GB2190136A - Retractable door or window stop - Google Patents

Abstract

A door stop, intended in use to hold shut an inward opening door and/or to allow the door to be opened only to a limited extent, is also retractable to allow the door to be fully opened and closed without hindrance; and comprises a barrel (2) which, in use, is screwed or otherwise fixed to the floor or the wall reveal adjacent the closing edge of the door and inside the room or other area to which the door gives access, via bores (4); a spigot (6) which, when the door is to be held shut, protrudes from the barrel to bear against or adjacent the room-facing surface of the door and which, when the door is to be opened and closed without hindrance, is retractable into the barrel so as not to impede the passage of the door edge; means (7A) enabling the spigot to be moved alternately into its protruding and its retracted positions by a user's hand or foot; and means tending positively to retain the spigot in its protruding position once the spigot has been moved into that position; the spigot (6) comprising a substantially flat bar, and the means enabling the spigot to be moved into and out of its protruding position including a pivot linking one end of the bar to the barrel so that the bar swings about the pivot into and out of the barrel; the means tending to positively restrain the spigot including a tongue (7A), pivotally attached to the spigot, and, at one end, pivotally and slideably mounted in the barrel; the means also including a stop which restricts the sliding movement of the end of the tongue in the barrel. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Retractable door or window stop Field ofthe invention The invention relates two a door or window stop, intended in use to limit the movement of a door orwindow for example open orto hold shut an inward opening doorand/orallowthe doorto be opened or closed to only a limited extent.

Background of the invention Door stops with the intention just outlined are known in the form of so called safety chains, but these have drawbacks. They tend to disfigure the door leaf and doorframe to which the respective parts of the safety chain have to be secured, and they need not necessarily be wholly effective in preventing unauthorised entry.

Also widely known are many differentforms of conventional door and window locks which have hitherto been standard fitments to hold shut an inward opening door or a window. These however have drawbacks of their own. Like the safety chain, they require positive disfigurement of the door leaf door frame, orwindow frames in order to be fitted. They are also relatively expensive. Whilst they can lock a door shut, they cannot normally hold it in a position in which it is opened to only a limited extent and cannot continue to beopened beyond that position.They can be picked by skilled operatives, they need individual key which are all too often lost and can be too readily duplicated, and they inevitably wear internally and are subject to the vagaries ofthe door leaf and doorframe andwindowframes beteen which they interact, e.g. the door leaf,in time,will drop on its hinges and bring the key-operated locking mechanism out of alignment with its co-operating keep on the doorframe.

Door stops have been designed which can be used to hold shut an inwardly opening door and which are retractable to allow the door to be fully opened and closed without hindrance. These comprise a barrel which can be fixed to the floor orwall reveal adjacent the closing edge of the door inside the room into which the door gives access, with a spigot which can protrude from the barrel to bear against the room-facing surface of the door but can be moved to a position within the barrel to allow free movement of the door.

The spigot in one case is a cylindrical spigot which can be pushed by hand or foot into a co-operating cylindrical recess in a barrel.

In a second case the spigot comprised a bar pivotally mounted at one end to a barrel and being pivotableto a position where it protrudes from the barrel and to a second position where it lies flush with the barrel.

In both cases the door stop may include springs to spring bias the spigot into its protruded position out of the barrel.

Summary of the invention According to the invention in its broadest aspect, a stop intended, in use, to limit the movement of a window or door, is also retractable to allowthe doororwindowto befully opened and closedwithout hindrance; and comprises a barrel which, in use, is screwed or otherwise fixed to the floor or the wall reveal adjacenttheclosing edge ofthe door or window and inside the room or other area to which the dooror window gives access; a spigot which, when in a first position, protrudes from the barrel to bear against or adjacent a surface of the door or window and which is retractable into a second position into the barrel so as not to impede the passage of the door or window edge; means enabling the spigot to be moved alternately into its protruding and its retracted positions by a user's hand or foot; and means tending positively to retain the spigot-in its protruding position once the spigot has been moved into that position; the spigot comprising a substantially flat bar, and the means enabling the spigot to be moved into and out of its protruding position including a first pivot linking one end ofthe barts the barrel so that the barswings about a spigot pivotal axis into and outofthe barrel; the bar including atongue,thetongue being pivotally mounted at orabouttheend ofthe bar opposite to the first pivotto allowthe tongue to pivot about a tongue pivotal axis parallel tothe spigot pivot axis, the tongue being arranged such that it may lie in a position in which it is aligned with the spigot so as notto impedethe passage of the door or window edge, in which position an end ofthetongue lies between the spigot pivotal axis and the tongue pivotal axis, the apparatus also including means to retain said end of the tongue within the plane ofthe barrel but allowthe end ofthe tongue to pivot with respectto the barrel about a third pivotal axis parallel to the spigot pivotal axis and tongue pivotal axis and allow movement of the end of the tongue with respect to the barrel in a direction perpendicularto the pivotal axes and stop means included in the barrel to define the limit of movement of the end of the tongue in the direction from the spigot pivotal axis towards to the tongue pivotal axis; the relative positions of the pivotal axes and the stop means being such that to move the stop from its second position to its first position, the end pivotal axis has to move within the barrel in a direction towards the tongue pivotal axis until the tongue has rotated about an angle of at least 90" before the end ofthetongue engages in the stop means to lockthespigotin its protruding position.

In such a protruding position the spigot is propped up by the action ofthetongue which is locked into position against the stop means. In order to release the stop into its second retracted position, the end ofthe tongue has to be pushed towards the spigot pivot to allow the spigot to collapse.

Preferably the tongue comprises a cut out of the spigot bar such that the rest of the spigot is U-shaped with the tongue completing the U to form a rectangular bar.

In this case it is preferred thatthe tongue has its end opposite to the pivotally mounted end extending beyond the end of the spigotto form the means enabling the spigot to be moved by a user's hand. This is because if the protruding end of the tongue is lifted the tongue tends to pivot about its other end and the other end starts two movetowardsthe stop means and the spigot is raised automatically.

In the case where thetongue forms a cut out of the spigot bar it is convenientforthe pivotal end ofthe spigot barto include a cylindrical pin which extends two either side of the tongue under the spigot bartowards the barrel. The barrel comprises a U-shaped channel in which the spigot lies with the edges of the channel perpendiculartothe spigot pivotal axis including a flange to definetwo parallel channels in which the ends of the cylindrical pin can slide. Thus, the cylindrical pins retain the end of the tongue within the barrel but allow the end to pivot about the cylindrical pin and to slide with respect to the rest ofthe barrel.

It has been found thatthe stop will be arranged to work most effectively if the following condition is met. If the distance between the pivotal end of the tongue and the tongue pivotal axis is taken to be a; the distance between the spigot pivotal axis and the stop means is taken to be b; and the distance between the spigot pivotal axis and the tongue pivotal axis is taken to be c, then:- a2+ b2 The stop may be made conveniently of mild steel.

The stop may be used either two act as a door stop or as a window stop, especially in the case of sliding windows.

Advantageously in the case where the stop is a door stop there are provided two spigots, one setfarther into the room than the other, each operable independently of one another, and with the spigot which is set farther into the room functioning as a stop to allowthe door to be opened to only a limited extentwhilstthe other spigot holds the door full shut. Clearly the same door stop could equally be used to hold a door ajar.

Preferably, in the case just outlined, both spigots are accommodated in a single barrel.

The door leaf or window may be fitted with a plate, to resist any tendency of the spigot to mark the dooror window when the spigot protrudes and bears against or adjacent the door or window surface, and the plate may continue around the door edge so as to be visible from the otherface of the door or window and so act as a visual deterrent to any would-be intruder.

Briefdescription ofthe drawings An example of a stop in accordance with the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure lisa view of the underside of the stop; Figure2isa plan viewofthe stop; and, Figure 3 is a perspective view ofthe stop.

Description of the preferred embodiment Astop 1 is intended, in use, to limit the movement of a window or door that is also retractable to allowthe door or windowto be fully opened or closed without hindrance.

The stop 1 is intended in use to limitthe movement of a window or door but is also retractable to allowthe doororwindowto be fully opened or closed without hindrance.

The stop 1 comprises a barrel 2which is generallycuboid in shape and has only a small depth to allowitto be set within a recess in a floor orwall reveal. The barrel 2 includes a flange 3 which includes three bores 4to allow the flange 3 to be screwed to the floor or wall reveal adjacent the closing edge of the door orwindow and inside the room or other area to which the door or window gives access.

The barrel 2 includes a recess 5 in which a spigot 6 is mounted.

The spigot 6 in a first position shown in Figure 3 protrudes from the barrel 2 to bear against or adjacent a surface of the door or window and which is retractable into a second position as shown in Figure 2 into the barrel 2 so as notto impede the passage ofthe door or window edge. The spigot 6 somprises a substantially flat bar and the means enabling the spigot 6 to be moved into and out of its protruding position includes pin 7 which provides a pivot which provides a spigot pivotal axis about which the bar 6 can be swung into and out of the barrel 2.

The spigot 6 includes a tongue 7A which here comprises a cut out of the spigot which means thatthe rest of the spigot 6 is generally U-shaped. The tongue 7A is pivotally mounted about pivot pin to the spigot 6which defines a tongue pivotal axis which is parallel to the spigot pivotal axis 7 and is situated at or about the end of the spigot 6 remote from spigot pivotal axis 7.

In the second retracted position of the stop shown in Figure 2 the tongue 7A lies parallel to the surface of the spigot 6 that the flange 3, barrel 2, spigot 6 and tongue 7A present a flat surface over which a window or door edge may pass. In this second position an end 9 known as the pivotal end of the tongue lies between the spigot pivotal axis 7 and the tongue pivotal axis 8. The end 9 ofthetongue includes means 10 to maintain the end of the tongue 9 within the plane ofthe barrel 2 but allow the end of the tongue 9 to pivotwith respectto the barrel 2 about a third pivotal axis parallel to the spigot pivotal axis 7 and the tongue pivotal axis 8 and also allow movement of the end ofthe tongue 9 in a direction perpendicular to the pivotal axes.

In this case the means 10 comprises a cylindrical pin 11 which extends to either side of the tongue beneath the spigot 6 and towards the barrel 2. The recess Sin the barrel comprises a generally U-shaped channel.

However, along the edges of the barrel 2 perpendicular to the spigot pivotal axis 7 aretwo parallel flanges 12 which form two U-shaped channels which form guide channels in which the cylindrical pin 11 ride. The tongue may rotate about the cylindrical pin and may slide in a direction up and down the barrel butthe pin 11 is retained in place by the flanges 12. Atthe end of the recess 5 in the barrel remote from the spigot pivotal axis7 is a bar 13 which forms a stop againstwhichthe pins 11 bearto define the limit position of movement of the end of the bar 9 in a direction away from the spigot pivotal axis.

As can be seen from the drawing the relative positions ofthe pivotal axes 7,8 and 9 and the stop means 13 are such that when the stop is to be moved from its second retracted position as shown in Figure 2 to its in-use position as shown in Figure 3the pivotal end 9 ofthetongue is moved within the barrel 2 in a direction from the spigot pivotal axis towards the tongue pivotal axis until the tongue 7A has rotated about an angle of at least 90" before the end of the tongue engages in the stop means 13 to lockthe spigot 6 in its protruding position.

In this way the angle ofthetongue7Awith the barrel 2 is less than or equal to 900 which meansthatforce applied to the top of the stop from any direction will not tend to collapse the spigot 6 into the barrel. The only way that the spigot can be retracted into the barrel is by pressing the end 9 ofthe tongue backtowardsthe spigot pivotal axis 7.

In order to achieve this stable triangular stop in the protruding position the following condition must be met: If the distances designated in Figure 2 are designated a, band c respectively, then: a2 + b2 c2 It will be seen that the tongue 6a has opposite end 14from pivotal end 9 which extends beyond the stop means 13 and tongue pivotal axis 8. This protruding end 14 provides a handle which conveniently provides the means for enabling the spigot 6 to be moved into and out of its protruding position. This is because by lifting the protruding end 14theend 9 is tend to be pushed in a direction away from spigot pivotal axis7to start raising the spigot 6 and the tongue 6a into position.

As can be seen this is an easily operated stop which can be used in many different positions to act as a stop to hold a dooreitheropen orclosed or partially opened or closed but can also be used to define a limit position of movement of a window to provide a lock on, for example, a sash window which can easily be retracted to allow smooth movement of a door or window.

It will be appreciated that the stop may equally be made from any suitable nylon, plastics ornon-ferrous metais.

It will further be appreciated that the stop can be used in many other situations than with doorsand windows since it can be used wherever a retractable stop is required.

Claims (7)

1. Astop intended, in use, to limit the movement of a window or door, which stop is also retractableto allowthe doororwindowto be fully opened and closed without hindrance, comprising a barrel which, in use, is screwed or otherwise fixed to the floor or the wall reveal adjacent the closing edge of the door orwindow and inside the room or other area to which the door or window gives access; a spigot which, when in a first position, protrudes from the barrel to bear against or adjacent a surface of the door or window and which is retractable into a second position into the barrel so as not to impede the passage ofthe door orwindowedge; means enabling the spigot to be moved alternately into its protruding and its retracted positions by a user's hand or foot; and means tending positively to retain the spigot in its protruding position once the spigot has been moved into that position; the spigot comprising a substantially flat bar, and the means enabling the spigot to be moved into and out of its protruding position including a first pivot linking one end ofthe barto the barrel so tht the bar swings about a spigot pivotal axis into and outofthe barrel; the bar including a tongue, the tongue being pivotally mounted at or about the end of the bar opposite to the first pivotto allow the tongue to pivot about a tongue pivotal axis parallel to the spigot pivotal axis, the tongue being arranged such that it may lie in a position in which it is aligned with the spigot so as notto impede the passage ofthe door orwindow edge, in which position an end ofthetongue lies between the spigot pivotal axis and the tongue pivotal axis, the apparatus also including means to retain said end of the tongue within the planeof the barrel but allow the end of the tongue to pivot with respect to the barrel about a third pivotal axis parallel to the spigot pivotal axis and tongue pivotal axis and allow movement ofthe end of the tongue with respectto the barrel in a direction perpendiculartothe pivotal axes and stop means included in the barrel to definethe limit of movement of the end of the tongue in the direction from the spigot axis towards two the tongue pivotal axis; the relative positions of the pivotal axes and the stop means being such that to move the stop from its second position to its first position, the end pivotal axis has to move within the barrel in a direction towards the tongue pivotal axis until the tongue has rotated about an angle of at least 900 before the end ofthetongue engages in the stop means to lockthe spigot in its protruding position.

2. Astop according to Claim 1 in which thetonguecomprises a cut out ofthe spigot bar such thatthe rest ofthe spigot is U-shaped with the tongue completing the U to form a rectangular bar.

3. A stop according to Claim 2 in which the tongue has its end opposite to the pivotally mounted and extending beyond the end of the spigotto form the means enabling the spigotto be moved by a user's hand.

4. A stop according to Claim 2 or Claim 3 in which the pivotal end ofthe spigot bar includes a cylindrical pin which extends two either side of the tongue underthe spigot bartowardsthe barrel, and in which the barrel comprises a U-shaped channel in which the spigot lies with the edges of the channel perpendicularto the spigot pivotal axis including a flange to define two parallel channels in which the ends of the cylindrical pin can slide.

5. A door stop according to any of the preceding claims in which there are provided two spigots, one to be set, in use, farther into the room than the other, each operable independently of the other, and with the spigot which is setfarther into the room functioning as a stop to allow the door to be opened to only a limited extent whilstthe otherspigot holdsthe doorfully shut.

6. A door stop according to Claim Sin which both spigots are accommodated in a single barrel.

7. A stop substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.