US2531499A - Slat operating mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 28, 1950 L. G. BRowN 2,531,499

sLAT OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Jurie l 1945 2 sheets-sheet 1 I /b /X ya S 7 as" MMVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Nov. 28, 1950 l.. G. BROWN 2,531,499

SLAT OPERATING MECHANISM Filed June 1 1945 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 28, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 8 Claims.

My invention relates to awnings for building openings such as windows, and relates more particularly to awnings and relates more particularly to awnings composed of pivotally mounted horizontal slats or louvers, and commonly called "metal awnings.

An important object of the invention is to provide a slatted awning unit which is adapted to be mounted upon the frame of a usual window ily-screen, the slats of which are so designed that sun light is excluded at the ends of the slats, even though the slats are in partially opened position.

Another object is to provide an awning of this class which when fully closed, will exclude wind and rain.

A further object is to provide an actuating y mechanism for operating all of the slats in unison, and which is comparatively cheap to manufacture, simple to install, positive in action, and is capable of locking the slats in their closed po- Sitions.

A still further object is to provide an awning of this class which is strong and durable, even though formed of comparative thin gauge sheet metal.

Other object will be apparent from the followingr description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying two sheets of drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective View of the awning unit, and looking at the outside thereof, the slats being shown in fully opened positions;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the inside of one end portion of the unit, the slats being shown in fully closed positions, and the actuating mechanism being shown in its locked position;

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the or window portion, upon which the illustrated embodiment of the invention is adapted to be installed or mounted. The usual fly screen is composed of a rectangular frame having two of the side rails I, the lower ends of which are spacedly held parallel by the bottom rail 3 and the upper ends of which are held similarly spaced by a top rail, not shown. The space between the frame members is covered by a netting or screen slat actuating mechanism, its parts being shown in slightly separated positions, but in their correct positions relative to each other;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view looking at the inside of the lower right hand cor- .y

tions 22.

ner portion of the unit. portions of the splashplate and the fly-screen frame being shown slightly separated from the unit, but in their correct positions relative to the unit and to each other; and,

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional View taken sub- I` stantially along the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in all the iigures wherein they occur.

In the drawings:

The reference numeral I indicates the vertical side rail of a usual fly-screen frame referred to as a whole by the numeral 2, and the numeral 3 indicates the lower horizontal rail of the frame. The fly-screen frame 2 is not a part of the device of the present invention, but is the element,

The device per se consists of a rectangular awning frame I0 preferably made of sheet metal, and composed of two parallel vertical side members II and I2 which are identical in cross-section. The bottom ends of the side members II and I2 are held in rigid spaced relation by a sill I3, and their upper ends are similarly connected by a head member I4.

In cross-section, as may best be seen in Figs. 2, 4, and 5, the side members I3 each has a longitudinally extending at portion I5 extending throughout its length, and adapted to lie flatly against the front surface I6 of one of the side rails I of the screen frame 2. The term front is used herein to designate the surf-ace facing a person who is outside of the buildiing upon which the device is installed. A plurality of spaced perforations Il are provided for the purpose of receiving detents, such as wood screws I8, for holding the member in place upon the screen frame. Each side member further includes a series of self formed bends which combine to retain the opposite edge I8 of the side member in a forwardly facing position. In other words. the

f edge I8 faces the same direction as does the front face IB of the side rail I of the screen frame 2. The front edge portion of the side member I2 is flat. and its side faces are at right angles to that of the ilat portion I5. 'I'his flat forward portion is indicated by the reference numeral I9.

The sill i4 has a downwardly projecting portion Eil adapted to be attached flatly against the forward face 2| of the bottom frame member 3 by detents, not shown, inserted through perfora- The sill I3 is further composed of a forwardly extending flat portion 23, the extreme front edge of which terminates in a close-bend which formsa bead 24.

The head member I4 has a flat vertically extending portion 25, a ilat forwardly extending portion 26, and a downwardly and forwardly sloping visor portion 21. The vertical portion 25 is `provided with spaced perforations 23 through deformity which is bulged outwardly a slight.

distance as best shown in Figure 5. A pivot pin 36 passes through each of the perforations 33 and also through one of a series of vertically spaced perforations 3l inthe at portion I9 of one of the side members II or i2. The shutters 35 may each. be moved pivotally, with the pins 3e acting as an axis, and are so arranged or spaced from each other that when pivoted to a closed position, as shown in Figures 2 and' 4, the lower bead' of each shutter overlaps the upper outside edge of' the shutter lying sub-j acent thereto.

' The inwermcst'of theehutters 3d is so arranged that its lower bead 3 I fits snugly against the front beaded edge of the sill I3?. The uppermost ofthe 'shutters 3e is so arranged, that when the shutter isr in. closed position, its upper bead 3i fits snugly beneath the nether surface of the visor 2lY of the head member 'I4'. It is thought to be apparent, that when the shutters 3E] are all in closed positions, the entire central opening of the awning frame Iii is completely closed. Also., thatV when thev shutters are in their fully opened positions, as shown in Figure 1, the opening ispractically free of. obstructionI tov the; passages of air. The shutters may, of course, be selectively disposed. at any desired angle with. relation tothe vertical. Admission or exclusion of the direct rays of the sun may therefore be regulated at will..

Et is pointed ou-t that the shutter ends '32 act to exclude the entry of sun rays at a downward angl-e from the side of the frame II), even when the shutters are in fully opened. positions. as in Figure 1,.v Also, that. wind and rain may be effectively excludedby closingallof the shutters.

Since there might bear chance of some rain beating past the shutters between the outer side surfaces of their ends 32,V and the inside surfaces of the fiat portions It of the side members I2, a splash-plate lil (Fig- 4) may ifi desired be provided between the front surface I@ of the screen frame side.- rail i., and the rear surface of the at portions i5 of the side members II and I2. This splash-plate may be held in place by the detents il, and is provided with perforations Al for re\ ce-iving them. The splash-plates d@ each consistsV of a flat portion. 42 adapted to lie flatly against the screen side railV I, and of a bevelled or slanted lip i3 which projects beyond the inside edges lill of the shutter ends 32. Provision of the splash-plate de is optional.

It is desirable that the shutters 3@ beV operated in unison, `and to this end, similar end portions 32 of the shutters 5t are connected by a vertically disposed actuating strip or rod d5. The two strips 45 are identical and each is spacedly perforated to receive pivot pins t5. There is one pivot pin 4.5 for each shutter` end portion 32, and the pins each passesI through one of the perforations 34 in the shutter end portion. Obviously, vertical movement of one of the actuating rods will cause simultaneous pivotal movement of all 'of the. shutters, and also will cause simultaneous vertical movement of the other actuating rod 4.5.

Similarly, pivotal movement of one shutter `will cause identical movement of all other shutters.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 5 of the drawings, it is pointed out that the outside surface of the strip lies beyond the inside surface of the portion I9 of the side member l2, and consequently the strip lies in the same plane as the opening between the side member I2 and the end 32 of the shutters. The strips 45 therefore act also to exclude passage of the suns rays through said opening. Y

In order to selectively move one of the actuating rods 45 vertically, the following described actuating mechanism is provided.

A ilat metal bracket is attached by detents 5I to the rear face of one of the screen frame side rails I. The bracket 53 extends inwardly toward the other rail I to a point aV desired distance beyond the edges 44 of the end portions 32 of the shutters, and its inner end portion is provided with a transverse perforation 52.

An operating handle 53 havingv a horizontal portion 54 and a. hand-hold portion 55 at right angles thereto, is. provided for operating the actuating mechanism, and to this'. end, the horizontal portion 5d has its. free end threaded as shown at 55, and has twoflattened sidesradjacent its threads. One of the flattened sides is indicated by the reference numeral 51A and is shown in Figure 3.

After being passed through the perforations 52, the horizontal portion 5l! of the handle is inserted through a loop 58 of a brace 59., a washer `60, a perforation 5I in a second bracket'y `52, a washer 53, and a polygonal perforation 54' in the lower end of a link or crank member 65. The flattened portions 5l of the handle seat firmly within the perforation 54 so that rotative movement of the hand-ley portion- 5e will actto move the crank in a similar direction. A lock-washer 56 and nut El are-provided' around the threads 55 of the handle, the nut 6l preferably beingof the acorn type. Deformities @Il are provided on the portion 54v of the shaft for positively engaging the inside surface of the bracket 5d.' The bracket 52 is welded firm-ly to the ilat portion I5 of one of the side members II` or I2.

l In assembling the parts on the horizontal portion 54 of the handle, tightening the acorn nut 6l acts to draw the second bracket G'Z'into firm clamping engagement with the front face Ie of the screen rail I, while the deformities 8e force the bracket 58 into similar engagement with the rail I. The lower end of the brace 59 is anchored to the inside edge 58 of the screen rail I by a detent 69. The loop 58A of the brace may be adjustably tightened around the" handleportion by manipulation of a bolt' lil. The inside end portion of the second bracket S is provided with a stop TI for limiting movement of the crank in one direction. The stop 'Hl is bent at right angles tothe remainder of the brace, and extends forwardly into the path of the crankl t5.Y

The actuating mechanism further includes a partially twistedstrap-like metallink i2 which has its lower endpivotally connected to the upper end of the crank I65 by a pivot pin 13. The upper end portion 'I4 of the link 'i2 lies flatly against the inside rearmost surface of one of the end portions 32 of a shutter 3e, and is pivotall'y connected to the shutter end, and also to the adjacent actuatingl rod 45 by-.a threadedv pin l5. A spacer nut T6 is provided on the pin 15' between the end portion 32 of the shutter and the rod t5'. A nut l1 is provided on the headless end of the pin for holding the link l2 and rod 45 in Iclose pivotal relation to the shutter end 32.

It is thought to be apparent that manual movement of the hand hold portion 55 of the operating handle 53 in a downward direction Will move the crank 65 and link l2 upwardly, and such upward movement of the link l2 will move the operating rod 45 in a similar direction. Since the actuating rods are pivotally connected to the rear portion of all of the shutter ends 32, upward movement of the rods cause a downward movement of the edges of the shutters. The arrangement of the crank G5, pin 13 and link 12 is such that as the shutters reach fully closed positions as shown in Figure 2, the pin 13 passes slightly beyond center of the link 'l2 and crank 65. The stop 'Il acts to limit movement of the crank and link. When the pin 13 is past center, the shutters are eifectually locked in their closed positions, and cannot be pried open from the front of the device.

It is thought that operation of the device is apparent from the foregoing description, and that a stripped awning has been disclosed which will accomplish all of the objects and purposes for which it is intended.

The awning shown in the drawings and described herein is an embodiment intended for use upon house and building openings, but it is intended to modify the device in order to accommodate it to `automobile or other windows. I therefore do not wish to limit myself to the specific embodimeht shown, further than I am limited by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an actuating mechanism for horizontally positioned axially pivotable shutter slats, said slats having an actuating bar pivotally connecting their ends whereby reciprocation of the bar simultaneously moves the shutters, the combination of a link having its upper end pivotally connected to one shutter for pivotally moving the same; a second link having one end pivotally connected to the lower end of the rst link, said second link having a polygonal opening through its other end; a horizontal shaft having a polygonal portion inserted in said link opening; a lockwasher and a nut on the router end of said shaft for retaining the same in said link opening; a pair of bracket plates each attached rigidly to an opposite surface of la frame stile, said plates being alignedly perforated and rotatably supporting said shaft; a brace member having one end rigidly attached to said stile and lying between said plates, the other end of said brace member journalling said shaft; a shoulder on said shaft adapted to contact the one of said plates lying most remote from said nut, whereby said nut and shoulder retain the entire assembly in operable relationship; and. a crank arm on that end of the shaft which lies most remote from the nut.

2. Structure as specified in claim 1, in which the shaft journalling end of said brace member is adjustable so that selective tension may be pla-ced on the shaft to retard its ease of rotation.

3. Structure as specified in claim 1, and means carried by said brace member for selectively adjusting its tension around the shaft.

4. In an actuating mechanism for horizontally positioned axially pivotable shutter slats, said slats having an actuating bar pivotally connecting their ends whereby reciprocation of the bar simultaneously moves the shutters, a link having one end pivotally connected to one of the shutters for pivotally moving the saine, and a second link Number pivotally connected to the first link and having a polygonal opening through its other end, the combination of: a horizontal shaft having a polygonal portion inserted in said polygonal link opening; means for retaining said shaft in said opening; a pair of bracket plates each yattached. rigidly to an opposite surface of a frame stile, and rotatably supporting said shaft; a brace member having one end rigidly attached to said stile and lying between said plates, the other end of said brace member journalling said shaft with adjustable tension; and a crank arm on the shaft for :aiding manual rotation thereof. i

5. In an actuating mechanism for horizonta positioned axially pivotable shutter slats, said slats having an actuating bar pivotally connecting their ends whereby reciprocation of the bar simultaneously moves the shutters, a link having one end pivotally connected to one of the shutters for pivotally moving the same, and ya Second link pivotally connected to the rst link and having a polygonal opening through its other end, the combination of a horizontal shaft having `a driving connection with said second link; a pair 0f bracket plates rigidly engaging opposite surfaces of a frame stile, and rotatably supporting said shaft; a crank arm on said shaft for aiding manual rotation thereof; and means for applying adjustable tension to the shaft for selectively altering its ease of rotation.

6. In an awning having a frame with horizontally positioned axially pivotable shutter slats mounted therein, said slats having an actuating bar pivotally connecting their ends whereby reciprocation of the bar simultaneously moves the shutters, the combination with a horizontal crank-shaft rotatably mounted to the frame adjacent the slat ends, and with operative connections between the shaft and the bar for reciprocating the bar by rotation of the shaft, of: a clamp member carried by the frame and engaging the shaft; and means for selectively adjusting the frictional engagement of the clamp member with the shaft, and thereby holding the slats in various partially open positions.

7. In an awning having a frame with horizontally positioned axially pivotable louvers mounted therein, the combination with a horizontal crankshaft carried by the frame, and Ywith 'operative connections between the shaft and the louvers, whereby rotation of the shaft acts to selectively pivot the shutters simultaneously, of: adjuastable means applied to the shaft for frictionally retarding its rotation, and thereby retaining the louvers in various partially open positions.

8. Structure as specified in claim 7, in which said means includes: a friction brake member carried by the frame and surrounding the shaft; and an adjusting screw for manipulating the clamp.

LEMUAL G. BROWN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date 182,992 Byam Oct.. 10, 1876 1,142,412 Fitzgerald June 8, 1915 1,431,691 Schroder Oct. 10, 1922 2,209,384 Brown July 30, 1940 2,311,300 Dubour et al Feb. 16, 1943 2,359,289 Brown Oct. 3, 1944

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