GB2248648A

GB2248648A - Sliding door and window frame joints and packing elements for such joints

Info

Publication number: GB2248648A
Application number: GB9021515A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Glyn Howard Davies
Original assignee: Cego Ltd
Current assignee: Cego Ltd
Priority date: 1990-10-03
Filing date: 1990-10-03
Publication date: 1992-04-15
Anticipated expiration: 2010-10-03
Also published as: GB9021515D0; GB2248648B

Abstract

The joint between the head bar 1 (or cill bar, not shown) and each jamb bar 2 of a door or window frame formed from cut lengths of extruded bar having a uniform cross-sectional profile includes a packing device 28 which is clamped between the head bar and the jamb bar and has edge portions 34, 42 projecting from between the two bars 1, 2 at opposite faces of the frame (i.e. the faces parallel to the plane of the frame) to form beads 35, 43 which overlap and cover the edges of the head and jamb bars on each side of the joint in each of said opposite faces of the frame. <IMAGE>

Description

SLIDING DOOR AND WINDOW FRAME JOINTS AND PACKING ELEMENTS FOR SUCH JOINTS The invention relates to the outer frames of doors or windows in which a head bar is fixed at each end to the top of the respective jamb bar, and is particularly concerned with such frames for which the head and jamb bars are cut to the required lengths from standard lengths of extruded UPVC or aluminium bar having a uniform cross-sectional profile, such as is commonly the case for sliding door and window assemblies. In this case, because of cutting inaccuracies and/or the tolerances of the extruded bars, the joint lines formed when the head bar is fixed to the jamb bars at the top corners of the frame can be unsightly, particularly if part of the profile of the head bar or the jamb bars has had to be cut away in addition to cutting the bars to length.

With the aim of overcoming this problem, according to the invention, the joint between the head bar and each jamb bar of a door or window frame in which the head and jamb bars are formed by lengths of extruded bar having a uniform cross-sectional profile includes a packing device which is clamped between the head bar and the jamb bar and has edge portions projecting from between the two bars at opposite faces of the frame (i.e. the faces parallel to the plane of the frame) to form beads which overlap and cover the edges of the head and jamb bars on each side of the joint in each of said opposite faces of the frame.

With this arrangement any mismatch between the head and jamb bars at the top corners of the frame which would give rise to unsightly joint lines in the front and rear faces of the frame is completely covered and hidden from view by the beads of the packing device incorporated in each joint, thus giving the joints a neat and visually pleasing appearance. In this respect, the crosssectional profile of each bead may have any one of a variety of different shapes, but preferably it will take the form of a segment of a circle so that the outwardly facing wall of the bead is convexly curved.

In addition, the packing device may also serve to seal the joint, or alternatively it may be used in conjunction with a suitable joint sealant.

The invention is particularly applicable to frames in which the ends of the head and jamb bars are cut square when the bars are cut to size, and the head bar is laid straight across the top of the jamb bars so that the top of each jamb bar abuts directly against the underside of the head bar when the bars are screwed or otherwise fixed together. This will provide substantially straight, horizontal joint lines which will be covered by the beads of the packing devices which are incorporated in the joints.

In the case of sliding door and window frames, the head and jamb bars of the frame are generally each formed with at least one inwardly facing channel for receiving an edge of a door or window panel. In this case the packing device which is incorporated in the joint at each top corner of the frame preferably includes a locating portion which is received in a channel of either the head bar or the jamb bar in order to position the packing device accurately with respect to the bar when assembling the frame.

According to the invention, there is also provided a packing element for a joint between the head bar and a jamb bar of a door or window frame formed from lengths of extruded bar having a uniform cross-sectional profile, the element comprising a portion which is arranged to be clamped between the head bar and the jamb bar when these are fixed together and at least one edge portion which is arranged to project from between the two bars at one face of the frame, said edge portion defining a bead for overlapping and covering the edges of the head and jamb bars on each side of the joint opening in said face of the frame.

A preferred embodiment of the invention as applied to the frame of a sliding patio door assembly will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows an exploded perspective view of the joint at one top corner of the frame.

The sliding patio door frame of this embodiment comprises a head bar 1, a pair of jamb bars 2 (only one being shown), and a cill bar (not shown) which are fixed together, in this case by screws, to form a rectangular frame, each of the bars being cut to the required length from standard lengths of extruded UPVC bar having identical cross-sectional profiles.

As can be seen from the drawing, the bar profile comprises a box section 3 which is divided by a central wall 4 into two rectangular chambers 5,6 which respectively house channel shaped aluminium reinforcement members 7,8 extending along the length of the bar. On one face of the box section 3 the bar has a pair of longitudinally extending side walls 9,10 projecting perpendicularly from the box section, and a number of longitudinally extending ribs 11 to 15 also projecting perpendicularly from the box section and spaced apart across the width of the bar between the side walls 9 and 10.On the opposite face of the box section 3 the bar has a pair of longitudinally extending side walls 16,17 projecting perpendicularly from the box section in line with the sides of the box section and the side walls 9,10, and a longitudinally extending central wall 18 projecting perpendicularly from the box section mid-way between the side walls 16,17 to define therewith two longitudinally extending channels 19,20. The facing sides of each channel 19,20 each have a longitudinally extending seal-retaining groove 21.

In forming the frame the head and cill bars are each cut to size at one end square across the bar, and the two jamb bars are each cut to size square across the bar at the end which will be the upper end in the frame. The frame is assembled with the channels 19,20 of each bar facing inwardly with respect to the frame, and the head bar 1 lying across the upper ends of the two jamb bars 2 so that each end of the head bar lies in the same plane as the outer edges 9a,10a of the outwardly directed side walls 9,10 of the respective jamb bar 2. In this position each end of the head bar 1 is fixed to the upper end of the respective jamb bar 2 by a pair of screws 22,23 which extend through holes 24,25 drilled through the box section 3 and reinforcement members 7,8 of the head bar into engagement with sockets 26,27 carried by the reinforcement members 7,8 of the jamb bar 2.

In accordance with the invention, a packing device 28 is clamped between the head bar 1 and the jamb bar 2 at each end of the head bar, and the arrangement at one top corner of the frame is illustrated in the exploded view shown in the drawing - it being understood that a similar arrangement will be provided at the other top corner of the frame.

As shown, the packing device 28 is formed by two packing elements 29,30 which are placed end to end across the width of the bars 1,2. The two elements 29,30 seat on the upper end of the jamb bar 2 so that together they cover the box section 3 and side wall portions 9,10 and 16,17 of the bar profile.

The packing element 29 comprises a hollow, rectangularly sectioned locating portion 31 having a width W substantially equal to the depth of the box section 3 of the jamb bar 2, and a length L and height H substantially equal to the width and depth respectively of the channel 19 of the head bar 1 so that the locating portion 31 will fit closely into the channel 19. Extending centrally across the hollow section of the locating portion 31 is a reinforcing wall 32 containing a cylindrical guide passage 33 extending throughout the height of the element 29 for the guidance of the joint fixing screw 22.

At the bottom of the outer end face of the locating portion 31 the element 29 has a web portion 34 which projects outwardly and laterally from the locating portion 31. The profile of the inner edges of the web 34 corresponds generally to the profile of the inner faces of the side wall portions 9 and 16 of the jamb bar 2.Along the outer edge of the web 34 is a bead 35 having a cross- section approximating a segment of a circle so that it defines a convexly curved outwardly facing surface 36 and flat inwardly facing surfaces 37 and 38 projecting perpendicularly above and below the web 34.

The distance from one lateral end of the web 34 to the other is equal to the distance between the free edges of the side wall portions 9 and 16 of the jamb bar 2, and the distance from the outer end face of the locating portion 31 to the inwardly facing wall 37 of the bead 35 is equal to the thickness of the side wall 16 of the head bar 1.

At the bottom of the other end face of the locating portion 31 the element 29 has a web 39 projecting outwardly from the locating portion 31 for a distance equal to the thickness of the central wall 18 of the head bar 1.

The other packing element 30 is virtually identical in construction to the element 29, having a locating portion 40 designed to be received as a close fit in the channel 20 of the head bar 1 and including a guide passage 41 for the fixing screw 23, and a web 42 projecting outwardly and laterally from the bottom of the outer end face of the locating portion 40, the web 41 being designed to lie over the upper ends of the side wall portions 10 and 17 of the jamb bar 2 and having a bead 42 along its outer edge corresponding to the bead 35 of the element 29. The main difference between the elements 29 and 30 is that the element 30 does not have a web projecting from the inner end face of its locating portion 40 in a manner corresponding to the web 39 of the element 29.

The two packing elements 29 and 30 may be injection moulded from a suitable plastics material such as UPVC, and although they are formed as two separate elements in this embodiment, it will be appreciated that, if desired, they may be formed integrally with each other to provide a unitary packing device 28.

As will be appreciated from the foregoing description, when the joint is assembled with the locating portions 31 and 40 of the packing elements 29 and 30 respectively received in the channels 19 and 20 of the head bar 1, and the fixing screws 22,23 extending through the guide passages 33,41 of the packing elements into engagement with the sockets 26,27 of the jamb bar 2, the web 34 is clamped between the lower edge of the side wall portion 16 of the head bar 1 and the upper end of the side walls 9 and 16 of the jamb bar 2, and the web 42 is clamped between the lower edge of the side wall 17 of the head bar 1 and the upper end of the side wall portions 10,17 of the jamb bar 2.The bead 35 thus lies outside the plane of the side walls 9.16 of the head and jamb bars 1,2 so that the inwardly facing surface 37 of the bead overlaps a portion of the outer face of the head bar side wall 16 adjacent its lower edge, and the inwardly facing surface 38 of the bead overlaps a portion of the outer face of the jamb bar side walls 9,16 adjacent its upper edge. The bead 35 thus hides these edges of the head and jamb bars 1,2 from view, and presents the joint with a neat and pleasing appearance at the face of the frame.

In the same way, the joint is provided with a similar neat and pleasing appearance at the other face of the frame by the bead 43.

If desired, a similar packing device may be incorporated into each joint at the bottom corners of the frame, but generally this will not be necessary since the meeting edges of the jamb bars and the cill bar will not have been cut on site and a neat joint line will be obtained as a result of the factory finished edges.

It will of course be appreciated that the invention is not restricted to joints formed between head and jamb bars having the particular profile shown in the drawing, and is applicable to frames formed from bars having a wide variety of different cross-sectional profiles.

Claims

1. An outer frame for a door or window including a head bar joined at each end to the top of a respective jamb bar, the head and jamb bars being formed by lengths of extruded bar having a uniform cross-sectional profile, in which the joint between the head bar and each jamb bar includes a packing device which is clamped between the head bar and the jamb bar and has edge portions projecting from between the two bars at opposite faces of the frame which are parallel to the plane of the frame to form beads which overlap and cover the edges of the head and jamb bars on each side of the joint in each of said opposite faces of the frame.

2. A frame according to claim 1, in which the crosssectional profile of each bead takes the form of a segment of a circle so that the outwardly facing wall of the bead is convexly curved.

3. A frame according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the ends of the head and jamb bars are cut square, and the head bar lies straight across the top of the jamb bars so that the top of each jamb bar clamps the respective packing device directly against the underside of the head bar.

4. A frame according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the head and jamb bars are each formed with at least one inwardly facing channel for receiving an edge of a door or window panel, and the packing device which is incorporated in the joint at each top corner of the frame comprises a locating portion which is received in a channel of either the head bar or the jamb bar.

5. A frame according to claim 4, in which each of the head and jamb bars comprises a pair of longitudinally extending side walls and a longitudinally extending central wall substantially mid-way between the side walls to define two inwardly facing channels extending side by side along the length of the bar, and the packing device of each joint comprises two locating portions which are received one in each channel of the head bar.

6. A frame according to claim 5, in which the head bar is fixed to each jamb bar by means of screws extending through the head bar and guide passages carried by the locating portions of the respective packing device into engagement with sockets carried by the jamb bar.

7. A frame according to claim 5 or claim 6, in which the packing device is formed by two separate packing elements which are disposed adjacent one another, each element providing one of the locating portions and one of the beaded edge portions of the device.

8. An outer frame for a door or window including a cill bar joined at each end to the bottom of a respective jamb bar, the cill and jamb bars being formed by lengths of extruded bar having a uniform cross-sectional profile, in which the joint between the cill bar and each jamb bar includes a packing device which is clamped between the cill bar and the jamb bar and has edge portions projecting from between the two bars at opposite faces of the frame which are parallel to the plane of the frame to form beads which overlap and cover the edges of the cill and jamb bars on each side of the joint in each of said opposite faces of the frame.

9. A frame substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawing.

10. A packing element for a joint between the head or cill bar and a jamb bar of a door or window frame formed from lengths of extruded bar having a uniform crosssectional profile, the element comprising a portion which is arranged to be clamped between the head or cill bar and the jamb bar when these are fixed together and at least one edge portion which is arranged to project from between the two bars at one face of the frame, said edge portion defining a bead for overlapping and covering the edges of the bars on each side of the joint opening in said face of the frame.

11. A packing element according to claim 10, substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawing.