US3293817A

US3293817A - Muntin bars

Info

Publication number: US3293817A
Application number: US399565A
Authority: US
Inventors: James G Macgregor
Original assignee: AMS CORP
Current assignee: AMS CORP
Priority date: 1964-09-28
Filing date: 1964-09-28
Publication date: 1966-12-27
Anticipated expiration: 1983-12-27

Description

Dec. 27, 1966 J, 3. Ma GREGOR 3,293,817

MUNTIN BARS Filed Sept. 28, 1964 INVENTOR James 6. Na: Gregor Blair 80 Buckles fiJYOR/VEYS.

United States Patent 3,293,817 MUNTIN BARS James G. MacGregor, Stamford, Conn., assignor to AMS Corporation, South Norwalk, Conn. Filed Sept. 28, 1964, Ser. No. 399,565 11 Claims. (Cl. 52-456) This invention relates to muntin bars that extend between the outer f-rame members of a window sash to divide it into two or more sections. Muntin bars may be an integral part of a sash frame when the window comprises a plurality of separate small panes, or they may be positioned against a single pane to simulate the appearance of a multi-pane window. Thi invention relates particularly to muntin bars of the latter type.

Many types of simulated muntin bars have been proposed in the past. They have received only limited trade and public acceptance, however, because they are difficult and awkward to install and remove and are complex and expensive to manufacture.

For example, it has been proposed to provide dowels at the end of the muntin bars that fit into holes drilled in the vertical stiles and horizontal crossbars of the sash frame. However, it is almost impossible for a homeowner to drill such holes in installed Windows and this construction require that the bars be bowed to insert or remove the dowels from the holes in the sash. Thus, installation and removal, even after the holes have been provided, are diflicult and awkward operations, and may result in breakage of the bars or the dowels. To avoid such breakage, it has been proposed to provide hinges in each bar so that they may be bent to facilitate installation and removal. Hinges of course substantially increase manufacturing costs and detract from the appearance of the muntin bars.

It has also been proposed that spikes be provided at the ends of the bars to be driven into the wood of the sash to hold the bars in place. This construction requires that the spikes be pulled out of the sash each time it is desired to remove the bar, and driven back into the sash when it is desired to reinstall the bar. After several installations, the spike holes become oversized and the bars are no longer securely held.

It has also been proposed to imbed permanent magnets in the sash and provide iron pieces'at the ends of the muntin bars to hold the bars in place magnetically. This construction requires considerable mutilation: of the sash and, from a practical standpoint, requires that the magnets be installed at the factory, since their installation is beyond the skill of the ordinary homeowner. This construction is relatively insecure since the magnet otfer relatively little resistance to sliding movement.

Other muntin bar constructions which have been proposed offer similar, and usually more serious, ditliculties of manufacture and installation.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide simulated muntin bars that may be quickly and easily installed and removed from a window sash.

It is a further object of the invention to provide muntin bars of the above character that are relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide muntin bars of the above character that remain fir-mly in place in the sash despite repeated removal and reinstallation.

A still further object of the invention is to provide muntin bars of the above character that are durable and long lasting.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide muntin bars of the above character that are virtually indistinguishable upon ordinary inspection from permanent muntin bars.

Still another object of the invention is to provide muntin bars of the above character that do not rattle against the window pane against which they are installed.

A further object of the invention is to provide muntin bars of the above character that are thermally insulated from the glass window pane against which they are installed.

A still further object of the invention is to provide muntin bars of the above character that interlock with the window sash stiles and crossbars to which they are installed to add rigidity to the sash.

Another object of the invention is to provide muntin bars of the above character that interlock to form a rigid, unified grill for installation in a window sash.

Still yet another object of the invention is to provide muntin bars of the above character that may be installed conveniently and easily by the homeowner using ordinary hand tools,

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combinations of elements, arrangements of parts, and an article of manufacture possessing the features, properties, and the relation of elements which will be exemplified in the construction and article hereinafter described, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an installed nine pane muntin bar window grill according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view, partially cut away, taken along the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

' FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view, partially cut away, taken along the line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view, partially cutaway, taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged perspective view, partially cut away, of one end of a muntin bar being installed in the window sash of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged perspective view, partially cut away, of the cross over of two muntin bars installed in the window sash of FIGURE 1.

A muntin bar, according to the present invention, generally comprises an elongated bar-like piece extending a length equal to the distance between the stiles or the crossbars of a standard single-pane window sash. The muntin bar is flat on the side to be placed against the window pane and decoratively shaped on the opposite side to be viewed from the inside of the window. Generally speaking, horizontal muntin bars according to present invention are shaped at either end to conform with the standard decorative molding of the stiles of the sash, and the vertical muntin bars are so shaped at one end for engagement with the upper sash cross bar and are fiat at the other for engagement with the lower sash bar of the upper sash, for example, of a double-hung window.

According to the present invention, the ends of the muntin bars are provided with spring locking devices for engagement with a stud having its axis oriented parallel to the window pane. The muntin bar may be pressed against the window until the studs are engaged by the spring locking devices to hold the muntin bar in place, and the bar may be pulled from the window until the spring devices release the studs.

The studs of the present invention are formed of plastic and are hollow so that a nail may be placed through them and they may thereby be fastened to the stile or crossbar of a sash. Integrally molded with the stud in an upstanding ridge oriented perpendicular to the axis of the stud and to the window pane. The ridge engages a slot in the end of the muntin bar. This provides an interlock between parallel sash members and the transverse muntin bar, thus preventing increased separation 'of the parallel sash members as might occur, for example, in attempting to open a stuck window.

The invention also provides a fiat member integral with the ridge and stud for separating the muntin bar by a small distance from the window pane so that the pane, when bending under wind pressure, for example, will not rattle against the muntin bar. When the muntin bars are metal, this flat portion is preferably made of a nonconductor of heat to prevent breakage of the window pane due to thermal stresses. Thus, the fiat portion may most conveniently be molded of a plastic material.

When the two or more muntin bars are crossed to make a grill, one muntin bar is relieved generally to conform with the decorative cross-section of the other. The other-muntin bar is slotted slightly so that the two will fit together snugly to lie in a single plane. The invention preferably provides a flat interlocking member underlying the slotted muntin bar and interlocking with the overlapping portions of the other muntin bar to hold them together to form a rigid grill. This interlocking member is preferably provided with a flat portion having the same thickness as the flat portion integral with the mounting stud for the same purpose of separating the muntin bar grill construction slightly from the window pane, both to prevent rattling and to prevent thermal contact when the muntin bars are made of metal.

The muntin bars of the present invention are most conveniently and preferably extruded from a metal such as aluminum. When so extruded, they are preferably hollow so that spring clip locking members according to the present invention may be conveniently slid into the ends of the muntin bars and the studs for holding the muntin bars to the window sash may be received in slots cut in the flat portion of the ends of the muntin bars.

More specifically, referring to FIGURE 1, a muntin bar grill, generally indicated at 20, may be installed in theupper sash, generally indicated at 22, of a conventional double-hung single-pane window, generally indicated at 24. As illustrated in FIGURE 1, four

muntin bars

26, 28, 30 and 32 may be fitted together to form a nine-light grill.

Now, referring to FIGURE 5, eight fasteners 34 are provided, one for cooperation with each end of the four muntin bars 26-32. Each fastener 34 is preferably integrally molded of a soft plastic material such as polyethylene, and is shaped to engage themolding 38 of a sash stile or crossbar 40. A hollow stud 42 is provided on the fastener 34'. The fastener 34 may be conveniently attached to the window frame by means of a nail 44 driven through the hollow stud 42 into the sash member 40.

The fastener 34 is provided with a fiat portion 46 that separates the muntin bar 26 from the window pane 48. The fiat portion 46 is provided with an upstanding ridge 49 for engagement with a slot 50 in the flat portion 52 of the muntin bar 26.

The fastener 34 is provided with a strengthening portion 56 between-the stud 42 and the flat portion 46.

A Now referring to FIGURES 2, 3, and 5. A slot'58 is-provided in the flat portion 52 of each muntin bar for receiving the stud 42. The slot 58 is enlarged at the outer end, thereof, 60, for engagement with portion 36 of the fastener 34. Particularly referring to FIGURE 3, a U-shaped spring steel clip 62 is slid into the end of each muntin bar. The rolled ends.;64, of the clip ;62 are therefore spread apart by-the stud 42 when the muntin bar is pressed against the'window. When the muntin bar-is fullyinstalled ends 64 cam against-stud 42 pulling the bar 26 against the fastener 34.

Now referring to FIGURES 2,4, and 6. A clip 68,

also preferably; formed of semi-rigid plasticmaterial such as polyethylene, is provided for interlocking crossedmuntin bars, such as relieved muntin bar 26 and slotted muntin bar 30 of FIGURE 6. Clip 68 has a flat portion 70 of the same thickness as the flat portion 46 of fastener 34 for separating the muntin bar from the Window pane 48 and is provided with hooks 72-72 engaging the edges of relieved portion 74 (FIGURE 6) of muntin bar 26 to 3 thus hold the muntin bars 26 and 30 together in a semirigid manner.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above construction and articles without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention which as a matter of langauge, might be said to fall therebetween. Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a muntin bar adapted to be removably installed in a window frame against the pane thereof to give the appearance of a multi-pane window, means for detachably securing said muntin bar to the frame, comprising, in combination:

(A) a hollowed out portion at at least one end' of said muntin bar;

(B) an opening through the underside of said bar com municating with said hollowedout portion;

(C) a first fastener element received within said hollowed out portion; and, (D) a fastener member adapted to be secured to the frame comprising a second fastener element dimensioned to releasably interlock with said first fastener element and disposed, when said member is secured to'a frame, in a position overlying said pane inwardly of the frame, whereby upon movement of said bar toward or away from said pane said second fastener element passes through said opening into and out of said hollowed out portion to respectively interlock with ordisengage from said first fastener element.

2. In a muntin bar adapted to be removably installed in a window frame overlapping the window pane to give the appearance of a multi-pane window, means for detachably securing said bar to said frame, comprising, in combination:

(A) a hollowed out portionv at at least one end of said muntin barope'n at said one end and at the adjacent underside of said bar;

(B) afastener member adapted to be secured to the frame comprising a stud extending, when saidmember is secured to a frame, inwardly from the frame and spaced from the'window pane; and,

(C) spring means received within said hollowed out portion and yieldably'blocking entrance of said stud into said hollowed out portion through the open underside of the bar;

(D) said spring means being dimensioned-to yield upon movement of said bar toward said pane to pass said stud through the-undersideof the bar into said hol-I lowed out portion and thereafter return to yieldably block removal of said stud therefrom. 1

3. The muntin bar defined inclaim 2'wherein said spring means comprises: 1 i

(a) a strip of spring steel held in inverted U-form in said hollowed out portion and having rolled ends normally blocking entry of said stud but being yieldable to pass the same into said hollowed out portion and thereafter return toward each other to yieldably block removal of said stud.

A muntin bar according to claim 2, further compris- (E) a bore extending longitudinally through said stud for the passage of a nail or the like to secure said member to the frame,

5. A muntin bar according to claim 2, further, comprising:

(E) a transverse slot in the underside of said muntin bar extending inwardly from said one end; and,

(F) a projection on said fastener member adapted to enter said slot when said bar is snapped into place over said pane to limit longitudinal movement of said bar.

6. A muntin bar according to claim 2, wherein said fastener member further comprises:

(a) a base portion extending parallel to said stud and adapted to lie against a window pane to separate said bar from said pane.

7. A muntin bar according to claim 6, further compris- (E) a transverse slot in the underside of said bar extending inwardly from said one end; and,

(F) a transverse ridge on said base portion adapted to enter said slot when said bar is snapped in place to limit longitudinal movement of said bar.

8. A muntin bar grill adapted for installation in a window frame against the pane thereof comprising, in combination:

(A) at least two hollow, rigid muntin bars,

(a) each of said bars being flat on one side and decoratively shaped on the other,

(b) the flat sides of the ends of said muntin bars having a U-shaped opening therein,

(0) the first of said muntin bars having a general U-shaped cut therein extending inwardly of the flat side thereof and conforming to the decorative shape of the second of said muntin bars,

(d) the second of said muntin bars having a generally U-shaped cut therein extending inwardly of the decoratively shaped portion thereof, whereby said muntin bars fit together to form a cross with their fiat sides lying substantially in the same plane;

(B) a one piece spring gripper (a) held within each of the hollow ends of said muntin bars,

(b) in alignment with said U-shaped openings, and (0) adapted to engage studs mounted to a window frame;

(C) a generally U-shaped locking member (a) having hook portions at the ends thereof,

(b) the bottom portion, thereof, being substantially uniform in thickness and flat, and

(c) said locking member fitted around the flat side of said second muntin bar with the hook portions thereof engaging said first muntin bar to hold them together to form a cross.

9. The muntin gar grill defined in claim 8, and:

(D) spacers mounted to the window frame under the ends of said muntin bars of the same thickness as the bottom portion of said locking member.

10. The muntin bar grill defined in claim 9 wherein said muntin bars are metal and said spacers and said locking member are formed of heat insulating material.

11. The muntin bar grill defined in claim 8, and:

(D) unitary fasteners for the ends of said muntin bars adapted to be fastened to a window frame compris- (a) a frame abutting portion having a frame conforming contour, and

(b) a hollow stud portion extending perpendicularly from said frame abutting portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,818,829 8/1911 Ulbrich 248-262 1,299,556 4/ 1919 Crecelius.

1,765,595 6/1930 Levan 211105.1 2,001,864 5/ 1935 Benjinsohn 248267 2,633,322 3/1953 Barr 248-268 X 2,974,377 3/1961 Kunkle 52172 X 3,099,865 8/ 1963 Burnett. 3,108,336 10/1963 Tate.

3,149,811 9/1964 Fremstad et al. 248-261 X HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

W. E. HEATON, A. I. BREIER, Assistant Examiners.

Claims

1. IN A MUNTIN BAR ADAPTED TO BE REMOVABLY INSTALLED IN A WINDOW FRAME AGAINST THE PANE THEREOF TO GIVE THE APPEARANCE OF A MULTI-PANE WINDOW, MEANS FOR DETACHABLY SECURING SAID MUNTIN BAR TO THE FRAME, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) A HOLLOWED OUT PORTION AT AT LEAST ONE END OF SAID MUNTIN BAR; (B) AN OPENING THROUGH THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID BAR COMMUNICATING WITH SAID HOLLOWED OUT PORTION; (C) A FIRST FASTENER ELEMENT RECEIVED WITHIN SAID HOLLOWED OUT PORTION; AND, (D) A FASTENER MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO THE FRAME COMPRISING A SECOND FASTENER ELEMENT DIMENSIONED TO RELEASABLY INTERLOCK WITH SAID FIRST FASTENER ELEMENT AND DISPOSED, WHEN SAID MEMBER IS SECURED TO A FRAME, IN A POSITION OVERLYING SAID PANE INWARDLY OF THE FRAME, WHEREBY UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID BAR TOWARD OR AWAY FROM SAID PANE SAID SECOND FASTENER ELEMENT PASSES THROUGH SAID OPENING INTO AND OUT OF SAID HOLLOWED OUT PORTION TO RESPECTIVELY INTERLOCK WITH OR DISENGAGE FROM SAID FIRST FASTENER ELEMENT.