Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
10594Z4
A BLIND ASS-EMBLY POR A ~IN3~iF ~R q~E LI:K5
The present invention relates to a blind assembly for a
window or the like, of the type including a generally rectan-
gular flexible sheet that can be selectively extended or con-
tracted to cover or uncover the window. The blinds of this
type can be u~ed either as ordinary blinds, i.e. for the pur-
pose of actual blinding of the window, or the sheet can be
made of a transparent material, the ~heet of the second alter-
native serving more or less strictly the purpose of thermal
insulation of the window pane area.
The present invention is particularly directed to the
art of blinds whose margins are provided with one half of a
suitable fastener, the other half being more or le88 fixedly
~ecured to the window fr~me or to its immediate environment.
- Many blinds of different structure, generally corres-
lS pondlng to tho above type, have been proposea in prior art.
Roference may be had to U.S. patent 1,959,136 issued
M~y 15, 1934 to R.I. Niller and di w lo~ing a window screen
wound on a roller which i8 secured for rotatlon near the u~per
part of the window. When the blind or screen is extended,
slide fastoners are engaged on the side margin thereof to more
or less fixedly secure the sheet of the screen to a window
frame. The drawback of this arrangement is particularly in
that it requires two separate ooerations, one closing the blind
and the other clo~ing the respective fastener~. Moreover, it
is believed that slide fasteners are unsuitable for thiQ part-
icular type of operation since the engagement of the re~pec-
tive sliders may be relatively comp}ex if one reali~es that it
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may be desirable to extend the screen or flexible sheet to
different lengths.
Another kn~wn device of this type is shown in U.S. pat-
ent 1,887,646 issued November 15, 1932 to L.C. Jonathan, where-
in two upright sides o~ a window frame are convexly curvedsuch as to form an inwardly convex surface of the blind when
same is in extended state. This particular arrangement is
provided with a blind of the "travelling roller" type. ~he
upright sides are relatively heavy additional pieces that must
be secured to the window at an accurate spacing in-order to
achieve perfect match with the mechanism of the travelling
roller. A still further prior art arrangement is disclosed
in West German Auslegeschrift 1,261,290 issued February 15,
1968 to G. Rieper. Rieper recognizes the usefulness for the
above purpose of so-called Velcro ~Trademark) fasteners. One
half of the fastener is proposed to be fixedly secured to the
respective edges of the blind sheet, while the other half is
of the type of an endless belt travelling along the respective
side of the window. The roller of the blind is mounted near
the top of the window. As the blind is pulled down to close
the window, it engages a portion of the respective endless
belts which then move simultaneously with the blind sheet as
the latter is being extended. This arrangement, presenting
a relatively recent improvement in the art, is expensive to
produce and may be sub~ect to fre~uent damage as there are
too many moving parts.
A still further prior art device of the above type is
shown in U.S. patent 1,997,912 issued April 16, 1935 to G.A.
Ph~nn. In this device, each side of a blind having a ~tra-
velling" roller, has an extended, resiliently tenæioned cordwhich engages pulleys at the ends of the travelling roller to
maintain the roller close to the window frame and to thus pre-
vent the flapping of the extended curtain or the li~e. Again,
the device is relatively complex to produce, not to mention
that no particular provisions are made to seal off the lower-
most edge of the sheet when the curtain is in its extended
position. A separate retainer device is proposed to be dis-
posed generally centrally of the height of the curtain to
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press side margin portions against the window frame The mech-
anism of the "drop" roll is of the type utili~ing a series of
control ropes which rely strictly on the weight of the storage
roll to obtain appropriate drop of!same Such arrangement
would be unsuitable if used with any kind of self-engaging
fastener or the like along the sides, for instance of the type
disclosed in the aforesaid German Auslegeschrift 1,261,290
It is an object of the present invention to produce an
improved blind of the above type which would not-only--be at
least as effective as any of the aforesaid prior art embodi-
ments but would also have an improved reliability, and would
be relatively simple and thus inexpensive to produce
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention,
_ a ~lind set is provided for a window or the like, of the ~ _
type including a gener~lly rectangular flexible sheet having
a first, normally upper end margin, a second, normally lower
end margin and two opposed side margins, an outer surface and
an inner surface, the latter normally facing the interior of a
room when the blind is in use; mounting means for fixedly
securing sa$d first end margin to an upper portion of a win-
dow frame such that the portion of said outer surface coinci-
dent with the first end margin,is turned toward said w$ndow
fr~me portionS ~aid second end margin being fixedly secured
to the p-riphery of a wind-up roller whose axial length gen-
-25 erally corre-ponds to the width of said sheet; said wind-up
roll r being mounted for rotation in a pa$r of bracket~ dis-
po-ed ne~r the re~pective axial ends thereof; spring me~ns
operatively associated with ~aid roller for re~iliently urg-
ing the roller to rotate relative to said bracket- such as to
wind up the sheet thereon; lock means for selecti~ely locking
said roller relative to said brackets to prevent rotation of
the roller relative to the brackets; a generally rod-~haped,
linear, straight holding means whose length generally corres-
ponds to the width of said sheet, said holding means being
adapted to engage said inner surface along an engagement line
generally parallel with ~ut spaced from said second margin
to thus urge the part of the sheet coincident with said en-
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iO59424
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gagement line in a direction generally perpendicular to the
sheet, from said second surface to said first surface; and
support means adapted to releasably engage said holding means
for urgin~ same against said inner surface along said engage-
5 ment line.
In a preferred embodiment, the holding means is an elong-
ate, generally rigid rod fixedly secured to said bracket at a
radial spacing from said roller, the spacing being in excess
of a maximum diameter of the roller when said sheet is fully
wound on same. It is also preferred that the assem~ly be of
the type wherein the length of said rod is greater than the
spacing between said brackets, the arrangement of the rod rel-
ative to said brackets being such that a relatively short end
portion of the rod extends beyond each bracket. Said support
means is preferably a pair of hooks adapted to be fixedly sec-
ured relative to a window frame near a lower portlon thereof,
e.g. to a wall, each of said hooks having a concave opening
complementary with cro~s-sectional configuration of the res-
pective end portion of said rod.
According to a still another fe~ture of the present in-
vention, the outer ~urface of the sheet is provided with a
pair of first fastener portions, each of said fir~t fastener
portion- extenting along the re~pective one of said side mar-
gln~, said asYembly further including a pair of Qecond fast-
2S ener portions adapted to ~ecome fixedly secured relative to
said window frame along side~ thereof, for engag~ng and diQ-
engaging the respective first fastener portion as the roller
i~ mov d to extend or contract ~aid sheet resp-ctiv-ly. The
assembly of the preceding type may further compriso a normal-
ly horizontal first faYtener portion secured to said outersurface along a normally horizontal line generallv parallel
with but spaced from said second end margin, and an addition-
al ~econd fastener portion adapted to become fixedly secured
relative to said window frame along a lower portion thereof.
The normally horizontal line is preferably generally coinci-
dent with said engagement line, whereby ~aid hold~ng means can
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10594Z4
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assist in maintaining the normally horizontal first fastener
portion in engagement with said additional second fastener
portion.
Furthermore, it is preferred that the lock means be man-
ually releasable bolt means adapted to interlock the rollerrelative to one of said brackets, rather than the known lock
arrangement used in the blind rollers and releasable by the
rotary movement of the roller. The present invention is part-
icularly useful in combination with a fastener known as ~Velcro"
~Tradem~rk) fastener of the type of a pair of strips inter-
locking or adhering to each other. Thus, an embodiment of the
present invention comprising this particular type of fastener
is also among preferred embodiments of the present invention.
The invention will now be described in greater detail
with reference to the accompanying simplified drawings wherein
like numerals are used to designate the same parts of the as-
sembly. It is to be appreciated at this point that the draw-
ings are simplified for the sake of more clearly showin~ the
features of the present invention, while omitting certain
parts that are not necessary for understanding the princ$ple
of the invention, even though they may be comprised in the
product. For instance, those skilled in the art will readily
appreciate from the following discu~sion that the "drop" rol-
ler ref-rred to hereinafter has a spring disposed interiorly
2S thereof as the roller is of the type of a spring-urged blind
roller of ordinary type. Yet, such spring is not shown in the
drawings as it i8 an element notoriously known in the art.
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a ~implified per~pective view of a blind
Qet of the pre6ent invention showing the blind in a half-ex-
tended states
Figure 2 is a view similar to that in figure 1 but show-
ing the blind in a fully extended state, covering a window;
Figure 3 is a schematic end view of a detail III as
35 marked in figure 1, indicating the principle of locking the
roller relative to its bracket; and
Figure 4 is a rear view of a blind sheet as shown in
figure 2 at a state immediately preceding that of figure 2,
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10594Z~ -
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when the blind is being closed.
Reference numeral 10 designates an interior wall of a
room in the immediate vicinity of a window. DisDosed over the
window is a sheet~ll of a ~lind. Th sheet has an upper end
edge 12, a lower end edge 13 (visible in Figure 4), a right-
hand side edge 14 and a left-hand side edge~l5. The outer or
exterior surface of the sheet 11 is marked with reference
numeral 16, ~hile its inner surface facing the interior of the
room is designated with rëference numeral~i7. t
A flat rod 18 is used in fixedly securing the upper mar-
gin of the blind sheet, by way of screws~l9, to an upper por-
tion 20 of a frame of the window.
As best seen from figure 4,the lower margin portion
adjacent to the lower end edge 13 is fixedly secured to a wind-
up roller 21 of a well known configuration generally corres-
ponding to the known blind rollers and including a cylindric
shell 22 (Figure 3) which is pivotable about an end çap 23,
normally coincident with ~he axial end III as designated in
Figure 1. As best seen in figure 3, the end cap 23 is gener-
ally integral with a flattened pin 24. The end ap 23 has,in the embodiment shown in the dr~wings, two radial depressions
~5 adapted to receive a reciprocating looking pin or bol~ ~26
pa~sing through the end portion of the cylindric shell 22.
Th- pin and th recei~ing peripheral depressions 25 are shown
in a schomatic way only, it being understood that the pin 26
i8 normally urged to stay in the position as shown in Figure
3, thu- rendering the shell 22 pivotable abDut the end cap 23.
For the sake of simplicity, means for maintaininq the Pin
26 in its ~released~ position is not shown.
The roller 21 is pivotally secured to ~ ~r~c~et 27 ~ ~YaY
of another end cap (not shown in detail) having a journal or
the like for allowing pivotal movement of roller 21 relative
to bracket 27. The opposite end (right-hand end of figure 1
or 2) has a similar bracket 28, through which passes the flat-
35 tened pin 24, which is fixedly secured to same, for instance ~-
by an adhesive or the lile, in a suitablv shape~ slot Provided
in bracket 28. The opposite ends of the respective ~rackets 27,
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and 28 are secured to a handle rod~2~, also referred to as
"holding means". It will be appreciated from figures l and 2
and also from figure 4 that the axial length of the handle rod
29 generally corresponds to the axial length of roller 21.
The handle rod 29 is secured to the respective brackets 27, 28
such that suitable extension pins 30,- 31 protrude each axiallv
away beyond the respective bracket 28, 27.
~ ~ ~~ - -A~pair of-hooks~32, 33 is fixëdly sëcured to the wall lO
in proximity of a lower portion 34 (figure 1) of the window
frame. It will be appreciated from figure 2 that the hooks
32, 33 are shaped such as to receive the pins 30, 31, res-
pectively,such that when the pins 30, 31 engage hooks 32, 33,
the rod 29 is generally parallel with the lower portion 34 of
the window frame and thus parallel with further parts thereof
lS as referred to hereinafter. _ __ _ __
The arrangement of the preferred embodiment of the present
invention utilizes a fastener of the type known as VELCR0
(trademark) fastener. As is well known, the VELCR0 fastener
iY generally comprised of a pile portion ana of a hook portion,
the two engaging each other for a relatively strong but rel-
easable connection.
Reference is now to ~e had to figure 4 which sho~8 onlv the
blind 11 in an extended state. Fixedly secured to the res-
pective margin~ generally coincident with edges lS, 14, are
2S pile strips of the VELCR0 fastener, the ~trips being referred
to w~th reference numerals 35 and 36 respectively. Another
pile ~trip of VELCRO fastener extends horizontally across the
she t 11 at a spacing from the low~r edge 13 of the sh-e~ at 37.
The hook strips of the VELCRO fa~tener co-acting with
the aforesaid strips 35, 36 and 37, are arranged to be fixedly
secured to the window frame to provide a right-hand side hook
strip 38, left-hand side hook strip 39 and a horizontal, trans-
verse hook strip 40. It will be appreciated on comparison of
figures l and 4, that the hook strip 40 is not only generally
coincident with the line defined by strip 37 but is also gen-
erally coincident with the line defined by the axis of rod 29
when same is engaged in hooks 32, 33, as shown in figure 2.
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With reference to the terminology introduced herein-
before, it will thus be appreciated that the side strips 3~,
39 of the VELCRO fastener are arranged to ~e or are fixedly
secured, for instance bv an adhesive, vertically along the
right-hand side portion of the window frame~2 and a left-hand
Side 43 of the frame, respectivelv,as indicated in figure 1.
Figure 4 also indicates in a sim~lified, schematic way
that the interior of the roller 21 comprises a coil spring ~ of
a well known general configuration adapted to urge the roller
21 to rotate such as to wind u~ the sheet 11 thereupon.
In operation and assuming that the pin 26 is disengaged
from a respective depression 25, with the roller now being near
the top of the sheet generallv covering the flat rod 18, the
operator pulls on rod 29 thus unwinding the sheet from the rol-
ler 21 and simultaneously engaging the respective verticalstrips 35, 36 of the blind sheet 11 with the corresponding
hook strips 38, 39. When the handle rod 29 is pulled te its
extreme low position (generally coincident with the condition
of figure 4), the pile strip 37 of the blind sheet 11 engages
the hook strip 40 secured to the hottom portion 34 of the
window frame. Thereupon, the rod is turned on top and
engaged in hooks 32, 33, bv its end protrusions 30, 31, as
shown in figure 2. In this position, the rod 29 presses against
the interior surface 17 of the sheet 11, thus maintaining the
portion corresponding to the line between hooks 32, 33 in a
releasable but firm engagement with the bottom portion 34 of
the window frame and, if the bottom portion is provided with
VELCRO fastener strips,assists in a firm engagement between the
two.
The pin 26 is manipulated into a locking arrangement with
the respective depression 25 before turning the rod 29 upwards
as indicated in figure 2.
Thus, it will be appreciated that a firm but releasable
connection is established between the blind and the window
frame which may contribute substantially to thermal insula-
tion between the interior of a room and the window pane.
Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that
many further embodiments exist which may differ from the em-
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bodiment described above. Thus, the arrangement and t~e of
fastener may differ from that shown in the preferred embodi-
ment. It is also prossible to avoid the horizontal low-
er strip of the VELCRO fastener as the com~ressing force of
the rod 29 mav prove to be sufficient to generally prevent
escapement of a warm heated air from the room into the space
between the blind sheet 11 and a window pane. Those skilled
in the art will also appreciate that the wind-up roller mav
be of a regular "self-locking" type, even though it is be-
lieved that a manually operable locking mechanism shcemati-
cally shown in figure 3 is preferable.
The shown blind sheet 11 is a coated sheet, it being
understood that semi-transparent or transparent sheets, used
str~ctly for the ~ake of thermal insulation, are no less ap-
lS plicable.
It follows from the above examples of dificationsthat many different embodiments may exist departing from the
disclosed embodiment, without departing from the scope of
the present invention as recited in the accompanying claims.
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