Patent Application
20240191506
The present invention relates to skylights having a glass window unit held in a peripheral frame.
Skylights are typically mounted on a roof top in an inclined position. Rain and debris failing on the window unit wash off. Skylights are typically formed of window unit, a light transparent panel of glass or plastic, mounted in a peripheral frame formed of wood, metal or plastic. Most skylight have a peripheral frame which grips the upper and lower side of the window unit. The upper edge of the frame forms a small flange lip covering glass adjacent the edge creating dam which prevents all of the water from draining off the window. This water tends to evaporate leaving a dirty window surface.
To avoid forming water dams some skylights have flush mounted the window glass without a raised lip as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 9,874,018. Flush mount glass relies on an adhesive to retain the glass to the frame. Another example of flush mounted glass is shown is U.S. Pat. No. 7,296,388 along with flange mounted embodiments. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,296,388 the frame is formed in situ by a reaction injection molding process. U.S. Pat. No. 7,296,388 is incorporated by reference in its entirety, to disclose a process for forming a window containing assembly with a reaction injection molded plastic frame. Several embodiments provide a peripheral polymeric frame molded about a multi-layer light transparent panel of glass or plastic.
It is an object of the present invention to manufacture skylights having a frame with a flanged lip about skylight window periphery having water drainage notches formed therein help keep the windows clean. The notches in the frame flange radiate outward from the window opening and have a depth adjacent the opening approximately equal to the flange thickness. Inclination of the skylight when installed allows water to freely drain from through the notches off the central light transmissive region of the window unit.
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.
The frame 16 has upper and lower overlapping regions 26 and 28 engaging the outward and inward faces 20 and 22 of the glass outer boarder 18 which extends about the window opening. The frame upper overlapping region has a at least one notch 30 formed therein extending outward from the window opening to allow water and debris to drain off the central light transmissive region of the window unit when the skylight in an inclined position. Notches can be located in the corners and or along the straight sides of a rectangular skylight.
The notches 30 in the frame upper overlapping region radiate outward from the window opening and have a depth adjacent the opening approximately equal to the thickness of flange formed by the overlapping region. The notches are 0.75-0.25 inches and preferably about 0.5 inches wide. Inclination of the skylight when installed allows water to freely drain from through the notches 30 off the central light transmissive region of the window unit 12.
Window unit 12 is an insulated glass unit with two layers of glass separated by a peripheral spacer tapping gas therebetween. Preferably the inner glass sheet is an made of laminated glass to provide extra strength and to maintain in place even when the glass shatters providing fall resistance and excess wind load protection.
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While the frame can be formed with a variety of material and forming methods, it is preferred that the frame is formed of reaction injected molded aliphatic polyurethane described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,296,388 previously is incorporated by reference. The material can be UV stable, so the skylight frame does not need to be painted and can last over 20 years in direct sunlight. The notches in the frame can be molded-in-place when the frame is molded about the glass window unit.
While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention.
