EP0736658B1 - A corner joint for tilt-and-turn metal door and window frames - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a corner joint for metal door and window frames with tilt-and-turntwin opening.

In the metal door and window frame sector, window wingsare normally divided into those with conventionalopening, which turn about a vertical axis which passesthrough the hinge supporting the wing (turn opening)and those with tilt opening, that is to say, with ahorizontal axis of rotation and the mobile part of thefitting producing an opening at the top. Doors andwindows with twin opening, both tilt and turn, areincreasingly found in this sector; however, for thispurpose, both the fixed and mobile parts of the fittingmust be equipped with a series of accessories (tierods, rods which limit opening, twin movement handles,etc.) which allow the passage from one configuration tothe other following operation of the handle.

A component which is always present in conventionalwindows is the corner joint, located in the top corneron the side opposite the hinge; the corner joint has an external body in the shape of a right-angle, having aninternal cavity inside which a steel flexible controlstrip slides, acting as a transmission element for themovements between the handle and the manoeuvre rodswhich run along the external upright of the mobileframe. At the bottom end of this joint (as shown infigure 3 showing a known type of corner joint) is ablock which is integral with the said flexible stripand has a connecting pin, which points towards theinside of the frame, designed to engage in acorresponding seat made in the control element or rodbelow it.

Since the corner joint is fitted after assembly of theparts which form the uprights and crosspieces of theframe, the said block has a protrusion on one sideonly, so that the operator can use it from the outside,flexing and turning it so as to release the block fromthe relative holding-sliding seat during initialassembly operations in order to attach it to or releaseit from the other elements which form the drivemechanism. In such cases the locking pawl for so-called"intermediate locking" must be attached to anadditional accessory which "joins" the corner joint andthe control rod which extends from the handle, thusincreasing the cost due to the increased number of elements and complex assembly: this being because atthe locking pawl which causes locking, the rod whichsupports the locking pawl must have protrusions on bothsides to avoid its unwanted release.

The object of the present invention is to overcome theafore-mentioned disadvantages by creating a cornerjoint which allows the rods to be attached and releasedwith a flexing-turning movement, without compromisingthe closing seal and without necessitating additionalaccessories.

In order to reach such an object, the invention provides a corner joint for metal door and window frames with tilt-and-turn opening according to the appendedclaim 1. The advantages ofthe present invention are more clearly described in thedetailed description below, with reference to theaccompanying drawings, which illustrate an embodimentby way of example only, and in which:

• figure 1 is a perspective plan view of anembodiment of the present invention;
• figure 2 is a perspective schematic view of anapplication for the present invention;
• figure 3 is a perspective plan view of a conventionalcorner joint.

With reference to the accompanying drawings, figure 3illustrates a conventional corner joint, including anexternal corner body 1a, in which aflexible strip 20ais inserted and slides, the latter being attached to ablock 21a having aprotrusion 19a, one side of whichmay be inserted in the guide on the section of frame(not illustrated).

According to the prior art, a connectingelement 17awith a locking pawl 23a for intermediate locking mustbe used, havingrails 18a on both sides, to prevent anyunwanted flexing or turning about theprotrusion 19a oftheblock 21a during closure.

Figures 1 and 2 show acorner joint 1 for twin-openingmetal frames, which according to the present inventionis of the type consisting of anexternal body 4substantially shaped as a right-angle, having aninternal cavity within which aflexible control strip 8slides.

Thestrip 8 acts as a transmission element between avertical upright 11 and an upper crosspiece 12(indicated schematically only in figure 2) of a mobileframe, for the movements sent from ahandle 14 tovertical manoeuvre rods 13 which slide within a guide(not illustrated) envisaged along the upright.

At the bottom end of thejoint 1, positioned on theupright 11, is a connecting part orblock 2 which isintegral with theflexible strip 8 and has aprotrusion 9 which allows one side of theblock 2 to be insertedin the guide, and a connecting pin (not illustrated andrepresented by its axis X in figure 1), which pointstowards the inside of the mobile frame and is designedto engage in a corresponding seat made in the controlelement or rod below it.

When the door or window is opened or closed, theconnecting element orblock 2, together with thestrip8 connected to it, travels between two limitconfigurations: open and closed.

In the said configurations, the first represented by Iand a continuous line, and the second by II and adashed line, theblock 2 is respectively at a maximumand minimum distance from theexternal body 4.The bottom of theexternal body 4 has aprojecting section 6 which faces downwards and projectsoutwards for a value substantially equal to butslightly greater than the corresponding height of ajoint section 7 on the connecting element orblock2.

In this way, theprojecting section 6 of theexternalbody 4 fits over thejoint section 7 in the closedconfiguration II and does not fit over it in the openconfiguration I.

Moreover, the connecting part orblock 2 has alockingpawl 3 for intermediate locking.

In this way, thecorner joint 1 may be positioned in atleast a first or "open" configuration I, in which theconnecting part orblock 2 can be turned about theprotrusion 9 (for example, in the direction indicatedby R in figure 1) and a second or "closed"configuration II.

In the closed configuration II, thelocking pawl 3interacts with thestriker 5 of the intermediate lock,and the flexing-turning of thecontrol strip 8 isprevented by the interaction of theprojecting section6 with the section ofjoint 7 which are positioned overone another.

Theprojecting section 6, as shown in figure 1, mayhave anotch 10 on its bottom edge, designed to allowaccess to thestrip 8 housed in theexternal body 4 forassembly and/or disassembly in the open configuration.Thus, with the corner joint disclosed herein, it ispossible to carry out assembly/disassembly operationsin the open configuration I, since the connecting partorblock 2 can be flexed-turned about theprotrusion 9;in contrast, when the door or window is closed(configuration II), safety is guaranteed by thesimultaneous action of thelocking pawl 3, which is inserted in thestriker 5, and theprojecting section6, which prevents the rotation of theblock 2.

Theprojecting section 6 may have a substantially "C-shaped"cross-section (section through the upright), soas to strengthen the projecting portion and to betterguide theblock 2.

Claims (3)

1. A corner joint for metal door andwindow frames, with tilt-and-turn opening, consisting of anexternal body (4) which is substantially shaped as aright-angle, having an internal cavity within whicha flexible control strip (8) slides, designed to act asa transmission element between a vertical upright (11)and an upper crosspiece (12) of a mobile frame, for themovements sent from a handle (14) to vertical manoeuvrerods (13) which slide within a guide envisaged along theupright (11); the bottom end of the corner joint (1), positioned onthe upright (11), having a connecting part or block (2)which is integral with the flexible control strip (8),having a protrusion (9) allowing one side of said connecting part or block (2) to beinserted in said guide and having a connecting pin (X),pointing towards the inside of the mobile frame,designed to engage in a corresponding seat made inthe vertical manoeuvre rod (13) placed below it;said connecting partor block (2), together with said vertical manoeuvre rod (13) travellingbetween two limit configurations: open (I) and closed (II), in which the connecting part or block (2) is respectively at a maximum andminimum distance from the external body (4) and corresponding to open and closed condition respectively of the door or window, the cornerjoint being characterised in that the bottom end ofthe external body (4) has a projecting section (6)pointing downwards and projecting outwards for avalue substantially equal to but slightlygreater than the corresponding height of ajoint section (7) on the said connecting part orblock (2), so that it fits over the joint section(7) in the closed configuration (II) and does notfit over the said joint section in the openconfiguration (I), the connecting part or block (2)having a locking pawl (3), facing outwards, forintermediate locking, so that the joint (1) can bepositioned in at least said open configuration(I) corresponding to open condition of the door or window, in which the connecting part or block (2) canbe turned about an axis parallel with the upright(11), and said closed configuration (II) corresponding to closed condition of the door or window, inwhich the locking pawl (3) interacts with a striker(5) to carry out said intermediate locking, the flexing-turningof the control strip (8) being prevented in the closed configuration (II) bythe interaction of the projecting section (6) withthe joint section (7) which are positioned overone another.
2. The corner joint as described in claim 1,characterised in that the bottom edge of theprojecting section (6) has an indentation or notch(10) which, in the open configuration, is designedto allow access to the strip (8) for the assembly and/or disassemblyof the strip (8) within the external body (4).
3. The corner joint as described in claim 1,characterised in that the projecting section (6)has a substantially "C-shaped" cross-section, so asto strengthen the projecting section and define aguide on both sides for the block (2).

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