U.S. patent number 3,738,413 [Application Number 05/158,686] was granted by the patent office on 1973-06-12 for retractable barrier.
Invention is credited to Raymond C. Frobosilo, Samuel W. Levine.
United States Patent |
3,738,413 |
Frobosilo , et al. |
June 12, 1973 |
RETRACTABLE BARRIER
Abstract
A retractable barrier for use in sealing doors, windows, gates,
alleys and the like is provided in which a plurality of foldable
interlocking slats are disposed in a frame, the frame having
channels on each side with a lower section of sufficient depth to
receive the unfolded slats and a deeper upper section of sufficient
depth to receive the folded slats, and flexible bands disposed
within the channels so as to frictionally engage the unfolded slats
in the lower section and the folded slats in the upper section.
Inventors: |
Frobosilo; Raymond C.
(Brooklyn, NY), Levine; Samuel W. (Brooklyn, NY) |
Family
ID: |
22569252 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/158,686 |
Filed: |
July 1, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
160/35; 160/235;
160/207 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E06B
9/0669 (20130101); E06B 9/0638 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E06B
9/06 (20060101); E06b 009/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;160/35,36,1,84,235,206,207,33,34,32,19 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Williamowsky; David J.
Assistant Examiner: Kannan; Philip C.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A retractable barrier having a plurality of foldable
interlocking slats, a frame having a channel with a lower section
of sufficient depth to receive the unfolded slats and a deeper
upper section of sufficient depth to receive the folded slats, and
disposed within at least the upper section of said channel a pair
of flexible bands operable to frictionally engage both the unfolded
slats entering the lower section and the folded slats in the upper
section to a height in said upper section, of a/b .times. c where a
is the height of the opening resulting from retraction of said
barrier, b is the width of each slat and c is the space occupied by
the thickness of a single slat in its folded configuration.
2. A retractable metal barrier having a plurality of interlocking
slats, a frame having an upper storage section and two lower
parallel side runner sections, said frame defining channels running
from the upper storage section to the lower runner section to
receive the slats, said channels being of a depth in the upper
section slightly greater than the width of the slats so as to
receive the folded slats and of a depth in the lower section
slightly greater than the maximum thickness of the slats so as to
receive the unfolded slats, and a pair of flexible metal bands
disposed within each of said channels and frictionally engaged by
both the unfolded slats in the lower section and the folded slats
in the upper section, one end of each band being secured at the top
of the storage section and the other end of each band being secured
at the bottom of the runner section, said slats being disposed on
each side within and frictionally engaged by a pair of said
bands.
3. A retractable barrier according to claim 2 wherein the slats are
interlocked through spiral form roll hinge means.
4. A retractable barrier according to claim 2 wherein the slats are
solid.
5. A retractable barrier according to claim 2 wherein the slats are
perforated.
6. A retractable barrier according to claim 2 wherein the uppermost
portion of the upper storage section includes a hinged panel on one
side, the flexible metal band on that side being secured to the top
of the panel, and a second cover panel secured to the frame and
enclosing the upper storage section.
Description
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention pertains to a retractable barrier assembly
used for security and safety purposes in sealing doors, windows,
alleys, gateways and similar openings.
A variety of retractable barriers of different construction is
described in the prior art. These include foldable shutter slats
which move horizontally along a fixed track, fire dampers of the
folding shutter type which move on a vertical track, retractable
gates of flexible mesh or grating in which the mesh or grating is
retracted onto a roller, and the like. Horizontally disposed
shutters are primarily employed in offices and homes for the
purpose of appearance and convenience and are typified, for
example, by the folder shutter slat and folder shutter described in
U.S. Pat. No. 2,586,561. Fire damper assemblies are more generally
found in fluid conducting pipes or ducts in industrial heating and
air conditioning systems and provide a metal fire barrier or safety
curtain as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,485,284 and
3,467,163. Retractable gratings have been employed for security
purposes in sealing store fronts and the like to protect them from
unauthorized entrance and acts of vandalism.
The present invention provides a novel retractable barrier assembly
which can be used for both security and safety purposes in sealing
off doors, windows, alleys, store fronts and the like.
A primary objective of the invention resides in providing a
retractable barrier assembly having a plurality of interlocking
slats and a frame in which these slats are disposed in such a way
as to be easily moved from a storage section, in which the slats
are in a folded configuration, to a second section in which the
slats are in an unfolded configuration and constitute a
barrier.
A further object in conjunction with the preceding object, resides
in the ability of the retractable barrier to be placed in any
position intermediate between that of being fully retracted or
fully extended and to secure the barrier in such intermediate
positions through locking means.
A further object of the invention is to provide a retractable
barrier which when retracted is unobtrusive and yet when extended
presents a solid partition preventing the passage of individuals,
objects and the elements.
Other objects of this invention and its novel features will become
apparent from the following detailed description, discussion and
the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings showing preferred structures and embodiments, in
which:
FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a retractable barrier assembly
constructed in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken along line 2--2 of the
retractable barrier assembly shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a schematic presentation in perspective end view of a
retractable barrier constructed in accordance with the present
invention illustrating the folded slats in the upper storage
section and unfolded slats in the lower side runner sections of the
frame; and
FIG. 4 is a perspective front view of a retractable barrier
assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention and
illustrating the basic frame and barrier component as installed in
a door or window opening, a portion of the upper storage section
and a portion of the door or window frame being cut away to
illustrate the arrangement and operation of the assembly upon
installation.
With specific reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a retractable barrier
embodying the present invention is shown in which a plurality of
foldable interlocking slats 11 are disposed within a frame 12
having a channel with a lower section 13 of sufficient depth to
receive the unfolded slats 14 and a deeper upper section 15 of
sufficient depth to receive the folded slats 16, and a pair of
flexible bands 17 disposed within the channel so as to frictionally
engage both the unfolded slats 14 entering the lower section and
the folded slats 16 in the upper section. The outside width, height
and depth of frame 12 will vary depending upon the dimensions of
the opening in which the retractable barrier is installed. In the
embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the frame comprises a pair of
channels, each constructed of two U-shaped members 18 and 19, which
are installed flush against the inside door or window jamb, the
overall length being determined by the length of the jamb. Disposed
within each of these channels is a pair of flexible bands 17 which
are secured at the top and at the bottom of the frame through
friction, welding, bolting, or similar fastening but which is
otherwise unsecured within the channel. In a vertical section such
as illustrated in FIG. 2, the channel resembles an extended Y, the
upper section of the channel being of a greater depth than the
lower section. The depth of the upper section 15 is determined by
the width of the folded interlocking slats 16 while the depth of
the lower section 13 is determined by the thickness of the unfolded
slats 14. The degree of constriction in the channel in passing from
the deeper upper storage section to the lower runner section is
determined by the path defined by the slats in passing from a
folded to an unfolded configuration.
FIG. 3 illustrates a second embodiment in which the frame is
constructed from two single formed sheets with the flexible bands
disposed on the side of each sheet contiguous with the other. In
operation, slats 11 are nested in the upper storage section 15 in a
folded configuration 16. In this folded configuration, the longer
edge of each slat is frictionally engaged with the flexible bands
17 and held in this position against the force of gravity by the
constriction of these bands in passing from the upper storage
section to the lower runner section. Through the application of
downward force on the bottommost slat, the folded slats in the
upper section pass into an unfolded configuration as they enter the
lower section of the channel.
The slats may be fabricated out of any rigid material such as
metal, wood or plastic, in virtually any rectangular configuration.
When fabricated from metal, they may be solid so as to provide
maximum security or may be perforated, as shown on the bottom two
slats in FIG. 3, through expanding and flattening techniques or
simple punching so as to provide ventilation as well as security.
The slats may also be constructed out of wood or plastic, the
latter being opaque, colored or transparent. The slats are
interlocked with one another through any conventional hinge
structure which permits their passage from the folded
configurations to the unfolded configurations; i.e., one which
permits rotational movement of one slat relative to the next
through an arc in the magnitude of from about 160.degree. to
180.degree.. Although not so limited, one such hinge structure
involves two interfitting Archimedes spiral form roll hinge
sections, as described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 3,485,284.
The slats may be of relatively narrow width so that a larger number
are required to close a given area or of a greater width, thereby
requiring fewer slats. The number of slats required to close an
opening of height a is determined by the relationship a/b where b
is the width of each slat. Similarly the thickness of the slats may
be varied considerably, depending upon the particular use involved.
The height of the upper storage section is then determined by the
relationship a/b .times. c where c is the space occupied by the
thickness of a single slat in its folded configuration. The upper
storage section will thus be at least as long as a/b .times. c but
can, of course, be substantially longer.
Since both the folded slats and the unfolded slats are frictionally
engaged by the flexible bands, these slats will remain in any
position in which they are placed, whether completely folded or
extended so as to be completely unfolded, as well as any position
intermediate thereto. As shown in FIG. 2, a locking device 20 may
be mounted on one side of the frame so that when the slats are
extended in an unfolded configuration, they can be secured in that
position so as to prevent unauthorized retraction from the other
side. This locking may be effected not only with the barrier fully
extended but also with the barrier only partly extended so as to
permit ventilation while still barring the passage of individuals
through the opening.
Flexible bands 17 may be fabricated from any resilient material
compatible with frictional engagement of the interlocking slats.
Hence when the slats are of metal, the flexible bands may be, for
example, metal strapping. Alternatively, flexible plastic strips
may be employed.
FIG. 4 illustrates a third embodiment of the barrier assembly
installed in a door or a window opening with part of the door or
window jamb cut away to expose the positioning of the various
elements involved in a custom-fitted embodiment. Two preformed
runner channels 21 are cut to a length corresponding to the inside
length of the opening in which the barrier assembly is to be
installed, the upper section of the runner channel being of a
height sufficient to receive the number of slats required to close
the entire opening, determined in the method described above. This
runner channel may be provided with hinged panel 22 in the upper
section so as to provide an opening through which the slats may be
subsequently introduced into the assembly after runner channels 21
have been secured through screws, bolts or the like to the sides of
the opening. Flexible bands 17 is in turn secured to the top and
bottom of the runner channel, the attachment at the top being at
the top of hinged panel 22. Upon opening hinge panel 22, the upper
portion of flexible band 17 is temporarily bent away from its
position in the upper storage section so as to permit insertion of
the slats. A suitable number of foldable interlocked slats are then
inserted in the upper section and hinged panel 22 is closed so that
the slats are then engaged by the flexible bands. A preformed cover
plate 23 of length corresponding to the inside width of the opening
is then placed across the upper section and secured to it by clips,
bolts, metal screws, welding, gluing or similar fastening
means.
Although the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 permits loading of the
slats into an installed frame, the assembly can be loaded from the
top prior to installation and in such an embodiment, the hinged
panel 22 can be omitted.
Alternatively when the upper storage section and lower runner
section of each channel are constructed from two U-shaped members
of different widths as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, loading is
accomplished by first securing upper U-shaped member 19 to the jamb
with flexible bands 17 secured to it, inserting the folded slats
into the bands, temporarily supporting the folded slats, inserting
and securing the extended flexible bands into the lower U-shaped
member 18 and securing the lower U-shaped member to the jamb on
center with the upper U-shaped member. A cover plate 23, which in
vertical section may be as shown or which may be a simple L-shape
(not shown) is then secured to the two upper U-shaped members 19
and optionally to a portion of the two lower U-shaped members
18.
Since the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without
departing from its essential characteristics, the present
description is to be considered as illustrative in all respects,
the scope of the invention being set forth in the appended claims
and not limited nor restricted by the foregoing presentation of
representative embodiments.
* * * * *