KR20180011750A - Shutter slat - Google Patents

Abstract

Slats for use in rolling shutters are presented. The slats include a hooking track located at a first edge of the body and a receiving track located at a second edge of the body. Illustratively, the hooking track represents a hook-shaped profile, and the receiving track includes a lip member and a guard member defining a space adapted to receive an engaging track of a neighboring slat therein . The hooking track and the receiving track are designed to minimize the space required to allow the rolling shutter to retract around the spindle.

Description

Shutter slat {SHUTTER SLAT}

This application claims the benefit of US Provisional Application No. 61 / 600,909, filed February 20, 2013, entitled " Shutter Slot ", filed on February 20, 2012, 13 / 772,154, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The present invention relates to a shutter slat, and more particularly to a roller type shutter slat with improved resistance to typhoon and break-in. The present invention also relates to a shutter slat having compact retraction capability.

Conventional roller shutters are designed to provide protection from intrusion or protection against storms. Such safety and protection may or may not be always required, for example during the daytime when a retail store is open for business or when the landlord opens the window or enjoys an ocean view The roller shutter is designed to be retractable into the casing in which the roller shutter is stored. In some instances, to enable compact storage, rigid shutter slats designed to withstand hurricane winds and thrillers must also be able to accommodate rolls.

One conventional shutter slat is made to conform to a roll by providing a loose joint between the slats. The slats are slidably engaged at the upper edge of one slat and at the lower edge of the other slat. The upper edge includes a vertical protrusion that terminates in a hook-shaped profile. The lower edge includes a first portion and a second portion that cooperate to form a vertical pocket. The profile of the hook shape of the upper edge makes it possible to combine the first part and the upper edge of the lower edge, which also have a profile of the hook shape. The upper edge is prevented from undesired separation with the lower edge by a second portion of the lower edge, the lower edge extending downward toward the profile of the hook shape slightly below the profile of the hook shape of the lower edge And includes a guard to form a horizontal opening between the first and second portions of the lower edge. The vertical pocket formed by the first and second portions of the lower edge is similar in height to the vertical protrusion of the upper edge at its depth plane. The flexibility of this shutter configuration results from the pivoting of the vertical portion of the upper edge within the horizontal opening.

One consequence of this arrangement is that the upper edge has significant vertical spacing inside the vertical pocket. Shutters in this configuration are known to have a spacing of up to 1/4 inch or more per slat. 48 slats and a shutter with a gap of 1/4 inch per slate will now have a total distance of 12 inches between the fully open position and the fully closed position. In order to raise the aforementioned shutter with a torsion spring as counterbalance, the user must lift the lower slat by hand or mechanically to correct all gaps before the shutter starts to contract Only. In such a shutter, the user must lift approximately 150 pounds by 12 inches to engage the shrink mechanism of the shutter. A shutter of such a configuration does not achieve all of the advantages of counterbalance as presented by a torsion spring or other means.

Depending on the additional consequences of this configuration, loosely articulating slats are known to cause noise. The slats are staggered against each other during extension and contraction. In addition, when the roller shutter is deployed, conventional wind forces are sufficient to drive the slats away to the audible level.

In general, conventional shutter slats are designed to hang from a roll or spindle received within the casing. When the shutter is retracted, the slats wrap around the spindle. Because the slats do not compactly engage with each other around the roll, the resulting shutter assembly, when retracted, forms a roll having a large diameter, thus requiring a large casing for the roll. This can be daunting, especially in shutter applications used in residential buildings. Therefore, a shutter assembly capable of compact storage is preferable.

One solution to the problem of compact storage is to provide a solution to the problems described in U.S. Patent No. 6,095,225 to Miller and entitled " Shutter Slats with Integrated Boss " And incorporating joints and concentric bosses. The slats in this configuration are also slidably engaged at the upper edge of one slat and at the lower edge of the other slat. The upper edge includes a short vertical projection terminating in a C-shaped screw boss, the lower edge including a C-shaped channel having a diameter sufficient to accommodate the upper edge. The flexibility of this shutter configuration results from the co-operation of the round inner surface of the C-shaped channel and the rounded outer surface of the C-shaped screw boss. The diameter of the upper edge is smaller than the diameter of the C-shaped channel but larger than the width of the opening formed by the C-shaped channel so that the upper edge is separated from the C-shaped channel provided by the lower edge It is prevented simply to come out.

One consequence of this arrangement is that if the exposed portion of the C-shaped channel of the lower edge yields upon pressure application to the joint, the slats may be undesirably detached. Since the maintenance of the upper edge by the C-shaped channel is based on a relatively small difference in magnitude, damage to any edge can result in a breach of the rolling shutter. For example, if a virtual intruder strikes the shutter, the C-shaped channel can be forcibly opened. Even if the C-shaped channel is only slightly bent, once a gap is formed between the upper edge and the lower edge, the two slats can be dropped with little undesirable effort.

There is a need for a shutter slat that completely minimizes the space required for a rolling shutter of fully wound slats in a fully closed configuration. There is also a need for a shutter slat that can be frozen and does not retain water that can damage the slats.

The present invention relates to a rolling shutter slat for use in a rolling shutter, the slat comprising a first end, a second end, and a profile including a body with a top edge and a bottom edge, Wherein an outwardly facing surface extends between the upper edge and the lower edge and an inwardly facing surface extends between the upper edge and the lower edge. The slat having an engaging track connected to the body at the upper edge, the engaging track being moved upward from the upper edge at a gently curved transition between the engaging track and the upper edge And has an extending hook. The slat further includes a receiving track connected to the body at the lower edge, the receiving track including a lip member having an outer lip surface and a lip surface for joint connection, The outer lip surface extends downwardly to a curl along a curved line that is close to the inwardly facing surface of the body and faces the inward side of the body, and the curl extends upwardly to the distal end. Wherein the receiving track further comprises a guard member spaced apart from the lip member, a tube fitting space, and a receptacle, wherein in the articulating space a second engaging of the second identical slats The track may be hooked to the lip member through an opening between the lip member and the guard member to form a hinge, the receptacle having a first shoulder on the joint connecting lip surface and a second shoulder on the joint- Is located between the guard member and the lip member and the lowest point of the curl is displaced in the horizontal direction from the intersection of the body of the second same slat and the second engaging track.

In another embodiment, the shutter slat includes a body having a curved portion with a convex surface and a concave surface, a first end, and a second end. A hooking track is located at the first end, a curved portion is formed between the body and the hooking track, and the hooking track protrudes above the convex surface of the body. A receiving track is located at the second end, the receiving track including a guard member extending along a curvature of the body, the lip member projecting below the concave side of the body. A joint space is formed between the lip member and the guard member, and the joint space is sized and shaped to be hingedly coupled to the hooking track. In a further variant, the shutter slats may be incorporated in a rolling shutter, in which case a plurality of slats form a chain extending from the spindle, and the hooking tracks of each successive slats are in turn received from the preceding slats in the chain Is coupled into the ice track.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in more detail by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 is a side view of a shutter slat according to the present invention.
2 is an elevational view of a shutter slat according to the present invention.
3 is a detailed view of a hooking track according to the present invention.
4 is a detailed view of a receiving track according to the present invention.
Figure 5 is an elevational view of a window aperture comprising a rolling shutter according to the present invention.
6 is a horizontal partial cross-sectional view of a shutter slat according to the present invention, taken along line AA, coupled to the track;
7 is a side view of the cooperation of two shutter slats according to the present invention when the shutter slats are in the open position;
Fig. 8 is a detailed view of the cooperation between the hooking track and the receiving track of the two shutter slats of Fig. 7;
9 is a side view of the cooperation of two shutter slats according to the present invention when the shutter slats are in the closed position;
Figure 10 is a side view of the shutter slat of Figure 9 showing the interaction between successive windings of the shutter slat.
11 is a side view of a modification of the shutter slat.
Figure 12 is a side view of a rolling shutter comprising the shutter slats of Figure 11 in the retracted position.
13 is a detailed side view of the shutter slat of FIG. 12;
Figure 14 is a side view of a further variation of the shutter slat.
15 is a side view of a hinge formed by engagement of two shutter slats in Fig.
Figure 16 is a photograph of a rolling shutter mounted on a device for testing resistance to water penetration.
Figure 17 is a photograph of a rolling shutter mounted on the apparatus of Figure 16, showing water penetration during the test.
Figure 18 is a photograph of a rolling shutter mounted on the apparatus of Figure 16, which does not show water penetration during the test.

1 and 2 show a shutter slat 1 according to the present invention. As an example, the shutter slat 1 is an elongated body made of aluminum and having an extruded body portion 4, a hooking track 7 and a receiving track 8. The body portion 4 has an outwardly facing surface 2, an inwardly facing surface 3, a first edge 5, a second edge 6, a first end 15 and a second end 16, As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the slats are formed of a single ply of extruded aluminum, but other metallic or plastic materials as well as double ply aluminum may also be considered.

1 is a side view of a shutter slat 1 according to the present invention. The body portion 4 is a curved single wall with an outwardly facing surface 2, an inwardly facing surface 3, a first edge 5 and a second edge 6. When the cross section is taken vertically at an arbitrary position along the length of the slat 1, the outwardly facing surface 2 of the body portion 4 has a convex cross section and the inwardly facing surface 3 has a concave cross section . The distance between the outwardly facing surface 2 and the inwardly facing surface 3 forms the thickness 50 of the body portion 4.

2 is an elevational view of a low-clearance shutter slat 1 according to the present invention. The distance between the upper end 52 of the hooking track 7 and the lower end 53 of the receiving track 8 forms the vertical height 54 of the slat 1. However, each slat 1 in the rolling shutter 9 may not have the same vertical height 54. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the vertical height 54 of the slats 1 is not critical as long as the slats 1 conform to the rolls into the shutter casing 12 (see FIG. 5). It may be advantageous to change the vertical height 54 of the slats 1 in the rolling shears 9 to minimize the space required to shrink the rolling shutter 9 to the fully closed position.

The distance between the first end 15 and the second end 16 of the body portion 4 forms the overall horizontal width 55 of the slats 1. The overall horizontal width 55 should be wide enough to cover a building opening or other opening designed to be protected by a rolling shutter 9 made of slats 1.

Both the outward facing surface 2 and the inward facing surface 3 are both formed to have a radius of curvature 51. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the radius of curvature 51 is not critical as long as the slats 1 are adapted to wrap around the spindle 19 (see FIG. 9). The radius of curvature 51 of the body portion 4 and the overall vertical height 54 cooperate so that the rolling shutter 9 formed by the slats 1 rolls as they are retracted about the spindle 19 Lt; / RTI > The curvature radius 51 of the body portion 4, the overall vertical height 54 and the thickness 50 can be adjusted to facilitate winding and retraction of the rolling shutter 9 formed by the slats 1, 9). ≪ / RTI >

3 is a detail view of a hooking track 7 connected to the body portion 4 at the first edge 5 as a gentle concave transition. The hooking track 7 includes a hook 30 with an outer surface 31, an inner surface 32 and a tip 33. The hooking track (7) is formed integrally with the body part (4). However, it should be understood that the hooking track 7 may be formed separately from the body portion 4 and fixed to the body portion. It should also be appreciated that the hooking track 7 may alternatively be located at the second edge 6.

The hook 30 of the hooking track 7 has a profile dimensioned to be substantially similar to the profile of the articulating space 20 of the receiving track 8. The hook 30 may have a single radius and the radius may vary along the profile of the hook 30. In the illustrated embodiment, the radius of the hook 30 is reduced to be close to the tip 33.

The outer surface 31 has a substantially uniform thickness 56 from the leading edge 33 to the first edge 5 of the body portion 4 along with the radius of curvature of the inner surface 32. [ And has a radius of curvature. In this embodiment, the thickness 56 of the hooking track 7 is substantially similar to the thickness 50 of the body portion 4. The hooking track 7 also has a vertical height 57 extending from the first edge 5 to the upper end 52.

4 is a detailed view of the receiving track 8 connected to the body portion 4 at the second edge 6. The receiving track 8 includes a lip member 10, a guard member 11, and a joint space 20. The receiving track 8 may also include a receptacle 23. The receiving track 8 is formed integrally with the body part 4. [ It should be understood, however, that the receiving track 8 may be formed separately from the body portion 4 and secured to the body portion.

The receiving track 8 has a vertical height 58 extending from the second edge 6 to the lower end 53. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the vertical height 58 of the receiving track 8 is not critical as long as the receiving track 8 is dimensioned to engage the hooking track 7.

The lip member 10 has an outer lip surface 15, a lip surface 16 for joint connection, and a tip 25. The outer lip surface 15 further comprises an outer lip wall 40 and an outer lip curl 41. The outer lip wall 40 of the outer lip surface 15 has a radius of curvature 51 of the inwardly facing surface 3 and the outer lip wall 40 close to the inwardly facing surface 3 of the body portion 4. [ Are the same, and there is no break between the inwardly facing surface 3 and the outer lip wall 40. This common radius of curvature 51 minimizes the space occupied by the slats 1 when the rolling shutter 9 of slats 1 is retracted to its fully closed position.

The guard member 11 has an outer guard surface 17 and an articulating guard surface 18. As shown, the articulating surface 16 and the articulating guiding surface 18 can be wholly or partly concave. These concave jointing surfaces make it possible to provide improved joints between neighboring slats without the need to provide additional vertical spacing.

The joint space 20 is a space in which the hooking track 7 of the neighboring slats 1 is received in the receiving track 8 to form the rolling shutter 9. The distal end portion 25 of the lip member 10 and the guard surface 18 for joint connection of the guard member 11 form an opening 22 communicating with the articulating space 20. The hooks 30 of the hooking tracks 7 of the neighboring slats 1 are sized to enter the joint space 20 through the openings 22. The profile of the articulating space 20 is dimensioned to substantially match the profile of the hook 30 of the hooking track 7. The distal end portion 33 of the hook 30 of the adjacent slat 1 is seated against the joint connecting lip surface 16 of the lip member 10 so that the hooking member 7 of the adjacent slat 1 and the receptacle- A hinge is formed between the members (8). The outer surface 31 of the hook 30 of the neighboring slats 1 is brought into contact with the joint connecting surface 18 of the guard member 11 so that the hooking member 7 of the neighboring slats 1, So that it can be separated from the member 8.

In prior art designs, the receiving track has a thin guard member that is substantially vertical when the slats are in the vertical position. The lowest point of this prior art guard member extends below the lowest point of the communicating lip member. The guard member 11 is considerably shorter than the guard member of the prior art slats and the lowest point of the guard member 11 is terminated on the lowest point of the lip member 10 when the slat 1 is in the vertical position. Since the guard member 11 is shorter than the lip member, the guard member is provided on the side of the adjacent slats 1, without significantly increasing the amount of aluminum injected required to form the receiving track 8 Which is thickened and reinforced at the point of engagement with the hooking track 7 and also improves the stability of the hinge formed by the two slats without requiring additional material consumption. The increased thickness of the guard member 11 also protects the slats 1 from excessive joints which may separate the hinges formed using the hooking tracks of the other slats 1.

The receptacle 23 is adapted to receive a holding device or alignment device 29 (see FIG. 6). Such a retaining device or alignment device can be another device that can be held by a screw, bolt, or receptacle and can align the slats with one another and / or maintain the slats relative to a guide. The joint connecting lip surface 16 has a shoulder 27 for separating the articulating space 20 from the receptacle 23 and the joint connecting surface 18 connects the articulating space 20 to the receptacle 23 And the like. As shown in Figure 1, when the slat 1 is in the vertical position, the receptacle 23 is positioned over the shoulder 27 and the shoulder 28. As shown in Fig. 4, it is advantageous to position the receptacle 23 between the body portion 4 and the opening 22. It should be appreciated that the receptacle 23 is still positioned between the body portion 4 and the opening 22, even if the receiving track 8 is located at the first edge 5 of the slat 1. [

The receptacle 23 is open to the articulating space 20 and is spaced apart from the articulating space 20 as shown, while the receptacle 23 is separate from the articulating space 20 and separated by the shoulders 27 and 28, As shown in Fig. The hooking track 7 of the neighboring slats 1 can not enter the gap between the first shoulder 27 and the second shoulder 28 and can not be held in the receptacle 23. The receptacle 23 is held by the lip member 10 and the guard member 11 and by the hooking track 7 of the neighboring slats 1 while the receptacle 23 is openly communicated with the joint space 20. [ Dust and grime are combined. It is to be understood that the receptacle 23 can be completely separate from the articulating space 20 if desired. In this embodiment, the joint connecting surface 16 and the joint connecting guard surface 18 are connected at the shoulder 27 and at the shoulder 28 so that the hooking track 7 of the second slat 1 Thereby providing a continuous one joint connecting surface.

Figure 5 shows an elevation view of a plurality of shutter slats (1) articulated to a rolling shutter (9) which can be installed in a building opening, such as a window or door, according to the invention. The details of the building openings for brevity are not shown. The building opening is also provided with a pair of guides (13 and 14) and a shutter casing (12) located at opposite lateral edges of the building opening. The rolling shutter 9 can be rolled up for storage in the shutter casing 12. [ The first end 15 and the second end 16 of the slat 1 are adjacent to the guide 13 and the guide 14 as shown in Fig. The retaining screw 29 provides a secure alignment of the ends 15,16 with the guides 13,14.

6 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of Fig. There is shown a shutter slat 1 which is engaged with a guide 13 and a retaining screw 29. [ Preferably, the retaining screw 29 is inserted into the receptacle 23 of the shutter slat 1 for use with the guide 13. The head 44 of the retaining screw 29 protrudes from the receptacle 23 and slides inside the vertical guide 13 provided at the end of the rolling shutter 9. In this illustrated embodiment, the retaining screw 29 does not limit the pivoting or rotation of the hooking track 7 within the receiving track 8. As shown, the diameter of the head 44 of the retaining screw 29 is not greater than the outer profile of the receiving track 8, for minimization of the rolling shutter. Because of the space between the head 44 of the retaining screw 29 and the first end 15 of the slat 1, the receiving track 8 of one slat 1 is located on the hooking track of another slat 1 7 in the horizontal direction. The degree of horizontal sliding may be defined in part by the space between the first end 15 of the slat 1 and the head 44 of the retaining screw 29 or by the configuration of the guides 13 and 14 . An extended screw (not shown) with an extension member may be used instead of the maintenance screw 29. The elongate member of the elongated screw is longer than the head 44 of the retaining screw 29 and is intended to hold the rolling shutter 9 within the guides 13 and 14 better during intrusion attempts or extreme wind conditions. An example of an extended screw is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 7,784,522.

7 is a side view showing the cooperation of two slats 1a and 1b according to the present invention and Fig. 8 is a side view showing the cooperation of the receiving track 8 of the slat 1a and the hooking track 7 of the slat 1b Fig. Both FIGS. 7 and 8 show the slats 1a and 1b which are engaged when the shutter slats are in the open position. 7, the lower slat 1b is in a vertical position, i.e. in the same position as in an open shutter, wherein the vertical axis 59 of the slat 1a is substantially or completely And is aligned with the vertical axis 60. There is very little space between the slats. Still, the lower slat 1b can be articulated in a clockwise direction.

The hooking track 7 of the slat 1b is slidably engaged with the receiving track 8 of the slat 1a to form a hinge between the slat 1a and the slat 1b do. The outer surface 31 of the hook 30 of the slat 1b is convex and is connected to the joint connecting lip surface 16 of the lip member 10 and to the joint connection 11 of the guard member 11 of the slat 1a Rest against the guard surface 18. The tip 33 of the hook 30 of the slat 1b also rests against the articulating lip surface 16 of the lip member 10 of the slats 1a. The lip member 10 of the slat 1a holds the hook 30 of the slat 1b in the joint space 20. [ The leading end portion 25 of the lip member 10 of the slats 1a extends into the space formed by the hooks 30 of the slats 1b. The distal end portion 25 of the lip member 10 of the slat 1a is wound into the articulated space 20 and the hooking track 7 of the slat 1b and the receiving track 8 of the slat 1a Providing additional stability to the formed hinge.

The guard member 11 shields the connecting portion between the hooking track 7 of the slat 1b and the lap member of the slat 1a so that the hooking track 7 of the slat 1b abuts on the receiving track of the slat 1a, (8). The guard member 11 is formed in such a manner that the hooking track 7 of the slat 1b and the lip member 10 of the slat 1a are in contact with the force applied to the outwardly facing surface 2 of the slats 1a and 1b Thereby preventing exposure. In the open position, the weight bearing portion of the receiving track 8 is the lip member 10. Since the hooking track 7 of the slat 1b is not directly related to the guard member 11 of the slat 1a, the exposed portion of the lower track has a larger weight than the shutter of the prior art, There is little possibility that the joint connection between the slats 1a and 1b is separated by the damage to the outwardly facing surface 2 and the damage to the guard member 11 of the slats 1a.

One advantage of the configuration of the lip member 10 and the guard member 11 is that the slats 1a and 1b are arranged on the receiving track 8 of the hooking track 7 and the slat 1a of the slat 1b, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > a < / RTI > The lip members 10 of the slats 1a are displaced in the horizontal direction from the intersections of the body portion 4 and the hooking tracks 7 of the slats 1b at their lowest points. The intersection of the body member 4 and the hooking track 7 of the slat 1b is gradually shifted. This configuration makes it possible to flow smoothly from the lip member 10 of the slats 1a without draining the water into the hinges formed by the intersections of the slats 1a and the slats 1b.

The slats (1) do not require protrusions to prevent excessive joint connection. In the case of using the slats 1, the guard members 11 are thicker than those of the prior art slats. The thickness of the guard member 11 and the shape of the lip member 10 prevent excessive joint connection of the slats 1 and the projection on the hooking member 7 is not required. Since there is no projecting portion, there is no channel for holding water to fall on the lip member 10. If you have water, the water will freeze and damage the hinge.

Fig. 9 is a side view showing the cooperation of the two slats 1c and 1d engaging when the slats are in the closed position. As shown, the leading end 25 of the lip member 10 of the slat 1c lies on the same plane with respect to the inner surface 32 of the hook 30 of the slat 1d, and the slats 1c, The body portions 4 of the slits 1d form a substantially circular arc when the slats are in the fully closed position. These arcs enable the first subassembly of the slats 1 of the rolling shutter 9 to be placed on substantially the same plane as the spindle 19 when the slats are in the fully closed position, Allows subassemblies to form similar arcs around the original subassembly and around other subassemblies. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that it may be advantageous to change the arc of the slats as the distance between the slats and the spindle increases in order to minimize the overall space required for the rolling shutter 9 in the fully closed position of the rolling shutter.

The shape of the guard member 11 further minimizes the overall radius of the rolling shutter 9 of the slat 1 when the shutter is in the closed position. The guard member 11 is shorter and thicker than in the prior art slats and the lowest point of the guard member 11 is the lowest point of the lip member 10 when the slat 1 is in the vertical position On. 9, at the point farthest from the center 65 of the spindle 19, when the slats 1c and 1d are in the closed position, the guard member 11 of the slats 1c, Is located at substantially the same distance from the center 65 of the spindle 19 as compared to the hooking track 7 of the slat 1d at the point farthest from the center 65 of the spindle 19. [ This configuration minimizes the overall radius occupied by each subassembly of the slats circulating the spindle 19, thereby minimizing the overall radius of the rolling shutter 9 of the slats 1 when the shutters are in the closed position . Moreover, the outer surface of the guard member 11 is formed to be substantially parallel to the curved portion of the body, thereby reducing the overall radius of the rolled-up shutter slats.

In a preferred embodiment, the slats are provided with curved portions or recesses between the body of the slats and the hooking tracks. As best seen in Figure 3, the slats 1 have curves between the hooking tracks 7 and the body 4 at the first edge 5. The curvature enables the hinge between neighboring slats to form a gentle transition. For example, Figs. 7 and 8 show the hinge between the slats 1a and 1b in the vertical position. When the hooking track 7 of the slat 1b is engaged with the receiving track 8 of the slat 1a the curved portion is formed by the outer guard surface 17 of the guard member 11 and the outer surface of the hook 30, And a gentle transition portion is allowed to be formed between the first and second end portions 31a and 31b. This gentle transition is believed to enable the water to flow neatly over the hinge without being collected and drained into the hinge. Additionally, it has been found that the sharper the angle of the curvature is, the more effective it is in reducing the penetration of water into the hinge.

In some slat configurations, the presence of curves between the body and the hooking track can degrade the ability to minimize the space required to shrink the rolling shutter to the fully closed position. 10 shows a slat 1 wherein the hooking track 7 and the receiving track 8 project over the convex bends of the body 4 of the slats, . The combination of the hooking track 7 and the receiving track 8 forms a hinge 62 which protrudes above the convex common curvature of the slat 1 and which, in a continuous winding, Thereby forming a gap 64 (gap) between them. This gap hinders compact alignment when the shutter is rolled to the retracted or fully closed position.

The space required for the rolling shutter in the retracted position is achieved by a slat with a receiving track projecting below the concave curved portion of the body of the slat, i. E. Projecting from the inwardly facing surface, without sacrificing the curvature between the body and the hooking track Can be minimized. Referring to Figures 11 and 12, there is shown a variant of a slat having a receiving track with a lip member projecting below a concave curved portion of the inwardly facing surface of the body. The guard member of the receiving track extends along the curved portion of the main body.

As shown in Figure 11, the slats 100 have a body 104 with a first edge 105 and a second edge 106 opposite the first edge. The body 104 has a curved portion with a radius of curvature 151, an outwardly facing convex surface 102, and an inwardly facing concave surface 103. The hooking track 107 is connected to the body 104 at a first edge 105 and the receiving track 108 is connected to the body at a second edge 106.

The receiving track 108 includes a lip member 110, a guard member 111, and a joint space 120. The lip member 110 includes a base 168 and an outer lip wall 140 adjacent the end 106 of the body 104. The lip member 110 is projected by a height 166 below a concave surface 103 that faces inward of the body 104. The guard member 111 extends along the curved portion of the main body 104. The articulating space 120 communicates with the opening 122 formed between the lip member 110 and the guard member 111. The joint space 120 is sized and shaped to be hingedly coupled to the hooking track 107. The receiving track 108 may also include a receptacle 123 formed between the lip member 110 and the guard member 111 which may be a retaining device or alignment device as previously described The size and the shape are set so as to accommodate each of them.

The hooking track 107 includes a hook 130 with an outer surface 131, an inner surface 132, a base 170 adjacent the end 105 of the body 104, and a tip 133. The hook 130 is sized and shaped to substantially resemble the size and shape of the articulating space 120 of the receiving track 108. A curved portion 172 having an internal angle 174 is formed between the hooking track 107 and the body 104. [ The curved portion 172 causes the hooking track 107 to protrude by a height 176 above a convex surface 102 that faces outwardly of the body 104.

Figures 12 and 13 illustrate rolling shutters in the retracted position, including a plurality of slats 100 forming a chain extending from the spindle 119. The hooking track 107 of each successive slat 100 is hingedly coupled within the receiving track 108 of the preceding slat 100 in the chain. In the retracted position, the chain of slats is wound around the spindle 119 with a series of windings that are gradually placed on a circle relative to the spindle.

An example of a single winding is shown with slats 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d and 100e, where slate 100a is the first slate in the winding that is located closest to the spindle, and slats 100e are from the spindle And the slats 100b, 100c, and 100d are intermediate slats that are positioned between the initial slat 100a and the final slat 100e. As shown in Fig. 13, the hooking track 107a of the initial slat 100a is positioned adjacent to the receiving track 108e of the final slat 100e. Additionally, the body 104e of the final slat 100e overlaps the hooking track 107a of the original slat 100a. Conversely, the body 104a of the first slat 100a is partially overlapped under the receiving track 108e of the final slat 100e. Likewise, the intermediate slats 100b, 100c and 100d have hooking tracks 107 that are positioned adjacent to the receiving track 108 and are superimposed by the body 104 of the slats in successive windings , The intermediate slat has a body 104 that is partially overlapped below the receiving track 108 of the slat in a continuous winding.

The slats 100 may have a height 166 substantially equal to the height 176 at which the hooking track 107 projects above the convex surface 102 of the body 104 (Inwardly) below the concave surface 103 of the body 104 at the end of the body 104. The lip member 110 may be configured to have a receiving surface 112, The guard member 111 of the receiving track 108 has a curved portion that extends along the curved portion of the body 104 and the outer wall 140 of the lip member 110 of the receiving track 108 has a body 104 The same or substantially the same curvature as the curvature of the curved portion. In addition, the base 168 of the receiving track 108 adjacent the end 106 of the body 104 is located at a position on the base 170 of the hooking track 107 adjacent the end 105 of the body 104 Can be set to a size and shape that are complementary to the size and shape.

As noted above, the curvature and vertical height of the body 104 may be varied to minimize the space required by the rolling shutter at the retracted position. As is clearly shown in Figure 12, the radius and perimeter of each successive winding increases as it moves away from the spindle. Thus, the radius of curvature 151 of the slat 100 may increase as it moves away from the spindle 119, i.e., the radius of curvature of the body 104 of the slat proximate the spindle is less than the radius of curvature of the slat Lt; / RTI > Likewise, the height of the slats 100 can increase as they move away from the spindle 119, i.e. the height between the end 105 and end 106 of the body 104 of the slats near the spindle, It may be shorter than the height of the slats.

In another embodiment, the internal angle 174 of the curved portion 172 can vary between the slats in the rolling shutter. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that as the radius of curvature 151 of the body 104 increases, the internal angle 174 of the curved portion 172 can also increase to accommodate the more flattened curves of the body, It will be appreciated that any spacing of < / RTI > The internal angle 174 of the curved portion 172 of the slats 100 adjacent to the spindle 119 may be smaller than the internal angle of the slats on the circle against the spindle.

In a further embodiment, each winding of the rolling shutter in the retracted position has the same number of slats. In the embodiment of Figure 12, each winding includes five slats, wherein each hinge 162 rests against the preceding hinge to form a compact roll.

In addition to minimizing the space required in the retracted position, this embodiment is considered to provide additional advantages. As noted above, the receiving track 108 may have a guard member 111 having a curved portion that is the same as or similar to the curved portion of the body 104, and may be positioned below the inwardly facing recessed surface 103 of the body And a protruding lip member 110 may be provided. This configuration minimizes the profile of the hinges 162 in the outwardly convex surface and smoothes the transition between the combined shutter slats 100 because the water flows more neatly to the outer surface of the rolling shutter And reduces any protruding surface on which water can be collected and drained into the hinge. The minimum profile of the hinge 162 also reduces the exposure of the receiving track 108 and the hooking track 107 to the outwardly facing exterior surface 102 of the rolling shutter and if such exposure is not reduced, May provide a softening point that forces the associated shutter slats to fall off. The engagement of the receiving track 108 and the hooking track 107 is moved toward the inner surface 103 of the rolling shutter so that the guard member 111 is applied against the outwardly facing surface 102 of the shutter slat Making it possible to more effectively protect the hooking tracks from forces.

In yet another embodiment, the slats may be configured to further minimize the profile of the hinge 262. [ Figures 14 and 15 illustrate a slat 200 with a body 204, a hooking track 207, and a receiving track 208. The body 204 has an outwardly convex surface 202 with a curved portion having a radius 251. The receiving track 208 has a guard member 211 with an outer guard surface 217 extending generally along the curve of the outward facing surface 202 of the body 204. Thus, the outer guard surface 217 and the outward facing surface 202 form a surface having a generally continuous curvature, which further minimizes the profile of the outward facing surface of the hinge 262.

In the preferred embodiment, the hooking track 207 is also sized and shaped to minimize the profile of the outwardly facing surface of the hinge 262. [ 15, the outer surface 231 of the hooking track 207 is generally aligned with respect to the outer guard surface 217 of the receiving track 208 when the adjacent slats are in the vertical position, Do not protrude beyond tangent (plane) (264). More preferably, when the hooking track 207 is engaged in the receiving track 208, the outer surface 231 and the outer guard surface 217 extend along the curved portion of the outwardly facing surface 202 Thereby forming a hinge surface. Thus, the hinge surface and the outward facing surface 202 form a surface having a generally continuous curved portion. As a result, when the neighboring slats are in the vertical position, the joint between the two slats is substantially the intersection between the curvatures 251 of the outwardly facing surface 202 of the two shutter slats. This configuration is also illustrated by the neighboring vertical slats in FIG.

The following examples are included to illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the techniques disclosed in the following examples represent techniques identified by the inventors to function well in the practice of the invention and can therefore be considered to constitute preferred embodiments for the practice of the invention. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes may be made in the specific embodiments disclosed, and that such changes may still achieve the same or similar results without departing from the scope of the invention, in light of the present disclosure.

Shutter slats with various configurations were tested for resistance to water penetration. The shutter slats A have a conventional slat configuration wherein the receiving track projects from the convex surface facing outward of the slats. The shutter slat B has a slat configuration similar to the slat configuration shown in Figs. 11 and 14, as mentioned above.

The test was conducted by mounting a shutter to a vertical frame or buck as shown in Fig. The hinge between neighboring slats of the shutter was compressed by the weight of the shutter. A spray rack was positioned on the outer surface of the shutter, where a number of spray nozzles were oriented toward the outwardly convex surface of the slats. The spray nozzle was centered on the hinge, where the spray angle was 0 degrees, +45 degrees or -45 degrees from the horizontal. Water was sprayed to the shutters at a flow rate of 3 gpm (gallons per minute), 4 gpm, or 5 gpm at a cycle of 10 minutes. To measure the amount of water (ml) penetrating through the hinges from the outer surface, a catch trough was located on the inner surface of the shutter, below the shutter.

0 ° Spray angle + 45 ° spray angle -45 ° spray angle 5 gpm 4 gpm 3 gpm 5 gpm 4 gpm 3 gpm 5 gpm 4 gpm 3 gpm Slat A 20 ml  Unmeasurable 0 ml Unmeasurable 0 ml 0 ml 0 ml 0 ml 0 ml Slate B 0 ml 0 ml 0 ml 0 ml 0 ml 0 ml 0 ml 0 ml 0 ml

[Water infiltration result]

The results of the water penetration test are shown in Table 1. It was found that a significant amount of water penetrated the conventional shutter construction slat A when sprayed at 5 gpm with a spray angle of 0 degrees. Immediate and steady falls from a number of hinges were observed, as shown in Fig. In addition, slow descent from a single hinge was observed, with a spray angle of 0 degrees and a flow rate of 4 gpm, a spray angle of +45 degrees and an unmeasurable amount of water at a flow rate of 5 gpm. In contrast, as shown in Fig. 18, no penetration of water was found under any conditions in the shutter construction slat B.

Modifications may be made to the structures and techniques described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, although specific embodiments have been described, these embodiments are illustrative only and do not limit the scope of the invention in any way.

Claims (20)

As a slat for a rolling shutter,
A body having a curved portion having a convex surface and a concave surface, a first end, and a second end;
A hooking track located at the first end;
A bend formed between the body and the hooking track, the hooking track projecting above a convex surface of the body;
A receiving track located at said second end, said receiving track including a guard member extending along a curvature of said body; a lip member projecting below a concave side of said body; a recipient track comprising a lip member;
A joint space formed between the lip member and the guard member, the joint space being sized and shaped to be hingedly coupled to the hooking track;
. The slat of claim 1, wherein the lip member protrudes below a concave side of the body at a first height, the hooking track projecting above a convex side of the body at a second height approximately equal to the first height. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hooking track comprises a first base adjacent to the body, the lip member having a second base adjacent to the body, the first base and the second base being complementary A slat whose size and shape are set as it is. The slat of claim 1, wherein the convex surface of the body has a first surface with a first surface curvature, and the guard member has a second surface extending along the first surface curvature. The slat of claim 1, wherein the lip member has a third bend substantially equal to the bend of the body. As a rolling shutter,
A spindle;
As a plurality of slats,
A body having a curved portion having a convex surface and a concave surface, a first end, and a second end;
A hooking track located at the first end;
A bend formed between the body and the hooking track;
A receiving track located at said second end, said receiving track including a guard member extending along a curvature of said body; a lip member projecting below a concave side of said body; a recipient track comprising a lip member;
A joint space formed between the lip member and the guard member, the joint space being sized and shaped to be hingedly coupled to the hooking track;
And a plurality of slats
/ RTI >
Wherein a plurality of slats form a chain extending from the spindle and the hooking tracks of each successive slats are engaged in a receiving track of a preceding slat in the chain. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the slats have a height between a first end and a second end of the body, the rolling shutters being configured such that at least one slat is proximal to the spindle and one slat is on a circle about the spindle Wherein the slat has a retracted position wherein a plurality of slats are wound about a spindle, the height of the proximal slats being less than the height of the distal slats. 8. The rolling shutter of claim 7, wherein the height of the plurality of slats increases as the distance from the spindle increases. 8. The rolling shutter of claim 7, wherein the curved portion of the body has a radius and the radius of the proximal slat is less than the radius of the distal slat. 10. The rolling shutter of claim 9, wherein the radius of the plurality of slats increases as the distance from the spindle increases. 8. The rolling shutter of claim 7 wherein the bend between the body and the hooking track has an angle and the angle of the proximal slat is less than the angle of the distal slat. 12. The rolling shutter of claim 11, wherein the angle of the plurality of slats increases as the distance from the spindle increases. 8. The rolling shutter of claim 7, wherein the plurality of slats are wound around a spindle in a plurality of consecutive windings. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of windings have a first winding and a second winding, wherein the hooking tracks of the slats in the first winding are overlapped by the body, Of the rollers. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the windings comprises a series of slats, the series of slats having a first slat located closest to the spindle and a final slat located furthest away from the spindle, Wherein the track is nested by the body and is adjacent to a receiving track of the final slat. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the series of slats includes an intermediate slat positioned between the initial slat and the final slat, the hooking tracks of the intermediate slat being overlapped by the body, A rolling shutter adjacent to the ice track. 14. The rolling shutter of claim 13, wherein each of the windings comprises the same number of slats. 14. The rolling shutter of claim 13, wherein each winding comprises five slats. As a rolling shutter,
As the first slat and the second slat,
A body having a curved portion with a convex surface and a concave surface, a first end, and a second end, the convex surface having a first surface with a first surface curvature;
A hooking track located at the first end, the hooking track having a second surface;
A bend formed between the body and the hooking track;
A receiving track located at said second end, said receiving track including a guard member extending along a curvature of said body; a lip member projecting below a concave side of said body; wherein the guard member comprises a lip member, the guard member having a third surface;
A joint space formed between the lip member and the guard member, the joint space being sized and shaped to be hingedly coupled to the hooking track;
Wherein the first slat and the second slat
/ RTI >
The hooking track of the first slat is coupled to the receiving track of the second slat and when the first slat and the second slat are in the vertical position a second surface of the first slat is positioned on the third surface of the second slat Rolling shutters that do not protrude beyond the tangent to the eye. 20. The method of claim 19,
Wherein a hooking track of the first slat is coupled to a receiving track of the second slat,
Wherein the second surface and the third surface form a hinge surface extending along the first surface curvature.

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