AU670430B2

AU670430B2 - A control device for a window

Info

Publication number: AU670430B2
Application number: AU37119/93A
Authority: AU
Inventors: John Russell Watts
Original assignee: Watts Hardware Manufacturing Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Watts Hardware Manufacturing Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1992-04-10
Filing date: 1993-04-13
Publication date: 1996-07-18
Anticipated expiration: 2013-04-13
Also published as: AU3711993A

Description

I' OI'ri.'ll I'OI'KATIN I IIV96 -2- A control device for a window This invention relates to control devices for windows, and more particularly for moving windows between opened and closed positions and in the case of hinged windows between retracted and extended positions of the free edge of the window leaf.

Operating devices for windows in the form of window winders comprise a box-like casing with a chassis housing, a winding lever and associated gears which engage the chain housed in the casing. The whole assembly is conspicuous, high in profile and locates in the middle of the window making it an unpleasant obstruction to viewing through the window.

They are cumbersome to operate because of the need to turn the relatively small lever numerous times and because of their high profile they act as a harbour for dust and dead flies.

According to the invention there is provided a control device for opening and closing a window, comprising a displaceable elongated bendable drive member supported within a casing, said drive member having a first end attachable to the window, said first end being adapted to extend by a variable distance out of said casing by displacement of the member within the casing to thereby cause corresponding displacement of the window, and actuating means for causing the drive member to displace in relation to the casing, said actuating means 20 comprising at least one hand-operable pull cord.

Preferably, the drive member includes means to resist lateral displacement by resisting "longitudinal lengthening.

25 According to another aspect of the invention there is provided an assembly comprising a framed window suspended for pivotal operation in a framed opening, and an operating device as defined above whereby the window is movable by operation of the hand-operable see pull cord.

*ee Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only I" O)I'IitSII O iHAIN 171/96 -3with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic drawing of a plan view of a control device in accordance with a preferred embodiment, a drive member of the device being shown in a partly extended position; Figure 2 is a schematic longitudinal section of the drive member; and Figure 3 is a schematic section on line A-A of Figure 2.

The preferred embodiment of the invention comprises an elongated drive member 1, a box-like casing 2, and at least one actuating cord 3 as shown in Figure 1.

The outwardly disposed end 6 of the drive member I attaches to the leaf 5 of the window which is to be moved, the leaf 5 being moved by drawing of the cord 3 which causes the end 6 of drive member 1 to extend from the casing 2 by a variable distance.

Preferably the drive member I is supported within a channel 7 in the casing 1, the channel 7 comprising an elongated portion 8 and a 90" curved portion 9 ending in an outlet aperture 10 and through which the outer portion of the drive member 1 leaves the casing 2.

The drive member 1 comprises a bendable member which may be articulated or may be flexible. Preferably the bendable member is resiliently flexible and comprises an outer s solidly wound spring of which the part within the channel 7 in the casing 2 conforms to the general shape of the channel, and the part extending from the casing 2 projects generally rectilinearly to join with movable leaf 5 of the window. As will be apparent, the rectilinear projecting part of the drive member has sufficient longitudinal rigidity to displace the 25 window. The preferred construction of the drive member 1 will be described in detail later.

Supported within the casing 2 adjacent the curved portion 9 of the channel 7 and movable to engage with portion of the drive member 1 within the curved portion 9 is a braking member 12 which biased towards engagement with the drive member by a spring 14, this engagement preferably providing a frictional braking force. The braking member 12 e l-,Q P;A

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I'ol 'PlR'RSIlOI'()'PRAIN 114 17 V96 -4supports a rotationally displaceable slidably movable pulley 13 around which an actuating cord passes whereby the braking member 12 is movable away from engagement against the bias of spring 14 by the application of a force applied to the pulley 13. The braking member 12 may be supported on a pin for pivotal movement but preferably is slidable between walls 15a, 15b which form portions of the casing. The wall 15b forms, with a wall 15c, the channel 7.

In a simple embodiment there is supported within the casing 2, remote from the braking member 12, further rotationally displaceable pulleys 16 and 17. Cord 3, starting at an accessible end 18 externally of the casing 2, passes around pulley 17 then around pulley 13 then around pulley 16 and then attaches to a slide 20 which is connected to the inner end 21 of the drive member 1. Another cord 4, starting at an accessible end 19 externally of the casing 2, passes around pulley 16 then around pulley 13 and then attaches to slide Slide 20 is supported within the casing 2 to be slidably movable with the inner end 21 of the drive member 1 to which it attaches. Preferably the slide 20 is guided for longitudinal displacement by the walls 15b, 15c of the channel 7 and preferably the points of attachment of the cords 3 and 4 to slide 20, the parts of the cords 3 and 4 adjacent to the slide 20 and their points at which they meet pulleys 13 and 16 are locationally disposed to lie in a straight S, 20 line.

16 In operation, applying a force to cord 3 causes cord 3 to bias slide 20 towards pulley 16, while biassing pulley 13 and the braking member 12 towards pulley 16 against biassing means 14 to reduce the net braking force being applied to the drive member. At a sufficiently 25 large known applied load the net force of engagement is not sufficient to prevent movement of the drive member 1 taking place and the drive member 1 is incrementally moved. With the application of a moving load to the cord end 18 as occurs during pulling, the drive member 1 may be continually moved inwardly.

Similarly applying a force to cord 4 causes cord 4 to bias slide 20 towards pulley 13 I''(1I'IH RSI1 OI'IRATIN 114 .17 I while biassing pulley 13 and the brake towards pulley 16 against biassing means 14 to reduce the net braking force being applied to the drive member 1. At a sufficiently large known applied load the net force of engagement is not sufficient to prevent movement of the drive member 1 taking place and the drive member 1 is incrementally moved. With the application of a moving load to the cord end 19 as occurs during pulling, the drive member 1 may be continually moved outwardly.

Each cord 3, 4 may comprise a cable or an articulated elongated linked assembly as is commonly used in the blind industry.

The drive member I is able to accommodate the one 90 degree bend within the casing 2 but includes means to resist further bending. The drive member 1 preferably comprises a resilient flexible member in the form of a tightly wound outer spring 22. Supported internally along the longitudinal axis of the outer spring 22 is a substantially inextensible cord 23 which preferably comprises a cable which attaches at each end to plates 24, 25 which abut the last coil of the spring 22; the plate 25 may comprise the slide 20. Preferably the cable 23 passes into an aperture in each end plate 24, 25 and is secured there to prevent the ends of the cable being moved in an inward direction. Bending of the drive member in addition to the degrees requires the central axis to lengthen and since this is retained constant by the cable 20 23, further bending is resisted. In practice the end 6 of the drive member 1 is secured to the window leaf 5 at a position facing the aperture 10 in the casing 2. Any bending of the outer 0" portion of the drive member 1 is also resisted by the cable 23.

Preferably the drive member 1 comprises the tightly wound outer spring 22 and three internal springs 24 adjacently located to provide a central longitudinal recess 26 within which cable 23 is retained. These springs, or alternatively other spacer elements, retain the cable 23 coaxially with the outer spring.

In another preferred embodiment cord ends 18 and 19 may retract to a position ^adjacent the housing to be less conspicuous and through gearing-up means the force applied I' Ol)'NIt MI 4 -1)'IA IIN IM 1IMW -6to the cord ends 18 and 19 can result in a greater force being applied to slide 20. The cords in this embodiment pass in opposite directions around a pair of drive pulleys which are supported on a drive shaft which carries a smaller pulley. Each cord passes around a separate pulley and preferably, by friction, is engagable with its respective drive pulley, each cord terminating in an extendable resilient retracting mernber preferably comprising a spring.

Each drive pulley 13 is drivingly engagable in opposite directions with the shaft by a one-way clutch.

An additional looped cable connects the slide 20, the smaller pulley 13a and an additional pulley.

In operation pulling cord end 18 causes the asociated cord to move against the force applied by the retracting means which through friction results in engagement with its associated drive pulley 13, movement of this pulley causing the clutch to cause engagement with the drive shaft whereby the cord movement causes the looped cable to urge the brake to release and the slide 20 to move as described above. On releasing the cord tile retracting means pulls the cord to move the associated drive pulley in the opposite direction to release the clutch and the cord is pulled to a retracted position.

20 Similarly pulling cord end 19 causes the associated cord to move against the force applied by the retracting means which through friction results in engagement with the other drive pulley, movement of this pulley causing the clutch to cause engagement with the drive shaft whereby the cord movement causes the looped cable to urge the brake to release and the slide 20 to move in the opposite direction as described in the embodiment above.

The operating device described herein provides a low profile making it lelatively inconspicuous, it is simple and quick to operate and it provides accessibility for cleaning.

o* 6

Claims

1. A control device for a window, comprising a displaceable elongated bendable drive member supported within a casing, said drive member having a first end attachable to the window, said first end being adapted to extend by a variable distance out of said casing by displacement of the member within the casing to thereby cause corresponding displacement of the window, and actuating means for causing the drive member to displace in relation to the casing, said actuating means comprising at least cne: hand-operable pull cord.

2. A control device for a window according to claim 1, wherein the first end of the drive member is displaceable between an inner position in which the drive member is substantially wholly retracted in the casing and an extended outer position.

3. A control device for a window according to claim I or claim 2, wherein the actuating means includes pulleys around which the pull cord passes.

4. A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the actuating means comprises a first pull cord which is hand-operable to cause extension of the drive member from the casing and a second pull cord which is hand-operable to cause retraction of the drive 20 member into the casing.

5. A control device for a window according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising restraining means for releasably restraining the drive member against movement, said restraining means being releasable by operation of the or each respective pull cord S*

6. A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the drive member Sincludes means to resist latera. displacement by resisting longitudinal lengthening.

7. A control device according to claim 6, wherein the means to resist lateral movement comprises at least one substantially inextendible cord secured in relation to the opposite ends (hl oJ ^^7 I"01111 RSIVOITKA [IN 114 W-M -8- of the drive member.

8. A control device according to claim 7, wherein the substantially inextendible cord is maintained in position in relation to the axis of the first member by positioning means.

9. A control device according to claim 8, wherein the positioning means comprises a plurality of elongated springs within the drive member and parallel to the axis of the drive member.

10. A control device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. An assembly comprising a framed window suspended for pivotal operation in a framed opening and a control device for the window according to any one of the preceding claims. DATED this 17th day of May, 1996 t* S 20 JOHN RUSSELL WATTS t: by his Patent Attorneys DAVIES COLLISON CAVE *g t S* 9 o*o