GB2423335A - Egress stay with slider engaging stop in intermediate position - Google Patents

Abstract

An egress stay 10 includes a track 11 for mounting in a frame, a window carrying arm 12 and a hinge mechanism that may comprise a first support 13, a second support 14, a link extending between the pivot 16 and support 13 and a pivot 17 on one end of the arm 12, a further link 18, extending between the pivot 19 and the support 16 and an intermediate pivot on the arm 12 and a brace 21 pivotally connecting the link 18 and the support 13. A support 14, which is in the form of a slider, has an extension 22, which may be formed integrally therewith and substantially extends, in normal use, above the lips 20 of the track 11. Lateral wings 23 on the extension 22 are designed to run over cut-outs 26 in the lips 20 in normal use, but they can be deliberately deflected through the cut-out whereby notched corners 24 on the wings 23 engage stops 27. This defines an intermediate attachment position in which manufacturers may attach the windows without any fear that the stay will close any further. Once the assembly is complete, the stay may be opened and the wings 23 may pop back up onto the lips 20, preventing any chance of the stay locking up.

Description

CAP 41

I

Egress Stay This invention relates to egress stays for windows and the like.

Egress stays are the type of hinge which can be opened sufficiently fully to enable an occupant to escape through the aperture closed by the window, door or other form of vent. In those stays in which a vent is supported on an arm, that is hinged to a track, this usually means that the arm, in the egress position, has to extend substantially perpendicular to the track. Such stays usually have at least one slider mounted for movement in the track and typically such sliders have been provided with grub screws, which can be used to tune the frictional engagement of the slider with the track. This can introduce a danger, because if the grub screw is too firmly engaged, the stay may not be readily openable to the egress position. In an emergency, a normal consumer is unlikely to realise that the grub screw is the problem.

This problem is enhanced, by the practice of window manufacturers of using the grub screw to lock the stay in an intermediate open position whilst they attach the window or other vent to the support arm. If the grub screw is not properly thereafter released, then emergency opening of the window may be prevented.

The present invention consists an egress stay having a support arm for a vent, a track for mounting on a frame and having a inturned lips defining an upper surface, a hinge mechanism for mounting the arm on the track for movement between a closed position in which it overlies the track and an egress position, the hinge having at least one slider located in the track, wherein the track defines a stop and the at least one slider has an extension which slides in normal use along the upper surface of the track but which can be deflected to engage the stop to hold the arm in an intermediate open position.

The track may have a cut out in the lips and one pair of lip ends in the cut out may constitute the stop. Conveniently the extension has formations for engaging the lip ends.

The extension can be formed integrally with the slider and conveniently the slider and the extension can be a single moulding.

CAP 41 Although the invention has been defined above it is to be understood that it includes any inventive combination of the features set out above or in the

following description.

The invention may be performed in various ways and specific embodiments will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a view from above of a stay in an open, but not egress, position; Figures 2 and 3 are views from above and the side respectively, on a large scale, the part of the stay of Figure 1 which is generally indicated at A; Figures 4 and 5 are views corresponding to the Figures 3 and 4, but showing the stay in a position in which a locking extension is engaged; Figure 6 is a side view of the whole stay in a position indicated in Figures 4 and 5; Figure 7 is a view from above corresponding to Figure 6; Figure 8 is a view from the side corresponding to the Figure 1; and Figures 9 and 10 respectively are plan and side views of the slider of the stay in its unassembled condition; in Figure 10 the slider is in its locking orientation.

A stay is generally indicated at 10 in Figure 1. For the most part this stay is a conventional egress stay and its operation will be well understood by persons skilled in the art. It however has certain additional features to enable easy cleaning of the stay and these are described in detail in our co-pending application 0421304.7, the details of which are incorporated herein by reference.

As can be seen in Figure 1 the stay includes a track 11 for mounting on a frame, a window carrying arm 12, a first support 13, a second support 14, a link extending between the pivot 16 and the support 13 and a pivot 17 on one end of the arm 12, a further link 18, extending between the pivot 19 and the support 16 and an intermediate pivot on the arm 12 and a brace 21 pivotally connecting the link 18 and the support 30. The support 14 is in the form of a slider whose function will be well understood by those in the art.

As can be conveniently seen in Figures 2 and 3 the slider 14 has an extension 22, which is formed integrally therewith and substantially extends, in normal use, above the lips 20 of the track 11. The extension 22 has lateral CAP.41 wings 23 which are designed to run on the lips 20 and has notched corners 24 at its leading edge 25. The lips 20 have aligned cut out portions 26, which defines stops 27.

In normal use, the slider 14 moves along the track on opening and closing of the stay 10 with the wings 23 sliding on the lips 20 and they will pass over the cut outs 26. However, as is indicated in Figures 4 to 7, the extension 22 can be deliberately deflected through the aperture defined by the cut outs 26 and, with the extension 27 SO deflected, the stay 10 can be opened slightly further causing the notch corners 24 to engage on the stops 27. This position is well illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 in particular. This arrangement therefore defines an attachment position in which the manufacturers can attach the windows without any fear that the stay 10 will close any further. Once assembly is complete, the stay is opened and the wings 23 pop back on to the lips 20.

It will be appreciated, therefore, that this locking up into the attachment position cannot be accidentally "left on" in a way which would prevent the stay opening to egress in any circumstances.

The join between the slider 14 and the extension 22 may constitute a line of weakness, so that the extension 22 can be broken off after assembly.

Claims (4)

1. CAP.41 Claims 1. An egress stay having a support arm for a vent, a track

   for mounting on a frame and having inturned lips defining an upper surface, a hinge mechanism for mounting the arm on the track for movement between a closed position in which it overlies the track and an egress position, the hinge having at least one slider located in the track, wherein the track defines a stop and the at least one slider has an extension which slides in normal use along the upper surface of the track but which can be deflected to engage the stop to hold the arm in an intermediate open position.
2. 2. A stay as claimed in claim I wherein the track has a cut out in the lips and one pair of lip ends in the cut out constitute the stop.
3. 3. A stay as claimed in claim 2 wherein the extension has formations for engaging the lip ends.
4. 4. A stay as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the extension is integral with the slider.