WO2012007897A1

WO2012007897A1 - Folding balcony screen

Info

Publication number: WO2012007897A1
Application number: PCT/IB2011/053094
Authority: WO
Inventors: Necdet Suat Mehmetoglu
Original assignee: Necdet Suat Mehmetoglu
Priority date: 2010-07-12
Filing date: 2011-07-12
Publication date: 2012-01-19

Abstract

The present invention relates to a folding balcony screen which is foldable, is durable against mild weather conditions, is not affected by sun, rain and external environmental conditions, can remain fixed against wind at a certain intensity, and, by not obstructing air circulation, also enables people sitting at the part that it surrounds to enjoy the chilling effect of the air.

Description

FOLDING BALCONY SCREEN

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a folding balcony screen which is foldable, is durable against mild weather conditions, is not affected by sun, rain and external environmental conditions, can remain fixed against wind at a certain intensity, and, by not obstructing air circulation, also enables people sitting at the part that it surrounds to enjoy the chilling effect of the air.

Background of the Invention

At hot weather conditions, people prefer to sit at open air places such as balconies and terraces where there is more air circulation. However at some regions it may be problematic to sit at places like balconies, terraces which are visible from outside. In such a case, people either cover the place at which they are sitting by means of a curtain so that it is not seen from outside or they refrain from sitting at open air places. There is no portable and foldable structure; which enables to comfortably sit at places such as balconies and terraces, that is to say, a structure which prevents to be viewed from outside, and enables air circulation.

The Turkish Utility Model document numbered TR 200400391, known in the state of the art, discloses a moveable screen made of pleated fabric. However this screen is rather used as a separator in indoor spaces. In addition to not possessing features of passing through and guiding the wind, it consists of a single layer. Summary of the Invention

The objective of the present invention is to provide a folding balcony screen which prevents people sitting at the balcony from being viewed from outside.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a folding balcony screen which does not obstruct air circulation while preventing the balcony from being viewed from outside. A further objective of the invention is to provide an easy-to-mount and portable folding balcony screen.

Another objective of the invention is to provide a folding balcony screen which can be mounted to the balcony.

Yet another objective of the invention is to provide a folding balcony screen which protects people from external factors such as rain and light at places such as balconies and terraces. Detailed Description of the Invention

A folding balcony screen developed to fulfill the objective of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying figures wherein, Figure 1 is the perspective view of the folding balcony screen.

Figure 2 is the side view of the folding balcony screen.

Figure 3 is the front view of the folding balcony screen comprising profiles and retainers.

Figure 4 is the front view of the deflector and connecting member. The components illustrated in the figures are individually numbered where the numbers refer to the following:

1. Folding balcony screen

2. Frame

3. Hinge

4. Supporting leg

5. Frame leg

6. Profile

61. Retainer

7. Panel

71. Surface

72. Deflector

73. Connecting member

The folding balcony screen (1) of the present invention essentially comprises -at least one frame (2) which holds the parts together and forms the body,

- a hinge (3) which enables the frames to stay together and to be opened and closed in different angles relative to each other,

- at least two supporting legs (4) which enable the folding balcony screen to be moved on the floor and to be transferred from one place to another,

- at least one frame leg (5) which enables the frames to be moved in a balanced manner,

- at least one panel (7) which passes air therethrough, and enables the light to be reflected back partially or completely.

The folding balcony screen (1) of the present invention moves by means of the supporting leg (4) and frame leg (5) that are provided thereon. There are wheels on the supporting leg (4) and frame leg (5). These wheels are mounted to the lowermost part of the legs (4, 5). By means of these wheels, the supporting and frame legs (4, 5) can be moved easily by being pulled. The role of the supporting legs (4) is to move the screen (1). The frame legs (5) enable to keep the screen (1) in balance, to move it and to guide it. The wheels provided on the supporting and frame legs (4, 5) are removable. Thanks to the fact that the wheels are removable, the screen (1) can be easily fit into a slot, which is provided on the balcony, and is big enough to receive the frame leg (5), and thereby can be fixed. When the user wants to fix one end of the screen (1), s/he removes the wheel provided on the frame leg (5) of the screen (1) and fixes the screen (1) by fitting the frame leg (5) into a slot. In this case, the screen (1) is fixed from one side thereof and can be easily opened and closed only by being pulled from the other side thereof.

The body of the screen (1) of the present invention is formed by the frame (2). The frames (2) are connected to each other via hinges (3). The frames (2) are connected to each other by means of the hinges (3). The hinges (3) enable the frames (2) to stay together and to be positioned at different angles relative to each other. By means of the hinges (3), the frames (2) can be opened and closed at different angles in opposite directions relative to each other and thus the screen (1) is allowed to be folded.

There is provided a panel (7) in the frames in the balcony screen (1) of the present invention. Air passes through the openings provided on the panel (7). The air passes through the panel (7) by means of the porous structure of the panel (7). Air flow intensity varies according to the size of the openings on the panel (7). Frequency of the openings differs according to the pattern of the panel (7). Inner part of the balcony is not seen from outside due to the panel's (7) patterned structure comprising fillings. Air flow is provided between the outdoor environment and the balcony by means of the panel (7), and at the same time a visual curtain is formed between the outdoor environment and the balcony. Thus the balcony is isolated such that it will not be visible from outside. The panel (7) in the inventive folding balcony screen (1) is preferably comprised of at least two surfaces (71) and at least two deflectors (72). The surface (71) forms the front and rear sides of the panel (7), that is to say its visible parts. The surface (71) may be made of different materials such as wood, plastic, synthetic material, fabric. The surface (71) is preferably colorful and patterned. By means of the patterned part of the surface (71) having fillings, the panel (7) acquires a patterned and filled appearance. The surface (71) forms the front and rear surfaces of the panel (7). There is at least one deflector (72) between the front and rear surfaces (71). The deflector (72) is preferably mounted onto the connecting members (73) that are parallel to the floor transversal to the panel (7). The deflector (72) is made of different materials such as fabric, plastic, nylon. The air passing through the front surface (71) passes between the deflectors (72) and through the rear surface (7) and enters the balcony. Here, air flow direction and intensity are changed by means of the deflectors (72). The deflector (72) also obstructs passage of light. The light that passes through the surface (71) hits and is reflected by the deflector. The deflector (72) acts as a curtain after the surface (71). The deflector (72) is freely mounted to the connecting members (73) and thus moves along with the air flow. Movement limit of the deflector (72) varies depending on the weight of the deflector (72). In the inventive folding balcony screen (1), the deflector (72) enables air to pass in a certain direction and obstructs passage of light.

In an alternative embodiment of the inventive folding balcony screen (1), the panel (7) is fitted into a profile (6) which surrounds all four sides thereof. The panel (7) is mounted into the frame (2) by fixing the profile (6) to the retainers (61).

By means of the invention, the balcony is prevented from being seen from the outdoor environment and at the same time an air flow is provided into the balcony. The user can use the folding balcony screen (1) whenever s/he desires by bringing it to the balcony. When the screen (1) is not needed, s/he may fold it and put it to a corner of the balcony or may remove it to another place. The folding balcony screen (1) of the present invention is not limited to the above described embodiments and a person skilled in the art can easily develop different embodiments of the invention. The said embodiments should be evaluated within the scope of the protection sought for the invention with the claims.

Claims

1. A folding balcony screen (1) essentially comprising

- at least one frame (2) which holds the parts together and forms the body, - a hinge (3) which enables the frames to stay together and to be opened and closed in different angles relative to each other,

- at least two supporting legs (4) which enable the folding balcony screen (1) to be moved on the floor and to be transferred from one place to another,

- at least one frame leg (5) which enables the frames to be moved in a balanced manner, and characterized by

2. A folding balcony screen (1) according to Claim 1, characterized by a panel (7) which enables air flow to enter into the balcony by means of the openings provided thereon.

3. A folding balcony screen (1) according to Claim 1 and 2, characterized by a panel (7), which enables air flow between the outdoor environment and the balcony, and at the same time, by forming a visual curtain between the outdoor environment and the balcony, enables the balcony to be isolated such that it will not be visible from outside.

4. A folding balcony screen (1) according to Claim 1, characterized by supporting leg (4) and frame leg (5) which enable to be moved easily by means of the wheels provided on them.

5. A folding balcony screen (1) according to Claim 4, characterized by frame leg (5) which enables to be fitted and fixed into the slot provided on the balcony due to the fact that its wheels are removable.

6. A folding balcony screen (1) according to Claim 1, characterized by hinges (3) which enable the frames (2) to be connected to each other, to be opened and closed at different angles relative to each other and thus to be folded.

7. A folding balcony screen (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by a panel (7) which is comprised of at least 3 (three) layers, namely at least two surfaces (71) and at least one deflector (72).

8. A folding balcony screen (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by connecting members (73), which are preferably parallel to the floor transversal to the panel (7), and on which the deflectors (72) are mounted.

9. A folding balcony screen (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by deflector (72) which, by serving as a curtain against air flow, enables to change the direction and intensity of the air flow, and obstructs passage of light.

10. A folding balcony screen (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by deflectors (72) which are freely mounted to the connecting members (73) and thus move with the air flow.

11. A folding balcony screen (1) according to Claim 1, characterized by profile (6) and retainers (61) which, in an alternative embodiment of the invention, enable the panel (7) to be mounted into the frame (2).