GB2242225A

GB2242225A - Power operated sash windows

Info

Publication number: GB2242225A
Application number: GB9006456A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Thomas Ireland
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-03-22
Filing date: 1990-03-22
Publication date: 1991-09-25
Also published as: GB9006456D0

Abstract

Upper and lower, vertically slidable sash windows 11, 12 are raised and lowered by respective electric motors 16 via threaded rods 13 and nuts 14. The sash counterweights may or may not be retained. Each rod and nut may be replaced by a rack-and-pinion (Fig. 3), a wire cable windable onto a motor-driven reel (Fig. 5), or and endless chain on sprockets (Fig. 6). Rollers 18, 19 (some spring loaded) may guide the sash. A manual override may be provided. Low-friction strips (30, Fig. 7) project into lined slots in the sashes for weatherproofing. <IMAGE>

Description

WINDOWS This invention relates to sash and case windows.

Sash and case windows are made of timber and comprise upper and lower sashes in an upright rectangular window frame, the lower sash being set-back from the upper sash so that each can be raised or lowered. The sashes have cords which extend up the stiles of the window frame, over pulleys in the stiles and down behind the stiles, and weights are attached to the ends of the cords in the space behind the stiles to counter balance the windows.

Existing sash and case windows are draughty and noisy, due to their design as clearance is required in order for the sashes to slide up and down. Also they are incapable bf being converted to double glazed windows due to the design and the weight required. In addition, the sashes are often difficult to open due to jamming caused by over painting or broken cords.

An object of this invention is to obviate or mitigate the aforementioned disadvantages.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a sash and case window in which each sash is vertically moveable by mechanical drive means connected to at least one side of said sash and the adjacent stile of the window frame, and said drive means is actuable by an electric motor associated therewith, the counterweights of each sash being retained at one or both sides or removed.

Preferably, said electric motor is housed in a space behind the stile, from which space the counter balance weights on that side of the window have been removed.

Preferably also, an electric motor is associated with each mechanical drive means.

The mechanical drive means may be a screw threaded rod spaced from and parallel to one side of a window sash, said rod carrying a collar which is attached to the window sash so that on rotation of the rod by the electric motor via gearing, the collar moves along the rod to raise or lower the window sash.

The mechanical drive means may be a rack-and-pinion arrangement with the rack attached to the side of the window sash and in engagement with the pinion which is driven by the electric motor.

In a further embodiment, the mechanical drive means is a pulley arrangement in which a pulley wheel is provided above the window and a pulley wire/cord is attached to the window looped over the pulley wheel and is attached to a drive spindle which is rotated by the electric motor to reel the wire/cord in or out to cause the window sash to rise or lower respectively.

In another embodiment, the mechanical drive means is a chain drive arrangement wherein a chain is carried by two vertically spaced sprockets so that one run of the chain is adjacent and parallel to one side of the window sash. A bolt or hook is mounted on the window sash and connected to said run of the chain so that when the sprockets are rotated by an electric motor the chain will lift or lower the window sash.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a sash and case window in which vertically disposed low friction elongate strips extend from the stiles and locate in vertical slots in each sash.

Preferably, the vertical slots are provided on the outer and/or inner faces of each sash and the elongate strips are spaced from and lie parallel to the stiles.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is an elevation of a sash and case window according to one aspect of the invention; Fig. 2 is a detail from Fig. 1 to an enlarged scale; Fig. 3 is an elevation of a second embodiment; Fig. 4 is a detail from Fig. 3 to an enlarged scale; Figs. 5 and 6 are elevations of further embodiments; Fig. 7 is a plan of a sash and case window according to another aspect of the invention; and Fig. 8 is a detail in plan of prior art.

Referring firstly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the sash and case window has a rectangular frame or casement 10 and upper and lower sashes 11, 12 which carry panes of glass and are slidable vertically in the casement 10. The lower sash 12 is set-back relative to the upper sash 11 as illustrated in the plan views of Figs. 3 and 4.

Each sash 11, 12 is connected to a mechanical drive means which in the preferred embodiment comprises an elongate screw drive rod 13 carrying a collar 14 and mounted on the adjacent stile 15 of the casement 10 to be rotatable about its longitudinal axis but in a fixed position relative to the window sash.

The rod 13 is rotatable by means of an electric motor 16 mounted in the stile adjacent to rod 13 and coupled thereto by 450 gear drive.

The collar 14 is a nut from which a metal pin 14' extends transversely and the pin is attached to the adjacent upright of the window sash 11 or 12.

Thus, when the appropriate motor 16 rotates the rod 13 the collar 14 will move up or down the rod 13 and carry with it the upper or lower window sash 11, 12.

The electric motors 16 are located in openings cut into the casement stile 15. The motors may be disposed centrally of the casement, as illustrated in Fig. 1, with the rod 13 for the upper sash 11 extending upwardly from its motor 16 and the rod 13 for the lower sash extending downwardly.

Counterweights 17 (Fig. 8) which are normally provided at each side of each sash are removed from at least the side on which the rods 13 are mounted so as not to foul. Preferably however, the counterweights at the other side of each sash are retained.

Each stile 15 is provided with lateral rollers 18, 19 which project from each side of a sash and abut the stiles 15.

The rollers 18 at one side of the sashes, preferably the side remote from the rods 13 are spring loaded rollers which allow for any deviation due to expansion and contraction. Rollers 19 are fixed rollers. The rollers 18 19 may be provided near each corner but in Fig. 1 ony five are shown.

The motors 16 are connected to a control panel (not shown) positioned at any convenient location so that each can be operated independently to raise or lower the respective sash.

The eletric motors may be provided with gears designed to lift a sash weighing up to 28kg. Preferably the gears are of nylon or the like so that no lubrication is required. The final drawing gear is preferably the pinion.

A manual device (not shown) to operate each pinion is provided in the event of a power failure, e.g. a worm attached to one of the gears of each motor and a key to operate the worm.

A second embodiment is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, and differs from the preferred embodiment in that the mechanical drive means for each window sash is a rack-and-pinion arrangement.

Each sash has, along one vertical face, a rack 20 and a motorised pinion 21 for each rack is carried by the adjacent stile 15 of the casement 10. The racks-and-pinions are preferably formed of nylon or other suitable plastics material.

Each pinion 21 is mounted in a casing 22 which houses an electric motor such that a sector of the pinion projects from the casing 22.

An opening is cut in the stile 15 and the casing 22 located therein so that it extends into a space behind the stile 15 with the projecting sector of the pinion 21 in engagement with the respective rack 20.

In a third embodiment, the mechanical drive means is a pulley drive, shown basically in Fig. 5.

Each window sash 11/12 has attached to one vertical side a pulley wire or cord 23 which extends upwards and over a pulley wheel 24 located a sufficient distance above the sash to allow the required amount of vertical movement of the sash.

The pulley wire 23 then extends downwards and is attached to and wound round a drive pinion 25 of a motor 16.

Actuation of the motor in a forward direction will cause the pulley wire to wind onto the drive piston to raise the window sash. When the motor is actuated in reverse, the pulley wire will wind off the pinion 25 and the window sash will lower by gravity.

A fourth embodiment is illustrated in Fig. 6, in which the mechanical drive means is a chain drive. A chain 26 is carried by two vertically spaced sprockets 27, so that the chain has two vertical runs, one 28 being parallel and adjacent to a side of the window sash.

That run 28 of the chain carries a connector 29, a bolt or hook, which is attached to the window sash so that when the chain is driven the connector will rise or lower and carry the window sash with it.

The chain is driven by an electric motor 16 which is coupled to one of the sprockets by gearing.

The sashes 11, 12 may be single glazed, but they may also be double glazed as the rack-and-pinion design will enable a sash to carry the extra weight of a second pane.

Referring now to Fig. 7 a sash and casement window, either with or without the rack-and-pinion arrangement as described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, has a weather proofing in the form of low friction elongate strips 30 located in vertical slots 31, 32 at each side of each sash.

The vertical slots 31, 32 may be in the end faces of the sash but are preferably, as illustrated in Fig. 7 in the outer and inner faces 33, 34 of each sash.

The elongate strips may project direction from the adjacent stile 15 into slots in the end face of each sash.

Preferably however, as illustrated in Figs. 7 the slots 33, 34 are in the outer and inner faces and the strips are parallel to the stiles and spaced therefrom by carrier portions 35, 36, 37 projecting from the stiles.

The slots 33, 34 are lined with strips of neoprene or the like to provide a weather proof seal with the projection strips 30.

The strip 30 which projects into the outer face of upper sash 11 is carried on a plate which is secured to the inner face of an external timber facing 38; central strips 30 which project into the outer face of sash 12 and the inner face of sash 11 respectively, are mounted on a common flange 36 checked into the stile 15, and the strip 30 projecting into the inner face of sash 12 is carried on a spacer block 37 attached to the internal timber facing 39.

Claims

CLAIMS.

1. A sash and case window in which each sash is vertically moveable by mechanical drive means connected to at least one side of said sash and the adjacent stile of the window frame, and said drive means is actuable by an electric motor associated therewith, the counterweights of each sash being retained at one or both sides or removed.

2. A window as claimed in claim 1, in which said electric motor is housed in a space behind the stile, from which space the counter balance weights on that side of the window have been removed.

3. A window as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which an electric motor is associated with each mechanical drive means.

4. A window as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 in which the mechanical drive means is a screw threaded rod spaced from and parallel to one side of a window sash, said rod carrying a collar which is attached to the window sash so that on rqtation of the rod by the electric motor via gearing, the collar moves along the rod to raise or lower the window sash.

5. A window as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the mechanical drive means is a rack-and-pinion arrangement with tJ rack attached to the side of the window sash and in engagement with the pinion which is driven by the electric motor.

6. A window as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the mechanical drive means is a pulley arrangement in which a pulley wheel is provided above the window and a pulley wire/cord is attached to the window looped over the pulley wheel and is attached to a drive spindle which is rotated by the electric motor to reel the wire/cord in or out to cause the window sash to rise or lower respectively.

7. A window as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the mechanical drive means is a chain drive arrangement wherein a chain is carried by two vertically spaced sprockets so that one run of the chain is adjacent and parallel to one side of the window sash.

8. A window as claimed in claim 7 , in which a bolt or hook is mounted on the window sash and connected to said run of the chain so that when the sprockets are rotated by an electric motor the chain will lift or lower the window sash.

9. A window as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, in which low friction elongate strips extend from stiles and locate in vertical slots in each sash.

10. A sash and case window in which vertically disposed low friction elongate strips extend from the stiles and locate in vertical slots in each sash.

11. A window as claimed in claim 10 in which the vertical slots are provided on the outer and/or inner faces of each sash and the elongate strips are spaced from and lie parallel to the stiles.

12. A sash and case window substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.