Patent Publication Number: US-6711870-B1

Title: Glazing support systems

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention concerns glazing support systems, particularly but not exclusively for use in forming glazed roofs, such as of conservatories. 
     Known glazing support systems for use in forming conservatory roofs generally comprise an aluminium glazing bar of inverted T-section and u-PVC top and bottom cappings. The top capping has a top and depending divergent sides and internal formations for engagement with cooperating formations of the top of the T-section glazing bar. The bottom capping is a cover for the cross bar. T-section glazing bar. Glazing panels are supported on the cross bar of the glazing bar and the top capping is pressed down onto the glazing bar to hold the panels in position. Both cappings have gaskets along edges that contact the glazing panels to form seals above and below the glazing panels. The gasket material may be co-extruded with the cappings or separate gaskets may be fitted thereto. 
     Thus, such glazing support systems comprise at least three components and even more when gasket material has to be added. The more components the longer it takes to form a roof using such glazing support systems. 
     An object of this invention is to provide an improved glazing support system. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to a first aspect of this invention there is provided a glazing support system comprising first and second members, each member having at least one wing, the members being engageable to trap a glazing panel between said wings, characterized in that the first and second members are moulded of plastics material. 
     According to a second aspect of this invention there is provided a glazing support system comprising first and second members, each member having at least one wing, the members being engageable to trap a glazing panel between said wings, characterized by one member having at least one spacing means to maintain a desired spacing between wings of the first and second members. 
     According to a third aspect of this invention there is provided a glazing support system comprising first and second members, each member having at least one wing, the members being engageable to trap a glazing panel between said wings, characterized in that a load bearing one of said members is moulded of plastics material with moulded-in reinforcement. 
     Glazing support systems according to the invention preferably comprise an inverted T-section preferably comprise an inverted T-section glazing bar having a base and an upstanding limb and a capping therefor engageable on the upstanding limb of the glazing bar. The upstanding limb and interior of the capping preferably have mutually engageable formations preferably allowing for engagement of the capping on the glazing bar at different positions to accommodate different thicknesses of glazing panel. 
     The base of the glazing bar preferably has upstanding ends to form channels between the upstanding limb and the ends and the base top wall preferably slopes downwards towards the upstanding ends to provide for water drainage along the glazing bar. The upstanding ends preferably carry gasket material which may be co-extruded therewith. The base preferably has its underside formed with a pair of angled facets to accommodate glazing and support at hip locations as well as normal support for straight roofs. 
     The glazing bar may be formed with ducts therethrough or may be substantially solid. The glazing bar may be reinforced. Reinforcing members, such as metal bars, rods or the like or glass rods or fibrous reinforcements, may be fitted in ducts of the glazing bar or may be moulded into the glazing bar. 
     The glazing bar may be moulded by extrusion of, say, u-PVC, or may be moulded by pressing or injection moulding from other plastics material. The glazing bar may be formed with a foamed core and a rigid outer skin. Alternatively, the glazing bar may be moulded from recycled plastics material possibly containing non-plastics filler or reinforcement material. 
     The top capping preferably has a top and divergent side walls ending with gasket material attached or coextruded on ends of the side walls. The side walls may have first parallel parts extending normally to the top and second parts sloping away from the first parts. The engaging formations of the capping are preferably internally of the first side wall parts and may be a rib or bead on each side wall part that can be pushed past and retained under ridges on the sides of the upstanding limb of the glazing bar. The ridges are preferably situated so as to accommodate predetermined thicknesses of glazing material. The spacing means is preferably a web depending internally from the capping side wall, possibly from a sloping part of the side wall or possibly as a continuation of a first side wall part normal to the top of the capping. 
     In use in forming a conservatory roof a preferred glazing bar of the glazing support system of the invention is fixed at each end to supporting members, such as a ridge beam and an eaves beam and glazing panels laid on opposite sides on the upstanding ends of the base of the glazing bar on the upstanding ends of the base of the glazing bar on top of gasket material. Then the capping is pressed onto the upstanding limb until gasket material of the capping presses onto and seals against the top of the glazing panels. When present the spacing means will limit the extent to which the capping can be pressed downwards to prevent damage or distortion of the capping. 
     The glazing support system of the invention may also be used in forming windows in a similar way, such as by being used as mullions for window systems. For situations where a glazing panel is only required in one side of a glazing bar, such as where a glazing bar is to be abutted against a wall, the glazing bar and capping will only have one wing each and the opposite side of the glazing bar and capping will be adapted to suit attachment thereof to an adjacent surface. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     This invention will now be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is an end view of a first glazing support system according to the invention with 16 mm thick glazing panels fitted; 
     FIG. 2 shows the glazing support system of FIG. 1 with 20 mm thick glazing panels fitted; 
     FIG. 3 shows the glazing support system of FIG. 1 with 24 mm thick glazing panels fitted; 
     FIG. 4 is an end view of a second glazing support system according to the invention; 
     FIG. 5 is an end view of a third glazing support system according to the invention; 
     FIG. 6 is an end view of a fourth glazing sup system according to the invention; 
     FIG. 7 is an end view of a fifrth glazing support system according to the invention; and 
     FIG. 8 shows a sixth glazing support system according to the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 to  3  of the accompanying drawings, a glazing support system suitable for use in forming glazed roofs or windows comprises an elongate glazing bar  10  and a capping  12  that is engageable with the bar to trap glazing panels  14  between the capping and the bar on one or both sides thereof. Both the capping and the bar are extruded of plastics material, such as u-PVC. 
     The bar  10  is generally an inverted T-section member having a base  16  and an upstanding limb  18 . The base  16  has upturned ends  20  on which are coextruded gaskets  22 . The base  16  is ducted to improve thermal performance and stiffness. 
     The upstanding limb  18  is twin walled forming a duct  24 . For additional strength the duct  24  may receive a reinforcing member such as a formed steel or aluminium flat bar  26  shown in broken lines in FIG.  1 . The top parts of the side walls of the limb  18  have a series of ridges  28  to provide fixed stepped locations for the capping  12 . 
     The capping  12  has a top  30  and dependent sides  32  each having a first part  34  normal to the top  30  and a second part  36  angled outwards from the first part. At their free ends the sides  32  have coextruded gasket material  38  thereon. 
     Internally the capping  12  has near the bottom of each side wall first part  34  a rib  40 . The ribs  40  locate under the appropriate ridges  28  when the capping is pressed onto the bar  10 . 
     Depending from the second side parts  36  are webs  42 . The webs  42  are sized so as to abut against the top of the glazing panels  14  to prevent the capping being pushed down too far and putting too much stress on the capping sides which may cause distortion. 
     The bar  10  is held down onto a frame member, such as a roof ridge member or an eaves beam, by means of nuts and bolts  46 ,  47  through the base  16  and into the frame member. To prevent collapsing of the ducted base  16  packing pieces (not shown) may be pushed into the ducted base to support the ducts. The bolts may be fixed also through the packing pieces. Filler pieces may also be provided to seal between the underside of the glazing bar and the supporting framework. 
     The base  16  is shown as having a double faceted bottom wall  50  with its two facets angled to each other. Upper wall  52  of the base also has two facets but at less of an angle to each other than the bottom wall facets. The upper wall facets at their junction with the ends  20  have longitudinal grooves  54 . The slope of the upper wall facets and the grooves  54  provide a means for collecting water and draining it along the glazing bars. 
     The angled facets of the bottom wall  50  of the base  16  of the glazing bar make the bar suitable for use in both straight runs of conservatory roof as well as sections where glazing panels are also angled relative to each other, such as at the hip end of a Victorian style conservatory roof. 
     As can be seen in FIGS. 1,  2  and  3 , the glazing bar system illustrated can accommodate different thicknesses of glazing panel. The capping  12  can be secured on the limb  18  at different positions by means of the ridges  28  on the limb  18  and the ribs  40  of the capping. The webs  42  ensure that the capping is secured at the appropriate position for that thickness of glazing panel. 
     The glazing system of FIGS. 1 to  3  is used in the following manner, for example, for forming a conservatory roof. The glazing bar  10  is secured between a ridge member and an eaves beam. Appropriately sized glazing panels  14  are laid either side of the glazing bars with their edges on top of the gasket material  22 . Then a capping  12  is pressed down onto glazing panels so that the ribs of the capping engage the ridges of the limb  18  of the glazing bar until the depending webs  42  abut the tops of the glazing panels. The gasket material of the bars and the cappings are pressed onto either face of the glazing panels and seal against water penetration into the glazing bar. Even if water does penetrate into the glazing bar it is drained off along the glazing bar without settling in the glazing bar and affecting the bolts used to hold the glazing bar down. 
     Whilst the components of the glazing bar system of FIGS. 1 to  3  are extruded from u-PVC and can have sufficient strength for many situations due to the ducted formation of the glazing bar itself, there are various other ways of producing, in particular, the glazing bar to improve its strength. 
     In FIG. 4 of the accompanying drawings, the glazing bar  100  has a metal reinforcing bar  102  moulded into the top of upstanding limb  104  and metal reinforcing bars  106  moulded into ducts in base  108  of the glazing bar  100 , whereby the metal reinforcing bars  102 ,  106 , are surrounded by the plastics material of the glazing bar  100 . The metal bars  102 ,  106 , such as of aluminium or steel, may be flat bars as shown or may be, for example, metal rods possibly used in multiples. On the other hand non-metal reinforcements may be moulded into the glazing bar  100 , such as of glass or of fibrous material. Other means of fixing reinforcement in place may be used, such as fastenings or adhesive. The bars  106  in the base are advantageously positioned so that the fixing bolts  46  pass through the bars  106 . The capping  12  in FIG. 4 is the same as shown in FIGS. 1 to  3 . 
     Turning to FIG. 5, a glazing bar  200  is formed as a solid by a pressing or an injection moulding process. The glazing bar  200  may be formed of a plastics material composite providing a foamed core having an outer skin. The plastics material used for making such a glazing bar may even incorporate recycled material and may contain non-plastics filler/reinforcing material, possibly randomly arranged. The capping  12  in FIG. 5 is the same as shown in FIGS. 1 to  3 . 
     In FIG. 6 of the accompanying drawings, a glazing bar  300  is formed with a rigid PVC skin with its base  302  formed as a PVC foam within the skin. The base  302  may include metal bar/strip or glass rod reinforcements, such as shown in FIG. 7 described below. The bar  300  has a hollow upstanding limb  304  but at its top end glass rod reinforcement  306  is moulded in. The use of the glazing bar of this embodiment is the same as for the other described embodiments. The upstanding limb  304  could include metal bar reinforcement, such as  26  shown in FIG.  1 . An alternative could be to include webbing  305  included in broken lines. 
     FIG. 7 shows another variation of the glazing support system of the invention, in which a glazing bar  400  is formed as in the embodiment of FIG. 5 except as metal or glass rod reinforcements are moulded into ducts in the glazing bar  400 . Flat metal strip reinforcement  402  is shown at the top of the glazing bar  400  and similar reinforcement is shown on one side of its base  404 . Again the glazing bar  400  is used as has been described for the other illustrated embodiments. 
     FIG. 8 of the accompanying drawings shows an alternative form of capping  500  for a glazing support system according to the invention. The capping is shown here on a glazing bar of the type shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings but may be used on the glazing bars of any of the other illustrated embodiments of the invention. The capping  500  has a wider top  502  than the capping  12  of FIG.  1 . From the top  502  depend side walls  504  having first parts  506  normal to the top and second parts  508  angled outwards. Where the two side wall parts meet effectively continuation of the first side wall parts form spacer webs  510  to prevent the capping being pushed too far downwards by abutment of the spacer webs on the glazing panels  14 . Ends of the second side wall parts  508  carry coextruded gaskets  512 . 
     The capping  500  is fixed onto the glazing bar  10  by means of internal ribs  514  that locate under the ridges  28  of the glazing bar  10  in a similar way to the capping  12  of FIG.  1 . 
     Whilst the invention has been described in relation to glazing support systems for use in forming glazed roofs, such as of conservatories, it will be appreciated that the glazing bar system may be used for supporting glazing panels in other situations, such as in windows and glazed doors, where the glazing support can form mullions and transoms.