Abstract:
A decorative shutter assembly includes a plurality of slats or boards arranged in a row presenting a decorative surface with side flanges projecting rearwardly. At least one cross member overlays each of the slats and presents a decorative cross surface with side cross flanges projecting rearwardly. Each cross slat includes at least one mating member affixed behind the cross slat decorative surface having a mating wall affixed to each of the decorative surfaces for affixing the plurality batten slats to the cross slat. Alternatively, a plurality of primary slats are arranged to present a decorative surface having side flanges projecting rearwardly and at least one end piece is attached to the primary slats the ends of the primary slats are received in the end piece for adjoining and aligning said primary slats, said end piece including a cross member traversing said the primary and having slats and slat ends integrated into the end piece, each of said slats and slat ends aligning with one of the primary slats.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/392,320, filed Jun. 27, 2002. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to a decorative building shutter for mounting on a wall surface. More specifically, the present invention relates to an improved plastic batten shutter.  
         [0003]     Decorative building panels, such as shutters, are widely used in the building industry to add character to a house or other type of building structure. Additionally, decorative building panels are frequently installed on existing structures to change the appearance of the structure. A popular type of building panel that is used is a window shutter. These shutters, which are typically not functional, present a decorative facade that gives the appearance of being a functional shutter.  
         [0004]     One popular style of shutter is commonly referred to as a batten shutter. The batten shutter includes a plurality of batten slats or boards arranged vertically in a row. At least one, and usually two, cross slats overlay each of the batten slats. The cross slats adjoin the batten slats forming the batten shutter assembly. A simulated plastic batten shutter commonly includes slats having a decorative surface and flanges projecting rearward from the surface creating a hollow slat that gives the appearance of being a complete wooden slat. While the plastic materials reduce the cost of producing the batten shutter, connecting the slats together is a labor intensive and costly operation.  
         [0005]     One such example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,300 to Deschamps. Deschamps discloses a batten shutter having plastic batten slats with decorative surface and side flanges. Each batten slat is affixed to a cross slat with pin. Utilizing pins to connect the batten slats to the cross slats adds cost and assembly time due to the increased number of parts required for assembly.  
         [0006]     Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a batten shutter that is simple to produce and yet presents the appearance of being assembled from real wood.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION AND ADVANTAGES  
       [0007]     The present invention discloses a decorative shutter assembly having a plurality of batten slats arranged in a row and connected together by at least one cross slat. Each batten slat presents a batten decorative surface having side batten flanges projecting rearward. Each cross slat overlays the batten slats and presents a decorative cross surface with side cross flanges projecting rearward. Each cross slat includes at least one mating member affixed behind the cross-decorative surface with a mating wall affixed to each of the batten decorative surfaces. The slats are affixed to the mating member by sonic welding or heat welding. Each of the slats includes end plugs at each end to present a finished appearance of being a complete wooden board.  
         [0008]     The inventive batten shutter provides a simple design that is easily produced and presents the appearance of being made from wooden boards. The mating member maximizes the amount of extrusion processing that can be utilized enabling a single extruder to be used for both the cross slats and the batten slats by providing a mating surface to the batten slats. Further, hiding the mating surface behind the cross slat provides the ability to form an attachment point from either a sonic weld or a heat weld. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]     Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is an environmental view of the batten shutter of the subject invention;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a front fragmentary view of the batten shutter of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the batten shutter of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0013]      FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of a batten slat of the batten shutter of  FIG. 2 , according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 4B  is a first cross-sectional view of the batten slat of the batten shutter of  FIG. 4A ;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4C  is a second cross-sectional view of the batten slat of the batten shutter of  FIG. 4A ;  
         [0016]      FIG. 5A  is a perspective view of a mating member of a cross slat of the batten shutter of  FIG. 2 , according to a first embodiment;  
         [0017]      FIG. 5B  is a first cross-sectional view of the mating member of  FIG. 5A ;  
         [0018]      FIG. 5C  is a bottom view of the mating member of  FIG. 5A ;  
         [0019]      FIG. 6A  is a first cross-sectional view of a top cover of a batten slat of the batten shutter of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0020]      FIG. 6B  is a second cross-sectional view of the top cover of  FIG. 6A ;  
         [0021]      FIG. 7A  is a perspective view of a mating member of the cross slat of a batten shutter according to another embodiment;  
         [0022]      FIG. 7B  is a first cross-sectional view of the mating member of  FIG. 7A ; and  
         [0023]      FIG. 7C  is a bottom view of the mating member of  FIG. 7A . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0024]     With reference to the Figs., wherein like numerals indicate like or corresponding parts, a decorative trim assembly, generally shown at  10 , is mounted on a structure  12 . The assembly  10  includes at least one first member  14 , at least one transverse member, generally indicated at  16 , and a mating member, generally indicated at  18 .  
         [0025]     The first member  14 , such as a main slat or plurality of main slats, is disposed on the structure  12  and includes a first front plane  20 , or decorative surface, and at least one side wall  22  extending rearwardly from the plane  20 . The first member  14  includes a first portion  24  and a second portion  26 . The second portion  24  and the first portion  26 , may be seperated by a seam  28 , shown in dotted lines (see below).  
         [0026]     The transverse member  16  is disposed on the first member  14  and presents a second front plane  30  having a pair of opposing sides  32  and a pair of opposing ends  34 . Each opposing side  32  presents a side flange  36  extending rearwardly from the side  32  and having a locking mechanism  38  disposed on the side flange  36  (see  FIGS. 6A and 6B ). The locking mechanism  38  may be a tab or any other suitable locking mechanism.  
         [0027]     Each opposing end  34  presents an end flange  40  extending rearwardly from the end  34  and covering a portion of the side wall  22 . More particularly, the end flange  40  may be adapted to cover the seam  28  (if present) between the first  24  and second  26  portions of the first member  14  to create an aesthetically pleasing appearance.  
         [0028]     The mating member  18  is disposed behind the second front plane  30  for removably engaging the transverse member  16 . The mating member  18  includes a first notch  42  and a second notch  44 . The first notch  42  corresponds to the locking mechanism  38  and is adapted to receive the locking mechanism  38  for removably engaging the locking mechanism  38  in locking engagement. The second notch  44  corresponds to the locking mechanism  38  and is adapted to receive the locking mechanism  38  for removably engaging the locking mechanism  38  in slidable engagement.  
         [0029]     The mating member  18  includes a plurality of regularly repeating reinforced structural sections  46 . Each of the plurality of regularly repeating reinforced structural sections  46  includes a planar portion  48  integrally formed with and bounded on both ends by reinforcement ribs  50 . The planar portion  48  defines a plurality of apertures  52  therein for mounting the mating member  18  to the transverse member  16  and allowing the planar portion  48  to be removed from the decorative surface  20 .  
         [0030]     In a first embodiment, the mating member  18  is affixed to the first member  14  by a plurality of sonic welds. In a second embodiment, the mating member  18  is affixed to the first member  14  by a plurality of heat welds.  
         [0031]     As shown in the figures, the assembly  10  is a shutter assembly wherein the first member includes at least one slat, such as a batten slat, and the transverse member includes at least one cross slat.  
         [0032]     In the illustrated embodiment, a plurality of first members or batten slats  14  are arranged in a row and at least one transverse member or cross slat  16  overlays each of the batten slats  14 .  FIG. 1  shows the assembly  10  having two cross slats  16 . The assembly  10  is mounted to the structure  12  via a fastener  54 . Any type of fastener  54  will suffice to affix the mating member to the first and transverse members, including screws, shutter locks, and the like. The batten slats  14  include the first front plane or batten decorative surface  20  and the cross slat  16  includes the second front plane or cross-decorative surface  30 .  
         [0033]     Each batten slat  14  includes the side flanges  36  projecting rearward from opposing sides  32  of the batten decorative surface  20  running the length of the batten slat  14 . Each cross slat  16  includes the end flanges  40  projecting rearward from the opposing ends  34  of the cross decorative surface  30  running the length of the cross slat  16 .  
         [0034]     Each of the slats  14 ,  16  is preferably formed through a plastic extrusion process from polypropylene or a like material. Additionally, the material can be formed in a variety of colors including ultra violet (UV) adsorbents to prevent fading and warping due to UV damage as is commonly practiced in the art of composite building components.  
         [0035]     Each cross slat  16  includes at least one mating member  18  affixed behind the cross-decorative surface  30  to a rear cross surface  54 . The mating member  18  forms a shell having a planar portion or mating wall  48  and base wall  56 . The base wall  56  is affixed to the rear cross surface  56  of the cross slat  16  and the mating wall  48  is affixed to each of the batten decorative surfaces  20  thereby affixing the plurality batten slats  14  to at least one cross slat  16 . In one embodiment, the assembly  10  will include one less mating member  18  than the number of batten slats  14 . Thus, each mating member  18  will straddle adjacent batten slats  14  as is best represented in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0036]     Each mating member  18  is affixed to the cross slat  16  and to the batten slats  14  by the plurality of apertures or mating attachment points  52 . The attachment points  52  may comprise sonic welds  38 . Alternatively, the attachment points  52  comprise heat welds  40 . Generally, sonic welds will be utilized when making an attachment point  52  to a visible decorative surface  20 ,  30 .  
         [0037]     It should be noted that the decorative shutter assembly may have any number of batten slats  14 , e.g., four. Each cross slat  16  includes the mating member  28  and the first front plane  20 .  
         [0038]     The batten slats  14  include the batten decorative surface  20 . Each batten slat  14  also includes two side flanges  36  and two end flanges  40 . The two side flanges  36  and the two end flanges  40  define an batten interior volume on an opposite side of the batten decorative surface  20 .  
         [0039]     In one embodiment, the batten slats  14  are manufactured in predetermined lengths, e.g., 60 inches. In order to assembly a shutter assembly  10  having an overall length other than 60 inches, one or more batten slats  14  may be cut such that their combines length equals the desired length. As discussed below, the end flange(s)  40  of the cross slat(s)  16  may be used to hide the seam  28  or joint between the two batten slats  14 .  
         [0040]     Each mating member  18  includes a plurality of regularly repeating reinforced structural sections  46 . The number of sections  46  correspond directly to the number of batten slats  14  in the assembled shutter assembly  10 . For example, the mating member  18  includes three sections  46  corresponding to the three slats  14  shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . Each mating member  18  includes the regularly repeating reinforced structural sections  46  and the ribs  50  formed with and rising from the planar portion or back wall  48 . The sections  46  are formed by mating member side flanges  49 , mating member end flanges  51 , plurality of ribs  50  and the back wall  48 .  
         [0041]     The back wall  48  includes at least one large aperture  52 . The back wall  48  also includes at least two smaller apertures  53  in each section  46 . The large aperture  52  is used to assist in separating the first front plane or top cover  20  and the mating member  18 .  
         [0042]     To assemble the shutter assembly  10 , the mating members  18  are affixed to the batten slats  14  by a suitable process, such as sonic welding, heat welds, or by using a suitable fastener such as a clip, a screw, or the like. The smaller apertures  53  may be formed during the fastening process.  
         [0043]     The top cover  20  of the cross slat  16  includes the cross decorative surface  30 , two side flanges  36  and two end flanges  40 . The two side flanges  36  and the two end flanges  40  define a cross batten interior volume.  
         [0044]     In one embodiment, the cross slats  16  includes the locking mechanism  38  which is used to removably lock the top cover  20  to its corresponding mating member  18  when the decorative shutter assembly  10  is assembled The top cover  20  and the corresponding mating member  18  may also be assembled in a non-locking position pre-assembly, e.g., during shipping (see below).  
         [0045]     The locking mechanism  38  includes the first notch  42  and second notch  44  located on an interior surface of each side flanges  26 . In the illustrated embodiment, the notches  42 ,  44  are located on each side flange  36 . Each notch  42 ,  44  is directly across from the corresponding locking mechanism or tab  38  on the inner surface of the opposing side flange  36 . Each tab  38  is offset from the end flange  40  by a predetermined distance. For example, the tabs  38  on the left in  FIGS. 6B and 6B  are offset from the end flange  40  by a distance of “X”. The tabs  38  oin the right in  FIGS. 6B and 6B  are offset from the end flange  40  by a distance if “Y”. X and Y are not equal.  
         [0046]     Each mating member  18  includes the second notch  44  corresponding to each tab  38 . Each notch  44  includes a channel portion  60  and a locking portion  62 . The locking portions  62  are adjacent the corresponding channel portion  60 . The locking portions  62  are offset from a respective mating member end flange  42  by a distance X′, Y′. X′ and Y′ are not equal.  
         [0047]     As discussed above, the top cover  20  of each cross slat  16  may be assembled with the mating member  18  in either a locking position or a slidably removable position. In the illustrated embodiment, the locking position is defined when one of the side flanges  36  is oriented with a predetermined one of the mating member side flanges  49 . The slidably removable position is defined when the top cover  20  is assembled 180 degrees from the locking position.  
         [0048]     When the top cover  20  and the mating member  18  are assembled in the slidably removable or non-locking position, each tab  38  is maintained within a respective channel portion  60 . Thus, the top cover  20  is able to slide from on and off.  
         [0049]     When the top cover  32  and the mating member  28 ′ are assembled in the locked position, each tab  38  is aligned with a corresponding locking portion  60 . When fully assembled each tab  38  is maintained in position by the corresponding locking portion  60 , and thus, the top cover  20  and the mating member  18  are “locked”. It should be noted that although the top cover  20  and the mating member  18  are locked, the top cover  20  may be removed from the mating member  18  by flexing the side flanges  36  such that the tabs  38  are disengaged from the locking portions  60 .  
         [0050]     In an alternative embodiment, a cross slat  14  includes a top cover  20  and a mating member  18 ′ for use in a shutter assembly having four batten slats or boards.  
         [0051]     If the shutter assembly  10  length must be composed of portions of one or more batten slats  14 , the seam is hidden by the cross slat  16 . Furthermore, the cross slat end flanges extend past the side flanges  36  to cover the seam  28  in the side flanges  14 .  
         [0052]     The invention has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology that has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, wherein reference numerals are merely for convenience and are not to be in any way limiting, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.