[0001] This patent application refers to a burglar-proof armoured roller shutter.
[0002] Armoured roller shutters are currently known and used, both with adjustable and fixed
slates.
[0003] As it is known, roller shutters are composed of a frame made of extruded metal sections,
with two opposite uprights provided with a large groove on their internal side designed
to house fixing and handling means of the pins with horizontal axis located at the
two ends of the slates.
[0004] Within this traditional structure, the armoured roller shutters that are currently
available on the market are characterised by the fact that each slate is longitudinally
crossed by a sturdy rod iron, whose lateral ends are designed to engage within suitable
holes on the uprights used to fix and handle the corresponding slate.
[0005] The presence of a rod iron inside each slate strengthens the structure of the slate,
thus making it stronger against the action of burglars who may attempt to cut or break
it violently.
[0006] However, it must be said that, in spite of internal reinforcement, armoured slates
are not able to resist the action of a lever bar fixed to the centre line of the slate
and used as lever to exercise energetic traction.
[0007] As a matter of fact, traction inevitably bends the slate, thus moving the centre
point (or in any case the point where the lever bar is fixed) away from the hypothetical
horizontal axis passing through the holes on the uprights of the roller shutter designed
to receive the ends of the internal rod iron.
[0008] Consequently, the ends of the rod iron (together with the lateral pins of the corresponding
slate) are extracted from the holes on the uprights of the frame and the entire slate
is removed from the roller shutter.
[0009] The present invention intends to renovate the aforementioned traditional technology,
with the specific purpose of making roller shutter slates perfectly resistant to burglary
actions (i.e. say total extraction) with a lever bar.
[0010] More precisely, by means of the present invention, the ends of the rod irons incorporated
in the roller shutter slates cannot be extracted from their corresponding holes on
the uprights of the frame, regardless of the energetic traction exercised on the slate
with a lever bar or any other burglar tool.
[0011] The purposes of the present invention have been achieved modifying the typical structure
of a traditional roller shutter with armoured slates.
[0012] First of all, the ends of each rod iron incorporated in the slates largely protrude
downstream the holes on the front wall of the two extruded sections that represent
the frame uprights.
[0013] Once inserted, each end of the rod iron is positioned in the tubular cavity normally
provided on the extruded section on the back of the front wall with holes.
[0014] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the ends of all rod irons used as
reinforcement are respectively provided with diameter holes, and each extruded section
used as frame upright is provided with a basically C-shaped longitudinal groove on
the back of the front wall, exactly behind the series of holes on the front wall used
to receive the ends of the stiffening rod irons.
[0015] In particular, once the slates have been installed, the diameter holes on the ends
of the stiffening rod irons are exactly positioned inside the longitudinal groove
on the back of the front wall of the extruded section used as upright.
[0016] Then a suitable pin is exactly engaged in each longitudinal groove, passing through
the holes located at the ends of the iron rods inserted in the groove.
[0017] In view of the above, it is evident that each groove acts as a sliding guide for
the corresponding pin.
[0018] In any case, the presence of the pin that is inserted and connects all ends of the
stiffening iron rods on the back of the front wall of the window frame makes it impossible
to disengage the ends from the holes on the window uprights, in spite of strong traction
exercised on the slates with a lever bar.
[0019] For major clarity the description of the invention continues with reference to the
enclosed drawings, which are intended for purposes of illustration only and not in
a limiting sense, whereby:
- Fig. 1 is a partial axonometric view of the roller shutter of the invention;
- Fig. 2 is a partial axonometric view of a roller shutter provided with adjustable
slates;
- Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view with a transversal plane of the metal section used
as upright in the roller shutter of the invention.
[0020] With reference to the aforementioned figures, the roller shutter of the invention
is composed of a metal frame, with two opposite uprights (1) made of extruded sections,
provided with a vertical series of regularly spaced holes (2) on the internal longitudinal
wall (1 a), designed to be exactly crossed by the ends (3a) of the rod irons (3) inserted
as reinforcement in the slates (4) of the roller shutter (1).
[0021] In particular, after passing through the holes (2), the ends (3a) of the rod irons
(3) end on the back of the wall (1 a) of the upright (1) in the traditional tubular
cavity (C) on the internal side of the extruded section (1).
[0022] The aforementioned figures show that, in the present invention, the back of the internal
wall (1 a) of each upright (1) is provided with a longitudinal groove (5) in matching
position with the vertical series of holes (2) with a central notch (5a) with basically
C-shaped cross-section.
[0023] Each end of the stiffening rod irons (3) is crossed by a diametrical hole (3b), which
is basically a sort of eyelet.
[0024] Evidently, the specific configuration and dimensions of each rod iron
- (3) exactly match the configuration and dimensions of the upright (1).
[0025] Following the insertion of the end of the rod iron (3) in the hole (2) of the upright
(1), the eyelet (3b) of the rod iron (3) is exactly positioned inside the longitudinal
groove (5a) on the back of the wall (1 a) of the upright (1).
[0026] Then a suitable pin (6) is inserted in the groove (5a) on the back of the wall (1
a) of the upright (1), in such a way that the pin (6) can be inserted in the eyelets
(3a) on the ends of the stiffening rod irons (3) protruding through corresponding
holes (2) on the back of the wall (1 a) of the upright (1).
[0027] From this perspective, it is evident that each pin (6) is designed to "connect" the
lateral ends of a series of stiffening rod irons (3) on the corresponding side of
the window frame, thus opposing traction exercised on the slates (4) that could determine
the disengagement of each end (3a) of the rod iron (3) from the corresponding hole
(2) on the upright (1), thus removing the slate (4) from the frame.