Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
The presen-t in~en-tion realtes to a vertically posi-tion-
ing window installation including a window frame provided with
a shading system.
The basic idea of positioning a roller type of window
screen vertically in a window frame to change its effective
area of screening is old in the art. Various devices have been
patented and those known to the applicant at the time which
are considered to be -the closest prior art are summari~ed
briefly below.
~ 1 ~
..
Thiel, U.S. Patent No. 394,737, issued Dec. 1888,
utilizes an ordinary roll-up type of window shade and instead
of mounting it at the top of the window opening provides for its
riding on guide rods at the sides of the window with a pulley
and rope arrangement to raise and lower the screen ro]ler to any
desired posi-tion.
Brown, U.S. Paten-t No. 938,207, issued October 1909,
teaches the use of angle iron brackets at the sides of the win-
dow providing rails from which L-shaped pla-tes are permit-ted
to ride, said pla-tes holding the roller in position which may be
altered by the use of suitable rope and pulley arrangements
mounted on -the window frame and at-tached to the sliding slide
plates holding the roller.
Joseph, U.S. Patent No. 1,303,678, issued April l91g,
-teaches the use of horizontal metal slats to hold -the screen rol-
ler which are positioned vertically in the window screen by
means of chain and sprocket combina-tions, provisions being made
to hold the chain in a given position and consequently provide
for changing the loca-tion of -the roller.
Heck, U.S. Patent No. ~,202,395, issued October 1980,
utilizes vertically movable bars wi-th zig-zag panels in between,
the bars being changeable in loca-tion by means of parallel cords
which in turn cause the bars to act on -the slats after -the manner
somewhat of a venetian blind. The cord arrangement is of paral
lelogram configuration and is very different from the arrangement
of applicant.
Hopkins, U.S. Patent No. 785,806, issued March 1905,
uses a hollow roller through which cords pass connecting with
sliding crossheads moving in vertical grooves which hold the
roller and hence the shade in a proper horizontal position.
My U.S. Paten-t No. ~,326,577, issued April 27, 19~2,
utilLzes hollow rollers and tension cords so arranged in or upon
J~
a window frame as -to remain in tension at all -times and hold
-the rollers in any given desired position because of their novel
me-thod of -threading through the rollers and attaching -to -the
frame. In that invention, I use two sets of cords of two each
or a total of four which somewhat complicates -the tension adjust-
ment of the cords.
- 2a -
'f~
My improved screen and roller combination, as my
previous invention as disclosed in U.S. Patent NoO 4,326,577
issued April 27, 1932, departs from -the traditional screen
arrangement using two rollers from which the connecting screen
is rolled and unrolled to change the area oE screening. The
rollers and hence the screen is supported in any desired position
by a novel and improved cord arrangement which permits the entire
screen to be raised and lowered by changing the position of
the upper roller and the screen opening is altered by rotation
of the lower roller wl-thout the necessity of any positioning
devices such as pulleys, chains, ropes or springs. My novel
and improved construction provides for the support cords to be
threaded through the rollers and over and around the window
frame back to anchor positions at the base of the window main-
taining tension on the cords and hence holding the rollers in
any given position, including a position at an angle to the
horizontal roller and permitting ready removal for cleaning~
etc.
According to the present invention therefore there is
provided a vertically positioning window ins-talla-tion including
a window frame provided wi-th a shading system comprising: a
:ti.rst upper hollow non-rotating horizon-tal roller; a second lower
hollow rotating roller parallel to said .Eirst roller; a vertical
screen having one of its parallel horizontal edges fixedly
positioned upon said first roller and its opposite edge fixedly
positioned on said second roller; a first cord means having
its ends fixedly positioned on opposite sides of the lower
edge of a window frame; said first cord means being disposed to
suspend said first roller through its hollow center while
permitting a vertical movement of translation of said first
roller along said first cord means; a second cord means having
its ends fixedly positioned on the opposite sides of the lower
edge of said window frame; said second cord means being disposed
to suspend said second roller through its hollow center while
permitting a combined movement of ro-tation and translation
of said second roller; said first roller being equipped
with a respective cap at each end, each of said caps having a
pair of holes positioned one above -the other drilled through
them; said second roller being ecluipped with a respec-tive cap
at eaeh end, each of said caps having a hole drilled through it
coneentric to said roller; said first cord means passlng from
one side of said lower edge of said window frame in turn through
the lower of said holes i.n the first end of said first roller,
thence through -the interior of said first roller, thence through
the upper of said holes in a second end of said first roller,
thence vertically upwards to the -top of said window frame to a
firs-t holding means positioned thereon, thence horizontally
across the top of said window frame to a second holding member
positioned thereon, thence vertically downward to the upper of
said holes i.n said first end of said first roller, thence through
the interior of said firs-t roller, thence through the lower of
said holes in said second end of said first roller, thence
vertically downward to the opposite side of said lower edge;
said second cord means passing in turn from one side-of said
lower edge of said window in turn through the coneentric hole
in the firs-t end of said second roller, thence through the
interior of said second roller through the concentrie hole in
a second holding member, thence ver-tically downwards to said
a second end of said second roller, thence vertically upwards to
the top of said wlndow frame to a first holding member, thence
horizontally across the top of said window frame to said second
holding member, thence vertically downwards to said concentric
hole in said first end of said second roller, -thence through the
- 3a -
~¢3~
interior of said second roller through sald concen-tric hole in
said second end of said second roller, t~lence vexticall~ down-
wards to the opposite side of said lower edge.
The present invention will be further illustrated
by way oE the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig~ 1 is a front elevation of a window frame showing
my system installed inside the framei
Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram for better understanding
of the improved method of installing my cords which comprise
10 the heart of the operating system;
Fig. 3 is a partial isometric showing the top of a win-
dow frame with my improved system installed on its outer face;
F'ig. ~ is an end view of the angle bracket for turning
and holding the cords when used inside the frame as in Fig. l;
~ ig. 5 shows the adjustable knob for turning and holding
the cords when the system is installed on the face of a window
frame as in Fig. 3; and
Fig. 6 shows a roller with my improved method of
fastening the screen to the roller.
- 3b -
Referrlng now to the Figures and especially first to
Fig. 1, there is seen a typlcal window frame 1, a screen 2, the
upper roller 3 of my system and the lower roller 4. The ends of
screen 2 may be fastened -to rollers 3 and 4 respectively by any
suitable means such as a "Velcro" (-trademark) fasteners or by
the preferred method whic~l I descxibe below and is illustrated
in Fig. 6.
A-t -the ends of roller 3 are positioned knobs 9 which
form a part -thereof. In each of knobs 9 -there is drilled an
upper hole lOa and a lower hole lOb, -the function of which is
set forth below. On roller No. 4 are posi-tioned knobs 11 a-t
the end of which are drilled concentric holes 12 whose func-tion
is also se-t for-th below. Angle brackets or hooks 13c in Fig. 1
or 13b in Fig. 3, which are shown in greater de-tail in Figs. 4
and 5, respectively, are positioned a-t the top of the frame for
passage and holding of the cords. The ends of the cords are
secured by any sui-table fas-tening means a-t the bo-ttom of the
frame as shown at 14.
Atten-tion should now be given to Fig. 1 in conjunction
with Fig. 2 to understand the method of ins-talling my opera-ting
cords. In this improved embodiment I use -two separate cords
designated as l5a and 15b. S-tarting firs-t with cord 15a from
its arlchor point in Fig. 14, I rise vertically to hole lOb in
the knoh 9 of roller 3. I pass -through the interior of this
roller and out the opposite end -through -the upper hole lOa and
then upwards to my angle bracke-t or -turning knob, as the case
may be 13b or c. I then proceed hori70ntally across the -top of
the window frame 1 to -the opposite side and again around the
angle bracke-t or knob 13b or c downwards to the upper hole lOa
in knob 9 on roller 3. I pass through the interior of this
roller and out through the lower ho]e lOb on the opposite end
and thence downward to the anchor point 14 at the bo-ttom of -the
window frame.
Now turning our attention to -the second cord designa-
ted as 15b, I again star-t from anchor point 14 and go upwards
-to concen-tric hole 12 in knob 11 -through roller 4 and out the
opposi-te end, again -through concentric ~lole 12 and thence upwards
to -turning bracket or knob 13b or c, -thence horizontally -to the
corresponding -turning knob or bracke-t on the opposite side of
the window frame, thence downward again -to concentric hole 12 in
knob 11 through roller 4, ou-t the opposite end of roller 4
through concentric hole 12 and back down to anchor point 14. The
cords are all held in sui-table tension by anchor means 14.
tt is -thus seen -tha-t with this improved embodiment I
need use only two cords which simplifies -the matter of main-tain-
ing proper tension. Because of the essen-tially single cord
arrangement of 15a I am able -to tilt roller 3 at any ang]e desired
from -the horizontal and s-till main-tain tension on -the cords.
Looking a-t Fig. 4, -there is seen the angle bracket 13c
of Fig. 1 having holes 33 for fas-tening the window frame 1 and a
slot 32 for passage of -the cords.
In Fig. 5 there is seen a detail of my knob 13b of
l`ig. 3 which is screwed in-to the window frame as shown by means
oE hex nut 34. Washer 35 and acorn nut 36 serve -to hold the
cords in fixed posi-tion when proper tension has been established.
Referring now to Fig. 6 there is seen one of my rol-
lers, either 3 or 4, with its knobs 10 or 11. In this embodimen-t
-these knobs are equipped wïth an additional hole 62. The rol-
lers in this case are equipped wi-th a longitudinal slo-t 63
through out their length positioned opposite hole 62. My screen
2 is made with a hem 64 -to accommodate a sliding rod 61. Wi-th
this embodimen-t I insert my hemmed end 64 of screen 2 into slo-t
63 and then insert rod 61 -through -the hem of screen 2 -through i-ts
entire length and then out the hole 62 at -the opposite end. This
serves to offer a positive engagemen-t be-tween the edge of screen
2 and the roller 3 or 4 and at the same time makes it readily
removable for washing or cleaning of the screen 2.
The opera-tion of my system is essentially -the same as
that in my V.S. Patent No. 4,326,577. Upper roller 3 is placed
in the highest possible position in window frame 1 by merely
physically moving the roller upwards with -the mo-tion of -transla-
tion, -the cords 15a sliding -through the hollow interior of roller
3 while main-taining -tension -throughout -the system. Screen 2 is
then attached -to roller 3 by any suitable means men-tioned above,
preferably the one illus-trated in Eig. 6. Screen 2 is -then
stretched out its full length and its lower edge engaged on rota-
ting roller 4, also by means of sui-table fastening means as des-
cribed above. To change -the effec-tive screen leng-th of screen
2, bottom roller is -then merely rotated by hand causing the
screen to wind up upon its perime-ter. When thus shortening the
screen, the rol]er 4 will move upwards and -the cords 15b being
concen-tric will permi-t this movement upwards along the length of
the cords while main-taining -tension against the anchors 14. Any
2() des;red amount of screening may be obtained depending upon how
m~lch tlle screen is rolled up on roller 4.
To position the screening area vertically in -the win-
down opening in order to locate -the effective screening area in
the desired elevation, roller 3 is grasped and is physically
moved upwards and downwards with a motion of translation. :[n
this case cords 15a passing -through holes lOa and 10b and a
hollow interior roller 3 slide through the roller and maintain
its posi-tion because of the tension and friction of the cords
brough-t about by their passage through -the hollow interior of
roller 3 and the tension maintained by anchors 14. In this man-
ner any desired amount of window area may be screened and -the
location of the screened area positioned ver-tically a-t any
~35~
desirable point, the .rollers 3 and 4 being maintained in posi-
-tion by the action of -the cords.
The effectiveness and simplicity of opera-tion of my
system and its construction are now evident, as well as its
construction are now evident, as well as i-ts novely and su-
periority over the prior art through -the absence of elaborate
sys-tems of pulleys, ropes, springs and o-ther devices as se-t
forth above, all of which I elimina-te.
