Patent Application
20090272501
The present invention relates generally to building constructions and more particularly to shutter systems and tensioning pins for louvers used therein.
Building shutters, sometimes referred to as stationary shutters, plantation shutters and the like, are desirable and valuable additions to many homes and other buildings. Shutters provide light and vision control as well as decorative touches to construction.
Typical shutter systems have a plurality of laterally arrayed louver slats (of wood or synthetic materials) pivotally mounted between vertical support frames. The louvers typically pivot on pins which extend into the lateral frame members, with the pins either being integral to the louvers or separate components. In order to maintain proper separation and tension on the louvers, one or more tensioning bolts extends across between the frame members and is tightened to a desired separation and tension level after installation.
In an effort to minimize the need for tensioning bolts (and the unsightly exposed ends on the exterior of the frame members) tensioning pins have been developed to extend only a limited distance into the side members and the louvers. However, these have not been entirely satisfactory in all cases due to slippage and occasional disengagement with one or the other component.
Accordingly, room for improvement exists for methods for providing shutter louvers with improved stability and tension. There is thus a need and desire for improved tensioning pins for installing and supporting shutter louvers.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved tensioning pin system for use in shutter construction.
Another object of the invention is to provide a tensioning pin which provides solid seating with properly tensioned freedom of rotation, facilitating smooth, controllable pivoting of the associated louvers.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a two part tension pin, with a ferrule member seated into the frame member and a pivot pin member extending into the louver slat, the tensioning pin rotating within the ferrule.
Yet another object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a method of achieving constant tension and spacing between louver and frame members.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a louver rotation system which is held together internally, once assembled.
Briefly, one preferred embodiment of the present invention is a tensioning pin system for use in shutter-louver assemblies. The preferred tensioning pin includes a pin member for engaging with the louver slat and a ferrule member for engaging the corresponding frame. The tensioning pin member includes a cylindrical post having an annular catch channel. The cylindrical post slides into a center bore of the ferrule until an annular protrusion, formed in the center bore, snaps into and engages the catch channel, thus securing the two members together longitudinally and defining a rotation surface therebetween. The pin member is firmly embedded into the louver slat and the ferrule member is firmly secured to the frame, but the pin is free to rotate (under frictional tension) within the ferrule so the louver slat can be rotated to open and close the shutters.
An advantage of the present invention is that it has a defined and limited friction zone during rotation and thus minimizes binding during use.
An additional advantage of the invention is that it maintains longitudinal spacing between the louver slat and the frame.
A further advantage of the invention is that, once assembled, the pin and ferrule are held together internally, to avoid loss of tension over time,
Another advantage is that the relatively tight fit between the ferrule and the pin member provides some resistance to rotation (frictional rotational tension) and keeps the louvers from being too loose.
Still another advantage of the present invention is the minimization of rotational contact surface leads to greater consistency and minimizes binding during use.
Yet another advantage of one embodiment of the invention is that a slight gradient on the cylindrical post facilitates a sliding fit with the ferrule member which gets tighter with greater degrees of engagement, thus resulting in a more secure mating between the portions of the tensioning pin.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become clear to those skilled in the art in view of the description of the best presently known mode of carrying out the invention and the industrial applicability of the preferred embodiment as described herein and as illustrated in the several figures of the drawings.
The purposes and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the appended drawings in which:
a,
5
b and 5c are fanciful, exaggerated views of the surface of three alternate cylindrical post members, showing alternate gradients for use with the invention.
The present invention is a tensioning pivot pin system for use in shutter assemblies and a preferred embodiment thereof is referred to in the discussion and drawing by the general reference character 10. The preferred embodiment of the tensioning pivot pin 10 is intended for use in a shutter—louver system 12, as illustrated in
The shutter system 12 is shown as including an outer frame 14 and a plurality of louver slats 16. The outer frame 14 includes a top frame panel 18, a left side panel 20, a right side panel 22 and a bottom frame panel 24. The various panels 18, 20, 22 and 24 surround and define a window aperture 26, within which the louvers 16 are positioned.
Each louver slat 16 is of a length slightly less than the width of the window aperture 26 and has opposing generally flat surfaces 28 bordered by edges 30 and ends 32. Each louver slat 16 is held in place by a pair of pivot pins 34 inserted or embedded into holes 36 drilled or formed in each end 32 of the louver slat 16, Each pivot pin 34 extends laterally outward from the respective end 32. Each of the pivot pins 34 (in the prior art, ordinarily a dowel pin or similar rounded pin) fits into a corresponding receiving cavity 38 in either the left side panel 20 or the right side panel 22 of the frame 14. The fit between the pin 36 and either or both of the holes 36 and the receiving cavity 38 is loose enough that the pin 28 (and the attached louver slat 16 may rotate with respect to the frame 14. The shutter system 12 illustrated in
In conventional shutter assemblies the pivot pins 34 in one of the centrally located louver slats 16 are replaced by a through bolt 46 which extends all the way through the slat 16 and across between the opposing left side panel 20 and right side panel 22. The through bolt 46 has a terminating bolt nut 48 which may be removed in order to disassemble the frame 14. This is necessary for assembly of the shutter subsystem 12 and for tensioning the louvers 16 by adjusting the side pressure on the slats. The bolt 46 and nut 48 may also be disconnected to allow disassembly of the frame for purposes such as replacing a broken louver 16 or malfunctioning pivot pin 34.
In the preferred embodiment 10 of the present tensioning pin system invention, the conventional pivot pin 34 is replaced by a novel tensioning pin 50, illustrated in
The pin member 52 is in the form of an elongated shaft 58 which, although integral in construction, is effectively divided into two distinct sections by a stop ring 60. On one side (left in
The louver portion 62 includes a tapered end 66 for ease of molding and formation, a cylindrical rod 68 and a plurality (four in the case of the preferred embodiment 10) of tapered seating ribs 70. The seating ribs 70 are intended to engage the inner walls of the receiving aperture 38 (see
The frame portion 64 includes a cylindrical post 72 also having a tapered tip 66 for extending into the hole 36 (see
The ferrule member 54 includes a cylindrical tube 76 defining a center bore 78 extending therethrough. The center bore 78 has a diameter slightly greater than that of the cylindrical post 72 and has an annular protrusion 80 situated on the interior surface. The annular protrusion 80 is adapted to engage and mate with the catch channel 74 when assembled (see
The preferred embodiment of the ferrule 54 has a generally rectangular cross section shaped annular protrusion 80 within the center bore 78, to mate with the catch channel 74 on the cylindrical post 72.
a,
5
b and 5c, show alternate versions of the cylindrical post portion of the pin member, each alternative have a gradient on the post surface to change the interface with the alternate ferrule 86. In the illustration, scale is not followed but is shown with greatly exaggerated slopes to illustrate the degree of the gradients, since the actual components exhibit very slight gradients (approximately 0.1 mm or 0.004 in).
A first alternate post member 90 is illustrated in
A second alternate cylindrical post 94 is illustrated in
A third alternate post 98 is illustrated in
The preferred tensioning pin (both portions) is molded from a slightly deformable, but generally rigid plastic such as nylon. It is slightly harder than the typical wood or composite material of the frame 14 so the seating ribs 70 and anchoring ribs 84 will dig into the slat and frame materials to form a relatively firm bond. In the preferred embodiment a reasonable amount of force is needed to push the cylindrical post 72 into center bore 78 to the point that the annular protrusion 80 mates with the catch channel 74. Once engaged, it takes a goodly amount of force to pull the ferrule 54 from the pin member 52, although the pin member 52 readily rotates with respect to the ferrule 54. The snap fit helps to ensure secure installation.
The usual dimensions of the preferred embodiment of the tensioning pin member 52 are a length of 300 mm (1.2 in) with 200 mm being the length of the louver portion 62, and a thickness of 30 mm in the cylindrical rod 68 and 40 mm in the cylindrical post 72. The catch channel 74 has a depth of about 1 mm and the stop ring 60 extends about 8 mm. The ferrule member has length of about 100 mm and outside diameter of about 70 mm. The center bore 78 has a diameter of just greater than 40 mm while the annular protrusion 80 extends inward about 1 mm. The restraining ring 82 has a diameter of about 85 mm.
Of course, different designs of shutter assemblies may require different dimensions and materials. Neither the materials nor the dimensions are critical to the operation of the invention.
It is noted that while the preferred embodiment has the catch channel 74 on the tensioning pin member 52 and the annular protrusion 80 within the ferrule member 54, these could be reversed with similar effect. The same reversal of positions equally applies to the alternate embodiments.
Numerous other variants and modifications of the improved tension pin system 10 of the present invention may be envisioned and implemented. The above discussed embodiments are for exemplary purposes only and the appended claims are to be interpreted as encompassing the true and full spirit and cope of the invention. While various embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation.
The improved shutter tension pin 10 of the present invention is adapted for use in a shutter louver assembly 12 or in any similar situation where similar rotation of one element to another is desired. For a typical construction, the frame 14 will be disassembled and awaiting insertion of the louver slats 16. Each of the left side panel 20 and the right side panel 22 will have a series of receiving cavities 38 drilled to correspond to the desired positions of the louver slats 16. The assembler will place a ferrule member 54 into each receiving cavity 38 and secure it by driving it against the frame such that the restraining ring 82 is essentially flush and the anchoring ribs 84 are wedged into the frame material. Similarly, a pin member 50 is driven into the holes 36 formed in each end 32 of each louver slat 16, with the louver portion 62 contained within the hole and the stop ring flush against the end 32 and the seating ribs 70 are firmly wedged into the slat material.
The set of louver slats 16 is then installed into one of the left or right side panels (the top and bottom panels may either already be attached prior to louver seating or added after). The cylindrical post of each tension pin member 52 on the slat 16 is inserted into the corresponding center bore 78 of the ferrule 54 and forced inward until a snap fit is formed with the annular protrusion 80 mating with the catch channel 74. The opposing frame panel is then engaged simultaneously with each of the louver slats 16 in a similar manner and the forced inward until engagement is achieved with the remaining pin members 52 and ferrule members 54. The frame panels are then mechanically or adhesively secured to each other and the resulting shutter louver assembly 12 is complete, with each slat 16 properly spaced and freely rotating with respect to the frame 14 as a result of the tensioning pin members 50.
The tensioning pins 50 maintain proper spacing between the louver slats 16 and the frame members and the rotation is freely maintained since the only engagement is between the cylindrical posts 72 and the center bores 78 of the corresponding elements. This plastic to plastic engagement, restricted by the annular protrusions 80 and the catch channels 74, prevents fouling of the louver rotation. A spacing of at least the combined thickness of the stop ring 60 and the restraining ring 82 is always maintained between the frame 14 and the louver slat 16. The construction is also suited to last and operate indefinitely.
A relatively tight fit between the tensioning pin member 52 and the ferrule member 54 is maintained since completely free rotation is not generally desirable. Frictional resistance to rotation permits the louvers 16 to be held in whatever position the user desires. A girth gradient on the alternate cylindrical posts 90, 94 and 98 helps to maintain the tight fit. Similarly, the relatively tight interface between the annular protrusion 80 and the catch channel 74 helps maintain mutual tension as well as providing a rotational guide.
For the above, and other, reasons, it is expected that the paperless transaction trail system 10 of the present invention will have widespread industrial applicability. Therefore, it is expected that the commercial utility of the present invention will be extensive and long lasting.
While various embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of a preferred embodiment should not be limited by any of the above described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.
