US3665996A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Closure operator
Assignee: Rixson Inc
•
Filing: 1969-12-08
•
Granted: 1972-05-30
•
Expires: 1989-12-08
Abstract
Abstract A closure operator to effect remote, failsafe opening and closing of a damper, particularly a multi-fold or interlocking slat curtain damper. A frame or shell envelops a damper curtain which is capable of opening and closing an air passage through the frame or shell. A housing containing an electromechanical curtain operator is optionally positioned within or outside the frame or shell. The curtain is lifted by a tray connected to two wire cables, in response to the winding of the cable upon a take-up drum located within the housing. The drum rotates, when a driven spur gear coupled to the drum is engaged with a driving spur gear, by pivoting a motor which carries the driving gear. This pivot action is effected by lifting a pivoting arm which is connected to the motor. This arm is lifted whenever a solenoid and its associated plunger are actuated to lift a lever upon which the arm rides. An electromagnet armature fixed to the lever is held by an electromagnet when the lever is lifted so that the motor is latched in the pivoted position as required. Thus, if the motor is pivoted so that the spur gears are driven into engagement, the take-up drum is rotated to wind the cable and elevate the curtain. Upon occurrence of (1) a manual switch operation to effect damper closure, (2) a power failure, (3) circuit malfunctioning, or (4) the detection of an undesired condition such as smoke or fire, the motor is released from its pivoted position permitting the spur gears to disengage. This allows the drum to unwind, thus lowering the curtain and closing the damper. In a preferred embodiment of the take-up drum, the drum includes a relatively light-weight cable anchor which is mechanically coupled by a spring clutch to the other components of the take-up drum. This clutch is engaged when the curtain is lifted to open the damper; and the clutch is also engaged when the curtain is released to close the damper. Ultimately, the clutch is disengaged when the curtain attains full closure. At this point of operation, the anchor is freed from the other drum components. With this arrangement, the forces of drum momentum acting upon the cable and tending to rewind the cable in the opposite direction when the curtain is released are substantially minimized because the mass of the anchor is freed from the other components. Without this feature the cable is excessively flexed and strained and, therefore, has an unsatisfactory operational life. Additionally, other operator components, such as those directly related to the cable will also have a reduced operational life due to forces generated by the tendency to rewind the cable. An air vane latch is also optionally associated with the curtain operator to delay curtain closure until the forces generated by the air passing through the damper have been reduced to permit safe lowering of the curtain.
Inventors
- 👤 Frank D Roberts
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 12:00
CPC Classifications
A; A62; A62C; A62C2/00; A62C2/06; A62C2/12; A62C2/14; A62C2/16
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
186 words
An operator for a multi-fold curtain damper having a frame or shell enveloping the damper curtain and in which the curtain is capable of opening and closiNg an air passage defined by the frame or shell, comprising means including one or more wire cable sections coupled to the curtain for lifting the curtain relative the frame to open the passage, a curtain operator associated with the damper and including a rotatable drum to which the one or more wire cable sections is anchored, means to wind the one or more wire cable sections upon the drum to lift the curtain, means to terminate the cable winding operation when the curtain is fully opened, means to enable the drum freely to release the one or more cable wires to enable the curtain to drop to close the damper, and electromechanical means responsive to all of the following three conditions to release an opened damper curtain upon the occurrence of any one or more of the following: a. a power failure; b. the opening of a manual operate switch; or c. the malfunctioning of undesired condition sensing apparatus.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
186 words
An operator for a multi-fold curtain damper having a frame or shell enveloping the damper curtain and in which the curtain is capable of opening and closiNg an air passage defined by the frame or shell, comprising means including one or more wire cable sections coupled to the curtain for lifting the curtain relative the frame to open the passage, a curtain operator associated with the damper and including a rotatable drum to which the one or more wire cable sections is anchored, means to wind the one or more wire cable sections upon the drum to lift the curtain, means to terminate the cable winding operation when the curtain is fully opened, means to enable the drum freely to release the one or more cable wires to enable the curtain to drop to close the damper, and electromechanical means responsive to all of the following three conditions to release an opened damper curtain upon the occurrence of any one or more of the following: a. a power failure; b. the opening of a manual operate switch; or c. the malfunctioning of undesired condition sensing apparatus.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
245 words
An operator for a multi-fold curtain damper having a frame or shell enveloping the damper curtain and in which the curtain is capable of opening and closing an air passage defined by the frame or shell, comprising means including one or more wire cable sections coupled to the curtain for lifting the curtain relative the frame to open the passage, a curtain operator associated with the damper and including a rotatable drum to which the one or more wire cable sections is anchored, means to wind the one or more wire cable sections upon the drum to lift the curtain, means to terminate the cable winding operation when the curtain is fully opened, means to enable the drum freely to release the one or more cable wires to enable the curtain to drop to close the damper, a housing enclosing the curtain operator and located within an upper corner of the damper frame adjacent the curtain with the curtain masking the operator and laterally offset therefrom when the curtain is folded so that the housed curtain operator will not obstruct air flow through the damper when the curtain is folded, the operator drum being disposed within the housing and rotatable on an axis perpendicular to the plane of motion of the curtain, and the housing being formed with an access opening through which the one or more cable sections pass for winding and unwinding on the drum to move responsively the curtain relative the frame.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
245 words
An operator for a multi-fold curtain damper having a frame or shell enveloping the damper curtain and in which the curtain is capable of opening and closing an air passage defined by the frame or shell, comprising means including one or more wire cable sections coupled to the curtain for lifting the curtain relative the frame to open the passage, a curtain operator associated with the damper and including a rotatable drum to which the one or more wire cable sections is anchored, means to wind the one or more wire cable sections upon the drum to lift the curtain, means to terminate the cable winding operation when the curtain is fully opened, means to enable the drum freely to release the one or more cable wires to enable the curtain to drop to close the damper, a housing enclosing the curtain operator and located within an upper corner of the damper frame adjacent the curtain with the curtain masking the operator and laterally offset therefrom when the curtain is folded so that the housed curtain operator will not obstruct air flow through the damper when the curtain is folded, the operator drum being disposed within the housing and rotatable on an axis perpendicular to the plane of motion of the curtain, and the housing being formed with an access opening through which the one or more cable sections pass for winding and unwinding on the drum to move responsively the curtain relative the frame.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
225 words
An operator for a multi-fold curtain damper having a frame or shell enveloping the damper curtain and in which the curtain is capable of opening and closing an air passage defined by the frame or shell, comprising means including one or more wire cable sections coupled to the curtain for lifting the curtain relative the frame to open the passage, a curtain operator associated with the damper and including a rotatable drum to which the one or more wire cable sections is anchored, means to wind the one or more wire cable sections upon the drum to lift the curtain, means to terminate the cable winding operation when the curtain is fully opened, means to enable the drum freely to release the one or more cable wires to enable the curtain to drop to close the damper, the drum including a clutch, a wire cable anchor, and one or more drum cylinders which receive the one or more wires during a winding operation on the drum surface, the clutch engaging the anchor to the drum in the wire take-up direction to enable winding of the wire about the drum and the anchor being disengaged from the remaining drum components when the curtain is lowered to its fully closed position to free the anchored wire from the momentum of the unwinding one or more drum cylinders.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
225 words
An operator for a multi-fold curtain damper having a frame or shell enveloping the damper curtain and in which the curtain is capable of opening and closing an air passage defined by the frame or shell, comprising means including one or more wire cable sections coupled to the curtain for lifting the curtain relative the frame to open the passage, a curtain operator associated with the damper and including a rotatable drum to which the one or more wire cable sections is anchored, means to wind the one or more wire cable sections upon the drum to lift the curtain, means to terminate the cable winding operation when the curtain is fully opened, means to enable the drum freely to release the one or more cable wires to enable the curtain to drop to close the damper, the drum including a clutch, a wire cable anchor, and one or more drum cylinders which receive the one or more wires during a winding operation on the drum surface, the clutch engaging the anchor to the drum in the wire take-up direction to enable winding of the wire about the drum and the anchor being disengaged from the remaining drum components when the curtain is lowered to its fully closed position to free the anchored wire from the momentum of the unwinding one or more drum cylinders.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
274 words
An operator for a multi-fold curtain damper having a frame or shell enveloping the damper curtain and in which the curtain is capable of opening and closing an air passage defined by the frame or shell, comprising means including one or more wire cable sections coupled to the curtain for lifting the curtain relative the frame to open the passage, a curtain operator associated with the damper and including A rotatable drum to which the one or more wire cable sections is anchored, a motor to wind the one or more wire cable sections upon the drum to lift the curtain, means to terminate the cable winding operation when the curtain is fully opened, means to enable the drum freely to release the one or more cable wires to enable the curtain to drop to close the damper, means capable of selectively engaging the motor output to drive the drum in response to the pivoting of the motor, the selective engaging means including a driven spur gear coupled to the drum and a driving spur gear coupled to the motor, and in which the means for pivoting the motor includes a lever, an arm coupled to the motor, and electromagnetic means for moving the lever to move responsively the arm to pivot the motor to lock engagingly the spur gears one to the other to drive the drum to elevate the curtain, and means for deenergizing the electromagnetic means to enable the motor to pivot in response to the force of gravity to disengage the spur gears to enable the drum to be freed from the motor to effect rapid lowering of the curtain.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
274 words
An operator for a multi-fold curtain damper having a frame or shell enveloping the damper curtain and in which the curtain is capable of opening and closing an air passage defined by the frame or shell, comprising means including one or more wire cable sections coupled to the curtain for lifting the curtain relative the frame to open the passage, a curtain operator associated with the damper and including A rotatable drum to which the one or more wire cable sections is anchored, a motor to wind the one or more wire cable sections upon the drum to lift the curtain, means to terminate the cable winding operation when the curtain is fully opened, means to enable the drum freely to release the one or more cable wires to enable the curtain to drop to close the damper, means capable of selectively engaging the motor output to drive the drum in response to the pivoting of the motor, the selective engaging means including a driven spur gear coupled to the drum and a driving spur gear coupled to the motor, and in which the means for pivoting the motor includes a lever, an arm coupled to the motor, and electromagnetic means for moving the lever to move responsively the arm to pivot the motor to lock engagingly the spur gears one to the other to drive the drum to elevate the curtain, and means for deenergizing the electromagnetic means to enable the motor to pivot in response to the force of gravity to disengage the spur gears to enable the drum to be freed from the motor to effect rapid lowering of the curtain.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
350 words
An operator for a multi-fold curtain damper having a frame or shell enveloping the damper curtain and in which the curtain is capable of opening and closing an air passage defined by the frame or shell, comprising means including one or more wire cable sections coupled to the curtain for lifting the curtain relative the frame to open the passage, a curtain operator associated with the damper and including a rotatable drum to which the one or more wire cable sections is anchored, a motor to wind the one or more wire cable sections upon the drum to lift the curtain, means to terminate the cable winding operation when the curtain is fully opened, means to enable the drum freely to release the one or more cable wires to enable the curtain to drop to close the damper, means capable of selectively engaging the motor output to drive the drum in response to the pivoting of the motor, the selective engaging means including a driven spur gear coupled to the drum and a driving spur gear coupled to the motor, means for pivoting the motor including a lever, an arm coupled to the motor, electromagnetic means for moving the lever to move responsively the arm to pivot the motor to lock engagingly the spur gears one to the other to drive the drum to elevate the curtain, means for deenergizing the electromagnetic means to enable the motor to pivot in response to the force of gravity to disengage the spur gears to enable the drum to be freed from the motor to effect rapid lowering of the curtain, and the electromagnetic means including a solenoid-plunger coupled to the lever, a solenoid to draw the plunger into the bore of the plunger, a magnetic armature coupled to the lever, and an electromagnet associated with the armature, and in which the energization of the solenoid draws the plunger thereby moving the lever, and thus its coupled armature into magnetic holding attraction by the electromagnet so the lever is latched when the solenoid is deenergized thus maintaining the motor in the pivoted position.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
350 words
An operator for a multi-fold curtain damper having a frame or shell enveloping the damper curtain and in which the curtain is capable of opening and closing an air passage defined by the frame or shell, comprising means including one or more wire cable sections coupled to the curtain for lifting the curtain relative the frame to open the passage, a curtain operator associated with the damper and including a rotatable drum to which the one or more wire cable sections is anchored, a motor to wind the one or more wire cable sections upon the drum to lift the curtain, means to terminate the cable winding operation when the curtain is fully opened, means to enable the drum freely to release the one or more cable wires to enable the curtain to drop to close the damper, means capable of selectively engaging the motor output to drive the drum in response to the pivoting of the motor, the selective engaging means including a driven spur gear coupled to the drum and a driving spur gear coupled to the motor, means for pivoting the motor including a lever, an arm coupled to the motor, electromagnetic means for moving the lever to move responsively the arm to pivot the motor to lock engagingly the spur gears one to the other to drive the drum to elevate the curtain, means for deenergizing the electromagnetic means to enable the motor to pivot in response to the force of gravity to disengage the spur gears to enable the drum to be freed from the motor to effect rapid lowering of the curtain, and the electromagnetic means including a solenoid-plunger coupled to the lever, a solenoid to draw the plunger into the bore of the plunger, a magnetic armature coupled to the lever, and an electromagnet associated with the armature, and in which the energization of the solenoid draws the plunger thereby moving the lever, and thus its coupled armature into magnetic holding attraction by the electromagnet so the lever is latched when the solenoid is deenergized thus maintaining the motor in the pivoted position.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
221 words
An operator for a multi-fold curtain damper having a frame or shell enveloping the damper curtain and in which the curtain is capable of opening and closing an air passage defined by the frame or shell, comprising means including one or more wire cable sections coupled to the curtain for lifting the curtain relative the frame to open the passage, a curtain operator associated with the damper and including a rotatable drum to which the one or more wire cable sections is anchored, means to wind the one or more wire cable sections upon the drum to lift the curtain, means to terminate the cable winding operation when the curtain is fully opened, means to enable the drum freely to release the one or more cable wires to enable the curtain to drop to close the damper, coupling means including an element connected to the drum and an element connected to the motor which elements are engaged only when The motor is pivoted, and means for pivoting the motor to engage the elements when the curtain is lifted and to disengage the elements when the curtain is lowered, the pivoting means including means to initiate pivoting of the motor, and also additional means for latching or holding the motor into the pivoted element engaging position when the initiating means is deactivated.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
221 words
An operator for a multi-fold curtain damper having a frame or shell enveloping the damper curtain and in which the curtain is capable of opening and closing an air passage defined by the frame or shell, comprising means including one or more wire cable sections coupled to the curtain for lifting the curtain relative the frame to open the passage, a curtain operator associated with the damper and including a rotatable drum to which the one or more wire cable sections is anchored, means to wind the one or more wire cable sections upon the drum to lift the curtain, means to terminate the cable winding operation when the curtain is fully opened, means to enable the drum freely to release the one or more cable wires to enable the curtain to drop to close the damper, coupling means including an element connected to the drum and an element connected to the motor which elements are engaged only when The motor is pivoted, and means for pivoting the motor to engage the elements when the curtain is lifted and to disengage the elements when the curtain is lowered, the pivoting means including means to initiate pivoting of the motor, and also additional means for latching or holding the motor into the pivoted element engaging position when the initiating means is deactivated.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
175 words
An operator for a multi-fold curtain damper having a frame or shell enveloping the damper curtain and in which the curtain is capable of opening and closing an air passage defined by the frame or shell, comprising means including one or more wire cable sections coupled to the curtain for lifting the curtain relative the frame to open the passage, a curtain operator associated with the damper and including a rotatable drum to which the one or more wire cable sections is anchored, means to wind the one or more wire cable sections upon the drum to lift the curtain, means to terminate the cable winding operation when the curtain is fully opened, means to enable the drum freely to release the one or more cable wires to enable the curtain to drop to close the damper, in which the drum includes a relatively low mass cable anchor which is locked to the drum when the cable is wound thereon, and disengaged from the remaining portions of the drum when the curtain is completely lowered.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
175 words
An operator for a multi-fold curtain damper having a frame or shell enveloping the damper curtain and in which the curtain is capable of opening and closing an air passage defined by the frame or shell, comprising means including one or more wire cable sections coupled to the curtain for lifting the curtain relative the frame to open the passage, a curtain operator associated with the damper and including a rotatable drum to which the one or more wire cable sections is anchored, means to wind the one or more wire cable sections upon the drum to lift the curtain, means to terminate the cable winding operation when the curtain is fully opened, means to enable the drum freely to release the one or more cable wires to enable the curtain to drop to close the damper, in which the drum includes a relatively low mass cable anchor which is locked to the drum when the cable is wound thereon, and disengaged from the remaining portions of the drum when the curtain is completely lowered.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
191 words
An operator for a multi-fold curtain damper having a frame or shell enveloping the damper curtain and in which the curtain is capable of opening and closing an air passage defined by the frame or shell, comprising means including one or more wire cable sections coupled to the curtain for lifting the curtain relative the frame to open the passage, a curtain operator associated with the damper and including a rotatable drum to which the one or more wire cable sections is anchored, means to wind the one or more wire cable sections upon the drum to lift the curtain, means to terminate the cable winding operation when the curtain is fully opened, means to enable the drum freely to release the one or more cable wires to enable the curtain to drop to close the damper upon occurrence of a predetermined condition, and means directly and primarily responsive to air flow to delay the release of the drum after the occurrence of the predetermined condition until the forces generated by air passing through the damper subside to or are at a predetermined safe level which will not damage the curtain.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
191 words
An operator for a multi-fold curtain damper having a frame or shell enveloping the damper curtain and in which the curtain is capable of opening and closing an air passage defined by the frame or shell, comprising means including one or more wire cable sections coupled to the curtain for lifting the curtain relative the frame to open the passage, a curtain operator associated with the damper and including a rotatable drum to which the one or more wire cable sections is anchored, means to wind the one or more wire cable sections upon the drum to lift the curtain, means to terminate the cable winding operation when the curtain is fully opened, means to enable the drum freely to release the one or more cable wires to enable the curtain to drop to close the damper upon occurrence of a predetermined condition, and means directly and primarily responsive to air flow to delay the release of the drum after the occurrence of the predetermined condition until the forces generated by air passing through the damper subside to or are at a predetermined safe level which will not damage the curtain.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
104 words
An operator for a multi-fold curtain damper having a frame or shell enveloping the damper curtain and in which the curtain is capable of opening and closing an air passage defined by the frame or shell, comprising means to lift the curtain relative the frame to open the passage, means to release the curtain to close the passage upon occurrence of a predetermined condition, and means to delay the release of the curtain after the occurrence of the predetermined condition until the forces generated by air passing through the damper subside to or are at a safe level which will not damage the curtain.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
104 words
An operator for a multi-fold curtain damper having a frame or shell enveloping the damper curtain and in which the curtain is capable of opening and closing an air passage defined by the frame or shell, comprising means to lift the curtain relative the frame to open the passage, means to release the curtain to close the passage upon occurrence of a predetermined condition, and means to delay the release of the curtain after the occurrence of the predetermined condition until the forces generated by air passing through the damper subside to or are at a safe level which will not damage the curtain.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
32 words
The combination of claim 9 in which the delay means includes a vane which is moved by the force of air exerted against the vane to effect a delay in curtain closure.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-05-30 | 1975-11-29 | 1976-05-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-05-30 | 1979-11-29 | 1980-05-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-05-30 | 1983-11-29 | 1984-05-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |