MX2008006343A - Closure frame corner joint - Google Patents

Abstract

A closure assembly includes a frame having at least one hollow end rail (32,34) and a pair of side rails (28,30) coupled in butt joints to opposed ends of the end rail. The butt joints include a core (46) extending through the hollow end rail (32, 34) and from opposed ends of the end rail through openings (SO) in the side rails (28,30) into the interiors of the side rails. A saddle (62) within each side rail interior straddles a corresponding end of the core (46) , A fastener (70) extends through each of the saddles (62) into engagement with a corresponding end of the core (46) firmly to clamp to side rails against opposed ends of the end rail. The core (46) preferably is of uniform cross-section throughout its length, having edges that internally engage the hollow end rail against lateral movement of the core within the end rail.

Description

BOARD IN ANGLE OF CLOSURE FRAME FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to building closure assemblies such as windows and doors, and more particularly, to a frame corner stop joint for this closure assembly. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Current design building closure assemblies, such as patio doors, typically require up to six gangs (people) to form the butt joint at each corner of the door frame. The alignment and assembly in the four corners of the frame can be a laborious and expensive operation. A general objective of the present disclosure is to provide a butt joint for a building closure assembly which can be manufactured economically, and which still forms a rigid frame with a good seal at each butt joint against water infiltration . SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present description includes a number of aspects, which may be implemented separately or in combination with each other. A closure assembly according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a frame having at least one REF. 193167 end hollow rail and a pair of side rails engaged in butt joints with opposite ends of the end rail. Butt joints include a central part that extends through the hollow end rail and from opposite ends of the end rail through the holes in the side rails to the interiors of the side rails. A support or support within each side rail interior is placed on both sides of a corresponding end of the central part. A fastener extends through each of the clutch supports or brackets with a corresponding end of the central part to firmly secure the side rails against the opposite ends of the end rail. Preferably, the central part is of a uniform cross section through its entire length, with edges that internally engage the hollow end rail against lateral movement of the central part within the end rail. Preferably, an elastic washer is captured in compression between each support and the opposite end of the central part. Preferably, one of the supports has an extension integrally formed within one of the side rails for securing a hinge on the side rail.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The description, together with the objectives, characteristics, advantages and additional aspects thereof, will be better understood from the following description, the appended claims and the figures that accompany it, in which: Figure 1 is an elevation view of a closure assembly in the form of a patio door in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevation view partly in section of the portion of Figure 1 within zone 2; Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevation view partly in section of the portion of Figure 1 within zone 3; Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken, substantially, along line 4-4 and Figure 2; and Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the butt joint of the closure assembly that is illustrated in Figure 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Figure 1 illustrates a closure of a building 20 in the form of a door. patio according to an example embodiment of the present description. The closure 20 includes a closure assembly 24 placed within a fixed frame 22 through the hinges 26. The closure assembly 24 includes a pair of side rails 28, 30 and a pair of end rails 32, 34, all of which are assembled to form a generally rectangular frame 35. A panel 36 of glass or other suitable material is captured within the closure assembly 24. The closure assembly 24 has the butt joints 38, 40 in the upper corners of the assembly and butt joints 42, 44 in the lower corners of the assembly. The butt joint 38 is illustrated in detail in Figures 2 and 4-5, and the butt joint 40 is illustrated in detail in Figure 3. Preferably, the butt joints 42, 44 are mirror images of the butt joints 38, 40, respectively. Preferably, the side rails 28, 30 and end rails 32, 34 are of a fiberglass reinforced resin construction, although any type of materials suitable for rails such as vinyl or aluminum could be employed. Normally, the side rails and the end rails are of a stretched or extruded extruded construction and of a uniform cross section through all their lengths. The end rails 32, 34 are hollow. The side rails 28, 30 are hollow at their ends to form the butt joints and may have mid portions, either hollow or filled. With reference to Figures 2 and 4-5, the butt joint 38, wherein the end rail 32 is connected to the side rail 30, includes a core or core portion 46 that extends entirely through the hollow interior of end rail 32. As best seen in Figure 4, the core or core portion 46 has a cross section of generally X-shape with legs 48 that engage inwardly with the cross section of end hollow rail 32 for the purpose of reducing or avoid vertical lateral movement of the central part 46 within the end rail 32. A pair of support blocks 50, 52 engage or engage the legs 48 of the central portion 46 and the central mounting portion 46 for longitudinal sliding movement within the rail 32 while reducing or preventing horizontal lateral movement of the central part 46 inside the rail 32. The support blocks 50, 52 could be of any suitable material such as plastic. The central part 46 is of a uniform cross section through its entire length and could be, for example, extruded aluminum or other rigid construction. There is a central hole 54 in the central core or core 46 that is preferred to extend through the total length of the central part. The support blocks 50, 52 have opposite outwardly extending lips 56 which are captured by a snap fit within the inwardly extending cords 58 on the legs of the central part 48. One end of the central part 46 extends to through a side hole 60 in the side rail 30 and towards the inside of the side rail. A support or support 62 is located within the interior of the side rail 30 adjacent to the end of the side rail and is positioned on both sides of the end of the central portion 46 extending toward the side rail. The support or support 32 includes a base 64 adjacent the wall 65 of the rail 30 and a platform 66 connected to the base 64 by a pair of spaced legs 68. The legs 68 are located on opposite sides of the end of the central part 46 received within the rail 30. A threaded fastener 70 extends through a hole 71 (Figure 5) in the support platform 68 to the hole 54 in the center portion 46. The fastener 70 could be a screw or a self-tapping bolt. An elastic washer 72 is captured in compression between the lower surface of the platform 66 and the opposite end surface of the central portion 46. The fastener 70 is accessible through a hole that faces outwards in a lateral direction 74 (Figure 2) in the wall 75 of the side rail 30. Preferably, the support 62 has a second platform 76 formed as an integral extension of the support extending into the side rail 30. The purpose of the platform 76 is to provide the securing of the door hinge 26, such as by means of the threaded fasteners 78 extending to the platform 76. Support or support 62 is from a uniform width, as best seen in Figure 5, and may be, for example, of an extruded aluminum construction. The butt joint 40 in Figure 3 is a mirror image of the butt joint 38 in Figures 2 and 4-5, except that the bearing or support 62a in the butt joint 40 need not have the integral extension forming the joint. platform 76 because there are no door hinges joined with side rail 28. (Obviously, support 62a in Figure 3 may be identical to support 62 in Figures 2 and 5, and the support extension is not used). Otherwise, the elements in the butt joint 40 that are identical to the corresponding elements in the butt joint 38 are indicated by the correspondingly identical reference numerals in Figure 3. To assemble the butt joints 38, 40, the central part 46 and support blocks 50, 52 are placed inside the end rail 46. The fasteners 70 and the washers 72 are assembled with the supports 62, 62a and the supports are placed within the ends of the side rails 30, 28 with the platforms 66 of the respective supports that are generally aligned with the side holes 60 in the respective side rails. The ends of the central part 46 protruding from the ends of the end rail 32 are then located at through the holes of the side rail 60 within the spaces between the legs 68 of the supports 62, 62a and the fasteners 70 are threaded into the holes 54 of the central part 46. The bases 64 of the supports 62, 62a are in an inner coupling with the inner walls 65 of the side rails 30, 28 and securely hold the side rails 30, 28 in a support clutch with the opposite ends of the end rail 32. The washers 72 not only loosely place the fasteners 70 on the supports 60, 62a during the assembly operation, but also accommodate the tolerance variations in the length of the central part 46, the dimensions of the supports 62, 62a, and so on. The corners where the legs 68 coincide with the platform 66 are stiffened by the elongations 82. As noted above, it is preferred that the butt joints 42, 44 (Figure 1) be mirror images of the butt joints 38, 40. In this manner, the corner butt joint of the present disclosure is economical to assemble and can be disassembled quickly if replacement is necessary, for example, of a glass panel. In addition, the butt joint of the present disclosure retards heat transfer through the closure assembly. It will be seen, for example, in Figure 4, that the ends of the legs of the central part 48 only have a limited contact with the interior surfaces of the rail 32, while the support blocks 50, 52 could be made of an insulating material such as plastic. The support blocks 50, 52 not only allow the sliding movement of the central portion 46 to facilitate assembly on the side rails, but also align the central portion 46 within the hollow interior of the end rail 32 to facilitate alignment with the fasteners 70 on the side rails. Preferably, there are the beards 80 at the inner ends of the support legs 68, which engage the walls 65 of the side rails 30, 28 as the fasteners 70 are tightened. There is limited contact between the supports 60. , 62a and side rails 30, 28 to limit heat transfer through the joint at an angle. Therefore, a closure assembly and a manufacturing method that fully satisfies all the objectives and goals outlined above has been described. The present description has been presented in conjunction with several example modalities, and additional modifications and variations have been discussed. Other modifications and variations will be easily suggested by themselves by persons of ordinary skill in the art in view of the foregoing description. The description is intended to include all these modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the claims Attached It is noted that in relation to this date the best method known by the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.

Claims (21)

1. CLAIMS Having described the invention as above, the claim contained in the following claims is claimed as property: 1. A closure assembly, characterized in that it comprises: a frame having at least one hollow end rail and a pair of side rails coupled with the opposite ends of the end rail in butt joints that include: a central part extending through the hollow end rail, and from opposite ends of the end rail through the holes in the side rails to the interiors of the end rails; side rails, a support within the interior of each side rail that is placed on both sides of a corresponding end of the central part, and a fastener that extends through each of the clutch supports with a corresponding end of the part center to firmly hold the side rails on the opposite ends of the end rail.
2. 2. The closure assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the central part is slidably mounted within the end rail.
3. 3. The closure assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises blocks of support that slidably hold the central part inside the end rail.
4. 4. The closure assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the central part is of a uniform cross section through its entire length, the cross section has edges that engage internally with the hollow end rail against the lateral movement of the central part inside the end rail.
5. The closure assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that the cross section of the central part has a hole for receiving the fasteners at the opposite ends of the central part.
6. The closure assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that the fasteners comprise threaded fasteners.
7. The closure assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an elastic washer around each fastener and that it is captured in compression between each support and an opposite end of the central part.
8. The closure assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that each support includes a platform through which the fastener extends towards the central part and a pair of legs that engage in internal shape with the lateral rail on the opposite sides of the central part.
9. 9. The closure assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that the support is stiffened where the legs are connected to the platform.
10. The closure assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that one of the supports has an extension integrally formed inside one of the side rails for the securing of a hinge on one of the side rails.
11. The closure assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a pair of hollow end rails at the opposite ends of the assembly, each end rails being coupled with the side rails through one of the joints butt.
12. 12. A closure assembly, characterized in that it comprises: a frame having at least one end hollow rail and a pair of side rails coupled with the opposite ends of the end rail in the butt joints which include: a rigid central part which extends through the hollow end rail and from the opposite ends of the end rail through the holes in the side rails to the interiors of the side rails, the central part is of a uniform cross section through its entire length and has edges that engage internally with the hollow end rail against the lateral movement of the central part within the end rail, a support within the interior of each lateral rail that is placed on both sides of a corresponding end of the central part, a threaded fastener that extends through the brackets into a threaded clutch with a corresponding end of the central part to securely hold the side rails on the opposite ends of the end rail, and an elastic washer around each fastener and that it is captured in compression between each support and an adjacent end of the central part.
13. The closure assembly according to claim 12, characterized in that the cross section of the central part has a central hole for receiving the threaded fasteners at the opposite ends of the central part.
14. The closure assembly according to claim 13, characterized in that the central part is slidably mounted within the end rail.
15. 15. The closure assembly in accordance with claim 14, characterized in that it comprises supporting blocks that hold in a sliding manner the central part inside the end rail.
16. The closure assembly according to claim 12, characterized in that each support comprises a platform through which the fastener extends towards the central part and a pair of legs that engage internally with the lateral rail on the sides opposite of the central part.
17. 17. The closure assembly according to claim 16, characterized in that the support is stiffened where the legs connect to the platform.
18. 18. The closure assembly according to claim 12, characterized in that one of the supports has an extension integrally formed inside one of the side rails for the securing of a hinge in one of the side rails.
19. 19. A method of making a closure assembly, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: (a) inserting an elongated central part through a hollow end rail, so that the ends of the central part protrude from the ends of the end rail, (b) insert a bracket on the ends of the pair of side rails, so that the brackets align with the side holes in the side rails, (c) insert one end of the central part through each of the side holes to a position included by the support, and (d) thread a fastener through each of the supports at an adjacent end of the central part, so that the supports firmly grip the side rails at the opposite ends of the end rails. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that it comprises: (e) positioning an elastic washer around the fastener between each of the supports and the adjacent end of the central part. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that step (a) comprises positioning the central part for its sliding movement within the end rail.