Methods and Systems for Manufacture of a Rot-Resistant Shutter

Abstract

A rot-resistant window shutter and method of manufacture therefor, wherein the shutter is manufactured as a one-piece construction from a suitable cellular polyvinyl chloride substrate, and may be selectively structural and / or aesthetically manipulated without concern of degradation of structural integrity of the shutter, and thus without concern of jeopardizing the rot-resistivity thereof.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE AND PRIORITY CLAIM TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]To the fullest extent permitted by law, the present non-provisional patent application claims priority to and the full benefit of non-provisional patent application entitled “Rot Resistant Window Shutter and Method of Manufacture Therefor”, filed on Mar. 17, 2005, having assigned Ser. No. 11 / 082,410, and provisional patent application entitled “Rot Resistant Window Shutter And Method Of Manufacture Therefor”, filed on Mar. 17, 2004, having assigned Ser. No. 60 / 554,019.TECHNICAL FIELD[0002]The present invention relates generally to construction and building components, and more specifically to a rot-resistant window shutter and methods and systems of manufacture therefor, wherein the present invention advantageously provides a shutter manufactured as a one-piece construction from cellular polyvinyl chloride, as opposed to conventional shutters typically manufactured from multiple pieces of wood or similar rot-susceptible...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]Accordingly, a feature and advantage of the present invention is its ability to provide a rot-resistant window shutter and methods and systems for manufacture thereof.

Problems solved by technology

Conventional wooden window shutters are typically manufactured from multiple pieces of wood, wherein all the wood pieces are glued, nailed, or otherwise fastened, to each other to yield a fully assembled window shutter Unfortunately, such multi-piece construction wooden shutters must be utilized, as one-piece solid wood boards are much more susceptible to warping over prolonged periods of exposure to the elements of weather, and, in view of the typical dimensions of conventional shutters, must be cut to a size that tends to undesirably express the natural curvature or bow of the wood as derived from the natural columnar-shape of the tree from which the wood was cut.

Accordingly, overly curved or warped solid wood boards tend to split or crack during traditional routering practices utilized to impart aesthetically pleasing designs over the surfaces thereof.

Moreover, the bond provided by the glues or nails often utilized to assemble such multi-piece construction wooden shutters often weakens or otherwise deteriorates, and, as such, results in the dilapidation of the multi-piece shutter, and / or the exposure of untreated, unsealed or unpainted wood pieces to rot-inducing moisture and similar weather elements.

Moreover, the natural expansion and contraction of wood material in response to varying weather conditions tends to disrupt the structural integrity of glues between bonded wood pieces, or, if the wood pieces are secured together via nails, such expansion and contraction can disrupt the efficacy of the nail bond, creating gaps between the wood pieces that expose the nail to moisture, and thus cause rusting and structural degradation of the nail itself, in addition to rotting of exposed and untreated, unsealed or unpainted wood surfaces.

Such regular maintenance practice, however, can prove burdensome, inconvenient, and expensive.

As such, many homeowners, or the like, tend to forgo such regular upkeep, and thus, are soon faced with the burden and expense of replacing severely rotted or damaged wooden shutters.

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