Roller screen assembly for an aperture

Abstract

A roller screen assembly for an aperture, the assembly including a spring returned roller and a flexible glazing screen wound thereon. Also included is a headboard and sealing member closing a gap between the headboard and screen. The assembly further includes a bottom strip adapted to engage the lower edge of the screen and to temporarily retain the same. Side channels, which receive the lateral edges of the screen, extend from the headboard to the bottom strip at each side of the screen. The headboard, bottom strip, and side channel form a frame for the screen when in its extended position.

Description

This invention relates to a roller screen assembly for an aperture and particularly to such an assembly for providing a transparent screen on the inside of a window to effect double glazing of the window aperture.

It is increasingly being realised that the double glazing of window apertures produces beneficial results, particularly from the point of view of providing thermal insulation, thereby maintaining the temperature of the interior of a building to an acceptable level and reducing heating costs. Double glazing is also advantageous from the point of view of excluding draughts and noise. Many modern buildings are fitted with double glazing on erection, but there are many buildings which at the moment are single glazed and where it would be desirable to provide a second glazing.

There are several known methods of providing a second glazing for existing windows, and these range from a simple panel of transparent material mounted within a frame which is made to the precise shape of the window aperture so that the frame may fit within this aperture and provide the second glazing to the many sophisticated types of second glazing comprising sliding panels which are dismountable, and which run in tracks fitted with sealing strips. However, all of the known constructions present certain disadvantages, for example, they are usually costly to manufacture and install and/or they are not readily mountable and dismountable so that cleaning of the glazing is difficult and/or they are not efficient in providing a thermal barrier or draught excluder.

It is the main object of this invention to provide a roller screen assembly which may be used as a second glazing in a window aperture which is simple to manufacture and install and which is very readily moved to the glazing position or moved to an inoperative position.

According to the present invention there is provided a roller screen assembly for an aperture, including a spring returned roller and a flexible glazing screen wound thereon, a headboard, a sealing member closing the gap between the headboard and the screen, a bottom strip adapted to be engaged by and temporarily retain the lower edge of the screen and side channels extending from the headboard to the bottom strip at each side of the screen into which channels the screen extends, the headboard, bottom strip and side channels forming a frame for the screen when in its extended position.

The roller may be urged by resilient means so as to maintain the outermost turn of the screen in contact with the sealing member. The roller may be provided with coaxial trunnions carried in slots at each end to enable the roller to move towards and away from the sealing member under the influence of the resilient means.

The said sealing member may be in the form of a sliding plate which extends from one side channel to the other and from the headboard to bear against the screen, or the sealing member may be in the form of a pivoted plate hingedly mounted to the headboard along one longitudinal edge, the other longitudinal edge bearing against the outermost turn of the screen on the roller.

The assembly may include a secondary roller positioned adjacent and parallel to the said spring returned roller over which secondary roller the screen extends before it passes downwardly to form the second glazing.

As will be appreciated from the above, the screen assembly of the present invention is simple to fit either into the aperture of a window recess or on the face of the wall within which the window aperture to be screened is located, so that the screen when in its extended position covers the window aperture.

It will also be appreciated that the assembly according to the invention is not only useful as a second glazing for windows, but may also be used to provide a screen to prevent the passage of flying insects and/or dust particles and may be used in place of a door or other type of screen, and may be used as a partition where some form of barrier is to be provided by the partition.

In order to illustrate the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate three embodiments. In the drawings;

FIG. 1 is a part sectional side elevation of a roller screen assembly constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a part sectional plan view of the assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional side view of the lower part of the assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of part of the assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2 showing an intermediate portion of the screen and the cross-sectional shape of the side channels;

FIG. 5 is a part sectional side elevation of the upper part of a second embodiment of an assembly according to the invention; and

FIG. 6 is a part sectional side elevation of a modified form of the assembly according to the invention.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 to 4, a roller screen assembly includes a roller 1 which is spring returned in the normal way as is to be found with the roller blinds. The roller 1 has trunnions 2 which pass through slots 3 in brackets 4 attached to a surrounding wall 5 by screws 6. Also attached to the brackets 4 is a pelmet board 7 attached by screws 8.

The brackets 4 are provided with tangs 9 which retain coil springs 10 which bear upon the trunnions 2 and urge the roller 1 in one direction along the slots 3 so as to provide a seal as hereinafter mentioned.

The roller 1 has a flexible glazing screen 11, which will be of transparent material, and which forms the second glazing screen for the window aperture, the existing pane of glass being indicated at 12. It will thus be seen that the second glazing screen is in the nature of the blind of a roller blind assembly, the roller 1 being spring returned to the retracted position of the screen 11 in the normal way. The screen 11 may be of plastics or fabric, and when used for double glazing a window, will obviously be transparent. However, if the assembly is used as a partition then the flexible screen 11 may be opaque or translucent.

Between the pelmet board 7 and the existing glass pane 12, a headboard 13 is provided and this may take the form of a plastics extrusion screwed to the window apertures by screws 14 and receiving a sealing member 15 which may be of felt. This sealing member 15 bears upon the outermost turn of screen 11 on the roller 1 and the spring 10 urges the roller 1 so that at all times the sealing member 15 makes a sealing engagement with the outer turn of screen.

Provided vertically down each side of the aperture are side channels 16 screwed to the aperture wall by screws 17 and these side channels are more particularly illustrated in FIG. 4. These side channels may be extruded in a plastics material and extend from the headboard 13 to a bottom strip 18, more particularly shown in FIG. 3. This bottom strip 18 may be extruded in plastics and is fixed by screws 19 to the bottom wall 20 of the window aperture. The lower end of the glazing screen 11 is provided with a retaining slip 21 having a hooked portion 22 which engages with a similarly hooked portion 23 of the bottom strip 18. Both the bottom strip and the retaining clip 21 extend the entire width of the screen 11 and therefore it will be seen that the headboard 13, the bottom strip 18 and the side channels 16 form a frame for the screen 1 when in its extended positions. FIGS. 1 and 3 show alternative forms of retaining clip 21.

A further embodiment of roller screen assembly in accordance with the invention is illustrated in FIG. 5 in which a roller 24 is spring returned in the normal way as is to be found with roller blinds. A screen 25 of transparent material which may be plastics or fabric is attached at 26 to the roller 24 and this attachment may be in accordance with the inventions disclosed in United Kingdom patent applications Nos. 31032/70 or 6502/72.

A headboard 27 is provided which is attached by screws 28 to the upper surface of the window aperture and provides a pelmet extending completely across the width of the aperture, thus concealing the roller 24 from view within the room. Hingedly mounted to the headboard 27 is a sealing plate 29 having a felt pad 30 at one end which lightly bears upon the outermost turn of the screen 25 on roller 24 and thus provides a seal between the roller 24 and the headboard 27.

In its extended position, the screen 25 lies parallel with the single glazing 31 of the window, and the lower edge of screen 25 will be fastened to a retaining clip 21 in the manner indicated in FIG. 3, the retaining clip 21 having a hooked portion 22. This retaining clip 21 extends the full width of the aperture and the attachment of screen 25 to the clip 21 may be in accordance with the proposals of the prior United Kingdom Pat. Applications mentioned above. A bottom strip 18 as illustrated in FIG. 3 may be employed so that the hooked portion 22 of the retaining clip 21 may engage a hooked portion 23 of the bottom strip 18 and retain the screen in its extended condition.

Side channels may again be provided extending vertically down the side walls of the aperture, and the vertical edge portions of the screen 25 extend into these channels and form a seal therewith. Felt or other sealing strips may be located within these channels so as to form a more positive seal with the screen 25.

It will be appreciated that the headboard 27, the bottom strip 18 and the side channels form a frame within the aperture of the window, which frame receives the screen 25 when in its extended condition. The side channels form a seal with the side portions of the screen 25; the engagement of the clip 21 with bottom strip 18 forms a seal at the bottom of the screen 25 and the hinged plate 29 closes the gap between roller 24 and the headboard 27.

Also it is a very simple matter to disconnect the hooked portions 22 and 23 and merely raise the screen 25 by the return motion of the spring of roller 24 in much the same manner as with a roller blind.

If desired a ratchet and pawl mechanism may be provided so that the screen 25 may be retained in any extended position.

With regard to FIG. 6 which shows a slightly modified arrangement, a spring returned roller 32 (as in the previous embodiment) has a screen 33 attached thereto, and this screen 33 passes over a secondary roller 34 which extends the entire width of the aperture and leads the screen 33 into side channels 35. In this embodiment, a sliding plate 36 is provided which bears upon the screen 33 and closes the gap between the screen 33 in the neighbourhood of the secondary roller 34 and the top surface of the aperture. In FIG. 6 the single glazing is indicated at 37, a window aperture at 38, and a fastening bracket for the roller at 39. In this embodiment, the lower end of screen 33 will be attached to a bottom strip as illustrated in FIG. 3 so that a frame is provided which effectively closes the aperture 38.

Claims

What we claim is:

1. A roller screen assembly for an aperture, comprising:

a spring-return roller having a flexible glazing screen wound thereon;

a headboard adjacent said roller, having a sealing member thereon positioned to sealingly engage the outer turn of the screen on said roller;

said roller having coaxial trunnions thereon extending from the ends thereof and into slots at opposite sides of said aperture;

resilient means urging said trunnions and roller along said slots toward said sealing means to maintain said screen in contact with said sealing means;

the edges of said screen extending slidably into guide channels at opposite sides of said aperture;

a bottom strip fixed to and extending across the lower edge of said screen defining a hook means throughout its length; and

a hook shaped lower strip at the bottom of said aperture, engageable with said hook means of said bottom strip to sealingly hold said screen in extended position.

2. A roller screen assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the sealing means comprises a felt pad fixed to the headboard.