Abstract:
A window guard and defensive barrier device for protecting and/or shielding personnel within the interior of a building structure against firing of projectiles through a window opening includes a movable upper panel member pivotally connected by a hinge device to a fixed lower panel member and being rotatable for covering the window opening. Gas spring mechanisms are used for facilitating the rotation of the upper panel member between a stowed position and a deployed position. A locking device is used for maintaining the upper panel member in the deployed position.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a non-provisional application which claims the benefits of provisional application Ser. No. 61/681,243 filed on Aug. 9, 2012. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     This invention relates generally to window barrier apparatuses. More particularly, it relates to a window guard and defensive barrier device for protecting and/or shielding family members or personnel located within the interior of a building structure or room against firing of projectiles through a window opening. 
     2. Prior Art 
     As is generally well known, windows are typically allowed to be opened or closed in residential and industrial buildings. These windows are provided with transparent panels so as to permit the entrance of sunlight and the passage of air for ventilation. Also, these windows may sometimes perform the function of being emergency exits in the event of a fire and the like. However, in the current and unpredictable world environment the security of the building and the safety of the people therein are thus compromised or threatened due to the relative ease by which an aggressor equipped with guns, rifles, and the like can fire projectiles through the window opening and into the interior of the building. 
     In view of the present global conditions, there exist a great demand for a window guard and defensive barrier device for providing of security and protection to family members and/or personnel located within residential or commercial building from assault by an aggressor carrying firearms. In order to be completely efficient and effective, the window barrier device should be capable of being installed easily and quickly into the space of the window opening. It would also be desirable that the window barrier device be made of a durable construction. Further, the window barrier device should be relatively economical to manufacture and easy to assemble. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a window guard and defensive barrier device for protecting and/or shielding personnel against fired projectiles which is capable of being installed easily and quickly into the space of a window opening. It is another object of the present invention to provide a window guard and defensive barrier device which is made of a durable construction. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a barrier device which is relatively economical to manufacture and easy to assembly. These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention are provided by a window guard and defensive barrier device for protecting and/or shielding personnel within the interior of a building structure against firing of projectiles through a window opening which includes a fixed lower panel member formed of a ballistic, bullet-proof material and a movable upper panel member also formed of a ballistic, bullet-proof material. 
     Advantageously, a hinge device is used for pivotally connecting the movable upper panel member to the fixed lower panel member so as to permit the rotation of the movable upper panel member relative to the fixed lower panel member for covering the window opening. Further, gas spring mechanisms are operatively connected to the upper and lower panel members for facilitating the rotation of the upper panel member between a stowed position and a deployed position. In addition, a locking device is formed on the upper panel member and is movable into contact engagement with the lower panel member for maintaining the upper panel member in the deployed position. 
     These and other features and advantages of the disclosed window guard and defensive barrier device reside in the construction of parts and the combination thereof, the mode of operation and use, as will become more apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings that form a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views. The embodiments and features thereof are described and illustrated in conjunction with systems, tools and methods which are meant to exemplify and to illustrate, not being limiting in scope. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
         FIG. 1  is front plan view of a first embodiment of a window guard and barrier device in the deployed position, constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is top end view of the barrier device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is right side view of the barrier device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is front plan view of the window guard and barrier device of  FIG. 1  in the stowed position; 
         FIG. 5  is a left side view of the barrier device of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is view, similar to  FIG. 1 , but illustrating separately the various parts thereof; 
         FIG. 7  is front plan view of a second embodiment of a window guard and barrier device in the deployed position, constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is top end view of the barrier device of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is right side view of the barrier device of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 10  is cross-sectional view, taken along the lines  10 - 10  of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 11  is an enlarged view of the encircled portion A of  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 12  is an enlarged view of the encircled portion B of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 13  is an enlarged view of the encircled portion C of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 14  is an enlarged view of the encircled portion D of  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view of the barrier device of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 16  is an exploded view of the barrier device of  FIG. 15 ; 
         FIG. 17  is front plan view of a third embodiment of a window guard and barrier device in the deployed position, constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention; 
         FIG. 18  is top end view of the barrier device of  FIG. 17 ; 
         FIG. 19  is right side view of the barrier device of  FIG. 17 ; 
         FIG. 20  is a perspective view of the barrier device of  FIG. 17 ; 
         FIG. 21  is an exploded view of the barrier device of  FIG. 20 ; 
         FIG. 22  is a perspective view, illustrating one method of installing the barrier device of  FIG. 7  to an interior dry wall via co-mating mounting brackets; 
         FIG. 23  is a right side view of the barrier device in  FIG. 22 ; and 
         FIG. 24  is an enlarged view of the encircled portion E of  FIG. 23 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Before explaining the disclosed embodiments in detail, it is to be distinctly understood at the outset that the present invention shown in the drawings and described in detail in association with a window guard and defensive barrier device is not intended to serve as a limitation upon the scope or teachings thereof, but is to be considered merely for the purpose of convenience of illustration of one example of its application. 
     Referring now in detail to the various views of the drawings and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 6 , there is illustrated a window guard and defensive barrier device or assembly which is designated generally by reference numeral  10  and is constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The window guard and defensive barrier device  10  is designed to be of a unique, simplified construction, which is relatively economical to manufacture and easy to assemble and install. 
     As can be best seen from  FIGS. 1 and 6 , the window guard and barrier device  10  of the present invention includes a fixed lower panel member  12  and a movable upper panel member  14  operatively connected to the lower panel member  12  by a pair of piano hinges  16   a ,  16   b . Each of the lower and upper panel members  12 ,  14  are preferably formed of a ballistic, bullet-proof material such as armor steel. However, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that other suitable materials may be used, such as a metallic, plastic or ceramic material. In addition, the panel members  12  and  14  may be fabricated from a composite material or a nano-material. 
     The fixed lower panel member  12  is substantially rectangular in shape and has a height dimension of approximately thirty-three inches and a width dimension of approximately forty-eight inches. A pair of mounting plates  18  is secured adjacent to side edges  20  of the lower panel member  12  in the mid-portion thereof. Adjacent to the top edge  21  of the lower panel member, there are affixed a pair of laterally-extending spacer members  23   a ,  23   b  which are spaced apart a predetermined distance so as to form a central opening  24  therebetween. 
     The movable upper panel member  14  is also substantially rectangular in shape and has a height dimension of approximately twenty-seven inches and a width dimension of approximately forty-eight inches. A pair of mounting plates  26  is secured adjacent to side edge  28  of the upper panel member  12  in the lowermost portion thereof. Adjacent to the bottom edge  30  of the upper panel member, there are affixed a pair of laterally-extending spacer members  32   a ,  32   b  which are spaced apart a predetermined distance so as to form a central opening  34  therebetween. 
     The upper panel member  14  is also provided with a centrally-located cut-out  35  which permits observation of the exterior of the building structure (the outer side that is susceptible to attack) from the inside (the safe side that is non-attack susceptible). The cut-out  35  is contoured in shape to serve as a gun port for extending therethrough and holding therein a barrel of a firearm. A transparent, fixed or removable shield  37  is suitably designed to cover the cut-out  35  and is made of a ballistic material. 
     The height and width dimensions of both of the lower and upper panel members  12  and  14  can be made larger or smaller so to accommodate different size window openings in the building structure. While the panel members have been illustrated to be rectangular in shape, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the panel members may be formed of a square, oval, elliptical, or circular shape as well. 
     The pair of piano hinges  16   a ,  16   b  are mounted on the respective spacers  23   a ,  23   b ,  32   a ,  32   b  and are used to pivotally join together the upper panel member  14  to the lower panel member  12 . The piano hinges  16   a ,  16   b  permit the rotation of the upper panel member  14  relative to the lower panel member  12  for covering a window opening. The pair of piano hinges are disposed in a spaced apart relationship so as to form a central opening  36  therebetween. It will be noted that the central openings  24 ,  34  and  36  are in vertical alignment and adapted to receive a cane bolt sleeve  38  and a slidable cane bolt  40  therethrough. 
     A pair of gas spring mechanisms  42   a ,  42   b  are provided to facilitate the raising and lowering of the movable upper panel member  14 . In particular, the gas spring mechanism  42   a  is mounted adjacent to the left side of the barrier device and is formed of cylinder member  44   a  and piston member  46   a . As shown in  FIG. 6 , the distal free end  45   a  of the cylinder member  44   a  is operatively connected to the mounting plate  18 , and the distal free end  47   a  of the piston member  46   a  is operatively connected to the mounting plate  26 . 
     Similarly, the gas spring mechanism  42   b  is mounted adjacent to the right side of the barrier device and is formed of cylinder member  44   b  and piston member  46   b . As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 6 , the distal free end  45   b  of the cylinder member  44   b  is operatively connected to the mounting plate  18 , and the distal free end  47   b  of the piston member  46   b  is operatively connected to the mounting plate  26 . 
     The operation of raising and lowering of the upper panel member  14  between the stowed position of  FIG. 5  and the deployed position of  FIG. 1  will now be explained. In order to deploy, the top edge  49  the upper panel member  14  is grasped and lifted upwardly or flipped-up by a user in the direction of the arrows  51  for rotating it relative to the lower panel member  12 . This will cause the pair of gas spring mechanisms  42   a ,  42   b  to expand vertically so as to reduce the amount of effort (about 5 lbs.) to lift the upper panel member. Once the gas spring mechanisms are fully extended to the deployed position of  FIG. 1 , the cane bolt  40  is then moved vertically and downwardly through the central opening  34  in the upper panel member  14 , the central opening  36  in the piano hinges  16   a ,  16   b , and the central opening  24  in the lower panel member  12  so to maintain the upper panel member  14  in the locked or deployed position. 
     When stowing, the cane bolt  40  is moved vertically and upwardly through the central openings  24 ,  36 , and  34  so as to disengage the upper panel member  14  from the locked or deployed position of  FIG. 1 . Next, the upper panel member will fall due to gravity to the stowed position of  FIG. 4 . The gas spring mechanisms serve to prevent the upper panel member from dropping suddenly or too quickly as the pistons are retracted into the respective cylinders. 
     With attention now directed to  FIGS. 7 through 16  of the drawings, there is shown a second embodiment of a window guard and defensive barrier device  110  of the present invention. The barrier device  110  includes a fixed lower panel member  112  and a movable upper panel member  114 . Each of the lower and upper panel members is also preferably formed of a ballistic, bullet-proof material such as armor steel, but may be fabricated from other suitable materials such as those described in connection with the barrier device  10 . 
     The fixed lower panel member  112  is substantially rectangular in shape and has a height dimension of approximately thirty-three inches and a width dimension of approximately forty-eight inches. A lower attachment plate  118  is mounted adjacent to the right side edge of the lower panel member  112  in the lowermost portion thereof. The movable upper panel member  114  is also substantially rectangular in shape and has a height dimension of approximately twenty-seven inches and a width dimension of approximately forty-eight inches. An upper attachment plate  126  is mounted adjacent to the right side edge of the upper panel member  114  in the uppermost portion thereof. 
     The upper panel member  114  is also provided with a centrally-located cut-out  135  which permits observation of the exterior of the building structure (the outer side that is susceptible to attack) from the inside (the safe side that is non-attack susceptible). The cut-out  135  is contoured in shape to serve as a gun port for extending therethrough and holding therein a barrel of a firearm. A transparent, fixed or removable shield  137  is suitably designed to cover the cut-out  135  and is made of a ballistic material. A handle  115  is affixed adjacent to the bottom edge  117  of the upper panel member  112  in the mid-portion thereof. 
     A pair of drawer slider mechanisms  140   a ,  140   b  are provided to smoothly guide the raising and lowering of the upper panel member  114  in an even vertical travel. In particular, the drawer slider mechanism  140   a  is mounted adjacent to the left side of the barrier device and is formed of a guide member  142   a  and a slidable track member  144   a  telescoped within the guide member  142   a  via a plurality of ball bearings  143  disposed therebetween. The distal free end  145   a  of the guide member  140   a  is retained in place by a stop member  146   a  mounted on the front side of the lower panel member  112 . The distal free end  147   a  of the track member  144   a  is operatively connected to the back side of the upper panel member  114 . 
     Similarly, the drawer slider mechanism  140   b  is mounted adjacent to the right side of the barrier device and is formed of a guide member  142   b  and a slidable track member  144   b  telescoped within the guide member  142   b  via the plurality of ball bearings  143  disposed therebetween, as shown in  FIG. 14 . The distal free end  145   b  of the guide member  140   b  is retained in place by a stop member  146   b  mounted on the front side of the lower panel member  112 . The distal free end  147   b  of the track member  144   b  is operatively connected to the back side of the upper panel member  114 . 
     A gas spring mechanism  150  is mounted adjacent to the right side of the barrier device and is formed of a cylinder member  152  and a piston member  154 . The distal free end of  156  of the cylinder member  152  is operatively connected to the lower attachment plate  118 , as depicted in  FIG. 13 . The distal free end  158  of the piston member  154  is operatively connected to the upper attachment plate  126 , as depicted in  FIG. 12 . 
     Further, as seen in  FIG. 16  the lower panel member  112  is formed with a plurality of spaced-apart apertures  160   a ,  160   b ,  160   c  adjacent to its top edge thereof. The upper panel member  114  is formed with a plurality of spaced-apart tapped apertures  162   a ,  162   b ,  162   c  adjacent to its bottom edge thereof. A plurality of spring-loaded locking plungers  164  are fastened movably to the upper panel member  114  by threading the same into tapped apertures  162   a - 162   c , one of which being shown in  FIG. 11 . 
     The operation of raising and lowering of the upper panel member  114  between the stowed position and the deployed position of  FIG. 15  will now be explained. In order to deploy, the handle  115  of the upper panel member  114  is grasped and lifted upwardly by a user for sliding vertically the same relative to the lower panel member  112 . This will cause the gas spring mechanism  150  to expand vertically so as to reduce the amount of effort to lift the upper panel member  114 . 
     Simultaneously, the slidable track members  144   a ,  144   b  of the drawer slide mechanisms  140   a ,  140   b  will slide vertically and upwardly within the respective guide members  142   a ,  142   b  with even travel so as to smoothly guide the upper member to the deployed position of  FIG. 15 . Once the gas spring mechanism  150  is fully extended to the deployed position, the ends  165  of the locking plungers  164  ( FIG. 11 ) will become inserted into the respective apertures  160   a - 160   c  in the lower panel member  112 , thereby maintaining the upper panel member  114  in the deployed position. 
     When stowing, the user will pull outwardly on the plungers  164  so to disengage its ends  165  from the respective aperture  160   a - 160   c  in the lower panel member  112  while holding on to the handle  115 . When the last plunger is disengaged, the upper panel member  114  will fall due to gravity to the stowed position. The gas spring mechanism  150  serves to prevent the upper panel member from dropping suddenly or too quickly as the piston is retracted into its cylinder. 
     In  FIGS. 17 through 21  of the drawings, there is depicted a third embodiment of the window guard and defensive barrier device  210  of the present invention. The barrier device  210  includes a fixed left panel member  212   a  and a movable left panel member  214   a  pivotally connected to the fixed left panel member  212   a  by a vertically-mounted piano hinge  216   a . The barrier device  210  further includes a fixed right panel member  212   b  and a movable right panel member  214   b  pivotally vertically-mounted piano hinge  216   b . Each of the panel members  212   a ,  212   b ,  214   a ,  214   b  is preferably formed of a ballistic, bullet-proof material, such as armor steel. Further, each of the panel members has height dimension of approximately eighty-four inches and a width dimension of approximately of twenty-four inches. 
     A pair of door stop members  218   a ,  218   b  are formed adjacent to the right side edge of the left movable panel member  214   a  in a spaced-apart relationship so as to form a central opening  220  therebetween. The left movable panel member  214   a  is provided with a first centrally-located cut-out  235   a  which permits observation of the exterior of the building structure. The cut-out  235   a  is contoured in shape to serve as a gun port for extending therethrough and holding therein a barrel of a firearm. The right movable panel member  214   b  is also provided with a second centrally-located cut-out  235   b  which permits observation of the exterior of the building structure. The cut-out  235   b  is again contoured in shape to serve as a gun port for extending therethrough and holding therein a barrel of a firearm. 
     A plurality of cane bolt sleeves  238   a - 238   c  are mounted in the left and right movable panel members  214   a ,  214   b . In addition, a cane bolt  240  is mounted in the left movable panel member  214   a . In particular, the cane bolt sleeve  238   a  is mounted in the left movable panel member  214   a . The cane bolt sleeve  238   b  is affixed within the central opening  220  formed by the door stop members  218   a ,  218   b . The cane bolt sleeve  238   c  is formed in the movable right panel member  214   b.    
     The tandem operation of moving the left and right movable panel members  214   a ,  214   b  from a stowed position to a deployed position of  FIG. 20  will now be explained. In order to deploy, the movable right panel member  214   b  is pivotally rotated to the left about the piano hinge  216   b  relative to the fixed right panel member  214   b  for covering partially a window opening. Similarly, the movable left panel member  214   a  is pivotally rotated to the right about the piano hinge  216   a  relative to the fixed right panel member  214   a  for covering partially the window opening. As a result, the side edges of right and left movable panel members  214   b ,  214   a  will abut each other and be covered by the door stop members  218   a ,  218   b . Then, the cane bolt  240  is slid to the right so as to pass through the respective sleeves  238   a - 238   c , thereby locking the right and left movable panel members in the deployed position. 
     When stowing, the cane bolt  240  is slid to the left so as to disengage the same from the respective sleeves  238   a - 238   c . Then, the movable left panel member  214   a  is pivotally rotated to the left about the piano hinge  216   a  relative to the fixed left panel member  214   a . Finally, the movable right panel member  214   b  is pivotally rotated to the right about the piano hinge  216   b  relative to the fixed right panel member  214   b.    
     Referring now to  FIGS. 22 through 24  of the drawings, there is illustrated one method of installing quickly the barrier device  110  of  FIG. 15  to an interior dry wall via co-mating mounting brackets. Specifically, a first pair of upper and lower mounting brackets  310   a ,  310   b  are securely fixed in a spaced apart relationship on an interior dry wall  312  via screws  314 . The screws  314  are inserted through the holes  316  in the mounting brackets  310   a ,  310   b  and are then threaded into the dry wall  312  and wall stud  318 . Each of the mounting brackets  310   a ,  312   b  is provided with an upwardly-extending angled projection  320 . 
     A second pair of mounting brackets  322   a ,  322   b  are suitable secured to the upper and lower panel members of the barrier device  110 . Each of the mounting brackets  322   a ,  322   b  is provided with a downwardly-extending angled projection  324 . In order to install the barrier device  110 , the downwardly-extending angled projections  324  on the second pair of mounting brackets  322   a ,  322   b  are placed to co-mate in a contacting engagement with the upwardly-extending angled projections  320  on the first pair of mounting brackets  310   a ,  310   b . In this manner, the barrier device  110  is removably secured to the dry wall  312  so as to cover a window opening  326 . 
     From the foregoing detailed description, it should be clearly understood that the optimum dimensional relationship for the particular elements or components of the present invention may include variations in size, material, shape, form, function, and manner of operation. Further, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the technique described above for installation of the barrier device of the present invention is not fundamental to the purposes and intents thereof and other installation methods may be used without violating the spirit of the invention. 
     While there has been illustrated and described what is at present considered to be a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made, and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the true scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the central scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that this invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out the invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.