Patent Application
20050178079
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a system and method for preventing air and moisture intrusion at openings in structures, such as buildings, which contain fenestration products, such as windows, doors and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Moisture intrusion around fenestration products (windows, doors, skylights, vents, utility supply boxes, and other items that are made to fit into openings in structures, such as buildings) is one of the primary sources for moisture damage, such as mold and rot, in buildings. Hereafter, for the sake of convenience the term “window(s)” will be used to refer to the various aforementioned fenestration products. Currently, there are various methods for controlling this moisture intrusion, with numerous flashing, window design, and installation methods being used with varying degrees of success. Conventional methods or systems are limited to the removal of water once it is inside the wall, as opposed to the prevention of water getting into the wall at the interface of the window and wall. Mechanical sill pans are often prescribed to direct water that enters through a leak at the window or window-wall interface to the exterior of the building, but it is very difficult to achieve a continuously integrated air/moisture seal between the sill pans and the fenestration product, particularly one that is effective for all types of designs and shapes of fenestration products and openings.
Also, the current methods for installation make it very difficult and expensive to replace the window if it fails (e.g., leaks) or if improved or different functionality is desired (such as, better radiation blockage, energy insulation, self-cleaning, etc). Thus, the window is currently considered a permanent “fixture” in the building wall, although these products typically do not maintain their performance over the life of the building structure.
In the past decade, an extraordinary number of building defects have been identified that are a result of water intrusion into and beyond the face of the building structure or weather-resistant barriers. One of the major areas of water intrusion is the interface between fenestration products and the openings in buildings into which the products fit. Fenestration products are windows, doors, skylights, vents, utility supply boxes, and other items that are made to fit into openings in structures, such as buildings. It should be recognized that structures are not limited to buildings and may encompass anything having an opening wherein a fenestration product could be placed such as a boat or recreational vehicle, etc. Hereafter, for the sake of convenience the term “window(s)” will be used to refer to the various aforementioned fenestration products. A device has been developed to overcome these problems and comprises a receptacle and a window that will provide a greatly simplified modular-type method to install windows in a standardized fashion that will result in a very effective barrier to air and moisture intrusion. The receptacle is placed such that it is closely fit into the opening in the building structure or sealed to the weather-resistant barriers that cover the wall panels. The receptacle not only acts as a fixture to hold the window, it isolates the windows from the membrane drainage planes of the building envelope and the cladding. Currently, if a window leaks at its corner joinery, there is no practical way to drain the leakage from the interior cavity to the exterior of the cladding on the building. This receptacle accomplishes this important task, while at the same time enhancing the performance of the window in the wall.
The receptacle of this invention will prevent surface water on walls, claddings, and weather-resistant barriers from entering through the walls or wall cavities via cracks and joints in the interface caused by the installation of a window penetrating through the weather-resistant barrier or drainage plane. This system terminates and seals the weather-resistant barrier/membrane/drainage plane to the receptacle, isolating the fenestration product from this interface. Water is therefore stopped from entering behind the membrane or into the wall cavity because the receptacle is sealed directly to the wall or weather-resistant membrane, rather than to the window. The receptacle will capture any leaks through the window itself and the moisture will be isolated from the window and the building structure and drained to the exterior of the building through appropriately provided drainage paths. This replaces or obviates the need for sill pans or end dams.
The invention will be described by reference to the figures attached hereto. As shown in
Alternatively, through-fasteners can be used to attach the receptacle to the window. For example, screws can be installed through the exterior of the receptacle into the window, at a 90° angle to the wall. Any puncturing of the sill portion would have to be sealed. In another embodiment, spring knife clips can be installed to hold the window against the seal at the rear of the receptacle. The use of spring clips allows the window to be easily disengaged from the receptacle, by using a knife or other simple releasing tool. In another embodiment, a screw-fluted wedge can be installed to cut into both the window and the receptacle. In another embodiment, the key-like mechanism having shaped protrusions can be used to twist into like-shaped grooves on either the receptacle or the window or both. In another embodiment, a series of jackscrews can be used that when tightened would force the window against the receptacle. Other embodiments include the use of pins, dead bolts, slide bolts, and cams to secure the window to the receptacle. Keyed access may be installed with a cylinder and a key raceway to limit access.
In another embodiment as shown in
When the receptacle is first placed in the opening, an interior sealing means 15 will be positioned on the interior flange 13. The interior sealing means 15 can be made from a durable foam or gasket material, or materials similar to those used for the sealing/locking means 31. Alternatively, during installation of the window into the receptacle, sealing means 15 can be positioned on the interior sash 23 of the window. Regardless of where it is initially placed, sealing means 15 will provide a seal between the innermost surface of window 20 and receptacle 10 as depicted in
The receptacle is permanently affixed to an opening in the wall construction and sealed to the wall and/or the weather resistant membrane that covers the walls of the building. The receptacle can be affixed with adhesives, fasteners, and the like. Because the window is connected to the receptacle by the use of a removable sealing/locking means, the window (or other through-wall devices) can be removed relatively easily from the building without causing destruction to the membranes and claddings. A security-locking device (not shown) can be installed on the receptacle to prevent theft of the window or unauthorized entry to the building and would be preferably located toward the interior of the opening. Although windows have relatively long life, their life is shorter than that of the building. As such, when replacement of a window is desired or necessary, the removal and replacement will entail minimal labor cost, because the wall would not be damaged during removal. This would particularly simplify replacement of existing windows with those having state-of-the-art characteristics, such as sophisticated glass configurations that have enhanced energy efficiency, sound attenuation, self-cleaning features, or light control, etc.
The receptacle would typically be installed from the outside of the building with the receptacle flange 11 resting on the exterior face of the structure. However in some instances, such as when replacing an existing window in a structure that has existing siding that is difficult or expensive to remove, such as brick or stone that is flush with the window, it would be inconvenient or expensive to remove this siding in order to install the receptacle with the flange 11 as shown. Thus, it would be helpful to install the receptacle without the flange protruding onto the external face of the structure. Retrofitting of an existing building would be one such situation. In such a case, an alternative embodiment is that the receptacle 10 has a gasket 19 extending around the outside as shown in
There are, of course, a variety of sizes and shapes of windows that can be installed in buildings. For the receptacle to conform to such custom shapes, a molded wall panel 50 may be constructed having the same dimensions as typical sheathing boards, with one or more custom-shaped receptacles 10 molded, stamped, or otherwise formed integral with the wall panel as schematically depicted in
Additionally, for irregular shaped fenestration products, the receptacle frame can be constructed of rigid pieces at the sill and lower jambs connected to a deformable, flexible material that can be conformed to fit around the irregular shape of the fenestration product, thereby providing a continuous enclosure. This would be useful for example with products having a round shape at the top, such as palladium windows. Such a conformable receptacle allows for improved fit and minimization of errors due to field tolerances between rough openings and fenestration products.
In another embodiment, substantially the entire receptacle could be made from a suitable material that could be sprayed on or otherwise applied to an opening in a liquid or semi-solid form, which would then solidify either by crosslinking (curing) or solvent evaporation into a receptacle capable of supporting the fenestration product. The fenestration product could be set into the receptacle material prior to or after the solidification occurs. Suitable receptacle materials for this embodiment include, but are not limited to, polyurethanes, epoxide derived polyethers, polyisocyanurates, polyureas, and acrylic polymer latexes. These could also include reinforcements and fillers such as fibers and particulates.
In a different embodiment, especially for rectangular (or square) windows, corner pieces could be formed by injection molding for example and then combined with straight extruded pieces of various lengths to form receptacles with the desired dimensions. These corner pieces could be connected to the straight pieces by a coupling means that maintained an air/moisture seal. This coupling means could also be designed to enable some movement in the receptacle to adapt to typical movement in the building opening, due to thermal expansion and/or seftling of the building. These products would typically be pre-fabricated and customized to the size and shape corresponding to the need of various window manufacturers. An additional concept is to make multiple insert receptacles in a forming process. For example, a plurality of receptacles could be formed in one mold. Seamless receptacles of various sizes and shapes could be formed, as applicable to individual construction designs without the need of complex corner pieces.
Current construction practices typically require several trades to be coordinated in installing windows or other units that penetrate the openings in building membranes. The responsibility for the interface between the membrane and the window is unclear presently and currently can change, depending upon the construction sequencing of either the window or the weather-resistive barriers and the cladding installations.
Because the membrane and claddings, as well as the receptacles, can be installed before the windows, the entire envelope and finishing of the exterior walls can be accomplished without the window in place, thus eliminating the need for special protection of the window during the construction period. Further, the interior wall claddings can be completely installed and finished without the window in place. This would avoid many of the disadvantages of the current procedures in construction of homes, such as glass breakage and the marring of windows with paint and drywall compound that must be cleaned off and eliminate the expense of protecting the windows during this phase of construction.
Because the window and the receptacle are effectively isolated from each other by the sealing/holding means and an asymmetrical design, it is believed that additional benefits are achieved through dampening. This dampening will assist in sound attenuation through the window-wall interface and will dampen the window itself. It is also believed that same benefit is realized from a thermal standpoint because the receptacle and the sealing/holding means will reduce the amount of energy that can transfer between the building interior and exterior.
Architectural design details often add surrounding trim to the window on the exterior side for aesthetic purposes. These members currently are fastened directly to the wall between the window and the cladding in most cases and occasionally on top of the cladding and next to the window. These two details require through-fastening, which penetrate the weather-resistive membranes, possibly causing leakage into the wall cavity. The receptacle can be designed in such a way as to incorporate a variety of trims onto the wall, which do not fasten through the wall, but can be attached to the receptacle without fasteners, by employing snap-on friction technology.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60544703 | Feb 2004 | US |
