Movable insulation apparatus

Movable insulation apparatus for selectably covering and uncovering an opening such as a door, window or the like, in a wall of a building to control the amount of heat energy and light transmitted through said opening, said opening having a foot, a head situated above said foot, and height and width;

• said movable insulation comprising:
• a plurality of sheet means each having a leading end and a trailing end, width at least equal to the width of said opening and length at least twice the height of said opening;
• a retracting roller rotatably mounted and spanning the width of said opening at said foot, said leading end and said trailing end of each said sheet means being attached to said roller;
• motor means for urging said roller in one angular direction to retract said sheet means thereon;
• means for supporting all of said sheet means intermediate their ends, spanning the width of said opening and mounted for reciprocal movement between an open position in the region of said foot and a closed position in the region of said head, each said sheet means passing around said supporting means to define two sheet layers extending between the region of said foot and said supporting means;
• and
• means for spacing adjacent ones of said plurality of sheet layers apart to provide a dead air space therebetween, said spacing means comprising a number, equal to said plurality of sheet means less one, of tubular members mounted in concentric relation about said supporting means, each having an axially extending slot therein, the slot in each member being wider than the slot in the adjacent member having smaller diametric dimension, said slots being registered with each other and all opening toward said foot, one said sheet means passing through the slot in said tubular member having smallest diametric dimension and about said supporting means with said sheet layers defined thereby spaced apart in the region of said supporting means by a distance at most equal to the width of the slot in said member having smallest diametric dimension, a number of said remaining sheet means each passing through one said slot in one of said remaining tubular members and about the adjacent member having smaller diametric dimension, with said sheet layers defined thereby spaced in the region of said supporting means by a distance at most equal to the width of said one slot, said spacing means further comprising an idler element extending generally parallel to and spaced laterally from said roller mounted in the region of said foot and about which a portion of said plurality of sheet layers pass.

Movable insulation apparatus for selectably covering and uncovering an opening such as a door, window or the like, in a wall of a building to control the amounts of heat energy and light transmitted through said opening;

• said movable insulation comprising:
• a plurality of sheet means each having a leading end and a trailing end, width at least equal to the width of said opening and length at least equal to twice the length of said opening;
• a retracting roller rotatably mounted and spanning the width of said opening at one extreme edge thereof, said leading end and said trailing end of each said sheet means being attached to said roller;
• motor means for urging said roller in one angular direction to retract said sheet means thereon;
• means for supporting all of said sheet means intermediate their ends, spanning the width of said opening and mounted for reciprocal movement between an open position in the region of said one extreme edge of said opening and a closed position in the region of the edge of said opening opposite said one edge, each said sheet means passing around said support means to define two sheet layers extending between the region of said one edge of said opening and support means;
• and
• means for spacing adjacent ones of said plurality of sheet layers apart to provide a dead air space therebetween, said spacing means comprising a number, equal to said plurality of sheet means less one, of tubular members mounted in concentric relation about said supporting means, each having an axially extending slot therein, the slot in each member being wider than the slot in the adjacent member having smaller diametric dimension, said slots being registered with each other and all opening toward said one edge of said opening, one said sheet means passing through the slot in said tubular member having smallest diametric dimension and about said supporting means with said sheet layers defined thereby spaced apart in the region of said supporting means by a distance at most equal to the width of the slot in said member having smallest diametric dimension, a number of said remaining sheet means each passing through one said slot in one of said remaining tubular members and about the adjacent member having smaller diametric dimension, with said sheet layers defined thereby spaced in the region of said support means by a distance at most equal to the width of said one slot.

In a movable insulation apparatus for selectably covering and uncovering an opening such as a door, window or the like, in a wall of a building to control the amounts of heat energy and light transmitted through said opening, said opening having a foot and a head situated above said foot;

• said movable insulation comprising at least one sheet layer;
• a retracting roller rotatably mounted and spanning the width of said opening at said foot, one end of the sheet layer being attached to said roller;
• motor means for urging said roller in one angular direction to retract said sheet layer thereon;
• means for supporting said sheet means intermediate its ends, spanning the width of said opening and mounted for reciprocal movement between an open position in the region of said foot and a closed position in the region of said head;
• the improvement comprising:
• cable means including first and second cable lengths each attached to respective first and second ends of said supporting means;
• and
• first and second universal pulley blocks each mounted in the region of said head of said opening respectively above said first and second ends of said supporting means, each said pulley block being formed to receive a cable length from said supporting means and selectably guide it directly toward one side of said opening, toward the side of said opening opposite said one side, and toward the other said pulley block, each said pulley block further being formed to receive a cable length from the other said pulley block and selectably guide it toward said one side of said opening and toward said side of said opening opposite said one side.

In a movable insulation apparatus for selectably covering and uncovering an opening such as a door, window or the like, in a wall of a building to control the amount of heat energy and light transmitted through said opening, said movable insulation comprising at least one sheet layer;

• a retracting roller rotatably mounted and spanning the width of said opening at one edge thereof, one end of said sheet layer being attached to said roller;
• motor means for urging said roller in one angular direction to retract said sheet layer thereon;
• and means for mounting said sheet layer for reciprocal movement between an open position withdrawn from said opening and a closed position covering said opening;
• the improvement comprising:
• housing means for mounting and enclosing said retracting roller and portions of said sheet layer retracted thereon and including a pair of mutually parallel, horizontally extending sealing lips between which is defined an open slot through which said sheet layer passes, said housing means being constructed to mount said roller therein with said sheet layer in its closed position, extending tangentially therefrom into contact with one of said lips.