Patent ID: 6155009
Filing Date: 2000-12-05
Classification: E06B

Abstract:
A reusable impact-resisting system for the glass in window and door frames to protect it against storm damage, vandalism, and unauthorized entry, said system capable of being installed without the use of tools and without permanent alteration to the frame or any part of the building surrounding the frame, said system comprisinga plurality of rigid panels made of shatter-resistant materials, each of said panels having a front surface for positioning away from a piece of protected glass and an opposed back surface to be positioned facing the piece of protected glass, each of said panels also having opposed edges, one of said opposed edges being a top edge and the other of said opposed edges being a bottom edge, at least one of said opposed edges also being flat for pivotal connection to a flat edge on another one of said panels, all of said panels being connected together in an aligned configuration with adjacent ones of said top and bottom edges being pivotally joined together, said aligned configuration being substantially similar in dimension and configuration to the piece of glass intended for protection;hinging means connected between said top edges and said bottom edges of adjacent ones of said panels configured to provide at least one pair of contiguous pivotally joined panels consisting of an upper panel and a lower panel, said hinging means also configured for allowing adjacent ones of said panels to move approximately 180.degree. relative to one another from a folded storage position wherein each of said panels in each of said pairs are substantially parallel to one another, to an extended, essentially planar, usable configuration;a plurality of suction cups each having a tongue release, a convex front surface, and an opposed concave back surface configured for a tight suction grip on a piece of glass when flattened by forces exerted centrally against said convex front surface, said convex front surfaces of at least two of said suction cups being affixed in spaced-apart positions from one another against said back surface of each of said panels during use;a plurality of impact-absorbing spacers, at least one of said spacers being connected to said back surface of each of said panels and positioned so as to be approximately centered between adjacent ones of said suction cups; andattachment means to firmly secure said spacers and said convex front surfaces of said suction cups to said back surfaces of said panels so that when said panels are in their protective positions against a piece of glass and sufficient tensioning forces are applied to said tongue releases, said suction grip of each of said suction cups on the piece of glass being protected becomes disrupted allowing each of said panels to be lifted away from the protected glass.