GB2042033A - Improvements in and relating to glazing assemblies - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an assembly for glazing an aperture which comprises an outer frame 1 to be permanently mounted in the aperture and defining channels for receiving an inner frame 5 surrounding the glazing 3. To enable removal of the pane 3, a member 20 in part defining a channel of the outer frame 1 is mounted on, and removable with, the inner frame 5. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in and relating to glazing assemblies The present invention relates to improvements in glazing assemblies and particularly, but not exclusively, to secondary windows, i.e. the inner parts of double glazed windows, of the type in which the glazed unit is, in use, held stationary in a fixed frame. Such assemblies may be arranged so that the glazed unit is removable, a part of the frame having first to be removed and then the glazed unit being manoeuvred within clearances provided within the frame bodily out of the frame. Generally lateral clearances are provided and a clearance at the top of the frame, the removable part of the frame being a retaining bead or block extending along the lower or upper edge of the frame, which bead or block is releasably attached to the frame or the surround there for.Thus in removing and replacing the glazed unit, two separate operations are in volved, being the manoeuvring of the glazed unit and the removal or replacement of the retaining bead or block.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a glazing assembly comprising outer frame means providing a channel along each side of the aperture to be glazed, and inner frame means for surround ing a pane of glass or the like to be received within the channels of the outer frame means, wherein along one side of the aperture, the outer frame means includes a removable member at least in part defining the channel along that side and which is fast with a corresponding part of the inner frame means and removable therewith to permit removal of the pane from the channel.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a glazing assembly comprising an outer frame for mounting in the aperture to be glazed and providing a channel along three sides thereof, and an inner frame for surrounding a pane of glass or the like to be received within the channels of the outer frame, wherein the inner frame comprises a retaining member for extending along that edge of the pane corresponding to the fourth side of the outer frame, which member co operates with the outer frame to retain the pane in the outer frame along the fourth side thereof.

Preferably the outer frame, along the fourth side of the aperture, provides part of a chan nel which is laterally open, the member com pleting the channel.

Preferably the inner frame comprises a frame element for extending along each edge of the pane, the retaining member being mounted on the inner frame element along the respective edge of the pane and for move ment relative thereto between an operative position and an inoperative position permitting removal of the pane from the outer frame.

Advantageously the retaining member is pivotable relative to the frame element about an axis parallel to the edge of the pane and is biased to its operative position.

The frame element and retaining member may include flanges to be grasped and moved together to move the retaining member from its operative position to its inoperative position.

Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of an embodiment thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an elevation of a window provided with an embodiment of a glazing assembly according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a section on the line Il-Il of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a section on the line Ill-Ill of Fig. 1; and Figure 4 is a section similar to that of Fig. 3 but showing the retaining member in its inoperative position.

As shown in the drawings, the glazing assembly, which as shown is intended to form a secondary or inner window of a double glazed window, comprises a fixed outer frame 1 which is permanently attached to the outer window or the elements defining the window aperture, and a glazed unit 2 which is received within the frame 1.

The glazed unit 2 comprises a pane 3 of glass or the like, which may be opaque, transparent or translucent, and which is provided with an inner frame 5 surrounding the edges of the pane. The inner frame 5 comprises identical frame elements 6 along the side edges and frame elements 7 and 8 along the top and bottom edges. Each of the elements 5 to 8 has a generally- U-shaped section defining a channel dimensioned to receive the edge of the pane 3 between the arms 9 of the U. Each arm S also carries lateral projections defining a groove 10 for receiving a laterally projecting sealing strip 11. The sealing strip 11 may take any suitable form and the grooves 10 may be omitted if the strips 11 are simply adhered to the frame elements.The frame element 8 along the bottom edge of the pane also comprises a lateral flange 12 which extends from the free end of the outer one of the arms 9 and, in the assembled condition forms a cill. At the junction between the arm 9 and the flange 12 a circular section recess 13 is formed, for reasons which will become apparent.

The outer frame 1 comprises element 14 along the sides of the window aperture, an element 15 at the top of the window aperture and an element 16 at the bottom of the window aperture. Each of the side and top elements 14, 15 has a generally U-shaped part defining a channel 17 in which the glazed unit 2 is received with the sealing strips 11 bearing against the arms of the U.

The elements 16 at the bottom of the window aperture has an L-shaped part 18, i.e.

a part 18 defining the base and one arm of a channel corresponding to the channels 17.

Additionally the element 16 is provided with a groove 19 in the plane of the omitted arm of the channel.

This other arm of the channel at the bottom edge of the outer frame is provided by a retaining member 20 which is fixed to the lower frame element 8. The retaining member 20 carries in its upper portion a cylindrical part 21 which is retained in the recess 13 of the element 8 to provide a pivotal connection between the member 20 and the element 8, the member 20 being thereby pivotable about an axis extending parallel to the edge of the glazed unit 2 between an operative position, shown in Fig. 3, and an inoperative position, shown in Fig. 4. The retaining member 20 has a laterally extending operating flange 22 which extends below the flange 12 of element 8. Flange 22 is formed with a groove 23 receiving resilient means 24 which bear between the operating flange 22 and flange 12 and bias the retaining member 20 to its operative position.

In its operating position, the lower end portion 25 of member 2Q is received in the recess 19 in the lower frame element 16. As shown the end portion 25 and recess 19 have matching profiles which are frusto-conical to facilitate engagement of the member 20 in the recess 19.

The glazed unit 2 is dimensioned relative to the outer frame 1 to provide adequate lateral clearances between the elements 17 and 6 so that the unit 2 can be moved fully into the channel 17 of one element 14 to enable the other side edge of the glazed unit to be released from the opposite channel 17. Additionally adequate clearances are provided between the elements 7 and 8 and elements 15 and 16 so that, when the glazed unit is lowered to the base of the channel at the bottom edge of the frame, the top edge of the unit is released from the channel 17 of the element 15 at the top edge of the frame.

To assemble the glazed unit 2 with the outer frame, when fixed in position, the member 20 is pivoted to its inoperative position as shown in Fig. 4 by grasping the flanges 12, 22 and pulling the flange 22 towards the flange 12, compressing the resilient elements 24. With the member 20 in this condition the glazed unit can be lifted into and manoeuvred within the outer frame until the condition shown in Fig. 4 is reached, in which the side edges of the glazed unit are received in the channels 17. As is apparent from Fig. 4, the member 20 is so arranged that the lower edge of the glazed unit can be fully inserted into the element 16 when the member 20 is in its inoperative position.When the condition of Fig. 4 has been attained, the glazed unit is simply lifted to introduce it into the top channel 17, the member 20 is released so that it returns to its operative position, in which it will be in line with the groove 19, and then the unit is lowered to engage the lower end portion 25 of the member 20 in the groove 19.

It will be appreciated that the member 20 and flange 12 do not extend the full width of the lower edge of the glazed unit but are cut back at the two ends to permit manoeuvring of the glazed unit laterally within the outer frame.

While particular constructions of the outer frame elements 14, 15 and 16 have been shown, by way of example, it will be appreciated that they may take a number of different forms, depending on the particular arrangement of the glazing assembly in relation to the main glazing assembly and the window aperture, it merely being required that the glazing assembly as a whole provides channels along the four edges of the window aperture to receive the glazed unit.

Preferably the inner and outer frame elements and the retaining member are made of extrusions of plastic or metal, e.g. aluminium.

The retaining member 20 is then engaged with the inner frame element 8 by sliding the cylindrical part 21 into the cylindrical recess 13. The resilient elements 24 may take a number of different forms but, as shown, are tempered steel blades, a number of which are slid along the grooves 23 and spaced apart at intervals along the flange 22.

While the invention has been described in terms of a window, it will be appreciated that the assembly may be used to close any aperture in any construction and "glazed" and "glazing" as used herein should be understood to extend to other materials than glass and materials which may be opaque, translucent or transparent.

Claims (13)

1. A glazing assembly for glazing an aperture comprising outer frame means for providing a channel along each side of the aperture to be glazed, and inner frame means for surrounding a pane of glass or the like and to be received within the channels of the outer frame means, wherein along one side of the aperture the outer frame means includes a removable retaining member which in use at least in part defines the channel along the one side and which is associated with a corresponding part of the inner frame means and removable therewith to permit removal of the pane from the channels.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the retaining member defines a lateral part of the channel along the one side of the outer frame means.

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the channel along the one side of the outer frame means is generally U-shaped, the retaining member providing one arm of the U and being engageable in a recess in the plane of the base of the U to complete the channel.

4. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the retaining member is fast with the corresponding part of the inner frame means but movable relative thereto between an operative position which it assumes when the retaining member defines the channel with the outer frame means and an inoperative position permitting removal of the pane and inner frame means from the outer frame means.

5. An assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the inner frame means comprises a frame element for extending along each edge of the pane, the retaining member being connected to the one frame element corresponding to the one side of the outer frame means and being pivotable relative thereto between the operative and inoperative relative positions thereof.

6. An assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the retaining member extends along the length of the one frame element and is pivotable about an axis extending in the direction of length thereof.

7. An assembly as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6, including biassing means for biassing the removable member to its operative position.

8. An assembly as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the one inner frame element includes a sill extending laterally outwardly therefrom and which can be grasped for manoeuvring the inner frame means and pane within the outer frame means, and the retaining member includes a manually engageable part for moving the retaining member between its operative and inoperative positions and which is positioned to be engaged with, and pivotted relative to, the sill, biassing means biassing the retaining member to its operative position acting between the sill and the manually engageable part of the retaining member.

9. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the removable member is mounted on the one frame element by a joint comprising a cylindrical part engageable in a cylindrical recess.

10. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the retaining member extends outwardly from the inner frame means generally parallel to the plane of the pane.

11. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the one side of the outer frame means is the lower side thereof and the inner frame means and pane when assembled therewith are supported by the retaining member from the outer frame means.

12. A glazing assembly substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

13. An aperture provided with a glazing assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.