Windtight sealing means for a window or the like having a pair of horizontally movable panel assemblies

Abstract

Windtight sealing means substantially in the form of an open-bottom boxlike member adapted to be displaceably installed in a prescribed position between a pair of parallel spaced rails on the sill of a supporting frame of a window or the like. The boxlike member has water inlet openings and water outlet openings therethrough, the latter being normally held in register with an aperture formed through one of the rails, so that any water, as of rain, which has collected in the spacing between the rails can be drained therethrough. When the sill is to be cleaned, for instance, the boxlike member is movable to any convenient location on the sill.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to windtight sealing means for a window or the like having a pair of sashes or like panel assemblies which are mounted within a supporting frame for relative horizontal movement. More specifically, the invention relates to the windtight sealing means adapted to be displaceably mounted in a prescribed position between a pair of parallel spaced rails arranged lengthwise on the sill of the supporting frame to guide the movement of the respective panel assemblies.

There has been known windtight sealing means that can be slidably mounted between the rails on the sill of a supporting frame for a pair of horizontally movable panel assemblies. The known windtight sealing means is movable along the rails away from the prescribed normal position, as when the panel assemblies are to be removed from or installed within the supporting frame. However, since the known windtight sealing means is merely slidably mounted between the sill rails and is not provided with any suitable means against its undue movement, it has been impossible to fix the same in the prescribed position when subjected to stresses applied as by the opening and closing movement of the window or the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of this invention to provide windtight sealing means which can be securely mounted through a simple procedure in a prescribed position on the sill of a supporting frame for a pair of horizontally movable sashes or similar panel assemblies of a window or the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide windtight sealing means which is readily movable from its prescribed position on the sill along a pair of rails extending longitudinally thereon, as when the sill is to be cleaned or when the panel assemblies are to be removed from or installed within the supporting frame.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide windtight sealing means which permits the drainage therethrough of any water which has collected between the rails.

Briefly, this invention contemplates the provision of windtight sealing means to be displaceably mounted in a prescribed position between a pair of parallel spaced rails on the sill of a supporting frame of a window or the like which includes a pair of sashes or like panel assemblies movable along the respective rails. The windtight sealing means includes an open-bottom boxlike member having water inlet and water outlet openings therethrough, the water outlet openings being at least partly bounded or surrounded by rim means projecting forwardly from the boxlike member. As the boxlike member is slidably mounted in position between the pair of rails on the sill, spring means causes the rim means to project into an aperture formed through one of the rails, thereby holding the water outlet openings in register with the aperture. Since the water inlet openings in the boxlike member are open to the spacing between the rails, any water tending to pool in the rail spacing can be caused to flow out of the aperture through the box-like member. The rim means is readily withdrawable from within the aperture against the force of the spring means when the boxlike member is to be moved away from the prescribed position along the rails.

The features which are believed to be noval and characteristic of this invention are set forth in particular in the claims appended hereto. The invention itself, however, together with the further objects and advantages thereof, will become apparent in the course of the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters denote like parts throughout the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of windtight sealing means constructed in accordance with the concepts of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a partly broken away, top plan view showing the windtight sealing means of FIG. 1 as mounted in a prescribed position between a pair of rails on the sill of a supporting frame for a window or the like;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the windtight sealing means displaced from its prescribed position on the sill; and

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to FIG. 1, the windtight sealing means illustrated therein by way of a preferred embodiment of this invention includes an open-bottom boxlike member 10. The interior of this boxlike member 10 is bisected into a pair of opposed chambers 11 by a transverse partition 12 located centrally with respect to the longitudinal dimension of the boxlike member.

A pair of water inlet openings 13 are formed through the respective opposed side walls 14 of the boxlike member 10, one of the side walls 14 with its water inlet opening 13 being unseeable in FIG. 1. The water inlet openings 13, of course, are open to the respective chambers 11. A pair of water outlet openings 15 are formed through the front wall 16 of the boxlike member 10. The water outlet openings 15 are arranged in side-by-side relationship, on both sides of the partition 12, and are open to the respective chambers 11. It will be noted that both water outlet openings 15 are bounded or surrounded by rims 17 of rectangular arrangement projecting slightly forwardly of the front wall 16 of the boxlike member 10. Of the four rims bounding the water outlet openings 15, the pair of side rims 17a are inclined toward each other.

A pair of ears 18 project rearwardly from both ends of the rear wall 19 of the boxlike member 10, and a leaf spring 20 of plastics or like material is installed between the ears 18. The leaf spring 20 has a raised mid-portion 20a which projects slightly more rearwardly than the ears 18.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the windtight sealing means of the above described configuration is mounted in position between a pair of horizontal, parallel spaced rails 21 and 22 on a sill 23. Although not fully illustrated, it is understood that the sill 23 constitutes a part of the generally rectangular supporting frame for a pair of sashes or similar panel assemblies adapted to move horizontally along the respective rails 21 and 22. The rail 21 is hereinafter referred to as the front rail, and the rail 22 as the rear rail.

The front rail 21 has a longitudinal groove 24, FIG. 5, that is formed along the bottom edge of its surface opposed to the rear rail 22, the groove 24 being adapted to slidably receive at least the rims 17 of the boxlike member 10. Further, in a prescribed position in the groove 24, the front rail 21 has an aperture 25 formed therethrough which is so shaped and sized as to neatly receive the rims 17 of the boxlike member 10. Another longitudinal groove 26, adapted to slidably receive the ears 18 and the leaf spring 20 of the boxlike member 10, is formed along the bottom edge of the rear rail 22 so as to be open toward the front rail 21.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, the boxlike member 10 is shown in its prescribed normal position on the sill 23, in which the rims 17 are caused by the leaf spring 20 to project into the aperture 25 in the front rail 21. It will be seen that any water tending to collect between the front and rear rails 21 and 22 can be drained without moving the boxlike member 10, as such water will flow into its inlet openings 13 and out of its outlet openings 15.

When the sill 23 is to be cleaned, or when the panel assemblies are to be removed from, or mounted within, the supporting frame, the windtight sealing means may be pressed in either direction along the sill. Since the side rims 17a are inclined toward each other, as previously mentioned with reference to FIG. 1, the complete rims 17 are relatively easily withdrawable from within the aperture 25 against the force of the leaf spring 20. Alternatively, the boxlike member 10 may first be forced away from the front rail 21 to cause retraction of the rims 17 out of the aperture 25 against the effect of the leaf spring 20 and then be moved longitudinally of the sill 23 in either direction. The windtight sealing means is now free to slide along the rails 21 and 22, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.

It is understood that the transverse dimension of the windtight sealing means, inclusive of the rims 17 and the ears 18, is set slightly wider than the spacing between the opposed walls of the longitudinal grooves 24 and 26 in the respective rails 21 and 22. For re-installation of the windtight sealing means in the prescribed normal position, the same may be slid back along the rails 21 and 22 until the rims 17 are urged into the aperture 25 by the leaf spring 20, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. The boxlike member 10 can then be securely held in position against easy displacement.

While the invention has been shown and described hereinbefore in very specific aspects thereof, it is to be understood that the invention itself is not to be restricted by the exact showing of the drawings or the description thereof. For example, the leaf spring 20 may not necessarily be of the illustrated shape but can be of any other suitable configuration if it functions to urge the rims 17 into the aperture 25 in the front rail 21 when the windtight sealing means is to be mounted in position between the rails 21 and 22, and to yield when the sealing means is to be moved away from its normal position. It is also noteworthy that the pair of water outlet openings 15 may not be completely surrounded by the four rims 17 of rectangular arrangement as shown in FIG. 1. Instead, there may be provided only one rim along the aligned top edges of the outlet openings.

Thus, a latitude of modification, substitution and change is intended in the foregoing disclosure. It is therefore appropriate that the invention be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the fair meaning or proper scope of the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. In a supporting frame of a window or the like, wherein said supporting frame includes a sill having front and rear rails arranged in parallel spaced relationship thereon, said front rail having a first groove extending longitudinally along its bottom edge and an aperture formed in a prescribed position of said groove therethrough, said rear rail having a second groove extending longitudinally along its bottom edge, said first and second grooves being open toward each other, windtight sealing means comprising, in combination, an openbottom boxlike member adapted to be mounted between said front and rear rails, said boxlike member having a pair of opposed side walls through which there are formed a pair of water inlet openings, respectively, and a front wall through which there are formed a pair of water outlet openings in side-by-side arrangement, a transverse partition within said boxlike member dividing the interior thereof into a pair of opposed chambers, each of said chambers being open through one of said water inlet openings and one of said water outlet openings, rim means projecting forwardly of said front wall of said boxlike member to at least partly surround said water outlet openings, said rim means being slidable through said first groove and being capable of projecting into said aperture to hold said water outlet openings in registered relationship thereto, a pair of ears projecting rearwardly of said boxlike member and slidable through said second groove, and spring means biasing said boxlike member toward said front rail.

2. The windtight sealing means as defined in claim 1, wherein said rim means comprises four rims arranged rectangularly to completely surround said water outlet openings in said boxlike member, said four rims including a pair of side rims which are inclined toward each other.

3. The windtight sealing means as defined in claim 1, wherein said spring means is a leaf spring arranged between said ears of said boxlike member, said leaf spring including a portion projecting further rearwardly of said ears and being also slidably received in said second groove.