Slide-Glide Privacy Blind Barrier System for Deck Railings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Standard deck railings and fences typically offer only two modes of barrier sections: open and solid, failing to meet user preferences for privacy and visibility, and often do not comply with safety code standards for lateral pressure, such as the 200 lb requirement.
Innovation Solution
A convertible slide-glide panel privacy system for deck railings or fences, comprising stationary and sliding panel sections made from materials like composites, wood, metals, glass, and thermoplastics, which can be manually or automatically operated to cover or open gaps between balusters, allowing for selective privacy and visibility adjustments while meeting safety code standards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If solid sections are used to block wind and provide privacy, then privacy and wind blocking are improved, but view through the railing is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the railing sections convertible between solid and open configurations. The sliding panel mechanism allows the railing to dynamically change from a solid privacy barrier to an open view-through structure, enabling users to adjust privacy levels based on their needs while maintaining structural integrity and safety code compliance.
2Loss of information
If open sections are used to provide view through the railing, then view through the railing is improved, but privacy is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The convertible railing system allows dynamic reconfiguration from open to solid sections, enabling users to switch between view-through and privacy modes as needed.
3Ease of manufacture
If composite decking is used for railings, then ease of manufacture is improved, but rigidity to meet safety codes is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes composite materials, specifically composite decking, to construct the railing components including posts, rails, and sliding panels. The design compensates for the lower inherent rigidity of composite materials through proper structural configuration, connection methods, and panel design to meet safety code requirements for lateral load resistance.
4Adaptability or versatility
If sliding panel sections are added to provide convertible privacy, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the railing into modular components including stationary sections and sliding panel sections. Each sliding panel is constructed from discrete elements (top rail, bottom rail, vertical members) that can independently move along tracks, allowing the system to achieve adaptability while maintaining manageable complexity through modular design.
Data Source
AI summary
A convertible slide-glide panel privacy (or blind barrier section) system is provided for deck railings or fences. The system may consist of identical panel sections. A first panel section may consist of a stationary panel. Additional identical panel sections may be in an opposite facing orientation with respect to the first panel section and may be configured to slide in-between the most outer stationary structural supports (i.e., an upper railing, a lower railing and posts) of a deck railing or fence in order to either cover or open an existing space or gap between stationary balusters. The stationary panel may be attached directly under an upper railing and attached slide pieces. The sliding path of the additional panel sections may be linear or curvilinear. The sliding panel sections in the system may be constructed from a combination of or individually from composites, wood, metals, glass, lattice, PVC and transparent thermoplastics.