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Patent Searching and Data


Title:
LEVER HANDLE ARRANGEMENT
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2001/040604
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
The invention relates to an arrangement for holding a lever handle (1) of a door, a window or the like in a chosen operational position. The arrangement includes a control piece (4) installed between an escutcheon (2) of the lever handle and a door, a window or the like and having flexible control members (4a ... 4g), which are arranged to cooperate with a spindle (3) of the lever handle so, that they on the one hand are pressed against the spindle (3) of the lever handle and hold the lever handle (1) in a chosen operational position and on the other hand allow the lever handle (1) to turn from one operational position to another.

Inventors:
SAARINEN JARMO (FI)
Application Number:
PCT/FI2000/001040
Publication Date:
June 07, 2001
Filing Date:
November 29, 2000
Export Citation:
Click for automatic bibliography generation   Help
Assignee:
ABLOY OY (FI)
SAARINEN JARMO (FI)
International Classes:
E05B3/06; E05B15/00; (IPC1-7): E05B3/06
Domestic Patent References:
WO1988006224A11988-08-25
Foreign References:
DE2046809A11972-06-15
EP0791703A11997-08-27
DE19523708A11996-01-18
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
AWEK INDUSTRIAL PATENTS LTD OY (P.O. Box 230 Helsinki, FI)
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Claims:
CLAIMS
1. An arrangement for holding a lever handle (1) of a door, a window or the like in a chosen operational position, characterised in that the arrangement includes a control piece (4) installed between an escutcheon (2) of the lever handle and a door, a window or the like and having flexible control members (4a... 4g), which are arranged to cooperate with a spindle (3) of the lever handle so, that they on the one hand are pressed against the spindle (3) of the lever handle and hold the lever handle (1) in a chosen operational position and on the other hand allow the lever handle (1) to turn from one operational position to another.
2. A lever handle arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the control piece (4) receives its guidance from the inner surfaces (2a) of the es cutcheon of the lever handle, which retain the control piece (4) immovable in its position.
3. A lever handle arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control piece (4) is retained immovable in its position by making use of fixing screws for the escutcheon (2) of the lever handle.
4. A lever handle arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control members (4a... 4g) are arranged to press the spindle (3) of the lever handle at the edges thereof.
5. A lever handle arrangement according to claim 4, characterized in that the control piece (4) includes a separate control member (4a... 4g) for each side of the edge of the spindle.
6. A lever handle arrangement according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the control members (4a... 4g) for separate sides of an edge of the spindle are formed and mutually positioned so that a slot (5a... 5d) remains between them for receiving and guiding the edge of the spindle.
7. A lever handle arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the whole control piece (4) is of elastic material, pref erably plastic.
Description:
LEVER HANDLE ARRANGEMENT The invention relates to an arrangement for a lever handle in accordance with the preamble of claim 1.

There is a desire to retain a lever handle in its operational position, whether a horizontal or a vertical position, and independent on whether a door, a win- dow or the like associated with the lever handle is closed or open. Due to the design and mass of the lever handle retaining in the horizontal position is in this case, naturally, more difficult. The problem can be solved so, that the mutual fitting between the escutcheon of the lever handle and the lever han- dle is made so tight that the lever handle is retained in the horizontal position by friction. The solution requires high accuracy of machining. Additional drawbacks are possible stiffness of the handle operation, the problem result- ing from wear and big costs of manufacturing. Further, extensions and/or re- cesses may be arranged in the lever handle and/or the escutcheon of the lever handle, and also flexible parts may be inserted thereto for keeping the lever handle horizontal. Solutions of these kinds are awkward and expensive to manufacture.

An aim of the invention is to provide a novel solution for retaining a lever handle according to need in its separate operational positions, especially in the horizontal or vertical position, by making use of the spindle of the lever handle. An aim is that the solution is simple, reliable and advantageous as to its costs and it can also easily be adapted to be retrofitted when needed.

The aims of the invention can be met as is described in claim 1 and in the other claims. The arrangement according to the invention includes a control piece installed between an escutcheon of the lever handle and a door, a win- dow or the like and having flexible control members, which are arranged to cooperate with a spindle of the lever handle so, that they on the one hand

are pressed against the spindle of the lever handle and hold the lever handle in a chosen operational position and on the other hand allow the lever handle to turn from one operational position to another. Thus, the invention makes it possible to utilize a normal spindle of a lever handle as such. Since a separate control piece is utilized, it can also be retrofitted, when needed, and corre- spondingly also removed from its place, in case there is no need for the ar- rangement.

The control piece receives with advantage its guidance from the inner sur- faces of the escutcheon of the lever handle, which retain the control piece immovable in its position. For this purpose the control piece is only designed according to the inner surfaces of the escutcheon of the lever handle in each case. Alternatively or in addition to this the control piece can be retained im- movable in its position by making use of fixing screws for the escutcheon of the lever handle, by means of which the escutcheon of the lever handle is fixed to the door, window or the like.

The control members are with advantage arranged to press the spindle of the lever handle at the edges thereof. Then the control piece preferably includes a separate control member for each side of the edge of the spindle. In this case the control members for separate sides of an edge of the spindle can be formed and mutually positioned so that a slot remains between them for re- ceiving and guiding the edge of the spindle. Hereby the control members can easily be formed and dimensioned so that they provide a sufficient pressure for retaining a lever handle also in a horizontal position, but on the other hand they are sufficiently flexible so that the lever handle can without difficulties be turned from one position to another.

In case the whole control piece is of an elastic material, preferably plastic, it is easy to manufacture.

In the following the invention is described by way of example with reference to the attached drawing, in which -Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a lever handle arrangement ac- cording to the invention as a side view and partly in section, and -Fig. 2 shows the arrangement of Fig. 1 viewed from below in the direction of a spindle of the lever handle.

In the drawing 1 indicates a lever handle for a door, a window or the like, to which a spindle 3 of the lever handle is attached and which is installed to an escutcheon 2 of the lever handle by making use of a locking ring, for exam- ple, as shown in Fig. 1. The escutcheon of the lever handle includes holes 2b for fixing screws, by means of which the whole lever handle arrangement is fixed to a door, a window or the like (not shown).

Inside the escutcheon 2 of the lever handle a separate control piece 4, made of elastic material, is installed receiving its guidance from the inner surfaces 2a of the escutcheon and which remains between the escutcheon 2 and the door, window or the like. Alternatively or in addition to this the control piece can be retained immovable in its position by making use of the fixing screws installed into the holes 2b. This must naturally be taken account of when de- signing the control piece 4.

The control piece comprises control members 4a... 4g, which are arranged pair wise so that slots 5a... 5d remain between them. The control members 4a... 4g and the slots 5a... 5d are dimensioned to receive and to guide the edges of the spindle 3 so that the spindle remains firmly in its place in its each operational position. When the lever handle 1 is turned from one posi- tion to another, the control members 4a... 4g bend elastically allowing thus the turning movement.

The form of the control piece 4 in each case is selected to correspond the form of the inner surfaces 2a of the escutcheon 2 of the lever handle, so that

the control piece 4 remains firmly in its place irrespective of the turning movements of the lever handle 1. The arrangement according to the inven- tion, thus, makes it possible to provide retrofittings, and correspondingly the control piece 4 may also be removed or replaced when needed.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown but several modifica- tions are feasible within the scope of the attached claims.