AU2004100753A4 - Method of level fixing a window or door frame assembly - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT Applicant(s): CRANE ENFIELD METALS PTY LTD A.C.N. 008 408 151 Invention Title: METHOD OF LEVEL FIXING A WINDOW OR DOOR FRAME

ASSEMBLY

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 2 METHOD OF LEVEL FIXING A WINDOW OR DOOR FRAME ASSEMBLY This innovation relates to a method of level fixing of a window or door frame assembly into a window or door frame cavity in a building.

Hitherto, in the extruded aluminium window and door frame arts it has been common to produce a window opening and to fit an assembled window or door frame into the opening. The window or door frames are quite heavy and are often difficult to manoeuvre into the correct level fixing positions in the window opening. Usually, in order to assure level fixing horizontal leveling it is necessary to adjust the sill area of the opening by placing chocks under the window or door frame assembly.

This of course means that the window or door frame assembly itself must be placed within the opening for this purpose. Once chocks are placed under the sill region of the window or door frame, the sill area which may be concrete may be leveled with an appropriate filler medium.

Alternatively, the chocks themselves may be positively fixed in place by some adhesive medium or by means of fastening screws or bolts or the like that pass through the sill of the window or door frame assembly.

Because the window or door frame assembly itself is quite heavy, the physical adjustment to the level condition is awkward and extremely time consuming.

There is a need for an improved method of level fixing a window or door frame assembly in a window or door opening to ensure level fixing.

Therefore in accordance with the first broad aspect of the innovation there is provided a method of level H,\Priyanka\Keep\speci\DOOR FRAME ASSEMBLY GM49785.doc 7/09/04 3 fixing a window or door frame assembly into a window or door frame opening in a building comprising: levelling a sub sill with respect to a bottom of the opening, fixing the sub sill to the bottom of the opening so it is fixed in the levelled condition and in a required for to aft relationship with the opening, moving a window or door frame assembly into the opening and locating and resting a sill of the assembly on said sub sill, swinging the assembly in the opening in a required upright for to aft relationship using the sub sill as a swinging locator, and subsequently fixing the upright sides and/or head relative to the opening with the assembly located on said sub sill.

Preferably said sub sill has at least one upstanding flange and said sill has at least one flange opening on the undersurface, and locating said flange in said flange opening to locate said sill on said sub sill.

Preferably, said sill has a step profile on the undersurface, and wherein said sub sill has a profile for fitting within the step of the sill to occupy substantially the bulk of a void space of the step, and wherein the locating of the sill with the sub sill involves occupying substantially the bulk of the void space with the sub sill.

Preferably, said at least one upstanding flange is tapered in profile so that it has a narrower width at its free end then at an end that connects with a body of the sub sill; and initially locating said free end into said flange opening and allowing the tapered profile to guide the upstanding flange into the flange opening.

H \Priyanka\Keep\speci\DOOR FRAME ASSEMBLY GM49785.doc 7/09/04 4 In order that the innovation can be more clearly ascertained an example of the innovation will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is an isometric view of a wall in a building having a door opening therein with a door frame fitted therein; Figure 2 is a transverse cross sectional view of a prior art sill region of a door frame; Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 2 showing one example of the present innovation; Figure 4 is a view similar to that of Figure 3 showing the example in an installed position; Figure 5 is an isometric view showing levelling of a sub sill in the example; Figure 6 is a diagrammatic isometric view showing installation of a window assembly onto a leveled sub sill and; Figure 7 is a front elevational view showing plumbing of the side jambs and head of the window installation.

It should be realised that whilst the example is described in relation to a door frame assembly it should be realised that this is only one example. Other examples may be window frame assemblies or other similar type assemblies that have an outer peripheral frame that needs to be fitted in an appropriate opening in a building wall.

Referring first to Figure i, there is shown a building wall 1 with a floor 3 and a door opening 5. The H\Priyanka\Keep\speci\DOOR FRAME ASSEMBLY GM49785.doc 7/09/04 5 building wall 1 may be an internal wall or an external wall. The floor 3 has a sill area 7 at the bottom of the door opening 5. A door frame assembly 9 is then fitted in the door opening 5 above the sill area 7. The door frame assembly 9 has a sill 11, two upright jambs 13, and a head The door frame assembly 9 is pre-manufactured as an assembled unit and the assembled unit is fitted assembled into the door opening 5. Thus, in order to ensure level fixing of the assembly 9 in the opening 5 it is necessary to manipulate the whole of the assembly into the opening and to then attempt to raise one end of the sill 11 to provide a level fixing. The weight of the assembly 9 is usually quite heavy and the physical manipulation of the door frame assembly 9 into the opening 5 and the subsequent manipulation to the level condition of the sill 11 is difficult and time consuming, particularly for a single installation person.

Figure 2 shows a transverse cross sectional profile of one sill 11 of a door frame assembly 9. In this case, the sill 11 is extruded aluminium section and has a sloping outermost sill region 17, a track cavity 19 in which a sliding carriage can move to carry the door frame (or a window frame), and a tread section 21. The particular sill 11 has a stepped region 23 on the undersurface region of the tread 21. The step region 23 enables the sill 11 to be fitted into a building that has a reveal surrounding the perimeter of the opening 5. In this case, the height of the step region 23 corresponds with the thickness of the reveal in a vertical direction.

Thus, the uppermost horizontal surface of the step region 23 rests on the upper surface of the reveal. The lowermost surface 25 of the sill 11 rests on a floor surface external of the building. Thus, the sill 11 can be used for installations where there is a reveal provided in the door opening. For situations where there is no reveal provided in the opening, it is necessary to install H,\Priyanka\Keep\speci\DOOR FRAME ASSEMBLY GM49785.doc 7/09/04 6 a sub sill 27 to occupy substantially the bulk of the void space created by the step profile of the step region 23.

In this case, the sub sill 27 is of extruded aluminium and has two upstanding prongs 29. The prongs 29 are arranged to engage within a slot 31 on the undersurface of the step region 23 and with a rib 33 forming part of the tread 21 region. The sub sill therefore can be either snap lock engaged relative to the sill 11 so as to occupy the bulk of the void space of the step region 23, or alternatively the prongs 29 can be slid into engagement with the respective slot 31 and rib 33. Thus, by fitting the sub sill 27 to the sill 11 it is possible to make a unitary door frame assembly to fit to either an installation that uses a reveal, or to an installation that does not have a reveal at the sill region. Generally, the snap lock engagement of the prongs 29 with the slot 31 or rib 33 requires substantial force to permit snap lock engagement.

Accordingly, it has always been provided that the sub sill 27 be fitted to the sill 11 to form a unitary window assembly prior to fitting the window assembly into the window opening In the example of the innovation, a sub sill 27 is provided for the sill 11 as shown in Figures 3 and 4. In this case, the sub sill 27 is used for locating and for permitting resting of the door frame assembly with respect to the sub sill 27. Figure 3 shows an exploded arrangement of the sub sill 27 and the sill 11, and Figure 4 shows an arrangement where the sill 11 is located with respect to the sub sill 27 and so that the assembly rests on the sub sill 27.

Referring now to Figure 5, it can be seen how the sub sill 27 can be leveled independently of the door frame assembly 9. Here, the sill region 7 of the floor 3 may not be horizontally level. In this case, the sub sill 27 is placed over the sill area 7 and packer chocks 35 placed Hi\Priyanka\Keep\speci\DOOR FRAME ASSEMBLY GM49785.doc 7/09/04 7 between the undersurface of the sub sill 27 and the upper surface of the sill area 7. Typically, the chocks 35 are placed at positions of fixing of the sub sill 27 to the floor 3. In the examples shown, the sub sill 27 is fixed to the floor 3 by means of masonry fasteners 37. The masonry fasteners 37 may be modified to suit the material of the floor and/or the installation. Thus, in some installations, fasteners in the form of screw fasteners may be utilised. Any desirable fastener may be utilised provided they positively fix and hold the sub sill relative to the floor 3. Glue may also be used as a fastener. Because the chocks 35 have adjusted the level of the sub sill 27 to a horizontal level, the sub sill 27 will itself be level and horizontal. The sub sill 27 is correctly oriented relative to the wall in the for to aft orientation relative to the opening 5. Because the sub sill 7 is extremely light in weight, much less than the weight of the whole assembly of the door assembly 9, the sub sill 27 can be manipulated quite easily by a single installation person to a level horizontal disposition with appropriate chocks Figure 6 shows how the door assembly 9 is fitted in the door opening 5. Here, the sub sill 27 has been leveled horizontally and fixed in place in the door opening 5. The door assembly 9 is then manipulated so that it is moved into the door opening 5 and located on top of the sub sill 27 so that it rests with the sill 11 of the assembly resting on the sub sill 27. The door assembly 9 is then swung in the cavity 5 in a required for to aft relationship using the sub sill 27 as a swinging locator. The door assembly 9 is then swung to an upright position. Figure 7 shows how the jambs 13 and the head are leveled. In this case, diagonals A and B are arranged to be equal which ensures that the door frame assembly 9 is square within the door opening 5. Appropriate packers 39 may be utilised to appropriately space the assembly 9 H.\Priyanka\Keep\speci\DOOR FRAME ASSEMBLY GM49785.doc 7/09/04 8 in the opening 5. Once the door frame 9 is in the correct position and spaced with packers 39 it can be fixed in the door opening 5 by appropriate fasteners that pass through either the head 15 and/or the side jambs 13. This, in turn, fixes the upright side jambs and/or the head relative to the cavity 5 resulting in the assembly 9 being located on the sub sill 27.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 4 again, it can be seen that the sub sill 27 has at least one upstanding flange 41. In this example it has two upstanding flanges 41. It can also be seen that the sill has at least one flange opening 43 on the undersurface thereof. In this case, the flange opening 43 corresponds with the slot 31 referred to in Figure 2. Thus, when the sill 11 is placed over the sub sill 27, the upstanding flange 41 locates in the flange opening 43 which, in turn, locates the sill 11 on the sub sill 27. It also locates the assembly 9 in the correct position within the opening 5 fore and aft at the sill level. In the example shown the other upstanding flange 41 locates with the rib 33 of the sill 11. Thus, the two upstanding flanges 41 act to positively locate and hold the sill 11 in a correct and desired position within the door opening 5. It can also be seen that sub sill 27 occupies substantially the bulk of the void space under the step region 23.

Figures 3 and 4 show that the at least one upstanding flange 41 has a tapered profile so that it has a narrower width at its free end 45 than at an end that connects with the body 47. Accordingly, this assists in the initial location of the free ends 45 relative to the flange opening 43 or the rib 33, and allows the tapered profile to guide the upstanding flanges 41 to the final assembled condition as shown by Figure 4.

H,\Priyanka\Keep\speci\DOOR FRAME ASSEMBLY GM49785.doc 7/09/04 9 In order to inhibit against rattling of the sill 11 relative to the sub sill 27, the engaging surfaces of the flanges 41 with the flange openings 43 and the rib 33 may be coated with a sealant material such as a silicon sealant. This, in turn, will form a gasket for partial weather proofing and will also minimise the rattling. The weight of the assembly 9 will hold the assembly 9 fixed and located relative to the sub sill 27. If desired however, the sill 11 may be fixed relative to the sub sill 27 by means of one or more screws 49. In this instance, holes 51 can be drilled or pre provided into the tread region 21 of the sill 11. Pilot holes 53 may then be drilled into the lowermost region of the step region 23 of the sill 11 and into a horizontally extending support flange 55 formed integrally with the sub sill 27. Thus, a screw can be passed through the hole 51 and into the pilot hole 53 and be screw tightened. This, in turn, will hold the sill 11 fixed positively to the sub sill 27. A sealing cap 57 can then be used to close the hole 51. A plurality of such screws 49 may be provided along the length of the sill 11 through appropriate holes 51 and pilot holes 53.

As can be appreciated, the innovation in the example above overcomes one of the difficult problems of the prior art of attempting to level the assembly 9, as a whole, within the opening 5. This difficulty is created by the weight of the frame assembly 9 and the need to accurately move up and down the sill 11 to provide for a level horizontal fixing of the assembly as a whole.

It should also be appreciated that because the sill 11 can be moved into the resting location with the sub sill 27, it does not cause any problems that may otherwise be caused if one were attempting to fit the sub sill as shown in Figure 2 because in the prior example of Figure 2 the sub sill 27 needed to be positively snap lock engaged Hc\Priyanka\Keep\speci\DOOR FRAME ASSEMBLY GM49785.doc 7/09/04 10 with the sill 11 and the forces required to do this particularly on a long width window or door frame are excessive. Further, in one example of prior art, it had been common to slide fit the sub sill 27 shown in Figure 2 to the sill 11 and this was not possible if the prior art sub sill 27 of Figure 2 was pre-fitted within the opening Thus, the innovation overcomes inherent difficulties with prior art installation of window and door frames in window or door openings.

Modifications may be made to the innovation as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art of aluminium extrusions and/or aluminium door/window installations.

In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the innovation, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the innovation.

It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.

These and other modifications may be made without departing from the ambit of the innovation, the nature of which should be determined from the foregoing description.

H:\Priyanka\Keep\speci\DOOR FRAME ASSEMBLY GM49785.doc 7/09/04

Claims (3)

1. 2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sub sill has at least one upstanding flange and said sill has at least one flange opening on the undersurface, and locating said flange in said opening to locate said sill on said sub sill.
2. 3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said sill has a step profile on the undersurface, and wherein said sub sill has a profile for fitting within the step of the sill to occupy substantially the bulk of a void space of the step, and wherein the locating of the sill with the sub sill involves occupying substantially the bulk of the void space with the sub sill.
3. 4. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein said at least one upstanding flange is tapered in profile so that it has a narrower width at its free end then at an end that H.\Priyanka\Keep\speci\DOOR FRAME ASSEMBLY GM49785.doc 7/09/04 I 12 connects with a body of the sub sill; and initially locating said free end into said flange opening and allowing the tapered profile to guide the upstanding flange into the flange opening. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, and substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this 7 day of September 2004 CRANE ENFIELD METALS PTY LTD By their Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK Fellows Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia H:\Priyanka\Keep\speci\DOOR FRAME ASSEMBLY GM49785.doc 7/09/04