EP4603652A1

EP4603652A1 - Building partition screen coupling unit and a building partition screen with that unit

Info

Publication number: EP4603652A1
Application number: EP25156239.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Boguslaw Kasinski; Tomasz Jeczmyk; Michal Lorek
Original assignee: Fakro PP Sp zoo
Current assignee: FAKRO-WDF SP. Z O.O.
Priority date: 2024-02-14
Filing date: 2025-02-06
Publication date: 2025-08-20
Also published as: PL447766A1

Abstract

The subject-matter of the invention comprises a building partition screen coupling unit with screening material (5), comprising beam (2) designed to be attached to the moving end of screen screening material (5), at least one beam coupler (4) designed to be attached to a building partition and to hold screening material (5) in an unwound position, wherein the unit features beam (2) position in coupler control means (42).

Description

The subject-matter of the invention refers to a building partition screen coupling unit with manually guided screening material and a screen with that unit.
An AMZ awning by FAKRO (https://sklep.fakro.pl/markiza-zewnetrzna-na-oknodachowe-amz.html) featuring screening material which terminates with a beam has already been disclosed. The screening material in an unwound state is held in place by hooks attached to a window. For that purpose, at the end of the screening material, by its beam, there are openings into which hooks are inserted and then hooked onto the beam.
In windy conditions the beam was often ripped from the couplers of disclosed awnings. This problem has been solved by the unit according to claim 1.
The aim of the invention is a building partition screen coupling unit and in particular of a roof window awning with screening material. The coupling unit comprises a beam designed to be attached to a moving end of the screening material, and at least one beam coupler designed to be attached to a building partition and to hold the screening material in an unwound position. This unit also comprises a means to control the beam position in the beam coupler, inter alia to determine and hold the beam position in the beam coupler.
The beam control means may comprise a sprung shelf in the beam coupler or on the beam, or a magnet in the beam coupler and/or in the beam, or filling elements which block beam movement as a result of friction between the beam and the beam coupler. The control means may also comprise the beam traverse path itself in the beam coupler, so that there is a shaped connection between the beam and the beam coupler preventing the beam from decoupling from the beam coupler in an uncontrolled manner.
Said unit is arranged to be applied into a building partition screen. The building partition screen comrpising a cassette, which houses a winding roller with the screening material. The screen also features a winding mechanism, and in particular a spring loaded winding mechanism which supports winding and unwinding of the screening material. A user controls the screening material beam position using a bar. For that purpose, the beam, on the inside, i.e. on the side of the window where the screen is to be installed, features a socket for the end piece of the bar. Preferably the beam features a side caps. In the screen open position, the screening material is fully wound onto the winding roller. In a closed position, the winding material is out of the cassette, screening the transparent part of the window to which the screen is attached, and it is held in that position by coupling the beam with the screening material to the window using the beam couplers, located on the opposite side to the cassette. Transition of the screening material from an open position to a closed position takes place in the following stages:

the bar end piece is inserted into the beam socket, wherein the beam socket preferably features two shelves for the bar end piece, so that the shelves feature a guide wall, along which the bar end piece is guided towards a shelf settle wall, following which the bar end piece is inserted into the socket, and the length constituting the longitudinal dimension of the socket is limited by its side walls,
then a user, holding the longitudinal bar bracket, exerts pressure on the beam causing it to move, preferably the pressure is just surface pressure of the bar end piece on the beam socket, defined as the force of the beam end piece pressing on the socket inner surface,

once the screening material is unwound, so that it screens the transparent part of the window to which the screen is attached, the screening material beam, and preferably its caps are inserted along the traverse path to the beam couplers attached to the window,
then a user removes the bar end piece from the beam.

To change from a closed position to an open position, a user inserts the bar end piece into the socket, removes the bar along the traverse path from the beam couplers overcoming the effect of the control means and guides the beam with the screening material towards the screen cassette.
Preferably the unit features two beam couplers designed to be attached to a roof window sash, wherein the beam coupler assembly plate features at least one slotted hole for an assembly screw, adapting the beam coupler position to the window type. The beam couplers may for example constitute the beam couplers with a traverse path which feature an opening shielded by the beam coupler housing. In one embodiment, the beam control means comprises a sprung shelf attached to a coupler wall. A beam coupler latch with a bevelled wall and a latching wall is located on the sprung shelf, so that once the beam has been inserted into the beam coupler, the coupler latch is positioned between the locking wall and the wall shielding the beam caps. A ramp facilitating insertion of the beam into the beam couplers is located in front of the sprung shelf in the beam coupler. When inserting the beam through the beam coupler opening, the beam cap is guided along the ramp and then along the beam coupler latch bevelled wall under the beam coupler housing.
Pressure of the beam cap on the beam coupler latch bevelled wall causes the sprung shelf to flex downwards, i.e. towards the window on which the screen is attached, and the beam cap skips beyond the beam coupler latch bevelled wall, so that the cap locking wall is flush with the coupler latch latching wall. At the same time, the beam cap screening wall stops before the beam coupler latch. Removing the end piece from the socket is performed by rotating the end piece in the unit socket, which results in the cap rotating slightly and the cap rising in the beam coupler in the direction of the beam coupler housing and consequently its release from the locked position, i.e. from a position where the cap locking surface is flush with the beam coupler latch latching wall.
In another embodiment, the beam cap features a sprung shelf, which flexes on the beam coupler latch permitting the cap to be inserted past the beam coupler latch. The beam coupler latch is located on the shelf in the beam coupler, which constitutes a continuation of the ramp. In order to remove the beam from the beam coupler, raise it slightly in the beam coupler using the bar, move it inside the beam coupler towards the screen cassette and rotate so that the beam sprung shelf is above the beam coupler latch.
In the embodiment, where the control means comprises a magnet attached to the beam coupler wall and the beam, preferably the said magnet is located in the beam caps. Once the beam cap has been inserted into the beam coupler along the traverse path, both magnets attract each other in the coupler holding the beam in position inside it.
In another embodiment, the beam or the beam coupler feature a filling element, preferably in the form of lips made out of a flexible material. Friction which holds the beam in the beam coupler occurs between the lips and the surface which they are flush with, preferably the beam or the beam coupler wall depending on which element of the lip they are on.
The traverse path itself also constitutes a control means, as its shape makes it possible to insert the beam cap, whereas its free return is obstructed due to the shape of the traverse path. Then removing the beam from the beam coupler is possible with a user removing it from the beam coupler using the bar. The traverse path features a shape built on the principle of a labyrinth.
Manually guided screen screening material with the beam couplers unit according to claim 1, prevents uncontrolled movements of the awning beam seated in the beam couplers, in particular as a result of the wind and gravitation acting on the screening material. The means controlling the beam position in the beam coupler constitute an obstacle for its free movement in the coupler.
The illustration depicts the invention, with given figures depicting the following:

Fig. 1 perspective view of the screen on a closed window
Fig. 2 perspective view of the screen on an open window
Fig. 3 front view of the screen attached to a window hood
Fig. 4 left side view of an uncovered beam coupler on a window with the beam cap inside it
Fig. 5 right side view of a beam coupler on a window with the beam cap inside it
Fig. 6 cross-section view of a beam coupler with a beam
Fig. 7 cross-section view of beam coupler with beam before cap locking wall is flush with the beam coupler latch latching wall, with flexed sprung shelf depicted by a dotted line during insertion of cap into the beam coupler

Building partition screen coupling unit is constructed out of a beam 2, a beam coupler 4 and a control means. Said unit is arranged to be applied into a building partition screen. The beam 2 features a cap 21 designed to be inserted into the beam coupler 4 and the beam 2 constitutes the end of a screen screening material of the building partition screen, preferably a roof window awning. The screening material 5 is guided manually there and back along a roof window using a bar comprising a longitudinal bracket 11 and an end piece 12 in the form of a small beam which is seated on a longitudinal bracket 11 via a connector 121. The beam 2 comprises a socket 3 for the bar end piece 12. When moving the screening material in any direction, the bar end piece 12 exerts surface pressure on the socket 3. After unwinding screening material 5 from an awning winding roller 6 stowed in a cassette 7 attached to a roof window, it is guided in the opposite direction, i.e. towards the unit beam couplers 4. The beam is latched in the beam coupler 4. The beam coupler 4 comprises a housing 41, with the control means underneath it, which in this embodiment constituting a sprung shelf 42 with a beam coupler latch 43 for latching the beam in the beam coupler. When inserting the beam cap 21 underneath the beam coupler housing 41, it is guided along a beam coupler ramp 44, then along the coupler latch 43 bevelled a wall 431 causing the sprung shelf 42 to flex and the cap to skip beyond the beam coupler latch 43 bevelled wall 431, so that cap 21 locking wall 211 is flush with the beam coupler latch 43 latching wall 432, and a cap screening wall 212 stops before the beam coupler latch 43. When removing the cap from underneath the coupler housing 41, the bar end piece 12 exerts surface pressure on socket 3 walls and at the same time rotates and lifts the beam slightly, so that locking wall 211 is moved above latching wall 432, and then the beam is removed through coupler housing 41 opening 411.
Subsequent embodiments have not been shown on figures. In the second embodiment, the beam cap comprises a sprung shelf, which flexes on the beam coupler latch permitting the cap to be inserted past the beam coupler latch. The beam coupler latch is located on the shelf in the beam coupler, which constitutes a continuation of the ramp. The shelf referred to in the previous embodiment was the sprung shelf. In order to remove the beam from the beam coupler, raise it slightly in the coupler using the bar, move it towards the screen cassette and rotate so that the beam sprung shelf is removed from the coupler housing above the coupler latch.
In the third embodiment, the beam coupler unit differs from the beam coupler unit according to the second embodiment in that under the beam coupler shelf there is a magnet and correspondingly there is also a magnet in the beam cap. Once the beam cap has been inserted along the beam coupler traverse path, both magnets attract each other in the beam coupler holding the beam in position. In order to remove the beam cap from the beam coupler, the magnetic force attracting the magnets together has to be overcome by a force exerted on the beam by a user via the bar.
In the fourth embodiment, the beam cap features a filling element, in the form of lips made out of a flexible material. Friction between the lips and the coupler shelf surface holds the beam in the beam coupler. The filling element may be located on the coupler shelf, i.e. the unit configuration is reversed with reference to the one described in this embodiment. A user removes the beam from the coupler by acting on the beam via the bar.
In the fifth embodiment, the traverse path itself also constitutes a control means, as its shape makes it possible to insert the beam cap, whereas its free return is obstructed due to the shape of the traverse path. Then removing the beam from the beam coupler is possible with a user removing it from the coupler using the bar. The traverse path features a shape built on the principle of a labyrinth.

Claims

A building partition screen coupling unit with screening material (5), comprising the following:
- a beam (2) designed to be attached to the moving end of the screen screening material (5),

- - at least one beam coupler (4) designed to be attached to a building partition and to hold the screening material (5) in an unwound position, characterized in that
the unit comprises a control means (42) arranged to control the beam position in coupler.
The unit according to claim 1 characterized in that the control means comprises sprung shelf (42) in the beam coupler (4).
The unit according to claim 1 characterized in that the control means comprises a sprung shelf on the beam.
The unit according to claim 1 or 2, or 3 characterized in that the control means comprises at least one magnet in the beam coupler.
The unit according to claim 1 or 2 or 3, or 4 characterized in that the control means comprises at least one magnet on the beam.
The unit according to claim 1 or 2, or 3, or 4, or 5 characterized in that the control means comprises a filling element between the coupler and the beam, preferably in the form of a lips in the beam coupler or on the beam cap as appropriate.
The unit according to claim 1 or 2, or 3, or 4, or 5, or 6 characterized in that the control means comprises a beam traverse path in the coupler, so that a shaped connection between the beam and the beam coupler prevents the beam from decoupling from the coupler in an uncontrolled manner.
The unit according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that a beam coupler latch (43) is on sprung shelf (42), and a beam cap (21) comprises a locking wall (211), so that in a latched position, the cap locking wall (211) is past beam coupler latch (43) and is flush with the coupler latch (43) latching wall (432) and the cap screening wall (212) stops before the coupler latch (43).
The unit according to claim 1 or 2, or 8 characterized in that one end of the sprung shelf (42) is attached to beam coupler (4) wall.
The unit according to claim 1 or 2, or 3, or 4, or 5, or 6, or 7, or 8, or 9 characterized in that the beam coupler latch (43) comprises a bevelled wall (431) to support insertion of the cap locking wall beyond the beam coupler latch (43).
The unit according to claim 1 or 2, or 3, or 4, or 5, or 6, or 7, or 8, or 9, or 10 is characterized in that the coupler (4) comprises a ramp (44) to facilitate insertion of the beam (2) into the beam coupler (4).
The unit according to claim 1 or 3, or 4, or 5, or 6, or 7, or 10, or 11 characterized in that the coupler features a shelf constituting a continuation of a ramp (44) and the beam coupler latch (43) is on that shelf.
The building partition screen, comprising a cassette with a winding roller to which the screening material end is attached, and the winding roller is arranged to take on and feed out the screening material during the coiling and uncoiling process, characterised in that the building partition screen comprising also the unit according to claims 1-12.