CARLSSON, Per (Linnehult 15, Hovmantorp, S-360 51, SE)
| CLAIMS 1. An end sealing device for sealingly closing an open end of a profile element (1), which is intended to be used as a horizontal carrying element of a balcony glazing and comprises at least one longitudinal channel (5, 7), in which rain water can accumulate, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that it consists of a body, which has the form of a rigid plate (13), which has on each of its flat sides a rubber layer (14a, 14b) vulcanized thereon, of which one layer is intended to sealingly abut an end of the profile element (1). 2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the rigid disk (13) is made of aluminum. 3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least said one rubber layer (14a, 14b) is made of EPDM rubber. 4. The device according to any of the previous claims, having through holes (15) for receiving screws (16) for the attachment of the device onto an end of the profile element (1). 5. A profile element, which is intended to be used as a horizontal carrying element in a balcony glazing and which has at least one longitudinal channel (5, 7), in which rain water can accumulate, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the profile element at at least one of its ends is fitted with an end sealing device (11) according to any one of claims 1-4. 6. The profile element according to claim 5, wherein the rigid plate ( 3) and the rubber layers (14a, 14b) vulcanized thereon have an external contour corresponding to an external cross-sectional contour of the profile element (1). 7. The profile element according to claim 5 or 6, which is made of aluminum and has screw ports (12), in which screws (16) for the attachment of the end sealing device (11) are screwed. 8. The profile element according to claim 7, wherein the screws (16) are screwed so far into the screw ports (12) that their heads are sunk into the rubber layer (14a, 14b) of the end sealing device (11) facing away from the profile element (1). |
Technical Field
The present invention relates to an end sealing device for sealingly closing an open end of a profile element, which is intended to be used as a horizontal carrying element of a balcony glazing and comprises at least one longitudinal channel, in which rain water can accumulate. The invention also relates to a profile element of this kind.
Technical Background
An example of a horizontal carrying element of the same kind is an intermediate horizontal profile element of a frame of a balcony glazing, wherein said frame in addition to said intermediate horizontal profile element also includes an upper and a lower horizontal profile element. The upper and intermediate horizontal profile elements carry in between glass panes which are slidable along the profile elements. The intermediate profile element has parallel fillets, that run along the profile element and form guides for one slidable glass pane each. These fillets delineate in between channels, in which rain water can accumulate. The intermediate profile element has transverse openings for the diversion of water from the channels to a water diverting plate, which extends along the outside of the profile element.
Rainwater accumulating in the channels between the guide fillets flows through these openings onto said plate and is therefore not kept in these channels.
The intermediate profile element is, when it is fitted to the balcony glazing, open at its both ends, each of which at assembly is placed next to and, if tolerances allow, preferably abuts an adjacent, vertical surface of a post or a wall. The more or less wide gap, which, when the profile element is mounted, is present between that surface and the end of the profile element,
is today sealed by means of a sealant, such as silicone, which in the form of a circumferential sealing bead is applied to the gap.
This is a rather time-consuming process, and it is difficult to achieve a clean and tight sealing bead.
Summary of the Invention
The object of the present invention is therefore to significantly simplify the sealing process and to achieve an aesthetically pleasing and properly functioning seal.
This object is achieved by means of an end sealing device, which is of the initially indicated kind and is characterised in that it consists of a body, which has the form of a rigid plate, which has on each of its flat sides a rubber layer vulcanized thereon, of which one layer is intended to sealingly abut an end of the profile element.
The rigid plate is preferably made of aluminium, and said one and the second rubber layer too are preferably made of EPDM rubber.
The end sealing device preferably has through holes for receiving screws for the attachment of the device onto an end of the profile element.
The above object is also achieved by means of a profile element, which is of the initially indicated kind and is characterised in that at least one of its ends is fitted with an end sealing device according to the present invention.
In this profile element, the rigid plate and the rubber layers vulcanized thereon preferably have an external contour corresponding to an external cross-sectional contour of the profile element.
The profile element is preferably made of aluminium and has screw ports, in which screws for the attachment of the end sealing device are screwed.
The screws are preferably screwed so far into the screw ports that their heads are sunk into the rubber layer of the end sealing device facing away from the profile element.
Short Description of the Drawings In the following the invention will be described in more detail with reference had to the attached drawings.
Fig. 1 partially shows a front part of a balcony glazing from the inside of a balcony.
Fig. 2 shows from above one of the profile elements according to the invention for a balcony glazing, said profile element being equipped at each end with an end sealing device according to the invention.
Fig. 3 is an end view and shows the profile element without an end sealing device from the left in figs. 1 and 2.
Fig. 4 shows one of the end sealing devices shown in figs. 1 and 2 from the left in figs. 1 and 2.
Fig. 5 shows an end sealing device along the sectional line V-V in fig.
4. Description of a Preferred Embodiment
In fig. 1 the top of the front part of a balcony glazing is shown from inside. A horizontal profile element 1 according to the invention is carried in a non shown way by brackets and is extending between two vertical wall surfaces 2a, 2b. The profile element 1 has parallel guide rails 3, which extend in the longitudinal direction of the profile element and of which at least some carry glass panes 4, which are slidable along the profile element 1.
The profile element 1 has a number of upper channels 5, which are defined between adjacent guide rails 3 and between the two outer guide rails and a corresponding outer edge list 6 of the profile element 1 and in which rain water, that for instance runs down along the glass panes 4, can accumulate. The profile element 1 also has a lower collection channel 7, which is formed by a cavity inside of the hollow profile element . The upper channels 5 are connected to the collection channel 7 by means of holes 8, which are formed in the bottom of the channels 5. Rainwater, which
accumulates in the upper channels 5, is diverted through these holes 8 to the collection channel 7, from which it then is diverted to the outside of the profile element 1 through holes 9 formed in an outer side wall 0 of the profile element. In order to prevent that water flows out at the ends of the profile element 1 and thus wets and soils the wall surfaces 2a, 2b, the profile element 1 at each end has an end sealing device 1 1 according to the invention.
As shown in fig. 3, the profile element 1 also has a number of screw ports 12, that run along the profile element 1. These screw ports 12 are used for attaching the end sealing devices 1 1 in a way described in more detail below.
The end sealing device 11 consists of a body, which has the form of a rigid plate 13. The rigid plate 13 is preferably made of aluminum but can be made from other rigid materials as well, such as stainless steel or plastic. The rigid disc 13 has on each of its flat sides a rubber layer 14a, 14b vulcanized thereon. These two layers, which consist of a first layer 14a and a second layer 14b, are in a preferred embodiment made of durable EPDM rubber.
As can be seen when comparing fig. 3 and fig. 4, the rigid plate 13 and the rubber layers 14a, 14b vulcanized thereon have an external contour corresponding to an external cross-sectional contour of the profile element 1 , which means that the end sealing device 11 almost exactly covers the external cross-sectional contour of the profile element, that is it covers the cross sections of the collection channel 7 and the channels 5 too. In that the end sealing device 11 has a rubber layer 14a, 14b on each side, identical end sealing devices 1 1 can be used for sealingly closing both ends 1a and b of the profile element 1 , even if the profile element 1 has a cross-sectional contour which, as shown in the example, is not symmetrical. If in that case, only one of the flat sides had a rubber layer vulcanized thereon and the other flat side lacked such a layer, two different end sealing devices would be required for sealing of both ends 1a and 1 b of a profile element 1.
As mentioned above, the profile element 1 carries an end sealing device 1 1 of this kind at each end 1a, 1 b. At one end 1a of the profile element 1 the first rubber layer 14a of the end sealing device 1 1 , being attached in that place, abuts the end of the profile element, while the second rubber layer 14b abuts the vertical wall surface 2a, and at the other end 1 b of the profile element 1 the second rubber layer 14b of the end sealing device 11 , being attached in that place, abuts the end of the profile element, while its first rubber layer 14 abuts the vertical wall surface 2b.
The end sealing device 1 1 has through holes 15 for screws 16, by means of which the end sealing device 1 1 is attached to the profile element 1. Each screw 16 is screwed so far into a respective one of the screw ports 12 of the profile element 1 that its head becomes recessed in the rubber layer of the end sealing device 1 facing away from the profile element 1 , such as 14b, as shown in fig. 5, or 14a.
Before the profile element 1 is mounted in the window glazing, and even before it is transported to the assembly site, it is at both ends 1a, 1b provided with an end sealing device 11 according to the invention. The profile element 1 is thereby sealingly closed at both its ends, even before the assembly takes place, and no subsequent sealing work needs to be done, even if the tolerances are wide.