Patent US4089594A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4089594A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Sun screen structure
Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1977-06-13
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Granted: 1978-05-16
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Expires: 1997-06-13
Abstract
Abstract A sun screen structure is disclosed which consists of a covering for external building surfaces that reflect sunlight during summer months and admit it during winter months to help stabilize internal building temperatures. The covering consists of a planar array of short focal length optical lenses. A pattern of light-reflective and light-transmissive surfaces is located at the focal plane of each lens in the array. The lenses project the rays of the sun onto the reflective or transmissive surfaces, depending on the angle of elevation of the rays with respect to the horizon. The reflective surfaces are located so that the rays are reflected away from the building during the summer months. The transmissive surfaces are located so that the rays are transmitted towards the building interior during the winter months.
Inventors
- 👤 James Coe Ewin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 04:42
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B3/00; G02B3/0006; G02B3/0037; G02B3/0056; F; F24; F24S; F24S40/00; F24S40/10; F24S50/00; F24S50/80; G02B3/0062; G02B3/0068; Y; Y02; Y02B; Y02B10/00; Y02B10/20; Y02E; Y02E10/00; Y02E10/40
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
102 words
A sun screen structure for controlling solar heating of a building, said structure comprising: an array of optical lenses located adjacent to the exterior of one or more surfaces of said building, each of said lenses focusing sunlight onto its respective focal plane; and means located in the focal plane of each of said lenses for reflecting towards the exterior of said building sunlight of a first prescribed range of angle of elevation with respect to the horizontal and for transmitting towards the interior of said building sunlight of a second prescribed range of angle of elevation with respect to the horizontal.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
102 words
A sun screen structure for controlling solar heating of a building, said structure comprising: an array of optical lenses located adjacent to the exterior of one or more surfaces of said building, each of said lenses focusing sunlight onto its respective focal plane; and means located in the focal plane of each of said lenses for reflecting towards the exterior of said building sunlight of a first prescribed range of angle of elevation with respect to the horizontal and for transmitting towards the interior of said building sunlight of a second prescribed range of angle of elevation with respect to the horizontal.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
A sun screen structure according to claim 1 wherein said lens array comprises a planar pattern of hemispherical lenses arranged in a periodic geometric pattern.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
30 words
A sun screen structure according to claim 2 wherein said reflecting and transmitting means comprise a periodic pattern of reflective surfaces having the same period as said pattern of lenses.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
104 words
A sun screen structure for controlling solar heating of a building, said structure comprising: a planar array of single-surface optical lenses arranged in a periodic hexagonal close-packing pattern located adjacent to the exterior of one or more surfaces of said building, each of said lenses having the same fixed focal length and focusing sunlight onto a curve focal surface; and a plurality of mirror surfaces located about said curved surface, said mirror surfaces being arranged in a periodic pattern, having a period equal to the period of said lens array, said mirror surfaces being positioned to reflect sunlight during predetermined portions of the year.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
104 words
A sun screen structure for controlling solar heating of a building, said structure comprising: a planar array of single-surface optical lenses arranged in a periodic hexagonal close-packing pattern located adjacent to the exterior of one or more surfaces of said building, each of said lenses having the same fixed focal length and focusing sunlight onto a curve focal surface; and a plurality of mirror surfaces located about said curved surface, said mirror surfaces being arranged in a periodic pattern, having a period equal to the period of said lens array, said mirror surfaces being positioned to reflect sunlight during predetermined portions of the year.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
37 words
A sun screen structure according to claim 4 where each of said mirror surfaces is comprised of a strip of reflective material having at least one edge lying in the curved focal surface of an associated lens.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
117 words
A sun screen structure according to claim 5 wherein the upper edge of said strip of reflective material intersects said curved focal surface at a point where a straight line having an angle of 90° - L below the horizontal and passing through the center of curvature of said associated lens strikes said curved focal surface and wherein the lower edge of said strip of reflecting material intersects said curved focal surface at a point where a straight line having an angle of 1131/2° - L below the horizontal and passing through the center of curvature of said associated lens strikes said curved focal surface, where L is the latitude at which said lens array is located.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
36 words
A sun screen structure according to claim 4 further comprising a plurality of light transmissive surfaces located in adjacent positions to said mirror surfaces and being positioned to transmit sunlight during predetermined portions of the year.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
28 words
A sun screen structure according to claim 7 wherein said light transmissive surfaces have at least one edge lying in the curved focal surface of an associated lens.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
117 words
A sun screen structure according to claim 8 wherein the upper edge of one of the light transmissive surfaces intersects said curved focal surface at a point where a straight line having an angle of 661/2° - L below the horizontal and passing through the center of curvature of said associated lens strikes said curved focal surface, and wherein the lower edge of said light transmissive surface intersects said curved focal surface at a point where a straight line having an angle of 90° - L below the horizontal and passing through the center of curvature of said associated lens strikes said curved focal surface, where L is the latitude at which said lens array is located.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1981-05-15 | 1981-11-14 | 1982-05-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1985-05-15 | 1985-11-14 | 1986-05-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1989-05-15 | 1989-11-14 | 1990-05-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |