Supports – Brackets – Rod type
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-30
2001-04-10
Ramirez, Ramon O. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Brackets
Rod type
C248S251000, C211S105100, C211S123000, C160S330000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06213437
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to industrial curtains and, particularly, to a bracket and rod assembly for supporting an industrial curtain.
BACKGROUND
Industrial curtains are conventionally employed to provide closures between, for example, separate manufacturing areas within large buildings, warehouses and the like. On a smaller scale, they are used to cover smaller doorways to temperature controlled rooms or the like. The general idea is to provide a closure which nevertheless allows foot or vehicular traffic to pass through. These curtains are generally made up of side-by-side elongated plastic strips which hang from a bracket assembly mounted on a wall and extending across the top of the opening. More often than not, the strips are translucent or at least semi-transparent so that persons or vehicles approaching the curtain can see if the way is clear on the other side of the curtain.
It is often necessary to replace one or more of the elongated strips and to date, this has proven to be a time consuming effort if it is necessary to remove one or both of the wall mounted brackets.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a new and improved bracket assembly design which allows quick and easy installation and replacement of industrial curtain strips on a supporting rod. This is done by providing a unique bracket and rod structure which allows curtain strips to be loaded onto the supporting rod without having to remove either of the two wall mounted brackets.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, one wall mounted bracket is provided with a rod supporting hole while the opposite wall mounted bracket is provided with a rod supporting an open-ended slot or groove. The hole in the one supporting bracket is large enough to permit the rod to be raised out of the open-ended slot in the opposite bracket while nevertheless providing support for the rod, thus taking up the weight of not only the rod itself but also of the curtain strips loaded onto the rod.
It is another feature of the invention that one of the mounting screws for the bracket containing the open-ended slot is alignable with a through hole in the rod itself so that when the mounting screw is installed, it also passes through the curtain supporting rod, thereby locking the rod in place.
Accordingly, in its broader aspects, the present invention relates to a bracket assembly for supporting one or more curtain strips, the assembly comprising an elongated rod; a first wall mount bracket adapted to support one end of the rod; a second wall mount bracket adapted to support an opposite end of the rod; and means for permitting one or more elongated curtain strips to be loaded onto the rod when the first and second brackets are secured to a wall, without having to remove either of the first and second brackets from the wall.
In another aspect, the invention relates to a bracket assembly for supporting one or more curtain strips, the assembly comprising an elongated rod; a first bracket having a slot therein for supporting one end of the rod; a second bracket having a hole therein for supporting an opposite end of the rod; the first bracket having at least two fastener holes therein and the rod having a through hole at one end thereof perpendicular to an axis of the rod, the through hole alignable with one of at least two fastener holes so that a fastener may extend through the through hole and said one of at least two fastener holes to thereby lock the rod to the one bracket.
In still another aspect, the invention relates to an industrial curtain assembly comprising an elongated rod supporting a plurality of elongated curtain strips; a first bracket adapted for mounting on a wall surface and having a slot therein for supporting one end of the rod; a second bracket adapted for mounting on the wall surface and having a hole therein for supporting an opposite end of the rod; the first bracket having at least two fastener holes therein and the elongated rod having a through hole at one end thereof perpendicular to an axis of the elongated rod, the through hole alignable with one of at least two fastener holes so that a fastener may extend through the through hole and one of at least two fastener holes to thereby lock the elongated rod to the one bracket.
Additional objects and advantages of the subject invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows.
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Nixon & Vanderhye P.C.
Ramirez Ramon O.
Robbins, III Edward S.
Szumny Jon
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