Window and door casing
A window or door casing includes two side sections, a header or top section and bottom section. The bottom section also has caps attached at either end. The trim casing is mountable on a window or door frame and is securely fastened to the side of the house ensuring a tight fit and finished appearance.
The use of vinyl siding in place of wood, aluminum or other materials on the exterior of a house in new construction as well as remodeling has become quite prevalent. Such siding has historically been made of aluminum or wood. Window and door openings in the exterior wall of a house are generally trimmed with wood casings or moldings framing the window and providing an aesthetically finished exterior look. One version of such a window trim has been the “Eastern” casing. Typically, the window manufacturer attaches a 3-4″ wide board that is ¾″ to {fraction (5/4)}″ thick to the face of the window jamb and ships the window with this feature applied. Alternatively, the builder constructs the wood casing at the site. The house siding, whether wood or vinyl, is fitted to or butted up against the trim casing. In the case of vinyl siding, a “J” channel is nailed to the wall board and the vinyl siding slides behind the face of the J channel. One problem with this, however, is that the wooden casings are not compatible with aluminum or vinyl siding. For example, the wood requires continued painting, defeating the maintenance-free advantages of vinyl siding, the appearance will be inconsistent, and wood against vinyl creates the potential for unsightly gaps because of their different thermal characteristics.
With the introduction of the vinyl window an Eastern casing trim option had not been available in an extruded vinyl add-on. Accordingly, builders desiring the aesthetics of an Eastern casing, were relegated to using wood and/or wood wrapped in aluminum cladding requiring custom fitting, a labor intensive and expensive process.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ARTU.S. Pat. No. 4,193,238 describes a window casing cover comprised of trim molding members that snap onto a plurality of separate brackets that are individually attached to the original casing. Although the covers provides a maintenance free surface, the numerous components involved and the “do it yourself” appearance of the add-on side portions and coverings do not offer the structure and strength or appearance of an integrated component, nor is the problem of differing thermal expansion/contraction resolved.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,389,824 discloses window trim comprised of upper and side panels and a window sill covering. Each panel has a receiving strip which is fitted around the inside of the window casing and a substantially flat panel is bent at the site into an L-shaped configuration which is then fitted around the casing and overlies the siding. The receiving strip includes a spring held receiving slot for the L-shaped panel. U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,204 discloses a similar receiving strip and L-shaped facing strip in which the receiving strip may be attached to the front of the casing. Both of these approaches are time consulting to fabricate and install, are comprised of many components having different angles and fittings, and include the cumbersome method of using L-hooks screwed into the house to hold and align the strips.
A do-it-yourself kit of prefabricated components for retrofitting cladding over an existing door or window frame is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,192. The kit comprises sections for covering the side and the header surfaces of the existing trim. A lengthwise lip folds inward along one edge of each section and a lengthwise flange portion folds inward around the opposite edge of each such section, gripping the trim in frictional engagement. A J-strip exists around the frame, to retain the siding, the folded flange fitting between the J-strip and the siding. A drawback of this approach is that the use of friction to hold the cladding in place lacks stability and durability and will result in an inconsistent fit and appearance over time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is therefore an object of this invention to provide a window and door casing for use with new constriction as well as remodeling that is simple to fit and install, will provide a durable, secure and complete aesthetic finished look, and will not be subject to differing thermal characteristics, The trim casing is comprised of extruded portions or sections with an integral “J” channel built in providing superior aesthetic features; two side sections, a header or top section and, in the case of a window application a sill bottom section. The sill also has caps attached at either end. The trim casing is mountable on a window or door frame and is securely fastened to the side of the house ensuring a tight fit.
In the preferred embodiment, the casing is comprised of extruded vinyl, and comprises pre-mitered side sections and the header section include a rapid fastening system incorporating a screw boss in the extrusion coupled with a tongue-in-groove design on the inside edge which is received by an accessory groove (channel) with a flexing accessory lock incorporated on the sides of the window or door frame, and a nailing fin on the opposite side, and in the case of a window, an extruded attachable sill nosing which simulates the thick wood look having insertable end caps to cover the open ends and an integral flange to cover the meeting point of the side casing to the sill nosing.
A method of installing the casing consistent with the invention includes the steps of: in the case of new construction, first installing, leveling and squaring the window or door properly; securing the window or door by nails, staples or screws using the window's or door's nailing fin; pre-assembling the top section of the pre-mitered casing to the side casings, mating the angled ends thereof and then screwing the sections together; sliding the resulting three-sided “horseshoe” shaped assembly over the front of the window or door, the tongues of the assembly fitting into the accessory grooves located on the window or door frame. Then placing the tongue or flange of the sill section into the accessory groove on the bottom end of the window and snapping it onto place and/or tapping the assembly with a mallet to secure a snug fit, with the side sections also fitting behind flange at the meeting point of the side sections to the sill section and the end caps are fitted into the sides of the sill section. The sill section is then fastened to the side sections with screws and the casing is secured to the side of the house with nails using the attached nailing fins.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood with reference to the detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring to
Referring now again to
As seen in
Once the three-sided assembly is in place, preferably, at least one nail or screw will be driven through nail slots 12 in each of the nailing fins 11 to hold the three-sided assembly in place on the window frame. As shown in
Referring to
One side of sill 6 and end cap 8 are shown in greater detail in
In addition to utilizing the casing as described in connection with windows, the casing of the present invention may be used in connection with doors, passageways, or any other type of opening in a structure. Further, the casing system of the present invention is not limited to four-sided openings, and may be utilized in archways calling for a curved trim, a one-piece ornamental header, a multi-sided window or other structure, and may be prefabricated or cut at the site.
Although described in terms of the presently preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described.
Claims
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22. A method for mounting a window or door casing to a building, comprising the steps of:
- providing at least three elongated panels, said panels including a tongue on an inside edge and a nailing fin on an outside edge with tongues of said elongated panels on said inside edge;
- mating said ends of said panels in at least two places to form a structure having at least three sides and at least one open end;
- fastening said ends of said mated panels together;
- sliding said structure over a front of a window or door frame, said tongues of said panels engaging grooves located on sides of said window or door frame; and
- secure securing said casing to said building.
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25. The method of claim 22, wherein said step of securing said casing to said building further comprises the step of driving nails, screws, or staples through said nailing fins.
26. The method of claim 22, wherein said elongated panels are extruded.
27. The method of claim 22, wherein said step of mating said ends of said panels further comprises the step of fusing said elongated panels together at said ends.
28. The method of claim 27, wherein said ends are mitered ends.
29. The method of claim 22, wherein said step of securing said casing to said building is performed via use of a screw boss.
30. A method for mounting a window or door casing to a building, comprising the steps of:
- providing at least three elongated panels, said elongated panels including a tongue on an inside edge and a nailing fin on an outside edge with tongues of said elongated panels on said inside edge;
- mating said ends of said panels in at least two places to form a structure having at least three sides and at least one open end;
- fastening said ends of said mated panels together;
- attaching an elongate member to said outer sides of a window or door frame, said elongate member having a groove;
- sliding said structure over a front of a window or door frame, said tongues of said panels engaging grooves located on said elongate member; and
- securing said casing to said building.
31. The method of claim 30, wherein said step of securing said casing to said building further comprises the step of driving nails, screws, or staples through said nailing fins.
32. The method of claim 30, wherein said elongated panels are extruded.
33. The method of claim 30, wherein said step of mating said ends of said panels further comprises the step of fusing said elongated panels together at said ends.
34. The method of claim 33, wherein said ends are mitered ends.
35. The method of claim 30, wherein said step of securing said casing to said building is performed via use of a screw boss.
36. A method for mounting a window or door casing to a building, comprising the steps of:
- providing at least three elongated panels, said panels including a tongue on an inside edge and a nailing fin on an outside edge with tongues of said elongated panels on said inside edge;
- mating said ends of said panels in at least two places to form a structure having at least three sides and at least one open end;
- fastening said ends of said mated panels together;
- sliding said structure over a front of a window or door frame, said tongues of said panels engaging grooves located on sides of said window or door frame;
- arranging a bottom section having a tongue on said inside edge adjacent to a bottom of said window or door frame, whereby said tongue of said bottom section engages a groove on said bottom of said window or door frame with a portion of at least two panels adjacent to said bottom section in at least two places;
- inserting end caps in sides of said bottom section;
- fastening said bottom section and said end caps to said adjacent panels; and
- securing said casing to said building.
37. The method of claim 36, wherein said step of securing said casing to said building further comprises the step of driving nails, screws, or staples through said nailing fins.
38. The method of claim 36, wherein said elongated panels are extruded.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 10, 2005
Publication Date: Jun 2, 2005
Inventor: Donald Bealko (Bedford, NH)
Application Number: 11/032,463