US2937417A

US2937417A - Louver assembly

Info

Publication number: US2937417A
Authority: US
Inventors: Arthur A Rowe
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1958-08-21
Filing date: 1958-08-21
Publication date: 1960-05-24
Anticipated expiration: 1977-05-24

Description

May 24, 1960 A. A. RowE 2,937,417

LOUVER ASSEMBLY Filed Aug. 21. 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 L E Mv Z/ Wm Hmnhnvwmmwmql May 24, 1960 Filed Aug. 21. 1958 A. A. Rowr: 2,937,417

LOUVER ASSEMBLY 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 24, 1960 Filed Aug. 21. 1958 A. A. ROWE LOUVER ASSEMBLY 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 ZQMQZL/ May 24, 1960 A. A. RowE 2,937,417

LouvER ASSEMBLY Filed Aug. 2l, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 aff/191mg@ United States Patent 2,937,417 Patented May 24, 1960 LoUvER ASSEMBLY Arthur A. Rowe, 1331 W. 107th St., Los Angeles, Calif. Filed Aug. 21, 195s, ser. No. 756,341

s claims. (ci. zii- 62) The present invention relates to an improved closure assembly for enclosing an opening in a building, such as a window or a door. More particularly, the invention relates to such a closure assembly of the movable louver type.

The louvers of the improved assembly of the invention are preferably composed of a soft translucent substance, such as spun glass or nylon. Such a composition adds materially to the appearance of the over-all unit, and provides a pleasant light filtering action. Each of the louvers is supported on a pivoted rod. These rods not only pivotally support the louvers, but they also serve as a convenient stiffener for the louvers. The end of each of these rods may conveniently extend into respective bushings which are mounted in spaced frame members. Therframe members are attached to the building at opposite sides of the opening in parallel relation. These frame members may suitably be composed of redwood or any other appropriate substance.

The assembly of the invention can be used, as indicated above, as a closure for a door or a window. The individual louvers' extend from one frame member to the other across the opening in the building to enclose that opening. The louvers can be supported between the frames in a vertical position or in a horizontal position, depending upon individual preferences.

An objective of the present invention is to provide an improved louver assembly in which th'e'individual louvers can be quickly removed, for example, to permitV the cleaning of the window with which the assembly is used. However, for security reasons, the assembly is constructed so that the louvers can be removed only 1after an unlocking operation from the interior' of the building has been carried out. This is to prevent the unauthorized removal of the louvers-'by pr`owlers4 orv other undesirable persons.

The objective outlined `in the preceding paragraph is t realized in the embodiment of the invention to be described by supporting the rods in a spring-loaded condition in their respective bushings, and by cocking the bushings in one of the frames in a manner to be described so as to prevent any axial movement of the rods. This cocking of the bushings in one of the frame members is achieved by mountingy them so that they can be tilted with respect to the longitudinal axis of the various rods. A resilient means is provided for holding the bushings normally in this tilted condition while the rods are in place. Then, the unlocking mechanism of the assembly functions to move the bushings against this resilient means so that the rods can be moved axially to allow the louvers to be removed.

The resilient cocking of the bushings described in the preceding paragraph serves an additional purpose in that it permits the easy removal of the louvers after the unlocking operation has been carried out. This follows because these resiliently mounted bushings allow the bottom, for example, of each louver to bel swung out from the lower frame for removal, without bending the ment by their respective rods, and the louvers overlap y one another in this particular embodiment when they are moved to a closed position. This latter objective' of the invention is accomplished by the provision of' a plurality of locking lingers in one or both of the frame members. These fingers can `be moved by ai control inside the building between a retractedY and a protruding position. When the fingers are in their protruding position they are positioned across the faces of respective' ones of the louvers securely to hold the louvers in their closed overlapping condition. This provides a burglarproof structure when the louver or shutter assembly is' closed and locked. I

As will be described in detail, the improved assembly of the invention may be constructed so that all the louvers can be pivoted about the longitudinal axes of their respective rods in unison by a unicontrol mechanism which, inturn, is controlled from the inside of the building. However, the construction is such' that one or more of the louvers can be disconnected from the unicontrol mechanism for independent pivotal adjustment of that louver; v

Other advantages and features of theinvention' will become apparent by a consideration ofvv the accompanying drawings, these drawings being intended merely' to be an example of one particular embodiment ofthe invention.

f In the drawings: Y

Figure 1 is a perspective view` of one embodiment of the louver-type shutter assembly of the presentinvention, this View showing the assembly on the outside of a building to enclose an opening in the building, and with the individual louvers of theassemblyexte'nding vertically across the opening; l

Figure 2 is a top view of the `assembly of Figure 1, with the assembly being partially broken away toy revealY a linkage system between the various individual louvers and also to show an internalc'ont'rol for the linkage system so as to provide for the opening and closing of: the louvers in unison;

Figure 3 is also a top view of the assembly of Figure 1 with the top cover removed, this view showing an actl'- ating shaft which extends across they top Vof the assembly and which serves to control the locking o"f the louvers in the assembly;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of various operating components of the assembly of Figure 1, on' an enlarged scale with respect tothe view of Figure 1', this fragmentary view showing the manner in whichl a control shaft from the inside of the building serves tov provide for the control of the opening and closing of the' individual louvers of the shutter assembly, and how a second control shaft coaxial with the first shaftserves to' control they locking mechanism of the invention;

Figure 5 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 5--5 of Figure 4 to show the details' of a' dual control knob 'assembly yfor performing the controls mentioned above; v

Figure 6 is fragmentary perspective view of the shutter ner in which the bushings of they assembly are resiliently" l cocked for the reasons mentioned above, the view of Figure 7 also showing a coupling means whereby the individual louvers may be removably attached to an actuating arm joined to the unicontrol mechanism;

Figure 8 is an exploded view of the coupling means shown in Figure 7 by means of which the louvers are rotatably and releasably mounted to respective actuating arms included in the unicontrol mechanism of the invention; and

Figure 9 is a side sectional view substantially on the line 9-9 of Figure 4, this latter view showing further details of one of a plurality of finger-like locking members that are incorporated in the shutter assembly of the invention securely to hold the louvers in a locked condition when the shutter is closed.

As shown in Figure l, the shutter or louver assembly of the present invention includes a pair of

side frames

10 and 12, a bottom frame 14, and a top frame 16. The top frame is shown in Figure 7, this frame being hidden by a` cover 18 in Figure 1. As also noted, the shutter assembly of the invention is shown in Figure 1 as forming a closure for an opening in a building. This opening, may for example, be a window or a door. For purposes of the present explanation, it will be assumed that the opening is a window.

The assembly of Figure 1 also includes a plurality of louvers which is shown as extending in a vertical direction, although these louvers may, if desired, extend horizontally. The louvers are supported on a corresponding plurality of elongated rods 22 which, in turn, are pivotally supported in the bottom frame 14 and in the top frame 16. The rods extend between these

frames

14 and 16 in spaced and mutually parallel relationship.

The louvers 20 are supported by the rods 22 in an overlapping relationship when the shutter is closed. As mentioned previously, the louvers may conveniently be formed of a plastic such as spun glass or nylon, or of any other suitable material having a pleasant appearance and preferably exhibiting soft translucent characteristics. Also, and as also noted, the

frames

10, 12, 14 and 16, and the cover 18 may be formed of redwood or any other suitable material.

A s shown more clearly in Figure 7, each of the shutters 20 is secured to its corresponding rod 22 by means of a pair of

screws

24 and 26. A plurality of bushings, such as the bushing 28, are mounted in the lower frame member 14 by means, for example, of a pair of screws 30. A plurality of coil springs, such as the coil spring 32, are supported in the bushings, such as the bushing 2S. This spring may be maintained within its bushing by means of individual bottom strips, such as the bottom strip 34 which is secured to the underside of the frame 14 by screws such as the screws 36. The lower end of the corresponding rod 22 extends into the bushing 28, and the spring 32 serves to spring-load the rod.

A further plurality of bushings 40 are supported in the upper frame member 16. Each of these bushings 40 is surrounded by a tubular resilient member 42 which permits the bushing to be tilted with respect to the frame 16 against the resilience of this member. The tubular members, such as the Itubular member 40, are maintained in position by means of a strip 44 which is secured to the under side of the top frame 16 by a plurality of screws such as the screws 46.

Each of the bushings 40 is secured at its upper end to a triangular member 4S by means, for example, of a plurality of screws such as the screw 50. A strip 52 is mounted on the top of the frame 16 by means of a screw S4, and one of these strips and screws is provided for each of the bushings, such as the bushing 40. The strip 52 overlaps its corresponding bushing and functions as a hinge. A resilient means, such as the coil spring 56 in Figure 7, is secured to the top of the frame 16 by means of a screw 58. The upper end of this coil spring bears against the under side of its corresponding triangular member 48 to tend to move the member angularly in a counterclockwise direction about the hinge formed by its strip 52 and screw 54. This causes the bushing 40 secured to the member 4S to be moved angularly about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of its corresponding rod 42 and spaced from the upper end of that rod. A coil spring 60 is included in the bushing 40, and this coil spring bears against the upper end of the corresponding rod 22.

As shown in Figure 3, for example, a separate top bushing 40 is provided in the upper frame member 16 for receiving the upper ends of each of the elongated rods 22. Also, each of these bushings is hinged at its rear edge by its corresponding strip 52, in the described manner. A first strap member 64 extends across the top of the frame 16 to inter-couple the triangular members 43 of a rst pair of adjacent bushings 40. Likewise, a similar strap 64 extends between the triangular members 48 associated with a second pair of bushings 40 to intercouple these latter bushings. The straps 64 are secured to their respective triangular members 48 by screws 65. In the illustrated embodiment, four elongated rods 22 are shown as supporting four louvers in overlapping relationship. It will be understood, of course, that more or less louvers and associated rods may be used, depending upon the size of the installation; and that additional inter-connecting straps, like the

straps

64 and 66 may be provided.

As shown more clearly in Figures 4 and 6, a shaft 66 is rotatably supported on the top of the frame 16 on a pair of journal blocks, such as the block 68, and by means of a pair of arcuate straps such as the strap 70 which are secured to respective ones of the blocks by screws such as the screws 72. A pair of

arms

74 and 76 are secured to one end of the shaft 66 by means of a pair of plurality of set screws 78. The

arms

74 and 76 extend radially from the shaft 66, and a connecting strip is secured to the upper edges of these arms and extends between the arms, the strip 80 being so secured by a plurality of screws 82. A coil spring 84 is mounted on the top of the frame 16, and the top of lthis spring is secured to the under side of the strip 80 by means, for example, of a.

screw 86.

The spring 84 tends to force the

arms

74 and 76 upwardly to bias the shaft 66 in a clockwise direction as viewed from the left in Figure 4. The shaft 66 has a plurality of further arms such as the arms 88 secured to` it by means of respective set screws such as the set screws 90. IEach of the arms 88 extends from the shaft 66 in a radial direction across the top frame 16 to a point adjacent the overlapping portions of corresponding adjacent louvers 20, when the shutter is closed.

A plurality of elongated locking ngers (Figure 9) such as the finger are supported in the top frame 16. Each of these locking fingers extends into a bushing 102, and each has a retracted position, as shown by the full lines in Figure 9, and a protruding position, as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 9. When one of the locking fingers 100 is in its protruding position, its pointed end extends down through the top frame 16 and adjacent the overlapping portion of a pair of the louvers 20 when the shutter is closed. Therefore, when the locking fingers 100 are down in their protruding position, they serve securely to maintain the shutter in a closed and locked condition. Each of the locking tingers 100 has a collar 104 secured to its upper end and which serves to limit the downward motion of the finger. A short length of cable 106 extends between the free end of the corre sponding arm 88 and the top of the associated locking finger 100. This cable is secured to the end of its arm 88 by a set screw 110, and it is secured to its locking linger 100 by a set screw 113.

As shown, for example, in Figure 1, the shutter assem bly of the present invention is provided with an elongated angle member 110 which is adapted to fit over the edge of the lower frame 14. The angle `member 110 may be moved reciprocally back and forth along the lower frame 14. A plurality of links 1'12 are pivoted to the angle member 110, and the free end of each of these links is secured to an edge of a corresponding one of the louvers 20. The linkage is such that when the angle member 110 is moved along the frame 14 to the left in Figure 1', for example, all the louvers v20 are closed in unison. Then, when the angle member 110 is moved along the frame 14 to the right in Figure l, the linkage causes the louver members to be opened in unison.

Each of the louver members 20 is coupled to its corresponding link 112 by means of a coupling 114. Details of the coupling 114 are shown in the exploded view of Figure 8. It should be pointed out that any of the individual louvers 20 can be easily decoupled from its associated coupling 114 so that such a louver may be opened or closed independently of the others.

As shown in Figure 8, each of the couplings 114 includes an inner apertured block 120 which may, for example, have a hexagonal shape. The block 120 is secured to the edge of its associated link 112 by means of a screw 122 which extends through the link and which may be threaded into the block 120. The screw also passes through an -shaped bracket 124 Whose lower portion is interposed between the bottom of the block 120 and the top of the link 112. The corresponding louver 20 extends between the bracket 124 and one face of the block 120. The louver is secured to the coupler by a screw 126 which extends through the bracket 124 and through the shutter. Whenever independent adjustment of the shutter is desired, the single screw 126 is removed to permit the shutter to be withdrawn from the assembly. A cylindrical member 128 is fitted down over the hexagonal block 120, and is held in place on the block by a screw 130 which extends through an end piece 132 for the member 128 and which is threaded into the top of the block 120. The member 12S is interposed between the block 120 and the louver, and the screw 126 passes through a hole in the member 128 and is threaded into the block 120. The coupling assembly is supported rotatably on its link 112 so thatrthe link is free to rotate as it is actuated to open and close the louver.

As shown in Figure 4, for example, the angle member 110 may be supported against the lower frame 14 by a supporting track member 150 which, in turn, is supported on the frame 14 by a plurality of screws such as the screws 152. The track member has a portion which extends up over the outside of the angle member 110, and it also has a channel-like cross section in which the angle member 110 can slide.

As best shown in Figure 4, an actuating shaft 156 may beV provided, and this shaft extends from the interior of the building to the exterior. This actuating shaft has a cable 15S wrapped around it and secured to an anchor 160. The cable extends up through a rear portion of the shutter assembly and through the top frame 16 to the remote end of the arm 74 to which it is secured. The shaft 156 is rotatably mounted on suitable journals, and

a knob 162 is` secured to the inner end of the shaft by means of a set screw 164. The knob is actuable from inside the building, and it may be operated to rotate the shaft 156 and to movethe shaft 66 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from the left in Figure 4. This serves to move the locking fingers 100 down into place when it is desired to lock the shutter.

Y The shaft 156 is mounted with suiiicient frictional resistance so that when it is rotated to move the shaft 66 angularly against the spring 84, the spring 84 has insuiiicient fjorce to return the shaft 66 to its original position. Then, the shutter is unlocked by manually turning the shaft 156 in the opposite direction to release the tension on the cable 15S and permit the spring 84 to return the shaft 66 to its previous angular position. When the shaft 66 is so returned, the lockingtingers 100 are moved from their protruding position to their retracted position to permit the shutter lto be opened.

Returning to Figures 6 and 7, it will be noted that each of the strap members 64 has itsfree end secured to a cylindrical member such as the members 170 which are movable in apertures in the top frame 16. These members 170 serve as guides for the straps 64'. The key can then be grasped and pulled downwardly to move .the members 170 and thereby pivot the associated triangular shaped members 48 in'- a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 7.

The shaft 66 also has a further plurality of arms such as the arms 172 keyed to it by means of set screws such as theset screw 174 (Figure 6). The arms 172, as shown in Figure 3, extend into engagement with respective ones of the straps 64. The arrangement is such that when the shaft 156 is turned to move the shaft 66 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from the left in Figure 6 so as to move the locking ngers 100 down to their protruding locking positions, and upon a further rotation of the shaft 66 in that direction, the arms 172 move against the straps 64 to rotateV each of the triangular members 48 down against the spring 56 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 7. This causes each of the bushings 40 to be moved angularly from their cocked position as shown in Figure 7 to a position in which they are in substantial axial alignment with their respective rods 22.

It should be noted that so long as the bushings 48 are in their tilted cocked positionshown in Figure 7, axial movement of the rods 22 is prevented and the louvers cannot be removed. However, upo'ri the actuation of the shaft 66 in the described manner, the assemblies can be" moved angularly to uncock the bushings 40 and bring the bushings into axial alignment with their rods 22. Only then can the individual rods 22 be moved upward in an axial direction to permit the removal of their attached louvers 20. Y

A second shaft 200 is provided' coaxial with the shaft` 156, and a crank arm 202 is aixed to the outer' end of that shaft. A linkage 204 couples the free end of the crank arm 202 to the end of the angle member 110. A knob 206 is secured to the inner end of the shaft 200 by means of a screw 208. Rotation of the knob 206 causes the shaft 200 to rotate-which, in turn, moves the crank arm 202 in a clockwise or in a counterclockwise direction. Movement of the crank arm 202 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figure 4' moves the angle arm 110 to the left in Figure 4 to open the various louvers 20. The opposite movement of the crank armV 202 causes the louvers to be closed.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the knobs 162 and '206 may be inter-coupled by a spring loaded pin-210. This pin is capable of being shifted' to a first' position, as shown in Figure 5, in which the knob 206 can be actuated to rotate the shaft 200 independently of the actuation of the knob 162. However, the pin 210 can be moved to the left in Figure 5 so that its end engages an aperture in the knob 162. When the pin is in the latter position, both the knobs are actuated in unison'.l The arrangement may be such that the rotation of both knobs to' gether causes' the shutter to close and the locking lingers then to come down into place. Axial movement ofA the pin 210 is limited by a stud 212 which extends radially through a portion of the knob 206 and` through a slot in the pin. A spring loaded detent arrangement 214 serves to maintain the pin 210 in either of its two axial positions.

As noted briefly above, when the louvers 20 are supported in the shutter assembly of the invention in their normal operating condition, the top bushings 40 are cocked in the manner shown in Figure 7. This prevents the unauthorized removal of the louvers, because the upper end of each rodr 22 is incapable of axial movement in its corresponding cocked bushing 40. However, when it is desired to remove one or more of the louvers, for example, to clean the associated window, the knob 206 can be rotated independently to bring the shaft 66 to its extreme position in which the arms 172 are forced down on the straps 64. This expedient can be used to move the top bushings 40 angularly about the transverse axis so as to bring these bushings into axial alignment with their respective rods 22. Each rod 22 can then be manually moved upwardly against the springs 60 to release its lower 'end from the corresponding bushing 28. When the lower end of the rod is so released, its upper bushing 40 may then be returned to its inclined position of Figure 7. This facilitates the removal of the louver since it permits the lower end of the rod 22 to be swung clear of the lower frame 14, without bending its upper end or damaging its upper bushing 40 or the upper frame 16.

The invention provides, therefore, a new and improved louver type shutter assembly in which the shutter itself can be securely locked to be burglar-proof, and in which the individual louvers are normally held in an unremovable condition, but which can be easily adjusted so that the individual louvers can be removed for cleaning purposes. Moreover, and in the described manner, the louvers constituting the shutter of the invention may be controlled in unison to open or close the shutter, or the louvers are capable of individual movement in the described manner.

I claim:

l. A closure assembly for an opening in a building, and the like, including: rst and second parallel frame members, a plurality of louver members extending between the frame members in mutually spaced parallel relation, respective means for supporting the louver members in the frame members for pivotal movement, a plurality of bushing members positioned in at least one of the frame members for receiving respective ones of the supporting means, means for so positioning the bushings in the frame member `for limited angular movement about an axis spaced from the ends of the louvers and traversing the respective longitudinal axes thereof, and resilient means for biasing the bushings about said traverse axis to lock the louvers between the frame members and thereby to prevent the removal thereof.

2. A closure assembly for an opening in a building, and the like, including: lirst and second spaced parallel frame members, a plurality of elongated rod members supported at their respective ends in the parallel frame members and extending between the frames in mutually spaced parallel relation, a corresponding plurality of louver members mounted on respective ones of the rod members and supported thereby between the frames for pivotal motion about the respective longitudinal axes of the rod members, spring loading means including a irst plurality of bushing members mounted in the first frame member for receiving one of the ends of respective ones of the rod members, a second plurality of bushing members positioned in the second frame member for receiving the other ends of respective ones of the rod members and capable of limited angular movement about a transverse axis spaced from said other end of the rod members.

3. A closure assembly for an opening in a building, and the like, including; first and second spaced parallel frame members, a plurality of elongated rod members supported at their respective ends in the parallel frame members and extending between the frame members in mutually spaced parallel relation, a corresponding plurality of louver members mounted on respective ones of the rod members and supported thereby between the frame members for pivotal motion about the respective longitudinal axes of the rod members, spring loading means including a rst plurality of bushing members mounted in the irst frame member for receiving one of the ends of respective ones of the rod members, a

second plurality of bushing members positioned in the second frame member for receiving the other ends of respective ones of the rod members, the bushing members of the second plurality being capable of limited angular movement about a transverse axis spaced from said other ends of the rod members, and resilient means for biasing the bushing members of the second plurality about the transverse axis to lock the rod members between the frames and thereby to prevent the removal of the louvers.

4. A closure assembly for an opening in a building,

' and the like, including: irst and second spaced parallel frame members, a plurality of elongated rod members pivotally supported at their respective ends in the parallel frame members and extending between the frame members in mutually spaced parallel relation, a corresponding plurality of louver members aixed to respective ones of the rods and supported thereby between the frames in overlapping relation for pivotal motion about the respective longitudinal axes of the rods, a first plurality of 'bushing members mounted in the first frame member for receiving one of the ends of respective ones of the rod members, a corresponding plurality of resilient members positioned in respective ones of the bushings of the rst plurality for spring loading the rod members, a second plurality of bushing members positioned in the second frame member for receiving the other ends of respective ones of the rods, means for mounting the bushings of the second plurality in the second frame member for limited angular movement with respect to the frame member about a transverse axis spaced from said other ends of the rods and essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the rods, and resilient means for biasing the bushing members of the second plurality about the transverse axis to lock the rod members between the frame members and thereby to prevent the removal of the louvers.

5. A closure assembly for an opening in a building, and the like, including: first and second spaced parallel frame members, a plurality of elongated rod members pivotally supported at their respective ends in the parallel frame members and extending between the frames in mutually spaced parallel relation, a corresponding plurality of louver members aflixed to respective ones of the rods and supported thereby between the frames in overlapping relation for pivotal motion about the respective longitudinal axis of the rods, a iirst plurality of bushing members mounted in the rst frame member for receiving one of the ends of respective ones of the rod members, a corresponding plurality of spring members positioned in respective ones of the bushings of the rst plurality for spring loading the rod members, a second plurality of bushing members positioned in the second frame member for receiving the other ends of respective ones of the rod members, means for mounting the bushings of the second plurality on the second frame for limited angular movement with respect to the second frame about a transverse axis spaced from said other ends of the rods and essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the rods, resilient means for biasing the bushing members of the second plurality in a rst angular direction about the transverse axis to lock the rods between the frames and thereby to prevent the removal of the louvers, and releasing means for moving 1the bushings of the second plurality in the opposite angular direction about the transverse axis against the biasing force of the resilient means to permit axial movement of the rods between the frames for the removal of the louvers, said bushings of the second plurality subsequently being released to be moved in the first angular direction about the transverse axis by the resilient means to permit such removal of the louvers.

6. A closure assembly for an opening in a building, and the like, including: rst and second spaced parallel Vframe members, a plurality of elongated rod members pivotally supported at their respective ends in the parallel frame members and extending between the frames in mutually spaced parallel relation, a corresponding plurality of louver members aiixed to respective ones of the rod members and supported thereby between the frames m overlapping relation for pivotal motion about the respective longitudinal axes of Ithe rods, a trst plurality of bushing members mounted in the rst frame member for receiving one of the ends of respective ones of the rod members, a corresponding plurality of spring members positioned in respective ones of the bushings of the first plurality for spring loading the rod members, a second plurality of bushing mem-bers positioned in the Second frame member for receiving the other ends of respective ones of the rod members, means 4for mounting the bushings of the second plurality in the lsecond frame member forV limited angular movement with respect to the second frame about a transverse axis spaced from said other ends of the rods and essentially perpendicular to -the longitudinal axes of the rods, at least one strap mem-ber interconnecting at least some of the bushings of the second plurality, resilient means engaging the strap member for lbiasing the interconnected bushings of the second plurality -in a irst angular direction about the transverse axis tolock the rods between the frames and thereby prevent the removal of the louvers, and release means for moving the strap against the biasing force of the 4resilient means to permit axial movement of the rods between the frames for the removal of the louvers, said bushings of the second plurality being subsequently released to be angularly moved in the first direction about the transverse axis by the resilient means to permit such removal of the louvers. Y

7. A closure assembly for an opening in a building, and the like, including: rst and second spaced parallel trame members, a plurality of elongated rod members pivotally supported at their respective ends in theparallel frame members and extending therebetween in mutually spaced parallel relation, a corresponding plurality lof louver members atlxed to respective ones of the rods and supported thereby between the frames in overlapping relation for pivotal ymotion about the respective longitudinal axes of the rods, a first plurality of bushing members mounted on the iirst Aframe member for receiving one of the ends of respective ones of `the rods, a corresponding plurality of spring members positioned in respective ones of the bushings of the lirst plurality for spring loading the rods, a second plurality of bushing members positioned lin the second frame member for receiving the other ends of respective ones of the rod members, means for mounting the bushings of the second plurality in the second frame mem-ber for llimited angular movement with respect to the Isecond frame about a transverse axis spaced about said other ends of the rods and essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the rods, a corresponding plurality of resilient tubular members surrounding respective ones of the bushings of the second plurality to resiliently support the same in the second frame, a spring member positioned in each of the bushings of the second plurality to assist in the spring loading of the rods, at least one strap member interconnecting at least some of the bushings of the second plurality, resilient means engaging the strap member for biasing the interconnected bushings of the second plurality in a first angular direction about the transverse axis to lock the rods between the frames and thereby to prevent the removal of the louvers, and release means for moving the strap against the biasing force of the resilient means to permit axial movement of the rods between the frame members for the removal of the louvers.

8. A closure member for an opening in a building, and the like, including: rst and second lspaced parallel frame members, a plurality of elongated rod members pivotally supported at their respective ends in the parallel frame members and extending between the frames in mutually spaced parallel relation, a corresponding plu rality of louver members atiixed to respective ones of the rod members and supported thereby between the frames in overlapping relation for pivotal motion about the respective longitudinal axes of the rods, a lirst plurality of bushing members mounted in the lrst frame member for receiving one of the ends of respective ones of the rods, a corresponding plurality of coil springs positioned in respective ones of the bushing of the first plurality for spring loading the rod members, a second plurality of bushing members positioned in the second frame member for receiving the other ends of respective ones of the rod members, means for mounting the bushings of the second plurality in the second frame member for limited angular movement with respect to the second frame about a transverse axis spaced from said other ends of the rod members and essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the rod members, a corresponding plurality of resilient tubular members surrounding respective ones of the bushingsv of the second plurality to resiliently support the same in the second'frame, a coil spring positioned in each of the bushings of the second plurality to assist in the Spring lloading of the rods, strap member means interconnecting the bushings of the second plurality, resilient means engaging the strap member means for biasing the bushings of the second plurality in a first angular direction about the transverse axis to lock the rods between the Iframe members and thereby to prevent the removal of Ithe louvers, release means for moving the strap member means against the -last-named resilient means to permit axial movement of the rods between the frames for the removal of the louvers, said bushing of the second plurality being subsequently released to be moved angularly in the iirsty direction about the transverse axis by the resilient means yto permit such removal of the louvers, a plurality of elongated iinger-like locking members positioned in the rst frame member for axial movement therein between a retracted position and a protruding position for each locking member, the locking members engaging respective ones of the louvers when in their protruding position to maintain the louvers in a closed overlapping position, a rotatable shaft, and a plurality of arms aixed to said shaft and extending radially therefrom into coupled relation with respective ones of the elongated locking arms, and resilient means for angularly biasing said shaft to urge the locking members to their retracted position.

2,077,135 Walker Apr. 13, 1937 Shinsky Dec. 8. 1896