The following description generally relates to wall and/or ceiling mounted suspension systems for curtains and the like.
Ripple fold curtain suspension systems typically comprise mounting brackets and one or more channel rods.
Conventional channel rods, which are also known as traverse support rods, comprise channels formed by extruded material having a substantially U-shaped cross-section. These U-shaped channels comprise tracks in which curtain track carriers can slide. The lower portion of each curtain track carrier can be connected to fabric along the top of a curtain. Ceiling or wall mount channel brackets having clips designed to attach to the top of U-shaped channel rods are typically used to support such channel rods.
Although easily installed, such suspension systems can be considered aesthetically unappealing if the U-shaped channels and brackets are visible. Attempts have therefore been made to develop channel rods and/or brackets having an improved appearance, some of which are discussed below.
A known, commercially available suspension assembly implements a channel rod having an “H” type channel, shown in
US Design Pat. No. D450,234 discloses a channel rod comprising a substantially semicircular portion extending from the base of a U-shaped extrusion. A support clip adapted to clamp the U-shaped extrusion from above is commonly used to support this channel rod. However, the semicircular portion includes a free, unsupported end which can be unstable.
Another difficulty with known curtain rod systems involves adjustments once the curtain rod is installed, particularly after the curtain is mounted. In this regard, curtain rods are generally mounted using a series of mounting assemblies or brackets that are attached to a wall or a ceiling. Once the curtain is hung, it is not uncommon that the weight of the curtain results in some movement of the supporting bracket resulting in the curtain being unevenly hung. Adjusting the brackets involves removing from the wall or ceiling and reattachment, which is very time consuming. What is needed is an attachment assembly, in particular a wall attachment assembly, that allows for any necessary height adjustments.
In view of the foregoing, it is recognized that it is desirable to develop a curtain suspension system that addresses one or more of the above drawbacks.
Described herein is an improved wall mounting assembly for securing a curtain rod that allows for adjustment of the positioning of the supporting portion after the assembly is secured to a wall. Also described herein is an improved curtain rod support system incorporating such assembly.
The description further provides an improved curtain rod for attachment to a cooperating clip.
Thus, in one aspect, there is provided a wall mount assembly for a curtain suspension system, the wall mount assembly comprising:
In another aspect, there is provided a curtain suspension system comprising: a wall mount assembly as defined above; and a support means comprising a first end, for connecting to the car of the wall mount assembly, and a second end, for connecting to a curtain support rod.
In another aspect, there is provided a curtain suspension system comprising:
a curtain rod comprising a generally elongate hollow body having a front face, a rear face, and a bottom surface, wherein:
The features of certain embodiments will become more apparent in the following detailed description in which reference is made to the appended figures wherein:
Provided herein is a suspension system for curtains such as ripple fold curtains. The system includes a new channel rod design that includes a hooking extension adapted to be stabilized by a hooking portion of a new bracket clip. The extension is therefore provided with greater stability as compared to the extension included in the channel rod of the '234 Design Patent. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that attaching the new channel rod to the bracket clips provided herein is easier than attaching the prior art rod (
One of the bracket clip designs of the present disclosure is adapted to attach to a wall bracket, and the other is part of a ceiling bracket. The wall bracket can be vertically adjusted after the suspension assembly has been mounted to a wall. This can be particularly useful in achieving a consistent height of the bottom of the curtain along the length of the wall without having to completely remove and replace the wall brackets.
The terms “comprise”, “comprises”, “comprised” or “comprising” may be used in the present description. As used herein (including the specification and/or the claims), these terms are to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components, but not as precluding the presence of one or more other feature, integer, step, component or a group thereof as would be apparent to persons having ordinary skill in the relevant art. Thus, the term “comprising” as used in this specification means “consisting at least in part of”. When interpreting statements in this specification that include the term “comprising”, the features, prefaced by that term in each statement, all need to be present but other features can also be present. Related terms such as “comprise” and “comprised” are to be interpreted in the same manner.
The term “and/or” can mean “and” or “or”.
One or more of the terms “vertical”, “vertically”, “horizontal”, “horizontally”, “top”, “bottom”, “upwardly” and “downwardly” are used throughout this specification. It will be understood that these terms are not intended to be limiting. These terms are used for convenience and to aid in describing the features herein.
Turning to the figures,
Generally, and as commonly known in the art, the channel rod 2 may be formed as an extrusion so as to be provided as a unitary structure. Such extrusion may be of any known material.
The open end of the U-shaped channel 5 comprises a track 11 formed by opposed rails 3. The track 11 is adapted to slidably receive and support curtain track carriers (such as shown at 57 in
In one aspect, the bottom surface 220 or the slot 235 and the bottom surface 15 of the engagement protrusion 13 can be parallel with respect to the floor and/or ceiling, when in use. In another aspect, the bottom surfaces may be provided in an angular relationship so as to form a positive engagement to aid in preventing the channel rod 2 from moving away from the mounting bracket 200. Such an arrangement is shown in
Turning to
In suspension assembly 70, bottom surface 250 of support hook 245 contacts top top surface 7 of the channel 5. As discussed above, for engaging the channel rod 2 to the mounting bracket 200 (i.e. after the brackets are secured to the ceiling), the rod 2 is manipulated to engage the hooked end 210 of the mounting bracket 200 into the hook slot 9 of the channel rod 2. In so doing, and as illustrated in
Clamping portion 240 of the mounting bracket 200 comprises a biasing member 260 which abuts overhang 295. Overhang 295 biases member 260 towards the engagement protrusion 13, thereby biasing slot 235 against engagement protrusion 13. As shown in
The mounting bracket 200 can be attached to a ceiling by screwing upper surface 270 to the ceiling via one or more openings 275 illustrated in
In another embodiment of the ceiling mount 200, overhang 295 and biasing member 260 are not included. In such case, the interaction between sloped surface 247 of the clamping portion and the fastening means (e.g. a screw) may be sufficient to urge the clamping portion toward engagement protrusion 13. In other words, as the fastening means is tightened, the interaction between such means and the sloped surface 247 would serve to urge the clamping portion 240 in a direction towards the channel rod 2. It will also be understood that both of the above-mentioned urging means (i.e. the biasing member 260 and the sloped surface 247) may be used together, as shown in the figures.
Continuing with
In the above discussion, reference has been made to a ceiling suspension system. The following discussion will relate to a wall mount system.
The track 101 formed by the walls 34 and the base 37 is adapted to receive a car 20 as shown in
The base 37 comprises an opening or hole 39 which serves to position the retaining pin 23. Retaining pin 23 comprises a first, or upper, threaded portion 31, adapted to be received within a correspondingly threaded opening 22 in the car 20 (
The extension 35 is also rotatably received within the opening 39. In one aspect, the end of the extension 35 is preferably adapted to receive a tool (such as a screwdriver, Allen key, wrench, or the like) that can be used to rotate the retaining pin 23 when received within the opening 39, as will be described below. As will also be understood, the washer 27 may also serve to facilitate rotation of the pin 23 when the extension 35 is received there-through and through the opening 39 (as shown in
The car 20 further includes a protrusion 25, which may be generally cylindrical in shape, and projections 26. Car 20 is discussed in greater detail with respect to
As will be understood, the ability vertically move the car 20 within the track 101 allows for the car 20 to be adjusted with respect to its vertical position after the assembly 40 is mounted to a wall.
Although housing 44 is depicted as being square or rectangular, the person skilled in the art will appreciate that housing 44 can be tubular or can have a number of other shapes.
Turning to
As noted above, after the system has been assembled and the wall plate 30 has been screwed into a wall, via apertures 32, the car 20 is able to move vertically, along with the faceplate 42, with respect to wall plate 30. This, in turn, vertically moves the entire suspension assembly with respect to wall plate 30. Such vertical movement can be achieved via a user extending a tool such as a screwdriver through faceplate opening 48 into opening 36, and subsequently rotating the retaining pin 23 in a given direction.
It will be appreciated that the vertically adjustable wall mount and faceplate can be oriented such that the extension 35 is accessible from the top of the faceplate depending on the preferences of the user. The vertically adjustable wall mount and faceplate can also be oriented such that the extension 35 is accessible from the sides of the faceplate, thereby facilitating horizontal adjustment of the wall mount in a plane parallel to the wall. In such case, the rotational movement of the pin 23 would still result in vertical translation of the car 20, but the car would be provided with threading on a side thereof, for example. It will be appreciated that other known mechanisms can be used to vertically move the car 20 with respect to the wall plate 30.
Although the above description includes reference to certain specific embodiments, various modifications thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Any examples provided herein are included solely for the purpose of illustration and are not intended to be limiting in any way. Any drawings provided herein are solely for the purpose of illustrating various aspects of the description and are not intended to be drawn to scale or to be limiting in any way. The scope of the claims appended hereto should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set forth in the above description but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the present specification as a whole. The disclosures of all prior art recited herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
This application is a National Entry of PCT Application No. PCT/CA2020/050550, filed on Apr. 27, 2020, which claims priority to U.S. Application No. 62/839,472, filed Apr. 26, 2019. The entire contents of such prior applications are incorporated herein by reference.
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PCT/CA2020/050550 | 4/27/2020 | WO |
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WO2020/215166 | 10/29/2020 | WO | A |
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