GB2344844A

GB2344844A - Cavity closer and sill assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2344844A
Application number: GB9827586A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Andrew John Maskery
Original assignee: PERMACELL FINESSE Ltd
Current assignee: PERMACELL FINESSE Ltd
Priority date: 1998-12-15
Filing date: 1998-12-15
Publication date: 2000-06-21
Anticipated expiration: 2018-12-15
Also published as: GB9827586D0; GB2344844B

Abstract

A cavity closer assembly comprises a cavity closer (10) and a sill (11). The cavity closer fits into a cavity (14) between inner (12) and outer (13) walls and has portions that at least partially overlie the end surfaces (15,16) of the inner and outer walls. Part of the cavity closer forms a slot with the end surface of the outer wall into which an end of the sill is insertable by varying amounts.

Description

CAVITY CLOSER ASSEMBLIES The invention relates to cavity closer assemblies of the kind comprising a cavity closer and a sill.

A cavity closer is a device for mounting a window frame in an opening formed in a building between inner and outer walls with a cavity between them. At the opening, the inner and outer walls have respective end surfaces that may be coplanar with the plane being normal to the plane of the wall.

A cavity closer has a first portion that extends into the cavity to locate the cavity closer relative to the walls. There is also a second portion that at least partially overlies the first and second end surfaces of the inner and outer walls. This second portion serves to mount the frame. The sill provides a sill for the window frame and overlies the end surface of the outer wall.

It is a problem with such cavity closer and sill assemblies that the cavity closer can become misaligned relative to the walls. This can mean that the sill cannot be properly positioned relative to the cavity closer and the walls.

According to the invention, there is provided a cavity closer assembly comprising a cavity closer having a first portion received in a cavity between inner and outer walls of a building defining an opening in the building and a second portion for at least partially overlying the end surfaces of the inner and outer walls for mounting a window frame in said opening, and a sill for overlying the end surface of the outer wall, the sill having an inner end positionable to the cavity closer in a range of positions in a direction normal to the plane of the cavity to accommodate misalignment between the cavity closer and the walls.

The following is a more detailed description of an embodiment of the invention, by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view through a cavity closer and sill with the sill connected to the cavity closer by a screw, an outer end of the sill being shown in broken line to indicate a range of adjustment between the sill and the cavity closer, and Figure 2 is a perspective view of part of the sill of Figure 1 showing a sill end cap.

Referring to the drawings, the cavity closer assembly comprises a cavity closer 10 and a sill 11. Both the cavity closer 10 and the sill 11 are extruded from a plastics material such as PVC-U, although they may be made from any suitable material. The cavity closer 10 is a device for mounting a window frame in an opening formed in a building between an inner wall 12 and an outer wall 13 with a cavity 14 between the two walls. As seen in Figure 1, both the inner wall 12 and the outer wall 13 have respective end surfaces 15,16 that are coplanar with the common plane being normal to the planes of the inner and outer walls 12,13.

The cavity closer 10 has a first portion formed by parallel inner and outer legs 17,18 which project into the cavity. The lower end of each leg 17,18 is provided with a U- shaped channel member 19 that bears against the associated wall 12,13.

The upper end of each leg 17,18 is connected to a horizontal wall 20 of a second portion of the cavity closer 10. The horizontal wall 20 extends over the end surface 15 of the inner wall 12. Adjacent the inner leg 17, this portion of the horizontal wall 20 is provided with a projecting rib 21 aligned with the outer end of the channel member 19 and engaging the inner wall 12. On the side of the outer wall 13, the horizontal wall 20 has a short projection and terminates in a rib 22 in register with the channel member 19 on the outer leg 18 with this rib engaging the outer wall 13. In this way, the cavity closer 10 is located relative to the inner and outer walls 12,13.

The second portion of the cavity closer includes first, second and third parallel vertical walls 23,24,25. The first vertical wall 23 extends upwardly from the portion of the horizontal wall 20 overlying the end surface 21 of the inner wall 12 and the second and third vertical walls 24,25 are in register with the inner leg 17 and the outer leg 18 respectively. An upper wall 26 extends between the upper ends of the first, second and third vertical walls 23,24,25. The upper wall 26 will not be described in detail.

The second portion also includes a projection indicated generally at 27 that overlies the end surface 16 of the outer wall 13. The projection 27 is formed by a box section 28 carried by the third vertical wall 25 and formed by a projecting end of the upper wall 26, a lower wall 27 and an outer wall 30. As seen in Figure 1, the lower wall 29 is spaced upwardly from the horizontal wall 20. An edge portion 31 is carried by the outer wall 30 and is generally triangular in shape with a horizontal lower edge wall 32, an angled edge wall 33 and a shaped connecting wall 34 extending between the angled edge wall 33 and the outer wall 30. As seen in Figure 1, the lower edge wall 32 is spaced upwardly from the lower wall 29 of the box section 28 and carries a rib 35 whose lower end is coplanar with the plane of the lower wall 29.

In this way, the projection 27 cooperates with the outer wall 13 to form a slot. The function of this slot will be described below.

The sill 11 has a horizontal lower wall 40 spaced by ribs 41 from an angled upper wall 42. The outer ends of the lower wall 40 and the upper wall 42 connect to a downwardly projecting lip 43. The inner end of the lower wall 40 is provided with a step 44 leading to a recessed portion 45. Similarly, the upper wall 42 is also provided with a step 46 leading to a recessed portion 47. The step 46 in the upper wall 42 is located outwardly of the step 44 in the lower wall 40. The recessed portion 47 of the upper wall 42 is provided with an upwardly projecting rib 48.

As seen in Figure 1, the dimensions of the cavity closer 10 and the sill 11 are such that the inner end of the sill 11 can be inserted into the slot formed between the cavity closer 10 and the end surface 16 of the outer wall 30. This insertion is limited by abutment of the inner edge of the sill 11 against the third vertical wall 25 and by engagement of the rib 48 on the recessed portion 47 of the upper wall 42 with the rib 35 on the lower edge wall 32 of the edge portion 31. In this position, there is an overlap between the upper wall 42 of the sill 11 and the lower edge wall 32 of the edge portion 31, as seen in Figure 1. The sill 11 can be fixed in this position by screws, one of which is shown at 49, passing through the connecting wall 34 and the lower edge wall 32 of the edge portion 31 and into the recessed portion 47 of the upper wall 42 of the sill 11. A flexible seal, such as a silicone sealant, can be provided between the outer edge of the edge portion 31 and the upper wall 42. A bead of such sealant is shown in Figure 1 at 50.

It is possible for the cavity closer 10 to be misaligned relative to the inner and outer walls 12,13. This may result in variation in the distance between the third vertical wall 25 of the cavity closer 10 and the outer surface 51 of the outer wall 13. In order to accommodate this, the position of the sill 11 could be adjusted relative to the cavity closer 10. As shown in Figure 1, the sill 11 can be moved outwardly of the cavity closer 10 through a range of positions. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, this range of movement is limited by the degree of overlap between the edge portion 31 and the upper wall 42. The range of positions can be any suitable length but may, for example, be up to 1Omm. When correctly positioned, the sill 11 is screwed to the cavity closer 10 by screws 49 as described above and sealant 50 applied also as described above.

The sill is finished by the use of sill end caps shown in Figure 2. Each sill end cap 52 is generally L-shaped and is provided with projections 53 that fit into the cross-section of the ends of the sill 11 to mount the sill end cap 52 on the sill 11 and close the associated end of the sill 11.

The cavity closer 10 is used to mount a window frame in the opening defined in the inner and outer walls 12,13 in a known manner.

It will be appreciated that there are a number of variations that can be made to the arrangement described above with reference to the drawings. The first and second portions of the cavity closer 11 may have any required construction provided the cavity closer 10 allows variation in the positioning of the sill 11. The slot 36 need not be formed by the cavity closer and the end surface 16 of the outer wall 13, it could be formed wholly by the cavity closer 10. The sill 11 need not be directly connected to the cavity closer 10 by screws 49, it could be connected direct to the outer wall 13. Where it is connected, the sill 11 need not be connected by screws 49; the sill 11 and the cavity closer 10 could be a snap-fit in a range of positions. The upper surfaces 15,16 need not be coplanar. If they are not coplanar, the configuration of the cavity closer must be adjusted accordingly.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A cavity closer assembly comprising a cavity closer having a first portion received in a cavity between inner and outer walls of a building and a second portion for at least partially overlying end surfaces of the inner and outer walls and for mounting a window frame, and a sill for overlying the end surface of the outer wall, the sill having an inner end positionable to the cavity closer in a range of positions in a direction normal to the plane of the cavity to accommodate misalignment between the cavity closer and the walls.
2. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein the second portion of the cavity closer includes a projection that overlies the end surface of the outer wall to form a slot therebetween the sill having an inner edge that extends into said slot by a variable amount to provide said range of positions.
3. An assembly according to claim 2 wherein the sill includes an upper surface extending from an outer edge of the sill towards said inner edge, a part of the upper surface being received beneath the cavity closer projection throughout said range of positions.
4. An assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the sill is connected to the cavity closer.
5. An assembly according to claim 4 wherein the sill is connected to the cavity closer by at least one screw extending through the cavity closer and into the sill.
6. An assembly according to claim 5 wherein the sill is connected to the cavity closer by at least two screws extending through the cavity closer and into the sill.
7. An assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the cavity closer is extruded from a plastics material.
8. An assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the sill is extruded from a plastics material.
9. An assembly according to claim 8 wherein the sill has spaced first and second ends, each end being closed by an end cap.
10. A cavity closer assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.