Patent Application
20060278350
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vertical blinds, and particularly to a device to repair vertical blinds.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vertical blinds are an increasingly popular window treatment for homes and offices. Some of the reasons for the popularity of vertical blinds include basic installation, pleasing aesthetics, simple operation, high light-shielding capability and the fact that vertical blinds are easy to clean. In a typical arrangement, a horizontal track is set above a window, door or other opening. The track has a series of downward extending slat hooks to which the slats are attached so that each slat hangs vertically. Usually the vertical blind slat has an aperture at the top of the slat through which the slat hook is engaged.
One problem with vertical blinds is that the aperture for the admittance of the slat hook may become torn or otherwise damaged. If the slat can no longer be attached to the slat hook, that particular slat must be discarded and replaced with a new slat. Replacement slats can be a costly solution. Furthermore, replacement slats are not always available because manufacturers have ceased making them. Still further, because the color of slats may be altered due to the effect of time or the sun, a new replacement slat does not blend in with the color of the original slats.
An alternative to a replacement slat is to repair the broken slat. Some methods, apparatuses and kits to repair vertical blinds have been proposed. However, such devices and methods involve punching holes into the slat, inserting rivets, or other complicated installation procedures not suited to a homeowner. Another difficulty with some repair kits is they are only suited to particular types of vertical slats.
A device relating to blinds is described in United Kingdom Patent No. 982,256, published Feb. 3, 1965, which shows improvements to Venetian blinds that enable a user to construct their own set of blinds. French Patent Publication No. 2,402,263, published Mar. 30, 1979, describes a display frame for art with a clip-shaped stop at the bottom of the frame.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, a device to repair vertical blinds solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
The device to repair vertical blinds is a simple, cost efficient, and aesthetically pleasing way to repair a slat on a vertical blind set when the mounting hole on one of the slats has been torn or otherwise damaged.
The device is a flat, rectangular body having a crease in the center that divides the body in to two symmetrical flaps. Each flap has a centrally located rectangular aperture that is dimensioned and configured to match the size of the mounting hole on a slat.
The device has an upper surface and a lower surface. A thin strip of adhesive is disposed along the outward edge of the upper surface of each of the flaps. To use the device, the device is folded along the crease. The next step is to position the device over the damaged slat, aligning the apertures with the mounting hole of the damaged slat. The adhesive secures the flaps to opposite sides of the slat. Once the device is installed, the damaged slat may be hung with the hook extending through the hole formed by the aligned apertures, the slat being securely held by the adhesive.
The device is constructed from flexible plastic, although it is contemplated that other bendable materials may be used. The device may be transparent, opaque, or come in a variety of colors.
These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
The present invention is a device to repair vertical blinds, designated generally as 10 in the drawings and referred to as the “device” in the following description. Referring to
The device 10 is designed to repair slats 16, such as the damaged slat 20 shown in
The device 10 has an upper surface and a lower surface. A thin strip of adhesive 32 is disposed along the outward edge of the upper surface of each of the flaps 24, 26. To use the device 10, the device is folded along the crease 22, as shown in
The device 10 is constructed from flexible plastic, although it is contemplated that other bendable materials be used. The device 10 shown in
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
