EP0055503A1

EP0055503A1 - Foldable gable or roof window and dormer

Info

Publication number: EP0055503A1
Application number: EP81201390A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hein Douwinus Voskamp
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1980-12-29
Filing date: 1981-12-22
Publication date: 1982-07-07
Also published as: NL190127C; NL8007092A; NL190127B

Abstract

Closing arrangement (1) for a window, roof or gable opening, which arrangement comprises an assembly of panel (2) foldable in the closing plane as a bellows.

The panels (2) are hingeably connected in pairs at the edges, utilising a side panel (11) consisting of two hinged half parts (9 and 10).

Description

The invention relates te a closing arrangement for a window, roof or gable opening, which arrangement comprises an assembly of panels foldable in the closing plane as a bellows.
Such a closing arrangement is known from the Dutch patent application No. 7700245, in which the arrangement is described to be of such a design that in the foldout position the panels are fully in one plane. Therefore this design is unsuitable for mounting in an opening of a flat or a slightly inclined roof in view of possible leakage with heavy rainfall.
For the mounting" of a closing arrangement of the type set forth in the opening paragraph in an opening of a flat or inclined roof, special measures should be taken. For instance, the assembly of panels should in no way be swung out or folded out to a stretched position Further, for proper drainage of rainwater it is essential that the panels in pairs are angularly inclined and retain such a position even in the foldout position of the closing arrangement, while at the valleys of the arrangement a proper drainage of rainwater must be ensured. Such a limitation in the foldability of the panels would impose severe demands on the hinges between the panels of the closing arrangement; for frequent use of such a construction will involve a considerable wear on the hinges, so that the symmetric disposition of the hinges will no longer be retained, while the water sealing of the closing arrangement at the hinges will be subjected to increased deterioration.
Furthermore, the comtemplated symmetric disposition of the panels of the closing arrangement has the disadvantage that no watertight sealing is available at the sides.
The present invention has for its object to provide an improved closing arrangement of the type set forth in the opening paragraph, whereby in the foldout position each pair of mating panels are angularly inclined with respect to each other, and whereby the above-mentioned disadvantages are substantially obviated.
According to the invention, the panels for the closing arrangement of the type set forth in the opening paragraph are hingeably connected in pairs at the edges, utilising a side panel consisting of two hinged half parts.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures, of which:
Fig. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a closing arrangement according to the invention;
Fig. 2i illustrates a part of the embodiment of Fig. 1
Fig. 3 illustrates a special embodiment of the part of the closing arrangement shown in Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 illustrates another part of the embodiment of Fig. 1;
Figs. 5A and 5B illustrate a preferred embodiment of the part of the closing arrangement shown in Fig. 4;
Figs. 6A, 6B and 6C illustrate a first special application of a closing arrangement according to the invention; and
Fig. 7 illustrates a second special application of a closing arrangement according to the invention.

" In Fig. 1 the closing arrangement for a roof or gable opening is designated by 1, being of the type provided with an assembly of panels 2 foldable as a bellows. Such panels consist of two flat plates 3 and 4 made of transparent or other non-deformable material, which plates are kept-apart by partitions 5.
In the foldout position each pair of panels 2 is required to remain angularly inclined with respect to each other; hence, it is necessary to have a provision to catch the rainwater flowing down along these panels. Such a provision is obtained by channels 6, of which the upright walls 7 engage the underside of two successive panels 2, utilising a hinge joint 8. The rainwater collected in the channels 6 is led to a drain pipe from where it is carried off.
The closing arrangement 1 should further be windproof; it thereto comprises side panels 11 consisting of two half parts 9 and 10, which panels are mounted between each pair of successive panels 2, not acting in concert with the same channel 6, for closing the sides of the closing arrangement 1.
Each pair of half parts 9 and 10 are interconnected via a hinged joint 12, while a hinged joint 13 is included between a half part 9 or 10 and an abutting panel 2. When closing arrangement 1 is folded out as a bellows, the final angular position of panels 2 will be determined by the two vertical angles of the mating half parts 9 and 10 connected in pairs. When panels 2 are folded together, the mating half parts 9 and 10 will swing inwardly in keeping with the common hinge joint 13 in communication with the abutting panel 2. To banish weather influences on side panels 11 as much as possible, these panels may be fitted more inwardly under panels 2, resulting in a projection over the side panels 11.
To prevent that through an excessive shoving of the panels 2 the composite parts of the closing arrangement 1 will be deformed, the channels 6 are provided with spacers 14 acting in the same direction;owing to these spacers, the channels 6 cannot be brought together closer than to a distance corresponding with the length of spacers 14, so that deformation of the composite parts of closing arrangement 1 is excluded,
Through the above provisions it is achieved that with the closing arrangement 1 in a foldout position the panels 2 coupled in pairs via a side panel 11 are always disposed at the same vertical angle. In consequence of this, the problem of wear on the hinge joint between the top parts 15 of panels 2 is substantially obviated.
The top parts 15 facing each other should further be provided with a windtight and watertight sealing. The top parts 15 of panels 2 coupled in pairs via the same side panel 11 are thereto covered by a hinge joint 16, a strip element of flexible material, or a combination of a hinged joint 16 and a strip element 17 covering the hinge joint 16.
From a design point of view, it is preferred to accomplish the sliding motion of the assembly of panels 1, channels 6 and side panels 11 through a pair of guide rails 18 cooperating with channels 6, as shown in Fig. 2.
In this embodiment the guide rail 18 comprises a tubular support 19, which contains a longitudinal, slotted opening 20 at the underside. The guide rail 18 further comprises for each channel 6 a hook-shaped element 21 of which the long shank 22 is secured to the channel 6 at an end position thereof and the short shank 23 is accommodated partly within the slotted opening 20, where it acts in concert with the support 19, using a roller bearing machanism.24. In the embodiment depicted the roller bearing mechanism 24 comprises two small, separately disposed wheels 26 rotatably mounted on a shaft 25, whereby the centre of shaft 25 engages the extremity of the short shank 23 of the hook-shaped element 21. The tubular support 19, mounted along a side of the roof and gable opening to be closed, may also be provided with a gutter or seal plating 27 for carrying off the rainwater collected in channel 6; such a provision 27 is attached to support 19 in such a way that a vertical side 28 is mounted to that side of support 19, along which the hook-shaped elements 21 do not move. The point differentiating a seal plating from a gutter is that the former has one vertical side instead of two, whereas the horizontal part bears on the adjacent roof and is mounted thereon. With the use of one single gutter or seal plating 27, the extremities of channels 6 not draining into such a gutter are closed.
A windtight and watertight sealing is further required between the tubular support 19 and the side panels 11. To achieve this, the side of support 19 (or of the gutter or seal plating 27) that faces the side panels 11 is provided with a weather strip of flexible material to close the space between the side panels 11 and the side of support 19 (or of the gutter or seal plating 27) fully windtight-with the closing arrangement 1 in the foldout position . Such a windtight and watertight enclosure is obtained with a slab 30 of flexible material secured in a lateral direction to the outer side of side panels 11 by mounting strips, for example. These strips, however, should not continue to the hinge joint 12 between half parts 9 and 10 in order not to impede the inward pivotal motion of these parts when the assembly of panels 2 is pushed together.
The assembly of panels 2 may be folded in and out manually or by a motor drive. In the latter case, the closing arrangement 1 comprises a socalled chain channel 31 to guide, over the full length of the channel, a chain wheel (at one end of the closing arrangement 1) and round the chain wheel or chain tensioner mounted on the return shaft (at the other end of the closing arrangement 1), The panel at the foldable end of the closing arrangement 1 is secured to: chain 32. It is preferred to use a chain channel 31 and accessories on both sides of the closing arrangement 1 and to synchronise the motions of the two chains 22.
A simple assembly of the parts of Fig. 2 is obtained, as shown in Fig. 3, when using a strip element 33 of,for instance, aluminium provided with a grooved rail 34 for each of the accessories included, such as gutter 27, chain channel 31 and weather strip 29. In this case, the gutter 27, chain channel 31 and weather strip 29 are fitted with corresponding sections for a lateral slide-in provision, while the strip element 33 is mounted to the side of support 19.
Instead of a weather strip 29 and a slab 30 as separate units, these may be combined to form one single protective plate 35. In such a case the strip element 33 is slightly bent at the top towards protective plate 35, while at this location the protective plate 35 contains two projecting edge parts 36 which fit tightly on both sides over the top end of the strip element 33.
At the other side of the protective plate 35 are easily deformable wings, which bear against the side panel 11 to obtain a windtight closure.
A favourable embodiment of a hinge joint 16 between two abutting top parts 15 of a panel 2 is illustrated in Fig. 4. Hinge joint 16 comprises a connecting strip 37 having slightly bent ends 38, each of which ends having a bent-over forked or claw-shaped section 39. Besides, each panel 2 is closed at the top side 15 by a U-shaped cover strip 40, the rear side of which strip having also a bent-over forked, or claw-shaped section 41. The two forked or claw- shaped sections 39 and 41 are so dimensioned that one section 39 is laterally slidable into the other section 41. Besides this, the width of the slotted opening 42 in sections 39 and 41 is slightly greater than the thickness of the applied-material, so that the U-shaped cover strip 40 and the connecting strip 37 have a hinge joint via the sections 39 and 41 fitted together. The cover strip 40 further contains on each top parts 15 a second forked or claw-shaped section 43, accommodating a bent, enlarged edge part of a flexible strip 44 for preventing accumulation of dirt in sections 39 and 41.
A similar cover strip 40 is applicable to the underside of a panel 2 for obtaining a hinge joint 8 between panel 2 and the wall 7 of channel 6 acting jointly therewith. Both the cover strip 40 and the upright channel wall 7, bent slightly outward at the top, contain a bent-over forked or claw-shaped section, 41 and 39, respectively, of unequal size, such that one section 39 is laterally slidable into the other 41.
The cover strip 40 further contains at the underside of panel 2 another bent-over forked or claw-shaped section 45, accommodating by a lateral slidable fit a slab 46 of flexible material having an enlarged edge portion. The funtion of such a slab 46 is to prevent the penetration of rainwater along the hinge joint 8 of the cover strip 40 with the upright channel wall 7.
A special type of cover strip 40 consists of separate elements, which contain recesses and pins of corresponding dimensions and which are assembled by adding the appropriate elements together and snapping the pins fast in the appropriate recesses.
A special embodiment of a cover strip 40 is depicted in Fig. 5A; this cover strip 40 comprises three circular forked or claw-shaped sections 41, 43 and 45, of which section 41 is at the centre of the back part of strip 40 and the other two, 43 and 45, at or in the vicinity of the ribs of strip 40. The forked or claw-shaped sections 41, 43 and 45 are characterised by the position of the slotted opening 42 in the section and hence by a short and a long arc length, 47 and 48 respectively, of the parts of sections 41, 43 and 45. Considering the centre forked section 41, the slotted opening 42 is so fitted that the arc segment 47 facing 47 facing section 45 is much smaller than that facing section 43. Such a distinction also applies to sections 45 and 43; the arc segment 47 of section 45 turned away from section 41 is also much smaller than the other arc segment 48 of section 45. The three sections 41, 43 and 48 are therefore characterised by the property that, in consequence of the slotted opening 42 in each of the three sections 41, 43 and 45, a short and a long arc segment can be distinquished in the sections, which arc segments are disposed accordingly on the top surface of cover strip 40. Such a cover strip 40 may be fitted on the top and bottom sides of both panels 2, cooperating with each other via the same side panel 11, in order to obtain the required hinge connections there.
Fig. 5 B illustrates the method of fitting the cover strips 40 on panels 2. Cover strips 40 at the top side 15 of panels 2 are so fitted that sections 45 are directed inwardly, but without any joint action with any part at this stage; the centre section 41 cooperates with the forked, circular section 39 at the ends 38 of connecting element 37, while the externally disposed sections 43 cooperate with the enlarged, circular side walls of strip element 17. Strip element 17 further comprises a shield 49 of flexible material, which shield is bent back downwardly to provide a protection for section 43. The cover-strips 40 at the underside of panels 2 are so mounted that sections 43 are directed towards each other, but do not act jointly with any part; the centre sections cooperate with forked sections 39, arranged at the top sides of the upright walls 7 of channels 6. The externally disposed forked sections 45 of cover strips 40 cooperate with the circularly bent enlarged edge part of slab 46. The width and the position of the slotted openings 42 in the forked sections 39 of cover strips 40 are such that, when the closing arrangement 1 is folded out, the mutual positions of the cooperating sections 39 and 41 and those of sections 43 and 45 with strip'elements 17 and slabs 46, respectively, are subject to a small displacement.
In the case of covering a relatively wide opening in the roof by panels 2, it is advisable to mount a tee beam to the underside of each channel 6 in order to prevent sagging of the channel.
Fig. 6A illustrates a special application of a closing arrangement for a roof opening to provide a dormer 50, where the panel assembly consists of only two panels 2. If the roof is inclined at an angle of 45°, the side panels 11 are similar to each other. However, if the roof inclines at a different angle, the side panels 11 divide the triangular side to be covered in accordance with the median; the half parts 9 and 10 then correspond with each other in surface area only.Channel 6 for the underside of the lower disposed panel 2 is here replaced by a watertight sealing strip 51. The horizontal panel 2 may be provided with gutter boards 52, te which a rainwater drain is connected. As shown in Fig. 6B, it is possible to fit a channel 6 at the rear of the foldable part of the dormer for the draining of water when panel 2 of the dormer is swung backwards. The rear side of panel 2 is provided with a cover strip 40 consisting of parts secured by a snap connection, including a drainage flap 53 fitted at the back. Furthermore, the motor drive is replaceable by a hand-operated drive mechanism including a handle (winding device). It is also possible to use a band or cable, instead of a chain 32, in the drive mechanism for sliding the panel 2. In such a case, the upper side of each support 19 is fitted with a sliding band which is stretched between two winding rollers concealed in ends of support 19 and is movable in forward and backward directions. On each sliding band is a block securing the lower disposed corner point of the slidable part of the dormer.
Another feasible solution in respect of the foldability of the dormer is obtained with two "sash-window" springs, of which the two winding rollers are accommodated in the higher part of the supports 19 and the loose ends are secured to the lower corner points of the slidable part of the dormer.
A feasible embodiment of a hand-operated drive mechanism including a band guide for a dormer is illustrated in Fi^g. 6C. In this figure the reference numeral 54 denotes an upright wall of an attic room to be closed with a dormer. On this wall 54 is the tubular support 19, accommodating the guide band.
The top side of support 19 comprises two laterally extending wings 55, on which a block elements 56 is slidably mounted. To achieve this slidable mounting the element 56 is provided with two upright walls 57 containing on the inner side a slotted recess 58 for a slidable accommodation of the wings 55 forming part of the support 19. To obtain the required connection between element 56 and the guide band, this band comprises a connecting piece 59 with a threaded hole 60, while the tubular support 19 contains a long slot at the corresponding side, allowing easy access for a bolt or screw to the threaded hole 60 of element 59, and element 56 is provided with a drilled hole at the same side for passing through the bolt or screw via the slot in support 19 for insertion into the threaded hole 60.
Furthermore, a side wall of support 19 may be extended to a gutter 62 secured thereto.
A special embodiment of a slidable dormer 50 by a closing arrangement 1 according to the invention is shown in Fig. 7. Such an embodiment is obtained when the vertical front panel 2 of the dormer 50 consists of a support strip 63, accommodating a panel assembly 64, which is slidable upwardly or laterally.
The installation of a closing arrangement 1 is not confined to cover an opening in a horizontal or sloping surface; it is also possible to install it in a vertical surface, for instance in open areas of walls.

Claims

_1. Closing arrangement 1 for a window, roof or gable opening, which arrangement 1 comprises an assembly of panels 2 foldable in the closing plane as a bellows, characterised in that the panels 2 are hingeably connected in pairs at the edges, utilising a side panel 11 consisting of two hinged half parts 9 and 10.

2. Closing arrangement 1 as claimed in claim 1 characterised in that the closing arrangement 1 comprises for each pair of panels 2 a connecting channel 6 disposed laterally to the closing direction with a hinge attachment 8 of two successive panels 2 to the upright parts of said connecting channel 6, said two successive panels 2 cooperating with different side panels 9 and 10.

3. Closing arrangement 1 as claimed in claim 1 characterised in that a connecting part 16, 17 having a hinge attachment 42, 43 is incorporated at the top side 15 between the facing sides of each pair of panels 2 cooperating with the same side panel 11.

4. Closing arrangement 1 as claimed in claim 3 characterised in that a hinge attachment is obtained by two interlocking forked sections 41, 42 in the facing edge portions of the connecting part 16 and the relevant panel 2, which forked sections are severally dimensioned.

5. Closing arrangement 1 as claimed in claim 3 characterised in that each pair of panels 2 cooperating with the same connecting part 16 are bridged at the outer side by a strip 17 of flexible material.

6. Closing arrangement 1 as claimed in claim 5 characterised in that a panel 2 at the outer side comprises a forked section 43 for accommodating the enlarged edge of said strip 17 of flexible material.

7. Closing arrangement as claimed in claim 1 characterised in that the closing arrangement 1 comprises two guide rails 18 fitted at the outer sides of said opening and that the extremities of the channels 6 comprise a roller bearing mechanism 24 acting in concert with said guide rails 18.

8. Cover strip 40 for a panel 2 of the closing arrangement 1 as claimed in claim 1 characterised in that the cover strip 40 at the back side comprises three forked or claw-shaped, circularly bent sections 41, 43, 45 having arc segments 47, 48 of unequal length, which sections 41, 43, 45 are fitted on the cover strip 40 in a uniform sense of direction.

9. Dormer 50 characterised in that the dormer 50 is constituted by a closing arrangement 1 comprising two foldable panels 2, which panels are connected hingeably in pairs at the edges, utilising a side panel 11 consisting of hinged half parts 9 and 10.