US3004642A

US3004642A - Grilles, screens and the like

Info

Publication number: US3004642A
Application number: US48321A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward C Hallock
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1960-08-08
Filing date: 1960-08-08
Publication date: 1961-10-17
Anticipated expiration: 1978-10-17

Description

Oct. 17, 1961 E. c. HALLocK 3,004,642

GRILLES, SCREENS AND THE L IKE Filed Aug. 8, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 IIIIIII IWIIII IIIIIIII IIIIIII IIIIII IIIIIII IIIINI IIIIIIII IIIIIIIII IIIIIIII IMIIII WIWI IIIIIIII IIIIIIII IWIIIII IIIINI IIIIIIII IIIIIIIII IIIIIINI INIIII IIIINI INIIII IWIIIII IWIII INIIIII IIIIIMI IIIIIII IIIIINI IWIIII IIIIIII IIIIWI IIIIIIII IIIIWI 9\ IMIIII IIIIIIII IWIIIII WIWI INIIIII INIIII IIIIINI IIIIIIIII IIIIINI IIIINI IIIIIII IIIIIII IIIIIIIII IIIIIIII IIIIIIIII IIIIIIII i g IMIII IIIIIIIII IMIMI IIIMI IIIIIII IIIIIII IIIIINI IMIIII IWIIII ININI FIGI IIIIIINI IIIIIIIII INIIIII F'IGZ.

INVENTOR EDWARD CHALLOCK HIS ATTORN EYS Oct. 17, 1961 Filed Aug. 8, 1960 E. c. HALLoK 3,004,642

GRILLES, SCREENS AND THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 gl' l@ s WM L INVENTOR EDWARD C. HALLOCK BY mwfwwfw H IS ATTORN EYS Oct. 17, 1961 E. c. HALLocK 3,004,642

GRILLES, SCREENS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 8, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR EDWARD C. HALLOCK H IS ATTORNEYS 3,004,642 Patented Oct. 17, 1961 GRILLES, SCREENS AND THE LIKE Edward C. Hallock, 86 Woodland Ave., Summit, NJ. Filed Aug. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 48,321 7 Claims. (Cl. 189-82) This vinvention relates to improvements in structural elements for shading portions of building structures and providing ornamental effects thereon and therein, and it relates particularlyto an improved form of light-weight grille for protecting, shading and imparting pleasing appearances to cooling towers for air-conditioning systems, to windows, Ventilating, exhaust and other openings in building structures, and for use as room dividers or for other ornamental purposes on or in buildings of all types.

Many new buildings'as well as older buildings, are now being provided with cooling towers by means of which Water for air-conditioning systems can be cooled. Other buildings have large Ventilating and air exhaust openings in their walls. Such constructions usually are provided with grilles or louvers which shade and protect them to maintain efficient operation and overcome their inherent, rather unattractive appearance.

In accordance with the present invention, I have pro vided grilles which may be easily fabricated from relatively simple parts and in such a way that many different ornamental effects may be produced thereby, while at the same time providing effective shading and screening of the structures on or in which they are mounted.

More particularly, in accordance with the present inventiou, my new grilles are madeup of a series of thin strips of metal, plastic, or the like, which are joined and supported in spaced relation by means of novel, readily attached clips which strengthen and reinforce the structure to render it self-sustaining and highly resistant to deformation by wind force or other stresses. The strips may be of almost any desired length and width and they may be assembled to produce grilles of almost any desired length and height. j

The new clips are provided with pairs of springy or resilient arms having opposed grooves in their outer ends to receive and retain edge portions of two strips thereby to connect the two strips in face to face, spaced apart relation. Inasmuch as the arms are resilient, the clips can be pressed against the strips to spread the arms to pass over the edges of the strips and then snap into gripping relation to the edges of the strips. By varying the shape and arrangement of the arms on the clips, the strips may be disposed parallel and in generally perpendicular relation to the overall plane of the grille or they may be arranged in an echelonted, inclined or sawtooth relation to the plane of the grille, thereby enabling different ornamental or visual effects to be obtained with the same strips and clips.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a grille embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevational view of the grille;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view thereof;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a typical clip for use in the assembly of the grille; and

FIGURE 5 is an end elevational view of the clip shown in FIGURE 4.

The grille illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 of the drawing is formed of a series of

corrugated metal strips

10, 11, 12, 13, etc. which are joined together by means of the

clips

14, 14a, al1 of which are substantially identical in shape and size. The

strips

10, 11, 12, 13, likewise, in the form of the invention shown, are substantially identical. 'The United States Patent Oiice strip 10, for example, is bent into corrugated shape having offset parallel portions 10a, 10b joined by inclined angularly related portions 10c and 10a'.

A typical clip 14 is of generally X-shape and includes a center body portion 15 having at its opposite ends an upwardly diverging pair of

arms

16 and 17, a downwardly diverging pair of

arms

18 and 19, as shown in FIGURES 4 and 5. The ends of the

arms

16, 17, 1S and 19 are pro vided with enlarged ribs or beads 20 and each of the enlarged beads is provided with an

internal groove

21, 22, 23, or 24. Also, for convenience of assembly, the portion of each bead 20 outwardly of the groove therein may be provided with a tapered or inclined surface 2-5. The clip members 14 can be formed conveniently as extrusions of aluminum or other material, such as plastic, of indefinite length, these extrusions being cut into sections of a suitable width, as, for example, an inch and a half, more or less, as may be required for the particular grille in which they are used.

In assembling a grille, a clip 14, for example, is pressed against the strip 10 at the horizontal portion 10a so that the

arms

18 and 19 are sprung apart and snap over the opposite edges of the strip as they come into alignment with the

grooves

23 and 24 in the ribs of the clip. As many of the clips 14 are assembled along the length of the strip as may be desired. Then the clips 14a are attached in a similar manner to the portions 10b of the corrugated strip so that the

arms

16 and 17 thereon engage the edges of the portions 10b. A strip 11 is then pressed against the free arms of the clips 14a, to secure the strip 11 to the strip 10 and form a pattern of octagons in side-by-side relation.

Other strips

12 and 13, etc. are assembled to the

strips

10 and 11 in the same way until a grille ofthe desired size is formed.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the

clips

14 and 14a are unsymmetrical in shape, and they can be assembled in alternately oppositely facing rows to produce a sawtoothed arrangement of the strips with all of the strips substantially perpendicular to the plane of the grille as a Whole. On the other hand, if all of the clips are assembled in rows facing the same direction, an echelon effect is produced in which all of the

strips

10, 11, 12, 13 etc. are inclined to the plane of the grille.

Other and different effects may be produced by making the corrugations in the strips of different shapes. For example, the portions 10a can be of different length than the portions 10b and the inclination and lengths of the portions 10c and 10d likewise can be changed. Extensive modication of the shape of the

clips

14, 14a is also possible. Thus, the arms 16 to 19 can be of equal length or their lengths inclination and relations to each other can be modified to provide different spacings and inclinations of the corrugated strips as may be desired. Accordingly, it will be understood that the form of the invention disclosed herein, is illustrative and that it should not be considered as limiting the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

l. A grille comprising a plurality of corr-ugated strips of thin sheet material having portions thereof disposed in offset, substantially parallel relation, and clips engaging and connecting at least some of said parallel portions of adjacent strips to hold them in spaced -substantially ixed relation, each of said clips including a first pair of arms having means at their outer endsV extending around and engaging at least part of the opposite edges of a parallel portion of one of said strips and another pair of arms having means at their outer ends extending around and engaging at least part of the opposite edges of a parallel portion of another of said strips, at least one arm of each pair of arms being resilient to enable said arms to spring apart to engage said means at the outer ends of the said arms with said opposite edges of said strips.

2. A grille comprisinga plurality of corrugated strips of thin sheet material having portions thereof disposed in offset, substantially parallel relation, and clips engaging and connecting at least some of said parallel portions of adjacent strips to holdl theml in spaced substantially fixed relation, each of said clips having a first pair of flexible arms having means at their outer ends extending around and engaging at least part of the opposite edges of a parallel portion of one of said strips and another pair of flexible arms having means at their .outer ends extending around and engaging at least part of t'ne opposite edges of a parallel portion of another of said strips.

3. The grille set forth in claim 2 in which said strips are angulartly corrugated and have parallel portions located in at least two different planes.

4. The grille set forth in claim 2 in which said clips are of a' attened, substantiallyX-shape and are of a width slightlygreater thannthe width of said strips.

5. The grille set forth in claim 2 in which -said strips are angularly corrugatedsheet metal and said clips are metal extrusions.

6. lThe grille set forth` inV claim 2 in which said clips comprise a centeryplate portion, and said first and second pairs of arms extend outwardly -fr'om adjacent theopposite ends of said plate portion.

7. The grille set forth in claim 2 in which the iiexible arms ofsaid clips are exed to receive said strips between them and bear resiliently against said strips.

References Cited inv thelfle of this patent UNITED STATESl PATENTS 1,729,741 Heltzel Oct. 1, 1929