Retractable Anchor Bolt for Protruding Window Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing window and door protection systems face challenges when dealing with openings that protrude from the surrounding wall, as anchoring systems must extend past the protrusion to engage the panel, making it inconvenient and unsatisfactory.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising an anchor bolt with a head and shaft, a resilient strap with bolt engagement openings and extension portions, and a bracket for securing the strap to the anchor bolt, allowing the panel to be positioned over the opening for protection from high winds and debris, with options for permanent anchoring and retraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the anchor bolt is anchored into the wall adjacent to the opening, then the protection system can securely protect the opening from high wind and debris, but the anchor bolt must extend past the protruding window or door frame to engage the panel, making installation inconvenient and unsatisfactory
Solution Approach 1:
The anchor bolt is divided into distinct segments: a shaft portion that anchors into the wall and a head portion that extends past the protruding frame to engage the panel. This segmentation allows each portion to serve its specific function independently, resolving the contradiction between secure anchoring and ease of installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The head of the anchor bolt acts as an intermediary element between the wall anchoring system and the panel engagement system. It extends past the protruding frame to provide a engagement point for the panel, eliminating the need for complex extension mechanisms while maintaining both security and installation convenience.
2Reliability
If the anchor bolt head is made large enough to engage the panel past the protruding frame, then the protection system can securely protect the opening, but the anchor bolt becomes more complex and difficult to install
Solution Approach 1:
The anchor bolt exhibits local quality variations: the shaft portion is designed for wall anchoring with appropriate thread patterns and engagement characteristics, while the head portion is designed specifically for panel engagement past the protruding frame. This localized differentiation achieves secure protection without unnecessary overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the entire anchor bolt complex to extend past the frame, the invention inverts the approach by keeping the shaft simple for wall anchoring and adding the engagement functionality only to the head portion, simplifying the overall device while maintaining reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively protects openings from high winds and debris by anchoring into the adjacent wall, providing a secure and convenient solution for protruding window and door units, with the ability to be easily deployed and stored.
Implementation Method 1
a resilient strap adapted to support a panel, the resilient strap comprising at least one bolt engagement opening for receiving the head of the anchor bolt, a panel support portion, and at least one extension portion joining the at least one bolt engagement opening to the panel support portion
Data Source
AI summary
A system protects an opening such as a window or a door from high wind and wind-borne debris by holding a panel such as plywood over the opening. An anchor bolt engages a resilient strap that holds the panel; a bracket secures the resilient strap to the head of the anchor bolt. In some cases, the anchor bolt can retract into the wall next to the opening when the system is not in use.