U.S. patent number 3,577,691 [Application Number 04/819,638] was granted by the patent office on 1971-05-04 for movable roof window having a pyramidal frame construction.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Ruth L. Kallin. Invention is credited to Per Anders Persson, Bror Lennart Sodersten.
United States Patent |
3,577,691 |
Persson , et al. |
May 4, 1971 |
MOVABLE ROOF WINDOW HAVING A PYRAMIDAL FRAME CONSTRUCTION
Abstract
A roof window includes support beams forming a pyramidal frame
structure having an upper top roof and individually movable
parallel trapezium-shaped roof or window sections. Each section can
be moved between an open and a closed position, an upper guide
extending between the base of a side of the pyramid and the top
roof and a lower guide projecting outwardly from the said base
being provided so as to cooperate with the upper and bottom
portions, respectively, of the section. The guides form an angle
with each other so that the section performs a combined displacing
and swinging movement between its open and closed positions. Seals
are provided between the sections and the frame structure. The
lower guide is mounted or capable of being mounted on the roof of a
building structure supporting the frame structure. The drive for
the section may include a wire, a chain or the like extending along
the upper guide and connected with the upper portion of the
sections and passing over end wheels arranged at the base of the
frame structure or in the top roof. At least one of the wheels and
preferably the one in the top roof is actuated by a drive motor.
The seal includes sealing strips which extend along the side edges
of the sections and cooperate with corresponding strips jutting
from adjacent sections, said strips being of such configuration
that, when the sections are in closed position, they present both
an upper and a lower contact line with an insulating space
therebetween. In the top roof is arranged a ventilation line
provided with a fan which prevents misting or condensation in the
region beneath the top roof when the sections are in closed
position.
Inventors: |
Persson; Per Anders (Stockholm,
SW), Sodersten; Bror Lennart (Stockholm,
SW) |
Assignee: |
Ruth L. Kallin (Uttran,
SW)
|
Family
ID: |
20273368 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/819,638 |
Filed: |
April 28, 1969 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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|
|
|
|
Jun 17, 1968 [SW] |
|
|
8186/68 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
52/72; 52/27;
52/1; 52/200 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04D
13/0358 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E04D
13/035 (20060101); E04D 13/03 (20060101); E04b
007/16 (); E04d 013/035 () |
Field of
Search: |
;52/72,27,200,199,171,1 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Faw, Jr.; Price C.
Claims
We claim:
1. A roof closure comprising support beams forming a pyramidal
frame structure having upwardly inclined sides, a plurality of
trapezium-shaped closure members each adapted to lie parallel on
and close one side of said frame structure, upper guide means
extending between the base and summit of at least one side of the
frame structure to guide an upper portion of a said closure member
in a direction parallel to said at least one side, lower guide
means projecting outwardly from said base for guiding a lower
portion of said at least one closure member in a direction at an
oblique angle to the first-named direction, and drive means for
raising and lowering said at least one section thereby respectively
to close and open said at least one side of the frame structure
with said upper portion of said at least one closure member moving
along said upper guide means and said lower portion of said closure
member moving along said lower guide means.
2. A roof closure as claimed in claim 1, and a shaft on said lower
portion of said at least one closure member and movable along said
lower guide means to provide a pivot for swinging movement of said
at least one closure member relative to said lower guide means.
3. A roof closure as claimed in claim 2, and antifriction means on
said shaft engageable with said said lower guide means.
4. A roof closure as claimed in claim 1, said lower guide means
being mounted on the roof of a building structure that supports
said frame structure.
5. A roof closure as claimed in claim 1, said drive means
comprising an endless flexible member parallel to said first-named
direction.
6. A roof closure as claimed in claim 1, said drive means
comprising a rotatable screw that extends along said upper guide
means and that has screw-threaded engagement with said at least one
closure member.
7. A roof closure as claimed in claim 1, said drive means
comprising a chain disposed parallel to said lower guide means and
connected with said lower portion of said at least one closure
member.
8. A roof closure as claimed in claim 1, and sealing strips that
extend along the side edges of said at least one closure member and
that engage sealing strips projecting from adjacent said closure
members, said sealing strips in the closed position of their
respective closure members having upper and lower lines of contact
with each other that define an insulating space therebetween.
9. A roof closure as claimed in claim 1, said upper guide means
projecting in under a lower edge of an upper portion of a roof of a
building thereby to seal said at least one closure member against
said roof.
10. A roof closure as claimed in claim 1, said frame structure,
guide means and closure members being in unitary assembly for
installation over existing buildings.
Description
The present invention relates to a roof window which includes
support beams forming a pyramidal frame structure having an upper
top roof and individually movable parallel trapezium-shaped roof or
window sections provided with sealing means and which can be moved
between an open and closed position by actuation of drive
means.
Roof windows of the type specified can be used for a variety of
purposes, and for instance may be adapted to cover an open space
surrounded by a number of structures (as in the case of an atrium),
or be arranged in connection with a winter garden or the like.
Owing the the great weight of the window sections, the section
drive means in roof windows of the aforementioned type known to the
art are highly expensive and are difficult to install, since the
necessity of tight sealing of the sections when closed places high
requirements of accuracy on the sections and the installation
thereof. Consequently it is impossible to deliver the roof
structure as a unit, ready for installation, but that it must be
adapted in each particular instance to prevailing circumstances.
The sealing means used hitherto must also take up high loads,
causing risk of damage or deformation of the seals.
These disadvantages are eliminated by means of the present
invention, which is mainly characterized by an upper guide means
extending between the base of a side of the pyramid and the top
roof, and intended to cooperate with the upper portion of one
section, and by a lower guide means projecting outwardly from the
said base and intended to cooperate with the lower portion of the
section, said guide means forming an angle with each other so that
from its open position, actuated by drive means, the section
performs a combined displacing and swinging movement to the closed
position, in which sealing means seal against the frame structure
and/or adjacent sections located in the closed position.
The displacement and swinging movements executed by the sections
and controlled by the guide means require but little power in spite
of their great weight, whereby both the capital coasts and
operation costs of the drive means are maintained at a low level.
In practice the aforesaid movement of the sections can be effected
with worm gear motors with a rating of one-third horsepower. The
guide means take up a considerably portion of the weight of the
sections, thus relieving the sealing means, which can be
constructed in a manner which provides for good sealing and good
insulation.
Furthermore, the sections move and function in an advantageous
manner independently of one another, because the upper portion of
the sections when moving from closed position are swung downwards,
to bring the upper portion out of engagement with the frame
structure and possible outwardly projecting portions of adjacent
sections.
Another advantage is that the frame structure and sections with
associated guide means can be formed as a separate unit capable of
being installed in desired locations, e.g. over an open space
surrounded by a number of building structures, the roofs of said
building structures suitably supporting the lower guide means.
It is preferred that shafts, movable along the lower guide means
and suitably provided with wheels or rollers to facilitate the
displacing movements of the sections are arranged to form pivot
shafts for the swinging movements of the sections.
When the transparent roof window sections are subjected to strong
sunlight , vapor and condensation readily form at the upper portion
of the sections. To eliminate this, the upper top roof of the frame
structure is provided, in accordance with an expedient design
thereof, with a ventilating means provided with a fan or blower.
Accordingly, the fan motor is suitably adapted to cooperate with
the movable sections so that, when said sections are in closed
position, the fan motor is automatically switched on and off in
response to climate-sensing and indicating means, such as
temperature and/or humidity gauges, arranged in the top roof.
The invention will now be described with reference to the
accompanying drawings, additional characterizing features of the
invention being disclosed in conjunction therewith. In the
drawings
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an arrangement of the invention,
showing roof section in movement between the open and closed
position,
FIG. 2 is a side view of an upper guide means provided with a roof
section drive means,
FIG. 3 is a section along the line 3-3 in FIG. 2,
FIGS. 4 and 5 are principal sketches of two different types of
drive means,
FIG. 6 is a section in enlarged scale through an upper guide means
provided with a drive means of the type shown in FIG. 5,
FIG. 7 shows an example of a seal between one section and the frame
structure,
FIG. 8 illustrates a portion of a lower guide means and the seal
between the lower portion of a section and the frame structure,
FIG. 9 shows an alternative positioning of the drive means,
FIG. 10 is a cross section of a modification in which the drive
motors of the sections are mounted in the top roof, and
FIG. 11 shows a modified sealing arrangement for the sections.
In FIG. 1 there is shown a roof or roof structure 1 including a
pyramidal frame structure consisting of support beams 2 and
securely supporting at its upper portion an insulated top roof 3.
Positioned relative to the frame structure are parallel
trapezium-shaped roof or window sections 4 constructed of four
pieces of transparent material and adapted for movement
independently of each other. The sections are movable between an
open position in which the sections rest completely or partially on
a structure surrounding the roof window 1, for instance the
essentially planar roof window 1, for instance roofs of a number of
angularly positioned building structures which define an atrium,
over which the pyramidal frame structure is mounted, and a closed
position in which the sections form a substantial portion of the
sides of the pyramid. To provide for movement of the sections there
are provided upper and lower guide means 5,6 which are so
constructed that the sections execute a combined displacement and
swinging movement.
For each section 4 there is arranged a central upper guide means 5
which extends between the center portion of the pyramid side in
question and the top roof, under which the guide means slightly
projects, and two lower guide means 6 which project out from the
base portion of the pyramid and, for instance, rest on an
essentially horizontal roof 7 of a building body (not shown)
supporting a frame structure.
Arranged for movement along the lower guide means 6 are shafts 8,
mounted at the base portions of the sections 4, which carry wheels
or rollers 9 to facilitate the displacement movement, while
simultaneously the shafts 8 serve as pivot shafts for the swinging
movements of the sections.
The upper guide means may be designed to support the drive means
for effecting movement of the sections. In an embodiment such as
that illustrated in FIGS. 2--4 such a drive means may include an
endless wire or chain 12 which extends over upper and lower wheels
or rollers 13,14 of which the lower, 14, is operatively connected
with a worm gear motor 15. The wires or chains 12 are joined to the
top portions of the sections in an appropriate manner. In
accordance with the embodiment of FIG. 3, the upper guide means 5
may enclose a plastic extrusion or profiled section 5a having a
groove for the lower portion of the wire or chain 12. At its upper
portion the guide means presents outwardly projecting angled guide
plates 5b, which ensure that the rollers 20, which are journaled to
the sections and roll along the upper portion of the guide means 5,
are retained in position during movement along the guide means,
even though the section should be subjected to considerable wind
forces or the like. Positioned between the trunnion 4a supporting
shafts 4b of rollers 20 and the upper portion of the guide means 5
is a strip 21 of rubber or the like.
The alternative drive means shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 consists of a
worm or screw 17 connected to the output shaft of a worm gear motor
16 and engaging a nut 18 affixed to a section. This alternative
drive means is quieter in operation than the aforedescribed drive
means but less efficient.
Irrespective of the drive means employed, the sections will swing
upwards during the final phase of movement to closed position, to
abut smoothly sealing means positioned around the frame structure.
In a corresponding manner the sections are swung downwards at the
beginning of the movement to open position, it being possible to
open the sections separately, independently of one another and
without wear on the sealing means.
FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a number of preferred ways in which
sealing is effected between the sections and the frame structure.
As is evident from FIG. 2, the upper guide means 5 extends slightly
in under the top roof 3 so that the latter will overlap the
sections when these are in closed position, thus enabling rain
water to be conducted away in a simple manner.
FIG. 7 illustrates a sealing strip 28, made of rubber, for
instance, mounted to a section 4 by means of an L-shaped plate 27
and a screw 27a, the strip 28 cooperating with a strip 29, made for
instance of metal and projecting outwardly from a support beam 2.
The strip 28 presents a curvature of such form that a lower portion
28b thereof bears against a lowerportion of the side edge of the
frame 2, there being formed between the frame 2, the metal strip 29
and the sealing strip 28 a restricted space 30 which serves as an
insulator. This construction of the sealing element 28 affords both
good sealing and good insulation, simultaneously as it enables the
sections to move freely, independently of one another, between open
and closed position.
FIG. 8 illustrates the arrangement of a seal at the base portions
of the sections. In this instance a corner of the frame structure 2
facing a section presents on both side edges of the corner two
longitudinally extending seal elements 32, against which the base
portion of the section 4 bears in closed position. Alternatively,
either one or both of the sealing elements 32 may be mounted on the
movable roof section. In the embodiment of FIG. 9 a drive means is
used, e.g. an electric motor, which cooperates with a wire or chain
extending along the roof 7 to a building structure supporting the
frame structure. The lower edge portion of the section 4 is
connected to the drive means. In this way it becomes unnecessary to
arrange drive means which extend along the frame structure, which
affords a considerable simplification of the system.
As shown in FIG. 1, there is arranged in the top roof 3 a
ventilation means 35 provided with a fan (not shown), which when
the sections are closed prevents misting of and condensation
forming on the inside of the upper portion of the sections when the
roof or roof window is exposed to strong sunlight. The fan motor
may be adapted to cooperate with the sections and special
indicating means so that when the sections are in closed position
the fan is automatically switched on if the temperature and/or
humidity beneath the top roof exceeds certain determined
values.
FIG. 10, which consists of two parts, illustrates a modified
arrangement. In this arrangement, worm gear motors 15' are arranged
beneath the top roof 3,4, each of the motors actuating, via an
elastic coupling 33, an upper end wheel 13 for a chain 12 which is
connected with the upper portion of section 4. The tension of the
chain can be adjusted by means of a screw-nut connection 34,35. The
motor 15' is mounted on a bracket 36 attached to the top roof
3.
FIG. 11 illustrates a modified seal arrangement for the side edges
of the sections 4. In this arrangement, a wooden strip 40 rests on
the frame element 4a of sections 4, there being firmly attached to
said strip 40 a thin plate 41 which protrudes outwardly somewhat
and presents a fold 41a and a downwardly directed portion whose
lower end presents a folded rubber sealing element 42 vulcanized
thereon. Immediately adjacent the folding edge 41a are secured two
phosphor bronze lips 44, which cooperate with corresponding lips on
adjacent sections, to provide two upper contact surfaces at said
lips 44 and one lower contact surface at the rubber strips 42. A
foam plastic material is suitably inserted in the space defined by
the frame 4a, the wooden strip 40 and the plate 41. There is also
provided in this embodiment an insulating space between the upper
and lower points of contact of the seal means.
In addition to the aforementioned advantages, it can be mentioned
that the arrangement of the invention can be readily adapted for
manual operation, which is of particular advantage should the drive
system normally used fail. The sections can be readily adapted to
actuate limit switches during their closing and opening movements
to start and stop the drive motors. In a simple alternative,
driving means, a central drive motor is arranged at the top roof
which, via four angled shafts, connects with, for instance, a screw
for the displacement movements of the sections. In this arrangement
there is thus required only one drive motor, common to several
sections. The electrical conductors associated with the drive and
fan system can be easily arranged within the support beams forming
the frame structure or in the upper section guide means.
* * * * *