US2426945A

US2426945A - Window balancer

Info

Publication number: US2426945A
Application number: US563398A
Authority: US
Inventors: Peremi Edmund; Weimann Henry
Original assignee: Reconstruction Finance Corp
Current assignee: Reconstruction Finance Corp
Priority date: 1944-11-14
Filing date: 1944-11-14
Publication date: 1947-09-02
Anticipated expiration: 1964-09-02

Description

Sept 2 1941-7. E. PEREM! a AL.

WINDOW BALANCER 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS 261212 and Peremi yHenrg M T ATTO Filed Nov. 14, 1944 Patented Sept. 2, 1947 UNITED, TATES PATENT OFFICE 2,426,945 wmnow BALANCER Yonkers, N. Y., assi States Application November 14, 1944, Serial No. 563,398

Claims. (Cl. 18-197) sash will be counterbalanced with an equalizing force, regardless of the extent to which the sash is raised or lowered.

A further object of the invention resides in so constructing the balancer that the sash will be balanced by a torsion spring in 'cooperation with a connection between the balancer, frame and sash, which is such that an inclined plane will resist the free movement of the sash with a variable resistance having a substantially definite relationship to the variable resistance of the torsion spring,

It is a further object of the invention to so construct the balancer that the torsion spring may be placed under variable initial resistances as are required in the balancing of the particular sash to which the balancer is applied.

A further object of the invention resides in so constructing the device that it may be cheaply constructed and easily installed.

It is a still further object of the invention to so construct the balancer that any binding action or resistance between the element that is attached to the frame and the cooperating element that is attached to the sash will be substantially reduced.

As other objects of the invention will appear as the description progresses, it is thought unnecessary to here point them out in detail.

In the drawings one embodiment of the invention is disclosed and its application to a window sash and frame is likewise disclosed.

Figure l is an elevation of the window balancer showing its general construction and disclosing the manner in which it is applied to the sash and the frame and cooperates with both, portion of the sash and frame being broken away and shown in section;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the balancer;

Figure 3 is an enlarged top plan view showing the spring adjusting means;

Figure 4 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view on the line 6-4 of Figure 1, showing the relationship of the window balancer, the sash and the frame; and

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view .On the line 5-5 of Figure 4, showing the relationship between the guide shoe and the inclined plane in the helical trackway or tube. I

A side rail i and top and

bottom rails

2 and 8 respectively of a sash are illustrated in the drawing, as is also a portion of the lamb 4 of the window frame, the sash being provided with a recess 5 that extends preferably from end to end thereof. The window balancer is located within this recess.

It is, of course, to be understood that it is prefenable to use a balancer on each side of the sash, but that it is possible to use one on only one side of the sash.

For convenience of illustration and description the application of the window balancer will be described in connection with one side of the sash, but when two balancers are used it will be understood that the second duplicates the first.

The window balancer includes essentially a tubellke member 6, which is provided with a helical groove or trackway I that extends substantially from end to end thereof, or at least sufl'lciently to accommodate the movements of the sash. A torsion spring Sis located within the tube 6 and extends substantially from end to end thereof. This spring is secured to the lower end of a rod 8, which rod is in turn secured, by means such as a set screw it, within and to the lower end of the tube 6, and is provided with an extended trunnion bearing H, which is freely mounted at ii for rotation within a bracket I3. This bracket i3 is adapted to be secured by means such as a screw it to lower rail s of the sash.

The upper end of the rod 9 terminates at l5 short of the end of the spring, and the spring abuts at it against a bearing member on a stud I! and is secured thereto. Secured to the upper end of the stud I'll is a ratchet l8, between which and the bearing member ill a bracket ill is located. This bracket is secured by means such as a screw 20 to the upper rail of the sash and carries a spring pawl 2i which engages the ratchet.

It will be seen that this arrangement locates the tube 6 and its cooperating parts entirely within the vertical confines of the sash so that it travels upwardly and downwardly with the sash and is never exposed to view. The-angularity of the groove or trackway I varies as in efiect an inclined plane from top to bottom of the tube, the angle that the groove. forms with the vertical axis decreasing from the lower end of the tube toward the upper end, gradually, and the vertical distances between the convolutions of the glOOVe gradually increasing from bottom to top of the tube as shown'in. Figure 1.

The window balancer will, of course, successfully operate with grooves of different angularity. It has been found, however, and this is set forth by way of example rather than by way of limitation, that a successful angularlty and angle variation exists when the angle adjacent a the bottom of the groove is 45", as is indicated in the drawing, and when the anguiarity gradually decreases toward a point adjacent the top of the groove to 22.

A shoe 22 is pivoted at 23 to a bracket 24. which is attached, by means such as a screw 25, to the jamb 4 of the window frame and loosely surrounds the tube 8, as indicated in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings, thus permitting a certain degree of relative horizontal movement between the bracket and the tube 8 to take care of any unevennesses that may exist between the sash and the various portions of the jamb as the sash is raised and lowered.

This shoe 22 has relatively long bearing

surfaces

26 and 21, as will be seen in Figure 5 of the drawings, so that it has an extensive contact with the edge of the helical groove when the sash is being either raised or lowered. The pivot of the shoe 22 at 23 permits the shoe to adjust itself 4 to the angular variation of the groove 1, thus reducing, or in any event, preventing the increasing of the friction between the shoe and the helical groove as the angularity of the groove varies. The torsion spring 8 may be given the desired initial tension by axial adjustment through the ratchet H! by a simple rotation of the ratchet which, in effect, winds the spring on the silencing rod 9, the lower end of the spring being held stationary by the means heretofore described, and the upper end being positioned by the stud I! rigid with the ratchet l8.

During the lowering of the sash the spring will be placed under gradually increasing tension and at the same time the angle of inclination with the vertical of that portion of the groove 1 with which the shoe 22 engages will gradually decrease while the distance between the convolutions of the groove I will increase. When the sash is raised the tension of th spring will gradually decrease while the angularity will gradually increase and the distance between the convolutions will decrease. The result will be that the sash in all of its positions will be balanced with substantially a weightequalizlng force.

As the angularity of the groove 1 varies the shoe 22 will ride on its pivot 23 to accommodate itself to the angular variation of the groove to maintain a surface contact between the groove and the shoe when the sash is being moved in either direction.

The tube 6 may be formed in any desirable mannenbut it has been found convenient to form it of a piece of sheet metal wound into tubular form to produce the groove 1.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it is, of course, to be understood that many details of the construction may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention or exceeding thescope of the claims, and these variations will become at once apparent to one skilled in the art.

We claim: 1

1. In a window balancer, a rotatable and longitudinally movable tube having a helical groove extending lengthwise thereof, a coil spring arranged longitudinally within said tube and at-- be secured to a window frame, a shoe having a relatively long rectilineal side havi g contact with the edge of said groove, and means pivoting said shoe at one of its ends to said bracket, with its other end free to follow said edge of said groove by movement about said pivot as said tube is moved longitudinally.

2. In a window balancer, a rotatably and longitudinally movable tube having a helical groove extending lengthwise thereof, a coil spring arranged longitudinailywithin said tube and attached to the tube adjacent one of its ends, means for anchoring the spring at its other end and independent of the tube, a bracket adapted to be secured to a window frame, a shoe, having relatively long rectilinear parallel sides, engaged with the edges of said groove, and means pivoting said shoe at one of its ends to said bracket, said pivot means being located beyond the outer face of said tube.

3. In a window balancer, a rotatably and longitudinally movable tube having a helical groove extending lengthwise thereof, a coil spring arranged longitudinally within said tube and attached to the tube adjacent one of its ends, means for anchoring the spring at its other end and independent of the tube, a bracket adapted to be secured to a window frame, a shoe having relatively long rectilinear parallel sides and curved ends, engaged with the edges of said groove, and means pivoting saidshoe at one of its ends to said bracket, said pivot means being located beyond the outer face of said tube.

4. In a window balancer, a rotatably and longitudinally movable tube having a helical groove extending lengthwise thereof, a coil spring'arranged longitudinally within said tube and attached to the tube adjacent one of its ends, means for anchoring the spring at its other end and independent of the tube, a bracket adapted to be secured to a window frame, ashoe having relatively long rectilinear parallel sides and curved ends engaged with the edges of said groove, and means pivoting said shoe at one of its ends to said bracket, said pivot means being located beyond the outer face of said tube, the angle of inclination of said groove to the vertical decreasing from adjacent one end of the tube toward the other end thereof.

5. In a window balancer, a rotatably and longitudinally movable tube having a helical groove extending longitudinally thereof, a rod located within and secured to said tube, a helical spring secured to said rod at one of its ends and surrounding the same, a bracket having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, a bearing plate abutting said horizontal portion of said bracket and independent of said tube, the adjacent end of said spring being secured to said bearing plate, a ratchet rigid with said bearing plate and supported by the horizontal portion of said bracket, and a spring pawl for said ratchet secured to the vertical portion of said bracket.

6. In a window balancer, a bracket, a rod rotatably mounted in said bracket, a bracket spaced from the first mentioned bracket, a stud rotatably supported by the second mentioned bracket, a coil spring surrounding said rod and stud and secured at its ends to said rod and said stud, a tube having a helical groove therein extendin longitudinally thereof secured to said rod, a shoe adapted to be secured to a. window frame and located within said groove and adapted to ride therein, a ratchet secured to the upper end of said stud and having peripheral teeth therein, and a spring actuated detent adapted to be rigidly associated with a window sash adjacent said ratchet and to engage said ratchet teeth.

7. In a window balancer, a bracket, a rod rotatably mounted in said bracket, a bracket spaced from the first mentioned bracket, a stud rotatably supported by the second mentioned bracket, a coil spring surrounding said rod and stud and secured at its ends to said rod and said stud, a tube having a helical groove therein extending longitudinally thereof secured to said rod, a shoe adapted to be secured to a window frame and located within said groove and adapted to ride therein, a ratchet secured to the upper end of said stud and having peripheral teeth therein, and a spring actuated detent adapted to be rigidly associated with a window sash adjacent said ratchet and to engage said ratchet teeth, said stud and ratchet assembly having a tool receiving recess therein by means of which the torsion of the spring may be varied.

8. In a window balancer, a bracket, 2, rod rotatably mounted in said bracket, a bracket spaced from the first mentioned bracket, a stud rotatably supported by the second mentioned bracket, a coil spring surrounding said rod and stud and secured at its ends to said rod and said stud, a tube having a helical groove therein extendin longitudinally thereof secured to said rod, a shoe adapted to be secured to a window frame and located within said groove and adapted to ride therein, a ratchet secured to the upper end of said stud and having peripheral teeth therein, and a spring actuated detent adapted to be rigidly associated with a window sash adjacent said ratchet and to engage said ratchet teeth, said rod having an enlargement at its lower end for the reception of the lower end of said spring.

9. In a window balancer, a bracket, a rod rotatably mounted in said bracket, a bracket spaced from the first mentioned bracket, a stud rotatably supported by the second mentioned bracket, a coil spring surrounding said rod and stud and secured at its ends to said rod and said stud, a tube having a helical groove therein extending longitudinally thereof secured to said rod, a shoe adapted to be secured to a window frame and located within said groove and adapted to ride therein, a ratchet secured to the upper end of said stud and having peripheral teeth therein, and a spring actuated detent adapted to be rigidly associated with a, window sash adjacent said ratchet and to engage said ratchet teeth, said stud having a bearing member for said spring secured thereto and located below the adjacent bracket.

10. In a window balancer, a bracket, a, rod rotatably mounted in said bracket, a bracket spaced from the first mentioned bracket, a stud rotatably supported by the second mentioned bracket, a coil spring .surrounding said rod and stud and secured at its end to said rod and said stud, a tube having a helical groove therein extending longitudinally thereof secured to said rod, a shoe adapted to be secured to a window frame and located within said groove and adapted to ride therein, a ratchet secured to the upper end of said stud and having peripheral teeth therein, and a spring actuated detent adapted to be rigidly associated with a window sash adjacent said ratchet and to engage said ratchet teeth, said rod having an enlargement adjacent its lower end for the reception of the lower end of said spring and said stud having a bearing member for said spring adjacent its upper end.

EDMUND PEREIVII. HENRY WEIMANN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,178,533 Viehweger Oct. 31, 1939 1,248,221 Webster Nov. 27, 1917 2,335,816 Tappan Nov. 30, 1943 539,924 Stuebner May 28, 1895 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 834,438 France Nov. 21, 1938 769,817 France Sept. 3, 1934