US1495589A - Shutter - Google Patents

Description

` 1,495,589 R. HOFFMAN t SHUTTER I 2 Sheets-Shea?. 2

Patented May 27, 1924.

Unirse sii/Ares 1,495,589 AmiTl:NT osriios.

RUDOLPH HOFFMAN, OF KANKAKEE, ILLINOIS, AssIGNOn To snnns, HOEBUCK AND Co., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK. f

SHUTT'R.

Appisias ned may 19'26. ses; in. :3511,:17-6.`

Ta all whom t may concern: A Y

Be it known that I, ,RUnoLiiH HFFMN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kankakee, in theyy county of Kankakee and State ofIllinois, have inventedy certain new and [useful Improvements in Shutters, ef which the following is a specification. l

The invention .relates in general, =to. shuty ters andmore particularly contemplates the provision of a flexible` shutter adapted;` to close an Opening the' front wall of a kitchen cabinet or the like.

The Object of thev invention is toprovide v a shutter of advantageous construetion 16 which may be manufactured at a relatively lon7 cost and is easily operable from a Closed position over the Opening into an inoperative position at one edge of the opening. A

A further object ofthe invention is to 20 provide a shutter which comprises a plurality of leaves connected together in an im,`

proved manner enabling the leaves to, swing relative to each other from an extended re- 4 lation to a collapsed relation and vice versa, with a smooth and easy action.

vThe objects of the invention thn's gener.` ally stated, together with other advantages whioh will be apparent vfrom the following description, Ymay be attained by the eenstruction and arrangement illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein IY have shown a preferred embodiment of the invention. It is to be understood, however, that although the invention is hereinafter described with considerable,particularity, it is not intended that it shall be limited thereby in the interpretation of the appended claims, except as may be neCess-it'ated the state of the prior art.

In the drawings, Figure 1 isa perspective View of a kitchen cabinet having a shutter 'constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical seotional view transversely of theshutter and the upper portion of the cabinet. Fig. .3 is a fragmentary horizontal section through the upper ,portion of the cabinet, showing the uppermost leaf swung into its horizontalA or inoperative position. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional View transverselyiof the upper portion of the cabinet and showing the leaves collapsed into their inoperative position. Fig. 5 is aV fragmentary vertical sectional view longitudinally of the upper portion of the cabinet showing the leaves in ing an, speling vio ,therein .adapted mbe l"Clo's'edhy a shutter designated generally by the-numeral 11. i

The shutter` eomprises a plurality of (iiiV leaves l2 operatively connected together by means of a plurality of hingemernbers 13. ,one end ot vthe shutter., as, forA example, the upper end, is pivotally ysupported in the cabinet upon a rod 141, and the lower end ofthe vshutter carries a rod 15 providing guide studs atit's opposite ends operatively engaging vin guideways 17 provided upon the 4 opposite side walls of the compartment of the eahinet whi'oh is closed by the shutter. The leaves 1'2 are, Vformed atopposite ends with sidefportion'slS whieh, when the leaves aie 4in their elitended relation, projeet in` a rearward direction. lSubstantially centrally of hsaid side 'prtionsw are pivotally secured mening@ iits'mtsis` 13 s at i9.` said 'membes 1,3 are in the form of flat bars or links,

and the pivots 19 are also located oentrally of lthe hinge members. n i v lThe links 18 forthj'@4k intermediate leaves arepiv'otally Connected at their 'opposite ends with the adjoiningedg'es ofthe adjacen't leaves. Thus the upper ends of. the links are connected tothe lower edges of the upper adjacent `1eme by means of pivots 2()v entered through thenlovver 'ends o'fjth'erside portions 18 of the leaves; vand the lower ends of the ,members are con- 'neoted to thevupper edges of the lower ad.- Ljacent leaves by means of pivots 21 entered throughthe upper ends of the side portions of theleaves. lIn the r*oase of the links of' the .uppermost leaf, their upper ends are jpivot'ally mounted upon the rod 14 mounted inthe cabinet. As shown in Fig. 3 said rod may be mounted in the Opposite walls .of the Y compartment y which .is Closed by the shutter,ras for example, by being supported 'at the upper ends of the Yguideways 17. Said guideways may be.. of any suitable construetionnbfeing herein formed from sheet metal yrnemlbers 23seeiir'ed tothe side :walls of the 4Compartin'ent and bent yto provide the "guideway 17. The lowermost leaf of the shutter carries at its lower edge in the side portions 18 thereof, the guide rod 15 for engaging in the guideway 17. In this instance the hinged members connecting the lowermost leaf to the upper adjacent leaf are shorter than the other links, being terminated be low the pivots 19, as shown in F ig. 2.

It will be seen that the members 13 and the side portions 18 of the leaves together form in effect a lazy-tong construction, as shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 4;, which permits of the relative swinging movement of the leaves from operative position across the opening 10 in the cabinet into collapsed relation at one edge of the opening. To permit of the free and substantially unrestricted pivotal movement of the leaves with respect to each other, the lower or yrear edges of the side portions 18 of the leaves are bent outwardly, as shown in Figs. `2 and 6 to provide flat offset portions 22 upon which the links 13 may bear. rlhis peculiar shap ing of the side portions 18 also permits of the nesting of the leaves, the offset portions 22 of one leaf being adapted to overlie the side portions of the adjacent leaf.

At their upper edges the leaves are referably bent inwardly, as shown at 12a Fig. 2), to underlap the lower edges of the upper adjacent leaves. To permit of such intei-fitting relation of the leaves, the opposite ends of the inwardly bent portions are notched, as shown'at 12b (Fig. 3), so as to receive the lower ends of the side portions 18 (Fig. 2).

To facilitate the operation of the shutter from its operative position closing the opening to its inoperative position, the lowermost leaf may be provided with suitable finger pieces or hooks 24 which are shaped so as not to interfere with the folding of the leaves into a compact stack. To support the leaves when moved into their inoperative position, a suitable spring catch member 25 is provided which may be secured at the up er edge of the opening 10 of the cabinet.

t will be seen that I have provided a shutter which is of a. very simple construction and which is adapted to provide a very efficient closure for the cabinet opening. The leaves are operatively associated in such a manner as to be capable of being moved from an extended relation to an inoperative lor collapsed relationwith the expenditure of a minimum amount of edort on the part of the operator, and the operation of the parts is smooth and may be accomplished with substantially no noise.

l claim as my invention:

1. A shutter for kitchen cabinets and the like comprising, in combination with a frame defining an opening to be closed, a plurality of leaves, guideways within the cabinet `at the opposite edges of the opening,

and means operatively connecting the leaves together whereby to permit of their moveA ment from an extended edge to edge relation into collapsed relation at one edge of the opening and vice versa, said connecting means comprising a lazy tong linkage at each edge of the shutter, and each of said linkages including an upwardly and forwardly extending bar pivoted substantially centrally of the uppermost leaf and having its free end piyotally supported at the upper ends of said guideways, and guide studs operable in said guideways, said studs being located near the lower forward edge of the lowermost leaf; the arrangement being such that the leaves when extended substantially abut the rear face of said frame and when collapsed extend rearwardly into the cabinet with the connecting means concealed at all times by the frame.

2. A shutter for kitchen cabinets and the like comprising a plurality of leaves made of sheet metal and having at their opposite ends flanges projecting substantially at right angles thereto, means operatively connecting said leaves together comprising a bar pia# oted to each of the flanges of said leaves on an axis disposed substantially midway between the upper and lower edges of the leaf, said bars and flanges being pivotally connected together to form a lazy tong linkage at each edge of the shutter7 a pair of guideways within the cabinet and located immediately rearward of the plane of the opening to be closed and parallel thereto, a rod mounted at the upper ends of said guideways and extending transversely of the opening, the bars pivoted to the opposite ends of the uppermost leaf of the shutter being pivotally mounted at their upper forward ends on said rod, and a rod carried by the lowermost leaf near the lower forward edge thereof and having its opposite ends engaging in said guideways whereby the leaves are maintained bodily at all times rearwardly of the plane of the opening.

3. A shutter for kitchen cabinets and the like comprising, in combination with a frame defining an opening to be closed, a plurality of leaves, guideways within the cabinet at the opposite edges of the opening, and means operatively connecting the leaves together whereby to permit of their movement from an extended edge to edge relation into a collapsed relation at one edge of the opening and vice versa, said connecting means comprising a lazy tong linkage at each edge of the shutter, and each of said linkages including an upwardly and forwardly eXtending bar pivoted substantially centrally of the uppermost leaf and having its free end pivotally supported at the upper ends of said guideways, guide studs operable in said guideways, said studs being located near the lower forward edge of the lowermost leaf; i3@

the arrangement being such that the leaves to engage with one of the leaves when the when extended substantially abut the rear latter are in their collapsed relation whereby face of said frame and when collapsed eX- to maintain the shutter in position at the 10 tend rearwardly into the' cabinet with the upper edge of the opening.

5 connecting means concealed at all times by In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set the frame, and a device secured to the upper my hand.

edge of the opening and adapted yieldably RUDOLPH HOFFMAN.

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