US2604160A

US2604160A - Window shutter

Info

Publication number: US2604160A
Application number: US54219A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lee W Kolterman
Original assignee: FREDERICK W BOPP
Current assignee: FREDERICK W BOPP
Priority date: 1948-10-13
Filing date: 1948-10-13
Publication date: 1952-07-22
Anticipated expiration: 1969-07-22

Description

July 22, 1952 L. w. KOLTERMAN WINDOW SHUTTER 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 l Rr mw w m A W mwwf .M

Filed Oct. 13, 1948 July 22, 1952 I l.. w. KOLTERMAN WINDOW SHUTTER 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Oct. 13. 1948 y Patented July 22, A1952 .5;

. WINDOW sHUT'rEvR. y v ,l i Lee vW. Kolterman, North KansasI City, Monassignor to FrederickW. Bopp andEdward Bopp, both of Kansas City,I Mo.

Otto' Application October 13, 1948, Serial No. 54,219

This structure relates to new and useful im# provements in window shutters or. blinds, and is an improvement over the window shutter covered by co-pending application Serial No. 18,186, filed March 31, 1948, which issued October 3, 1950, as Patent No. 2,524,372, in which I am co-'applicant- The principal object of the present invention is the provision of a window-shutter having a plurality of parallel, 'vertically' disposed flexible slats," and improved 'and simplified meanswhereby said slats maybe rotated about their respective -longitudinal axes to control the' passage of light "and air therethrough. v

- Another object. is the provision of. means whereby said flexible slats may be adjustably twisted about their respective longitudinal axes, whereby said shutter may be simultaneously closed at one end andopenV at the other. This permits better `light control bythe shutter, 'and presents novel decorative eiects. .-1 Other objects are simplicity and economy'of construction, ease and vconvenience of operation,

and. adaptability for use wherever a .shutter for controlling light Aand air isneeded.

.. .With these objects inrview', aswell as 'rother objects which` will appear inthecourse ofthe specification, reference will be hadtothe drawing, wherein: j i .Figure 1 is a front .elevationalview of a window shutter. embodyingthe present invention, mountedonthe inside of a windowframe. I

qFig. 2-is a sectional view'taken on line III of.,Fi`g. xl., y

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line III-III ofFig.,1. vl

Fig. 4 'is an enlargedand foreshortened Sectionalview taken on line IV-IV of Fig'. 1. .l

' Fig. 5y is anenlarged and foreshortened 'plan view-@of the shutter.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on line VI-VI of lig.'5.` 'v n' Fig. 7 is an enlargedv fragmentary section taken on line VII-VII of Fig.' 5.

Fig.v 8 is a fragmentarysection taken ong'line VIII--VIIIofFig.6. l .L 'v

Fig. 9 is Aa fragmentary section taken. on line IX-IX f Fig. 7'.' .'5 j

Fig. 10 is an enlargedv section taken'onf line X-XofFig.4. Fig. 11: is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on line X12- moi Fig. ,5. u

Like reference numerals vapply'.` to similar parts throughout the several vviews and the numeral 2 applies to a window frame'of the usualrtypaz; A pair of mountingv brackets 4 are mounted respec 1 claim.4 101.1604176) tivelyatopposite sides of said window frame on thefinner -face Athereof and adjacent the upper and lower ends thereof. `Each of said brackets comprises a vertically disposed rectangular sheet of metal having a flange B 'at its rearward edge adapted to be secured towindowframe 2 by any suitable means such" as screws 8. A front panel lllkextendsl horizontally across window vframe 2 between the outer ends of said upper and lower pairs of mounting brackets, and are attached to said'mounting brackets by corner fixtures l2.v

Said' cornerfixtures each comprise a sheetof metal having a portion I4 disposed adjacent the outer surface of lthe associated mounting bracket, the upper andlower edge portions of portion I4 Y being rebent inwardly to form channels I6 adapted tdengageslidably the upper and lower edges of bracket 4,1and a portion i3 disposed adjacent the outer surface of'front panel I0 and having its upper and lower edge portions rebent inwardly to form channels 20 for engaging the upper and lower edges'blffretfpanel Il).V Thus said front panels' may( beA easily removed at any time by pulling outwardly Vthereon'to disengage fixtures VI 2 from mounti'n'gbrackets 4. An inwardly opening, horizontally` disposed channel 22 is welded or otherwise rigidlyv fixedV toI the inner lsurface of each mounting bracket 4.

.Referring principallyto the structure at the top of the Window, as shown in Figs. 4y to 9,y it Will be seen thatta horizontally disposed, substantially planar support bar 24 vextends between mounting brackets 4, the endportions thereof being slidably disposedin channels 22. Said support bar may be disengaged from said channels by sliding it forwardly after front panel l Uhasvbeen removed. A vlongitudinal*groove 26 is formed in the upper surface ofsupport bar 2,4 and extends the entire length thereof.: A metallic Vbearing plate 28 substantially coextensive with groove. 26 is fixed to the `support b ar withinsaidgroove by screws 3D. A series of vertically disposed, horizontally spaced apart shafts 32 arecarried for rotational and longitudinalvmovement by said bearing plate. All ofsaidfshafts` are identical, and may be economica11y.;stamped1from@sheet metal or'other suitablematerial. As bestV shown in Fig. 6, each shaft comprises anaxialportion .34, a horizontal trans.- verse arm 36 .disposedbeneath support bar 24, and a'connectingportion 38. Axial portion 34 ofthe shaftiisrectangular in cross section, and passes rotatably throughv around hole 40 formed therefor in support bar 24. Said shaft' is reducedin width .adjacent the nupper surface; of said support bar,- and?. extends rotatably'through a round .wardly extended end of each shaft 32.

extends thereby preventing rotation of said pinion on saidY shaft. One of said pinions, fur'.

ther designated by the numeral 50 and disposed at the right end of the shutter as viewed 'in Fig. 5, is provided with an enlarged central hole 52.. A polygonal tube 54 is disposed -:beneath sup'- port bar 24, being adjacent and parallel to :shaft 32 associated with pinion 50, said vtube is VVprovided with an upwardly projecting non-"circular extension 55 which projects upwardly through support bar 24 and through hole 52 of pinion 50, said hole being `so shaped asto Vprevent relative rotation .of shaft V32 and extension .56. A .helical compression spring .60 is disposed Vabout'th'e upwardly extended portion of each shaft .'32, .bearing at itslower end against pinion 46 and at its upper vendagainst a pin `E2 .inserted transversely through, ysaid shaft .adjacent fits upper. end. Spring ytil associated with pinion 50 also encircles `tube extension Vlili, and pin BO y.passes through said kextensiones showninFg. 7, thereby .s'ecuring .sa-id .tube member position. Springs 60 servelto 'urge shafts 32 upwardly, -andto retain pinions 4,6 .against bearing plate' 23 regardless of the .position `o'f"`said shafts. elongated rack 541s fsecuredslidably to 'the upper surface of bearing .plate 42.8 by means. of screws 6'6, which -extend through elongated slo'ts 68 formed longitudinally 'infsaid rack. vSaid rack extends longitudinally iof .plate as, and'lme'shes with 'au of pinions 4s ,carriedloy saidplate. j

As shown in Figsj 'an'd4,.supp'ort bar 'V24 and the structure carried thereby at the bottom of thewi-ridowfis substantially. identical `'with that at the topof the window, 'except that it is .irivertedli A plurality 'of 'fiexib'le slats `or strips 1n are i'iispo'se'd"l in para'llel lrelavttion Vbetween "the upper and lower series 'of 'shafts 32. 'Sai'strips maybe madeof fabric or other suitable Imaterial, and each strip is looped at each endas at '121:0 engage 4the transverse -arms 3'6 of corre- Vspending shafts '32 -at the -top and bottom o'f the window. dSaidstrips are tensioned by `springs '50 and -aresifciently `widet'o 'overlap 'slightly when they are moved' to `substantiallyy coplanar relation, as shown in Fig. 1 and in dotted lines in Fig-.2.. 1 f Strips -may be turned eachY about lits longitudinal axis -by means'of a vertical rod'Hi having itsendportions disposed slidably :respectively in tubes 54 at the top and bottom of the-window, as -bes'tshownvin lFi'g; -'4. f Said rod -is polygonal in cross-sectionyand saidtubes are correspondingly shaped, Y'as Vshownin Fig. l'O, thereby-preventingrotation of saidlrodinisaid tu'b'e'si i`1Said rod is supportedby meansofva 'collar 'llcla'mped thereon '-by setscrew 18 and Vadapted tolres'tion Y the Iupper 'end of lower '.tub'e 54. LR'odfMQmay'be manually.Y oscillated .by means Vof fa :handle 80 carried on. 'said rod .intermediate `its ends. .Said handle may 'be 'pivoted'sto s'aLid..rod .at 'B2-.so as tto vlie against said. shaft when notinusegas fshown in solid lines'in Fig. V1,'and may be .extendedeas showin 'in dotted lines 'whenever itis desired 'to adjust the shutter'.- 1

jThus when rod 14 turnedftubes54and pinions' 5i) associated therewith 'will :be turned,

' more, by'this-adjustmentboth'sides vof the .strips Y 40 4 and pinions will drive rack 64 to turn pinions 48, thereby turning all of shafts 32 simultaneously in the same direction. Strips l0 carried by said shafts may thereby be continuously adjusted from a closed, substantially coplanar position as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, to a full open position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2,

jwherein' the strips are "substantially 'normal to "theplaneof the window, thereby regulating the light and air passages between the strips. The

.strips may be oscillated through substantially .180 degrees, thus exposing either side of said strips to the room. This offers decorative possibilities, .since the strips may have opposite sides of lcontrasting colors, or carry different designs,

vv`By lifting rod 14 to disengage it from lower tube 54, either the upper or lower ends of the strips r'nay be turned while leaving the opposite ends stationary. This causes each of strips 10 to .be twisted about its tlongitudinal axis. When the desired vdegree of, twist .has Ybeen obtained, `rod :14 is .reinserted in fsleeve 54. In the drawing, rod 14 is shown hexagonal, thus permitting, six different angular relationships between the upper and lower ends of the strips, n

However, it is lapparent thatajrod having any regular polygonal cross-section could be. used, thereby procuring adjustment'inany increments desired. -Sincefthe shutter in this mannerv may Y be closed atthebottom Yand `open atthetop, or vice versa, a greater degree of control-of the light passing therethrough .'is obtained.` Furthermore,

tlriisarrangement offers a wide variety of decorative opportunities. -The .twistedslats are pleasing in yappearancer and afnovel effect is v'obtained by the long-narrow triangi-ilarY light openings alternated withstripscf Yvarious colors. Further.-

may be exposed simultaneouslmandxif .said sides are of .contrasting colors, an artistic appearance is-achieved. 1 f 1:. Y

While a specific embodiment 'ofiiny invention has been disclosed4 it is apparent that many minor changes of construction and operation could .be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. v y What I claim is: A window shutter comprisinga .pair .of vverti ca'llyspa'cedapart support .members adapted to be attached respectively adjacent fthe .upper and lower edges of a window frame, like series' of vertically disposed shafts carried by each of said support members .for oscillatory and longitudinal movement, flexible strips each connecteda't its opposite ends to Vcorresponding shafts of saidtlwo series of shafts, 4a geared pinion carried yfor longitudinalinovement on the vextended outer end of Yeach of said'shafts but restrained from rotation relative thereto, .resilent'means'whereby said upper and lower series L'of-'shafts are urged apart to tension said strip's :and .whereby the pinions carried by each .support-member .are held .in coplanar vrelation .against said 'support member regardless of the longitudinal movement of saidshafts, a rack carriedislidably by eaich'( of said support members and meshing 'with .each of theY pinions carried `thereby, a polygonal tubu'lar member secured to one of said shafts' andd-isposed parallelithereto,.5a..flike tubular member secured to the corresponding"-shaftin'the .other ofrsaid :series-of shafts, fagpolygonal .'rod: having its rend portions slidably fdisposed `insaid rtubular members, said rod beingdisengageable fromone of V`said tubular members lwhereby the tubular 5 members may be oscillated ndependenfoly, and Number manual means for oscillating said rod. 541,346 LEE W. KOLTERMAN. 550,559 1,622,245 REFERENCES CITED 5 2,165,669 The following references are of record in the 2,173,275 le of this patent: UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,520,273 Number Name Date 2,524,372 235,151 Janssen Dec. 7, 1880 2,524,373 486,220 Shure Nov. 15, 1892 6 Name Date Eckert June 18, 1895 Joseph Nov. 26, 1895 Bliss Mar. 22, 1927 Wade July 11, 1939 Houmere Sept. 19, 1939 Reede et al. Aug. 5, 1941 Houmere Mar. 6, 1945 Bopp et al. Aug. 29, 1950 Bopp et al Oct. 3, 1950 Bopp et a1 Oct. 3, 1950