FIELD OF THE INVENTION
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The invention relates to a method of manufacturing window-casements comprising horizontal and vertical casement sections and frame sections both made of wood, and where said casement sections and frame sections are covered on an outside surface by a cover element of a material other than wood and having a better resistance than wood towards the weather. The invention also relates to a cover element for covering an outside surface of window casements comprising horizontal and vertical casement sections and frame sections both made of wood, said cover element being made of a material other than wood and having a better resistance than wood towards the weather.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
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FR 2 697 574 describes a covering for doors or windows consisting in sections made of metal, like aluminium, or plastics, like PVC. One section is provided for covering the window casement and one section is provided for covering the window frame. The covering includes the casement and opening light, and the covering is fixed to the existing casement. The covering is screwed onto the existing casement. The existing casement is made of wood or composite material. The covering exhibits a high rigidity and a durable fixing and is easy to install. However, as mentioned, at least two separate covering profiles must be made and fixed to the window casement and to the window frame, respectively.
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SE 2 095 671 describes a covering for wooden casements to be fixed to the wooden casement by means of a separate clamp. The clamp is intended for being secured to the window casement in a position along an extension of the plane of the window pane as such. The securing of the clamp is only possible after also the covering profile has been fixed to the clamp. Attachment of the covering is thereby made very difficult. Subsequent to fixing of the covering to the clamp, and subsequent to the securing the clamp and the covering to the window casement, the covering is covering only the window casement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
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It may be an object of the present invention to provide a covering and a corresponding method of attaching the covering to a wooden casement, which covering and which method make it easier to install the covering, without compromising the safety after installation. It may also be an object to provide a window having a high U-value and a high g-value.
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U-value is the measurement of heat transfer through a given building material, glass, etc. and describes the ability of a material to conduct heat. The U-value has the dimension of Watt per meter material, i.e. energy loss per time unit per meter. The g-value is the heat from the sun that enters the window. The g-value is dimensionless and is expressed in percent.
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The objects may be obtained by a method comprising the steps of
- said casement sections and frame sections being covered on an outside surface by a cover element of a material other than wood and having a better resistance than wood towards the weather, and
- a single cover element covering a longitudinal extension of at least a lower horizontal casement section and frame section along a vertical plane P substantially parallel with the window pane and in a direction from the window pane, further along the window casement, and further along the window frame, as seen in a direction perpendicular to the vertical plane P.
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Using only a single cover element for covering both the window casement and the window frame poses problems to the manufacturer of the coverings, because wooden windows are very different to as example metal windows or plastic windows, but the coverings have to match at least a plurality of wooden windows being manufactured. Therefore, all prior art reveals coverings only for wooden casements or only for wooden frames, or coverings consisting in two separate covering profiles, one for the wooden window casement and one for the wooden window frame. Despite the prejudice in the business as is evident from the prior art documents, the present invention offers the possibility of covering both the window casement and the window frame with only one cover element along at least part of the longitudinal extension of the window casement and the window frame.
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In a preferred method according to the invention, more single cover elements are covering more casement sections, and each of the single cover elements is utilised for covering one casement section. It is preferred that only one single cover element is covering the entire longitudinal extension of one part of the window casement and window frame, i.e. either the upper or lower horizontal parts or the left or right vertical parts. It will be possible during manufacture and subsequent delivery of the cover elements to the manufacturer of windows to provide long cover elements, perhaps up to six meters or more. It will then be possible for the manufacturer of the windows to cut off the desired length to suit a certain window having certain dimensions horizontally and vertically.
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In an alternative method according to the invention, a plurality of single cover elements is utilised for covering one casement section. It is possible that more than one single cover element is covering the entire longitudinal extension of one part of the window casement and window frame, i.e. either the upper or lower horizontal parts or the left or right vertical parts.
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Although it is possible during manufacture and subsequent delivery of the cover elements to the manufacturer of windows to provide long cover elements, perhaps up to six meters or more, there may be window casements having a larger extension, or there may be reasons due to limitations of the manufacturing equipment, which necessitates use of more than one single cover element for covering only one casement section.
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In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cover element has an extension from an inside border of the cover element to an outside border of the cover element, and said extension having a magnitude being at least the complementary extension of a window casement section, onto which the cover element is intended for being attached, and a window frame section along a plane parallel with the front part of the cover element, seen along the said extension of the cover element.
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The manufacturer of wooden windows intending to cover both the window casement and the window frame with a cover element only has to attach one single cover element to the window casement in order to cover both the window casement and the window frame.
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According to a preferred embodiment, said cover element has an inwards extending part intended for extending from the front part towards the window pane, when the cover element (12) is attached to the window casement, and said inwards extending part is provided with means for attaching the cover element to a rebate of the window casement which the cover element is intended for being attached to.
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By utilising the rebate of the window casement, in stead of the front surface of the window casement, when attaching the cover element to the window frame, existing window encasements may be covered by a cover element, and no special provisions need to be made to the window casement in order to attach the cover element to the window casement. Also, the outward protrusion of the cover element may be reduced to a minimum in relation to the front surface of the window casement.
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Preferably, the means for attaching the cover element to the window casement comprises a cover element with specially designed fastening means in the inwards extending part, and a number of clamps with corresponding specially designed fastening means, said clamps being intended for being secured to the rebate of the window casement, and the fastening means of the cover element and the fastening means of the clamps are capable of mutually intersecting in order to maintain the cover element to the clamps and thus to the window casement, while covering the rebate, once the clamps are secured to the rebate of the window casement and once the cover element is fastened to the clamps.
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Thereby, the clamps are capable of maintaining the window pane in place, thereby preventing the window pane from being displaced from the window casement during fastening of the cover element to the clamps and/or thereby preventing the window pane from being detached from the window casement during a possible forced entry through the window.
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For introducing further safety features of the window in relation to preventing possible forced entry through the window, a circumferential border of a rear part of the cover element may be intended for abutting a corresponding circumferential extension of the window casement, and where the circumferential border of the rear part of the cover element may be provided with holes intended for receiving fastening means once the cover element is attached to the window casement, thereby preventing the circumferential border of the rear part of the cover element from being detached from the circumferential extension of the window casement during a possible forced entry through the window.
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According to a certain aspect of the invention, a window frame is provided, where the window frame has an outer surface intended for abutting an embrasure in a wall for the window, and where the window frame has an inner surface, said inner surface being provided with means for taking up hinges and the like, and where the window frame is made of a material other than wood, thereby limiting the dimensions of the window frame, and where the window frame is made of a material other than metal, thereby limiting the energy-loss of the window frame.
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A window frame of the above-mentioned kind takes very important aspects into account at one and the same time, incorporating optimum performance in the one and same window frame. Thus, not only does the window frame according to the invention provide the necessary rigidity and durability as a window frame, but the window frame according to the invention also provides the minimum U-value, and in preferred embodiments also the maximum g-value.
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A preferred embodiment of the window frame according to the invention has a thickness, seen in a direction from the inner surface to the outer surface of the window frame, between 1 mm and 20 mm, preferably between 2 mm and 10 mm, possibly 5 mm. By limiting the thickness of the widow frame to a minimum, the g-value of the window incorporating the window frame will be maximised.
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Along a further aspect of the window frame according to the invention, the window frame is made of a plastics material, preferably is made of a fibre re-enforced plastics material, possibly made of glass fibre re-enforced nylon, alternatively made of carbon fibre re-enforced nylon. By manufacturing the window frame of the materials mentioned, the thickness is limited together with the U-value being minimised.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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Hereafter, the invention will be described with reference to the drawings, where
- fig. 1 is a perspective cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the invention showing attachment of a cover element to one type of window casement and window frame, and
- fig. 2 is a plane cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the invention showing attachment of a cover element to another type of window casement and window frame.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
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Fig. 1 shows a window casement 1 and a window frame 2 of a commonly known wooden window. A double-glazed window pane 3 is inserted into the window casement 1. The window pane 3 is supported at an inner surface 4 by a resilient strip 5 abutting an inner surface 6 of a rebate 7 provided along the longitudinal extension of the window casement 1. At the bottom, the window pane 3 is supported by a supporting chock 8 being provided in the rebate 7. At an outer surface 9, the window pane 3 is supported by a weather strip 10 extending along a groove 11, which groove 11 is provided in a cover element 12. Further weather strips 13, as commonly known, are provided between the window casement 1 and the window frame 2.
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The length of the cover element 12 extending along each of the horizontal and vertical extensions of the window casement 1 is constituted by a single profile for each of the horizontal and vertical extensions. Other extension of the window frame 1, and thus other extensions of the cover element 12 may of course be possible, if the window is not an ordinary window frame, such as a triangular window frame, a hexagonal window frame, a circular window frame or window frames with other geometry. The profile constituting the cover element 12 has a front part 15 intended for screening a front surface 16 of the wooden window casement 1 from the exposure of the weather, i.e. rain, snow, sunlight etc.
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The cover element 12 is attached to the window casement 1 by means of a number of clamps 14. The clamps 14 are secured by means of one or more nails, screws, staples or even other fastening means (not shown) to the rebate 7 of the window casement 1 and not to a front surface 16 of the wooden window casement 1. In alternative embodiments, the clamps may however be secured to the front surface 15 of the window casement 1, but preferably, the clamps 14 are secured to the rebate 7. Preferably, when the clamps are secured to the rebate 7 of the window casement 1, impact screws are utilised, said impact screws being hammered into the circumferential extension 22 of the wooden casement 1. Such screws cannot subsequently be unscrewed from the wooden window casement 1, thereby increasing safety towards the covering element 12 being detached during possible forced entry through the window.
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The clamps 14 are covered by the cover element 12, when the cover element 12 is attached to the clamp 14. The clamps 14 are provided with recesses 14A,14B and the cover element 12 is provided with tongues 12A,12B. The tongues 12A,12B of the cover element 12 is intended for intersecting the recesses 14A,14B of the clamps 14 for thereby attaching the cover element 12 to the clamps 14 and thus to the window casement 1. Only one or more than two recesses and corresponding tongues may be selected and manufactured either for easier attachment of the cover element 12 to the clamps 14 or for more secure attachment of the cover element 12 to the clamps 14.
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When the clamps 14 are secured to the rebate 7 of the window casement 1, the clamps 14 are preventing the window pane 3 from displacing in the rebate 7. This makes it very easy to attach the cover element 1, because the window pane 3 does not need to be supported during attachment of the cover element 12. Furthermore, due to the fact that the clamps 14 are covered by the cover element 12, when the cover element is attached to the clamps 14, the clamps 14 ensure that the window pane 3 cannot be detached during possible forced entry through the window.
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The cover element 12 also has an inwards extending part 17 intended for screening the clamps 14 and part of the rebate 7 of the wooden window casement 1 from the exposure of the weather, i.e. rain, snow, sunlight, etc. The tongues 12A,12B are manufactured as part of the inwards extending part 17 of the cover element 12. If the cover element 12 is attached to clamps 14 provided on the front surface 16 of the window casement 1 in stead of being attached to the rebate 7, the tongues for attachment of the cover element 12 to the clamps 14 will be manufactured as part of the front surface in stead.
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The front part 15 is extending from a border 18 formed with the inwards extending part 17 and to an outer border 19 constituted by circumferential extension of the cover element 12. From the outer border 19, the cover element, in the embodiment shown, has a rear part 20 extending in the opposite direction than the front part 15.
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The front part 15 covers an extension of both the wooden window casement 1 and the wooden window frame 2, as seen in a direction along a vertical plane P substantially parallel with the window pane 3. The rear part 20 extends in the opposite direction from the circumferential border 19 of the window casement 1. An inwards extending section 21 of the rear part 20 is abutting a circumferential extension 22 of the window casement 1. The inwards extending section 21 is preferably secured to the circumferential extension 22 of the window casement 1 by fastening means such as nails, screws or even other fastening means (not shown) suited for securing the cover element 12 to the window casement 1. Preferably, impact screws are utilised, said impact screws being hammered into the circumferential extension 22 of the wooden casement 1. Such screws cannot subsequently be unscrewed from the wooden window casement 1, thereby increasing safety towards the covering element 12 being detached during possible forced entry through the window.
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The window frame 2 is provided with a groove 23, which is adapted for taking up hinges (not shown) and the like mechanisms used for opening and closing the window casement 1 in relation to the window frame 2. The groove 23 in the window frame has, in the embodiment shown, a depth of only 5 mm. Possibly other types of wooden casements may be allowed, as example wooden casements being intended for fixed insertion in the window frame, i.e. with no need for mechanisms for opening or closing the window casement in relation to the window frame.
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As can be seen, the front part 15 of the cover element 12 has an extension along a vertical plane P substantially parallel with the window pane 3, said extension having a magnitude being at least the extension of the window casement 1 along the said vertical plane P together with a further extension of the window frame 2 along the said vertical plane P. Thus, the one and single cover element 12 covers both the window casement 1 and the window frame 2 seen in a direction perpendicular to the said vertical plane P. i.e. perpendicular to the front surface 15 of the cover element 12. This means that the manufacturer of wooden windows intending to cover both the window casement 1 and the window frame 2 with a cover element only has to attach one single cover element 12 to the window casement 1 in order to cover both the window casement 1 and the window frame 2.
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Fig. 2 also shows a window casement 1 and a window frame 2, however, of a new type of wooden window. A window pane 3 is inserted into the window casement 1 similarly to what is described with reference to fig. 1. The window pane 3 is supported at an inner surface 4 by a resilient strip 5 abutting an inner surface 6 of a rebate 7 provided along the longitudinal extension of the window casement 1. At the bottom, the window pane is supported by a supporting chock 8 being provided in the rebate 7. At an outer surface 9, the window pane is supported by a weather strip 10 extending along a groove 11, which is provided in a cover element 12. Further weather strips 13 as commonly known are provided between the window casement 1 and the window frame 3.
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The cover element 12 is attached to the window casement 1 by means of a number of clamps 14. The clamps 14 are secured by means of one or more nails as shown, or alternatively screws or staples, to the rebate 7 of the window casement 1 and not to the front surface 15 of the wooden window casement 1. In alternative embodiments, the clamps may however be secured to the front surface 15 of the window casement 1, but preferably, the clamps 14 are secured to the rebate 7. Preferably, when the clamps are secured to the rebate 7 of the window casement 1, impact screws are utilised, said impact screws being hammered into the circumferential extension 22 of the wooden casement 1. Such screws cannot subsequently be unscrewed from the wooden window casement 1, thereby increasing safety towards the covering element 12 being detached during possible forced entry through the window.
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The clamps 14 are covered by the cover element 12, when the cover element 12 is attached to the clamps 14. The clamps 14 are provided with recesses 14A,14B and the cover element 12 is provided with tongues 12A,12B. The tongues 12A,12B of the cover element 12 is intended for intersecting the recesses 14A,14B of the clamps 14 for thereby attaching the cover element 12 to the clamps 14 and thus to the window casement 1. Only one or more than two recesses and corresponding tongues may be selected and manufactured either for easier attachment of the cover element 12 to the clamps 14 or for more secure attachment of the cover element 12 to the clamps 14.
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The length of the cover element extending along each of the horizontal and vertical extensions of the window casement is constituted by a single profile for each of the horizontal and vertical extensions. Other extension of the window frame 1, and thus other extensions of the cover element 12 may of course be possible, if the window is not an ordinary window frame, such as a triangular window frame, a hexagonal window frame, a circular window frame or window frames with other geometry. The profile constituting the cover element 14 has a front part 15 intended for screening a front surface 16 of the wooden window casement 1 from the exposure of the weather, i.e. rain, snow, sunlight etc.
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The cover element 12 has an inwards extending surface 17 intended for screening part of the rebate 7 of the wooden window casement 1 from the exposure of the weather, i.e. rain, snow, sunlight etc. The tongues 12A,12B are manufactured as part of the inwards extending part 17 of the cover element 12. If the cover element 12 is attached to clamps 14 provided on the front surface 16 of the window casement 1 in stead of being attached to the rebate 7, the tongues for attachment of the cover element 12 to the clamps 14 will be manufactured as part of the front surface in stead.
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The front part 15 is extending from a border 18 formed with the inwards extending surface 17 and to an outer border 19 constituted by circumferential extension of the cover element 12. From the outer border 19, in the embodiment shown, the cover element has a rear part 20 extending in the opposite direction than the front part 15.
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From the outer circumferential border 19, the cover element 12 has an inwards extending section 21. The inwards extending section 21 is abutting a circumferential extension 22 of the window casement 1, and the inwards extending section 21 is preferably secured to the circumferential extension 22 of the window casement 1 by fastening means such as nails, screws or other fastening means (not shown) suited for securing the cover element 12 to the window casement 1. Preferably, impact screws are utilised, said impact screws being hammered into the circumferential extension 22 of the wooden casement 1. Such screws cannot subsequently be unscrewed from the wooden window casement 1, thereby increasing safety towards the covering element 12 being detached during possible forced entry through the window.
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As can be seen, the front part 15 of the cover element 12 has an extension along a vertical plane P substantially parallel with the window pane 3, said extension having a magnitude being at least the length of the window casement 1 along the said vertical plane P. Thus, the one and single cover element 12 covers both the window casement 1 and the window frame 3 seen in a direction perpendicular to the said vertical plane P. i.e. perpendicular to the front surface of the cover element 12. This means that the manufacturer of wooden windows intending to cover both the window casement 1 and the window frame 3 with a cover element only has to attach one single cover element 12 to the window casement 1 in order to cover both the window casement 1 and the window frame 3.
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Also in the embodiment shown in fig. 2, an inwards extending section 21 is extending from the outer circumferential border 19 of the window casement 1 of the cover element 12. The inwards extending section 21 is abutting a circumferential extension 22 of the window casement 1, and the inwards extending section 21 is preferably secured to the circumferential extension 22 of the window casement 1 by fastening means such as nails, screws or other fastening means (not shown) suited for securing the cover element 12 to the window casement 1. Preferably, impact screws are utilised, said screws being hammered into the circumferential extension 22 of the wooden casement 1. Such screws may not subsequently be removed by screwing off from the wooden window casement 1, thereby increasing safety towards the covering element 12 being detached during possible forced entry through the window.
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In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, the window frame 2 is specially designed. The window frame 2 has a wooden section 2A and a special section 2B, which in the embodiment shown is profiled (to be explained later). The special profiled section 2B is made of another material than wood. The special profiled section 2B of the window frame 2 is preferably made of a plastics material such as glass fibre re-enforced nylon. The special profiled section 2B may also be made of a metallic material, but plastics are preferred due to the good insulation properties of plastics compared to metals. The combination of the wooden window casement 1 and the wooden section 2A of the window frame 2 and a special section 2B of the window frame 2, and said special section 2B being made from a material having as low a heat transfer rate as possible, results in the entire window exhibiting as low an energy-loss as possible.
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In an alternative embodiment, the window frame is only constituted by the special profiled section 2B, thus omitting the wooden section 2A. In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, the wooden section does not have any technical effect on the properties and the functionality of the window as such. Primarily, the wooden section is provided of aesthetic reasons, although some technical means in relation to the window such as fastening of hasps and the like and other mechanisms.
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The special profiled section 2B is provided with grooves 23, which are adapted for taking up hinges (not shown) and the like mechanisms used for opening and closing the window casement 1 in relation to the window frame 2. A largest groove 23A in the middle of the special profiled section 2B of the window frame 2 has, in the embodiment shown, a depth of only 13 mm. The other smaller grooves 23B, 23C are provided for possible attachment of other, further weather strips (not shown). The special section 2B has a thickness t of approximately 5 mm between an outer extension 24 and an inner extension 25. The thickness t may be larger or may be smaller, depending on the requirements for rigidity of the special section 2B and depending on the choice of material, which the special section 2B is made of. The lesser requirements for rigidity and the stronger material the special section is made of, the smaller the thickness t may be, and vice versa.
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Depending on the type of window being manufactured, and depending on the kind of hinges and other mechanism, which are used for opening and closing the window, the groove 23A may be less or more deep. However, the depth of the groove 23A is always adapted to the specific window so that the depth is as small as possible. Thereby, the window casement 1 may be manufactured so as to accommodate as large a window pane 3 as possible, depending on the embrasure for the window in the wall, where the window is to be mounted. The possibility of having as large a window pane 3 as possible mounted in the window casement 1 results in the g-value of the entire window being as high as possible.
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The embodiment of a cover element 12 and of a window frame 2 as shown in fig. 2 results, as mentioned, in a U-value being very low, due to the use of a wooden window casement 1, a wooden section 2A, and a plastics section 2B of the window frame 2, in combination with a g-value being very high due to the use of the specially designed profiled section 2A of the window frame 2.
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As can be seen, the size of an embrasure in a wall for the window is only limited by the dimensions of the wooden casement 1, and the window frame 2 is not taking up any space in that respect. Thus, the g-value cannot be any larger, when employing a wooden window casement 1 of the type shown. Also, when employing a wooden window casement 1 of the type shown, the U-value is only limited by the choice of material of the special profiled section 2B of the window frame 2. Possibly other types of wooden casements may allow even higher g-values, as example wooden casements being intended for fixed insertion in the window frame, i.e. with no need for mechanisms for opening or closing the window casement in relation to the window frame.
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The window casements 1 of the embodiments shown in fig 1 and fig. 2 both have the advantage that any number of handles for operating the window during opening and closing of the window may be placed at the inside of the window casement, opposite to the inner surface 6 of the rebate 7. Thus, when not being operated, the number of handles may be covered from a view through the window pane 3, leaving an unobstructed view through the window pane,.
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Especially the embodiment shown in fig. 2 has the advantage that although the g-value is as high as possible, when employing a wooden window casement as shown, still any handles for operating the window may be hidden from a view through the window pane 3, leaving an unobstructed view through the window pane, which further increases the g-value of the window of the present invention.
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The embodiments of the inventions as shown in fig. 1 and fig. 2 are not to be viewed upon as limiting the scope of protection. Other types and kinds of windows may be envisaged, and these other types and kinds of windows may still lie within the scope of the claims.