PIVOTABLE GLAZING FOR A BALCONY

Abstract: The invention relates to a pivotable glazing for a balcony. There are previously known balcony glazings which comprise four or more panes which move in an overlapping manner on two adjacent tracks. Such a structure requires considerable sealing and frame structures which detract from the outer appearance of the building. Furthermore, the balcony aperture can be opened at maximum 50 %, and it is difficult to wash the outer surfaces of the panes. According to the present invention, these disadvantages are eliminated by fitting all the panes of glass adjacently in the same double-rail track. At the upper edge of each movable glass pane (1) there are two slides (3, 4), of which one moves on a straight outer rail and the other on an inner rail, which curves inwards and towards the side wall (13) of the balcony. Within the curved portion (18) of the inner rail the trailing edge of the pane turns inwards and the pane can be opened against the side wall (13) of the balcony. In this manner it is possible to move one or more panes away from the opening of the balcony. The panes can also be pivoted 180 DEG , in which case a heat-reflective surface (19) can be turned so as to face outwards or inwards, according to need. At the lower edge of the pane there are slides, sliding on the lower track, one of the slides separating from the track when the pane turns inwards.

Description: Pivotable glazing for a balcony The present invention relates to a pivotable glazing for a balcony, such as it has been defined in the preamble of Claim 1. The protecting of balcony spaces with glass is becoming more common. In the northern climate, effective use of an open-air balcony is limited to a rather short summer sea¬ son. By installing glass panes on the open side of the balcony it is possible to multiply the usability of the balcony. By means of glass panes which cover the open wall opening, the air temperature on the balcony can be in¬ creased, and at the same time the penetration of wind, noise and dust into the balcony can be prevented. On the other hand, sunshine may also cause excessive heat in sum¬ mer time on a balcony facing south or southwest and may thus hamper the use of the balcony, in which case it is advantageous to prevent sun rays from entering the balcony. In present-day constructions, the glazing of a balcony is made up of four or more panes which slide in an overlapping manner, on two tracks, at the head and the base. Such a construction has several deficiencies: The front wall of the balcony can be opened at most 50 %, in which case excessive heat will constitute a problem in summer time; the washing of the outside surface of the panes is diffi¬ cult. The panes must be lifted out of place, which consti¬ tutes a risk, or the panes must be washed from the outside, which is also dangerous; the sealing of overlapping glass surfaces imposes its own requirements, the panes must be equipped with a sturdy frame, in which case the glazing will substantially change the appearance of the faςade of the building. The construction according to the present invention elimi¬ nates the above-mentioned disadvantages, and it is charac¬ terized primarily by what is disclosed in the characteriz¬ ing clause of Claim 1. The construction according to the invention thus has as its starting point a pivotable glazing, which comprises two or more movable panes, preferably covering the entire width of the balcony; these panes slide on upper and lower tracks secured to the ceiling structures and respectively to the balustrade structures of the balcony. At the upper edge of each pane there is a profile having at least two slides at a distance from each other and rotating about their verti¬ cal axes; one of these slides runs on the straight outer rail of the upper track and the other one runs on the inner rail, which turns inwards " and to the side. At the lower edge of each pane there is a profile having slides rotating about their vertical axes, these slides moving on the lower track of the balcony. According to the invention, the inner rail of the upper track is curved in shape so that in the main it has approx¬ imately the shape of a circle arc the center point of which is close to the corner of the balcony balustrade and the side wall and the radius of which is at maximum equal to the pane width. By means of this arrangement, a pane to be moved can be guided within the curved portion of the inner rail in such a way that the pane surface facing inwards will lead the movement and will settle against the side wall, and further back to the initial position or to a 180° pivoted position, in which the side which originally faced inwards will face outwards. The slide which is at the lower edge of the pane in the turning part of the pane is fitted so as to separate from the lower track when the pane turns inwards from the upper inner rail. According to a preferred embodiment, the curved rail por¬ tion of the inner rail forms a gently curving inverted S- shape. Thus the pivoting movement will consist of a slow, flexible initial turning, an even middle movement which follows the arc of a circle, and finally a slow, turning and pushing movement. The curved portion of the inner rail is preferably spaced apart from the side wall in such a manner that, when ne¬ cessary, the panes can be removed. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, of the slides at the upper edge the one which moves on the outer rail is located at that end or close to that end of the upper edge which is closer to the curved rail portion, and the other slide is located ' at the other end of the upper edge or at some distance from the other end. Thus the edge leading the movement of the pane will slide along the outer rail all the way to a point close to the side wall, and the opposite edge of the pane will begin to turn inwards when the slide moving on the inner rail arrives at the curved portion. The slides at the lower edge are preferably located at the two ends of the lower edge, preferably at points corre¬ sponding to those of the slides at the upper edge. The non- separating slide is shaped so as to surround the upper portion of the lower track, and the separating slide is shaped so as not to engage the back wall of the lower track, while it on both sides surrounds the front wall of the lower track. In the wall of the lower track there is an aperture at the point where the separating slide is to separate from the lower track because of the pivoting move¬ ment. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, one or both of the side panes are hinged to the side wall of the balcony. In general, however, only that side pane which is on the same side as the curved rail portion is hinged to the side wall, the other side pane being provided with slides at its upper and lower edges, as are the panes in the middle. At the upper edge of the hinged side pane, preferably at the middle of the edge, there is a slide which is fitted to slide on a track fixed to the ceiling of the balcony, the track having the shape of a quadrant and running from the upper track to the side wall of the balcony. When the side pane is being detached from its hinges, for example, in order to be pivoted 180° r the slide sliding on the said track supports the pane. At both ends of the upper edge of the hinged pane there are advantageously rollers rotating about their vertical axes. These facilitate the pivoting of the side pane 180° by rol¬ ling on the one hand against the side wall and on the other hand against the flange of the upper track . According to a preferred embodiment of the invention there are seals at the upper and lower edges of the panes, pref¬ erably brush seals. The seal of the upper edge seals against the upper track in the horizontal direction and the seal of the lower edge seals against the lower track in the vertical direction. The upper edge has preferably seals v/hich extend inwards and outwards, and at all times the one which extends towards the sealable part of the upper track will be in operation. In the side walls of the balcony there are preferably butt seals against which the vertical edges- of the side panes will settle so as to form a seal. Alternatively, the verti¬ cal edges of the side panes are provided with butt seals which will settle against the side walls so as to form a seal. Between the panes there are also vertical seals, which are preferably fitted so that the side panes and, furthermore, every second pane are without seals, and the panes in between are provided with vertical seals, prefer¬ ably butt seals. Thus there is always a seal between two adjacent panes, regardless of how the pane is turned. Balcony glazing thus formed is easy to manufacture and easy to install, and it is a very reliable structure which in¬ volves no reliability risks in its use or installation. The panes are placed on one line, owing to which the ver¬ tical sealing can be carried out using small-scale and barely visible sealing. Actual frames are not needed if what is used is tempered or laminated glass or plastic sheets usable for such purposes. The front wall of the balcony can be opened electively at any point, from 0 to 100 %. The panes can be assembled into a small cluster inside the balcony, at v/hich time practically none of the glazing is visible from outside the building. The panes pivot, supported on the tracks, in such a way that the washing of their outer surfaces can also be con¬ veniently carried out from inside the balcony. Supported by the track system, the panes can be pivoted 180°. Advantage can be taken of this by using as glazing a glass which reflects heat rays, so-called selective glass, which on one side lets through almost all heat rays of the sun and on the other side reflects a large proportion of the heat rays away from the pane. Thus it is possible, when so desired, to prevent the radiation of heat away from the balcony space or from the outside into the balcony space. One preferred embodiment of the invention is described below in the form of an example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 depicts a pivotable glazing of a balcony in the state in which it covers the balcony opening. Figure 2 depicts the balcony ceiling, as seen from below, showing the side wall of the balcony, the upper track for the glazing, with its curved angle part, the bearing track for the hinged pane, and three different panes of glass at different positions of pivoting towards the open position, Figure 3 depicts the same as Figure 2, but the three dif¬ ferent panes in different pivoting positions towards the closed position, Figure 4 depicts a vertical section of a movable glass pane with its upper and lower profiles and its upper and lower tracks, Figure 5 depicts a vertical section through the lower track and the non-separating slide. Figure 6 depicts a vertical section through the lower track and the separating slide. Figure 7 depicts a horizontal section of the seal between the non-hinged side pane and the side wall of the balcony, and Figure 8 depicts a horizontal section of the seal between two adjacent panes of glass. In the various figures the corresponding parts are indi¬ cated by the same reference numerals. The glazing shown in Figure 1 comprises three panes; the left-side side pane and the middle panes being indicated by 1 and the right-side side pane, which is hinged, being indicated by 2. The slides at the upper edges of the movable panes 1, the slides being casters, are indicated by 3 and 4. The former is a caster moving on the inner rail and the latter a cast- er moving on the outer rail. The upper profile of the pane is indicated by 5 and the upper track by 6, and the hinge lock of the upper edge of the hinged pane by 7. Numeral 8 indicates the lower profile of a pane of glass and numeral 9 the lower track. Numeral 9a indicates an aperture in the flange of the lower track 9, through which aperture the slide 10a will separate when the pane pivots. The slides at the lower edges of the movable panes 1 are indicated by 10 and 10a. The slide 10 is a non-separating slide at the leading end of the lower edge, and slide 10a is the sepa¬ rating slide at the trailing end. Numeral 11 indicates the brush seal of the lower edge and numeral 12 the hinge lock of the lower edge of the hinged pane. Numerals 13, 14 and 15 indicate the balcony side wall, ceiling and the balus¬ trade of the balcony in question and, respectively, of the balcony of the upper story. Numeral 16 indicates the bear¬ ing slide, which is a caster, of the hinged pane, and nu¬ meral 17 indicates the track, guiding the caster 16, of the hinged pane 2. Numeral 18 indicates the curved portion of the inner upper rail. Numeral 19 indicates the reflecting surface of the selective glass. Numerals 20 indicate the casters, at the ends of the upper edge of the hinged pane 2, facilitating the pivoting of the pane 180°. Numerals 21- 24 indicate the various sealing parts so that 21 indicates the inside and outside brush seal of the upper edge of a pane, numeral 22 indicates the butt and seal strip in the side wall of the balcony, numeral 23 the butt and seal strip between panes, and numeral 24 the rubber seal which comes against the butt and seal strip. During the cold season and at other times when it is de¬ sired to protect the inside space of the balcony from out¬ side air, the panes 1 and 2 of the glazing are kept as shown in Figure 1. When only a small airing aperture or the like is desired, the right-side hinged side pane 2 is opened inwards. In this case the roller 16 rolls in the suspension track 17 of the hinged pane 2. When it is de¬ sired to open a larger aperture, one or more of the other panes is moved to the right, whereupon they will pivot in¬ wards when the trailing caster 3 comes within the curved portion of the inner rail, as shown in Figure 2. A pane pivots inwards first slowly, then faster, and is finally pushed along the almost straight portion of the rail 18, towards the side wall. Thus one or more panes 1 will settle against the side pane 2 and the side wall 13. When turned inwards, the panes are also easy to wash. If a pane is of selective glass, it is possible to choose which side is the outside surface. It is easy to pivot the movable panes 1 in the area of the curved rail in such a manner that they will pivot 180°. When a pane 1 is in a position turned close to the side wall 13, its travel direction can be changed so that the edge which was previously the leading edge will again be the leading edge, as shown in Figure 3. Thus the reflecting glass surface 19, which was previously outwards, will now be turned inwards. The hinged pane can also be pivoted 180°. In this case the hinge locks 7 and 12 of the pane 2 are detached and the pane is pivoted, supported by its bearing caster 16, so that the hinged edge will slide along the upper track, while the opposite edge will slide along the side wall 13 of the balcony. After the pivoting, the previously free edge will be the hinged edge. The casters 20 at the upper edge of the hinged pane facilitate the pivoting by rolling along the flange of the upper track and along the side wall of the balcony. As to the hardware, it can be mentioned that the casters 3 and 4, and the slides 10 and 10a, are mounted rotatably in the profiles 5 and 8 of the panes. The profiles of the upper and lower edges are preferably identical. The pro¬ files have suitable fastening points for the different seals, and they have been designed so that rainwater cannot pass through the profile to inside the hardware but drips off. In the profiles 5 and 8, which are preferably identi¬ cal, there are inner and outer flanges of different heights so that the fastening hole in the glass should be on one side uncovered and a corresponding hole would thus be easier to drill in the higher flange of the profile. The upper track is double-grooved, forming thus an inner rail and an outer rail. The lower track is provided with flanges, being preferably a T rail. The inner flange has an aperture 9a at the point where the separating slide 10a separates from the track for pivoting. The slides 10 and 10a differ from each other so that the former has over its entire length the shape of an inverted U, surrounding the track 9, whereas the slide 10a lacks the rear flange but in its front flange there is added a hook-shaped piece which surrounds the inner flange of the track. The inner flange may also be turned upwards, in which case the front flange of the corresponding slide is straight. To the slide 10a there is additionally connected a lug-like handle by means of which the slide 10a can be turned 180° if the pane is pivoted 180°, in order for the slide to be in the correct position relative to the track 9. The caster 3 running on the upper inner rail is preferably always fixed at the same distance from the other caster 4, owing to which the shape of the curved portion of the inner rail is constant in all structures. The caster 4 moving on the outer rail is pref¬ erably at the edge of the pane so that the panes, when assembled on the side, will not extend outside the pane frame. The caster moving on the inner rail is at a constant distance from the caster 4. The distance between the caster 3 and the pane edge on that side is dependent on the width of the pane. One embodiment of a pivotable glazing according to the in- vention is described above. It is, however, clear that the details of the hardware can be varied in a plurality of ways. When the pivotable glazing according to the invention is applied to a balcony which is not completely drawn in, it is clear that certain details must be designed in a different way. However, the panes which can according to the invention be pivoted and assembled inside the balcony constitute the main idea of the invention and are present in all the various embodiments.

Claims: Claims 1. A pivotable glazing for a balcony, comprising two or more movable panes (1, 2) , which preferably cover the en¬ tire width of the balcony and slide on upper and lower tracks (6, 9) secured to the ceiling (14) and respectively the balustrade (15) of the balcony and the upper edge of which has a profile (5) having at least two slides (3, 4), at a distance from each other and rotating about their vertical axes, one of the slides running along the straight outer rail of the upper track and the other along the inner rail, which turns inwards and to the side, and the lower edge of which panes has a profile (8) having at least one slide (10), which rotates about its vertical axis, is lo¬ cated on the same vertical line as the slide (4) running on the outer rail of the upper edge and slides on the lower track (9) of the balcony, characterized in that the curva¬ ture of the curved portion (18) of the upper inner rail has in the main approximately the shape of a circle arc the center point of which is close to the corner of the balcony balustrade (15) and the side wall (13) and the radius of which is approximately equal to the ' mutual distance between the slides (3 and 4) in the upper track (6), in which case the movable pane, when moving supported by the slide (4) running on the upper outer rail and by the slide (3) run¬ ning on the curved portion (18) of the upper inner rail, will turn 90° about the pivot axis formed by the slide (4) in the upper outer rail and the slide (10) in the lower track, and the pane surface facing inwards will lead the movement and settle against the side wall (13) , and that the slide (4) in the upper outer rail is located at that end of the upper edge of the pane, or close to that end, which is closer to the curved rail portion (18), and the slide (3) in the upper inner rail is located at a distance from the other end of the upper edge or at its other end. 2. A glazing according to Claim 1, characterized in that the curved rail portion (18) forms a gently curving in¬ verted S-shape. 3. A glazing according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the curved rail portion (18) is spaced apart from the side wall (13) . 4. A glazing according to any of the above claims, char¬ acterized in that at the lower edge of the pane there is a second slide (10a), which is located in the same vertical line as the slide (3) running on the upper inner rail, and is fitted so as to separate from the lower track (9) when the pane pivots inwards. 5. A glazing according to Claim 4, characterized in that the slide (10) not separating from the lower track (9) is shaped so as to surround the upper portion of the lower track (9) and that the slide (10a) separating from the lower track is designed so as to surround only the front wall of the lower track and is thus able to separate from the lower 'track at the aperture (9a) in the front wall of the track. 6. A glazing according to Claim 4, characterized in that the slide (10a) separating from the lower track can be turned 180° relative to the pane surface. 7. A glazing according to any of Claims 1-5, character¬ ized in that one or both of the side panes (2) is/are hinged to the side wall (13) of the balcony. 8. A glazing according to Claim 7, characterized in that at the upper edge of the hinged pane (2) , preferably at its middle, there is a slide (16) which is fitted to run on a track which is secured to the ceiling (14) of the balcony, has the shape of a quadrant and runs from the upper track to the side wall (13) of the balcony. 9. A glazing according to Claim 8, characterized in that the hinged panes (2) can be detached from their hinges (7, 12) and be pivoted 180°, at which time the slide (16) at the upper edge will bear the pane. 10. A glazing according.to Claim 9, characterized in that at both ends of the upper edge of the hinged pane (2) there are casters (20) rotating about their vertical axes, to facilitate the pivoting. 11. A device according to any of the above claims, charac¬ terized in that at the upper edge of the panes there is a seal (21) extending both outwards and inwards, preferably a brush seal, and that at the lower edge of the panes there is a seal (11) extending downwards, preferably a brush seal. 12. A glazing according to any of the above claims, char¬ acterized in that in the side walls (13) of the balcony there is a seal (22), preferably a butt seal, against which the vertical edges settle so as to form a seal. 13. A glazing according to any of Claims 1-11, character¬ ized in that the edges of the sidemost panes have a seal, preferably a butt seal, which settles against the side wall (13) so as to form a seal. 14. A glazing according to Claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the panes of glass are odd in number, and that every second pane is without any vertical seal, and that every second pane has at both vertical edges a seal (23), preferably butt seal.

Inventors: KARHU NIILO VILHELM, KARHU, NIILO, VILHELM
Applicants: LEMMINKAEINEN OY
Application year: 1988
Main classification: E06B3
IPC codes: E05D15, E06B3