This invention relates to casement windows generally and particularly to casement windows where the window sash is swingably mounted in the window frame and opens outwardly, for example, by means of a crank located conventionally at one side or the other of the window frame.
Conventionally, the manufacturer of casement windows whether the fixed window or swinging sash type starts with an extruder who extrudes the window frame and sash profiles to meet the requirements of the customer who is the actual window manufacturer who then fabricates the frames from these profiles.
To complete the windows, these fabricators must assemble the window frame and glazing unit and in the case of the swinging sash must purchase the necessary hardware to mount the sash in the window frame for its opening and closing function; the operating hardware for effecting the opening and closing movement of the sash; and the hardware for locking the sash in the closed position.
Customers of the swinging sash window fabricators will, of course, require windows of different sizes so that the fabricator must keep an inventory of hardware to fit the various sizes of windows he is required to supply. Further, the mounting of the hardware requires some machining of the frames assembled from the profiles supplied.
It will be appreciated that if the profiles are not accurately cut and assembled into the frames or subsequently properly machined to receive the hardware they become expensive waste items so that all in all the cost of the material in the form of the extrusions, the hardware for swinging sashes, potential waste costs, and costs in assembling the frames and the hardware costs make such casement window relatively expensive.
Moreover, conventional swinging sash casement windows for the residential market provide a window opening movement in which the sash is operated from an operator at one side of the window frame and swings to a position where it extends outwardly from the window frame at some point between the sides of the window frame thus reducing the egress area of escape through the window to just a portion of the size of the window frame opening.
Again, it will be appreciated that in some cases it is desirable that the window sash open outwardly towards the left and sometimes to open outwardly towards the right depending upon the window arrangement into which the casement window is to be incorporated. To provide for this flexibility of the customers demands, the fabricator must carry the necessary extensive hardware inventory to accommodate the customer's selection.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a new casement window manufacturing system and frames and matching hardware therefore which will greatly simplify the manufacture and materially reduce the costs of, and the time taken to, produce casement windows and to provide such windows which have important functional advantages over conventional casement windows.
In its broadest aspect the invention resides in eliminating the use of extruded frame profiles and the need to assemble these profiles into the requisite frames by the window fabricators and instead as a supplier to the window fabricators to provide the fabricators with precisely accurate molded frames ready for assembly into casement windows.
With respect to swinging sash casement windows, another aspect of the invention involves producing and supplying, along with the molded frame, novel hardware to mate with the frames to provide for quick and easy and correct attachment of the hardware to the frame and assembly of the frames to complete the casement window without any machining of the frames.
In this connection the frames are molded to accept without machining hardware for swinging the sash in the usual window installation to open outwardly either to the left or right and to provide upon opening essentially the entire window frame opening as an egress escape route.
More particularly, in this connection, according to the preferred form of the invention, the window frame provides for the mounting of the sash operator at a central location whether the window opens to the left or to the right.
In keeping with the preferred form of the molded window frame, provision is made for mounting of a locking device at either side of the window to enable locking of the window whether opening to the left or to the right when closed.
Again, according to the preferred form of the invention, the mating hardware for the molded frames is formed to be expanded by means of simple extensions to accommodate casement windows of different sizes so that the fabricator of the casement windows need maintain a minimum inventory of hardware parts produced according to the invention both for windows opening to the left and to the right and for different sizes of window such as three foot, four foot or five foot windows.
Still another feature of the invention resides in the manner of assembly of the glass pane or glazing member with its supporting frame whether the supporting frame is a sash for a casement window with a swinging sash or the supporting frame is the window frame for a fixed window casement window.
These and other features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing a casement window with a swingable sash.
a is a side elevational view of one of the studs used for controlling the locking bar movement and for cooperating with the locking bar hook.
b is an end view of the stud of
With reference first to
Opening and closing operation of the sash 2 is controlled by an operating mechanism generally designated at 13 hereinafter more fully described mounted centrally of the width of the sill 4 of the window frame and operated by a crank handle 5.
The window frame 1 is adapted for mounting of the sash 2 to swing open to the left or alternatively to swing open to the right. In
To provide this swinging movement, the sash is hinged to the window frame by specially developed hinges comprising hinge members 6, one mounted on the window frame and one mounted on the sash frame, so arranged that their hinge barrels 7 are brought into vertical registration to receive a pin 8 which is projected from the upper member 6 into the hinge barrel of the lower member 6 as hereinafter more fully explained.
The hinge member 6 secured to the window frame is mounted on wall 9 and the hinge member 6 secured to the sash frame 3 is mounted on wall 10 at right angles to the plane of the sash.
Since the sash may be mounted to swing open in either direction, it will be understood that the opposite side of the window frame 1 will be identical with the side shown in
The walls 9 on both sides of the window frame 1 also provides for the mounting of an elongated bar 11 of the locking mechanism generally designated at 12 in
It will be understood that the locking bar 11 will be mounted at the side of the window frame opposite to the hinges 6.
With reference to
Gear 16 is attached to an operating arm 18 which carries a wheel 19 at its outer end which engages in a trackway 20 secured to the underside of the sill 21 of the sash frame 3. The arrangement is such that operating the crank arm 5 turns the worm gear 15 which in turn meshing with the gear 16 which swings the arm 18 to run the wheel 19 along the track 20 formed to contain the wheel to effect swinging movement of the sash on its hinge connections to the window frame.
With reference first to
The inside of the wall 3a is provided with a series of slots 3s therein while the wall 3b is provided with a series of spaced ribs 3r for supporting rubber blocks or pads 3p to cushion the panes of glass 22 held apart by the spacer frame 22a constituting the glazing unit 23.
The glazing unit 23 is secured to the sash frame with the usual double sided tape (not shown) while four locking bars 24 are employed to lock the glazing unit in place. The details of these members 24 and their locking further is shown in
Referring to
The leg 24a has formed on the outer side thereof with a series of integral tapered projections or barbs 24p spaced to match the spacing of the slots 3s in the sash frame. The arrangement is such that when the bar 24 is forced into the frame groove 3g the outer ends of these projections 24p will snap into the sash slots 3s.
Because of the taper of the projections 24p, the bar 24 will be cammed to press the bar leg 24b with its resilient member 24c against the glass 22 to held the glazing unit 23 securely locked in place in the sash frame 3. To release the glass or glazing unit 23 the barbs 24p would have to be released from the slots 3s.
It will be understood that this same glazing unit locking arrangement is equally applicable to a fixed window casement window where the frame in which the glazing unit is locked is a window frame instead of a sash frame.
Turning to the operating mechanism 13, since the sash can be mounted to swing in either direction, it will be understood that, as hereinafter more particularly described, the mounting plate 17 is formed for mounting a gear corresponding to gear 16 shown in
The operating arm 18 driven by gear 16 is made up of a base arm 18(a) and extensions 18(b) which can be added as desired to accommodate windows of different widths.
In a similar vein, dealing with the locking mechanism 4, it will be seen from
Bar 11 composed of the base bar 11(a) and whatever additional extension is required is formed with elongated slots 25 to receive headed studs 26 shown in
Extending laterally outwardly and upwardly of the bar are arms 28 which form with the body of the bar 11 hooked formations 29 which are adapted to engage other studs 26 (
As shown in
Spaced from the head 26b on one end of the stud is an octagonal shoulder 26d. The cylindrical body 26a between the heads 26b and shoulder 26d defines a cylindrical engagement surfaces one of which is to be received in the locking bar slots 26 while the stud head 26b and the stud shoulder 26d overlie opposite sides of the bar to control its sliding motion of bar 11. The other cylindrical surface between the stud head 26b and shoulder 26d is adapted to cooperate with the locking bar hook 29 is discussed below.
As shown in
In this way, movement of the locking bar 11 will not effect the loosening of the screw 30.
In the same manner, the sash frame 3 is provided with non-circular preferably octagonal wells 3w (
As illustrated in
As shown in
A shroud 34 which interlocks with the bushing 32 is used to secure the worm gear 13 in place.
Either side of the slotted center of the plate 17, the plate is provided with a raised gear mounting platform 35 with the left hand gear mounting platform ready to be used for mounting the gear 16 shown in
The wheel 19 is adapted to be secured to the end of the arm 18 by a pin 37. The gear 16 is adapted to be secured to its mounting plate 35 by a pin 38 and the shroud 34 is adapted to interlock with bushing 32.
The vertical movement of the locking bar 11 is effected by the control mechanism 12 attached to the lower end of the bar as illustrated in
The details of the control mechanism 12 are particularly shown in FIGS. 18 to 20.
First turning to
Mounted to rotate on the housing 42 is a crank member 43 having a finger grip 44 at one end and a crank arm 45 connected to the other end by a hub 46 about which the crank member rotates on the housing 42.
The crank arm 45 has a projecting pin 47 which engages in a horizontal slot 48 in a link 49 which extends through the window frame slot 40. The link 49 in turn is provided at its end which projects inside the window frame with a mounting platform 50 carrying projecting pins 51 (
The mounting platform 50 of the link 49 also carries projections 53 to engage the sides of the locking bar base for increased stability between the link 49 and the locking bar.
The slot 48 in the link 49 has a restriction 54 at its entrance to provide a feel and also a snap sound during operation of the control mechanism as it reaches the fully unlocked or locked positions as illustrated in
In this connection,
In both the fully open and fully closed position of the crank member 43, the pin 47 on the end of the crank arm 45 will have passed through the restriction 54 which will be felt and heard by the operator.
In the fully locked position, the movement of the pin 47 in the slot 48 due to the crank arm 45 will have effected upward movement of the link 49 causing upward movement of the locking bar 11 so that the studs 26 on the sash are fully engaged in the hooks 29 of the locking bar securing the sash in the locked position.
As illustrated in
As the locking bar 11 may be used with windows of different heights and therefore requiring locking bars of different lengths, the locking bar as previously described is made up of the base bar 11(a) and extensions 11(b).
As shown in
While
As previously set out, the invention is directed to facilitate the fabricator of casement windows so that he can provide windows to meet the customers requirements with a minimum of assembly operations that are simple and easy to carry without requiring highly skilled craftsmen.
In this connection, for the swingable sash casement windows special easily assembled hinges have been provided which are detailed in FIGS. 21 to 23.
As illustrated in
It will be understood that the hinge members 6 are of identical shape, one for attachment to the window frame 1, the other for attachment to a sash frame 3, so that their hinge barrels 7 are in vertical alignment.
In the case of the upper hinge member 6, the barrel 7 with its inserted bushing 61 is the one which carries the pin 8. This pin 8 is urged out of the barrel 7 by a spring 62 engaging between a collar 63 on the pin 7 and a cap 64 inserted into the upper end of the barrel 7.
It will be understood that normally the pin 8 will be urged to project outwardly of the hinge barrel 7 as illustrated in
It will be understood that the casement window may be installed together with adjoining windows either to the left or right or above or below. To this end, as illustrated in
It will be understood of course that the hinges will be mounted to provide for the swinging of the casement window out in the direction required by the customer and the studs 26 for controlling the sliding movement of the locking bar will be installed at the side opposite to the hinges as will the corresponding studs 26 to be mounted on the sash frame 3 for engagement with the locking bar 11.
It will further be appreciated that whether the sash is hinged to swing open to the left or to the right when swung to the fully open position it will provide an egress opening essentially equal to the full opening of the window frame 1.
It will be understood that while the preferred embodiment described has the window opening operator and window locking controls mounted on the sill rail of the main frame, the window frame or operating mechanisms can be reversed to operate at the top of the window frame. Also the window could be turned on its side so that what is described above as the window frame sill would become a window frame jamb so that the sash would open upwardly or downwardly. In all cases, the open sash provides the full egress opening.
While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be understood that variations may be made therein without departing from the scope of the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10281199 | Oct 2002 | US |
Child | 10829645 | Apr 2004 | US |