Patent Grant
11486194
The present application claims the priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 of Danish Application No. PA 2017 70846, filed on Nov. 10, 2017, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates to a screening arrangement comprising a screening device with a set of end pieces and a set of mounting brackets, with locking means including at least one set of locking means. The invention furthermore relates to a window having a frame and a set of mounting brackets mounted to the frame, and a method of installing and uninstalling such a screening arrangement in a window.
Screening arrangements of this kind are either provided in a supply condition, or pre-installed from the factory. Either way, the mounting of the screening arrangement in the window frame must be able to be carried out without too many difficulties and with a low risk of erroneous installation. The window frame may be either a stationary frame or sash, or an openable sash, Likewise, dismounting of the screening arrangement should also be possible without the risk of breaking or otherwise damaging either the screening arrangement of the window in which it is installed
Support assemblies including mounting brackets and end pieces are described in Applicant's published international applications and counterpart European patents Nos WO 99/07974 A1 (EP 1003953 B1) and WO 00/47858 A1 (EP 1151176 B1).
In support assemblies of the kind mentioned in the above, relatively safe temporary retention of the screening arrangement by means of the support assembly is vital to facilitate the installation. For instance, in WO 00/47858 A1, a squeezing, clamping or springy action is provided to ensure temporary retention by obtaining a close contact between the coupling member and the mounting bracket.
However, there is an increased focus on providing a stable engagement without compromising the possibility to dismount the screening arrangement, either in its entirety, or in order to maintain or replace the screening device or parts thereof. This is growing even more important as window tend to have larger dimensions, and the unavoidable production tolerances are thus increasing as well, rendering in turn the mounting and dismounting even more difficult.
Examples of prior art arrangements are found in WO 2004/070157 A1 and EP 1 106 775 A1, which devise well-functioning devices, but are in practice limited to specific types of screening only.
Eventually, Applicant's published international applications and counterpart European patents or patent applications Nos WO 2005/008013 A1 (EP 1857630); WO 2006/048014 A1 (EP1807598B1); and WO 2007/110072 A1 (EP2002079). Even though these solutions have proven to function well over the years, there is an ever-increasing need for even more flexible and facilitated installation and dismounting of the screening arrangement which is furthermore applicable to a wide variety of screening types.
It is therefore the object of the invention to provide facilitated installation and dismounting conditions while at the same time retaining the stable engagement in the position of use of the screening arrangement.
In a first aspect, this and further objects are met by a screening arrangement mentioned in the introduction, which is furthermore characterised in that a first set of locking means comprises a tab having a height dimension in the height direction provided on the end piece and configured to interact with a notch of the mounting bracket, that a resilient tab is provided at the periphery of the end piece and biased in the height direction to prevent the tab from being removed from the notch in the mounted condition, and in that the mounting bracket and the end piece are configured to allow the end piece to be positioned in a removal position relative to the mounting bracket by moving the top element of the screening device in the height direction, thereby pushing the resilient tab against its bias and subsequently allowing the tab to be disengaged from the notch by pulling the top element of the screening device substantially in the opposite of the mounting direction, thereby dismounting the screening device.
In this way, the screening device is safely retained on the mounting brackets during normal use, thus preventing unintentional release of the locking means. The resilient tab acts to keep the tab in the notch, either by the interaction between the end piece and the mounting bracket, or by pushing against an external surface such as a part of the frame and sash in which the screening arrangement is mounted. In this way, the cooperation between the tab and notch on one hand and the resilient tab on the other acts to provide a snap lock which is engaged in the mounted condition. In case the screening arrangement is to be dismounted, either to replace the screening device, or to remove the screening arrangement entirely, the user simply grabs the top element of the screening device, moves it in the height direction, against the bias of the resilient tab, such that the tab is withdrawn from the notch and pulls the screening device towards himself or herself, thus overcoming the locking function of the engagement between the tab and the notch. In other words, the snap lock is thus engaged until the user actively pulls the screening device, typically in the direction substantially perpendicularly away from the pane of the frame to be screened. This prevents any unintentional or untimely release of the screening device from the mounting brackets. During this procedure, there is no need for separate tools or to manipulate the locking means by hand.
In a presently preferred embodiment, the tab faces the resilient tab in the mounted condition and the resilient tab defines a height level in its relaxed condition, and the tab has a guiding surface located at a distance from the resilient tab in its relaxed condition and an abutment surface to interact with the notch of the mounting bracket, and wherein the mounting bracket includes a first ledge section protruding from the plane body portion and located at a first distance from an edge of the mounting bracket, said first distance being slightly smaller than the distance between the guiding surface of the tab and the resilient tab of the end piece in its relaxed condition, such that the set of locking means is able to be engaged in the mounted condition and be disengaged when the end piece is positioned in the removal position.
By incorporating a set of cooperating guides on the end pieces and the mounting brackets, respectively, the mounting and dismounting of the screening device from the mounting brackets and hence from the window is facilitated even further. The screening device with its end pieces is safely guided in the mounting direction until a distinct locking position occurs when the tab of the end pieces snaps into the notch of the respective mounting bracket by the action of the resilient tab. Conversely, when dismounting the screening arrangement, the user is able to withdraw the tab from the notch by moving the screening device in the height direction, against the bias of the resilient tab, due to the difference in distances, before pulling the screening device top element in the dismounting direction. Finally, the screening arrangement in this embodiment is independent of its position relative to the window in which it is mounted, and hence, slight deviations in the shape and size due to unavoidable tolerances of the window do not affect the functioning of the screening arrangement during mounting and dismounting.
The advantages of the first aspect of the invention and further developed embodiments are also applicable to the second and third aspects of the invention as have been described in the above and reference is made thereto.
Presently preferred embodiments are the subject of dependent claims.
Further details are described, and further advantages stated, in the description of particular embodiments of the invention.
In the following description embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the schematic drawings, in which
Referring initially to
The screening device 12 is in the embodiment shown is installed at the top frame member 4 of the roof window 1. The screening device 12 may in principle be any feasible type of screening device 12. In the embodiment shown the screening device is a roller blind. In another embodiment the screening device may be a roller shutter. It is noted that a screening device 12 according to the invention may also be mounted at other frame members of the roof window, or on a façade window or a door.
Turning now also to
As shown in
Referring now also to
Referring to
Likewise, referring to
Thus, the respective spring element 164, 174 and the respective winding wheel 20 may rotate together. The spring elements 164 and 174 are in an embodiment a helical spring. The spring elements 164 and 174 are always in an inherent pre-tensioned state.
One of the end sections 16 and 17, in the embodiment shown the end section 16, is furthermore connected to the motor 18. More particularly, the motor 18, in the embodiment shown (cf.
Generally, according to the invention, at least one, and optionally any two or three or all four, of the end piece 161 and the inner piece 162 of the first end section 16 and the end piece 171 and the inner piece 172 of the second end section is connected to the rod element 163 and 173, respectively, by means of a pin 1611, 1621, 1711, 1721, respectively, which pin is arranged extending through at least one opening in the rod element 163, 173, respectively, and attached to the at least one of the end pieces and the inner pieces.
Referring to
In general, the screening arrangement will be described starting from a supply condition and is configured to be installed in the window frame to attain a mounted condition. As is known as such, the screening arrangement according to the invention is adapted to be mounted in a window frame 2 of a window 1 such as the one represented by the frame 2 shown in
It is noted that the first end section 16 and the second end section 17 are of analogous or even identical construction, although preferably mirror-images of each other. The below description therefore also applies to the first end section 16, to the construction of the end piece 161 of the first end section 16 and to the connection between the end piece 161 and a mounting bracket 50.
Terms such as “left-hand” and “right-hand” refer to the orientation shown in the drawings and/or in the mounted condition, and are utilized for reasons of convenience only. Similarly, the terms “front” and “back” are utilized to denote the sides of the screening arrangement, “front” being the side intended to face inwards into the interior of a building, and “back” the outwards facing side. The terms “upper” and “lower” refer to the orientation of the screening arrangement installed in a frame, where “upper” refers to general direction towards the top member of the frame and “lower” refers to the direction towards the bottom member of the frame. Other orientations of the screening arrangement in the window are however conceivable.
Referring to the orthogonal coordinate indication of
Thus, in the mounted condition shown in particular in
With particular reference to
Referring now also to
As in the prior art screening arrangements of this kind, the screening device 12 is, during mounting from the supply condition to the mounted condition, configured to be connected with the set of mounting brackets 50 by moving the screening device with its set of end pieces 161, 171 substantially in the depth direction X, here represented by a lower flange 1720 of the respective end piece 171 of the screening device being adapted to ride on the at least one ledge during the mounting.
To keep the screening device 12 in safe holding on the mounting brackets 50 in the position of use, locking means are provided on the end pieces 171 and the mounting brackets 50 for providing engagement, between these, said locking means including sets of mutually cooperating female and male locking means on the respective mounting bracket and the end piece, or vice versa, including at least one set of locking means including a tab 40 on the end piece 171 and a notch 52 on the mounting bracket 50 which are engaged in the mounted condition of the screening arrangement to substantially lock the screening device 12 in the depth direction X. The engagement is shown i.a. in
It is a central feature of the present invention that a resilient tab 30 is provided at the periphery of the end piece 171 and is biased in the height direction and acts on the end piece 171 such that the tab 40 is forced into the notch 52 in the mounted condition of the screening arrangement.
In this way, the cooperation between the tab 40 and notch 52 on one hand and the resilient tab 30 on the other acts to provide a snap lock which is engaged in the mounted condition.
While a safe locking of the tab 40 in the notch 52 in the mounted condition is achieved, the mounting bracket 50 and the end piece 171 are also configured to allow the end piece 171 to be positioned in a removal position relative to the mounting bracket 50. This is carried out by moving the top element 13 of the screening device 12 in the height direction Z, thereby pushing the resilient tab 30 against its bias. Once the tab 40 has been substantially withdrawn from the notch 52, the tab 40 is subsequently allowed to be disengaged from the notch 52 by pulling the top element 13 of the screening device 12 substantially in the opposite of the mounting direction, thereby dismounting the screening device 12. Until the user actively pulls the top element of the screening device in the dismounting direction, the snap lock is engaged.
In the embodiment shown, the resilient tab 30 is provided on the side of the peripheral edge 1709 facing the body portion 1710 and is biased upwards in the height direction.
Furthermore, the tab 40 faces the resilient tab 30 in the mounted condition and the resilient tab 30 defines a height level in its relaxed condition. The tab 40 has a guiding surface 41 located at a distance A from the resilient tab 30 in its relaxed condition and an abutment surface 42 to interact with the notch 52 of the mounting bracket 50.
In the embodiment shown, the mounting bracket 50 includes first ledge section 57a protruding from the plane body portion 501, located at a first distance B1 from an edge, here the bottom edge 58 of the mounting bracket 50. The first distance B1 is slightly smaller than the distance A between the guiding surface 41 of the tab 40 and the resilient tab 30 of the end piece 171 in its relaxed condition, such that the set of locking means is able to be engaged in the mounted condition and be disengaged when the end piece 171 is positioned in the removal position. The term “slightly smaller” is to be interpreted as encompassing such distances as are easily discernible to the person skilled in the art in order to ensure proper functioning of the lock in view of the dimensions of the screening arrangement, in particular of the mounting brackets and end pieces. Depending on the dimensions of the parts of the mounting bracket 50 and the end piece 171, the resilient tab 30 may for instance have a travel of 2-10 mm between its relaxed condition and its completely deformed condition in which it has been compressed or flexed against its bias. The choice of a suitable magnitude of the difference in distances between A and B in order to fulfil the slightly smaller requirement lies in the same magnitude.
Here, the tab 40 is provided with an inclined surface 43 adjacent the guiding surface 41, on the opposite side relative to the abutment surface 42, the abutment surface extending preferably perpendicularly to the guiding surface 41. While the abutment surface 43 is substantially straight, i.e. substantially perpendicular to the guiding surface 41 to ensure a safe holding in the notch 52, the inclined surface 43 facilitates the mounting.
Correspondingly, the notch 52 is in the embodiment shown provided with a straight portion 52a facing the abutment surface 43 in the mounted condition and with an inclined portion 52b at the opposite side of the notch 52.
Furthermore, the resilient tab 30 provided at the lower periphery of the end piece 171 and biased in the height direction Z is here configured to interact with a second notch 51 on the mounting bracket 50.
Here, the mounting bracket 50 comprises a first guiding section 56a and the ledge of the mounting bracket 50 includes a first lower ledge section 57a protruding from the plane body portion 501 in the first guiding section 56a, the first lower ledge section 57a being located at a first distance B1 from a bottom edge 58 of the mounting bracket, said first distance B1 corresponding substantially to but being slightly smaller than the distance A between the guiding surface 41 and the upper side 61a of the lower protrusion 61 of the end piece 171.
In order to facilitate the disengagement, the notch 51 is in the embodiment shown provided with an inclined portion 51a.
In the embodiment shown, the resilient tab 30 includes a nose section 31 configured to contact the notch 51, a hook section 32 opposing the nose section 31, an attachment section 33 near a base section 36 at a peripheral edge 1709, a middle section 34 between the attachment section 33 and the nose and hook sections 31, 32, and a spring element 35 lodged in the base section 36. In order to ease the mounting further, the resilient tab 30 is located adjacent a bottom guiding flange section 37 as shown.
The resilient tab 30 may in principle have any position along the periphery of the end piece 171 but is here provided near a lower end of the end piece 171. The end piece 171 is provided with a lower protrusion 61 having an upper side 61a extending substantially at the same height level as the resilient tab 30 in its relaxed condition, and furthermore with a tab 40 having a guiding surface 41 located at a distance A from the upper side 61a of the lower protrusion 61, and having an abutment surface 42 to interact with a notch 52 of the mounting bracket 50 to form a second set of locking means, the second set of locking means also being able to be disengaged when the end piece 171 is positioned in the removal position at an angle relative to the mounting bracket 50 when the top element 13 of the screening device 12 has been rotated in the rotational direction F about its length dimension in the mounted condition, thereby allowing dismounting of the screening device 12. The tab 40 is here shown as a fixed element, but may also be formed as a resilient part, having elastic or springy properties.
In the presently preferred embodiment shown and described, the tab 40 on the end piece 171 of the screening device 12 extends substantially downwards in the height direction Z in the mounted condition and the notch 52 on the mounting bracket 50 faces substantially upwards in the mounted condition. By this configuration it is achieved that in a window mounted in an inclined roof surface, at least a force component is acting to retain the tab 40 in the notch 52 as a result of gravity.
Furthermore, in the embodiment shown, the mounting bracket 50 comprises a second guiding section 56b and wherein the at least one ledge of the mounting bracket 50 includes a second ledge section, referred to in the following as second lower ledge section 57b protruding from the plane body portion 501 in the second guiding section 56b, the second lower ledge section 57b being located at a second distance B2 from the bottom edge 58 of the mounting bracket 50, the second distance B2 being larger than the first distance B1. The difference in height may be some millimetres, depending on other dimensions of the mounting bracket.
Here, the notch 52 is provided between the first and second lower ledge sections 57a, 57b. In the mounting process, tab 40 may thus initially rest on the first lower ledge section 57a and then ride on this ledge until it so to speak falls into the notch 52. As mentioned in the above, safe holding of the tab 40 in the notch 52 is ensured by the contact between the abutment portion 42 and the straight portion 52a near the first lower ledge section 57a. Easy installation ensured by an inclined portion 52b near the second lower ledge section 57b.
In the mounting bracket 50 of the first embodiment, the first guiding section 56a comprises a lower guiding flange 53 extending substantially in parallel with the body portion 501 and having a reduced thickness relative to the remaining portion of the first guiding section 56a including the first lower ledge section 57a.
Furthermore, the lower protrusion 61 is located at a distance from the body portion 1710 of the end piece 171 in the thickness dimension in parallel to the width direction Y to form an undercut 63.
The lower guiding flange 53 is adapted to slide into the undercut 63 behind the lower protrusion 61 and be retained in the thickness dimension in parallel with the width direction Y in the mounted condition, such that the lower guiding flange 53 and the undercut 63 form a first set of retaining means of the screening arrangement in the width direction Y.
Also in the embodiment shown, the first guiding section 56a is provided 15 with a lower guiding flange ledge 53a at the lower guiding flange 53, located at such a distance from the lower edge 58 of the mounting bracket 50 that it allows the end piece 171 to be positioned in its removal position. Ease of installation is ensured in that the lower guiding flange 53 is provided with a lower rounded guiding surface 53b.
It is a further characteristic of the first embodiment that the end piece 171 is provided with a central guiding structure protruding from the body portion 1710 and the at least one flange of the end piece 171 includes a lower flange 1720 at one side and an upper flange 1719 at the opposite side at a distance E from the lower flange 1720.
Additionally, the end piece 171 comprises an upper ledge 59 at a distance D from the second lower ledge section 57b.
In order to provide both smooth installation and make it possible for the end piece to obtain its removal position, the distance D between the upper ledge 59 and the second lower edge section 57b of the end piece 171 exceeds the distance E between the upper and lower flanges 1719, 1720 of the mounting bracket 50. Furthermore, in the embodiment shown, the upper ledge 59, and/or conceivably also of the second ledge section 57b, of the mounting bracket 50 is provided with a shoulder portion 59a to define a clearance relative to the upper and/or lower flanges 1719, 1720 of the end piece 171 in the range of 0.1 to 3 mm, preferably 0.2 to 2 mm. In this case, the end piece 171 is placed in a removal position at an angle relative to the mounting bracket 50 by rotating the top element 13 of the screening device 12 in a rotational direction F about its length dimension in the mounted condition, thereby pushing the resilient tab 30 against its bias and allowing the tab 40 to be withdrawn from notch 52 and the resilient tab 30 to be disengaged from the notch 51 to allow dismounting of the screening device 12.
A particularly stable installation and engagement is obtained in that the end piece 171 is provided with an additional protrusion 62 provided at the opposite peripheral part of the end piece 171 relative to the resilient tab 30, with a side 62a facing the resilient tab 30 and having an extension in the depth direction X substantially corresponding to the length of the resilient tab 30.
As shown, the mounting bracket 50 is provided with an upper guiding flange ledge 54a. In combination with the additional protrusion 62 positioned at an upper peripheral part of the end piece 171 and its side 62a facing the resilient tab 30, a reliable engagement during mounting is obtained in that the side 62a acts as an additional flange to ride on the guiding flange ledge 54a during mounting.
Also in order to increase the retention in the width direction, the additional protrusion is formed as an upper protrusion 62 located at a distance from the body portion 1710 of the end piece 171 in the thickness dimension in parallel to the width direction Y to form an undercut 64. As the mounting bracket 50 is provided with an upper guiding flange 54 adjoining the upper guiding flange ledge 54a, the upper guiding flange 54 is adapted to slide into the undercut 64 behind the upper protrusion 52 and be retained in the thickness dimension in parallel with the width direction Y in the mounted condition, such that the upper guiding flange 54 and the undercut 64 form a second set of retaining means of the screening arrangement in the width direction Y. The upper guiding flange 54 is here provided with an inclined guiding surface 54b.
Additional engagement is obtained by the further feature that the central guiding structure is provided with a tab section 1705 extending between the upper and lower flanges 1719, 1720 and the mounting bracket 50 is provided with a bridge section 505, and wherein the tab section 1705 is accommodated in the bridge section 505 in the mounted condition of the screening arrangement.
The fundamental steps in installing and uninstalling a screening arrangement in a window are thus the following:
aligning the end pieces 171 of the screening device 12 with the respective mounting bracket 50,
moving the screening device 12 with the top element 13 in the depth direction X,
allowing the resilient tabs 30 of the end pieces 171 to move against their bias to engage the tab 40 of the respective end piece with the notch 52 of the respective mounting bracket 50 to attain the mounted condition,
moving the top element 13 of the screening device 12 in the height direction Z to attain the removal position, and
moving the top element 13 of the screening device 12 substantially oppositely to the mounting direction.
In the embodiment of
In the embodiment of
The embodiment of
Correspondingly, the embodiment of
Finally,
The person skilled in the art realises that the present invention by no means is limited to the preferred embodiments described above. On the contrary, many modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PA 2017 70846 | Nov 2017 | DK | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4114860 | Parisien | Sep 1978 | A |
| 7267311 | Jung | Sep 2007 | B2 |
| 7367536 | Anderson | May 2008 | B1 |
| 7913960 | Herr, III | Mar 2011 | B1 |
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| 20080128164 | Johnson | Jun 2008 | A1 |
| 20160160492 | Gower | Jun 2016 | A1 |
| 20170211326 | Mugnier | Jul 2017 | A1 |
| 20170226797 | Birkkjaer | Aug 2017 | A1 |
| 20180112462 | Chen | Apr 2018 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 19861119 | Feb 2000 | DE |
| 1106775 | Jun 2001 | EP |
| 2754843 | Jul 2014 | EP |
| 3091168 | Sep 2016 | EP |
| 3121364 | Jan 2017 | EP |
| 3205808 | Aug 2017 | EP |
| 3219898 | Sep 2017 | EP |
| WO9907974 | Feb 1999 | WO |
| WO0047858 | Aug 2000 | WO |
| WO2004070157 | Aug 2004 | WO |
| WO2005008013 | Jan 2005 | WO |
| WO2006048014 | May 2006 | WO |
| WO2007110072 | Oct 2007 | WO |
| WO2015028031 | Mar 2015 | WO |
| WO2017089863 | Jun 2017 | WO |
| Entry |
|---|
| 1st Technical Examination including Search Report and Search Opinion dated May 9, 2018 issued in connection with Danish Patent Application No. 2017 70846, pp. 1 to 8. |
| U.S. Appl. No. 16/186,130, filed Nov. 9, 2018 entitled “A Method for Determining a Fully Extended Position of a Screening Body of a Screening Device”. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20190145163 A1 | May 2019 | US |
