Patent Application
20160265274
The disclosure generally relates to apparatuses and methods regarding a flexible screen for optional placement in a window frame.
An open window permits a homeowner, automobile driver, and so forth to take advantage of outside temperatures and breezes to cool and freshen the interior of the home, automobile, etc. To avert particulates, insects, such as misquotes as well as other bugs, screens are commonplace in some windows. Density of a screen's mesh is often determinative of which particulates, insects, or other matters are barricaded from entry into an otherwise closed system. That is, as mesh density increases, then so does the likelihood of entry of macroscopic matter into the otherwise closed system.
A typical window screen has a rigid or semi-rigid frame having a stretched mesh panel located between and attached to the frame members of the screen frame. The materials constituting the screen frames, themselves, may include a variety of materials, such as aluminum, or wood, fiberglass, plastic, or other materials. The mesh panels may be made from metal wire, such as aluminum, or fiberglass, synthetic fiber mesh, plastic or other materials.
Moving on, framed window screens may be placed and retained in a complementary window opening. Means for retaining may include, for example, pressure-sensitive clip(s), buckle(s), snap(s), button(s), latch(es), lock(s), friction, grooved-placement that provide a small lip around at least a portion of the exterior of the framed window screen, or other retaining means.
Rigid or semi-rigid framed window screens, however, are a problem for window openings in automobiles. For one, installation of rigid or semi-rigid frames is not possible in most, if not all, window openings in automobiles. For another, removal and storage of rigid or semi-rigid framed window screen are difficult, especially while in transit. As further discussed, this disclosure permits easy installation, removal and storage without requiring magnetic, adhesive or other connecting material or having to at least partially close the window to securely place the window screen.
In one embodiment, disclosed is a an apparatus including a mesh screen having a perimeter, an elastomeric material, and a flexible frame that surrounds the elastomeric material and is attached to the mesh screen at or substantially proximate to the perimeter, wherein the flexible frame surrounds at least a portion of an entirety of the perimeter. In other example embodiments, the flexible frame comprises at least a first portion of material without having elastomeric material, i.e., the material does not surround or otherwise enclose elastomeric material, and is attached to the mesh screen at or substantially proximate to the perimeter such that together, i.e., the flexible frame surrounding the elastomeric material and the flexible frame having the material, entirely surround the mesh screen at or substantially proximate to the perimeter.
In another embodiment, disclosed is a method. The method may include enclosing, with at least a first portion of a flexible frame, one or more elastomeric materials to produce at least a first enclosed portion of the flexible frame. Further, the method may include attaching the first enclosed portion to a mesh screen at or substantially proximate to a first perimeter portion of a perimeter of the mesh screen. Further still, the method may include enclosing one or more additional portions of the flexible frame with the one or more elastomeric material to produce one or more additional enclosed portions of the flexible frame. And, yet further, the method may include attaching the one or more additional enclosed portions to the mesh screen at or substantially proximate to one or more additional perimeter portions of the perimeter of the mesh screen so that an entirety of the perimeter surrounded by the flexible frame having the first portions and the one or more additional portions.
In another embodiment, disclosed is another method. The method may include pushing a flexible window screen into at least a portion of a window seal of a window opening, and retaining, by the window seal, at least a portion of the flexible window screen. Further, the method may include fully opening the window opening. Further still, the method may include hanging down of the flexible window screen that is not in the window seal. Here, for example, hanging down portion(s) may include material on one or more portions, e.g., a bottom portion, of the flexible window screen, whereby the material does not enclose one or more elastomeric materials, but still forms part of the flexible frame at or substantially proximate to the perimeter of the mesh screen framed by the flexible frame also including surrounded elastomeric material(s). Additionally and alternatively, the hanging down portion(s) may include excess portion(s) of the flexible frame, regardless whether the flexible frame encloses elastomeric material(s) or not, whereby, if not, then such portion(s) of the flexible frame is merely a material without the elastomeric material; these excess portion(s) hang down because they are not or cannot be pushed into the window seal. Using the bottom portion as an example, the bottom portion may just hang down over one or both sides of the bottom portion of a window opening.
So that the manner in which the above recited features, advantages and objects of this disclosure are attained and may be understood in detail, a more particular description, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to the embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings.
It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting in scope, for the disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
Below, directional terms, such as “above,” “below,” “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “back,” “top,” “bottom,” etc., are used for convenience in referring to the accompanying drawings. In general, “above,” “upper,” “upward,” “top,” and similar terms refer to a direction away the earth's surface, and “below,” “lower,” “downward,” “bottom,” and similar terms refer to a direction toward the earth's surface, but is meant for illustrative purposes only, and the terms are not meant to limit the disclosure.
This disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for a flexible window screen and optional placement thereof within a window opening, such as by pushing into the window seal of fully opened window (i.e., completely down) in an automobile.
Turning to
Attached to the mesh screen 110 is a flexible frame 130 surrounding one or more elastomeric materials 120 therein. The flexible frame 130 is made from one or more enclosing materials that are fabric, plastic, other materials, or combinations thereof for the elastomeric material 120. Suitable materials for the elastomeric material 120 may include any material that imparts flexibility. Preferably, such suitable materials are also robust. Non-limiting examples of suitable materials include one or more materials that are plastic, rubber, natural, synthetic, such as nylon, or combinations thereof, wherein any of the foregoing may be thermoset, thermoplastic, saturated, unsaturated, or combinations thereof. The elastomeric material 120, itself, may be in the shape of a cord, band, rope, strip, or otherwise.
The flexible frame 130 attaches to the mesh screen 110 at or substantially proximate to the perimeter 140 of the mesh screen 110. The enclosing material 130 may surround an elastomeric material 120 and may attach to the mesh screen 110 by sewing, adhering (i.e., whether cold, heat, and/or pressure induced), buttoning, snapping, otherwise affixing, or combinations thereof. Similarly, the enclosing by the enclosing material 130 may occur also by sewing, adhering, buttoning, snapping, otherwise affixing, or combinations thereof. Accordingly, enclosing and attaching may be a one or multi-step process. That is, one may insert the elastomeric material 120 into an enclosing material 130, such as a strip of cotton, and sew the strip of cotton so as to simultaneously enclose the elastomeric material 120 and attach the enclosed 130 elastomeric material 120 at or substantially proximate to the perimeter 140 of the mesh screen 110.
In another example embodiment, one may insert the elastomeric material(s) 120 into a flexible frame 130, such as a strip of polyester fabric to enclose the elastomeric material 120, and then perform a second step of sewing and/or adhering the flexibly framed 130 elastomeric material 120 at or substantially proximate to the perimeter 140 of the mesh screen 110. The depicted example embodiment at
Turning now to
Although
In alternative embodiments to one or more standard sizes, a custom-sized flexible window screen 100 for a particular automobile's window opening 170 may be made so that no excess flexible window screen 100 hangs down because it 100 cannot fit into a window seal 160 despite the entire window opening 170 being closed by the non-excess flexible window screen 100.
Whether all or one or more portions of the flexible window screen 100 are pushed inside a window seal 160,
The flexible window screen 100 allows for easy installation, removal, and foldable storage—even during transit—and does not damage or require adaptations to the automobile. Although the foregoing disclosure discusses window openings 170 in relation to automobiles, methods of use for the disclosed apparatus 100 apply to any window opening 170 permitting retention by seals or other fittings within a window opening 170.
While the foregoing is directed to example embodiments of the disclosed invention, other and further embodiments may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, wherein the scope of the disclosed apparatuses, systems and methods are determined by one or more claims.
The present application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/133,053 filed Mar. 13, 2015, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62133053 | Mar 2015 | US |
