Patent Application
20240376773
The disclosure relates to window screen devices and more particularly pertains to a new window screen device for facilitating a window to vent air when a window air conditioning unit is not turned on. The window screen device includes a frame, a pleated curtain movably disposed in the frame and a screen attached to the frame. The pleated curtain is movable between an expanded position or a collapsed position to facilitate the frame to be closed when the window air conditioning unit is running or to facilitate the frame to be open when the air conditioning unit is not running.
The prior art relates to window screen devices including a variety of window curtains that each includes a pleated curtain for closing a space between a window air conditioning unit and a frame of a window and an adjustable window frame that has a plurality of tracks, a pleated curtain slidably disposed in the tracks and a screen positioned in the frame. In no instance does the prior art disclose a fixed window frame, a pleated curtain slidably disposed in the fixed window frame and a screen positioned in the frame.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a frame that has a plurality of intersecting members oriented at right angles with each other for positioning in a window next to a window air conditioning unit. A screen is attached to the frame such that the screen completely covers an opening defined by the frame. The screen is comprised of a mesh material to pass air through the mesh screen while inhibiting insects from passing through the screen. A curtain is movably disposed in the frame which can be urged between a collapsed position and an expanded position. The curtain extends across a full width of the frame when the curtain is in the expanded position to inhibit air from flowing through the frame.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
Each of the plurality of intersecting members 14 comprises a central panel 24 which extends between a pair of outward panels 26. Each of the outward panels 26 associated with a respective one of the intersecting members 14 is perpendicularly oriented with the central panel 24 of the respective intersecting member 14 such that each of the plurality of intersecting members 14 has a U-shape. Additionally, each of the outward panels 26 associated with each of the intersecting members 14 is coupled to a respective one of the outward panels 26 associated with an adjacent one of the intersecting members 14 such that each of the outward panels 26 associated with each of the intersecting members 14 is directed into an opening 28 defined by the plurality of intersecting members 14. The central panel 24 associated with each of the plurality of intersecting members 14 is coupled to the central panel 24 associated with a respective pair of the plurality of intersecting members 14.
The plurality of intersecting members 14 includes a top member 30, a bottom member 32, a first lateral member 34 and a second lateral member 36. Each of the first lateral member 34 and the second lateral member 36 has a length that is greater than a length of each of the top member 30 and the bottom member 32 such that the plurality of intersecting members 14 defines a rectangle. Additionally, each of the top member 30, the bottom member 32, the first lateral member 34 and the second lateral member 36 are comprised of a rigid material, including but not being limited to steel or aluminum. A screen 38 is attached to the frame 12 such that the screen 38 completely covers the opening 28 defined by the frame 12. Additionally, the screen 38 is comprised of a mesh material to pass air through the mesh screen 38 while inhibiting insects from passing through the screen 38. The mesh screen 38 has a perimeter edge 40 that is attached to a distal edge 42 of an outermost one of the pair of outward panels 44 associated with each of the plurality of intersecting members 14.
A curtain 46 is movably disposed in the frame 12 and the curtain 46 is pleated thereby facilitating the curtain 46 to be urged between a collapsed position and an expanded position. The curtain 46 extends across a full width of the frame 12 when the curtain 46 is in the expanded position. The curtain 46 is comprised of a fluid impermeable material to inhibit air from flowing through the frame 12 when the curtain 46 is in the expanded position. The curtain 46 has a top edge 48 and a bottom edge 50 and the curtain 46 has a plurality of pleats 52 each extending between the top edge 48 and the bottom edge 50. The pleats 52 are evenly spaced apart from each other and are distributed between a first lateral edge 54 and a second lateral edge 56 of the curtain 46.
The curtain 46 extends between the top member 30 and the bottom member 32 of the frame 12 having the curtain 46 being positioned between each of the pair of outward panels 26 associated with each of the top member 30 and the bottom member 32. Additionally, the first lateral edge 54 of the curtain 46 is attached to the central panel 24 associated with the first lateral member 34 of the frame 12.
A slat 60 is included that has an upper end 62, a lower end 64 and a rear surface 66 extending between the upper end 62 and the lower end 64. The rear surface 66 is attached to the second lateral edge 56 of the curtain 46 such that the slat 60 is vertically oriented in the frame 12. The upper end 62 is positioned adjacent to the central panel 24 of the top member 30 and the lower end 64 is positioned adjacent to the central panel 24 of the bottom member 32. The slat 60 can be gripped for urging the curtain 46 between the expanded position and the collapsed position. The slat 60 rests against the central panel 24 of the second lateral member 36 having the pleats 52 being expanded when the curtain 46 is in the expanded position. The pleats 52 are folded when the curtain 46 is in the collapsed position having the slat 60 being spaced from the central panel 24 of the first lateral member 34. As is most clearly shown in
In use, the curtain 46 is positioned in the expanded position to cover the screen 38 thereby inhibiting air to flow through the screen 38 when the window air conditioning unit 18 is being employed. In this way the window air conditioning unit 18 can cool the interior of the building 22 without losing cooled air through the screen 38. The curtain 46 can be positioned in the collapsed position to expose the screen 38 thereby facilitating air to flow through the screen 38 when the window air conditioning unit 18 is not being employed. In this way the room and be ventilated with cool during at night, for example, thereby reducing electricity consumption related to running the window air conditioning unit 18.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, device and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present. unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
