WO2004013544A1

WO2004013544A1 - Louvers slats with flexible gutters

Info

Publication number: WO2004013544A1
Application number: PCT/CA2002/001209
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marc Julien; Frédéric GUENETTE
Original assignee: Solutions Jupiter Inc.
Priority date: 2002-08-01
Filing date: 2002-08-01
Publication date: 2004-02-12
Also published as: AU2002322240A1

Abstract

Gutters (13) are provided for being mounted onto the lower exterior edge of corresponding louver slats (12) from a louver assembly. The gutter is deformable, and is hence capable of conforming itself to the irregular shape of the surface onto which it is destined to be affixed. It is consequently possible to install these gutters uninterruptedly onto a louver assembly comprising rows of coextensive downwardly exteriorly inclined slats arranged interruptedly between intermediate vertical jambs, the gutter bypassing the vertical jambs, and each gutter being suitably attached to the front edge of a chosen row of slats. The presence of a gutter on a louver slat has been found to substantially decrease the amount of water or moisture which may accidentally pass through the louver assembly. Rain drops impinging onto the exterior face of a slat, and water trickling down an inclined slat, are collected in the gutter. The extremities of the gutter being located outwardly of the slatted area of louver assembly, the collected water can be drained out appropriately without leaking back into the slats.

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION ; LOUVER SLATS WITH FLEXIBLE GUTTERS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to gutters for louver slats, and more particularly to a flexible gutter channel installable on louver slats from a louver assembly, used for collecting and channeling water, consequently restraining water or moisture from penetrating through the louver assembly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is generally desirable to minimize the intrusion of water or moisture through a louver. A good number of preexisting weatherproofing louver slats have been developed, with troughs or gutter channels built thereon, allowing for the water that impinges on the upper exterior face of the louver slats, or incoming windblown water to be collected inside this so-called in-built draining member, to then be carried away from the louver's air intalce window.

Previously known drainable louver slats have an in-built draining member. If a preexisting louver needs to be weatherproofed, its slats must be replaced with drainable slats, or the whole louver has to be replaced. Furthermore, if the louver with integral draining member comprises a series of coextensive slats extending between vertical jambs, the water drained from the louver slat will escape when it gets to the next vertical jamb, and leaks freely therefrom, thus defeating the purpose of the gutter member.

The relative complexity of construction of most previously known channeled louver slats tends to be high, in the sense that they require complex molding or complex assembling.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a gutter destined to be fixedly attached onto a lower edge of a downwardly exteriorly inclined horizontal louver slat, said gutter being made from a resilient material for deformingly adapting to the shape of the surface on which it is destined to be affixed, said gutter being an open-topped trough for collecting water flowing downwardly from the louver slat and for subsequently draining this water at one end of the gutter trough.

In one embodiment, said resilient material of said gutter is elastically stretchable. In one embodiment, said gutter channel has an interior and an exterior portion, said interior portion being destined to be attached to the louver slat lower edge, and said exterior portion forming said open-topped trough complementarily with said interior portion.

In one embodiment, further including a rigid reinforcing plate, for anchoring against an interior portion of the louver slat lower edge and for this interior portion of said gutter. The present invention also relates to a louver slat for use on a louver assembly, said louver slat defining an exterior lower edge and comprising a gutter attached to said lower edge, said gutter being made from a resilient material for assuming the shape of the surface on which it is destined to be affixed, and said gutter being a open-topped trough for collecting water incoming towards the louver slat and for subsequently draining the water away from the slatted area of the louver assembly toward one end of the gutter.

In one embodiment, said louver slat further includes a rigid plate anchored to said slat interior portion and applies a distributed pressure along the back portion of said gutter. In one embodiment, said louver slat includes an acoustically insulating material.

The present invention also relates to a louver assembly for use in controlling liquid flow through an aperture in a wall, said louver assembly comprising a peripheral frame having at least one intermediate vertical jamb, a plurality of vertically spaced louver slats extending substantially horizontally through said peripheral frame and fixedly mounted thereto, a gutter being fixedly mounted to a fluid-upstream edge portion of a corresponding one of said slats, said gutter being made from a resilient material for assuming the shape of the surface on which it is destined to be affixed, said gutter being an open-topped trough for collecting water incoming towards the fluid-upstream side of the louver slats and for subsequently draining the water away from the slatted area of the louver assembly toward one end of the slats. In one embodiment, said louver assembly comprises at least three vertical jambs, wherein said louver slats extend in a coextensive manner between said vertical jambs, and wherein a series of slats extending interruptedly and coextensively between said jambs form a row of slats.

In one embodiment, each said gutter is uninterruptedly fixedly attached onto each said rows of slats by curving said vertical jambs.

In one embodiment, said louver assembly further includes a plurality of rigid reinforcing plates attached to the downstream side of a corresponding number of louver slats, each said reinforcing plates applying a distributed pressure along the downstream portion of said gutter.

The present invention also relates to a fluid control unit for use in controlling fluid flow through a fluid intake port, said fluid control unit comprising:

- a planar rigid main frame, to be anchored into the fluid intake port;

- cross-baffle means, integral to said main frame, said cross-baffle means including an upstream side, a downstream side, and at least one fluid channel member for fluid flow from said upstream side to said downstream side of said cross-baffle means;

- gutter means, integral to said upstream side of said cross-baffle means, said gutter means being made from a resilient waterproof material, said gutter means having a water escape outlet, said water escape outlet destined to be offset from the fluid intake port. In one embodiment, said gutter means is made from a stretchable elastomeric material.

In one embodiment, there are at least two fluid channel members including an upper fluid channel member and a lower fluid channel member, said fluid channel members extending transversely and non orthogonally relative to the plane of said main frame, and said gutter means including a trough member, said trough member anchored to an upper edge portion of said lower fluid channel member, said trough member projecting in a direction upstream of and diverging from said lower fluid channel member.

In one embodiment, said fluid control unit further includes a rigid reinforcing strip, fixedly anchored to said downstream side of said baffle means in register with said trough member.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the annexed drawings : Figure 1 is a top plan view of a trailer, on which are installed louver assemblies, the inside content of the trailer being shown in phantom lines;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the trailer of figure 1, said trailer having the intermediate section of its side lateral wall partially removed for better showing the inside content of the trailer; Figure 3 is a front elevation at an enlarged scale of a louver assembly, comprising a gutter channel according to the present invention; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the louver assembly taken along line IV-IN of figure 3;

Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the area circumscribed within circle 3 in figure 4, showing one gutter assembly; and Figure 6 is an enlarged partial perspective view of the louver assembly of figure 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Referring to figure 3, a number of gutter channel members according to the present invention are indicated by the number 13. Each gutter channel member 13 is destined to be used along the lower edge portion of a corresponding louver slat, marked as 12 in the annexed drawings.

A louver assembly 10 made up from a plurality of horizontal, vertically spaced louver slats 12, is destined to be used on a trailer T, as shown in figures 1 and 2. Trailer T comprises three compartment rooms : a first compartment CI at one end portion, comprising a power generator G, an intermediate second compartment C2, comprising two air-sucking fans FI and F2, and a third compartment room C3 at the other end portion, comprising radiator panels Rl and R2. Power generator G comprising components releasing heat, it needs to be cooled down. Radiator panels Rl and R2, fixedly attached to opposite lateral walls of said one end portion of trailer T and covering air inlet openings 12, 13, are used to cool down power generator G by means of refrigerant fluid running through refrigerant fluid pipes, which link radiator panels Rl, R2 to the power generator G. Radiator panels Rl, R2 also need to be cooled down, a refrigerating unit conventionally releasing a substantial amount of heat. For this purpose, fans FI and F2 have been provided, both spinning about the same rotation axis and located in register with an outlet opening O in the ceiling of compartment room C2 of trailer T. Fan FI is arranged in order to develop an air flow inside compartment room CI, the air flow incoming into trailer T from outside ambient air through a louver assembly 10 attached on a lateral wall of compartment CI, in order to cover an air inlet opening II located thereon. The air flow developed thereby has a complementary cooling effect on power generator G. Fan F2 is arranged in order to develop an air flow inside compartment room C2, the air flow incoming into trailer T through two louver assemblies 10B attached on opposite lateral walls of compartment CI, both louver assemblies respectively superimposed to radiator panels Rl, R2, in order to cover air intake openings 12, 13 located thereon. The air flow developed thereby has a cooling effect on power generator G. The air flows thus generated and running through compartments CI, C3 are subsequently evacuated through outlet opening O of comportment room C2.

Louver assembly 10 (10A, 10B) defines an exterior and interior side: the exterior side is the side facing the outside of side wall W of trailer T on which it is destined to be installed. The interior side is the side opening into the inside of the trailer. An air passage way 5 is formed between each successive pair of slats 12, 12. Now referring to figure 3, louver assembly 10 comprises a rectangular rigid frame 15, composed of vertically arranged side jambs 16 and horizontally extending, vertically spaced upper and lower jambs 17. Spaced-apart intermediate jambs 11 extend vertically between and interconnect with jambs 17, to which they are fixedly attached by their extremities, by means of screws, bolts, spot-welding, complementary fit, or other suitable permanent attachment means. A plurality of vertically spaced louver slats 12 extend horizontally between side jambs 16, and are arranged interruptedly between intermediate jambs 11 in a coextensive manner. A series of slats 12 arranged interruptedly and coextensively between side jambs 11 form a row of slats. The louver slats are mounted between jambs 11 and 16 in inclined positions sloping downwardly and forwardly, as shown in figure 4 and 6. The angular inclination value of the slats 12 should be such that in the elevational view of figure 3, the lower exterior edge 12A of a first slat 12' be lower than the higher interior edge of a second slat 12" immediately beneath the first slat 12'. That is to say, any exterior weather element that crosses louver assembly 10 cannot flow directly therethrough, but must rather engage the cross-baffle formed by downwardly exteriorly inclined air passage ways 5.

Louver slats 12 are composed of conventional material for building louver slats, such as sheet metal suitably shaped in order to obtain an appropriate louver slat shape. In one embodiment, each louver slat is also an acoustic insulator, and is for this purpose constructed by means known in the acoustic insulation art, for lessening the amount of noise (coming from the inside of trailer T) audible on the outside of trailer T on which it is destined to be used. In one embodiment, louver assembly 10 comprises a frame 15, composed of pairs of jambs 16 and 17. No intermediate jambs are present, and the louver slats 12 extend horizontally and in a downwardly exteriorly inclined condition between vertical jambs 16 of frame 15. Louver assembly 10A of figure 1 is a louver assembly according to this embodiment.

Figure 4 and 6 shows one embodiment of louver slats 12 wherein each louver slat 12 comprises at its downward exterior edge 12A a downwardly depending lip 14. This lip 14 can be used for supporting an upwardly exteriorly depending gutter channel member 13, by means described hereinafter.

A cross-section of gutter channel member 13 of the invention is represented in figure 5. Channel member 13 forms a watertight flange having a V-shaped cross-section, and defines an interior portion 18 destined to be attached onto the front edge of a louver slat 12, and an upwardly exteriorly inclined exterior portion 19, forming a open-topped trough complementarity with inner portion 18.

Gutter channel member 13 is made of an elastically deformable, resilient or more generally flexible material, for example an elastomeric member such as rubber. Flexible gutter channel member 13 can hence be installed uninterruptedly, regardless of jambs 11 and 16 that obstruct to the installation of a single straight and rigid gutter channel deformingly along the front edge of a chosen row of slats, conformingly rounding jambs 11 and 16 in order to assume the irregular shape of the path on which it is destined to be affixed. On a chosen row of slats, both extremities of gutter channel member 13 extend outwardly beyond the juxtaposition between side jambs 16 and the leftmost and rightmost slats 12. The efficiency of fluid drainage by channel member 13 is thus not affected by the presence of one or more vertical jambs, contrarily to prior art. The gutter member 13 should be slightly inclined to promote water flow toward one end of gutter channel member 13 under gravity borne forces.

Gutter channel member 13 can be fixedly attached to the louver slats, and facultatively to vertical jambs 11 and 16, with a series of spaced-apart bolts or screws, glue, or other suitable permanent attachment means. Referring to the embodiment shown in figure 6, a rigid reinforcing plate 20 is applied onto the interior portion 18 of gutter channel member 13. Pressure is thus applied distributedly along the portions of gutter channel member 13 being superimposed to a louver slat 12. Rigid plate 20 has substantially the same length as the louver slat 12 over which it presses gutter channel member 13. In the embodiment wherein slats 12 comprise a lip 14, gutter channel 13 is pressed against lip 14 of each slat 12 by plate 20. Each plate 20 is fixedly attached to a louver slat 12 by means of a series of spaced-apart screws, bolts, rivets, or other suitable permanent attachment means.

Unexpectedly, the presence of gutter channel member 13 on louver slats 12 has been found to substantially decrease the amount of water or moisture which may accidentally seep through the louver assembly and into the inside of trailer T, hence keeping the inside of trailer T as dry as possible. Rain drops impinging onto a slat 12, and water trickling down an inclined slat 12, are collected in gutter 13, restraining water under gravity borne forces from flowing upwardly underneath the slats under the influence of an inwardly incoming air flow, and eventually pass through the louver assembly. The opposite lateral side extremities of gutter channel member 13 being located outwardly of the slatted area of louver assembly 10, the collected water can be drained out appropriately without leaking back onto slats 13.

Gutter channel member 13 being made from a flexible material, its installation could be performed by unskilled labor. It has to be affixed on the louver slats 12 and attached in place, with means described hereinabove. It can be retrofitted on preexisting louvers having non-conventional geometry, or more generally speaking, having obstacles to the installation of straight and rigid gutter channels.

In an alternate embodiment not illustrated, gutter channel member 13 is made of a series of gutter portions, each portion comprising complementary hinge joints on both extremities thereof, the gutter portions being hinge-jointed with one another in a conventional manner. The resulting gutter channel member is hence flexible and is able to assume the irregular shape of the path on which it is destined to be installed.

A specific louver assembly 10 has been described hereinabove for the installation of gutter channel member 13, but it is understood that gutter channel member 13 of the present invention can be used on any kind of louver assembly comprising a suitable surface onto which attaching the gutter channel is possible, and that the louver assembly on which it is destined to be installed can be of the type being installed on any type of air-conduct or air inlet opening. Accordingly, louver assembly 10 can be installed onto anyone of a variety of windows having air breathing intake ports, not limited to trailer windows such as shown in the present figures 1-2 of the drawings.

Claims

1. A gutter destined to be fixedly attached onto a lower edge of a downwardly exteriorly inclined horizontal louver slat, said gutter being made from a resilient material for deformingly adapting to the shape of the surface on which it is destined to be affixed, said gutter being an open-topped trough for collecting water flowing downwardly from the louver slat and for subsequently draining this water at one end of the gutter trough.

2. A gutter as defined in claim 1, wherein said resilient material of said gutter is elastically stretchable.

3. A gutter as defined in claim 1, wherein said gutter channel has an interior and an exterior portion, said interior portion being destined to be attached to the louver slat lower edge, and said exterior portion forming said open-topped trough complementarily with said interior portion.

4. A gutter as defined in claim 1, further including a rigid reinforcing plate, for anchoring against an interior portion of the louver slat lower edge and for this interior portion of said gutter.

5. A louver slat for use on a louver assembly, said louver slat defining an exterior lower edge and comprising a gutter attached to said lower edge, said gutter being made from a resilient material for assuming the shape of the surface on which it is destined to be affixed, and said gutter being a open-topped trough for collecting water incoming towards the louver slat and for subsequently draining the water away from the slatted area of the louver assembly toward one end of the gutter.

6. A louver slat as defined in claim 5, wherein said gutter is made from an elastically stretchable material.

7. A louver slat as defined in claim 5, wherein gutter has an exterior and an interior portion, said interior attached to said louver slat lower edge, and said exterior portion forming said open-topped trough complementarily with said interior portion.

8. A louver slat as defined in claim 7, further including a rigid plate anchored to said slat interior portion and applying a distributed pressure along the back portion of said gutter.

9. A louver slat as described in claim 5, wherein said louver slat includes an acoustically insulating material.

10. A louver assembly for use in controlling liquid flow through an aperture in a wall, said louver assembly comprising a peripheral frame having at least one intermediate vertical jamb, a plurality of vertically spaced louver slats extending substantially horizontally through said peripheral frame and fixedly mounted thereto, a gutter being fixedly mounted to a fluid-upstream edge portion of a corresponding one of said slats, said gutter being made from a resilient material for assuming the shape of the surface on which it is destined to be affixed, said gutter being an open-topped trough for collecting water incoming towards the fluid-upstream side of the louver slats and for subsequently draining the water away from the slatted area of the louver assembly toward one end of the slats.

11. A louver assembly as defined in claim 10, wherein said louver assembly comprises at least three vertical jambs, wherein said louver slats extend in a coextensive manner between said vertical jambs, and wherein a series of slats extending interruptedly and coextensively between said jambs form a row of slats.

12. A louver assembly as defined in claim 11, wherein each said gutter is uninterruptedly fixedly attached onto each said rows of slats by curving said vertical jambs.

13. A louver assembly as defined in claim 10, wherein said gutter is made from an elastically stretchable material.

14. A louver assembly as defined in claim 10, further including a plurality of rigid reinforcing plates attached to the downstream side of a corresponding number of louver slats, each said reinforcing plates applying a distributed pressure along the downstream portion of said gutter.

15. A louver assembly as described in claim 10, wherein each of said louver slats includes an acoustically insulating material.

16. A fluid control unit for use in controlling fluid flow through a fluid intake port, said fluid control unit comprising:

- a planar rigid main frame, to be anchored into the fluid intake port;

- cross-baffle means, integral to said main frame, said cross-baffle means including an upstream side, a downstream side, and at least one fluid channel member for fluid flow from said upstream side to said downstream side of said cross-baffle means; - gutter means, integral to said upstream side of said cross-baffle means, said gutter means being made from a resilient waterproof material, said gutter means having a water escape outlet, said water escape outlet destined to be offset from the fluid intake port.

17. A fluid control unit as in claim 16, wherein said gutter means is made from a stretchable elastomeric material.

18. A fluid control unit as in claim 16, wherein there are at least two fluid channel members including an upper fluid channel member and a lower fluid channel member, said fluid channel members extending transversely and non orthogonally relative to the plane of said main frame, and said gutter means including a trough member, said trough member anchored to an upper edge portion of said lower fluid channel member, said trough member projecting in a direction upstream of and diverging from said lower fluid channel member.

19. A fluid control unit as in claim 18, further including a rigid reinforcing strip, fixedly anchored to said downstream side of said baffle means in register with said trough member.

20. A fluid control unit as in claim 19, wherein said trough member is made from a stretchable elastomeric material.