AU2009201265B2

AU2009201265B2 - Roller Shutter or Multi-Fold Door Fabrication

Info

Publication number: AU2009201265B2
Application number: AU2009201265A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Allan Raymond Jones
Original assignee: EZI ROLL DOORS AUSTRALIA Pty Ltd
Current assignee: EZI ROLL DOORS AUSTRALIA Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2008-04-15
Filing date: 2009-04-01
Publication date: 2014-06-26
Anticipated expiration: 2029-04-01
Also published as: AU2009201265A1

Abstract

A roller shutter or multi-fold door formed from panels (1) hingedly connected via joining slats (5) is disclosed. The slats (5) are fabricated from sheet polycarbonate material and have opposed open grooves (6, 7) preferably formed by routing. As a consequence, the sides (17, 18) of the slats are transparent. Commercial premises secured with such shutters or doors present a more attractive vista for night time "window shopping". 5088D-AU z5 f4 FIGIs

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT ORIGINAL Name of Applicant(s): AC DC MOTORIZED SOLUTIONS PTY LTD Actual Inventor(s): Allan Raymond JONES Address for Service: FRASER OLD & SOHN Patent Attorneys PO Box 560 MILSONS POINT NSW 1565 Invention Title: Roller Shutter or Multi-Fold Door Fabrication Details of Associated Provisional Applications: 2008 901 808 Dated 15 April 2008 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 2 ROLLER SHUTTER OR MULTI-FOLD DOOR FABRICATION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the fabrication of roller shutters or multi-fold doors. 5 In particular, the present invention relates to fabrication of roller shutters of the type disclosed in Australian Patent No. 552,958 entitled "Clear Span Polycarbonate Shutter". In addition, the present invention also relates to multi-fold doors such as those disclosed in Australian Patent No. 2002 302 076. 10 Background Art Such shutters and doors are mainly used in securing commercial premises which have large entrances so as to make the shop attractive to passers-by and, in addition, are fabricated from polycarbonate. This transparent, clear and tough plastics material enables the commercial premises to be secured at night with the lights left on within 15 the interior of the premises so as to enable passers-by to "window shop". Such a roller shutter is formed from a plurality of panels each of which has a length which is substantially equal to the width of the opening of the commercial premises and is hinged to rotate about a horizontal axis. Thus such panels may typically be up 20 to 5 metres in length. In the case of multi-fold doors, the panels extend from floor to ceiling and are hinged so as to rotate about a vertical axis. The panels are hingedly interconnected by means of a joining slat which hitherto has been formed from extruded aluminium, or some such similar metal which is not 25 transparent. As a consequence, the view through the shutter or door is striated or striped. Thus the view into the interior of the premises at night is not as attractive as it would be if this striated or striped appearance were not present. Genesis of the Invention 30 The genesis of the present invention is a desire to provide a substantially transparent joining slat for such shutters or doors so as to increase the commercial attractiveness of the shutter or door. 5088D-AU 3 Whilst polycarbonate can be fabricated in sheets which have transparent faces, it is not possible to drill such joining slats because if their extreme length. Typically this length is 2 metres in respect of multi-fold doors and up to 5 metres in respect of roller shutters. Accordingly, it is not practical to create a drill bit of this length. Therefore, 5 a different fabrication technique is required. Summary of the Invention In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a joining slat for roller shutters or multi-fold doors, each of which is formed form a plurality of 10 panels each pair of which is hingedly interconnected by a joining slat, said joining slat being formed from substantially transparent plastics sheet material and having oppositely opening grooves formed in the side edges thereof and extending substantially the length of said slat, whereby said slat is substantially transparent. Preferably the grooves are formed by routing 15 In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a method of forming a substantially transparent joining slat for roller shutters or multi fold doors each of which is formed from a plurality of panels, each pair of which is hingedly interconnected by a joining slat, said method comprising the step of forming 20 an open groove into each opposite edge of a pair of opposite edges of substantially transparent plastics sheet material. Preferably the grooves are formed by routing. Brief Description of the Drawings A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of 25 example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 substantially reproduces Fig. 2 of Australian Patent No. 552,958 and thereby illustrates one of the panels forming the roller shutter or multi-fold door, Fig. 2 is a transverse cross-section through the joining slat of the preferred embodiment, and 30 Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a short length of joining slat. 5088D-AU 4 Detailed Description As seen in Fig. 1, each of the panels 1 consists of a thin central portion 2 having substantially circular edge ribs 3 which form part of a hinge construction. 5 As seen in Figs. 2 and 3, the joining slat 5 of the preferred embodiment is also formed from sheet polycarbonate material but which is relatively thick compared to that of the panel 1. The slat 5 has oppositely directed open grooves with an upper groove 6 and a lower groove 7. As indicated by broken lines in Fig. 2 each joining slat 5 receives two panels 1 so as to hingedly interconnect the pair of panels 1. 10 Preferably the joining slat 5 of Figs. 2 and 3 has its grooves 6, 7 formed by means of routing by moving the router along opposite edges of the joining slat 5. It will be seen that the grooves 6, 7 have concave side walls 11, 12. In addition, each of the grooves 6, 7 has one side edge 13 which is higher than the other side edge 14. This enables 15 the panels 1 to be pivoted to the right as seen in Fig. 2 relative to the joining slat 5 and thereby provide the necessary hinged interconnection for the roller shutter in its rolled configuration. The machined surfaces of the grooves 6, 7 such as the side walls 11, 12 and side edges 20 13, 14 have a multiplicity of small cuts or grooves which render the surface milky and substantially opaque in appearance. However, the substantial opposite sides 17, 18 are unaffected by this machining operation and are therefore as transparent as the virgin material. As a consequence, only the dimensionally small regions where the edge ribs 3 are retained in the grooves 6, 7 are not transparent. However, the 25 remainder of the roller shutter formed by the central portions 2 and the sides 17, 18 of the slat 5 are transparent, thereby resulting in a greatly enhanced appearance for a commercial premises secured with such roller shutter and having its interior lit of an evening. 30 The foregoing describes only one embodiment of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the art, can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, a base slat or a waist high joining slat, or both, can be fabricated from aluminium material so as to enable a 5088D-AU -5 housing for locking attachments to be created. Similarly, materials such as PERSPEX (Registered Trade Mark) formed from polymethyl methacrylate can be used instead of polycarbonate. The term "comprising" (and its grammatical variations) as used herein is used in the inclusive sense of "including" or "having" and not in the exclusive sense of "consisting only of. 5 The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should be taken as an acknowledgement or admission or any form of suggestion that the prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.

Claims

1. A joining slat for roller shutters or multi-fold doors, each of which is formed from a plurality of transparent panels each pair of which is hingedly interconnected by the joining slat, said joining slat being formed from substantially transparent plastics sheet material and having oppositely opening grooves formed in the side edges thereof and extending substantially the length of said slat, whereby said slat is substantially transparent.

2. The slat as claimed in claim 1 wherein the grooves are formed by routing.

3. The slat is claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein said plastics material is selected from the group consisting of polycarbonate and polymethyl methacrylate.

4. The slat as claimed in any one of claims I to 3 wherein each said groove is substantially identical.

5. The slat as claimed in any one of claims I to 4 wherein the interior side walls of each said groove are substantially concave.

6. The slat as claimed in any one of claims I to 5 wherein each said groove is substantially asymmetrical.

7. The slat as claimed in claim 6 wherein one side edge of said groove is higher than the other side edge thereof

8. A method of forming a substantially transparent joining slat for roller shutters or multi-fold doors each of which is formed from a plurality of transparent panels, each pair of which is hingedly interconnected by the joining slat, said method comprising the step of forming an open groove into each opposite edge of a pair of opposite edges of substantially transparent plastics sheet material.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein said step of forming comprises routing.

10. The method as claimed in claims 8 or 9 wherein said plastics material is selected from the group consisting of polycarbonate and polymethyl methacrylate.

11. A method as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 10 including the further step of forming the grooves to be substantially identical. -7

12. The method as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 11 including the step of forming the interior wall of each said groove to be substantially concave.

13. The method as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 12 including the step of forming each said groove to be substantially asymmetrical.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 including the step of forming one side edge of said groove to be higher than the other side edge thereof.

15. A transparent joining slat substantially as herein described with reference to the Figs 2 and 3 of the drawings.

16. A method of forming a transparent joining slat, said method being substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings. Dated this 30 th day of March 2009 AC DC MOTORIZED SOLUTIONS PTY LTD By FRASER OLD & SOHN Patent Attorneys for the Applicants 5088D-AU