The current application claims a foreign priority to application number 201520721707.1 filed on Sep. 17, 2015 in China.
The present invention relates generally to a sash, and more particularly to an automatic closing structure for slats of the sash.
Typically, a sash is composed of a frame and a plurality of slats, which are horizontally arranged in the space surrounded by the frame, wherein the slats are pivotally connected to the frame, and are therefore turnable. By adjusting the angle of the slats between a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, the amount of light from outside and the degree of ventilation can be appropriately regulated.
In other to increase the amount of light from outside and the degree of ventilation, some sashes are designed to have the frame pivotally connected to a window frame of a building. In this way, the opening of the building where such a movable sash is installed can be fully opened by opening the sash completely, which facilitates light and air to enter the room. However, the edges of slats of this kind of movable sash tend to be damaged if the slats are adjusted to the horizontal direction while the sash is being opened toward a wall of the building, or while two sashes are being moved toward each other. Therefore, the conventional movable sashes still have room for improvement.
In view of the above, the primary objective of the present invention is to provide an automatic closing structure, which is able to automatically close slats of a sash. Moreover, the cord included in the structure is easy to be installed, and the tightness of the cord is adjustable.
The present invention provides an automatic closing structure, which is installed between a sash and a corresponding object, wherein the sash is pivotable relative to the corresponding object, and the sash comprises a frame and a plurality of turnable slats which are arranged in parallel in the frame. The automatic closing structure includes a follower assembly, a linkage device, and a plurality of rotary members, wherein each of the rotary members is respectively provided at an end of each of the slats; the follower assembly is movably provided in the frame, and comprises a first linkage member to be engaged with the rotary members; the linkage device is adapted to move the follower assembly, which moves the rotary members relative to the first linkage member. The follower assembly comprises a second linkage member, which is controllable to move the first linkage member in a linear direction. The linkage device comprises a cord, which has a first stop portion, a second stop portion, and a cord portion located between the first stop portion and the second stop portion, wherein the first stop portion is connected to the second linkage member, and the second stop portion is connected to the corresponding object.
The present invention further provides an automatic closing structure, which is installed between a sash and a corresponding object, wherein the sash is pivotable relative to the corresponding object, and the sash comprises a frame and a plurality of turnable slats which are arranged in parallel in the frame. The automatic closing structure includes a follower assembly, a linkage device, and a plurality of rotary members, wherein each of the rotary members is respectively provided at an end of each of the slats; the follower assembly is movably provided in the frame, and comprises a first linkage member to be engaged with the rotary members; the linkage device is adapted to move the follower assembly, which moves the rotary members relative to the first linkage member. The automatic closing structure comprises a rack fixedly provided in the frame. The follower assembly comprises a gear, a movable block, and a second linkage member, wherein the gear is rotatably provided in the movable block, and meshes with the rack; the second linkage member has a flat teeth meshing with the gear at a side opposite to the rack; the second linkage member is controllable to move the movable block, and to consequently move the first linkage member in a linear direction.
The present invention further provides an automatic closing structure, which is installed between a sash and a corresponding object, wherein the sash is pivotable relative to the corresponding object, and the sash comprises a frame and a plurality of turnable slats which are arranged in parallel in the frame. The automatic closing structure includes a follower assembly, a linkage device, and a plurality of rotary members, wherein each of the rotary members is respectively provided at an end of each of the slats; the follower assembly is movably provided in the frame, and comprises a first linkage member to be engaged with the rotary members; the linkage device is adapted to move the follower assembly, which moves the rotary members relative to the first linkage member. The automatic closing structure comprises a locating seat and an adjusting member, wherein the locating seat is fixed on the corresponding object, and has a bore; the adjusting member has a mobile block movably provided on the locating seat. The linkage device comprises a cord passing through the bore of the locating seat; the cord has a first stop portion, a second stop portion, and a cord portion located between the first stop portion and the second stop portion, wherein the first stop portion is connected to the follower assembly, and the second stop portion is connected to the mobile block.
Whereby, the cord can be easily and conveniently installed or even replaced, and the movable block which is connected to the gear is moved over a shorter distance than the second linkage member being moved upward by the cord, which prevents the slats from being excessively closed, and makes the tightness of the cord adjustable.
The present invention will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of some illustrative embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which
As shown in
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention includes two automatic closing structures, which are installed between the aforementioned first sash 100 and second sash 200, wherein one of the two automatic closing structures is used to automatically close the slats 102 of the first sash 100, while the other automatic closing structure is used to automatically close the slats 202 of the second sash 200. For purpose of illustration, herein we take the automatic closing structure applied for the first sash 100 as an example. In this case, the second sash 200 is deemed to be a corresponding object of the first sash 100.
As shown in
The base 10 is embedded and fixed into the frame 101 of the first sash 100 through a lateral surface thereof. A side of the base 10 has a longitudinal guide rail 10a, and another side thereof has a trough 10b recessed from a side surface thereof. The guide rail 10a communicates with the trough 10b, wherein a bottom of the trough 10b is provided with a longitudinal rack 10c, which is fixed and unmovable, and each of two lateral walls of the trough 10b respectively has a longitudinal and recessed guideway 10d. The lateral lid 12 is fixedly connected to the base 10 to enclose the trough 10b, wherein the lateral lid 12 has a bore 12a; a direction changing wheel 12b and a direction changing block 13 are provided inside the lateral lid 12; a direction changing wheel 13a is further provided inside the direction changing block 13.
The locating seat 14 is embedded and fixed into the frame 201 of the second sash 200 through a lateral surface thereof. The locating seat 14 has a perforation (not shown) and a bore 14a, and further has a lead rail 14b on a rear surface thereof extending outwardly. The adjusting member includes a mobile block 16, a screw rod 18, and a C-shaped buckle 20, wherein the mobile block 16 is movably disposed in the lead rail 14b of the locating seat 14. The mobile block 16 has a threaded hole 16a and a positioning aperture 16b. The screw rod 18 is screwed into the threaded hole 16a of the mobile block 16 after passing through the perforation of the locating seat 14. The screw rod 18 has an annular limiting groove 18a on a body portion thereof, wherein the limiting groove 18a is buckled by the C-shaped buckle 20 so that the screw rod 18 can only rotate in situ. In other words, by using a tool (e.g., a screw driver) to rotate the screw rod 18 clockwise or counterclockwise, the mobile block 16 can be moved forwardly or backwardly in the lead rail 14b of the locating seat 14 along the screw rod 18.
The rotary members 22 are gears which are respectively provided at a side corresponding to the slats 102. The follower assembly is movably disposed in the frame 101, and includes a first linkage member 24, a follower block 26, a gear 28, a movable block 30, a second linkage member 32, and a biasing member 34. Except for the first linkage member 24, which is disposed outside of the base 10, and the follower block 26, which is movably engaged within the guide rail 10a of the base 10, the other components, i.e., the gear 28, the movable block 30, the second linkage member 32, and the biasing member 34 are all received in the trough 10b of the base 10.
As shown in
The follower block 26 of the follower assembly has a short rack 26a on a left side surface thereof, wherein the short rack 26a extends out of the base 10, and is located between the first linkage member 24 and the rack 36. The short rack 26a meshes with the teeth of the first linkage member 24. The follower block 26 has a first protrusion 26b on a right side thereof, wherein the first protrusion 26b extends into the trough 10b. The gear 28 is provided in the movable block 30, and is rotatable therein, wherein the gear 28 meshes with the rack 10c inside the base 10. The movable block 30 has a second protrusion 30a abutting against a bottom surface of the first protrusion 26b. As for the second linkage member 32, it mainly meshes with the gear 28 through flat teeth 32d thereof, and is located at another side opposite to the rack 10c of the base 10. The second linkage member 32 has two guide block 32a, each of which is respectively projected from one of two lateral walls thereof, wherein each of the guide blocks 32a is located in one of the guideways 10d of the base 10. The second linkage member 32 further has a longitudinal slit 32b, and has an extended portion 32c at a bottom thereof. The biasing member 34 is a spring which fits around a post 30b on a top of the movable block 30, wherein the biasing member 34 abuts against an inner wall of a top of the base 10 with an end thereof, and abuts against the top of the movable block 30 with another end thereof. Whereby, the biasing force is exerted on the movable block 30, which not only keeps pushing the movable block 30 downwardly, but also helps to eliminate gaps formed between the rack 10c, the gear 28, and the second linkage member 32. As a result, the rack 10c, the gear 28, and the second linkage member 32 can maintain a good contact relation between each other.
With the aforementioned design, when the movable block 30 is moved upward, the follower block 26 will be pushed upward as well. At this time, the follower block 26 further brings the first linkage member 24 together to rotate the rotary members 22. The method of moving the movable block 30 upward is to move the second linkage member 32 upward along the guideway 10d of the base 10, and by doing so, the second linkage member 32 drives the gear 28 to rotate upward along the fixed rack 10c. In other words, to turn the slats 102, the second linkage member 32 has to eventually move the first linkage member 24 along a linear direction with the gear 28, the movable block 30, and the follower block 26 as intermediate components.
The linkage device is used to move the follower assembly, so that the rotary members 22 are moved relative to the first linkage member 24. In the preferred embodiment, the linkage device includes a cord 38, wherein two ends of the cord 38 are respectively a first stop portion 38a and a second stop portion 38b, which are both knots, wherein the cord 38 has a cord portion 38c between the first stop portion 38a and the second stop portion 38b. The cord portion 38c passes through the bore 12a of the lateral lid 12 and the bore 14a of the locating seat 14, and runs around the direction changing wheel 12b and the direction changing wheel 13a, wherein a part of the cord portion 38c is further located in the positioning aperture 16b of the mobile block 16 and the slit 32b of the second linkage member 32. The first stop portion 38a abuts against a bottom surface of the second linkage member 32, and also abuts against the extended portion 32c through the guiding of the slit 32b, which prevents the cord 38 from being disengaged from the second linkage member 32. Therefore, the first stop portion 38a is firmly connected to the follower assembly. As for the second stop portion 38b, it abuts against a rear surface of the mobile block 16 to prevent from disengaging. In other words, the second stop portion 38b is connected to the second sash 200 through the mobile block 16.
Since a length of the cord portion 38c is fixed, when the first sash 100 and the second sash 200 are arranged side by side to close the opening of the building, and when the slats 102 (202) are arranged horizontally, the follower assembly is located at a bottom of the base 10 as shown in
Because there are two automatic closing structures included in the preferred embodiment, and these two automatic closing structures are installed in opposite ways, the slats of the first sash 100 and the second sash 200 are automatically turned from a horizontal direction to a vertical direction while these sashes 100, 200 are being opened. In this way, the slats of each sash 100, 200 won't collide with each other, and therefore the first sash 100 and the second sash 200 can be smoothly folded and arranged in parallel. Even if the sash is moved to against a wall, the vertically arranged slats won't collide with the wall, and therefore won't be damaged or cause harm to others.
In the above description, the opening of the building is covered by two sashes. However, in practice, there can be only one sash applied to cover the opening of the building. In the case of having only one sash, of course only one automatic closing structure is needed. In other words, the locating seat 14 and the adjusting member are installed in the window frame, and the components including the base 10, the lateral lid 12, and the follower assembly are provided inside the frame of the sash.
In the above description, the slit 32b of the second linkage member 32 has an open surface, and therefore while assembling the cord 38, the cord portion 38c can be easily disposed in the slit 32b. Similarly, in order to quickly assembly the cord portion 38c, the positioning aperture 16b of the mobile block 16 can be alternatively designed to have an open lateral surface. With such design, the knots at two ends of the cord 38 can be used as means of preventing disengagement, which also improves the efficiency of assembling the components. In addition, if the cord 38 is required to be replaced, a user only needs to disassemble the lateral lid 12 and the locating seat 14, then the cord 38 can be easily replaced, which is simple and convenient.
After the cord 38 is disposed in place, if it needs to be tightened or loosened, a user can rotate the screw rod 18 with a tool to move the mobile block 16 which is engaged with the cord 38 forward or backward, as shown in
It is worth mentioning that, because the rack 10c is fixed and unmovable, the gear 28 meshes with the rack 10c, and then the second linkage member 32 meshes with the gear 28 with the flat teeth 32d thereof, when the gear 28 is rotated and moved, the second linkage member 32 is moved outward relative to the gear 28. With this clever design, the operation is efficient, because the moving distance of the movable block 30 is shorter than the upward moving distance of the second linkage member 32 while it is pulled by the cord 38. In addition, by precisely designing the moving distances of the second linkage member 32 and the movable block 30, the rotary members 22 are prevented from being extensively rotated, which ensures the slats don't push each other too much.
As it can be seen from the above description, the cord 38 of the automatic closing structure provided in the present invention can be easily and conveniently assembled and even replaced. Furthermore, the tightness of the cord 38 can be adjusted to meet different requirements. In addition to these two advantages, the cleverly designed arrangement between the rack 10c, the gear 28, and the second linkage member 32 helps to prevent the slats from being excessively closed, and therefore ensures the slats are not damaged by such cause.
In the aforementioned preferred embodiment, the slats can be turned through the gear (i.e., the rotary member 22) provided at a side of each sash, wherein the gears can be rotated by moving the rack (i.e., the first linkage member 24). However, in practice, there is an alternative way to turn the slats, and this alternative preferred embodiment is illustrated in
In addition, the follower block 48 has a rod 48a on a side thereof, wherein the rod 48a is inserted into a connecting hole 40a of the first long shaft 40. Whereby, when the follower block 48 is moved due to the indirect control of the cord, the first long shaft 40 is moved upward or downward, and therefore the rotary members 44 are rotated. As a result, the external connectors 46 are also rotated to turn the slats 102. It must be pointed out that the embodiments described above are only some preferred embodiments of the present invention. All equivalent structures which employ the concepts disclosed in this specification and the appended claims should fall within the scope of the present invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2015 2 0721707 U | Sep 2015 | CN | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
6701669 | Yorgason | Mar 2004 | B1 |
7434353 | Nien | Oct 2008 | B2 |
9038314 | Chen | May 2015 | B2 |
20050252086 | Yorgason | Nov 2005 | A1 |
20050257429 | Yorgason | Nov 2005 | A1 |
20080178526 | Browne | Jul 2008 | A1 |
20080250717 | Vasquez | Oct 2008 | A1 |
20090149123 | Blagg | Jun 2009 | A1 |
20130118082 | Colson | May 2013 | A1 |
20140033610 | Watkins | Feb 2014 | A1 |
20140166219 | Chen | Jun 2014 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20170081907 A1 | Mar 2017 | US |