Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FLUSH-MOUNTED FRAMELESS VEHICLE WINDOW
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to vehicle windows and, especially to windows for motor
coaches and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventional vehicle windows which may be fixed or openable generally consists
of a window panel mounted to the vehicle to fit in and close an aperture or
window
opening in the vehicle body. The opening is defined by portions of the vehicle
body which may be structural members or body portions connected therewith.
The panel normally consists of a transparent or semi-transparent sheet of
glass or
plastic which is held in and mounted to the vehicle by way of a frame.
Window constructions of this type require the use of a large number of parts
and
the exact fitting of the panel to the outline of the opening. This increases
manufacturing costs for windows having a curved or asymmetric shape.
Furthermore, the use of a frame increases the weight of the window which is
undesirable for situations where the window is intended to be swung out to
function as an escape door and as such must be held open during an emergency.
Moreover, the appearance of vehicles having a series of framed windows
adjacent
to one another is not particularly aesthetically appealing, since adjacent
windows
are respectively separated by an intermediate window post or jamb which is
clearly visible and protrudes from the common plane of the windows.
Canadian Patent No. 1,057,796 by Niesser discloses a window sash construction
for motor coaches wherein a glazing sheet is fitted into the window opening
and is
mounted to the vehicle wall by hinges and latches that are bolted to the
glazing
sheet and spaced inwardly from edges of the sheet. In other words, the hinges
and latches are clearly visible from within the vehicle, interfere with
visibility and
reduce the field of view for each window. The seals for the window are mounted
to the edges of the opening and also intrude into the window opening which
further reduces the field of vision. Moreover, the window panel is reset in
the
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vehicle wall which is not aesthetically appealing and increases problems with
cleaning of the vehicle and wind noise.
U.S. Patent No. 4,638,598 by Gold describes a window construction for a
vehicle
including a window pane which is fitted into the window opening and recessed
from an outer surface of the vehicle body. The hinge and latch members are
affixed to the window pane within the visual field. This construction does
also not
overcome the above-described drawbacks of reduced visual field, wind noise and
cleaning problems.
U.S. Patent No. 3,534,501 by Carlsson et al., teaches a frame molding for a
vehicle window. The window includes inner and outer sheets which abut each
other along their edges and are clamped together along an edge by the molding
in
a way allowing the window panels to change dimensions and slide relative to
each
other in the molding. The issue of fitting the window into the window opening
and
the sealing of the window to the vehicle are not addressed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is now an object of the invention to provide a window construction
overcoming
the above-described drawbacks of prior art constructions.
It is a further object to provide a window construction with a window panel
overlapping on the exterior of the vehicle body, at least one of the vehicle
body
edge portions defining the window opening.
It is another object of the invention to provide a window having a window
panel
which is mounted to the vehicle body and on the exterior thereof at least
partly
covers the edges of the vehicle body which define the window opening,
especially
the window jambs. Mounting the panel to an exterior surface of the vehicle
body
facilitates installation and sealing of the window and allows placement of
draft
seals between the exterior surface of the vehicle body and the panel so that
they
do not protrude into the window opening.
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It is a further object to provide a closure system for a vehicle having at
least two
adjacent window openings separated by a vehicle body member generally
adjacent jamb of the openings, including a closure panel for each opening
wherein
adjacent panels cooperatively cover an outside surface of the vehicle body
member. With this construction, the panels provide a smooth substantially
continuous outer surface uninterrupted by window jambs or posts. This not only
provides an aesthetically pleasing appearance from the outside of the vehicle,
but
also facilitates cleaning of the vehicle. Furthermore, the airflow along the
vehicle
in the window area is substantially less turbulent which reduces wind noise,
contrary to conventional window constructions wherein the window jambs of the
vehicle body protrude above the outer surface of the window panels, thereby
protruding into the airflow and causing turbulence.
Accordingly, the invention provides a closure for a vehicle with a vehicle
body
having an interior, an exterior and an exterior surface and a window opening
defined by vehicle body edge portions forming the header, jamb and sill
portions
of the opening. The closure includes a panel for closing the opening and means
for mounting the panel flush with the exterior surface of the vehicle body,
the
panel having a first portion for substantially covering the window opening and
a
marginal portion integral with and extending outwardly from the first portion
for
covering at least one of the jamb portions.
In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a closure system for a
vehicle
with a vehicle body having an interior, an exterior and an exterior surface
and a
pair of adjacent window openings defined by vehicle body edge portions forming
the header, jambs and sill portions of the openings and being separated by an
intermediate vehicle body element. The closure system includes a closure in
accordance with the invention for each window opening, wherein the marginal
portions of the panels of the respective adjacent closures are shaped and
constructed for cooperatively and substantially completely covering an
exterior
surface of the intermediate body member.
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Preferably at least one of the closures of the vehicle is mounted to the
vehicle
body for movement between an open position permitting use of the window as an
escape hatch and a closed position wherein the panel completely closes the
opening.
The marginal portion preferably extends completely about the first portion and
overlaps at least part of the vehicle body edge portions defining the window
opening. The panel is preferably made of a transparent sheet, an opaque sheet,
a
semi-transparent sheet, or a tinted transparent sheet. Most preferably, the
panel
is made of tempered glass, laminated glass or clear plastic.
In a preferred embodiment, the invention provides a closure wherein the first
portion of the panel includes spaced apart parallel inner and outer glazing
sheets
which are maintained in the spaced apart condition by a spacer extending
around
the first portion and which are sealed to each other at the spacer to form a
thermopane unit. In that embodiment, the marginal portion is an integral part
of
the outer glazing sheet and edges of the inner glazing sheet are inwardly
spaced
from the vehicle body portions defining the window opening.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A preferred embodiment of a closure in accordance with the invention will now
be
described in detail by way of example only and with reference to the attached
drawings, wherein
FIG. 1 shows a prior art window arrangement of a motor coach;
FIG. 2 ~is a side elevational view of a motor coach including a series of
closures in
accordance with the invention;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of the closure in accordance
with
the invention;
FIG. 4 is a vertical cross section through the preferred embodiment shown in
FIG. 3;
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FIG. 5 is a cross section through the hinge region of the preferred embodiment
shown in FIG. 3 and taken along line 5-5;
FIG. 6 is a cross section through the latch region of the preferred embodiment
shown in FIG. 3 and taken along line 6-6;
FIG. 7 is cross section through the latch region of a variant of the preferred
embodiment shown in FIG. 3 and taken along the same plane as FIG. 6, wherein
the panel is fixed and cannot be opened; and
FIG. 8 is a cross section through a jamb region of the preferred embodiment
shown in FIG. 3 and taken along line 8-8.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A preferred embodiment of the closure in accordance with the invention will be
described in the following in detail as being installed in a motor coach only.
However, it will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art that the
closure of
the invention can be used with any vehicle having a window opening in the
vehicle
body and, consequently, that the present invention is not limited to windows
for
motor coaches, but extends to vehicle windows in general.
Referring first to FIGS. 1' and 2, passenger transport vehicles such as motor
coaches, generally have a series of windows 12 in each sidewall of the vehicle
body 14. In prior art window constructions for motor coaches, one of which is
illustrated in FIG. 1, the windows are separated by intermediate structural
members 16, generally referred to as posts, which form part of the vehicle
body
and include the jambs of the adjacent windows and are apparent from the
exterior
of the vehicle and protrude outwardly beyond the surface of the adjacent
window
panels'18. This is not particularly aesthetically appealing and interferes
with the
cleaning of the vehicle's exterior surface. Furthermore, the posts 18 protrude
into
the airflow around the vehicle which increases turbulence and, thus, wind
noise.
These problems are overcome with the flush-mounted closure in accordance with
the invention as is apparent from FIG.2 which illustrates a motor coach 10
with a
series of preferred closures 20 in accordance with the invention. The closures
20
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are mounted flush with an exterior surface of the vehicle rather than inside
the
window opening and adjacent closures 20 cover the exterior of the posts (not
visible) between the windows 12.
The preferred closure 20 in accordance with the invention as illustrated in
FIGS. 3
and 4 includes a panel 22, in this embodiment a glazing unit, a hinge
extrusion 24
mounted to a top edge 26 of the panel 22 and a latch mount 28 affixed to the
panel adjacent a bottom edge 30 thereof. The panel 22 has a first or central
portion 32 which essentially corresponds in size and shape to the window
opening
34 and a marginal portion 33 extending outwardly from the central portion. The
opening 34 is defined by vehicle body portions which form the header 35, jambs
36, and sill 37 of the window opening. The marginal portion 33 of the panel 22
overlaps at least one jamb 36 of the opening 34, but in this preferred
embodiment,
extends completely around the central portion 32 and covers the header 35,
jambs
36, and seal 37 of the opening 32. With this construction, the panels 22 form
a
substantially continuous, smooth window surface which is easy to clean and
substantially reduces wind resistance and turbulence.
The panel 22 is a sheet of sealed thermopane glazing, including an outer
glazing
sheet 41 extending the full length and width of the panel 22 and an offset
inner
glazing sheet 42 which extends substantially over the central portion 32 only.
The
inner glazing sheet 42 is maintained in a spaced apart parallel configuration
to the
outer glazing sheet 41 by a spacer 44. The space between the glazing sheets
41,
42 is partially evacuated and sealed by way of a sealing material applied
around
the spacer 44 in the conventional manner well-known in the art of thermopane
glazing sheets. By sizing the inner glazing sheet 42 to fit the window opening
34,
the outer glazing sheet 41 of the panel 22 can be mounted closely adjacent the
exterior surface of the vehicle body 11 to provide an improved aesthetic
appearance and a smooth outer window surface and to facilitate sealing of the
closure to the vehicle body 14. To minimize encroachment of the hinge
extrusion
24 into the field of view, the hinge extrusion is attached to the marginal
portion 33
of the panel 22 and along the top edge 26 of the panel. For the same reason,
the
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latch mount 28 is positioned in a marginal portion 33 .along the bottom edge
30 of
the panel 22 and behind the latch catch 46 (see FIG. 6) which is bolted to the
sill
37 by bolts 31 and defines the bottom edge of the field of view from the
interior of
the coach. A pair of conventional latch mechanism 48 known in the art of motor
coaches (only one shown) are connected to the latch mount 28 in a conventional
manner, in this embodiment by bolts 29. Any seals provided between the panel
22 and the vehicle body are also mounted in a manner not to encroach on the
field of vision.
As is apparent from FIGS. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, draft seals 50 are adhesively
affixed to
the inner surface of the outer glazing sheet 41 and in the marginal portion 33
adjacent the spacer 44. Furthermore, a jamb seal 52 is adhesively affixed to
the
post 18 and in a manner to be located centrally between the draft seals 50
when
the window is closed so that the seal engages the vertical edges of the outer
glazing sheets 41 and substantially closes the gap therebetween. A second set
of
draft seals (not illustrated) is preferably adhesively affixed to the exterior
surface
of the vehicle body outside the window opening and in a manner to be located
adjacent the draft seals 50 in the closed condition of the panel 22 to engage
the
marginal portion 33 of the panel 22 in the closed condition, which improves
the
overall sealing characteristics and reduces wind noise.
FIG. 7 illustrates a variant of the preferred closure construction shown in
FIG. 6,
wherein the closure is held permanently closed. This is achieved by
permanently
fixing the bottom edge 30 of the panel 22 to the sill 37 by an angled section
51.
The angled section 51 is fastened to the latch mount 28 by bolts 29 and is
welded
to the sill 37. A cover 31 is provided along the window sill 37 and in front
of the
latch mount 28 to hide this attachment structure from view.
Conversion of a fixed closure to an openable closure is easily achieved by
removing the bolts 29 and connecting the latch mount to the sill 37 as
described
above through latch catch 46 and latch mechanism 48. The latch catch 46 is
mounted to the sill laterally offset from the angled section 51 which in the
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embodiment where the window can be opened functions as a stop for the latch
mount 28. This ensures that the bottom end of the panel 22 is firmly held in
place
by the latch mechanism 48 and the angled section 51 thereby preventing rattle.
Thus, the fixed window closure illustrated in FIG. 7 can be easily converted
to an
openable window closure by simply releasing the latch mount from the angled
extrusion 51 and connecting it to the sill through latch mechanism 48.
Turning now to FIG. 5, the hinge extrusion 24 is attached to top edge 26 by
way
of an adhesive strip 55 extending over the whole length of the hinge extrusion
(see also FIG. 4). The extrusion has first and second opposite longitudinal
edges
57, 58. The first edge 57 includes a hook-shaped hinge section 59 which
pivotally
engages a complementary hooked-shaped extension 60 of the roof extrusion 56
which also includes the eaves trough portion 61 in this embodiment. The width
of
the hinge extrusion 24 is selected so that at least a portion of the adhesive
strip
55 is positioned over the spacer 44. With this construction, it is achieved
that the
panel 22 in accordance with the invention will not disintegrate and will
continue to
function as a closure for the window opening 34 even if the outer glazing
sheet 41
is broken. The continuous structure which will remain in this situation
consists of
the hinge extrusion 24, the marginal portion 33 of the outer glazing sheet 41
attached thereto, the spacer 44, and the inner glazing sheet 42. A similar
effect is
achieved at the bottom edge 30 of the panel 22 by positioning the latch mount
28
adjacent the spacer 44 and attaching it to the spacer by a bead of adhesive 66
and connecting the latch mount 28 to the marginal portion 33 of the outer
glazing
sheet 41 at the bottom edge 30 thereof. In case the outer glazing sheet 41 is
broken, the inner glazing sheet 42 will remain connected to the latch
mechanism
48 and; thus, the sill 37 through the spacer 44, the connection thereof with
the
marginal portion 33 of glazing sheet 41, which remains intact due to its
attachment
to the latch mount 28, and the adhesive connection of the spacer 44 to the
latch
mount 28 through the adhesive 66. On the other hand, if the inner glazing
sheet
42 is broken, the closure remains intact as well, since the hinge extrusion 24
and
the latch mount 28 are both connected to the outer glazing sheet 41. This
construction provides an exceptional safety feature, since the closure panel
of the
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closure in accordance with the invention will remain intact and continue to
function
as a closure for the respectively associated window opening even if one of the
glazing sheets of the thermopane is broken. ,
Although the closure of the invention in the preferred embodiment has a panel
with
a marginal portion that extends completely about the central portion, it is
readily
apparent that the marginal portion can extend only about one or both lateral
vertical edges of the panel as long as the post or jamb portions of the window
opening are covered.
The panel is preferably a sheet of thermopane glazing as described. However,
other types of panels such as transparent, opaque, semi-transparent and tinted
transparent sheets of tempered glass, laminated glass or plastic can be used
equally well.
Changes and modifications in the specifically described embodiments can be
carried out without departing from the scope of the invention which is
intended to
be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.
