Screen frame reinforcement

The screen frame reinforcement is an elongated plate or strip of rigid material that is attached over a conventional screen frame member to reinforce the splines so that the screen will remain firmly within the spline recess. The plate has a pair of elongated ridges extending the length of the plate adjacent the side edges and are spaced so that the ridges can extend into the spline receiving grooves to bear against the spines. The plate has a V-shaped groove defined along its center line and is frangible so that only half the plate can be used to secure a single screen edge at corners or terminal edges of the screen. The plate may have an anodized finish.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a screen frame reinforcement plate which fits over conventional screen framing to provide an additional clamping force to the spline and thus further secures screen material to a conventional screen frame.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventional screen framing, often used to screen in patios and outdoor pools, usually uses two-inch by two-inch square aluminum tubing with peripheral recesses adapted to receive a peripheral edge of the screen material and a rubber or plastic spline. The edge of screen material is secured to the framing by placing the edge of the screen material into a recess and then forcing the spline into the recess to clamp the screen material in place. This arrangement, however, requires a continuous replacement of the screening and the splines, as environmental and weather conditions cause the screen and splines to become rigid and loose over time. Thus, a cost efficient reinforcement mechanism that will prevent the necessity of continuous replacement of the screening and splines in screen framing is desired.

Various complex screen frames for screen doors and windows have been developed, but the present inventor is not aware on any clamping devices used to reinforce the conventional spline screen retainer—tubular framing method of constructing screened structures.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,220,469, issued Aug. 28, 1963 to R. Oehmig, describes a frame for screen material with two parts that snap together to clamp the edge of the screen material in place. In a first embodiment, the top section includes an integral splined head. In a second embodiment, a separate spline is included which is not contacted by the top part. U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,724, issued Aug. 5, 1986 to M. Borwick, discloses a screened pet door. The screen section of the pet door is held to the frame of the door with a resilient strip. The screen surrounding the outside frame of the pet door is held to the outside frame with a screwed on L-shaped male frame member. The outside frame does not utilize a resilient strip to help hold in the surrounding screen. U.S. Pat. No. 1,350,027, issued Aug. 17, 1920 to A. M. Lane, discloses a metal window screen frame that clamps the edge of a screen material in place. In one embodiment it uses a locking bar to clamp in the wire cloth.

Some screen framing devices disclose unique frame and spline arrangements. U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,857, issued Oct. 10, 1972 to F. Le Tarte, discloses a frame with using zigzagged plastic strip to hold the edge of a screen material into a frame member. U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,360, issued Apr. 18, 1978 to H. Reckson, discloses a unique spline groove that may receive either flat or round splines therein for retaining the screen material. Japanese Patent No. 8-52,855, published Feb. 27, 1996, discloses screen frame where the screen is held to the frame by a series of two splines in two concentric grooves. None of these references teach the use of a reinforcing member.

Some screen framing devices connect a part of the screen to a part of the frame apparatus. U.S. Pat. No. 2,335,361, issued Nov. 4, 1942 to M. B. Schiller, discloses a metal window sash where the edge of a screen material is attached to a clincher strip, which is then secured in the sash body. U.S. Pat. No. 2,436,277, issued May 4, 1945 to L. E. Willett, discloses a similar protective screen where the edge of the screen material is interlocked with an internal flange of a frame before the frame is closed.

Many screen holding devices do not utilize a spline, but instead rely the force of a clamping device to retain the edge of screen material. U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,737, issued Apr. 12, 1994 to W. Martin, discloses a complex two-member clamping device for a screen material that includes a complex series of grooves and ridges. U.S. Pat. No. 1,758,720, issued Jan. 14, 1929 to J. E. Sodergren; U.S. Pat. No. 2,709,489, issued Mar. 16, 1953 to P. T. Keebler; U.S. Pat. No. 2,784,781, issued Jun. 23, 1953 to J. S. Rhoades; U.S. Pat. No. 3,379,237, issued October 1965 to H. M. Worthington; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,729,045, issued Apr. 24, 1973 to R. D. MacDonald, all teach less complex screen clamping devices that do not include the use of a spline.

There are many clamping devices for thin films that do not utilize a spline. U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,038, issued May 5, 1987 to D. Walker, discloses a clip fixing for retaining thin films. U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,862, issued Sep. 25, 1984 to Bloomfield et al., discloses a film fastener for flexible sheets. U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,882, issued Dec. 30, 1986 to Sease, discloses a strip for mounting a flexible covering onto a support surface.

None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, a screen frame reinforcement solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The screen frame reinforcement of the present invention is a plate or elongated strip that is attached over a conventional screen frame member to reinforce the splines so that the screen is firmly retained within the spline recess. The plate is about two inches wide with a substantially uniform cross-sectional shape. The plate has a substantially planar upper surface, a lower surface with two elongated linear ridges extending parallel to the lateral edges of the plate, and an elongated central V-shaped groove that bisects the plate longitudinally. Predrilled holes are formed though the plate at spaced intervals to accommodate screws, which are used to attach the plate to the screen frame with the ridges bearing against the splines. The plate is preferably made from extruded aluminum. The central V-shaped groove allows for the reinforcement member to be separated into two halves for application to screen frames members only holding one screen edge.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a screen frame reinforcement member that provides an additional clamping force to a spline to keep a screen edge in place in a spline-receiving groove.

It is another object of the invention to provide a screen frame reinforcement member that can be easily separated into two halves for installation on areas of a conventional screen frame where only one side of the frame member has a screen edge secured to the frame member.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a screen frame reinforcement member that can be easily attached to a conventional screen frame by screws.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a screen frame reinforcement member that can be used to redecorate an existing conventional screen frame.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is a screen frame reinforcement member, designated generally as10in the drawings. As shown inFIG. 1, the reinforcement member10is designed to fit over a conventional screen frame member30to reinforce the attachment of a screen40to the frame member30. Conventional screen frame members30are often used to screen in outdoor swimming pools or patios. The screen40is attached to one or both sides of the two-inch by two-inch square tubular aluminum frame member30. The attachment or outer face32of the frame member30is usually on the outside of the screened-in area. A reinforcement member10may be split longitudinally into two half-reinforcement members12for reinforcement of the screen40where only one screen edge is attached to the frame30, such as frame members30that abut the ground or form a corner of a building or other structure. Self-taping screws50are used to attach a reinforcement member10or a half reinforcement member12to the attachment face32of a frame member30.

Frame members30usually have an anodized bronze outer surface coloring. The reinforcement members10may be provided with an anodized finish for protection from corrosion, and may have an anodized bronze color, or any other decorative color in order to satisfy the aesthetic taste of a consumer. The screen frame reinforcement members10may thus provide a means of reinforcing old conventional screen frames and a means to apply a new decorative appearance to an existing conventional screen frame.

FIG. 2shows an exploded perspective view of how a reinforcement member10would fit over a frame member30in use.FIG. 3shows a perspective view of a completed reinforcement member10and frame30assembly (the length of the reinforcement member10and frame member30are not drawn to scale inFIG. 3, being shortened to show a complete assembly). The reinforcement member10has a uniform cross-sectional shape, with the exception of predrilled screw holes14. The reinforcement member10is an elongated plate or strip with a substantially planar upper surface16, two side edges18, and a lower surface20. Two substantially identical elongated protruding ridges22depend from the lower surface20adjacent the edges18of the plate and extend the entire length of the plate. An elongated central V-shaped groove24is defined in the lower surface and extends the entire length of the plate. The reinforcement member10is preferably about 2 inches wide.

A conventional screen frame member30is made from square aluminum tubing, having an outer face32with spline receiving grooves34extending longitudinally adjacent opposite edges of the outer face32. A screen edge42is curved and placed into each spline receiving groove34. In conventional screens, the screen edge42is retained in the groove34by compressing a flexible, resilient spline36into the groove34, thereby clamping the screen edge42between the spline36and the frame member30. With long continued exposure to the weather, however, the spline can become dislodged from the groove34, a problem the present reinforcement member10obviates.

The protruding ridges22of the reinforcement member10are shaped and positioned to fit within the spline receiving grooves34of the attachment face32of a frame member30. The ridges22run along the entire length of the reinforcement member10. The spacing and width of the ridges22may vary for conventional screen framing of different arrangements, but the ridges22are generally spaced between about ⅛ inch and about ¼ inch away from the nearest side edge18. The ridges22have a generally rectangular shape and usually protrude from the lower surface20by about ⅛ of an inch. The ridges22are preferably about ⅛ of an inch thick.

The central V-shaped groove24is provided to allow an installer to easily snap the reinforcement member10in half to yield two half-reinforcement members12that may be used to reinforce frame members30that have only one screen edge42attached to the frame member30.

Self-tapping screws50fit into predrilled holes14in the reinforcement member10and are screwed into the outer face32of the frame member30. Two side by side predrilled holes14are provided every sixteen inches along the length of the reinforcement member10. Each predrilled hole14is about half way between a ridge22and the central V-shaped groove24. When the reinforcement member10is split in half along the central groove for attachment to a frame member30at a terminal end of the screen40, the reinforcement member10is attached to the frame member30by a single column of screws50spaced apart every sixteen inches.

The reinforcement member10is preferably provided in stock pieces of ten feet in length, allowing for easy handling, although the length of the reinforcement member10is not critical. Frame members30are usually provided in stock lengths of twenty feet.

FIG. 4Ashows a cross section of a first embodiment of the screen frame reinforcement member10attached to a first frame member30using a generally circular spline36. The ridges22of the first embodiment are spaced between about ⅛ of an inch away from the nearest side edge18. The ridges22preferably protrude from the lower surface20by ⅛ of an inch. The ridges22are preferably about ⅛ of an inch thick. The plate or main body15of the reinforcement member10is preferably between about ⅛ of an inch thick. The V-shaped groove24reduces the thickness of the center portion17of the reinforcement member10to less than half of the thickness of the main portion15of the reinforcement member10. More particularly, the center portion17is preferably about one-fourth of the thickness of the main portion15, e.g., about 1/32 of an inch thick for a ⅛″ thick plate15. The V-shaped groove24is preferably between about ⅛ of an inch to about ¼ of an inch wide and about 3/32 of an inch deep for a ⅛″ thick plate15.

FIG. 4Bshows a cross section of a second embodiment of the screen frame reinforcement member10aattached to a screen frame member60having a different spline66and spline receiving groove64shape. The outer face62of frame member60is adapted for receiving a generally flattened and broadened spline66, rather than a cylindrical spline36, and therefore requires a reinforcement member10with differently spaced ridges. The ridges22of the reinforcement member10ofFIG. 4Bare spaced about 3/16 of an inch away from the nearest side edge18. In all other respects, reinforcement member10ais identical to reinforcement member10.

It is to be understood that the relative measurements of the parts of the reinforcement member may be adjusted to fit screen frame members of different dimensions, such that the protruding ridges22fit into the spline receiving grooves34of the frame member30.