Patents by Inventor Dirk Van Zyl Smit

Dirk Van Zyl Smit has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5839233
    Abstract: A louvre type roof structure includes a plurality of parallel slats mounted on carrier elements which in turn are mounted on carrier beams such as to permit pivotal displacement of the carrier elements and the slats between a closed position in which the slats are disposed in a roughly coplanar orientation, and an open position in which the slats are disposed in spaced apart generally parallel planes. The carrier elements are secured to the slats by engaging the slats without penetrating the slats, so that each slat is located in a fixed planar orientation relative to the respective carrier. Mounting of the carrier elements to the carrier beams is by means of a pair of mounting levers for each carrier element. One of the pair of mounting levers is a fixed lever securable to a carrier beam in a selected position, and the other lever is a free lever displaceable relative to a carrier beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1998
    Inventor: Dirk Van Zyl Smit