US2624265A - Spring counterbalanced louver mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 6, 1953 E; A. MADE-R 2,624,265

SPRING COUNTERBALANCED LOUVER MECHANISM Fi l'Qd NOV- 17, 1949 Zmnentor Emil APIaJM s (Ittorneg Patented Jan. 6, 1 953 Miran PATENT QFFI'CE,

SPRINGvCOUNTERBALANEED LOUVEB: MECHANISM f EmilIiA. Made'r, Detroit, Mich., assignor .ofl'one: ha-Ifgitor John. Spargo; Detroit; .Mich;

Applicationil lovemher. 17, 19.49.; SerialNo;.127;974-.-

suchelouvers and assure. a-.=g-radualv and: noiseless-closingthereoft It iis: common. practicerto gravitationally' establisnand, maintain. the. closed: position of pivotal louvers-andltoemploy air. ressure. or suctionz.- induced. by; an associated fan to swing and... hold 1 the louvers open.-. Various. counterb'a'l'ancin'g'. provisions; have .beenvmacle...for reducing: therfop'eningg effort. and cushioning. closing travel of-s'thelouvers;

An object of the invention is to provide. a spring counterbalancing. mechanism for. louvers, afiording. in azsimple manner a. more rapid and 'ac-, curate; regulation of the counterba1ancingefiort than has been heretofore' available. Y

Another-object is to provide a. unit. comprising at. negulable. counterbalancing-f spring: and.. a. mounting";- for: such 7. spring-,- whichv .unit, may be quicklyand easily' appliedto: louver mechanisms of; various:- types and. sizes, reducing manufacturi'ngdiversitys Another-object -:is-;t :adapt the. aforementioned .to. be concealed or; substantially concealed by; the. louvers to. which. the unit is. applied.

Another. object is: to. transmit the counterbalancing. effort. of a coiledspring. to a,.pivotal arm .whereon,..such; spring isrlongitudinally ext'endedl'iand to.- regulate leverage. exertedv by such springomthearm... I

Anotherlobjectzis, to provide.aleverageeregulating' anchorage element for one end of'said coiled springt,and .,.toaafiord regulation of the tension or: thespring'in-anchoring its other end.

These, andWariouSiotheraobjects are attained by. the construction hereinafter described and illustratedtin the a-ccompanying; drawing; where- Fig. 1 issaztop; plan. view.wofia...set3 of louvers equipped with my novel... counterbalancingaunit, illustrating-a closed positi'onof. such set.

Fig.- '2 'is. a vertical sectional. view ofthe same taken onthe-line 2-'2of Fig.1...

Fig. 3"is a similar sectional view showing the louvers in fully opened position.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the counterbalancing unit taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective detail of an attaching element for said unit.

In these views, the reference character I designates a rectangular frame, of angle bar construction, set into and fitting an opening 2a in a ceiling 2 -and-forming; a passage forthe-upfiow of airthrough such opening. To control such flow, a set a of similar horizontally elongated louvers '3 are pivoted as indicated at G said .frame; larping, each other in their horizontal closed pos-itions, as appearsdn Figs. 1 and 2. Tothe free margin of each louver is rigidly secured an up standing bracket 5,: and the louvers are interconnectedyto swing inunisonbya tierod 6,.disposed; centrally above thelouversand transverse to their axes.

Describing, nowv the counterbalancing unit whereinmy invention particularlylies. a post. I verticallyupstanding.upon an-end of the-frame I isclampedtosuch .endby a bolt and nuts. Any

tendency of. such. post. to rock on said. boltis preventedhy a...metal..plate 9 (see-Fig, 5.) held tightly against the frame by. said bolt and nut, the upper portion oi'said. plate. ,being bent down to. extend across andwithin the. frame and havinga notch. I E) wherein. the postis snugly, fitted. Pivoted on .the post. at .l l is. one endoi an .elongated louverg-lifting arm l2 which, projectscentrally above thelouvers transversely. to their axes, and'hence overlies the tierod 6.. Said. arm preferably forms'a channel, opening downwardly or toward. the louvers and. may be a sheet-metal stamping: To' formits pivotal end'portion the arm .has 'extensions I 3 from the sides of its channel which extensionsrstraddl'e the post'l and are preferably diverged downwardly" at an obtuse angle to'the main length of thearm. Vertically slidabl'e'on. the post; above the pivot Ii, is' an anchorage :element 5 4' whichrmay beycl'amped. jat selective elevations: by a boltv and .nut' I5; An elongated coiled-spring l5; anchored atone end 'to -the element l4, extends through thechannel of the arm andis connected'throughi afusible link I! to anpeye-bolt IB'adjustably mounted on the. free end ofthe arm. It ispreferred to extend said eye-bolt transversely and slidably through a pin l 97 disposed between. andswi'veled in the side walls. ofjthe, arm, a .w-ingnutzfl. being threaded on the bolt forwardly of thepin-to regulate. the slidingrelation of the bolt. to the pin, and a lock nut 2| being tightenedfor-ward'ly against the pin to resist loosening of the Wingnut. By thus swivelly anchoring the forward end of the spring to the arm, various angular relations of the spring to the arm are accommodated with a minimum of friction, noise, and strain. Between the wingnut and swiveled pin is clamped a plate 22 carried by the bolt l8, and swivelly mounting the upper end of a lifting link 23 formed preferably of wire with its ends transversely bent to respec- 3 tively engage the plate 22 and mid-portion of the tie rod 6.

When the described counterbalancing unit is properly adjusted, the louvers close under a gravitational force only sufiicient to overcome any tendency toward rattling or flapping of the louvers in response to drafts or thermal air currents. Such air currents are more prevalent in some installations than in others and it is hence desirable that any set of ceiling louvers be individually adjusted at time of installation. Such an adjustment may be effected with great accuracy by tightening or loosening the wingnut 20 and thus regulating the spring tension. The

coarser adjustment afforded by shifting the anchorage element [4 on the post 1 and thus regulating leverage exerted by the spring, may be accomplished with sufrlcient accuracy at the factory. This adjustment primarily serves to adapt the counterbalancing unit to a particular size or type of louvers, and it is to be understood that the described unit may be suited to numerous different sizes and weights of louvers by properly positioning the element M. By adapting the arm I2 to form a housing for the coiled spring, the latter is less likely to accumulate dust or grease or to be distorted through rough treatment. It will be noted that the end portions l3 of the lifter arm avoid interference by said arm with the range of adjustment of the element It.

What I claim is:

l. A louver mechanism comprising a frame having an opening affording air flow in a predetermined direction, a set of louvers controlling such opening, means individually pivoting said louvers to swing about parallel axes from their closure position in the approximate direction of air flow, means interconnecting the louvers for pivotal actuation in unison, an arm spaced from the louvers in the direction of air flow and extending approximately transversely to such direction, whereby said arm has an inner end relatively adjacent to the axis of said opening'and an outer end relatively remote from such axis, a support for said arm, means pivoting the arm substantially at its outer end on the support and affording swinging of the arm to and from the louvers, a swinging actuating connection from the inner end portion of the arm to said interconnecting means, a coiled spring connected at one of its ends to the inner end portion of the arm for pivotally'urging the arm in the direction of air flow, and an anchorage element for the other end of the spring carried by'said support and adjustable on the support to and from the pivotal end of the arm to regulate the leverage spring-applied to the arm.

2.. A louver mechanism as set forth in claim 1, said arm forming a channel opening toward the louvers, and said spring being at least partially housed in such channel.

3. A louver mechanism as set forth in claim 1, said support being a post carried by said frame, and said anchorage element being slidable on the post to afiect its adjustment to and from the pivotal end of the arm.

4. In a louver mechanism as set forth in claim 1, means for anchoring said spring to the arm, including means for regulating the tension of the spring.

5. A louver counterbalancing unit comprising an elongated post for supporting such unit, a frame having an opening afiording air flow in a predetermined direction, aid post projecting from such frame in the approximate direction of air flow, means for clamping an end portion of the post to said frame, an anchorage element adjustable on and lengthwise of the post, an arm having a free end and pivoted substantially at its other end on the post between said clamping means and anchorage element, a coiled spring tensioned between said element and the free end of the arm, a set of louvers mounted in said frame to regulate said air flow, and means for operatively connecting .said free end of the arm to said louvers. 7

6. In a louver-couriterbalanclrig unit as set forth in claim 5, a second anchorage element mounted on the free end of said arm and rockable about an axis transverse to the arm, an adjusting screw extending freely through the second anchor-age element transversely to said axis and connecting said spring to the free end of the arm, and a nut rotatively threaded on said screw and imposing thrust on the second anchorage element to longitudinally shift the screw and regulate tension of the spring. 7

7. A louver mechanism as set forth in claim 1, said arm extending substantially transversely to the louver axes.

8. A louver counterbalancing unit comprising a frame having an opening affording air flow in a predetermined direction, a support for such unit projecting from the frame inthe approximate direction of said air flow, means for clamping such support to said-frame, an arm having a free end, means pivoting said arm substantiallya-t its other end on the support, a set offlouvers mounted in said frame to regulate said air flowfa connection from said free end to said-louvers for opening the louvers, an elongated spring reacting between said support and arm for counterbalancing the louvers, an anchor-age member for one end of the spring adjustable on the support to and from the pivoting means for the support for regulating the leverage exerted by the spring on the arm, and means connectin the other end of the spring to the free end portion of the arm, including means to regulate the sprin stress;

, I A. I

REFERENCES o'rran The following references are of record; file of this patent:

M-ader Mar. id, 1943

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