Patent Application
20230417103
A blind, a glazing system for a terrace or a balcony, and a method for arranging a blind in connection with a glazing system for a terrace or a balcony
This application claims priority to Finnish national application 20225578, filed on 23 Jun. 2022, the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to a blind comprising an edge strip, at least two guide cords connected at their first end to the edge strip, a screen which is movable along the guide cords and whose first edge is provided with a first edge profile and whose second edge is provided with a second edge profile, the guide cords extending through the edge profiles, and the first and second edge profiles being suspended on the guide cords and being movable independently of each other. The invention also relates to a glazing system for a terrace or a balcony, provided with a blind according to the invention, and a method for arranging a blind in connection with a glazing system for a terrace or a balcony.
Balconies and terraces are often equipped with glazing systems to improve the conditions and convenience of their use. The glazing systems are normally made of movable glazing elements which can be transferred along guide tracks to a use position, to border the balcony or terrace to be shielded. If necessary, the glazing elements can be transferred along the guide tracks to a storage position in which the glazing elements are stacked side by side, wherein they restrict the use of the balcony or terrace very little. Particularly glazing systems for terraces are typically provided with guide tracks equipped with three or five sliding grooves so that adjacent glazing elements arranged in different sliding grooves can slide past each other and overlap each other.
On glazed balconies and terraces, blinds are often used to block excessive solar radiation and to limit visibility to the balcony or terrace. The blinds are often fastened to a single glazing element of the glazing system so that they are movable along with the glazing element. Blinds of prior art normally comprise two edge strips, at least two guide cords extending from the first edge strip to the second strip, and a movable screen suspended on the guide cords. The screen may be a blind pleated in a zigzag shape and made of rigid fabric. The first edge strip is fastened to the edge profile at the top edge of the glazing element, and the second edge strip is fastened to the edge profile at the bottom edge of the glazing element. The fastening of the edge strips can be implemented by separate fastening means or by fasteners integrated in the edge strip. Some blinds of prior art are presented in publications EP 3862527 A1 and EP 3530868 A1.
A blind fastened to the glazing element increases the overall thickness of the glazing element equipped with sunshades. Increasing the overall thickness is problematic particularly in terrace glazing systems in which the glazing elements should have sufficient space to overlap each other and to slide past each other. The development of balcony and terrace glazing systems seems to lead to the use of narrower and narrower edge profiles for glazing elements, which hampers the installation of solar blinds in them.
The aim of the invention is to present a blind, a terrace or balcony glazing system, and a method for fastening a blind to a glazing system, whereby drawbacks related to the state of the art can be eliminated.
The objects of the invention are obtained with a blind, a terrace or balcony glazing system, and a method, which are characterized in what is presented in the independent claims. Some advantageous embodiments of the invention are presented in the dependent claims.
The blind according to the invention comprises an edge strip, at least two guide cords whose first ends are attached to the edge strip, and a screen movable along the guide cords, wherein the first edge of the screen is equipped with a first edge profile and the second edge of the screen is equipped with a second edge profile, wherein the guide cords extend through the edge profiles, and wherein the first and second edge profiles are movable irrespective of each other and are suspended on the guide cords. The blind further comprises lifting means for coiling, uncoiling, and storing the coiled guide cord, the second ends of the guide cords being fastened to the lifting means.
In a preferred embodiment of the blind according to the invention, said screen is a pleatable fabric; in other words, the blind is a so-called pleated blind.
In another preferred embodiment of the blind according to the invention, said lifting means comprise a tube which is rotatable around its longitudinal axis and to which tube the second ends of said guide cords are fastened, directly or indirectly. Preferably, string cones are provided around said tube, wherein said guide cords are arranged to coil around said string cones when the tube is rotated.
Yet another preferred embodiment of the blind according to the invention comprises an actuator for rotating the tube. Said actuator comprises a spring element for storing energy to be applied for rotating the tube. Alternatively, said actuator may comprise an electric motor. A chargeable battery may be arranged in connection with the electric motor.
In yet another preferred embodiment of the blind according to the invention, said actuator is arranged at least partly inside the tube.
Yet another embodiment of the blind according to the invention comprises an elongate housing in which said lifting means are arranged. Preferably, said housing comprises a first end piece and a second end piece, wherein said end pieces comprise openings facing the housing, and said guide cords are arranged to extend via the opening in the first or the second end piece.
In yet another preferred embodiment of the blind according to the invention, end plugs are provided at the ends of the first and second edge profiles, wherein the end plugs comprise a hole opening to the inside of the edge profile, and said guide cords are arranged to extend via the hole in the end plug of the first edge profile and via the hole in the end plug of the second edge profile.
In yet another preferred embodiment of the blind according to the invention, edge plugs are provided at the ends of the first edge strip, wherein the edge plugs comprise a hole opening to the inside of the edge strip, and said guide cords are arranged to extend via the hole in the edge plug.
In yet another preferred embodiment of the blind according to the invention, said edge strip comprises an engaging part for fastening the edge strip in a removable way to the frame of the terrace or balcony glazing system.
The terrace or balcony glazing system according to the invention comprises a frame with an upper guide track and a lower guide track as well as glazing elements, wherein at least some of the glazing elements are movable along the upper guide track and the lower guide track. Moreover, the terrace or balcony glazing system comprises at least one blind of the above described type, wherein the blind is fastened to the frame of the glazing system, separately from the glazing elements. Preferably, the housing of the blind is fastened to the frame, above or in parallel with the upper guide track.
The invention also relates to a method for arranging a blind of the above described type in connection with a terrace or balcony glazing system, wherein the terrace or balcony glazing system comprises a frame with an upper guide track and a lower guide track as well as glazing elements, wherein at least some of the glazing elements are movable along the upper guide track and the lower guide track. In the method, the blind is fastened to the frame of the terrace or balcony glazing system, separately from the glazing elements.
A preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention comprises, for bringing the blind to a use position, lowering the edge strip downwards, locking the edge strip in parallel with the lower guide track in a removable way, separately from the glazing element, and opening the blind to a desired extent by moving the first and/or second edge profile along the guide cords.
Another preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention comprises, for bringing the blind to a storage position, lifting the edge strip upwards, closer to the lifting means. Preferably, the edge strip is lifted upwards as close to the lifting means as possible so that the screen of the blind takes as little space as possible.
In yet another preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the edge strip is lifted and/or lowered manually.
In yet another preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the edge strip is lifted and/or lowered by applying an actuator for the lifting means.
The invention has the advantage of making it possible to fasten blinds to such terrace and balcony glazing systems in which the gap between glazing elements stacked side by side is very small.
Furthermore, the invention has the advantage that the screen and the guide cords suspending the screen can be moved completely away from the shielded area when there is no need for a sunshade or a privacy blind. Thus, the blind does not restrict the use of the terrace or the balcony in any way.
In the following, the invention will be described in detail. In the description, reference will be made to the appended drawings, in which
The blind according to the invention comprises a housing 40 at the top edge and an edge strip 20 at the lower edge, as well as three pairs of guide cords 24a, 24b, 24c extending from the edge strip to the inside of the housing. A screen 30 shielding from solar radiation is suspended on the guide cords, to be movable along the guide cords, and is provided with a first edge profile 32 at a first edge and a second edge profile 34 at a second edge. The blind shown in the figure is a so-called pleated blind, wherein the screen is a screen formed of rigid fabric and pleated in a zigzag shape. Suspended on the guide cords, the first and second edge profiles can be moved up and down, irrespective of each other, whereby the surface area covered by the screen changes; in other words, the screen only covers the area between the first and second edge profiles.
The housing 40 of the blind is intended to be fastened to the first edge of the light opening, and the edge profile 32 to the second edge of the light opening, that is, the opposite edge of the light opening, seen from the direction of the first edge. Normally, the housing is fastened to the upper edge of the light opening, and the edge strip is fastened to the lower edge of the light opening. After the installation of the housing and the edge strip, the guide cords are tightened up, after which the edge profiles can be moved along the guide cords. The first edge profile 32 can be moved to come in contact with the edge strip 20, and correspondingly, the second edge profile 34 can be moved to come in contact with the housing 40, whereby the blind covers substantially the whole light opening. Similarly, the first edge profile can be moved to a distance from the edge profile, and/or the second edge profile can be moved to a distance from the housing, whereby an area not covered by the blind is left at the top edge and/or the bottom edge of the light opening.
The housing 40 comprises a trough-like frame part and a cover removably attached to the frame part so that the frame part and the respective cover constitute a rectangular tubular structure with open ends. The housing is provided with a first end piece 42 at its first end and a second end piece 44 at its second end. When installed, the end pieces close the open ends of the housing. Each end piece has a through hole 46 for guide cords 24a, 24b, 24c.
The first and second edge profiles 32, 34 are identical aluminium profiles having a hollow cross-section and provided with a plastic end plug 36 at each end. The end plugs have an end surface transverse to the longitudinal direction of the edge profile and provided with a through hole for guide cords, extending from the end surface to the inside of the edge profile. The edge strip 20 is a tubular or trough-like aluminium profile provided with an edge plug 38 at each end. Like the end plugs, the edge plugs have an end surface transverse to the longitudinal direction of the edge strip and provided with a through hole for guide cords, extending from the end surface to the inside of the edge strip.
In
On the left-hand side of
On the right hand side,
In the middle,
The bottom side 41a of the frame part is provided with a groove 13, whose opening has a width smaller than the width of the bottom part of the groove. In alignment with the groove, an upper strip 21 is fastened which has a cross-sectional shape similar to that of the edge strip 20 and to which the first ends of the guide cords are fastened. The upper strip is fastened to the groove of the bottom side by fasteners 17 formed of a thin metal sheet and provided with a flat head and with engaging tongues which turn to an angle from the plane of the head. The fasteners are attached to the groove by inserting the head of the fastener in the groove via the end of the groove. The upper strip is attached to the fasteners by fitting the ends of the engaging tongues in the trough-like upper strip and by pressing the upper strip towards the bottom side, whereby the upper strip engages the fasteners by clicking.
The upper strip 21 is used as a positioning means which guides the second edge profile 34 of the screen to be placed tightly against the upper strip. The upper strip and the second edge profile are provided with magnets, by which the second edge profile tightly engages the upper strip. Thus, no light-transmitting gap is left between the upper strip and the edge profile.
The lifting means comprise a tube 10 whose diameter is preferably 32 mm. The tube may be made of plastic or metal, preferably aluminium. Preferably, plastic string cones 12 are provided around the tube so that one string cone is provided at each end and one in the middle of the tube. On the outer surface of the tube, a groove extends from the first end to the second end of the tube, and the inner surface of each string cone is provided with a protrusion compatible with the groove. The string cones are fastened to the tube in a non-rotatable manner by fitting the string cones around the tube so that their protrusions are received in the groove. The movement of the string cone in the longitudinal direction of the tube is prevented by locking rings not shown in the figure. The number of string cones needed will depend on the number of guide cords for the blind. If the blind is provided with guide cords at the edges of the screen only, that is, there is no guide cord in the middle of the screen, only two string cones are needed for the lifting means. The string cones are thus preferably placed at the ends of the tube. The first end of the tube is provided with a slide bearing 15 which is placed partly inside the first end of the tube. The part of the slide bearing remaining outside the tube is fastened to the first end piece 42 of the housing. An actuator is placed in the second end of the tube, to facilitate rotating the tube around its longitudinal axis. The actuator shown in
The first and second end pieces are provided with openings 46, through which the guide cords 24a, 24a, 24c are introduced into the housing. The guide cords are fastened at their second ends to the tube 10 or to the string cones 12 around them (the guide cords are not shown in the figure). The opening of the first end piece is designed to guide the first guide cords to coil around the string cone at the first end of the tube. Correspondingly, the opening of the second end piece is designed to guide the second guide cords to coil around the string cone at the second end of the tube. The third guide cords extend through the openings in parallel with the longitudinal axis of the tube 10 towards the string cone in the middle. From the openings, a flexuous channel leads to the edge surface of the end piece, via which channel the guide cord can be inserted in the opening without threading the end of the guide cord through the opening. The shape of the edges of the end pieces 42, 44 substantially corresponds to the cross-sectional shape of the housing, with the exception that the lower edge of the end pieces is provided with an expansion 45 which covers the open ends of the upper strip 21 fastened to the bottom side 41a of the housing.
In the middle of the tube, adjacent to the string cone 12 in the middle, a central bearing 19 is provided whose outer dimensions correspond to the inner dimensions of the housing and which is supported at its edges to the inner surface of the housing. The middle bearing is provided with a central hole, through which the tube 10 extends. The walls of the hole act as slide surfaces when the tube is rotated; in other words, the middle bearing is a slide bearing, by its operating principle. At the edge of the middle bearing abutting the cover 43, cord guides are provided which receive the third guide cords 23c introduced in the housing and guide them to coil around the middle string cone.
In the assembled and installed blind, the energy loaded in the spring element of the lifting means tends to rotate the tube 10 in a first rotation direction, whereby the guide cords coil around the string cones and the edge strip 20 fastened to the first ends rises upwards. After the edge strip has risen to its uppermost position, the guide cords are substantially coiled up and stored around the string cones in the housing 40. For bringing the blind to a use position, the edge strip is pulled manually downwards, whereby the tube 10 and the string cones around it rotate in a second rotation direction. At the same time, the guide cords stored around the string cones are released and uncoiled from the housing. The edge strip of the uncoiled blind is fastened to the lower edge of the terrace or balcony glazing system in a removable way by suitable fastening means (
The terrace or balcony glazing system comprises a frame comprising an upper guide track 100 and a lower guide track 102. The upper guide track and the lower guide track are metal profiles comprising parallel troughs, along which the glazing elements 106 of the glazing system are arranged to move. Typically, three or five troughs are provided, but there may also be a different number of them. The upper and lower guide tracks can be fastened directly to the structures of the building, such as to the floor of a terrace and to the cornice structures of the roof of the terrace, or the frame may also comprise separate pillars and/or beams 104, to which the upper and lower guide tracks are fastened. Preferably, the frame of the glazing system is made of steel or aluminium profiles.
The glazing element 106 comprises a rectangular pane permeable to light and having two parallel vertical side edges and two parallel end edges. Typically, the light-permeable panes used for terrace or balcony glazing systems consist of tempered glass having a thickness of 4 to 6 mm, but a different material and pane thickness is possible as well. The end edges of the light-permeable pane are provided with end profiles 108. The end profiles are aluminium profiles with a glazing groove, in which the end edge of the light-permeable pane is fitted. End pieces of plastic are provided at the ends of the end profiles. The side edges of the light-permeable pane are free edges, that is, edges having no edge profile. The lower end profile of the glazing element is placed in the trough of the lower guide track 102, and the upper end profile is placed in a corresponding trough of the upper guide track 100 so that the glazing element can move in the direction of the guide tracks, supported by the upper and lower guide tracks. The edge profiles of the glazing element are equipped with wheels to facilitate moving of the glazing element.
A number of blinds according to the invention is installed in the terrace or balcony glazing system according to the invention (
In a terrace or balcony glazing system according to the invention, the entire blind is thus fastened to the frame of the glazing system, completely separately from the glazing elements. The glazing elements can thus be transferred along the upper and lower guide tracks without being obstructed or limited in any way by the blinds. The blinds can be lifted to a storage position by releasing the locking of the edge strip from the lower guide track, wherein the edge strip rises very close to the housing and the guide cords are coiled into the housing. The first and second edge profiles at the edges of the screen rise upwards along with the guide cords coiling up. When the second edge profile 34 hits the housing, it stops from rising. However, the first edge profile 32 continues to rise, whereby the pleating of the screen is increased. When lifted up, the edge strip abuts the first edge profile and the screen is pleated in a tight bundle between the end profiles. At the location of the blind lifted up, a glazing element may be in place, or the glazing element may be moved away from this location.
In the above presented embodiments, the blinds are provided with two first guide cords, two second guide cords, and two third guide cords. The blind according to the invention can be implemented totally without the third guide cords if the width of the blind is not very large. Furthermore, it is feasible that a sufficiently narrow blind may be provided with only one first guide cord and one second guide cord.
In the above presented embodiments, the actuator used for lifting the guide cords was a spring element. Instead of the spring element, the actuator may be an electric motor equipped with a chargeable battery and placed in the tube. The electric motor may be remote controlled, whereby the edge track can be lifted or lowered without manual work steps.
The blind according to the invention is suitable for use not only in terraces or balconies but also indoors. Indoors, the housing of the blind is fastened to a wall above the window or door to be covered, or to the frame of the window or door. A locking piece to which the edge strip of the blind lowered down is fastened to, or close to, the lower frame of the window or door. For a blind to be installed indoors, in particular, the material of the screen may be weakly translucent fabric, whereby the blind lowered down can be used as a blackout blind.
Some advantageous embodiments of the blind, the terrace or balcony glazing system, and the method according to the invention have been described above. The invention is not limited to the solutions described above, but the invention can be implemented in different ways within the scope of the claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20225578 | Jun 2022 | FI | national |
