Flexible or portable closure – partition – or panel – Roll type – With guides or fabric edge holders
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-09
2002-08-13
Johnson, Blair M. (Department: 3634)
Flexible or portable closure, partition, or panel
Roll type
With guides or fabric edge holders
C016S09600D
Reexamination Certificate
active
06431250
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many building codes are now requiring or will soon require hurricane shutters on all new homes built in coastal areas. Similar requirements for buildings other than homes are anticipated as well. The South Florida Building Code, 1994 Edition, requires that storm shutters shall be designed and constructed to insure a minimum of a one inch separation at maximum deflection with components and frames of components they are to protect unless the components and frame are designed to receive the load of storm shutters.
The determination of actual wind loading on building surfaces is complex and varies with wind direction, time, height above ground, building shape, terrain, surrounding structures, and other factors. The American Society For Testing And Materials (ASTM) has promulgated a Standard Test Method For Structural Performance of Exterior Windows, Curtain Walls, And Doors By Uniform Static Air Pressure Difference and its designation is E330-97 and was published April 1998. The test method requires that the person specifying the test translate anticipated wind velocities and durations into uniform static air pressure differences and durations. Durations are considered because most materials have strength or deflection characteristics which are time dependent. Testing under this method is performed in a test chamber which measures the pressure difference across the test specimen.
Similarly, ASTM has declared a Standard Test Method For Water Penetration Of Exterior Windows, Curtain Walls, And Doors By Uniform Static Air Pressure Difference which includes a water spraying apparatus within the test chamber. See, ASTM designation E331-96. Leakage rate testing can be done under the ASTM Standard Test Method For Determining The Rate Of Air Leakage Through Exterior Windows, Curtain Walls And Doors Under Specified Pressure Differences Across The Specimen. See, ASTM designation E283-91.
When a building envelope is breached devastating pressure differentials cause large amounts of damage. Kinetic energy due to the velocity of the fluid is proportional to the square of the velocity. Energy from the wind, therefore, pressurizes the interior of a home or other structure which in combination with the profile of the roof makes the roof, in effect, act like an airplane wing causing it to blow off the remaining structure. Windload and impact resistance requirements depend on the particular community promulgating the requirements.
The American Society of Civil Engineers' Standard 7 is being increasingly used by public regulators in formulating requirements. In some areas of high probability for high wind occurrences, such as hurricanes, existing homes are required to upgrade windows and doors or add shutters and other protective devices to building openings to protect them.
Conventional storm window protection as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,065,900 to Eggert, U.S. Pat. No. 4,069,641 to De Zutter and U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,268 to Palmer are methods of attaching outer coverings to window or door openings. U.S. Pat. No. 4,065,900 to Eggert discloses an apparatus for framing and fastening a secondary glazing pane which utilizes a hinge. U.S. Pat. No. 4,069,641 to De Zutter discloses a storm window frame which utilizes double-faced tape to mount the storm window frame and, hence, the storm window. U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,268 to Palmer discloses a hard flexible curtain door, a tensioned storage or wind-up drum, and channels in which the door resides. The door moves out of the channels under impact and is wound up to open for vehicle passage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,174 to Moriarty, et al. discloses a tensioned flexible sheet storage roller, a guide roller and side seal guides. These coverings are normally clear flexible materials that must be installed and removed as needed or can be rolled and stored in a storage area above the window. These materials can be tinted to provide a reduction in sunlight transmission, but tinting would also reduce vision at night. These storm window coverings offer good thermal insulation, but offer minimal protection from high wind velocity pressures and wind borne debris. Further, these coverings are usually made of flexible polyvinyl chloride and will functionally deteriorate with time and must be replaced. The coverings that are of rolling construction must have adequate clearance between the guide rails and the sheet to prevent jamming of the sheet in the guide rails during opening and closing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,302 to Ricke, Sr. discloses a security shutter and awning device for covering windows and doors. The device includes slats made from aluminum or other extrudable material of sufficient strength to protect against storms and/or vandalism. The shutter of Ricke, Sr. may be slidably mounted and pivoted so as to act as an awning.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,320 to Taylor discloses a pressure differential compensating flexible curtain with side edge sections which are sealingly engaged with channels. The first upper end of the curtain is attached to a curtain winding mechanism which includes a spring barrel. Taylor discloses an elastomeric curtain having plastic supports with rubber covers banded thereto. Alternatively the plastic supports may be high molecular weight plastic strips. The purpose behind the design of the supports is to minimize the friction of these supports enabling operation of the door/curtain with a high differential pressure across it.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,588 to Ruppel discloses a roller shutter slat which interlocks with the adjacent roller sheet slat. U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,805 to Magro discloses a wind-resistant overhead closure with windlocks on the lateral edge portions of the intermediate and bottommost slats of the closure. First means to limit the lateral movement of the lateral edge of the intermediate potions and second means to limit the lateral movement of the endmost door portion are disclosed. Intermediate slats and endmost slats are provided. The '805 patent indicates in col. 2, lines 12 et seq. that it conforms with the South Florida Building Code, 1994 Edition, previously referred to hereinabove. Further, the '805 patent states that its teachings are applicable to both doors and windows.
Windlocks can be added at the end of slats which will improve the resistance of multileaf shutters or doors to wind velocity pressures by transmitting the stresses on the continuous hinge area to the ends of the slat, to the guide system and finally to the jambs or building structure. In order for the windlocks to engage the guide track the slat must deflect a considerable amount. Normally clearance is allowed between the guide track and the windlock to keep the door from jamming during operation and the more clearance allowed the more deflection of the slats before the windlocks contact the guide track. Typically, these windlocks are larger in cross section than the slat profile and when the shutter or door deflects from high wind velocity pressures, the windlocks are designed to engage the same space in which the slats are guided. When storing a rolling multileaf shutter or door equipped with windlocks, additional room is needed because the depth of the windlock is larger than the slat profile, the diameter of the storage area increases dramatically. In these designs, clearance between the windlock and the track must be allowed to prevent the windlocks from jamming and care must be taken when operating shutters or doors in a wind because the windlocks will sometimes jam as the product deflects.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,902 to Lichy discloses a damage minimizing closure door somewhat similar to U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,268 to Palmer. The Lichy '209 patent discloses a flexible curtain and a guide for receiving and guiding the side edges of the flexible door during vertical movement. A counterbalancing power spring is associated with the door to assist in raising and lowering the curtain. Side edges of the curtain separate from the guide assembly upon being impacted by an externally applied force such as a vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,
Hudoba Mark S.
Mullet Willis J.
Johnson Blair M.
Wayne-Dalton Corporation
Woodling Krost and Rust
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