Articulated joint for mounting frames of curtains on bent facades

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a device facilitating the mounting of a frame for curtains on a bent facade. In particular, the present invention refers to a device fitted with a joint for adapting of the frame to the bending of the facade on which the frame is mounted. The facades of the modern buildings, particularly of buildings constructed with reinforced concrete or metals for construction, are often bend for aesthetic reasons or for adaptation of the building to the environment on which the same building has been constructed.

The arched form of the facade of a similar building can be convex or convex, according to the aesthetic choices and/or of the environment. In both cases it is necessary to adapt the supports of the curtains frames to the curving of the facade in order to obtain one homogenous arrangement of the frame, independently from the form. Some public squares near the railway stations present a semicircular place, with the centre exactly situated in correspondence of the main entrance of the station. The bend facade of a hotel harmoniously integrates the geometry of the square. If the hotel were demolished, the public square would present a "hole of urban planning", which could become an asphalted parking. With the realization of the palace, the urban planning of the public square has been corrected, realizing new street structures with radial course: two new pedestrian aces begin, in fact, oblique from the public square, catching up, through the new building, the entrance of a public palace, in which many offices are found, arches, room for reunions, a hall for conferences and a pub. The function of urban planning is found again inside also of the new palace: along the radial axes the two inner courtyards are located. The inner rooms can be caught up through a scale that rises towards the high as a semicircle in an opened semi conical space, while that one of the entrance presents a crossed development. The corridors cross the entire building, partially inside the building between two rows of offices and partially on glass footbridges of that pass over to the pedestrian axes, than subdivide the several parts of the building. The covering of the facade consists of two materials. For the inner part white marble has been used, that puts in evidence the public character of the building.

From the second floor, the red porphyry reconnects the structure of the building to the characterising stones of the province. The windows of the offices are mounted in a regular reticulum in the facade. In this palace it is intentional to leave an important

space for the art: in the two higher floors two great bronze figures support the roof bent towards the high, covered with sheet of oxidized copper. Immediately under a lizard of bronze scrambles up - not completely accidentally - along the facade porphyry, traditional symbol of well being and health. In order to protect the windows frames for darkening curtains have been used, which have been mounted one by one adapting the assembly structures, like brackets, supports and others to the bending of the facade.

PURPOSE OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of the present invention is to define a device for the assembly of a frame for curtains on a bent facade. In particular, the present invention is employed for mounting curtain frames on a concave facade or a convex facade having beams of curving of not constant and/or not definable values during construction of the device.

The invention, as claimed, solves the problem of creating an articulated joint for assembling of frames for curtains on bent facades, convex or concave. The advantage offered from the present invention consists essentially in the fact that its assembling happens through an articulation that allows of to adapt the position of the frame to the bending of the facade, leaving from a product defined in works and to be arranged without particular difficulty in the definitive seat.

The device for assembling frames for curtains on bent facades comprises at least a first supporting element to be fixed to the external wall of a facade for supporting the frame, and at least second supporting element for supporting a winding roller of a curtain, the second supporting element being free of rotate with respect to the first supporting element.

The second supporting element is shaped like a connecting rod with a first end rotating in a support and second end that holds a housing for a guiding cable so as to allow the rotations and translations of the connecting rod with respect to the wall on which the frame it is mounted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other advantages, features and aims of the invention, may be more readily understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, which concern a preferred embodiment, in which:

Fig. 1 represents a partial axonometric view of a frame according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 schematically shows the position of the frame on a bent convex facade; Fig. 3 schematically shows the position of the frame on a bent concave facade;

Fig. 4 represents a partial axonometric view of a frame according to the present invention;

Fig. 5 shows a side view of a frame according to the present invention; Fig. 6 illustrates two contiguous frames mounted on the same support; Fig. 7 represents a front view of a frame according to the invention;

Fig. 8 shows a partial axonometric view of a frame according to the present invention

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE PRESENT

INVENTION The following description relates to a single part of the frame because the figures represent the half of the frames. It is implicit that how asserted for the half represented in the drawings is valid also for the other half.

The frame for roll-up curtains represented in fig. 1 is seen from right. The frame comprises a roller 1 with a closing cover 2 for closing the roller 1. The cover 2 is supported by a mechanical element 3 that joins the roller 1 to an upper bracket 4 fixed.

The roller the 1 contains the curtain 5 that is carried out when a manoeuvring bar 6 is moved in the direction Fl and it is bundled up when the bar 6 is moved in the opposite direction F2.

A cable 7, guiding the curtain 5, guides the manoeuvring bar 6. The upper part of the guiding cable 7 is housed by a bushing 24 fixed to the mechanical element 3, while the lower part of the guiding cable 7 is supported by a bushing 19 fixed to a mechanical element 11 connected to the lower bracket 8 and supported by the lower bracket 8. The guiding cable 7 freely rotates within a bushing 24.

Fig. 2 represents the frame mounted on a facade with convex bending. The mechanical elements 3 and 11 that connect, respectively, the roller 1 and the upper and lower ends of the guiding cables 7 to the relevant brackets 4, 8, are connecting rods capable of rotating and translating.

The connecting rod presents a cylindrical end 12 housed by a vertical cylindrical housing 13 provided in the bracket 4. The housing 13 has a vertical opening 14, which occupies a great part of the height of the bracket 4; the opening 14 allow translations of the connecting rod 3 when the end 12 rotates within the housing 13. In addition, the connecting rod 11 supports a bushing 15 housing the lower end of the guiding cable 7.

The guiding cable 7 is free of rotating within the bushing 15 that houses said cable 7.

The spin of connecting rod the 11 respect to lodgings 13 it is possible to cause from the spin of the cable of guide 7 within the bushing 15. The cylindrical ends 16 of the

connecting rod the 11 are inserted into a housing 17 of the bracket the 8. The housing 17 presents a vertical opening 18 that occupies great part of the height of relevant bracket 8 and from which protrudes the connecting rod 11. The external end of connecting the rod 11 supports the bushing 15 that contains the lower end of the guiding cable 7. The guiding cable 7 is free of rotate within bushing 15.

Also in this case, the connecting rod 11 is free of rotating with respect to the housing in order to obtain a good positioning of the frame on the facade with convex bending. Known mechanical members are provided that do not interest this description. In particular, closure member for the stopping bushings of a guiding cable 7 and devices, which will be better described later, are provided for stretching the cable 7 in order to maintain the frame compact.

Plugging means for the housings 13 and 17 are also provided that assure the stability of the connecting rods 3 and 11. How exposed demonstrates that the facility of assembly the frame according to the invention on a facade with concave or convex bending is obvious. Fig. 3 shows the frame mounted on a facade with convex bending and represents the same elements of fig. 2.

Fig. 4 represents the frame of fig. 1 seen from left; the same structures of figg 1 and 8 are represented in this figure. The structures are indicated with the same numbers of reference, considering identical the structures disposed on the right with respect to the homologous structures disposed on the left of the roller 1.

The side view of fig. 5 represents all the structures previously described. In particular, fig. 5 shows the brackets 4 and 8 containing, respectively, the connecting rods 3 and 11 , the cable 7 is stretched by regulating screws 21 and the manoeuvring bar 6 is moved in the directions Fl and F2.

Fig. 5 demonstrates how it is possible to use a pair of brackets 4, 8 for mounting two frames on a wall. In this case, the brackets 4, 8 can be fixed also to a wall without bending. This figure shows, in particular, the screw means 21, 22 allowing to stretch the cable 7, the stoppers 23 closing the upper and lower openings of the brackets 4 and 8 and the manoeuvring bar 6 movable in the directions Fl and F2.

Fig. 6 illustrates the assembly of two contiguous frames on a same pair of brackets 4 and 8, considering the two brackets disposed in the same vertical. In this way a series of adjacent frames on the same facade is obtained. Fig. 7 is a front view of the frame. With this figure, the structures previously described are better understood.

Fig. 8 shows a partial axonometric view of the frame illustrating the brackets 4 and 8, the bushing 15 allowing the rotation of the connecting rod 11 with respect to the guiding cable 7, and the connecting rod 3 with the end 12 which freely rotates in the vertical housing 13 of the bracket 4. The axonometry is seen from right, the curtain 5 is completely wrapped by the roller the 1 and the manoeuvring bar 6 rests on the roller 1. The connecting rods 3, 11 present a dimension greater in the vertical direction, in order to increase to the resistance to the bending stresses due to the weight of the frame.