EP1581717B1

EP1581717B1 - Fabric covered rail for pleated shade

Info

Publication number: EP1581717B1
Application number: EP03812950A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ren Judkins
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-12-10
Filing date: 2003-12-09
Publication date: 2012-08-15
Anticipated expiration: 2023-12-09
Also published as: EP1581717A1; AU2003296488A1; WO2004053279A1; CA2511769C; CA2511769A1

Abstract

A headrail or a bottomrail for a pleated shade has a base and a front wall that meet at an edge and form an acute angle. They are covered with the same fabric used in the pleated shade by placing a pleat on the edge, extending the fabric over the front wall and attaching the fabric with an adhesive or hook and loop type fasteners. In a preferred embodiment the fabric extends over the outside surface of the front wall and is attached to the inside surface of the front wall. The acute angle keeps the fabric straight on the rail allows the fabricator to quickly attach the fabric without creating wrinkles.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

The invention relates to a rail that can be used as a headrail or a bottomrail for a pleated shade window covering.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

One popular type of window covering is the pleated shade. This type of shade has a headrail and a bottomrail and a panel of pleated material connected between them that stacks in an accordion fashion. There may be a single layer of material or the panel could be a honeycomb structure. This type of shade is available in a variety of fabrics and materials ranging from opaque to translucent. The headrail used in most pleated shades is an elongated U-shaped structure that extends the width of the shade and contains the mechanism for raising the pleated shade. The bottomrail is usually a tubular structure that may have a rectangular, hemispherical or other cross section. Most headrails and bottomrails are painted metal or plastic and are white, beige or a color that matches the pleated material. Consequently, a fabricator usually carries an inventory of several colors of headrails and bottomrails for each model or style of shade that the fabricator sells.
For many years the industry has offered headrails and bottomrails that are covered with fabric. The fabric may be glued over the exposed surfaces of the headrail or bottomrail. United States Patent No. 5,049,424 discloses a fabric covered metal rail that can be used as either a headrail or a bottomrail. Another style of headrail has slots or recesses that hold a strip of fabric. United States Patent Nos. 4,840,216 and 4,921,031 disclose headrails that have decorative inserts. In United States Patent No. 6,056,035 a headrail is disclosed in which a panel of material is attached to and hangs from the front surface of the headrail. One problem with these fabric-covered rails is that the fabric used for the headrail or bottomrail is not cut from the same piece of material that is used for the pleated panel. Since there often are variations in hue among different die lots of the same material, the fabric on the headrail may be darker or lighter than the pleated panel. Many people consider a window covering having a headrail or bottomrail covered in a fabric that is slightly lighter or darker than the pleated panel to be unattractive and will not purchase the product. The solution to this problem is to extend the fabric panel over the headrail or bottomrail. Indeed, United States Patent No. 1,321,800 discloses a window covering in which the fabric panel extends over and is attached to the front surface of the headrail.
There have been several window coverings in which the fabric is attached to the front of the headrail. While these products have been well received, they are much more difficult to manufacture than other pleated shades. This is so because the fabric must be straight and have no wrinkles. Consequently, great care must be taken to apply the fabric to the headrail. There is a need for a headrail and bottomrail that can be rapidly covered with the fabric of the pleated shade panel without producing wrinkles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

I provide a rail for pleated shades according to claim 1. Optional features of the dependent claim are discussed under the description of preferred embodiments.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a description of certain present preferred embodiments thereof that are shown in the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the front of a pleated shade in which the headrail and the bottomrail are fabric-covered rails in accordance with the present invention.
Figure 2 is a front view of a present preferred mounting bracket used to hang the pleated shade shown in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is sectional view taken along the line III-III of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a sectional view similar to Figure 3 illustrating how the headrail is attached to the bracket shown in Figures 1 and 2.
Figure 5 is a sectional view similar to Figure 3 of a second present preferred embodiment of my fabric-covered headrail.
Figure 6 is a sectional view similar to Figure 3 of a third preferred embodiment of my fabric-covered headrail.
Figure 7 is a sectional view of the embodiment shown in Figure 6 showing a single accordion pleated material attached to the headrail.
Figure 8 is a sectional view similar to Figure 3 of a fourth preferred embodiment of my fabric-covered headrail.
Figure 9 is a sectional view similar to Figure 3 of a fifth preferred embodiment of my fabric-covered headrail.
Figure 10 is a sectional view of a sixth preferred embodiment of my fabric-covered rail configured as a bottomrail.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the pleated shade 1 has a headrail 2, a bottomrail 4 and a panel of pleated material 6 that extends between the headrail and the bottomrail. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 a top portion 12 of the pleated material covers the headrail 2 and a bottom portion 14 of the pleated material covers the bottomrail 4. Lift cords 8 run from the bottomrail 4 through the panel of pleated material and through a cord lock in the headrail 2. The panel of pleated material may be a single sheet of accordion pleated material as shown in Figure 1, a tabbed sheet of pleated material such as is disclosed in my United States Patent No. 4,974,656 , or a honeycomb single cell or multiple cell structure. The pleated shade is hung over a window by one or more brackets. Although one could use many of the brackets that have been commercially available, I prefer to use the bracket 10 shown in Figure 2.
My present preferred mounting bracket 10 is an L-shaped extrusion having a top 11 and a side 13 that are attached to the window frame by mounting screws 15. As can be seen in the drawing I prefer to provide more mounting screws 15 near the end of the bracket that will be adjacent to the cord lock since greater forces are applied there than elsewhere. I further prefer to provide screws through both the top 11 and the side 13 as shown in Figure 3. Spring clips 17 are positioned at spaced apart locations on the mounting bracket. Installing a blind using the mounting bracket 10 shown in Figure 2 is quick and easy. The installer first mounts the bracket on the window frame. Since mounting holes have been predrilled in the top and side of the bracket he can quickly drill pilot holes in the window frame using the bracket as a guide. After he has completed attaching the bracket, he can snap the headrail 2 onto the bracket 10 completing installation.
Referring now to Figures 3 and 4 a first present preferred embodiment of my fabric covered headrail 2 has a base 20 and a front wall 22. The front wall 22 is attached to the base 20 at edge 21 forming an acute angle A with the base 20. The acute angle allows the edge to act as a guide for the placement of the pleated material during attachment of the fabric to the headrail. The front wall 22 has an outside surface 23 and an inside surface 24. In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the front wall 22 is a piece of rolled metal that provides a curved top edge 25. Thus, the acute angle is formed at the intersection of a plane extending from the outside surface of the base 20 and a plane extending from the outside surface of the front wall 22. I prefer to provide an adhesive 26 on the inside surface 24 of the front wall 22. One suitable adhesive is double sided tape. There is no adhesive on the outside surface 23 of the front wall 22.
To cover the headrail with fabric the fabricator places the upper end of the panel of pleated material on the headrail 2 so that one pleat is on the edge 21 formed at the junction of the outside surfaces of the base 20 and the front wall 22. This placement assures that the fabric is straight. Then the portion 12 of the panel of pleated material above the edge is wrapped over the front wall 22, covering the outside surface 23. Since there is no adhesive on the outside surface 23 of the front wall 22, a fabricator can easily stretch the fabric across the front of the headrail without wrinkling the material. The fabric is affixed to the headrail by pressing that portion 12 of the pleated material that extends beyond the outside surface against the adhesive 26 on the inside surface of the front wall 22. If desired Velcro loop and hook type fasteners could be used in place of the adhesive. A portion 27 of the pleated material that is located below the acute angled edge should also be attached to the base 20 of the headrail 2. This can be done by applying an adhesive to the bottom surface of the base 20 or by using Velcro fasteners. In the embodiment shown in Figure 3 the headrail has three pieces. First there is the main body that is formed by front wall 22 and base 20. Next there is an inner body 30 having a front wall 32 and a rear wall 34 attached to a base 33. The front wall 32 is generally parallel to front wall 22 and spaced apart from the front wall to provide a gap 38. This gap is wide enough to allow the portion 12 of the fabric panel to be wrapped around the front wall in the manner previously described. The rear wall is rolled to contain a cavity 35. Braces 36 can be provided at spaced apart intervals between the front wall 32 and the rear wall 34. The third part of the headrail is an L-shaped piece 40 that holds the fabric against the bottom surface of the base. The upright side 42 of the L-shaped member 40 is configured to fit snugly within the cavity 35. The base 44 is parallel with base 20. I prefer to provide an adhesive on the upper surface of base 44 and the outside surface of base 20 to hold a portion of the pleated fabric between base 44 and base 20. Finally, eyelets 46 are inserted for each lift cord through holes drilled through the bases 20 and 40 and the fabric between them. One could make a similar headrail without piece 40. However, I prefer to use this piece because it prevents the fabric from peeling away from the bottom of base 20. One advantage of this headrail is that the pleated material could be attached to the headrail before route holes for the lift cords are drilled through the material. Then the predrilled holes in the bases 20 and 40 can serve as a guide for drilling the route holes through the pleated material. Of course, the fabricator could drill the route hole through the pleated material before attaching the pleated material to the headrail.
The headrail shown in Figure 3 is held in the bracket 10 by spring 17. The upper end of the spring 17 has a tab 18 that engages lip 37 on the upper end of the front wall 32. A tab 39 on the rear wall 34 rests on shoulder 19 of the spring clip 17. Lips 8 and 9 on the bracket 10 keep the spring within the bracket 10. To attach the headrail to the mounting bracket 10 one places the headrail so that the tab 18 of each spring engages lip 37 as shown in Figure 4. The headrail in Figure 4 is somewhat different than the headrail of Figure 4, but both operate in the same way. Then one rotates the headrail. This movement causes tab 39 to push the lower end of the spring toward sidewall 13 until the tab reaches shoulder 19. At that point the spring 17 moves forward toward front wall 22 snapping the headrail onto the bracket. To release the headrail one pushes the lower end of the spring 17 toward the sidewall 13 of the bracket 10. This releases tab 39 from shoulder 19 allowing the headrail to be rotated away from the bracket.
Another embodiment of my fabric-covered rail is shown in Figures 5 and 6 with two different brackets. The headrail has an outer body 50 formed by base 51 and front wall 52. The front wall has a gentle curvature and is attached to the base 51 at an edge 53. The outer surface of the front wall 52 is configured to have a bevel 54 at edge 53 to provide a sharp acute angle. As in the previous embodiment pleated fabric (not shown in Figure 5) is attached to the headrail by placing a pleat or crease over the edge 53 and wrapping the fabric around the front wall 52. An adhesive 26 is provided on the inside surface of the front wall to attach the fabric to the front wall. If the pleated material is a honeycomb material 49 as shown in Figure 6, then the honeycomb is split to form a front portion 49a that extends over the front wall 52 and a rear portion 49b that is attached to the rear portion of the bottom surface of the base 51. Portions 49a and 49b are trimmed to fit. The bridge between the front portion of the honeycomb 49 and the rear portion 49b can be trimmed away or remain. In the embodiment of Figure 6 that bridge portion 49c remains attached to the front portion 49a forming a slight bulge at the top of the front wall 52. An inner body 60 has a front wall 62 with a tang 61 that engages a tab 56 extending from the rear surface of the front wall 52 of the outer body. A top 63 extends from the front wall 62 to the rear wall 58 of the outer body 50. Tab 59 on rear wall 58 fits within slot 64 of the inner body 60. Bodies 50 and 60 are preferably extruded metal elongated structures that slide together to the position shown in Figure 5. Slots 65 and 66 are provided in the inner body 60 to receive the bracket spring 70 and the bracket 10. In the bracket shown in Figure 5 there is a lip 71 that fits within slot 66. Spring 70 has a tang 73 at one end that fits within slot 65 and a curved portion 72 at the opposite end. To release the headrail from the bracket 10 one pushes the headrail toward the sidewall 13 of the bracket 10. This releases the inner body 60 from the lip 71 that was in slot 66 as the curved portion 72 of the spring flexes. Then the headrail can be rotated and moved forward to disengage the tang 73 from slot 65. In the headrail shown in Figure 5 I provide an adhesive 57 on the outer surface of the base 51 to attach the fabric to the base. I prefer to provide an anti-peel slat 5 that is held in place against the fabric by eyelets 46 through which the lift cords pass. The same headrail is shown in Figure 6 being supported by a different bracket and carrying a honeycomb material. This bracket also has a lip 71 that fits within slot 66. Spring 70 has a tang 73 at one end that fits within slot 65 while the opposite end is turned and fits within a cavity 132 defined by a curved portion 131 at the bottom of wall 13 of the bracket 10. The headrail is removed from this bracket in the same way. One pushes the headrail toward the sidewall 13 of the bracket 10 moving the rear wall 58 and top of the inner body 60 to the position shown in dotted line. This releases the inner body 60 from the lip 71 that was in slot 66 and the spring flexes as indicated by dotted lines. Then the headrail can be rotated and moved forward to disengage the tang 73 from slot 65.
Another similar headrail is shown in Figure 7 being held by the same mounting bracket and spring illustrated in Figure 5. This headrail has the same inner body 60 shown in Figures 5 and 6. The outer body 80 has the same configuration as outer body 50 except for the rear wall. There is a tab 89 on the rear wall 88 that fits within slot 64. In this embodiment, however, the rear wall 88 extends downward to create a tab 89 that receives a clip portion 91 of anti-peel slat 90. The outer body 80 has a base 81 and front wall 82. The front wall has a gentle curvature and is attached to the base 81 at an edge 83. The outer surface of the front wall 82 is configured to have a bevel 84 at edge 83 to provide a sharp acute angle.
Another embodiment of my fabric-covered headrail is shown in Figure 8. This headrail 90 has a front wall 92 that is rolled back along the top edge to create top rim 91. The lower edge of the front wall is attached to a base 94 at tip 93. The tip 93 is colinear with the front wall and extends beyond the base 90. As in the previous embodiments the window covering fabric (not shown) is attached to the headrail by placing the pleat fold over the tip 93 attaching material below the fold to the base, and wrapping the fabric across the front wall and attaching the fabric to the rim 91. A bracket 100 having a top 102 and a sidewall 104 holds this headrail. A tab 101 extending from the top fits within a slot 96 created by rim 91 and tab 95 extending from the front wall 92 of the headrail. The sidewall 104 has two spaced apart shoulders 105 and 106 that receive the rear legs 97 and 98 of the base. A tab 99 extending from leg 98 is engaged by lock pin 107 to hold the headrail 90 on the bracket 100. To remove the headrail one turns the lock pin 107 releasing tab 99. Then the headrail can be slid forward for removal. The bracket is mounted to the window frame by screws 108.
A fifth preferred embodiment shown in Figure 9 is similar to the embodiment of Figure 3. A headrail 120 has a base 121 and a front wall 122. The front wall 122 is attached to the base 121 and has a lower edge 123 that is in the same plane as the bottom surface of the base forming an acute angle A with the front face 124 of the front wall 122. The acute angle allows the edge to act as a guide for the placement of the pleated material during attachment of the fabric to the headrail. The front wall 122 has an outside surface 124 and an inside surface 125. The front wall 22 is a piece of rolled metal that provides a curved top edge 126. I prefer to provide an adhesive on the inside surface 125 of the front wall 122. To cover the headrail with fabric the fabricator places the upper end of the panel of pleated material on the headrail 120 so that one pleat is on the edge 123. This placement assures that the fabric is straight. Then the portion of the panel of pleated material above the edge is wrapped over the front wall 122, covering the outside surface 124. The fabric is affixed to the headrail by pressing that portion of the material that extends beyond the outside surface against the adhesive on the inside surface 125 of the front wall 122. A portion of the pleated material that is located below the acute angled edge should also be attached to the base 121 the headrail 120. This can be done by applying an adhesive to the bottom surface of the base 121. Like the embodiment shown in Figure 3 this headrail has three pieces. First there is the main body that is formed by front wall 122 and base 121. Next there is an inner body 130 having a front wall 132 and a rear wall 134 attached to a base 133. The front wall 132 is generally parallel to front wall 122 and spaced apart from the front wall to provide a gap 138. This gap is wide enough to allow a portion 12 of the fabric panel to be wrapped around the front wall in the manner previously described. The third part of the headrail is an L-shaped piece 140 that holds the fabric against the bottom surface of the base 121. I prefer to provide an adhesive on the upper surface of piece 140 and the outside surface of base 121 to hold a portion of the pleated fabric between piece 140 and base 121. Finally, eyelets 46 are inserted for each lift cord through holes drill through the base 121 and piece 140 and the fabric between them.
A sixth present preferred embodiment is configured as a bottomrail that is shown in Figure 10. The bottomrail has a rear body portion 141 having a base 142, a rear side 143 and a bottom 144. The front edge 145 of the top has an acute angle and receives a pleat 151 of the pleated material 150. A front body portion 146 is connected to the rear body 141 portion to form the bottomrail 140. The fabric 150 is attached to the base 142 by an adhesive and extends across the front surface of the front portion into a cavity 148 formed between the front body portion 146 and the bottom 144 of the rear body portion 141. The bottom portion preferably is resilient and presses the fabric 150 against the front portion. Alternatively, an adhesive or loop and hook type fasteners could be used to attach the fabric to the front portion 146 of the bottomrail 140. Eyelets 154 are provided to attach the lift cords to the bottomrail. If desired a clear plastic cover 152 can be provided over the fabric on the bottomrail 140 to prevent the fabric from absorbing moisture or attracting dust and dirt. The cover 152 is configured to snap onto the bottomrail 140. If desired a similar cover could also be placed over the fabric on the headrail. Although the fabric material shown in Figure 10 is a single pleated sheet, the bottomrail can be used with honeycomb materials. A honeycomb material would be split and attached to the bottomrail is a similar manner as described above for attaching the honeycomb material to the headrail shown in Figure 6.
Although I have shown certain present preferred embodiments of my headrail it should be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but may be variously embodied within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

A pleated shade having a headrail (2), a bottomrail (4) and a panel (6) of pleated material extending therebetween, characterised in that:
the headrail (2) and/or the bottomrail (4) comprises a base wall (20,142) and a front wall (22,146) which forms an acute angle with the base wall (20,142); and
the panel (6) of pleated material has a pleat folded around the acute angle formed between the base wall (20,142) and an outside surface of the front wall (22,146) of the headrail (2) or bottomrail (4) and is attached to an inside surface (24) of the front wall of the headrail (2) or to the bottomrail (4).
A pleated shade according to claim 1, wherein the panel of pleated material is a composite panel joined together at intervals so as to create a cellular section.
A pleated shade according to claim 1, or claim 2, wherein the headrail (2) further comprises an interior wall (30) attached to the base wall (20) and spaced apart from the inside surface of the front wall (22) so there is a gap between the front wall (32) and the interior wall (30) large enough to allow access to attach a portion of the panel (6) to the inside surface (24) of the front wall (22).
A pleated shade according to any preceding claim, further comprising a cover attached to the headrail (2) so that a portion of the panel (6) of pleated material is between the cover and the base wall (20) of the headrail (2).
A pleated shade according to claim 4, wherein the cover extends over at least part of the portion of the panel (6) of pleated material that extends over the outside surface of the front wall (22).
A pleated shade according to any preceding claim, wherein the bottomrail (4) comprises a rear body portion (141) comprising the base wall (142), a depending rear side (143) and a bottom wall (144), and carries connected thereto a depending front body portion (146) which comprises the front wall (146) forming the acute angle with the base wall (142).
A pleated shade according to claim 6, wherein the rear body portion (141) is resilient, and a portion of the panel (6) of pleated material is resiliently trapped between the rear body portion (141) and the front wall (146).
A pleated shade according to claim 6 or claim 7, further comprising a cover over at least a part of the portion of the panel (6) of pleated material that extends over the outside surface of the front wall of the bottomrail (4).
A pleated shade according to any preceding claim, wherein the pleated material has formed therein cord holes for lift cords, and there are corresponding eyelets (46,154) for the said lift cords, attached to the headrail (2) and bottomrail (4) respectively.
A pleated shade according to any preceding claim, wherein the attachment of the panel (6) of pleated material to the inside surface (24) of the front wall of the headrail (2) or the outside surface of the front wall (146) of the bottomrail (4) comprises an attachment by means of adhesive.
A pleated shade according to claim 10, wherein the adhesive is double sided adhesive tape.
A pleated shade according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the attachment of the panel (6) of pleated material to the inside surface (24) of the front wall of the headrail (2) or the outside surface of the front wall (146) of the bottomrail (4) comprises an attachment by means of a hook and pile fastener material.