Patent Publication Number: US-2006000146-A1

Title: Windows

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      This invention is directed to at least one improvement to a window and is particularly directed to improvements in the fitting of window glass to the surround frame, improvements that allow a commercial window to be glazed from the inside to avoid the need for scaffolding which may be required for windows that are glazed from the outside, and various other improvements.  
     BACKGROUND ART  
      One important part of window manufacture/assembly is in the fitting of the glass to the surround frame. Particularly, window glass can be of various types including the thicker noise deadening glass, thinner “ordinary” glass, glass that is opaque, decorative glass and the like.  
      Conventionally, the glass is fitted into a channel which forms part of the glass frame. The glass frame is ordinarily formed of extruded aluminium although it is also known to provide timber frames etc. The framed glass is then fitted into a window opening as a fixed piece.  
      Conventionally, it has been necessary to provide different sized channels to accommodate glass of different thicknesses, or to modify the extrusion in some way to accept the thicker glass. Ordinary glass has a thickness of between 2-6 millimetres while noise deadening glass has a thickness of between 6-13 millimetres and typically about 10 millimetres. Thus, if it is desirable to fit noise deadening glass (e.g. a window in a high noise area) it has previously been necessary to use different sized beads up to the limit of the design to accommodate the thicker glass.  
      It is known to provide a frame formed from two separate sections which are clipped together to define the channel into which the glass is fitted. However, it is usually undesirable to have multiple sections that must be attached together.  
      Therefore, it would be desirable if it were possible to have a frame formed with a channel or pocket into which glass of various thicknesses could be fitted and which does not require a projecting bead ( which looks unsightly and can be snapped off). In this manner, it would no longer be necessary to have separate frames or multiple sections depending on the thickness of the glass.  
      Another disadvantage with existing sliding window designs is in how the sliding window is attached to the bottom sill. Typically, the bottom sill (mostly formed from extruded aluminium) contains one or more vertically extending walls which comprise tracks. The top of the walls is rounded and bulbous. A sliding window slides along the top of the wall via a roller. The roller has a lower wheel which rolls over the top of the bulbous portion of the wall. The roller has a housing which sits inside a cavity in the lower horizontal portion of the sliding window. Typically, the wall has a height of between 5-50 millimetres and a thickness which is sufficient to stop the wall from deforming under the weight of the window. For larger sliding windows, it is usual to have two sliding portions (sashes), one behind the other. Each sliding portion (i.e. sliding window) has lower rollers which roll over one of the two vertically extending walls which extend from the sill.  
      A disadvantage with this conventional arrangement is that under high wind load conditions, it is possible for the sliding window to dislodge from the track. Therefore, there would be an advantage if it were possible to design an arrangement which would make it much more difficult for the sliding window to become dislodged.  
      Another disadvantage with the conventional arrangement is that if a pair of vertically extending tracks is provided, water and debris can find its way between the pair of tracks and this material is extremely difficult to easily remove. Any buildup of water can cause corrosion and any buildup of debris can cause the windows to slide with more difficulty. Therefore, there would be an advantage if it were possible to provide an arrangement where the build up of water and contamination could be reduced.  
      Another disadvantage with conventional commercial (higher performance) sliding windows is that the windows need to be fitted from the front of the surround frame. The reason for this is that the bottom sill is provided with a high rear wall which makes it impossible to install the window from the inside of the building. The high rear wall is necessary to provide a measure of support for the window and also to reduce any water from finding its way into the building. While this does not present a great problem for ground level windows, it does present a difficulty when installing windows on aboveground levels. If the window is quite some way above the ground, it is usually necessary to erect scaffolding to enable an installer to install the windows. Alternatively, the installer needs to lean out the window opening to install the window sash from the outside. Therefore, there would be an advantage if it were possible to allow the window to be installed from the inside of the building.  
      It will be clearly understood that, if a prior art publication is referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art in Australia or in any other country.  
     OBJECT OF THE INVENTION  
      It is an object of the invention to provide at least one improvement in the manufacture and design of windows and which may at least partially overcome at least one of the above-mentioned disadvantages or provide a useful or commercial choice.  
      In one form, the invention resides in a fixed window which has at least one glass pane which has at least one edge extending into a frame, the frame being formed with a channel into which the edge of the glass can pass, the channel having a width which is greater than the width of the thickest glass edge that will extend into the channel, the channel comprising a pair of opposed side walls, one sidewall being provided with a bead member which presses against one side of the glass, the other sidewall being provided with a gasket member that presses against the other side of the glass, the gasket member at least being compressible to accommodate different thicknesses of glass.  
      In this manner, the frame can be provided with a larger than usual channel to enable thin glass (typically 2-4 millimetres) and thicker glass (typically 6-13 millimetres) to be accommodated in the channel without any change in the design of the frame. Instead of having channels of different size, there is now provided a bead member and a gasket member to hold the glass in the channel.  
      It is preferred that the frame is formed symmetrically to enable it to be used on left-hand and right-hand jambs. Thus, this means that it is also preferred that the channel is formed symmetrically.  
      Suitably, the channel is substantially U-shaped and comprises a pair of opposed side walls and a connecting back wall. The channel may have a width of between 15-50 millimetres and preferable between 15-30 mm. The frame will typically be formed from extruded aluminium although no particular limitation is meant thereby.  
      The channel and particularly the opposed sidewalls of the channel may be provided with a small slot. The slot may function to anchor the bead and the gasket in the channel. It is preferred that each sidewall contains an identical slot to make the frame symmetrical.  
      The bead may be a co-extruded member and can be fed into the extrusion during the manufacturing process. The bead may comprise a plastics material, a rubber material, an artificial rubber such as neoprene, composite materials and the like. Suitably, the bead has a rear portion that can be held by the small slot on the sidewall to hold the bead in position. The rear portion may comprise a substantially T shaped portion. Suitably, the bead has a front portion that at least partially contacts the glass. The front portion may comprise at least one finger or rib or other type of projection that contacts the glass and that can be bent, squashed or otherwise compressed.  
      The gasket may comprise an elongate member. The gasket may also be made of plastics material, a rubber material, an artificial rubber such as neoprene, composite materials and the like. The gasket may comprise a rear portion that can be held by the slot in the sidewall. This may comprise a small recess or channel that fits surround one of the walls that defines the slot. However, no particular limitation is meant thereby. It is preferred that the gasket has a design that enables it to be pushed into the channel to sandwich the glass between the gasket and the bead. A forward part of the gasket may be provided with at least one finger or rib or other type of projection that contacts the glass and that can be bent, squashed or otherwise compressed.  
      Most suitably, the bead is fed into the channel during the manufacturing process. An edge of the glass can then be passed into the channel and the push in gasket is then pushed in place to hold the glass in the channel.  
      The gasket may have different dimensions to suit glass of different thickness. Alternatively or in addition thereto, the bead may have different dimensions to suit glass of different thickness. Alternatively or in addition thereto, the gasket and/or the bead may be made of a material which can be compressed or otherwise be formed to accommodate glass of different thickness.  
      In another form, the invention resides in a sliding window assembly which enables the sliding window to be fitted from the inside.  
      In yet another form, the invention resides in a sliding window which provides a measure of support of the sliding window against inadvertent removal of the window from the track.  
      Thus, another form of the invention provides a sliding window assembly which comprises a sill, a front sliding window and a rear sliding window, the front sliding window and the rear sliding window comprising a lower horizontal support frame to support the window glass, the sill comprising a front portion facing the outside of the assembly and a rear portion adjacent the inside of the assembly, the rear portion being provided with a vertical track to enable the rear sliding window to slide along this track, the front portion being provided with an elongate channel, the channel having a vertical track to enable the front sliding window to slide along this track, the lower horizontal support frame on the front sliding window extending at least partially into the elongate channel to provide a measure of lateral restraint for the front sliding window.  
      In this form of the invention, the front sliding window somewhat supported by the channel which is formed on the sill. The track for the front sliding windows is in the channel and the arrangement reduces the possibility of the front sliding window becoming dislodged from the track especially under high negative wind load conditions.  
      In a variation of this form of the invention, the sill has a lower front portion and a raised rear portion and the track for the rear sliding windows is on the raised rear portion. This elevation of the sill from the front to the rear prevents water from passing to the inside of the assembly. Thus, the high rear wall can be reduced or even eliminated. Consequently, the sliding window can now be fitted from the inside of the building as opposed from the outside. Also, by supporting the front sliding window using the channel, the support provided by the high rear wall is no longer as critical and again this allows the high rear wall to be reduced or removed.  
      Suitably, the elongate channel is spaced somewhat above the front portion of the sill and typically an upstanding wall is provided to space the elongate channel in this manner. One or more drain openings can be provided in this upstanding wall to quickly and efficiently drain any water. Thus, the arrangements also reduce any retention of water between the vertical tracks. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the following drawings in which:  
       FIG. 1 . Illustrates a section view of a jamb formed with a channel which contains an edge of window glass which is sandwiched between a bead and a gasket.  
       FIG. 2 . Illustrates a split mullion formed of two parts each containing a channel as illustrated in  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 3 . Illustrates another type of mullion each containing a channel as illustrated in  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 4 . Illustrates a narrow frame containing a channel as illustrated in  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 5 . Illustrates a 90° corner frame fitted with a pair of channel containing parts.  
       FIG. 6 . Illustrates a prior art twin sliding window design.  
       FIG. 7 . Illustrates the design of  FIG. 6  under high negative wind load conditions.  
       FIG. 8 . Illustrates a twin sliding window design according to an embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     BEST MODE  
      Referring to the drawings and initially to  FIG. 1 , there is illustrated a jamb  10  formed from extruded aluminium. Although not limiting to the invention, this particular jamb has a dimension of 65 millimetres×40 millimetres. Jamb  10  is symmetrical. Jamb  10  contains a channel  11  comprising a pair of opposed parallel side walls  12 ,  13  and a rear wall  14 . Each sidewall  12 ,  13  is provided with a small extruded slot  15 . A bead  16  is formed from plastics/rubber type material and therefore has a degree of flex. Bead  16  contains a rear portion which has a T shaped cross-section  17  and which fits inside the slot  15  to hold bead  16  in channel  11 . Bead  16  also has a front portion comprising a plurality of extending ribs  18  which contact the glass  19 .  
      The other sidewall  12  contains a gasket  20 . Gasket  20  has a rear portion comprising a small channel  21  which fits about one of the walls of slot  15  to hold the gasket in place once the gasket has been pushed in. Gasket  20  also has a front portion formed with a plurality of extending ribs  22  which contact the glass  19 . Gasket  20  is formed separately and once glass  19  has been pushed into channel  11 , gasket  20  is pushed into place to hold the glass relative to jamb  10 .  
      This arrangement is similar with respect to  FIGS. 2-5 . In  FIG. 2 , there is illustrated a split mullion which comprises two pieces  25 ,  26  which slip/slide together to form the mullion. Each piece  25 ,  26  has a channel which is identical to that described with reference to  FIG. 1 .  
      In  FIG. 3 , there is illustrated another type of mullion which comprises a much larger first piece  27  and a much smaller second piece  28  which fits to first piece  27 , and where each piece  27 ,  28  is formed with a channel as described above.  
      In  FIG. 4 , there is illustrated a narrow 25 millimeter frame  29  containing a channel as described above.  
      In  FIG. 5 , there is illustrated a 90 degree corner arrangement. This arrangement comprises a corner piece  30  to which is fitted a pair of 25 millimeter frame pieces  29  (these being the same as illustrated in  FIG. 4 ).  
      Referring now to  FIG. 6-8  there is illustrated another version of the invention which is directed to the ability of the sliding windows to be fitted from the inside of a building and a better support for the front sliding window to reduce the inadvertent removal of this window from the track.  
      Specifically,  FIG. 6-7  show the existing prior art design for commercial windows. In this design there is provided a lower sill  40  which has a front portion  41  and a rear portion  42 . The front portion is towards the exterior of the building of the rear portion is towards the interior of the building. The sill is a traditional design and has an only slightly inclined bottom wall  43 . Therefore, to prevent water from passing into the inside of the building, there is a requirement to have a rather high rear wall  44 . Sill  40  contains a pair of spaced apart vertical tracks  45 ,  46 . A front sliding window (hereinafter called front sash)  47  slides along track  45  and a rear sliding window (hereinafter called rear sash)  48  slides along track  46 . Each sash contains a lower horizontal frame portion  49  typically formed from extruded aluminium containing an internal cavity  50  which contains a roller. Thus, the roller slides over track  45  or track  46 . As mentioned before, this arrangement is known. There are a number of disadvantages with this arrangement. Firstly, track  45 , track  46  and bottom wall  43  form a channel which can fill with water/debris and which cannot be easily cleaned. Another disadvantage is that under high wind loads, the front sash  47  and the rear sash  48  can tilt on the respective tracks, this being illustrated in  FIG. 7 . It is possible for at least the front sash to pop off its track  45  under such load conditions which is highly undesirable and can be extremely dangerous. If the pressure is reversed and the sashes tilt the other way (not illustrated) the high rear wall  44  provides a measure of support. A disadvantage with the high rear wall  44  is that the sashes cannot be fitted onto the tracks from the inside of the building and can only be fitted from the outside. Thus fitting high rise windows requires scaffolding and scaffolding is also required for any fitting of windows that are above head height.  
       FIG. 8  illustrates a window design that can at least partially overcome some of the above-mentioned disadvantages. Specifically, there is provided a sill  52  which is a design quite different to the conventional sill design  40  but which still contains a front portion  53  and a rear portion  54 . The assembly has a front sliding sash  55  and a rear sliding sash  56 . Each sash  55 ,  56  has a lower horizontal support frame  57  into which a lower edge of the glass can fit. Sill  52  has a rear vertical track  58  to enable the rear sash  56  to slide along the track. The front portion of sill  52  is provided with an elongate channel  59  and the inside of channel  59  is provided with a vertical track  60  to support the front sash  55 . Importantly, elongate channel  59  is sized to accommodate at least part of the lower horizontal frame  57  on front sash  55 . Thus, the lower part of sash  55  is partially supported by channel  59 . Under wind load conditions where the front sash and the rear sash tilt somewhat (see  FIG. 8 ) it can be seen that front sash  55  is protected and supported by channel  59  which is a feature not present in the prior art sash arrangements illustrated in  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7 .  
      Sill  52  has a quite pronounced step up design where the rear portion  54  of sill  52  is much higher than the front portion  53  of sill  52 . In particular, the step up portion is provided between track  60  and track  58 . The outcome is that track  58  is approximately at the same level as track  60  notwithstanding that track  60  sits within channel  59 . Thus, sashes  55  and  56  will be level. Another advantage however is that the step up design is very effective in preventing any passage of water across the sill. Thus, the rear wall  44  in the prior art designs (see  FIG. 6 ) can be removed. Consequently, it now becomes possible to fit sashes  55  and  56  from the inside of the building and therefore from the rear of sill  52 .  
      Channel  59  is raised above the “floor” of sill  52  by a generally vertical wall  61 . One or more drain slot  62  are provided in wall  61  to drain any water that may be captured between wall  61  and the rear step up portion  63  of sill  52 . A small sealing strip  64  is provided which does not entirely seal against water being able to pass through drain slot  62  but which does prevent debris etc from passing into the sill. Also, small sealing and support strips  65  are provided one on rear wall  66  and the other on the inside wall of channel  59  to support the sills.  
      Throughout the specification and the claims (if present), unless the context requires otherwise, the term “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to apply the inclusion of the stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.  
      Throughout the specification and claims (if present), unless the context requires otherwise, the term “substantially” or “about” will be understood to not be limited to the value for the range qualified by the terms.  
      It should be appreciated that various other changes and modifications can be made to any embodiment described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.