Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention relat:es to separator spacers for
hermetically sealed double glazed window units, and particularly
provides an improved corner piece for connecting the ends of
adjacent spacers. This application is a divisional of our
co-pending Canadian Patent Application No. 224,911 filed April
17, 1975.
Spacers for separating the glass panels of a hermetic-
ally sealed doubled glazed unit are generally formed from a
strip of metal which is roll formed into a tube. The tubular
spacer extends around the glazing unit between the outer margins
of the glass panels, sealant material being used between the
glass and the sides of the spacer. In order to prevent any
condensation of moisture between the glass panels which would
interfere with visibility, the spacer tube contains a desiccant
which absorbs any such moisture. In order for the desiccant
to be effective, air passages must be provided between the
inside of the spacer and the space between the glass panels,
however any such air passages must be small enough to prevent
the desiccant from falling from the inside of the spacer into
the space between the glass panels.
In some previously known spacers, the edges of the
strip of metal have been formed with inturned flanges merely
butted together. With such constructions, however, the
spacer tends to deform and spread at the junction between the
flanges when the spacer is cut, leading to poor sealing between
the glass panels and also opening up of the joint between the
edges of the strip so that desiccant can fall from the spacer.
In other known spacers, the edges of the strip have been
locked together by means of a roll formed seal. Such seals,
as now known, prevent distortion of the spacer when cut, but
have t~o draw-backs, namely that it is necessary to form some
kind of air passages between the inside and the outside of
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t~ spacer (requiring a separate operation), so that the desicant
can be effective as described, and ~urthermore the joints as pro-
duced have been on the outside of the spacer and present a some-
what unattractive appearance since they are visible when looking
through the glass panels of the unit.
The aforesaid co-pending application No. 224,911 provides
a method whereby a metal strip can be formed economically into a
spacer for double glazed window units, the spacer being formed
with a joint which prevents distortion during cutting, which does
not detract from the appearance-of the spacer, and in which air
passages are provided without any separate forming operations.
The aforesaid application describes a spacer for hermet-
ically sealed double glazed window units formed from a metal strip
and having a joint between the edges of the strip, in which the
joint includes one edge portion of the strip bent to form an out-
wardly facing groove and another edge portion of the strip bent
to form an inwardly extending lip which lip is o~ lesser width than
the depth of the groove.
The present invention provides a special corner piece
having two arms extending at 90 to each other, each arm having a
base and two side flanges and being suitable for fitting into an
end portion of one of the spacers. The bases form the outer
surface of the corner piece, and each base has an inwardl~ angled
extension which extends into the adjacent spacer and which has a
recess to receive the inwardly projecting joint of the adjacent
spacer end portion and which holds the joint against distortion
caused by pushing the corner piece into the end of the spacer,
the arms being an interference fit within the ends of the spacers.
The invention will now be particularly described with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Fig. 1 shows three forms of spacer, in Figures la, lb
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and lc respectivel~,
Fig. 2 shows a side view o~ ~ corner piece,
Fig. 3 shows an end view of the same corner piece.
The spacers shown in Figure 1 are all formed of asingle strip of metal 10 bent into tu~ular form and having joint
A formed in accordance with the invention. The general shape
of the spacer, apart from joint A, is conventional, each spacer
including sides 12 which in use abut the inside surfaces of two
adjacent glazing panels, the spacer also having a flat outside
surface 14 and an inside surface 16 which is generally flat
apart from the slight groove apparent above the joint A. This
inside surface 16, which is exposed to view in the final panel,
is thus of a pleasing appearance, without any obvious joint or-
discontinuity. Each spacer has an outer recess 18 at each of
its sides, for receiving sealant material, and the spacer
shown in Figure la also has a further recess 19 in each of its
sides also for sealant material.
It may be seen that joint A includes one edge portion
20 of the strip forming the spacer which is bent to form an
outwardly facing groove, and the opposite edge portion 21 of
the strip is bent to form an inwardly extending lip which is of
lesser width than the depth of the groove formed by portion 20.
Also, the outer wall of the groove diverges outwardly from the
bottom of the groove (at an angle of about 10) so that the
sides of the groove are clear of the adjacent sides of lip 21.
With this arrangement, air flow is possible between both sides
of lip 21 and the adjacent surfaces of the groove, and also
around the bottom edge of lip 21. Also, it will be apparent
that lip 21 can move laterally to a small extent within the
grooYe thus allo~ing slight ch~n~es in the width of the spacer
depending on the pressure applied by the panes of glass which
it separates. Although the joint p~ovides air flow so that
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desiccant within the spacer is effectiye, the joint is such as
to prevent the desiccant from falling out of the spacer, even
where the desiccant is a fine powder. The joint also holds the
edges of the strip together when this is being cut and prevents
distortion of the spacer.
The process whereby a flat metal strip is formed into
the spacer shown in Figure 1 is described in our co-pending
Canadian Patent application referred to above.
Figures 2 and 3 show views of the corner piece of
this invention which is particularly adapted for use with the
spacer as described and which includes means to prevent any
spreading or distortion of the joint in the spacer when inserted
into the spacer ends.
The corner piece is formed from a flat pieceof metal,
for example, aluminum, stamped into shape. The corner piece
has two arms extending at 90 to each other, each arm including
a flat base 40, the bases of the two arms being joined by a
connecting base portion 41 having a central dimple 42, and
extending at an angle of 45 to the two bases 40 so that the
bases form the outer surface of the corner piece. Each of
the ar~s is proYided ~ith t~o side ~langes 44, turned inwardly
from the bases 40, each side flange including t~o approximately
parallel portions 44a and 44b joined by a shoulder 44c. The
cross-sectional shape of the arm so produced suits it for being
inserted into the end of the spacer with the outer edges of
flanges 44 against the inner surfaces of the walls 16 of the
spacer, and with the base 40 of each arm against the inside
of the wall 14 of the spacer.
Each corner piece is also provided with an extension
46 of each of the bases 40, this extension being angled inwardly
at an angle of 45 to the adjacent base and extending beyond
the ends of flanges 44. As particul~rly shown in ~igure 2, the
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outer end of each of the extensions 46 is provided with a recess
47, which is dimensioned and positioned so that its sides locate
against the sides of the side ed~e portion 20 of the spacer
which forms the groove of the joint. Thus, the extension 46
with recess 47 provides means for preventing any spreading of
the joints when the corner piece is inserted into the end of a
spacer, notwithstanding that the flanges 44 are an interference
fit against the insides of the spacer and thus would otherwise
tend to spread the joints.
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S~PPLEMENTARY DISC~OSURE
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Figures 4 to 7 show variations of the corner piece of
this invention. In the drawings:-
Figure 4 shows a side elevation of a modified corner piece,
Figure 5 shows an end view of the same corner piece,
Figure 6 shows a cross-sectional view on lines 6-6 of
Figure 4, and
Figure 7 shows a similar cross-sectional view of a
variation of the modified corner piece.
The corner piece shown in Figures 4 to 7 has the same
characterizing features as the corner piece previously described,
and is used in generally the same manner. ~lowever, this corner
piece has certain modifications as follows:-
(1) The angled extensions 146 of the bases 140 of thecorner piece are wider than with the first embodiment and are
shaped to completely or almost completely conform with the
internal shape of the spacer ends so as to prevent substantial
leakage of desiccant from inside the spacers. In the first
embodiment of corner piece, it was necessary to use a cotton
plug, held in place by the corner piece, to retain the
desiccant, but with the new corner piece the cotton plug is
not required.
(2) The e~tensions 146 of the bases are curved, so as to
be outwardly concave, and the rounded edges facilitate insertion
into the spacers. Also, the side edges of the extensions are
integrally connected to the side flanges 144 of the corner
piece, this feature further insuring that there is no leakage
of desiccant material between the side flanges and the base
extensions, and also stiffening the base extensions.
(3) The side flanges 144 on each side of the corner
piece have adjacent outwardly displaced portions 144a, i.e.
the portions are upwardly raised when the corner piece is viewed
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~om the side as in Figure 4. These raised portions each provide
an abutment 144b which is perpendicular to the arm and which
locates against the end of a spacer when the corner piece is n
inserted into the end portion thereof, so as to form a stop
which positively locates the corner piece.
(4) On each base 40 there are formed two outwardly
projecting serrations 140a which are in the form of small
louvers cut from the bases and angled towards the corner of
the corner piece, so as to have a sharp edge which grips the
adjacent surface of a spacer end portion when the corner piece
is inserted. These serrations prevent the corner piece from
sliding out of the spacer when a large frame is assembled, which
occasionally happens when the corner piece of the first
embodiment is used with a large frame. These serrations thus
give extra locking security.
(5) The two bases 140 of the corner piece are connected
by a sloping intermediate portion 141 which is angled at about
45 to the bases, and this portion, instead of having an
outwardly projecting dimple as in the first embodiment, has
an inwardly projecting rib 142 which extends between the
adjacent ends of the two bases. This gives added strength to
the corner.
Figure 6 shows the cross-section of the corner piece as
shown in Figures 4 and 5, and Figure 7 shows a slightly modified
corner piece having a higher profile on the side flanges.
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