Unitized Structural Frame

A method for mounting a rolling shutter assembly to support structure surrounding an opening of a building, wherein the opening is defined by a support structure having a top wall, a bottom wall and oppositely disposed side walls, wherein the assembly comprises a shutter housing, a shutter support member rotatably disposed within the shutter housing, a shutter coupled to the shutter support member, the shutter comprising a plurality of individual slats and a plurality of hinges interconnecting the slats, a pair of side tracks, and a support frame having a top rail, a bottom rail and a pair of oppositely disposed side rails, the method comprising:

• mounting the support frame to the support structure with the top rail anchored to the top wall, the bottom rail anchored to the bottom wall and the side rails disposed proximate the corresponding side walls and not anchored to the side walls;
• mounting each of the side tracks to a corresponding one of the side rails of the support frame;
• and
• mounting the shutter housing proximate the top ends of the side tracks such that the shutter rolls between a rolled position wherein the shutter is rolled onto the shutter support member and an unrolled position wherein the shutter covers the opening and the ends of the slats are disposed within the channels of the corresponding side tracks with the side tracks engaging the ends of the slats to retain the ends of the slats in the side tracks.

In a rolling shutter assembly for covering an opening of a structure defined by a support structure having a top wall, a bottom wall and oppositely disposed side walls, the assembly having a shutter housing, a shutter support member rotatably disposed within the shutter housing, a shutter coupled to the shutter support member, the shutter comprising a plurality of individual slats and a plurality of hinges interconnecting the slats, and a pair of side tracks, and wherein the shutter housing is mounted proximate the top ends of the side tracks such that the shutter rolls between a rolled position wherein the shutter is rolled onto the shutter support member and an unrolled position wherein the shutter covers the opening and the ends of the slats are disposed within the channels of the corresponding side tracks with the side tracks engaging the ends of the slats to retain the ends of the slats in the side tracks, the improvement comprising:

• a support frame having a top rail, a bottom rail and a pair of oppositely disposed side rails, wherein the support frame is mounted to the walls of the support structure defining the opening with the top rail anchored to the top wall, the bottom rail anchored to the bottom wall and the side rails disposed proximate the corresponding side walls, and wherein the side tracks are each mounted to a corresponding one of the side rails of the support frame.