U.S. patent application number 11/733582 was filed with the patent office on 2008-10-16 for looped-cord tensioner for an architectural covering.
This patent application is currently assigned to COMFORTEX CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Raymond E. Randall, Richard D. Watkins.
Application Number | 20080251622 11/733582 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39608400 |
Filed Date | 2008-10-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080251622 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Randall; Raymond E. ; et
al. |
October 16, 2008 |
LOOPED-CORD TENSIONER FOR AN ARCHITECTURAL COVERING
Abstract
A looped-cord tensioner for an architectural covering including
a housing adapted for attachment to a looped-cord, an abutment
member positioned within the housing, a slide member positioned
within the housing, and at least one biasing element having a first
end and a second end. One of the slide member and the abutment
member is adapted to engage the second end of the biasing element
and the first end of said biasing element is adapted to engage the
housing such that one of the slide member and the abutment member
is moveably positioned in the housing so as to bias one of the
slide member and the abutment member toward engagement with the
looped-cord such that the looped-cord is normally non-movably
sandwiched between the slide member and the abutment member prior
to installation of the looped-cord tensioner. One of the slide
member and the housing is adapted to be fixedly installed to a
non-movable structure adjacent the architectural covering such that
one of the slide member and the abutment member is disengaged from
the looped-cord and the looped-cord is free to moveably pass
through the housing.
Inventors: |
Randall; Raymond E.; (Marcy,
NY) ; Watkins; Richard D.; (Lake Luzerne,
NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
RADER, FISHMAN & GRAUER PLLC
39533 WOODWARD AVENUE, SUITE 140
BLOOMFIELD HILLS
MI
48304-0610
US
|
Assignee: |
COMFORTEX CORPORATION
|
Family ID: |
39608400 |
Appl. No.: |
11/733582 |
Filed: |
April 10, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
242/375.2 ;
242/385.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E06B 9/326 20130101;
E06B 2009/3265 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
242/375.2 ;
242/385.1 |
International
Class: |
B65H 75/48 20060101
B65H075/48 |
Claims
1. A looped-cord tensioner for an architectural covering,
comprising: a housing adapted for attachment to a looped-cord; an
abutment member positioned within said housing; a slide member
positioned within said housing; and at least one biasing element
having a first end and a second end; wherein one of said slide
member and said abutment member is adapted to engage said second
end of said biasing element and said first end of said biasing
element is adapted to engage said housing such that one of said
slide member and said abutment member is moveably positioned in
said housing so as to bias one of said slide member and said
abutment member toward engagement with the looped-cord such that
the looped-cord is normally non-movably sandwiched between said
slide member and said abutment member prior to installation of said
looped-cord tensioner; wherein one of said slide member and said
housing is adapted to be fixedly installed to a non-movable
structure adjacent the architectural covering such that said one of
the slide member and said abutment member is disengaged from the
looped-cord and the looped-cord is free to moveably pass through
said housing.
2. The looped-cord tensioner of claim 1, wherein the other of said
slide member and said abutment member cooperates with said biasing
element to maintain tautness in the looped-cord.
3. The looped-cord tensioner of claim 2, wherein the other of said
slide member and said abutment member is moveably positioned in
said housing.
4. The cord tensioner of claim 1, wherein said housing includes a
male member having a first slot and a female member having a second
slot, said first and second slots being adapted to receive a
portion of said slide member.
5. The cord tensioner of claim 1, wherein said housing includes a
male member having a first slot and a female member having a second
slot, said first and second slots being adapted to receive a
portion of said abutment member.
6. The looped-cord tensioner of claim 1, wherein said housing
includes at least one guide wall and the looped-cord is retained by
said housing between said abutment member and said at least one
guide wall.
7. The looped-cord tensioner of claim 1, wherein said abutment
member is a pair of tabs that cooperatively extend from opposing
sides of said housing.
8. The looped-cord tensioner of claim 1, wherein said biasing
element is a spring.
9. The looped-cord tensioner of claim 1, wherein one of said slide
member and said housing is adapted to be secured to a non-movable
structure using a fastener.
10. In an architectural covering comprising a shade, a headrail, a
bottom rail, and at least one lift cord, the headrail including a
rotating shaft having a clutch that includes a looped-cord used to
operate the clutch to raise and lower the shade and the bottom
rail, the lift cord being attached to rotating shaft and wound
about the rotating shaft during raising of the shade and unwound
during lowering of the shade, the architectural covering also
including an improved looped-cord tensioner comprising: a housing
adapted for attachment to the looped-cord, said housing including a
male member having a first slot and a female member having a second
slot; an abutment member positioned within said housing, a slide
member positioned within said housing; and at least one biasing
element including a first end engaging said housing and a second
end engaging one of said slide member and said abutment member;
wherein one of said slide member and said abutment member is
moveably positioned in said first slot and said second slot so as
to bias one of said slide member and said abutment member toward
engagement with the looped-cord such that the looped-cord is
normally non-movably sandwiched between said slide member and said
abutment member prior to installation of said looped-cord
tensioner; wherein one of said slide member and said housing is
adapted to be fixedly installed to a non-movable structure adjacent
the architectural covering such that one of said slide member and
said abutment member is disengaged from the looped-cord and the
looped-cord is free to pass through the housing.
11. The looped-cord tensioner of claim 10, wherein the other of
said slide member and said abutment member cooperates with said
biasing element to maintain tautness in the looped-cord.
12. The looped-cord tensioner of claim 11, wherein the other of
said slide member and said abutment member is moveably positioned
in said housing.
13. The looped-cord tensioner of claim 10, wherein said housing
includes at least one guide wall and the looped-cord is retained by
said housing between said abutment member and said at least one
guide wall.
14. The looped-cord tensioner of claim 10, wherein said abutment
member is a pair of tabs that cooperatively extend from opposing
sides of said housing.
15. The looped-cord tensioner of claim 10, wherein said biasing
element is a spring.
16. The looped-cord tensioner of claim 10, wherein one of said
slide member and said housing are adapted to be secured to a
non-movable structure using a fastener.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to looped-cord
tensioners for architectural coverings and treatments, such as
blinds, curtains, and the like. More particularly, the present
invention relates to a looped-cord tensioner that prevents
operation of the architectural covering unless the tensioner is
first mounted to a wall or other non-moveable structure.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Many types of architectural coverings and treatments, such
as Venetian blinds, cellular or pleated shades, and variants of
these (herein represented without restriction merely by "shades")
utilize an actuator known as a looped-cord or continuous
looped-cord. Such cords are distinct from the basic pull cord style
shades in that the looped-cord does not connect directly to the
shade material, but rather engages a clutch on a rotating shaft in
a headrail of the shade. Movement of the looped-cord in a first
direction operates that clutch to accumulate shade material when
opening, and movement of the looped-cord in a second direction lets
out shade material. The looped-cord may be made at different
lengths than the shade and may be configured to make multiple
circulations during opening and closing of the shade. The benefits
of a looped-cord system versus a standard pull cord system are that
the exposed looped-cord remains at a constant length whether the
shade is open or closed (avoiding the problem of stowing the long
exposed pull cord when the shade is opened). Moreover, a
looped-cord system also provides a mechanical advantage to raise
relatively large, heavy shades with reasonable cord forces.
[0003] However, looped-cords also have a significant disadvantage.
Generally, looped-cords hang freely along a side of the shade they
are used to operate. Many looped-cords are long enough that they
reach the floor and are easily grasped by babies and young children
as a potential play toy. Rather than a play toy, however, a
dangling looped-cord has proved to be a health hazard to babies and
young children. In recent years, cases of death or injury have been
documented in which a person, typically a baby or a small child,
has become entangled in the looped-cord and has choked or become
asphyxiated when the looped-cord became wrapped around their neck
and constricted their airways.
[0004] In an effort to alleviate this health risk, current safety
regulations require that looped-cord style shades be supplied with
a device commonly known as a tensioner. A tensioner typically
includes a two-piece housing with a through passage for a
looped-cord and a provision for attaching the tensioner to a wall
or other fixed structure. The tensioner is designed to be mounted
to a wall or other non-movable structure at some distance away from
the clutch. The tensioner allows the looped-cord to be pulled taut
during the mounting process, at rest, and during operation, so that
it may be difficult to spread the two sides of the looped-cord
apart enough for it to pass over a child's head, thereby preventing
injury and possibly death. However, because a taut looped-cord is
difficult to operate, a number of tensioners are installed
incorrectly. Specifically, some tensioners are installed with a
dangerous amount of slack in the looped-cord and some tensioners
may not be installed at all.
[0005] To minimize the limitations of known tensioners, improved
versions of the aforementioned tensioner design have been
developed. One design includes a tensioning spring between a cord
contacting member and a tensioner mounting body. This improved
design allows the tensioner to be mounted with the looped-cords
fully taut and the tensioning spring partially loaded. The
pre-loaded spring holds the looped-cord taut while not in
operation, thus preventing a baby or young child from spreading the
looped-cord wide enough to pass their head through. During
operation of the looped-cord, an adult operating the looped-cord
will be able to overcome the remainder of the spring loading and
easily pull the looped-cord to open or close the shade. However,
even this improved tensioner design has not fully addressed the
safety concerns associated with the looped-cord because there is no
requirement that the tensioner be installed to effectively operate
the shade. The end user may elect not to mount the tensioner to the
wall or other non-moveable structure and instead use the tensioner
as a weight at the bottom of the looped-cord. Although new
tensioner designs include safety improvements, if the tensioner is
not mounted to the wall, as discussed above, it will not prevent
the opening of the looped-cord to a dangerous width.
[0006] Therefore, a need exists for a tensioner that is prevented
from operating to open and close a shade unless it is mounted to a
wall or other non-moveable structure.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] A looped-cord tensioner for an architectural covering
including a housing adapted for attachment to a looped-cord, an
abutment member positioned within the housing, a slide member
positioned within the housing, and at least one biasing element
having a first end and a second end. One of the slide member and
the abutment member is adapted to engage the second end of the
biasing element and the first end of said biasing element is
adapted to engage the housing such that one of the slide member and
the abutment member is moveably positioned in the housing so as to
bias one of the slide member and the abutment member toward
engagement with the looped-cord such that the looped-cord is
normally non-movably sandwiched between the slide member and the
abutment member prior to installation of the looped-cord tensioner.
One of the slide member and the housing is adapted to be fixedly
installed to a non-movable structure adjacent the architectural
covering such that one of the slide member and the abutment member
is disengaged from the looped-cord and the looped-cord is free to
moveably pass through the housing following proper
installation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The features and inventive aspects of the present invention
will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed
description, claims, and drawings, of which the following is a
brief description;
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a looped-cord window
treatment that includes an improved looped-cord tensioner according
to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0010] FIGS. 2A and 2B are side views of male and female portions,
respectively, of a looped-cord tensioner according to an embodiment
of the present invention;
[0011] FIGS. 3A and 3B are perspective views of a looped-cord
tensioner according to another embodiment of the present invention;
100 FIG. 4 is side view of a looped-cord tensioner according to
another embodiment of the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 5 is side view of a looped-cord tensioner according to
another embodiment of the present invention; and
[0013] FIGS. 6A and 6B are a perspective view and top view,
respectively, of a looped-cord tensioner according to another
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a partial view of a
looped-cord window treatment 8 that includes a shade 10, a headrail
12, a bottom rail 14, and at least one lift cord 16. Headrail 12 is
mounted above a window or door unit and shade 10 is attached to
headrail 12 and allowed to bang vertically to cover the window or
door unit. Bottom rail 14 is attached to the bottom of shade 10 to
add weight to shade 10, which ensures that shade 10 may be lowered
quickly, covers the window or door unit properly, and is not easily
blown around by the wind if the window or door unit is open. Bottom
rail 14 also serves as an attachment point for lift cord 16 so that
shade 10 may be raised and lowered. Lift cord 16 may also attach at
one or more points along shade 10, however, the major pulling force
is on the bottom rail 16 during raising and lowering of shade 10 so
that shade 10 is not damaged by the pulling forces of lift cord
16.
[0015] Headrail 12 includes a rotating shaft 18 having a clutch 20.
Clutch 20 includes a looped-cord 22 that is used in operating
clutch 20 to raise and lower shade 10. Lift cord 16 is attached to
rotating shaft 18 and is wound about rotating shaft 18 during the
raising of shade 10 and unwound during the lowering of shade 10,
Looped-cord 22 does not connect directly to shade 10, but rather
drives clutch 20, which in turn rotates shaft 18 and either winds
lift cord 16 on shaft 18 to raise shade 10 or unwinds lift cord 16
from shaft 18 to lower shade 10. Looped-cord 22 may be made at
different lengths than shade 10 and may be configured to make
multiple circulations during operation of clutch 20. A looped-cord
tensioner 24 is mounted to a wall or other non-movable structure
adjacent to shade 10. Among other benefits, the window treatment
design shown in FIG. 1 includes a constant length of exposed
looped-cord 22 (avoiding the problem of stowing a long exposed cord
found in pull-cord style window treatment designs while the
treatment is open). Moreover, loop-cord 22 and clutch 20
cooperatively provide a mechanical advantage to raise relatively
large, heavy shades with reasonable looped-cord 22 forces.
[0016] With reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B, an embodiment of
tensioner 24 will be described in detail. In the illustrated
embodiment, tensioner 24 includes a male member 26, a female member
28, a sliding lock 30, and a biasing element 32. Male member 26
includes a first surface 34 having a wall 36 extending outward from
and generally perpendicular to first surface 34. Wall 36 surrounds
three sides of first surface 34 and includes a shoulder 38 for
accepting female member 28. A top edge 40 of wall 36 includes
locking tabs 42 (also see 42' in FIGS. 3A and 3B) for securing male
member 26 to female member 28.
[0017] In an embodiment an interior portion 44 of first surface 34
includes an abutment member 46. In this particular embodiment,
abutment member 46 is an outer cylinder having slots 72 for
engaging locking tabs 48 of an inner cylinder 50 on female member
28 (also see 72' and 48' in FIGS. 3A and 3B), Interior portion 44
further includes at least one support wall 52 for supporting female
member 28 during operation of tensioner 24. Interior portion 44
also includes a slot 54 for accepting a portion of lock 30 to allow
lock 30 to slide within male member 26. The portion of lock 30 that
enters slot 54 is a boss 31 that extends from either relatively
flat surface of lock 30 and includes a hole 56 to accept a
fastener, such as a screw, so that tensioner 24 may be mounted to a
wall or other non-moveable structure. Lock 30 also includes a first
engagement surface 58 for engaging a first end of biasing element
32, which is shown as being a spring. Interior portion 44 may also
include at least one post 60 having a second engagement surface 61
for engaging a second end of biasing element 32. Alternatively,
post 60 may be omitted and the second end of biasing element 32 may
engage an interior surface of wall 36.
[0018] As shown in FIG. 2B, female member 28 includes a second
surface 62 having a wall 64 extending outward from and generally
perpendicular to second surface 62. Wall 64 surrounds three sides
of second surface 62 and includes an edge 66 that abuts shoulder 28
of male member 24 when tensioner 24 is assembled. Wall 64 also
includes depressions 68 for accepting locking tabs 42 to secure
female member 28 to male member 26. An interior portion 70 of
second surface 62 includes inner cylinder 50 sized to be inserted
into outer cylinder 46 as male member 26 is assembled to female
member 28. Interior portion 70 also includes a slot 74 for
accepting boss 31 of lock 30 to allow lock 30 to slide within
female member 26.
[0019] In an embodiment of the present invention, lock 30 may be
generally rectangular in shape with hole 56 passing though boss 31
to accept the fastener. Lock 30 may also include a face 76 at an
edge 78 that engages and locks looped-cord 22 against movement when
lock 30 is not in tension (i.e. tensioner 24 is not secured to a
wall or other non-moveable structure by lock 30). Face 76 of lock
30 may be of any general shape, provided face 76 engages and locks
looped-cord 22 and prevents operation of looped-cord 22 until
tensioner 24 is properly mounted. Face 76 may be serrated,
saw-toothed, cleated or have some other means of increasing the
friction between the face/looped-cord 76/22 interface to prevent
movement of looped-cord 22 within tensioner 24 until tensioner 24
is properly mounted. As discussed boss 31 surrounds hole 56 that
passes though lock 30. Boss 31 is sized to fit into slots 54 and
74, such that tensioner 24 permits lock 30 to be moved within slots
54 and 74 and allows the disengagement of face 76 from looped-cord
22 when lock 30 is moved out of engagement with looped-cord 22.
Components of tensioner 24 may be manufactured from any metallic or
polymeric material, such as aluminum, steel, nylon, and the
like.
[0020] In an embodiment of the present invention, tensioner 24 is
assembled in the following manner. First, looped-cord 22 is placed
onto outer cylinder 46 of male member 26. Next, lock 30 is set in
slot 54 of male member 26 such that boss 31 extends through slot 54
and biasing element 32 is positioned between lock 30 and post 60 at
first and second engagement points 58 and 61, respectively. Face 76
of lock 30 is now in engagement with looped-cord 22 to prevent its
movement about cylinder 46. Female member 28 is then press-fit onto
male member 26 so that locking tabs 42 engage depressions 68 and
locking tabs 48 of inner cylinder 50 engage slots 72 of outer
cylinder 46 forming a resilient interference fit. Boss 31 now
extends through slot 74 of female member 28 as well. As stated
above, lock 30 is positioned such that face 76 engages and locks
looped-cord 22 and prevents movement of looped-cord 22 within
tensioner 24.
[0021] To install tensioner 24 and operate shade 10; shade 10
should first be installed in a location determined by the user,
usually over a window unit or other architectural opening. After
installation of shade 10, tensioner 24 is located and secured to a
wall or other non-movable structure adjacent shade 10 in the
following manner. Tensioner 24 is located on the wall such that all
the slack has been removed from looped-cord 22. Once tensioner 24
has been positioned on the wall such that looped-cord 22 is taut,
lock 30 may be slid downward through slots 54 and 74, compressing
biasing element 32, such that face 76 will disengage and unlock
looped-cord 22. Thereafter, a fastener should be driven through
hole 56 of lock 30 and into a wall to position lock 30 in a manner
that does not inhibit the movement of looped-cord 22 around outer
cylinder 46. Positioning of lock 30 in this manner allows
looped-cord 22 to enter and exit tensioner 24 freely in order to
make multiple circulations so that shade 10 may be raised and
lowered. Only by properly installing tensioner 24, which compresses
its biasing element 32, thereby unlocking looped-cord 22, may
looped-cord 22 travel freely through tensioner 24 to permit
operation of shade 10, Following installation, biasing element 32
continues to exert a downward force on post 60 and members 26 and
28, thereby maintaining the desired tautness in looped-cord 22.
[0022] Now referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, in another embodiment of
tensioner 24 is shown (denoted as 24'), which includes a sliding
lock 30' that is generally circular in shape and has two arms 81
that serve as attachment points for biasing elements 32'. In this
particular embodiment, tensioner 24' includes a pair of biasing
elements 32', such as tensioner springs. Each biasing element 32'
is attached to a point on arm 81 and to posts 60' of male member
26'. Face 76' of lock 30' may be serrated or cleated as in the
prior embodiment. Assembly and operation of tensioner 24' is
substantially similar to that described above with respect to
tensioner 24 and, therefore, will not be described in further
detail here.
[0023] In another embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a tensioner 24'' is
provided that includes the attachments in reverse. Looped-cord 22
may be attached to tensioner 24'' at abutment member 46'' that is
allowed to slide within tensioner 24''. In this particular
embodiment, the attaching point for tensioner 24'' to the wall or
other non-movable structure is a hole 90 through the member 26''
and female member (not shown) of tensioner 24''. Abutment member
46'' is allowed to slide freely in slot 54'' and is attached to
male member 26'' by biasing element 33. In this particular
embodiment, sliding lock 30'' is configured to be non-movable
within tensioner 24'' and may include a face 76 to engage and lock
looped-cord 22 as previously described. The assembly and operation
of tensioner 24'' is as described above as well. These embodiments
are illustrative of a number of different configurations of
tensioner 24, yet the underlying operation of the invention is the
same, preventing the operation of looped-cord 22 in shade 10 unless
tensioner 24 is properly mounted to an adjacent wall or other
non-movable structure.
[0024] In another embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a tensioner 24''' is
provided that includes abutment member 46'' that is allowed to
slide freely in slot 54''' as well as the slot in the corresponding
female member (not shown). Looped-cord 22 may be looped around
abutment member 46'' as discussed in previous embodiments. Sliding
lock 30 is employed as discussed above with the descriptions
relating to FIGS. 2A and 2B. Face 76 of sliding lock 30 engages and
locks looped-cord 22, also discussed above in relation to the
embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B. In this particular
embodiment, both abutment member 46'' and sliding lock 30 are
moveable within tensioner 24'''. The assembly and operation of
tensioner 24''' is as described in the previous embodiments above.
Again, each of these embodiments are illustrative of a number of
different configurations of tensioner 24, yet the underlying
operation of the invention is the same--preventing operation of
looped-cord 22 in shade 10 unless tensioner 24 is properly mounted
to an adjacent wall or other non-movable structure,
[0025] The above embodiments illustrate tensioners 24, 24', 24'',
and 24''' that may require looped-cord 22 to be included in the
assembly of tensioner 24 prior to operation. In another embodiment
of the present invention shown in FIGS. 6A and 613, a tensioner 240
is provided that allows looped-cord 22 to be inserted into the
tensioner after complete assembly of tensioner 240, and thereafter
prevent removal of looped-cord 22 from tensioner 240. In this
particular embodiment, abutment member is a pair of tabs 82 and 84.
Inner and outer cylinders 46, 50 of tensioner 24 have been replaced
with tabs 82 and 84. A first tab 82 extends generally perpendicular
from interior portion 440 of male member 260 near an opening where
looped-cord 22 enters tensioner 240. A second tab 84 extends
generally perpendicular from interior portion 700 of female member
280 near the opening where looped-cord 22 enters tensioner 240.
Each tab 82, 84 extends out a length from interior portion 440, 700
sufficient to form gaps 86 and 88 between tabs 82, 84 and interior
portions 440, 700 when tensioner 240 is fully assembled. In this
manner, looped-cord 22 may be forced through gaps 86 and 88 (by
flexing member halves 26 and 28) so that tensioner 240 can be
attached to looped-cord 22. Both tabs 82 and 84 have curved
surfaces for interfacing with looped-cord 22 so that looped-cord 22
is not damaged as looped-cord 22 rubs against tabs 82, 84 during
operation of shade 10. Also, cord 22 may not be easily removed from
tensioner 240 without forcibly prying apart members 260 and 280 or
destroying tabs 82 and 84. Tensioner 240 is then mounted to the
wall in the same manner as described above to disengage face 76
from looped-cord 22 to allow for raising and lowering of shade
10.
[0026] As will be appreciated, the present invention may be used
with any number of different window treatments including cellular
shades, Venetian blinds, other pleated shades, and the like, which
employ looped cords for opening and closing the window treatment.
Although the preferred embodiment is described and shown for use
with window treatments, it is important to note, however, that the
present invention is not so limited and may be used with any
architectural covering that requires a looped-cord for
operation.
[0027] The present invention has been particularly shown and
described with reference to the foregoing embodiments, which are
merely illustrative of the best modes for carrying out the
invention. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that
various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described
herein may be employed in practicing the invention without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in
the following claims. It is intended that the following claims
define the scope of the invention and that the method and apparatus
within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered
thereby. This description of the invention should be understood to
include all novel and non-obvious combinations of elements
described herein, and claims may be presented in this or a later
application to any novel and non-obvious combination of these
elements. Moreover, the foregoing embodiments are illustrative, and
no single feature or element is essential to all possible
combinations that may be claimed in this or a later
application.
* * * * *