METHOD AND DEVICE FOR INSTALLING A WINDOW PANE

The present invention relates to a method of manually installing a window pane in a window frame and to a manually movable window pane installer device and a system comprising such window pane installer device and a window frame provided with the window pane.

In the building industry it has been known to attach a window glass or window pane to a window frame at the construction site by placing the window pane in a channel provided in the window frame and clamp the window pane in the channel. The window frame channel may have been prefabricated, for instance in an aluminium window frame. First a resilient strip, for instance a rubber strip or spline, is manually placed in the channel. Then an edge of the window pane is arranged in the channel in abutting manner, that is the window pane is remains in contact with the rubber strip. Consequently, the rubber strip extends along one side of the edge of the window pane. At the other side of the window pane no strip is present. The width of the channel may be somewhat larger than the combined width of the glass and the rubber strip, but may as well be equal to or even smaller than the combined width. In the latter case the strip may have to be compressed to some extent to allow the strip and the window pane to be inserted in the channel.

In this condition the window glass or window pane is not yet securely fixed to the window frame. To finish the installation process the operator (i.e. the workman) will arrange a second resilient strip, for instance a second rubber strip or spline, in the channel, between the window frame and the window pane and at he opposite side of the window pane. This means that rubber strips extend on both sides of the window pane. Due to the resilient properties of both rubber strips, the glass now is clamped between the rubber strips inside the channel. The clamping force is sufficient to permanently hold the window glass in the window frame.

However, arranging the second rubber strip in the channel while the first rubber strip and the window glass are already present in the channel, is a difficult and laborious task, especially when the task is to be preformed at the construction site. The workman has to push the window glass manually against the resilient action of the first rubber strip so as to make room for the second rubber strip and simultaneously insert

the second strip into the room created. The workman continuously forcing window panes sideways and pushing strips in the channel may in the long run even risk damage to his health.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method, device and system for a workman to be able to install more easily a window pane in a window frame.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method, device and system wherein a window pane may be installed more quickly and/or more securely into the window frame. According to a first aspect of the present invention at least one of these objects is achieved in a method of manually installing a window pane in a window frame, the window frame having a channel in which an edge of the window pane and a first resilient strip are pre-arranged, the method comprising:

- manually moving an installer device comprising a housing, a front wheel and a back wheel along the channel and while moving the device:

- receiving a second resilient strip into the installer device;

- guiding the second resilient strip in the housing towards the back wheel;

- inserting the front wheel into an elongated gap between the window frame and the window pane; - having the front wheel push the window pane against the resilient action of the first resilient strip so as to widen the elongated gap;

- having the back wheel push the resilient second strip into the widened elongated gap;

- removing the wheels from the channel so that the window pane is clamped inside the window frame channel between the first and second resilient strip.

Both strips are resilient and after the front wheel has been removed from the channel (including the situation wherein the front wheel has been moved over a sufficient distance to allow the first strip to push the window pane back towards its neutral position), the window pane is held in the channel by the clamping action of both strips, i.e. the window pane gets clamped between the first strip and second strip

The workman does not need to use his fingers to push aside the window glass and to keep the window glass in this position to allow the second strip to be installed properly, and hence the strain on the hands of the workman may be reduced

considerably. Furthermore, the installment of the window pane may be performed faster. In some cases the maximum force that can be overcome by the installer device to move aside the window pane against the action of the first rubber strip, is larger than the force that can be exerted by hand on the window pane. This allows for larger clamping action of the rubber strips.

In an embodiment the edge of the front wheel is substantially convex. The convex edge of the front wheel may be pushed into the elongated gap while moving the window frame and/or window pane sideways. This allows for easy insertion of the wheel into a relatively small gap, while widening the gap when the wheel is moved further down into the channel.

In an embodiment the edge of the front wheel is substantially concave. In this embodiment the second resilient strip may be better maintained in the channel when pushing the strip into the channel and when the back wheel is rolling along the strip.

According to a second aspect of the present invention a manually movable window pane installer device for installing a window pane in a window frame is provided, the window frame having a channel in which an edge of the window pane and a resilient strip are to be inserted, the device comprising:

- a housing;

- a handle formed at the upper part of the housing, the handle being shaped so as to be gripped manually;

- a front wheel and a back wheel, both rotatably attached to the lower part of the housing;

- a passage formed in the housing, the passage having an entrance opening for receiving a second resilient strip and an exit opening, the exit opening being positioned between the front wheel and the back wheel and the passage being configured to guide the second resilient strip to the back wheel; wherein the front wheel is formed so as to be inserted into the elongated gap between the window frame and the window pane and to widen the elongated gap by pushing the window pane against the first resilient strip in de channel; and wherein the back wheel is formed so as to insert the resilient second strip into the widened elongated gap as the device is pushed manually along the channel.

In an embodiment of the present invention the entrance of the passage is formed in the front part of the housing, so that the second resilient strip may be supplied easily when the device is moved by the operator in the forward direction.

In en embodiment the edge of the front wheel is substantially convex. In an even more preferred embodiment the front wheel is keen-edged, so as to facilitate the insertion of the front wheel in the (small) gap between the window frame and the window pane.

The back wheel may have a circumferential edge that is substantially flat. In another embodiment the circumferential edge of the back wheel is substantially concave, so that the second resilient strip may be partly accommodated therein. This may keep the second resilient strip in place during the movement of the installer device. This is especially the case when the shape of the back wheel corresponds substantially to the outer shape of the second strip.

In an embodiment the back wheel is aligned with the front wheel, so that the second strip may be exactly positioned along the route covered by the front wheel of the installer device.

In an embodiment the passage in the housing of the installer device is curved to as to gradually guide the resilient second strip from the entrance at the front part of the housing to the exit at the lower part of the housing, wherein the exit is oriented so as to guide the resilient strip towards the lower portion of the back wheel. In this way the risk of the strip getting twisted or stuck in the housing is reduced.

In an embodiment the handle of the installer device extends substantially parallel with respect to the housing. This enables the operator to easily grip the device with one hand and move it along the channel in the window frame, while keeping the other hand free, for instance to provide for the supply of the second resilient strip to the passage. The installer device may be made of any suitable material, for instance plastic. According to a further aspect of the present invention a system is provided comprising at least one window frame having a channel in which are arranged at least one window pane and at least one resilient strip, as well as a window pane installer device as defined herein.

Further advantages, characteristics and details of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of several embodiments thereof. In the description reference is made to the accompanying figures, that show:

Figure 1 a side view in perspective of a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 a schematic side view of the embodiment of figure 1 ; Figure 3 a cross-section along line A-A;

Figure 4 a longitudinal section of the embodiment (without wheels) of figure 1; Figure 5 a and 5b a side view and a front view of the front wheel of the embodiment shown in figures 1-4;

Figure 6a and 6b a side view and a front view of the back wheel of the embodiment shown in figures 1-4;

Figure 7 a front view of another embodiment of the back wheel of the installer device; and

Figure 8 a view in perspective of a window frame provided with a window pane and a first strip, wherein the operation of the installer device is illustrated.

Referring to Figs. 1-4, an embodiment of a manual movable window pane installer device 1 of the subject invention is shown. Installer device 1 comprises a housing 2 having a lower portion 3, an upper portion 4, a front portion 5 and a back portion 6. The upper portion 4 is provided with a protrusion 7 on which an elongated handle 8 running substantially parallel with the remain part of the upper portion 4 is formed. The handle 8 is shaped so as to be gripped easily by the hand of a workman during use of the device, as will be explained hereafter. At the lower portion 3 of the housing 2 two wheels are provided. Front wheel 10 is rotatably positioned in a cut-out 11 in the lower part 3 of the housing 2, while a back wheel 12 is positioned in a similar cut-out 13, positioned at the back side of the lower portion 3. The front wheel 10 rotates about a bolt 15 through its centre. Similarly, the back wheel 12 is affixed by bolts 16 in the lower portion 3 and rotates in the cut-out 13 provided therein. The cut-outs 11 and 13 are sufficiently large to receive and permit easy rotation of the wheels 10, 12.

Referring to figures 1, 3 and 4, the housing 2 is provided with an inner passage 18 extending from an entrance opening 19 provided in the front portion 5 of the housing to an exit opening 20 provided in the lower portion 3 of the housing. In the embodiment shown the passage 18 is slightly curved and, as is shown in figure 1, the cross section of the passage 18 is substantially rectangular. Other shapes however are also conceivable. More specifically, the shape of the cross-section of the passage may depend on the type of a resilient strip that will be used to fix the window pane to the

window frame. When the strip has a rectangular cross-section, the cross-section of the passage 18 will be similarly rectangular, although the passage 18 will be slidely larger to be able to easily guide the rubber strip through the passage.

Figures 5 a and 5b show an embodiment of the front wheel 10 according to the invention. The edge 21 of the front wheel 10 is convex in shape and the front roller 10, or at least the radially outward keen-edged or sharp edged tip 22 thereof has a thickness sufficient to fit within a gap 40 (cf. figure 8) between the window pane 41 and window frame 42. Starting from the keen-edged tip 22 of the peripheral portion 27 of the wheel and moving towards the centre of the wheel, the thickness of the wheel gradually increases until the maximum thickness of the central region 24 is reached. This means that depending on how far the tip22 of the wheel is pushed into the gap 40 between the window glass or window pane 41 and the window frame 42, the wider the gap 40 will become until it reaches a maximum width determined by the width of the central part 24 ofthe wheel lO. Figures 6a and 6b show a side view and a front view of the back wheel 12 according to an embodiment of the invention. The back wheel has a circumferential edge 25, that is substantially flat. This flat edge 25 will be used to push the rubber strip into the gap 40 created by the front wheel 10, as will be explained later.

In figure 7 a front view of another embodiment of a back wheel according to the invention is shown. In this embodiment the circumferential edge 26 of the wheel 12' is concave, meaning that in the centre of the circumferential edge 26 the radius of the wheel is smaller than towards the sides of the wheel. The concave shape is used to keep the rubber strip a suitable position and prevents the strip to move away from the wheel. Referring to figure 8, a window frame 42 is shown wherein a first rubber strip 43 and a window pane or window glass 41 have been placed. As can be derived from the figure, the frame 42 has a channel 44 of a width that is sufficient to accommodate the both the edge 45 of the window pane 41 and the first strip 43. On the opposite side of the both channel 44 a small gap 40 is present between the edge 45 of the window pane 41 and the frame 42 itself. The gap is smaller than the width of the second rubber strip 46 that is to be inserted into the gap.

In operation, the operator (i.e. the workman) takes the installer device 1 by the handle 8 and passes the second rubber strip through the entrance opening 19, through the passage 18 and out of the exit opening 20. Next the operator places the second

rubber strip 46 between the back wheel 12 and the gap 40 between the window pane 41 and the window frame 42. The operator then places the front wheel of the installer device or, more specifically, the tip 22 of the front wheel 10, in the gap 40 between the pane 41 and the frame 42 and pushes the wheel further into the channel 44 so as to force the window pane 41 to move sideways, against the spring action of the first strip 43 present at the opposite side of the channel 44. The movement causes the gap 40 between the glass pane and the window frame to widen. When the operator has sufficiently widened the gap, he will move the installer device 1 in forward direction. The distance (D, figure 4) between the front wheel 10 and back wheel 12 is sufficiently small (typically between 5 and 10 centimetres) and the width of the created gap 40 in the neighbourhood of the front wheel 10 is sufficiently large to create at the location of the back wheel 12 a gap 40'. The width of the gap 40' at the location of the back wheel is large enough to freely accommodate the second rubber strip 46. More specifically, during the forward movement of the installer device 1, the front wheel 10 creates a gap 40' that remains wide enough the have the back wheel 12 properly push the supplied second strip 46 into the channel 44. In this way the operator can in a fast and reliable manner arrange the second strip into the channel, without needing to manually move the window pane away and shove the strip into the channel.

Due to the spring force of the first strip 43, the window pane 41 may assume a neutral position in the channel (depending of course on the shape and dimension of the first and second rubber strip), once the installer device one has been removed or has been moved sufficiently far away. Now the window pane is held in the channel 44 and is clamped therein by the action of the strips 43, 46 provided on either side of the window pane. As shown in figure 4, the passage 18 is slidely curved downward, so that the second strip 46 entering the passage 18 is gradually guided downward and leaves the lower portion 3 of the housing 2 at such an angle α (α typically between 30-60°) that the rubber strip may be smoothly guided along the back wheel 12. The shape of the passage 18 reduces the risk of the second strip 46 getting stuck in the passage and/or between the lower part of the housing and the wheel 12.

The present invention is not limited to preferred embodiments described herein but the rights sought are rather defined by the following claims, within the scope of which many modifications and changes may be envisaged.