This present disclosure relates to combined barriers and guide means for doorways and fenestrations to prevent unauthorized passage of persons, animals, objects, or light into or out of a room, building, vehicle or the like through an opening and to aid in guiding the same.
More specifically, according to an implementation, a membrane system, such as a doorway and fenestration safety system, is disclosed which may interact with the sash of a door or window such that the membrane engages across the opening to operably prevent a small child, mentally impaired adult, intruder, pet, varmint, light, sound or odor or the like from entering or exiting through the opening
Securing doorways and fenestrations dates back over 4,000 years to the ancient Egyptian tombs where the first doors and door locks are found. Glass windows for dwellings came into vogue shortly after the birth of Christ in ancient Rome and finally in modern America 1861 the insect screen was developed.
Doors and windows in modern homes allow residents of homes to enjoy the convenient flexibility of controlling the passage of air, light, odors and/or sound. As ambient temperatures rise in the summer, residents have few options in regards to a comfortable night's rest.
One popular option is closing the doors and windows and running the air conditioner at night. However, people that live in moderate climates or those that are more environmentally, economically, or health conscious choose to turn off the A/C and leave a door or window open. This creates a common concern for residents: the ease of intrusion when the door or window is open. All of the many attempts brought forth to date by many well meaning inventors to solve this problem have one common element; the aesthetic appearance resembles prison bars.
It is within human nature to resist imprisonment regardless of perceived or real benefits, as Patrick Henry famously said: “Give me liberty or give me death”. Most people are intuitively aware of the risks associated with an open door or window and, when the only option is making their home a prison, choose to take those risks placing themselves and their loved ones in jeopardy.
Disclosed herein are systems to provide an attractive and easy to use solution for preventing passage of objects, animals, persons, odors, and/or light through doorways and fenestrations in vehicles, residential or commercial buildings, or other passageways.
According to an implementation, the engaged and expanded system provides a level of security equal to the level expected when the door or window is closed and locked while allowing for free passage of air, sounds and/or aromas. When latched and expanded, the system provides an extra security level for fixed pane openings and/or a security level equal to the level expected when an active panel of the door or window is closed and locked. According to various implementations, the system may be implemented as a barrier to keep young children from getting access to swimming pools, rivers, lakes and other bodies of water or dangers; installed on an upper floor window of a building to prevent people, pets, and objects falling, climbing out, or being thrown out of the window or door; installed in a wilderness cabin to keep varmints out and children in; installed in care facilities/homes for the elderly and nursing homes to prevent clients/patients/residents from going to an unauthorized area, such as outside of the building or between rooms; installed in a bunk bed configuration to prevent falling out; installed in water-related or extraterrestrial structures or vehicles; installed in buildings located in or near tornado or hurricane prone areas to keep larger debris from coming though an opening; installed on or in recreational vehicles windows and/or doors; installed on buses, trains, planes, or other mass transportation vehicles; installed in barns or other outdoor structures to restrict access and allow ventilation; installed in automobiles to provide one or more dividers between compartments or usable spaces or to keep cargo, pets, and/or people from shifting, roaming, or otherwise moving about the interior of the vehicle; and/or installed on exterior doors of delivery and other vehicles to keep ventilation and remain safe from intruders.
A window, doorway, or other passageway membrane system is comprised of a membrane, a first engagement mechanism for securing one end of the membrane to a wall or other anchor point, a second engagement mechanism for releasably securing the membrane to an active panel of a door or window, where the active panel may be defined as the movable panel or component that allows passage through the door or window. The system may further include one or more tracks for assisting in the travel of the membrane, or a portion of the membrane, as the active panel is opened or closed. The one or more tracks may be positioned parallel with the direction of travel of the active panel. The membrane utilizes one or more sections of material which fill (or occupy) the opening formed as the door or window is opened or closed by moving the active panel. The one or more sections of material are secured to one or more guide elements which travel within or upon the track or tracks and which may enhance and security aspects of the membrane. The second engagement mechanism may be releasably engaged with the active panel of the window or door such that as the door or window moves to an open or closed position, the second engagement mechanism travels with the active panel and, thus, the material of the membrane is expanded or contracted as the active panel is opened or closed, respectively. The material of the membrane may thereby be utilized to prevent passage of people, animals, insects, dust, light, or other objects through the opening The second engagement mechanism may also be releasably engaged with the first engagement mechanism, the window or door frame, a coupler, or other static or dynamic structural/anchor element and may be disengaged with the active panel of the door or window such that the active panel may be moved independently of the membrane. This allows the active panel to be opened, when desired, such that that objects, animals and/or persons may pass through the opening formed thereby. The system may additionally include a third engagement mechanism fixedly attached to the active panel and operable to interface with the second engagement mechanism.
According to an implementation, the combination of the second and third engagement mechanisms may increase the stability of the system in preventing unwanted entry when the active panel is moved to a position such that the window or door is at least partially open or ajar.
The panel system may further include a second membrane, which may include a first engagement mechanism for securing one end of the second membrane to a wall or other anchor point, a second engagement mechanism for releasably securing the membrane to the active panel of the door or window or to the first membrane, and one or more tracks for assisting in the travel of the membrane portion, or a portion of the membrane portion, as the active panel is opened or closed. Thus, the two membranes may couple together or to the active panel to provide a membrane system that spans across the window or door.
In certain implementations, the membrane 102 maybe stowed, held, placed, and/or retained within a membrane retainer 108 on or within a portion of a wall 122 adjacent to the door 106 and may serve to improve the aesthetics of the membrane system 100 or may keep the membrane 102 in an orderly fashion when it is not extended into the opening formed when the active panel 104 is slid to an open position. While the membrane retainer 108 is shown and described herein on the inner portion of a wall 122, it is noted that the membrane retainer 108 may be placed on the outside of the wall 122 as described further herein. Moreover, the membrane retainer 108 may be positioned relative to an interior or exterior wall of a building or other structure.
The membrane 102 may have, or be attached to, an upper track 124 and/or a lower track 126 to assist the membrane 102 to move with the active panel 104. The tracks 124 and 126 may be any tracks known in the field of membrane and/or curtain technology, particularly with regard to security grade track components. The tracks 124 and 126 also secure the membrane 102 relative to the opening formed as the door 106 is opened and thus may enhance the operation of the membrane 102 in preventing an object, person, person or animal from going around, under, or above the membrane 102.
When the active panel 104 is disengaged from the membrane 102, the second engagement mechanism 130 may be engaged with the first engagement mechanism, to the wall, to the door or window frame or to another anchor point, such as a coupler 136. The coupler may be any coupling mechanism, such as a magnet, latch, or coupling device such as SHD Series plug and socket couplers available from Foster Manufacturing Company of Springfield, Missouri. Such couplers may be equipped to automatically couple and decouple, manually couple and decouple, or any combination thereof.
Returning to
As mentioned above, the system 100 may additionally include an engagement actuator component 134 fixedly attached to the active panel 104 and operable to interface with the second engagement mechanism 130. Thus, the membrane system 100 may be adapted for use with conventional sliding and/or swinging windows and doors 106. According to an implementation, the combination of the second engagement mechanism 130 of the membrane 102 and the engagement actuator component 134 may also increase the stability of the system in preventing unwanted entry when the active panel is slid or swung to a position such that the window or door is at least partially open or ajar.
As mentioned above, one example of a membrane system according to the disclosure includes a membrane 102, a first engagement mechanism 128 for securing one end of the membrane 102 to a wall 122 or other anchor point, a second engagement mechanism 130 for releasably securing the membrane 102 to the active panel 104 of a door or window 106, and one or more tracks (122 and/or 124) for assisting in the travel of the membrane 102, or a portion of the membrane, as the sliding active panel is opened or closed. The door or window 106 may be a conventional, “off-the-shelf” sliding or swinging door or window. The one or more tracks (122 and/or 124) may be positioned parallel with the direction of travel of the sliding (or swinging) active panel 104 and may enhance the security, integrity, and/or stability of the membrane 102. The membrane 102 utilizes one or more sections of material which extend across the opening formed as the door or window 106 is opened or closed by sliding or swinging the active panel 104. The one or more sections of material is/are secured to one or more guide elements (not shown), which travel within or upon the track or tracks (e.g. 124 and/or 126) using, for example, wheels or other mechanisms. This may assist in the process of protracting and/or retracting the membrane 102. Some examples of guide element and track systems are known and sold by companies such as Cascade Coil Drapery, Inc of Tualatin, Oregon, which refer to them as Secura Trak or I-Beam track and carrier systems. The tracks, guide elements, and wheels may be oriented vertically, horizontally, or in any other suitable orientation.
The membrane 102 may be constructed of one or a combination of wire mesh, synthetic sheeting or screen, Kevlar®, security material, such as chainmail, or the like. Any material may be used to prevent or deter egress or ingress of people, animals, insects, dust, light, sound a/or objects through the opening According to one example implementation, the membrane 102 is constructed of chainmail, woven metal, or other material generally resistant to conventional knives and other cutting tools. Some examples of woven metal membranes are known and sold by companies such as Cascade Coil Drapery, Inc of Tualatin, Oregon, which refer to them as flexible metal meshes. Using a security material may prevent unwanted intruders, such as thieves, ex-spouses, fondlers, and homicidal maniacs, and the like from entering through the swinging or sliding door or window 106. While the examples described herein show a curtain-style membrane retention and protraction design, it is understood that the membrane may be folded, rolled, coiled, or otherwise stored in any known fashion. As the membrane 102 is extended or protracted, mechanisms may be included to allow slack in the membrane or to keep the membrane taut.
The membrane 102 may additionally or alternatively be constructed of a screen material to prevent bugs and/or particulate matter from passing through the door or window. Thus, as an active panel of a door or window is opened or closed, the screen is engaged in the opening to prevent or deter bugs or other pest from passing through the opening Additionally or alternatively, the window or door 106 may be provided with an exterior screen as is well known in the art.
To use the system 100, the user generally operates the door or window in a normal and customary fashion. Beginning with the membrane 102 retracted, the second engagement mechanism 130 is secured to the jamb of frame 110 and the active panel 104 is closed and latched to an aperture interface plate on the second engagement mechanism 130. If the user wants to open the door or window 106 without security, she simply unlatches the active panel 104 from the second engagement mechanism 130 and opens it as she has always done. If the user then wants to engage the membrane 102, such as to provide security or to prevent bugs (if the membrane is a screen) from entering the building, she simply closes the active panel 104. She then engages a latch 142 in the customary fashion, such as by turning a knob 144 to engage the latch 142 with a bracket 146, shown by simplified schematic in
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
61371219 | Aug 2010 | US |