DESCRIPTION

Field of the invention

The present invention generally refers to the technical field of anti-insect systems, and it particularly regards an anti-insect barrier installable on an opening of a building such as a door, window, french-window or the like, as well as a mounting kit thereof.

State of the Art

Anti-insect barriers installable on frames or chambranle and windows such as for example a window, a door, a french-window or the like, which generally consist in a mesh for example an insect screen suitable to prevent insects such as mosquitoes, flies and the like from passing through, are known.

Known insect screens jeopardise the entry of light into the environment, the view through the window by a user and change of air in the environment in which they are installed.

With the aim of improving efficiency with respect to small insects, there arises the need to provide screens with particularly narrow meshes, thus heightening the drawbacks outlined above and further jeopardising the aesthetic appeal.

Thus, these solutions are not practical.

Furthermore, in case of doors or french-windows, main doors or entrances to business premises or in cases where there is a high number of people passing through, anti- insect barriers thus made are poorly efficient in that the frequent opening/closing thereof facilitates the entry of the insects.

Systems that provide for anti-insect barriers with an "air blade", that do not provide for installing a mesh or insect screen, are known in such case. However, such type of barriers are particularly expensive, they are difficult to mount at the small openings such as windows of residential houses and they are poorly efficient.

Summary of the invention

An object of the present invention is to at least partly overcome the drawbacks illustrated above, by providing an anti-insect barrier that is highly efficient and relatively inexpensive.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an anti-insect barrier with high aesthetic appeal.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an anti-insect barrier that enables a user to pass through it.

These and other objects to be further clarified hereinafter, are attained by an anti- insect barrier having one or more of the characteristics described, illustrated and/or claimed herein.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a kit for mounting the aforementioned barrier.

This and other objects to be further clarified hereinafter, are attained by a mounting kit having one or more of the characteristics described, illustrated and/or claimed herein.

The dependent claims describe advantageous embodiments of the invention.

Brief description of the drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will be more apparent in light of the detailed description of a preferred but non-exclusive embodiment of the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of an opening A of a building in which a barrier 1 is installed; FIG. 2 is a partly cross-sectional axonometric view of some details of an embodiment of the barrier 1;

FIG. 3 is a connection diagram of some components of the barrier 1.

Detailed description of some preferred embodiments

With reference to the aforementioned figures, herein described is an anti-insect barrier 1 that can be installed in proximity of an opening A of a building (Fig. 1) for preventing insects such as mosquitoes, flies, midges, bees, moths, cockroaches, crickets, grasshoppers, mice through the opening A.

The latter may, for example, be the space of a window, door, french-window, main door, the entrance of a business premises, or the like and it may comprise - in a per se known manner - a lateral peripheral wall P delimiting it.

Though the attached figures show a substantially rectangular-shaped opening A, such characteristic shall not be deemed limiting with respect to the objects of the present invention. The opening A may for example be circular or arc-shaped.

The barrier 1 may be arranged at the peripheral wall P of the opening A so as not to obstruct the opening A so as to enable users to pass through it, the air to flow through it and see through it. In other words, the barrier 1 will not comprise an insect screen mesh like present in barriers of the prior art.

Thus, insects cannot enter into the building even when the window or door is open. Furthermore, the user may pass through such opening A without any danger and without damaging or jeopardising the efficiency of the barrier 1.

In particular, the latter may comprise at least one electromagnetic waves emitter 10 and at least one ultrasonic waves emitter 11, preferably a plurality of the latter. Both can be supplied with electric current.

To this end, a circuit for connecting such electromagnetic 10 and ultrasonic 11 waves emitters with a battery 20 and/or with a photovoltaic cell 21 and/or with the power mains may be provided for so as to power-supply them.

In particular, as schematically illustrated in Fig. 3, the circuit may comprise at least one photovoltaic cell 21, at least one DC - DC converter 23, at least one battery 20 and control means, for example a microcontroller 22, acting on the electromagnetic 10 and/or ultrasonic 11 waves emitters for promoting the formation of electromagnetic waves and/or ultrasounds.

The electromagnetic 10 and ultrasonic 11 waves emitters may be small in size, in particular a thickness smaller than 50 mm, preferably 20 mm.

The barrier 1 may comprise one or more longitudinal profiles 2, 3 preferably as shown in Fig. 2, a pair of uprights 2 and a crosspiece 3, which may thus be mutually connected to form a support frame 5 which may be coupled with the peripheral wall P of the opening A preferably in a removable fashion through per se known mounting means 4' such as screws, nails, hooks, male/female couplings or the like.

The support frame 5 may be made of metal material, or preferably polymeric material or wooden material so as to enable the electromagnetic waves 10 and ultrasounds

11 to pass through it.

The support frame 5 may thus define a plane π. More in particular, the support frame 5 may have an outer face 7 facing the peripheral wall P of the opening A and intended to be coupled with the latter, an opposite inner face 8 facing the opening A and a pair of front faces 9 substantially coplanar with the plane π. Such longitudinal profiles 2, 3 may suitably have a substantially hollow rectangular section and comprise at least one respective longitudinal seat 4 defined by the cavity thereof for housing the electromagnetic 10 and ultrasonic 11 wave emitters so that the latter are not visible from the external.

The seats 4 may possibly house the DC - DC converter 23, the battery 20 and the microcontroller 22 too.

On the other hand, the photovoltaic cell 21 may be positioned on the uprights 2 so as to face towards the external, so as to have maximum exposure to solar rays. In particular, the photovoltaic cell 21 may be positioned on one or more front faces of the frame 5 and, preferably, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, in the lower area of the frame 5 so that the photovoltaic cell 21 is highly exposed to light.

The photovoltaic cell 21 may suitably be substantially waterproof so as not to be damaged due to exposure to rain.

Furthermore, the photovoltaic cell 21 may be dimensioned according to the energy demand of the electromagnetic 10 and ultrasonic 11 waves emitters. On the other hand, the photovoltaic cell 21 may have dimensions not greater than those of the uprights 2 so as not to protrude with respect to the latter.

Thanks to the characteristics outlined above and as schematically illustrated in Fig. 1, the barrier 1 may occupy a limited space of the opening A, so as to minimise the aesthetic impact of the barrier 1.

Thus, the barrier 1 may be easy to install in that the positioning of the support frame 5 at the opening A and the fixing of the former to the wall P of the latter may be sufficient.

The end portions of the longitudinal profiles 2, 3 may be mutually coupled by means male/female elements, glue or similar means of the known type.

In particular, such end portions may be free so that the operator can cut to size to adapt the support frame 5 to the opening A. In other words, the electromagnetic 10 and ultrasonic 11 waves emitters and possibly the photovoltaic cell 21, the DC - DC converter 23, the battery 20 and the microcontroller 22 may all be positioned at the central part of the profiles 2, 3 so as to be spaced apart from such end portions.

For example, such end portions of the longitudinal profiles 2, 3 may be at least 10 cm long. The longitudinal profiles 2, 3, may comprise a plurality of through holes 6, which may be obtained at the inner face 8 of the support frame 5.

The electromagnetic 10 and ultrasonic 11 waves emitters may suitably be arranged in the longitudinal seat 4 at the through holes 6 substantially flushed with the inner face 8 of the frame 5.

Thus, the barrier 1 will have a high aesthetic appeal while simultaneously guaranteeing optimal functionality.

As a matter of fact, the electromagnetic 10 and ultrasonic 11 waves emitters will be concealed from view in the frame 5.

In addition, the electromagnetic 10 and ultrasonic 11 waves emitters will thus be protected against dust and/or atmospheric agents too. Furthermore, sealing means 6' of the known type, silicone for example, may be provided for between the electromagnetic 10 and ultrasonic 11 waves emitters in order to ensure that the profiles 2, 3 are internally waterproof.

Furthermore, the electromagnetic 10 and/or ultrasonic 11 waves emitters may thus be faced towards the opening A and they may substantially lie in the plane π.

According to a particular embodiment, the ultrasonic emitters 11 may be housed in the uprights 2, while the electromagnetic waves emitters 10 may be housed in the crosspiece 3. The electromagnetic waves emitter 10 may possibly be single.

Such characteristic shall not be deemed to be limiting in that the crosspiece 3 may house the ultrasonic emitters 11 and the uprights 2 may house the electromagnetic waves emitters 10 or the electromagnetic 10 and ultrasonic 11 waves emitters may be housed in both longitudinal profiles 2, 3 without departing from the objects of the present invention.

As particularly illustrated in Fig. 2, the barrier 1 may comprise eight ultrasonic emitters 11 while each upright 2 may comprise four holes 6 for the respective ultrasonic emitters 11.

The microcontroller 22 may suitably act on the ultrasonic emitters 11 so that not all of them always operate simultaneously, i.e. they operate intermittently. In other words, each ultrasonic emitter 11 may operate discontinuously.

The microcontroller 22 may preferably act on the ultrasonic emitters 11 so that at least one of the latter is always operative. The ultrasonic emitters 11 may possibly emit pulse or sine waves and they may slightly vary the emission frequency thereof when operative.

More in detail, the ultrasonic emitters 11 may comprise piezoelectric transducers of the known type capable of generating an acoustic sine wave. For example, the latter may have a frequency comprised between 18 kHz and 80 kHz, and preferably, between 20 kHz and 40 kHz.

On the other hand, the electromagnetic waves emitters 10 may be configured to transmit microwaves with a frequency comprised between 250 MHz and 300 GHz and a wavelength comprised between 1 m and 1 mm.

For example, the electromagnetic waves emitters 10 may emit waves at a frequency of about 2.4 GHz and a wavelength of about 12 cm.

At such frequencies, the action of the electromagnetic waves 10 may promote the heating of the insect.

In order to increase the efficiency of the barrier 1, there may be provided for flavour nebulisers 12 arranged on the support frame 5, preferably on the crosspiece 3, and configured to spray a flavoured substance, an insecticide, a catnip oil extract or the like towards the opening A.

The flavour nebulisers 12 may be operatively connected with the microcontroller 22 so that the latter promotes the spraying of the substance at predetermined time intervals.

It is clear that the support frame 5 may comprise or consist in the frame of the window, door, french window, main door, entrance of a business premises, or the like without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention.

In light of the above, it is clear that the invention attains the pre-set objectives.

The invention is susceptible to numerous modifications and variants. All details can be replaced by other technically equivalent elements, and the materials can be different depending on the technical needs, without departing from the scope of protection defined by the attached claims.