Patent Application
20250122757
The present invention relates generally to accessories used with windows. More specifically, the present invention relates to a window closing device that is able to be installed on multiple types of windows for use in automatically closing the window.
Many people leave windows in their houses open during nice weather in order to get fresh air. However, a person may not want to have their windows open for long periods of time. If a person wants to close their window after a certain period of time or if it gets too hot or too cold, the person may need to be present in the home in order to shut the window at the desired time.
Having windows open allows homeowners to bring fresh air into their home, as well as assisting with temperature regulation. There may, however, be time when a homeowner does not want their windows to stay open for an unlimited periods of time. For example, a homeowner may wish to have their windows open for part of a day but have them closed later because inclement weather is predicted. Or, a homeowner may want their windows open until the outside weather either gets too warm or too cold to let the fresh air in.
Regardless of the reason that a homeowner may wish to close their windows after having them open, a homeowner is generally going to need to physically shut the windows. This means that a homeowner, or someone they designate, will need to be physically present in the home to close the windows. However, this may not allow a homeowner to close the windows when, for example, the outside temperature reaches a certain threshold temperature (whether a heat or a cold threshold). In addition, the homeowner is has to remain at the home until the amount of time they wanted to have the windows open has elapsed or until the temperature or other condition has been reached.
Electronic window closing devices provide a way for a homeowner to have the windows closed at a determined time, regardless of whether the homeowner is present. However, existing electronic window closing devices have limitations. The primary limitation is the specificity of the type of window that a device can be set up and used on. Although two pane, vertical sliding windows are common, many houses also have two pane horizontally sliding windows, single pane windows, or other varieties of windows. Many existing electronic window closing devices are only designed to work on a single variety of window. For example, a window closing device may only work on a two pane vertically sliding window, meaning that a homeowner with a combination of two pane vertical and two pane horizontally sliding windows would be required to purchase more than one style of window closing device, which can be a significant monetary investment. Moreover, existing window closing devices generally only work with a timer. Said differently, existing window closing devices allow a user to set the window to close after a period of time has elapsed. However, elapse of a period of time may not be the trigger a homeowner wants to rely on for windows being closed; instead, or in addition, the homeowner may want to have the window close when, for example, the outside temperature drops below or exceeds a predetermined threshold.
The window closing device of the present disclosure, by contrast, is able to be installed on multiple styles of window, making it much more universal. A housing includes a motor, with an actuator coupled thereto. The housing is able to be attached to any style of two pane window, provided that the actuator is able to contact the lower window frame, in the case of a vertical two-pane window, or the left-most or right-most window frame, in the case of a horizontal two-pane window. The housing, and thus the device, is removably attached to the window, allowing the window closing device of the present disclosure to be movable between windows depending on the needs of the user.
An actuator 6 may be coupled to the motor 14 and extend out from a portion of the housing 4. As shown in
A plurality of attachment elements 8-1, 8-2 . . . 8-N (collectively, attachment elements 8) may be disposed on a rear of the housing. Although
The window closing device 2 may further include a plurality of rods 10-1, 10-2 (collectively, rods 10). The rods 10 may be threaded, notched, or include another mechanical means for adjusting the rods 10. Although two rods 10 are shown in
When the rods 10 are threaded, rods 10 may be adjustable in length by rotating the rods 10. Similarly, when the rods 10 are notched, rods 10 may be adjustable in length by moving the rods 10 relative to the housing 4. Said differently, the length of rods 10 may be adjusted to have greater length or lesser length extending from the upper portion of the housing 4. The length of rods 10 may be adjusted to allow rods 10 to contact an upper portion of a window frame when the window closing device 2 is installed on a vertical two-pane window. See
In addition, a secondary securement mechanism may be used. The secondary securement mechanism may be a string tied to a stationary or secure location above the window on which the window closing device 2 is installed, although examples are not so limited and any secondary securement mechanism may be used. The secondary securement mechanism may be used to prevent the window closing device 2 from falling if the attachment elements 8 come loose.
A timer 12 may be contained within the housing 4. The timer may be in communication with the motor 14 and thus to the actuator 6. More particularly, the actuator 6 may move, by the motor 14, when a condition is met at the timer 12. In some examples, the condition may be elapsed time, as measured at a processor 16 contained within the housing 4, as shown in
The window closing device 2 may further include a temperature sensor, which may be integrated with the timer 12. However, the temperature sensor may have a separate processor 18 contained within the housing, as shown in
In some instances, both the timer and the temperature sensor may be armed. In such examples, the actuator 6 may be moved by the motor 14 when either processor 16 determines that the input amount of time has elapsed or when processor 18 determines that the maximum or minimum temperature has been reached at the temperature sensor. When the timer and the temperature sensor are both used, the actuator 6 will move in response to whichever condition is satisfied first.
The timer 12 may further include an input to adjust a force limit. The force limit controls the amount of force used by the actuator 6 to close the window. In some examples, the amount of force may be increased if the window requires more force to be closed or decreased if the window requires less force. Optimally, the force limit ranges between thirty pounds and sixty pounds. When the force limit is adjusted, the force limit should be set to the lowest force that is able to close the window.
The rods 10 may then be adjusted by rotating or screwing them through the openings in housing 4. The rods 10 are adjusted such that the rods 10 contact a top portion of the two pane window 19. Specifically, as shown in
Once the window closing device 2 is installed on the upper pane 20, a bottom window 22 of the two pane window 19 is opened. The lower portion 22 is opened far enough that a lower portion 24 of the bottom window 22 contacts the far end of actuator 6. As shown in
The timer 12 contained within the housing 4 is accessible even when the bottom window 22 is opened, allowing the timer 12 to be armed. As previously discussed, the timer 12 may be armed by adjusting an amount of time to elapse and/or adjusting a temperature limit to be reached before activation of the actuator 6. In addition, a force limit may be adjusted at the timer 12.
In the foregoing detailed description of the present disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration how examples of the disclosure may be practiced. These examples are described in sufficient detail to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to practice the examples of this disclosure, and it is to be understood that other examples may be utilized and that process and/or structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
Elements shown in the various figures can be added, exchanged, and/or eliminated so as to provide a number of additional examples of the present disclosure. In addition, the proportion and relative scale of the elements provided in the figures are intended to illustrate the examples of the present disclosure and should not be taken in a limiting sense.
