GB2309485A - Door or window stay - Google Patents

Abstract

A door or window stay for mounting a leaf in a frame comprises a linkage connecting an arm, for fixing to the leaf, to a base member 10 having marginal portions projecting laterally from its side walls 12 for fitting into a channel provided on the frame. The marginal projections may be formed integrally (14, Fig 1) with the base member or may be provided by separate moulded parts, for instance as part of plastics mouldings 17, 20 respectively fitted onto the end and middle of the base member, and/or as extensions 25 of an end cap 21. The latter arrangements allow for fitting of the same base member in channels of different widths. The base member 10 may provide a guide for a slider connected to the linkage.

Description

DOOR OR WINDOW STAYS The invention relates to door or window stays and to doors or windows incorporating such stays.

Such stays are used for mounting a leaf in the frame so that the leaf can swing from a closed position in which the leaf is located in the aperture in the frame and open positions where the leaf is angled relative to the aperture. It is common, in the frame, to provide a channel formed in a surface of the frame extending around the aperture and lying in planes normal to the plane of the opening. The channel has a base and spaced side walls with the side walls lying in respective planes parallel to the plane of the opening.

The stay includes an arm for fixing to the leaf and connected via a linkage to an elongate base member. The base member has parallel side walls and these fit between the side walls of the channel to locate the base member in the channel.

It is a problem with such arrangements that not all channels are the same width between the channel side walls. For example, channels are produced with a width of 14.5mm and channels are produced with a width of 18.0mum.

This is usually accommodated by producing base members of differing widths to suit the channel widths. This requires, however, two different sets of tooling to produce the two different widths of base member. In addition, it is often difficult to predict the relative quantities required of each width and this adds to production difficulties.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a door or window stay for mounting a leaf in a frame comprising an arm for fixing to the leaf and connected via a linkage to an elongate member for fitting in a channel provided on the frame, the base member having parallel side walls and marginal portions projecting laterally outwardly of the side walls for fitting closely in the channel.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a door or window comprising a frame including an opening and a channel formed in a surface of the frame extending around said opening and lying in planes normal to the plane of the opening, the channel having a base and spaced side walls lying in respective planes parallel to the plane of the opening, a stay according to the first aspect of the invention being located in said channel with said marginal portions engaging the channel side walls.

The following is a more detailed description of an embodiment of the invention, by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an end part of a first form of base member of a stay showing side walls of the base member and laterally projecting marginal portions of the base member at the end of the base member, Figure 2 is a view of an end part of a second form of base member of a stay showing a T-shaped plastics moulding fitted into the end of the base member and forming laterally projecting marginal portions, and Figure 3 is a perspective view of a third form of base member fitted with a T-shaped plastics moulding, a U-shaped plastics moulding and an end cap and all three mouldings having laterally projecting marginal pOrtions.

The base members now to be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings form part of a stay for mounting a leaf in a frame. The stay comprises an arm for fixing to the leaf and connected via a linkage to the base member. The base member provides a guide for a slider reciprocable along the base member. The slider is connected by a linkage to the arm to constrain the arm to movement in a plane generally parallel to the base member between a closed position in which the arm overlies the base member and an open position in which the arm is angled relative to the base member and spaced to one side thereof.

Such stays are well known in the art and will not be described further in detail. Examples of such stays are shown in GB-A2273526 and GB-A-2247914.

Referring first to Figure 1, the first base member 10 comprises an elongate base strip 11 having spaced side edges 12. A wall 13 extends along each side edge and projects away from the base strip 11. The upper edge of each wall is provided with an inwardly projecting flange 14. Thus, a pair of guideways are formed along the edges of the base member for receiving a slider (not shown) forming part of the stay.

The wall 13 has closer parallel portions 15 forming side walls having a first predetermined spacing. This spacing may, for example, be 14.5mm. The walls also have more widely spaced parallel portions 16 whose spacing may, for example, be 18.0mm so that they form marginal portions extending laterally outwardly of the closer parallel side walls 15.

The base member 10 can readily be formed by appropriate tooling either with the more widely spaced portion 16 or omitting the more widely spaced portion 16. In this latter case, the closer portions 15 extend along the whole length of the base strip 11 so that the base member 10 has a constant width along its length which is the narrower width of 14.5mum.

In use, the base member 10 is fitted in a channel formed in a surface of the door or window frame. The channel extends around the opening and lies in a plane normal to the plane of the opening. The channel is generally rectangular in crosssection with a base and spaced channel side walls lying in respective planes parallel to the plane of the opening.

Where the spacing of the channel side walls is 14.5mm, the base member 10 without the more widely spaced portion 16 is used. The side walls 15 fit closely between the side walls of the channel so locating the base member 10 in the channel.

The base member 10 can then be screwed to the channel by screws passing through the base 11.

If, however, the channel has a width between the channel side walls of 18.00mm, a base member 10 is used having the more widely spaced portions 16. These portions fit between the wider side walls of the 18.00mm channel and locate the base member 10 in the channel. The base member 10 is then screwed to the channel by screws passing through the base strip 11.

Referring next to Figure 2, the marginal portions of increased width need not be formed integrally with the base member 10.

In the base member 10 of Figure 2, the closer side wall portions 15 continue to the end of the base member 10. A Tshaped plastics moulding 17 is used to provide the marginal portions. The moulding 17 has a limb 18 which is inserted into the end of the base member 10 and is received by the guides formed by the walls 13 of flanges 14. The arms 19 of the T project laterally from respective sides of the base member 10 to provide the marginal portions. The width of the plastics moulding 17 across the arms is 18.0mum.

Thus, with the plastics moulding 17 omitted, the base member will fit into a frame channel whose width is 14.5mm. With the plastics moulding 17 positioned in the end of the base member 10, the base member 10 will fit a channel of 18.00mm. Of course, each end of the base member 10 may receive a respective plastics moulding 17.

The marginal portions need not be provided by a plastics moulding which is T-shaped. Two further possibilities are shown in Figure 3 where a central moulding 20 and an end cap 21 are provided.

The central moulding 20 is U-shaped with the base member fitting between the limbs 22 of the U. The limbs 22 have parallel inner walls whose spacing is the spacing of the walls 13 so that the base member 10 fits tightly between the limbs 22. The limbs have outer walls 23 which are parallel and which have a spacing of 18.00mum i.e. the spacing of the channel in which they are to fit. Between the limbs, there is a flat base which overlies the base strip 11 of the base member 10. The central moulding 20 may include a screw hole which is in alignment with a screw hole in the base strip 11 so that a fixing screw passes through both holes and into the frame.

The end cap 21 is L-shaped and has the general configuration of the end cap shown and described in GB-A-2247914. One limb 23 extends into an end of the base member 10 fitting into the guides formed by the walls 13 and flanges 14. This limb 23 has a screw hole 24 in alignment with a screw hole in the base strip 11 so that the fixing passes through the screw hole 24 and the base member into the frame.

This first limb 23 is also provided with laterally projecting marginal portions 25 with the width across the marginal portions being 18.Omm; i.e. matching the width of the channel into which the base member 10 is to fit.

The second limb 26 of the end cap 21 is provided with an aperture 27 for receiving a pointed end of an arm of the stay, as described and illustrated in GB-A-2247914. The second limb also includes a fixing hole 28 through which a fixing can extend to connect the end cap 21 to a frame member at right angles to the frame member carrying the base member 10. Thus load applied to the arm is transferred to the end cap and, via the fixing, transferred to the frame. This is a security feature as described in GB-A-2247914.

As seen in Figure 3, the base member 10 shown in that Figure, also carries a T-shaped plastics moulding 17. This moulding, and the central moulding 20 and the end cap 21 can also be used to adjust the position of the base member 11 relative to the base of the channel in the frame. This is known as the "stack height". This is done by providing the T-shaped plastics moulding 17, the central moulding 20 and the end cap 21 with portions of specified thickness beneath the base strip 11. The thickness of these portions determines the position of the base strip 11 relative to the base of the channel; by making the portions thicker, the base strip 11 is raised out of the channel while making them thinner moves the base strip 11 relatively closer to the base of the channel. This can be a useful feature to accommodate variations in spacing between the frame and the leaf. An installer might have a variety of mouldings 17,20 and end caps 21 with differing base thicknesses to allow adjustment of the position of the base member 10 as required for the best fitting of the stay.

It will be appreciated that there are a number of modifications that could be made. The marginal portions of Figures 2 and 3 need not be formed by plastics mouldings; they could be formed by machined metal parts. The mouldings or the parts need not be shaped exactly as described above; they could have any suitable shape that provides the marginal projections to allow the base member 10 to fit channels of differing widths. There may be a number of sets of mouldings or parts to accommodate three or four or more differing widths of channels.

With reference to Figure 3, there need not be three mouldings; there could be two mouldings or four mouldings or more.

Claims (16)

1. A door or window stay for mounting a leaf in a frame and comprising an arm for fixing to the leaf and connected via a linkage to an elongate base member for fitting in a channel provided on the frame, the base member having parallel side walls and marginal portions projecting laterally outwardly of the side walls for fitting closely in the channel.

2. A stay according to claim 1 wherein the marginal portions are formed integrally with the side walls.

3. A stay according to claim 2 wherein the base member is formed by an elongate base strip having spaced side edges, a wall extending along each side edge and projecting away from the base strip, the wall having closer parallel portions forming said side walls and at least one pair of more widely spaced parallel portions forming said marginal portions.

4. A stay according to claim 3 wherein said at least one pair of marginal portions are provided at an end of the base member.

5. A stay according to claim 4 wherein each end of the base member has a respective pair of marginal portions.

6. A stay according to claim 1 wherein the marginal portions are formed separately from the base member and are fitted to the base member.

7. A stay according to claim 7 wherein the marginal portions are formed as at least one plastics moulding.

8. A stay according to claim 7 wherein the base member is formed by an elongate base strip having spaced side edges, said side wall extending along each side edge and the walls being parallel, the plastics moulding clipping onto said base member and projecting laterally from the side walls.

9. A stay according to claim 7 or claim 8 wherein the plastics moulding is T-shaped with the limb of the T being inserted into an end of the base member and the arms of the T projecting laterally from respective sides of the base member to provide said marginal portions.

10. A stay according to any one of claims 7 to 9 wherein the plastics moulding is U-shaped with the base member fitting between the limbs of the U and each limb projecting from a respective opposite side wall of said base member to provide said marginal portions.

11. A stay according to any one of claims 7 to 10 wherein the plastics moulding is a generally L-shaped end cap with one limb of the L extending into an end of the base member and the other limb of the L extending upwardly from the base member and including a recess for receiving a pointed end of the arm when the arm lies over the base member, said one limb including portions projecting laterally of said side walls to form said marginal portions.

12. A stay according to claim 11 wherein said other limb includes means for transferring load from said end cap to an associated frame.

13. A stay according to any one of claims 7 to 12 wherein the or a plastics moulding comprises a portion which projects from beneath the base member for positioning the base member relative to the depth of the channel.

14. A stay according to any one of claims 1 to 13 wherein the side walls provide a guide for a slider reciprocable along the base member, the slider being connected by a linkage to the arm to constrain the arm to movement in a plane generally parallel to the base member between a closed position in which the arm overlies the base member and an open position in which the arm is angled relative to the base member and spaced to one side thereof.

15. A door or window stay substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

16. A door or window comprising a frame including an opening and a channel formed in the surface of the frame extending around said opening and lying in planes normal to the plane of the opening, the channel having a base and spaced side walls lying in respective planes parallel to the plane of the opening, a stay according to any one of claims 1 to 15 being located in said channel with said marginal portions engaging the channel side walls.