Storm unit for existing window
OwnerThomas J. Nettiinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A storm unit for installation in an existing window system to provide for greater insulation and weather protection. The unit includes a pair of side rails for replacing the existing inside stops of the window. The rails have a pair of parallel, vertically-extended grooves formed therein into which are buckled deformable, transparent panels whereby the panels can be raised and lowered. The top and bottom edge of each panel has a horizontally-extended cap secured thereto. When the panels are closed against the window frame, the bottom cap of the upper panel is horizontally aligned with the upper cap of the lower panel. A weathertight seal is provided that is capable of sealing the region between the adjacent faces of the two aligned caps when the panels are placed in a closed position.
Claims16
The method of assembling a storm unit in an existing window having at least one sash that is arranged to slide in a vertical direction within a frame, including the steps of
- removing the existing inside stops from the frame,
- installing vertical side rails in place of the stops against which the window slides,
- providing a pair of parallel grooves in the opposed end faces of the rails with the grooves extending along the vertical length of each rail to provide an inner set of opposed grooves and an outer set of opposed grooves,
- providing a pair of deformable flat transparent panels that are capable of being slidably mounted between the rails when seated in a flat posture within a set of said grooves, said panels having a total area which fills the window opening,
- buckling an upper panel into one of said set of grooves,
- buckling a lower panel into the other set of grooves,
- securing upper and lower caps to the upper and lower edges of the two panels, and
- weatherstripping between the lower cap of the upper panel and the upper cap of the lower panel to provide a seal when both panels are placed in a closed position filling the window opening.
In a double-hung window having an inner sash and an outer sash that are arranged to slide over each other within a frame, the improvement comprising
- a pair of rails secured to the two opposing jambs of the frame adjacent to the inner sash whereby the rails serve as stops for guiding the inner sash as it is moved in the frame,
- each of said rails having a pair of parallel grooves extending along the entire length of the rail to establish a set of inner guideways and a set of outer guideways in the opposing side walls of the rails,
- means to independently align the rails between the jambs of the frame to align the guiderail sets within the frame,
- upper and lower deformable, flat, transparent storm panels having a total area that substantially fills the window opening and which are capable of being buckled into the guideways whereby each panel is slidably supported between a set of guideways,
- end caps secured to the edges of each panel that extend between the rails so that one end cap on a first panel is positioned adjacent another end cap on the second panel when the panels are closed against the frame to fill the frame opening, and
- sealing means secured to one of said adjacent end caps to provide a weathertight seal between said caps when the panels are closed against the frame.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.