The present invention relates generally to windows, doors, and similar structures for buildings such as homes and offices, and more particularly to a prefabricated assembly for trimming/casing such structures and a methodology for the same.
In conventional housing construction (e.g. single and multifamily homes, apartments, condominiums, townhouses), windows and doors are typically installed and trimmed manually that involves many labor-intensive steps. For example, installing and trimming a window requires, at least: sizing a window opening, installing the window in the opening, measuring the window surroundings and casing materials, manually cutting trim pieces at proper angles to proper length according to the measurements, fitting pieces around the wall opening, adding and securing pieces to the surrounding wall with nails, and painting/staining the window trim. Such a manual process requires several different skilled personnel (e.g. window installer, window trimmer and painter), costs long labor hours and material waste, and the quality of final product varies upon the skill and proficiency of the handicraftsman(s).
Some attempts at pre-fabricated window assemblies have been made. U.S. Pat. No. 6,389,763 describes grooves and tongues allowing for variation in fitting the gaps between wall and jamb, but the jamb and window trim assembly are pre-assembled, which complicates shipping, and materials must be nailed to a wall. U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,238 describes brackets installed along a window cases allowing window casing cover to snap on around an opening, but the brackets require screws for installation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,640 describes attaching a window trim assembly to a window frame using mounting clips, but the window surrounding is pre-assembled. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,134,814 and 5,220,756 teach a prefabricated window stool and apron unit for window enhancement, but the installation requires screws to fasten the unit to wall. U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,066 also teaches a wood trim system with pre-finished window trim and nails/screws are required. U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,033 describes a vinyl window finish trim assembly for mounting in a window opening, however this patent requires an extrusion fitting within the window and separately attached corner pieces to secure the trim pieces together, thus limiting the types of windows and openings in which it is used. Similar drawbacks are found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,857,232 and U.S. Publication No. 2005/0115168 where nails/screws are required to fasten the trim casing. Another similar method is taught in U.S. Publication No. 2006/0254201 where pieces are custom made but must be pre-assembled prior to delivery, again complicating shipping.
It remains desirable for an easy, efficient and inexpensive way to trim a window or other opening with high quality and predictable results.
The present invention broadly contemplates the provision of pre-fabricated kits for window/door trimming/casing that are designed and tailored for various window/door openings, architectural styles and/or manufacturers. According to one aspect, the kit is easy to assemble with everything in the box including prefabricated mutually engaging fasteners to allow all the pieces to be fastened together quickly and by hand. According to another aspect, the kit is prefabricated in a prepared and finished condition with all the pieces already painted, stained and finished, so no finishing such as painting required during or after installation. The kit can be manufactured to fit for any type of window/door and opening as long as the dimensions of openings are substantially known. Optional add-ons such as curtain rods, valances, closet shelves, poles, cabinets, shutters and cornices can also be included in the kit in pre-fabricated condition. The principles of the invention can also be extended to other types of molding such as crown molding and baseboards. Among many advantages, the invention reduces labor costs dramatically, improves quality and consistency in craftsmanship, and provides economies of scale to be applied the production of finished products that has never been previously available.
According to these and other aspects, a kit for framing an opening in a building comprises all pieces needed for the frame, precut and pre-finished for the opening, wherein all the pieces can be assembled together in the opening by hand and held together with a friction fit.
These and other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures, wherein:
a is an alternative of the door trim kit shown in
b is an alternative of the window trim kit shown in
The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings, which are provided as illustrative examples of the invention so as to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Notably, the figures and examples below are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention to a single embodiment, but other embodiments are possible by way of interchange of some or all of the described or illustrated elements. Moreover, where certain elements of the present invention can be partially or fully implemented using known components, only those portions of such known components that are necessary for an understanding of the present invention will be described, and detailed descriptions of other portions of such known components will be omitted so as not to obscure the invention. In the present specification, an embodiment showing a singular component should not be considered limiting; rather, the invention is intended to encompass other embodiments including a plurality of the same component, and vice-versa, unless explicitly stated otherwise herein. Moreover, applicants do not intend for any term in the specification or claims to be ascribed an uncommon or special meaning unless explicitly set forth as such. Further, the present invention encompasses present and future known equivalents to the known components referred to herein by way of illustration.
According to a first aspect, the invention provides pre-fabricated kits for various window openings and manufacturers.
In the example shown in
One example embodiment of a window trim assembly 170 according to the principles of the invention will now be described in more detail in connection with the front, rear, and side views shown in
According to one preferred example of the invention using dowels as described in more detail below, the components are all comprised of wood such as poplar. However, the invention is not limited to this example, and various other types of wood such as, by way of non-limiting example, oak, cherry, pine, black walnut, ash, MDF, maple, fir. Moreover, other non-wood materials can be used for manufacturing the pieces, such as vinyl, polystyrene, etc., as should be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and these are to be included in the spirit of the present invention. Moreover, it is not necessary for all components in the kit 170 to be comprised of the same material. For example, some components in the kit may be comprised of wood, while other components may be comprised of vinyl.
Returning to the particular example shown in
In this illustrated example, head trim 210 and profile 220 are in trapezoid shapes so that they form a ninety degree angle when assembled. However, this is not necessary. Moreover, the final shape of the trim after putting all pieces together will be rectangular in this case, which again, is for illustration purposes in connection with the rectangular window opening, but the spirit of the present invention will not be limited to specifications herein. According to aspects of the invention, two matching pairs of multi-fluted wood dowels and holes 270, with 5/16 inch diameter and 1 inch in length, are located on each upper corner of the trim at where the head trim 210 and the profiles 220 join together, so that they are tightly attached with a friction fit when the dowels are inserted in the holes and the pieces are pushed together. Similar matching dowels and holes 290 join together profiles 220 to jamb extenders 250. Likewise, matching dowels and holes 280 join together profiles 220 with sill trim 230; matching dowels and holes 211 join together apron trim 240 and sill trim 230; and matching dowels and holes 201 join together head trim 210 and head jamb extender 260.
In the example shown in
In one example embodiment, the number and tightness of the friction fit between the holes and dowels is sufficient to maintain the overall structural integrity of the assembled structure. In other embodiments, for further integrity, dovetail fasteners may be used instead or added for field assembly of kit 170 as described in more detail below.
As mentioned above, the principles of the invention are not limited to window openings. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a door opening. In another example of the present invention shown in the exploded view in
The door frame kit 970 is another example embodiment according to the principles of the invention and will now be described in more detail in connection with the detailed front view shown in
In this illustrated example, head trim 1010 and profile 1020 are in trapezoid shapes so that they form a ninety degree angle when assembled. However, this is not necessary. The final shape of this door assembly kit 970 after putting all pieces together will be rectangular looking from the front in this case, which again, is for illustration purposes in connection with the rectangular door opening, but the spirit of the present invention will not be limited to specifications herein.
In addition to the wood dowels and holes, as described above in the window example, additional assembly and securing methods can be used. For example, pairs of dovetail fasteners 1070 are shown here in addition to the dowels and holes pairs to join tighter the head trim 1010 and profile 1020 with still further friction fit. For example, the fasteners 1070 can be comprised of plastic and about ¼″ thick and about ¾″ long, as several types are known to those skilled in the art of cabinetry and similar trades (e.g. Hoffmans). Corresponding slots can be cut into trim 1010 and profile 1020 for accepting the fasteners. For assembly of the kit, after the pieces 1010 and 1020 are joined together using the dowels and holes, the slots in the respective pieces will align, and the fasteners 1070 can be pounded in using a mallet or similar tool. It should be noted that the dimensions of the slot should be slightly smaller than the dimensions of the dovetail fasteners so that they compress slightly when pounded into the slots, thereby securing the pieces 1010 and 1020 together.
As an another possible alternative, matching pairs of grooves and tongues are also used for this assembling kit pieces together as shown in
According to an aspect of the invention, whether holes and dowels, dovetail fasteners, and/or tongues and grooves are used, the invention allows the entire kit 170 to be assembled by hand, and the resulting assembly is secured with a friction fit, such that nails and other materials are not required to assemble window trim kit 170. It should be apparent, however, that glue or other compounds can be used in the holes before the dowels are inserted to even further secure the pieces together. Moreover, the number and size of matching dowel and hole pairs is a design choice and the examples described herein enable a desired amount of rigidity for the assembled structure while preserving ease of assembly.
As further shown in
It should be noted that piece 1030 of door jamb 920, as well as head jamb 1040 of jamb 920, have been described above as only comprising a single piece of wood or other material, it is possible that a split jamb approach can be used. For example, the two casings 930 can be joined to separate halves of jamb 920, which can be either secured to a rough door opening separately or further joined together. One possible example is shown in
As further mentioned previously, the kit 170 and kit 970 components, pieces dimensions, and trim shapes described above are tailored to fit for a double-hung window frame and a single door frame and are specifically discussed for illustration purpose. However, other components, dimensions, and shapes that serve the purpose of trimming or decorating an arbitrary opening will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the present disclosure, and these are also to be included in the spirit of the present invention. For example, the assembled kit 170 can have a radius top to fit on a radius window, the kit 970 can be wider to fit on a 3-panel entry door, pieces dimensions will be bigger for a two-by-six window than for a two-by-four window, and extra components such as a curtain rod will be included if curtains are to be installed.
According to another aspect of the invention, and as mentioned above, the prefabricated kits 170 and 970 are easy to assemble on-site and can be secured in a window/door opening and/or to an installed window/door without requiring any additional carpentry or nails. Upon delivery, every piece of material needed for window trim is included in the kit, already cut to size, painted/stained to the desired color and/or finish, and prepared. Pieces are pre-cut for different window openings and window types so that no further sawing or cutting is required. With dowel and hole pairs on each side of the connecting surface, pieces are easily assembled merely by pushing dowels into matching holes for attachment.
In addition to contemplating various structures and openings, as well as various ways the pieces of kits 170 and 970 can be assembled together, the invention contemplates various ways of securing an opening frame kit to an opening and/or installed window or door, etc.
It should be noted that slot 120 need not extend the entire interior lengths of the window 160. For example, several separate pieces of vinyl can be used instead of one continuous piece. Moreover, the one or more pieces of slot 120 can be screwed onto window 160 for additional rigidity.
As mentioned above, additionally or alternatively to window perimeter slots 120, other materials can be used to attach the window trim assembly 170 to window frame 160. One example shown in
In addition to above described alternative embodiments, optional parts such as decorative sill trim, decorative corner pieces (e.g. cornices, rosettes), curtain rods or valances, closet shelves and poles can be further attached and/or integrally formed in pieces provided in kit 170 depending upon needs and preferences.
a shows an alternative of door trim 970 where decorative blocks 1440 are added to the bottom by connecting one side to the end of profile 1020 using dovetails 1450 and/or dowels/holes.
b shows another alternative of the window trim example 170 where decorative corner pieces 1410 (i.e. cornices) and sill trim 1420 are added to the kit. One side of the corner pieces is connected directly to the side trim 220 using dovetails 1490, and another side to the head trim 210. Sill trim 1420 in this case is connected to a sill trim extender 1430 using dovetails 1490 and pairs of dowel and hole 1480.
According to a still further aspect of the invention mentioned above, all the pieces of kit 170 are pre-sized, cut and finished for a given window opening and type of window. It is also possible to machine and finish the pieces to match a desired architectural style, or pre-existing and other types of molding in a building such as baseboards and crown molding. It should be appreciated that an advantage of the invention is that considerable economies of scale can be achieved by mass producing kits for a large number of buildings, such as housing developments, which may all have similar architectural and/or interior styles. The invention allows machinery, tools and materials for creating kits to be centralized, and then the kits can be easily shipped to a site and assembled easily on site, thereby greatly reducing costs and improving quality.
An example method of preparing a kit 170 for a given window opening and type of window is described in more detail herein, and with reference to
However, as further shown in
Once the dimensions and shapes of kit 170 are computed for a desired window opening and window manufactured, the pieces of kit 170 are designed for a desired ornamental appearance and pieces are manufactured in several steps: machine dissecting big pieces of wood into several wood pieces according to the design, drilling holes in the pieces at desired separation as described above, providing dowels for each of the holes, machining, painting or staining the pieces to a desired finish, and packaging the kit. Unlike conventional window trimming, the mass-production of pre-fabricated trim kits as allowed by the invention not only lowers the manufacturing cost substantially but also ensures quality consistency.
Although the present invention is illustrated as practicing upon a double-hung window, principles of invention could be extended to any shape of openings, not limited to square or rectangle, and furthermore, principles of invention could be extended to any type of building openings including any form of window or door, such as a vent, skylight, fireplace surrounding, closet door, cabinets, etc.
Moreover, it should be apparent that the principles of the invention can be readily extended to other types of molding that are commonly used in constructing or renovating buildings such as offices and homes. For example, baseboards and crown molding can be mass-machined and cut to desired lengths and sizes of rooms, shipped to sites, and assembled on site using dowels and dovetails. Honches can also be used and various types of corners and other pieces can be provided to fill gaps and connect corners, for example.
Although the present invention has been particularly described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it should be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that changes and modifications in the form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is intended that the appended claims encompass such changes and modifications.
This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/838,182 filed Aug. 13, 2007, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11838182 | Aug 2007 | US |
Child | 13084358 | US |