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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to the co-pending U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/752,725, filed Dec. 21, 2005, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to hurricane and security shutters. More particularly, this invention relates to a plurality of interconnected shutter slats that are movable in between two tracks mounted on either side of an opening, wherein the shutter protects the opening from hurricane winds, projectiles, and other outside forces.  
         [0004]     2. General Background and State of the Art  
         [0005]     Rolling protective shutters for covering windows, doors and other portal openings of a building structure such as homes and office buildings are well known in the art. In many cases, protective shutters are primarily used for the purpose of protecting windows and doors from high velocity winds and flying debris during tropical storms and hurricanes. In other cases, protective shutters are used to provide security against forced entry. Such prior art shutter systems are commercially available in many different types, and may be manufactured out of light metal or plastic. Prior art rolling shutters typically include a plane of horizontal slats which are linked so that the shutter can be rolled-up onto a roller for storage. The prior art storage roller is usually contained within a housing that may be mounted above a window or door opening in a building. In the use of the prior art rolling shutters, the storage roller is typically rotated in opposite directions by a small electric motor in order to roll the shutter onto the roller for storage, and unroll the shutter downward into a plane in order to provide protection for the opening. As the prior art shutter is unrolled, the opposite ends of the plurality of slats are received and guided in rails that are secured to an exterior structure at opposite sides of the opening. The prior art guide rails are usually linear and retain the unrolled shutter slats in a generally coplanar relation parallel to the plane of the opening.  
         [0006]     Several prior art rolling shutter assemblies include elongated aluminum shutter slats that are hinged together along their top and bottom edges and that are placed in between two tracks. The slats are movable between the two tracks such that the slats may move between a rolled and unrolled position, wherein the slats in the unrolled position provides protection to an opening. As with any such support and guide system for the prior art slats, it has been found desirable to provide a high strength connection between each slat and the tracks. It has also been found desirable to provide for the smooth and low friction movement of the slats so that the slats may be moved in between the tracks without binding. Further, it is desirable for the shutter to avoid damage to the shutter slats and tracks, because if the slats or tracks are damaged, the plane of shutter slats will not be able to roll up upon the roller assembly or unroll into the tracks efficiently.  
         [0007]     Where the prior art shutter slats are rolled-down and the shutter is subjected to hurricane force winds or other forces, the plane of shutter slats bends inward or outward so much that the plane of shutter slats is able to be ripped out of its location between the tracks. In order to prevent this bending, prior art shutter slats have been reinforced with vertical bars so that the slats resist bending when they are subjected to hurricane force winds, but such vertical bars provided little added support and are difficult and inconvenient to use. Prior art shutter slats have also been reinforced with rods placed inside of hollow shutter slats to prevent the slats from bending, but such rods added significant weight to the rolling shutter. In addition, certain prior art slats are retained within the tracks with the use of screws which attach to the opposite ends of the slats and extend outwardly from the slats. The prior art screw heads are often sheared off when subjected to a sufficient force of impact. Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for an improved method for securing the ends of the shutter slats within the tracks so that the shutter slats do not disengage from the tracks or damage themselves or the tracks when being subjected to high velocity winds, forces of impact and projectiles.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     An aspect of the invention provides a shutter assembly for covering an opening made of a plurality of interconnected slats and two tracks. Each slat has connectors on its top and bottom, retention members on its ends and a cavity which may be filled with a cavity insert for extra security. A plurality of slats is interconnected by engaging the connectors located at the top and bottom of each slat. The two tracks are placed opposite the opening, such as a window or a door, and receive the plurality of slats to protect the opening. The plurality of slats may be rolled up and dropped down between the two tracks. Each track substantially forms a channel having two chambers, and each has a retention ledge and contact material holders. During operation, when the opening is covered by the shutter assembly and a force is pressing against the shutter assembly, the retention members contact the retention ledges of the tracks and prohibit the slats from exiting the tracks. Further, the slats are forced against a contact material that is located within the contact material holders to help retain the slats within the tracks. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of the rolling shutter assembly of the present invention covering an opening;  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of a track of the shutter assembly;  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a break-away portion of the contact material;  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of four interconnected slats with retention members;  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is an end view of five slats interconnected with the bottom slat;  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  is an end view of a single slat;  
         [0015]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a retention member;  
         [0016]      FIG. 8  is an end view of a cavity insert;  
         [0017]      FIG. 9  is a side view of a rolling shutter assembly wherein the roll of interconnected slats is housed on the exterior of the structure that forms the opening;  
         [0018]      FIG. 10  is a side view of a rolling shutter assembly wherein the roll of interconnected slats is housed on the interior of the structure that forms the opening;  
         [0019]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a plurality of interconnected slats placed within a track;  
         [0020]      FIG. 12  is a roll of the plurality of interconnected slats;  
         [0021]      FIG. 13  is a partial cross-sectional view of the slat placed within the tracks, wherein the slat is bending inward toward the opening; and  
         [0022]      FIG. 14  is a partial cross-sectional view of the slat placed within the tracks, wherein the slat is bending outward away from the opening. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0023]     Embodiments of the shutter assembly for protecting an opening, such as a glass window or a door of a structure are described herein. Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a security shutter is shown installed inside or outside a structure for covering an opening such as a window or door. A pair of main tracks  2  is made of aluminum, stainless steel or a material that is similarly durable and corrosion-resistant. The main tracks  2  generally run the length of the opening on either side of the opening, and are fastened to the structure forming the opening with screws, nails, or the other fastener. Referring now to  FIG. 2 , the main track defines a first chamber  4 , and a second chamber  6 . The second chamber  6  is generally located on the outside of a second main track wall  8 , and in one embodiment, defines a volumetric shape composed of two substantially triangular bases and three substantially rectangular sides in order to provide support and additional strength to second main track wall  8 , particularly when a force is applied upon the second main track wall  8 . In other words, the second chamber has a triangular cross-sectional shape. It has also been contemplated that the second chamber may have a rectangular, oval or other geometric cross-sectional shape. Further, it is noted that additional closed chambers beyond the first chamber and second chamber may be added to the main track. The first chamber  4  and second chamber  6  are designed to conserve materials and to reduce the weight of the main tracks. However in other embodiments, either the first chamber  4  or second chamber  6  may be omitted.  
         [0024]     Still referring to  FIG. 2 , a first main track wall  10  has a first retention ledge or first ledge  12 , and a contact material holder  14 . Likewise, a second main track wall  8  has a second retention ledge or second ledge  16  and a contact material holder  18 . The first ledge  12  and the second ledge  16 , as well as the contact material holders  14  and  18  are generally constructed from the same material as the main track, and in one embodiment, are formed together as a part of the main track. The first main track wall  10  and the second main track wall  8  are generally perpendicular to and affixed to a base wall  20 . The first ledge  12  and second ledge  16 , as well as the contact material holders  14  and  18  substantially run the entire length of the main track  2 , and run substantially parallel to the main track wall upon which they are affixed. A perspective cut-away view of a contact material  22  is shown in  FIG. 3 . In one embodiment, the contact material  22  is substantially inserted into the contact material holders  14  and  18  as shown in  FIG. 14 . The contract material is generally made of hard rubber or of a substance that is similarly durable, shock-absorbing, and relatively light weight. Also, the contact material  22  is approximately the same length as the contact holder to which it is affixed. Thus, the contact material  22  is inserted into the contact material holders such that the contact material  22  substantially runs the length of the contact material holder to which it is affixed.  
         [0025]      FIGS. 4 and 5  depict slats  24  that are interconnected with one another. In one embodiment, the slats are made of aluminum; however, in other embodiments the slats may be made of stainless steel or another material that is similarly durable and corrosion-resistant. The interconnected slat  24  is substantially shaped such that it rests flush against, and overlaps at least a portion of slat  32 . As best shown in  FIG. 5 , an adjacent slat  24  has a first hook ledge or first connector  34  disposed on its top surface or side, and a second hook ledge or second connector  40  disposed on its bottom surface or side. In one embodiment, the first and second connectors  34  and  40  substantially run the entire length of the slat. As shown in  FIG. 6 , the first connector  34  curves inward toward the center of the first connector, and the second connector  40  curves inward toward the center of the second connector having a general shape of a traditional hook. The shape of the first connector  34  of slat  24  and the second connector  42  of neighboring slat  38 , when hooked together as shown in  FIG. 5 , have the utility of allowing the interconnected slats to achieve a tighter roll  54  (see  FIG. 12 ) when rolled-up within the roller assembly.  
         [0026]     Referring back to  FIG. 4 , an end retention portion or a retention member  44  is constructed of aluminum; however, the retention member  44  may be made of stainless steel or another material that is similarly durable and corrosion-resistant. In one embodiment, the retention member  44  is substantially shaped as a half-oval, half-trapezoid. The shape allows the retention members to be affixed to both a first end  48  and a second end  50  of each interconnected slat, as the retention members will not significantly come into contact with each other when rolled-up within the roller assembly. Affixing two retention members to each slat strengthens the shutter assembly. Generally, there is an end retention portion on both the first end  48  and the second end  50  of each slat. This allows the plurality of interconnected slats to be rolled-up within the roller assembly and formed into the roll  54  within a housing assembly  52 , as depicted in  FIG. 1 , such that the retention members do not come into contact with one another and prohibit the plurality of interconnected slats from rolling upon the roller assembly.  
         [0027]     In one embodiment, the retention member  44  in  FIG. 7  defines a first hole  56  and a second hole  57 . In addition, the slat  24 , as shown in  FIG. 6 , defines a first cavity  58  and a second cavity  60  which are located at both the first end  48  and the second end  50  of slat  24 . The first cavity  58  and the second cavity  60  are substantially circular in shape and are flush with the end of the slat to which they are affixed. Both the first cavity  58  and second cavity  60  are blind holes and are substantially parallel to the slat to which they are affixed. A fastener, such as a self-drilling metallic screw  62  may be placed through one of the plurality of holes  56  of the retention member  44  and drilled substantially into the first cavity  58 . Similarly, a second self-drilling metallic screw  62  may be placed through one of the plurality of holes  57  of the retention member  44  and drilled substantially into the second cavity  60  to affix the retention member  44  to one end  48  of the slat  24 . In one embodiment, a retention member is affixed to the first end and the second end of each slat of a plurality of interconnected slats. Also, retention members may be affixed to fewer than each end of every slat.  
         [0028]     In one embodiment, an interconnected slat  24  has a slat cavity  64  as shown in  FIG. 6 . A slat cavity insert  66  (see  FIG. 8 ) may be placed within the slat cavity  64  in order to increase the overall strength and durability of the interconnected slat  24 . The slat cavity insert  66  is inserted into the slat cavity  64  and substantially runs the length of the interconnected slat  24 . Further, the slat cavity insert has a shape such that it substantially fills the slat cavity  24 . In addition, the slat cavity insert  66  has a shape that accommodates the slat cavity  64  and surrounds the first slat cavity  58  and the second slat cavity  60 . Also, once inserted, the slat cavity insert  66  will be substantially held in the slat cavity  64  by the retention members attached to the relevant slat. The slat cavity insert  66  may be constructed out of any material, such as aluminum, stainless steel, hard plastic, or other suitable material. In one embodiment, one slat cavity insert  66  is inserted into each interconnected slat in order to make the plurality of interconnected slats stronger and more resistant to the impact of projectiles, such as bullets or debris that is hurled at the plurality of interconnected slats by hurricane force winds.  
         [0029]     Located above the pair of main tracks is a roller assembly  52  that houses the plurality of interconnected slats. The plurality of interconnected slats may be rolled-up, as shown in  FIG. 12 , upon the roller assembly into roll  54 , or rolled-down into the main tracks  2  by rotating the roller assembly with the use of a motor. The slats may also be manually rolled down. The roller assembly  52  is made of aluminum, stainless steel, or another suitable material, and substantially encloses the roll  54 , and protects the roll  54  from elements and exterior physical forces. As shown in  FIG. 5 , located at the bottom of the plurality of interconnected slats is a bottom slat  68 . The bottom slat is substantially channel-shaped, and is joined to the second to last slat  70  of a plurality of interconnected slats. More specifically, the bottom slat is affixed to slat  70  of the plurality of interconnected slats such that the bottom slat  68  substantially encloses the second connector and at least a portion of slat  70 . In addition, the bottom slat  68  runs substantially the length of the interconnected slats. The bottom slat  68  provides additional strength and support to the interconnected slats. A contact material holder  69  is formed on the bottom of the bottom slat and runs the length of the bottom slat, inside of which may be placed contact material  22  for additional strength.  
         [0030]     In operation, the interconnected slats are rolled down into the pair of main tracks  2  by the roller assembly such that the interconnected slats fall in between the first main track wall  10  and the second main track wall  8 . In one embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 9 , the interconnected slats may be rolled down from assembly  52  into the pair of main tracks  2 . In this embodiment, the assembly  52  is located on the outside of the structure of an opening  76 . In another embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 10 , the assembly  52  is located within the structure  77  forming the opening  76 . The interconnected slats are rolled down into the pair of main tracks such that a retention member  44  attached to the ends of the slats  24  fall into a main track cavity  77  defined by the base wall  20 , the first main track wall  10 , the first ledge  12 , the second main track wall  8 , and the second ledge  16 , as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 11 . With the interconnected slats in the rolled-down position, the slat  24 , is positioned substantially flush against, and overlaps, a neighboring slat  32  as shown in  FIG. 5 .  
         [0031]     The slats overlap each other such that, when a force is applied against the slats, each slat pushes against a neighboring slat, causing the slats to interlock and form a plane of slats. Thus, the inward force is absorbed across the plane of slats as the plane comes into contact with the contact material  22  located within the contact material holders  14  of the main tracks  2 . This arrangement is particularly useful for protecting the opening from projectiles that are hurled at the slats and that strike the slats at any one point on the plane of slats. When used as shown in  FIG. 9 , the slats also overlap each other. However, when a force is applied against the slats, each slat does not push against a neighboring slat to cause the slats to interlock and form a plane of slats. Rather, as shown in  FIGS. 9 and 12 , when a projectile is hurled at the plane of slats and strikes a single point on the plane of slats, the particular slats that the projectile strikes will absorb the inward force by striking the first main walls  10  of the main tracks  2 .  
         [0032]     In one embodiment, with the plurality of interconnected slats rolled down completely into the main tracks  2  as shown in  FIG. 10 , a force that is applied against the plurality of interconnected slats is absorbed substantially across the entire plane of slats as the plane of slats contacts the first main walls  10  of the main tracks  2  or the contact materials  22  attached to the contact material holders  14 . Similarly, the plurality of slats protects the opening from outside forces applied away from the plurality of interconnected slats, such as a suction caused by winds moving away from the opening, is absorbed by the interconnected slats as they impact the contact material  22  attached to the contact material holder  18 . The plurality of slats withstands forces in either horizontal direction applied against the plane formed by the plurality of interconnected slats, as the first ledge  12  and the second ledge  16  absorb the force applied by colliding with the retention member  44  attached to one of the plurality of slats.  
         [0033]     To the extent that a force applied against the plane formed by the slats causes the plane of slats to move inward toward the opening, as shown in  FIG. 13 , the force is absorbed as the flexed slats contact the contact material  22  that is affixed to the contact material holder  14 . In addition, the inward force is absorbed as the first connector  12  and the second connector  16  collide with the retention member  44  that is affixed to each end of each of the slats. To the extent that a suction force causes the slats to move outward and away from the opening, as shown in  FIG. 14 , the force applied is absorbed as the flexed slats contact the contact material  22  that is affixed to the contact material holder  18 . In addition, this outward force is absorbed as the first connector  12  and the second connector  16  collide with the retention member  44  that is attached to each end of each of the slats. Further, the second chamber  6 , having a triangular cross-section, provides additional support for the second main track wall  8 . Once the forces are removed, the plurality of interconnected slats is rolled-up into the roller assembly either manually or with a motor.  
         [0034]     In describing the shutter assembly and its components, certain terms have been used for understanding, brevity, and clarity. They are primarily used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be used broadly and construed in the same manner. Having now described the invention and its method of use, it should be appreciated that reasonable mechanical and operational equivalents would be apparent to those skilled in the art. Those variations are considered to be within the equivalence of the claims appended to the specification.

Summary:
A rolling shutter assembly including a plurality of interconnecting slats each having an elongated body with a top, bottom, and two sides. Connectors are affixed to the top and bottom of each slat, and a retainer member is attached to each side of each slat. The slats are connected to each other by the hooking together the connectors of the slats. The slats are placed within two tracks located on either side of an opening, and are movable between an open and closed position in between the two tracks. The tracks have retention ledges, contact material holders, and two chambers. In operation, the retention members attached to the slats come into contact with the retention ledges of the tracks when a force is applied to the shutter assembly, thereby preventing the slats from becoming dislodged from the tracks.