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US 4,375,183 AGranted
Insulated shutter assembly
OwnerWilliam R. Lynchinventor
Life of this patent
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OwnerWilliam R. Lynchinventor
Estimating the term…
An insulated shutter assembly is installed in a ceiling or other wall of a building and used in combination with a ventilating fan for intake or exhaust, such as a whole house fan. The shutter assembly is insulated to substantially prevent heat transfer by conduction and convection through the shutter assembly when it is closed. An integrated mechanical lock system is used with the shutter assembly to provide a positive force against elastic seals when the shutters are closed to thereby provide an airtight barrier against air movement through the shutter assembly. The individual shutter blades are insulated to provide effective resistance to conductive heat losses when closed, and are also shaped to minimize aerodynamic drag and noise when open. The shutters may be manually locked and unlocked or may be motor actuated. The shutter assembly can thus be permanently installed and when the fan is not in use will effectively block heat transfer whether the building is being heated or air conditioned. Whole house ventilating systems save energy because when being operated, a significant reduction in the need for mechanical air conditioning is possible.
In a shutter apparatus for use in connection with a fan, a perimeter frame having an inlet opening which lies along a reference plane, a plurality of shutter blades mounted within said perimeter frame and movable from a first closed position wherein the blades substantially close off air passage through the inlet opening to a second position wherein air is permitted to flow through the inlet opening, the improvement comprising seal means along the edges of said inlet opening, means to mount said shutter blades for movement between their first and second positions and for limited movement toward and away from the reference plane, and linkage means to move the shutter blades in a direction generally perpendicular to the reference plane to compress the seal means with the shutter blades in the closed position.
A shutter apparatus comprising a perimeter frame member having frame side members, a plurality of shutter blades extending between the frame side members, means to pivotally mount said blades to the frame side members about generally parallel axes normal to the frame side members, flange means on the frame side members defining sides of an inlet opening, the ends of the shutter blades overlying the flange means, said blades pivoting between open and closed positions, said blades having edges which overlie adjoining laterally extending surfaces extending in direction between the frame side members with the shutter blades in closed position and which edges move away from the adjoining surfaces as the shutter blades move to open position, first seal means extending in direction between the frame side members and in position between each of the shutter blade edges and the respective adjoining laterally extending surface, second seal means between the flanges and the overlying ends of the shutter blades, and linkage means mounted on said frame and operably associated with the shutter blades, said linkage means being movable to a position to apply a positive force tending to move the shutter blades toward the inlet opening with the shutter blades in closed position to tend to compress the first and second seal means.
A shutter apparatus comprising a perimeter frame assembly comprising two frame sections, each frame section having spaced frame side members and end members extending between the side members, the frame sections being substantially coextensive and defining an opening having an inlet at one frame section and an outlet at the other frame section, a plurality of shutter blades each pivotally mounted to the frame assembly about a pivot axis and being movable about their pivot axes from an open position to permit airflow through the inlet to the outlet to a closed position blocking airflow through the defined opening, each of said shutter blades comprising an outer shell, a filling of foam material within said outer shell, said outer shell being formed to have an interior shutter blade surface facing the inlet and an exterior shutter blade surface facing the outlet, said shell having two portions which form a thermal conduction path of low thermal conductivity between the interior shutter blade surface and the exterior shutter blade surface to inhibit heat conduction from the inlet to the outlet when the blades are in closed position, each shutter blade further including end cap means of material having low thermal conductivity, the pivotal mounting for each shutter blade comprising means mounted on the respective end cap means, the pivotal mounting axis for each blade being adjacent one edge of such blades, said first and second frame sections being spaced apart to form a thermal conduction break around the perimeter of the frame to prevent heat conduction directly between the first and second frame sections, and insulating means connected to the frame sections to support the frame sections relative to each other, and to seal the space between the frame sections around the perimeter thereof.
A shutter apparatus for use in connection with a fan including a perimeter frame having an inlet opening which lies along a reference plane and having first and second sides and first and second ends, a plurality of shutter blades mounted within said perimeter frame and each extending in direction between the sides of the frame and movable from a first position wherein the blades substantially close off air passage through the inlet opening to a position wherein air is permitted to flow through the inlet opening, seal means along the edges of said inlet opening, means to pivotally mount said shutter blades for movement about axes extending between the frame sides between their first and second positions, the seal means being engaged by the shutter blades in their first position, the means to pivotally mount further permitting movement of the shutter blades generally perpendicular to the plane of the inlet opening to compress the seals with the shutter blades in their second position, means to control movement of the shutter blades comprising first crank means pivotally mounted at a first end thereof to the frame adjacent one end of the frame and second crank means pivotally mounted at a first end thereof to the frame adjacent a second end of the frame, both crank means being positioned adjacent one side of the frame, a control link pivotally mounted to each shutter blade at one end of each of the shutter blades and extending parallel to the one side of the frame to cause said shutter blades to pivot in unison, connecting links between respective second ends of the first and second crank means opposite the first ends thereof and the respective ends of the control link, whereby pivotal movement of one crank means causes the shutter blades to be guided by both of the crank means, the control link and the connecting links, the means to control including means to exert a force on the shutter blades generally perpendicular to the plane of the inlet opening through the crank means when the shutter blades approach their first position.
A shutter apparatus including a frame having an inlet opening which lies generally along a reference plane, a plurality of shutter blades pivotally mounted to said frame and movable from a first position wherein the shutter blades cooperate to substantially close off air passage through the inlet opening to a position wherein the shutter blades become spaced apart and air is permitted to flow through the inlet opening, means to mount said shutter blades for pivotal movement between their first and second positions, each shutter blade having end cap means at opposite ends thereof, and the means to pivotally mount each shutter blade comprising a pair of springs, one at each of the opposite ends of each shutter blade and including a support leg portion extending generally perpendicular to the axis of pivot of the shutter blade, and an arm portion extending generally parallel to the pivot axis of the respective shutter blade and engaging the respective end cap, the arm portions of each pair of springs for each shutter blade forming pivot members at the opposite ends of the respective shutter blade and permitting the shutter blade to move toward and away from the inlet opening a limited amount under torsion loading of the support leg portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.