Description

Traditional handle for doors and windows

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a traditional handle with key lock means for doors and windows.

Background Art

Traditional handles for doors and windows, in particular doors and windows made of metal, wood - synthetic materials and the like, have components with a simple structure compared with known cremone handles, since the control elements are almost always already housed in the door or window from which there projects, from one or both of the surfaces of the door or window, simply an operating shaft which usually has a square cross-section. Therefore, these handles basically comprise:

- a casing which is connected to the outer surface of the door or window;

- a handgrip, passing through an opening in said casing, and able to connect, by means of its end portion having a hole shaped to match, with the operating shaft for varying the configuration so as to at least open in one way and close the door or window by operating the handgrip.

To prevent the handgrip from sliding axially off the shaft, the handgrip is secured to the shaft by connecting means consisting of a grub screw which is screwed into a radial through-hole present in the handgrip and makes contact with a surface of the shaft.

At present this type of handle, because of its simplified type and the structure and type of doors or windows to which it is applied (that is to say, doors or windows already equipped with internal operating elements) does not have independent key lock means.

However, the lack of this accessory on the handles creates disadvantages due to the increasing demand for this type of handle to be applied on doors and windows which open in a number of ways (tilt and turn) on the market and therefore with three different operating configurations, and due to the fact that these doors and windows cannot always have independent key lock means (above all if they are doors or windows separating the inside from the outside of a building).

For example, an operating situation in which handles with key lock means are preferable is that of public areas such as nursery schools, schools and hospitals, where only authorised personnel can operate the door or window so that it goes to all of its possible positions (closed, tilted and turned open), whilst for security reasons other users can only open the door or window from the closed position to the tilted open position (for ventilation only).

Disclosure of the Invention

Therefore, the present invention has for an aim to overcome the above mentioned disadvantages by providing a traditional handle with key lock means for doors and windows, structured in such a way that it allows setting of the positions which can be adopted by the handle handgrip and corresponding to predetermined door or window positions, thanks to the position of the key means selected by the operator; all whilst maintaining the optimum dimensions and appearance of the handle.

Accordingly, the invention achieves this aim with a handle for doors and windows, in particular a traditional handle with key lock means for doors and windows comprising the technical features described in one or more of the claims herein.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The technical features of the invention, with reference to the above aims, are clearly described in the claims below and its advantages are more 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 an exploded perspective view of a traditional handle for doors and windows in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a partial cross-section of the handle of Figure 1 in a first operating configuration;

Figure 3 is a plan view with some parts cut away to better illustrate others of the handle of Figure 1 in the first configuration of Figure 2 and;

Figure 4 is a partial cross-section of the handle of Figure 1 in a second operating configuration;

Figure 5 is a plan view with some parts cut away to better illustrate others of the handle of Figure 1 in the second configuration of Figure 4 and; Figure 6 is a partial cross-section of the handle of Figure 1 in a third operating configuration;

Figure 7 is a plan view with some parts cut away to better illustrate others of the handle of Figure 1 in the third configuration of Figure 6 and;

Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view of a detail of the handle of Figure 1.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments of the Invention

With reference to the accompanying drawings, and in particular with reference to Figure 1, the handle according to the present invention, labelled 2 as a whole and of the traditional type for doors and windows, is mounted, in particular, on doors and windows made of metal, wood - synthetic materials and the like.

These doors and window, of the known type and therefore not illustrated, comprise control elements designed to produce at least a door or window closed configuration and, respectively, an open configuration. These elements have at least one rotatable operating shaft 1, with a square

cross-section, projecting from a surface of the door or window 1.

In this particular solution, only the shaft 1 with the square cross-section is illustrated, since all of the other parts of the door or window are of the known type and are not strictly part of the subject matter of the invention. The handle 2 basically comprises:

- a casing 3 which is connected to the outer surface of the door or window and has a through-hole 4 partly occupied by the shaft 1 (the casing 3 has screw means 3v for connection to the door or window);

- a handgrip 5 which, by means of its end portion 5a, can be connected with the operating shaft 1, for moving the door or window at least from the closed configuration to the open configuration, and vice versa, by operation of the handgrip 5, rotating the latter about an axis Y coinciding with the square shaft 1;

- means 6 for stably joining the handgrip 5 and the square shaft 1, acting radially from the outside of the handgrip 5 (for example, a grub screw). In addition, the traditional handle for doors and windows disclosed comprises key lock security means 7, positioned and acting between the handgrip 5 and the casing 3, allowing the handgrip 4 to be locked stably relative to the casing 3 in at least one of the above-mentioned positions.

As Figures 2 to 8 also clearly show, the key lock security means 7 comprise: a setting pin 8 and positioning means 10.

The setting pin 8 can be operated by the key 9 and is able to move into at least three stable positions, respectively distal, middle and proximal relative to the handgrip 5.

These three pin positions 8 correspond to as many configurations which can be adopted by the door or window which, as described below, correspond to a closed configuration, a tilted open configuration and a turned open configuration.

The positioning means 10 are located on the casing 3 and act on the setting pin 8 in such a way that the pin can move to:

- a first, distal position with the door or window closed, in which the pin 8 allows handgrip 5 stable locking by interference;

- a second, middle position for a door or window single first open configuration, allowing the handgrip 5 to be rotated through a right angle α; and

- a third, proximal position for two different door or window open configurations, allowing the handgrip 5 to be rotated through a straight angle β. Advantageously, partly to avoid additional machining on the standard casings 3, the positioning means 10 may be made (by way of example, without limiting the scope of the invention) on an outer covering element (or cover) 3 a of the casing 3 having a boss-like protrusion 3b with an outer face 13.

This solution has two other advantages: - allowing handle 1 design or colour to be changed by simply substituting the cover 3a and the handgrip 5 while leaving the other parts of the handle 1 already fitted unchanged;

- a handle 1 with key lock means can be easily changed into one without a key lock means and vice versa without having to remove the entire handle assembly but only the handgrip 5 and the cover 3a.

Changing the handle in this way does not require special skills and might be done by the user without specialized help.

In more detail, the positioning means 10 comprise a through-hole 11 in the casing 3, which can be aligned with the pin 8 at a handgrip position 5 corresponding to the door or window closed position (see Figures 2 and 3).

This through-hole 11 can be occupied by the pin 8 at its first, distal position Hl in which the pin 8 projects from the handgrip 5 (see Figure 2).

In addition, the positioning means 10 comprise at least one curved segment

12 projecting from the outer face 13 of the cover 3a and forming, with one of its ends, a lateral contact wall for the pin 8 in the middle position H2, in which the pin 8 is only partly projecting from the handgrip 5, so as to allow handgrip 5 rotation only through the above-mentioned right angle α (see Figures 4 and 5).

In contrast, in the proximal position H3, the pin 8 is completely housed in the handgrip 5, so as to avoid contact with the curved segment 12 and so obtain handgrip 5 rotation through a straight angle β (see Figures 6 and 7).

To allow correct handgrip 5 rotation, in practice the curved segment 12 is slidably connected to a continuous circular groove 14 made in the bottom of the handgrip 5.

As the accompanying drawings clearly show, the pin 8 can move into the above-mentioned three positions parallel with the above-mentioned handgrip 5 transversal axis of rotation Y.

Figure 1 shows how the positioning means 10 comprise two curved segments 12 and 12a positioned symmetrically on the outer face 13 of the cover

3a: this specific detail permits handle 1 reversibility so that the door or window can be opened by turning the handgrip 5 in one direction or the other (right or left) without having to exchange any part of the handle.

As Figure 8 also shows, the key lock security means 7 may comprise, in a solution provided by way of example, a cylindrical shell 15 housed in a hole 16 shaped to match it made in the handgrip 5. Inside the shell 15 there are elements controlled by a key, comprising a cylindrical element 17 for slidably housing the pin 8, with a transversal hole 18 occupied by a rod 19 for connecting the pin 8 and the cylindrical element 17.

The rod 19 is connected, at least at one end, to a cam profile 20 made on the cylindrical element 17 so that, corresponding with predetermined rotations of the key 9 (and therefore of the cylindrical element 17 - arrow F17), the pin 8 can slide, in one direction or the other along the cylindrical element 17 into the three positions and can be held stably in the predetermined position.

When the pin 8 reaches each required position, the key 9 can be removed from the cylindrical element 17. In this way the setting of positions which can be adopted is guaranteed without the possibility of making changes unless the key is inserted again.

The pin 8 basically allows:

- the door or window to be locked closed (in the first, distal position Hl - Figures 2 and 3); - the door or window to pass from a closed position to a tilted open position

(in the second, middle position H2 - Figures 4 and 5) and vice versa, thanks to pin 8 contact on the curved segment 12;

- the door or window to pass from the closed position to the tilted open position, and then to the turned open position (in the third, proximal position H3 - Figures 6 and 7) and vice versa.

Therefore, a handle structured in this way fully achieves the preset aims, thanks to the interaction between the key lock means and the positioning means present on the casing.

This combination allows different and secure choices both for door or window closing and the type of opening, but without affecting the appearance and ease of operation of the handle.

Setting the type of opening can help reduce security risks in public buildings

(such as nursery, schools or hospitals) where authorized personnel can set the door or window so that, under normal circumstances, it can only be closed and opened by tilting while, for maintenance or cleaning purposes, it can also be fully opened by turning.

Applying the positioning means on the cover means that handle colours and designs and also handle use (handgrip with or without key) can easily be changed and do not require complex operations on the casing of the handle 1, thus enabling manufacturers to optimize their stocks.

The invention described above is susceptible of industrial application and may be modified and adapted in several ways without thereby departing from the scope of the inventive concept. Moreover, all details of the invention may be substituted by technically equivalent elements.