US3488884A

US3488884A - Sash positioning apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3488884A
Application number: US750939A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph R Edmonston Jr; Charles E Sweeney Jr
Original assignee: CHARLES E SWEENEY JR; JOSEPH R EDMONSTON JR
Current assignee: CHARLES E SWEENEY JR; JOSEPH R EDMONSTON JR
Priority date: 1968-08-07
Filing date: 1968-08-07
Publication date: 1970-01-13
Anticipated expiration: 1987-01-13

Description

Jan- 3, 970 J. R. EDMONSTON, JR., ETAL 3, 8

SASH POSITIONING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 7, 1968 INVENTORS JOSEPH R. EDMONSTON,JR.

CHARLES E. SWEENEY JR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,488,884 SASH POSITIONING APPARATUS Joseph R. Edmonston, Jr., 612 Carpenters Lane, Irwin, Pa. 15642, and Charles E. Sweeney, Jr., 3229 North Hills Road, Murrysville, Pa. 15668 Filed Aug. 7, 1968, Ser. No. 750,939 Int. Cl. E05d 13/10 U.S. Cl. 49-433 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates to sash positioning apparatus. Adhesive strips of the Velcro type, as disclosed 1n United States Patent No. 2,717,437 are bonded to one or both of the side walls of a movable sash member. The side walls of the main frame have one or more recessed receiver portions in which an endless elongated loop or band of flexible Velcro type adhesive i positioned on a suitable support. A section of the leap is in adhesfve contact with the strip of Velcro adhesive bonded to the sash and maintains the sash in a fixed position relative to the main frame. A vertical force of preselected magnitude on the sash member orbits or moves the endless loop of adhesive material around the support member to disengage or peel off the previously engaged portion of the endless loop from the fixed strip of adhesive on the sash and engage another portion of the endless loop to another portion of the adhesive strip as the sash is moved vertically relative to the main frame member. When the vertical force on the sash member is removed, the adhesive engagement between the portion of the loop and the adhesive strip bonded to the sash member maintains the sash member in a fixed position relative to the main frame. The endless loop support member includes suitable tension means to maintain the loop in tension to prevent wrinkling of the adhesive material and has a configuration to provide a planar portion of the loop that is in face to face contact and adhesively engaged to the adhesive strip bonded to the sash member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to sash positioning apparatus and more particularly to sash positioning apparatus that includes an endless loop of adhesive for maintaining the sash in a predetermined position relative to a fixed frame member.

Description of the prior art The so-called double hung Windows include upper and lower sash members mounted in parallel vertical grooves or channels in a main frame. A counterbalancing weight is connected to the sash by a sash cord that extends over a pulley mounted in the vertical portion of the frame. The counterweight offsets the weight of the sash and maintains the sash in a predetermined, preselected relative position Within the frame. This type of sash balance is cumbersome and difiicult to maintain. The sash cords are subject to wear and replacement of the sash cord requires at least a partial dismantling of the main frarre to gain access to the counterweight within the frame. The main frame usually includes vertical passageways for the counterweights associated with each sash. The fabrication and installation of this type of main frame is expensive and adds substantially to the overall cost of the window assembly.

There have been many proposals in the past to provide sash positioning devices that do not include the counterweight and the sash cords. U.S. Patent No. 2,490,676 discloses a gear rack secured to the main frame and a gear wheel and ratchet mounted on the sash. The gear wheel meshes with the rack and the ratchet controls the position of the sash. U.S. Patent No. 2,116,329 discloses a gear rack on the main frame and a pinion gear associated with the sash. The pinion gear meshes with the rack and a spring tension means is provided for the pinion that limits rotation of the pinion and offsets the weight of the sash. US. Patent No. 3,007,194 discloses a friction clutch and a helically twisted metal rod that functions as a sash balance device, and U.S. Patent No. 3,375,610 discloses inner and outer fixed metal tracks associated with the sash and frame and an adjustment means to control the friction between the metal tracks.

The proposed sash positioning devices, although eliminating the use of sash cord and counterweights, substiiute mechanical devices that are equally expensive and difiicult to maintain. The gear and rack arrangement requires separate friction or spring tensioning means associated with the pinion gear, and the metal tracks require a relatively resilient material and fine adjustment of the friction therebetween. After extended use the rubbing surface of the tracks wear to the extent that the surfaces are smooth and polished and the friction therebetween is reduced proportionately. There is a need, therefore, for sash positioning apparatus that is simple and inexpensive to fabricate and does not require a main frame or sash member of special construction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The hereinafter described invention is directed to window sash positioning apparatus to be used in a window assembly having a main frame member and a vertically movable sash member. The main frame member and the sash member have planar surfaces positioned adjacent to each other. An endless loop of flexible material having an external adhesive surface is positioned on a support member and is operable to orbit within a recessed portion in one of said planar surfaces. A portion of the endless loop external adhesive surface is positioned in adhesive contact with the other planar surface and maintains the sash member in a fixed position relative to the main frame. A vertical force exerted on the sash member orbits the endless loop on the support member and permits the sash member to be repositioned relative to the main frame. In the adjusted position another portion of the endless loop adhesively engages the abutting planar surface to fixedly position the sash member within the main frame.

Accordingly, the principal object of this invention is to provide sash positioning apparatus that maintains a sash in position by adhesive contact between a portion of the main frame and a portion of the sash member.

Another object of this invention is to provide a sash positioning device that has an endless loop of adhesive material movably positioned on a support member that is in adhesive contact with a portion of the window assembly to maintain the sash member in fixed position relative to the main frame.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will be more completely disclosed and described in the following specification, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary view in elevation and in partial section illustrating a portion of the main frame and the sash member with the endless loop of adhesive material mounted on a support member secured to the main frame.

FIGURE 2 is a view in section taken along the line 22 of FIGURE 1 and illustrating the manner in which the endless loop of adhesive material is secured to the main frame member.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the support member for the endless loop of adhesive material.

FIGURE 4 is a view in section taken along the line 44 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is another embodiment of a support member for the endless loop of adhesive material.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary view of a window assembly illustrating the recessed portion in the main frame for the endless loop of adhesive material positioned on the support member illustrated in FIGURE 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIG- URES 1 and 6, there is illustrated a portion of a window assembly generally designated by the numeral 10. The window assembly includes a main frame 12 and a sash member 14. The main frame 12 has a vertical stile 16 and a lower horizontal sill 18. The stile 16 and sill 18 of the frame member 12 may be fabricated from wood, extruded aluminum or the like and are arranged to receive and support a sash member 14 that may be moved vertically in the main frame 12. A pane of glass 20 is suitably secured in the sash member 14 by the horizontal member 22 and vertical member 24.

As illustrated in FIGURE 2, the vertical member 24 of sash member 14 has an outer planar surface 26 and the stile 16 of main frame member 12 has an internal planar surface 28. It should be understood, although the

surfaces

26 and 28 are illustrated in FIGURE 2 as planar surfaces, that suitable grooves and protuberances may be provided in both the frame member 12 and sash member 14 to provide guides and balance bars for the sash member 14 in the main frame member 12.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, the stile 16 of the main frame 12 has a recessed portion 30 therein in which a support member 32 is secured. The support member 32 has a body portion 34 with a flanged securing portion 36 extending rearwardly therefrom. The securing portion has suitable apertures for mounting screws 38 that secure the support member 32 within the recess 30 in the stile of main frame 12. The body portion 34 is generally rectangular in elevation and forms a planar backing surface for the endless loop as later explained. Although not illustrated, the body portion 34 may include upstanding vertical flanges to form shoulder portions that would maintain the endless loop 48 of adhesive material centered thereon and prevent the adhesive material from slipping laterally off of the body portion 34. Extending rearwardly from the body portion 34 are upper and lower

rebent portions

40 and 42. The

rebent portions

40 and 42 have limited resilience and serve to maintain a tension on the endless loop. The external surfaces of the body portion 34 and the

rebent portions

40 and 42 are preferably smooth and polished to permit the endless loop to slide on the external surfaces and orbit or revolve about the body portion 34.

An endless loop 48 of adhesive material extends around the body portion 34 and the

rebent portions

40 and 42. The endless loop 48 is preferably formed of a flexible material that has a relatively smooth inner surface and an adhesive outer surface. We have found that the Velcro type adhesive material as described in US. Patent No. 2,717,437 is suitable when used in conjunction with a bonded strip of similar material positioned on the adjacent surface of the sash member. It should be understood, however, that other suitable adhesive materials may be used without departing from the herein described invention.

The adhesive material disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,717,437 comprises a flexible fabric material with a raised pile of synthetic resin threads that retain a desired shape. The loops of the pile are cut to provide hooks on one thread of the severed loop. Because of the shape retaining properties of the thread, the hook shape of the thread remains. In US. Patent No. 2,717,437 two pieces of the fabric with the hooks formed in the pile are displaced from each other, so that the pile threads of one piece of fabric engage the pile threads of the other piece of fabric through the cooperating hooks formed by the severed loops. The two pieces of fabric adhere to each other in an adhesive fashion and substantial energy is required to separate the engaged pieces of fabric. Subsequent improvements in this Velcro type adhesive use one surface with the hook shaped thread and a second pile surface of continuous loops. When brought in face to face contact the two surfaces adhere to each other by the hooks on one surface engaging the continuous loops on the other surface. To release one surface from the other it is necessary to pull one surface away from the other surface. This type of adhesive material can withstand substantial forces in shear. For example, commercially available adhesive material has a holding power of about five pounds per square inch. Because the material forming the threads retains the desired shape, the fabrics may be adhesively engaged and disengaged from each other many times without loss of the adhesive holding power.

The endless loop 48 positioned on the supporting member 32 has a fabric base with a relatively smooth internal surface 50 and an adhesive exterior surface 52 formed by the hooked threads previously described. The endless loop 48 is slideable on the loop support body portion 34 and the

rebent portions

40 and 42 maintain the desired tension on the loop 48.

The vertical member 24 of sash 14 has a strip of the adhesive material 54 which may be a pile of closed loops secured to the planar surface 26. The adhesive material 54 is bonded to a strip 56 that is in turn secured to the vertical frame member 24 by screws 58. It should be understood, however, that the strip of adhesive material 54 may be bonded, where desired, directly to the planar surface 26 with suitable bonding material. The strip of adhesive material 54 may where desired be similar to the adhesive material forming the flexible endless loop 48 displaced, however, 90 to permit the engagement of the hook portions as described in US. Patent No. 2,717,- 437. It should be understood that the hook portion of the adhesive may either form the loop 48 or the strip 54 so long as the other member that is positioned in face to face contact therewith is either a pile of continuous closed loops or similar adhesive material with preshaped hooks.

The endless loop 48 has an extended planar surface 60 that is in face to face contact and engaged along its length to the strip of adhesive material 54 secured to the vertical member 24 of sash 14. With this arrangement there is a substantial area of the endless loop 48 in adhesive contact with the adhesive strip 54 to provide the desired support for the sash member 14 within the main frame 12.

To reposition the sash member 14 relative to the frame 12, a vertical force is exerted on the sash member 14. For example, a downward force of predetermined magnitude on the sash 14 will move the sash member 14 downwardly and orbit or revolve the loop 48 in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 1 about the loop support body portion 34. Similarly, when the sash member is subjected to an upward force that exceeds the adhesive holding force between the

adhesive members

48 and 54, the loop 48 will slide on the surface of the body portion 34 and orbit or revolve in a counterclockwise direction about the support body portion 34. In the newly adjusted position of the sash member 14, the planar portion 60 of loop member 48 is in face to face contact with and engages another section of the adhesive strip 54 secured to the sash member 14 to fixedly maintain the sash member 14 in the newly adjusted position.

Referring to FIGURES 3 and 4 there is illustrated another embodiment of the loop support member that is generally designated by the numeral 62. The support member 62 is of unitary construction and has mounting

flanges

64 and 66 secured thereto and extending laterally therefrom. The mounting

flanges

64 and 66 are arranged to mount the support member 62 within a recess in either the main frame 12 or the sash member 14. The support member 62 has

annular flange members

68 and 70 on opposite sides of "a recessed portion 72 in which the endless loop 48 is positioned in slidable relation to the surface of support member 62. The endless loop 48 is free to revolve or orbit about the external surface of the support member 62 and function in a similar manner to the endless loop 48 positioned on the support member 32 pi'eviously described.

FIGURE 6 illustrates the manner in which the support member 62 may be positioned in a mating recessed portion 74 in the main frame 16. The sash member 14 is positioned within the main frame .12 with the strip 76 of adhesive material secured to the planar surface 26 and in adhesive contact with the elongated planar surface of the loop 48. The sash member 14 may be moved vertically relafive to the stiles 16 of main frame 12 in a similar manner to the previously described sash positioning device illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2.

FIGURE 5 illustrates another embodiment of the endless loop supporting device and is generally designated by the numeral 78 and includes a plurality of

cylindrical meinbers

80, 82 and 84 positioned in spaced parallel relation to each other. The cylindrical members have axially positioned

shafts

86, 88 and 90 that may be suitably supported within the main frame 12 to permit the

cylindrical members

80, 82 and 84 to rotate and permit the endless loop 48 of adhesive material to orbit therearound. Where desired, a resilient means 92, diagrammatically illustrated in FIGURE 5, may be utilized to exert a tension on the loop member 48. The loop supporting device 78 may be suitably positioned within either the main frame 12 or the sash member 14 and engage a strip of adhesive material secured to the other portion of the window assembly 10.

Although only one sash positioning device has been illustrated in FIGURES 1-6 inclusive, it should be understood that two or more sash positioning devices may be utilized on either one or both sides of the main frame member.

It will be apparent from the previous description that a movable endless loop of adhesive material suitably supported on either the movable sash member or the fixed main frame and in contact with a planar surface of the other member provides a sash positioning device that has the necessary holding power to maintain a window sash in a desired adjusted position. The window sash is easily adjusted to a second position by exerting a vertical force on the sash member and the sash member remains in the second position after the vertical force is removed by the adhesive force exerted by the adhesive material of the endless loop on the planar surface of the other member.

We claim:

1. A window sash positioning device for use with a window assembly having a main frame and a sash member with a pair of planar surfaces positioned adjacent to each other comprising,

one of said planar surfaces having a recessed portion,

an endless loop of flexible material having an external adhesive surface,

a support member for said endless loop, said endless loop positioned on said support member and operable to orbit within said recessed receiver portion, and

a portion of said endless loop external adhesive surface positioned in adhesive contact with a portion of said other planar surface to maintain said sash member in a fixed position relative to said main frame.

2. A window sash positioning device as set forth in claim 1 Which includes,

a strip of adhesive material having an external adhesive surface secured to said other planar surface and in adhesive contact with a portion of said endless loop external adhesive surface.

3. A window sash positioning device as set forth in claim 1 in which,

said endless loop of adhesive material is operable upon said sash being subjected to a predetermined vertical force to orbit about said support member and peel away said portion of said adhesive material from said portion of said planar surface and adhesively engage a second portion of said endless loop to a second portion of said planar surface. 4. A window sash positioning device as set forth in claim 1 which includes,

tensioning means for said endless loop on said support member that is operable to maintain said endless loop of adhesive material under a preselected tension on said support member. 5. A window sash positioning device as set forth in claim 1 in which,

said endless loop of adhesive material on said support member includes an elongated planar portion in adhesive contact with a portion of said other planar surface so that a vertical force of preselected magnitude is necessary to peel away said portion of adhesive material from said planar surface. 6. A window sash positioning device as set forth in claim 5 in which,

said support member includes a pair of spaced shoulder portions to maintain said endless loop of adhesive material centered on said support member. 7. A window sash positioning device as set forth in claim 1 in which,

said support member includes a body portion and a rearwardly extending flanged portion, said flanged portion secured to a wall of said recessed portion and mounting said support member within said recessed portion, said body portion having an elongated planar surface facing said planar surface of said other member, said body portion having upper and lower resilient rebent portions, said endless loop extending around said body portion and said rebent portions in abutting relation with said body portion elongated planar surface, and said resilient rebent portions maintaining a preselected tension on said endless loop. 8. A window sash positioning device as set forth in claim 2 in which,

said endless loop of adhesive material external surface includes a plurality of pile-like hook members, and said adhesive strip external surface includes a plurality of pile-like loops, said pile-like hook members when positioned in face to face contact with said pile-like loops engage said loops and adhesively secure said endless loop to said strip. 9. A window sash positioning device as set forth in claim 1 in which,

said loop support member includes a body portion having laterally extending mounting flanges for mounting said support member in said recessed portion, said body portion having annular spaced flange members and a central recessed portion, said endless loop of adhesive material positioned in said recessed portion and said flange members maintaining said endless loop centered in said recessed portion. 10. A window sash positioning device as set forth in claim 1 in which,

said support member includes a plurality of cylindrical members rotatably supported in said recessed portion in spaced parallel relation to each other, each of said cylindrical members having parallel annular flange portions. said endless loop of adhesive material extending around said spaced cylindrical members between said spaced flange portions, and

7 8 means to tension said endless loop on said support DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner member' PHILIP c. KANNAN, Assistant Examiner References Clted UNITED STATES PATENTS US. Cl. X.R. 628,341 7/1899 Lowery et a1. 49445 X 5 49451; 16493 2,449,918 9/1948 Valentine 49433 2,607,961 8/1952 Allen 49-451 X