Abstract:
The invention concerns a structural and mechanical means to build a large retractable roof, that can have the shape of a barrel vaulted roof or a pitched vaulted roof or a flat roof. The roof is moved as one monolithic roof on and off a mall walkway or other structure. The roof cover is a glass skylight or other material.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application is based upon and claims the benefit of Provisional Application 60/296,190, filed Jun. 5, 2001. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   To make retractable a very large roof so as to move it completely off the space it covers presents new challenges. Such a roof may be a barrel vaulted roof hundreds of feet long, or a pitched roof hundreds of feet long, or even a flat roof hundreds of feet long. The object is to move such a roof as one unit. The object also is to move the flat roof in sections. 
   The state of the art today shows no quick answer to these requirements. There are smaller retractable roofs often made of plastic or glass used over swimming pools and garden courts. There are unit skylights of various shapes either in glass or plastic that are made to slide. There are custom roofs in either glass, plastic, or other material. None of these roofs show how to move a large barrel vaulted roof, a pitched roof, or a flat roof in the large size required, completely on and off the opening they cover. 
   When the roofs become very large, one of the new issues is the temperature expansion of the retractable roof versus the supporting structure. In new stadiums this is sometimes accounted for by partially articulated wheel trucks. On smaller roofs this is sometimes accounted for by expansion and contraction of the retractable roof frame taken by sideway movement of the wheels on the supporting rails of the roof. In this invention the effort is not to mitigate the expansion and contraction movement of the roof on the wheels, but to create a system where the rail for the roof supporting wheels moves closely the same as the roof from temperature expansion and contraction, so no thermal expansion and retraction accommodating means are needed at all between the roof and the wheels. This is done by supporting the rail on an intermediate frame which spans the area being covered so that the rail and the support therefore will expand and contract as one. To manage this, the intermediate frame is supported on slide bearings resting on columns, or possibly walls or another beam structure, so that it is free to move in unison with the roof, both exposed to similar temperatures. In this manner the roof and wheels see limited to small differential movement so no measures such as articulated frames or rollers or even slide bearings are needed between the roof and the wheels. 
   This alone does not assure that the roof can be moved evenly. The retractable frame that is moved must be very rigid. Rigidity in panelized roofs on stadiums extends only to the individual panels. This invention moves the entire roof as a monolithic piece and therefore requires bracing of the entire roof. This is done very simply with X bracing or other forms of bracing in the retractable roof. 
   Thirdly to move a large monolithic roof evenly requires that the drive means, the wheels with attached motors or a cable and winch system, the two most common, must work evenly together. Other stadium roofs use various means of electro mechanical controls to assure one side moves the same as the opposite side so the roof moves evenly. Some stadiums use controls that measure the exact location of the sliding wheels at all times and correct motor speeds to adjust continuously so that the roof runs evenly. In other words so that one side reaches the end point at the same time as the other. Although this could be done with the roof in this invention, this invention uses X bracing in a horizontal frame supporting the roof to transfer differential traction forces directly between the wheels and motors which drive the roof. Direct transfer of traction forces evens out the movement of all the motors and wheels contributing to an even parallel movement of the roof. This invention also uses motors on all wheels. At the same time redundancy is achieved. Should one motor fail, the loss will be taken up by the others. 
   It is these ideas brought together in an artful and engineered manner that result in a smooth operating very large retractable roof to be used on a mall or other large area, which has never been done in this or a similar manner. 
   The following drawings together with the detailed description will describe this further. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention shows how to move a long barrel vaulted retractable roof on and off a space such as a mall walkway. A frame is built on a series of support columns with intermediary slide bearings to allow for temperature expansion and contraction. Over the frame rails are built on which the barrel vaulted roof can slide. The frame members are spaced at intervals, the length of the mall walkway. In so doing the barrel vaulted roof is built as one section which expands and contracts similar to the frame, allowing smooth movement. Motors are attached to the wheels of the frame of the barrel roof and X bracing is interwoven between the members of the frame, to provide a transfer of traction forces to permit even movement. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view from a bottom vantage point, showing the retractable roof system of  FIG. 2A , with the roof in closed condition; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view corresponding to  FIG. 1  showing the retractable roof system of  FIG. 2A , with the roof in open condition; 
       FIG. 2A  shows an exploded perspective view, with parts thereof broken away, showing the inventive retractable roof system from a top vantage point, with a roof of an elongated barrel vaulted configuration; 
       FIG. 2B  is a non-exploded perspective view corresponding to  FIG. 2A ; 
       FIG. 2C  is an end view of the retractable roof system of  FIG. 2A , with phantom lines depicting the roof structure in the open condition; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view corresponding to that of  FIG. 1  modified to show a roof of an elongated peaked configuration in closed condition; 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view corresponding to that of  FIG. 2  modified to show a roof on an elongated peaked configuration in open condition; 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view corresponding to that of  FIG. 1  modified to show a roof of a flat configuration in closed condition; 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view corresponding to that of  FIG. 2  modified to show a roof of a flat configuration in open condition; 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view from a bottom vantage point showing a segmental retractable flat roof partially opened over a mall walkway or other space by sliding parts of the roof on guide beams to the side; 
       FIG. 8  is a diagrammatic perspective view from a top vantage point, showing the full length of the retractable roof system of  FIG. 2A ; 
       FIG. 9  is a plan view, with parts thereof broken away, showing the roof framework of the present invention with internal X bracing; 
       FIG. 10  is a plan view, with parts thereof broken away, showing the roof framework of the present invention with internal grid elements used for bracing; 
       FIG. 11  is a pan view, with parts thereof broken away, showing the roof framework of the present invention with internal corner bracing; 
       FIG. 12  is a plan view, with parts thereof broken away, showing the roof frame of the present invention with internal diaphragm bracing; 
       FIG. 13  is a cross-sectional elevation view taken on the plane designated by the line  13 — 13  in  FIG. 2C , illustrating an embodiment of the inventive retractable roof system wherein motor driven wheels are used to move the retractable roof, with a separate motor provided for each wheel; 
       FIG. 14  shows the  FIG. 13  from the side; 
       FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional elevation view similar to  FIG. 13  illustrating a motor driven wheel arrangement for moving the retractable roof, where a single motor drives a plurality of wheels through drive shafts connecting the wheels; 
       FIG. 16  is a cross-sectional view of the segmental retractable roof of  FIG. 7  at an edge cross-section similar to  FIG. 13  illustrating a drainage channel of the segmental retractable flat roof; 
       FIG. 17  is a side view schematically drawn showing a wind lock which may be used with the roof of the present invention; 
       FIG. 18  is a side elevational view, with parts thereof broken away, diagrammatically illustrating a cable drive system which may be used to move the roof structure between the open and the closed condition; 
       FIG. 19  is a side elevational view, with parts broken away, diagrammatically illustrating a reversible chain drive system which may be used to move the roof structure from the open to the closed condition; 
       FIG. 20  is a side elevational view, with parts broken away, diagrammatically illustrating a rack and pinion drive system which may be used to move the roof structure from the open to the closed condition; 
       FIG. 21  is a side elevational view, with parts broken away, diagrammatically illustrating a worm screw drive system which may be used to move the roof structure between the open and the closed condition; and 
       FIG. 22  is a side elevational view, with parts broken away, diagrammatically illustrating a hydraulic cylinder drive system which may be used to move the roof from the open to the closed condition. 
     Reference Numbers
           1 . supporting framework     2 . X bracing of the supporting framework.     3 . rigid corner connections of the supporting framework     4 . rectangular framework of the supporting framework     5 . shear diaphragm of the supporting framework     6 . parallel beam     7 . rail     8 . column     9 . intermediary beam     10 . mall walkway or other space     11 . monolithic retractable barrel vaulted roof     12 . monolithic retractable pitched vaulted roof     13 . monolithic retractable flat roof     14 . segmental retractable flat roof     15 . drainage channel     16 . column end bracing     17 . roof end bracing     18 . glass     19 . wheel motor     20 . wheel     21 . power rail     22 . winch motor     23 . cable     24 . motor     25 . chain     26 . pinion gear     27 . rack     28 . worm screw     29 . piston rod     30 . cylinder     31 . retractable roof     32 . fixed bearing pad     33 . sliding bearing pads fixed in Y, free to move in X     34 . sliding bearing pads fixed in X, free to move in Y     35 . sliding bearing pads free to move in X and Y     36 . wind lock     37 . shaft     38 . arch member     39 . longitudinal framing     40 . sliding section edge   C. foundations   F. intermediate frame   Y. longitudinal direction   X. short direction       

   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   The preferred embodiment of the invention is the retractable barrel vaulted skylight roof. Other embodiments are the retractable vaulted pitched skylight roof, the retractable monolithic flat skylight roof, and the retractable segmental flat skylight roof. This description will describe the barrel vaulted roof, and in the end describe some of the differences with the others. 
   Foundations C make the primary support of the roof. On the foundations columns  8  extend to the under level of the retractable roof. At this point the roof may also be supported by other roof framing or it may be supported on walls. In the any case at this level and on top of the supporting structure, in the preferred embodiment columns  8 , are sliding bearing pads  32  to  35 . The bearings permit the roof to expand and contract for temperature. The slide bearing pads permit the roof to expand and contract in the longitudinal direction as one monolithic structure. Along one long side of the roof the bearing pads  34  are free to allow movement in the longitudinal direction Y and yet not permit movement in the short direction. On the bearing pads  35  the roof is free to move in both directions. However, at one end of the longitudinal direction the bearing pads  33  allow only movement in the short direction and no movement in the long direction. The bearing pads  32  are fixed in the X and Y directions. The advantage of this will follow. 
   On the bearing pads rest parallel beams  6  spanning the opening of the roof. These beams extend an equal distance to one side and over adjoining buildings. These beams are parallel to one another. These beams are the primary supporting beams on which the roof rolls to one side to open or close the roof. 
   Between these parallel beams  6  are intermediate beams  9  that are perpendicular to the parallel beams spanning in the longitudinal direction of the roof at the bearing pads. The beams  6  and  9  form a unitary intermediate frame F. 
   As now becomes apparent the frame of the parallel beams  6  and the intermediate beams  9  makes one continuous piece that can move for temperature expansion and contraction in the long and the short direction on the bearing pads while being fixed at one long end and fixed in the short direction of the frame at each parallel beam  6 . A 100 degree Fahrenheit change in temperature for the steel frame in 600 feet length would have a change in length of approximately 4.8 inches. 
   The columns at one end of the long direction of the roof are braced by bracing  16 . The moveable roof is braced by bracing  17  between the top of the roof and its lower cord. 
   Bracing may be installed at the columns in the short direction of span also, but the columns and the foundation can also offer this support. 
   This to now gives a structure on which the retractable roof can be built. The intermediate frame forming part of this structure is free to move for temperature expansion and contraction. 
   On this structure on the parallel beams  6  are rails on which the roof can slide. 
   On the rails  7  are wheels  20  supporting the roof. Attached to the wheels are motors  19  in the preferred embodiment. 
   Attached to the parallel beams  6  are where needed power rails  21  ( FIG. 16 ) from which the motors  19  are powered. 
   Supported on the wheels is a supporting framework  1  for the roof. This is a continuous rectangular framework  1 . The wheels are built in to it. 
   It extends the length of the barrel vaulted roof. The barrel vaulted roof rests on this framework and moves with it. The pitched and flat roof of the alternative designs also rest on this supporting framework. 
   This supporting framework  1  is braced in the preferred embodiment with X bracing, FIG.  9 . Other bracing, as shown in  FIGS. 10 ,  11 , and  12  may also be used. The bracing is very important as it does two things. It assures that the supporting framework does not skew which would damage the barrel vaulted roof particularly the glass cover. It does this by transferring motor traction from one motor to another to balance traction among all the wheels to assure even movement of the roof without skewing. This feature also serves as a redundant back-up if one motor goes out. The lost traction is taken up by the others through the X bracing of the preferred embodiment. 
   The barrel vaulted roof comprises arch members that sit on the supporting framework  1  with the arch haunch points supported by the motorized wheels  20 . Between the arch members is longitudinal framing  39  and between the longitudinal framing is smaller framing. Between the smaller framing is glass or other covering means. 
   At one end of the barrel vaulted roof is bracing  17  supporting the arches in the longitudinal direction of the roof. 
   The structure of the retractable barrel vaulted roof is one piece. The structure below the wheels, frame F, is another single piece. Both are free to move from temperature. The two structures are exposed to approximately the same temperature, therefore the relative movement one to the other is minimum. 
   This relative movement is important as it allows the wheels which have flanges to ride always evenly on the rails without the flanges rubbing against the rails with such force that they would prevent the roof from moving. 
   This completes the description of the barrel vaulted retractable roof. As the roof is exposed to wind and as the force to move the roof is relatively low, the wind if too high would move the roof. To avoid this a wind lock  36  is installed to the retractable roof (see FIG.  17 ). It measures the wind speed and at a programmed speed automatically clamps the roof fixed against movement. 
   Alternative ways to build the roof may be a pitched vaulted roof as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . The design differs only from the above by the shape of the structure set over the supporting framework  1 . The same holds true for the flat retractable roof shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . 
   The segmental retractable flat roof in  FIG. 7  varies from the monolithic flat roof in that a drainage channel is provided along the side of the sliding roof section  40  and separate sliding bearing pads  32  are provided for each roof section. 
   Although the preferred embodiment would have motor driven wheels, other means to move the roof may be a winch and cable system as in  FIG. 18 , or a reversible chain as in  FIG. 19 , or a rack and pinion system as in  FIG. 20 , or a motor driven worm screw as in  FIG. 21 , or a hydraulic cylinder system as in  FIG. 22 , or a motor and shaft system driving multiple wheels as in FIG.  15 . 
   Although the preferred embodiment would have x bracing as shown in  FIG. 9  as a means to brace the supporting frame  1 , other means may be a rectangular framework as in  FIG. 10 , or rigid corner bracing as in  FIG. 11 , or a shear diaphragm as in FIG.  12 . 
   It is to be understood that while the subject invention has been described with reference to a preferred design, other designs could be made by one skilled in the art without varying from the scope and the spirit of the subject invention as defined by the appended claims.