Customizable window system for coastal weather protection

Abstract

A window system for use in windows, sliding glass doors, skylights, casement windows and other openings in a building. The window system enables different windows of the same building to be individually customized for different impacts of coastal area weather and security concerns and also have the same external appearance despite employing various window protection steps. Panels, interior or exterior, are secured to the header and sill. Windows may be covered with exterior panels or include interior panels or impact resistant glass when the window is high on the building, or where security is a concern Windows including casement windows and other building penetrations may also accommodate interior panels, in combination with exterior protection. The window framing may have a uniform exterior appearance, notwithstanding different levels of protection.

Description

TECHNOLOGY FIELD

This disclosure relates to windows and window framing, particularly for reducing or avoiding damage to windows in homes in coastal areas prone to high winds and hurricanes and in other areas where concerns for the physical security of windows is elevated.

BACKGROUND

In the past, shutters have been used to protect windows from the strong winds and the driving rains associated with storms and hurricanes. In more recent times, homeowners have used sheets of plywood to cover windows and doors to protect against flying debris. In areas where physical security threats are elevated, homeowners can be concerned about window breakage and attempted break-ins.

Window damage from weather occurs in areas that are often along a seacoast, areas that are scenic and desirable to live, notwithstanding the occasional severe weather. Hurricanes are a particular problem because of the combination of high winds, heavy rainfall, and hurricane paths that are difficult to predict accurately. Current measures taken to protect windows as storms approach such as attaching plywood over windows are time-consuming and the homeowner may need to evacuate before completing the task if the storm accelerates its ground speed.

In areas where physical security is a concern, the owner has to balance the increased security of installing permanent bars or other window covering against the cost of installation, the effect on appearance, and the impact on the view through the window.

Improvements in glass and protective glass coatings have made it possible to obtain window glass that is much more resistant to scratches and breakage. Improvements have also been made in panels for covering windows in advance of storms, such as panels that can be installed more easily, are translucent, and that help to reduce injury and protect property. These measures, however, come at a cost.

Providing protection for vulnerable windows of a modern home near coastal areas, especially one that may have many windows and glass doors for better enjoyment of the view, can become expensive. Moreover, “outdoor architecture,” common to coastal areas, favors more natural light and access to fresh air.

The need for window protection is not uniform even in the same home. With respect to hurricane protection, local building codes, for example, may use more protection for windows closer to the ground and less protection, or none at all, for windows in upper floors. Security protection for windows closer to the ground in urban areas is also greater than for windows higher up.

In locations where extreme weather is a concern, windows can be protected by temporary exterior panels or impact resistant glass; and where security is a concern, security glass, screens or bars may be used. Impact resistant glass is comprised of two sheets of glass bonded together with a protective interlayer. Laminated glass is the primary hurricane barrier used in impact resistant windows. Laminated glass is also used in the windshields of cars. In addition, the interior of a building and its occupants may sometimes be protected by interior panels or impact resistant glass, or both. Windows elevated from the ground so as to necessitate a ladder for installation of exterior panels may be protected by interior panels which are easier to install and protect the occupants, if not the window itself, in the event it is shattered by debris.

Full protection for every window may be prohibitively expensive. Moreover, the aesthetics of the home exterior may be addressed and uniformity of window appearance incorporated as part of those aesthetics. Accordingly, there remains a need for better ways to provide effective protection for windows in areas vulnerable to extreme weather and for security protection. Protection that is pre-installed or quickly and easily applied, is effective in extreme weather and increase security, and is available at reasonable overall cost and does not adversely affect the appearance of the home or office.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to its major aspects and briefly recited, herein is disclosed a window system that includes a customizable window frame permitting different levels of protection against severe weather or physical security threats using windows that may have the same external appearance of window frame. The inner structure of the frame and the type of glazing can be customized for the windows in the home or building so that the windows may provide a preferred and preselected levels of protection from severe weather or security threats. In addition, the exterior style of the windows and the doors can be identical and can be separately customized with different levels of protection for greater physical security and against severe weather.

For example, the window or door frames on the lower levels of a multi-level home or office may have extra protection against high winds, blowing dirt, sand and debris. That extra protection can be provided by impact resistant glass and by window frames and door frames that permit easily-attached exterior panels. Upper floors in the same home or office building may have less protection as appropriate or no protection. Protection for windows and doors on one side of the home or office can be greater on, for example, the windward side, than for the windows and doors on the other side. Regardless of the customization of different windows, the external appearance can be uniform.

The ability to customize protection for a window and door is achieved by arranging for the extrusion that will be used to form the frame of the window or door to optionally receive one or more separately-made extrusions by inserting those extrusions into the receptor channels. The inserted extrusions, which may be screw bosses, in addition to adding strength and rigidity to the frame, cooperate with panels or other exterior or interior coverings to enable the occupant to quickly and easily attach interior protection. These coverings may be temporary panels or fabrics that provide protection over the glazing against broken glass. Finally, glass having higher impact resistance or scratch resistance can be specified when the window or door is such that exterior panels and fabrics cannot be easily or safely installed.

In addition, the separately-extruded inserts may be inserted into the jambs only, the header and the sill and not into the jambs, or all sides of the frame made of the header, sill and two jambs, such as for second story windows. Jambs are typically longer as they determine the vertical dimension of the window. Therefore the cost making and inserting shorter extruded inserts of the headers and sills, as measured in price per linear foot or meter of extrusion, will be less than if the inserts were added to the four components of the frame or to the jambs.

Moreover, separately extruding the inserts for insertion into the receptor channels if and where used reduces costs compared to extruding the frame components with an co-screw boss. The dies are simpler and the additional strength provided by a screw boss insert is applied where used.

Accordingly, an architect or builder can evaluate the relative level of safety protection for the window of a designed structure and specify the level of protection appropriate for that window at the time it is ordered. The windows of the finished structure can nonetheless have the same external appearance and style, as determined by the frontal appearance of the window frame, despite differences in robustness of the windows against severe weather.

When a storm approaches, the owner simply applies panels to the more vulnerable windows, such as those to the windward side, for example, and perhaps to windward windows higher up that are easily reached, such as those opening to an upstairs balcony or deck. The owner may attached panels on the insides of upstairs windows as a precaution against wind-blown debris breaking those windows.

An advantage of being able to customize the protection provided by windows, doors and other openings of a building is that the overall cost of protection is reduced by applying greater window and door protection to those windows and doors that are more vulnerable and less protection or none to those windows that are not likely to be damaged. Being able to customize the protection provided by different windows and doors of a building and provide a pleasing and, if desirable, a uniform external appearance is also an advantage.

Another advantage is that the use of insertable screw bosses for those windows that need protection as opposed to extruded screw bosses used where useful and not in every header, sill, and jamb whether used or not.

These and other advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art of window design and installation particularly for buildings in areas where security or severe weather is a concern.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-section of an extruded lineal for a window which lineal includes a screw boss co-extruded in a receptor channel on an external side of the frame, and an open channel on the interior side of the frame, according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates the same cross-section of FIG. 1, of the co-extruded lineal for a window, which lineal includes an co-extruded screw boss in the interior channel on the internal side of the frame of FIG. 1, according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates an co-extruded lineal for a window that does not include co-extruded screw bosses in the receptor channel or the interior channel, according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates the co-extruded lineal profile of FIG. 3, with an co-extruded screw boss inserted in the receiving channel, according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates the co-extruded lineal profile of FIG. 3, with an co-extruded screw boss has been inserted in the interior channel, according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 6A illustrates a cross-section of a casement window in which the window frame includes co-extruded screw bosses in receptor channels on the exterior side of the frame and in also in interior channels of the frame, according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 6B illustrates a cross-section of a casement window in which the window frame includes inserted screw bosses in receptor channels on the exterior side of the frame and in also in interior channels of the frame, according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate a “Pacific” and an “Atlantic” configuration of an astragal door, respectively, which configurations having a screw boss co-extruded into an the receiving channel, according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIGS. 7C and 7D illustrate a “Pacific” and an “Atlantic” configuration of an astragal door, respectively, which configurations having an inserted screw boss in the receiving channel, according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 8A illustrates a frame for a glass block window having an co-extruded screw boss in the receptor channel on the exterior side of the frame and in an co-extruded screw boss in an interior channel on the interior side of the frame, according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 8B illustrates the frame for the glass block window of FIG. 8A, with a screw boss inserted in the receptor channel on the exterior side of the frame and another screw boss inserted into a channel the interior side of the frame, according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 9A illustrates an example of a frame for a sliding door, with a first co-extruded screw boss in a receptor channel on the exterior side of the ends of the frame and a second co-extruded screw boss in the interior side of the ends of the frame, according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 9B illustrates an example of a frame for sliding door, with a first inserted screw boss in a receptor channel on the exterior sides of both ends of the frame and a second inserted screw boss in the interior sides of the ends of the frame, according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrates, in FIG. 10A, a partially cutaway view of a double-hung window in which an co-extruded screw boss is in the receiving channels of the head and the sill, and, in FIG. 10B, a partially cutaway view of the double hung window in which an co-extruded screw boss is in the receiving channels of left and right jambs, according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrates, in FIG. 11A, a partially cutaway view of a double-hung window in which an co-extruded screw boss is in the receiving channels of the head and the sill, and, in FIG. 11B, a partially cutaway view of the double hung window in which no screw boss is in the receiving channels of either left or right jambs, according to an aspect of the disclosure;

FIGS. 12A and 12B illustrates, in FIG. 12A, a partially cutaway view of a double-hung window in which an inserted screw boss is in the receiving channels of the head and the sill, and, in FIG. 12B, a partially cutaway view of the double hung window in which no co-extruded screw boss is in either receiving channels of left or right jambs, according to an aspect of the disclosure; and

FIGS. 13A and 13B illustrates, in FIG. 13A, a partially cutaway view of a double-hung window in which an inserted screw boss is in the receiving channels of the head and the sill, and, in FIG. 13B, a partially cutaway view of the double hung window in which no screw boss is in the receiving channels of either left or right jambs, according to an aspect of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

U.S. patent Ser. Nos. 10/604,989, 10/641,035, 8,863,452, 8,789,324, and 8,438,802, assigned to the assignee of the present application, are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.

The term “extruded” is used herein for convenience but jambs, sills and headers may be formed in any way customary in the industry, for example, pultruded.

The term “frame” as used herein, and used in connection with a window, such as a “window frame,” refers to the structure that is attached to a building where a hole has been made in the building for receiving that window (or receiving a vent or an appliance such as a wall-mounted air conditioner). The frame is typically a four-sided structure that is sealed to the opening made for it and that holds the window, vent, or appliance.

The word “building” will be used here for convenience to mean any structure with openings in its walls. The structure includes by way of example, and not of limitation, homes, apartment buildings, and office buildings. The word “walls” refers to barriers such as walls, ceilings, and doors that are positioned between the inside of the building and its outside. The word “window” will be used to refer to an opening in a wall, as defined herein, such as a window in a wall, a window in a door, a skylight in a ceiling, or a sliding glass door in a wall, where the window has a covering that admits light, unlike the opaque material of the wall, door frame, and roof.

The term “customizable” is used herein to describe the ability to choose from a selection of options among protective mechanisms that protect the interior of a building from physical damage as a result of severe weather or a security threat outside the building. The features selected from among the options are added to a co-extruded frame of a window as the window is being manufactured. These protective mechanisms improve the ability of the window to withstand increased stress from a security threat, high winds, heavy rain, and flying debris or hail.

The term “astragal” refers to hardware that is used on a pair of doors to seal the gap between the doors when they are closed. The astragal is fastened to the doors themselves on the sides of the doors that meet, rather than to a separate door frame.

A “screw boss” is a physical structure that grips the threads of a screw being driven into it so that, once the screw has been inserted into or through the screw boss, the screw boss resists the removal of the screw more when the screw is pulled than when the screw is unscrewed. An insertable screw boss is a screw boss that has been separately co-extruded so that it can be inserted into a channel and is otherwise functionally the same as a screw boss co-co-extruded as an integral part of that channel.

A window frame or astragal may be better able to hold a panel if the window frame or astragal as disclosed herein is customized by inclusion of a co-co-extruded or inserted screw boss, which provides an effective way to hold the screws for attaching panels over a window or a glass door. A panel may be attached to the window or door on the interior of a building or to the building exterior.

Protection for windows higher off the ground, namely, by interior panels may often be more practical than panels installed on the exterior of the window when the window is located higher on the building. Indeed, building codes specify less protection for windows over 30 feet above the ground because they are less subject to damage in high winds. Thus, architectural consistency among the present window and door frames may be preserved so they have same style and frontal appearance and be made from the same a vinyl extrusion, and the glass in the windows will appear to be the same regardless of whether it is impact resistant glass, safety glass or ordinary window pane glass.

The frame of the present system is customized in its interior before the windows are made and may receive an inserted screw boss in the frame elements just prior to assembly of the window frame or during extrusion, according to a specification provided for that window. There may be one specification for the robustness of the windows on the ground floor, for example, and another one for those on the second floor, particularly if reaching the higher windows to apply panels would be difficult or dangerous. Upper windows may have co-co-extruded or inserted screw bosses in an interior channel for the attachment of interior panels rather than in the receptor channel for attaching exterior panels, or may have no screw bosses at all, for example, if intended for windows over 30 feet from the ground.

For those windows that would be covered by panels on the approach of bad weather or when there are security concerns, the frame profile will have the desired aesthetic exterior features as the frame of any other window of that building. However, there may be a second, interior, screw boss that may have been inserted into a receptor channel in the frame profile to provide additional holding power for screws that are to hold a panel to the window and possibly for use in an interior channel for holding an interior panel.

In another example of customized window protection, the downstairs windows may be customized for receiving screws to hold panels across the windows, and the upstairs windows may be customized to hold panels on the interior of the window or customized with more robust glass such as safety or high-impact glass or security glass that is more resistant to breakage.

In a variation of the foregoing example, the upstairs window frames and the downstairs window frames may be customized to hold panels on the inside of the window, and the downstairs windows may be customized to hold panels outside the windows.

The present system allows for customization of what may otherwise appear to be uniform-looking windows by enabling attachment of panels inside the window or outside using frames with co-co-extruded screw bosses or inserted bosses or no screw bosses, and by selecting glazing having different levels of strength and scratch-resistance such as impact resistant glass or security glass, as preferred, for protecting windows of the home or building. Yet the windows have a uniform external appearance.

Turning now to the figures, FIG. 1 shows an end view of a first lineal profile 20 for the configuration of the frame of a window. First lineal profile 1 is an example of many possible profiles for window frames and not intended to be limiting. Lineal profile lineal profile 20 shows, for example, a receiver chamber 32 on its left side 22, that is not part of the present invention. Left side 22 may be flat or have another configuration and is to a major extent ornamental as it is the part of profile 20 that faces to the exterior. Because left side 22 is the side to receive panels or protective fabrics, for example, a guide of sorts, such as receiving chamber 32 for the person using screws or nails for attaching the panel or fabric may be helpful.

First lineal profile 20, as shown in FIG. 1, in an end view, is a long, rigid, co-co-extruded article of manufacture that is to be cut into sections, which sections have a specified length and can be assembled (usually the frame has four sections including two jambs, a sill, and a header) into a rectangle that defines a (rectangular) window frame. First lineal profile 20 contains representative internal features common to many window frames. The features of first lineal profile 20 have specific functions and some are decorative, namely those on the left end and right end of FIG. 1 which will become the exterior and interior ends, respectively, of a window frame. The left side 22 of FIG. 1 is the exterior-facing configuration of the frame; the right side 24 of the figure is the interior-facing side of the frame. The window frame constructed from first lineal profile 20 from the outside (the lineal of FIG. 1) when viewed from the left end of FIG. 1) and the inside (the lineal of FIG. 1) when viewed from the right end, will have an aesthetic appearance.

The top of the FIG. 1 shows an end view of the interior configuration of first lineal profile 20 which is the side intended for receiving two glazed windows, which will fit into recesses 26. The bottom 28 of FIG. 1 is the part of first lineal profile 20 that is to be attached to the wall of the building. A nail fin 30 extending from the lower part of FIG. 1 permits the frame of a window defined by first lineal profile 20 to be attached to the framing of the building at the opening for the window.

Linear profile 20 has two other features. On left side 22 of first lineal profile 20, as indicated by an arrow pointing to an entrance, referred to herein as a receptor channel 32, is a co-co-extruded first screw boss 34 in a receptor channel 36. These features, receptor channel 32 and first screw boss 34, facilitate attachment of a panel or other protective exterior covering for protection of glazing held by the frame at recesses 26, and is co-co-extruded as part of first linear profile 20. A screw or other fastener may be driven left to right in left side of FIG. 1 into receptor channel 32, which serves to guide the screw or other fastener into first screw boss 34, which provides additional holding power against withdrawal of screws used to hold a panel to first lineal profile 20.

A screw boss is a device that may be made separately from first lineal profile 20 by extrusion, just as first lineal profile 20 is made, and which screw boss presents a series of barriers across is long dimension, as see in FIGS. 1-5, to the advancement of a screw inserted at receptor channel 32 and driven into any one of first linear profile 20, second linear profile 20′, and third linear profile 20″. The tip of a long screw penetrates into first screw boss 34 on insertion into first lineal profile 20. A long screw is more difficult to withdraw from a screw boss, such as first screw boss 34, by pulling than to unscrew it, and thus provides resistance to the removal of the screw by force—and thus resists the wind's effect on a panel or other covering over the window. Plural screws (not shown) along the top and bottom or sides of a window frame made using first lineal profile 20 or second lineal profile 20′ hold such a panel (not shown) to the exterior of an extruded window frame and the presence of screw bosses in at least two sides of window frame, jambs or sill and header, for example, provide additional security against the force of strong winds pulling on the panel or fabric covering of the frame and subsequently exposing the window glazing to damage.

FIG. 2, as shown, is second lineal profile 20′ having the identical exterior configuration as first lineal profile 20 in FIG. 1, and also has a second screw boss 42 in a second channel 38 on right side 24 of second lineal profile 20′. Reference numbers used FIG. 1 are used in FIG. 2 to indicate the same structures as they indicate in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 includes second screw boss 42, located in second channel 38 at the right side 24 of the second lineal profile 20′, for use in holding a panel (not shown) to the interior of a window frame. Using a panel on the interior side of a window may not protect the window from breaking from debris blown by high winds. The panel may protect the interior of the building and its occupants. Second screw boss 42 thus provides a source of holding power for an interior panel (or other covering).

FIG. 3 shows an extrusion, identical to FIGS. 1 and 2, but not having first screw boss 34 and second screw boss 42. The configuration of FIG. 3 may be suitable for a second story leeward side of a building. If additional protection is deemed useful, the window held by the configuration shown in FIG. 3 may carry glass that is more robust, such as “high impact” glass.

First lineal profile 20, second lineal profile 20′, and third lineal profile 20″ result from extrusions using dies that produce the specific profiles shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Portions of the exterior faces of the configurations of first lineal profile 20, second lineal profile 20′ and third lineal profile 20″ are partly aesthetic, namely those exterior and interior surfaces that are intended to be visible to those inside or outside the structure.

Between the exterior and interior surfaces of first lineal profile 20, second lineal profile 20′, and third lineal profile 20″ are functional feature designed to make first lineal profile 20, second lineal profile 20′, and third lineal profile 20″ more rigid with less material. Other aspects of the structure of first lineal profile 20, second lineal profile 20′, and third lineal profile 20″ are functional in that they are intended to hold to the wall of the structure, such as nail fin 30 or hold the glazing.

FIGS. 4 and 5 replicate third lineal profile 20″ as seen in FIG. 3. In FIG. 4, third extruded profile 20″ includes an inserted screw boss 50 in receptor channel 36. In FIG. 5 third lineal profile 20″ includes an inserted screw boss 52 in second channel 38, as opposed to having no screw bosses or co-extruded screw bosses with third profile 20″ as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Screw boss 50 and screw boss 52 are separately extruded as opposed to being co-extruded. The term “co-extruded” is used herein to mean that one die is used to form the profile and the screw boss, and contrasts with separate extrusion of profile and screw boss using separate extrusion dies.

Compare FIG. 4 with FIG. 1 and FIG. 5 with the right side of FIG. 2. After its separate extrusion, a length of screw boss 50 or of screw boss 52 is cut into sections having the appropriate lengths for the headers, sills, and jambs of a window frame, and then inserted into receptor channel 36 or into second channel 38 or both. The lengths of first screw boss 50 and second screw boss 52 are slid by pushing their cut ends into the designated receptor channel 36 or second channel 38, respectively, of any opposing two or four of the frame components (header, sill and jambs), either into receptor channel 36 or second channel 38 after they are cut and prior to assembly. The frame components are then joined to form rectangular window frames.

First screw boss 50 and second screw boss 52 are modified from first screw boss 34 and second screw boss 42. First screw boss 50 and second screw boss 52 may include additional structure in order to fill—or brace themselves—within the interior of receptor channel 36 or second channel 38, so that they remain in place during handling, assembly, storage, shipping and insertion of long screws. FIG. 4 shows first screw boss 50 inserted into an otherwise empty first channel. In FIG. 5, a second screw boss 52 is shown inserted into an otherwise empty second channel 38.

Thus, when multiple windows of a building may have different levels of window protection and yet look the same from the exterior, flexibility in providing that particular level for the windows can be achieved by the use of inserted screw bosses for specific windows. Some windows do not need impact resistant glass, and some windows do not need co-extruded internal and external screw bosses, so the ability to decide whether to add screw bosses as the windows are built enables considerable flexibility and economy in accommodating the individual needs for window protection.

Also, some components of a frame do not need to contain screw bosses. Inserting screw bosses in headers and sills uses shorter segments of screw bosses then when screw bosses are inserted in the jambs. This is a feature of the present disclosure. In addition to flexibility in choosing whether to insert screw bosses or not in any particular window frame, there is also the flexibility in determining if screw bosses are to be used in the header and sill of a frame rather than in the jambs, or in the jambs and not in the header and the sill.

In addition to windows and other framed openings, doors may also provide protection from damage from severe weather.

Referring now to FIGS. 6A, 6B, which show cross-sectional views of a casement window frame 60. FIG. 6A shows a horizontal cross-section 62 of casement window frame 60 with its left and right jambs 64, 66, respectively, on the extreme left and right. FIG. 6B shows a vertical cross-section 68 of casement window frame 60 with its header 70 at the top of the illustration and sill 72 at the bottom.

Horizontal cross-section 62 (FIG. 6A) includes co-extruded interior and exterior screw bosses 74, 76, respectively, at the ends of casement window frame 60 as see in FIG. 6A. In FIG. 6B, inserted interior screw boss 78 and inserted exterior screw bosses 80, respectively, are shown at the top and bottom of FIG. 6B.

A variation of the use of co-extruded and inserted screw bosses enables application of the present disclosure to “astragal” bi-directional, sliding glass doors in order to enable them to receive protective panels. Two versions of astragal closures are illustrated in cross-sectional drawings of FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C and 7D. The first versions or configurations of astragals illustrating the teachings of the present disclosure are illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7C, which configurations generally referred to in the art as the “Pacific” version; the second configuration, illustrated in FIG. 7B and FIG. 7D, is generally referred to in the art as the “Atlantic” version.

FIG. 7A shows a first Pacific version of an astragal 90 with a co-extruded screw boss 92; FIG. 7B shows of a second Pacific version of an astragal 94 with an inserted screw boss 96.

FIG. 7B shows a first Atlantic version of an astragal 98 with an co-extruded screw boss 100; FIG. 7D shows of a second Atlantic version of an astragal 102 with an inserted screw boss 104.

FIG. 7A and FIG. 7C are identical except that FIG. 7A has screw boss 92 co-extruded with the door post and FIG. 7C has an inserted screw boss 96. FIG. 7B and FIG. 7D are also identical, and FIG. 7B has an co-extruded screw boss 100 whereas FIG. 7D has an inserted screw boss 104.

The present lineal screw boss extrusion, made either as part of a larger lineal or made separately and inserted after the fact, can also be adapted for use with glass block windows. FIG. 8A illustrates a frame 110 for a window 112 made of glass blocks, which are a glass architectural element that obscures the view through the glass but admits light. Frame 110 has a first screw boss 114 in the interior side 116 of frame 110 and a second screw boss 118 in a receptor channel 120 on the exterior side 122 of frame 110.

FIG. 8B illustrates frame 110 for window 112 of FIG. 8A, made of glass blocks, with a first screw boss 124 inserted in the exterior side 122 of frame 110 and a second screw boss 126 inserted on the interior side 116 of frame 110.

FIG. 9A illustrates another example, namely, a horizontal cross section of a frame 134 holding a sliding glass door 136 and a fixed door 138. Frame 134 holds glazing 144 for sliding door 136 and sliding door 138. Frame 134 includes second co-extruded screw boss 156 on interior side 140 and frame and an co-extruded screw boss 160 on the exterior side.

FIG. 9B is otherwise identical to FIG. 9A except that frame 134 holds inserted second co-extruded screw boss 156 and co-extruded screw boss 160 on the interior and exterior, respectively.

Sliding door 136 moves and a fixed door 138 that does not slide or otherwise move are confined in frame 134. Sliding door 136 has door handles 146 for opening sliding door 136.

Sliding door 136 includes its own frame 148; fixed door 138 also includes its own frame 150. Glazing 144 in sliding door 136 and fixed door 138 defines the boundary between the interior side 140 and the exterior side 142 of sliding door 136.

In FIG. 9A, in the interior side 140, an second co-extruded screw boss 156 is shown co-extruded as part of frame 134 of fixed door 138 in the receptor channel on the exterior side 142 of frame 134, and second co-extruded screw boss 156 is located in the interior side of door frame 134. FIG. 9B illustrates a similar configuration for sliding door 138 with a screw boss inserted into a receptor channel on the exterior side of the frame of the door and another screw boss inserted into the frame on the interior side of the open frame.

FIGS. 10A, 10B, show a double-hung window 170 in cross-section, first, in FIG. 10A, through header 172 and, second, in FIG. 10B, through sill 174, and a cross-section through the left and right jams. FIGS. 11A, 11B, 12A, 12B, and 13A and 13B replicate FIGS. 10A and 10B of double hung window 170 in the same two cross-sectional views as FIGS. 10A and 10B. The A/B figure pairs of drawings have different combinations of co-extruded or inserted or no screw boss. To simplify the understanding of FIGS. 10A/10B, 11A/11B, 12A/12B, and 13A/13B, reference numbers used for a structure in one drawing are used in the drawings when the same structure appears.

Window 170 is a double-hung window, as seen in FIGS. 10A and 10B, has a header 172 and a sill 174. Header 172 and sill 174 include upper and lower receptor channels 202 and 206, respectively. Upper receptor channel 202 includes an co-extruded screw boss 220; lower receptor channel 206 also includes an co-extruded screw boss 218. A panel (not shown) may be attached to window 170 using screws (not shown) driven into through the panel and into upper screw boss 220 and into lower screw boss 218. Upper screw boss 220 and lower screw boss 218 will hold penal securely to window 170 in the event of severe weather.

In FIG. 10B, the inside of window 170 is at the top and the outside of window 170 is at the bottom. Right jamb 176 and left jamb 178 are on the opposing sides of lower window glazing 180 and upper window glazing 182 where left receptor channel 194 runs vertically on one side of window 170 and right receptor channel 198 runs vertically on the other side of window 170. An co-extruded screw boss 210 is located in left receptor channel 194 and another co-extruded screw boss 214 is located in right receptor channel 198. Just as a panel may be attached to co-extrude screw boss 218 and 220 in FIG. 10A, so, too can a panel—including the same panel, be attached to right jamb 176 and left jam 178.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are identical in almost every respect to FIGS. 10A and 10B, respectively, except that there is no screw boss in either left receptor channel 194 or right receptor channel 214. Left receptor channel 194 and right receptor channel 214 are

FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B are also nearly identical to FIGS. 10A and 10B except that screw boss 220 in header 172 in FIG. 10A is not an co-extruded screw boss. It is an inserted screw boss 222, and screw boss 218 is also not and inserted screw boss. It is an co-extruded screw boss 224. Left and right receptor channels are, as in the case of FIG. 11B, empty.

FIGS. 13A and 13B have no screw bosses in header receptor channel 202, sill receptor channel 206 channel, left receptor channel 194 or right receptor channel 198.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 13A, bottom illustration, there is an upper (left end) and lower (right end) receptor channel that contain a coco-extruded screw boss, indicating that across the top and bottom of the window, a panel or covering can be attached using fasteners.

In FIG. 10B, the receptor channels in the upper two figures do not contain screw bosses. However, the header and sill of the lowest figure of 10B does have screw bosses in its receptor channels. Accordingly, a panel or covering can be attached to the window across the header and the sill. It is not attached to the left and right jambs.

In FIG. 10C, the arrangement is very similar to that of 10B. However, the receptor channels do not have co-extruded screw bosses. They have inserted screw bosses.

Finally, in FIG. 10D, none of the receptor channels includes a screw boss. The window of FIG. 10D may be protected by installing impact resistant glass.

The present disclosure thus teaches that the same frame profile that includes a receptor channel can include an co-extruded screw boss or an inserted screw boss or be left empty depending on the exposure of the individual windows to severe weather or other source of impact and the need for a stronger hold on the panel fasteners. The same frame profile that includes a receptor channel facing outward can also include a receptor channel facing inward so that an interior panel can be used to provide temporary protection to the occupants of a room, especially if that window will be mounted high off the ground where exterior panel attachment would be risky to the installer or if the severe weather arrived before exterior panels could be attached. In urban areas, vandalism may be more of a concern than severe weather, and other window protection can be substituted for panels and fastened in the same manner as panels. Accordingly, the present disclosure teaches how the windows of a home or building can be customized for either the severe weather of a coastal environment or the risks of an urban environment while having a pleasing uniform external appearance

Claims

1. A window system for an opening in a building, comprising: (a) two extruded jambs, each of said two extruded jambs comprising an interior screw boss and an exterior screw boss;(b) an extruded header, said extruded header comprising a screw boss;(c) an extruded sill, said extruded sill comprising a screw boss, wherein said two extruded jambs, said extruded header, and said extruded sill are joined to define a frame, wherein joining said frame comprises inserting said screw bosses from said two extruded jambs, said extruded header, and said extruded sill into a respective receptor channel or second channel of an opposing said screw boss; and(d) glazing carried by said frame.

2. The window system of claim 1, wherein said jambs are configured to receive external screws.

3. The window system of claim 1, wherein said header and said sill are configured to receive external screws.

4. The window system of claim 1, wherein said window is a casement window.

5. The window system of claim 1, wherein said window is in a sliding door.

6. The window system of claim 1, wherein said glazing is impact resistant glass.

7. The window system of claim 1, wherein said glazing is glass blocks.

8. The window system of claim 1, further comprising a panel attached to frame.

9. The window system of claim 1, further comprising bars attachable to said frame.