Patent Application
20080245917
The invention relates to a mounting system that can receive and hold window coverings raised and lowered by lift cords and window coverings wound on a roller. The window blind may be a mini blind, a venetian blind, a pleated shade, a cellular shade, a roll-up shade, a roller shade, or a roman shade.
There are a variety of window coverings in which window covering material extends from a headrail to a bottom rail and lift cords extend from the bottom rail past or through the window covering material into the headrail. The lift cords may pass through a cord lock to the exterior of the blind or they may be wound on an axle within the blind. For those window coverings in which the lift cords are wound on an axle, a drive system, typically a cord loop drive or a motor, are provided in the headrail to turn the axle. It is this type of lift system in which cords are wound on an axle with which the present invention is concerned. Such window coverings include venetian blinds, cellular shades, pleated shades, roman shades and roll-up shades.
In yet another type of window covering the window covering material is wound on a roller. In some window coverings, such as the common roller shade a spring is provided inside the roller. In other blinds the roller is mounted within a headrail and a drive system, typically a loop cord drive or a motor, is provided in the headrail to turn the roller. The present invention is also applicable to this latter type of window covering in which a roller is turned by a drive system.
Generally, these types of window coverings are mounted by attaching the headrail of the window covering to the face of the window frame, by attaching the headrail to an end mount on the inner walls of the window casing, by attaching the headrail to an overhead mount along the upper wall of the window casing, or by attaching the headrail to the ceiling adjacent to the window. Two or more brackets are typically used to mount the window covering to the window casing, ceiling or window frame. These brackets are almost always attached to the window frame or ceiling by screws. The headrail is then mounted on the brackets. In most window covering systems the headrail can be detached from the brackets so that the window covering can be taken down for cleaning. Such removal may require some skill and can be a two person job. When brackets are installed they are usually positioned and configured to receive a particular headrail. If one wished to replace a window covering, these brackets usually must be removed from the window frame and replaced with different brackets prior to mounting a new window covering. Because of these things homeowners and owners of commercial buildings do not often change window coverings. Once installed a window covering may stay in place for many years. There are many homes and offices in which the window coverings have been in place for ten and even twenty years.
Another factor which has discouraged the replacement of window coverings is that many window coverings are custom made for a particular window. There are, of course, many standard size windows and standard size blinds. However, people usually select blinds which match for a particular room, office or even an entire house or office building. Therefore, any change in window coverings can involve a replacement of several blinds. If any one of those blinds is a custom size, then the replacement process can be quite involved and require the service of a professional.
Most people purchase window coverings without ever seeing a sample of the purchased blind hanging from the purchaser's window opening prior to making a purchase. As a result, purchasers often make decisions without being able to sample and fully appreciate the different aesthetic effects the various available window coverings may have in the purchaser's room. Consequently, purchasers can purchase window coverings that are not fully satisfying to the purchaser or do not fully complement the desired interior design of the room in which the purchaser may mount the window covering. Should the customer return the blind the retailer or installer may incur significant costs in accepting the return and providing a replacement.
Many homeowners, as well as office workers, prefer to redecorate their homes and offices every few years. Most homeowners will decorate their houses for holidays, putting up and taking down decorations several times each year. Store owners frequently change window displays and often have signs in their windows. Window coverings having signs such as “CLOSED” and decorative window coverings have been available for many years. However because of the effort involved in replacing window coverings, decorating for holidays and redecorating projects seldom include changing window coverings.
Consequently, there is a need for a system that permits a homeowner, store keeper or office worker to install new or different window coverings without requiring significant amounts of time for moving the window covering or mounting the new window covering after dismounting the old window covering. Preferably, the system will permit any person of average do-it-yourself skills to easily replace window coverings and to move a window covering from one window to a different window. Ideally, the system would also permit a customer to obtain temporary window coverings that can be installed immediately and used until the desired window covering has been fabricated.
I provide a universal headrail or mounting having a drive system. This product has an elongated body and a drive mechanism permanently attached to the elongated body. The elongated body has a first end and a second end. The elongated body is sized and configured to releasably retain a window covering that has a rotating element that is turned to raise and lower window covering material. The drive mechanism is permanently attached to the first end of the elongated body and is configured to be releasably coupled to the rotating element of a window covering such that the drive mechanism can turn the rotating element when the rotating element extending from the element is coupled to the drive mechanism. The rotating element can be a roller, a shaft, a shaft having a drum for each lift cord shaft and other similar structures that rotate to raise and lower window covering material.
The drive mechanism can include a loop cord drive, a motor, or a crank operated drive. Preferably, the rotating element has a hexagonal cross-section or other polygonal shape and the drive mechanism has a bore of the same polygonal shape which receives the element. A sidewall may be attached to the second end of the elongated body. The sidewall may have a shoulder or recess that is sized to receive the opposite end of the shaft or roller.
The elongated body and attached drive mechanism are mounted to the window frame by brackets, a clips, or other mounting devices known to those skilled in the art.
The mounting and drive system can also include a cartridge shade that has a headrail, a window covering material connected to the headrail, and lift cords wound about an axle or shaft for raising and lowering the window covering material. The axle or shaft of the lift mechanism is connected to the headrail at one of the ends and is able to be connected to the drive mechanism at its opposite end. The headrail of the cartridge shade is releasably coupled to the elongated body and the shaft of the lift mechanism is releasably coupled to the drive mechanism such that the cartridge shade is removable from the elongated body.
In other embodiments, the mounting and drive system may further include a cartridge shade that has a window covering material wound on a roller that is releasably coupled to the elongated body. The roller has a stub shaft extending from one end of the roller that is releasably coupled to the drive mechanism such that the cartridge shade is removable from the elongated body. The roller can be solid or tubular.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a description of certain present preferred embodiments thereof and certain present preferred methods of practicing the same proceeds.
In the accompanying drawings I have shown certain present preferred embodiments of the invention and have illustrated certain present preferred methods of practicing the same.
I provide a mounting and drive system such as is shown in
In those cartridge shades in which the window covering material is comprised of slats, as in venetian blinds or mini blinds, a tilt mechanism may be provided that permits a user to open or close shade elements or slats of the blind. In other cartridge shades having slats, the rotation of the shaft will tilt the shade elements as well as raise and lower the blind.
A second type of cartridge shade has a roller about which window covering material is wound and a stub shaft extending from at least one end of the roller. There is no spring within the roller or any other mechanism for turning the roller.
Cartridge shades may be roman shades, pleated shades, cellular shades, roll-up shades, venetian blinds, roller shades or mini blinds.
Referring to
The elongated body 1 is sized and configured to releasably retain a cartridge shade. The drive mechanism 3 is configured to be releasably coupled to the rotating element of a cartridge shade such that the drive mechanism can turn the element when the element is coupled to the drive mechanism. The rotating element can be a roller, a tube, a shaft having a drum for each lift cord or any other similar structure that rotates to raise and lower window covering material. It should be noted that the elongated body may have various shapes and dimensions. For example, the elongated body can be a generally a U-shaped body as shown in
The drive mechanism is configured to be releasably coupled to the rotating element of a window covering such that the drive mechanism can turn the rotating element of a window covering when the element is coupled to the drive mechanism in various ways. For example, the drive mechanism 3 can have a tube 8, as shown in
Preferably, the rotating element or projection of the cartridge shades that may be retained by the elongated body will have a polygonal shape so that the bore 14 of the drive mechanism will also have a polygonal shape to retain the rotating element or projection. Of course, the bore and rotating element can have other cross-sectional shapes, such as a star, oval or even a toothed gear shape. In all cases, the bore 14 of the drive mechanism and the rotating element will have corresponding cross-sectional shapes enabling the cartridge shade to be releasably coupled to the drive mechanism.
The drive mechanism 3 does not have to be a loop cord drive. For example, the drive mechanism 3 can have a motor 17 with a bore 14, as illustrated in
The drive mechanism 3 can also include a crank drive 18, as shown in
This drive mechanism could also be configured so that the housing 23 of the drive system is configured to retain gear 21. In that event, gear 21 will have a bore 14 configured to receive the shaft of the cartridge shade. In this embodiment, the elongated body 1 to which the drive mechanism 3 is attached is L-shaped.
When a user turns handle 10 to rotate crank 11 in a first direction, the crank causes the socket portion 29 of the coupling to rotate the coupling 24. Rotation of the coupling 24 rotates gear 20, which causes gear 21 and bore 14 to rotate in a first direction. When a user rotates the crank 11 in a direction that is opposite the first direction, the crank causes the bore 14 and gear 21 to rotate in a second direction. Consequently, when the shaft of a shade is coupled to bore 14, the crank can be rotated to raise or lower the window covering material of the shade.
A sidewall 37 can also be attached to the second end 6 of the elongated body. The sidewall can be used to ensure that a window covering is retained by the elongated body in an aesthetically pleasing way by having a size and shape that is consistent with the structure of the drive mechanism 3 permanently attached to the opposite end of the elongated body. The sidewall 37 can have at least one recess 38 that is sized to receive a portion of a window covering, such as an end of a stub shaft extending from the rotating element of a cartridge shade or a projection extending from the headrail of another cartridge shade. The recess 38 helps ensure that the window covering is securely retained by the elongated body.
At least one mounting device 31 can be attached to the elongated body so that the elongated body may be easily mounted to a window opening. The mounting devices can be brackets, clips, screws or other devices. I prefer to use mounting brackets or mounting clips. The mounting devices can be positioned in specific locations along the elongated body to provide maximum support. The mounting devices can be located on the back or ends of the elongated body. The mounting devices can also be attached to the sidewall or the drive mechanism.
Referring to
The elongated body may also have at least one shoulder 24, as illustrated in
A cartridge shade 19 can also be releasably coupled to the elongated body 1 by inserting the rotating element 12 of the cartridge shade into the drive mechanism 3 and supporting the headrail on the elongated body 1, as illustrated in
It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the cartridge shade 19 can also have projections or coupling devices that extend from the cartridge shade that are configured to releasably couple the headrail to the elongated body. Such coupling devices can work in combination with the bore of the drive mechanism to ensure the cartridge shade is consistently retained by the elongated body when the rotating element of the cartridge shade is coupled to the bore of the drive mechanism.
The cartridge shade 19 shown in
In
It should be readily apparent from
Yet, another advantage of the present invention is that the owner of the present mounting and drive system can easily buy replacement blinds by just knowing the size, serial number or perhaps model number of the mounting and drive system that she has. It is not necessary to measure the window opening or install new brackets when buying and installing replacement shades.
While I have shown and described certain present preferred embodiments of the invention and have illustrated certain present preferred methods of practicing the same, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.
