JPH0650069A - Shielding assembly for building openings - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] (Modified) Shields for openings of buildings, such as windows or doors, of vertically oriented fabrics having front and back thin fabrics interconnected by vertically extending vanes. It is a shape. A vane is a series of mounts mounted on track rails on which the shield is suspended so as to adjust the light transmission characteristics of the shield by adjusting the fabric between open and closed positions. Can be tilted through. The vanes are stretched across the opening by separating the mounts on the track rail and contracted by depositing the mounts towards one end of the track rail. The unique shape of the mounting body allows the shield to be folded in a contracted state like a traditional drape.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

The present invention is particularly concerned with window, door and other building opening shield assemblies.

Many types of shielding assemblies for windows, doors, etc., including curtains, roller blinds, Venetian blinds, drapes, etc. are known. First and second having a plurality of spaced generally parallel laterally extending vanes mounted to extend between first and second vertically extending thin fabrics that are generally parallel and spaced apart. Window shielding assemblies have recently been proposed which include thin fabrics.

Thin fabrics are often formed of translucent or transparent materials and may be in the form of woven or knitted fabrics or non-woven fabrics, or, in fact, simply sheet-like plastic material. But it's okay. The vanes are usually opaque or semi-opaque, and by adjusting the relative position of the thin fabric, the vanes are tilted relative to the thin fabric more like horizontal or vertical blind slats. Conventionally in such an assembly the vanes extend horizontally and the thin fabric is supported on a tilt roll which is also used as a winding roll. Vertical Venetian blinds in which the individual vanes extend vertically are also known. Such an assembly has a head rail for opening and closing the assembly and for tilting the vanes when the assembly is in the closed position blocking the opening.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a novel shield assembly which has all the characteristics and advantages of a vertical blind, yet all of the characteristics of a drape.

This is done by providing a vertical fabric assembly having front and back thin fabrics and vertically disposed vanes extending therebetween. A unique mounting device supports the thin front and rear fabrics so that they can be displaced from the direction of maximum light reception to the direction of minimum light rotation by rotating the vanes about a vertical axis. . The attachment device also allows the panels of the assembly formed as vanes and the juxtaposed portions of thin front and rear fabrics to be crushed and folded upon themselves like conventional draping. Another important feature of the present invention is that the front side allows the vane to operate equally well at its bottom due to its diagonal stability when the vane is operated on top by one or the other means. And the thin back fabric has diagonal stability.

In order that the present invention may be more readily understood, the following description is given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The fabric light control window shield (FIG. 1) comprises first (front) and second (rear) parallel, semi-transparent or transparent fabric sides or surfaces 10, 12 and fabric sides. And a plurality of opaque or semi-opaque vanes 14 extending between the vanes, the vanes being angularly controllable by relative movement of the fabric side pieces. The side pieces of fabric are preferably thin fabric,
The following is as such.

The window shield has a regular and uniform structure and appearance in any degree of light control. Light-controlled vanes are glued to thin fabrics using a straight line of suitable glue along a straight bond line, thus providing a high degree of control over the glueing process and vane bonding. To be The operation of the shield is improved by preventing warping and twisting during use due to the precisely uniform construction.

The shield is operated with a high degree of repeatability. That is, it always returns to the same appearance when closed. Thus, a feature of the present invention is the attachment of the vane to the side pieces of thin fabric so that the vane tends to bias the window shield towards a minimum light receiving position. Another feature of the invention in this regard is the novel three-layer integral heat cure to provide uniform, wrinkle-free side strips at any temperature for subsequent use. These features allow the window shield to maintain its original shape and appearance even when extreme temperatures occur in the window environment.

Accordingly, a fabric light control shield (door or window shield) according to the present invention comprises a first thin fabric sheet,
It consists of a second thin fabric sheet placed parallel to the first sheet and a number of relatively opaque fabric vanes laterally bonded between the fabric sheets. Each vane has one edge bonded to the first sheet and the opposite edge bonded to the second sheet such that the first and second sheets are biased together. The window shield according to the present invention is adjustable between a closed position with minimal or no light entry, and preferably a non-transparent closed position, and an open position with maximum light entry. The closed position is characterized in that the central portion of the strip of fabric is substantially parallel to the first and second thin fabric sheets and the strip itself is substantially planar. The front and rear seats with the vanes sandwiched between them are crushed together. The open position is characterized in that the central portion of the strip of fabric is substantially perpendicular to the glued edges of the first and second sheets of fabric and the strip itself, in this position the front and back sides. The seats on the sides are separated by the maximum distance. Also characteristic of this position is that the part of the strip between the glued edge and the central part forms a smoothly curved surface without folds or sharp fold lines. In another embodiment, the central portion of the strip of fabric is substantially flat and the longitudinally extending hinges or flex points are provided parallel to the glued edges. The shield is adjustable between two positions by relatively biasing the front and rear seats 10,12. By this operation, both sheets move closer to each other until they collapse together. Light is controlled at an intermediate position.

When the window shield material is in the fully open, light receiving position, each vane has a central portion substantially perpendicular to the first and second thin fabrics. Each part of the vane glued to the thin fabric is connected to the central part by a transition part having a smoothly curved shape. The blades are bonded so that there are no folds or sharp fold lines. The smoothly curved nature of these transitions allows the vanes to retain their elasticity in the open position,
Thus, one tries to bias the thin fabric into a closed or drawn position. This prevents the window shield from losing its shape over time due to repeated opening and closing. Further, the folds along the vanes can become damaged by repeated bending as the window shield opens and closes.

Moire effects must be avoided in window coverings. Woven thin fabrics with small interstices between the fibers are used when the same or very similar materials of this type are used as the first (front) and second (rear) thin fabrics. And gives the second thin fabric a comfortable and desirable appearance, but when viewed in the stack, the fabric causes a moire pattern due to the interference of light. This moire effect is eliminated in the present invention by providing first and second woven and preferably knitted thin fabrics of material having different sizes, shapes, or directional gaps. According to the invention, also the first
This moire effect is also avoided by using a non-woven material as one or both of the first and second fabrics, or by using a transparent plastic material as one or both of the first and second fabrics.

In order to avoid undesired Moiré effects when looking at the first and second sheets of woven or knitted material in the window shield of the present invention in an overlapping manner, the thin panels are first and second The first and second thin fabrics must have different appearances when viewed in the direction of the axis perpendicular to the plane of the second thin fabric. The required appearance difference between the first thin fabric and the second thin fabric can be made in several different ways.

The first, front thin fabric 10 can be a woven or knitted fabric having a gap of a first shape and size, and the second, rear thin fabric 12 is a second.
Woven with a gap in the shape, size, or orientation of
Alternatively, it can be a knitted material. For example, the first
The thin fabric yarns may run at an angle in the range of 30-60 ° to the vertical, but in the preferred form run at an angle of 45 ° to the vertical. For example, the threads of the first thin fabric may run diagonally to form a diamond shape, and the threads of the second thin fabric may run orthogonally to form a square. This first and second thin cloth relationship avoids the appearance of moire patterns. Also, as will be explained in more detail below, it is desirable that both thin fabrics have diagonal or diagonal dimensional stability.

Further, by using a non-woven material such as a plastic film material as one thin cloth of the window shield and a woven or knitted material as the other thin cloth, a moire effect can be avoided to obtain a desired appearance. The difference above can be given. Alternatively, a non-woven material such as formed of the same or different plastic fibers is used for both the first and second thin fabrics. Semi-transparent or transparent materials are also used as the first or second fabric.
Moire effects can also be avoided by using a transparent material for at least one of the first and second fabrics.

In order to obtain the proper structure of the vane, the material of the vane must have some flexibility.
As a general principle, the wider the blade 14, the harder the material of the blade. However, according to the present invention, since a wide range of blade width is used for the window shield, it is difficult to accurately determine the range of flexibility or hardness allowable as the material of the blade.

Simple and effective physical tests have been proposed to determine if a particular fabric is suitable as a blade having a particular blade width. The fabric to be tested is suspended on the edge of the table so that the distance from the edge of the fabric to the top of the table equals the desired vane width. If a fabric of this width is suspended substantially vertically, it has sufficient flexibility for a vane of that width. For example, when a fabric is tested for use as a 50 mm wide vane, the edge of the fabric projects 50 mm above the edge of the table. It is suitable for use as a material for a 50 mm wide vane if the protruding 50 mm fabric hangs substantially vertically from the edge of the table. 50m protruding
Unless the m fabric is suspended substantially vertically, the fabric is too stiff to form a 50 mm wide vane with a gently curved appearance.

Stiffer fabrics, ie, those that are not suspended substantially vertically on the edge of the table over the entire length of the desired vane width, may also be used as vane material. However, when stiffer fabrics are used as the vanes, hinges or flexures must be provided that extend longitudinally along the edges of the vanes. The use of stiffer fabric with hinged locations creates a shield with a slightly different appearance. In this case, the vanes have a more straight-line appearance and sharp bends at the hinge locations, rather than gently bending portions. The hinge points may be formed by score press fitting into the hard vane material parallel to the longitudinal edges of the vane material. The score indentation line formed in the hard vane material is a vane sufficient distance that a linear adhesive is applied between the longitudinal edge of the vane material and the score indentation line. Spaced from the vertical edge of the.

Structures of the type described above may also be formed using flexible vane material as described above. In this example, a hardener is printed on the central portion of the vane to form a flatter vane. The longitudinal edges of the vane material are left free of hardener to form the necessary hinge points on the longitudinal edges of the printed hardener. A linear adhesive is applied to the longitudinal edges of the vane material, the longitudinal edges being left free of hardener.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the vanes are layered material to maximize the effect of the window shield to darken the room when the vanes are in the closed position. Is formed by. A suitable blackout layered material is a three layer laminate of polyester film such as MYLAR sandwiched between two layers of spun or lace spun polyester non-woven material. Such a three-layer stack has a hardness greater than that of many single-layer materials due to its structure. Thus, if desired, score-pressed hinge points could be provided in the blackout layered vane material.

Alternatively, only the hardened central portion of the vane is formed of a dark curtain layered material to form the shield of the present invention which has the effect of darkening the maximum room. The longitudinal edges of the vanes are not a dark curtain stack to provide the required hinge location and flexibility of the vanes. When the curtain-like laminated body is formed only in the central portion of the vane, the curtain-like laminated central portions are overlapped so as to obtain the maximum room-darkening effect when the shield is closed. for,
It is desirable to have the vanes integrally closer together than those described above. For example, for a 63.5 mm wide vane with a blind laminated center portion of 38 mm wide, the vane overlap is preferably about 13 mm.

Another possible vane material is a laminate of vinyl or non-woven material and vinyl material. Laminates of vinyl materials and non-woven materials with vinyl materials generally provide an increased room darkening effect, but are flexible enough that no score-pressed hinge points are required. Of course, score-fitted hinges could be provided if needed.

As discussed with respect to the first and second thin fabrics of the shield, interference patterns or moiré effects can occur when two woven fabrics are viewed in an overlay. When non-woven fabric is used as the vane material, the problem of moire effects when the shield is closed is avoided.
However, in some cases it may be desirable to use a woven or knitted material as the vane material. The basic woven material will give rise to the Moiré effect because this type of material has a very ordered and orthogonal surface structure. In order to avoid the moire effect when the shield with woven or knitted vane material is in the closed position, the crepe weave material has a more disordered orientation surface structure, so as a vane material Materials of crepe weave can be used. Alternatively, the faces of the woven or knitted material can be altered to render the fibers of the faces chaotic, for example by sanding, fluffing, or polishing.

Shields having first and second thin fabrics and vanes of various colors or color combinations are also considered to be within the scope of the present invention. For example, to form a more transparent shield in the open position, dark colored thin fabric materials can be used as the first and second thin fabrics because dark colors reflect less light than bright colors. Similarly, a white or light colored thin fabric material provides a more transparent effect when the shield is open.

The vanes may be the same color as the first and second thin fabrics, or different colors. However, there is a problem with seeing through the lines of adhesive when the vane material is dark and the first and second thin fabrics are much lighter or white. In order to overcome the problem of dark glue lines visible through the light colored thin fabric when the vane is adhered to the shield's first and second thin fabrics, an adhesive is applied to the vane material. A small amount of whitening agent, about 0.5-1.0% by weight, is added prior to application. A particularly suitable whitening agent is titanium dioxide. The addition of this whitening pigment to the adhesive eliminates the problem of seeing the dark adhesive in a shield where the dark vane is adhered to a lighter light cloth. Adding titanium dioxide to the adhesive can also be a method for blunting the adhesive line.

With respect to the vanes, the longitudinal hardness of the treated fabric is favorably and significantly increased by increasing the longitudinal tension before or during the application of the binder component, and the transverse direction of the treated fabric It was found by chance that the hardness of the steel would increase slightly. The strips used for the vanes are cut from the treated fabric. It is desirable for the treated fabric to have a high ratio of longitudinal hardness to transverse hardness, particularly when the treated fabric is formed as a vane. Depending on the type and number of yarns in the woven fibrous material, the ratio of longitudinal hardness to transverse hardness of the treated fabric according to the invention is between about 3: 1 and 50: 1, or It can be in the above range.

The warp fibers are pulled in tension by increasing the longitudinal tension of the woven material to create a constriction in the transverse direction, or by allowing the fabric to loosen,
The applied binder component then integrally bonds the fibers of these warp threads so that the bonded fibers act as one stiffer thread. The lack of tension in the transverse direction causes the fibers in the filling direction to become fluffy and therefore not readily adhere when the binder component is applied.

In this step of treating the woven fibrous material to form the treated fabric of the vane, the fabric is treated with a small percentage (within about 5%) by weight of the binder component of the solid adduct. . The preferred binder component is applied to the woven fibrous material in an amount of about 2% solid adduct by weight.

The binder component as the woven fibrous material is treated may be any suitable component capable of filling the interstices of the woven fibrous material for binding the individual fibers. Examples of suitable types of binder components are those capable of binding individual fibers of a woven fibrous material to the ultraviolet (U
V) Includes elastomers that are resistant to damage and degradation by radiation and other environmental factors. Particularly preferred components are acrylic elastomers and urethane type elastomers.

The maximum distance between the thin front and rear fabrics depends on the width of the vanes. According to the invention, 50 to 15 before assembly
A vane width of 0 mm is used, but 63.5-100 m
A width of m is preferred. In the best mode of carrying out the present invention, a 89 mm wide vane with a 76 mm spacing between successive vanes is used to obtain a proper vane overlap between the front and back fabrics. The maximum distance is 67 mm
become.

It is also desirable that both thin fabrics 10 and 12 have a generally diagonal or diagonal dimensional stability as indicated by arrows A and B in FIG. The reason for this is as follows.

In a window shield of this nature, it is opened and closed by moving the front and back thin fabrics 10 and 12 horizontally relative to each other, which is actuated by the actuators described below on the upper edge of each thin fabric. It is best done by the force applied to. When the shield is closed, the thin fabric moves horizontally as indicated by arrows C and D. During this operation, the front thin fabric 10 has dimensional stability in the diagonal direction, ie in the direction of the arrow A, in order to effect an effective closure of the vanes over the entire height of the shield. The back thin fabric 12 should have dimensional stability in the direction of arrow B. On the contrary, in order to allow the vanes to rotate uniformly from the upper part to the lower part when the thin cloth moves horizontally in the directions of the opposite arrows C and D to open the shield, the thin front cloth The fabric 10 has dimensional stability in the direction of arrow B and has a thin back fabric 12
Should have dimensional stability in the direction of arrow A.

The aforementioned diagonal stability results from knitted fabrics, and such fabrics are preferred for use in the present invention. Knitted fabrics are formed into a number of shapes, including those in which the knitted yarns run diagonally across the fabric, thus promoting the desired stability. Commercially available woven patterns are shown in Figures 2 and 3, both of which would be suitable for use in the present invention. By using the knitted pattern of FIG. 2 as the front or back thin fabric and the knitted pattern of FIG. 3 as the other thin fabric, undesirable moire effects are avoided.

This is best done by having a thin fabric 10 facing the front side, ie the interior of the chamber, formed of a knitted material as shown in FIG. This is a tulle type fabric formed on a warp knitting machine that features diamond-shaped gaps 27. This diamond shape, together with the more orthogonal structure of the back thin fabric, effectively resists diagonal forces and also helps cancel the moire pattern.

The thin fabric 12 on the back side, which generally faces the window or the outdoors, is best formed of a knitted material as shown in FIG. This type of fabric is also formed on a warp knitting machine. It will be appreciated that such fabrics have a large number of generally parallel bundles of yarns when viewed under a microscope. These bundles consist of a number of very thin threads 15, 17,
It is joined by 19, 21. These yarns extend diagonally upwards and to the right on one side of each bundle 1 at a slightly different angle to the horizontal, and downwards to the left and again on the other side of the bundle. These extend at different angles.

The above-described fabric structure produces diagonal dimensional stability in the fabric in the directions of arrows A and B in FIG. 1 and also provides considerable lateral flexibility and longitudinal strength.

The fabric window or door light control shield is mounted with a freely rotatably mounted wheel 22 riding on a track 24 formed by a conventional comfort track generally indicated at 26. It will be supported from the assembly 20 (FIG. 4). The body 28 of the mounting body is easily pushed into the body, and the bearings of the gear wheel 30 meshingly engaged with the worm 32, which is actuated by a tilted rod 34 with a spline pivotally supported by the body 28 and passing through the worm of the entire mounting body. A plastic molded body that is retained. When the rod 34 is rotated by a thin rod, a cord 35 (FIG. 15), etc., the worm 32 is driven and the worm gear 30 is rotated. A stop may optionally be included to limit the worm gear 30 to a rotation of 360 ° or less. All of the above points are conventional, see, for example, US Pat.
No. 8436, the description of which is hereby incorporated by reference. A spacer (not shown) is used as in the conventional body 2
It is attached to the assembly 20 through the slots of 8 and is attached to the cord 29, spindle, etc. in a conventional manner to perform the conventional pulling action to spread or concentrate the mounting assembly 20 along the track. Alternatively, a conventional clip may be used in place of the spacer. Additionally, spacers or clippers may be omitted so that the front and back fabrics define the spacing between the mounts when the light control shield is in the stretched state.

A threaded shaft 40 is attached to the worm gear 30 and projects or is hung from the underside of the body 28 through a bearing protrusion 31 to hold the horizontal leg of a member 42 attached to the shaft 40. It has an L-shaped actuator control member attached by a nut 43. The shaft 40 passes freely through the arm 44 of the actuator and extends further downward, at the lower end thereof a pair of nuts
6 is screwed and locked, and a stop is set to adjust the height.

The arm 44 extends at least a distance equal to the maximum opening of the shield, for example 67 mm, and at either end with a paddle-shaped lower end having a hole 52 proximate to the lower free end. It is connected to a hanger or attachment member 50 consisting of an upper end freely pivotally mounted on the end of the arm 44 by conventional mounting means. A spring 58 is attached to arm 44 at one end by bending or crimping through hole 54 in arm 44. The other end of spring 58 is similarly attached to the suspended leg of actuator member 42. Inclined rod 3 with splines
Worm gear 30 will rotate arm 44 about axis 40 through member 42 and spring 58 as 4 operates to drive worm 32.

The hanger 50 comprises a T-shaped body 70,
A pair of flexurally spaced connecting portions 72 forming a head or jaws are inserted upwardly from the top of the T-shaped bar so that they are inserted into the holes at one end of the arm 44 shown in FIG. You may make it protrude. The hole at the lower end of the T-shaped suspended leg cooperates with a pin 73 having a pair of spaced apart, deflectable jaw heads. As shown in FIG. 7, attach one hanger 50 to the front thin fabric with its inner surface exactly at the adhesive joint formed between the vane and the front thin fabric. By
A light control shield is attached to arm 44. The other hanger 50 is displaced at the other end of the arm 44 in the direction from the adhesive joint of the same vane to the front thin fabric attachment point to the vane on the inner surface of the rear thin fabric. Mounted at the point The upper and inner edges of the thin front and rear fabrics are provided with reinforcing strips 74,
The pin 73 can be clamped to the upper edge hanger of thin fabric as shown in FIG.

The light control shield is mounted on the upper side of the window so that its wings extend vertically. The actuator arm 44 of each mounting body 20 serves as a shield, as shown in FIG.
It is preferably mounted on every other vane as shown in Figure 1, which shows the shield in a fully extended open position (maximum light passage) over the window or other opening. ing. Or every two attachments,
Alternatively, it may be provided on every third blade. In order to move the shield to the closed position as shown in FIG. 6, the tilt rod is rotated to drive each worm 32, worm gear 30, shaft 40 to rotate each actuator 42, Is an arm 44 that moves the shield to a closed position via a spring 58.
Is mounted around the shaft 40. Arm 44 at this time
Since there is little resistance to rotation of the spring, the spring 58 is substantially not stretched or loaded. This condition continues as the shield approaches the closed condition shown in FIG. 8 and progresses through the closed condition to the overly closed position shown in FIG. The net effect would be to pass slightly past the closed position, where the panels (the vanes sandwiched between the front and back thin fabrics) are slightly tilted from the normally closed plane. . The resistance to further rotation of arm 44 caused by the mutually closed layers of fabric is then greater than the force of spring 58. Thus, continued rotation of actuator 42 will cause the spring to extend until actuator 42 engages arm 44, as shown in FIG.

When the extension of the shield is released in the excessively closed position (where the mounting body 20 is fully projected),
The pressure exerted on the arm 44 by the stretched fabric is released as the shield retracts from its retracted position (collecting the attachment 20 at one end) to the continuous shielding of the window, releasing the spring. 58 pulls arm 44 to the substantially parallel position shown in FIG. 10 so that successive panels are collapsed and folded into substantially parallel folds.

If the fabric itself or the spacers define the spacing between adjacent mounts when the window light control shield is in the stretched state, the mounts are all up to the retracted position of the window light control shield. Do not move at the same time. First
The attachment body is moved toward the second attachment body by a cord, a spindle or the like so as to be close to the second attachment body. First
And when the second mount abuts, the first mount moves the second mount towards the next adjacent mount, and so on. The panel of the already abutting mount will be folded over on itself, so that the other panel is still in a slightly over-closed position. Therefore, the panels are sequentially crushed and folded.

When using the clip, all the attachments move to the retracted or accumulated position at the same time. Once again, movement will be initiated by the cords, spindles, etc. acting on the first mount, which will cause the clip to move the other mount as the first mount moves. Therefore all panels will gradually collapse and will be folded at the same time.

The spring 58 stores rotational energy in the actuator arm 44 when the thin fabric closes itself and releases the stored energy when the shield retracts over the window opening so that the panel causes the actuator arm to move. All 44 are parallel and perpendicular to the track rail 26 so that they can be neatly folded.

In the preferred embodiment, the actuator arm is 74.6 mm long and the hanger for holding the upper edges of the front and back thin fabric is 76.2 mm wide from outside to outside, Or 88.9m
This is approximately equal to a vane spacing of 76.2 mm for a vane of m. Due to the S-shape or bending of the vanes and because the hangers are not parallel to the vanes, the maximum distance between the front and back thin fabrics is, for example, 66.7 mm. Many of the parts described above are injection molded plastic parts. The thin cloth on the front side is about 23.7 gr / m ² (about 4.7 to 47.5 gr /
m ² ) polyester, tulle knit in a diamond pattern.

The backside fabric may also be polyester of the same weight, which is a warp knit with diagonal threads,
It has an orthogonal pattern. The main feature of the rear fabric is the need for diagonal or diagonal stability. The vanes are woven polyester weighing 47.5 gr / m ² (about 24-95 gr / m ² ). The vanes are preferably opaque for concealment, but may be translucent. Stiffer tapes are attached to the inner upper edges of the front and back fabrics to allow reinforcement such that the fabric can be hung from the actuator arm on the suspended hanger. Grommets may be used for this if desired. The weight (about 15 gr) weighs 15 gr per unit at a specific position, and the weight of each unit is set to the inside of every other blade at the front and rear portions just below the attachment point to the hanger. Attached to the bottom edge.

The tilt rod can be operated by a rod or one or two pull cords 35 as is known in the art, as shown in FIG. The mounting body or transfer body may also be combined with a spacer, which fits into the slot of the mounting body and has a stop at each end so that the leading mounting body passes on the track by a cord. However, it is also possible to use a metal strip that allows the other attachments to be continuously drawn out at appropriate intervals. When retracting the mounting body, the leading mounting body is pulled back and the strip slides through the slot so that the mounting body is deposited at one end. Alternatively, sandwiching spacers can be used. Both are known and are connected to the mount in a known manner. The opposite situation occurs when moving the mount from the retracted or stacked condition of the vanes, causing the assembly to move first from the position of FIG. 10 to the position of FIG. 9 and then to the position of FIG. Will. Thereafter, depending on the selection, the vane can continue to be manipulated so that the vane is more or less in the position of FIG.

The attachment body is a coupling device between the drive shaft and the actuator for forming an inclination in a direction in which the mounting body is excessively closed and crushed by a minute force which promotes crushing when released, or FIG.
2-14 are provided by which the weight or cam member 80 or the like cooperates with or is connected to the upper portion of the worm gear 30 'via the inclined fitting cam surface 90 for restoration. Force is applied to the actuator arm 44 '. In this device, like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts in the previous embodiment, and the weight 80 is keyed by a key 84 to the shaft 40 'to which the actuator arm 44' is mounted. The worm gear 30 'can freely rotate around the shaft 40', and the snap ring 86 or the like allows the attachment body 2 to be attached.
It is held at 8 '. When the actuator experiences a slight resistance as it moves from the open position shown in FIG. 7 to the closed position shown in FIG. 8, the worm gear is formed by the worm gear 30 ′ and the mating ramp 90 on the weight 80. The actuator is driven through the connecting portion.
However, due to the resistance force resulting from excessive closing, the worm gear disengages the weight from the engagement connection with the worm gear 30 'and pushes it up above the slope, and the weight that falls to match the slope of the worm gear causes the weight to fall. Energy will be stored in the weight to drive the actuator when the drag is released.

In a device of the type shown in FIGS. 12-14, the retraction of the window light control shields is stopped (ie at an intermediate position) when some, but not all, of the panels are collapsed and folded. . The uncrushed panel, which is still slightly over-closed, is then used to condition the light passing through the panel as described above, thereby leaving the already-crushed panel in the collapsed position. 12
A feature of the ~ 14 devices is that the actuator 44 'raises during excessive tilting.

In another modified mounting assembly, such as that shown in FIG. 16, like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts as well, but actuator 4
Mounting body 2 having a 4 "4" closed in this case
It is mounted on a shaft 40 "suspended from a rotating cam 92 at 8". Worm gear 30 "is mounted above the cam for rotation about shaft 96, and the worm gear and cam have a mating cam surface 90" that is angled. A coil spring 98 may be provided to apply downward pressure to the worm gear.

In this device, the cam and actuator are caused to rotate by the worm gear through the mating surface 90 "when the shield is closed and the actuator has little resistance to movement. When subjected to a force, the worm gear will rise due to the accumulation of energy against the pressure of the spring 98. When the resistance is reduced, the spring pushes the worm back into engagement with the cam, The cam and actuator are rotated by means of the worm gear, or the worm gear itself may consist of a weight for energy storage and the spring may be omitted.

In contrast to the device of FIGS. 12-14, the device of FIG. 16 does not raise the actuator during excessive tilting.
The sloping mating cam surface may be shaped to naturally return to the central home position where the holder is fixed.
This device is a single control type that performs both the movement of the mounting body and the inclination of the blade, or the so-called "single command (mon)".
o command) ”type devices. The reason for this is that the "single command" type device is in a position where the panel is crushed when operating the control for the purpose of moving the mounting body in the opposite direction to the previous one (the light control shield of the window is The first thing that happens when it is retracted) is that the vanes begin to tilt in a direction that gives maximum light passage when the window shield is in a fully stretched state. However, since the vanes are still in the crushed position and cannot be tilted sufficiently towards the conditions of maximum light passage described above, the actuators are opposite to the direction in which they are loaded when the window shield is in the overly closed position. Will be loaded in the direction. Once the actuator is fully loaded,
The end mounts will begin to move, thereby tilting the trailing vanes for maximum light passage, thereby leaving the actuator unloaded. Therefore, when the window shield is moved into the stretched state, the vane reaches the state of maximum light passage. Once the window shield reaches a fully stretched state, the window shield is closed by operating the single command device in the opposite direction. The vanes will close and all will be substantially in the plane described above. Further operation of the single command device will cause the vanes to be over-closed and the actuator will be loaded as described above. When the single command device is operated again,
The end mounts will begin to move towards the collapsed condition of the window shield and the panels will fold in a zigzag fashion, which will unload the actuator. The actuator must therefore be capable of being loaded in either direction so that this manipulation can occur in either one or the other. In yet another modified mounting assembly shown in FIG. 17, the actuator 44 "'is rotatably mounted to the mounting body 28""on the shaft 40" with the cam 92 "on the top of the shaft 40". Attached: Worm gear 3
0 ″ ″ is rotatably mounted about the shaft and the worm gear and cam are again provided with a V-shaped mating cam surface 90 ″ ″. The worm gear rides on a coil spring 98 "" at the bottom of the body 28 "". In this device, when the resistance to rotation of the actuator becomes excessive, the worm gear is cam-driven downward by the cam 92 "" against the bias of the spring 98 "", and when the resistance force decreases, the worm gear moves to the surface 90 ". Re-engage with ‘actuator 4
Springed back until 4 "is rotated.

The device for opening and closing the window shield and the device for tilting the hanger may be separate (individual operation) or combined as a single commanded device (combined operation). , These devices are well known in the art. In the latter case, one single wand, cord or the like could be used to move the mount and tilt the hanger. Furthermore, the aforesaid operation may be actuated by a motor drive means operable by a remote control unit, for example.

The bottom of the edge of the window shield tends to move towards the center of the window shield, ie the edge of the edge is not actually vertical but an angle slightly inward from the vertical from top to bottom. Experience has shown that problems can arise. According to the invention this may be overcome by equipping the mount at the end of the window shield to raise only the actuator arm. In fact, when the window shield is moved to a position where the vanes are open, i.e. substantially perpendicular to the thin fabric,
This problem becomes clearer. Therefore, the present invention further provides the facility by raising the actuator arm further as the window shield rotates to the open position. One or two mounts according to the structure of FIGS. 12-14 could be used to produce this lifting effect in the end position.

Another construction of a mount suitable for doing this is shown in FIG. 18, where similar parts are shown in FIG.
It is designated by the same reference numeral as in the case of 2, but with the reference letter A added. In this structure, the worm gear 30A is again pressed downward by the spring 98A, the lower cam surface 80A is provided, and the flat portion 80B is provided on the opposite side. The cam member 90A is fixed to the housing 28A of the mounting body, and the cam surface 80
It has complementary cam surfaces 81A and 81B with A and 80B. The cam member 90A is annular so that a shaft 40A having a downwardly extending screw fixed to the worm gear 30A can pass therethrough. The actuator arm 44A is freely rotatable about a threaded shaft 40A,
A central bearing sleeve 82, preferably made of metal, is provided.

A locking ring 83 is screwed onto the shaft 40A, and its lower surface is in contact with the upper surface of the bearing sleeve 82. The sleeve is provided with an upwardly projecting portion 82A capable of engaging one of a number of circumferentially spaced recesses 83A on the lower surface of the ring 83 (see FIG. 19).

Below the bearing ring 82 is arranged a wing nut 85 which is screwed into contact with the lower surface of the ring 82.

A spring retaining plate 87 having an opening for allowing the shaft 40A to pass therethrough is mounted above the wing nut 85, and the shaft 40A has a key groove 40B with which a key 87A of the plate 87 engages. In this way, the plate 87 is rotated together with the shaft 40A. A spring 58A is connected to plate 87 as shown and also to arm 44A.

To adjust the height of the arm 44A first, the wing nut 85 is loosened downwards, which allows the locking ring 83 to rotate. In this way, if rotated down, the arm will be raised to a higher level when the wing nut is retightened. This operation can be easily performed by the installer by using the wing nut and the engagement ring 83 having the unevenness.

When the vanes attached to the arm 44A rotate in a direction perpendicular to the thin fabric, the cam surfaces 80A and 8A
1A will ride on top of each other and raise arm 44A further. The fully open position may be formed by the interlocking flat surfaces 80B and 81B. If necessary, these flat surfaces can be provided with appropriate ridges and grooves to accurately determine the vertical position of the vanes. When the blind is returned to the vane closed position, the cam will allow the worm gear 30A to drop again, which will lower the arm 44A as the vane moves to the closed position. . Spring 5
8A would operate as described above.

However, since there is no equivalent to the downward-facing portion of the member 42 in FIG. 4, the arm 44A can move equally in any rotation direction, and the plate 87 keyed to the shaft 40A and the spring 58A are provided. It will be appreciated that this gives a fixed home position on the arm 44A and also on the corresponding vane.

C with central portion mounted on shaft 40
Shaped springs and side arms, one engaging each side of arms 44, 44A, would replace springs 58A and plate 87. This will also give a fixed center home position.

In the structure according to the invention, instead of allowing the end vanes of any of the above blinds to rotate,
It is possible for each end vane to always be fixed in an "open" position, i.e. vertically in a thin fabric. This can help ensure that the window shield is deposited in an orderly manner as shown in FIG. 10 when the shield is pulled back to its fully open position. This is especially useful when the window shield consists of two parts, one deposited to the left of the window and the other to the right, such as a conventional curtain or drape.

As an alternative, it is also conceivable that the window shield is controlled so that it remains closed when it is extended towards the closed position of the window shield.

As shown in FIG. 22, which will be described below, the hanger may be directly connected to the vane. In this case, the vanes which are tilted directly by the hanger should be stiff enough to operate the window shield from the open position towards the closed and collapsed position.

Referring now to FIGS. 20 and 21, there is also shown a window shield formed similarly to two thin fabrics 10, 12 and vanes 14. A first end rail 102 is attached to one end of the thin fabric 10 and a second end
To the other end of the thin cloth 12 of the second end side rail 103
Is installed.

A horizontal track 122 extends above the window shield. A bracket 158 having a first arm 156 having two slide mounts 152, 154 with which the first end rail 102 is slidable on the track 122 and a second arm 160 engaging the end rail 102. It is installed. Although the lower end of the head rail 102 is shown not to be on the track, it is believed that it can ride on the lower track as well as the upper track 122.

Runners 162 are provided on some, but not all, of the wings. In the illustrated structure, runners 162 are provided on every two blades. It may be in the form of a plate of plastic material having an upwardly extending pin with a head that rides on track 122.

The second end rail 103 is preferably attached to the floor, for example at 145.

It will be appreciated that if the first end rail 102 is gripped and moved to the left, the window shield will be hand-winded as previously described and pulled back like a curtain.
When pulling the end rail 102 to the right, the window shield is
It will be pulled to the state shown in. Further movement of the end rails 102 to bias the vanes will cause the vanes 14 to flex and allow some light to pass through the window shield.

Referring now to FIG. 22, a plurality of slide mounts 2 provided with wheels (not shown) preferably for running along guideways formed in the headrails.
Head rail 240 is shown with 42 mounted.
The movement of the mounting body 242 can be done in any suitable manner, but a cord device 246 is provided as shown. The mounting assembly on the headrail is generally US Pat. No. 3,996,989 by Dwight.
No. 8, or similar to those disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,267,875 to Kocks. An inclined rod may be provided, as in the Cox patent, which may be rotated by a pulley in the bead chain 250. The tilt rods are fitted with worms and worm wheels, as shown in Cox U.S. Pat. No. 4,267,875, the worm wheels in each mount being connected to a separate hanger 252. A window shield 210 is formed by a hanger, the front and rear thin fabrics 270, 272 extending between which the vanes 274 are connected to the fabrics 270, 272 by any suitable method, such as by an adhesive. It is supported. The upper end of the blade 274 is attached to the hanger 252. It will be appreciated that operation of the vanes can be accomplished by operation of the bead chain 250 which rotates the pulley, which in turn rotates the tilt rod.
Rotation of the tilt rod causes rotation of the worm wheel and pinion (not shown), which will also cause the hanger 252 to rotate about their respective vertical axes. It will be appreciated that this rotation tilts the vanes 274 about their respective axes.

Manipulation of the pull cord 246 will pull the end mount 43 to the left or right. Since the spacers 275 are attached to these attachments,
The rightward movement of the end-side attachment body 243 causes the adjacent attachment body 242 to move with it to the right, and the subsequent attachment bodies also move to the right to form a gap to the right. Let's do it.

It will be appreciated that when the end mount 243 moves to the right, this has the effect of moving the attached vanes. After moving a distance, the thin fabric itself also moves the next vane and its attachment to the right, and so on.

It is further envisioned that the structure shown in FIG. 22 may be modified so that there is no facility for moving the mount 242 along the end rail. Thus, these mounts have the window shield always in the position shown in FIG.
Therefore the only equipment for adjustment would be fixed to adjust the angle of the vanes.

In FIG. 23, thin fabrics 312, 314
Is coupled to circumferentially spaced fixing means 320, 322 on a hoist roll 324 mounted with its longitudinal axis extending generally perpendicular to one side of the window frame. The lower end of the roll can be fixed in position on the floor or under the window. The vanes 316 extend between the fabrics 312 and 314.

A code reel 326 is attached to the upper end of the roll 324, and a control pulley 330 is attached to the end near the reel 326. Hoisting roll 3
The rotation of 24 can be accomplished by manipulation of a cord, such as bead cord 332 wrapped around control pulley 330. Alternatively, a motor drive could be provided. This rotation is also transmitted to the cord reel 326.

A tension cord 334 is wound around a cord reel 326, the tension cord 334 passes around a pulley 338 which is also fixed, and the tension spring 334 has an upper end to which the end of the tension cord 334 is attached. Is connected to the upper end of the end rail 342 having the inside. As shown more clearly in FIG. 24, the end rail 342 is attached only to the second thin fabric 314.

A horizontal track 350 extends in a substantially horizontal direction above the window shield 310, and on this track, the end rail 3 is provided.
42 is suspended downward and slides on the track 350.
Right angle bracket 3 having a second lower arm 360 attached thereto so as to be supported by 2, 354
Two sliding mounts 352, 354 mounted on one arm 356 of 58 are horizontally movable. The lower end of the end rail 342 is guided by another track at the bottom but is not attached.

In operation, the initial movement of the winding roll causes a change in the relative angle of the vanes 316 with respect to the thin fabrics 312, 314, and further movement causes the shield 310 to be wrapped around the roll 324. Let's do it. As it is rolled up, the slide mounts 352, 354 are engaged by the track 35.
0 will transport the sliding end rail 342 together.

When the roll 324 is operated in the opposite direction,
The end rail 342 will be pulled back by the pull cord 334.

In FIG. 25, the shape of a window shield suitable for shielding the skylight of a horizontal or sloping roof is shown.

The assembly includes a flexible window shield, indicated generally by the reference numeral 410, which includes a first thin fabric 412, a second thin fabric 414, and a number of lateral directions extending therebetween. The vanes include extending vanes 416, the vanes being substantially parallel to each other. This window shield 410 is formed in many different ways which are not part of the present invention. The thin fabrics 412, 414 may be formed of a translucent or transparent material such as paper, woven fabric, non-woven fabric, or the like, or may actually be formed of a plastic material. Similarly, vanes 416 are formed of any suitable material. However, the vanes are preferably formed of an opaque or semi-opaque material.

Thin fabrics 412, 414 have circumferentially spaced fastening means 420 mounted on a winding roll mounted with the longitudinal axis extending generally horizontally to one side of the skylight frame. It is connected to 422.

A code reel 426, 428 is attached to each end of the roll 424, and a control pulley 430 is attached to the end near the reel 426. The rotation of the hoist roll 424 is made by operating a cord, such as a bead cord 432 wrapped around the control pulley 430. Alternatively, a motor drive could be provided. This rotation is also transmitted to the cord reels 426 and 428.

Wound around the cord reels 426, 428 are tension cords 34, 36 which also pass around fixed pulleys 438, 440 with the ends of the tension cords 434, 436 attached to the ends. It is connected to the opposing ends of the end rail 442 having the tension spring 444 inside. As shown more clearly in FIG. 26, the end rail 442 is attached only to the second thin fabric 414. Two, one on each side of the shield
A book of parallel tracks 443 is provided which extends substantially perpendicular to the axis of the end rail 442 and the hoist roll 424 and has, for example, a groove or L-shaped cross section. A runner 445 is attached to each end of the rail 442 and is slidable vertically in the adjacent rack 443 to guide and support the rail. If desired, a further runner (not shown) could be provided on a portion of vane 416 to also allow it to slide in the track. It is also conceivable that the track 443 and the runner 445 may be omitted, especially for smaller installations.

It will be appreciated that the initial operation of the bead cord 432 causes some rotation of the hoist roll 424. This will result in relative movement of the two thin fabrics 412, 414 with respect to each other in directions parallel to each other. Light can thus easily pass through the vanes.
It will move from the spaced-apart extensions shown somewhat to 6 to a closed position where they overlap one another and block the passage of light.

Further movement of hoist roll 424 will cause both thin fabrics 412, 414 to be hoisted on roll 424 with the flattened and overlapping vanes 416 therebetween. When this is done, the end rails 442 will move towards the hoist roll 424 so that the window shield is pulled back a desired distance and is actually fully wound.

When the bead chain 432 is operated in the opposite direction, the cord reel will rotate in the opposite direction to the take-up reel 424. At that time, the tension cord 434,
436 is the end rail 44 on the right side as shown in FIG.
It will try to pull back 2, thereby pulling the window shield to shield the window.

Another form of window blind assembly, generally designated by the reference numeral 510, is shown in FIG. The assembly 510 is attached to a head rail 512 provided with an elongated slant roll member 514 and is provided with means (not shown) for rotating the roll about a generally horizontal axis.

Material 510 comprises a front thin fabric 516 provided with a number of spaced, parallel, horizontal pleats 518 and rear pleats 520. Material 510 also includes a rear elongate thin fabric 522 having front pleats 524 and rear pleats 526 formed similar to pleats 518, 520 of front elongate thin fabric 516.

As best shown in FIG. 28, a number of vanes 528 are provided on the front thin fabric and the rear thin fabric 51.
6,522 are connected to each other. Vane 52 in FIG. 28
8 is a fold 520 that extends behind the front thin fabric 516.
The thin cloth 5 on the rear side is diagonally upward from the inner surface on the rear side.
22 extends to the point where it is connected to the inner surface on the front side of the pleats 524 extending forward.

Front and back thin fabrics 51 as shown
6, 522 are connected to the bottom rail 530 adjacent to the lower end, and are connected to the slender inclined rail 514 at the upper end. In the illustrated structure, the spacer member 5
32 is provided on the lower side of the head rail, and the other pleats 51
Adjacent to 8, 526 are connected to the front and back thin fabrics. This spacer 532 is not essential, but gives a better shape to the upper portion of the pleated blind material.

FIG. 29 shows a slightly modified structure, where like parts are designated with like reference numbers. The vanes are shown here at 534 and are connected slightly differently. In this structure the blade 5
The lower portion of 34 is connected to the rear inner surface of the fold 518 that extends forward of the front thin fabric 516, and the vanes are also inclined diagonally upward to extend forward of the rear thin fabric 522. It is connected to the inner surface of the front side of 524. In this structure, the vanes 534 are not flat as in FIG. 27, but are bent in opposite directions as shown at 536 and 538.

Such a structure has blades 528, 5 to a certain extent.
It will be seen that it is similar to the Venetian blind with 34. Inclined roller 5 in either structure
It will be appreciated that when 14 rotates clockwise as shown in FIG. 28 or FIG. 29, the vanes 528, 534 are in an overlapping condition and thus overlap one another, thus effectively blocking the passage of light. However, if the tilt roll 514 tilts counterclockwise, the vanes 528, 534 may move to a position that extends substantially horizontally, but remain parallel to one another such that light may pass therethrough. become.

Therefore, for this reason thin fabrics 516, 52
2 must be made of a translucent or transparent material such as paper, woven fabric, or non-woven fabric, or can actually be made of a plastic material. Similarly, the vanes 528, 534 can be formed of any suitable material. However, they are preferably formed of opaque or semi-opaque materials.

The blades are each pleated 51 in a suitable manner.
8, 520, 524, 526. It is conceivable that this is done by a heat treatment such as welding, but it is preferred that it is adhered by a third material, such as stitching, gluing, and according to a preferred form it is well below the melting temperature of thin fabrics. It is adhesively connected using a hot-melt adhesive that melts at temperature. It will be appreciated that thin fabrics need to cure the pleats, which is also done by the process of heat curing, which is carried out at temperatures above the melting temperature of the hot melt adhesive.

Referring now to FIG. 30, another fairly different structure is shown. This structure has thin fabric folds that extend in a generally vertical direction. Therefore, in detail, the structure of FIG. 30 is preferably a wheel (not shown) for traveling along a guide track 544 formed in the headrail.
The head rail 540 is used to which a large number of slide mounting bodies 542 provided with are mounted. The movement of the mount 542 can be done in any suitable manner, but a cording device is provided as shown. The mounting assembly on the headrail may be generally similar to that disclosed in Dwight U.S. Pat. No. 3,996,988 or Cox U.S. Pat. No. 4,267,875. A tilt rod 547 is provided, such as the Cox US patent, which may be rotated by a pulley 548 on the bead chain 550. Cox US Pat. No. 4,267,875
As shown in FIG. 5, a worm and a worm wheel are attached to the inclined rod 547, and the worm wheel in each attachment body is connected to a separate hanger 552.

The blind material shown in FIG. 30 is generally similar to the blind material shown in FIG. 26, and like parts are designated with like reference numerals. However, in this structure, the pleats 518, 520, 52
4, 526 extend vertically like vanes 528. The upper end of the vane is mounted on the hanger 552. The blades can be operated by operating the bead chain 550 that rotates the pulley 548.
It will be appreciated that 48 also rotates tilt rod 547. Rotation of the tilt rod causes rotation of the worm wheel and pinion (not shown), which also causes the hanger 552 to rotate about its respective vertical axis. It will be appreciated that this rotation causes tilting of the vanes 528 about their respective vertical axes.

Manipulation of the pull cord 546 will pull the end mount 543 to the left or right.
Since these attachments have the spacers 554 attached, the rightward movement of the end attachment 543 causes the adjacent attachment 542 to move to the right, and the subsequent attachments then move to the right again. Then the space on the right side will be formed.

As shown in this structure, the first end rail 560 includes the bottom rail 5 of FIGS. 28 and 29.
The right end of the thin fabric is attached as at 30. This end rail can be mounted on its own hanger to which the end mount 543 is attached, or it can be mounted on the same mount as the rightmost vane. This end rail would then move with the end mount and act as a secure end for the "curtain" formed by the blind assembly of the present invention. A second end rail 564 at the other end if desired
May be provided. However, any of the end rails
There is nothing essential about its structure.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of one embodiment of a fabric window covering used in the light control assembly of the present invention.

2 shows a thin fabric shape (as viewed under a microscope) suitable for use in the assembly of FIG.

3 illustrates different shapes (as viewed under a microscope) of thin fabric suitable for use in the assembly of FIG.

4 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a mount and head rails used to mount the shield of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing how the thin fabric of FIG. 4 may be attached to a hanger of a mount.

6 is a plan view of the mounting body of FIG. 4. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a schematic top plan view showing the open fabric shield and the location where the hanger of the mount is attached to the thin fabric.

FIG. 8 is a schematic top plan view showing the cloth shield substantially closed.

FIG. 9 is a schematic top plan view showing an overclosed fabric shield.

FIG. 10 is a schematic top plan view showing the fabric shield in a crushed or retracted state.

FIG. 11 is a schematic top plan view showing the overclosed position of FIG. 9 in enlarged detail.

FIG. 12 is a partially cutaway elevational view of a modified mounting assembly.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a modified mounting assembly.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged plan view of a modified mounting assembly.

FIG. 15 is a view schematically showing a cord for moving the tilt rod and the attachment body.

FIG. 16 is a somewhat schematic view of another modified mounting assembly.

FIG. 17 is a view of still another modified mounting body;
It is a figure similar to.

18 is a view of yet another modified mounting assembly, FIG.
It is a figure similar to.

FIG. 19 is a straight line XVII-XVII of the mounting assembly of FIG.
It is an upper part top view.

FIG. 20 is a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of the window shield according to the present invention.

21 is a top view of the shield of FIG. 20 in an extended state.

22 is a view similar to FIG. 20 of still another embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of yet another example.

FIG. 24 is an enlarged plan sectional view of the assembly of FIG. 23.

FIG. 25 is a schematic perspective view of still another embodiment of the window shield according to the present invention.

FIG. 26 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the assembly of FIG. 25.

FIG. 27 is a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of an assembly according to the present invention.

28 is an elevational view of the assembly of FIG. 27. FIG.

FIG. 29 is a view similar to FIG. 28 of a slightly modified example.

FIG. 30 is a schematic perspective view of yet another embodiment of a blind assembly according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10, 12, 270, 272, 312, 314 ... Translucent sheet (thin cloth) 14, 274, 316 ... Vane 20, 158, 162, 242, 352-360 ...
Mounting body 26, 122, 240, 350 ... Guide track 44 ... Actuator

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (31) Priority claim number 977788 (32) Priority date November 30, 1992 (33) Priority claiming country United States (US) (72) Inventor Brad H. Oberberg Colorado, United States 80030, Westminster, East West 81st Avenue 2969 (72) Inventor Wendell Bee Corson, Colorado 80303, Boulder, Old Tail Road 1412 (72) Inventor Brian M. Hoffman West One Handled, Twenty Third Avenue, Westminster, 80234, Colorado, United States 400 (72) Inventor Eric W Williams Colorado, United States 80027, Lewisville, bobolink Court 370 (72) inventor Paul W. Shivishichi United States Colorado 80303, Boulder, Howard Place 2210 (72) inventor Cornelis Marinusu Jansen Netherlands 4285 Weesu Voudo Rihyemu, Mideruvato 48

Claims (27)

[Claims] 1. a) i) first and second generally parallel, spaced, vertically extending translucent sheets (10, 12,
270, 272, 312, 314), and ii) a number of longitudinal, parallel, spaced-apart verticals secured to the first and second sheets so as to extend therebetween at longitudinally opposed edges. Vanes (14,274,316)
And b) the shield member acts as a shield in a predetermined region, and the vane is closed in parallel with the first and second seats and the first and second seats. In a vertically stretched flat state, the two sheets can be manipulated to change their orientation between an open position that is generally vertical to allow control of the light in the shielded area. Attachment means (20,1) connected to the shield member so as to suspend the shield member.
62, 242, 352-360), and a light control shield assembly. 2. The mounting means is a guide track (26,1).
22, 240, 350) and at least one mounting body (20, 1) guided by the track and movable along it.
58, 162, 242, 352-360), wherein the at least one mount is connected to the shield member. 3. A number of mounts (20, 162, 24) each of said mount means comprising an actuator (44).
2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the actuator is connected to the upper edge of the shield member at a distance and the operation of the vanes is performed by tilting the actuator (44). Assembly. 4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein each actuator comprises a pair of suspended hangers attached to a respective seat. 5. The assembly according to claim 4, wherein one of the pair of suspended hangers is connected at a position where the vanes are secured to a sheet. 6. The assembly according to claim 5, wherein the other suspended and pivoted hanger of each actuator is connected to the other seat at a location between two adjacent vanes. body. 7. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the hanger is directly connected to the vane. 8. A rotary drive mechanism (30, 32, 40) for rotating each actuator to rotate said actuators (44) and respective vanes, and to rotate all of said actuators simultaneously. 7. Assembly according to claim 3, 4, 5 or 6, characterized in that it comprises rotary tilt drive means (34) mounted on all of said drive mechanisms. 9. A guide track for movably guiding the mounting body and energy stored in the actuator when the actuator is stopped in a closed position by a resistance force generated by the seat, and the shielding body is provided. To release energy that acts to further rotate the actuator when the resistance force is released by movement from the unfolded state to the deposited state of the mounting body to deposit as substantially parallel folds 9. Assembly according to claim 8, further comprising release means (58, 90, 92) connected between the drive mechanism and the actuator. 10. The assembly according to claim 9, wherein said means for storing and releasing energy comprises a weight movable in a direction opposite to gravity. 11. A shaft (40) on which the drive mechanism is suspended from the mounting body, drive means (30, 32) in the mounting body for rotating the shaft, and mounting so as to rotate together with the shaft. Actuator control member (42,
87), wherein said actuator member is rotatably mounted on said shaft and said energy storage and release means is connected between said actuator control member (42) and actuator (44). 58,
58A) is an assembly according to claim 8. 12. The actuator control member engages a first portion of the actuator (44) when the vanes are in the open and closed positions and the spring is in the retracted position to drive the drive member. The actuator (4) to limit continued rotation of the mechanism to maximize tension of the spring and energy storage in the actuator.
Assembly according to claim 11, characterized in that it comprises a member (42) adapted to engage the second part of 4). 13. A rotary shaft (4), each mounting body extending from said mounting body and connected to said actuator (44).
0) and a driven gear in the mounting body that is rotatably mounted coaxially with respect to the shaft, and the means for storing and releasing energy includes a cam member (92),
The cam member and driven gear (30) are reciprocally movable cams that are disengaged from the reciprocal engagement and disengagement conditions for coupling and disengaging the gear and shaft to store energy in the coupling means. Assembly according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that means are provided. 14. The assembly of claim 13 including a spring for biasing the driven gear into engagement with the cam member. 15. A driven gear (30) in which each actuator is mounted on a rotating shaft (40) suspended from the mounting body, and the drive mechanism is rotatably mounted about the shaft, and A weight (8) mounted on the shaft above the driven gear so as to slide on the shaft and rotate integrally.
0) and the energy storage and release means couples the gear and shaft during movement of the vane between a closed position and an open position, and the actuator provides the resistance force. When the weight is received and blocked, the weight is raised so that the engagement connection with the gear is released, and when the resistance is removed, the weight is moved to the gear with the rotation of the shaft and the actuator. The assembly according to claim 9, comprising a sliding connection portion between the weight and the gear for returning downward so as to be engaged and connected. 16. The at least one mounting body (15)
8, 352-360) movable end rails (102, 34) connected to one vertical side edge of the shield member.
Assembly according to any of claims 2 to 15, characterized in that it comprises an end-side attachment connected to 2), the opposite vertical edge of the shield being fixed. 17. The assembly according to claim 16, wherein the vanes are tilted by relative movement of the seats. 18. The mounting body (28 ', 28) on the end side.
Assembly according to any of claims 2 to 17, characterized in that A) comprises means for adjusting the height of the actuator (44A). 19. The mounting body (28 ', 28) on the end side.
A) a rotating shaft (40A) suspended from the mounting body and connected to the actuator (44A); and a driven gear (30A) mounted on the mounting body so as to be rotatable coaxially with respect to the shaft. , Adjusting means (82, 85) for vertically adjusting the height, and a cam member (90A)
The cam member and the driven gear include mutually engaging cam surfaces (80A, 81) that act to raise the driven gear when the vane rotates to the open position.
Assembly according to any one of claims 2 to 18, characterized in that it is provided with A) and a drive shaft and a corresponding fuchtuator (44A). 20. Assembly according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the sheets is in the form of a thin fabric. 21. Both of the sheets are thin fabrics,
21. The assembly of claim 20, wherein each has a different shape, orientation, and size gap to avoid moire effects when the fabrics are in an overlapping condition. 22. The substantially mutually perpendicular directions (A,
3. It has dimensional stability in B).
The assembly according to either 0 or 21. 23. One of said fabrics is a tulle fabric having a diamond-shaped gap (27) and having a main axis and a counter-axis extending substantially vertically, the other of said fabrics being substantially vertical. A knitted fabric comprising a bundle of a number of substantially parallel yarns (11) extending and a number of filler yarns (15, 17, 19, 21) extending between the bundles of yarns at an acute angle to the horizontal direction. 22. The assembly according to claim 21, wherein: 24. a) a winding roll (424) rotatable about a longitudinal axis; b) a first fastening means (420) on the roll, and a corresponding first fastening means on the roll. Second securing means (422) spaced circumferentially; and c) i) each having one end and an opposite end, said one end respectively said first and second ends. First and second thin fabrics (412, 414) which are fixed to the fixing means and which extend in a longitudinal direction at substantially parallel intervals, and ii) so as to extend between the first and second thin fabrics. A window shield (410) comprising a number of longitudinally-spaced, substantially parallel, fixedly-extending vanes (416) extending laterally; and d) towards and away from the winding roll. Can be moved to the first position by the first rotation of the roll.
And second thin fabrics move longitudinally relative to each other to act to change the angle of the vanes with respect to the thin fabrics such that further rotation of the roll causes the window shield to be wound onto the rolls. A window shield assembly in combination with an end rail (442) connected to one of the opposite ends of the thin fabric. 25. a) an elongated tilting member (514) rotatable about a longitudinal axis; and b) first and second tilting members at circumferentially spaced positions of the tilting member. And c) a front thin elongate fabric (516) attached to the first connection point, and d) a number of lateral, alternating parallel, front and rear, formed in the fabric. Pleats (518, 520), e) a rear elongated thin fabric (552) attached to the second connecting point, and f) a number of alternating transverse directions formed in the rear thin fabric. Parallel, front and back folds (524, 526)
G) a number of substantially side edges having opposite side edges, one side edge connected to the front thin fabric and the other side edge connected to the back thin fabric. Parallel to, and opaque or semi-opaque vanes (528), such that when one of the slant members rotates in one direction, one thin fabric is oriented in the machine direction relative to the other fabric. In the relative direction of movement of the vanes, allowing the vanes to become parallel, which allows light to pass through the blinds.
It is also characterized in that when the tilting member rotates in the other direction, the thin cloth moves in the opposite relative movement direction so that the adjacent vanes at least partially block the passage of light through the blinds. Window blind assembly. 26. i) a) thin front fabric (516)
B) a number of transverse, alternating parallel, front and back pleats (518,520) formed in the front thin fabric.
And c) a rear elongate thin fabric (522) and d) a number of lateral, alternating parallel, forward and rear folds (524, 526) formed in the rear thin fabric.
E) a number of substantially side edges having opposite side edges, one side edge connected to the front thin fabric and the other side edge connected to the back thin fabric. Parallel to the opaque or semi-opaque vanes, whereby the vanes are parallel when one of the thin fabrics moves longitudinally relative to the other thin fabric in one relative movement direction. A window that allows light to pass through the blinds, and the adjacent vanes at least partially obstruct the passage of light through the blinds when the thin fabric moves in opposite relative directions of movement. A window shield, comprising: a shield; ii) a horizontal guide track; and iii) a number of slide mounts connected to at least a portion of the upper end of the vane and slidable on the track. Assembly. 27. Means (542) for rotating all of said vanes simultaneously, whereby they are parallel when rotated in one direction, whereby light passes through the blinds. 27. The window shield of claim 26, wherein adjacent vanes are overlapped when the vanes are tilted in opposite directions, thereby blocking the passage of light through the blinds. Assembly.