US2230763A - Sash balance - Google Patents

Description

'Feb- 1941. A. J. ROEQENTRETER ,2 ,76

SASH BALANCE Filed July 15, 1940 11 INVENTOR.

Patented Feb. 4, 1 941 UNITED STATES} PATENT OFFICE 2,230,763 sasn BALANCE Application July 15, 1940, Serial No. 345,489

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a sash balance, with particular reference to the style of construction that employs a spring tension element, and has for its object to provide a simple and practical arrangement that can be manufactured and installed at a minimum cost, and the parts of which are concealed from view when in place on a window sash and frame.

More particularly, the invention is intended to afford a structure especially adaptable to low priced houses because of its low cost, and which includes as its essential parts a rotatable member preferably in the form of a spiral or twisted bar and a coil spring wound around the bar and retained in its convolutions, the spring bee ing under tension as a window is raised or lowered from its initial position and thereby acting to hold the bar, and with it the window to which it is attached, in any adjusted position.

Another object of the invention is to afford a construction of few parts which can be readily and quickly attached to a sash and frame and assembled in proper operative relation thereto.

One objection to spring sash balances as heretofore manufactured has been'the necessity of having to wind or tension the spring element at the time the device is applied to a sash, making an inconvenient and uncertain operation, and it is another object of the invention to provide a construction of such a character that the spring can be wound at the factory and maintained underpredetermined tension until installed, thus making it unnecessary to wind the spring at the time of attaching the device .and insuring an efficient and standardized spring tension determinable at the factory.

",Io these and other ends, the invention consists'in the construction and arrangement of parts that will appear clearly from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, the novel'features being pointed out in the claims following the specification.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a view in front elevation, partially in section, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention as applied to a window sash and frame;

Fig. 2 is a view inside elevation of the upper part of the sash balance;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view, and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawing in which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the several views, I designates a window sash slidable within the frame 2 and mortised at its edges to receive the mechanism to be described. The structure includes support- I! ing means in the form of a plate 3 that is rigidly secured to the upper end of the sash with its outer portion overlying the mortised portion in the side of the sash, and above said mortise, the plate 3 is recessed to afford an'opening or pocket 10 4 formed by depending walls 5 and lateral flanges 6 separated by a slot 1, and adapted to receive and support the controlling spring and rotatable or spiral member that will now be described in detail.

The rotatable member preferably consists of a twisted or. spiral bar 8 which is rotatably mounted in relation to the supporting means already described, and so associated with the coil spring 9 as to place the same under tension when the, 20 spiral bar is moved endwise upon movement of the sash. Preferably this relationship is effected by mounting the spiral bar 8 upon the coil spring 9, as shown, by providing a right-angled or lateral portion or lug ill .at the upper end of the 25 spiral bar, said lug Ill being provided with an opening through which spring 9 extends, the spring thus affording a bearing for the rotatable spiral bar. Beneath the lug Ill, the coil spring 9 is twisted around the spiral bar convolutions thereof, and at the lower end of the bar, the coil spring 9 is connected thereto by being attached between a pair of ears II, or otherwise fixedly secured in any suitable fashion to the bar.

The coil spring 9 is fixedly secured at its upper end to 'the supporting means in any suitable manner, as for instance, by having its upper end extending through a recess in and rigidly connected to a squared plate or head l2 which 40 is located in the recess 4 resting upon the flanges 6 and held against rotation in said pocket. The squared plate or head [2 which is fixedly connected to the upper end of the spring is of such size as to strike the side walls of the recess 4 45 and is thus held against rotation, after being assembled in position by sliding the coil spring 9 laterally through slot 1. I3 is a washer or bearing plate surrounding thespring 9 and located between the lower surfaces of the flanges 6 and 50 the adjacent surface of the lug ill on the spiral bar. The spring 9 carrying the spiral bar can be inserted through the slot 1 in the plate 3 into position on the supporting flanges 6, and the endwise tension of the spring Ill, being connected 55 8 following the 30 fixedly to the lower end of the spiral'bar, holds the latter up against the supporting means with sufiicient tightness to prevent accidental displacement of the parts. i

' The spiral bar is adapted to be rotated in any suitable fashion when the sash is rnoved, and this may be accomplished conveniently by a plate H or other means, permanently attached to the window frame, and carrying lugs l5 that embrace the opposite edges of the spiral bar 8.

Thus as the window and the mechanism mounted thereon moves, the spiral bar 8 is rotated by the lugs IS on the stationary plate H. The spiral bar 8 being fixed at its lower end to the spring 9, which in turn is fixed at its opposite end to the supporting means, winds the spring or increases the tension thereof as the window is moved in one direction, thus exerting a tendency on the spiral bar to rotate to its initial position, and in this manner the bar is held in frictional engagement with the lugs IS with sufficient force to retain the window in any position to which it is moved. Itwill be observed that since the upper end of the spring 9 is fixed to the supporting means and cannot turn, while its lower end is fixedly connected to the lower end of the spiral bar, when the bar is rotated about .the spring, it necessarily follows that the spring is stretched around the bar and placed under increasing tension, depending upon the number of turns given the spiral bar, but there is always sufiicient tension of the spring to hold the window at any given point in its vertical travel.

. It is desirable to have the controlling spring under a certain amount of initial tension, and in spring balances of previous design, it has been necessary to wind the spring to the desired extent at the time of its installation. This has been somewhat diificult and requires time and experience by the operator, but with the present con- 'struction, it is possible to tension or wind the spring relatively to the spiral bar and fix its predetermined tension at the factory, so that when the parts are installed, the operator has only to release the spring after the mechanism is fixedly attached to the sash and housing.

This can be accomplished in various ways, as for instance by means of a U-shaped staple or key l6 that straddles the head I! and extends through openings in the flanges 6, extending downwardly to opposite sides of the lug Ill. The spiral bar 8 is turned or rotated relatively to the spring 9 at the factory to place the spring under the desired tension, whereupon the key or looking member I6 is dropped through the holes in the flanges 6 engaging on opposite sides of the lug l and acting to prevent turning of the latter. The parts are maintained in this position until after the device is installed on a sash with the spiral bar 8 in engagement with the lugs i of the fixed plate It, after which the operator removes the key or locking member I6 and the spiral bar 8 is then free to turn when the window is raised or lowered, as the case may be. I! designates a device secured to the sash and engaging the lower end of the spring and spiral bar unit and acting as a bearing for the lower end of the spring to maintain the spring and spiral bar in proper relation and out of contact with the frame as the sash is moved.

While'the invention has been described with reference to the detailed embodiment herein shown, it is not confined to any particular structural details, and this application is intended to cover any modifications or departures that may come within the novel'principles of the improvement or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A sash balance construction comprising supporting means, a spiral member rotatably 5 mounted in relation to the supporting means, a coil spring which lies lengthwise along the spiral member bodily conforming to the convolutions thereof and having one end fixed to the supporting means and its opposite end fixed to said 10 spiral member, and an actuator positionable in relatively fixed relationship to the spiral member for engagement therewith and acting to turn the spiral member when relative endwise movement is eflected between the spiral member and actuator.

2. A sash balance construction comprising supporting means, a spiral bar rotatably mounted in relation to the supporting means, a coil spring which lies lengthwise along the spiral bar bodily conforming to the convolutions thereof and having one end fixed to the supporting means and its opposite end fixed to the adjacent end of said spiral bar, and an actuator positionable in relatively fixed relationship to the spiral bar for engagement therewith and acting to effect rotation thereof upon relative endwise movement between the spiral bar and the actuator.

3. A sash balance construction comprising supporting means, a spiral bar rotatably mounted in relation to the supporting means, a coil spring wound around said spiral bar having one end fixed thereto and its other end fixed to said supporting means, the end of the spiral bar adjacent to the supporting means being journalled and rotatable on said spring, and an actuator positionable in relatively fixed relationship to the spiral bar and engageable therewith to effect its rotation when relative endwise movement is effected between the spiral bar and the actuator.

4. A sash balance construction comprising supporting means, a spiral bar rotatably inounted in relation to the supporting means, a coil spring wound around said spiral bar following the convolutions thereof, the end of the spiral bar adjacent to said supporting means having a laterally extending portion journalled on said spring for rotation thereon while the opposite end of the spiral bar is fixedly connected to the adjacent end of the spring, and an actuator positionable in relatively fixed relationship to the spiral bar and having operative engagement therewith to effect its rotation when relative endwise movement between the spiral bar and the actuator is efiected.

5. A sash balance construction comprising supporting means, a rotatable member mounted to turn relatively to said supporting means, a coil spring which lies lengthwise along the rotatable member bodily conforming to a spiral around the rotatable member, said coil spring having one end fixedly connected to the rotatable member while its opposite end is fixedly connected to said supporting means, and an actuator positionable in relatively fixed relation to said rotatable member and operatively connected thereto for effecting its rotation when relative endwise movement between said rotatable member and the actuator is effected.

6. A sash balance construction comprising supporting means including a recessed plate slotted at its edge, a coil spring extending through said slot and fixedly carrying a head located in said recess, a spiral bar having a laterally extending- 'the bar against said plate, and an actuator positionable in relatively fixed relationship to the spiral bar and acting'to efiect rotation thereof when relative endwise movement is effected between the spiral bar and the actuator.

ALBERT J. ROSEN'I'RETER.

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