Field of Search:
49/64,51,74,86 160/107,164,166,176,177
Claims:
What is claimed is
1. A combined double pane insulating window and louver construction for adjustable sun control comprising: a series of louver slats, pairs of stainless steel cables, metal support means fixed at spaced intervals to said cables, said metal support means providing the sole support and guide for said louver slats, upper and lower pivot means located between the panes of glass for support of said pairs of cables, tubular end connectors fixed to the ends of said cables and connected respectively to said upper and lower pivot means, and a remote louver slat angular control means for rotating said upper and lower pivot means to regulate the angle of said louver slats for adjustable sun control.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said stainless steel cables are of the multistrand wound type and wherein said metal support means comprise eyelets having a straight portion fixed to said cables at particular locations thereon and U-shaped portions extending outwardly from said straight portions, one leg of the U-shaped portion being shorter than the other so as to form an opening between said shorter leg of said U-shaped portion and said straight portion to permit assembly with said louver slats.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said louver slats have openings formed at particular locations adjacent the edges thereof to accommodate said eyelets upon assembly.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said window and louver construction includes a circumferential frame, an upper anchor fixed to said frame along an inside edge thereof, said upper anchor pivotally supporting said upper pivot means, and a lower anchor fixed to said frame along an inside edge thereof opposite said first mentioned inside edge, said lower anchor pivotally supporting said lower pivot means.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said upper and lower pivot means each comprise an elongated channel, flat portions extending outwardly from the upper edges of said channel, the outer edges of said flat portions opposite said channel being of a rolled configuration, the concavity of said rolled edges being oppositely directed to the concavity of said channel.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said tubular end connectors comprise hollow tubular metal bodies, one end thereof being flared and the opposite end thereof being of a looped configuration, the ends of said cables being fixed within the flared end of respective tubular connectors.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said looped portions of said tubular end connectors intersect said rolled edges of said upper and lower pivot means, and pivot pins are placed within the looped portion of said tubular end connectors and said rolled edges of said upper and lower pivot means at the intersections thereof so as to form the pivotal connections therebetween.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said channel of said lower pivot means has an extension thereof, said extension being operatively associated with said remote louver slat angular control means to permit said angular control means to regulate the angle of said louver slats through rotation of said pivot means.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said remote louver slat angular control means comprises a first shaft having control means on one end for angular rotation of said first shaft and rotational initiation means on said opposite end immediately adjacent one pane of the insulating window for remote initiation of rotation, a second shaft supported by the said panes of said insulating window, said second shaft having induced rotational means located on the end of said shaft immediately adjacent said pane of said window and juxtaposed said rotational initiation means for rotation dependent upon rotation of said first rotational initiation means, a first gear located intermediate said second shaft, a second gear mounted on said channel extension and engaging said first gear, whereby rotation of said first shaft and said rotational initiation means by said control means will cause rotation of said induced rotational means to rotate said first and second gear to rotate said channel extension for adjustable louver slat angular control.
10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said rotational initiation means and said induced rotational means are opposed magnets.
Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
An effective and economical means for sun control through windows into building interiors has long been desired. Outside louvers, tinted or heat absorbing glass, and inside Venetian blinds have all been tried but suffer from deficiencies as to effectiveness and/or economy. Outside louvers are expensive and are not aesthelically favored by architects while Venetian blinds are prone to dust collection as well as generating unwanted heat. Tinted windows, on the other hand, in addition to their initial expense offer no ability for adjustable control.
The recent development and growing popularity of double pane glass insulating windows has provided a new expedient for sun control; i.e., the placement of louvers between the glass panes of insulating windows. Window units of this type must be hermetically sealed to provide an effective dead air space for sufficient insulation as well as to prevent dust, dirt and moisture from collecting on the louvers or the inside of the glass panes. Thus, while placement of louvers between the panes of insulating windows provides an efficient means of sun control, this arrangement does present a unique problem in that normal maintenance is impossible. Therefore, the louver structure must be constructed in such a way and of such material that it will last the anticipated life of the window unit.
Venetian blind type louvers have heretofore been supported by standard ladder tapes and rungs of cloth or nylon, or by an individual support of each louver slat at its opposite ends in pivot bearings. The standard ladder type support arrangement is deficient in necessary long life characteristics in that it is detrimentally effected by the particular environment between the glass panes. Due to the fact that the area between the panes is a dead air space, ultraviolet rays from the sun are permitted to attack any cloth or nylon within the space to destroy it. The individual pivot lower support arrangement must also shield against the action of the ultraviolet rays if other than metal bearings are used. Additionally, the individual pivot arrangement requires a great deal of mechanical parts adding to the expense as well as to the increased likelihood of unit failure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the object of this invention to provide a combined window and louver construction for efficient sun control which is more economical and has greater reliability than previous units of this type. Within the space between the glass panes of a double pane, hermetically sealed, insulating window, a louver arrangement for adjustable sun control is constructed by interconnecting a series of louver slats by pairs of vertical, multistrand stainless steel cables. Eyelets are attached to the cables to engage small holes in the edges of the slats. Control of the orientation of the slats is accomplished by synchronous, vertical, opposing travel of the inboard and outboard cables.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a sun control window unit incorporating the novel louver arrangement according to this invention.
FIG. 2 is a side view partly in section of the louver arrangement of this invention.
FIG. 3 is a side view of a slat support cable.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of a typical slat of the novel louver arrangement.
FIG. 5 is a plan view of the bottom rail of the novel louver arrangement.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the tubular connector end fixture for the support cables. The FIG. 6A is an enlarged view of the flared end of the tubular connector and fixture of FIG. 6.
FIG. 7 is a side view, partly in section, of the louver angle control mechanism.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows an adjustable sun control insulating window unit 10 incorporating the novel louver arrangement of this invention. The window unit 10 has a box frame 12 within which the louver arrangement 14 is positioned between the panes of glass 16 thereof. The panes of glass 16 are hermetically sealed to the frame 12 by means of an appropriate sealant 18 (see FIG. 2). Located in one corner of the frame 12 is a louver angle remote control mechanism 20, the construction of which is explained hereinbelow.
As best seen in FIG. 2, a bottom insert 22 which supports a bottom rail anchor 24 is secured to the frame 12 by means of a holddown mechanism 26. The bottom rail anchor 24 positions the bottom rail 28 of the louver arrangement 14 as well as providing a pivot point therefor. A similar structure serves to support the top of the louver arrangement 14. That is, a top insert 30 is fixed to the frame 12 and supports a top rail anchor 32. The top rail anchor 32 supports a top rail 34 of the louver arrangement 14 and serves as the pivot point therefor.
Connected between the top rail 34 and bottom rail 28 and serving as the louver slat support mechanism are a plurality of pairs of multistrand stainless steel cables 36. As seen in FIG. 3, a typical cable 36 has eyelets 38 fixed thereto at spaced intervals therealong. The eyelets 38 are formed by U-shaped portions fixed at one end to straight portions 42 in such a manner so that there will be an opening 40 between one leg of the U-shaped portion and the straight portion 42. The straight portions 42 are secured to the cable at the proper intervals by staking, soldering, welding, adhesive bonding or die casting. The openings 40 serve to permit assembly of the slats of the louver arrangement 14 with the cables 36.
The louver arrangement 14 is made up of a series of slats 44 (see also FIG. 4). The slats 44 are shown as being of a general rectangular shape, slightly bowed along the minor rectangular dimension, similar to the slats of typical Venetian blind arrangements, but may be flat, S-shaped or custom designed. Small openings 46 are particularly positioned along the edges of the slats 44. These openings 46 are slipped over the openings in the eyelets 38 of the wire cables 36 and then the eyelet openings 40 are closed in any suitable manner, such as by pressing, so as to positively retain the slats 44 in specific relationships between the cables 36.
The bottom rail 28 which controls the angular movement of the louver arrangement 14 has flat portions 48 which are connected to a central channel 50. The outer edges of the flat portions 48 (opposite the channel 50) have rolled edges 54. The rolled edges 54 have openings 56 therein to accommodate pivotal connections to the cables 36 in a manner to be explained hereinbelow. The channel 50 has an extension 52 which is connected to the louver angle remote control mechanism 20 to initiate angular control. It is noted that the top rail 34 is of identical construction to the bottom rail 28 with the exception that there is no extension to the central channel and the length of the top rail 34 extends fully across the width of the frame 12 whereas the length of the bottom rail 28 is somewhat less than the full width due to the positioning of the louver angle control mechanism 20 within the frame 12 (see FIG. 1).
Special tubular connectors 58 are provided to pivotally fix the cables 36 in a proper orientation to the bottom rail 28 and top rail 34. A typical tubular connector 58 (see FIG. 6) is comprised of a hollow body 60 having a looped end 62 and an opposite flared end 64 (FIG. 6A). The hollow body 60 is made of stainless steel which is bonded to the ends of the cable 36, the flared end 64 abutting the eyelets 38 closest to the ends of the cable. The tubular connectors 58 are then inserted in the openings 56 in the bottom rail 28 (and corresponding openings in the top rail 34), and pivot pins 66 are inserted under the rolled edges 54. Thus the connectors are pivotally locked to the top and bottom rails (34, 28). The dimension of the tubular connectors 58 are such that on construction of the louver arrangement 14 a precise orientation of the upper and lower slats 44 with respect to the top and bottom rails is accomplished. The top and bottom rails are in turn pivotally fixed to the top rail anchor 32 and bottom rail anchor 24 by means of pivot pins 68 which ride in the channels of the rails (e.g. the channel 50 of bottom rail 28).
Angular orientation of the louver arrangement 14 to provide adjustable sun control is accomplished by synchronous, vertical, opposing travel of the inboard and outboard cables 36 (the inboard cables being those closest to the inner pane of glass 16 and the outboard cables being those closest the outside pane of glass). This synchronous movement is initiated by the louver remote angle control mechanism 20 which is comprised of a housing 70 fixed to the inside pane of glass 16. The housing 70 rotatably supports a first shaft 72 which has a control knob 74 fixed to the end thereof extending outwardly from the housing 70, and a first magnet 76 fixed to the other end of the shaft 72 located within the housing 70.
Within the hermetically sealed space between the panes of glass 16 there is supported a second shaft 78 which has a first gear 80 mounted thereon intermediate the length of the shaft 78. On the end of shaft 78 at the opposite side of the glass 16 from the first magnet 76 is mounted a second magnet 82 for corresponding movement with the first magnet 76. Engaging the first gear 80 is a second gear 84 which is mounted on the channel extension 52 of the bottom rail 28.
As a result of this construction, it can be seen that rotation of the control knob 74 will cause rotation of the first magnet 76. The second magnet 82 will rotate a corresponding degree to the rotation of the first magnet 76 rotating the gear 80 to drive the gear 84; rotation of the bottom rail 28 about the pivot 68 through movement of the channel extension 52 will thus be effected. This rotation of the bottom rail 28 will cause the requisite synchronous, vertical, opposing travel of the inboard and outboard cables due to the pivot actions of the tubular connectors 58 about the pivot pins 66 and the pivot of the top and bottom rails about the pivots 68 resulting in regulatable tilting of the slats 44.
From the foregoing it is apparent that there has herein been accomplished the arrangement of an efficient and economical sun control window unit which is of simple and reliable construction. Multistrand stainless steel cables are used in place of cloth or nylon ladders and tapes to support slats of the louver arrangement. The slats are fixed to the cables by means of metal eyelets through holes in the edges of the slats. The cables are in turn particularly positioned and attached to top and bottom rails which may be pivoted so as to accomplish synchronous, vertical, opposing travel of inboard and outboard cables to tilt the slats to give the necessary adjustable sun control. This simplified structure is placed between the panes of a hermetically sealed, insulating window and is operated by means of a magnet and gear control arrangement. Since the louver arrangement is entirely of metal, it will not be effected by the environment within the hermetically sealed window thus yielding a reliable, efficient organization of considerable life span.
It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials, and arrangements of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.