GB2087028A - A connector - Google Patents

Abstract

A cruciform shaped connector 1 has arms 4, 5, 6, adapted to be inserted into tubular members 2, 3 of predetermined cross-section. The exposed face of a central cubic block 9 is shaped to form the representation of a continuation of each of the elongate members 2, 3 and thus the exposed face of the block 9 simulates a mitred joint between the elongate members 2, 3. This prevents the necessity of mitring the elongate members when connecting them together. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to a connector The present invention relates to a connector and to an assembly made from such a connector.

In particular the invention relates to a connector and an assembly incorporating such a connector which comprises a simulated glazing bar assembly.

Whilst, for many years, single-glazing has been utilised in this country, double-glazing is increasing in popularity and, as is well-known, offers the benefit of reducing the amount of heat lost through the windows.

When it is proposed to double-glaze windows in a georgian or mock georgian building a difficulty is encountered in that in georgian buildings the windows are formed from a large number of relatively small panes of glass which are retained in position on a rectangular grill of glazing bars by means of putty or the like. If such a window is to be double-glazed it is either necessary to mount a single sheet of glass in spaced a parallelism with all the individual panes of glass or, alternatively, it is necessary to mount individual panes of glass in spaced parallelism with the individual panes of glass, constituting the window. The first proposal is inconvenient and the second proposal expensive to implement.

The present invention relates to a connector and an assembly incorporating such connector, the assembly comprising simulated glazing bars which can be located between the spaced apart sheets of glass of a double-glazing unit, the glazing bars thus providing the unit with a visual appearance corresponding to that of a georgian window.

It is envisaged that the most convenient material to be utilised for constituting the mock glazing bars of such an assembly would comprise an extruded member of plastics material, the member being in the form of a hollow elongated member, the hollow elongate member having a portion corresponding in shape to the exposed shape of a wooden glazing bar and portions corresponding in shape to putty mounted on the glazing bar.Whilst it would be possible to connect such elongate members together to form the necessary grill by mitring the ends of the bars that are to form a connection or junction, and connecting the mitred ends of the bars together, possibly with the use of an internal cruciform connector, the present invention seeks to provide a connector which can be used with such glazing bars and which obviates the necessity for mitring the ends of the bars whilst still providing a pleasing visual appearance.

According to the broadest aspect of this invention there is provided a connector for connecting elongate members of a predetermined cross-section, said connector comprising a central block of cubic form, and for co-planar arms extending orthogonally from four faces of said block to be inserted into channels formed within said members so that transverse ends of the members abut the block, the two faces of the block not provided with arms being configured to have the visual appearance of a mitred joint between said elongate members, so that when the members are in position the exposed parts of said members are co-aligned with corresponding portions of the edges of the said tw,o faces of the block.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is adapted to connect elongate members of predetermined cross-section in the form of simulated glazing bars which have exposed axially extending planar portions each simulating a wooden glazing bar and exposed axially extending portions inclined to said planar portion simulating putty, and in this embodiment of the connector the said two faces of the block each comprise a raised square cruciform, the arms of which are dimensioned and configured to be co-aligned with said planar portions, there being recesses between the arms of said raised cruciform, each recess having a base formed by two intersecting inclined walls, each inclined wall being dimensioned and configured to be co-aligned with one of the said inclined portions of one of said simulated glazing bars.

Preferably the connector is moulded from a plastics material.

The invention also relates to a connector as described above in combination with one or more said elongate elements and also relates to an assembly comprising a plurality of said connectors and a plurality of said elongate elements interconnected thereby.

The invention also relates to a double-glazing unit comprising two spaced sheets of glass and an assembly as described above.

In order that the invention may be more easily understood, and so that further features thereof may be appreciated, the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings which comprises a part exploded diagrammatic perspective view of a connector in accordance with the invention and two elongate members, one being connected to the connector and one being spaced from the connector.

Referring now to the drawing it can be seen that the drawing illustrates a connector 1 to which is connected an elongate hollow member 2, there being a second elongate member 3 and spaced from the connector into a position that it will occupy when about to be connected to the connector.

The connector 1 is of cruciform configuration and has four arms each lying in a common plane, the arms each being at 900 relative to the next adjacent arms. Thus the arms are of square cross of "+" configuration. In the drawing only three arms 4, 5, 6 are visible, the elongate member 2 having been mounted on the fourth arm.

Each arm comprises a planar portion 7 which lies in the common plane of the arms and two perpendicularly extending reinforcing ribs 8, there being one reinforcing rib on each face of the planar portion 7. At the interconnection of the arms 4, 5, 6 there is a central block 9, of generally cubic configuration. However, the corners of the cubic block are provided with recesses 1 The recesses are such that, the front and rear faces of the block, that is to say the faces of the block which lie in the plane defined by the arms, are defined by the flat faces of a raised square cruciform 10. It will be appreciated that a recess 1 1 is formed between each pair of arms of the cruciform 10.

Each recess 11 is bounded firstly by two walls perpendicular to the plane containing the arms 4, 5, 6, the said walls being defined by the side edges of the two arms of the raised cruciform 10 which adjoin recess 11. The base of the recess is formed by two downwardly inclined wall sections 12, 13, each inclined at an angle of approximately 450 to the plane containing the arms 4, 5, 6 of the connector. Each of the wall sections 12, 1 3 forming the base has one edge which abuts one of the walls defined by the side edge of an arm of the raised cruciform 10, each respective wall section sloping downwardly away from the plane defined by the top of the cruciform 10. The two downwardly sloping walls 12, 13 form a mitre joint at their line of intersection.The four recesses 11 are all of identical configuration, with the lines of the mitre joints extending radially outwardly away from the centre of the block 9.

It will be appreciated that the four faces of the block 9 which support the arms each have a substantially diamond or lozenge configuration, each of the four faces having two opposed linear side portions corresponding to the ends of the arms of the cruciforms 1 0 formed on the faces of the block parallel with the plane containing the arms 4, 5, 6 and also having inwardly directed portions defined by the side edges of the arms of the cruciform 10. Sloping edges, defined by the inclined wall sections 12, 13 extend between the said inwardly directed portions and further linear portions of the edges of the face remote from the cruciforms 10.

The above described connector is intended to be utilised in conjunction with an elongate member, such as elongate members 2 and 3 shown in the accompanying drawing, which elongate member comprise simulated glazing bars. The elongate members are extruded from a plastics material and each comprise a hollow elongate member of substantially lozenge configuration. Each elongate member has two opposed planar faces 14, 15 which are located on the opposite sides of the member, these planar faces being connected by downwardly inclined faces 16, 17 to linear transverse connecting portions 18, 19. Each member represents a glazing bar, the flat face 14 representing the exposed flat surface of the glazing bar and the portions 16, 17 representing putty.

As can be seen when the elongate member is slidden on to one of the arms of the connector, the portion 14 abuts and is co-aligned with one of the arms of the cruciform 10 formed on each exposed face of the block 9. The portions 16 and 17, representative the putty, are co-aligned with the base walls 12 and 13 of the recesses 11. The end wails 18, 19 abut the corresponding linear edges of the faces of the block 9 supporting the arm on which the elongate member is mounted.

It will be appreciated that four elongate members of the configuration illustrated may be mounted on the connector and when thus mounted will simulate a glazing bar arrangement, and will simulate putty extending into the corners of the interconnecting glazing bars. However, it will be appreciated that there is no necessity to mitre the ends of the elongate members, but instead the elongate members may be cut transversely and may then be mounted on the arms of the connector. Thus the central block 9 of the connector is shaped to simulate a mitred connection of the glazing bars, and when the elongate hollow members are in position the exposed parts of said members are co-aligned and substantially flush with corresponding portions of the abutting face of the block 9.

When a grill has been assembled from connectors and elongate members as herein described the grill may be mounted in position between two sheets of glass constituting a double-glazing unit. The double-glazing unit will then visually resemble a georgian window.

It is to be noted that, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the reinforcing ribs 8 are tapered towards the planar portion 7 adjacent the free ends of each of the arms 4, 5, 6 of the connector. This facilitates the insertion of the arms into the elongate members 2, 3 etc.

Claims (12)

1. A connector for connecting elongate members of a predetermined cross-section, said connector comprising a central block of cubic form, and four co-planar arms extending orthogonally from four faces of said block to be inserted into channels formed within said members so that transverse ends of the members abut the block, the two faces of the block not provided with arms being configured to have the visual appearance of a mitred joint between said elongate members, so that when the members are in position the exposed parts of said members coaligned with corresponding portions of the edges of the said two faces of the block.

2. A connector according to claim 1 for connecting elongate members of predetermined cross-section in the form of simulated glazing bars which have an exposed axially extending planar portions simulating a wooden glazing bar and exposed axially extending portions inclined to said planar portions simulating putty, the said two faces of the block each comprising a raised square cruciform the arms of which are dimensioned and configured to be co-aligned with said planar portions, there being recesses between the arms of said raised cruciform, each recess having a base formed by two intersecting inclined walls, each inclined wall being dimensioned and configured to be coaligned with one of the said inclined portions of one of said simulated glazing bars.

3. A connector according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said connector is moulded from a plastics material.

4. A connector according to any one of the preceding claims wherein each of said arms comprises a substantially planar member with a protruding reinforcing rib.

5. A connector according to claim 4 wherein each said rib tapers adjacent the free end of each respective arm.

6. A connector according to any one of the preceding claims in combination with one or more said elongate members.

7. An assembly comprising a plurality of connectors according to claims 1 to 5 and a plurality of said elongate members interconnected thereby.

8. A double-glazing unit comprising two spaced sheets of glass and an assembly according to claim 7 therebetween.

9. A connector substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawing.

10. An assembly substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawing.

11. A double-glazing unit according to claim 8 and substantially as herein described.

12. Any novel features or combination of features disclosed herein.