| System for releasably securing a screen enclosure -> Monitor Keywords |
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 System for releasably securing a screen enclosureThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080060280. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001]The present invention relates to a screen enclosure system for covering and maintaining patios, lanais, swimming pools, decks and the like in a bug and animal free condition, which includes releasably secured screen panels, uses a clip system for securing the panels in place, and affixes the screen panels to structural members which make up the screen enclosure via the clip system. The screen system includes at least one screen panel which can be removed from the screen enclosure to minimize wind force damage when the screen enclosure is subjected to abnormal winds. [0002]In areas where bugs and animals are a problem, it is common to enclose patios, lanais, swimming pool decks with screen enclosures to permit airflow but restrict access to bugs and animals. Typical screen enclosure structures include a tensioned continuous fabric screen or fabric screens, cut as panels, held between spaced apart elongated upright and overhead rigid frame members. One large problem associated with screen enclosures is that they are located, geographically, in areas that are repeatedly subjected to tropical storms and hurricanes. These storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, and the like bring with them high wind and rain conditions that can destroy screen enclosures. [0003]The wind and rain forces of the tropical storms and hurricanes exert great pressure upon the screens, screen frame panels and to the screen panel enclosure framing. This can be very problematic when rain is coming down at such a rate that this screen material becomes, in effect, a solid wall. Under such circumstances, the accompanying high force winds are so great that they can bend, crush, and destroy a screen enclosure which is not able to resist these forces. When the forces of such storms damage or destroy the pool enclosures, they need to be replaced. The absence of such screen enclosures not only presents a problem to maintaining the bug and animal free condition but also places young children's and other non-swimmers' lives at risk to drowning. [0004]Further, it is possible to open up the prior art screen enclosures to save the screen enclosure from the wind forces of tropical storms and hurricanes. To save a screen enclosure it is necessary to sacrifice the screen material within one or more of the screen panels by slashing or poking a hole through the screen material. However, sacrificing the screen material to save the screen enclosure is impracticable and dangerous. The amount of screening necessary to sacrifice would be a large percentage of the screen case. To rescreen the screen panels with screen material would cost much in terms of money, material, and labor. Such rescreening event could also happen on a repeated basis. [0005]Additionally, such sacrificing and waste of screening and rescreening may not even be necessary if the tropical storm or hurricane takes a turn away from the specific screen enclosure location as the direct path of such tropical storms and hurricane are difficult to accurately predict. Furthermore, it may take months or years to rescreen material that had been sacrificed if a large tropical storm or hurricane wrecked havoc upon a large metropolitan area. [0006]Again, the absence of the protective qualities of such screen enclosures not only presents a problem to maintaining the bug and animal free condition but also places young children's and other non-swimmers' lives at risk to drowning. [0007]Generally, the use of spring clips for various applications is known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 908,143 to Rosine teaches the use of a spring clip as a window lock. U.S. Pat. No. 2,217,653 to Jorgensen teaches the use of an arcuately curved spring clip as an antirattler device for window sashes. Similar devices are taught by U.S. Pat. No. 2,507,097 to Forester et al, U.S. Pat. No. 2,457,317 to Olsen, and U.S. Pat. No. 862,302 to Benedict and each involves the use of an arcuately shaped, spring metal device for preventing rattling of or provide increased security for the window. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0008]A screen enclosure for enclosing patios, lanais, swimming pools, patios, and the like which not only provides for the attachment of screen material to the structural framing but also provides for attaching screening material to at least one screen panel that is releasably secured to the structural framing. Such releasable screen panel can be easily removed from the screen enclosure to minimize wind force damage when the screen enclosure is subjected to abnormal winds. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0009]The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention relates upon reading the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [0010]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the outside of a screen enclosure; [0011]FIG. 2 is a plan view of one panel element of a removable screen system from FIG. 1 and of the present invention; [0012]FIG. 3 is detail view of a portion of the panel element from FIG. 2; [0013]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 4-4 of structural frame, spring clip, and screen frame shown in FIG. 3; [0014]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a structural frame, spring clip, and screen frame similar to FIG. 4, but showing a different spring clip embodiment; [0015]FIG. 6 is a detail view of a portion of the screen panel, supplemental clip and structural frame shown in FIG. 2; [0016]FIG. 7 is a detail view of a portion of the screen panel, supplemental clip and structural frame similar to that shown in FIG. 6, but showing two different supplemental clip embodiments; [0017]FIG. 8 a cross-sectional view taken along lines 8-8 of a structural frame, a supplemental clip, and a screen frame as shown in FIG. 6; [0018]FIGS. 9 and 10 are cross-sectional views along lines 9-9 and 10-10, respectively, and similar to FIG. 8, but showing alternative spring clip embodiments; [0019]FIGS. 11 (a)-(f) are perspective views of alternative embodiments of the spring clips employed in the present invention; [0020]FIGS. 12 (a)-(f) are side views of alternative embodiments of the spring clips employed in the present invention and shown in FIGS. 11 (a)-(f); [0021]FIG. 13 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a supplemental clip in accordance with the present invention; Continue reading... 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