U.S. patent number 3,642,050 [Application Number 04/838,381] was granted by the patent office on 1972-02-15 for roll-type blinds for windows.
Invention is credited to Renato Piana.
United States Patent |
3,642,050 |
Piana |
February 15, 1972 |
ROLL-TYPE BLINDS FOR WINDOWS
Abstract
Disclosed is a blind comprising a series of alternately
suspended laths and slats. The upper rim of each slat is bent into
a hooklike shape which is hinged in a correspondingly bent lower
rim of the preceding lath. The upper rim of each lath is integral
with a coupling channel having an engaging member. A shoulder
projects from the upper portion of the slat and cooperates with the
engaging member in such a manner as to cause an angular
displacement of the slat when a tension is applied to the laths of
the blind.
Inventors: |
Piana; Renato (Torino,
IT) |
Family
ID: |
25276974 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/838,381 |
Filed: |
June 30, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
160/133 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E06B
9/165 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E06B
9/11 (20060101); E06B 9/165 (20060101); E06b
009/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;160/133,220,229B,166 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
860,762 |
|
Feb 1961 |
|
GB |
|
1,364,656 |
|
May 1964 |
|
FR |
|
1,467,650 |
|
Dec 1966 |
|
FR |
|
530,893 |
|
Jul 1955 |
|
IT |
|
Primary Examiner: Caun; Peter M.
Claims
I claim:
1. In a roll-type blind construction, comprising in combination
a plurality of laths one above the other when the blind is in use,
each lath having at least one aperture,
a plurality of slats, each slat including a connecting portion and
a cover portion, and each slat being movable between a covering
position wherein said cover portion covers said aperture and,
respectively, a ventilating position at an angle to said covering
position and wherein it is angularly spaced apart from said lath
and uncovers said aperture thereof sufficiently to permit air to
flow through said aperture, each lath having a top and bottom
rim,
suspension means including engaging means formed on the connecting
portion of each slat operable for interengaging two adjoining laths
for normally suspending the lower thereof from the upper thereof at
least in said closing position of the slat therebetween when the
upper thereof is suspended above the lower,
and including pivoting means between said connecting portion of
each slat, and the lath above and the lath below said slat,
operative to move said slat from said covering to said ventilating
position when the upper lath through gravity approaches the lower
lath.
2. In a roll-type blind construction, as claimed in claim 1,
wherein said engaging means have a hook portion at one end thereof,
and another hook portion on a lower part of each of said laths,
said hook portions being operable to interengage thereby linking
said laths with said slat.
3. In a roll-type blind construction, as claimed in claim 2,
wherein said pivoting means for the lath below defines a T-shape on
the slat at an end thereof,
projection means on said operable pivoting means on the latch to
abut thereagainst when said slat is in the covering position.
4. In a roll-type blind construction, as claimed in claim 3,
wherein
said pivoting means has a sectional shape matching the shape of a
shaped portion of an upper side of said lath;
said pivoting means being operable to lie substantially directly
under said shaped portion when said slat is in the covering
position.
5. In a roll-type blind construction, as claimed in claim 1, said
pivoting means for the upper lath including an end with a rounded
corner on said engaging means of said slat, said corner having a
concave portion thereof facing the bottom of the upper lath, said
corner being operative to contact said lower part of said upper
lath, for suspension when said slats are in the covering position
and, respectively, sliding thereagainst for rotating said slat when
said laths are moved towards the ventilating position.
Description
One of the inconveniences of the present roll-type blinds is that,
when they are lowered, even though the slats are spaced apart for a
maximum distance from one another, the passage of air through the
blind is rather limited. On the other hand, such an arrangement of
the slats causes another inconvenience which is still more
annoying, in as far as there is a good visibility from outside into
the rooms, especially at night when they are lit up. The user is,
therefore forced to keep the blinds completely lowered also during
summer time, giving up the benefit of having air come in from
outside.
The object of the present invention is an improvement in such
blinds in order to permit a better passage of air as compared with
those in use at present and, preventing at the same time the
visibility into the home from outside. This is accomplished with
rather simple methods and without modifying at all the present
systems of control, such as the winding-up roller, the lifting
belt, the belt-stopping device etc.
The roll-type blinds of this invention can be considered in a
certain sense as an economical combination of the conventional
blinds with a Venetian blind, the elements being possibly made of
plastic, aluminum or other material.
In the attached drawings two embodiments are diagrammatically
illustrated by way of example only without intention to limit in
any way the present invention:
FIG. 1 is a cutaway perspective view of several elements of a
roll-type blind according to one embodiment of this invention,
having its slats in closed position;
FIG. 2 is a similar view as in FIG. 1 but with blind slats in wide
open position;
FIG. 3 is a cutaway perspective view of another embodiment of the
roll-type blind of this invention with closed blind slats; and
FIG. 4 is a similar view as in FIG. 3 showing blind slats in a
partially open position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As can be seen from the drawings the roller-type blind of this
invention comprises a plurality of alternately arranged blind
elements of two different types, namely of laths 1 and of slats 5.
The laths 1 are vertically suspended and controlled by conventional
means (not illustrated), such as a tensioning belt, for example,
for being pulled upwardly to increase or lower the tension
therebetween. By contrast to conventional roll-type blinds, the
laths 1 are hinged one to another by upper coupling portions of
slats 5, as it will be explained below.
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, each lath 1 includes a flat
central portion with venting apertures A and A'. The upper rims of
each lath 1 is provided with a D-shaped upper coupling channel 4
having a longitudinal slit 15 in its perpendicular wall for
receiving a coupling shoulder 7 projecting from the upper portion
of the slat 5.
The lower rim of the flat portion of the lath 1 is integral with a
lower coupling member 14 having a hook-shaped portion 2 in which a
bent upper rim 3 of the slat 5 is suspended.
The lower portion of the slat 5 underneath the coupling shoulder 7
forms a cover which, in a loosened condition of the blind, covers
the entire flat portion of the lath 1 (FIG. 1). As mentioned above,
the upper rim of the slat has a hooklike bent portion 3 which is
hinged in hook portion 2 of the lower coupling member 14.
The projecting shoulder 7 is provided with transverse wings 7 and 8
and passes through the slit 15 into the interior of the upper
coupling channel 4. The wings 7 and 8 are arranged in such a manner
as to cooperate with the curved wall of the D-shaped coupling
channel 4 and with the lips of the slit 15 in response to the
direction of tension applied to the suspended blind. The shoulder 7
thus operates as a lever controlling the angular positions of the
slat 5. When the laths of the blind are lowered, by loosening the
lath belt, for example, the only tension applied to the blind is
that caused by the gravity as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 1. In
this case the projecting shoulder 7 is disengaged from the upper
edge of the slit 15. As a result, the cover portion of the slat 5
will turn into its closed position, covering the venting apertures
A, A' in the flat portion of the lath 1. If, however, a tension in
an upward direction is applied to the uppermost lath of the blind,
as indicated by arrow in FIG. 2, the upper lip of the slit 15 will
abut against the upper surface of the shoulder 7 and the lower lip
of the slit will exert pressure against the lower wing 7. Due to
the applied traction, the upper lip starts sliding on the shoulder
7 and the lower lip on the wing 7, thus causing rotation of the
slat around the hinge represented by the hooks 2 and 3. The
rotation of the slat 5 continues until the shoulder 7 angularly
displaces slats 5 of the blind into their wide open position (FIG.
2).
FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate an improved modification of the embodiment
as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The improvement resides particularly in
that configuration of the upper coupling channel 4' and in the
simplified shape of the shoulder 7' which ensures a better coupling
of two blind elements, facilitates the lifting and lowering of the
slats and can be made easily produced in a plastic material. The
structure and operation of the remaining parts is substantially
identical with that of the preceding embodiment. By contrast to the
previously described upper coupling channel 14, the top wall 11 of
the modified coupling channel 14' in FIGS. 3 and 4 has a V-shaped
profile and the projecting shoulder 7' which is without any
transverse wings, is profiled accordingly into a V-like shape. In
the rest position, when the blind belt is loosened and the laths 1
lowered (FIG. 3) the apex of the V-shaped control shoulder 7'
rotates around the hinge 2 by the force of gravity downwardly to a
vertical alignment with the apex of the V-shaped top wall 2' of the
coupling channel 4'. When the belt is tensioned and the laths 1 are
pulled apart from one another (FIG. 4), the profiled top wall 11
starts functioning as a cam and the profiled shoulder 7' as a cam
follower. The V-shaped top surface of the shoulder 7' slidably
abuts against the apex and the free edge of the top wall 11 and
causes rotating of the slat upwardly until a single aperture A" in
the lath 1 is wide open.
By regulating the tension of the belt it is possible to
correspondingly regulate the lifting of only one part of the slats.
The lower slats are the last ones to be opened when the lifting
belt is tensioned.
The invention can, of course, undergo several modifications in form
and disposition of its various constituting parts within the spirit
and scope of the invention.
* * * * *