WO2012014245A1

WO2012014245A1 - A closing system comprising a pluraltity of slats which can be raised by thrust and lowered by braked gravity

Info

Publication number: WO2012014245A1
Application number: PCT/IT2011/000268
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michele Kaziani; Marilena Foglio; Isabella Loiudice; Spiridione Antonio Kaziani
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-07-26
Filing date: 2011-07-26
Publication date: 2012-02-02
Anticipated expiration: 2013-01-26
Also published as: ITBA20100030A1; WO2012014245A8; IT1401032B1

Abstract

A system (1) for closing access openings or openings in general of residential and industrial buildings, with function of anti-effraction security, darkening, advertising, design, separation of environments, mobile walls, gazebos, verandas, as well as for furnishing of interiors, for closing wardrobes or cupboards or for walls of walk-in closets, etc., basically comprising a removable shutter or curtain constituted by a plurality of rigid slats or modular frames (2) designed to slide along lateral guides (5) and to be housed in a top head box (8), said system being characterized in that said slats or modular frames (2) that make up the shutter are without elements of mutual constraint and are designed to be packed and stacked on one another in the head box (8) by sliding first along said lateral guides (5) and then passing into at least one pair of appropriately inclined top guides (9) present in the head box itself; wherein the movement upwards of the slats or modular frames (2) is obtained by means of a thrust that each slat or modular frame (2) applies on the adjacent one above it starting from a bottom slat or raising end rail (10), which is moved upwards by purposely provided movement means (6, 11), which are also designed to brake the movement of descent of said end rail (10) - and of the slats (2) overlying it - that occurs by gravity; said thrust between one slat or modular frame (2) and the adjacent one taking place via contact surfaces (4) purposely provided on their horizontal sides.

Description

A CLOSING SYSTEM COMPRISING A PLURALTITY OF SLATS WHICH CAN BE RAISED BY THRUST AND LOWERED BY BRAKED GRAVITY

*****

The present invention concerns an innovative shutter closing system, devised for closing/opening access openings or openings in general of residential and industrial buildings, with function of anti- 5 effraction security, darkening, advertising, design, separation of environments, mobile walls, gazebos, verandas, as well as for interior furnishings, for closing wardrobes or cupboards or for walls of walk-in closets, etc., said shutter being provided with a

10 removable curtain constituted by a plurality of rigid slats or modular frames and supporting panels of various sorts, which can be also combined together in a hybrid way, with said frames provided with bearings or similar rolling members, in order to reduce the

15 friction during opening and closing of the curtain, since they are able to slide on purposely provided lateral guides. The curtain is thus easy to open and close by means of a motor drive, which acts, via movement means that act directly on the end rail or

20 last bottom element of the curtain, in such a way as to hoist it during raising to open it, drawing upwards by mutual thrust all the other overlying frames - which are not constrained in any way to one another - whereas during lowering for closing said movement means are

25 designed to brake the fall of said end rail under the action of its own weight and of the weight of all the other mutually adjacent frames. According to a peculiar characteristic of the invention said frames, which, as has been said, are separate from one another, pack together by being stacked on top of one another during opening of the curtain, under the action of raising upwards of the end rail, along a pair of inclined lateral top guides, which are purposely prearranged within the head box.

In the known art and on the market, so far there do not exist at all similar closing systems with similar modular frames, not constrained to one another and free to slide on a pair of lateral guides, and that moreover can be packed together along at least one pair of inclined guides, in minimized spaces as compared to those of current head boxes, with an inventive mode of packing and stacking.

The present invention has been devised and conceived for overcoming the disadvantages of current closing systems so far known, basically linked to the presence of slats hinged to one another, usually constituting the curtain of the closing system, and to the modalities of sliding in the guides, as well as for overcoming the undesirable phenomena present in the current types of rolling-up or packing during opening, which create, in particular, the following disadvantages:

- high complexity of the elements making up current closing systems, which frequently use connecting rods for mutual hinging;

- heavy weight of the said component elements;

- high friction present between the hinging elements of the slats, as likewise in sliding on the guides; - difficulty in the industrial production both of the elements making up the closing system and of assembly and installation thereof;

- need to resort to installation of high-power motor drives;

- impossibility of reducing the spaces occupied by the curtain during opening thereof;

- limited durability and reliability of the closing system over time, with high maintenance costs for the end customer;

- extremely limited or zero versatility of modification of the type of slats making up the curtain .

The purpose of the present invention is to overcome completely all the limitations and disadvantages of the known art.

The present closing system, which is provided with a curtain constituted by a plurality of rigid slats or modular frames not constrained to one another that can be packed during opening is new and inventive. It has been devised in order to provide a highly competitive product that is simple to produce and presents a minimized final cost, and that is moreover made up of an extremely small number of elements, the mutual movement of which has been studied to obtain a minimization of the existing friction and of the spaces occupied by the elements themselves that make up the curtain during complete opening, as well as an incomparable versatility of composition of the curtain itself.

The above and other purposes have been achieved, with reference to the attached figures that will be listed hereinafter, by providing a closing system 1 for access openings and openings in general of residential and industrial buildings, gazebos, verandas, mobile walls, etc., characterized in that it is substantially constituted by: a plurality of modular frames 2, not constrained to one another, which are each provided with a panelling means 3 and which as a whole form the curtain of the closing system 1; a pair of lateral guides 5; and movement means 6; wherein said closing system 1 thus constituted can be opened via packing of said modular frames 2, which are able to slide by means of ball bearings 7 on said guides 5, which terminate, within the head box 8 of the closing system 1, in a position corresponding to at least one pair of inclined top guides 9 along which said modular frames 2 are packed, thanks to the particular conformation of their sides of mutual contact and mutual thrust 4, said packing taking place in a completely automatic way under the thrust of a raising end rail 10, the latter being raised during opening by raising means 11 drawn along by said movement means 6.

Closing of the system 1, i.e., lowering of the curtain, is guaranteed by mere braked release of the raising means 11, under the action of just the gravitational components that act on the plurality of modular frames 2, which start again to move downwards dropping first along the inclined top guides 6, within which they are packed, and then along the lateral guides 5, within which they slide one after another.

It should be noted that, according to the present invention, said inclined guides 9 have an angle of inclination that is variable as a function of the coefficient of friction existing between the bearings 7 of each modular frame 2 and the material constituting the inclined guides 9, wherein said angle of inclination is necessary to push the pack of the set of the modular frames 2 complete with their panelling 3 so that they slide downwards overcoming - via just the gravitational component - the forces of friction along said inclined guides 9, unpacking the frames 2 along the vertical guides, where said frames 2 are braked as they drop down by the motor-driven end rail 10.

According to the invention, said modular frames 2 are not constrained to one another, but are provided with purposely designed contact surfaces on the top and bottom sides 4, via which they can transmit to the adjacent frames the thrust upwards originated by the end rail 10 or downwards originated by the force of gravity .

One of the immediate advantages of the present closing system 1 is basically that of enabling a packing of the entire curtain of the closing system 1 in a very contained space within the head box 8, with the further advantage of having at the same time panels 3 that are separate and can be combined together variously in a hybrid way in order to constitute with one another the curtain of the closing system 1.

The above and further advantages and characteristics of the closing system 1 according to the present invention will emerge more clearly from the ensuing detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, which is provided by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the attached drawings, in which :

Figure 1 is a lateral sectional view of said closing system 1, in which there may be clearly noted the individual modular frames 2, each provided with at least one pair of ball bearings 7 in the proximity of its ends, which are able to slide along the guides 5, by raising, in the initial opening step, of the end rail 10 by means of a motor-reducer 6, which exerts the pull on the raising means 11;

Figure 2 is a lateral sectional view of said closing system 1 represented in Figure 1, in which now the motor-reducer 6, by exerting the raising pull on the curtain 4, has already opened approximately half-way the closing system 1, packing upwards, along a pair of inclined guides 9, which are a bifurcation of the main guide 5, in the proximity of the head box 8;

Figure 3 is a lateral sectional view of said closing system 1 represented in the previous figures, in which now the motor-reducer 6, having completed the raising pull on the curtain 4, has opened the closing system 1 altogether, packing the individual modular frames 2, along said pair of inclined guides 9, leaving the lateral guides 5 completely free;

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the detail "A" highlighted in Figure 2, to bring out better the modalities of sliding of the modular frames 2 along the pair of inclined guides 9, inside the head box 8, with said modular frames 2 all freely released from one another;

Figure 5 is a schematic side view of the modular frame 2, constituted by a pair of slidable supports 12, shaped in the form of a parallelogram, each provided with a pair of bearings or similar rolling members 7, positioned in an opposed way in order to facilitate sliding of the frame 2 in the lateral guides 5;

Figure 6 is a front view of the same modular frame 2 as that of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the guide 5 in an area corresponding to the raising end rail 10, for a better illustration of the modalities of sliding in said guide of said pair of bearings or similar members 7, which are present in a similar way also on the raising end rail 10 and are rigidly constrained thereto, the end rail possibly also supporting, like the modular frames 2, a panelling means 3, but being drawn along, during opening of the curtain 4, by a means for fixing 15 the ends of the rope 11;

Figure 8 is a schematic front view of a frame provided with bearings 7, which forms as a whole the base support constituting the modular frame 2, on which a panelling means 3 (not present in Figure 3) is to be applied;

Figure 9 is a schematic front view of a panelling means or panel 3, of the glazed type, for example with anti-effraction security double glazing; Figure 10 is a schematic front view of another panel 3, of the Venetian-blind type, with slats that can be inclined to constitute a valid aesthetic solution of the closing system 1;

Figure 11 is a schematic front view of a further panel 3, of the opaque type, for example a thermally insulated panel or other panelling made of light plastic material like traditional slats of known roller shutters or of aluminium or armoured steel to guarantee a greater anti-effraction security;

Figure 12 is a schematic front view of a variant of the panelling means 3 for providing anti- effraction security gratings, via the insertion of steel bars 13;

Figure 13, which is substantially similar to Figure 4, regards a simplified variant of the invention, in which the top guides 9 have a particularly simplified structure;

Figures 14A, 14B, and 14C are, respectively, a front view and a view from the left side, with and without bearings, of a variant of the frames 2 already described, in which three rolling bearings instead of two are provided;

Figure 15 is a schematic illustration of an example of embodiment of a slat or frame 2 with panel 3 provided with an advertising wording;

Figures 16 and 17 show a further variant that regards an example of embodiment of anti- effraction rolling shutter.

With reference to the figures listed above and attached hereto, it is immediately evident, even to a technician not skilled in the sector of closing systems, that the present invention, in the particular preferred solution appearing herein, is basically constituted by a shutter or curtain made up of a plurality of slats or modular frames 2, which are able to slide on bearings or other similar members 7 within a pair of lateral guides 5 in order to minimize the friction present, wherein said modular frames 2 are designed to be packed, under the thrust of a raising end rail 10, pulled upwards during opening by a motor- reducer 6, along at least one pair of appropriately inclined top guides 9, prearranged within the head box 8 starting from the terminal area of said lateral guides 5, contained inside the head box 8 itself in a minimized space owing to the particular type of packing adopted with said modular frames 2.

One of the peculiar aspects of the present invention is precisely inherent in the modality of production of said modular frames 2, which, as may be readily understood from Figures 5, 6 and 8, are made in such a way as to be free with respect to one another in constituting the curtain of the closing system 1, without the need to use mutual-coupling means, such as hinges or connecting rods.

A further distinguishing feature of the present invention, which is no less importance than the previous one, regards the fact that, for the movement of the entire curtain or shutter, raising of the first element or top slat present therein is not performed like in current known closing systems, but, instead, is performed by raising the last element or bottom slat, usually referred to as "end rail", which in this case will behave as a raising end rail 10, driven in its movement of pull upwards by a motor-reducer 6, through raising means 11 such as, for example, lateral ropes or chains, as may be seen in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4.

A further peculiar feature of the present invention regards the particular conformation of the pair of lateral guides 5, which, in the proximity of the head box 8, convey each frame or slat 2 in at least one pair of inclined top guides 9, to enable an optimal occupation of a minimized space during packing and stacking of the curtain or shutter, as may be better appreciated from Figures 1, 2, 3 and in the enlarged detail "A" of Figure 4.

Yet a further peculiar feature of the present invention, which renders it completely innovative as compared to current closing systems, is the possibility of coupling to said modular frames 2 any type of possible existing panelling means 3, i.e., transparent or opaque glazed panels, thermally insulated panels, anti-effraction gratings, Persian blinds or Venetian blinds, and even photovoltaic panels if the exposure of the opening to be closed is favourable for said purpose. Said types of possible panelling means 3 are illustrated by way of non-limiting example in Figures 9, 10, 11, and 12.

The closing system 1 according to the present invention, basically characterized by the particular configuration of the modular frame 2, is further characterized by the following fundamental features, which will be described more fully in what follows: raising during opening of the curtain;

packing of the curtain upon complete opening;

- descent of the curtain during closing.

Raising of the closing system 1 is obtained via a vertical pull upwards of the bottom terminal element of the curtain or shutter, referred to as "raising end rail 10". Pulling of the end rail 10 is obtained via raising means 11, such as lateral ropes or chains, which are rigidly constrained to an anchorage means 15 fixed with respect to said end rail 10 and are pulled by a motor-reducer 6, which can be housed in the head box 8 itself. During opening, rising of the curtain, which made up of all the other panels 3 constrained to the frames 2, is obtained via thrust from beneath received by the end rail 10, the modular frames or slats 2 being without constraints to one another, but being only provided with ball bearings 7 that rotate on pins 7a in order to minimize the friction present during sliding thereof in the lateral guides 5.

During this manoeuvre, the thrust upwards that each modular frame 2, which is shaped in cross section like a parallelogram, receives to slide in the lateral guides 5 and proceed upwards within the head box 8 along said inclined top guides 9 is guaranteed by the particular conformation of the sides for contact and mutual thrust 4 of the modular frames 2, which enable mutual sliding of the frames 2 themselves, precisely along said contact sides 4, when they reach, during the raising and opening of the shutter, said inclined top guides 9. In fact, the contact sides 4 have an inclined surface to give rise to a thrust that generates a lateral displacement of each frame or slat 2 with respect to the underlying one, thus obtaining packing thereof along said inclined top guides 9 in the head box 8.

Packing of the curtain or shutter when opening is complete is obtained thanks to the presence of a deviation at the top end of each lateral guide 5, towards a pair of inclined guides 9, which, as has already been mentioned, are completely housed in the head box 8. Packing of the slats or modular frames 2, complete with the panelling means 3, is obtained by mutual thrust of the individual frames 2 along the deviation by sliding through said pair of inclined guides 9 present in the head box 8. The first modular frame 2, thus pushed by the underlying frames (which are in turn mutually pushed as far as the last element or raising end rail 10) in the first stretch of inclined guide, is then displaced with respect to the lateral guides 5, thus freeing rising and entry of the next underlying frame, and, proceeding in like manner, complete packing of the frames 2 or slats along said inclined top guides 9 is thus obtained. Once opening is completed, said frames 2 are positioned - i.e., stacked - in a way set alongside one another, developing an overall encumbrance that is minimized as compared to the known one of other closing systems.

Closing is, instead, obtained by causing - under the braked action of the motor-reducer - the end rail 10 to drop; the latter, resuming its vertical travel downwards in the lateral guide 5, frees the space for descent under the thrust of its own weight and then also of the adjacent modular frame 2 above it and so on for the subsequent frames 2, thus obtaining sliding thereof, first along the inclined top guides 9 and immediately after along the lateral guides 5, completing closing of the curtain or shutter.

The present closing system is extremely simple to assemble with further advantages in the costs of transport, movement, and installation.

The curtain or shutter can be made in various ways also with frames or slats 2 which have panelling means 3 different from one another, so much so that it is possible to protect openings of any extent either in width or in height.

The advantages that derive from the use of the present invention are decidedly numerous and evident and basically derive from creation of a system for closing openings for residential and industrial use that provides an inventive system of packing with a mechanics that is simple to produce, in so far as the individual elements that make up the curtain or shutter are mechanically separate from one another. In addition to said ease of construction and assembly, the invention is ideal for meeting any need of users owing to the fact that it is provided with panelling means 3 that can be modified at will also upon requests by customers for subsequent variations, in so far as the modular frames can be easily extracted and re-inserted in the head box by the maintenance operator.

It is also evident that numerous modifications, adaptations , _ integrations , variations, and replacements of elements with others that are functionally equivalent may be made to the example of embodiment so far described by way of illustrative and non-limiting, without thereby departing from the sphere of protection of the ensuing claims.

In this connection, according to a first variant of the invention, illustrated in Figure 13, in the head box 8 it is envisaged to eliminate the bottom inclined double guide 9, which during descent thus constitutes a simple guide lead-in for the modular frames 2, in order to channel them better into the vertical lateral guide 5, whilst the top inclined double guide 9 remains substantially unvaried in its bottom part and presents just a small guide lead-in for the modular frames 2, in order to channel them better as they rise along said oblique guide 9.

In addition to this, it is also possible to envisage a second variant, illustrated in Figures 14A, 14B and 14C, in which each frame or slat 2 is provided with a third ball bearing 7, mounted at the bottom on the modular frame 2 itself in a position such as to turn in contact with the vertical sides of the adjacent frames or slats 2 and not on the lateral guides 5, to enable the modular elements to slide up and down easily both on the lateral vertical guides 5 and on the oblique top guides 9 within the head box 8.

This latter variant also envisages the possibility of providing an "advertising" panelling obtained in the modular frame 2 itself, when the latter is equipped, like a slat of a metal shutter, outside shop windows (Figure 15) .

Finally, it should be noted that, according to the present invention, it is also possible to provide a rolling shutter of the anti-effraction security type: to do this it is envisaged to install on each modular frame 2 a pair of lateral means of constraint MV, fixed with respect to the frame 2 itself, _. designed to slide within a pair of purposely provided anti-effraction bars BA appropriately installed parallel to the lateral guides 5, as illustrated schematically in Figures 16 and 17.

Claims

1) A system (1) for closing access openings or openings in general of residential and industrial buildings, with function of anti-effraction security, darkening, advertising, design, separation of environments, mobile walls, gazebos, verandas, as well as for furnishing of interiors, for closing wardrobes or cupboards or for walls of walk-in closets, etc., basically comprising a removable shutter or curtain constituted by a plurality of rigid slats or modular frames (2) designed to slide along lateral guides (5) and to be housed in a top head box (8), said closing system being characterized in that said slats or modular frames (2) that constitute the shutter are without elements of mutual constraint and are designed to be packed and stacked on one another in the head box (8) by sliding first along said lateral guides (5) and then passing into at least one pair of appropriately inclined top guides (9) present in the head box itself; wherein the movement upwards of the slats or modular frames (2) is obtained by means of a thrust that each slat or modular frame (2) applies on the adjacent one above it starting from a bottom slat or raising end rail (10), which is moved upwards by purposely provided movement means (6, 11), which are also designed to brake the movement of descent of the end rail (10) itself - and of the slats (2) overlying it - that occurs by gravity; said thrust between one slat or modular frame (2) and the adjacent one taking place via purposely designed contact surfaces (4) provided on their horizontal sides. 2) The closing system (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said contact surfaces (4) between the slats or modular frames (2) and between the end rail (10) and the adjacent slat (2) above it are appropriately inclined to facilitate displacement parallel to itself of each slat (2) when it reaches the top end of the lateral guides (5) and is deviated on the inclined top guides (9) into the head box (8) .

3) The closing system (1) according to

Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterized in that said modular frames or slats (2), which are not constrained together and are each provided with a panelling means (3), have the side ends designed to slide along a pair of lateral guides (5) via at least one pair of ball or roller bearings (7) for each end.

4) The closing system (1) according to Claim 3, characterized in that said modular frames or slats (2) have a cross section shaped like a parallelogram, and in that said bearings (7) or similar rolling members are present in pairs and in an opposed way on each side of the frame (2) .

5) The closing system (1) according to Claim 3 or Claim 4, characterized in that said panelling means or panels (3) can be constituted by anti-effraction security opaque or transparent panes of glass, fixed or mobile darkening panellings, thermally insulated panels, anti-effraction security gratings, Venetian blinds, photovoltaic panels, the latter especially in the case of closing systems facing South.

6) The closing system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said raising end rail (10) is moved, in the pull upwards, by at least one pair of raising means or rope^'s or chains (11), through a manual-actuation and/or automatic- actuation means or a motor-reducer (6) .

7) The closing system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said modular frames (2), provided with the rolling members (7) and their panelling means (3), can be inserted directly from the door (12) of the head box (8), both during assembly and during subsequent maintenance operations .

8) The closing system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said curtain or shutter constituted by the ensemble of the plurality of said modular frames (2), complete with the panelling (3), together with the raising end rail (10), can be rigidly blocked in the closing position via a security lock.

9) The closing system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said inclined top guides (9) have an angle of inclination that is a function of the coefficient of friction existing between of each modular frame or slat (2) and the material constituting the guides (9) themselves; wherein said angle of inclination is necessary to push the pack of the set of the modular frames (2) to slide downwards overcoming - via just the gravitational component - the forces of friction along said inclined guides (9), unpacking the frames (2) as they approach the top end of the vertical guides (5) ; wherein said frames or slats (2) are braked as they drop downwards via said end rail (10) .

10) The closing system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that provided at the top end of each lateral guide (5) is a deviation towards said at least one pair of inclined guides (9), which are completely housed in the head box (8) .

11) The closing system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that provided in the head box (8) is just one top inclined guide (9) for each side, and a simple guide lead-in is present for the modular frames (2) during descent to channel them better into the lateral vertical guide (5); said top inclined guide (9) envisaging, in its bottom part, just a small guide lead-in for the modular frames (2) in order to channel them better as they rise along said oblique guide (9) .

12) The closing system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each frame or slat (2) is provided with a third ball bearing (7), mounted at the bottom on the modular frame (2) itself and displaced with respect to the other two, in a position such as to turn in contact with the vertical sides of the adjacent frames or slats (2) and not along the lateral guides (5) to enable the slats (2) themselves to slide up and down easily both on the lateral vertical guides (5) and on the oblique top guides (9) inside the head box (8) .

13) The closing system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in at least one modular frame (2) an "advertising" panelling (3) is provided.

14) The closing system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in order to provide a rolling shutter of the anti- effraction security type, it is envisaged to install on each modular frame (2) a pair of lateral constraint means (MV) , fixed with respect to the frame (2) itself, designed to slide within a pair of purposely provided anti-effraction bars (BA) appropriately installed parallel to the lateral guides (5).