GB2334748A

GB2334748A - Hinge arrangement where plane of open vent does not intersect frame rail

Info

Publication number: GB2334748A
Application number: GB9904493A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Terence James Dolman
Original assignee: Trojan Hardware and Design Ltd
Current assignee: Trojan Hardware and Design Ltd
Priority date: 1998-02-27
Filing date: 1999-03-01
Publication date: 1999-09-01
Anticipated expiration: 2019-03-01
Also published as: GB9804089D0; GB9904493D0; GB2334748B

Abstract

A hinge mechanism comprising a frame rail 10 for securement to a window frame, a sash rail 12 for attachment to a window sash and a pair of pivotally joined supporting links 14,16. The links 14,16 are pivotally secured at their ends to interconnect the rails. One of the links 14 is free to move along the frame rail and one link 16 is held in a substantially fixed position on the frame rail. When the window is in the fully open position the plane of the sash does not intersect the frame 10 which ensures that the open window does not block the opening defined by the frame. The substantially fixed pivot is positioned between an upper end of the rail and the movable pivot and may be free to move a short distance 40 along the frame rail when the sash is fully open. The mechanism may also comprise an arm 32 to restrict opening of the window which is pivotally connected to stud 20 on the sash rail and to sliding catch 34 on the frame rail.

Description

HINGE MECHANISMS FOR OPENABLE WINDOWS AND OTHER SUCH MOVABLE PANELS This invention relates to scissors-type hinge mechanisms, and is in particular expected to find application principally to window vents, but could find application to other similarly movable panels.

There is described in GB-A-2 304 148 a scissors-type hinge mechanism which comprises a frame rail adapted for securement to a window frame, a sash rail adapted for securement to a window sash, and a pair of pivotally joined supporting links which interconnect the two rails.

The opposite ends of one of the links are pivotally secured in fixed positions on the frame and sash rails respectively, and the opposite ends of the other link are pivotally secured to movable sliders on the two rails.

Such a hinge mechanism can be arranged to enable the vent to be opened to substantially 900, thereby facilitating egress through the open window in an emergency.

Ordinarily the sash rail of such a hinge mechanism would be fitted adjacent to an inner edge of a rectangular vent, and correspondingly an inner end of the frame rail would be secured close to (or even fully into) a corner of the rectangular window frame close to the inner edge of the vent. In the mechanism described in GB-A-2 304 148, of the two pivotal link connections on the frame rail the fixed one is positioned at a distance from the inner end of the rail and the movable slider runs along a length of the rail positioned between the fixed pivot and the inner end of the rail.

When the vent is fully open, being substantially perpendicular to the window frame, the plane of the vent intersects the opening defined by the window frame at a short distance from that adjacent edge of the frame which is parallel to the inner edge of the vent. The open vent is, therefore, positioned within the projected area of the window frame opening and so to a small degree still obstructs the egress opening presented by the window frame itself.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a scissors-type hinge mechanism which can be fitted to a window frame and vent to enable the vent to be swung to an open position in which it lies substantially wholly outside the projected area of the opening defined by the frame.

The invention provides, in one of its aspects, a scissors-type hinge mechanism comprising first attachment means comprising a frame rail adapted for securement to a window frame, second attachment means comprising a sash rail adapted for securement to a window sash, and a pair of pivotally joined supporting links which are pivotally secured at their ends to the rails to interconnect the rails, one of the links being held captive in substantially fixed position on the frame rail and the other link being free to move along the frame rail, the captive pivot being positioned between an inner end of the rail and the movable pivot and the arrangement being such that in an open condition of a vent, in use of the hinge mechanism, the plane of the vent does not intersect the frame rail when lying substantially perpendicular to the frame rail.

The captive pivot may be free to move a short distance along the frame rail away from the inner end of the rail upon opening the vent (in use) to a fully open condition. In order to return the pivot to its starting position, there may be a stop which limits movement of the moving pivot away from the inner end of the frame rail, the captive pivot thereafter becoming pushed back to its starting position as the vent is moved into a fully closed condition within the frame. A suitable arrangement of stop may comprise a one-way catch associated with the moving pivot and co-operating with a feature of the frame rail.

There now follows a description, to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, of a window hinge mechanism which illustrates the invention by way of example.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 shows the mechanism closed; Figure 2 shows the mechanism partly open; Figure 3 shows the mechanism fully open; and Figure 4 shows in detail a one-way catch on the slider 18.

A window hinge mechanism comprises first attachment means, in the form of a length of straight extruded channel 10, for securement to a window frame to provide a frame rail (hereinafter referred to as a guide rail). Second attachment means in the form of a mounting bar 12 forming a sash rail is adapted to be secured to a sash of an openable window.

Linkage mechanism comprising two pivotally coupled scissor links 14,16 serves to couple together the guide rail 10 and the mounting bar 12 in the manner of a hinge. A first of the two links 14 is pivotally connected at one end in fixed position to the mounting bar 12 (adjacent to an inner end 17 of the bar) and at its other end to a slider 18 engaged in the guide rail 10. The second of the scissor links 16 is also pivotally connected at its opposite ends to the mounting bar and the guide rail, but in this case by way respectively of a movable stud 20 which is free to move along a guide slot 22 in the mounting bar and by way of a coupler 24 which is held in substantially fixed position on the guide rail 10 adjacent to an inner end 26 of the guide rail. A similar hinge mechanism to that so far described is described in more detail in GB-A-2 304 148, enabling a window vent panel secured to the mounting bar 12 to be opened through substantially 90". However, an essential difference between the two mechanisms is that in the mechanism described in GB-A-2 304 148 the pivot adjacent to the inner end of the guide rail is the movable one and the other pivot on the guide rail is the fixed one.

The hinge mechanism comprises also a restrictor which can be utilised to restrict the opening of the window, for example for child safety reasons. The restrictor comprises an arm 32 which is pivotally connected at one end to the stud 20 sliding on the sash mounting bar 12 and at its other end to a sliding catch 34 which is freely movable along the guide rail 10 on the opposite side of the slider 18 from the fixed coupler 24.

When the window is closed (Figure 1) the sliding catch 34 becomes engaged with a locking formation providing a slot 36 adjacent to an outer end of the guide rail.

As can be seen from the successive illustrations of Figures 1 to 3, showing opening of the mechanism from a fully closed condition, the geometry of the mechanism is such that in the fully open condition (Figure 3) the mounting bar 12 is not only perpendicular to the guide rail 10 but is positioned beyond the inner end 26 of the guide rail. The result of this is that in use of the mechanism, with the inner end 26 of the guide rail fitted fully into a corner of a rectangular window frame 38, a vent mounted on the mounting bar 12 stands both perpendicular to the frame and wholly outside the projected area A of the opening defined by the frame (i.e. not intersecting the guide rail 10). In this manner the escape egress provided by the window frame is wholly unobstructed by the window vent when the window is fully open.

The associated end of the second of the scissor links 16 is held captive on the guide rail 10 by the coupler 24 in substantially fixed position, but the coupler is free to move a small amount along the rail, being restrained by engagement in a short slot 40 in the rail. This provides for the coupler 24, the slider 18, the links 14,16 and the mounting bar 12 (carrying the vent) to be movable together a short distance away from the inner end of the guide rail upon the second link 16 abutting an adjacent part of the window frame as the vent is swung to its fully open condition. In order to return the coupler 24 to the inner end of the slot 40 upon closing the vent, a one-way catch (shown by way of example in Figure 4, but in any suitable form) on the slider 18 engages a feature of the guide rail and arrests movement of the slider away from the coupler immediately before the vent becomes fully closed, the coupler thereafter being pushed to the inner end of the slot 40 during the final closure movement. In this manner, clearance between the vent and the window frame is created for full opening of the vent, and the mechanism returned automatically to its original condition for accommodation of the sash within the frame in fully closing the vent.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A scissors-type hinge mechanism comprising first attachment means comprising a frame rail adapted for securement to a window frame, second attachment means comprising a sash rail adapted for securement to a window sash, and a pair of pivotally joined supporting links which are pivotally secured at their ends to the rails to interconnect the rails, one of the links being held captive in a substantially fixed position on the frame rail and the other link being free to move along the frame rail, the captive pivot being positioned between an inner end of the rail and the movable pivot and the arrangement being such that in an open condition of a vent, in use of the hinge mechanism, the plane of the vent does not intersect the frame rail when Iying substantially perpendicular to the frame rail.
2. A scissors-type hinge according to claim 1 in which the captive pivot is free to move a short distance along the frame rail away from the inner end of the rail upon opening the vent (in use) to a fully open condition.
3. A scissors-type hinge according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which a stop is provided which limits movement of the moving pivot away from the inner end of the frame rail, the captive pivot thereafter becoming pushed back towards the inner end of the frame rail is moved into a fully closed condition within the frame.
4. A scissors-type hinge according to claim 3 in which the stop comprises a one-way catch associated with the moving pivot and cooperating with a feature of the frame rail.
5. A scissors type hinge assembly substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 1 or Figure 2 or Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.