Patent ID: 8365801

Claim:
A roll-up type storm shutter assembly for protecting an opening of a building against flying impact damage and heat buildup, said assembly comprising: a plurality of elongated shutter slats, each of said plurality of shutter slats includes an arcuate central portion having a first edge and a second edge, each of said first edge and said second edge having outwardly extending mating portions complimentarily configured to engage with a mating portion of an adjacent shutter slat for limited pivotal movement, said plurality of shutter slats moveable between a rolled up position and a rolled down position, each of said shutter slats having an interior side facing the opening of the building in the rolled down position and an opposite exterior side having a concave shape, each of said first edge and said second edge having an elongated groove positioned opposite said mating portions and facing a center of said central portion; and a plurality of elongated protective panels having an arcuate shape corresponding to said central portion, said protective panels having a length corresponding to a length of said shutter slats, each protective panel having an interior surface that faces the exterior side of said shatter slat, a pair of offset tabs that extend generally outwardly from said interior surface of said protective panel between side end portions of said interior surface of said protective panel, each one of said pair of tabs having a shaped edge portion positioned on a distal end of each of said pair of tabs, said shaped edge portions being spaced apart from said interior surface of said protective panel, said shaped edge portions configured to be slidably received within one of said elongated grooves of said central portion, said plurality of protective panels acting as an insulator to prevent heat transfer between said plurality of shutter slats and the opening.