U.S. patent application number 11/442209 was filed with the patent office on 2007-11-29 for window blind assembly.
Invention is credited to Tai-Long Huang.
Application Number | 20070272363 11/442209 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38748443 |
Filed Date | 2007-11-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070272363 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Huang; Tai-Long |
November 29, 2007 |
Window blind assembly
Abstract
A window blind assembly includes top and bottom fixing seats
adapted to be fixed to a support and having a first engaging
portion, a headrail, a bottom rail, and a blind unit. Each of the
headrail and bottom rail includes a pair of first and second clamp
plates having opposite inner faces, and protrusion-and-groove
engagement surfaces formed on the inner faces. One of the first and
second clamp plates further has a first retaining portion to engage
the first engaging portion. The blind unit has top and bottom end
portions. Each of the top and bottom end portions is clamped
detachably between the inner faces and between the
protrusion-and-groove engagement surfaces of one of the headrail
and the bottom rail.
Inventors: |
Huang; Tai-Long; (Changhua,
TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
GALLAGHER & LATHROP, A PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION
601 CALIFORNIA ST, SUITE 1111
SAN FRANCISCO
CA
94108
US
|
Family ID: |
38748443 |
Appl. No.: |
11/442209 |
Filed: |
May 26, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
160/84.04 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E06B 9/262 20130101;
E06B 9/324 20130101; E06B 2009/2625 20130101; E06B 9/266
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
160/84.04 |
International
Class: |
A47H 5/00 20060101
A47H005/00 |
Claims
1. A window blind assembly comprising: top and bottom fixing seats
adapted to be fixed to a support, each of said top and bottom
fixing seats having a base plate, and a first engaging portion
projecting outwardly from said base plate; a headrail and a bottom
rail each including a pair of first and second clamp plates, said
first and second clamp plates having opposite inner faces, and
protrusion-and-groove engagement surfaces formed on said inner
faces, one of said first and second clamp plates further having a
first retaining portion to engage said first engaging portion; and
a blind unit made of a flexible material and having a top end
portion, a bottom end portion, and an intermediate portion between
said top and bottom end portions, each of said top and bottom end
portions being clamped detachably between said inner faces and
between said protrusion-and-groove engagement surfaces of one of
said headrail and said bottom rail.
2. The window blind assembly of claim 1, wherein said first
engaging portion has a longitudinal first protrusion, and said
first retaining portion has a longitudinal first groove to receive
fittingly said first protrusion.
3. The window blind assembly of claim 2, wherein said first
protrusion includes two spaced-apart first spring plates that
extend longitudinally to define a slot therebetween and that
respectively have oppositely projecting butt ends, said first
groove having a broad inner groove section and a narrow groove
opening, said butt ends extending into said broad inner groove
section through said narrow groove opening.
4. The window blind assembly of claim 1, wherein said
protrusion-and-groove engagement surfaces include two spaced-apart
longitudinal second grooves formed on one of said inner faces, and
two spaced-apart longitudinal second protrusions that project from
the other one of said inner faces and that engage said second
grooves, respectively.
5. The window blind assembly of claim 4, wherein each of said
second grooves has a broad inner groove section and a narrow groove
opening, each of said second protrusions including two spaced-apart
second spring plates that extend longitudinally to define a slot
therebetween and that respectively have oppositely projecting butt
ends, said butt ends of said second spring plates extending into
said broad inner groove section of a respective one of said second
grooves through said narrow groove opening of a corresponding one
of said second grooves.
6. The window blind assembly of claim 1, wherein said blind unit
includes a plurality of elastic cords each having two opposite ends
attached respectively to said top and bottom end portions and
extending from said top end portion to said bottom end portion
through said intermediate portion.
7. The window blind assembly of claim 6, wherein said intermediate
portion of said blind unit includes a plurality of folds each
having a plurality of through holes for extension of said elastic
cords therethrough.
8. The window blind assembly of claim 1, wherein each of said
headrail and said bottom rail further includes two end caps, each
of which covers one of two opposite ends of said first clamp plate
and one of two opposite ends of said second clamp plate.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates to a window blind, more particularly
to a window blind assembly that can be easily assembled and
disassembled.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional window blind assembly
includes a headrail 1, a blind unit 2, and a control unit 3. The
headrail 1 includes a first chamber 101, a second chamber 102, and
two spaced-apart through holes 103 provided in a top wall-of the
headrail 1. The blind unit 2 is inserted slidably and
longitudinally into the first chamber 101. The control unit 3 is
installed in the second chamber 102, and includes two drums 301, a
cord 302 extending between the drums 301 and associated with the
blind unit 2 in a conventional manner, and two ring members 303
provided respectively on the drums 301 and extending respectively
through the through holes 103. The ring members 303 are used to
hang the conventional window blind assembly.
[0005] Although the aforementioned conventional window blind
assembly can achieve its intended purpose, the user must
disassemble the entire assembly, i.e., the headrail 1, the blind
unit 2, and the control unit 3, in order to remove the blind unit 2
slidably from the first chamber 101 for cleaning or replacement.
Hence, cleaning and replacement of the blind unit 2 is very
inconvenient. Further, since the drums 301 of the control unit 3
are provided as independent elements and are almost entirely
encapsulated by the headrail 1 after being inserted into the second
chamber 102, insertion of the ring members 303 through the
respective through holes 303 is difficult during assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide
a window blind assembly that can be easily assembled and
disassembled and that has specific components fixed in form so as
to largely minimize production costs and so as to reduce
troublesome assembly operations.
[0007] According to this invention, a window blind assembly
comprises top and bottom fixing seats adapted to be fixed to a
support, a headrail, a bottom rail, and a blind unit. Each of the
top and bottom fixing seats has a base plate, and a first engaging
portion projecting outwardly from the base plate. Each of the
headrail and bottom rail includes a pair of first and second clamp
plates. The first and second clamp plates have opposite inner
faces, and protrusion-and-groove engagement surfaces formed on the
inner faces. One of the first and second clamp plates further has a
first retaining portion to engage the first engaging portion. The
blind unit is made of a flexible material, and has a top end
portion, a bottom end portion, and an intermediate portion between
the top and bottom end portions. Each of the top and bottom end
portions is clamped detachably between the inner faces and between
the protrusion-and-groove engagement surfaces of one of the
headrail and the bottom rail.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] Other features and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent in the following detailed description of the
preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings,
of which:
[0009] FIG. 1 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of a
conventional window blind assembly;
[0010] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the preferred
embodiment of a window blind assembly according to the present
invention;
[0011] FIG. 3 is an assembled perspective view of the preferred
embodiment in an unfolded state;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment taken
along line IV-IV of FIG. 3; and
[0013] FIG. 5 illustrates the preferred embodiment in a folded
state.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0014] Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5, the preferred embodiment of a
window blind assembly according to the present invention is shown
to include two top fixing seats 10, two bottom fixing seats 30, a
headrail 20, a bottom rail 40, and a blind unit 50.
[0015] Each of the top and bottom fixing seats 10, 30 has a base
plate 11, 31 adapted to be fixed to a wall 100 (see FIGS. 3 and 5)
by use of double-sided adhesive tape or nails, and a first engaging
portion 12, 32 projecting outwardly from the base plate 11, 31. The
first engaging portion 12, 32 of each of the top and bottom fixing
seats 10, 30 is in the form of a longitudinal first protrusion, and
includes two spaced-apart first spring plates 121, 321 that extend
longitudinally to define a slot 122, 322 therebetween so as to
permit biasing movement of the first spring plates 121, 321 toward
or away from each other. The first spring plates 121, 321
respectively have oppositely projecting butt ends 123, 323.
[0016] Each of the headrail 20 and the bottom rail 40 includes a
pair of first and second clamp plates 21, 41, 22, 42. The first and
second clamp plates 21, 41, 22, 42 have opposite inner faces 212,
412, 221, 421, and releasable protrusion-and-groove engagement
surfaces formed on the inner faces 212, 412, 221, 421. The first
clamp plate 21, 41 of each of the headrail 20 and the bottom rail
40 further has a first retaining portion 213, 413 provided on an
outer face 211, 411 thereof. The first retaining portion 213, 413
is in the form of a longitudinal first groove, and has a broad
inner groove section 214, 414 and a narrow groove opening 216, 416.
The butt ends 123 of the first spring plates 121 of the top fixing
seats 10 extend fittingly into the broad inner groove section 214
through the narrow groove opening 216. Similarly, the butt ends 323
of the first spring plates 321 of the bottom fixing seats 30 extend
fittingly into the broad inner groove section 414 through the
narrow groove opening 416.
[0017] The protrusion-and-groove engagement surfaces of the first
and second clamp plates 21, 41, 22, 42 include two spaced-apart
parallel longitudinal second grooves 215, 415 formed in the inner
face 212, 412 of the first clamp plate 21, 41, and two spaced-apart
longitudinal second protrusions 222, 422 that project from the
inner face 221, 421 of the second clamp plate 22, 42 and that
engage the second grooves 215, 415, respectively. Each of the
second grooves 215, 415 has a broad inner groove section 2151, 4151
and a narrow groove opening 2152, 4152. Each of the second
protrusions 222, 422 includes two spaced-apart second spring plates
223, 423 that extend longitudinally to define a slot 224, 424
therebetween so as to permit biasing movement of the second spring
plates 223, 423 toward or away from each other and that
respectively have oppositely projecting butt ends 225, 425. The
butt ends 225, 425 of the second spring plates 223, 423 of each
second protrusion 222, 422 extend into the broad inner groove
section 2151, 4151 of a respective one of the second grooves 215,
415 through the corresponding narrow groove opening 2152, 4152.
[0018] The blind unit 50 is made of a flexible material, such as
paper, cloth, honeycomb cloth, etc., and has a top end portion 511,
a bottom end portion 512, and an intermediate portion 513 between
the top and bottom end portions 511, 512. The top end portion 511
is clamped detachably between the inner faces 212, 221 and between
the protrusion-and-groove engagement surfaces of the first and
second clamp plates 21, 22 of the headrail 20. The bottom end
portion 512 is clamped detachably between the inner faces 412, 421
and between the protrusion-and-groove engagement surfaces of the
first and second clamp plates 41, 42 of the bottom rail 40. The
intermediate portion 513 includes a plurality of folds 5131 each
having two spaced-apart through holes 514.
[0019] The blind unit 50 includes two elastic cords 52 each having
two opposite ends attached respectively to the top and bottom end
portions 511, 512 and extending from the top end portion 511 to the
bottom end portion 512 via the through holes 514 in the
intermediate portion 513. Each of the elastic cords 52 can be made
of rubber or other elastic materials.
[0020] Each of the headrail 20 and the bottom rail 40 further
includes two end caps 60, each of which covers one of two opposite
ends of the first clamp plates 21, 41 and one of two opposite ends
of the second clamp plates 22, 42.
[0021] To use and assemble the window blind assembly of the present
invention, the base plates 11, 31 of the top and bottom fixing
seats 10, 30 are first fixed to the wall 100 at predetermined
locations. The top end portion 511 of the blind unit 50 is then
positioned between the first and second clamp plates 21, 22 of the
headrail 20, after which the first and second clamp plates 21, 22
are engaged to each other through the protrusion-and-groove
engagement surfaces thereof so as to clamp the top end portion 511
of the blind unit 50 therebetween. Subsequently, the bottom end
portion 512 of the blind unit 50 is positioned between the first
and second clamp plates 41, 42 of the bottom rail 40, after which
the first and second clamp plates 41, 42 are engaged to each other
through the protrusion-and-groove engagement surfaces thereof so as
to clamp the bottom end portion 512 of the blind unit 50
therebetween. Two opposite ends of the first and second clamp
plates 21, 41, 22, 42 are then covered by the end caps 60.
Thereafter, the headrail 20 is connected to the top fixing seats 10
through engagement of the first retaining portion 213 and the first
engaging portion 12, while the bottom rail 40 is connected to the
bottom fixing seats 30 through engagement of the first retaining
portion 413 and the first engaging portion 32. At this time, the
elastic cords 52 are stretched, and the blind unit 50 is unfolded
so as to provide a large shading area.
[0022] When the bottom rail 40 is released from the bottom fixing
seats 30, the elastic cords 52 contract, and the blind unit 50 is
at least partly folded, as shown in FIG. 5, so as to provide a
small shading area.
[0023] The advantages of the present invention can be summarized as
follows:
[0024] 1. Each of the top and bottom end portions 511, 512 of the
blind unit 50 is clamped detachably between the inner faces 212,
412, 221, 421 and between the protrusion-and-groove engagement
surfaces of the first and second clamp plates 21, 41, 22, 42 of the
respective one of the headrail 20 and the bottom rail 40, so that
removal of the blind unit 50 for cleaning is very easy. Further, by
engaging the first retaining portions 213, 413 with the first
engaging portions 12, 32, the headrail 20 and the bottom rail 40
can be stably and respectively positioned on the top and bottom
fixing seats 10, 30. Hence, assembly and disassembly of the present
invention are simple, convenient, and quick.
[0025] 2. The top and bottom fixing seats 10, 30, the headrail 20,
the bottom rail 40, and the end caps 60 have fixed forms, so that
production costs can be minimized, and burdensome assembly
operations of the present invention can be largely reduced.
[0026] While the present invention has been described in connection
with what is considered the most practical and preferred
embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to
the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various
arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest
interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and
equivalent arrangements.
* * * * *