Self-contained accordian shutter system
A method for manufacturing protective shutters is provided. The method may include: shaping metal to form shutter components, the shutter components comprising at least a top guide piece and a bottom guide piece, a plurality of shutter blades, and side supports; cutting the shutter components to predetermined dimensions; drilling screw holes into the shutter components at predetermined locations; providing a plurality of guide wheels for guiding the shutter blades along a hollow portion in the top guide piece; providing a plurality of protruding pieces for protruding from joints where two shutter blades attach and for guiding the shutter blades along the top and bottom guide pieces; and providing mounting hardware for attaching the protective shutters to a fixed structure and for attaching the shutter components together. The shutter components, guide wheels, protruding pieces, and mounting hardware are for being packaged together for delivery to a recipient.
The instant application claims priority to 61/006,964 filed Feb. 8, 2008, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to accordion hurricane shutters. More specifically, the present invention relates to a self-contained shutter assembly system utilizing pre-assembled components.
2. Description of Prior Art
Shutters are used for decoration, security, and weather protection. Recent powerful hurricanes in the southeastern United States have raised building protection as a serious issue. Shutters are often used in these and other regions to provide protection during hurricanes and other strong storms. Shutters provide light and air during a storm, while protecting the building and the occupants from airborne objects. Many southeastern portions of the United States require that homes and businesses have metal storm shutters over windows to protect the interior of the buildings during extreme weather, which is common to this part of the country.
A popular hurricane shutter is the “accordion” shutter in which several shutter blades rotatably interconnect. Conventionally, accordion folded hurricane shutters are made from extruded aluminum with blade assemblies of set dimensions and angular orientation. A blade assembly usually includes two blades joined with an intermediate longitudinal knuckle joint, and knuckle elements on each longitudinal free edge. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,458,179 and 5,097,883 show examples of such systems. Due to the rotation, the blade assemblies can be placed in (1) a retracted position in which the blades are substantially horizontal and recessed from the opening (e.g., window, door) they are designed to protect, and (2) a deployed position in which the blade assemblies extend from the opposing edges of the opening until the set angular orientation between blades is reached by rotational limit of the knuckle joints.
The bulk of the components for an accordion shutter system are made from extruded aluminum. In this process, an appropriate die is designed based on the desired cross section of the component. Heated aluminum is extruded through the die and cooled into its final form. The extruded aluminum panels are generally about 16 feet long, which is longer than would ever be used as a single component of the accordion shutter. These bulk panels are sold to installers, distributors, and retailers for installation in local homes and businesses.
The above methodology has several drawbacks, particularly for a homeowner or business who would like to install an accordion shutter system. One drawback is that, because each piece of aluminum is typically longer than the opening over which it will be used, each piece needs to be individually cut to the appropriate size of the opening. Similarly, certain mounting components (e.g. headers) need to be customer-drilled to make holes for mounting screws. As a result, the uniformity and quality of the resulting installation—from both aesthetic and safety viewpoints—depends considerably on the skill level of the installer. Since the majority of the public does not have the necessary tools to properly cut aluminum, an independent installer is usually required, with associated expenses and difficulties.
Another drawback of the conventional system is that excess aluminum is wasted. The cutting process typically produces scrap pieces of aluminum which are too small for practical use. Since the recycle value of the metal is high, manufacturers typically keep this scrap aluminum, and store it in a secure location to prevent theft pending recycling. However, the volume of scrap from a home installation is small, so that a home purchaser does not have the same incentive to recycle the metal. Thus, the homeowner will typically throw it away. Even if a third-party installer is used, they must still collect the material and transport it to recycle locations.
Another drawback is the presence of counterfeit and/or substandard components on the market. Third party installers may be using some or all of these components along with legitimate or high-quality components. If the system fails due to the counterfeit and/or substandard components, the homeowners may unfairly sue the legitimate manufacturer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to an embodiment of the invention, a method for manufacturing protective shutters is provided. The method may include: shaping metal to form shutter components, the shutter components comprising at least a top guide piece and a bottom guide piece, a plurality of shutter blades, and side supports; cutting the shutter components to predetermined dimensions; drilling screw holes into the shutter components at predetermined locations; providing a plurality of guide wheels for guiding the shutter blades along a hollow portion in the top guide piece; providing a plurality of protruding pieces for protruding from joints where two shutter blades attach and for guiding the shutter blades along the top and bottom guide pieces; and providing mounting hardware for attaching the protective shutters to a fixed structure and for attaching the shutter components together, wherein all of the shutter components, guide wheels, protruding pieces, and mounting hardware are for being packaged together for delivery to a recipient.
The above embodiment may have various optional features. For example, the method may include pre-inserting the guide wheels into joints where the shutter blades meet, before delivery to a recipient. The method may include pre-inserting the protruding pieces into joints where the shutter blades meet, before delivery to a recipient. The method may include pre-attaching the shutter blades to one another to form at least one shutter door, before delivery to a recipient. The method may include pre-attaching a side support to an end of the shutter door, before delivery to a recipient. The shutter components may include at least one locking blade. The method may include attaching the one locking blade to an end of the shutter door opposite the side support end. The shutter components may include a shutter hold-back device. The protruding pieces may be made of nylon or plastic. The shutter components may be made of aluminum. The shutter components may be formed in an aluminum-extrusion process. The shutter hold-back device may be made of either nylon or plastic.
The present invention is further described in the detailed description which follows, in reference to the noted plurality of drawings by way of non-limiting examples of certain embodiments of the present invention, in which like numerals represent like elements throughout the several views of the drawings, and wherein:
Referring now to
The shutter curtain assembly 10 is used to cover, for example, a garage, doorway, window or any similar opening which is defined by a rectangular or square frame 12 forming an interior aperture. The shutter curtain assembly is made up of a plurality of individual blade portions 14 that are interlockingly connected. The connected blade portions 14 form a substantially accordion shape when they are drawn across the framed opening into a deployed position. The blade portions 14 each have a substantially equal length, and when connected together extend across the width of the opening. The blade portions 14 are preferably constructed of a high-strength tempered aluminum alloy, however they can also be constructed of any other desirable metal, polymer, or combination thereof exhibiting the necessary characteristics of strength and durability. Individual blades may also be made of transparent material, or have holes therein to allow for light and air passage.
Referring to
The first interlocking portion 18 is defined by a substantially partial-cylindrical-shaped portion which extends from the flat central portion the length of the blade. The first portion 18 encompasses an angle that is slightly greater than 180 degrees of a cylinder. The partial cylinder forms a hollow interior between opposing edges with a given inner diameter. A first inwardly-directed tang 22 projects from one of the edges of the semi-cylinder and a second inwardly-directed tang 24 projects from the other edge of the semi-cylinder. The inwardly-directed tangs 22 and 24 extend the entire length of the blade and create opposite and abutting surfaces within the partial cylindrical opening of the first interlocking portion. The tang 22 is a pointed, inwardly-directed portion while the tang 24 forms a more pronounced and inwardly-directed dog leg.
The second interlocking portion 20 is defined by a partial cylindrical shaped portion, preferably substantially semi cylindrical-shaped, which extends from the flat central portion opposite the first interlocking portion and the length of the blade. The second interlocking portion 20 has a smaller diameter to allow for insertion into the first interlocking portion. Similarly to the first interlocking portion, the second interlocking portion forms an angle that is slightly greater than a semi-cylinder and has a hollow interior between opposing edges.
A first tang 26 projects outwardly from one of the edges of the semi-cylinder 20 and a second tang 28 projects outwardly along the other edge of the semi-cylinder. The outwardly-directed tang 26 is pointed similar to the inwardly-directed tang 22, while the outwardly-directed tang 28 forms a dog leg similar to the inwardly-directed tang 24.
The second interlocking portion 20 includes a leg 30 which is angled relative to the flat central portion 16 of the blade and which offsets the second interlocking portion 20 from the axis of the central portion 16. A reinforcing portion or flange 32 can be provided that extends from the connection between the leg 30 and the flat central portion 16 on a side opposite the leg. Such a flange 32 may strengthen the connection between the second interlocking portion and the blade, either by touching in the deployed position or under severe impact (causing additional flex in the shutter which is not present under normal conditions). This contact is best seen in
Referring again to
Similarly, the opposite second interlocking portion 20 of blade 14 is slidably inserted within a corresponding first interlocking portion 18″ of blade 14″, indicated in phantom. The inwardly-directed tangs 22″ and 24″ of the interlocking portion 18″ encircle the outwardly-directed tangs 26 and 28 of the interlocking portion 20. The pivotal travel of the blade 14″ relative to the blade 14 is limited to the same degree as that of the blade 14′ relative to the blade 14. The oppositely-facing pairs of tangs of the respective first interlocking portions and second interlocking portions maintain the blades in interlocking engagement and allow the necessary range of pivotal motion to open and close the shutter curtain assembly.
Referring to
A mounting bracket 34 is attached to side 35 of the frame 12 by any means known in the art. Specifically, a mounting screw 36 for piercing wood or concrete masonry can be employed to mount the bracket 34. The bracket includes a first, or outer, interlocking portion 38 identical in all respects to the first interlocking portion 18 described in
Referring again to
A blade portion 58 similar in all respects to the blade portions previously described is formed as one piece at 60, with the first engaging portion 42. Similarly, a blade portion 62 is likewise attached to an opposing end of the second engaging portion 44, at 64. A normal blade portion 14″ attaches to a second, or inner, interlocking portion of the blade 58 and a likewise normal blade portion 14′ attaches to a second interlocking portion of the blade 62 as previously described.
A key and lock assembly 64 may be positioned at the overlapping first and second engaging portions of the elongated member and enables the user to lock the shutter assembly in place in an unfolded position.
Referring again to
Referring to
Referring again to
Referring again to
The weight of the shutter curtain is entirely supported by the upper guide assembly 72 and a lower guide plate 96 is attached along the lower edge of the frame to guide the lower edges of the shutter assembly. Specifically, the lower guide plate 96 is shaped as an interior channel at 98 to guide a corresponding lower portion 100 of the connection 78 between the blades 14 and 14′. A similar extending portion 102 of the connection 90 is guided along the front of the lower guide plate 96. The side view of
In operation, the shutter curtain assembly is normally in an unfolded and covered position as shown in
The guide assembly extending along the top of the frame enables the shutter curtain halves to be easily separated and moved to the opposite sides of the frame. The blade portions pivot at their respective interlocking connections to the degree allowed by the oppositely facing tangs until the blade portions are substantially folded against each other. Referring again to
In this fashion, a shutter curtain assembly constructed of a plurality of individual shutter blade portions may be used to cover a framed aperture even in the face of heavy winds and inevitable impact of objects hurtled at high velocities by such winds. Specifically, the construction of the blade portions with the pivotal and interlocking outer and inner portions can withstand impact forces greatly in excess of previous shutter constructions. Also, the accordion-like shape of the shutter construction causes the impact forces of objects to be partially deflected and more evenly distributed across the length of the construction.
When each opposing blade set 90 is at the extended limit, the center mates 16 and 17 are preferably in contact. Each of the center mates carries a fastener 18 and 19 which cooperate to releasably connect the opposing shutter sets in a continuous barrier spanning the opening 10.
The size of each blade with attached knuckle components and the set angle determines the deployed size of the blade assembly shown in
As shown in
The top guide assembly has a guide opening 612 into which shutter wheels 614 are inserted to allow the shutter doors 606, 608 to slide between their deployed position and their stacked position. The top guide also has mounting holes 616 pre-drilled along its length for mounting the top guide 602 to a fixed structure such as a wall.
A spacing lip 617 extends from the guide portion so that it is positioned between the wheels 614 of the shutter doors 606, 608 and nylon protrusions 618 which extend from the joints 620 between the blades 622 of the shutter doors 606, 608.
The bottom guide assembly 604 is preferably identical to the upper guide assembly. This reduces manufacturing costs and makes installation easier, since a homeowner or business cannot mistakenly install a bottom guide assembly 604 in place of an upper guide assembly 602. However, the invention is not so limited. For example, when the kit is intended to extend to the floor (e.g., to protect a door), a bottom guide assembly 1100 as shown in
The shutter doors 606, 608 have guide wheels 614 fixed to the joints 620 closest to the fixed structure against which the shutter is being installed. Preferably, the joints 620 alternate between having a guide wheel 614 and a nylon protrusion 618, which reduces manufacturing costs and makes installation easier, since less guide wheels 614 have to be aligned to the guide portion 612 of the upper guide assembly 602. However, the invention is not so limited, and other configurations of wheels and bushings (including all wheels and no bushings) could be used.
The shutter joints 620 farthest from the fixed structure preferably have nylon protrusions 614 attached. The spacing lip 617 of the upper guide assembly 602 keeps these protrusions 614 in a generally fixed position with respect to the joints 620 closest to the fixed structure.
An outer support 624 is attached to the outermost blade 622 of the door 606, 608. The support 624 has holes 626 for attaching the outer support 624 to the upper and lower guide assemblies 602, 604.
The inner-most blades of the shutter doors 606, 608 are locking blades 628, 630. They have a locking mechanism 632 towards the vertical center of the shutter doors 606, 608. The locking mechanism 632 (not shown in its entirely) is preferably outward-facing so it can be locked and unlocked from outside a building. However, it can also be inward-facing so it can be unlocked from inside an opening in the building. Alternatively, the locking blades 628, 630 can have multiple locking mechanisms 632 spaced apart in a vertical direction.
Spacing lip 617 ends in a flange 704 against which nylon projections 618 abut, particularly when the shutter doors 606, 608 are in their closed position. When the shutter doors 606, 608 are open, the nylon protrusions 618 farthest from the fixed structure 700 generally are positioned away from the flange 704 because the blades 622 are wider than the distance from the guide 612 to the flange 704.
Although
The accordion components are held together by accordion pins inserted into the shaft of portion at the joint 920 of two adjoining blades 922.
To install, the user identifies the center of the opening that is to be covered. Top guide 602 is then placed with its center hole 616C substantially in alignment with the center of the window, although several inches above the opening to provide clearance. A screw or bolt 610 is inserted through the hole 616C to support top guide 602 on the structure. A level is preferably used to ensure the top rail 602 is horizontal before the remaining mounting hardware is installed to securely attach top rail 602 to the building.
The pre-assembled left door 606 is then attached to the top guide 602 by inserting the wheels 614 into the guide 612 so that the metal spacer lip 617 is between the nylon projections 618 farthest from the window and the wheels 614 of the corresponding blades 622. The left support 624 which is pre-attached to the accordion door 606 is then fixed to the top guide 602 with mounting hardware 634, such as screws or bolts.
Next, the right door 608 is attached to the top guide 602 in the same manner. First, the wheels 614 are inserted into the top guide 602 so that the metal spacing lip 617 is between the nylon projections 618 farthest from the window and the wheels 614 of the corresponding blades 622. The right support 636, which is pre-attached to the right accordion door 608, is then fixed to the top guide 602 with mounting hardware 634, such as screws or bolts.
With both doors 606, 608 in an open position, the bottom guide 604 is attached. This is done by holding the bottom guide 604 so that the nylon projections 618 closest to the fixed structure, such as a wall, are inside the guide 612, and the nylon projections 618 farthest from the wall are on the opposite side of the metal lip 617 than the wall-side nylon projections 618. The left support 624 is then secured to the bottom guide 604 by mounting hardware 634. Preferably, one side of the shutter system is then plumbed, and mounting hardware 610 is inserted into the screw hole 616 of the bottom guide 604 closest to the plumbed side of the shutter system to fix the bottom guide 604 against the fixed structure, and to fix the shutter system in a vertically plumbed position. Next, the right support 636 is secured to the bottom guide 604 by mounting hardware 634. Finally, the bottom guide 604 is secured to the fixed structure, such as a wall, by mounting hardware 610.
To lock the shutter doors 606, 608, the doors are closed, and the locking mechanism 632, preferably a key lock, is activated.
A shutter hold-back device 1000, as shown in
It is noted that the foregoing examples have been provided merely for the purpose of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limiting of the present invention. While the present invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it is understood that the words which have been used herein are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation. Changes may be made, within the purview of the appended claims, as presently stated and as amended, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention in its aspects. Although the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular means, materials and embodiments, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed herein; rather, the present invention extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods and uses, such as are within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A method for manufacturing protective shutters comprising:
- shaping metal to form shutter components, said shutter components comprising at least a top guide piece and a bottom guide piece, a plurality of shutter blades, and side supports;
- cutting said shutter components to predetermined dimensions;
- drilling screw holes into said shutter components at predetermined locations;
- providing a plurality of guide wheels for guiding the shutter blades along a hollow portion in the top guide piece;
- providing a plurality of protruding pieces for protruding from joints where two shutter blades attach and for guiding said shutter blades along said top and bottom guide pieces; and
- providing mounting hardware for attaching said protective shutters to a fixed structure and for attaching said shutter components together, wherein all of said shutter components, guide wheels, protruding pieces, and mounting hardware are for being packaged together for delivery to a recipient.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising pre-inserting said guide wheels into joints where said shutter blades meet before delivery to a recipient.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising pre-inserting said protruding pieces into joints where said shutter blades meet before delivery to a recipient.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising pre-attaching said shutter blades to one another to form at least one shutter door before delivery to a recipient.
5. The method of claim 4, further comprising pre-attaching a side support to an end of said at least one shutter door before delivery to a recipient.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein said shutter components further comprise at least one locking blade, and the method for manufacturing protective shutters further comprises attaching the at least one locking blade to an end of said at least one shutter door opposite the side support end.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein said shutter components further comprise a shutter hold-back device.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein said protruding pieces are made of nylon or plastic.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein said shutter components are made of aluminum.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the shutter components are formed in an aluminum-extrusion process.
11. The method of claim 7, wherein the shutter hold-back device is made of either nylon or plastic.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 9, 2009
Publication Date: Nov 19, 2009
Inventor: Greg Weekes (Boynton Beach, FL)
Application Number: 12/320,929