GB2099055A

GB2099055A - Blind

Info

Publication number: GB2099055A
Application number: GB8115604A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: TIDMARSH ESTATE Ltd
Current assignee: TIDMARSH ESTATE Ltd
Priority date: 1981-05-21
Filing date: 1981-05-21
Publication date: 1982-12-01

Abstract

This invention is a form of blind in which sheet material 'B' stored on an upper roller 'A' can be pulled down when the roller 'A' is released by the weight of a lower roller 'D' supported in the loop at the bottom of the two sides 'B' of sheet material. The roller 'D' is resilient to be able to conform with, and form a seal with, the lower edge of the window opening, and the ends of the roller 'D' run in a guide channel 'H' with which a seal can be effected. The free edge 'C' of the sheet material is fastened at the top of the opening 'G' beside the roller 'A'. The sheet material can be translucent, transparent, or opaque, and can carry a partly reflecting coating on one face. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Blind This invention relates to a blind and one object is to provide a novel design of blind for example for use within a window of a building for controlling transfer of heat across the window.

According to the present invention, a blind comprises a sheet material storage roller for support in an upper position, and a lower roller for support by the loop of sheet material extending from the storage roller down and up again to a fastening at the edge of the sheet material.

The fastening can be made at the upper frame of a window opening beside the upper roller, so that when the sheet material is released, the weight of the lower roller can pull sheet material down in a loop from the storage roller, until the lower roller rests on the bottom surface of the window opening. There a seal can be made if the lower roller is of a foamed plastics or other resilient material whose shape can be adapted to the contour of the sill.

There will be two layers of the sheet material extending vertically between the two rollers, one in front of the other, and defining between them an air space for reducing transfer of heat across the window opening by convection. There will be another air space between window glass in the window and the nearer of the lengths of sheet material.

In order to provide some sealing effect at the sides of the blind, each end of the lower roller can be arranged to run up and down within a channel section guide fitted to the side of the window opening with a fairly small gap between the sheet material and the end of the roller on the one hand and the inner surfaces of the groove channel on the other hand.

The sealing effect can be enhanced if the edge of the sheet material can be temporarily fastened to the inner surfaces of the channel section when the blind is lowered, and for that purpose cooperating faces of the channel section groove and the sheet material can carry co-operating strips of Velcro material which is a hook and loop type of continuous fastener. As the lower roller moves downwards, it presses the blind which is being paid out against the opposite inner surfaces of the channel section guide, and engages the hook and loop connection, and similarly when the lower roller is being pulled up again it peels the layers of blind away from the channel sides to release the connection. With the blind held against the channel section faces, a fairly good seal is established.

That method of holding the edges of a blind in position whether it is a simple one layer blind, or the double layer blind with a hanging lower roller described above, is a second aspect of the present invention.

The sheet material may be transparent translucent or opaque, depending on the requirement, and one surface of the sheet material may carry a partly reflecting metal coating which can allow light to pass, but will reflect radiant heat.

The blind is a simple and cheap method of preventing loss of heat from a building through a window, or indeed of preventing entry of heat where it is hot outside and it is desired to keep interior of a building cool.

The invention may be carried into practice in various ways, and one embodiment will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which FIGURE 1 is a vertical section through a blind; FIGURE 2 is a sectional elevation on the line Il-Il in FIGURE 1; and FIGURE 3 is a detail of FIGURE 2 to an increased scale.

The blind consists essentially of a storage roller 'A' for sheet blind material, and that roller is fixed on a horizontal axle extending across the top of a window frame 'G'. Sheet material from the roller 'A' extends downwards, round a lower roller 'D' and up again to a fastening 'C' in the top of the frame 'G' just beside the roller 'A', The two sides of the loop of sheet material are shown at 'B'.

When the roller 'A' is made free to unwind, the lower roller 'D' drops under gravity, pulling off sheet material from the roller 'A', until the roller 'D' reaches the bottom of the window opening. The roller 'D' consists of a central rod or tube carrying a thick layer of foamed plastics material which is resilient and can deform to conform exactly to the contour of the sill 'H' of the window opening, and effect a seal against free flow of air at that bottom edge.

The ends of the roller 'D' and the edges of the sheet material 'B' run up and down in a channel section groove 'H' of which there is one fixed at either side of the window opening. The roller is a fairly close fit within the groove 'H' so that free flow of air around the ends of the roller is restricted.

Indeed the flow of air around the ends of the roller around the edges of the sheet material 'B' can be substantially eliminated by providing on co-operating faces of the groove 'H' and the sheet material 'B', elongate strips 'J' and 'K' of hook and loop flexible fastening material. As the roller moves down it can press the sheet material 'B' against the face of the groove 'H' so that the components 'J' and 'K' lock together along the whole of the free edges of the sheet material.

When the roller 'D' is lifted again the action is to peel the sheet material 'B' away from the channel 'H' to release the fastening 'J', 'K'.

It will be appreciated that when the blind is down, and the seals have been made as described above, there will be effectively two spaces 'E' and 'F', one between the window glass and the outer face of the sheet material, and the other between the two faces of the sheet material, to and from which flow of air is substantially restricted so that they act as heat insulating layers, and prevent easy loss of heat from the inside to the outside of the window.

For normal use as a night blind, the sheet material will be opaque, but for use during the day it could be transparent, or possibly translucent. In either case one surface of the sheet material could carry a thin metal coating which serves to reflect radiant heat while permitting the passage of light.

Claims

1. A blind comprising a sheet material storage roller for support in an upper position, and a lower roller for support by the loop of sheet material extending from the storage roller, down and up again to a fastening at the edge of the sheet material.

2. A blind as claimed in Claim 1 in which the lower roller is of resilient material.

3. A blind as claimed in either of the preceding claims including a pair of side guides within which the ends of the lower roller can run up and down with no more than a small gap.

4. A blind as claimed in Claim 3 including cooperating temporary fasteners respectively on the edges of the sheet material, and the co-operating faces of the guides.

5. A blind comprising a sheet material storage roller, and guides for the respective edges of the sheet material as it is unrolled from the roller, the edges of the sheet material and the co-operating faces of the guides having co-operating temporary fastening members for holding the edges of the sheet material against the guides when the blind is down.

6. A blind as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the sheet material is transparent, translucent or opaque.

7. A blind as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which one surface of the sheet material carries a partly reflecting metal coating.

8. A blind constructed and arranged substantially as herein specifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings.