BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a window having the protection of a storm curtain assembly in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a somewhat schematic sectional view taken substantially along line 2-2 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3A is a fragmentary perspective view having a portion of the housing cover broken away and showing the curtain in the process of being retracted with a portion of an edge of the fabric displaced from its track.
FIG. 3B is a view sequentially following FIG. 3A as the curtain is being retracted.
FIG. 3C is a view sequentially following FIG. 3B and showing the curtain fully retracted with the edge of the fabric having been reinserted into the track.
FIG. 4A is a somewhat schematic sectional view taken substantially along line 4-4 of FIG. 1 and showing the storage roll, curtain and lock bar in a position generally corresponding to that which is shown in FIG. 3A.
FIG. 4B is a view sequentially following FIG. 4A and showing the storage roll, curtain and lock bar in a position generally corresponding to that which is shown in FIG. 3B.
FIG. 4C is a view sequentially following FIG. 4B and showing the storage roll, curtain and lock bar when in the locked position with the curtain fully retracted, the position generally corresponding to that which is shown in FIG. 3C.
FIG. 5 is a somewhat schematic view showing the manner in which the fabric curtain may be attached to the lock bar.
FIG. 6A is a somewhat schematic view showing the manner in which the fabric curtain may be attached to the storage roll.
FIG. 6B is an alternative embodiment to that which is shown in FIG. 6A.
FIG. 6C is another embodiment to that which is shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B.
FIG. 6D is yet another embodiment to that which is shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C.
FIG. 6E is still another embodiment to that which is shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D.
PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
A storm curtain system, generally indicated by the numeral 10, is shown in FIG. 1 as covering an opening in a building. System 10 thus includes an upper header or housing 11, a lower sill 12, and opposed jambs or side rails 13 extending vertically from the ends of header 11 to the ends of sill 12. A fabric curtain 14 has one end attached to a storage roll 15 which is housed within header 11, and its other end carries a lock bar 16. Curtain 14 is made of a fabric material which can withstand the force of wind and airborne debris, as are often encountered in a hurricane or the like. Exemplary of such fabric is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/190,114 filed on Jul. 25, 2005, to which reference is made for whatever details are necessary to understand the present invention.
Curtain 14 is stored on storage roll 15 when not in use and may be moved manually, or by a motor assembly (not shown) usually carried in header 11, from this stored position to an extended position to cover and protect an opening in a building. As such, curtain 14 moves along side rails 13 until lock bar 16 is received in bottom sill 12. At this point, a locking assembly (not shown) in bottom sill 12 and/or in the bottom of side rails 13, engages bar 16 to hold curtain 14 in place.
The manner in which the edge portions 17 of curtain 14 are received in side rails 13, in accordance with the present invention, is shown in FIG. 2. There, as shown, each side rail 13 includes a front plate 18 which, with a wall 19, defines a slot or track 20 within which the edge portions 17 of the fabric curtain 14 travel. Bar 16 further includes pins 25 which extends outwardly from the ends thereof. Pins 25 stabilize the horizontal position of bar 16 relative to side rails 13 within tracks 20. As best shown in FIGS. 3 (A, B, C) and 4 (A, B, C), plate 18 and thus track 20 terminates at an upper end 21 which is spaced from storage roll 15. Housing 11 includes a cover 22 which, as shown in FIGS. 4A, B and C, includes a lip 23 which is spaced from and overlaps the upper end 21 of plate 18.
In normal operation, the edge portions 17 of the curtain 14 will ride inside tracks 20 as the curtain 14 is being paid off the storage roll 15, and when the curtain 14 is being moved upwardly onto the storage roll 15. The edge portions 17 will exit tracks 20 as they pass the top end 21 of tracks 20 until lock bar 16 is engaged by a hook 24 formed in housing 11 as shown in FIG. 4C.
When the curtain 14 is fully down and covering the opening in a building, should the curtain 14 be exposed to an extreme force, such as impacts from wind borne debris, such that one or both of the edge portions 17 are displaced from their track 20, movement of the curtain 14 to wind it onto storage roll 15 will automatically direct the untracked edge portions 17 back into track 20 in a manner now to be described. FIGS. 3A and 4A show a condition where an edge portion 17 of the fabric is outside of track 20 with the edge of lock bar 16 still in the track area. As the curtain 14 is being moved upwardly onto the storage roll 15, from the FIGS. 3A, 4A position, through the FIGS. 3B, 4B position, and finally to the FIGS. 3C, 4C position, the edge portion 17 of the curtain 14 that is outside of the track 20 will pass in the space between the upper end 21 of plate 18 and the lip 23 of housing cover 22 until lock bar 16 is received in hook 24, as shown in FIG. 4C. It should be noted that when lock bar 16 is seated in hook 24, the lower extent of bar 16 is positioned in track 20 just below the upper end 21 of plate 18. Upon the subsequent lowering of curtain 14, its edge portions 17 will again be positioned in tracks 20. Thus, it should be evident that if one or both edge portions 17 of curtain 14 are displaced from tracks 20, all one has to do is to fully raise curtain 14 to draw edge portions 17 back into track 20.
The manner in which curtain 14 is attached to lock bar 16 is best shown in FIG. 5. Bar 16 is generally shaped like a parallelogram and has one of its sides notched, as at 30. The depth of the notch 30 is preferably equal to the thickness of the fabric plus an adhesive 26 used to attach the fabric to the notched side. In this way, the end 31 of the fabric, which might be subject to fraying, is recessed and will not obstruct the travel of bar 16 in tracks 20 when the fabric is attached along the entire lateral width of bar 16 by a suitable adhesive. It should also be noted that when bar 16 reaches sill 12, to engage the locking assembly (not shown), it needs to pivot at point 32. To assure that such pivoting freely occurs, the fabric of curtain 14 is relatively flexible and is wrapped around the bottom of bar 16 to form generally the J-shaped configuration shown in FIG. 5. Thus, fabric curtain 14 is not only attached only to one side of the bar 16, but also it engages only two adjacent sides of the bar 16. It should be appreciated that the tip 32 of bar 16 cannot be too acute an angle, as undue stress may be placed on curtain 11. Further, an overly acute angle may prevent proper biasing. Likewise, a tip 32 which is overly rounded is undesirable because a crease will not form in curtain 11. It has been found that the development of a crease at tip 32 may promote proper pivoting.
One manner in which the curtain 14 is attached to storage roll 15 is shown in FIG. 6A. There, it is shown that storage roll 15 is circumferentially notched, as at 33, to a depth approximating the thickness of the fabric of curtain 14 and an adhesive 27 that is used to attach the fabric to storage roll 15. In one embodiment, adhesive 27 is disposed over substantially the entire lateral width of storage roll 15 and over approximately 90 degrees of the circumference. As such, as storage roll 15 turns, a helix spiral is developed such that curtain 14 will wrap around storage roll 15 in a natural spiral as the curtain 14 is being stored on roll 15. Were the storage roll 15 not notched, the thickness of the curtain 14 on the storage roll 15 would vary.
A variation of the attachment system of FIG. 6A is shown in FIG. 6B. There, a wedge 34 having opposed arcuate surfaces can be attached to the periphery of storage roll 15 which, in effect, creates a notch 35 like notch 33. The height of notch 35 is also designed to correspond to the thickness of the fabric of curtain 14 and the necessary adhesive, and it can thus be wound on storage roll 15 in the same manner with the same result as the embodiment of FIG. 6A.
Another fabric-to-roll attachment system is shown in FIG. 6C. There, the end of the fabric of curtain 14 is looped around storage roll 15 and itself as at 36. This attachment can be stitching, adhesive, welding or by any suitable means known in the art. The looped portion of the fabric may be attached to the storage roll 15 by any suitable adhesive. In another embodiment, the looped portion may include a diameter which is the same or slightly smaller than the storage roll 15, and the storage roll 15 may include a plurality of bores (not shown). A pressurized gas, such as air, may be applied to the interior of storage roll 15 as the looped portion of curtain 14 is drawn over the storage roll 15. In such a case, the gas transmitted through the bores would allow the curtain 14 to be slipped over the storage roll 15. Thereafter, the pressure may be removed and the curtain 14 would thereafter be secured to the storage roll 15 through frictional contact. In a similar fashion shown in FIG. 6D, a separate fabric connector 37 can be looped around and attached to roll 15. Then the tab ends 38 of connector 37 can sandwich the end of the fabric of curtain 14, and the three layers can be attached as by stitching adhesive, welding or the like.
At times it may be difficult to adhere the fabric of curtain 14 to the storage roll 15 which is usually made of an aluminum material. If such occurs, as shown in FIG. 6E, it is contemplated that a polyvinylchloride tube 39 may be first adhered to roll 15 and then the fabric of curtain 14 may be attached to tube 39 by conventional means.
In view of the foregoing, it should be evident that a curtain attached to the roll and lock bar as described herein, and operable so that the edges thereof can be automatically repositioned in the tracks of the side rails should they become removed therefrom, substantially improves the fabric storm curtain art.
Patent Application
20080041537
