Method for Attaching a Pane Element to a Sash and a Pane Module including a Pane Element

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for attaching a pane element to a sash, including the steps of A) providing a pane element with a border element, thereby making a pane module, and B) bringing a contact surface of the border element into contact with a contact surface of the sash, and connecting the pane module to the sash. Further disclosed a pane module comprising a pane element and a border element, where the border element includes a contact surface adapted for being connected to a contact surface of the sash, wherein the contact surface of the border element is adapted for being connected to the contact surface of the sash by means of an adhesive or glue, where the border element includes one or more elongate support member(s), and where the border element comprises guiding elements projecting from the contact surface of the border element substantially perpendicularly to the pane plane, wherein the guiding elements are adapted for being inserted in openings in the contact surface of the sash.

Claims

1. A method for attaching a pane element to a sash, including the steps of: A) providing a pane element with a border element, thereby making a pane module where the pane element includes at least two sheet elements, such as sheets of glass, separated by one or more spacer members, where an interior side of the pane element is intended to face the interior of a building in a mounted state and defines a pane plane, where the border element surrounds the pane element, at least partially encasing an edge of at least one sheet element, and where the border element is made by moulding and attached to the pane element during the moulding process, B) bringing a contact surface of the border element into contact with a contact surface of the sash, and connecting the pane module to the sash, characterized in that during step A) one or more elongate support members is/are arranged to extend along one or more sides of the pane element and embedded in the material of the border element during the moulding process, and that step B) includes the following steps: B1) providing the contact surface of the border element and/or of the sash with an adhesive or glue, B2) inserting guiding elements of the border element in openings in the contact surface of the sash, said guiding elements projecting from the contact surface of the border element, and B3) keeping the contact surface of the border element in contact with the contact surface of the sash until the adhesive or glue has set or hardened.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the elongate support member(s) is/are arranged at the contact surface of the border element, and at least partially exposed in the finished state of the pane module so that it comes into contact with the adhesive or glue during step B).

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein, during step A), the guiding elements are inserted through one or more holes in the elongate support member.

4. A method according to claim 3, where during step B2) the guiding elements are brought into a tensioned engagement with inside surfaces of said openings, said inside surfaces being substantially perpendicular to the sash contact surface.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein step B) further includes a step B4), where one or more screws or like fasteners are inserted through one or more holes in the elongate support member and into the sash, said step B4) being performed either between steps B2) and B3) or after step B3).

6. A pane module adapted to be installed on a sash and comprising a pane element and a border element, where the pane element includes at least two sheet elements, such as sheets of glass, separated by one or more spacer members, where an interior side of the pane element is intended to face the interior of a building in a mounted state and defines a pane plane, where the border element surrounds the pane element, at least partially encasing an edge of at least one sheet element, where the border element is made by moulding and attached to the pane element during the moulding process, and where the border element includes a contact surface adapted for being connected to a contact surface of the sash, characterized in that the contact surface of the border element is adapted for being connected to the contact surface of the sash by means of an adhesive or glue, that the border element includes one or more elongate support member(s), and that the border element comprises guiding elements projecting from the contact surface of the border element substantially perpendicularly to the pane plane, said guiding elements being adapted for being inserted in openings in the contact surface of the sash.

7. Pane module according to claim 6, wherein the guiding elements project through holes in the elongate support member(s).

8. Pane module according to claim 7, wherein the elongate support member(s) is/are arranged at the contact surface of the border element, and at least partially exposed.

9. Pane module according to claim 8 wherein, said elongate support member comprises recesses for accommodating adhesive or glue.

10. Pane module according to claim 9, wherein said elongate support member(s) extend(s) substantially along the entire length and/or width of the pane element.

11. Pane module according to claim 10, wherein, said elongate support member comprising one or more holes adapted for receiving one or more screws or like fasteners for a temporary fastening of the border element to a sash.

12. Pane module according to claim 11, wherein the part of said guiding elements, which is adapted for being inserted in said openings in the sash, is provided with barbs.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING

[0028] The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to non-limiting embodiments shown in the schematic drawing, in which

[0029] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a roof window;

[0030] FIG. 2 is an exploded, partially cut-away view of the roof window in FIG. 1 seen from the opposite side;

[0031] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a pane module with projecting guiding elements;

[0032] FIG. 4 is a close-up perspective view of the detail marked IV in FIG. 3;

[0033] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along the line V-V in FIG. 1;

[0034] FIG. 6 is a perspective, partially cut-away view of an elongate support member with a guiding element projecting through a hole therein;

[0035] FIG. 7 is a perspective, partially cut-away view corresponding to the one in FIG. 7, but seen from the opposite side;

[0036] FIG. 8 shows the guiding element in FIGS. 6 and 7 in an enlarged side view; and

[0037] FIG. 9 shows an alternative embodiment of a guiding element in a side view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0038] A window with a pane module 1 according to the invention is shown in FIG. 1. The pane module 1 is mounted on a sash 2a, which is connected to a stationary frame 2b via a set of hinges (not shown).

[0039] The window of FIG. 1 is shown in an exploded view in FIG. 2, where the pane module 1 and the sash 2a are shown separated from each other, and the pane module is shown alone in FIG. 3. As may be seen, the pane module 1 comprises a pane element 3 and a border element 4, where the border element is composed of a top member, a bottom member and two side members extending between the top and bottom members, thus surrounding the pane element 3 along all four sides. In this embodiment the pane element 3 includes four sheet elements in the form of sheets of glass, separated by one or more spacer members 31 as shown in FIG. 5, and the border element 4 encases the edges of all sheet element, but in other embodiments one or more sheet elements may be free of the border element along one or more sides. The border element 4 is made by moulding and attached to the pane element 3 during the moulding process, and other elements such as hinges or mounting brackets may be encased therein as well.

[0040] In the mounted state shown in FIG. 1, a contact surface 41 of the border element 4, which can be seen in FIG. 2, is in contact with a contact surface 21 of the sash. The contact surface 41 of the border element 4 and/or the contact surface 21 of the sash 2a is/are provided with an adhesive or glue in order to attach the pane element 1 to the sash 2a.

[0041] The adhesive or glue may be any, which is resistant to the climate conditions found on the roof of a building, particularly temperature variations, high humidity levels, and ultra violet radiation, and preferably also has good insulating properties.

[0042] As is seen in FIGS. 3 and 4 the pane module 1 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 includes two elongate support members 5, which are arranged to extend along the sides of the pane element 3 and embedded in the material of the border element 4. Other parts may also be embedded in the border element 4 in order to make more compact and simpler designs. Each of the elongate support members 5 extend substantially along the entire length and width of a side member of the border element 4. In this embodiment the elongate support members 5a are encased in the border element 4 and arranged such that they are partially exposed so that they will come into contact with the adhesive or glue. In other embodiments the elongate support members 5 may be smaller or bigger, in the length and/or width dimension, than the border element 4. It is, however, presently preferred to keep the elongate support member 5 slender in order to avoid thermal bridges in the window assembly.

[0043] In this embodiment, the pane module 1 includes only two support members, but in other embodiments the pane module 1 may comprise three, four or more elongate support members 5. In a still further embodiment one L- or U-shaped elongate support member (not shown) extends along more than one side of the pane element.

[0044] As may be seen in FIGS. 6-7 the elongate support member 5 in this embodiment comprises a reinforcing flange 51. The reinforcing flange 51 provides additional structural rigidity to the support member and hence to the pane module 1. Other embodiments (not shown) comprise several reinforcing flanges in order to add further structural rigidity and still other are devoid of reinforcing flanges if the structural rigidity is sufficient without reinforcing flange. Another embodiment where the elongate support member 5 only serves to provide tensile strength is also conceivable. In such an embodiment the elongate support member 5 could be made out of a light and strong material such as glass fibres, carbon fibres, organic fibres or the like or of composites including such materials.

[0045] Each of the elongate support members 5 shown in the embodiment on FIG. 3-7 comprise one or more holes 53 in order to allow screws or the like fasteners to be inserted through the support member 5 and into the sash 2a. The screws inserted into the one or more holes 53 provide an additional support for the pane module 1 during the setting or hardening of the adhesive or glue, by taking up the forces pulling the contact surface 41 of the border element 4 away from or sideways in relation to the contact surface 21 of the sash 2a. The screws inserted into the one or more holes 53 may also serve as an additional security when the pane module 1 is installed on the sash 2a.

[0046] As it is best seen in FIG. 4, the contact surface 41 of the border element may be provided with recesses 55 for accommodating adhesive or glue. The elongate support member 5 and the contact surface 21 of the sash 2a may also in other embodiments (not shown), be provided with recesses for accommodating adhesive or glue. The recesses 55 make it possible to allow more adhesive or glue for the fastening of the pane member 1 on the sash 2a. The recesses 55 also provide more surface area, providing a stronger fixation between the parts.

[0047] The pane module 1 further comprises guiding elements 43a, 43b projecting, from the contact surface 41 of the border element 4, substantially perpendicularly to the pane plane and are inserted in openings 23 in the contact surface 21 of the sash 2a. The guiding elements 43a, 43b guide the pane module 1 when being attached to the sash 2a, in order to aim and place the pane module 1 into the correct position. The guiding elements 43a, 43b ensure that the contact surface 41 of the border element 4 is in contact with the contact surface 21 of the sash 2a until the adhesive or glue has set or hardened.

[0048] Some of the guiding elements 43b shown are simply encased in the moulded border element 4, while others are inserted 43a in openings in the elongate support member 5, as seen in FIGS. 3-7, for additional support.

[0049] In FIG. 6, which is a bottom view of the elongate support member 5, an embodiment where a guiding element 43a is inserted through an opening of the elongate support member 5 is shown. In this embodiment the guiding element 43a has head barbs 45 functioning as anti-extraction barbs as seen on FIGS. 6 and 8. The head barb 45 retains the guiding element 43a when inserted through an opening in the elongate support member 5.

[0050] In another embodiment, a guiding element 43b, which is devoid of head barbs 45, is shown in FIG. 9. This embodiment is well suited for being encased in the moulded border element 4 without first being connected to a support member.

[0051] The guiding elements 43a, 43b shown also have body barbs 47 adapted for retaining the guiding elements 43a, 43b when inserted in the openings 23 of the sash 2a, by acting as anti-extraction barbs.

[0052] Each of the guiding elements 43a, 43b shown further has a head 44, which is wider than the part of the guiding element, which is intended for being inserted in an opening in the sash 2a.

[0053] FIG. 7 shows a top view of the embodiment from FIG. 6, where a guiding element 43a is inserted through an opening of the elongate support member 5. In this embodiment the head 44 prevents the guiding element from passing all the way through the hole in the elongate support member 5, and may thus be said to have a barb function on the other side of the hole in the elongate support member 5 relative to the head barbs 45. The head 44 and the head barbs 45 have in this embodiment the function of securing the guiding element 43a to the elongate member 5. The relatively large width of the head 44 also provides a good contact between the guiding element 43 and the elongate support member 5, which may contribute to transmitting loads from the guiding element 43 to the support member 5.

[0054] The head 44 on the embodiment of the guiding element 43b in FIG. 9 also serves as a barb and as a load distributing element, when the guiding element 43b is encased in the border element 4.

[0055] The head 44 of both embodiments of the guiding element 43a, 43b are provided with holes 49. When encasing the guiding element 43 in the moulded border element 4, the moulding material will penetrate wholly or partially into these holes. This will contribute to a particularly good connection between the guiding elements 43 and the moulded border element 4, which will be able to transmit both shearing forces and rotational forces. It will, however, be understood that the guiding elements may also be made without such holes and that it may even be advantageous in some embodiments to avoid adhesion of the moulding material to the guiding elements, so that they may rotate freely.

[0056] The guiding elements 43a, 43b shown are relatively short compared to the thickness of the sash 2a in order to avoid thermal bridges. The length of the guiding elements 43a, 43b should preferably not be longer than approximately ? of the thickness of the sash 2a.