Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Many gla~ing syste~s have been suggested for
wlndow wall assemblies, storefront windows, curtain walls, and
other architectural systems using window glass or panels to
be secured in place in a structural frame. The frame generally
overlaps the glass or panel on the exterior side to prevent the
glass or panel from falling outward, and elastomeric glazing
strips are secured around the inside of the glass or panel to
hold it in the frame. Such constructions suffer from many
problems, including deterioration of the glazing strips from
age and ultraviolet light degradation and varying characteristics
of the glazing strips at different temperatures. These
difficulties have led to many serious and expensive problems.
Another problem faced by glazing systems is different
klnds of glass and panel materials used in modern buildings.
The expansion and contraction and other characteristics of
different glass materials vary widely and must be accommodated
by glazing systems, and glass can have different thicknesses,
can be single glass panes and double glass panes, and panels
can be formed of materials other than glass.
In many buildings, window~glass is originally
installed from the inside against an overlapping frame s~ructure
before the building is completed, and if the window glass has
to be replaced, it oridinarily must be reinstalled from the
inside. This can cause much expense and difficulty when
equipment installed after the original window glass was mounted
interferes with installation of a replacement window glass.
The system disclosed herein and embodying the
invention involves recognition of the many problems encountered
by glazing systems and proposes an improved.solution to all
these problems in a glazing system that is simple, economical
and able to accommodate a wide range of constructions and glass
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and panel material. The system aims at a versatile glazing
system that can be widely applied to many constructions with a
few minor and inexpensive variations. The system seeks
economy, reliability, safety, and long life durability in a
glazing system for securely holding a variety of window glass
and panels in place. The system also allows replacement of
window glass or panels from the exterior of the building after
original installation of window glass or panels from the
interior of the building.
The overall system is claimed in Canadian patent
application no. 227,024 filed May 15, 1975, of whlch the present
application is a division. The present application is directed
to a glazing strip for use in the system, and consists of
a glazing strip comprising a resilient reinforcing member
having an elastomeric material extruded over and covering
the reinforcing member, the strip having a retainer portion
having a substantially flat glass engaging surface of said
elastomeric material and an anchorage base which is insertable
into a channel in a frame for a piece of window glass and is
removable therefrom only by the application of deliberate force,
said retainer portion being spaced from the anchorage base and
the reinforcing member extending along said retainer portion
from a position adjacent said glass engaging surface at a
location remote from the anchorage base and then into and
along said anchorage base in such a manner as to resiliently
mount the retainer portion relative to the anchorage base
whereby, when a length of said strip is secured in the said
channel and in use, said glass engaging surface of the retainer
portion engages one side of a piece of window glass located in
the frame with said reinforcing member causing said glass
engaging surface of the retainer portion to engage the surface
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o.E the glass along an edge region with a force of approximately
4-6 pounds weight per linear inch.
The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention,
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Flr,. 1 19 ~ Era~n~entary, elevatlonal view of
glazing system;
Fig, 2 is an end elevational view of a preferred
embodiment of glazing strip for the system;
Fig. 3 is a partially schematic, plan view of a
preferred embodiment of reinforcing member for the glazing
strip of Fig. 2; and
Figs. 4-9 are fragmentary cross-sectional views of
alternative constructions.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
The system uses only internal and external glazing
strips to support and seal a window glass or panel in a
structural frame, and the frame does not overlap the window
glass or panel on either the exterior or interior side. This
allows the window glass or panel to be installed from either
side of the frame which has an opening slightly larger than the
window glass or panel around the entire periphery of the window
glass or panel. Thus, as shown in Fig. 1, frame 10 has an
opening 11, larger than the perimeter 12 of a pane of window
glass 13 mounted in frame 10. Glass 13 is held in place by
glazing strips 15 which engage the entire periphery of glass
13 around its exterior and interior sides and are securely
mounted in frame 10.
Fig. 2 shows one preferred form for glazin~ strips
15 which include a resilient reinforcing member 16 and an
elastomeric covering material 17. Reinforcing member 16 can
be formed of various me~allic and resin materials to have the
desired strength and resiliency characteristics. One preferred
reinforcing member 16 is shown in Fig, 3 as formed of zig-~ag
loops of wire 18 held together by stitching 19, A monofilament
of resin material can be substituted for wire 18, and generally
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thc tensile strengtll ~nd diameter of wire or filament 18 can
be selected to pro~ide ~he desired strength and resilience
characteristics for reinEorcing member 16. Other materials
suitable for reinforcing member 16 include perforated or notched
metal strips, springy metal cross strips secured together by
stitching, sheet plastic strips, and other materials having
the desired characteristics.
Glazing strip 15 is preferably formed in a crosshead
extrusion process in which elastomeric covering 17 is extruded
over reinforcing member 16, and glazing strips 15 are preferably
made in indefinite lengths and later cut to fit a particular
frame. Many rubber and rubber-like materials are suitable for
elastomeric covering 17, and glazing strips 15 can have many
cross-sectional shapes.
Glazing strip 15 includes a retainer portion 20 and
an anchorage base 21, and reinforcing member 16 extends from
retainer portion 20 down into anchorage base 21 as illustrated.
Reinforcing member 16 then provides a strong and resilient
connector between retainer portion 20 and base 21. Base 21
has hooks 22 to interlock with a receiver as explained below,
and retainer portion 20 has a surface 23 shaped to engage and
press against a window glass or panel.
When reinforcing member 16 is formed of zig-zag wire
or filament as shown in Fig. 3, the zig-zag pattern of rein-
forcing member 16 may show through elastomeric covering 17 after
the extrusion is finished, and to prevent this from appearing
in the final product, an opening 24 can be formed in retainer
portion 20 to "absorb" the pattern of reinforcing member 16
and allow glaæing strip 15 to have a smooth exterior. Any
unevenness in elastomeric material 17 will appear in opening
24 rather than at the exterior of glazing stirp 15 for an
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l~lrov~m~llt in appearance, Under some circu~stances opening
24 is not necessary or desirable,
Glazing strip 15 can be formed of two different
durometers of material 17 such as a relatively firm and rigid
base 21 and a softer and more resilient sealing portion 20.
This can give strength and security to the anchorage of glazing
strip 15 in~the frame and also allow a readily deformable and
secure elastomeric ~rip by retainer portlon 20 on a window
glass or panel. ~`
The strength and resilienoe of reinforcing member
16 determines the grip of retainer portion 20 on a window
glass or panel, and a preferred grip for the inventive glazing
system is approximately 4-6 pounds per linear lnch around the -
periphery of a window glass or panel to be held in place. Since
the gripping force is set by the strength and resilience of
reinforcing member 16, the gripping force remains relatively
constant even though elastomeric material 17 ages or deteriorates.
This provides a secure grip for a lon,~ life and a retaining
force that is not practically affected by changes in temperature
or in material characteristics as materials age.
Glazing strips 15 are made in indefinite lengths and
can be shipped in coil form to a building site where they are
cut to length to form butt joints 14 as shown in Fig. 1, or
mitre joints or other joints, preferably all of which are
sealed. The interior and exterior can be glazed with the same
strip to reduce the number of parts required, and the glazing
strips can be cut and formed with bonded joints in a completed
frame made at the factory and shipped to the building site.
; Since glazing strips 15 are flexible and resllient, a completed
glazing frame can be deformed enough to be pressed into a
structural frame at the building site.
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Various lnstallations of the glazing system are
shown in Figs. 4-9, and each lnstallation uses receivers holding
glazing strips 15 in place. Referring to Fig. 4, structural
frame 25 for a building has four receivers 26-29, each having
a channel 30 for receiving glazing strips 15. Whatever notch
or hook configuration is formed on anchorage base 21 is also
preferably formed in complement in channel 30 so that glazing
strips 15 can be pressed into a secure interlocking fit in
channel 30 as illustrated. Preferably, manual force is sufficient
to press base 21 of each glazing strip 15 fully into a tight
interlocking fit in each channel 30, and glazing strips 15
cannot be removed from channel 30 except by deliberate force
for tearing strips 15 out of channels 30 to replace a window
glass or panel.
In the embodiment of Fig. 4" receivers 26-29 differ
slightly from each other, and are all preferably formed as an
extrusion of frame member 25. Frame 25 can then be formed of
aluminum, resin, or other extrudable material, but appropriate
receivers can also be formed in other materials in frames around
a window glass. Glazing strips 15 are all identical in the
embodiment of Fig. 4 for engaging and gripping window glasses
31 and 32 with the preferred force of approximately 4-6 pounds
per linear inch.
The original installation of the glazing system is
preferably from the interior. To accomplish this, exterior
glazing strips are locked in place around the entire frame,
` and the frame opening for window glass 31 is clear from the
interior to allow glass 31 to be moved outward to seat against
the exterior glazing strips. Window glass 31 is then centered
within the frame and supported on seating or mounting blocks
33 and properly shimmed and centered. Then interior glazing
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~rlps ~re pressed lnto place around the frame to hold glass
31 securely in place. If glass 31 has ~o be replaced, exterior
glazing strlps 15 can be torn from their mounting channels 30
even though this may destroy the glazing strips. Reinforcing
members 16 give glazing strlps 15 sufficient strength so that
anchorage bases 21 can be torn out of channels 30 without
separating from gripping portions 20 if replacement of window
glass 31 is necessary, Then a replacement glass is moved into
the proper seat in the frame to rest against the interior
glazing strips and the exterior glazing strips are pressed in
place to mount the replacement glass securely in the frame.
Then problems of moving a large window glass into place from
the interior of a completed building filled with obstructing
equipment can be avoided,
The embodiment of Fig. 5 uses the previously described
glazing strips 15 to engage the interior surfaces of glass 31
and panel 34 and uses a pair of matin,g exterior glazing strips
35 and 36 which abut one another in tlhe finished assembly to
provide a thermal barrier between glass 31 and panel 34.
Receivers 37 of frame 25 are angled relative to receivers 38
to help accommodate such an arrangement, and the difference~
between the embodiments of Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate two of the
msny variations that can be used in applying the inventive
glazing system to various structures,
Fig. 6 shows a pair of glazing strips 15 locked in
the receiver~ 39 and 40 of a reglet 41 cast into a concrete
frame 42 around a double-pane window glass 43 as illustrated.
Fig. 7 shows a similar construction using a narrow reglet 44
so that glazing strips 15 can engage and support a single glass
plate 45. Reglets 41 and 44 can be made in various widths to
accommodate different thicknesses of window glass or paneling,
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~nd rcglctq c~n bc confi~urcd ln v~ious ways for ~ cast
ln~crlock witll concrete 42, Reglets 41 and 44 are preferably
extrusions:of resin or metallic material and are pre~erably
hard and rigid relative to gla~ing strips 15.
The embodiments of Figs. 8 and 9 are similar to the
embodiment of Fig. 4, but show different spacing of receivers
46 and use of stiffeners 47 and 48 preferably formed of rigid
extrusions of resin or metal, Stiffener 47 of Fig. 8 extends
between and supports a pair of receivers 46, and stiffener 48
of Fig. 9 supports a receiver 46 relative to a wall of frame
25. Fig. 9 also illustrates that changes can be made between
a thickness of glass or paneling in one comple~e assembly
without changing from the basic glazing strip 15 which can be
applied in various ways to support many different glass and
paneling constructions.
Persons wishing to practice the invention should
remember that other embodiments and variations can be adapted
to particular circums~ances. Even though one point of view
is necessarily chosen in describing and defining the invention,
this should not inhibit broader or related embodiments going
beyond the semantic orientation of this application but falling
within the spirit of the invention.
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