Patent Publication Number: US-2007101667-A1

Title: Storm panel bracket system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
      This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/733,177, filed Nov. 4, 2005. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to devices for the protection of buildings from storm damage, and more particularly to a storm panel bracket system for securing storm panels to building openings for the prevention of damage caused by high-speed winds, such as hurricane force winds.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      Hurricanes and other tropical storms generate high-speed winds that can cause extensive damage to buildings. The most vulnerable areas of most buildings are the windows and doors. Glass covered windows and doors are easily damaged by winds and windborne debris. When glass is broken during a windstorm, the resulting glass fragments and shards become dangerous projectiles that can cause damage to the building contents, and serious injury to any occupants within the building. In addition, once the glass is broken, the integrity of the window or door opening is completely compromised, exposing the contents of the building to damage from the wind and wind carried debris.  
      Plywood shutters are often employed as a low cost method of protecting building openings. One method of installing plywood as a storm shutter is to attach the plywood across the face of the opening so that it overlaps the frame of the window or door. The plywood is then secured to the building or frame surface using fasteners. While using this method allows the plywood to be installed quickly during the period before a storm arrives, experience has shown that plywood shuttering installed using the overlapping method frequently fails, with the storm winds tearing the plywood away the building openings. When plywood shuttering is pulled free, the shuttering may become an instrument for causing damage by becoming a wind-driven projectile.  
      Plywood shuttering inset into the frame of the opening is more successful at withstanding removal by high winds. In the inset shuttering method, the plywood panels are cut to fit closely within the window frame. In a typical arrangement, the plywood panels are secured within the frame using fastening mechanisms that attach to the plywood and extend into the frame.  
      The requirement to attach fastening mechanisms to the plywood causes the installation of inset plywood shutters to require significant time and effort. Since the path of storms cannot be predicted with perfect accuracy, the amount of forewarning of an impending storm may be limited, and preparation time may be a valuable commodity when preparing for a storm. In addition, plywood is subject to weathering, and thus may have a limited useful life. When the plywood is replaced, hardware attached to the panels must be placed on new panels, causing a repeated expenditure of labor and effort.  
      Thus, a storm panel bracket system for securing storm panels solving the aforementioned problems is desired.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The storm panel bracket system is a system for securing storm panels inset within the frame of building openings. The storm panel bracket system includes one or more storm brackets and one or more resilient bumpers. Each storm bracket includes an adjusting screw and adjustment nut. Turning the adjustment nut moves the nut along the adjusting screw. The movement of the nut moves a movable member of the storm bracket. The movable member holds a protecting storm panel and forces the panel against the frame of the window, providing a clamping action that holds the storm panel in place. The storm panel bracket system includes resilient bumpers that are placed between the storm panel and the frame to provide a cushion for the frame and to enhance friction between the frame and the storm panel.  
      The storm brackets are held in place against a frame of a building opening by forcing the base of the storm bracket against the frame. The lower surface of the base of the storm bracket may be provided with a resilient pad to cushion the frame and enhance friction with the frame of the opening. In another embodiment, friction enhancement may be provided by a tread pattern on the lower surface of the base.  
      In use, the resilient bumpers are placed between one edge of the storm panel and the frame while the storm brackets are placed between the opposite edge of the panel and the frame. For example, the resilient bumpers may be placed at the top edge of the frame, with the storm brackets being installed between the lower edge of the storm panel and the lower edge of the frame. The storm panel is held by a movable member of the storm bracket. The storm bracket is expanded by turning an adjusting member, which moves the movable member, forcing the edge of the panel into the bumpers installed between the frame and the storm panel. The force generated by the storm bracket generates a press fit that holds the storm panel within the frame of the opening.  
      These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a storm panel bracket system according to the invention used to install a storm panel over a window.  
       FIG. 2  is a top view of the storm panel bracket system of  FIG. 1  securing a plywood storm panel inset in window frame.  
       FIG. 3A  is a front perspective view of a storm panel bracket of the present invention in a retracted condition.  
       FIG. 3B  is a front perspective view of a storm panel bracket of the present invention in an expanded condition. 
    
    
      Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.  
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      The present invention is a storm panel bracket system for securing storm panels to protect building openings. The system can be appreciated by referring to  FIGS. 1, 2 ,  3 A, and  3 B.  
      Referring first to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the use of the storm panel bracket system of the present invention to protect a building opening may be appreciated. The storm panel bracket system comprises a storm panel bracket  24  and one or more resilient bumpers  22 . A building opening, such as a window W, is protected by a plywood storm panel P. The plywood panel P is sized to fit within the frame F of the window W. The resilient bumpers  22  are placed between the panel P and one side of the window frame F, while the storm panel bracket  24  is installed between the panel and the window frame F at the opposite side of the window W. Adjusting the storm panel bracket  24 , as described below, results in the storm panel bracket  24  forcing the storm panel P against the window frame F. The securing force generated by the storm panel bracket  24  produces a secure press fit between the storm panel P, the resilient bumpers  22 , and the window frame F, holding the storm panel P in place against the force of storm winds.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 2 , additional details of the storm panel bracket system and its use may be appreciated. The storm panel P is in an inset position within the opening of frame F. The storm panel bracket  24  includes an adjustment nut  40  threaded onto a fixed adjustment screw  38 . Turning the adjustment screw  38  selectively moves a movable member  26  of the storm panel bracket  24  in a horizontal direction, generating the securing force that drives the storm panel P into the resilient bumper  22  and holds the storm panel P in the inset position. A retaining head  42  at the top of the adjustment screw retains the movable member  26  on the storm panel bracket  24 .  
      By referring now to  FIGS. 3A and 3B , additional details of the storm panel bracket  24  and its use may be understood. The storm panel bracket  24  comprises a base member  44  that supports the other components of the bracket. Base member  44  is shown in the drawings as a large L-shaped shaped member  32  having a smaller L-shaped member  36  having one leg affixed to the larger L-shaped member  32 , the other leg of the smaller L-shaped shaped member  36  being in parallel relation with the large L-shaped member  32  to define a channel. The lower surface (surface to be installed nearest the opening frame F) of the base member  44  is provided with a resilient pad  28 . When the storm panel P is installed in the window or other building opening, the resilient base pad  28  bears against the frame of the opening. When the storm panel bracket  24  is operated to secure a window, the securing force generated by the storm panel bracket  24  presses the resilient base pad  28  against the window frame, generating a press fit that holds the storm panel bracket  24  in position.  
      The storm panel bracket  24  further comprises an adjustment screw  38 . The adjustment screw  38  is mounted to a fixed surface of the storm panel bracket  24 , such as the base  44 . The adjustment screw  38  extends perpendicularly from the base  44 , and may be welded thereto so that adjustment screw  38  does not rotate. An adjustment nut  40  threadably engages the adjustment screw  38 . Rotating the adjustment nut  40  on the fixed adjustment screw  38  causes the adjustment nut  40  to move along the axis of the adjustment screw  38 .  
      The storm panel bracket  24  further includes a movable positioning member  26 . The movable positioning member  26  comprises a U-shaped body slidable in the channel defined by the base member  44  and having a plate  34  or flange extending laterally from one side of the mouth of the U-shaped body, the laterally extending plate  34  having a bore defined therein slidable on adjustment screw  38  between the head  42  of the adjustment screw  38  and nut  40 .  
       FIG. 3A  shows the storm panel bracket  24  in the fully retracted condition. When the adjustment nut  40  is rotated to expand the storm panel bracket, the adjustment nut  40  moves on the adjustment screw  38  in the direction away from the bracket base  44 , moving the plate  34  away from the base  44 . As best appreciated by referring to  FIG. 3B , which shows the storm panel bracket  24  in the fully expanded condition, screw head  42  limits the travel of the movable member  26  and retains the movable member  26  and the adjustment nut  40  on the adjustment screw  38 .  
      The lower portion of the movable member  26  is provided with a panel holding means. The panel holding means is the U-shaped portion of movable member  26 , which is dimensioned and configured for receiving an edge of the plywood storm panel P. As best shown in  FIG. 2 , the edge of a storm panel P slidably engages the channel formed by the U-shaped portion of movable member  26 . Adjusting the adjustment nut to move the movable member  26  away from the base of the storm panel bracket  24 , forces the storm panel P into the rubber bumper  22  installed on the side of the storm panel P opposite the storm panel bracket  24 .  
      The components of the storm panel bracket system may be installed in various combinations as required to protect openings of various sizes. As shown in  FIG. 1 , for small windows a single bracket  24  may be centered vertically within the opening frame F at one side of the opening to be protected W. One or more rubber bumpers  22  are positioned between the storm panel P and the opening frame F at the other side of the opening W. Preferable a plurality of bumpers  22  is provided, with the bumpers  22  being distributed along the vertical edge of the storm panel P.  
      For openings having a relatively large vertical dimension, a plurality of storm brackets  24  is used, with the brackets  24  being distributed vertically along an edge of the storm panel P.  
      The storm bracket movable and supporting members may be made of any sufficiently strong material. For example, the storm bracket base  44 , L-shaped guides  32  and  36 , and movable member  26  may be made of metal, such as sheet steel or extruded aluminum. The resilient bumpers  22  and the resilient pad  28  may be made of any resilient, friction enhancing or cushioning material, such as rubber or neoprene.  
      It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.