US3886703A

US3886703A - Decorative shutter and mounting means therefor

Info

Publication number: US3886703A
Application number: US453163A
Authority: US
Inventors: Donald L Rousey
Original assignee: Questor Corp
Current assignee: LESLIE-LOCKE Inc
Priority date: 1974-03-20
Filing date: 1974-03-20
Publication date: 1975-06-03
Anticipated expiration: 1992-06-03

Abstract

A decorative shutter having an integral plastic skin with a peripheral substantially flat section and an interior slat like area. An integral flange extends about the periphery of the flat section and substantially perpendicular thereto. A rigid foam frame is secured in abutting relationship with the flat section and with the flange, and the frame has a substantially rectangular cross section. A wall portion is integral with the frame and extends substantially parallel to one side of the rectangular frame opposite the side of the frame abutting the flange. This wall section provides a channel which mates with an extending blind fastener mounted on the exterior wall of the building. In this manner the blind fastener may be easily attached to the wall and the shutter pressed firmly thereon so as to be permanently secured thereto.

Description

United States Patent [191 Rousey [4 1 June 3,1975

[ DECORATIVE SHUTTER AND MOUNTING MEANS THEREFOR [75] Inventor: Donald L. Rousey, Des Plaines, Ill.

[73] Assignee: Questor Corporation, Toledo, Ohio [22] Filed: Mar. 20, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 453,163

52 user. ..s2/473;52/314;52/479;

, 248/225 51 Int. Cl.....- ..E04c 2/38;E06b 7/08 58 Field ofSearch 52/473, 306,309,314,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,341,994 9/1967 Olson 52/204 3,461,629 8/1969 Smith 52/625 X 3,548,555 12/1970 Trostle et al 52/314 X Primary Examiner-.1. Karl Bell 57 ABSTRACT A decorative shutter having an integral plastic skin with a peripheral substantially flat section and an interior slat like area. An integral flange extends about the periphery of the flat section and substantially perpendicular thereto. 'A rigid foam frame is secured in abutting relationship with the flat section and with the flange, and the frame has a substantially rectangular cross section. A wall portion is integral with the frame and extends substantially parallel to one side of the rectangular frame opposite the side of the frame abutting the flange. This wall section provides a channel which mates with an extending blind fastener mounted on the exterior wall of the building. In this manner the blind fastener may be easily attached to the wall and the shutter pressed firmly thereon so as to be permanently secured thereto.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEQJM 1215 3886; vo

This invention relates generally; to. decorative ,shutters and more particularly tddecor'a tiye. shut-ters using blind fasteners. I

In earlier years outdoor windo 'iw shutters were extensively used and provided afvery functional purpose. The shutters were normally folded back and remained open in the milder months and could be easily shutand secured so as to cover the .windows of the housefrom the exterior in more severe climatic conditions. Such usage has gradually disappeared except in special instances and. therefore, the functional aspects of these shutters is no longer desirable in most cases.

However, the use of non-functionalshutters remains today and may be .seen in use on the majority of the homes which are being build. The shutters are mounted on opposite sides of the window so as to provide a certain period look to the house.

Fora consideralbeperiod .of time these decorative shutters were made of substantially the same material as were the real functional shutters, i.e., wood. These shutters would be placed in the appropriate position adjacent the windows and then nailed or screwed into the exterior wall of the house. There are several disadvantages to the use of this decorative type of wood shutter. First, by making them of. standard wood, the shutters are essentially quite heavy and must be secured or anchored to the wall with sufficient hardware so as not to pull the shingles away from the building. They must also be secured so as to avoid the shutters themselves falling from the building under certain conditions, such as severe wind and ice. Secondly, if the shutters are made so as to have the proper appearance, they must be built with a peripheral'outer frame and slats must be placed centrally, all of which connotes a great deal of time and labor. Also. wooden shutters need painting regularly in order to protect them from the weather.

To overcome the above deficiencies, there are now available various types of shutters which are molded primarily from plastic materials. Such a mold can be so designed that the appearance still retains the outer frame view and a central slat-like appearance. However, one of the problems with this type of shutter is that it must be secured to the wall exteriorly by means such as nails, screws, and the like. There is no sufficient manner, to my knowledge, to secure these plastic shutters to a wall by these means without marring the appearance of the overall shutter since nails and screws are very difficult to hide.

Accordingly. it is an object of this invention to provide a lightweight plastic shutter which may be secured to an exterior wall by means which do not show from the exterior portion of the shutter.

A further object of this invention is to provide a unitary structure which is easily attached to the exterior wall of the house by means of a blind fastener.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a partial section of the shutter and the blind fastener associated therewith;

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of a shutter cover- 2;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the shutter. blind fastener and Qwall before the shutter is attached thereto; and

FIG. 4 is a top sectional view of the shutter of FIG. 3 in place against the wall.

' Broadly speaking. the invention comprises a decorative shutter having an integral plastic skin with a peripheral substantially flat section and an interior'slatlike area. An integral flange extends about the periphery of the flat section and substantiallyperpendicular thereto. A rigid foam frame is secured in abutting relationship with the flat section and with the flange, and the frame has a substantailly rectangular cross section.

A wall portion is integral with the frame and extends secured thereto.

Turning now more specifically to the drawings, there -is shown in FIG. 1 a partial sectional view of one corner of the decorative shutter used in the present invention. The shutter 11 has a peripheral flat area 13 which extends entirely about the shutter and a central section 14 molded so as to appear to be a slatted section.

As shown in FIG. 2 the outer or visible section of the shutter is madeof a thin plastic skin 15 which is vacuum formed and a lamination 17, such lamination including the color desired for the particular shutter in use.

A peripheral flange 19 extends perpendicularly from the flat section 13 about the entire shutter so as to form a guide structure for the supporting frame.

In the present illustration, the frame is made of a foamed PVC extrusion having four section, two hori- 'zontal and two vertical. These horizontal and vertical elements are mitered as at 25 and are separately stapled, ultrasonically welded or otherwise fastened to produce a rectangular stiffened structure. The entire frame is attached to the rear of the shutter about the flat portion 13 thereof by means such as adhesive or the like.

Each of the horizontal and vertical sections is basically of a rectangular cross section and is preferrably hollow to reduce the material needed and the weight of the structure. A wall 27 is formed integrally with the frame 25 and extends substantially parallel to one side of the frame, such side being opposite of that of the flange 19. This structure forms a channel 29. As can be appreciated. although the wall 27 is rigid, the particular construction as shown allows the wall to flex at the inner corner thereof.

The purpose of the channel 29 is to accept a blind fastener, i.e., a fastener which is mounted on the exterior of the house but which will not be visible when the shutter is finally in place. Such a fastener 29 is shown in FIG. 1 and includes a central section 31 having a plurality of bore holes therein such as 33 and 35. The fastener is attached to the exterior wall of the house by merely driving the proper size nails 37 or screws through the openings in the blind fastener.

At each end of the blind fastener there is an arm 39, 41 extending substantially perpendicular to the basic fastener and thus to the wall of the house. The arms 39 and 41 are metal worked so as to provide protruding angular prongs such as shown at 43 and 45. The length of the fastener 29 is such that when in position, the protruding arms 41 and 39 will mate with the channels 29 in the frame.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the use of the blind fastener with a channel and, in the illustrated embodiment, the channel which would appear at the opposite side of the shutter from that which is shown in FIG. 1.

The blind fastener is shown as already secured to the wall of the house with the arm 39 extending substantially perpendicularly outward therefrom together with the formed prongs 45.

The frame 51 is alinged with the arm 39 prior to pressing the frame into position. It will be seen that the wall 53 prior to insertion of the arm 39 extends slightly at an angle towards the frame 51. If desired the frame may be formed to have a ridge 55 on frame 51 and a notch 59 in the arm 53 so as to further assure positive retainment of the prongs 45. The wall 53 may also be formed so as to have an outwardly extending angle section 57 and its termination so as to provide an easy guidance opening for the arm 39.

P16. 4 shows the shutter in position with the support frame 51 firmly abutting the wall and the arm 39 securely within the channel formed by the wall 53 and the frame 51. Since the support frame is made of a foamed polyvinyl the prongs 45 will dig into the structural material as the pressure forces the wall 53 away from the section 51. This, in itself will secure and lock the shutter to the wall, but as stated above, the ridge 55 and the notch 59 may further assist in such absolute containment.

The use of the formed PVC extrusions gives strength and yet flexibility to the shutter. There has been designed therefore, a lightweight extremely attractive shutter which may be manufactured for a much less expense than that of the equivalent wooded frame and which uses a mounting means not visible from the exterior of the shutter.

The above description and drawings are illustrative only, and the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A decorative shutter device for securing to an exterior of a house comprising an integral plastic skin having a peripheral substantially flat section and an interior slat-like area;

an integral flange about the periphery of said flat section substantially perpendicular to said flat section;

a rigid foam frame secured in abutting relationship within said flat section and said flange, said frame having a substantially rectangular cross section; and

a wall integral with said frame and substantially parallel with said frame opposite said flange;

said wall and said frame forming a channel for accepting a fastener extending outwardly from said exterior of said house.

2. The shutter device of claim 1 wherein said fastener comprises a rigid substantially flat plate member;

arms integral with said plate member extending outwardly at each end thereof at substantially right angles thereto; and

prongs protruding from said arms;

said arms engaging said channel in said frame at opposite sides thereof, said prongs securing said frame to said arms.

3. The shutter device of claim 2 further comprising a notch in the inner side of said wall for retaining said prongs.

4. The shutter device of claim 1 further comprising an outwardly extending angle section at the terminal end of said wall.

Claims

1. A decorative shutter device for securing to an exterior of a house comprising an integral plastic skin having a peripheral substantially flat section and an interior slat-like area; an integral flange about the periphery of said flat section substantially perpendicular to said flat section; a rigid foam frame secured in abutting relationship within said flat section and said flange, said frame having a substantially rectangular cross section; and a wall integral with said frame and substantially parallel with said frame opposite said flange; said wall and said frame forming a channel for accepting a fastener extending outwardly from said exterior of said house.

2. The shutter device of claim 1 wherein said fastener comprises a rigid substantially flat plate member; arms integral with said plate member extending outwardly at each end thereof at substantially right angles thereto; and prongs protruding from said arms; said arms engaging said channel in said frame at opposite sides thereof, said prongs securing said frame to said arms.