GB2445018A

GB2445018A - Restrictor stay with adjustable holding resistance and disengagable link

Info

Publication number: GB2445018A
Application number: GB0625338A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ronald Phillip Lanaway
Original assignee: DGS HARDWARE Ltd
Current assignee: DGS HARDWARE Ltd
Priority date: 2006-12-20
Filing date: 2006-12-20
Publication date: 2008-06-25
Also published as: GB0625338D0

Abstract

A restrictor stay 10 for a door 12 includes a 5 slider 28 movable along a rail 18. The slider 28 is pivotally connected to a plate 14 which may be mountable on the underside of a door frame 20. A link 22 extends between the plate 14 and the rail 18, with one end being connected to the slider 24 and one end connected to the plate 14. An end stop is mounted on the rail to limit movement of the slider. A protruding portion 32 is provided on the slider 28 or end stop which is engagable with a spring arrangement 34 to retain the door 12 open. The holding resistance of the spring arrangement 34 is adjustable by sliding movement of an adjuster 36 which alters the effective length of the spring arrangement's lever arm. The connection 44 between the link 22 and the plate 14 may be configured such that the link 22 may be selectively disengaged from the plate 14. The link may include a stud 44 that is received in a channel associated with the plate, movement of a spring 82 allowing the stud to be brought into and out of engagement with the channel.

Description

Restrictor Stay for a Door The invention relates to a restrictor stay

for a hinged door It is known for hinged doors (both front doors and conservatory doors) to be provided with restrictor stays which prevent the doors from opening too wide and provide a certain amount of friction against opening and closing the doors. A restrictor stay conventionally includes a plate (normally of metal) 1 0 which fits onto one of the door frame and the top of the door, and a rail (also normally of metal) which fits onto the other of the door frame and the top of the door. An elongate link extends between the plate and the rail, one of its ends being mounted on a slider aftached to the rail. This arrangement allows the door to open, the end of the link moving along the rail on the slider as it 1 5 does so, but prevents it from opening too far.

According to the invention there is provided a restrictor stay for a door, the restrictor stay including: a plate for mounting on one of a door and a door frame; a rail for mounting on the other of the door and the door frame; a link which extends between the plate and the rail, one of its ends being connected to the plate and the other of its ends being mounted on a slider connected to the rail, such that the end of the link may slide relative to the rail; an end stop on the rail, the slider abutting against the end stop to limit the movement of the slider on the rail, thereby limiting the extent to which the door may open relative to the door frame; one of the slider and the end stop including a protruding portion, and the other of the slider and the end stop including a spring arrangement, the protruding portion and the spring arrangement coming into engagement with one another when the slider is pushed against the end stop; wherein the engagement between the protruding portion and the spring arrangement provides a holding resistance which must be overcome for the slider to move away from the end stop, and the holding resistance may be altered by sliding an adjustor to alter the effective length of the spring arrangement's lever arm.

Preferably the slider includes the protruding portion, which extends from a main body of the slider, and the end stop includes the spring arrangement.

The protruding portion of the slider may have a head at its distal end and a neck connecting the head to the main body of the slider, the head being broader than the neck. The protruding portion may be generally arrow shaped.

The spring arrangement may include two spring members which are configured to clamp the protruding portion of the slider therebetween. The spring members may be shaped such that the protruding portion of the slider 1 5 may enter a gap between the spring members, the gap being narrower at its distal end when the spring members are unstressed. The spring members may be biased into a position where the gap at its narrowest point is narrower than the head of the slider. The spring members may be moved apart against their bias when the slider is pushed against the end stop thereby allowing the head of the protruding portion to enter the gap between the spring members.

When the protruding portion of the slider is in engagement with the spring arrangement, the neck of the protruding portion may be received within the narrower part of the gap.

The spring members may be leaf springs which may be stainless steel. The spring members have a length of between 10 and 30mm from their mounting rfir+C. fr +k,ir dic.4I 1J'.JII 11.0 LU LI III LlI0LI I IU..

The adjustor may form part of the end stop. The adjustor may be mounted adjacent to one of the spring members such that it may slide parallel to the length of the spring member. The sliding of adjustor may alter the extent to which the adjustor overlies the spring member.

The adjustor may prevent outward flexion of any part of the spring member which the adjustor overlies, so that the effective lever arm of the spring is reduced to a variable extent by the presence of the adjustor.

The adjustor may be mounted on a screw wherein loosening of the screw allows movement of the adjustor and tightening of the screw prevents movement of the adjustor. The adjustor may include a slot which receives the body of the screw, thereby allowing movement of the adjustor relative to the screw. The screw may be a panhead screw.

The adjustor may include an upturned portion at its end which bends away 1 5 from the spring member, the upturned portion allowing the adjustor to be moved manually.

The restrictor stay may be configured such that in use the slider comes into engagement with the end stop when the door is open to between 800 and 1100.

The connection between the link and the rail may be configured such that the link may be selectively disengaged from the rail to allow the door to be opened to its full extent According to the invention, there is further provided a restrictor stay for a door, the restrictor stay including: a plate for mounting on one of a door and a door frame; a rail for mounting on the other of the door and the door frame; a link which extends between the plate and the rail, one of its ends being connected to the plate and the other of its ends being mounted on a slider connected to the rail, such that the end of the link may slide relative to the rail; an end stop on the rail, the slider abutting against the end stop to limit the movement of the slider on the rail, thereby limiting the extent to which the door may open relative to the frame, wherein the connection between the link and the rail is configured such that the link may be selectively disengaged from the rail to allow the door to be opened to its full extent.

Preferably the link includes a stud which is received in a channel associated with the plate, movement of a spring allowing the stud to be trought into and out of engagement with the channel. The spring may be a leaf spring.

Preferably the spring is biased into a position in which it prevents the stud being brought into or out of engagement with the channel, thereby preventing the link being engaged with or disengaged from the plate unless the spring is moved against its bias.

The plate may be shaped to have end portions which lie against the door or window frame and a mid portion which is spaced from the door or window frame. The mid portion may lie substantially parallel to the door or window frame. The mid portion may be spaced between 2 and 10mm from the door or window frame.

The stud may include a neck and a wider head.

The channel may include a mouth which is wide enough to accommodate the head of the stud and a throat which is only wide enough to accommodate the neck of the stud. The throat of the channel may be in the mid portion of the plate which is spaced from the door or window frame, such that an area is defined between the throat of the channel and the door or window frame.

This area may be large enough to accommodate the head of the stud The spring may be biased into a position in which it closes off the mouth of the channel, preventing the head entering or leaving the area beneath the throat of the channel and thereby preventing the stud being brought into or out of engagement with the channel.

The spring may be mounted at or near one end of the mid portion of the channel such that it may move within the space defined between the plate and the door or window frame.

The spring may be manually movable against its bias, to open the mouth of the channel thereby allowing the stud to be brought into or out of engagement with the channel.

When the stud is in engagement with the channel, its neck may be received in 1 5 the throat of the channel and its head located under the throat of the channel in the space between the plate and the door or window frame.

The slider may include a protruding portion which extends from a main body of the slider, and the end stop may include a spring arrangement, the protruding portion and the spring arrangement coming into engagement with one another when the slider is pushed against the end stop; wherein the engagement between the protruding portion of the slider and the spring arrangement provides a holding resistance which must be overcome for the slider to move away from the end stop, and the holding resistance may be altered by sliding an adjustor to alter the effective length of the spring arrangement's lever arm.

The rail may include a channel for receiving the slider and may be cold roll formed.

The plate or rail may be configured to be mounted in a groove in the top of the door. The other of the plate and the rail may be configured to be mounted in a groove in the door frame.

The door may be of any construction such as plastic or wood, and may for example be a front door or a conservatory door.

An embodiment of the invention will described for the purpose of illustration only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a door and door frame fitted with a restrictor stay; Fig 2 is a part sectional side view of a restrictor stay according to invention 1 5 with the rail illustrated spaced from the plate, for clarity; and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the plate of the restrictor stay of Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, a restrictor stay 10 for a door 12 includes a rail 18 mounted on a top edge 16 of the door 12 and a plate 14 which is mounted on an underside of a door frame 20 The restrictor stay 10 further includes an elongate link 22 which extends between the plate 14 and the rail 18, one of its ends 24 being connected to the plate 14 and the other of its ends 26 being mounted on a slider 28 connected to the rail 18 such that the link 22 may slide relative to the rail 18 The slider 28 includes a main body in the form of a slider block 52 and a protruding portion 32 extending from the slider block 52.

Referring to Fig. 2, the rail 18 includes an end stop 30 against which the slider 28 abuts, to limit the movement of the slider 28 on the rail 18. This limits the extent to which the door 12 may open relative to the door frame 20.

The end stop 30 includes a spring arrangement 34. The slider's protruding portion 32 and the spring arrangement 34 come into engagement with one another when the slider 28 is pushed against the end stop 30 The engagement between the protruding portion 32 and the spring arrangement 34 provides a holding resistance which must be overcome for the slider 28 to move away from the end stop 30, thus allowing the door 12 to close within the door frame 20. This arrangement prevents the door blowing closed, for

example in the wind.

1 0 The end stop 30 further includes an adjustor 36 The holding resistance provided by the engagement of the protruding portion 32 and the spring arrangement 34 may be altered by sliding the adjuster 36 to alter the effective length of the spring arrangement's lever arm, as described in more detail hereinafter.

Describing the various components in more detail, the plate 14 is of sheet stainless steel and is shaped to include a first flat end portion 38 and a second flat end portion 40 which may lie against and be affixed to the underside of the door frame 20. Between the two flat end portions 38 and 40 there is a mid portion 42 and the plate 14 is shaped such that this mid portion is spaced in use from the underside of the door frame 20 (The door frame is not shown in Fig. 2).

The link 22 is also made of stainless steel and, at one of its ends, includes a stud 44 which enables it to connect to the rail 18 in such a way that it may pivot relative thereto. The detail of the manner of connection of the link and the plate 14 is described in more detail here;nafter.

Turning to the rail 18, this comprises a cold roll formed stainless steel channel including a flat base 46 which may tie against and be attached to the top edge 16 of the door 12. The rail 18 may fit into a so called "Euro Groove" which is a groove of standard size provided in the top of most modern doors. The rail further includes elongate side edges 48 standing up from the base 46, the side edges each including a bent over lip 50.

The shder is formed from plastics material which may be an acetal plastic and is mounted within the channel formation of the rail so as to be retained by the lips 50 The slider block 52 is generally rectangular and the protruding portion 32 is generally arrow head shaped having a wedge shaped head 62 and a narrower neck 64. A separate slider clamp 54 is located above the slider block 52 such that the lips 50 of the rail 18 are sandwiched between the slider clamp 54 and the slider block 52. A countersunk screw 56 attaches the slider clamp 54 to the slider block 52 and may be tightened or un-tightened to adjust the sliding resistance of the slider 28 within the rail 18.

1 5 An end of the link 22 is connected to the slider 28 by a rivet 58 such that the link 22 may rotate relative to the slider 28.

The end stop 30 is fixed in place relative to the rail 18. The spring arrangement 34 comprises two spring members 68 spaced apart and arranged such that their distal ends may be moved towards and apart from one another against their spring force. The distal ends 72 of the spring members 68 are shaped such that they diverge apart, together forming a funnel shape. Fig. 2 shows the spring members 70 in their unstressed condition. The distal ends 72 of the spring members may be moved further apart from one another by bending the spring members against their bias.

The adjustor 36 is held in place by a pan head SCICw 76. The adjustor iies adjacent to the upper spring member preventing the part of the spring member next to it from flexing outwards away from the other spring member and thereby reducing the effective lever arm of the spring member.

The adjustor 74 may be slid parallel to the length of the spring member by loosening the pan head screw 76 and moving the adjustor 74 manually using an upturned portion 78 at its end.

The head 62 of the slider's protruding portion 32 and the spring arrangement 68 are so shaped and sized that the head 62 of the protruding portion may enter the funnel formed by the distal ends 72 of the spring members 70. The spring members 70 are biased into a position where the gap at its narrowest point is narrower than the head 62 of the slider 28. However, the spring members 70 may be moved apart against their bias when the slider 28 is pushed against the end stop, thereby allowing the head 62 to enter the gap between the two spring members. When the protruding portion 32 of the slider 28 is in engagement with the spring arrangement 68, the neck 64 of the protruding portion 60 is received within the narrowest part of the gap between 1 5 the two spring members 72, which move back into place once the head 62 has passed through this narrowest point. The protruding portion 32 is thus kept in place by the spring members 70 and can only be moved away from the end stop 30 by a force which overcomes the spring force of the spring members 70.

As the door 12 is opened, the movement of the link 22 forces the slider 28 to move along the rail 18 towards the end stop 30. As the door opens to around 90 , the head 62 of the protruding portion enters the gap between the spring members 70 as described previously. Therefore the slider 28 is held in contact with the end stop and the door 12 is unable to close. However, if a person wishes to close the door they must simply pull hard enough to overcome the spring forcc of the spring arrangement 68 By loosening the pan head screw 76 and moving the adjuster 36, the effective lever arm of the spring member adjacent to the adjustor may be altered, thereby altering the spring force Therefore, the restrictor stay may be modified to be appropriate for all different weights of doors and conditions.

An additional feature of the restrictor stay 10 is that the connection between the link 22 and the plate 14 is configured such that the link may be selectively disengaged from the plate to allow the door to be opened to its full extent.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3. the plate 14 includes a channel 80 cut into the body of the plate 14, spanning the area between the flattened portion 38 and 1 0 the mid portion 42. The channel has a mouth 81 and a narrower neck 83.

The mouth 81 is cut into the flattened portion 38 of the plate and the neck 83 is cut into the mid portion 42 of the plate. A leaf spring 82 is located under the mid portion 42 of the plate 14, being fixed at one end and being moveable at the other end against its spring force. The distal end 84 of the leaf spring 82 1 5 extends into the mouth of the channel 80 and in its natural position blocks the entrance to the space between the mid portion 42 of the plate 14 and the underside of the door frame 20. However, depression of the distal end 84 of the leaf spring against its spring bias opens up the mouth of the channel and the entrance to the space between the mid portion 42 of the plate 14 and the underside of the door frame 20.

To connect the link 22 to the plate 14, the stud 44 is brought against the distal end 84 of the leaf spring 82 and pressed against it to move the leaf spring 82 against its bias and open up the mouth 81 of the channel 80 The stud has a neck 90 and a wider head 92. The mouth 81 of the channel 80 is wide enough to accommodate the head 92 of the stud but the throat 83 of the channei is only wide enough to accommodate the neck 90 of the stud. As the leaf spring is compressed against its bias, this opens up the mouth of the channel allowing the head 92 of the stud to enter the space beneath the throat 83 of the channel. Once the stud 90 is in place within the channel, the leaf spring 82 moves back into place thus closing off the mouth again. The stud is thus securely retained in place, with its head under the throat of the channel and its neck extending through the throat of the channel The stud cannot leave the channel because the distal end of the leaf spring is closing off the mouth of the channel The leaf spring has an opening 96 passing through it, to accommodate the stud If it is desired to manually disconnect the link 22 from the plate 14, the distal end 84 of the leaf spring 82 may he manually depressed, thereby opening up the mouth of the channel and stud 90 may then be removed from the channel 1 0 thereby removing the link from the plate.

There is thus provided an arrangement whereby the link 22 may be disconnected from the plate 14 without the need for any tools or specialist equipment. Also, it is easy to see that it is possible to disconnect these two 1 5 components because the distal end of the leaf spring is clearly visible.

There is thus provided a restrictor stay including two novel features. Firstly, the restrictor stay may hold a door open at 90 against a closing force, such as wind. The force with which the door is held open may be adjusted to account for different weights of doors and door locations. Secondly, the link of the restrictor stay may be optionally disconnected from the plate thereby allowing the door to be opened to more than 90 if necessary for example when bringing large pieces or furniture into or out of the house.

Various modifications may be made to the above described embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention. Whereas the arrangement has been described with the rail on the door ar,d the plate On the door frame, these positions may be reversed. The materials from which the components are made may be altered and the shapes of the components may also be different.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon

Claims

Claims 1. A restrictor stay for a door, the restrictor stay including a

plate for mounting on one of a door and a door frame; a rail for mounting on the other of the door and the door frame; a link which extends between the plate and the rail, one of its ends being connected to the plate and the other of its ends being mounted on a slider connected to the rail, such that the end of the link may slide relative to the rail; an end stop on the rail, the slider abutting against 1 0 the end stop to limit the movement of the slider on the rail, thereby limiting the extent to which the door may open relative to the door frame; one of the slider and the end stop including a protruding portion, and the other of the slider and :. the end stop including a spring arrangement, the protruding portion and the :..::: spring arrangement coming into engagement with one another when the slider * ** * 1 5 is pushed against the end stop; wherein the engagement between the protruding portion and the spring arrangement provides a holding resistance which must be overcome for the slider to move away from the end stop, and the holding resistance may be altered by sliding an adjustor to alter the effective length of the spring arrangement's lever arm. * 20
2. A restrictor stay according to claim 1, wherein the slider includes the protruding portion, which extends from a main body of the slider, and the end stop includes the spring arrangement
3. A restrictor stay according to claim 2, wherein the protruding portion of the slider includes a head at its distal end and a neck connecting the head to the main body of the siider, the head being broader than the neck
4. A restrictor stay according to claim 3, wherein the protruding portion is generally arrow shaped
5. A restnctor stay according to any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the spring arrangement includes two spring members which are configured to clamp the protruding portion of the slider therebetween.
6. A restrictor stay according to claim 5, wherein the spring members are shaped such that the protruding portion of the slider may enter a gap between the spring members, the gap being narrower at its distal end when the spring members are unstressed.

1 0
7. A restrictor stay according to claim 6, wherein the spring members are biased into a position where the gap at its narrowest point is narrower than the head of the slider. S. * S
8. A restrictor stay according to claim 7, wherein the spring members may * S* S 1 5 be moved apart against their bias when the slider is pushed against the end stop thereby allowing the head of the protruding portion to enter the gap ** between the spring members. *

*S*...
9. A restrictor stay according to claim 8, wherein when the protruding portion of the slider is in engagement with the spring arrangement, the neck of the protruding portion is received within the narrower part of the gap.
10. A restrictor stay according to any of claims 5 to 9, wherein the spring members are leaf springs
11 A restrictor stay according to any of claims 5 to 10, wherein the spring members have a length of between 10 and 30mm from their mounting points to their distal ends.
12. A restrictor stay according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the adjustor forms part of the end stop.
13. A restrictor stay according to claim 12, wherein the adjustor is mounted adjacent to one of the spring members such that it may slide parallel to the length of the spring member.
14. A restrictor stay according to claim 13, wherein the sliding of the adjustor alters the extent to which the adjustor overlies the spring member.
15. A restrictor stay according to claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the adjustor 1 0 is operable to prevent outward flexion of any part of the spring member which the adjustor overlies, so that the effective lever arm of the spring is reduced to a variable extent by the presence of the adjustor * *
16. A restrictor stay according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the *** S 1 5 adjustor is mounted on a screw wherein loosening of the screw allows movement of the adjustor and tightening of the screw prevents movement of the adjustor.

S

S.....
17. A restrictor stay according to claim 16, wherein the adjustor includes a S.:20 slot which receives the body of the screw, thereby allowing movement of the adjustor relative to the screw
18. A restrictor stay according to any of claims 13 to 17, wherein the adjustor includes an upturned portion at its end which bends away from the spring member, the upturned portion allowing the adjustor to be moved manually
19 A restrictor stay according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the restrictor stay is configured such that in use the slider comes into engagement with the end stop when the door is open to between 800 and 110 .
20. A restrictor stay according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the connection between the link and the rail is configured such that the link may be selectively disengaged from the rail to allow the door to be opened to its full extent.
21. A restrictor stay for a door, the restrictor stay including, a plate for mounting on one of a door and a door frame; a rail for mounting on the other of the door and the door frame; a link which extends between the plate and the rail, one of its ends being connected to the plate and the other of its ends 1 0 being mounted on a slider connected to the rail, such that the end of the link may slide relative to the rail; an end stop on the rail, the slider abutting against the end stop to limit the movement of the slider on the rail, thereby limiting the :. extent to which the door may open relative to the frame; wherein the connection between the link and the rail is configured such that the link may 1 5 be selectively disengaged from the rail to allow the door to be opened to its full extent. S..
22. A restrictor stay according to claim 21, wherein the link includes a stud :. which is received in a channel associated with the plate, movement of a * 20 spring allowing the stud to be brought into and out of engagement with the channel.
23 A restrictor stay according to claim 22, wherein the spring is a leaf spring.
24. A restrictor stay according to claim 22 or claim 23, wherein the spring is biased into a position in WhiCh it prevents the stud beng brought into or out of engagement with the channel, thereby preventing the link being engaged with or disengaged from the plate unless the spring is moved against its bias
25. A restrictor stay according to any of claims 21 to 24, wherein the plate is shaped to have end portions which lie against the door or window frame and a mid portion which is spaced from the door or window frame
26. A restrictor stay according to claim 25, wherein the mid portion lies substantially parallel to the door or window frame.
27 A restrictor stay according to any of claims 22 to 26, wherein the stud includes a neck and a wider head.
28. A restrictor stay according to claim 27, wherein the channel includes a mouth which is wide enough to accommodate the head of the stud and a throat which is only wide enough to accommodate the neck of the stud. * S S...

1 5
29. A restrictor stay according to claim 28, wherein the throat of the channel is in the mid portion of the plate which is spaced from the door or window frame, such that an area is defined between the throat of the channel and the door or window frame.

S..... * . *5 S

* *J
30. A restrictor stay according to claim 29, wherein said area is large enough to accommodate the head of the stud.
31. A restrictor stay according to claim 29 or claim 30, wherein the spring is biased into a position in which it closes off the mouth of the channel, preventing the head entering or leaving the area beneath the throat of the channel and thereby preventing the stud being brought into or out of engagement with the channel.
32. A restrictor stay according to any of claims 29 to 31, wherein the spring is mounted at or near one end of the mid portion of the channel such that it is movable within the space defined between the plate and the door or window frame.
33. A restrictor stay according to claim 31 or claim 32, wherein the spring is manually movable against its bias, to open the mouth of the channel thereby allowing the stud to be brought into or out of engagement with the channel.
34. A restrictor stay according to any of claims 29 to 33, wherein when the stud is in engagement with the channel, its neck may be received in the throat 1 0 of the channel and its head located under the throat of the channel in the space between the plate and the door or window frame A restrictor stay according to any of claims 21 to 34, wherein the slider includes a protruding portion which extends from a main body of the slider, *S..
1 5 and the end stop includes a spring arrangement, the protruding portion and the spring arrangement coming into engagement with one another when the slider is pushed against the end stop and wherein the engagement between the protruding portion of the slider and the spring arrangement provides a * * *..S * holding resistance which must be overcome for the slider to move away from * 20 the end stop, and the holding resistance may be altered by sliding an adjustor to alter the effective length of the spring arrangement's lever arm.
36. A restrictor stay according to any of claims 21 to 35, wherein the rail includes a channel for receiving the slider.
37. A restrictor stay according to any of claims 21 to 36, wherein either one 4k I.,4-. ,........J...t * ..-.....-. .-J... L:... . --UI tII FJI L uIu Idli I oiuiuyuieu LU ue IIIUUPILU III d yiuuve iii ilI LUJ UI LIl door and the other of the plate and the rail is configured to be mounted in a groove in the door frame.
38. A restrictor stay for a door substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings
39. Any novel subject matter or combination including novel subject matter disclosed herein, whether or not within the scope of or relating to the same invention as any of the preceding claims. * * * *61 * I * * *. * *.. * * *

I I ** * * I * * I.