GB2265408A - Support member for a glazing unit in a frame with drainage channels - Google Patents

Abstract

A frame unit for a glazing unit has a frame member 10, having a channel 12, with at least one opening 20, 22 defining a passageway for the escape of liquid. A support member 26 is provided on a planar surface 14 of the channel 12, which has a resilient projection 32, 40 arranged to interlock with a recess 30 in the wall 16 of the channel. The support member 26 also has an abutment part 34 which bears against the wall 16. Thus the support member 26 is held securely in the channel 12 without blocking the opening 20, thereby allowing liquid to drain. <IMAGE>

Description

FRAME UNIT FOR A GLAZING UNIT The present invention relates to a frame unit for a glazing unit of eg, a door or window, the term glazing unit includes a glazing panel (a single sheet of glass) and a glazing sealed unit (a sealed unit containing more than one sheet of glass). A glazing sealed unit may be mounted in an opening, to form part of a door or window, via a frame member of PVC-U or aluminium. The frame member may then define a channel in which an edge of the glazing unit is received. A frame may thus be formed by one or more such frame units.

It is then known to provide a support member within the channel which rests on the base of the channel and has a support surface which contacts the edge of the glazing sealed unit. This support member then holds the edge of the glazing sealed unit clear of the base of the channel. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the support member allows the glazing sealed unit to be centralised within the frame to achieve the correct visual effect. Secondly, however, the support member holds the edge of the glazing sealed unit clear of the base of the channel. At the bottom part of the frame, and also possibly at the sides, water may enter the channel despite the provision of sealing between the frame member and the glazing sealed unit at the mouth of the channel, and it is important to prevent the water contacting the edge of the glazing sealed unit, which is its most vulnerable point.To prevent the build-up of water within the channel one or more passageways are provided which lead from the channel and permit water to drain out of the channel.

It would be possible for the support member to be integral with the frame member, but, particularly in view of the need for position adjustment, the standard procedure is to glue a separate support member to the base of the channel. Such an arrangement has the disadvantage, however, that excessive glue may block the passageway or passageways so preventing the water from draining from the channel and so risking damage to the glazing sealed unit.

To overcome this, it is known to provide a ridge on the base of the channel which engages the rib on the support member, and to provide resilient projections on the support member which bear against a side wall of the channel, forcing the rib against the ridge and so holding the support member in place.

However, this then has the disadvantage that the ridge acts as a barrier to water flow across the base of the channel, and therefore may prevent the water reaching the passageway, again risking damage to the glazing sealed unit.

Therefore, the present invention proposes that the support member and the frame member be interconnected by the engagement of a interlocking projection and recess at a side of the channel. This enables the base of the channel to be free of ridges, so that there is no water flow to the passageway or passageways.

Normally, the projection is provided on the support member and indeed it may be possible to provide a plurality of such projections engaging a common recess extending along the channel, with the location of those projections being such that the passageway or passageways are between the projections, so that the projections themselves do not block the passageway or passageways.

As previously, the support member may have ribs extending to the base of the channel so that the edge of the glazing sealed unit is held clear of that base and is therefore not damaged if small amounts of water collect in the base of the channel prior to drainage through the passageway. Where the projection is provided on the support member, it preferably biases the support member towards the side of the channel.

In a further development, the projection may have a further part arranged to abut an inner surface of the recess, and be shaped so as to apply a couple to the support member so that it is biased towards the base of the channel.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a plan view of part of a frame unit embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view along the line I-I in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a second embodiment, corresponding to the view of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a detailed view of part of the section of Fig. 3.

Figs. 1 and 2 show a frame member 10 of a frame unit which may form part of frame for a door or window, which is to receive a glazing unit such as a glazing panel or glazing sealed unit. The frame member 10 is in the form of a metal or plastics extrusion and, as can be seen from the sectional view of Fig. 2, has internal walls to provide suitable rigidity. The frame member 10 defines a channel 12 for receiving the glazing unit, which channel 12 is bounded by a planar surface 14 and upstanding walls 16 and 18. It may be noted that, although not shown in Fig. 2, the upstanding walls 16 and 18 may have sealing means fixed thereto for sealing the frame member 10 to a glazing unit (not shown) when an edge of that glazing unit is inserted in a channel 12. The heights of the walls, 16, 18, may thus be varied from those shown in Fig. 2.

When the frame member 10 forms the lower edge of the opening that is to receive the glazing unit, it is possible for water to collect in the channel 12, despite any sealing between the walls 16, 18, and the glazing unit. Therefore, openings 20, 22 are provided in the internal walls of the frame member 10 to define a passageway leading from the channel 12. Thus, water can drain in the direction of arrows 24 from the channel 12 to the exterior of the frame member 10. Of course, it is possible for the frame member 10 also to be used to form the sides or top of the frame.

When a glazing unit is mounted in the channel 12 its edge does not rest directly on the base 14 of the channel 12, but instead is received on the upper surface of a support member 26. That support member 26 has downwardly extending ribs 28 which rest on the base 14 of the channel 12, so that the edge of the glazing unit is held spaced from the base 14. In this way, if water collects in the channel 12 before draining through the openings 20, it is unlikely that it will contact the edge of the glazing unit. In order to secure the support member 26 to the frame member 10, a recess 30 is provided in the wall 16 adjacent the opening 20, which recess 30 receives a projection 32 extending from the support member 26.

The projection 32 is resilient, and so biases the support member 26 sideways in the channel 12 towards the wall 16. An abutment part 34 is then provided on the support member 26 which bears against the wall 16 of the channel.

Thus, the support member 26 is held in the channel 12 but, as can be seen from Fig. 1, the projection 32 is spaced from the opening 20 and so does not block that opening 20. Of course, where several projections 32 are provided, openings 20 may be at intermediate positions along the support member 26.

Figs. 3 and 4 show a second embodiment, being a modification of the embodiments of Figs. 1 and 2. The only difference between the two embodiments concerns the shape of the projection by which the support member 26 is retained in the channel 12 of the frame member 10. Therefore, other components are indicated by the same reference numerals.

In the embodiments of Figs. 1 and 2, the projection 32 is a planar tang which is received in the recess 30. In the embodiments of Figs. 3 and 4, however, the projection 40 has a curved profile so that a part of the projection 40 bears against the lip 42 of the recess 30 at the mouth of that recess 30, and a further part 44 of the projection 40 bears against an inner surface 46 of the recess 30, remote from the mouth of the recess 30. This gives a biasing effect which more securely holds the projection 40, and hence the support member 26, in place in the frame member 10. A couple is applied to the support member 26 tending to rotate it in a clockwise direction in Figs. 3 and 4, thereby biasing the ribs 28 onto the base 14 of the channel 12.

Although the embodiments described above show a projection on the support member 26, and the recess in the frame member 10, it is also possible to reverse this arrangement. It is an important consideration, however, that the engagement of the frame member 10 and support member 26 does not require components which present a barrier to the flow of water to the opening 20.

It may also be noted that the support member 26 has the further advantage of permitting the glazing unit to be centralised within the frame member, which is particularly important where the glazing unit has surface or internal decoration, and the support member 26 may also act as a brace to the frame formed by one or more frame members, at least one of which incorporates the present invention.

Claims (7)

1. A frame unit for a glazing unit opening having a frame member with a channel therein for receiving the edge of the glazing unit and at least one passageway from the channel for the escape of liquid from the channel, and a support member on the base of the channel for supporting the glazing unit, the support member and the frame member being interconnected by the engagement of interlocking projection and recess at a side of the channel.

2. A frame unit according to claim 1, wherein the recess is in the frame member at the side of the channel adjacent the passageway.

3. A frame unit according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the support member has a bearing surface for contacting the glazing unit and a plurality of ribs contacting the base of the channel.

4. A frame unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the projection is on the support member and resiliently biases the support member towards the side of the channel.

5. A frame unit according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the base of the channel is planar.

6. A frame unit for a door or window substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 or Figs. 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.

7. An assembly of a frame unit according to any one of the preceding claims and a glazing unit, an edge of the glazing unit being received in the channel and being supported by the support member.