DOOR OR WINDOW

Abstract: Simulation of glazed panes framed along a lower margin by two substantially horizontal beads (17), joined by a first upwardly arched central portion (19), along an upper margin by a second arched portion (20) defining corner recesses with the side frame members (14) and the top frame member (13), and also framed by beads (22) extending between the inner and outer arched portions (19, 20). The second arched portion (20) is formed by a bead portion interlocked at each end (20a) to a respective side frame member (14) and at its apex to the top frame member (13), and infill panels (21) are located in the corner recesses.

Description: DOOR OR WINDOW This invention relates to a door or window which includes one or more glazed units, and when in window form may comprise an openable window or a fixed window. For convenience, a door or window to which the invention may be applied will be referred to hereinafter as a "building panel". However, the invention has been developed primarily in connection with a door having one or more glazed units incorporated therein, for the purposes of admitting external light to pass through the door, and seeks to provide a door frame made of extruded plastics, preferably UPVC, to form the structure of the door, but which can incorporate glazing framed in such a way as to mimic styles traditionally only available with wood framed doors. Examples of traditional style of wood doors include a "fan light" or half moon effect, and which appears as a separate unit, or which forms a semi-circular top to a traditional appearance of separate rectangular panes arranged side by side and in vertical columns, separated by profiled wooden beads. Traditional styles available in wood remain popular, but there exists a significant commercial potential for traditional styles to be provided using modern and substantially maintenance free materials, such as UPVC, to form the structural part of the door previously made of wood in traditional designs of door. However, in seeking to fulfil this requirement, there are two conflicting considerations to be taken into account. Thus, the use of modern materials necessarily involves mass production techniques to minimise labour costs in manufacture and assembly, whereas the traditional styles previously available in wood required time and skill to produce, and therefore it is a difficult design and manufacturing task to provide a commercially acceptable mimicking of traditional styles using extruded plastics material to form the structure of the door. Attempts made to date have a relatively high labour and skill content to provide a commercially acceptable product, and the invention therefore seeks to provide an improved design of building panel, and more especially a door, having one or more glazed units incorporated therein, and which successfully mimics traditional and other styles of framing of glazed unit(s), but in a way which minimises the need for repeated application of special skills i.e. the inherent design enables reliable mass production on a repeatable basis of an acceptable finished product without the need for special craft skills in assembly. According to the invention there is provided a building panel comprising a rectangular frame of extruded plastics having a generally horizontal top frame member interconnecting two side frame members at two upper corner joints, a glazed unit mounted in the frame, and a simulation of glazed panes framed along a lower margin by two substantially horizontal beads spaced apart at their inner ends and joined by a first upwardly arched central portion, along an upper margin by a second arched portion upstanding from the outer ends of the horizontal beads and defining corner recesses with the side frame members and the top frame member, and also framed by beads extending between the inner and outer arched portions and circumferentially spaced along said portions: in which the second arched portion is formed by a bead portion interlocked at each end to a respective side frame member and at its apex to the top frame member, and infill panels are located in said corner recesses. The invention is preferably applied to the manufacture of a door, and therefore enables traditional door glass pane styles to be mimicked, while utilising extruded plastics material e.g. UPVC to form the structural components of the door. Conveniently, a rectangular glazed unit, preferably a double glazed unit, is mounted in the upper part of the frame, with a top horizontal edge being mounted closely adjacent to the top frame member, and the two upright sides of the unit being mounted closely adjacent to the two upright side frame members in the regions thereof which run to make a jointed connection with the top frame member. The horizontal beads, the first and second arched portions, and the beads extending between the arched portions then overlie the glazed unit and provide a simulation of framing of glazed panes to suit any required style. By way of example only, each of the arched portions may be semi¬ circular, so that the simulated pane formation is half moon shape, with beads extending radially between the inner and outer arched portions to simulate a "fan light" effect if desired. Conveniently, the inner arched portion is formed by the upper periphery of a semi-circular decorative infill panel, in which this periphery is profiled to adopt, or to mount, a general bead profile. The decorative infill panel may be located in position by a locking engagement along its lower edge with a horizontal frame member interconnecting the side frame members and spaced downwardly from the top frame member, and further securement in position of the panel may be achieved by adhesive means applied to the inner face of the panel e.g. using double sided tape which can adhere the panel directly to the underlying glazed unit. When the simulation of the glazed panes comprises a generally half moon effect, the infill panels located in each of the corner recesses have horizontal top edges and vertical side edges to lie alongside the top frame member and the two side frame members, and have curved sides facing inwardly which correspond with the curvature of the outer arch portion. These infill panels can be located in position by any suitable means, such as adhesive means on their undersides which can adhere the panels directly to the underlying glazed unit e.g. by use of double sided tape. Other styles of glazed panes which can be simulated include traditional glazed door styles having a semi-circular top or half moon shape, with individual pane simulations framed by suitably arranged glazing beads, and which is arranged on a horizontal and vertical stack of pane simulations provided by overlying vertical and horizontal beads. Two embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which; Figure 1 is a front elevation of a traditional timber door design with a glazed unit incorporated therein, and to which the invention may be applied using extruded plastics material to form the structural components of the door; Figure 2 is a detail view, to an enlarged scale, of a first embodiment of building panel according to the invention in the form of an openable door; Figure 3 is a further enlarged view of a portion of the structure shown in Figure 2; "Figure 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 in Figure 2; Figure 5 is a section taken on 5-5 in Figure 2; Figure 6 is an elevation of a further traditional timber door design style which may be simulated by a second embodiment of building panel according to the invention made of extruded plastics material; Figure 7 is a detail front view, to an enlarged scale, of the second embodiment; Figure 8 is a further enlarged view of a portion of the structure shown in Figure 7; and, Figure 9 is a section taken on the line 9-9 in Figure 7. Referring now to the drawings, there will be described two embodiments of building panel according to the invention, and taking the form of openable doors having main structural parts made of extruded plastics material, and incorporating one or more glazed units and having a simulation of glazed panes framed by overlying bead portions. Referring first to Figures 1 to 5, an openable door 10 is shown having decorative panels 11 incorporated therein, in the form of inwardly recessed or slightly outwardly projecting panels, and also having a glazed unit 12 in its upper portion, having the appearance of a semi-circular or half moon effect of separately glazed panes. The door 10 comprises a rectangular frame of extruded plastics having a generally horizontal top frame member 13 interconnecting two side frame members 14 at two upper corner joints 15, and a glazed unit 16 mounted in the upper part of the frame and taking the form of a rectangular double glazed unit 16 whose rectangular outer periphery is shown in dashed outline in Figure 2. The embodiment of the invention provides a simulation of separately glazed panes apparent from the illustration of the half moon effect 12 in Figure 1, and this is achieved by providing a framing along a lower margin of glazed unit 16 by two substantially horizontal beads 17 spaced apart at their inner ends 18 and joined by a first upwardly arched central portion 19. The simulation of the upper framing of the half moon effect 12 is achieved by providing an overlying upper margin formed by a second arched portion 20 upstanding from the outer ends 17a of the horizontal beads 17. In the arrangement shown in Figure 2, both the first arched portion 19 forming part of the lower margin, and the second arched portion 20 forming the upper margin are generally semi¬ circular in shape, but this is by way of example only, and generally arch shaped structures may be provided by other shapes than circular e.g. elliptical, or interconnected straight bead portions each forming a chord of a circle. The arched portion 19 is shaped in a bead like profile, and which is provided along a semi-circular outer periphery of a decorative infill panel 21, whereas arched portion 20, in the illustrated embodiment, is formed by a separately formed bead or beads, extruded initially in rectilinear form, and then bent to a required formation after being dipped into a hot oil bath, and which upon cooling maintains the form into which it has been bent. The simulation of glazed panes, of the design shown by reference 12 in Figure 1 , is completed by provision of overlying and generally radially extending beads 22 which extend between and which interconnect arched portions 19 and 20. Although not shown in Figure 2, the second arched portion 20 is formed by a bead portion or portions interlocked at each of its lower ends 20a (by means not shown in detail) to a respective one of the side frame members 14, whereas its apex is interlocked to the top frame member 13 by any suitable means, one example of which only is shown in the section on 4-4 of Figure 2 in Figure 4, comprising bead flange 23 seated in channel 24 formed along the underside of top frame member 13. Figure 4 also shows a typical profile of a bead 25 which can take up the shape of the second arched portion 20 shown in Figure 2. Referring again to Figure 2, it can be seen that the second arch portion 20 defines with the top frame member 13 and the upper portions of the side frame members 14 three- sided recesses, of which two sides comprise two sides of a right angled triangle, and of which the hypotenuse is a curved side of a shape matching the curvature of second arched portion 20. Decorative infill panels 26 are located in these corner recesses by any convenient means, including mechanical interference fit, and preferably with some form of adhesion on the underfaces to adhere the panels 26 to the underlying glazed units 16. Also, if required, panels may have an interlock (not shown) with bead 25. Figure 5 is a section taken on 5-5 in Figure 2, and the left hand side of Figure 5 will be the outer face of the door, and the right hand side will be the inside face of the door. Semi—circular decorative infill panel 21 on the outer face is latched into position in the frame by a locking engagement of a flange 27 seated in a groove 28 formed along the upper edge of an intermediate horizontal frame member 29 which interconnects the side frame members 14 at a position spaced vertically downwards from the top frame member 13. The location and securement in position of the panel 21 is completed by use of any suitable adhesive means e.g. double sided tape 30 which adheres the underside of the panel 21 directly to the glazed unit 16. Along the curved outer periphery of infill panel 21 , a radiused glazing bead 31 is locked by any suitable interlock arrangement, and this effectively forms the first (inner) arched portion 19. A somewhat similar arrangement of infill panel 21a is mounted along the inner face of the door, as shown in Figure 5, although a locking engagement with the frame is not thought necessary here, since the inside face will not be exposed to external weather, and simple adhesion may be sufficient. The door 10 is hung on vertical hinges (not shown) in order to swing between open and closed positions within a fixed rectangular outer frame 32. Referring now to Figures 6 to 9, this shows a second embodiment of the invention, having a rectangular frame of extruded plastics material, and which can be used to simulate a traditional timber door design of a door 10a shown in Figure 6. The simulation of separate glazed panes framed by separate glazing beads comprises an arrangement 12a shown in Figure 6, which comprises a semi-circular or half moon shaped top portion, arranged on horizontally and vertically spaced separate panels 33 framed by respective beads 34 and 34a. The construction of the second embodiment is generally similar to the first embodiment, and corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals. However, in this embodiment, glazed unit 16 is larger, and extends throughout the height of the arrangement 12a, as shown by dashed outline in Figure 7, but is overlaid by corner infill panels 26, first arched portion 19 and second arched portion 20, and radially interconnecting beads 22 in generally similar manner to that described for the first embodiment to provide a top semi-circular simulation of framed panes of glass. A substantially similar arrangement of decorative semi-circular infill panel 21 is provided, but has a horizontal lower bead 35 locked thereto, and which adjoins double profiled beads 17a which frame both the adjacent upper "panes" 36, and also immediately adjacent and lower "panes" 37. Below panel 21, there is a "pane" 38, separated from panes 37 by overlying vertical beads 34, and the horizontal row of panes 37 and 38 is then separated from a lower row of three "panes" by horizontal overlying glazing beads 34a. Figure 8 shows an enlarged view of part of the arrangement shown in Figure 7, and Figure 9 is a section on the line 9—9 in Figure 7. The section line 4-4 on Figure 7 is similar to the section line 4-4 in Figure 2, and has the same features as the first embodiment, as shown in Figure 4. It should be understood that the two embodiments of the invention have been described, by way of example only, with reference to the provision of two distinctive traditional framed glass simulations in a door. It should be understood, however, that the invention can be applied also to windows, whether of the fixed or openable type.

Claims: CLAI S 1. A building panel (10) comprising a rectangular frame of extruded plastics having a generally horizontal top frame member (13) interconnecting two side frame members (14) at two upper corner joints (15), a glazed unit (16) mounted in the frame, and a simulation of glazed panes framed along a lower margin by two substantially horizontal beads (17) spaced apart at their inner ends (18) and joined by a first upwardly arched central portion (19), along an upper margin by a second arched portion (20) upstanding from the outer ends (17) of the horizontal beads (17) and defining corner recesses with the side frame members (14) and the top frame member (13), and also framed by beads (22) extending between the inner and outer arched portions (19, 20) and circumferentially spaced along said portions (19, 20); in which the second arched portion (20) is formed by a bead portion or portions interlocked at each end (20a) to a respective side frame member (14) and at its apex to the top frame member (13), and infill panels (26) are located in said corner recesses. 2. A building panel according to Claim 1, in which a rectangular glazed unit (16) is mounted in the upper part of the frame, with a top horizontal edge of the unit (16) being mounted closely adjacent to the top frame member (13), and the two upright sides of the unit (16) being mounted closely adjacent to the two upright side frame members (14) in the regions thereof which run to make a jointed connection (15) with the top frame member (13). 3. A building panel according to Claim 1 or 2, in which each arched portion (19, 20) is semi-circular, or approximately semi-circular, so that the simulated framed pane formation is half-moon shaped. 4. A building panel according to Claim 3, in which the beads (22) extending between the inner and outer arched portions (19, 20) extend radially, to simulate a "fan light" effect. 5. A building panel according to Claim 3 or 4, in which che inner arched portion (19) is formed by the upper periphery of a semi-circular decorative infill panel (21), said periphery being profiled to adopt, or to mount, a generally bead profile. 6. A building panel according to Claim 5, in which the decorative infill panel (21 ) is located in position by a locking engagement along its lower edge with a horizontal frame member (29) interconnecting the side frame members (14) and spaced downwardly from the top frame member (13). 7. A building panel according to Claim 6, in which the decorative infill panel (21 ) is further secured in position by adhesive means which joins the inner face of the panel to the underlying glazed unit (16). 8. A building panel according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, in which the infill panels (26) located in each of the corner recesses have horizontal top edges and vertical side edges to lie alongside the top frame member (13) and the two side frame members (14), and have curved sides facing inwardly which correspond with the curvature of the outer arched portion (20) . 9. A building panel according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, in which the infill panels (26) are located in position by adhesive means to adhere the panels directly to the underlying glazed unit (16). 10. A building panel according to any one of Claims 1 to 9, in which the glazed unit (16) is a double glazed unit. 11. A building panel according to any one of Claims 1 to 10 and comprising a door (10).

Inventors: SCHOLES ERNEST MALCOLM HEYWOOD, SCHOLES, ERNEST, MALCOLM, HEYWOOD
Applicants: SCHOLES ERNEST M H, SCHOLES, ERNEST, MALCOLM, HEYWOOD
Application year: 1992
Main classification: E06B3
IPC codes: E06B3