GB2261899A

GB2261899A - Window safety net

Info

Publication number: GB2261899A
Application number: GB9125210A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter William Pitt-Brown
Original assignee: PITT BROWN PETER WILLIAM
Current assignee: PITT BROWN PETER WILLIAM
Priority date: 1991-11-27
Filing date: 1991-11-27
Publication date: 1993-06-02
Anticipated expiration: 2011-11-27
Also published as: GB2261899B; GB9125210D0

Abstract

A window assembly has a window 2 which forms a window opening 3. Supports provided by window sashes 4 and 5 project from the window opening and carry a net 6 which is spread to provide a pocket or trough 7 beneath the window opening. The net 6 includes a draw cord 9 and is anchored to a plate 13 on a window sill 12. Clips 14 removably attach the net to the window sashes. In response to a body falling in the net 6, the catches 14 dis-engage causing the net 6 to close about the body by the action of the draw cord 9. As an alternative to the net 6 being spread by the window sashes, the spread net can be supported by cantilevered arms 32 projecting from the window sill 12, (Figure 5). <IMAGE>

Description

TITLE "A window assembly" TECHNICAL FIELD & ACKGROUND ART The present invention relates to a window assembly and particularly concerns a safety facility for a window by which injury or damage resulting to or from a body falling through an upstanding opening of the window is alleviated.

There are frequent reports of bodies, particularly young children and pets, being injured or possibly killed by falling from window openings, especially in high rise buildings. For some reason, open windows are often a source of fascination and attraction to young children and a consequential cause for concern among responsible parents. In an attempt to alleviate the danger of falling through window openings it has hitherto been conventional practice to fit a grill or bars over the window opening or to restrict the extent to which a window sash or the like is openable. However, each of these proposals is often unacceptable, the former because a grill or bars tend to be unsightly and restrict natural lighting and the latter because ventilation is restricted (which is probably the principal purpose for opening a window).

It is an object of the present invention to provide a window assembly which alleviates the risk of injury or damage to bodies falling through a window opening and which alleviates the disadvantages of the prior proposals.

STATEMENT Or INVENTION & DVANTAGES According to the present invention there is provided a window assembly comprising a window having an upstanding window opening, support means extending relative to the plane of said window opening, said support means carrying a flexible sheet spread to present an upwardly directed catchment surface adjacent a bottom region of said window opening for catching a body falling through the window opening.

The sheet will generally be in the form of a net although it will be appreciated that other appropriately strong and flexible sheet-like material may be employed such as webbing. Usually the sheet will be disposed externally of a building to present its catchment surface and as such it will often be of a plastics material to provide a relatively long life in adverse weather conditions to which it may be subjected and maintain an aesthetic presentation immediately beneath a window opening (where it will usually be located when that window is open). Desirably the sheet is profiled so that when spread, its upwardly directed catchment surface forms a trough or pocket within which a body is to be caught. To facilitate the formation of such a trough or pocket the support means will usually be spaced horizontally relative to the window opening.

The support means is primarily intended to spread the sheet outwardly from the bottom of the window opening.

To alleviate installation and material costs, the support means need not be intended to carry the load of a falling body caught by the sheet means. With this latter feature in mind it is preferred that the sheet is anchored relative to a building part in which the window opening is located.

The building part may, for example, be a fixed frame of the window assembly or the fabric of a building itself.

It is also preferred that the sheet comprises a draw cord which is anchored relative to the aforementioned building part and which draw cord reacts, in response to a body falling into the sheet, to close the sheet around the body.

Such use of a draw cord is most desirable for ensuring that young children or pets may be captured within the sheet and r#etained until safely recovered - although a child may be alarmed at the experience of being captured in the flexible sheet, it should nevertheless suffer negligible, if any, physical harm. It will be appreciated that the draw cord may be of any appropriate cord-like material (including wire). Usually the draw cord will extend around the periphery of an upwardly open mouth presented by the flexible sheet when spread; the cord either being threaded through the sheet or through rings or eyes attached to the sheet.Desirably the draw cord has associated therewith means for restricting the extent to which the cord can be drawn to close the sheet about a captured body to alleviate the possibility that the drawn cord will cause injury to the body, for example by strangulation. A convenient means for restricting the closure effected by the draw cord is to run the cord through one or more lengths of flexible tubing to which the sheet may be attached. The tubing should withstand lengthwise compression to which it may be subjected as the draw cord is pulled tight in response to a body falling in the sheet.

Where the sheet is anchored relative to a building part, preferably with a draw cord as aforementioned, the sheet may be releasably secured, for example by spring clips, relative to the support means. The intention of this latter arrangement being that a body falling into and being caught by the sheet will cause the sheet to disengage from the support means so that the captured body is suspended in the sheet from the anchorage of the sheet (or its draw cord) on the building part. The aforementioned anchorage may comprise an anchor plate or bar bolted or otherwise secured to the building part (which part will usually be the building fabric or a fixed frame of the window such as the sill - either internally or externally of the window opening if the latter is an external window).

Such an anchor plate or bar may be cut to appropriate length as required for a particular window fitting.

The support means may comprise one or more cantilevered arms which project relative to the window opening and from which the sheet is carried and spread.

The support arm or arms may be removable when not in use or may be pivotally mounted to be adjustable (and preferably lockable) from their aforementioned projecting condition to a position in which they are located substantially unobtrusively relative to the window when not in use. The arm or arms may be telescopic to be extended or contracted as required. The arm or arms may also be of a relatively rigid but flexible structure (such as appropriate plastics or rubber) so that they provide adequate support to spread the sheet but, in the event of a body falling on the sheet, the arms will flex to allow the sheet to capture the body (and possibly the draw cord to operate) whilst maintaining their engagement with the sheet. It will be appreciated that where the support means comprises one or more cantilevered arms, the arms can be used with any window structure. In a window structure which comprises a sash having an open condition in which the sash projects outwardly relative to the window opening, the support means can comprise the sash. In this latter arrangement and where the sash is pivotable to a closed condition for closing the window opening, the sheet may be arranged so that during pivotal movement of the sash between its open and closed conditions, the sash automatically spreads the sheet as the window is opened or gathers in the sheet as the window is closed.

The support means (if other than part of a window structure), clips, (when provided), the sheet, draw cord and anchor plate or bar can conveniently be made available as a kit of parts appropriate for assembly with a window by do-it-yourself enthusiasts.

DRAWINGS Embodiments of window assemblies constructed in accordance with the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings in which: Figure 1 diagrammatically illustrates a first embodiment of the assembly and shows a casement window open with its sashes extended to provide support for a sheet spread to present the catchment surface; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the window assembly shown in Figure 1 and diagrammatically illustrates a child having fallen through the window opening and captured in the sheet; Figure 3 shows part of the window assembly of Figure 1 and particularly illustrates an anchor plate for anchoring a draw cord of the sheet;; Figure 4 shows a second embodiment of the window assembly in which a sash of a pivot window provides support to spread the sheet, and Figure 5 diagrammatically illustrates a third embodiment of the window assembly for a sliding window (commonly known as a sash window) in which cantilevered arms are provided for supporting and spreading the sheet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, a wall 1 of a building has a casement window 2 which provides an upstanding window opening 3 closable by a pair of sash windows 4 and 5. The sashes 4 and 5 are hinged in conventional manner to pivot about upstanding axes and open outwardly of the wall 1 as shown in Figure 1. Extending outwardly of the window 2 and located at the bottom of its opening 3 is a net 6, conveniently of plastics material, which is profiled to form a pocket 7 having an upwardly directed mouth 8. The interior of the pocket 7 presented by the net 6 provides a catchment surface. Located in the net 6 to extend substantially around the periphery of the mouth 8 is a draw cord 9. The cord 9 may extend through the mesh of the net 6 or through eyelets 10 attached to the net for the purpose of receiving the cord.

The mouth 8 of the net 6 is spread horizontally adjacent to and at the bottom of the window opening 3, between fastenings 11 on an anchor plate 13 (bolted or otherwise firmly secured to an internal sill 12 of the window 2) and outer bottom ends of the window sashes 4 and 5. The net 6 is removably secured to the bottom ends of the window sashes 4 and 5 by spring clips 14 (or other convenient means) which are adequate to support the load from the spread net 6.

The net 6 when spread and supported by the clips 14 from the anchor plate 13 should provide the mouth 8 with adequate dimensions to ensure that a body, such as a small child, falling through the window opening 3 can be expected to drop into the catchment surface or pocket presented by the net. Depending upon the weight of, for example, a child falling into the spread net, the clips 14 may pull off their respective window sashes 4 and 5 so that the body weight in the net will cause the draw cord 10 to respond and close the mouth 8 of the net about the body. The action of the net closing about the body is primarily intended to capture and secure the body until it can safely be removed - this is particularly beneficial for capturing a small child who may otherwise attempt to climb out of the net.To facilitate the required action of the draw cord 9, the fastenings 11 for that cord on the anchor plate may be arranged so that one or more of those fastenings will release the draw cord under a predetermined load to permit the mouth 8 of the net to close adequately and capture the body while other of the fastenings 11 firmly retain the draw cord secured to the anchor plate 13. For example, as shown in Figure 1, the fastenings shown at 11A (which are located towards the ends of the window sill 12) may be intended to release the draw cord in response to a predetermined load on the net 6 while the fastenings 11 located towards the centre of the sill secure the draw cord to the anchor plate and ensure that the net 6 together with a body captured thereby will remain suspended from the anchor plate.

Figure 2 shows a child 14 having fallen from the window opening 3 into the net 6 to be captured within the net and suspended on the outside of the building by the draw cord 9. In Figure 2 the mouth 8 of the net is shown drawn closely by the cord 9 about the child's body but it will be appreciated that the net 6 can, in part, be suspended from the anchor plate along with the draw cord 9 as shown by the broken line 6A. It will also be appreciated from Figure 2 that if the draw cord 9 closes the neck 8 too tightly about the child 14, the child may suffer injury from the rapid reaction of the draw cord.

To alleviate such injury, and possible strangulation of a child, the draw cord 9 and net 6 are preferably arranged so that the mouth 8 of the net is restricted in the extent to which it is closable by the draw cord. A simple arrangement for achieving this is by providing a length of flexible tubing 15 in the periphery of the mouth 8 so that the net is partly carried on the tubing. The cord 9 is fed through the tubing 15 and the latter is of sufficient length and flexibility to ensure that the mouth of the net can close about the child 14 as shown in Figure 2 but the tubing is sufficiently rigid over its lengthwise compression to restrain the mouth 8 from excessive closure.

A convenient form of anchor plate 13 is shown in Figure 3 in which the plate is of plastics or metal (in the latter case it will typically be stamped from metal sheeting) to have a base 13A from which project an array of lugs 13B. The base 13A is secured to the window sill 12 (or fabric of the building) by screws 13C. The draw cord 9 is simply wound about the lugs 13B to provide a firm anchorage for the draw cord together with the net 6 on the secured base plate 13A. This simple form of the anchorage permits the base plate 13A to be cut to a length appropriate for the window sill.

In the embodiment of Figure 4 the assembly includes a pivot window 20 of conventional kind in which a window sash 21 is mounted by pivot hinges 22 for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis in a window frame 23 so that a bottom end 24 of the window sash can be located outwardly of the window opening 3. An anchor plate 13 is attached to the wall 1 of the building fabric and to this anchor plate is secured the net 6 and draw cord 9 in a similar manner to the embodiment of Figure 1. The net 6 is spread from the wall 1 by the clips, securing rings or the like 14 which are attached to the bottom end 24 of the window sash and to the net or draw cord. If required extensions 14A can be provided between the clips 14 and the net to alleviate unnecessary inclination of the net bearing in mind the extent to which the window sash 21 is pivotted open. It will be appreciated that the net 6 and draw: cord 9 will react in a similar manner to that shown in Figure 2 in the event of a body falling through the window opening 3 and landing in the net.

The present invention is applicable to windows which open by sliding movement in the general plane of the window opening 3 and Figure 5 shows an embodiment in which the window opening is formed by a conventional vertically sliding window sash 30 (commonly known as a sash window).

Secured to the window sill 12 by mountings 31 are a pair of spaced arms 32 which are cantilevered to project outwardly of the window opening and from the wall 1. The arms 32 carry the net 6 to spread that net outwardly from the bottom of the window opening 3 and from the anchor plate 13 to which the draw cord 9 of the net is anchored as previously discussed. The net may be connected to the free ends of the arms 32 by clips which dis-engage from the arms in response to load applied from a body caught in the net as previously described. Alternatively the net may remain attached to the arms 32 so that the latter may bend and deflect downwardly and towards each other in response to vertical loading applied to the net and as the draw cord 9 reacts to capture the body in the net. In this latter arrangement the arms 32 may be of a flexible or resilient nature (for example being of plastics or rubber), being sufficiently rigid to carry the net when unloaded but capable of bending in response to a body load in the net and possibly recovering to re-spread the net once that body load has been safely removed. The arms 32 may be removable from their mountings 31 when not in use. A further possibility is that the arms 32 can pivot on their mountings 31 inwardly of the window (and as indicated by the arrows in Figure 5) to lie unobtrusively on the window sill when not in use. If the arms 32 are pivotable as aforementioned a catch 33 is preferably provided for each arm 32 by which it may# be ensured that the arms can be locked in their projecting cantilevered condition to maintain the spread net 6.

Claims

CLAINS

1. A window assembly comprising a window having an upstanding window opening, support means extending relative to the plane of said window opening, said support means carrying a flexible sheet spread to present an upwardly directed catchment surface adjacent a bottom region of said window opening for catching a body falling through the window opening.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which the sheet comprises a net.

3. An assembly as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 in which the sheet is spread so that its catchment surface presents a trough or pocket within which a said body is to be caught.

4. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the sheet is anchored relative to a building part in which the window opening is located.

5. An assembly as claimed in claim 4 in which the building part comprises a fixed frame or sill of the window.

6. An assembly as claimed in either claim 4 or claim 5 in which the sheet comprises draw cord means anchored relative to said building part and which draw cord means reacts, in response to a body falling into the sheet, to close the sheet around the body.

7. An assembly as claimed in claim 6 in which the draw cord means extends about a mouth of the sheet to close said mouth and comprises means restricting said closure of the mouth.

8. An assembly as claimed in claim 7 in which said means restricting closure of the mouth comprises at least one tube through which the draw cord means extends.

9. An assembly as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 8 in which the sheet is releasably secured relative to the support means so that a body falling into and being caught by the sheet will cause the sheet to dis-engage from the support means so that the body is suspended in the sheet from said anchorage.

10. An assembly as claimed in claim 9 in which the sheet is releasably secured to the support means by clips.

11. An assembly as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 10 in which the sheet is anchored on a plate or bar firmly secured relative to said building part.

12. An assembly as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 11 in which the sheet is anchored by means at least part of which is intended to release the sheet in response to load from a body caught therein and at least part of which firmly retains the sheet anchored to the building part to maintain the sheet and body caught therein suspended from the anchorage.

13. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the support means comprises at least one cantilevered arm which projects relative to the plane of the window opening and from which the sheet is carried to be spread.

14. An assembly as claimed in claim 13 in which said arm or arms are mounted to pivot to a position in which they can be located substantially unobtrusively relative to the window when not in use.

15. An assembly as claimed in either claim 13 or claim 14 in which the arm or arms are telescopic.

16. An assembly as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 15 in which the arm or arms are of a flexible material to bend in response to loading from a body caught in the sheet.

17. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the window comprises a sash having an open condition in which the sash projects outwardly relative to the window opening and the support means comprises said sash.

18. An assembly as claimed in claim 17 in which the sash is pivotable to a closed condition for closing said window opening and in pivotting between its open and closed conditions the sash automatically and respectively spreads or gathers in the sheet.

19. A window assembly substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings.