The present invention relates to a spacer device adapted to fit between an edge of a window pane and a window sash, the spacer device comprising a flexible housing and, in a flexible state, being flexibly deformable in order to adapt a cross-sectional dimension of the spacer device to a distance between the edge of the window pane and the window sash.

US 4,837,993 discloses a glass panel mounted in a metal frame. In order to position the glass panel in relation to the frame, the glass panel rests on a strip of resilient material located in a channel of the frame. In order to fix the glass panel to the frame, an elongated wedge-shaped member is wedged in between the surface of the glass panel and a side wall of the channel.

DE 20 2007 004 802 U1 discloses a window assembly whereby a window pane is centred in a window sash by means of a resilient flange of the window sash. The glass panel is fixed to the window sash by applying an adhesive between the surface of the glass pane and the window sash.

The object of the present invention is to provide a spacer device allowing for a simpler mounting of a window pane in a window sash.

In view of this object, the spacer device, in a rigid state, is rigid in order to fix the position of the edge of the window pane in relation to the window sash, and the spacer device is adapted to, upon initialization, transform from its flexible state to its rigid state in a time delayed manner.

In this way, a window pane may conveniently be positioned correctly in a window sash by inserting the flexible spacer devices between an edge of the window pane and the window sash, whereby, subsequently, the spacer de- vices may rigify, thereby fixing the position of the window pane in the window sash.

In an embodiment, the spacer device comprises a curable material. Thereby, the spacer device may obtain its rigid state in a time delayed manner by curing of the curable material.

In an embodiment, the spacer device comprises an elastic element. Thereby, the elastic element may assist in the positioning of the window pane in the window sash by exerting elastic forces on the edges of the window pane.

In an embodiment, the elastic element is adapted to accommodate a curable material. Thereby, even a curable material having little viscosity in its un- cured state may be employed, as it may be accommodated by the elastic element.

In a structurally advantageous embodiment, the flexible housing is a tubular element adapted to be filled with a curable material.

In a structurally particularly advantageous embodiment, the flexible housing is a hollow plastic element having two parallel walls connected by means of two bendable walls. The bendable walls may provide elasticity to the spacer device.

In a structurally advantageous embodiment, each bendable wall has a substantially V-formed cross-section.

In an embodiment, the spacer device is provided with outlet openings for the curable material in the area of at least one of the bendable walls. Thereby, the curable material may exit the outlet openings and assist in fixing the window pane to the window sash by bonding these elements together. By prov- ing the outlet openings at a bendable wall, it may be avoided that the curable material comes into contact with other bonding material applied between the individual glass layers of a multilayered window pane. Contact between different bonding materials may in some cases lead to degradation of one or both bonding materials.

In an embodiment, the curable material is oxygen curing and, in the flexible state, is enclosed in the spacer device without access to oxygen, and an oxygen inlet opening is covered by a removable cover, such as an adhesive tape. Thereby, the initialization of the transformation of the spacer device from its flexible state to its rigid state may be made by removing the cover, thereby allowing the curable material to come into contact with oxygen.

In an embodiment, the curable material is silicone. Apart from being a suit- able material for rigifying the spacer device, silicone is also a suitable material for adhering and sealing a window pane to a window sash.

The present invention further relates to a window assembly comprising a window sash, a window pane and a number of spacer devices as described above. The window assembly is characterized in that at least one permanently substantially rigid spacer is provided at a bottom edge of the window pane. Thereby, the window pane may rest on the permanently substantially rigid spacer during the hgification of said spacer devices as described above, whereby the positioning of the window pane may be facilitated.

In an embodiment, the window sash is composed by side members having a substantially U-formed cross-section gripping around the edge of the window pane. Thereby, an especially rigid and theft protected window sash may be obtained, whereby the window sash may easily be assembled around the edges of the window pane after location of the spacer devices inside the substantially U-formed cross-section. In this embodiment, it is especially ad- vantageous that the spacer device may adapt to the distance between the edge of the window pane and the window sash, as the spacer device is not accessible during assembly of the sash.

The present invention further relates to a method of mounting a window pane in a window sash, whereby the window pane is located in the window sash, and at least one spacer device comprising a flexible housing is provided at either side of the window pane between an edge of the window pane and the window sash, and whereby at least some of the spacer devices flexibly de- form, thereby adapting a cross-sectional dimension of the spacer device to a distance between the edge of the window pane and the window sash. The method is characterized by that the flexibly deformed spacer devices are caused to rigify in a time delayed manner, thereby fixing the position of the edge of the window pane in relation to the window sash. Thereby, the above discussed may be obtained.

In an embodiment, the position of the window pane, during rigifying of the flexibly deformed spacer devices, is fixed in relation to the window sash by means of an adhesive sealing. Thereby, the above discussed may be ob- tained.

In an embodiment, the window sash is composed by side members having a substantially U-formed cross-section, whereby, firstly, the spacer devices are mounted inside the U-formed cross-section of the side members and the rigi- fication of the spacer devices is initialized, whereby, subsequently, the side members are assembled so that their substantially U-formed cross-section grips around the edge of the window pane, and so that some of the spacer devices flexibly deform, and whereby eventually the proper rigification of the flexibly deformed spacer devices is taking place. Thereby, the above dis- cussed may be obtained. The invention furthermore relates to a spacer device adapted to fit between an edge of a window pane and a window sash, which spacer device is characterized in that it is provided with an elastic element that may be elastically deformed when inserting the spacer device in a channel of the window sash, thereby holding the spacer device in place by pinching.

The invention will now be explained in more detail below by means of examples of embodiments with reference to the very schematic drawing, in which

Fig. 1 shows a cross-section through a window assembly comprising a spacer device according to the invention, before mounting the spacer device and the window pane in the sash of the assembly,

Fig. 2 shows a cross-section corresponding to that of Fig. 1 , after mounting the spacer device and the window pane in the sash of the assembly,

Fig. 3 and 4 show a cross-section through different embodiments of the spacer device according to the invention,

Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of a permanently substantially rigid spacer comprised by a window assembly according to the invention, and

Fig. 6 shows a top view of the permanently substantially rigid spacer of Fig. 5.

Fig. 3 shows a cross-section through a spacer device 1 according to the invention. The spacer device 1 comprises a flexible housing in the form of a longitudinal tubular plastic element 2 having two opposed parallel walls 3, 4. The first wall 3 comprises a first section 5 and a second section 6 that is thicker than the first section 5. The second wall 4 comprises a first section 7 connected to a second section 8 by means of an inclined intermediate sec- tion 9. The first wall 3 and the second wall 4 are interconnected at either end of the walls, respectively, by means of two bendable walls 10, 11 having substantially V-formed cross-section. The bendable walls 10, 11 act like spring elements in that they are compressed elastically, when the two opposed par- allel walls 3, 4 are pressed against each other. The elastic compression takes place as bend connections 12 of the bendable walls 10, 11 are bended, and as legs of the V-formed cross-section are bended. The two opposed parallel walls 3, 4 substantially maintain their parallel configuration as they are pressed against each other. The specific thickness of the second section 6 of the first wall 3 may define a maximum possible compression of the spacer device 1 and may suitably be adapted to the specific application. Furthermore, an inward protrusion on the second section 6 may be provided in order to define the maximum possible compression of the spacer device. Similarly, a separate element may be located inside the tubular plastic ele- ment 2. The tubular plastic element 2 may have any suitable length according to the window sash, door construction or the like, in which it is to be employed.

Fig. 1 shows a cross-section through a side member 16 of a window assem- bly 13 comprising a window sash 14, a window pane 15 and a spacer device 1 according to the invention, before mounting of the window pane in the window sash. The side member 16 of the window sash 14 comprises a substantially U-formed cross-section forming a channel 17 in which the window pane 15 is to be inserted so that the window sash grips around an edge 18 of the window pane. Before insertion of the window pane into the channel 17, one or more spacer devices 1 is/are mounted in the bottom of the channel 17. Subsequently, the window pane 15 may be inserted into the channel 17 in that four side members 16 are mounted around the contour of the window pane and connected to each other at the corners of the window pane. Each side member may be fitted with spacer 1 devices according to the invention. Thereby, the longitudinal tubular plastic element 2 of the spacer devices is compressed as described above, whereby the window pane may be positioned adequately in the window sash in that the spacer devices take up the gap between window pane and window sash resulting from tolerances. At this stage, the window pane may furthermore be kept in place by means of an adhesive sealing 26 adhering the outer side of the window pane to the window sash, see Figs. 1 and 2. In order to permanently fix the position of the window pane 15 in the window sash, the longitudinal tubular plastic element 2 has been filled with a curable material, such as silicone, just before mounting the window pane in the window sash. The filling may for instance take place automatically in an assembly line. During a period, such as 5 to 10 minutes or even some hours, the curable material will cure, that is, harden, whereby the window pane is securely fixed.

Fig. 4 shows an alternative embodiment, in which the longitudinal tubular plastic element 2 is closed at its ends and provided already filled with an oxygen curable material 19 enclosed in the element without access to oxygen. An oxygen inlet opening 20 is covered by a removable cover 21 in the form of adhesive tape having a peel-off tab 22 by means of which the adhesive tape may be removed. Thereby the oxygen curable material 19 is brought into contact with the oxygen in the surrounding air, thereby starting the curing process. Furthermore it may be seen that the embodiment in Fig. 4 has another, symmetrical configuration of the two opposed parallel walls 3, 4. Many other configurations of the longitudinal tubular plastic element 2 may be conceived within the scope of the invention. Furthermore, instead of an oxygen curing material, for instance a two-component curing type composition may be utilized. In this case, the two different components of the composition may be stored separated from each other in different chambers of the longitudinal tubular plastic element 2, and a connection between the two chambers may be established by the user in order to initialize the curing process. For in- stance, a wall between the two chambers may be broken by pressing the opposed parallel walls against each other. This may also happen automati- cally as the window pane is pressing on the spacer device during mounting of the window assembly. In Figs. 3 and 4, equal reference numerals have been used for corresponding elements.

In fact other embodiments than those described with reference to the figures are also conceivable. For instance, the housing of the spacer device 1 may be a partly open structure, such as a V-formed profile or for instance any profile forming a kind of lid for a curable material to be positioned in a channel 17 of a window sash. Furthermore, the housing may have the form of or comprise an elastic element in the form of a block of foam rubber, cellular rubber or the like filled with for instance an oxygen curable material. Said block may be packaged in an oxygen impermeable foil packing or the like, so that curing may be initiated when opening the package.

The spacer device according to the invention may be mounted in the channel of the window sash by means of adhesive, and the adhesive may be the same material as is used for the curable material providing for the rigification of the spacer device. For instance, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 4, the curable material may exit through the oxygen inlet opening 20 and thereby be applied to the outside of the second wall 4 of the spacer device for adhering the spacer device to the window sash. Furthermore, the spacer device 1 shown in Fig. 4 is provided with outlet openings 23 for the curable material in the bendable walls 10, 11. When the curable material exits through these outlet openings 23, it may assist in adhering the window pane to the window sash without coming into contact with any adhesive applied in between the individual layers of glass forming the window pane, see also Fig. 2. Thereby, no compatibility problems may arise between different kinds of adhesive. The outlet openings 23 may have the form of small one-way valves only allowing curable material to exit, or they may also function as at least part of the oxy- gen inlet opening. Furthermore, the spacer device may be mounted in the window sash by other means, such as by wedging, pinching of an elastic element of the spacer device, or the like. The spacer device may also be pre- mounted in the window sash or be part of the window sash.

Fig. 5 and 6 show a permanently substantially rigid spacer 24 that may be provided at the bottom edge of the window pane 15 shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Spacer devices 1 according to the invention and described above may then suitably be provided at the top and side edges of the window pane. In this way, the window pane may be positioned in the vertical position during curing of the curable material of the spacer device, as the permanently substantially rigid spacer 24 will practically not deform by the weight of the window pane. The permanently substantially rigid spacer 24 is provided with an elastic hoop-like element 25 extending from its side, so that it may be elastically deformed when inserting the permanently substantially rigid spacer 24 in the channel 17 of the window sash 14, thereby holding the permanently substan- tially rigid spacer 24 in place by pinching. The permanently substantially rigid spacer 24 is a separate invention that may be employed without the spacer device 1 according to the invention. The embodiments of the deformable spacer device 1 shown in Figs. 3 and 4 may also be provided with an elastic hoop-like element extending from its side in order to hold the spacer device 1 in place by pinching.