Horizontal Shutter

Abstract

A horizontally sliding and folding shutter having a plurality of doors made of glass and other rigid materials and connected horizontally by the intermediary of joints, the odd-numbered ones of which doors are supported with upper sliders and lower rollers respectively in slidable relations to the oppositely channel-shaped head jamb and sill, while the even-numbered ones of which doors are supported with upper and lower rollers respectively in slidable relations to the same head jamb and sill, and each door being rotatably fitted on the relevant joint so as to permit each adjacent doors to be folded flat against each other.

Description

The present invention relates to a shutter for doors, windows and other openings of building, and more particularly to a horizontally sliding and folding shutter with a plurality of doors made of glass and other rigid materials.

Conventional shutters usually require to provide glass doors or windows inside to keep sufficient airtightness. The provision of such glass doors or windows inside will restrict the distance of side jambs or pillars between which they are provided, in other words, such distance cannot be substantially large.

An object of the invention is to provide a horizontally sliding and folding shutter to keep sufficient airtightness by itself.

Another object of the invention is to provide a horizontally sliding and folding shutter which is substantially rigid in construction yet quite easy to open and close.

Of the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a part-cut front view of a shutter embodying the invention, when it is closed;

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken approximately on the line 2--2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a part-cut enlarged view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken approximately on the line 4--4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a part-cut enlarged view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a part-cut plan view of FIG. 5, when the shutter is opened;

FIG. 7 is a part-cut cross sectional view of FIG. 6 taken approximately on the line 7--7 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary front view, showing the connection of a door and a slider of the embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a transverse sectional view taken approximately on the line 10--10 in FIG. 8; and

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view, showing the connection of a joint and adjacent doors of the embodiment.

The embodiment primarily comprises a sill 20, a head jamb 10 parallel with the sill 20, a plurality of doors 50 horizontally slidable and foldable between the sill 20 and the head jamb 10, and a receptacle 61 at one end of the sill 20 and head jamb 10.

The sill 20 and the head jamb 10 are made of rigid material, and are oppositely channel-shaped in cross section as best shown in FIG. 4.

The head jamb 10 is provided with a pair of shoulders 11', by which it is divided into an upper groove 12' and a lower groove 11. A hanger rail 12 which is C-shaped in cross section is provided within the upper groove 12'. A pair of packings 13 are provided along the lower corners of lower groove 11.

The sill 20 is provided with a pair of shoulders 21', by which it is divided into an upper groove 23' and a lower groove 21. A pair of packings 23 are provided in the upper groove 23'.

Both head jamb 10 and sill 20 are provided with indented guide ways 14 and 24 in the receptacle 61, respectively, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 7. A guide plate 25 is protruded from one end of the guide way 24 into the receptacle 61 as shown in FIG. 2.

An odd number of sliders 30 are provided within the head jamb 10 in a slidable relation with the hanger rail 12. As shown in FIGs. 8 to 10, each of the sliders 30 consists of a block 31 having a pair of transverse apertures 32 parallel with each other. A pair of same-sized balls 33 are provided in each aperture 32 in a manner that both balls are in contact with each other at the inner sides and project from the block 31 at the outer sides.

Each door 50 consists of a glass pane 53 sashed with a pair of horizontal members 52 and a pair of vertical members 51 which are all made of metallic or other rigid material. The outer ends of both vertical members 51 are formed to be fingers so as to provide connecting ends 51', respectively. Packings 54 are provided between the glass pane 53 and the sash members 51 and 52. A plurality of such doors 50 are connected horizontally by the intermediary of joints 40, and side frames 60 and 60' are provided at both ends of the horizontal line.

The joints 40 are made of metallic or other rigid material. Each joint 40 integrally comprises a middle member 41 and a pair of arms 42 in a crossing relation with the middle member 41 as best shown in FIG. 11. Both ends of middle member 41 are rounded. The ends of arms 42 are bent to one side with the right angle to the trunk portion, and formed to be shafts of a total or partial circle in cross section so as to provide connecting ends 43, respectively.

As best shown in FIG. 11, the connection of each joint 40 and door 50 is such that the finger of connecting end 51' is fitted on the shaft of connecting end 43 in a rotatable relation so as to permit each door 50 to rotate on the relevant connecting end 43 of arm 42 by 90.degree. relatively to the same arm 42. And the connecting end 51' of vertical member 51 is fitted on the connecting end 43 of arm 42 more than 180.degree. radially --as many degrees as possible for instance by 240.degree. if only the door 50 is permitted to rotate by 90.degree. relatively to the arm 42 as above described--so as to provide substantial airtightness of joint 40 and door 50 irrespective of their relative position.

Each door 50 has the fingers of both vertical members 51 formed oppositely to each other as best shown in FIG. 5. The joints 40 are arranged in the opposite directions to each other alternately, also as best shown in FIG. 5. As the result, each adjacent doors 50 are foldable flat against each other.

The upper ends of those joints 40 which are odd-numbered as No. 1, No. 3, . . . from the side frames 60 and 60' are respectively fixed to the sliders 30 which are in a slidable relation with the hanger rail 12; thus all the doors 50 are suspended from the head jamb 10 by the intermediary of odd-numbered joints 40 and sliders 30. The lower ends of same odd-numbered joints 40 are respectively provided with rollers 35 by the intermediary of comparatively long pins 34 in a slidable relation with the lower groove 21 of sill 20. The upper ends of those joints 40 which are even-numbered as No. 2, No. 4, . . . from the side frames 60 and 60' are respectively provided with rollers 44 by the intermediary of comparatively short pins 44' in a slidable relation with the lower groove 11 of head jamb 10. The lower ends of same even-numbered joints 40 are respectively provided with rollers 37 by the intermediary of comparatively short pins 36 in a slidable relation with the lower groove 21 of sill 20. Thus the doors 50 are slidable between the head jamb 10 and the sill 20 in a substantially airthight relation with both of them.

One of the side frames, for instance 60, is fixed to a side jamb of the building or a pillar of the receptacle 61, while the other, for instance 60', is left free to handle.

In case the shutter is open, all the doors 50 are folded falt against each other within the receptacle 61 as shown in FIG. 6. In this case, the odd-numbered joints 40 fixed to the sliders 30 remain between the head jamb 10 and sill 20, while the even-numbered joints 40 get out of the head jamb 10 and sill 20 into the receptacle 61 through the guide ways 14 and 24.

In closing the shutter, the free side frame 60' is initially pulled by hand outwardly or to the direction opposite to the fixed side frame 60, and then the first joint 40 immediately slides outwardly along the head jamb 10 and sill 20 as it is originally between them.

As the first joint 40 goes ahead, the second joint 40 gets out of the receptacle 61 into the head jamb 10 and sill 20 through the guide ways 14 and 24, with the lower roller 35 sliding along the guide plate 25. The first door 50 leaves the receptacle 61 entirely when the second joint 40 gets into the head jamb 10 and sill 20, with the upper and lower rollers 44 and 37 respectively getting into the lower grooves 11 and 21 of head jamb 10 and sill 20. In this state, the first door 50 is entirely between the head jamb 10 and the sill 20 in a substantially airtight relation with both of them.

Since the third joint 40 is originally between the head jamb 10 and the sill 20, the second door 50 gets out of the receptacle 61 into the head jamb 10 and sill 20 entirely at the same time with the first door 50. Thus the first and the second doors are unfolded together completely and slided outwardly. Further outward pull of the free side frame 60' will unfold and slide the succeeding doors 50 similarly, until the shutter is closed totally over the opening of building.

In opening the shutter, the free side frame 60' is initially pushed inwardly or in the direction toward the fixed side frame 60, and then the doors 50 are slided and folded into the receptacle 61 one after another in the manner just reverse to the above-described closing.

In case the shutter is close, the doors 50 are firmly supported with the sliders 30 and the rollers 44, 35 and 37 between the head jamb 10 and the sill 20 as well as they are firmly connected with the joints 40 by sufficient fitting for instance of 240.degree., as described above. Moreover, the head jamb 10, sill 20, doors 50 and joints 40 are all made of rigid materials. Therefore the shutter provides not only sufficient airtightness but also quite rigid construction, even against a considerable blowing of wind in any direction.

In addition, the shutter can be opened and closed quite easily just like the curtain, also as described above.

Claims

What I claim:

1. A shutter for windows, doors and other openings of building of the kind sliding and folding horizontally, primarily comprising a sill, a head jamb parallel with said sill, a plurality of doors horizontally slidable and foldable between said sill and said head jamb, and a receptacle at one end of said sill and said head jamb, said sill being made of a rigid material and a channel-shaped in cross section, said head jamb being made of a rigid material and channel-shaped in cross section oppositely to said channel of sill, said channel of head jamb being divided into an upper and a lower groove by the intermediary of shoulders, said channel of sill being divided into an upper and a lower groove by the intermediary of shoulders, said doors being made of glass and other rigid materials, said doors being connected horizontally by the intermediary of joints and provided with side frames at both ends of the horizontal line, said joints being made of a rigid material, those joints odd-numbered from said side frames being supported with upper sliders in a slidable relation to said upper groove of head jamb and with lower rollers in a slidable relation to said lower groove of sill, those joints even-numbered from said side frames being supported with upper rollers in a slidable relation to said lower groove of head jamb and with lower rollers in a slidable relation to said upper groove of sill, each of said doors being rotatable by 90 degrees relative to the relevant joint and said even-numbered joints being arranged oppositely to said odd-numbered joints so as to permit each adjacent doors to be folded flat against each other, said sill and head jamb being provided with indented guide ways in said receptacle.

2. A shutter in accordance with claim 1, wherein said upper groove of head jamb is provided with a hanger rail the cross section of which is a C-shape opened downwardly, said slider consisting of a block which has a pair of transverse apertures parallel with each other, a pair of same-sized balls being provided in each of said apertures in a manner that both balls are in contact with each other at the inner sides and project from said block at the outer sides, said sliders being in a slidable relation with said hanger rail.

3. A shutter in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of said joint integrally comprises a middle member and a pair of arms in a crossing relation with said middle member, both ends of said middle member being rounded, the ends of said arms being bent to one side with the right angle to their trunk portion and formed to be shafts of a total or partial circle in cross section so as to provide connecting ends, both ends of said door being formed to be fingers so as to provide connecting ends, said finger of connecting end being fitted on said shaft of connecting end in a rotatable relation.