AU621625B2 - A handle for a chain winder - Google Patents

Description

I- ill i"i- ii 621625 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA The Patents Act 1952-1969 Name of Applicant(s): WHITCO PTY LTD Address of Applicant(s): 450 SHERWOOD ROAD SHERWOOD QLD 4075 a 4 o 4 4 444 4 944.

4$ *O i 4.' 44 4r 4 4 44S Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: G.R. CULLEN COMPANY, Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, Dalgety House, 79 Eagle Street, Brisbane, Qld. 4000, Australia.

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED: A HANDLE FOR A CHAIN WINDER The following statement is a full description of the invention including the best method of performing it known to us.

2 The invention relates to a chain winder for opening and closing awning type windows.

Awning type windows are typically hinged at the top and fitted with an insect screen and are usually opened and closed by a chain winder consisting of a casing secured to the sill of the window and has a handle for rotating, within the casing, a sprocket engaging a length of chain arranged to form a loop within the casing and anchored at one end to the casing. The other end of the chain extends through an 1 opening in the casing and was provided with an attachment tel 4 plate for attachment to a window. Rotation of the handle in *off one direction causes the chain to move out from the casing oMC, and the chain was of such a character that it formed a fairly rigid member to cause the window to move to its open r +r position. Rotation of the handle in the opposite direction caused the chain to be withdrawn into the casing and close *eDS e the window.

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.t It is typical in the building industry to produce a framework for numerous window panes and to provide for a window in that framework of the awning type. A plurality of such frames would be pre-manufactured either with or without panes of glass affixed thereto and would then be shipped to building sites for installation relative to a wall of a building. To reduce the necessity for work to be conducted at the building site it was usual to have the frame as complete as possible before shipping and this required that I

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the awning window be in place and the frame be supplied with window panes. In addition, it was usual for a chain winder to be prefixed relative to the frame and awning window.

Australian Patent Specifications 516007, 570809 and 66028/86 disclose prior chain winders. The winders of each of these earlier specifications each had a handle for extending and retracting the chain from a casing or housing. Where it was desired to pre-manufacture frames having a plurality of windows one of which was an awning window and including a chain winder mounted relative to the frame and window there was a difficulty in that the handle could project from the frame and where a plurality of frames were arranged stacked side by side for transport there was a danger that the handle associated with the e winder on one frame would contact an adjacent frame. This sometimes led not only to damage of the chain winder but also to S damage of the frame. The frames were sometimes made of timber and where the handle projected beyond the frame, the handle sometimes bruised timber of an adjacent frame.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a handle for a chain winder said handle having an arm for attachment to the chain winder and an attachment portion connected to said arm, and movable relative to said arm between Si a storage position and a use position and being releasably lockable to said arm in said use position by a releasable locking means comprising a resilient projection on one of the arm or attachment portion which mates with a recess on the other of the arm or attachment portion and which can be forced from the recess upon application of further pivotal movement to the attachment 4 portion.

According to another aspect the invention provides a chain winder having a handle like that described above.

The attachment portion may be provided with a knob.

The knob may be freely rotatable around the attachment portion.

The attachment portion is preferably pivotally movable relative to the arm. To achieve such pivotal movement the attachment portion may be held relative to the arm by a pivot pin or shaft.

The attachment portion may be provided with a spindle portion relative to which the knob may rotate. The attachment ,.09 portion may have a body part having an end which at least in part conforms to an internal profile of the knob. Preferably the end 4 o S of the body part is at least partially arcuate in shape and the knob has an internal periphery provided by a bore which in part conforms to the external periphery of the end of the body part.

'"oi The body part of the attachment portion may be that part pivotally secured to the arm. To this end, the body part may be provided with an aperture for receiving a pin.

Alternatively, the body part may be provided with one or more recesses to accommodate a pin or projection extending from the arm.

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The attachment portion may be provided with a projection or recess which releasably mates with a corresponding recess or projection in the arm upon pivotal movement of the attachment portion relative to the arm and thereby can releasably lock the attachment portion to the arm at one or more pivot positions. The projection can be in the form of a continuous or non-continuous rib while the recess may comprise a slot to accommodate the rib. Upon location of the rib in the slot, the attachment portion is lockingly 0. engaged with the arm however, further pivotal movement can move the rib out of engagement with the recess. The a projection may be of resilient material.

~The end of the attachment portion or a part thereof a.

adjacent the end may be adapted to receive a locking member SO St to hold the knob relative to the attachment portion. The end 0 of the attachment portion may be resiliently movable to cot o receive the locking member. In a particular preferred embodiment the end of the attachment portion is provided with one or more fingers which may be resilient moved to receive the locking member. Preferably, the end of the attachment

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portion has two fingers which may be relient urged towards one another so that the locking member may be received relative to them and once so received, the fingers return to a rest position. The free ends of the fingers may be tapered or otherwise formed to facilitate the receipt of the locking member. Preferably, the fingers are diametrically opposed to 6 one another and terminate at free ends which are shaped to facilitate receipt of the locking member.

The locking member may be a locking ring or circlip. Preferably, the locking member is a locking washer which, when the knob is held relative to the attachment portion with that portion locked in its use position, locates relative to a shoulder provided adjacent the free ends of the attachment portion.

The knob has an internal bore. Preferably, the internal bore extends completely through the knob although S this is not essential. The internal bore is preferably 0~,0 stepped and has an enlargement at either end connected by an 0000 intermediate bore portion of lesser diameter than the 00 S enlargements. Whilst the bore has been described in relation 00 e 5: to a diameter it should be appreciated that the bore need not 0 0 be circular in shape. Where the bore is not circular in cross section the intermediate portion need simply be of a oe 8 lesser cross section than the enlargement at either end.

~The handle may have a cap adapted to locate over or relative to an end of the knob. The cap when in position :00 conceals on the free ends of the fingers on the attachment portion and the locking member located within one enlargement in the bore through the knob. The cap may have a peripheral wall and an end wall. Where the knob has a circular end configuration, the cap may correspondingly be circular. The cap may be held in place by a bonding agent or may merely be ti.

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I iii- I -ra lr o a: o 0a eq G e *o t oi re C B *e .r Cr t a an interference or snap fit relative to the knob.

A particular preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a handle in a storage position according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a handle in a use position according to an embodiment of the invention; Figures 3A and 3B are a partial end sectional view of the handle of fig 2 according to an embodiment of the invention.

As shown in figure 1, the handle 10 has an arm 9 with an end portion 11 relative to which attachment portion 12 is pivotally fixed by pin 13. A knob 14 locates over the end of attachment portion 12 remote from pin 13 and is fitted relative to end portion 11 of the handle. The knob 14 is held relative to attachment portion 12 and end portion of the arm 11 by a locking washer 15 (see figure A cap 16 locates within an end face of knob 14 and conceals the attachment portion and locking washer. The handle shown in figure 1 is in its storage position and attachment portion extends parallel with arm 9. The handle shown in fig 2 is in its use position and the attachment portion 12 extends outwardly from arm 9 at right angles thereto.

With reference to figure 3A and 3B attachment portion 12 is shown in more detail. This portion has a body

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with a bore 21 for receiving a pivot pin 13. Projecting opposed fingers 22 and 23 extend outwardly from the body and are provided with enlarged free ends. The enlarged -ree ends have ramped faces 24 which provide rearwardly directed shoulders 25. The fingers 22 and 23 may be urged towards one another and return resiliently to the position shown in figure 3. The body portion is provided with arcuately contoured faces.

The knob 14 shown in figure 3B has a bore extending 1.Q therethrough comprised of an intermediate portion 31 and a 9 stepped outer portion 32 consisting of an enlarged outer bore 32a and a slightly smaller bore 32b. A step 33 is formed between portion 32a and 32b and it is against this step that the locking washer 15 may locate.

End 11 of the arm 9 has a bore 21 for receiving pivot pin 13 shown in figure 1. The end portion of end 11 o has opposed fingers (see fig 1) 41 and 42 which form an S opening between them for receiving attachment portion 12.

0* I*Sa- The internal face of one of the opposed fingers 41,42 has a groove 43 (see fig 2) extending ;fcross the face and in alignment with attachment portion 12 when in the use position. The part of attachment portion 12 which is received within opposed fingers 41 and 42 has a rib 44 on one side face thereof which locates with recess 43 when attachment portion 12 is in the use position as depicted in fig 2. The rib and recess function to lock the attachment 4..

i: i RI' ,i 9 portion 12 into the vertically extending position. Rib 44 can be forced out of groove 43 upon further pivotal movement as the rib is slightly deformable.

In the storage position of fig 1, the rib and groove are at right angles to each other and do not mate.

Cap 16 (if provided) can be inserted into bore portion 32a of knob 14 to conceal the free ends of fingers 22, 23 and locking washer The attachment portion can be pivoted from the 1 10. storage position as depicted in fig 1 to the use position as o ego. depicted in fig 2 where the attachment portion is at 90° to the arm 9.

f SKnob 14 is freely rotatable around fingers 22, 23 en to allow the handle to be rotated with ease.

S 1'5 In a second embodiment, end 11 is provided wi;opposed arcuate upstanding projections and extend o ardly S from one face of end 11 and one of these p jections is associated with each of the fingers 41 and42. The arcuate contour of the upstanding project' ns corresponds to a contour provided on the attachme portion 12 such that when :r tc the attachment portion 12/ in a use position the contour provided on the upsta ing projections and together with the contour on the tachment portion substantially complete a circular ofile over which an enlargement in knob 14 may locat A rear face provided between the fingers 41 and 42 ts as a stop to control or limit the pivotal movement i i -pea- mk--tted=o-3r=aaL_-et phu- U2.- To assemble the handle shown in figure 1, attachment portion 12 is first pivotally connected to end 11 of the arm 9 by pin 13 and attachment portion 12 may form an extension which continues at 180 degrees relative to the arm.

The knob is positioned over fingers 22 and 23 and the enlarged ends of the fingers are biased towards one another when those ends are located within portion 31 of the bore through the knob. When those ends locate in portion 32b they may move apart into the position they normally assume as shown in figures 3A or 3B. This ensures that the knob cannot 0, become free of the attachment portion unless or course, the it,, fingers 22 and 23 are biased towards each other.

t "the-second emb-dment,- enlargement in knob-L41 is ci clear of the arcuate upstanding projections and the ontours on the attachment portion. 12 which may be piv ed form its storage position where it extends at 180 d rees relative to the arm 9 to the use position show in figure 2 where it c t en extends at 90 degrees to the arm. he knob may then be moved further along the attachmey portion to ensure that the enlargement extends ov upstanding projections and the contours of the at chment portion. Once this occurs, the locking wash may cause to ride over faces of the enlargeme s provided on fingers 22 and 23 until it snaps behin those enlargements and is prevented from separating om the attachment portion by shoulder 25. Once the locking Ai 11 washer is in th' h' -pY-t-o in M-6 t e a; portion can no longer be pivoted relativ the arm 9. The cap 16 (if provided) ma be inserted into bore portion 32a of thP-tk-n-f tn ronc-'al the free ends of the fingers 22,- 1 aA. n- Thus, the handle of the invention may be initially configured into a storage position where the knob and attachment portion extends at 180 degrees relative to the arm and in this position is unlikely to cause damage to frames adjacent to frames having a winder with a handle S1Q. according to the invention. Once the frame is positioned on relative to a building the attachment portion and knob may be 0o moved to the use position shown in figure 1 and locked in that position.

00 SWhilst the above has been given by way of illustrative example of the invention, many modifications and variations may be made thereto by persons skilled in the art 0 0 0 without departing from the broad scope and ambit of the S invention as herein set forth in the following claims.

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Claims (14)

1. A handle for a chain winder said handle having an arm for attachment to the chain winder and an attachment portion connected to said arm, and movable relative to said arm between a storage position and a use position and being releasably lockable to said arm in said use position by a releasable locking means comprising a resilient projection on one of the arm or attachment portion which mates with a recess on the other of the arm or attachment portion and which can be forced from the recess I upon application of further pivotal movement to t] attachment portion.

2. The handle as claimed in claim 1, wherein in said storage position, said arm and said attachment portion are in linear alignment. I 15.: 3. The handle as claimed in claim 1, wherein in said use I position, said attachment portion extends outwardly from said arm x at right angles thereto.

4. The handle according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said attachment portion is pivotally mounted to said arm, so as to be movable between the storage position and use position. The handle according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein one end of said arm is provided with a pair of spaced fingers adapted to accommodate one end of said attachment portion.

6. The handle of claim 6, wherein said attachment portion is pivotally connected to said spaced fingers by a pivot pin or sJ- t. I ~sapaarmr~

7. The handle according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said attachment portion has a free end provided with a knob.

8. The handle as claimed in claim 8, wherein said knob is rotatable around said attachment portion.

9. The handle as claimed in claim 8 or 9 wherein said knob is rotatable about and secured to said attachment portion. The handle as claimed in claim 10, wherein said knob is provided with an internal bore to fit over a part of the attachment portion. e i11. The handle according to any one of the preceding oecr claims, wherein said attachment portion is provided with a pair of resilient fingers. .15 12. The handle as claimed in claim 12, wherein each e* resilient finger has a free end provided with a shoulder portion.

13. The handle as claimed in claim 11, wherein said bore is stepped and has an enlarged cross-sectional portion connected to a smaller cross-sectional portion.

14. The handle as claimed in claim 14, wherein said smaller cross-sectional portion is adapted to receive said resilient fingers of said attachment portion when said resilient fingers are urged towards each other.

15. The handle as claimed in claim 14 or 15, wherein said enlarged cross-sectional portion is adapted to accommodate said shoalder portion of said resilient fingers of Sclaim 13, when in a relaxed position. -a PIL C, s- c 14

16. The handle as claimed in claim 16, wherein said shoulder portions abut against a locking washer provided in said enlarged cross-sectional portion of said bore.

17. The handle according to claim 1, wherein said projection comprises a rib and said recess comprises a groove.

18. The handle according to claim 17, wherein one end of said arm is provided with a pair of said spaced fingers adapted to accommodate one end of said attachment portion, said rib being located on a side face of said attachment portion and said groove being located on an internal face of one of said spaced fingers ttr t t proximal to said side face of said attachment portion having said t C a c^ rib.

19. A handle substantially as hereinbefore described with S* reference to the accompanying drawings. A chain winder assembly including the handle as claimed in any one of the preceding claims. DATED this Third day of December, 1991. WHITCO PTY LTD by their Patent Attorneys CULLEN CO.