GB2479747A

GB2479747A - Adaptor for a window or door frame joint

Info

Publication number: GB2479747A
Application number: GB201006585A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Tristan Priest
Original assignee: STANWAY SCREENS Ltd
Current assignee: STANWAY SCREENS Ltd
Priority date: 2010-04-20
Filing date: 2010-04-20
Publication date: 2011-10-26
Anticipated expiration: 2030-04-20
Also published as: GB201006585D0; GB2479747B

Abstract

An adaptor comprises a sub-frame attachable to a frame G and includes a locator element 20 and first and second channel members 30a, 30b. Inserts 40a and 40b are seated in the channel members and a cover piece 1 is placed over the inserts 40a, 40b and abuts against the locator element 20 so covering the join between the two channel members and inserts. There are also channel covers 10a and 10b which can be positioned over the open part of the inserts to obscure fixings. The locator element 20 may be a corner piece which is attachable to the corner section of the frame. The channel member 30a/b and the insert member 40a/b may both be U shaped in cross section and arranged so that the insert member nests with the channel member. The cover piece 1 may be stepped so as to fit over the profile of the frame assembly.

Description

TITLE: ADAPTER FOR A WINDOW OR DOOR FRAME The present invention relates to an adaptor for a window or door frame and in particular but not exclusively to an adaptor that allows for the positioning of the window or door frame in a wall in regardless of the thickness of the wall.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

At present, when manufacturing, for example a pre-fabricated building or a static caravan, a window, door or patio door is placed in a pre-formed aperture in a wall.

Typically a fully glazed frame is pushed into the aperture from the outside. A flanged portion of the frame locates on the periphery of the aperture as the frame is pushed in, and the frame is fastened to the inside of the wall. In one arrangement, the fixing is made by means of a plurality of brackets. Cover or trim members cover the brackets in the exposed depth of the wall and also on the inside surface of the wall around the aperture. Corner trims are used to cover the ends of the trim members.

Alternatively, in a second fixing arrangement, retaining members are utilised which include a ribbed or barbed flange member, which is received with a push fit into a similarly ribbed or barbed channel on the frame. Typically, the retaining members are forced into the frame by using a mallet. Again, corner trims cover the ends of the retaining members, once fastened to the frame. Both of these systems require tight tolerances on the wall thickness, typically within +1-1mm, for neat internal trim fitment.

A problem of fitting frames is that if the thickness of the wall of the building varies, then the trim members in both systems mentioned, do not fit correctly to the frame and the wall. Varying thickness between buildings or even around a single aperture can create gaps between the wall, frame and trims which are aesthetically unattractive.

If the wall is uneven, the trims may not sit neatly against the inside wall and gaps may be visible, which again is not pleasing to the eye.

It is an object of the invention to provide an adaptor for fitting a window or door frame, glazed or un-glazed, in an aperture which allows the frame to be quickly and easily fitted in walls of different or varying thickness.

STATEMENT OF INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an adaptor for a window or door frame, said adaptor including a sub-frame attachable to the frame and including a locator element and first and second channel members attachable to the frame, said locator element having first and second ends, the first end when in position extending at least in part along a first section of the frame and the second end extending at least in part along a second section of the frame, the first and second channel members attachable to the first and second sections of the frame with an end of each of the channel members being positionable in proximity to respective ends of the locator element, the first channel member being arranged to receive a first insert and the second channel member being arranged to receive a second insert, said first and second inserts being positionable at varying depths in the channel members, the adaptor further including a cover piece, positionable over ends of the first and second inserts when in proximity to the locator element, said cover piece being arranged to abut against the locator element thereby providing a covered joint between the first and second inserts when positioned in the channel members.

Preferably the locator element is a corner piece which is attachable to a corner section of the frame. However, it is envisaged that the locator element may be used with frames of different shapes, for example circular, hexagonal or other polygonal shapes.

It is a desired feature that the locator element provides a span between the two channel members and/or provides a position finder for the channel members.

It is envisaged that the locator element has flanges towards the first and second ends which can be used to hold or guide the first and second channel members into position next to or against the locator element. The first and second channel members can be held in the locator element by an interference fit or alternatively, if the locator element does not have flanges to hold the channel members, the channel members can be fixed to the locator element by way of screws or other types of fixings, such as clips.

Preferably each of the channel members is a U-shaped section formed of side walls and a cross wall forming the base of the U. The U-shape has a rectilinear profile when viewed end on, with the bottom part of the U having a wall that can abut against and be secured to a frame, for example by an adhesive or a fixing element or a combination of the two.

In a preferred arrangement, the channel member has a series of raised members on inner surfaces of the side walls to provide a profiled inner wall for a channel member The profiled wall in effect provides ribbing which can provide a resilient fit for the insert or a locator for positioning an insert in a channel member at a particular depth in the channel member. In an alternative arrangement the inner surfaces of the channel members may include bushing, which again provides a resilient surface against which the walls of the insert can travel. Further the use of bushing allows for controlled movement of the insert when adjusting the height of the insert in a channel member.

Preferably, the first and second inserts are each provided as a stepped member formed of a wall having towards a first end a first part positionable in a channel member said first part extending in a plane in a first direction away from the wall, the insert also having towards a second end of the wall a second part provided as a flange in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the wall and which extends in a direction opposite to that of the plane of the first section. In effect overall the insert has a substantially Z-shaped profile.

In a preferred arrangement the first part of the insert is of a substantially a U-shaped cross section when viewed end on. The U-shaped section can nest in the U-shaped section of a channel member.

In a preferred arrangement there is a channel cover, which may be positioned over the mouth of a U-shaped channel. The channel cover provides a cover that prevent the ingress of dust or debris into the channel member and also provides an aesthetically pleasing aspect of the unit because all gaps are hidden and the adaptor gives the appearance of a complete surround for the glazing unit The second part of the insert provides a moulding which acts as a covering over the edge of the aperture into which the frame is positioned so providing a complete edging which provides the frame with a neat and attractive surround and which hides any gaps around the glazing unit.

The cover piece is preferably provided as a cover piece for a corner. However again, the cover piece can be of a shape that allows it to act as a cover spanning a join between two sections of a window frame, regardless of the shape of the window.

Preferably the corner piece is provided as a stepped body having a first wall extending along an axial plane and forming a first riser of the stepped body, with there being a first flange positioned at a first end of the riser, said first flange extending in a first direction which is substantially perpendicular to the axial plane of the riser, there being a second flange at a second end of the riser which is substantially perpendicular to said riser and which extends in a direction that is opposite to the direction of the first flange, with there being a pair of walls extending from said second flange in the same axial plane as the first riser wall but which are offset from the axis of the first riser said pair of walls forming a second riser for the stepped body.

The adaptor may be formed of any material that is used in the glazing industry but generally the adaptor is formed of a mouldable material such as a plastic.

Alternatively, the adapter may be made from aluminium.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a frame and an adaptor according to any embodiment of the invention.

According to yet a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method of fitting fitting a window or door frame in an aperture using an adaptor according to any of claims 1 to 11, said method involving the steps of: a) attaching the sub-frame to the frame; b) placing the frame in the aperture; c) positioning an insert in each of the channel members and moving the insert so a flange of the insert sits against a wall in which the aperture is placed; d) inserting a channel cover member over the channel member thereby providing a sealed surround for the glazing unit; and e) positioning a cover piece over either end of the channel members and abutting said corner piece against a face of the locator.

In the method, the sub-frame may include four locator elements and four channel members.

The invention is advantageous in that it provides an adaptor for a glazing system that allows for the fitting of a glazing unit in an aperture in a wall regardless of the depth of the wall and without the need to use additional components to hold the glazing unit in position in the aperture.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect, reference will now he made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows an exploded view of individual parts (A to F) of the adaptor for a glazing unit according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the adaptor of Figure 1, where the parts are positioned relative to one another as they would he when attached to a fitted glazing unit; and Figure 3 shows an assembled view of the adaptor of Figure 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODUMENT(S)

Referring firstly to Figure 1, each of the elements making up an adaptor of the invention are shown in Figures 1 A to E. The adapter includes a sub-frame comprising locator elements 20 and channel members 30, which are first fastened, for example, with screw fixings, to the inside of a frame, referenced G in Figure 2. A floating liner comprising inserts 40 sits in the sub-frame and can be adjustably positioned to suit the thickness of a wall in which the frame G is being fitted. Channel covers or screw covers or trims 10 clip into the open front of the inserts 40 to obscure fastenings, as described further below and corner cover pieces 1 locate on and cover the ends of the inserts 40.

The corner cover piece or moulding is shown generally at 1 and is formed as a stepped member having a wall 3, which if considering a step would be equivalent to a riser on the step. There is a flange 2 extending from a first end of wall 3, which extends in a first plane out from the wall and in use this flange is positionable over a flange on an insert for the channel member shown at 40 in Figure 1 C. At the other end of wall 3 and extending from wall 3 in a direction opposite to that of flange 2, is a further flange 4. Flanges 2 and 4 are substantially at right angles to the wall 3. Flange 4 has a further wall 5 formed of wall members 5a and Sb which in this embodiment are at right angles to one another and which form a corner. The wall 5 extends in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to flange 4, with the result that flange 4 and wall 5 together form a stepped member having two stepped sections, the first section being formed of flange 2 and wall 3 and the second section being formed of flange 4 and wall 5. There are detents 6 which project from the underside of flange 4 and the detents can hook under locator element shown in Figure B. The cover piece in effect is formed of two stepped sections, which can be fitted over an insert and which covers the join between two inserts which are located in channel members of the adaptor.

The locator element of the adaptor is generally shown as 20 in Figure B. The locator element is provided as a flange 21 having a first end 23a and a second end 23b. In the figure, the locator element is shown as an element that can be attached to frame sections that are at right angles to one another i.e. the locator element provides a corner element. There is a wall 22, formed of two wall parts 22a and 22b which are at right angles to each other so providing a corner element. Wall 22 extends from the flange 21 in a direction that is at right angles to the plane of the flange 21 so forming a stepped structure. The stepped member of the cover piece and the stepped structure of the locator element are of dimensions that allow them to abut against one another so there is no gap between the two and this arrangement is more readily shown in Figure 3.

Figure C shows an insert of an adaptor and the insert is generally shown as 40. The insert is formed of a wall member 42 with a flange 41 extending in a first direction out from the wall and this flange 41 is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the wall member 42. At the opposite end of the wall member is a channel member formed of a base wall 43 extending in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to that of wall member 42. There is a further wall 45, extending in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to wall 43 and which is parallel to wall 42, thereby forming a U shaped or box channel. Towards the end of wall 45. there is a strip extending out from the face of the wall and which extends inwardly of the channel. There is also a strip 44 on the wall 42 opposite that on wall 45 and these two strips, which extend the length of the walls allow for a cover strip shown in Figure E to be secured to the insert to cover the channeL A channel member is shown generally as 30 in Figure D. The channel member is formed of two substantially parallel walls 32 and 33 which are bridged at one edge by cross member 31. The parallel walls and cross member provide a channel into which a channel of the insert shown in Figure C can be placed. The channel of the insert can be positioned at various depths in the channel member according to the thickness of the wall into which the frame G is positioned. The fact that the channel of the insert can be positioned at various depths in the channel member means that the flange of the insert can be caused to abut against a wall for the glazing and the flange can cover gaps between a glazing unit and a wall.

Figure E shows a channel cover generally as 10. The channel cover is provided as a masking strip 11, which when in position, covers the mouth of the box channel shown in Figure C. The masking strip has extensions on its underside shown as 12 which resiliently engage with strip 44 and corresponding strip on the opposite face of the channel member of the insert shown in Figure C and this holds the cover member in place on the channel of the insert.

Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the adaptor, where each part is positioned in relation to one another and in relation to glazing unit G. The glazing unit is shown having two frame parts, which are substantially perpendicular to one another, so forming a corner of a frame. The locator element 20 is positioned over the corner of the frame and channel members 30a and 30b are placed either side of the locator element. The locator element 20 and channel members 30a and 30b form the sub-frame and are fastened to the frame first, ideally before placement in an aperture of a building.

Once positioned in an aperture of a building, inserts 40a and 40b are seated in the channel members and can be moved up and down in the channel so that flanges on the insert abut against the inside wall in which the frame is placed. The inserts are attached by screw fixings driven through the wall 43, through the channel members and into the frame. As the fixings tighten, the flange 41 is drawn onto the inside surface of the wall of the building around the aperture.

Once fastened, channel covers lOa and lOb are positioned and clipped into the open part of the inserts 40a, 40b to obscure the fastenings. The cover piece 1, which is of a stepped profile that mirrors the profile of the flange and wall of the inserts 40a and 40b is placed over the inserts and the cover pieces and clips into position. This provides a neat corner trim, which accommodates any depth tolerance absorbed by the adapter. Figure 3 shows the assembled frame G and adapter.

The channel member 30 is substantially rectilinear in profile and mirrors the profile of the part of insert 40 which is positioned in the channel. The insert can be moved in and out of the channel so that the flange at the other end of the insert rests against the face of the wall into which the glazing unit is to be installed. As can he seen from the figure there is a wall (shown as 22 in Figure 1) which is formed of two parts at right angles to one another. The walls sit against the outside of the side walls of channel members 30a and 30b so in effect the wall 22 spans any gaps between the channel members and forms a sealed corner between the channel members.

In use, it will be appreciated that for a substantially rectangular frame, four of each component part is required to fasten the frame. A frame can be fastened, be it glazed or un-glazed, and the adapter can typically absorb 10mm tolerance in the building wall.

In conclusion, by having an adaptor which allows for variance in the spacing between a wall and the glazing unit there is the technical improvement of allowing for a simple and fail-safe way of fitting glazing units. Further as the fitting of the units is simplified, this leads to a reduction in the time and costs of fitting glazing units, which has economic benefits for contractors fitting such units. Another benefit of the adaptor is that small angular errors in the squareness of an aperture are accommodated.

The invention is envisaged as covering all combinations of the features as described and aspects and embodiments discussed. It will be apparent that modifications and variations of the invention can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as described.

Claims

CLAIMS1. An adaptor for a window or door frame, said adaptor including a sub-frame attachable to the frame and including a locator element and first and second channel members attachable to the frame, said locator element having first and second ends, the first end when in position extending at least in part along a first section of the frame and the second end extending at least in part along a second section of the frame, the first and second channel members attachable to the first and second sections of the frame with an end of each of the channel members being positionable in proximity to respective ends of the locator element, the first channel member being arranged to receive a first insert and the second channel member being arranged to receive a second insert, said first and second inserts being positionable at varying depths in the channel members, the adaptor further including a cover piece, positionable over ends of the first and second inserts when in proximity to the locator element, said cover piece being arranged to abut against the locator element thereby providing a covered joint between the first and second inserts when positioned in the channel members.
2. An adaptor according to claim 1, wherein the locator element is a corner piece which is attachable to a corner section of the frame.
3. An adaptor according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the locator element has flanges towards the first and second ends which can be used to hold or guide the first and second channel members into position relative to the locator element.
4. An adaptor according to any preceding claim wherein each of the channel members is a U shaped section formed of side walls and a cross wall forming the base of the U.
5. An adaptor according to claim 4, wherein the U shaped section has a rectilinear profile.
6. An adaptor according to any preceding claim wherein a channel member has a series of raised members on inner surfaces of the side walls to provide a profiled wall.
7. An adaptor according to any preceding claim wherein a channel member includes bushing on inner faces of the channel member.
8. An adaptor according to any preceding claim wherein the first and second inserts are each provided as a stepped inenther formed of a wall having towards a first end a first part positionahie in a channel member, said first part extending in a plane in a first direction away from the wall, the insert also having towards a second end of the wall a second part provided as a flange in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the wall and which extends in a direction opposite to that of the plane of the first section.
9. An adaptor according to any preceding claim wherein a first part of the insert is of a substantially U shaped cross section when viewed end on and is arranged so it can nest in the channel member.
10. An adaptor according to any preceding claim including a channel cover, which may be positioned over the U shaped channel.
11. An adaptor according to any preceding claim wherein the cover piece is provided as a stepped body having a first wall extending along an axial plane and forming a first riser of the stepped body, with there being a first flange positioned at a first end of the riser, said first flange extending in a first direction which is substantially perpendicular to the axial plane of the riser, there being a second flange at a second end of the riser which is substantially perpendicular to said riser and which extends in a direction that is opposite to the direction of the first flange, with there being a pair of walls extending from said second flange in the same axial plane as the first riser wall but which are offset from the axis of the first riser said pair of walls forming a second riser for the stepped body.
12. An adaptor according to any preceding claim in combination with a window or door frame.
13. A method of fitting a window or door frame in an aperture using an adaptor according to any of claims 1 to 11, said method involving the steps of: a) attaching the sub-frame to the frame; b) placing the frame in the aperture: c) positioning an insert in each of the channel members and moving the insert so a flange of the insert sits against a wall in which the aperture is placed; d) inserting a channel cover member over the channel member thereby providing a sealed surround for the glazing unit; and e) positioning a cover piece over either end of the channel members and abutting said corner piece against a face of the locator.
14. A method as claimed in claim 13 in which the sub-frame includes four locator elements and four channel members.
15. An adaptor substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying diagrams.