Patent Publication Number: US-2021180401-A1

Title: Mosquito net structure

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority of Italian Patent Application No. 102019000024168 filed Dec. 16, 2019, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in this application. 
     BACKGROUND 
     This invention relates to a mosquito net structure. 
     More specifically, this invention relates to a mosquito net structure for compartments of doors or windows of recreational vehicles, such as campervans or caravans. 
     Yet more specifically, the invention relates to a mosquito net structure for recreational vehicles designed to protect compartments of doors or windows with a non-rectangular shape. 
     Mosquito nets, meaning the dense mesh insect screens designed to prevent the passage of even small insects, are normally used in recreational vehicles since they are normally used in places (near the sea or lakes) and during periods of the year (in the summer) when the presence of insects such as, for example, flies and mosquitoes is particularly widespread and annoying. 
     In order to be practical to use, the mosquito nets are usually mounted on special supporting structures which are able to allow a quick opening and closing, so that it is not difficult to use the compartment on which they are fitted to protect. 
     The most widespread prior art mosquito net structures generally consist of a quadrangular frame with right-angled corners located at the opening of the doors or windows and having a box-shaped crosspiece (also called the box) inside of which is housed an elastic rewinding roller to which is connected a first end of an insect screen designed to prevent the passage of insects. A second end of this insect screen, opposite the first end, is also connected to a handle-bar which is movable relative to the roller. The relative movement for moving the handle-bar away from/towards the compartment determines the unwinding and, respectively, the rewinding of the insect screen of the mosquito net. 
     As an alternative to the mosquito nets just described with a winding roller, there are widespread mosquito nets comprising pleated insect screens which, when not used to protect the compartment, are closed in a pack at a side wall of the frame. 
     The prior art mosquito net structures described above are substantially constrained, in terms of their shape, to rectangular forms and, although this does not constitute a particular limitation in the case of houses, it is, on the other hand, in the context of recreational vehicles where designers favour a greater freedom in the design of door and window openings. 
     SUMMARY 
     An objective of the described embodiments is to provide a mosquito net structure which allows the limits indicated above to be overcome, allowing the protection of compartments and openings having a non-rectangular shape. 
     A further objective of the described embodiments is to provide a mosquito net structure which is practical and effective to operate and simple to use. 
     Yet another objective of the described embodiments is to provide a mosquito net structure which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further features and advantages are more apparent in the detailed description which follows, with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a non-limiting example embodiment in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic front elevation view of a mosquito net structure made according to the described embodiments; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic front elevation view of the mosquito net structure of  FIG. 1  in a different configuration of use; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded schematic view of the mosquito net structure of the preceding drawings; 
         FIGS. 4 to 6  are schematic scaled-up perspective views of details of the mosquito net structure of  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     With reference to the accompanying drawings, the numeral denotes in its entirety a mosquito net structure made according to the described embodiments. 
     The mosquito net structure  1 , for sake of brevity also referred to simply as structure  1 , is particularly designed to protect compartments, such as doors or windows, of recreational vehicles such as campervans or caravans. 
     The structure  1  of the mosquito net according to the described embodiments is in particular designed to protect compartments having a triangular portion T, labelled with a dashed line in  FIG. 2 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the mosquito net structure  1  comprises a first insect screen  2  for protection against insects designed to be positioned for closing the above-mentioned triangular portion. 
     The first protective insect screen  2  is advantageously of the pleated type, that is to say, having a plurality of pleats in the form of bellows. 
     The mosquito net structure  1  comprises a first fixed frame  3  defining a hypotenuse of the triangle defining the above-mentioned portion T, the first fixed frame  3  being stably connected to the first insect screen  2  at a first perimeter edge  2   a  of the latter. 
     The mosquito net structure  1  comprises a second insect screen  4  for protecting against insects which is designed to be positioned for closing a portion of the compartment in the shape of a rectangle (denoted schematically in  FIG. 2  with a rectangular dashed portion Q 1 ) adjacent to the above-mentioned portion T in the shape of a triangle. 
     The structure  1  has a fixed second frame  5  defining a vertical side of the above-mentioned rectangle Q 1 . 
     The second insect screen  4  is stably connected to the second fixed frame  5  at its first perimeter edge  4   a.    
     According to the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the mosquito net structure  1  comprises a third insect screen  6  for protecting against insects which is designed to be positioned for closing a respective portion of the compartment in the shape of a rectangle (indicated schematically in  FIG. 2  with a rectangular dashed portion Q 2 ) adjacent to both the portions T and Q 1  described above. 
     The structure  1  comprises a plurality of perimeter profiled sections  7 ,  8 ,  9  which, together with the above-mentioned first and second frames  3 ,  5 , define for the structure  1  a respective perimeter frame C. 
     The structure  1  comprises a first movable handle-bar  10 , rigidly constrained to a second perimeter edge  2   b  of the above-mentioned first protective insect screen  2 . 
     In the specific field of mosquito nets, the term handle-bar means a profile, generally made of aluminium or rigid plastic material, attached to the insect screen and used for opening or closing the insect screen, preferably with the function of hooking or in any case blocking the mosquito net in one or more different configurations. 
     As better illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the mosquito net structure  1  comprises a joint  11  slidably engaged with the above-mentioned first handle-bar  10  at a relative upper end zone  11   a , and at the same time defining a pivot, fixed relative to the first frame  3 , for rotating the first handle-bar  10 . 
     With reference in particular to  FIG. 4 , the joint  11  comprises a main body  12  designed to connect rigidly and stably both to the first frame  3  and to the perimeter profile  9  of the frame C, and two skids  13 . 
     The two skids  13  are pivoted with relative pins  13   a  (only one of which is visible in  FIG. 4 ) in respective holes made on the main body  12 , so as to oscillate about a shared axis A perpendicular to the plane of  FIG. 1 . 
     The two skids  13  are slidably engaged in relative grooves made on opposite outer faces of the profile forming the first handle-bar  10 . 
     The above-mentioned grooves, even though not specifically indicated, can be seen by viewing handle-bar  10 , as illustrated, for example, in  FIG. 3 . 
     The joint  11  with its main body  12  and skids  13  defines, for the mosquito net structure  1 , respective means for linking in a roto-translating manner the first handle-bar  10  relative to the first frame  3 , configured to allow the first handle-bar  10  to rotate about the above-mentioned fulcrum axis A fixed relative to the first frame  3  and at the same time translate relative to the axis A, to move from a first closed configuration, illustrated in  FIG. 2 , wherein the first handle-bar  10  is positioned adjacent to the fixed first frame  3  and a second open configuration wherein the first protective insect screen  2  extends for covering the portion T in the shape of a triangle. 
     According to the second configuration, the first handle-bar  10 , like the second perimeter edge  2   b  connected to it, defines a first leg of the triangle defined by the portion T. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the first protective insect screen  2  has a third lower perimeter edge  2   c  which, in the above-mentioned second configuration illustrated in  FIG. 1 , defines a second leg of the triangle defined by the portion T. 
     With reference to the accompanying drawings, the structure  1  comprises a second movable handle-bar  14 , rigidly constrained to a second perimeter edge  4   b  of the second protective insect screen  4 . 
     The second handle-bar  14  is connected to said first handle-bar  10  and is designed to move from a first closed configuration, illustrated in  FIG. 2 , in which it is positioned adjacent to the second fixed frame  5  and a second open configuration, illustrated in  FIG. 1 , wherein the second protective insect screen  4  extends to cover the above-mentioned portion Q 1  in the shape of a rectangle. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the embodiment of the structure  1  comprises a third movable handle-bar  15  constrained rigidly to a first perimeter edge  6   a  of the third protective insect screen  6 . 
     The third bar handle-bar  15  is designed to move from a first closed configuration, illustrated in  FIG. 2 , in which it is positioned adjacent to the perimeter profile  8  and a second open configuration, illustrated in  FIG. 1 , wherein the third protective insect screen  6  extends for covering the above-mentioned portion Q 2  in the shape of a rectangle. 
     A second perimeter edge of the third protective insect screen  6 , opposite and parallel to the first perimeter edge  6   a , is stably fixed to the perimeter profile  8 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 3 and 6 , the mosquito net structure  1  comprises a chain  16  for guiding the above-mentioned third perimeter edge  2   c  of the first protective insect screen  2 . 
     The net-guiding chain  16 , shown in detail in  FIG. 6 , comprises a succession of interconnected modular elements  17 . 
     The guide chain  1  is configured for also guiding a third horizontal perimeter edge  4   c  of the second protective insect screen. 
     The above-mentioned third perimeter edges  2   c ,  4   c  of the first insect screen  2  and of the second insect screen  4  extend substantially parallel to each other in the open configuration of the insect screens  2 ,  4  illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
     For this purpose, that is to say, for guiding both the third edges  2   c ,  4   c  of the first and second protective insect screens  2 ,  4 , the interconnected modular elements  17  of the chain  16  have upper and lower wings  18 ,  19 , designed to contain and guide, respectively, the first protective insect screen  2  and the second protective insect screen  4 . 
     As clearly illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the upper and lower wings  18 ,  19  are located on opposite sides of a sliding plane P of the chain  16 , shown in  FIG. 1  and representing a dividing line between the triangular portion T and the rectangular portion Q 1  located below. 
     As illustrated in detail in  FIG. 6 , each modular element  17  has a pair of upper wings  18  and a pair of lower wings. 
     The upper wings  18  and the lower wings  19  together define, when the respective modular elements  17  are positioned parallel to the above-mentioned sliding plane P, two respective guiding channels for the first and second insect screens  2 ,  4  and, in particular, their third edges  2   c ,  4   c.    
     Again with reference to  FIG. 6 , according to the preferred embodiment illustrated and described, the chain  16  has a first end  16   a  designed to be stably attached to the first and second frames  3 ,  5 . 
     Advantageously, again according to the preferred embodiment illustrated, the above-mentioned first end  16   a  of the chain  16  defines an element  20  for stably linking the above-mentioned first fixed frame  3  and second fixed frame  5 . 
     Advantageously, the linking element  20  defines the reciprocal inclination between the above-mentioned first  3  and second  5  fixed frames, thereby also defining the inclination of the hypotenuse of the triangle identified by the portion T. 
     The net-guiding chain  16  has a second end  16   b , shown in  FIG. 1 , slidable inside the second handle-bar  14  together with the modular elements  17  adjacent to it. 
     As illustrated in the accompanying drawings and in detail in  FIG. 5 , the mosquito net structure  1  comprises an element  21  for linking between the first handle-bar  10  and the second handle-bar  14 . 
     The linking element  21  comprises a first upper portion  22  integral with the first handle-bar  10  and a second, lower portion  23  integral with the second handle-bar  14 , with the first and second portions  22 ,  23  pivoted to each other to rotate relative to each other. 
     In other words, the first handle-bar  10  and the second handle-bar  14  are articulated to each other at the above-mentioned linking element  21 , to form a sort of single articulated handle-bar. 
     Advantageously, the mosquito net structure  1  comprises, not shown in the accompanying drawings, net-guiding chains  16  made in the above-mentioned lower portion  23  of the linking unit  21 , designed to facilitate recovery of the chain  16  inside the box-shaped profile defining the second handle-bar  14 . 
     In use, starting from the configuration illustrated in  FIG. 1 , where all the three protective insect screens  2 ,  4 ,  6  are extended to cover the respective portions T, Q 1 , Q 2  of the compartment, the user wishing to free the compartment for example to pass through it, advantageously grips the third handle-bar  15  and slides it, parallel with itself, in the direction indicated by the arrow F 1 , until coming into contact with the vertical profile  8 , as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
     Following this movement, the third protective insect screen  6 , advantageously of the pleated type, is closed in a pack and adopts a completely negligible overall size between the third handle-bar  15  and the vertical profile  8 . 
     Magnetic retaining elements, not illustrated, can help to ensure that this position is stably maintained. 
     With reference to the configuration illustrated in the drawings of the first  10  and second  14  handle-bars, the user pushes them, advantageously gripping the linking element  21  which joins them, in the direction of the arrow F 2 . 
     The first effect of this pushing action is to generate a roto-translation of the first handle-bar  10  which, thanks to the above-mentioned joint  11 , simultaneously rotates about the axis A and translates relative to its main direction of extension, until it is substantially superposed on the first fixed frame  3 , as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
     In essence, the above-mentioned roto-translation allows the handle-bar  10  to be superposed on the first fixed frame  3 , compensating for the difference in length between the leg and hypotenuse of the triangle. 
     Following the movement of the first handle-bar  10  described above, the first protective insect screen  2 , advantageously of the pleated type, closes together in a pack and adopts a completely negligible size between the first handle-bar  10  and the first fixed frame  3 . 
     Simultaneously with the movement of the first handle-bar  10 , the user, who has gripped the linking element  21  and is pushing in the direction indicated by the arrow F 2 , causes the second handle-bar  14  to slide until it is in contact with the second fixed frame  5  substantially superposed thereon. 
     Similarly to what has already occurred with the third insect screen  6  and the first insect screen  2 , the second protective insect screen  4 , advantageously of the pleated type, is closed in a pack and adopts a completely negligible overall size between the second handle-bar  10  and the second fixed frame  3 . 
     The mosquito net structure according to the described embodiments achieves the preset aims and brings important advantages. 
     A first advantage is due to the possibility of allowing an extremely versatility in the protection against insects for compartments which have a shape different from rectangular or square. 
     Thanks to the mosquito net structure according to the described embodiments it is in fact possible to protect a wide range of shapes, for example, from the composition of triangular and rectangular portions. 
     According to alternative embodiments, not illustrated, there may also be protected compartments with curved portions, for example forming the first fixed curved frame. Another advantage is due to the relative simplicity both in terms of construction and use. 
     Advantageously, the mosquito net structure according to the described embodiments can be used with a wide range of transport vehicles, even, for example, buses. 
     While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.