Patent Application
20190186195
One common potential cause of injury to infants and toddlers is the pull string for blinds and similar window and/or door coverings. Children have been known to inadvertently become tangled in pull strings, which has resulted in serious harm or even death to numerous children.
Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings. Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present disclosure.
In the following description, reference is made to exemplary embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the concepts disclosed herein, and it is to be understood that modifications to the various disclosed embodiments may be made, and other embodiments may be utilized, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “one example,” or “an example” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” “one example,” or “an example” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable combinations and/or sub-combinations in one or more embodiments or examples.
Embodiments of the present disclosure include a safety disc attached to a binds pull string and a safety anchor fixed at a point near the blinds pull string, wherein the safety disc and the safety anchor are adapted to removably attach to one another.
Referring to
In another embodiment, a safety disc comprises a magnet or magnetic material. In some embodiments, the safety disc is integrated with a pull drop/tassel 140 on the pull string.
According to various embodiments, safety disc 130 is secured to pull string 120 by an adhesive, by a knot in the pull string 120, by mechanical means such as a crimp, or by other means known in the art. It may be desirable for safety disc 130 to be adapted to not slide along the length of pull string 120, but rather remain fixed at a certain point on pull string 120.
Referring to
According to various embodiments, safety anchor 150 may be installed at or near the top of window 110. As would be appreciated by a person of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure, safety anchor 150 may be installed at a height that may result in keeping pull string 120 out of reach of children when safety disc 130 is attached to safety anchor 150. Thus, the ideal placement of safety anchor 150 may depend on the height and vertical placement of the particular window, the height of the children living or visiting the location, and the length of pull string 120.
Referring to
Referring to
In embodiments of the present disclosure, safety discs can be secured to pull strings at a position of the pull string selected to reduce the risk of a child being able to reach the pull string. In some cases, this objective is achieved by maximizing the height of the lowest point of the pull string when the safety disc is secured. In one embodiment, the safety disc is secured approximately ⅓ of the total length of the pull string from the bottom of the pull string. In other cases, the safety disc is secured to the pull string at a point below ⅓ of the total length of the pull string from the bottom of the pull string. In one embodiment, the safety disc is secured to the pull string approximately 18 inches from the end of the pull string. In one embodiment, the safety disc is secured to the end of the pull string.
Although the present disclosure is described in terms of certain preferred embodiments, other embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure, including embodiments that do not provide all of the benefits and features set forth herein, which are also within the scope of this disclosure. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
