Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02462411 2004-03-30
TITLE OF THE INVENTION
WINDOW AND DOOR WEATHERPROOFING ASSEMBLY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of window or door weatherproofing
or flashing
systems, and more specifically, to a weatherproofing assembly for preventing
water
io intrusion at the base of a window or door.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
is Preventing water intrusion around windows and doors has been a long-
standing goal of
the construction industry. Water penetrating into the walls of a building can
cause mold
and wood rot, resulting in serious damage to the subject property and
consequent safety
concerns for the inhabitants, both as a result of reduced structural strength
and adverse
health consequences associated with the molds.
Water ingress is a particular concern for buildings in those areas receiving
large amounts
of rain, and in particular, wind driven rain. Problems with water penetration
and the
resulting rotting has been particularly prevalent in the condo industry in
southwestern
British Columbia, with remedial costs running into the hundreds of millions of
dollars.
Numerous flashing systems have been designed in an effort to prevent water
ingress
around windows and doors. For example, U.S. Patent No. 1,677,130 teaches a
sill
flashing for draining moisture around the sill of windows. The flashing
comprises a series
of sections having corrugations for conveying moisture to an exterior
location. However,
3o this flashing requires the outside wall to be soldered or otherwise secured
to the back
wall; a costly and unreliable requirement.
i
CA 02462411 2004-03-30
Another flashing system is taught in U.S. Patent No. 6,401,402 to Williams.
The '402
patent teaches the creasing and folding of a polyethylene coated material to
form a
flashing component and serve to control water and air intrusion. This suffers
from several
deficiencies, including its susceptibility to being punctured, thereby
providing a location for
s water ingress. The material is positioned and folded by hand, so consistent
results are
not possible. It is also difficult to position the material so as to fold at a
90-degree angle at
the leading edge or front of the window opening. Any puckering of the material
can result
in the material holding water on the windowsill. Puckering at the outside
comers can also
cause a window to be held out of level.
io
U.S. Patent No. 6,401,401 teaches a multi-component flashing system for
controlling
water intrusion. An elastomeric adhesive sealant is used in conjunction with a
clay coated
polyethylene film which is folded, cut and shaped to fit the window or door
opening in
which it is to be placed. A pair of flexible termination accessories may
optionally be
is placed in opposite comers of the area to be protected. This invention
suffers from similar
deficiencies as the '402 patent. In addition, the application of elastomeric
adhesive
sealant to the polyethylene base sheet by brush in the areas where the
termination
accessories will be located is messy and time consuming.
2o U.S. Patent No. 6,385,925 teaches a window drain comprising a base having a
horizontally extending lower surface and a sloping downwardly and outwardly
upper
surface. A front flange, an upstanding rear rib and a pair of end flanges are
formed
integrally with the base. A plurality of window supports are spacedly disposed
along the
upper surtace. While this design overcomes the puckering, puncture and pooling
2s concerns associated with the '401 and '402 patents, it is subject to its
own deficiency,
namely that it is not easily adapted to different sized window openings.
It is therefore an object of an embodiment of the invention to overcome the
deficiencies
discussed above.
Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the description that
follows.
2
CA 02462411 2004-03-30
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the preferred embodiment of the invention there is provided a
s weatherproofing assembly for use with a window or door comprising an
elongated, planar
support member and a pair of corner elements. The support member has top and
bottom
surfaces, a rear rib and a front leg. The bottom surface is horizontally
oriented and
adapted to be seated in a window or door opening. The top surface has a series
of
alternating horizontal seating surfaces and angled channels. The channels
angle
io downwards from back to front. The front leg extends downward from the front
of, and
perpendicular to, the bottom surface and has a series of alternating frontal
seating
surfaces and frontal channels on its outer face. The rear rib extends upwards
from the
rear of, and substantially perpendicular to, the top surface. The corner
elements have
connected seating elements perpendicular to one another and adapted to be
seated on
is the outer most horizontal seating surfaces at each end of the support
member. A pair of
frontal legs extend downwardly and outwardly from and perpendicular to the
connected
seating elements. A pair of rearward legs extend inwardly and upwardly from
and
perpendicular to the connected seating elements.
2o In another aspect, a plurality of narrow troughs are spacedly disposed
along the bottom
surface of the support member.
Other aspects of the invention will be appreciated by reference to the
detailed description
of the preferred embodiment and to the claims that follow.
2s
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other features of the invention will become more apparent from the
following
description in which reference is made to the appended drawings and wherein:
Fig. 1 is an exploded front perspective view of the preferred embodiment of a
weatherproofing assembly according to the invention;
3
CA 02462411 2004-03-30
Fig. 2 is a front perspective view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a rear perspective view of the central support member shown in Fig.
1;
s and
Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 4-4 in Fig. 2.
o DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The preferred embodiment of a window and door flashing system or
weatherproofing
assembly 10 is illustrated in Figs. 1 through 4. The weatherproofing assembly
10 is
adapted to be positioned beneath a window or door (not shown) in order to
prevent water
is ingress into the building structure.
As shown in Fig. 1, the weatherproofing assembly 10 preferably takes the form
of a three
component system including an elongated, planar support member 12 and a pair
of
comer elements 20 and 22. The support member 12 is generally rectangular in
plan view
2o and is preferably formed of molded plastic or vinyl. Support member 12 has
a top surface
6, a bottom surtace 24, a front leg 18, a back rib 14, and opposed ends 4. It
is
contemplated that other materials would also be suitable provided they are
sufficiently
rigid and weatherproof.
2s As shown in Fig. 4, bottom surface 24 is substantially horizontal and is
adapted to be
seated in the window or door opening. Preferably, a plurality of narrow
troughs 2 are
spacedly disposed along bottom surface 24 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The
troughs 2
preferably run from front to rear and provide additional spacing between the
support
member and the surface upon which it is placed. The top surface 6 is formed of
3o aftemating horizontal seating surfaces 8 and angled channels 16 that angle
downwards
from back rib 14 towards the front of the support member 12. The horizontal
seating
surfaces 8 are parallel to the bottom surface 24.
4
CA 02462411 2004-03-30
Back rib 14 is integrally formed with, and extends substantially vertically
from, top surface
6 at the rear 36 of the support member 12. Front leg 18 is integrally formed
with, and
extends downward from the front of, and substantially perpendicular to, bottom
surtace
s 24. Front leg 18 is comprised of alternating frontal seating surfaces 15 and
frontal
channels 17 that correspond to the horizontal seating surfaces 8 and angled
channels 16.
The comer elements 20 and 22 are also preferably integrally formed of molded
plastic or
vinyl. Corner elements 20 and 22 have connected seating elements 32 and 34
io perpendicular to one another and adapted to be seated on the outer most
horizontal
seating surfaces at each end 4 of the support member 12. Frontal legs 31 and
33 extend
downwardly and outwardly from and perpendicular to connected seating elements
32 and
34 respectively at a forward edge thereof. A pair of rearward legs 35 and 37
extend
inwardly and upwardly from and perpendicular to connected seating elements 32
and 34
is respectively at a rear edge thereof.
Preferably, the comer elements themselves are identical and need simply be
rotated into
the appropriate orientation so as to be fitted on the left or right hand side
of a window or
door opening. For example, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, comer element 22 is
rotated such
2o that seating element 34 is seated on the horizontal seating element 8 at
the left end of
support member 12 and seating element 32 extends vertically to embrace a
vertical
element of the window structure (not shown). Comer element 20 is rotated such
that
seating element 32 is seated on the horizontal seating element 8 at the right
end of
support member 12 and seating element 34 extends vertically to embrace a
vertical
2s element of the window structure (again, not shown). Alternatively, should
variations to the
dimensions of the various components of the corner elements be necessary, they
may be
altered such that they are no longer identical.
Use of the weatherproofing assembly in association with a window will now be
described.
3o It will be understood that similar steps could also be used for a doorway.
To install the
weatherproofing assembly of the present invention one need simply place a
strip of 30
minute building paper across the front of the window opening on the plywood
sheathing.
CA 02462411 2004-03-30
The support member is pre-cut to ~t in the window opening and is set therein.
A bead of
elastomeric sealant is applied to the outer most horizontal seating surfaces
and on the
corresponding frontal seating surfaces at each end of the support member 12.
Corner
elements 20 and 22 are then seated on the respective horizontal and frontal
seating
s surfaces at each end of the support member 12. Building paper is then
applied around
the window opening and the window is set in place on the weatherproofing
assembly 10.
The weight of the window applies additional pressure to the comer assemblies
ensuring
that there is a solid seal between the comer elements and the support member
in the
position of the sealant.
io
Any water coming into contact with weatherproofing assembly 10 is prevented
from
infiltrating the building structure by the back rib 14 and the corner elements
20 and 22,
instead being directed by the channels to the building exterior. The
weatherproofing
assembly therefore provides an easily adjustable and solid support for a
window or door
is and prevents the ingress of water into the building.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the preferred and
alternative
embodiments have been described in some detail but that certain modifications
may be
practiced without departing from the principles of the invention.
6
