the first to the second position; and

- means (13) for disabling the handle (1) security means (9), mounted between the recessed operating rod (6) and the second surface (12) and acting on the operating rod (6), when the key means (10) are operated, in such a way as to enable movement from the first to the second position also by operation of the key means (10).
The handle according to claim 1, characterised in that the means (13) for disabling the security means (9) are positioned on and associated with the recessed operating rod (6) and slider (7) in such a way as to move the operating rod (6) before the key means (10) come into contact with the slider (7).
The handle according to claim 1, in which the security means (9) comprise at least one pin (9a) mounted on a supporting element (9b) associated with the first handle body (2) and whose tip comes into contact with a cam-like member (6a) made on the part of the recessed operating rod (6) opposite the part of it associated with the slider (7), thus making it possible to keep the slider (7) in the locked position and to move it to the second position and vice versa, by elastically deforming the pin (9a) through a pre-opening movement of the operating rod (6), the handle being characterised in that the disabling means (13) comprise:
- a main body (14) stably associated with the slider (7), extending in a direction parallel to and in contact with the inside of the operating rod (6); the main body (14) having a contact head (15), located at its top end, and designed to permit contact with the key means (10) before the slider (7) so as to impart a first operating movement to the main body (14);

- an element (16) for driving the rod (6), associated with the rod (6) near the latter's lower end; the drive element (16) being controlled by guide means (17) located near the element (16) itself and forming part of the main body (14) so that when the first operating movement is made, the drive element (16) can impart the pre-opening movement to the rod (6).
The handle according to claim 3, characterised in that between the main body (14) and the drive element (16) there are elastic means (18) designed to push the rod (6) back to the first, locked position when no force is applied to the contact head (15) or to the operating rod (6).
The handle according to claim 3, characterised in that the contact head (15) consists of a plate (15a) associated with the main body (14), through respective fastening means (19), and positioned close to the slider (7); the plate (15a) having a working surface (15b) extending in an inclined plane where the lower section coincides with the contact surface of the slider (7), an upper section of the working surface (15b) defining the point of initial contact and engagement with the key means (10) in such a way as to permit the first operating movement of the main body (14).
The handle according to claim 5, characterised in that the distance (D) between the upper section of the surface (15b) of the plate (15a) and the contact surface of the slider (7) defines a stroke through which the main body (14) moves in order to permit the pre-opening movement of the recessed operating rod (6).
The handle according to claim 3, characterised in that the drive element (16) consists of a plug (16a) attached to the operating rod (6) by respective fastening means (20) and positioned in a slot (14a) made in the main body (14); the slot (14a) having two inclined surfaces (17a, 17b), constituting the guide means (17), which come into contact with respective inclined walls (16p) of the plug (16a) so that when the main body (14) makes the first operating movement, the pairs of surfaces (17a, 17b, 16p) can slide relative to each other in such a way as to move the plug (16a) and the operating rod (6) away from the first surface (3) of the mobile frame, thereby elastically deforming the pin (9a).
The handle according to claim 4, characterised in that the elastic means comprise a concertina-shaped spring (18) associated, at one end, with the main body (14) and, at the other end, with the drive element (16).