Folding shutter providing security

A foldable shutter for protecting sliding glass doors from storms and break-ins is formed of vertical panels hinged together. The panels are extruded with full length beads on both sides and are held together by long extruded hinge clips having separate channels into which beads of adjacent panels fit. These hinge clips are substantially longer than the panels and the ends are closed by closure members having pins extending into the channel and spacing the panels from the ends. These closure members support the shutter on rollers in an upper guide and guide the bottom of the shutter in a lower guide. The hinges have three separate functions--to hold the panels together, to support the shutters, and to hold the shutters in place in the guides. Locking end trim sections for the shutter are hinged to the end panels and are also longer than the panels for support and guidance.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to foldable shutters and more particularly to 
external shutters for protecting outside doors and windows from stroms and 
break-ins. 
Foldable shutters usually consist of a plurality of vertical panels hinged 
together and supported on rollers in an upper guide, the bottoms being 
guided by a lower parallel guide. In one type, the panels have mounting 
attachments on tops and bottoms at their midpoints so that each panel 
swivels about it vertical axis as the door is folded and unfolded. An 
example of this type is shown in Cayton, U.S. Pat. No. 3,205.573. In this 
patent, the plastic panels are formed with beads at opposite edges 
extending into full-length hinge members. The hinge members have two 
separate slots receiving beads from adjacent panels, holding the panels 
together and allowing hinging motion. These hinge members give no strength 
to the mounting of the door. The patentee provides expensive metal caps 
for the tops and bottoms at the panels to get the needed mounting 
strength. 
Another type of folding door utilizes elongated panels formed with piano 
type hinges extending the full length of the panels. The pintles for the 
hinges are longer than the panels, the upper ends carrying rollers and the 
lower ends extending into a lower guide. This construction is shown in 
Auten U.S. Pat. No. 2,351,656. Here the folding door is both supported and 
guided by its hinge pintles. However this construction requires 
prohibitive expensive individual moulding of the panels. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The primary object of the invention is to provide a low cost strong folding 
door in which the panels and hinges are extruded. This object is achieved 
by a construction which obtains an extra function from the well known 
double channel hinge member. In addition to holding two adjacent panels 
together, my hinge members also support and guide both ends of the two 
panels. This provides strong rigid contact between the hinge members and 
guides for locating the panels and resisting movement caused by storm 
forces or break ins. 
In the preferred form of my invention, the hinge members are not the same 
length as the panels as in prior art devices. They are substantially 
longer than the panels and extend into upper and lower guides. The ends of 
the hinge member channels are closed by pins carried by bearing members 
engaging the guides. These pins have the dual function of supporting the 
hinge members and locating the panels endwise in the hinge members. 
The invention also includes end trim locking sections hingedly attached to 
the panels and being longer than the panels to be guided and supported by 
the guides.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring first to FIG. 1 the shutter assembly closes an opening having a 
top 1 supporting an inner track 2 and an outer track 3. The bottom of this 
opening 4 supports an inside track 5 and an outside track 6. The shutter 
consists of a group of elongated identical panels 7 extending between the 
guides. These panels are extrusions of a strong stable plastic such as 
"LEXAN" and may be transparent or opaque in any color. These panels are 
preferably flat in their main portions and are formed at opposite edges 
with circular elongated beads 8 (FIG. 2). These beads have a diameter 
greater than the thickness of the panels. Beads of adjacent panels are 
held together in flexing relationship by elongated hinge members 9. These 
hinge members are formed with two separate circular channels 10. These 
channels are separated by a web 11 and have openings 12 through which the 
flat portions of the panels pass. These opeings are proportioned so as to 
hold the beads of the panels while allowing sufficient angular movement 
for opening and closing of the shutter. 
Referring to FIG. 3, the upper inside guide means or track 2 is "U" shaped 
having an upper section 13 fastened to the top of the opening and two 
downwardly extending legs 14 and 15 having inward extensions 16 and 17. 
These inward extensions support rollers 17 and 18 attached to a yoke 19. 
The panels 7 are shorter in length than the distance between the guides 
2,3,5, and 6. The hinge members 9 are substantially longer than the 
panels. The panels are located in the hinge members by closure members or 
guided means 20 or 21 at their upper ends and by 22 at their lower ends. 
The closure member 20 includes two downwardly extending pins 23 and 24 
(FIG. 2) integral with a disc 25 attached to a screw threaded upward 
extension 26. The pins 23 and 24 press fit into the slots 10 of hinge 
members 9, and extensions 26 pass through yokes 19 of the roller 
assemblies shown in FIG. 3. The etensions are secured in place by nuts 27. 
Preferably a spacer 28 having a length greater than the thickness of yoke 
19 is located between the nuts. This permits a swiveling action between 
the roller assemblies and the hinge members, avoiding binding. 
Alternate hinge members are provided with closure members or guided means 
21. These are the same construction as members 20 but have no screw 
threads and bear against the upper outer guide 3. 
The lower ends of the hinge members are closed by closure members or guide 
means 22 having pins 29 and 30 extending upwardly into slots 10. These 
closure members have guided discs 31 attached to the pins. 
Alternate hinge members 9 extend into lower inside guides 5. These guides 
have "U" shaped portions 32, the bottom being secured to the sill 33. 
Upwardly extending legs 34 support rub strips 35 which are engaged by the 
guided circular sections 31 of closure members 22. 
An outside bottom guide 36 is also mounted on sill 33 and supports a rub 
strip 37 which is engaged by disc 22 of alternate hinge members 9. 
FIGS. 5 and 6 are show an alternate construction for the closure members 
22. Upward extensions or projections 38 and 39 are spaced from the pins 
and fit tightly against the outside faces of the hinge members 9, giving 
added strength. These extensions may of course be provided on all of the 
closure members. 
It should be noted from FIG. 2 that the panels 7 are shorter in length than 
the distance between the upper and lower guides. This linears space allow 
them to swivel for opening and closing of the shutter. The hinge members 
are substantially longer than the panels, extending into the guides and 
being guided thereby. The closure members serve to prevent direct contact 
between the hinge members and guides and also locate the panels endwise in 
the hinge members. This arrangement provides low cost hinging of the 
panels and utilizes the strength of the hinges to locate the shutter in 
the guides. The result is a strong low cost shutter giving added security 
to the user. 
FIGS. 7 and 8 show the preferred form of locking means for locking the 
shutters closed. Reference character 40 indicates an end trim section 
having a slot 41 receiving the bead 8 of the end panel 7. This trim 
section is formed including an inside wall 42 and an outside wall 43 
receiving an end trim section 44 having a slot 45 receiving the bead 8 of 
another panel 7. This trim section 44 includes a cross member 47 having an 
opening (not shown) receiving locking lever 48 mounted on shaft 49 carried 
by the inside wall 42 of trim section 40. This shaft is operated by a 
handle 50 for locking and unlocking the end trim sections in a manner well 
known in the art. 
As shown in FIG. 8, the panels are located in the end trim sections by 
upper and lower closure members 51 and 52. These are similar to closure 
members 20 and 22 but have a single pin instead of two pins. The outside 
walls 40 and 44 are notched at 53 and 54 to clear the upper and lower 
guide members. 
The arrangement described is for a two section shutter locking in the 
middle. For a single section shutter locking at one edge of the opening, 
the trim section 44 is modified to include mounting flanges 55 and 56 for 
attaching to the wall. In such installations, the handle 50 is rotated to 
extend away from the wall.