Abstract:
A support for glazing panels for use in constructing pitched glazed roofs comprises a bracket securable to a glazing bar, a peg positionally adjustable relative to the bracket and securable thereby and a buffer mountable on the peg for abutment by a glazing panel.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention concerns glazed roofs. 
     Conservatories with pitched roofs can be made either with glass or plastics glazing panels. The panels are held in place by cappings secured to glazing bars and pressed down onto panels. Glass panels are relatively heavy and will tend to slip downwards under their own weight unless supported at bottom edges. 
     Plastics roofing panels, whilst being lighter than equivalent glass panes may also be liable to slip downwards, especially if the roof pitch is over 35° and/or there is expansion of the glazing bars or cappings. 
     It is known to provide pegs or the like fitted to glazing bars or to eaves beams against which glass panels abut to prevent downwards slippage thereof. However, contact with the glass panels is over a very small area and can cause damage to the glass panels. 
     Furthermore, in some roof situations, such as for hipped roofs, the panels do not have their bottom edges at right angles to glazing bars supporting them along their sides, which can put greater pressure on supporting pegs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of this invention is to provide an improved support for glazing panels whether of glass or plastics for use in constructing pitched glazed roofs, such as of conservatories and that may be used in different pitched roof situations. 
     According to this invention there is provided a support for glazing panels for use in constructing pitched glazed roofs comprising a bracket securable to a glazing bar, a peg adjustably positionable relative to the bracket and securable thereby and a buffer mountable on the peg for abutment by a glazing panel. 
     The peg is preferably at one end of a plate and the plate and bracket preferably have mutually engaging formations. More preferably, the plate and bracket have mutually engaging ratchet surfaces, whereby once the bracket has been secured to a glazing bar, the plate can be moved under the bracket to a desired position but cannot be pulled back therefrom by the weight of a panel abutting the buffer on the peg. 
     The buffer preferably comprises a sleeve that fits onto the peg. The buffer is preferably made of rubber, neoprene or any other suitable elastomeric material. The buffer is preferably shaped to provide at least two bearing surfaces that can be selectively used to abut a glazing panel. The peg preferably has a base that has a major dimension and a minor dimension and the major dimension of the peg is preferably angled at other than 90° to a longitudinal axis of the plate. The peg preferably has one shorter side chamfered so that the peg narrows upwardly from its base. 
     The sleeve has an aperture corresponding in size and shape to the peg i.e. having a major dimension and a minor dimension. The at least two bearing surfaces of the buffer are preferably of different lengths, a shorter bearing surface being generally parallel to the major dimension of the sleeve aperture and a longer bearing surface being at an acute angle to said major dimension of the sleeve aperture. The bearing surfaces are preferably not smooth and are preferably undulating or ridged for grip. 
     The buffer can, therefore, be used in different orientations to suit the situation. The buffer can be used with either a longer or a shorter bearing surface presented to the glazing panel to be supported and can be used either way up, so that the presented bearing surface is parallel to the supported edge of the glazing panel. 
     For practical purposes, the angle of the peg and the relative angles of the bearing surfaces of the buffer are chosen to enable the support to be used in a transom rafter situation at 90°, a Victorian hip situation at 67° and a Georgian hip situation at 45°. 
    
    
     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 shows a glazing panel supporting clip for use in forming a glazed roof; 
     FIG. 2 shows separated components of the clip of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 shows clips of FIG. 1 used in a transom rafter situation; 
     FIG. 4 shows clips of FIG. 1 used in a Victorian style conservatory roof hip situation; and 
     FIG. 5 shows clips of FIG. 1 used in a Georgian style conservatory roof hip situation. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, a glazing panel supporting clip  10  for use in forming a glazed roof of glass or of plastics panels has a bracket  12  securable to a glazing bar, a peg plate  14  and a neoprene buffer  16 . The bracket  12  has a first part  18  provided with screw holes  20 , whereby the bracket can be fixed to a glazing bar, and a second part  22  stepped up from the first part and having ratchet teeth  24  on its underside. 
     The peg plate  14  has a first part  26  having a top surface  28  in the form of ratchet teeth, whereby the first part  26  can be pushed under the ratchet part of the bracket because of the direction of slope of the teeth but not withdrawn therefrom. The peg plate  14  has a second part  30  which extends from the first part but is rebated to one side, so that it is narrower than the first part but generally co-terminus with one side of the first part. Extending upwardly from the second part  30  of the peg plate is a peg  32 . The peg  32  has a base extending beyond the rebated side of the second part of the peg plate to form an overhang. The peg  32  is generally rectangular in section at its base having a front wall  34 , back wall  36  and opposed end walls  38 ,  40 , the front and back wall having the major dimension at the base thereof. End wall  38  is chamfered over most of its length, so that the peg narrows towards its top in the plane of the major dimension of the base. 
     The longitudinal axis of the first part  26  of the peg plate and the major dimension of the base of the peg do not intersect at right angles and, in fact, the peg  32  is angled back towards the first part of the peg plate. 
     The peg  32  has fitted thereto the neoprene buffer  16 , which is a generally tubular formation having a through aperture  42  corresponding in shape and size to that of the peg base. The chamfering of the peg allows the buffer to be fitted relatively easily onto the peg. The buffer is generally triangular in plan view having a first longer and a second shorter bearing surface ( 44 ,  46  respectively) at an acute angle to each other and a connecting side  48 . The bearing surfaces are ridged to provide grip. 
     In use the bracket  12  is secured to a roof glazing bar by means of screws. The buffer  16  is fitted onto the peg  32  in the orientation appropriate to the situation of the glazing bar and the peg plate  14  pushed under the bracket until the buffer bears against the glazing panel supported on the glazing bar in order to prevent the glazing panel from slipping downwards. 
     The buffer  16  can be fitted to the peg  32  in different orientations in order to suit the situation of the glazing bar. Three possible situations are shown in FIGS. 3,  4  and  5 . In FIG. 3, glazing bar  100  is connected to an eaves beam  102  in a transom rafter situation i.e. at 90° to the eaves beam. In this situation, the buffer is fitted onto the peg with connecting side  48  against the glazing bar and the longer bearing surface  44  towards glazing panel  104 . The same is repeated on both sides of the glazing bar. 
     Turning to FIG. 4 of the drawings, a Victorian style conservatory roof hip situation is shown, wherein a glazing bar  120  is connected to eaves beams  122  connected at an angle of 134°. In this situation glazing panels  126  on opposite sides of the glazing bar are supported by supporting clips  10  in which the buffers  16  are arranged with sides  44  away from the glazing bar and shorter bearing surfaces  46  towards the glazing panels  126 . 
     Finally, in FIG. 5 of the drawings, a Georgian style conservatory roof hip situation is shown in which eaves beams  140  are connected at an angle of 90° with glazing bar  144  connected to their junction at 45° to each. In this situation the buffers  16  are the opposite way up compared to FIGS. 3 and 4 and are arranged so that their sides  46  are away from the glazing bar but their long bearing surfaces  44  are towards the glazing panels  146  supported on either side of the glazing bar  144 . 
     The glazing panels for which supporting clips  10  may be used include glazing panels of glass or of plastics material, such as polycarbonate or polyvinyl chloride.