An operating and ventilation assembly, and a window comprising a frame, a sash and such an operating and ventilation assembly The present invention relates to a ventilation and operating assembly for a sash relative to a frame of a window, comprising a closure portion having an inner side adapted to close off a ventilation aperture and an opposite outer side, a first end edge including a hinge part for connection to the sash and an opposite second end edge, a handle portion and a portion connecting the handle portion with the closure portion, the assembly defining a width direction from the first end edge to the second end edge, and a height direction from the inner side of the closure portion to the outer side of the handle portion. The invention furthermore relates to a window comprising a frame, a sash and such an operating and ventilation assembly.

Basically, windows may be provided in a number of varieties and include more or less complicated structures in order to allow ventilation of a room and to fulfil other functions such as opening of the sash.

It is known from prior art to provide a window with a ventilation assembly in order to create a desirable indoor climate in buildings, e.g. houses, where the ventilation assemblies comprise at least one ventilation position to ensure a flow of air from one side of the window to another side of the window, in this way creating the more desirable indoor climate, where the air flow in the room is optimized.

Applicant's international publications WO 94/04782 and WO 2004/063498 disclose operating and locking assemblies for use in windows with a ventilation arrangement separated from the operating means. Although these assemblies function well, there are a number of limitations as regards the conditions during manufacture, transportation and use.

In its most simple form, a ventilation and operating assembly, of the kind mentioned in the introduction, comprises a ventilation flap. The side of the ventilation flap facing a ventilation aperture in the sash functions as a clo- sure portion and is hingedly connected to the sash at the bottom edge and covers the ventilation opening in the sash, and a handle is attached to the ventilation flap to operate the ventilation flap to the ventilating and operating positions.

In Applicant's European application No. EP 0458725 A1 , a window incorporating mechanical ventilation through a box-shaped chamber forming part of the operating means is described. The mechanical ventilation is carried out by a fan which draws air from an air inlet opening in the chamber and further through an air outlet in a ventilation passage in the sash, thus provid- ing ventilation even when the sash is in its closed position.

Improvement of ventilation assemblies has experienced further development as for example disclosed in WO 2002/084043 A1 , which discloses a ventilation assembly for a ventilation window having a sash arranged to be openable with respect to a stationary window frame by pivotal movement about a pivot axis parallel to a pair of opposed sash members. In this ventilation assembly, the lock assembly comprises a casing, a locking arm, a lock mechanism arranged in the casing for enabling the locking arm to be dis- placeable, via an actuator slide displaceable in a slot in the casing, between a first end position defining an unlocked position, a second end position defin- ing a locked position and a third, intermediate position where the window is slightly open to achieve ventilation.

Further examples of prior art arrangements are found in WO 201 1 /1 13213 A1 , WO 2009/141447 A1 and Applicant's EP 2 565 355 A2.

The dimensions of the elements of such a ventilation and operating assembly, in particular the ventilation flap and handle, are chosen as a compromise between the desire to have as small dimensions as possible for manufacturing, transportation and appearance considerations on one hand, and functionality on the other. In particular the handle portion needs to allow easy and comfortable operation of the ventilation and/or opening facilities of the window.

However, due to the design of the elements present in some of the earlier assemblies, the handle bar also protrudes into the room from the planes of the frame, sash and pane, which not only poses an aesthetic challenge, but also requires particular precautions to be taken during transportation.

With this background it is an object of the present invention to im- prove a roof window of the kind mentioned in the introduction with respect to manufacture, transportation and operational facilities.

In a first aspect, this and further objects are met by the provision of a ventilation and operating assembly which is furthermore characterized in that the connection portion is connected to the closure portion at or near the sec- ond end edge and the handle portion extends downwards in the width direction from the connection portion.

Thereby, sufficient closure of the ventilation aperture in the sash may be obtained while at the same time, it is possible to achieve a relatively large distance between the connection portion and the hinge part of the cover por- tion. Thereby, a lever arm having a longer length is obtained, and thus a smaller force is needed in order to achieve the same torque or moment to operate the ventilation and operating assembly, while the operational comfort is still acceptable.

Typically, the dimensions of the closure portion in prior art assem- blies lie in the order of 50 mm wide and 50 mm high. With the invention, it is possible to substantially keep the dimensions in the width direction to provide cover of the ventilation aperture of a sufficient width. In one embodiment, the connection portion is connected to the closure portion at a distance from the second end edge not exceeding 30% of the dimension of the closure portion in the width direction. The connection portion is in one embodiment provided in a position lying in the interval ranging from 0 to 20 mm from the second end edge of the closure portion, preferably 10 to 15 mm. In a further development of this embodiment, the width lies in the interval 40 to 60 mm, preferably 45 to 55 mm. Moving the point of attack of the force exerted by the user during op- eration of the assembly to provide ventilation and/or opening upwards in this manner provides a substantial increase of the torque or moment as compared to the prior art assemblies, in which the connection portion is most often placed at the centre line of the cover portion.

While the dimension of the cover portion in the width direction is typically chosen to cover a sufficiently wide ventilation opening, it is possible to reduce the dimension of the assembly in the height direction, without com- promising the operational comfort. In a presently preferred embodiment, the dimension in the height direction of the assembly lies in the interval 25 to 45 mm, preferably 30 to 40 mm, more preferably approximately 35 mm.

In a second aspect, a window

Further presently preferred embodiments and further advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description and the dependent claims.

The invention will be described in more detail below by means of a non-limiting example of an embodiment and with reference to the schematic drawing, in which

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a window with an operating and ventilation assembly in an embodiment according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view of the window shown in Fig. 1 , on a larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a view corresponding to Fig. 2 from another angle;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view along the line IV-IV in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is another cross-sectional view, but with some parts removed; Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the operating and ventilation assembly according to the invention;

Fig. 7 is a view corresponding to Fig. 6, from another angle and on a larger scale;

Figs 8 and 9 show a detail of the operating and ventilation assembly in an embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 10 shows a partial cross-sectional side view of the ventilation and operating assembly in an embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings, in particular referring to Fig. 1 , is shown a window, which comprises a stationary frame 1 and a sash 2 carrying a pane 3. The stationary frame has, in a manner known per se, a bottom member, a top member, and two side members, which together define a frame plane, and the sash has, in a corresponding manner, a bottom member, a top member, and two side members encasing the pane 3 and defining a sash plane. The sash 2 is connected to the frame 1 by means of a set of hinges (not shown), in the embodiment shown positioned substantially at a centre axis of the window, i.e. substantially midway between the top and bottom members of the frame 1 and sash 2, respectively. Only the top member 1 a of the frame 1 and the top member 2a of the sash 2 will be referred to in detail. The window may for instance be a roof window to be built into an inclined roof surface (not shown). At the top of the window, in Fig. 1 represented by a top member 1 a of the frame 1 , an operating and ventilation assembly 10 is provided.

Referring now to Figs 2 to 7, it is shown how the operating and ventilation assembly 10 is connected to a top member 2a of the sash 2 and the top member 1 a of the frame.

In the embodiment shown, the ventilation and operating assembly 10 functions to provide both ventilation and opening/closing of the sash 2 relative to the frame 1 . It is conceivable to have the ventilation and operating assembly as providing ventilation only. In that case, a lock mechanism as described in Applicant's EP 2796656 A1 is used.

The ventilation and operating assembly 10 according to the invention comprises three main portions, namely a closure portion, a connection portion and a handle portion. Starting from the left-hand side of Fig. 5, which is the side intended to face the interior of the room of the building into which the window is installed, the handle portion 1 1 is connected to the connection portion 12 via a first transition section 13. In turn, the connection portion 12 is connected to the closure portion formed by an upper section 14 and a lower section 18 via a second transition section 16. The closure portion composed by lower section 18 and upper section 14 form a substantially plane inner side facing a ventilation aperture generally designated 50 (cf. Fig. 4). A sealing in the form of a sealing plate 31 ensures tightness of the structure when the ventilation and operating assembly is closed, as the closure portion 14, 18 seals the ventilation aperture 50. Further sealings such as gaskets may be present as well but are not described in further detail. At a first end edge 19 of the closure portion 14, 18, a hinge part for connection of the ventilation and operating assembly to the sash is provided, in that a channel 19b (cf. Fig. 7) formed by an upstanding rim 19a receives an enlarged section 20 of a sash hinge part 21 connected to the sash top member 2a. At the opposite end of the closure portion 14, 18, a second end edge 15 is provided.

As shown in Fig. 10, the ventilation and operating assembly defines a width w from the first end edge 19 to the second end edge 15, and a height h from the inner side of the closure portion 14, 18, i.e. the right-hand side in Fig. 10, to the outer side of the handle portion 1 1 , i.e. the left-hand side in Fig. 10. It is noted that directional references to "left-hand", "right-hand", "up", "down" etc. refer to the respective positions of elements in the ventilation and operating assembly as shown in the drawings only, and such directions may extend arbitrarily in the actual installed window. The width w exceeds the corresponding dimension of the ventilation aperture 50 slightly.

Referring again to Figs 4 to 7 in particular, it is shown how a lock mechanism 30 is connected to the closure portion 14, 18 and to the sash top member 2a. The lock mechanism 30 is of a type known per se and may be formed as described in the above-mentioned WO 2002/084043 A1 . Thus, the lock mechanism 30 comprises a housing 32, a locking arm 33 movable in a track in the housing and two upstanding pawls 34 cooperating with a striking plate 40 mounted on the frame top member 1 a. The housing 30 is attached to the sash top member 2a through engagement means represented by pin 22.

Returning to Fig. 10 and referring to the detailed views of the ventilation and operating assembly 10 as shown in Figs 8 and 9, it is seen how the connection portion 12 is connected to the closure portion 14, 18 at or near the second end edge 15.

By the term "at or near" is to be understood that the connection portion 12 is displaced upwards relative to the center. Measured in relation to the total width w of the closure portion, the displacement from the center may be expressed as a relative distance. For instance, the connection portion 12 is connected to the closure portion 14, 18 at a distance a from the second end edge 15 not exceeding 30% of the width w of the closure portion. In absolute numbers, the distance may be expressed as the connection portion 12 is pro- vided in a position lying in the interval ranging from 0 to 20 mm from the second end edge 15 of the closure portion, preferably 10 to 15 mm. In the embodiment shown, the connection portion 12 is connected to the closure portion 14, 18, by the second transition section 16, at approximately 1 1 mm from the second end edge 15. The width w typically lies in the interval 40 to 60 mm, preferably 45 to 55 mm, and in the embodiment shown, the width is approximately 47 mm. The relative distance a/w thus amounts to approximately 23%.

The height h of the ventilation and operating assembly will be chosen to lie in the interval 25 to 45 mm, preferably 30 to 40 mm, more preferably approximately 35 mm. In the embodiment shown, the height h is approximately 37 mm. The height h is preferably chosen such that the entire ventilation and operating assembly lies within the perimeter of the window frame 1 and does not protrude beyond the frame members. Confer in this regard in particular Fig. 10.

The shape of the ventilation and operating assembly 10 may in principle be chosen to fit the particular window, and different shapes and dimensions for various windows is conceivable, as long as the principle of displacing the connection portion upwards is adhered to.

The overall configuration of the closure portion 14, 18 and the connection portion 12 may be chosen to form a substantially L-shaped structure, the handle portion 1 1 constituting only a minute gripping means. However, in the shown and preferred embodiment, the handle portion 1 1 extends substantially in parallel with the closure portion 14, 18 to form a substantially U- shaped overall structure. At the free end edge, the handle portion 1 1 comprises a rounded edge 1 1 a in the embodiment shown to increase comfort of use.

Furthermore, it is noted that the closure portion 14, 18 at the second transition section 16 to the connecting portion 12 is provided with a flange 17 by which two longitudinally extending channels 16a and 17a are formed. One or both of these tracks may accommodate parts of the lock mechanism 30 and/or serve as reception means for attachment of the sealing plate 31 or any other parts, cf. in this regard Fig. 10, in which fastening means 24 is inserted into channel 16a.

In the embodiment shown, the closure portion 14, 18 forms an angle with the sash structure, said angle being preferably in the interval 5 to 15°, more preferably 8 to 12°.

Although the three main components of the ventilation and operating assembly according to the invention may be formed as individual elements to be connected with each other, it is preferred that the closure portion 14, 18, the connection portion 12 and the handle portion 1 1 are integral. This may be obtained by moulding or extrusion or any other suitable technique, and of any material. Preferably however, the assembly is provided as an extruded profile of a metal material such as aluminium.

During transportation, it is particularly advantageous that the handle portion 1 1 is located as close to the sash as possible in order to reduce the space needed for packaging, but also to prevent damage of the handle portion itself or of other parts. Thus dimensioning of the parts relative to each other should be chosen such that the height h is sufficiently low, while still allowing a user to introduce his or her fingers in the space between the inner side of handle portion 1 1 and the outer side of lower section 18 of the closure portion.

It should be noted that the above description of preferred embodiments serves only as an example, and that a person skilled in the art will know that numerous variations are possible without deviating from the scope of the claims.