The invention is related to the structure of an air vent which is normally used in a suitably adapted opening in the upper part of a frame of a window or a door.

The vent comprises a flap that can be adjusted between a closed position and an open position. The aim of such air vents is, as the name implies, to establish exchange of air in a room in a building and to let in fresh air.

The vent flap itself is fitted onto a hand operated operating body (locking body) that is used to rearrange the flap. The operating body is normally secured to the flap via hinges and comprises a snap appliance in the form of a protrusion that is forced into a groove in the frame part of the vent itself by way of a snap function. Then the flap is held in a sealing, closed position with the aid of a gasket that is fastened to the flap itself (the gasket normally covers the whole of the flap surface). By pulling at the lower end of the operating body, the protrusion is lifted (also as a consequence of the gasket elasticity) out of the groove in the vent frame. Consequently the operation of the air vent occurs with a pushing movement and pulling movement, respectively.

Different solutions based on the technique described in the introduction are known from Norwegian Patent NO 147.964 and British Patent applications GB 2.293. 647 and GB 2. 299. 663.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide a new structure for an air vent of the above mentioned type, where both the closing and opening processes can be brought about by a pushing movement.

Furthermore, it is an aim of the invention to provide a structure for an air vent that is a further development of the above mentioned type.

The device for the air vent according to the invention is characterised in that the first end of the operating body comprises an operating body which when displaced in a direction at a given force towards the flap gives the operating body a torque around the mounting of the operating body in the flap, so that the locking protrusion is brought out of the anchorage in the vent frame.

The preferred embodiments of the device are given in the dependent claims 2- 7.

According to the invention, the device is used so that both the closing and the opening of the air vent occur by a pushing function against the lower (second) end and the upper (first) end of the operating body, respectively, as it appears in claim 8.

With the new solution, the air vent can both be opened and closed by the user applying a pushing or pressing movement on the opening body.

The new flap functions such that when one shall open the vent, one pushes on the upper part of the locking flap and the locking appliance emerges from the groove as before. When the vent is to be closed, one presses in the lower part of the locking flap as before.

The difference between the new and the old flap is that when the vent is to be opened in existing vents, one pulls the locking flap, and in the new vents, one pushes the upper part of the locking flap.

The advantage with the new solution is then that both the opening and the closing functions are brought about by pressing and not by sticking fingers underneath the flap and pulling, like today.

The difference with this new solution with respect to NO 147. 964, based on figures 3 and 4 in the NO patent, is that one must grip the handle 33 itself and conduct it upwardly and then to the right so that a protrusion 32b shall be able to sink into a recess 31 b in the frame. From figure 4 it appears that it is not possible to provide this locking effect by only pushing horizontally on the handle part as is possible with the structure according to the present invention.

According to the present invention, a torque is to be set up so that a mainly horizontal pushing movement shall be able to bring the lower locking protrusion out of the recess in the lower frame. It is not possible to achieve such an effect according to the NO patent 147.964.

The invention shall now be explained in more detail with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows an isometric drawing of the air vent including a rocker flap as it is shaped today (the state of art technology).

Figure 2 shows a perspective illustration of the air vent, partly in section with the vent flap in closed position.

Figure 3 shows a longitudinal perspective illustration of the air vent in closed position.

Figure 4 shows a longitudinal perspective illustration of the air vent in open position.

Reference is initially made to figure 1 which is valid for the previously known solution. A section of an air vent is shown as an extruded profile for insertion into or fitting above an adapted shaped opening in a frame of a window or a door. Such air vents are preferably placed uppermost in the frame/framework.

The air vent comprises a lower rigid carrier part 10 as a part of the vent frame, and which is arranged to be rigidly secured to the frame/framework itself. The side wall of the air vent is shown by 12. The vent flap 15 itself is mounted horizontally pivotally to the upper part of the carrier part 10, with a gasket element 14 with the help of a hinge structure. Many mounting types can be used, all known to a specialist. When the flap is closed with the aid of a given pushing force, the gasket 14 is forced against the vent frame and is gently

compressed, and contributes to the flap retracting somewhat when the pushing force ceases.

In the present case, and which is most common today, the carrier part 10 comprises an extended under-cut groove structure 16 manufactured by extrusion and which takes up a corresponding extended cylinder-formed"axis of rotation"18 that can be rotated (preferably around a horizontal axis), so that the flap 14/15 is rotated between its tilted position for the open aeration position, and its vertical position that constitutes the closed position of the vent.

To rearrange the flap 15 between the two positions, and furthermore to be able to lock the flap in the vertical, closed position, a profiled (with a Z-shaped cross section) and angled locking body or operating body 20, the one end 22 of which is fastened to the flap 15. The mentioned coupling can involve that the one end 22 comprises a corresponding cylinder-formed"axis of rotation" (not shown in the figure) which is rotary mounted in a shaped undercut groove 24 in the inside of the flap 15. A user can grip the outer ends of the operating body 20 with his fingers and lead the flap 15 between the two positions.

The topside of the carrier part 10 of the vent frame that is inward facing, comprises an upwardly extending half-moon shaped groove 26, which an outwardly extended protrusion 28 on the underside of the operating body 20 falls into when the user pushes the operating body 20 inwards so that the flap 15 closes the opening. The gasket element is compressed during this pushing/sliding movement so that the protrusion 28 enters the edge of the groove. When the pushing movement ceases, the gasket element 14"expands" slightly (the user lets go of the locking element) and the protrusion falls into the groove and is strapped, under the influence of the gasket 14, against the wall of the half-moon formed groove 26. The operating body 20 has an angularly deflected profile so that when the protrusion 28 lies down in the groove, it will (under the influence of the gasket 14) lie/push against the inside of the groove and thereby keep the operating body tightened against the flap, the gasket of which makes a seal against the opening. Thus, one uses a so-called snap- functioning structure here, which can also be manufactured in a great number of ways.

When one user shall open the air vent, he must get hold of the folded outer part of the operating body 20 and pull this so that the protrusion 28 comes out

of the groove 26, and thereby the air vent/flap 15, which swings inwards, is opened.

Thus, the operating pattern for the air vent is to use a pushing movement to close the flap and a putting movement to open the flap.

From a basis of this known air vent according to figure 1, its opening body 22 is developed further so that both the opening and the closing of the flap can take place by one pushing/sliding movement.

The figures 2-4 show different perspectives of how this opening body is constructed. In the figures, the same parts are given the same reference number as in figure 1.

Figure 2 shows the same elements as in figure 1, namely: a carrier part 10, the rotary vent flap 15 with the gasket 14, the extended undercut groove structure 16, axis of rotation 18. Furthermore, it can be seen that the profiled and arch- shaped operating body 20 (as a relatively rigid arch-shaped band with a breadth of 2-3 cm) the one upper end 22 of which is mounted to the flap 15 as a cylinder-formed shaft 23 which can rotate in the undercut groove 24 on the inside of the flap 15.

Also shown is the upwardly extending half-moon shaped groove 26 into which the outwardly extending protrusion 28 falls when the user pushes the operating body 20 inwards so that the flap 15 closes the aeration opening of the window.

As shown in the figures, the operating body 20 has an arch-shape, and the outwardly extended protrusion 28 extends outwards on the one side, on the back side that faces the vent. According to the invention, one achieves that the air vent 15 can be opened when pushing, in that one uses the mounting point of the locking body as an axis of rotation.

This is achieved in that the upper part 22 of the arch-shaped arm comprises an upwardly and outwardly extending sidearm 30 from the other side of the operating body 20, which ends in a thickened end section 32. The arch-shaped operating body 20, with the sidearm 32, is manufactured in one piece, such as by extrusion of a plastic material or a light metal (aluminium). It can be seen in the figure that the sidearm sticks out from the other side and is bent forwards

so that its end section 32 in the longitudinal direction lies approximately level with the upper end 23. Thus, one also achieves a torque about the axis indicated by 23, when one gives the mentioned end section 32 a push in the direction P of the arrow, When the air vent is closed, a push in the arrow's direction P towards the sidearm 30 adjoining the thickened end section 32, will result in that the mounting end 23 of the operating body 20 will be forced against the air flap.

The lower part 25 of the operating body 20 with the protrusion 28 will make a movement into the room in the direction Q of the arrow. The consequence of this is that the protrusion 28 will be forced upwardly off the half-moon shaped groove 26 and become free and be pushed into the room (in the Q direction) and thereby the flap 15 falls inwards to an open aeration position, under the influence of the gasket 14. As can be seen in the figure, a force P uppermost at 32 on the sidearm 30, will give the operating body a torque around the mounting end 23 as an axis of rotation.

When the air flap is to be put back to closed position, the lower part 25 of the operating body 20 is pushed inwards, and this results in the mounting end being led up to and against the undercut groove 24, and the protrusion 28 will again be caught into position in the half-moon formed groove 26.

With the invention, a new structure for a locking body is provided so that the air vent can be operated both for opening and subsequent closing by carrying out pushing movements only.