EP2841669B1

EP2841669B1 - Balcony glazing arrangement

Info

Publication number: EP2841669B1
Application number: EP13780780.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Lars Björkman
Original assignee: Nordiska Balco AB
Current assignee: Nordiska Balco AB
Priority date: 2012-04-23
Filing date: 2013-04-23
Publication date: 2019-10-23
Anticipated expiration: 2033-04-23
Also published as: EP2841658B1; EP2841669A4; SE1250398A1; SE536764C2; EP2841658A1; EP2841658A4; WO2013162452A1; EP2841669A1; DK2841669T3; DK2841658T3; WO2013162451A1

Description

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a balcony glazing arrangement comprising a balcony glazing and at least one holding device.
The present invention also relates to a balcony comprising such a balcony glazing arrangement.

Background Art

Known holding devices of this type consist of holding members, that have a horizontal leg and a vertical leg. A balcony glazing arrangement with such a holding member is known from document WO 95/22664 A1 .
When glazing a balcony, that has a balcony slab and a ceiling slab located directly there above, a frame assembly is placed on support members, attached to an edge face of the balcony slab and protruding slightly from said edge face. The frame assembly is then attached to the holding members secured to a corresponding edge face of the ceiling slab and projecting slightly there from.
The vertical legs of the holding members abut against the edge face of the ceiling slab and their horizontal legs project there from at the lower ends of the vertical legs. The holding members are attached to the front edge face of the ceiling slab by means of bolts extending through an elongated hole in each vertical leg thus permitting some height adjustment of the horizontal leg. The frame assembly abuts from below against the horizontal legs of the holding members and is attached thereto by means of bolt connections that extend through an elongated hole in each horizontal leg thus allowing some adjustment of the distance of an upper profile element from the edge face of the ceiling slab.
Any dimensional tolerances in height and width can thus be accommodated for thanks to the possibility to adapt the vertical position of the holding members and the lateral position of the bolt connections.

Summary of the Invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a balcony glazing arrangement with a holding device for holding of a frame member forming part of a balcony glazing, said holding device enabling easy mounting of the balcony glazing.
This object is achieved by a balcony glazing arrangement with the features of claim 1.
Means of a holding device for holding of an upper frame member forming part of a balcony glazing, said balcony glazing being mounted between a lower slab and an upper slab located there above, said holding device being characterized in that it comprises an attachment part adapted for attachment of the holding device to the upper slab, and an engagement part that is arranged on the attachment part and is rotatable around a horizontal axis between a mounting position in which the engagement part allows mounting of the balcony glazing, and an operative position in which the engagement part is engaging said upper frame member for holding the balcony glazing.
A holding device designed in this way enables very easy and time efficient mounting of a balcony glazing. Further, adjustment to accommodate for dimensional tolerances is rendered possible in a very simple and tool free manner during mounting.
In one embodiment the engagement part is rotatable in relation to the attachment part.
Preferably the engagement part of the holding device is displaceable in a horizontal direction relative to an edge face of the upper slab, which allows adjustment of the distance of the engagement part from the upper slab. Possible dimensional tolerances sideways can be compensated for thanks to the ability to adapt the sideways position of the engagement part.
In one embodiment the engagement part is displaceable in a horizontal direction along the attachment part.
Preferably the engagement part has a retaining pin extending in a substantially horizontal direction when the engagement part is in the mounting position and in a substantially vertical direction when the engagement part is in the operative position. In this context a substantially horizontal direction refers to a direction deviating 0-30° from a horizontal plane and a substantially vertical direction refers to a direction deviating 0-30° from a vertical plane.
In one exemplary embodiment the engagement part has an arcuate portion, for instance in the form of a circular sector shaped portion, which, in the operative position, engages with the upper frame member.
In one exemplary embodiment the engagement part has a fork shaped portion, which, in the operative position, engages with a projecting portion of the upper frame member.
Preferably the holding device comprises a support member that is arranged on the attachment part and adapted to engage with a lower frame member of a further balcony glazing above said balcony glazing. A holding device designed in this way allows very easy and time efficient mounting of a plurality of balcony glazings on a house wall for glazing of balconies on different floors. Such a holding device can thus hold a balcony glazing at a lower balcony thanks to the engagement part and simultaneously support an additional balcony glazing at an adjacent upper balcony thanks to the support member. This renders it possible to use the holding device as a combined holding and support means when mounting adjacent balcony glazings, thus enabling simple and time efficient mounting of balcony glazings on vertically adjacent floors.
According to a preferred embodiment the holding device comprises a support member that is arranged on the attachment part and adapted to engage with a lower frame member of a further balcony glazing above said balcony glazing. Such a holding device is very robust and compact and enables simple and time efficient mounting of vertically adjacent balcony glazings.
At least one of the engagement part and the support member is vertically displaceable. Possible dimensional tolerances in height can thus easily can be compensated for by adjusting of the height of the engagement part and/or the support member.
In one embodiment, the support member is displaceable in a vertical direction, which allows for easy adjustment to accommodate for possible dimensional tolerances in height when mounting vertically adjacent balcony glazings.
In one exemplary embodiment the holding device comprises a locking means, by means of which the engagement part can be locket onto the attachment part in a rotation preventing way, thus preventing rotation of the engagement part relative to the attachment part in the operative position in a very robust and reliable way. The locking means may for instance comprise a set screw or a locking member, such that a lock washer. Preferably the locking means can lock the engagement part in the mounting position too, which facilitates mounting of a balcony glazing.
In one exemplary embodiment the locking means comprises a lock washer having at least one protruding leg, that is arranged to be received by a slot formed in the engagement part. This embodiment is advantageous in that the engagement part can be locked in the operative position in a very simple and tool free way, while it prevents rotation of the engagement part relative to the attachment part in a very robust and reliable way. Further the engagement part can be locked in the mounting position in a very simple and neat way, thus further facilitating mounting of a balcony glazing. Preferably the lock washer is made in one piece with the protruding leg. According to one embodiment the locking means comprises a lock washer that has two resilient legs.
In one exemplary embodiment the attachment part of the holding device is adapted for attachment of the holding device to the lower slab, wherein the holding device comprises a support member that is arranged on the attachment part and in an operative position engages with said lower frame member in order to hold the balcony glazing, wherein the support member is horizontally displaceable in relation to the attachment part, thus enabling adjustment of the distance of the support member from a front edge face of the lower slab. In this embodiment the support member preferably is vertically displaceable, thus enabling adjustment of height of the support member.
Another object of the invention is to provide a balcony that renders easy mounting of a frame assembly possible for enabling glazing of the balcony.
This object is achieved by means of a balcony comprising a balcony glazing arrangement according to the invention.
Further advantages and features of the invention are revealed in the appended claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will now be described with reference to the appended drawings.

Fig. 1 is a front view showing a glazed balcony, provided with a holding device according to the present invention.
Fig. 2 shows the balcony from the right in fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is an exploded view and shows the holding device in a larger scale.
Fig. 4a-e illustrate mounting of a frame member forming part of a balcony glazing.
Fig. 5 shows a holding device according to an alternative embodiment.
Fig. 6 is an exploded view and shows a holding device according to a further alternative embodiment.
Fig. 7a shows the holding device of fig. 6 in a mounting position.
Fig. 7b shows the holding device of fig. 6 in an operative position.

Description of Preferred Embodiments

The balcony illustrated in the drawings comprises a horizontal balcony slab 1 and horizontal ceiling slab 2 that is located right above and, in the case at hand, constitutes a balcony slab of an upper balcony. The balcony slab 1 may similarly constitute the ceiling slab of a lower balcony. Each of the two slabs 1 and 2 comprises a steel frame 1a, 2a, which is composed of steel profiles having a square cross section, and a concrete slab 1b, 2b, which is supported by the steel frame 1a, 2a. Each of the two slabs 1 and 2 is in a conventional way attached to a house wall (not shown).
The balcony is glazed and has a front comprising a fixed lower wall panel 15 of sheet metal and a plurality of glass panes 16, 16', 16" horizontally displaceable in relation to each other. The wall panel 15 and the glass panes 16, 16', 16" are mounted in a frame assembly comprising an upper horizontal profile element 17, a lower horizontal profile element 18 and an intermediate horizontal profile element 19. Together the frame assembly 17, 18, 19, the wall panel 15 and the glass panes 16, 16', 16" form a balcony glazing 9. The upper 17 and lower 19 profile elements of the frame assembly, and thus the balcony glazing 9, are held by holding devices 3, 20 according to the present invention. The wall panel 15 is mounted between the lower profile element 18 and the intermediate profile element 19. The glass panes 16, 16', 16" are in a way known mounted between the upper profile element 17 and the intermediate profile element 19 and are displaceable in relation to each other. The profile elements 17, 18, 19 are preferably made of aluminium. In the drawings a typical lower profile element 18' is shown of a frame assembly of the upper balcony. The two lower profile elements 18 and 18' look the same. The upper balcony is glazed in the same way and has a front comprising a fixed lower wall panel 15' of sheet metal and a plurality of glass panes (not shown) horizontally displaceable in relation to each other and forming part of a balcony glazing 9' of the upper balcony.
Two upper holding devices 3, comprising an attachment part 5 and an engagement part 6, are attached spaced apart to a front edge face 4 of the ceiling slab 2. The attachment part 5 comprises a partially threaded shaft 7. A first threaded portion 7a of the shaft 7 is received in a frame member 2a of the ceiling slab 2. Said first threaded portion 7a has radial grooves 7b that cooperate with a keyhole-shaped orifice 36 in frame member 2a, thus preventing withdrawal of the attachment part 5 and rotation of the attachment part relative to the frame member 2a. A nut 11 is provided on the threaded portion 7a of the attachment part 5 rendering possible a very robust attachment of the attachment part 5. The engagement part 6 includes a retaining pin 8 that engages with a longitudinal channel 17a arranged in the upper frame member 17. The engagement part 6 has a through hole 6a, in which the attachment part 5 is received, thus enabling rotation of the engagement part 6 around the attachment part 5, i.e. around a horizontal axis, as well as displacement of the engagement part 6 along the attachment part 5. Thus the engagement part 6 can be rotated between a mounting position, in which the retaining pin 8 extends horizontally, and an operative position, in which the retaining pin 8 extends vertically as indicated by arrow C in fig. 4c. Further, the distance of the engagement part 6 from the front edge face 4 of the ceiling slab 2 can be adjusted by displacing the engagement part 6 along the attachment part 5 as indicated by arrow D in fig. 4c.
The holding device 3 comprises two set screws 13, by means of which the engagement part 6 can be locked onto the attachment part 5 to prevent rotation of the engagement part 6 relative to the attachment part 5. The attachment part 5 has a plurality of conical holes 14 for receiving said screws 13, hence allowing a very robust securing of the engagement part 6 by means of the set screws 13. The set screws 13 extend through and cooperate with threaded holes 6b of the engagement part 6.
The holding device 3 further comprises a support member, in the form of a support pin 10 that engages the frame assembly, forming part of the lower profile element 18' of the upper balcony. The support pin 10 has a threaded portion 10a which is received in and engages with a threaded hole 6c of the engagement part 6, thus allowing the adjustment of the position of the support pin 10 relative to the engagement part 6 in the vertical direction, i.e. adjustment of the height of the support pin 10. Hence the support pin 10 is displaceably mounted on the engagement part 6, the height of which can be adjusted by rotating the support pin 10. Mounting of the holding device 3 will be described later with reference to figs. 4a-e. When the holding device 3 has been mounted, the retaining pin 8 and the support pin 10 are directed in a vertical direction, such as shown in fig. 2.
The holding device 3 further comprises a stop, in the form of a nut 12, preventing withdrawal of the engagement part 6 arranged on the attachment part 5. The nut 12 is arranged on a threaded end portion 7c of the shaft 7.
Two lower holding devices, in the form of support devices 20 comprising an attachment part 22 and a support member 23, are attached spaced apart to a front edge face 21 of the balcony slab. The support member 23 has a support pin 25 that engages a longitudinal channel 18a provided in the lower frame member 18. Thus the support device 20 supports and retains the lower profile element 18 of the frame assembly. The support pin 25 has a threaded portion which is received in and engages with a threaded hole in the support member 23, hence allowing adjustment of the height of the support pin 25. Thus the support pin 25 is displaceably mounted on the support member 23.
Hence the lower profile element 18 has a longitudinal channel 18a in its bottom. The frame assembly rests on the lower holding devices 3, 20 with its lower profile element 18. The support pin 10 of each holding device 3 is accordingly placed in the channel 18a of the lower profile element 18.
The lower profile element 18' of the upper balcony also has a longitudinal channel in its bottom. The frame assembly of the upper balcony rests on the lower holding devices 3 by means of its lower profile element 18'. The support pin 25 of each holding device 20 is accordingly placed in the longitudinal channel of the lower profile element 18'.
Mounting of a holding device 3 according to the present invention will now be described with reference to figs. 4a-c. In this case the holding device 3 is mounted on a frame member 2a forming part of a balcony frame.
The attachment part 5 of the holding device 3 is somewhat angled inserted in a circular hole in a side wall of frame member 2a and is then turned so that the grooves 7b cooperate with the narrower part 36a of the keyhole-shaped orifice 36 as illustrated by arrow A in fig. 4b. A portion, in the form of the threaded portion 7a, of the engagement part 5 is hence received by the frame member 2a. Further, shaft 7 is hereby prevented from rotating about its own longitudinal axis, i.e. about a horizontal axis. A stop member 37, which includes a plug 38, is then positioned so that the engagement part 5 is prevented from being rotated backwards from its mounted position, as illustrated by arrow B in fig. 4c, where after the nut 11 is tightened. The distance of the retaining pin 8 from the frame member 2a can be adjusted by moving the engagement part 6 along the attachment part 5, on which the engagement part 6 is slidably mounted as illustrated by arrow D in fig. 4c. Further, the height of the support pin 10 can be adjusted by rotating the support pin 10. The holding device 3 thus allows adjustment for any dimensional tolerances in a very simple manner. The engagement part 6 is rotated to its mounting position, where after the balcony glazing 9 is put in place, as illustrated by arrow E in fig. 4d. In the mounting position the retaining pin 8 and the support pin 10 extend horizontally, thus enabling mounting of the profile element 17. When the balcony glazing 9 has been placed on the lower holding device 20, the engagement part 6 is rotated to its operative position as illustrated by arrow F in fig. 4e. In its operative position the retaining pin 8 engages with channel 17a of the upper frame member 17 and thus holds the balcony glazing 9. Finally, the set screws 13 are tightened which prevents the engagement part 6 and the attachment part 5 to move in relation to each other when mounting of the balcony glazing 9 is completed.
When mounting a balcony glazing 9' on the upper balcony, the level of the displaceable support pin 10 is adjusted if necessary in order compensate for any dimensional tolerances. Then the balcony glazing 9' of the upper balcony is mounted in a way corresponding to the one described above with reference to figs. 4a-e. The T-shaped holding device 3 hence holds the balcony glazing 9 while supporting a balcony glazing 9' of the upper balcony.
In fig. 5 a holding device 103 according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown. The holding device 103 comprises an attachment part 105 and an engagement part 106 that is firmly connected to the attachment part 105. Hence the engagement part 106 cannot rotate in relation to the attachment part 105. The engagement part 106 has an integral retaining pin 108. The attachment part 105 is attached to a frame member 2a forming part of a balcony framing by means of two locking nuts 111, 111'. The attachment part 105 has a threaded portion onto which the locking nuts 111, 111' are provided. The attachment part 105 is rotatably mounted in circular holes in side walls of the frame member 102a. The engagement part 106, that is firmly connected to the attachment part 105, is rotatable around a horizontal axis extending through the attachment part 105, between a mounting position, in which the engagement part 106 allows mounting a balcony glazing, and an operative position, in which the engagement part 106 engages with an upper frame member 17 forming part of the balcony glazing in order to hold the balcony glazing. The locking nuts 111, 111' are disposed on either side of the frame member 2a, which permits displacement of the engagement part 106 in a horizontal direction. The distance of the retaining pin 108 from the frame member 102a is thus adjustable through rotation of the engagement part 105. The holding device 103 further comprises a support member, in the form of a support pin 110, which is provided on the attachment part 106. The support pin 110 has a threaded portion which is received in and engages with a threaded hole in the engagement part 106, which allows adjustment of the position of the support pin 110 relative to the engagement part 106 in a vertical direction, i.e. adjustment of the height of the support pin 110. Thus the support pin 110 is slidably mounted on the engagement part 106 and its height can be adjusted by rotating the support pin 110.
In fig. 6 a holding device 203 according to a further alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown. The holding device 203 comprises an attachment part 205 and an engagement part 206. The attachment part 205 comprises a threaded shaft 207, that has two planar side surfaces 207a, which are parallel to each other. The threaded shaft 207 has radial grooves 207b, one of which is visible in fig. 6, which cooperate with a keyhole-shaped orifice 36 (fig. 7a), that is provided in a frame member 2a, in a manner corresponding to the manner previously described with reference to figs. 4a-e and thus prevents extraction of the attachment part 205 and rotation of the attachment part 205 relative to the frame member 2a.
The engagement part 206 has a circular through hole 206a, in which the attachment part 205 is received, thus enabling rotation of the engagement part 206 around the attachment part 205, i.e. about a horizontal axis, and displacement of the engagement part 206 along the attachment part 205. The engagement part 206 can thus be rotated between a mounting position (fig. 7a), in which the engagement part 206 allows mounting of a balcony glazing 9, and an operative position (fig. 7b), in which the engagement part 206 engages with an upper frame member 17 for holding the balcony glazing 9. Further, the distance of the engagement part 206 from a front edge face of the ceiling slab 2 can be adjusted by displacing the engagement part 206 along the attachment part 205.
The holding device 203 comprises a locking means 213, in the form of a lock washer, by means of which the engagement part 206 can be locked to the attachment part 205 in a rotation preventing way in order to prevent rotation of the engagement part 206 relative to the attachment part 205. To achieve this, the locking means 213 comprises a washer 213a with an elongated hole 213b with two parallel edges 213e, that cooperate with planar side surfaces 207a of the attachment part 205, and two legs 213c, that cooperate with slots 206b formed in the engagement part 206. Thus the locking means 213 prevents rotation of the engagement part 206 in relation to the attachment part 205 in a very robust and reliable manner. The legs 213c of the locking means are resilient, making it possible to clamp the locking means 213 onto the engagement part 206. The locking means 213 further has two bendable locking arms 213d, which are intended to be used to prevent rotation of a locking nut 212 after mounting of a balcony glazing. The washer 213a is formed integrally with the resilient legs 213c and the locking arms 213d and together they form said locking means 213.
The edges 213e of the elongated hole 213b prevent rotation of the locking means 213 around the attachment part 205, i.e. about a horizontal axis. The legs 213c of the locking means, which are received in slots 206b, prevent rotation of the engagement part 206 relative to the locking means 213 and thus around the attachment part 205, i.e. about a horizontal axis.
In this embodiment the engagement part 206 in total has four slots 206b, that are adapted to receive the legs 213c of the locking means, wherein two of the slots 206b are intended to receive the legs 213c of the locking means when mounting a balcony glazing, that is, when the engagement part 206 is in the mounting position, and two of the slots 206b are intended to receive the legs 213c of the locking means after mounting of a balcony glazing, that is, when the engagement part 206 is in the operative position. Thus the locking means 213 and the engagement part 206 are intended to lock the engagement part 206 on the attachment part 205 in a rotation preventing manner in a mounting position, when mounting a balcony glazing, or in an operative position, when the balcony glazing has been mounted.
The holding device 203 further comprises a support member, in the form of a support pin 210. The support pin 210 has a threaded portion, which is received in and engages with a threaded hole in the engagement part 206, thus enabling adjustment of the position of the support pin 210 relative to the engagement part 206 in a vertical direction, i.e. the height of the support pin 210, when the engagement part 206 is in the operative position. Hence the support pin 210 is displaceably mounted on the engagement part 206 and the height of the support pin 210 can be adjusted by rotating thereof.
Referring to figs. 7a-b, mounting of a balcony glazing, that has an upper frame member 17, will now be described when using the holding device 203. The attachment part 205 of the holding device 203 is attached to a ceiling slab 2 in a manner corresponding to the manner described for the holding device 3 with reference to figs. 4a-e. In the mounting position, as illustrated in fig. 7a, the retaining pin 208 of the engagement part 206 points obliquely upwards and renders it possible to put the upper frame member 17 in place. When the upper frame member 17 has been put in place, the locking means 213 is released from the engagement part 206, whereupon the engagement part 206 is rotated to its operative position, which position is illustrated in fig. 7b. The horizontal position of the engagement part 206, i.e. the distance to the frame member 2a, can be adjusted by turning of a nut 239 that is received on the threaded shaft 207. When the engagement part 206 has been rotated to the operative position and the horizontal position of the attachment part 205 has been adjusted, the locking means 213 is pressed onto the engagement part 206 to maintain the engagement part 206 in the operative position, i.e. to prevent the engagement part 206 from rotating relative to the attachment part 205. The legs 213c of the locking means are resilient, which contributes to clamping of the locking means 213 onto the engagement part 206 and preventing it from loosening when the locking means 213 has been pushed in place onto the engagement part 206. A locking nut 212 is then screwed onto the threaded shaft 207. Finally the two locking arms 213d of the locking means are bent over the locking nut 212 in order to lock it, c.f. the enlarged section of fig. 7b. In the operative position, as illustrated in fig. 7b, the retaining pin 208 of the engagement part 206 extends in a vertical direction and thereby holds the upper frame member 17. Further, the legs 213c of the locking means are received in the slots 206b formed in the engagement part 206, as best illustrated in the enlarged section of fig. 7b, where one of the legs 213c is visible.
It will be appreciated that many variations of the above described embodiments are possible within the scope of the appended claims.
In the foregoing a holding device has been described which is attached to a profile element 2a forming part of a steel frame, that supports a concrete slab 2b. It is understood that a holding device according to the invention may be attached to other types of balcony slabs, such as concrete or steel slabs.
In the above it has been described that the engagement part comprises a retaining pin. It is essential for the invention that the engagement part, in the operative position, engages with the upper frame member and not how the engagement part is designed in detail to achieve this. It will be appreciated that various detailed configurations of an engagement part are possible leading to the described property of allowing, in a mounting position, mounting of a balcony glazing, and of allowing, in an operative position, engagement with a top frame member. In order to exemplify this, it can be mentioned that the engagement part may have an arcuate portion, for example in the form of a circular sector-shaped part, which, in the operative position, engages with the upper frame member. Alternatively, the engagement part may have a fork-shaped part which, in the operative position, engages with a projecting portion of the upper frame member.

Claims

A balcony glazing arrangement comprising a balcony glazing (9) and at least one holding device (3), which is arranged to hold an upper frame member (17) forming part of the balcony glazing (9), said balcony glazing (9) being mountable between a lower slab (1) and an upper slab (2) located there above, wherein the holding device (3) comprises an attachment part (5) adapted for attachment of the holding device (3) to the upper slab (2),
characterized in that the holding device (3) comprises an engagement part (6) that is arranged on the attachment part (5) and, when the holding device (3) is attached to the upper slab (2), is rotatable around a horizontal axis between a mounting position in which the engagement part (6) allows mounting of the balcony glazing (9), and an operative position in which the engagement part (6) is engaging said upper frame member (17) thereby holding the balcony glazing (9).
The balcony glazing arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the engagement part (6) is rotatable in relation to the attachment part (5).
The balcony glazing arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein the engagement part (6) of the holding device (3) is displaceable in a horizontal direction relative to an edge face (4) of the upper slab (2).
The balcony glazing arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein the engagement part (6) is displaceable in a horizontal direction along the attachment part (5).
The balcony glazing arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein the engagement part (6) has a retaining pin (8), that extends in a substantially horizontal direction when the engagement part (6) is in its mounting position and in a substantially vertical direction when the engagement part (6) is in its operative position.
The balcony glazing arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein the holding device (3) comprises a support member (10) that is arranged on the attachment part (6) and adapted to engage with a lower frame member (18') of a further balcony glazing (9') above said balcony glazing (9).
The balcony glazing arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein at least one (10) of the engagement part (6, 8) and the support member (10) is vertically displaceable.
A balcony comprising a balcony glazing arrangement (3, 9, 17) according to any preceding claim.