Modular screen member

Abstract

 A description is given of a modular screen member (1) for a sectional structure for demarcation of outside spaces, comprising a base element (2) and an upper element (3), each one made up of a respective frame (4, 6) enclosing a corresponding panel (5, 7), the frame (20) of the upper element being housed in seats (13) of the frame (10) of the lower element, so as to be able to slide vertically with the aid of or in contrast with gas springs (30) housed in said seats (13).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to screen panels used in sectional systems for the demarcation of outside spaces, in particular for demarcating and enclosing the public space outside bars, restaurants, terraces, etc.

[0002] Known screen panels are normally made in a single element made up of a transparent sheet and/or laminate.

[0003] Screen panels of this type, so that they are really effective and offer a real protection against wind, must be dimensioned on the basis of the seasons. For this reason, during the dry season, these panels are presented as oversized, offering excessive heating of the enclosed space both due to the greenhouse effect, produced by the transparent sheet, and due to the poor circulation of air produced by the panel itself which acts as a mechanical obstacle. During this season there is therefore the need for complete removal of the entire system of demarcation formed by the screen panels and the reinstallation at the start of windy seasons, which is obviously inconvenient.

[0004] To overcome this disadvantage at least in part, the European patent EP 1452671, in the name of the same Applicant, proposes a screen panel made up of a substantially fixed base element and an upper element, interchangeable on the basis of the weather conditions.

[0005] This solution however also imposes partial dismantling and subsequent reassembling of the structure.

[0006] To avoid dismantling and reassembly of part of the structure products have been offered on the market of the vertical sliding type, using lateral pulley systems and with very bulky counterweights which, with considerable manual effort by the user, allow the height of the panel to be lowered. In this case these are not real and proper screens but walls framed on the four sides which are made to slide vertically one on the other with the aforesaid means.

[0007] US-2003/0173472 discloses a lifted upright post device including at least one upright post and a lifting device.

[0008] The upright post has longitudinal engaging slide grooves disposed at a circumferential periphery thereof. The lifted device is selectively disposed in the slide grooves with a slide part being connected to a spacing board. Once the lifted device is actuated, the slide part can move upward or downward in the slide grooves longitudinally so as to move the spacing board synchronously.

[0009] The object of the invention is that of eliminating the disadvantages of the screens of the prior art illustrated above and to provide a screen member whose height can be regulated in a simple and rapid manner, with minimum effort by the user and without having to resort to operations of dismantling and reassembly of parts.

[0010] Another object of the invention is that of providing such a screen member which is simple and economical to make, easy to install and which allows easy maintenance and possible rapid replacement of the means which allow regulation thereof.

[0011] These objects are achieved by the screen member according to the invention which has the features of the annexed independent claim 1.

[0012] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are disclosed by the dependent claims.

[0013] The screen member according to the invention substantially comprises, once mounted, a lower panel enclosed in a fixed frame and an upper panel sliding in relation to the lower panel in special guideways provided in the section bars of the uprights of the fixed frame under the action of or in contrast with gas springs.

[0014] The presence of the gas springs reduces to a minimum the effort for lowering the upper panel and allows it to be lifted without any effort. This is considerably advantageous in that the panel, normally made up of a sheet of glass, can reach the weight of approximately 20 kg, if it has for example a height of approximately 100 cm and a width of approximately 200 cm.

[0015] Moreover such a system allows placing of the upper sheet not only in the two end positions, raised and lowered, but in any position intermediate between the two, if necessary.

[0016] Further features of the invention will be made clearer by the following detailed description, referred to one of its embodiments purely by way of a non-limiting example, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figures 1a, 1b and 1c are schematic frontal views showing a screen member according to the invention in three different configurations;

Figure 2 is a frontal view of only the lower or base element of the screen member of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a frontal view of only the upper element of the screen member of Figure 1;

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are enlarged sections taken, respectively, along the planes IV-IV, V-V and VI-VI of Figure 1b;

Figure 7 is a schematic section taken along the plane VII-VII of Figure 1a, to show in particular the arrangement of the gas spring;

Figure 8 is a plan and sectioned view of a structure of screen panels obtained from the composition of modular members according to the invention.

[0017] Referring to Figure 1, the modular screen member according to the invention, denoted overall by reference numeral 1, comprises a base or lower element 2 (see in particular Figure 2) and an upper element 3 (see in particular Figure 3), coupled with the base element, and which can be positioned at different heights in relation thereto, as shown schematically in Figures 1a, 1b, 1c, in the manner which will be described herein below.

[0018] The base element 2 is made up of a support frame 4 of rectangular shape inside whereof a panel 5 in laminate or another transparent or opaque material is placed, in particular a sheet of glass or plastic.

[0019] The upper element 3 comprises instead a frame 6 which has the shape of a

, which encloses in its interior a panel 7, preferably a transparent sheet of glass or plastic.

[0020] The frames 4 and 6 are made from metal or plastic section bars and each comprise a pair of uprights 10, 20, respectively, and a pair of crosspieces 11, 21 respectively.

[0021] As can be seen in Figure 4, the section bar of each upright 10 of the frame 4 of the base element 2 comprises two tubular elements 12 joined one to the other so as to form a seat 13 appropriately shaped and open inwards, in the direction of the other upright.

[0022] The panel 5 is mounted in a cavity 14 adjacent to the tubular element 12 and attached by means of screws 15, as shown schematically in Figure 4.

[0023] The section bars of the uprights 20 of the frame 6 of the upper element 3 are made up of a tubular element 22, whose outer profile perfectly matches the inner profile of the seat 13 provided in the upright 10, so that the upright 20 can be inserted in the upright 10 and slide vertically in relation thereto, as shown in Figure 6.

[0024] The panel 7 of the upper element 3 is mounted in a cavity 23 adjacent to the tubular element 22 and attached by means of screws 24 (Figure 5).

[0025] Inside the seat 13 of the upright 10 a gas spring 30, in itself known, is placed, comprising a stem 31 (Figure 7), whose lower end is attached in the point of attachment between upright 10 and lower crosspiece 11 of the frame 4, and a cylinder 32, whose upper end is attached in the point of attachment between the upright 20 and upper crosspiece 21 of the frame 6.

[0026] The gas springs 30 are conveniently placed in each upright and their provision allows the upper element 3 of the screen member 1 according to the invention to be raised and lowered with the minimum effort, and to position it at the required height. Normally in windy periods or seasons the upper element 3 is positioned at the maximum height as shown in Figure 1a, while in non-windy periods or seasons it is placed in the lower position, remaining completely covered by the base panel 2, as shown in Figure 1c, without prejudice to the fact that it can be arranged in any intermediate position between the two, one of which is schematically shown in Figure 1b.

[0027] As can be seen from the section of Figure 6, the upper element 3 slides completely inside the uprights 10 of the lower element 2, without creating therefore any projection in relation to the lower element.

[0028] Figure 8 shows partially in a plan view a possible structure which can be obtained with the modular screen member according to the invention.

[0029] In particular, the right side of the Figure shows a linear coupling of two screen members 1, while the left side of the Figure shows a right angle coupling between these members.

[0030] Figure 8 also shows covering elements, both inner and outer, of the uprights, of the linear 40 and angular 41,42 type, attached by means of screws 43.

[0031] Naturally the invention is not limited to the particular embodiment previously described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but instead numerous detail changes can be made thereto, within reach of the person skilled in the art, without thereby departing from the scope of the same invention as defined in the annexed claims.

Claims

1. A modular screen member (1) for a sectional system for delimiting outdoor areas, comprising a base element (2) designed to maintain the screen member (1) in an erect position and an upper element (3) designed to be raised and lowered with respect to the base element (2), the base element (2) consisting of a frame (4) provided with two uprights (10) and two crosspieces (11) enclosing a panel (5), and said upper element (3) consisting of a frame (6) provided with two uprights (20) and two crosspieces (21) enclosing a panel (7), characterized in that said uprights (20) of the upper element (3) are slidingly housed in the corresponding uprights (10) of the lower element (2) under the action of respective gas springs (30), each of said uprights (20) of the upper element (3) consisting of a section bar (22), the outer profile of which perfectly matches the inner profile of a corresponding seat (13) provided in the respective upright (10) of the lower element (2), said seat (13) being parallel to a recess (14) housing said panel (5) and opening inwardly in the direction of the other upright (10).

2. A screen member according to claim 1, wherein said seat (13) of the upright (10) is comprised between two tubular elements (12) connected one to the other, said recess (14) designed to house said panel (5) being provided adjacent to one of said tubular elements (12).

3. A screen member according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said crosspiece (22) of the upright (20) is a tubular element, a cavity (23) designed to house said panel (7) being provided adjacent thereto.

4. A screen member according to claim 1, wherein each of said gas springs (30) has a stem (31), the lower end of which is constrained to the lower end of the respective upright (10), and a cylinder (32), the upper end of which is constrained to the upper end of a corresponding upright (20).

5. A screen member according to claim 1, wherein said panels (5, 7) are made of rolled material or other transparent or opaque material, preferably glass or plastic.

6. A sectional structure of screen members for delimiting outdoor areas comprising a plurality of screen members (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, linearly and/or angularly connected one to another.

7. A sectional structure according to claim 6, comprising inner and outer covering elements (40, 41, 42) of the uprights (10, 20) of said frames (4, 6).

Drawing