WO2009018830A1

WO2009018830A1 - A screening module for a window

Info

Publication number: WO2009018830A1
Application number: PCT/DK2008/050189
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter Sønderkær; Kristian Ørnsvig NIELSEN; Lars Kristensen
Original assignee: VKR Holding AS
Current assignee: VKR Holding AS
Priority date: 2007-08-03
Filing date: 2008-07-31
Publication date: 2009-02-12
Anticipated expiration: 2010-02-03
Also published as: ES2568775T3; PL2188480T3; EP2188480A1; EP2188480B1

Abstract

The screening module comprises a screening device mounted in a moulded border element (2). The border element (2) encasing at least partially an edge or an end member of the screening device by means of a projecting feather (1012) running along the entire length of the border element (2).

Description

A screening module for a window

The invention relates to a screening module comprising a screening device with a first side intended to face the exterior of a build- ing and a second side intended to face the interior of a building in the mounted state. The invention further relates to a window with such a screening module, said window being intended for use in residential, office or industrial buildings.

When mounting screening devices such as louvers in vertical as well as inclined facades and roofs, these devices are usually secured to a frame by means of mounting brackets fastened to the frame by means of screws. The frame may be the frame of a window or a frame provided in the structure for the sole purpose of holding the screening device. Though it has proven very efficient this method suffers from a number of disadvantages, among others the large number of different parts to be kept in stock for mounting different kinds of screening devices and the fact that dismounting leaves screw holes in the frame, which is particularly disadvantageous in case of window frames.

It is therefore the object of the invention to provide a screening module, which can be mounted without the need for specialized mounting brackets and without compromising the appearance of the frame in case of later dismounting.

This is achieved with a screening module where the screening device is mounted in a moulded border element, said border element at least partially encasing an edge or an end member of the screening device.

All of the necessary attachment means, guiding rails and operating members may thus be provided in the border element, leaving the actual frame uninterrupted. If wishing to add, remove or change the screening device, the entire screening module consisting of the screening device and the border element may be changed. In case of removal, a base border element with no screening device or other functional units can be added to serve as covering for the frame. When the screening module is to be mounted on its own, i.e. not in connection with a win- dow, the border element may in some cases be attached directly to the bearing structure without the need for a frame.

By serving as a seat for the screening device the border element takes over functions that have hitherto been associated with the frame or frames of the window thereby allowing a simpler construction of the frame. This again entails that the frame may be less specialized and may therefore be used for a larger number of different windows, which in turn simplifies manufacturing processes.

The screening device may be a louver shutter, a roller shutter, a trellis or the like. It may serve any purpose such as sun screening, preventing unauthorised access etc.

In this context the term "frame" covers both stationary and moveable frames of windows, doors etc. including traditional sashes. Furthermore, the term includes such elements, which includes other ele- ments as well. The term "encase" should not be understood as if the border element encloses or embraces the screening device entirely; the mere contact between surfaces of the border element and screening device may give a sufficient attachment.

The border element need not encases the screening device along all of its sides, an example being a louver shutter, where only the ends of the individual lamellas are encased whereas the border element members that are parallel to length axis of the lamellas are without contact thereto. Similarly it is to be understood, that the screening device may consist of several parts, only some of which are encased. An exam- pie being a roller blind, where a cassette holding the blind in its rolled up state is attached to the border element by encasement, whereas the blind itself is connected only to the cassette.

The screening module will usually be rectangular, but other shapes such as square, circular, semi-circular or trapezoidal may also be used.

The border element may be provided with one or more projecting parts serving for the attachment of the screening device. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the border element has a part projecting over its exterior surface substantially perpendicularly to the plane of the frame, the screening device being mounted on said projecting part. The projecting part may have an angular shape, one leg projecting substantially perpendicularly to the plane of the frame and the other being substantially parallel to the plane of the frame, pointing towards the centre of the frame. In this way the projecting part forms a groove, which may serve as guide rail for a roller shutter or the like and the second will furthermore retain the screening device in the event that the connection to the border element should fail. Projections may also be provided on the interior side of the border element or projecting into the space sur- rounded by the frame.

The projections are preferably moulded as an integral part of the border element, but may also be provided in the form of fittings attached to or embedded in the moulded border members. Such fittings may be made from plastic, metal or composites and may have the ad- vantage of increasing the moment of inertia and the flexural strength of the border member to which it is added. Fittings may also constitute hinges, locking assemblies, reception means for receiving screws and other fastening means, current carriers, holders for claddings and/or coverings etc. The connection between the border element and the frame may be provided in several ways such as for example by moulding the border element onto the frame so that it adheres thereto, by embedding one end of a fitting in the border element and the other in the frame or by mechanical fastening means such as brackets and screws or a click-on system. The method to be chosen depends among other things on the type or frame used, i.e. whether it is a solid or hollow, whether it is wooden, plastic or metal, whether it is milled, moulded or extruded etc. If employing a releasable mode of attachment, where the screening device may be easily attached and detached, it will possible to provide a pick-and-click system where the any type of screening may be attached to any border element. This will enable any particular demand as regards colour, insulation properties, sound dampening etc. to be met and to easily replace a screening device if it is broken or if merely desiring a change of colour. The border members constituting the border element and corresponding in number to the number of frame members, i.e. the number of sides, may be of different designs depending on the different demands. If, for example, the border element is provided with a projection, the projection on the lower member of the border element may be provided with drain holes or interruptions or a part of the border element may be left without projections.

The border element is preferably made from a thermoplastic, preferably from polyurethane or Polyolefin. Other materials include ther- moplastic materials such as PVC, PE or PP, a thermoplastic elastomeric (TPE) or thermoset elastomer materials such as ethylene propylene di- ene monomer (EDPM). Reaction injection moulding (RIM) or low pressure moulding may be used for the manufacture.

In the following, the invention will be described in further detail with reference to the drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a window according to the invention, and

Figs. 2 and 3 are cross sectional views taken along the line II-II in Fig. 1 and showing two different embodiments of the border element. A window with a screening module according to the invention is shown in Fig. 1. The window may be installed either vertically or inclined in the facade or the roof of any residential, office or industrial building. It comprises a pane element, in the following referred to as pane 1, a border element 2, a frame 3 and a screening device 4. The screening device 4 is attached to the border element 2, which is again attached to the frame 3. The pane 1 may be attached to the frame in a conventional manner, but it may also be encased in the border element together with the screening device.

In the embodiment shown the screening device 4 is arranged on the exterior side of the window and comprises a cassette 41 with an opening 42 through which a roller blind 43 comes out. Other types of screening devices, such as Venetian blinds, roller shutters or louvres, may also be used.

Herein the screening module is used with a window but it is to be understood that it may also be used on doors, ventilating openings etc. with or without panes or similar infilling panels.

One border element may carry more than one screening device and they may serve other purposes than sun screening, e.g. keeping in- sect out or preventing unauthorized entry.

As will be described in detail later, the border element is provided with the necessary means for attachment and operation of the screening device. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 this would imply means for attachment of the cassette, guiding and retention means for keeping the roller blind close to the pane and a passage for a operation cord or a wire to an electric operator.

In this embodiment the frame 3 is stationary, but it is to be understood that the border element could also be mounted on a moveable frame, also known as a sash, mounted in the stationary frame. Any suit- able material, such as wood, plastic, metal, polyurethane or polyure- thane with a wooden core, can be used for the manufacture of the frame.

Attachment of the border element to the screening device is preferably achieved purely by the adhesive properties of the moulding material. The adhesion is established during the moulding process. To achieve good adhesion the areas of attachment may be covered by a mask and/or be primed. The mask may be a ceramic coating, L)V hardening lacquer, a one- or two-component lacquer or any other suitable material. If using a suitable priming material such as for instance Carlo- fon Schwarzprimer (EFTEC DV 990) with additional L)V blocking properties, this may also serve as a masking.

The border element 2 and possibly also the frame 3 may be produced by using any suitable moulding technique, but injection moulding, e.g. reaction injection moulding (RIM), is preferred. When using the RIM process, current-carrying components, plastic or metal components contributing to strength and stiffness, screws etc. may be embedded in the moulding material. Furthermore, the RIM process allows the integration of details such as sealings.

Reaction injection moulding (RIM) is a process that is well known per se. During moulding, a two-component curing polyurethane is mixed in the mould containing the pane to be encased. In the mould a pressure of approximately 6 to 10 bar is obtained during the curing process. The cured module is ready to be handled within approximately 45 to 60 seconds. During the RIM process itself the temperature of the material and the mould lies between 80 and 110⁰C depending on the configuration of the mould and whether the polyurethane used is of the aromatic or the aliphatic kind. Depending on the kind of polyurethane used different Shore A hardnesses may be obtained. In the example polyurethane having a cured hardness of 60-90 Shore A may be used.

A cassette for a screening device as the one 41 shown in Fig. 1 may wholly or partly be moulded as a part of the border element 2 or it may be connected to the border element by means of any detachable or undetachable connecting means. Examples of detachable connecting means are screws, nails and other mechanical connection means, e.g. a click-system. Examples of undetachable connecting means are glue and adhesives or the cassette may be provided with a fitting that is embedded in the border element during moulding thereof.

As may be seen in Fig. 2 the upper or exterior face of the border element 2, may be provided with a projecting feather 1012, preferably running along the entire length of the border element. This feather serves as a guide for a roller shutter (not shown) keeping it from sliding over the edge of the window under the influence of strong winds. When used with a window having a moveable frame mounted in a stationary frame, the feather will also prevent water from running from the outer surface of the pane into the space between the two frames (not shown). The upper end of the feather may be provided with a thickening or reinforcement (not shown) to allow it to be used for the mounting of a cassette. At the lower end of the window the feather is not needed for the guiding purpose and can therefore be left out or interrupted to allow rainwater and the like to drain off unobstructed.

In the figures the screening device is mounted on a border element, which also encases a window pane. It is, however, to be understood, that the pane may be left out entirely or that it may be mounted directly in the frame in a traditional manner. The design of the border element may then need to be adapted accordingly, e.g. making the main body 101 thicker than depicted in Fig. 1 to thereby provide a better support for the screening device and increase its strength. Means for operating the screening device may be provided inside of the border element embedded in the moulding material. An example of this is the provision of a current-carrying component 108 providing an electrical connection between an operator motor and solar energy collector (not shown) in the pane element and an electrical window opener, a roller shutter, a light source, a display showing meteorological information, a sensor used for controlling ventilation or the like. Other examples are the provision of optical fibres or a passage for a curtain cord.

An embedded member may also be used for providing a pre- stressing of the border element, which may counteract harmful stresses caused by wind suction. Such influences are particularly pronounced with roof windows mounted in inclined roof surfaces and in the case of centre-hung windows primarily affect the lowermost half of the frame, which is being dragged outwards and upwards. By embedding a ten- sioned cable 108 in the material of the border element during moulding, a compressive force corresponding to the force of the tensioning will be applied to the material of the border element. Only wind forces, which are greater than the force of the tensioning, will thus cause stresses on the pane and screening device. The pre-stressing of the border element can of course be applied to the entire border element, but can also be limited to those border members, where it is most needed. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the pre-stressing may also be achieved in other ways, e.g. by tensioning a fitting 106 or by applying a pre-stressed member (not shown) in the exterior half of cross section of the border element. A similarly effect could also be achieved by locally increasing the stiffness of the material of the border element, thus not actually causing a pre-stressing but instead increasing its resistance to bending.

As may be seen in Fig. 3 the feather 1012 may be provided with a flange 119 projecting substantially in parallel with the plane of the frame in a direction towards the centre of the frame. The border element 2, the feather 1012 and the flange 119 thus form a groove 118, which may serve as a guiding rail for roller shutters or the like (not shown). A metal rail (not shown) may be provided in the groove for protecting the material of the border element, feather and flange from wear, but if these are made from a sufficiently strong material, the rail may be left out. As for the feather described above, the flange may be provided with a thickening or reinforcement (not shown) to allow it to be used for the mounting of a cassette. In this case the cassette may be mounted on top of the flange, which may for example be used for keeping the cassette at a distance from a pane.

The feather and flange may be provided in the form of a metal profile or the like embedded in the border element, possibly contributing to the strength and stiffness of the border element. To increases its moment of inertia an I-shaped profile may be used. The flange may also serve as a safety measure as it will retain the pane and/or screening device in the event that its connection to the border element should fail.

To provide an even better guiding the flange may be provided with a nose 117 as shown in Fig. 3. At its edges the screening device may then be provided with knobs or beads (not shown), which are so large, that they cannot pass the opening between the nose 117 and the flange 119. A similar result may be achieved by letting the flange 119 decline towards the plane of the frame. Here, the border element has been described as having one or two projecting noses or flanges, but more can be provided if necessary. This may for example be the case if wishing to combine the screening device with more pane elements such as for example a single-sheet pane arranged at a distance above a two-sheet pane. An extra nose cor- responding to the one 117 shown in Fig. 3 may then be used for keeping the distance between the two panes.

Another example of a screening device is lamellas, which may be rotated about their own length axis but are otherwise stationary, also known as a louvre shutter. In this case a groove corresponding to the one described above may be used, but it need not extend over the entire length of the border element as it would when used with a type of screening device that can be pulled up and down. In stead a number of openings can be provided corresponding to the number of lamellas, said openings housing end members of the lamellas. The openings are preferably provided in the form of bushings encased in the border element on each side of the window, said bushing serving the same functions as the rail arranged in the groove as described above. The bushings should preferably be replaceable. A border element having openings or indenta- tions suitable for receiving the ends of the lamellas directly may, however, also be used, particularly in designs where the border element itself is easily replaceable.

In the above, the screening module has been described as either constituting a sash in itself or as constituting an element to be cou- pled to a further element to constitute a sash, in the sense that the sash is openable. The sash could also be fixed, i.e. not openable in the traditional sense but connected to a traditional frame. Furthermore, it would be possible to integrate the sash and the frame into a single element, or to form the sash as a traditional window frame for connection to the roof structure. All of these interpretation could be applied to the term "frame" within the context of the present application.

In general, the features of the embodiments shown and described may be combined freely and no feature should be seen as essential unless stated in the claims.

Claims

P A T E N T C L A I M S

1. A screening module comprising a screening device with a first side intended to face the exterior of a building and a second side intended to face the interior of a building in the mounted state, c h a r - a ct e r i z e d in the screening device is mounted in a moulded border element, said border element encasing at least partially an edge or an end member of the screening device.

2. A screening module according to claim 1, c h a ra ct e r i z e d in that the screening device is a louver shutter, a roller shutter, a roller blind, a Venetian blind or the like.

3. A screening module according to any of the preceding claims, c h a ra ct e r i z e d in that the border element encases the screening device on two opposite sides.

4. A screening module according to any of the preceding claims, c h a ra ct e r i z e d in that the border element has a part projecting over the exterior surface of the exterior sheet element substantially perpendicularly to the plane of the frame, the screening device being mounted on said projecting part.

5. A screening module according to claim 4, c h a ra ct e r - i z e d in that the projecting part has an angular shape, one leg projecting substantially perpendicularly to the plane of the frame and the other being substantially parallel to the plane of the frame, pointing towards the centre of the pane.

6. A screening module according to claim 4 or 5, c h a ra c - t e r i z e d in that the projecting part is part of a fitting embedded in the border element.

7. A screening module according to any of the preceding claims, c h a ra ct e r i z e d in that the border element consists of a number of border members corresponding to the number of sides of the frame and that at least two border members are of different designs.

8. A screening module according to any of the preceding claims, c h a ra ct e r i z e d in that the border element is made from plastic, preferably from polyurethane.

9. A screening module according to any of the preceding claims, c h a ra ct e r i z e d in that the border element is provided by reaction injection moulding (RIM) or low pressure moulding.

10. A window for a building comprising a frame, which may be stationary or moveable, a pane element and a screening device for screening the pane element, c h a ra ct e r i z e d in that the screening device is mounted in a moulded border element, said border element at least partially encasing an edge or an end member of the screening device, and that the border element is connected to the frame.