The present invention relates to a screen device which is useful as a curtain, a blind, a screen, a partition and the like.
As shielding or light control means such as a curtain and a blind or as a screen or a partition a screen device provided with various kinds of mechanisms has been conventionally developed, and has been put into practical use.
As such a screen device, the present applicant has developed a screen device, in which cloth, a sheet or a net is freely folded and unfolded by pleating and the device has attracted attention as a completely novel screen device.
In the device, a screen 2 is interposed between a pair of screen installation frames 1 and 1, at least one of which can slide, in such a manner as to be contractable and expandable by pleating, and further, the screen 2 can be opened and closed by a sliding motion of the screen installation frame 1, as shown in, for example,
The screen device includes an upper guide frame 3 serving as a member for guiding the sliding motion of the screen installation frame 1, and further, the upper guide frame 3 covers the upper end section of the screen installation frame 1.
Additionally, the present applicant has developed and put into practical use a screen device, in which a screen can be more smoothly opened or closed with stability.
As shown in
The screen device developed by the present applicant and put into practical use is innovative in that the screen, which is contractable and expandable by the pleating, can be smoothly opened and closed with stability. Furthermore, characteristics of the screen device have become more prominent, and further, problems to be solved for further enhancing the stability and workability of the device have been revealed in the process of examining technical improvements thereafter studied by the present applicant.
For example, although the upper guide frame 3 covers the upper end section of the screen installation frame 1 in the conventional screen device, there may occur an inconvenience that the screen installation frame 1 accidentally falls down since the screen installation frame 1 is inclined and the upper end section of the screen installation frame 1 is detached from the upper guide frame 3 in the case where a large external force is exerted on the screen 2 or the screen installation frame 1 due to strong winds or a contact with a human body, as is obvious from
In addition, when the screen installation frame 1 is repaired or a new screen installation frame 1 is disposed in a position after the inclination or falling-down, it is not always easy to insert the upper end section of the screen installation frame 1 into the upper guide frame 3 due to weight and size as the screen device is further increased in size.
In view of this, the invention has been accomplished to solve the problems experienced in the prior art. Therefore, an object of the invention is to provide a novel screen device, in which an upper end section of a screen installation frame can be prevented from falling down from an upper guide frame, and further, the upper end section of the screen installation frame is readily inserted into the upper guide frame even in a large-sized screen device.
In order to solve the problems, a screen device according to the invention has following characteristics:
(1) In a screen device, in which a screen is interposed between a pair of screen installation frames, at least one of which can slide, in such a manner as to be contractable and expandable, thus to be laterally opened or closed, and an upper guide frame covers an upper end section of the screen installation frame, for guiding the screen installation frame, the screen installation frame includes a fall-down prevention guide section formed of a projection or a groove at an upper end section of the screen installation frame, and the upper guide frame includes therein a guide rail projection, to which the fall-down prevention guide section is locked, so as to prevent the upper end section of the screen installation frame from being detached from the upper guide frame.
(2) At least one of a pair of suspending walls facing each other in the upper guide frame has elasticity, wherein the suspending wall having the elasticity is opened outward when the upper end section of the screen installation frame is inserted into the upper guide frame.
(3) A part of the guide rail projection is cut out, so that the upper end section of the screen installation frame can be inserted into the upper guide frame through the cutout.
(4) A part of the suspending wall of the upper guide frame is cut out, so that the upper end section of the screen installation frame can be inserted into the upper guide frame through the cutout.
(5) The upper guide frame is positioned with a clearance, so that the upper end section of the screen installation frame can be inserted into the upper guide frame through the clearance.
(6) A plurality of the upper guide frames are positioned with a clearance, and a cap member is fixed thereon.
(7) The clearance and the cap member are positioned in a mating position of separation type screen devices, and further, a stopper is positioned at the mating position inside the cap member.
(8) Both of a pair of screen installation frames, each having the screen attached thereto, can slide, and at least either one of the screen installation frames is connected to a slidable screen installation frame in another screen device via a connector.
(9) The screen is a foldable and unfoldable pleat net member.
According with the invention having characteristic (1), the fall-down prevention guide section is locked to the guide rail projection, so as to prevent the upper end section of the screen installation frame from being detached and falling down from the upper guide frame.
According with the invention having characteristics (2) to (5), the upper end section of the screen installation frame can be readily inserted into the upper guide frame even in a large-sized screen device.
According with the invention having characteristic (6), the plurality of clearances enable the insertion of the upper end section of the screen installation frame even in a large-sized screen device to be installed in a large space, and further, the cap member prevents a significant force from being exerted on the sliding motion of the screen installation frame, even with misalignment between axes of the upper guide frames, with an attendant advantage of visual unobtrusiveness.
According with the invention having characteristic (7), the stopper provided at the cap member can accurately set the mating position between the separation type screen devices, thus achieving a screen device that has a good exterior appearance while having excellent in stability.
According with the invention having characteristic (8), it is possible to achieve a screen device for a large space, which can produce the above-described effects.
According with the invention having characteristic (9), it is possible to achieve a screen, which can produce the above-described effects.
In a screen device shown in
In the screen device shown in
The upper guide frame 3 can be fixed to an upper crosspiece, a ceiling face or the like of an opening of a window or a door. A lower end of the screen installation frame 1 can slide on a lower crosspiece or a floor face in a predetermined direction along a rail 7 having various kinds of shapes or structures.
Even if the screen installation frame 1 is inclined due to a large external force on the screen installation frame 1 or the screen 2 owing to strong winds or a contact with a human body, the fall-down prevention guide section 11 is locked in the guide rail projection 31, so that the screen installation frame 1 is suspended, as shown in, for example,
Incidentally, the fall-down prevention guide section 11 as a molded product made of a plastic or metal can be fixed to the upper end section of the screen installation frame 1, and further, the guide rail projection 31 as a molded product made of a plastic may be integrated with the upper guide frame 3 or included via other appropriate means.
The fall-down prevention guide section 11 and the guide rail projection 31 may take various shapes or arrangements. For example, as shown in
The fall-down prevention guide section 11 and the guide rail projection 31, as described above, can prevent the screen installation frame 1 from being detached and falling down from the upper guide frame 3. However, it may be difficult to insert the upper end section of the screen installation frame 1 into the upper guide frame 3 when the screen device is constructed.
In view of this, in a screen device shown in
For example, the suspending wall 32 is made of a plastic so that it is elastic. Moreover, a width between the guide rail projections 31, 31 is made smaller than the width of the fall-down prevention guide section 11. When the upper end section of the screen installation frame 1 is inserted into the upper guide frame 3, the fall-down prevention guide section 11 is pressed upward against the guide rail projections 31 at both right and left ends thereof, so that the force from the fall-down prevention guide section 11 is exerted in such a manner as to widen the suspending walls 32, thereby opening the suspending walls 32 outward with the exertion of the force, so as to enable the insertion of the screen installation frame 1. When the fall-down prevention guide section 11 rides on the guide rail projections 31, the suspending walls 32 are restored inward owing to the elasticity, so that the upper end section of the screen installation frame 1 is inserted into the upper guide frame 3. Incidentally, it is preferable to form contact surfaces of the fall-down prevention guide section 11 and the guide rail projection 31 into a curved surface such as an arch, as shown in
In a screen device shown in
In a screen device shown in
In a screen device shown in
Here, the clearance 35 is effective in inserting the upper end section of the screen installation frame 1 into the upper guide frame 3 and suitable for installation of the screen device in a large space. In installing the screen device in a large space, the upper guide frame 3 is required to be long. However, it is preferable to connect frames divided into some pieces to each other in consideration of workability and transportability. In this case, from the perspective of ensuring a smooth and stable sliding motion and the appropriate design of an exterior appearance of the screen installation frame 1, work needs to be carried out with an accuracy high enough to prevent any misalignment between axes 30a and 30b in a longitudinal direction and to prevent any generation of a gap 30c at an end face when respective ends of divided upper guide frames 3a and 3b are mated with each other, as shown in
In view of this, as with the screen device shown in
The cap member 8 includes a suspending wall 82, inside of which a guide rail projection 81 is disposed. Like the upper guide frame 3, the cap member 8 can prevent the screen installation frame 1, which slides, from being detached and falling down or being inclined. At both side ends of the suspending wall 82 are tongue pieces 83 overlapping the end surface of the upper guide frame 3. As illustrated in
The cap member 8 is located at a mating position 9c of separation type screen devices 9a and 9b, as shown in
The stopper 84 enables the slidable screen installation frame 1 to be stopped at the predetermined mating position 9c in the separation type screen devices 9a and 9b. The stoppage of the screen installation frame 1 at the mating position 9c can prevent in advance any inconvenience from occurring at the screen 2 due to a load in association with the sliding motion of the screen device, that is, an excessive opening/closing distance or the like.
The screen device according to the invention may be configured such that both of a pair of screen installation frames 1, each having the screen attached thereto, can slide, and that at least either one of the screen installation frames 1 is connected to the slidable screen installation frame 1 in another screen device via a connector. Such a construction type screen device is configured such that a plurality of unified screen devices a, b and c are connected to each other via respective connectors 10 of screen installation frames 1 arranged adjacently to each other, in a contracted state shown in
The screen device can be implemented by the one-way drawing type screen device shown in
In any one of the screen devices, the screen installation frame 1 can be prevented from being detached from the upper guide frame 3. Furthermore, the upper end section of the screen installation frame 1 can be readily inserted into the upper guide frame 3 even in a large-sized screen device.
Additionally, although the screen 2 is typified by a foldable and unfoldable pleat net member in the screen device according to the invention, the screen 2 is not limited to a pleat net member, but it may be a pleat member made of cloth or a sheet. Otherwise, the screen device may incorporate therein a rotary roll that can be freely wound or pulled.
In the screen device, the upper end section of the screen installation frame can be prevented from being detached from the upper guide frame, and further, the upper end section of the screen installation frame is readily inserted into the upper guide frame even in a large-sized screen device.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2004-257669 | Sep 2004 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/JP05/16354 | 8/31/2005 | WO | 8/2/2007 |