US2576391A - Awning box - Google Patents

Description

E. P. D'AZZO Nov. 27, 1951 AWNING BOX 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 26, 1949 INVENTQR. ERRoL P. D A220 es AWNING BOX Nov. 27, 1951 zzo 2,576,391

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 26, 1949 JNVENTQR. ERROL P. DAzzo PE. P. D'AZZO Nov. 27, 1951 AWNING BOX 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed 00%. 26, 1949 O m W N D M W m P w L O m E Patented Nov. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT flFFlGE,

$576,391 AWNING BQX Errol P. DAzzoQBrob'kh'n, Application October 26, 1949, Serial No. 123,772

(01. let-. 22

This invention relates tonew and useful improvements awn ng b xes, and, mor p ti ularly-, the aim is to provide a novel and valuable box which; having other important advantages as will later on be stated, is or substantially wateri ht eons-trac n ab e of being peditiously' and inexpensively erected, and at the same time an awning box having a forward drop lid and manually actuable 111634115 1 01 positively opening the lid when the avming is to be lowered and for positively closing the lid after the awning has been raised as by telling it up on a roller housed in the box.

one of the aforesaid further advantages of the invention is the provision of an im roved hingemount for the drop-did, such hinge-mount inccr= porating a hinge entity, preferably of the piano= hinge kind, which is wholly carried, as to both of its leaves and its pintle pin by' the drop-lid. According to the invention, one of said leaves is screwed, riveted or otherwise secured to the droplid, and, in combination with this feature the awning box is provided at it's top with a combined flashing and hinge-leaf receptor constituted as a groove of such depth as to be characterizable as a slot. This feature of the invention maybe carried out in various ways, as by arranging such slot with its direction of depth vertical, or horizontal, or even in a plane at an angle both to the vertical and the horizontal. For purposes of illustration merely, constructions pursuantto the in vention are herein shown and described in one of which said slot is vertically disposed and in another of which said slot is horizontally disposed.

A further feature of, the invention is an improved sectional construction for the drop-lid, such that by the use of a few standard parts, fabricable by the extrusion method, the drop-lid may be given any length or width dimensions desired, according as'such parts are variously combined.

Another object is to provide a construction including an improved tie means for the employed r p l ec ions of pra tieabie a d l w-co t pe, together with securing means for these parts serving, while maintaining their coupling under such tension that loosening of the connections between the parts is rendered impossible over the entire life of the awning box, to provide a cushioning means between various of the coupled parts.-

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantagesthereoi, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claiinsin which the. various novel features of the invention aremore particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of t s disclosu e; 1

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a shop front at which isi-nstalled anow favored embodiment of he awn ng o of the invent on Fig. 2. is enlarged vertica section, taken SubmeZ-ZOfFiQ1.

ar ",ectiq'n, taken s1 bstantially on 1 compr s s of parts for being employed inuifierem eombinan as to provide a dro' d Varyinglen'th and H th dimensions, automating the "1 star-est the drop-liq. Fi 4 .iis a vertical ection, taken on the line 4-1; of Fig. 3.

FiaAA is a part a ve tical s cti nal-view tak n onths lit1e4A- 4Aoifig 4. I V 4 V F 5 i on a runner tars dj cal, a p sp ctiv deta l V w, show n airless portion of the awnin box, with the roof wan of such t carrymg one form of the r fer providing the mb ed. f ashi a j e in an em v unent ther-eotwh its slot is vertical; thisfv-ww also showing.potti hs of the p anoliiinee and. ofthe di, no." i

" -en1 "re d d tail view this Qgihglln 6 6 of 5- to ig. 5. but with here 11 15111; to v tange t hinse-lealf ree center an embodiment, th reof wherein its slot isho i i n at Fig. 8 is, like Fig. 6, a iurth enlarged detail view. nd one, as-t oush wren h, he line 8- -8 of Fig. 7, for illustrating a, modification of the ran ement of said i .3- y I Fig. 9 is a fragmentary se tionn view th jpugh the screw of the coupling 13' tween the lift-bar and the clamp-bar. Fig. 10 is a Section Fi 9., y p I Referring to the drawin s morein detail, lidsnotes the main part of an awning box adapted to be tolnnecte'd to? StQr tront wall. As here illus:

trat d this ma n par o the b x. s shown as of taken on the line {0-10 of in gral-c nstruc i n to pr vide a top Wall I a rear wall 11 and a bottom wall it with this structur pr t r'ably de. of li t we g t mat rial s asaluminumt The nds of the main partof the awning box are ciosfedby end walls (52*. The material from which the end walls [5 are formed is; thicker than the rnaterialfrorfn which the main part is iqrmed and the end walls are preferably form d f wo dv With n tie bosmay be m unted th ,tam l ar roller on which the awning canvas her mater al, is o ed h nthe awning. raised. As is also familiar practice, said roller may be turned in one direction or the other, to raise or lower the awning, by means of a long rod having a crank-like offset near its lower end and at its upper end having a hook to be engaged with a hook on the lower end of a stub-shaft depending from the gear-couple or the like by way of which when said stub-shaft is rotated in one direction or the other a rotative movement in a corresponding-{direction is imparted to the roller.

In Figs. 2-4 such stub-shaft is indicated at 20.

As will be understood however, the present invention concerns itself with the improved awning box as hereinabove first described. The present invention, therefore, may be used independently of the awning raising and lowering means installed.

The main box part 15 is shown as mounted at its bottom wall I8 on a foundation 2|, which may be of wood, having a forwardly downwardly sloping front portion 2P the bottom wall l8 having its forward edge located just back of such slope. The box part 15, as by way of its rear wall I1, is suitably secured to. the store wall; and the foundation 2! may be rested as indicated on .top of a cornice or the like overlying the entrance door and front windows of the store or shop.

The foundation 2! may be covered at its forward portion and along its length at its top by a suitable metal flashing, such as indicated at 22.

From now on considering particularly Figs. 2-6, with cross-reference at the proper time to Figs. 9 and 10, the roof or top N of the awning box IE has suitably secured thereto a member 23 to provide the combined flashing and hingeleaf receptoralready mentioned, this member 23 extending all along the length of said box, and being cross-sectionally shaped as indicated at 24 to provide a vertically disposed slot 25 for constituting said receptor.

The drop lid is comprised of a number of parts all to extend horizontally and each of a constant cross-section, so that allof them may be extrusions of aluminum or'like material. These parts, in the assembly thereof herein shown, comprise an upper section 28, a lower section 28', a ,panel 29, and a suitable number of vertically extending clamp-bars 30. These bars are spaced at suitable intervals along the length of the droplid. Each such bar. (Fig. 2) is secured, as by a screw 3!, to a horizontally extending tie-plate 32: said tie-plate being slidably endwisely inserted into a recess or chamber extending longitudinally of the panel 29 and partially bounded at top and bottom by the flange portions'33 and 34 of said panel.

Said panel 29 is otherwise flanged, as best shown in Fig. 5 at 35 and 36, and for interengaging with these flange portions 35 and 36 matching flange formations are carried along the bottom of the section 28 and along the top of the section 28', whereby the drop-lid, in so far as said sectionsandsaid panel are concerned, may be established by endwisely sliding relative movements of these parts 28, 28' and 29.

V The clamp-bars 30 are provided with abutment screws 39, see Fig. 2, which bear against the matching flange formations of the sections 28 and 28', retaining those flange formations against movement in a direction away from the flange portions 35 and 36 of the panel 29. The abutment screws 39 leave the sections 28 and 28' free for endwise sliding movement relative to the panel 29.

' The drop-lid is of adequate height in substantially all installations if made up of the upper and lower sections 28 and 28', and an intervening panel 29. Said panel, for example, may be supplied in varying widths, so that when specially desired the width of the drop-lid may be made exactly as specified merely by employing a panel 29 of appropriate width.

A piano-hinge is as a whole designated 40, the same including (Figs. 5 and 6) apair of leaves 4! and 42 each having a multiplicity of spaced curled portions, so arranged that when said curled portions of one leaf are alternated relative to and aligned with said curled portions of the other leaf a cylindrical structure 43 is established for carrying the pintle pin 44 of the hinge, said pin shaped at its ends to irremovably include the pin on the hinge entity. The leaf 4| is suitably permanently secured to the upper portion of the section .28 near its top; and as here shown said section 28 has along its length and at its top a downturned lip 45 to which the leaf 4! is attached as by a suitable number of bolt and nut couples as shown at 46.

The drop-lid is pivotally'suspended from the awning box merely by dropping said leaf 42 into the vertical slot 25, thereby to arrange the parts, with the drop-lid in closed condition, as shown in Fig. 6. v The mechanism illustrated for raising and lowering the drop-lid comprises a suitable number of lift-bars 47 (Figs. 24 and 9 and 10) four of such bars being indicated in Fig. 1 These bars are spaced at suitable intervals along the length of the drop-lid, and each has a curled upper end portion 48 (Fig. 3) for embracing a shaft 49 and for being secured thereto, for being swung thereby, as by means of a set-screw 50. The shaft 49 is rotatively supported at its ends in a pair of hangers 5i fixedly secured to the top wall l6 of the main part of the awning box l5 by screws 52, see Fig. 4A.

For coupling the lift-bars 41 with the clampbars 39, thereby to hingedly mount the drop-lid on the shaft 49, a means is employed, also constituting a special feature of the invention, comprising a forked lower end portion 54 on each liftbar, and a screw 55 having a head 56, and sleeved by an expansile coil spring 51. The screw 55 is threaded into a tapped hole through the adjacent clamp-bar 39, the spring 51 extending all along the length of the screw shank and so through said forked portion 54 (see Figs. 9, l0 and 2). Thereby a constant tension is provided for the screw 55, to prevent'loosening thereof, to permit length adjustment, and at the same time to provide a cushioning means.

Fixed to the shaft 49 by a set screw 58 (Fig. 4) thereis a worm-gear segment 59, which meshes with a worm to in a cage BI and is held fast on a stub-shaft 62. The upper'portion of the shaft 62 is journalled in an aperture 63 through the bottom wall of the cage 6 I.

The stub-shaft 62 is forwardly and downwardly inclined for slight projection below the foundation 2! as shown in Fig. 2. To the lower end of the stub-shaft 62 there is secured a hook 65; said hook being shown as the same as the conventional hook ordinarily carried at the bottom of an extension from the stub-shaft 2B in previous installations where the latter was only present, for the purpose of being turned in one direction or the other for winding up or lowering the awning.

The side of the cage 61 adjacent the hanger 5! is formed with an internally threaded boss 6|, see Fig, 4, aligned with an inclined elongated hollow structure in rear of said receptor and a plurality of lift-bars spaced along the length of said shaft and each secured near its upper endto said shaft whereby the latter may be rotated to swing said lift-bars outwardly awayfrom, and back to, a suspension of said lift-bars in substantially vertical planes. e

4.. An awning box, comprising a main hollow structure, a drop-lid therefor, and means; partially carried by the drop-lid and partially carried by said hollow structure for swingably suspending said lid from said hollow structure, said means including a combined flashing and hingeleaf receptor fixedly carried by said hollow structure and further including a plural-leaf hinge entity the leaves of which are permanently coupled by a pintle pin of the hinge entity, one of said leaves being secured to the lid whereby when the other of said leaves is im sorted into said receptor the lid is swing-ably suspended, and a second swingably mounted structure hung from Within said hollow structure and connected to the lid at its rear for causing outward swing of the lid when said second structure is outwardly swung, said second structure comprising a shaft journalled in said hollow structure in rear of said receptor and a plurality of lift-bars spaced along the length of said shaft and each secured near its upper end to said shaft whereby the latter may be rotated to swing said lift-bars outwardly away from, and back to. a suspension of said lift-bars in substantially vertical planes, said lid comprising an upper section, a lower section, and an intermediate panel, each of these three last-named parts extending along the entire length of the lid.

5. An awning box, comprising a main hollow structure, a drop-lid therefor, and means partially carried by the drop-lid and partially carried by said hollow structure for swingably suspending said lid from said hollow structure, said means including a combined flashing and hingeleaf receptor fixedly carried by said hollow structure and further including a plural-leaf hinge entity the leaves of which are permanently coupled by a pintle pin of the hinge entity, one of said leaves being secured to the lid whereby when the other of said leaves is inserted into said receptor the lid is swingably suspended, and a second swingably mounted structure hung from within said hollow structure and connected to the lid at its rear for causing outward swing of the lid when said second structure is outwardly swung, said second structure comprising a shaft journalled in said hollow structure in rear of said receptor and a plurality of lift-bars spaced along the length of said shaft and each secured near its upper end to said shaft whereby the latter may be rotated to swing said lift-bars outwardly away from, and back to, a suspension of said lift-bars in substantially vertical planes, said lid being inclusive of an upper section, a lower section, and an intermediate panel, each of these three last-named parts extending along the entire length of the lid, said three last-named parts having interengaging flange formations along their contacting edges.

6. An awning box, comprising a main hollow structure, a drop-lid therefor, and means partially carried by the drop-lid and partially carried by said hollow structure for swingably-suspending said lid from said hollow structure, said means including a combined flashing and hingeleaf receptor fixedly carried by said hollow structure and further including a plural-leaf hinge entity the leaves of which are permanently coupled by a pintle pin of the hinge entity, one of said'leaves being secured to the lid whereby when the other of said leaves is inserted into said receptor the lid is swingably suspended, a second swingably mounted structure hung from within said hollow structure and connected to the lid at its rear for causing outward swing of the lid when said second structure is outwardly swung, said second structure comprising a shaft journalled in said hollow structure in rear of said receptor and a plurality of lift-bars spaced along the'length of said shaft and each secured near its upper end to said shaft whereby the latter may be rotated to swing said lift-bars outwardly away from, and back to, a suspension of said lift-bars in substantially vertical planes, said lid being inclusive of an upper section, a lower section, and an intermediate panel, a tie-plate, said panel having at its rear a recess into which said tie-plate can be slipped from one end of said panel,"a clamp bar of a length to extend across said panel and have end portions extend beyond the top and bottom edges of said panel, securing means for attaching said clamp-bar intermediate ofits ends to said tie-plate, and a second securing means for attaching a lift-bar to said clamp-bar.

7. An awning box, comprising a main hollow structure, a drop-lid therefor, and means partially carried by the drop-lid and partially carried by said hollow structure for swingably suspending said lid from said hollow structure, said means including a combined flashing and hingeleaf receptor fixedly carried by said hollow structure and further including a plural-leaf hinge entity the leaves of which are permanently coupled by a pintle pin of the hinge entity, one of said leaves being secured to the lid whereby when the other of said leaves is inserted into said receptor'the lid is swingably suspended, a second swingably mounted structure hung from within said hollow structure and connected to the lid at its rear for causing outward swing of the lid when'said second structure is outwardly swung, said second structure comprising a shaft journalled in said hollow structure in rear of said receptor, and a lift-bar secured near its upper end to said shaft whereby the latter may be rotated to swing said lift-bar outwardly away from, and back to, a suspension of said lift-bar in substantially a vertical plane, said lid being inclusive of an upper section, a lower section, and an intermediate panel, a tie-plate, said panel having at its rear a recess into which said tieplate can be slipped from one end of said panel, a clamp bar of a length to extend across said panel and have end portions extend beyond the top and bottom edges of said panel, securing means for attaching said clamp-bar intermediate of its ends to said tie-plate, and a securing means for attaching said lift bar near its lower end to said clamp bar.

8. An awning box, comprising a main hollow structure, a drop-lid therefor, and means partially carried by the drop-lid and partially carried by said hollow structure for swingably suspending said lid from said hollow structure, said means including a combined flashing and hinge-leaf receptor fixedly carried by said hollow structure and further including a plural-leaf hinge entity the leaves of which are permanently coupled by a pintle pin of the hinge entity, one of said leaves being secured'to the lid whereby when the other of said leaves is. inserted into said receptor the iaps eci lid swingably suspended, =-a second swingably abeing securedfitd the-slid!wherebyswhenithernther mounted structure hung from' withimsaid hollow of nsaidleaves sis ainserited z-intonsaid receptonithe structure and connected to the lid'at its 2 rear-for lid is swingably suspended; said'rreceptor lyingmin *causing outward swing 'of-{the lidwhen saidsec substantiallyuaiverticaluplaner orid st'ructure is outwardlyk swung,'said second 3 1,1.tmiaawninglbox,:comprisingza:main: ho1low structure comprising a share 'ournalled -in said structure, .1 aidropfslidthereforerzand means par- -h'dllow' strutuie in'--rear of -said rec'eptor anda tiallyrnar'rieol yzthetsdrop-lidcand:sparinallygnarplurality ofclift-bars spaced along the length of tried. byisaids hollowrstructiirezforsswingably:sussaid shaft and each secured near it upper end to ipendingssaid didafrom 'said-lhoilotw structure, said shaft whereby thewlatter may be rotated om said' meansl'dnclurlinge'a rcombrnedriiiashingsand to. swing said lift-bars outwardly away.from,.and i'zliingeeieafmeceptcrefixedlyzcarriedzby'rsaida hollow baick'to, a' suspension or said 'liftb'ars' irr substanstructurea-anil :fnrthernincludib rsa plmcaleleaf tially vertical planes, said lid"being inclusiveof 'ihinge;entityithezleavesrofiiyhich ;;arerpermanently an upper section, a lower section, and an interocoupledsbyoagpintleipinrofrthe-zhingesentity,one mediate D -D SaidVD'amPhaVing at its ofssaidr'leavesebeing2securedatosthe ,lidrzwhereby reard-a-frecess into whichrsaid tie-plateacanitbe m m t 'of saidileavesflsfinsentedintoSaid slipped from one end of said-:p'anel, aicl rni 19 :receptorathe e-li'drisasswingablyu'suspended said iofia length-to extend acrossesaidgpaner andihave eeptor;;lying substantiallyirwhorizontahplane.

edges of said panel, securing means for attaching n -strltctu1e;:;;a,rdlgpzlid tilereion: and-rmeans parsaid clamp-bar intermediate of its ends to said ti ll i d by t d q and -51 ,11

tie-Plate, and a Securing means attaching ried by said hollow structure for swingably susone of the lift-bars to said clamp-bar, said clarnppending id 11d from said hollow structure, bars being duplicated for each of said lift-bars. Said means, including a, mbined flashin and A w g Comprising a main hollow hinge-leaf receptor fixedly carried by said hollow ru a ptherefor, and means structure and further including a plural-leaf tialiy carried y the pi partially Carried hinge entity the leaves of which are permanently by said hollow structure for swingably suspending coupled by pintle m of th hinge entity, one

said lid from said hollow structure, said means of Said leaves being ed t th lid whereby nc i a Combined fiashiilg and hinge-leaf when the other of said leaves is inserted into said receptor fi y callled y Said hull-0W structure receptor the lid is swingably suspended, a second and further including a plural-leaf hinge entity swingably mounted structure hung from within h ea of Which are Permanently upled by said hollow structure and connected to the lid at a pint p of the hinge e t o of said leaves its rear for causing outward swing of the lid b i c e 0 the lid whereby When the other when said second structure is outwardly swung, of said leaves is inserted into said receptor the id second stru t re comprising a shaft jourlid is swingably Suspended, a Second wi ably nalled in said hollow structure in rear of said mounted Structu e hun o Within a d h0110W receptor and lift-bars secured near their upper structure and connected to the lid at its rear for d t id shaft whereby the latter may be au n utwar sw n of th d whe sa d second a rotated to swing said lift-bars outwardly away Structure is outw d y swun Said e o strucfrom, and back to, a suspension of said lift-bars ture comprising a Shaft lournalled n id h in substantially vertical planes, said lid being 10W structure in rear f S d c p a a p inclusive of an upper section, a lower section,

rality 0 lift-bars Spaced along the length of and an intermediate panel, a tie-plate, said panel said shaft and each secured near its upper end to having at its rear a recess, clamp-bars of a length said shaft whereby the latter may be rotated to to extend across said panel and have end Swing S t-bars outwardly away from, and ortions extend beyond the top and bottom edges back a Suspension f Said lift-bars in b a of said panel, securing means for attaching said tially vertical planes, said lid being inclusive of clamp-bars t id tie-plate, and second an upper section, a lower section, and an intercuring means for attaching each of said mediate panel, a tie-plate, said panel having at clamp-bars near its lower end to the respective its rear a recess, into which said tie-plate can be lift-bars, said second securing means, for each slipped from one end of said panel, a clamp bar lift-bar, comprising a fork at the lower portion of a length to extend across said panel and have or said lift-bar, a screw, a tapped aperture in said end portions extend beyond the top and bottom clamp-bar having its thread matching the thread edges of said panel, securing means forattachoi the shank of said screw, said screw having a ing said clamp-bar intermediate of its ends to head preventing passage thereof through such said tie-plate, and a second securing means for fork, and an expansile coil spring sleeving the attaching said clamp-bar near its lower end to a d Screw Shankone of said lift-bars, there being a plurality of said 13. An awning box, comprising a main hollow clamp-bars respectively located opposite said liftstructure, a drop-lid therefor, and means parbars and a second-named securing means for each tially carried by the drop-lid and partially carlift-bar securing its related clamp-bar thereto, ried by said hollow structure for swingably susall of said clamp-bars being attached to said tiepending said lid from said hollow structure, said plate. means including a combined flashing and hinge- 10. An awning box, comprising a main hollow leaf receptor fixedly carried by said hollow strucstructure,adrop-lid therefor, and means partially ture and further including a plural-leaf hinge carried by the drop-lid and partially carried by entity the leaves of which are permanently said hollow structure for swingably suspending coupled by a pintle pin of the hinge entity, one of said lid from said hollow structure, said means said leaves being secured to the lid whereby when including a combined flashing and hinge-leaf the other of said leaves is inserted into said receptor fixedly carried by said hollow structure receptor the lid is swingably suspended, a second and further including a plural-leaf hinge entity swingably mounted structure hung from within the leaves of which are permanently coupled by a said hollow structure and connected to the lid pmtle pin of the hinge entity, one of said leaves at its rear for causing outward swing of the lid whensaid second structure is outwardly swung,

said second structurecomprisinga shaft journalled in said hollow structure in rear of said receptor and lift-bars secured near their upper end to said shaft whereby the latter may be rotated to swing said liftebars outwardly away from, and back to, a suspension of said lift-bars in substantially vertical planes, said .lid being inclusive of an upper section, a lower section,

and an intermediate panel, a tie=plate, said panel,

having at its rear a recess, clamp-bars of a length to extend across said panel and have end portions extend beyond the top and bottom edges of said panel, securing means for attachingrsaid clamp-bars to said tie-plate, and second securing means for attaching each of said clamp-bars nearits lower end tothe respective lift-bars, said second securing means, for each lift-bar, comprising, a fork at the lower portion of said liftbar, a screw, a tapped aperture in said clamp- 20 12 bar having its thread matching the thread of the shank of said screw, said screw having ahead preventing passage thereof through such fork, and an expansilecoil spring sleeving the said screw shank, said spring extending through said fork and providing a resilient cushioning means between the said clamp-bar and said lift-bar.

ERROL P. DAZZO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,112,579 Schane Mar. 29, 1938 2,205,015 Lowry June 18, 1940 2,487,639 DAzzo Nov. 8, 1949

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