Shutter for curved windows

• US 5,713,156 A
• Filed: 02/20/1996
• Issued: 02/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rushman Industries
• Original Assignee: Rushman Industries
• Inventors: Briggs, Kenneth W. Sr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dorner, Kenneth J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): COHEN, CURTIS A
• Application Number:
  US08/603,733
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 49/74.1, 49/82.1, 49/92.1, 49/371
• US Class Current: 49/82.1
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/2488 Curved perimeter
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/26 Lamellar or like blinds, e.g. venetian blinds for vehicles B60J1/2088

Abstract

A window shutter having pivoting louvers radially mounted in an arcuate frame. Each louver has a narrow end mounted to an inner frame member, a wide end mounted to an outer frame member, and two diverging lateral sides. The wide louver end is pivotally mounted to the outer frame member by a mounting pin extending into the wide end and into the outer frame member. The narrow louver end is securely mounted to a pinion gear which meshes with arcuate front and rear rack gears which are slidably mounted in the inner frame member. The shaft of each pinion gear extends into the inner frame member to rotatably mount the gear thereto. Rotation of a single pinion gear causes a corresponding arcuate movement of the rack gears in opposite directions. Movement of the rack gears, in turn, rotates all pinion gears and all louvers simultaneously. The rack gears may also be directly positioned to rotate the louvers. The total range of movement of the rack gears cause a 180° rotation of the louvers.

Claims

1. A shutter for curved windows comprising:

a frame having an inner frame member and an outer frame member;

a plurality of radially extending louvers, each of said plurality of louvers having a narrow end, a wide end, and two diverging lateral sides; and

each being mounted to said inner frame member at said narrow end, and to said outer frame member at said wide end by means of a mounting pin extending into said outer frame member and into said wide end; and

a rack and pinion gear assembly in said frame for engaging synchronously said plurality of louvers, said assembly comprising a pair of opposing slidably mounted arcuate rack gears and a plurality of pinion gears mounted between each of said pair of arcuate rack gears.

2. A shutter for curved windows comprising:

a frame having an inner frame member and an outer frame member;

a plurality of radially extending louvers, each of said plurality of louvers having a narrow end, a wide end, and two diverging lateral sides; and

each being mounted to said inner frame member at said narrow end, and to said outer frame member at said wide end by means of a mounting pin extending into said outer frame member and into said wide end; and

a rack and pinion gear assembly in said frame for engaging synchronously said plurality of louvers, said assembly comprising a slidably mounted arcuate rack gear and a plurality of pinion gears meshed with said arcuate rack gear; and

means for securely mounting each of said plurality of louvers to an associated one of said plurality of pinion gears, comprising a transverse tab formed on the outer end of each of said plurality of pinion gears, and a slot formed in the narrow end of each of said louvers for engaging said transverse tab.

3. A shutter for curved windows comprising:

a frame having an inner frame member and an outer frame member;

a plurality of radially extending louvers, each of said plurality of louvers having a narrow end, a wide end, and two diverging lateral sides; and

each being mounted to said inner frame member at said narrow end, and to said outer frame member at said wide end by means of a mounting pin extending into said outer frame member and into said wide end;

each of said plurality of louvers having an angular width spacing substantially equal to the spacing between each of said louvers, and the two diverging lateral sides of each of said louvers including a first lateral side which is tapered at an acute angle from front-to-back and a second lateral side which is tapered an acute angle from back-to-front; and

a rack and pinion gear assembly in said frame for engaging synchronously said plurality of louvers, said assembly comprising a slidably mounted arcuate rack gear and a plurality of pinion gears meshed with said arcuate rack gear.

4. The shutter of claim 3, wherein the angle of taper of the first and second lateral sides is approximately 45°

.

5. The shutter of claim 3, wherein the angle of taper of the first lateral side is substantially equal to the angle of taper of the second lateral side.