FRAME ELEMENT FOR USE IN GLAZING A BALCONY

Abstract: A frame element (1) has two horizontal frame parts and two vertical frame parts and supports at least one vertical glass pane (6) extending along the horizontal frame parts. The frame element is adapted to form, together with a second frame element (1') of a corresponding type, a balcony glazing, one vertical frame part (5) thereof being placed adjacent one vertical frame part (5') of said second frame element (1') in such manner that the two frame elements (1, 1') form a corner, the inner corner angle of which is 2 alpha . Said one vertical frame part (5) of the frame element (1) has an elongate cross-sectional shape with a longitudinal axis, which forms an angle alpha with the horizontal frame parts, and is covered on the outside with a glass cover panel (10), which extends parallel to said glass pane (6).

Description: FRAME ELEMENT FOR USE IN GLAZING A BALCONY Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a frame element, which has two horizontal frame parts and two vertical frame parts and supports at least one vertical glass pane mounted in the frame element and extending along the horizontal frame parts, and which is adapted to be mounted on a balcony to form, together with a second frame element of a corresponding type, at least a portion of a balcony glazing and to be mounted in such a position that one vertical frame part thereof is placed adjacent one vertical frame part of said second frame element, and that the two frame elements form a corner, the inner corner angle of which is 2a.. Background Art In a frame element of this kind, which is known, for example, from SE 9902369-9, the two horizontal frame parts consist of guide rails, in which a number of laterally displaceable glass panes are mounted in juxtaposition. Typically, the frame element is dimensioned to cover a balcony side. When glazing a balcony, several such frame elements are arranged next to each other, one vertical frame part of a frame element being located adjacent one vertical frame part of an adjoining frame element and these two frame elements forming a corner of the glazing corresponding to a corner of the balcony. Said one vertical frame part of each of the two frame elements thus extends along this corner. Together, these vertical frame parts thereby form a large and highly visible corner post, which constitutes a pronounced unaesthetic discontinuity in the otherwise open visual impression caused by the glass panes of the glazing. Summary of the Invention The object of the present invention is to provide a frame element, which is constructed in such manner that the above problem is eliminated or at least considerably reduced, i.e. a frame element, which when joined to a similar second frame element forms a corner, in which the two juxtaposed vertical frame parts of the frame elements do not dominate the visual impression but are more or less 'conjured away' . According to the present invention, this object is achieved by means of a frame element, which is of the kind described by way of introduction and which is char- acterised in that said one vertical frame part of the frame element has an elongate cross-sectional shape, assumes a pivot position about a vertical axis which is such that the longitudinal axis of this cross-sectional shape forms an angle a with the horizontal frame parts, and is covered on the outside with a glass cover panel, which extends parallel to said glass pane mounted in the frame element . Advantageously, the glass cover panel is located in the same vertical plane as said glass pane mounted in the frame element. Brief Description of the Drawings The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . Fig. 1 is a front view of a frame element according to the invention mounted between two balconies. Fig. 2 is a sectional view along the line II-II in Fig. 1 of a corner portion of a glazing comprising the frame element. Description of a Preferred Embodiment The frame element 1 shown in Fig. 1 is mounted on the front side of one of several balconies positioned one above the other. Similar frame elements la and lb are mounted respectively above and below the frame element 1. The frame element 1 has an upper, horizontal frame part 2, a lower, horizontal frame part 3 and two vertical frame parts 4 and 5. The frame parts 2-5 are made from aluminium sections. The horizontal frame parts 2 and 3 constitute guide rails and support between them a plurality of vertical glass panes 6, which are mounted in juxtaposition and laterally displaceable in guide grooves in the horizontal frame parts 2 and 3. Each glass pane 6 is pivotable, in a predetermined displacement position along the horizontal frame parts 2 and 3, about a vertical axis between a closed position, in which it extends along the horizontal frame parts 2 and 3 and which is shown for all glass panes 6 in Fig. 1, and an open posi- tion which is pivoted through about 90° in relation to the closed position. The horizontal frame parts 2 and 3 also support between them two glass door panels 7 and 8, whose width is considerably smaller than that of the glass panes 6 and which are arranged closest to the ver- tical frame part 4 and 5, respectively. These glass door panels 7 and 8 are not displaceable along the horizontal frame parts 2 and 3 but, like the glass panes 6, are pivotable between a closed position, in which they extend along the horizontal frame parts 2 and 3 and, together with the glass panes 6 when also located in the closed position, cover the entire width of the frame element 1 (see Fig. 1), and an open position which is pivoted through about 90° in relation to the closed position. When all the glass panes 6 and glass door panels 7 and 8 are located in the closed position and thus fill' the frame element 1 (Fig. 1) , the glass panes 6 cannot be displaced. The glass door panels 7 and 8 then serve as displacement-preventing means, which prevent the displacement of the glass panes 6, while at the same time serving as ventilation door panels. A frame construction of this type is described in more detail in SE 9902369-9. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the vertical frame parts 4 and 5 extend downward past the lower, horizontal frame part 3. Cover panels 9, which form part of a balcony railing, are supported between the vertical frame parts 4 and 5 below the lower, horizontal frame part 3. A frame element 1', which is of the same type as the frame element 1, is mounted at one side of the balcony and form, together with the frame element 1, a portion of a balcony glazing (see Fig. 2) . The frame element 1' is similar to the frame element 1 but mirror-inverted relative thereto. Therefore, the same reference numerals are used to designate equivalent parts of the frame element 1 and the frame element 1', the only difference being that prime symbols have been added to the reference numerals used to designate the parts of the frame element 1' . The vertical frame parts 5 and 5' of the frame elements 1 and 1' are mounted in juxtaposition, the two frame elements 1 and 1' forming a corner with an inner corner angle of 2a.. In the embodiment shown, a. is 45°, but may, of course, have a different value. The vertical frame part 5, which as stated above consists of an aluminium section, has an elongate cross- sectional shape. The cross section is essentially a parallelogram. The frame part 5 assumes such a pivot posi- tion that the longitudinal axis of this cross-sectional shape, and thus the long sides of the parallelogram, form an angle α. with the horizontal frame parts 2 and 3. The boundary plane between the frame element's 1 vertical frame part 5 and the frame element's 1' vertical frame part 5', which is identical to the frame part 5 but mirror-inverted in relation thereto, thereby forms a bisector plane in the corner formed by the frame elements 1 and 1'. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the cross-sectional shape of the vertical frame part 5 differs from a parallelogram essentially only by one long side thereof being connected, in a centre portion which extends across approximately half the length of the long side, to the opposite side face of the parallelogram by means of two web portions that are perpendicular to the long sides and being broken off outside this portion. Said one long side is the long side which is located in the surface of the Ω ft ) H 1 ^ tr 0 Φ CQ ϋ Φ ^ CQ Hj Φ Φ 0 M- 03 0- Ω 0 0 0 •

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A frame element, which has two horizontal frame parts (2, 3) and two vertical frame parts (4, 5) and supports at least one vertical glass pane (6) mounted in the frame element (1) and extending along the horizontal frame parts (2, 3), and which is adapted to be mounted on a balcony to form, together with a second frame element (1') of a corresponding type, at least a portion of a balcony glazing and to be mounted in such a position that one vertical frame part (5) thereof is placed adjacent one vertical frame part (5') of said second frame element (1'), and that the two frame elements (1, 1') form a cor- ner, the inner corner angle of which is 2a, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that said one vertical frame part (5) of the frame element (1) has an elongate cross-sectional shape, assumes a pivot position about a vertical axis which is such that the longitudinal axis of this cross-sectional shape forms an angle α. with the horizontal frame parts (2, 3), and is covered on the outside with a glass cover panel (10) , which extends parallel to said glass pane (6) mounted in the frame element (1) . 2. A frame element according to claim 1, wherein the glass cover panel (10) is located in the same vertical plane as said glass pane (6) mounted in the frame element (1) . 3. A frame element according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein c. is 45°.

Inventors: BJOERKMAN LARS, BJOERKMAN, LARS
Applicants: BJOERKMAN LARS, NORDISKA BALCO AB, BJOERKMAN, LARS
Application year: 2001
Main classification: E06B3
IPC codes: E06B1