US3130776A

US3130776A - Venetian blind cord guide

Info

Publication number: US3130776A
Application number: US117557A
Authority: US
Inventors: Andreas D Van Thienen
Original assignee: Hunter Douglas International Quebec Ltd
Current assignee: Hunter Douglas International Quebec Ltd
Priority date: 1960-06-23
Filing date: 1961-06-16
Publication date: 1964-04-28
Anticipated expiration: 1981-04-28

Description

April 1964 A. D. VAN THlENEN VENETIAN BLIND CORD GUIDE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 16. 1961 FIG.1

FIGZ

ATTORNEYS April 28, 1964 A. D. VAN THIENEN VENETIAN BLIND CORD GUIDE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 16, 1961 FlG.1a

ATTORNEY April 28, 1964 A. D. VAN THIENEN 3,130,776

VENETIAN BLIND CORD GUIDE Filed June 16, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR Aha reds 0 12m 7/7 6729, 22

mm MMM Ym/JAV ATTORNE Y5 United States Patent ()fiice 3,130,776 Patented Apr. 28, 1964 3,130,776 VENETIAN BLIND CORD GUIDE Andreas D. van Thienen, Rotterdam, Netherlands, assignor to Hunter Douglas International (Quebec) Limited, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, a corporation of Canada Filed June 16, 1961, Ser. No. 117,557 Claims priority, application Netherlands June 23, 1960 2 Claims. (Cl. 160-478) This invention relates to a device for guiding the cords of a Venetian blind provided with a head rail, and to a Venetian blind equipped with such a device. The invention aims at constructing the device for guiding the cords of a Venetian blind in such manner that it may be easily mounted in the head rail of a Venetian blind and, moreover, produces a reinforcement of said head rail. This is attained by the device according to the invention in that said device comprises an insert element of such dimensions as to be adapted to be mounted in the head rail of the Venetian blind and in which one or more guiding means for the cords are provided, as well as a locking device serving to lock the cords, said locking device being provided with fastening means with the aid of which said locking device may be fixed relative to the insert element. It is preferred to construct the guiding means as rollers or as a single roller on which a number of cords may run. The device according to the invention is particularly suitable for Venetian blinds with narrow slats, of which the head rail has a relatively small crosssection.

In order to attain that the insertion element keeps the legs of the head rail together the insert element may, according to the invention, comprise lips adapted to engage the bent edges of the head rail of a Venetian blind. According to the invention the head rail is still better kept together in that the insert element comprises lips adapted to lie against the bent edges of the upper head rail of the Venetian blind.

According to the invention the insert element may comprise a bearing for the actuating shaft of the Venetian blind. The insert element may, furthermore, comprise one or more abutments adapted to co-operate with the upper edges of the head rail of a Venetian blind and by which it is attained that the insert element can be accurately put in place.

In order to arrive at a rigid unit the device may, according to the invention, comprise a U-shaped supporting member of which the ends of the legs have fastening means adapted to cooperate with fastening means of the locking device for the cords or with a closing plate. This U-shaped member may clasp the head rail of a Venetian blind and may be secured with the aid of one or more screws or like fastening means to a wall or some other supporting means.

The invention also relates to a Venetian blind provided with a device according to the invention, said Venetian blind having a head rail of which one of the side walls is provided at the ends with a recess or aperture allowing the lift cords of the Venetian blind to be passed therethrough. The tilt cords may thereby pass through a recess or aperture of the head rail of the Venetian blind.

The invention will be further explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings showing by way of example an embodiment of the device according to the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a section of a locking device and a supporting member for the head rail of a Venetian blind on an enlarged scale.

FIG. la shows in perspective the insert shown in FIGS. 3-5 of the disposition of the cords in engagement with the rollers.

FIG. 2 shows a front view of the locking device.

FIG. 3 is a section of an insert element taken on the line IIIIII of FIG. 5.

FIG. 4 is a side view of said insert element, in which the head rail is shown.

FIG. 5 shows a top plan view of the insert element.

FIG. 6 shows a side view of the right hand end of a head rail.

FIG. 7 shows a top plan view of the right hand end of said head rail.

FIG. 8 is a section of a supporting member with a closing plate.

In FIG. 1 a head rail 1 is shown which is provided with a supporting member 2. This supporting member comprises a U-shaped clip provided with apertures 3 offering the possibility of securing said supporting member by means of screws or other fastening means to a wall, frame, ceiling or other carrying surface. The supporting member has at the end of each of the legs two slot-like apertures 4 into which lips 5 of a locking device 6 fit. The supporting member 2 is of slightly resilient construction in order to make it possible to introduce the lips 5 in the apertures 4. In the central portion of the U-shaped supporting member 2 there is a ridge 7. In this way on the one hand it is attained that the locking device 6 may be easily secured to the supporting member 2 and on the other hand no inconvenience is experienced from the heads of the fastening screws. The end 8 of the lower leg 9 is slightly bent out of the plane of said leg in order to afford some place for the lower locking lips 5 so that the ends thereof may project through the apertures 4. The end 10 of the upper leg 11 is bent in the manner shown out of the plane of said leg.

The locking device for the cords 12 is formed from sheet metal and comprises a wall with recesses or

apertures

13 and 14. The recess or aperture 13 serves to allow the cords 12 to be passed therethrough. When making this recess or aperture 13 the material originally present has been turned up to a lip 15 on which the cords are running. This lip is located above the sharp edge 16 of a recess 17 (FIG. 6) provided in the head rail 1 to allow the cords to pass therethrough. Consequently this sharp edge cannot damage the cords. The material from the recess or hole 14 has been partly turned up to two lips 5 somewhat spaced apart engaging the slot-like apertures 4 in the lower leg of the supporting member 2. The upper end of the wall provided with the

recesses

13 and 14 has likewise two lips arranged one beside the other. This wall carries two

upright wall portions

18, 19 in which there is mounted a shaft 20 for a rotatable roller 21 on which the cords 12 are running, and also a shaft 20' is mounted therein for a pivotal clip 22 co-operating with a second clip 23 which is pivoted about a shaft 24 fixed in the clip 22. Between these

clips

22 and 23 the cords are clamped in the known way in order to keep the Venetian blind at the adjusted height.

In FIGURE 1a the insert element 25 for guiding the cords is also shown therein. This insert element is also separately shown in FIGS. 3-5.

The insert element 25 shown in FIGS. 1a and 35 consists of sheet metal and comprises a bottom 26, two

side walls

27 and 28 and one end wall 29. Above the bottom 26 there is provided a partition 30. Between said bottom and said partition there is arranged a guiding roller 31 for the lift cords 12 of the Venetian blind. A thin U- shaped metal wire 32 detachably arranged in the insert element serves to prevent the cords 12 from getting entangled. In the embodiment of the insert element 25 shown only one roller 31 and two guiding cords 12 have been indicated, but normally at least four cords 12 will be present while also more than one roller 31 may be provided. At the point where the roller 31 is located there is an aperture 33 through which the lift cords 12 are passed.

In the end wall 29 of the insert element a bearing 34 is provided for an actuating shaft (not shown) of the Venetian blind. For this purpose in said front a recess has been punched out of which the rim has been turned up in order to obtain a satisfactory bearing surface for the actuating shaft.

In the bottom 26 and in the two

side walls

27 and 28 there are provided apertures 35 for allowing the tilt cords (not shown) to be passed therethrough. Of these apertures two are used according as the tilt cords should emerge. These apertures come in front of recesses 36 in the head rail 1, when the insert element 25 has been put in place in said head rail.

In order to ensure that the insert element 25 cannot be pushed too far into the head rail the end wall 29 of the insert element is so constructed that it also serves as a limiting abutment against the end portion of the head rail 1.

As is further apparent from FIGS. 35 each of the

side walls

27, 28 is provided with two bent lips 37 fitting into the bent rims 38 "of the head rail 1. Moreover, the

side walls

27, 28 have substantially horizontal lips 39 lying against the end of said bent rim 38 of the head rail 1. Consequenny the insert element 25 is firmly held in place. Moreover, the U-shaped supporting member 2 lends assistance in this respect.

FIG. 8 shows a supporting member 2 which is arranged at the other side of the head rail 1. Here lips 41 of a closing plate 42 are in engagement with recesses 43 of the supporting member 2. This plate 42 closes the recesses and apertures provided at that place in the head rail 1.

As is apparent from the above description all of the parts of the embodiment of the device according to the invention described above and shown in the drawings are so constructed that this device is adapted to be mounted at the left hand end as Well as at the right hand end of the head rail 1. Naturally this is not necessary, since this device may also be so constructed as to be exclusively suitable for mounting at the right hand end or at the left hand end of the head rail. Obviously, the locking device may also be constructed in any other manner known per modifications of the device or Venetian blinds according to the invention are possible without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A device for guiding and locking the cords of a Venetian blind provided with a hollow head rail, said device comprising an insert element fitting in said head rail, said insert element having a side provided with at least one aperture and said insert element being provided with at least one cord guiding means, said device further comprising a plate-like fixing means having at least one projection extending through the aperture in the side of the insert element and through an aperture in one side of the head rail in order to fix said insert element in said head rail, said plate-like fixing means carrying a cord locking means arranged on its other side, said plate-like fixing means co-operating with a U-shaped supporting member for the head rail, said supporting member having legs provided with apertures co-operating with locking lips of the plate-like fixing means.

2. A Venetian blind provided with a hollow head rail and an actuating shaft for the lift means of the blind slats, characterized in that it is provided with a device for guiding and locking the cords of the blind, said device comprising an insert element fitting in said head rail, said insert element having a side provided with at least one aperture and said insert element being provided with at least one cord guiding means, said device further comprising a plate-like fixing means having at least one projection extending through the aperture in the side of the insert element and through an aperture in one side of the head rail in order to fix said insert element in said head rail, said plate-like fixing means carrying a cord locking means arranged on its other side, said plate-like fixing means co operating with a U-shaped supporting member for the head rail, said supporting member having legs provided with apertures co-operating with locking lips of the plate-like fixing means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,951,528 Pearson Mar. 20, 1934 2,091,032 Dodge Aug. 24, 1937 2,999,537 Falck Sept. 12, 1961