Opening-closing device for windows

An opening/closing device for windows is disclosed, in which the windows can be opened in a tilt manner and a sliding manner selectively. The conventional windows can be opened either in a tilt manner or in a sliding manner, but they do not have the composite functions but only a single one. The present invention includes two composite functions, i.e., the tilt opening and slide opening. One ends of links 8 having guide rollers 9 are pivotally secured to an upper frame of the windows 2 and 3 which are accommodated within an outer frame 1. The guide roller 9 can move along a guide rail 11 which is formed on a top segment 1a of the outer frame 1. A sliding roller 12 with an auxiliary roller attached thereon is installed in a lower frame df of each of the windows 2 and 3, and the sliding roller 12 can move along a sliding rail 13 which is formed on a bottom segment 1b of the outer frame 1. A pair of locks 7 are provided on both ends of the upper frame uf of each of the windows 2 and 3 so as to lock or release the links 8. The locks 7 can be operated by means of a button 5 which is installed adjacently to a window knob 4. Thus the windows can be opened and closed in a tilt manner by manipulating the button 5, while, if the button is not touched, the links 8 are fixed to the windows, and therefore, the windows can be opened/closed in sliding manner.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to an opening/closing device for windows, in 
which the windows can be opened in a tilt manner and a sliding manner 
selectively. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
In an office building or an apartment building, windows are installed such 
that their opening/closing methods are diversified. 
That is, there are door type pivotal windows, tilt windows, and sliding 
windows. 
In the door type pivotal windows, a side frame of the window is secured to 
an outer frame by means of hinges, and the window is opened and closed 
pivotally around the hinges. These pivotal windows are widely used in the 
general residential houses, because they have a wide opening angle, and 
the air ventilation is good. However, they are poor in the sealing and 
safety characteristics against rain and wind, and therefore, they are not 
much employed in office buildings and apartment buildings. 
In the tilt window, the middle or arbitrary points of the left and right 
frames of the window are rotatably secured to the left and right sides of 
the outer frames. Thus the window is opened like scissors, in such a 
manner that the upper or lower portion of the window is opened 
projectingly in an inclined form. This window has good sealing and safety 
characteristics, and therefore, this window is used widely in the tall 
office buildings. However, its opening angle range is narrow, and 
therefore, the ventilation characteristics are not good. 
In the sliding window, sliding rollers are attached on the bottom of the 
window, so that the window can slide horizontally along a guide rail, and 
that the window can be opened horizontally. The opening space range of 
this window is greater than the tilt window, and therefore, it is widely 
used in the general houses. However, its sealing and safety 
characteristics against rain and wind are poor. 
Therefore, it is known that tall office buildings sometimes can employ the 
above described three types collectively. That is, two or three of them 
are combined in a selective manner. 
The present inventor developed an opening/closing device for window by 
combining the three opening functions of the window, that is, the pivotal 
opening, the tilt opening and the slide opening. This technique is 
disclosed in Korean Utility Model Publication No. 89-504 (entitled 
"Multi-Function Window") 
In this multi-function window, two guide grooves are parallelly formed on 
the upper outer frame, while the lower frame is formed in a stepped shape. 
A hinge with a guide roller attached thereon is attached on the upper 
frame of the window, so that the guide roller can move along the guide 
grooves of the upper outer frame. Further sliding rollers are installed on 
the both ends of the lower frame of the window, so that the window can be 
opened through the guide rollers and the sliding rollers when opening the 
window horizontally. Meanwhile when the window is opened in a pivotal 
manner, the window is opened by being supported by one end of the upper 
hinge and the lower roller. Meanwhile, when the window is opened in the 
tilted manner, the window is opened by being supported by the upper hinge. 
That is, in this prior art, the three window opening types are selectively 
used, but its structure is complicated, and the manufacturing cost is too 
high, as well as being liable to disorders. 
The present inventor disclosed another technique in which a single window 
is installed within an outer frame, so that the window can be opened in a 
tilted manner and in a pivotal manner. That is, in this window, two 
opening types are combined, and this technique is proposed in Korean 
Utility Model Publication No. 91-1118 (entitled "Window opening/closing 
device"). 
In this window opening/closing device, the upper frame of a single window 
which is installed within the outer frame is fixed to the both ends of a 
link having a certain length. Further, a lock is used to secure or release 
the link to and from the window frame. There is installed a detachable and 
couplable hinge on a sealing portion of the window. Thus, when the window 
is opened in a tilted manner, the link plays the role, while when the 
window is opened in a pivotal manner, the hinge plays the role. In this 
window, two composite functions can be selectively used, but the lever 
mechanism which selectively couples and separates the link and the hinge 
is complicated, and therefore, the manufacturing cost is high. Further, a 
large number of components are involved, and therefore, it is liable to 
disorders. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is intended to overcome the above described 
disadvantages of the conventional techniques. 
Therefore it is the object of the present invention to provide a 
opening/closing device for window, in which two windows installed within 
an outer frame can be opened and closed by selecting two functions, i.e., 
a tilt opening manner and slide opening manner. 
In achieving the above object, the device of the present invention is 
constituted as follows. 
That is, two guide rails are formed in parallel with each other on the 
upper segment of the outer frame, and two sliding rails are installed in 
parallel with each other on the lower segment of the outer frame. The 
guide rail is provided with a web in which a hole is formed for receiving 
an auxiliary rail. 
Further, two links having guide rollers on other ends are pivotally 
symmetrically secured to the upper frame of each of the two windows which 
are installed within the outer frame. The guide rollers are inserted into 
the guide rail, so that they can move horizontally without detachment. 
On the lower frame each of the window, there are installed two sliding 
rollers together with coil springs by means of shafts in a horizontally 
slidable manner, so that the windows can horizontally slide along a 
sliding rail. Thus a roller mechanism is formed, and the sliding rail is 
formed on the bottom of the outer frame. 
On a side of a supporting plate for the sliding roller mechanism, there is 
installed an auxiliary roller, so that it can slide along the web of the 
rail. When the window is closed, the auxiliary roller is inserted into a 
hole of the guide rail, and the sliding roller moves inward owing to the 
elastic force of the coil spring, with the result that the two windows 
closely approached together. When the window is opened, the auxiliary 
roller departs from the hole to move along the web of the guide rail, with 
the result that the windows maintain a gap from each other, thereby 
preventing the wear of a sealing packing. 
Locks for securing and releasing the links to and from the frame are 
installed on the both end portions of the upper frame of the window. The 
locks can be operated by means of a button and a rod, and the button is 
disposed near a knob of the window. 
Therefore, if the button is not pressed, the window can be only slidably 
opened and closed, while if the button is pressed, the links are released, 
and the window can be opened and closed in a tilted manner. 
The constitution of the present invention is simple compared with the 
conventional ones, and therefore, the manufacturing cost is lowered. 
Further, the tilt opening manner and the slide opening manner can be 
selectively used. Further, the sealing characteristics against rains and 
winds as well as the safety characteristics are superior. Further, the 
opening range is large, and therefore, the air ventilation becomes 
acceptable.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The window according to the present invention includes two functions, i.e., 
a tilt opening and a slide opening, and the two functions can be 
selectively used. 
An upper segment 1a of an outer frame 1 is provided with two guide rails 11 
side by side, and two sliding rails 13 are formed on a lower segment 1b of 
the outer frame 1 side by side. The outer edges of the upper and lower 
segments 1a and 1b are respectively provided with flanges 1c and 1c' to 
keep off rain drops. The rail 13 is provided with a web 19, and the web 19 
is provided with a hole 20 to receive an auxiliary rail. 
As shown in FIG. 3, in the guide rails 11 and the sliding rails 13, there 
is a height difference of one step between the inner rail and the outer 
rail, so that windows 2 and 3 can be tilt-opened outwardly. Therefore, as 
can be seen in FIG. 6, the width of the outer window 3 is greater than 
that of the inner window 2. 
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, one ends of a pair of links 8 are connected 
through a supporting shaft 9a to a pair of guide rollers 9 respectively, 
while the other ends of the links 8 are pivotally connected through 
supporting pins 8a to holes 8b and 8c and to the upper frame uf 
respectively in a symmetric relation. The guide rollers 9 which are 
connected to the links 8 are installed into the guide rails 11 which are 
formed on the upper segment 1a of the outer frame 1. 
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, on the bottoms of lower frame df of the windows 
2 and 3, there are installed a pair of sliding roller mechanisms 16, in 
such a manner that the windows can be maintained horizontally. A sliding 
roller 12 of the roller mechanism 16 is laid upon the sliding rail 13 
which is installed on the lower segment 1b of the outer frame 1. 
The sliding roller mechanism 16 is installed in the following manner. That 
is, the sliding roller 12 is secured through a supporting shaft 14 to a 
supporting plate 16a, and the sliding roller 12 can horizontally moved 
together with a coil spring 15. On a side of the supporting plate 16a, 
there is installed a supporting plate 17a of an auxiliary roller 17. As 
shown in FIG. 5B, this auxiliary roller 17 moves along the web 19 of the 
sliding rail 13, and at the same time, maintains a gap c between the two 
windows 2 and 3, so that a seal packing sg of the windows is prevented 
from being worn off. 
When the windows are closed, as shown in FIG. 5A, the auxiliary roller 17 
enters into the hole 20 of the web 19 of the sliding rail 13. 
Consequently, owing to the elastic force of the coil spring 15, the 
sliding roller 12 is biased inward, with the result that the windows 2 and 
3 are closely approached together, thereby preventing the intrusion of 
rains and winds. 
As shown in FIG. 3, on the both end portions of the upper frames uf of the 
windows 2 and 3, there are installed locks 7 for locking or releasing the 
links 8 to and from the upper frame uf. The lock 7 is operated by means of 
a button 5 which is installed adjacently to a window knob 4. The button 5 
is operable through a rod 6 which extends through the interiors of the 
frames df and uf. In accordance with the manipulation of the button 5, the 
lock 7 protrudes and withdraws to and from the outside of the frame uf, 
and is inserted into a locking hole 8h of the link 8, so as to be locked 
or released to and from the frame uf. 
The opening/closing device for windows of the present invention constituted 
as above will now be described as to its actuation. 
As can be seen in FIG. 6, when the two windows 2 and 3 installed within the 
outer frame 1 are closed, the two windows 2 and 3 approach to each other, 
and therefore, the sealing characteristics of the window become good owing 
to the close contact of the sealing packings sg. That is, the sealing 
packings sg are closely contacted to the flanges 1c and 1c' of the outer 
frame 1, and therefore, the intrusion of rains and winds through the 
windows can be effectively prevented. 
FIGS. 1 and 7 illustrate an opening state of the windows in a tilt manner, 
by being opened from a state with the windows sealingly closed. First, the 
button 5 which is installed adjacently to the window knob 4 of the window 
is pressed. Then owing to the function of the button, the rod 6 performs 
an interlocking movement so as to release the lock 7 from the locking hole 
8h of the link 8 and to be inserted into the upper frame uf of the window, 
thereby releasing the link 8 from a locked state to a released state. 
Under this condition, as shown in FIG. 1, the upper portions of the windows 
2 and 3 are pushed outward so as for them to be opened. Under this 
condition, the links 8 of the windows 2 and 3 are protruded from the outer 
frame 1 owing to the functions of the rollers 9 and the supporting shaft 
8a, thereby inclinedly opening the windows outward. Meanwhile, the sliding 
rollers 12 which are installed on the bottoms of the windows support the 
inclining of the windows by being supported by the sliding rails 13. Thus 
the windows 2 and 3 are inclinedly opened, so that the air ventilation may 
be sufficiently carried out. 
In another embodiment, if the links 8 of the windows 2 and 3 are installed 
on the bottom frames df of the windows, then the lower portions of the 
windows are opened with an opposite inclination angle. 
As shown in FIG. 5, in an initial state when the windows are initially 
closed, the auxiliary roller 17 of the lower portion of the window is 
inserted into the hole 20 of the web 19 of the sliding rail 13. Therefore, 
when the windows 2 and 3 are being outwardly opened, the auxiliary roller 
17 freely moves within the hole 20 as shown in FIG. 7, and therefore, the 
auxillary roller 17 does not act as an impediment during the inclined 
opening of the windows. Further, the contact point between the sliding 
roller 12 and the sliding rail 13 corresponds to the supporting point for 
maintaining the opening angle, and therefore, the tilt opening of the 
window can be realized in a smooth manner. 
FIG. 2 illustrates the window of the present invention showing the slide 
opening of the windows 2 and 3. 
In this case, the windows 2 and 3 are opened in a horizontally sliding 
manner in any direction as in the case of the ordinary windows. Under this 
condition, the guide rollers 9 slide horizontally together with the 
windows 2 and 3 along the guide rails 11 which are formed on the upper 
segment 1a of the outer frame 1. Meanwhile, the sliding rollers 12 roll 
along the sliding rails 13 which are installed on the lower segment 1b of 
the outer frame 1, with the result that the windows are opened in the 
desired direction. 
The auxiliary roller 17 which has been inserted into the hole 20 of the web 
19 of the sliding rail 13 as shown in FIG. 8 in a closed state departs 
from the hole 20 along the guide plate 19a in the initial opening stage as 
shown in FIG. 9, and moves along the web 19 of the sliding rail 13. 
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5B, the sliding rollers 12 compress the coil 
springs 15 to be biased leftward along the supporting shafts 14. 
Consequently, the two windows 2 and 3 form a gap between each other so as 
to slide smoothly as shown in FIG. 9. 
Thus, during the moving of the windows, there is formed a gap between the 
windows owing to the auxiliary roller 17, and therefore, the sealing 
packings which are attached on the edges of the windows are prevented from 
being put to frictions, and from being worn. Therefore, the sealing of the 
windows can be maintained for a long time. 
Further, the device of the present invention can be installed on the two 
windows, and the structure is simple. Further, the windows are provided 
two functions, i.e., the tilt opening and the slide opening, and 
therefore, the windows can be selectively opened by employing any one of 
the two functions. 
Further, the safety characteristics and the rain and wind sealing 
characteristics of the windows are very high, and therefore, the device of 
the present invention can be installed on tall office buildings and 
apartment buildings.