The present invention relates to a device and a method for creating a window, the frame or casement of which is freely shaped and joint-free in its longitudinal direction in one plane.

Today' s windows are constructed of a number of parts, where the bottom piece, top piece and side pieces form a frame or casement, which are glazed with a glass unit. Some of these "pieces" have a bent or other free shape, viewed in the longitudinal direction of the frame or casement in one plane for creating a round or differently shaped window viewed towards its surface of extension or front. When these "pieces" are joined water leakage and air leakage occurs in different types of weather, thus these joints must be sealed with silicone, for example. This costs time and material to carry out. The joining also involves creating sharp corners where the "pieces" meet. Dirt and moisture readily accumulate here, which is a major drawback since this gives rise to discoloration, mould and damage due to rotting. Furthermore, the bent "pieces" are very expensive to manufacture because they consist of a number of straight parts which are glued together at their ends, for example with finger joining, rough following a formation of a bend to form an imaginary semicircle, for example. After gluing, the bend formation is cut out of the straight parts glued together, which are then milled to give them smooth surfaces having a front rebate, for glassing it in with a glass unit, constituting, for example, an insulating glass or single glass. This is a very expensive production method, which is why many freely shaped windows are not manufactured individually but are mass produced in a rectangular shape.

The object of the present invention is to solve the problems associated with the above-mentioned designs by manufacturing the frame or casement as an endless, freely shaped, joint-free profile viewed in its longitudinal direction in one plane. The profile consists of a number of ribs cut or sawn out of a board material and joined together on each other's flat surfaces to create the casement or frame, having a rebate for inserting a glass unit to fit the free shape of the frame or casement.

Thanks to the invention a simple, low cost device and a method have been created for constructing a window, the frame or casement of which is joint- free in its longitudinal direction in one plane parallel with the extension of the window, and which has a desired shape which is more or less bent or straight. According to the invention the frame or casement is constructed of a number of flat parts cut or sawn out of a board material, e.g. wood fibre boards across the flat surface of extension of the board material, which parts are laid and joined together on each other' s flat surfaces of extension, such as ribs, which build up the profile of the frame or casement, which are then machined and surface treated. The frame or casement does not have in this case any joints transverse to their longitudinal direction. Instead it is endless in its extension in the longitudinal direction so that a window is formed around a glass unit. The glass unit consists, for example, of an insulating glass or a single glass or other board material, which is inserted in a rebate enclosing the edge area of the glass unit, the shape of which matches the shape of the frame or casement. The finished window then has any desired shape, viewed towards its window surface, e.g. round, semicircular or oval. The board materials sawn or cut out, which face the "outdoors", are exposed to all weather conditions and must be waterproof and therefore are made of a water-repellent board material constituting a wood fibreboard of WRF (Water Resistance Fibreboard). The other board materials sawn or cut out are made of MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard).

The most significant advantages of the invention will therefore be that a frame or casement, which does not have joints in its longitudinal direction and therefore is completely weatherproof can be created cheaply and easily. Furthermore, the frame or casement can be cheaply produced in the desired shape, viewed in its longitudinal direction without this costing more regardless of the shape chosen. The invention is described in greater detail below with reference to some preferred exemplary embodiments, where

Fig. 1 shows a view towards the window surface of a window, viewed from the outside of the house, having a freely shaped profile in its longitudinal direction,

Fig. 2 shows a vertical section through a frame or a casement, and

Fig. 3 shows a vertical section through a frame or casement transverse to its longitudinal direction, having a panel constituting a part of a wall.

Fig. 1 shows a window with a freely shaped frame or casement 1 , in its longitudinal direction, with straight and bent profiles 2, which meet in joint- free corners 17 in their longitudinal direction, said profiles have a small radius 18 of approx. 2 mm, thus ensuring that the corners 17 are easy to clean. The frame or casement 1 encloses a glass unit 5.

Figs. 1 -2 show a window, the frame or casement 1 of which is constructed of a number of flat board materials 3, which are cut or sawn out in a direction transverse to the flat surface of extension 7 of the board material 3, laid and joined together on each other' s flat surfaces of extension 7, such as ribs, for constructing the profile 2 of the frame or casement 1 , said profile, in its longitudinal direction extends infinitely and without joints around a flat glass unit 5, constituting an insulating glass, which is mounted in a rebate 4, the shape of which matches that of the frame or casement 1 , viewed towards surface of extension 7. The cut out or sawn out board materials 3 have the same outer frame or casement dimensions 21 , one of the board materials 3 nearest the "outdoors" being wider than the other board materials 3 for creating the rebate 4, having a predetermined rebate height 6, and for creating daylight dimensions 23 and light admission of the frame or casement 1. The edge area of glass unit 5 is glazed to rebate 4, against one of the flat surfaces of extension 19 of glass unit 5, by means of a glazing bead 12 arranged on the other flat surface of extension 20 of the glass unit 5, in order to be fixed into position in the rebate 4. The top part of the rebate 4 and its rebate bottom 29, as well as the lateral surfaces and bottom of profile 2, comprise the edge areas 28 of the cut or sawn out board materials 3, said areas 28 are remachined and surface treated before the glass unit 5 is glassed in. The rebate bottom 29 is an inclined rebate bottom 30, the purpose of which is to create a downward gradient towards the outside to drain moisture. The inclined rebate bottom 30 is created by the edge areas 28 forming a step formation in a downward direction at the time of joining, said formation is then remachined, e.g. grounded or milled, forming the flat inclined rebate bottom 30.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the sawn or cut out board materials 3 consist of MDF and WRF wood fibreboards, the inner board nearest the "outdoors" being made of MDF boards 25, which are sawn or cut out, for example, individually, having the same shape, viewed towards the flat surface of extension 7 in a CNC-controlled machine by means of sawing, milling or wet cutting. The board materials 3, when joined together, have different thicknesses of 22 mm or 16 mm, the same outer frame or casement dimensions 21 and a frame rebate dimension 22. The thickness 16 of the frame or casement 1 is approx. 3-8 cm, i.e. the sum of the thicknesses of the board materials when joined together. Nearest the outside, towards the "outdoors", the sawn or cut out board material 3 is made of a piece of WRF board 26 having the same outer frame dimensions 21 as MDF boards 25, but with a width 15, which is approx. 20 mm higher or wider than the sawn or cut out MDF boards 25, to create the rebate height 6. The sawn or cut out board materials 3 are glued together under pressure exerted on the surfaces of extension with a force from weights placed on frame or casement 1 , which are then laid flat on a table. The pressure may also be generated by a vacuum produced in a vacuum tank, the surfaces of extension 7 being pressed against each other. The pressure may also be generated with vices, which press together the surfaces of extension 7. The glue has set or dried before the frame or casement 1 has been remachined and surface treated with finish grinding and painting of its edge areas 28. The glass unit 5 is fixed into position with the glazing bead 12 and glassed in with glazing wedges 27 arranged around the edge area of the glass unit 5, which has been joined with jointing tape 31 against the rebate 4 and the glazing bead 12, which is essentially as high as the rebate height 6 and approx. 10-20 mm wide, viewed in its cross-section, and which is freely shaped in its longitudinal direction, sawn or cut from a board material 3 to match the shape of the frame or casement 1 in the glass unit 5, viewed in its longitudinal direction, and which is fixed into position in the rebate 4 against the rebate bottom 29 with screws or nails on the inside of the frame or casement 1.

As shown in Fig. 3, the outermost board material 3 nearest the "outdoors" in the form of a panel 10, has its flat surface of extension 7, which extends outside and away from the glass unit 5, having a length and a height 9, which also constitutes a part of the rebate height 6. The length and the height 9 are large enough to constitute said panel 10, which has a rectangular or other shape of extension around the glass unit 5, which is visible through a hole or recess 24 in the outermost board material, which constitutes part of a wall 1 1. The panel 10 then forms a part of the outside 14 of wall 1 1 , which, behind the wall towards the "outdoors", is thermally insulated with a heat insulating material 13, e.g. faced fibreglass board or mineral wool, essentially corresponding to the thickness 16 of frame or casement 1. The heat insulating material 13 is covered with an inner board material 8, arranged parallel with the panel 10 and nearest the "indoors", said panel is cut or sawn out to create an opening for the glass unit 5. The inner board material 8 does not form part of the frame or casement 1 but is fastened in it.