GB2398334A

GB2398334A - Blind material attachment assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2398334A
Application number: GB0303134A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Braybrook
Original assignee: Levolux AT Ltd
Current assignee: Levolux AT Ltd
Priority date: 2003-02-12
Filing date: 2003-02-12
Publication date: 2004-08-18
Anticipated expiration: 2023-02-12
Also published as: GB0303134D0; GB2398334B

Abstract

A blind assembly comprises a blind material attachment member 10 having an elongate channel 22 with an inwardly projecting lip 38, and blind material 14 having a hinged portion 42 at or near an edge thereof. The blind material 14 is inserted transversely into the channel 22, wherein the hinged portion 42 engages the lip 38 to hold the material in place. The hinged portion 42 may be formed by wrapping blind-material 14 around an elongate strip 18, and the two may be fastened with double sided adhesive tape. The blind material may not be heat weldable. The channel 22 may have two inwardly projecting lips (38', 52, Fig 3). Also claimed is a method of attaching blind material to a blind attachment member.

Description

BLIND ASSEMBLY

This invention relates to a blind assembly and more particularly. but not exclusively, to a roller blind assembly.

Normally, blind material of a roller blind assembly is attached to a roller tube in one of two ways. The first method is simply by use of double-sided adhesive tape.

The second method involves forming the roller tube of the blind assembly with an elongate channel or slot which extends along its longitudinal extent. An elongate plastics strip is then welded to one edge of the blind material, and the blind material is then wrapped around the elongate plastics strip a number of times. The portion of the blind material wrapped around the plastics strip is then fed longitudinally into the channel of the roller tube from one end. The longitudinal opening of the channel is dimensioned to prevent the plastics strip wrapped in the blind material from passing 1 5 therethrough.

Problems which are apparent with both of these methods are that, with the first method and due to the weight of the blind material, it is easy for the adhesive tape to become detached from the roller tube. This problem is somewhat mitigated by the provision of extra turns of blind material around the roller tube to increase frictional engagement of the blind material on the roller tube. However, the extra material increases the cost and also increases the diameter of the blind assembly.

The second method requires welding of the plastics strip to the blind material.

This therefore limits the material which can be used. Furthermore. when assembling the roller blind, a space twice the length of the roller tube is required to be able to slide the blind material and plastics strip in from one end. It can also be quite difficult to maintain the tightness of the material wrapped around the plastics strip as it is being fed into the roller tube. This tends to result in the blind material having an uneven drop and non-uniform roll-up.

The present invention seeks to overcome these problems.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a blind assembly comprising a blind-material attachment member having an elongate channel which includes an inwardly projecting lip, and blind material having a hinged portion at or adjacent to an edge thereof, the hinged portion of the blind material being insertable into the elongate channel of the attachment member in a direction transverse to the longitudinal extent of the elongate channel, and, when inserted, an edge of the hinged portion of the blind material engaging the inwardly projecting lip to prevent or inhibit extraction of the blind material from the elongate channel.

Preferable and/or optional features of the invention are set forth in claims 2 to 11, inclusive.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of attaching blind material to a blind-material attachment member having a longitudinal channel with an inwardly projecting lip, the method comprising the steps of: a) folding one edge of the blind material to form a hinged portion; and b) inserting the hinged portion into the channel in a direction transverse to the longitudinal extent of the channel, so that separation of the blind material from the attachment member is prevented or inhibited by contact of the hinged portion with the projecting lip.

Preferably, step (a) includes folding the said one edge of the blind material around an elongate hinge-forming element.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method in accordance with the second aspect of the invention using a blind assembly in accordance with the first aspect of the invention.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of detaching blind material attached to a blind-material attachment member in accordance with the second or third aspects of the invention, the method comprising the steps of: a) closing the hinged portion of the blind material: and b) withdrawing the blind material in a transverse direction from the longitudinal channel.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 shows a side elevational view of a first embodiment of a blind assembly, in a first condition and in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a view similar to that of Figure 1, but with the blind assembly in a 10second condition; Figure 3 shows a side elevational view of a second embodiment of a blind assembly, in a f rst condition and in accordance with the present invention; and 15Figure 4 is a view similar to that of Figure 3, but with the blind assembly in a second condition.

Referring firstly to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown a first embodiment of a blind assembly comprising a blind-material attachment member 10 in the form of an 20extruded roller tube 12 for a roller blind, blind material 14, and an elongate hinge forming element 16 in the form of a plastics strip 18.

lithe extruded roller tube 12 has a cylindrical body 20 with an elongate channel 22 extending along the longitudinal extent of the body 20. The elongate channel 22 includes a base 24 and two opposing sides 26. A roof portion 28 extends from one of the sides 30 partway across the channel 22 and in parallel, or substantially in parallel, with the base 24 of the channel 22. A channel opening 32 is thus defined between the free edge 34 of the roof portion 28 and the remaining side 36 of the channel 22. The channel opening 32 is dimensioned to accept the plastics strip 18, as a tight fit, into the channel 22 when inserted in a direction transverse to the longitudinal extent of the roller tube 12.

The free edge 34 of the roof portion 28 is formed with a projecting lip 38. The lip 38 is preferably a barb, but can be any suitably shaped hook. The lip 38 is uninterruptedly formed on the free edge 34 of the roof portion 28, and projects radially, or substantially radially, inwardly into the channel 22.

The plastics strip 18 is positioned with one face on the blind material 14 and with the longitudinal edge of the plastics strip 18 aligned against or adjacent to one free edge of the blind material 14. Conveniently, the plastics strip 18 can be held to the blind material 14 by double-sided adhesive tape positioned on both faces 40. This is particularly beneficial since material which is non-heat weldable, such as cotton, can be utilised as the blind material. However, any other suitable fastening means could in fact be used, depending on the characteristics of the blind material 14. For example, the edge of the blind material]4 could be heat welded to the plastics strip 18 if this did not damage the material.

The blind material 14 is folded around the longitudinal extent of the plastics strip 18 so that it covers and is adhered to both faces 40 of the plastics strip 18. The plastics strip 18 is then folded over onto the blind material 14 a final time to form a hinged portion 42 having a hinged edge 44 and a free edge 46. Since no fastening means are provided to hold the final fold in place, the hinged portion 42 tends to want to inherently spring open, the benefits of which will become apparent hereinafter.

The hinged portion 42 of the blind material 14, while being held closed, is inserted into the channel 22 of the roller tube 12. The hinged portion 42 is oriented so that the free edge 46 tends to open in a radially outwards direction, as opposed to a radially inwards direction, relative to the roller tube 12. The hinged edge 44, in this case the leading edge of the hinged portion 42 is fed through the channel opening 32 in a direction transverse to the longitudinal extent of the roller tube 12. Once inserted, the hinged portion 42 of the blind material 14 is fully slid beneath the roof portion 28 of the channel 22. The hinged portion 42 then opens under the urging of the blind material 14, and the free edge 46, in this case the trailing edge, of the hinged portion 42 abuts the underside of the projecting lip 38. The blind material 14 is thus prevented from being separated from the roller tube 12.

To release the hinged portion 42 of the blind material 14 from the roller tube 12, a release tool (not shown), typically comprising a thin elongate blade-type element, is inserted into the channel 22 to hold the hinged portion 42 closed. The blind material 14 can thus be slidably withdrawn, in a direction transverse to the longitudinal extent of the roller tube 12, through the channel opening 32 and separated from the roller tube 12, with the blind assembly in silu if needs be.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 4, a second embodiment of a blind assembly is shown. The second embodiment is, by and large, the same as the first embodiment, and therefore like references refer to like parts. However, in this embodiment, the blind-material attachment member to' is a hem bar 48 and not a roller tube 12.

Similarly to the roller tube 12, the hem bar 48 is extruded and includes a tubular body 20' having an elongate channel 22' formed along the longitudinal upper edge 50 thereof. An inwardly projecting lip 38' is provided along each longitudinal free edge 52 of the opposing sides 26' of the channel 22'. Each lip 38' projects into the channel 22' and towards the channel base 24'. Although each lip 38' is in the form of a distinct barb, any suitable hook can be used.

In this second embodiment, the roof portion 28 of the first embodiment is dispensed with.

The hinged portion 42' of the blind material 14' is formed in an identical manner as in the first embodiment. Due to the provision of opposing projecting lips 38', the orientation of the hinged portion 42' when inserting the blind material 14' into the channel 22' is unimportant.

As in the first embodiment, the hinged edge 44' of the hinged portion 42' is the leading edge and is inserted first through the channel opening 32' of the channel 22'. The rest of the hinged portion 42' is then slid fully into the channel 22'. The free edge 46' of the hinged portion 42', being again the trailing edge, springs open in an outwards direction under the urging of the blind material 14' and thus abuts the underside of one of the projecting lips 38' when the blind material 14 is pulled transversely relative to the hem bar 48. The blind material 14' is thus prevented from being separated from the hem bar 48.

The provision of two projecting lips 38' has the added advantage that the inserted blind material 14' is forced to follow a dog-leg path, as can be seen in Figure 4. The hinged portion 42' is thus more positively trapped against both sides 26' of the channel 22'. A similar effect is also apparent in the first embodiment due to the arcuate base 24' of the channel 22'.

The release tool, mentioned in the first embodiment, can be used to release the hinged portion 42' of the blind material 14' from the hem bar 48, with the blind assembly in situ if needs be. Individual release tools could, however, be used for each embodiment.

The use of the projecting lips 38' and the hinged portion 42' causes the blind material 14' to be held securely by the attachment member 10'.

In both embodiments, if the blind material 14/14' is pulled away from the attachment member 10/10'. the hinged portion 42/42' simply attempts to open further inside the channel 22/22', thereby increasing the engagement of the blind material 14,'14' with the attachment member 10/]0'.

Once the blind material 14/14' has been attached to the blind-material attachment member 10/10', the blind material 14/14' can be directly shimmed at the attachment member 10/lO' by the insertion of one or more pre-cut, typically plastics, strips (not shown) into the channel 22/22' and against the blind material 14/14'. This enables small adjustments of the blind material 14/14' to be effected to keep a uniform or substantially uniform fall.

The elongate hinge-forming element can take other forms other than a plastics strip, and may also act as a hem weight in the second embodiment.

lO The elongate hinge-forming element could also be omitted. In this case, one edge of the blind material is folded a number of times to create a resilient hem. The hinged portion is then formed by including the final fold. In order to dispense with the elongate hinge-forming element, the blind material is typically a tough, course and/or heavy fabric.

Although the first embodiment is described with reference to a roller blind, the invention is not limited to such and the blind assembly can be of any suitable form.

It is thus possible to provide a blind assembly which securely holds the blind material, even when the blind material is fully unfurled. Any type of blind material can also be utilised. It is also possible to provide a blind assembly which is simple to assemble and dismantle, and which does not require the blind material to be attached by longitudinal insertion. Furthermore, by transversely inserting the blind material, it is possible to maintain the tightness of the folded blind material and therefore obtain a more uniform drop.

The embodiments described above are given by way of examples only, and other modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, extra blind material can be provided to add frictional gripping of the blind material to the attachment member.

Claims

1. A blind assembly comprising a blind-material attachment member having an elongate channel which includes an inwardly projecting lip, and blind material having a hinged portion at or adjacent to an edge thereof, the hinged portion of the blind material being insertable into the elongate channel of the attachment member in a direction transverse to the longitudinal extent of the elongate channel, and, when inserted, an edge of the hinged portion of the blind material engaging the inwardly projecting lip to prevent or inhibit extraction of the blind material from the elongate 1 0 channel.

2. A blind assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an elongate hinge forrning element around which the blind material can be folded to form the said hinged portion.

3. A blind assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the elongate hingeforming element is fastenable to the blind material using fastening means.

4. A blind assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the fastening means is in the form of double-sided adhesive tape.

5. A blind assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the blind material is a non-heat weldable material.

6. A blind assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the elongate channel of the attachment member includes two said inwardly projecting lips which directly oppose each other.

7. A blind assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the or each projecting lip is in the form of a barb. I

8. A blind assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further! comprising a release tool by which the hinge portion of the blind material can be disengaged from the projecting lip of the elongate channel of the attachment member and the blind material can be extracted from the elongate channel.

9. A blind assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the blind material can be shimmed directly at the attachment member by the insertion of one or more shimming elements.

10. A blind assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the blind-material attachment member is a roller tube of a roller blind assembly.

11. A blind assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the blind-material attachment member is a hem bar.

12 A method of attaching blind material to a blind-material attachment member having a longitudinal channel with an inwardly projecting lip, the method comprising the steps of: a) folding one edge of the blind material to form a hinged portion; and b) inserting the hinged portion into the channel in a direction transverse to the longitudinal extent of the channel, so that separation of the blind material from the attachment member is prevented or inhibited by contact of the hinged portion with the projecting lip.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein step (a) includes folding the said one edge of the blind material around an elongate hinge-forming element.

14. A method as claimed in claim 12 or claim 13 using a blind assembly as claimed in any one of claims I to 11.

15. A method of detaching blind material attached to a blind-material attachment member in accordance with the method of any one of claims 12 to 14, the method comprising the steps of: a) closing the hinged portion of the blind material; and b) withdrawing the blind material in a transverse direction from the longitudinal channel.

16. A blind assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.