A kit for the assembly and removal of the mobile wings of door and window frames

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a kit for the assembly and removal of the mobile wings or sashes of door and window frames. It is a kit designed to help an operator during assembly and removal of the sashes of door and window frames (internal and external) during which the sash must be held in a raised position with its female hinges detached from the male hinges integral with the jamb, but aligned with them.

In particular the most advantageous application of the present invention is in the case of sashes of doors and French windows, which may have significant dimensions and weight.

Background Art

At present, such assembly and removal operations are only performed manually. Therefore, at least for assembly, it is always advisable that two operators should simultaneously be present. A single operator is not able to align the various half hinges (whether there are two, three or four) and at the same time keep the sash raised at the correct height. The presence of two operators is also advantageous during sash removal, since on one hand it may .be heavy and large, and on the other hand there may be high levels of friction between the male and female parts of the hinges, due to the piston vacuum effect of the male half hinges fixed to the jamb. Assembly and removal of the sashes without mechanical help, therefore has the significant disadvantage on one hand of requiring relatively lengthy working periods, and on the other hand requiring a considerable number of operators.

Disclosure of the Invention

In this situation the technical need which forms the basis of the present invention is to provide a kit for the assembly and removal of the mobile sashes of door and window frames.

In particular, the technical need of the present invention is to provide a kit for the assembly and removal of the mobile sashes of door and window frames which allows the sash to be raised and lowered easily and rapidly even by a single operator. Another technical need of the present invention is to provide a kit for the assembly and removal of the mobile sashes of door and window frames which allows easy alignment of each half hinge on the sash with that present on the jamb.

The technical need specified and the aims indicated are substantially achieved by a kit for the assembly and removal of the mobile sashes of door and window frames as described in the claims herein.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Further features and the advantages of the present invention are more apparent in the detailed description of a preferred, non- limiting embodiment of a kit for the assembly and removal of the mobile sashes of door and window frames illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a lifting element which is part of the kit in accordance with the present invention in a first operating position;

Figure 2 is a side view of the lifting element illustrated in Figure 1 in a second operating position;

Figure 3 is a top view of the lifting element illustrated in Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is a schematic rear view of the profile of an extended element of the lifting element illustrated in Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 5 is a rear view of a guide element which is also part of the kit in accordance with the present invention; Figure 6 is a front view of the guide element illustrated in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a view of the guide element illustrated in

Figure 5 showing the hidden and inner parts with dashed lines;

Figure 8 is a side view of the guide element illustrated in Figure 5 showing the hidden parts with dashed lines;

Figure 9 is a top view of the guide element illustrated in Figure 5;

Figure 10 is a side view, partly in cross-section, of the guide element illustrated in Figure 5 during a step for assembly of a sash; and

Figure 11 is a view of the guide element illustrated in Figure 10 when assembly is complete.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments of the Invention According to the present invention, depending on its intended purpose, the kit disclosed comprises a lifting element 1 for the mobile sash 2 and/or a guide element 3 for the half hinges integral with the mobile sash 2.

The lifting element 1, illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, comprises an extended element 4 and a pivot element 5 mounted under the extended element 4. The extended element 4 has a first end 6 which can be inserted under an assembled sash 2 of a door or window frame and a second end 7 which can be activated by an operator.

Moreover, the lifting element 1 can rotate about the supporting point 8 of the pivot element 5 on a supporting surface 9. The rotation may extend between a first position in which the first end 6 is close to the supporting surface 9 (in particular, it is resting on it) and the second end 7 is distanced from the supporting surface 9 (Figure 1), and a second position in which, in contrast, the second end 7 is close to the supporting surface 9 (in particular it is resting on it) and the first end 6 is distanced from the supporting surface 9 (Figure 2) .

When it is in the first position (Figure 1) , the first end 6 of the lifting element 1 may therefore be inserted under a sash 2 of a door or window frame to be removed. Thus, by acting on the second end 7, the lifting element 1 can be rotated into the second position, the first end 6 lifting the sash 2 to be removed.

Similarly, to reposition the sash 2 the force applied to the

second end 7 can simply be reduced and the lifting element 1 allowed to return to the first position (thanks to the weight of the sash 2) .

As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the pivot element 5 is preferably fixed to the extended element 4 in a position closer to the first end 6 than to the second end 7. In this way, the sash 2 is lifted by applying less force.

In the embodiment illustrated, at its first end 6, the extended element 4 has an upper surface 10 which extends mainly in such a way that it is flat, which can therefore easily be inserted under the sash 2 to be lifted.

The extended element 4 preferably has at least one elevated profile 11 which extends from a zone close to the first end 6 towards the second end 7. Said profile 11 has two functions. On one hand, as described in more detail below, it guarantees the position of an operator's foot, and on the other hand it prevents accidental sliding of the sash 2 raised towards the second end 7 of the extended element 4.

In some embodiments (not illustrated) , there is also a cover made of non-slip material (such as rubber) applied on the first end 6 on which the sash -2 lifted rests.

The second end 7 of the extended element 4 has an upper face

12 shaped to receive an operator's foot. Moreover, advantageously, at least close to the second end 7, there are means 13 for securing the operator's foot.

In the accompanying drawings, the securing means 13 comprise two side tabs 14 extending upwards from the upper face 12 and formed by the above-mentioned elevated profile 11. In particular, to guarantee that the foot is secured in an improved way, the two tabs 14 are angled towards the inner zone of the extended element 4 (Figures 3 and 4) .

In other embodiments (not illustrated) , the securing means

13 can also take on different forms, for example they may consist of a semi-circular band whose ends are fixed on the extended element 4.

Advantageously, at least at the upper face 12 of the second end 7, the extended element 4 may have non-slip means (not

illustrated) such as another rubber cover.

In the accompanying drawings the pivot element 5 consists of a transversal bar applied underneath the extended element 4.

In some embodiments, not illustrated, the lower side 15 of the extended element 4 has non-scratch covering means, suitable for preventing the extended element 4, during use, from scratching any delicate flooring on which it is used. In general, the non- scratch means consist of a layer of a special coating material (such as a piece of carpet) applied under the extended element 4 at least at the points where said element may rest on the ground (the two ends 6, 7 in the accompanying drawings) .

In the embodiment illustrated the extended element 4 has a plurality of longitudinal stiffening ribs 16, obtained with suitable deformations of the extended element 4 (Figure 4) . In the embodiment illustrated, the extended element 4 consists of a single piece of material, preferably a single bent sheet of metal. In particular, at the first end 6 the two side tabs 14 are completely squashed on the inner part of the extended element 4 in such a way as to form a mainly flat surface with it (see the side views in Figures 1 and 2) .

Again so as to improve the way in which the user' s foot is secured, the extended element 4 illustrated in the accompanying drawings has a transversal width which decreases from the second end 7 to the first end 6 (Figure 3) . The guide elements 3 can be applied to a first half hinge 17 integral with the jamb of the door or window frame and are designed to guide the connection between the first half hinge 17 (male or female) and a corresponding second half hinge 18 (female or male) integral with the mobile sash 2, to form the complete hinge. For this purpose, each guide element 3 comprises a body 19 (lower part in Figures 4 to 8) which can be coupled to the first half hinge 17 and at least one projection 20 (upper part in Figures 4 to 8) extending upwards from the body 19 and forming a sliding path for the second half hinge 18 (Figures 10 and 11) . Inside the body 19 there is a cylindrical seat 21 for housing the first half hinge 17. In particular, in the accompanying drawings the body 19 has a through-hole 22 with an

upper cylindrical portion 23 forming the cylindrical seat 21, and a lower cylindrical portion 24 with a larger diameter. The latter forms a compartment 25 which houses a magnetic coupling element 26 which is fitted on the body 19 and which is designed to make contact with the first half hinge 17 to keep the body 19 coupled to it. Therefore, the magnetic coupling element 26 is located on the bottom of the cylindrical seat 21 in such a way that it makes contact with the lower surface of the first half hinge 17 (Figure 10) . As illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the guide element 3 has a front face 27 (Figure 6) which in practice faces the operator, and a rear face 28 (Figure 5) which in practice faces the jamb.

In the embodiment illustrated, from the body 19 there extend upwards two projections 20 separated by a vertical slot 29 which in practice allows the .passage of the pin 30 which connects the first half hinge 17 to the jamb. The two projections 20 each have an active front face 31 substantially shaped to match the shape of the first half hinge 17 (cylindrical in the accompanying drawings) . Finally, the height of the projections 20 is such that, once the guide element 3 is fitted, they are sufficiently higher than the male pin 30 attached to the first (or the second) half hinge (Figure 10) .

The guide element 3 also has a detachment portion 32 consisting of a portion of the cylindrical body 19 extending upwards at the front face 27, and designed to allow automatic detachment of the guide element 3 from the first half hinge 17 once the sash 2 has been assembled. Said detachment portion 32 is sized in such a way that it makes contact with the pin 30 connecting the second half hinge 18 to the sash 2 when the second half hinge 18 is completely coupled to the first half hinge 17 (Figure 11) . In particular, the pin 30 of the second half hinge 18 pushes the detachment portion 32, and with it the entire guide element 3, downwards, detaching the magnetic coupling element 26 from the bottom of the first half hinge 17 and keeps it detached.

Operation of the kit according to the present invention is directly derived from what is described above.

When a sash 2 must be removed, in particular that of a door or French window, the first end 6 of the extended element 4 can simply be inserted under the sash 2 and the second end 7 pressed with a foot for controlled sash 2 lifting and disengagement of the hinges.

In contrast, when a sash 2 must be assembled, one or more guide elements 3 may be fixed to one or more first half hinges in advance. Then the sash 2 is lifted (if necessary using the lifting element 1) and the second half hinges brought to rest on the active faces of the projections 20 of the guide elements 3 {Figure 10) . At that point the sash 2 can simply be allowed to descend so that the first half hinges connect with the second half hinges with a male - female connection. When assembly is complete, the connecting pin 30 of the second half hinges presses on the detachment portion 32 and causes the release of the guide element 3 which can easily be removed or collected from the floor.

Finally, it should be emphasised that the lifting element 1 may also be used in the absence of the guide elements 3. In this case, the operator must align the hinges himself in the conventional way.

Similarly, in the case of window sashes where use of the lifting element 1 may be impossible, the guide elements 3 alone may be used to facilitate assembly.

The present invention therefore brings important advantages. Firstly, thanks to the kit disclosed, the sash can be lifted and lowered easily, rapidly and in a controlled way even by a single operator. Therefore, a single operator can assemble or remove the sash by himself.

Secondly, use of the guide elements allows very simple alignment of the half hinges on the sash with those on the jamb.

It should also be noticed that the present invention is relatively easy to produce and even the cost linked to implementation of the invention is not very high.

The invention described may be subject to many modifications and variations without thereby departing from the scope of the inventive concept.

Moreover, all details of the invention may be substituted by

other technically equivalent elements and in practice all of the materials used, as well as the shapes and dimensions of the various components, may be any according to requirements.