One-piece sill pan flashing

Abstract

A one-piece sill pan flashing is provided with one or more accordion sections. At least the accordion sections, and preferably the entire flashings, are formed of a single sheet of thermoplastic material, preferably by thermoforming, and include forwardly and downwardly inclined upper portions and vertical lower portions extending downward from the front of the upper portions. The accordion sections include upper and lower portions, formed of narrow panels, foldably connected along their lateral edges to form V-shaped accordion folds having a series of ridge folds and valley folds. The valley folds of the upper portions are aligned with the ridge folds of the lower portions and vice versa. The construction accommodates substantial extension or compression of the width of the flashing and enables one size of flashing width to be fitted to a wide range of sizes of rough-framed window openings.

Claims

1. A one piece, laterally adjustable sill pan flashing installable in one piece in a framed opening, where the framed opening includes opposite side frame members and a sill plate member extending between the side frame members, which comprises, a sill plate cover including a downwardly and forwardly inclined upper portion configured to extend over the sill plate member, and a generally vertical portion configured to extend downwardly from a front of said inclined upper portion, said sill plate cover including at least one width-adjustable accordion section, said accordion section being extendable or contractible in width during installation to enable respective end portions of said sill plate cover to be seated against opposite side members of a framed opening, said inclined upper portion of said sill plate cover including support elements adjacent opposite ends thereof defining a support plane elevated with respect to said accordion section and configured to support a window or door unit above said accordion section, said sill plate cover being configured such that at least rear portions of said sill plate cover, including said accordion section, are supported in elevated relation to said sill plate member, said accordion section comprising a forwardly and downwardly inclined upper portion formed of a plurality of foldably connected narrow panels extending in a front to back direction and joined along lateral edges thereof to form a succession of ridges and valleys, and a lower portion which is generally vertical and is formed of a plurality of foldably connected narrow panels extending vertically and joined along lateral edges thereof to form a succession of ridges and valleys.

2. A one piece, laterally adjustable sill pan flashing according to claim 1, wherein, said flashing is formed of a single piece of thermoformed or injection molded plastic material.

3. A one-piece sill pan flashing according to claim 1, wherein said foldably connected narrow panels have a thickness cross section greater than a thickness of material at said ridges and valleys such that folding action of said accordion is substantially confined to flexing along fold lines at said ridges and valleys.

4. A one piece, laterally adjustable sill pan flashing installable in one piece in a framed opening, where the framed opening includes opposite side frame members and a sill plate member extending between the side frame members, which comprises, a sill plate cover including a downwardly and forwardly inclined upper portion configured to extend over the sill plate member, and a generally vertical portion configured to extend downwardly from a front of said inclined upper portion, said sill plate cover including at least one width-adjustable accordion section, said accordion section being extendable or contractible in width during installation to enable respective end portions of said sill plate cover to be seated against opposite side members of a framed opening, said inclined upper portion of said sill plate cover including support elements adjacent opposite ends thereof defining a support plane elevated with respect to said accordion section and configured to support a window or door unit above said accordion section, said accordion section comprising a forwardly and downwardly inclined upper portion formed of a plurality of foldably connected narrow panels extending in a front to back direction and joined along lateral edges thereof to form a succession of ridges and valleys, and a lower portion which is generally vertical and is formed of a plurality of foldably connected narrow panels extending vertically and joined along lateral edges thereof to form a succession of ridges and valleys, the ridges of said lower accordion portion being aligned with the valleys of said upper accordion portion, and the valleys of the lower accordion portion being aligned with the ridges of the upper accordion portion, said accordion section being formed of a single piece of thermoformed plastic material, and said foldably connected narrow panels having a thickness cross section greater than a thickness of material at said ridges and valleys such that folding action of said accordion is substantially confined to flexing along fold lines at said ridges and valleys.

5. A one-piece, laterally adjustable sill pan flashing according to claim 4, wherein, the entire flashing is thermoformed of a single piece of plastic material.

6. A one-piece, laterally adjustable sill pan flashing according to claim 4, wherein, elements of said sill plate cover exclusive of but connected to said at least one accordion section define a forwardly and downwardly inclined plane and a vertical plane, the foldably connected panels forming the inclined upper portion of said accordion section are configured with their inclined valley fold lines substantially in said inclined plane whereby the folds of said upper portion project upward from said inclined plane, and the foldably connected panels forming the vertical portion of said accordion section are configured with their vertical valley fold lines substantially in said vertical plane whereby the folds of said vertical portion project outwardly from said vertical plane.

7. A one-piece, laterally adjustable sill pan flashing according to claim 4, wherein, the inclined upper portion of said sill plate cover, in the regions thereof exclusive of said at least one accordion section, is formed adjacent to a back edge thereof with a laterally extending elevated ridge.

8. A one-piece, laterally adjustable sill pan flashing according to claim 7, wherein, a front portion of said at least one accordion section extends rearwardly from a front edge thereof at a low-angle upward incline to a region spaced forward from a back edge thereof, a transition portion of said at least one accordion section extends from said front portion upward and rearward at an angle steeper than said low-angle incline, and an elevated portion of said at least one accordion section extends rearward from said transition portion.

9. A one-piece, laterally adjustable sill pan flashing according to claim 8, wherein, ridge and valley folds of said transition and elevated portions are aligned with the ridge and valley folds of the front portions from which they extend.

10. A one piece, laterally adjustable sill pan flashing installable in one piece in a framed opening, where the framed opening includes opposite side frame members and a sill plate member extending between the side frame members, which comprises, a sill plate cover including a downwardly and forwardly inclined upper portion configured to extend over the sill plate member, and a generally vertical portion configured to extend downwardly from a front of said inclined upper portion, said sill plate cover including at least one width-adjustable accordion section, said accordion section being extendable or contractible in width during installation to enable respective end portions of said sill plate cover to be seated against opposite side members of a framed opening, said inclined upper portion of said sill plate cover including support elements adjacent opposite ends thereof defining a support plane elevated with respect to said accordion section and configured to support a window or door unit above said accordion section, said sill plate cover being thermoformed of plastic material, said elements defining said support plane being in the form of upwardly projecting ribs extending in a front to back direction on opposite lateral sides of said accordion section, and said ribs being shaped in the form of downwardly opening waves having horizontally disposed upper surfaces forming said support portions.

11. A one-piece, laterally adjustable sill pan flashing according to claim 10, wherein, said ribs have, at each side of said downwardly opening waves, a horizontally disposed support element forming a horizontally disposed bottom support surface extending in a front-to-back direction and engageable with a sill frame member to support the upper portions of said sill plate cover on a forwardly and downwardly inclined plane.

12. A one-piece sill pan flashing installable in one piece, which comprises, a sill cover configured to overlie a sill plate member of a rough-framed window or door opening, said sill cover being disposed at a forwardly and downwardly inclined angle, a front cover joined at an upper edge thereof with a forward edge of said sill cover, said sill cover extending vertically downward from said forward edge and configured to overlie a front of the sill plate member, said sill cover and said front cover each including a laterally extendable and contractible accordion section comprised of a series of narrow panels foldably connected along fold lines forming ridge folds and valley folds, said sill cover being configured such that at least rear portions thereof, including said accordion section, are supported in elevated relation to said sill plate member, the respective accordion sections of said sill cover and said front cover being so aligned that valley folds of the sill cover accordion section are aligned with ridge folds of the front cover accordion section and the ridge folds of the sill cover accordion section are aligned with the valley folds of the front cover accordion section.

13. A one-piece sill pan flashing according to claim 12, wherein said flashing is formed of a single piece of thermoformed plastic material.

14. A one-piece sill pan flashing according to claim 12, wherein said flashing is formed of a single piece of injection molded plastic material.

15. A one-piece sill pan flashing according to claim 12, wherein sections of said sill cover, exclusive of said accordion section, are formed with upwardly projecting and laterally extending elevated ridges along the back thereof, and a first portion of the sill cover accordion section extends rearward for a first distance at a first upwardly inclined angle, a second portion of the sill cover accordion section extends rearward for a second distance from said first portion at a greater angle of incline than said first portion, and a third portion if the sill cover accordion section extends horizontally rearward for a third distance from said second portion, said second and third portions of said sill cover accordion section forming an elevated ridge aligned with said upwardly projecting elevated ridges.

16. A one-piece sill pan flashing according to claim 12, wherein said foldably connected narrow panels have a thickness greater than a thickness of material at said ridges and valleys such that folding action of said accordion sections is substantially confined to flexing along fold lines at said ridges and valleys.

17. A one-piece sill pan flashing according to claim 12, wherein said sill cover and said front cover include panels connected to laterally outer edges of said accordion sections, the valley fold lines of said accordion sections are disposed substantially in planes defined by said panels, whereby the folds of the accordion section of said sill cover project upwardly relative to the panels of said sill cover and folds of the accordion section of the front cover project forwardly with respect to the panels of said front cover.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is an orthographic view of a sill pan flashing according to the invention;

(2) FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the flashing of FIG. 1;

(3) FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the flashing of FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 4 is an orthographic view showing one end portion of the flashing of FIG. 1, from behind and underneath;

(5) FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross sectional views as taken generally on lines 5-5 and 6-6 respectively of FIG. 2, with FIG. 5 illustrating positioning of the flashing with respect to members of a rough-framed window opening;

(6) FIG. 7 is a greatly enlarged partial front elevational view of the flashing showing details of a small portion of an accordion section thereof; and

(7) FIG. 8 is an enlarged, cross sectional view as taken generally on line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(8) Referring now to the drawings, the numeral 20 designates a sill pan flashing according to the invention, preferably formed of a single sheet of plastic material, preferably a thermoplastic polyolefin, preferably using a thermoforming process, but alternatively also as a single injection molded part of a similar material. For a thermoforming process, it is contemplated to utilize a sheet of plastic material of, for example, about 0.080 in in thickness. The flashing 20 is comprised of flanged end portions 21, 22 at opposite sides and a sill plate cover 23 extending between and joining the spaced apart end portions. The two end portions have front-facing vertical walls 24, 25 joined along vertical edges with laterally inwardly facing vertical walls 26, 27. These walls form rigid corners which are intended to engage and be secured to outer sheathing 17 and spaced-apart upright members 18 (FIG. 5) of a rough-framed opening of a suitable size and shape (typically rectangular) for the reception of a prefabricated window unit (not shown). The sill plate cover 23 includes a forwardly and downwardly inclined top structure 28 and a vertical front structure 29. When the unit is installed, the top structure 28 will rest upon and cover the sill plate 19 of the rough-framed opening while the vertical front portion 29 extends downward over the front of the sill plate.

(9) In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the sill plate cover 23 includes a pair of accordion sections 30, 31, to be described further. A central window-support section 32 is located between the accordion sections, and laterally spaced window-support sections 33, 34 are positioned between the accordion sections and the respective adjacent flanged end portions 21, 22. It will be understood, that a sill pan flashing according to the invention may incorporate more than two accordion sections or only one accordion section, depending upon the size of the rough framed opening and the window unit to be installed therein, and the number and positioning of window support sections may vary correspondingly. Normally, however, there should be window-support sections at each side of the flashing, for the smaller window sizes, with additional support sections provided for larger sizes.

(10) Substantially the entire upper surface areas of the sill plate cover 23, including the upper surfaces of the accordion sections 30, 31, are inclined downward and forward, preferably at an angle of about 2.5, in order to direct any water to the front of the flashing and downward over the front surfaces thereof. In the window-support sections 32-34 there are also provided pairs of window support ribs 35, the tops of which extend horizontally front-to-back forming a horizontal support on which the sill of a prefabricated window unit may be supported. As indicated in the drawings, and particularly FIG. 6, the tops of the support ribs 35 lie at least a short distance (e.g., 0.17 in) above the tops of the accordion sections 30, 31, at their highest points at the rear of the flashing unit, such that the accordion sections, even if contracted significantly during installation, will not bear any of the weight of the window unit. Preferably, the support ribs 35 are of an inverted U-shaped cross section, open at the bottom, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and closed at the front and back to maintain weather integrity. Desirably, the front and back faces 41, 42 of the ribs 35 are disposed at an inclined angle to better accommodate the thermoforming procedure.

(11) Extending along the back edge of the flashing in the areas thereof not formed by the accordion sections 30, 31, are laterally extending elevated ridges 37-39. The elevated ridges 37-39 serve as stop elements for positioning of the prefabricated window units that are later installed in the rough framed openings. The elevated ridges, together with elevated back portions of the respective accordion sections 30, 31 (described hereinafter), also form an effective dam to prevent the upward and inward flow of water under the pressure of extreme winds. Extending along each lateral side of each of the support ribs 35 is a groove 36 which extends from the front edge of the flashing rearwardly to the ridges 37, 38, 39. The grooves 36 are horizontally disposed (unlike the remaining portions of the top structure 23 which are forwardly inclined). The bottom surfaces 40 of the grooves (see FIGS. 5 and 6) are arranged to be seated on the upper surface of the sill plate 19 of a rough framed opening in order to properly position and orient the flashing thereon at the desired elevation and forwardly tilted angle.

(12) In accordance with one aspect of the invention the accordion sections 30, 31 preferably are integrally formed with the remainder of the flashing, as part of the thermoforming process. With reference particularly to FIGS. 1, 4, 7 and 8, the vertical front portions 41 of the accordion sections are comprised of a series of foldably connected narrow panels 42, 43 joined along outwardly and inwardly projected fold lines 44, 45 respectively. The outwardly projected fold lines 44 form ridges of the folded accordion structure while the inwardly projected fold lines 45 form valleys of the structure. In a representative but non-limiting example, the vertical front portions 41 of the accordion and the adjacent portions of the front structure 29 may extend downward about 4 inches.

(13) As shown particularly in FIG. 8, the thermoforming process is carried out in such manner as to cause the fold lines 44, 45 to be of considerably less thickness than that of the adjacent panels 42, 43 connected thereby. In an exemplary but non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the fold lines may have a thickness of about 0.025 in, while the connected narrow panels 42, 43 have a thickness of about 0.085 in. This assures that the folding action of the accordion structure is substantially confined to flexing along the fold lines 44, 45 of the ridges and valleys. Building code and other requirements dictate that the space available at the front for accommodating the vertical portion of the flashing should not exceed 0.25 in. Accordingly, with the accordion sections in a relaxed configuration, neither extended nor compressed from the as-manufactured configuration, the wave height of the front folds, with the panels 42, 43 disposed at an approximately 90 angle, advantageously can be approximately 0.17 in. This allows the bellows sections to be significantly compressed while easily being contained within the desired 0.25 in space.

(14) As reflected in the drawings, and particularly FIG. 6, the upper, portions 46 of the accordion sections 30, 31 are inclined slightly downward from back to front, desirably at an angle of approximately 2.5, consistent with other upwardly facing surfaces of the flashing. As in the case of the vertical front portions 41, the inclined portions 46 are comprised of foldably connected narrow panels 47, 48 extending from front to back and connected along upwardly and downwardly projected (i.e., ridge and valley) fold lines 49, 50 respectively. The cross sectional configuration of the upper accordion portions 46 corresponds closely to that of the vertical front portions 41, with the fold lines 49, 50 having a thickness of about 0.025 in compared to a thickness of about 0.085 in for the panels 47, 48. Significantly, the fold lines 44 of the vertical portions 41, forming the ridges of the front folds, are aligned with the fold lines 50 of the inclined upper portions 46, forming the valleys of the upper portions. Likewise, the ridge fold lines 49 of the inclined portions 46 are aligned with the valley fold lines 45 of the vertical portions 41. With the thermoforming manufacturing process, this results in the junction between the upper and lower portions 46, 41 being disposed at an angle, as best indicated in FIG. 6.

(15) Preferably, the positioning of the accordion sections 30, 31 is such that the valley fold lines 45, 50 of the vertical and inclined portions 41, 46 are substantially in a common plane with the adjacent flat panels of the sill plate cover 23. As a result, the foldably connected panels 47, 48 of the inclined portion of the accordion always project upwardly from the plane of the adjacent inclined panels, and the foldably connected panels 42, 43 of the vertical portion of the accordion always project forwardly from the plane of the adjacent vertical panels. This allows the accordion sections to be compressed as may be necessary during installation without displacing the adjacent panels of the flashing, which remain properly supported by the sill plate member of the rough framing. The presence of the accordion folds guarantees that a small space will exist between the installed window unit and the underlying flashing for the drainage of water. With conventional flashings, the window unit sometimes can be mounted so tightly to the framing as to impede free outward flow of water and cause damage over time.

(16) In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the inclined upper portions 46 of the accordion sections 30, 31 are configured at the back with elevated portions 51, best shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6, which are connected to the main (inclined) portions of the accordion sections by transition portions 52. The elevated back portions 51 function in combination with the elevated ridges 37-39 to provide a continuous dam or barrier to the back flow of water under the effects of high winds. The transition portions 52 are disposed at a slight upward angle, while the elevated portions 51 preferably are horizontally disposed, preferably at a slightly lower elevation than the elevated ridges 37-39, it being understood that the actual height of the elevated portions 51 will vary with the extended or contracted condition of the flashing after it has been installed in the framed opening. Inasmuch as the angles between the inclined front portions, the elevated portions 51, and the transition portions 52 of the upper accordion portion 46 are relatively small, the ridges and valleys of the accordion fold can remain aligned. The ridge fold lines at the front remain aligned with the ridge fold lines at the back, and also the valley fold lines remain similarly aligned. This is evident in FIGS. 1 and 7.

(17) In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, in which the sill plate cover 23 has an as-manufactured width of about 36 inches, the front to back depth of the flashing may be about 4.7 inches, and the vertical depth of the front structure may be about 4 inches. In the 36 inch example, the two accordion sections 30, 31 each may have a length of about 10 inches. During installation of the flashing in the rough framing of a window, each of the 10 inch accordion sections can easily be expanded or contracted by up to about 3 inches from their nominal 10 inch length. Accordingly, a nominal 36 inch flashing according to the invention can be expanded to about 42 inches or contracted to about 30 inches, enabling a single nominal size of flashing to be installed in a wide variety of nominal sizes of rough openings.

(18) For installation of a flashing in a rough frame opening having a width greater than the nominal width of the flashing, one end portion 21, 22 of the flashing is first secured to an upright frame member at one side. The flashing is then extended laterally until the second end portion is engaged with the opposite side upright frame member, and the second end portion is then secured thereto. When the nominal width of the flashing is greater than the width of the rough framed opening, it is merely necessary to first compress the flashing to fit between the framing uprights and then secure each of the end portions to the upright framing members. Preferably, the flashing is secured to the framed opening by fastening the flange walls 22, 27 and/or 24, 25 to the vertical members 18 of the framed opening. Whether the flashing must be lengthened or shortened during installation, the entire installation process is highly efficient and expeditious; and since the flashing has no cuts or overlaps the weatherproof integrity of the flashing is maximized.

(19) The flashing of the invention is of enormous practical benefit in that, in addition to enabling the flashing to be manufactured and installed in one piece, it further enables the manufacturers and sellers to make and inventory a much smaller number of flashing sizes than the number of window sizes that can be serviced thereby. Moreover, a smaller variety of flashing sizes is required for workmen to deal with at the job site during installation, with corresponding savings in both time and money.

(20) An extra advantage of the present invention resides in the fact that the ability of the accordion sections to be compressed or extended during installation also allows them to be expanded at one edge while remaining the same or being compressed at the opposite edge. For example, a vertical portion of an accordion section may be expanded fan-like in lower portions while being compressed in upper portions. The accordion sections thus have the ability to be disposed in an arcuate configuration which can be useful in connection with the flashing of curved window configurations.

(21) It should be understood that the various directional references herein, such as upward, downward, laterally, vertical, horizontal, etc. are intended to relate to the invention in the particular form and orientation illustrated herein and are not to be considered in any way as limiting the invention to any particular form or orientation. It should also be understood that the specific forms of the invention herein illustrated and described are intended to be representative of a preferred embodiment of the invention and not in limitation thereof. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following claims in determining the full scope of the invention.