Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present inven-tion relates to venetian blinds, and
more specifically to a method oE and appara-tus for making vene-
-tian blinds semi-au-tomatically. SUch machines are known in the
art, and applicant is aware of three pa-tents relating to the man-
ufacture of venetian blinds, namely U.S. Paten-ts 2,635,333;
2,532,29~; and 3,292,232.
The presen-t invention provides a semi-automatic vene-
tian blind assembling machine in which a plurality of venetian
blinds can be manufactured sirnultaneously.
According to the present invention there is provided a
me-thod of producing a plurality of vene-tian blinds simultane-
ously, comprising the steps of ta) set-ting up a plurali-ty of
blind producing sta-tions adjacen-t -to each other; each station
supporting a venetian blind head rail, a vene-tian blind bottom
rail be]ow said head rail, and a plurality of spaced venetian
blind ladders parallel to each o-ther and spaced over the wid-th of
-the respective s-tation; the head rail, bottom rail, and blind
ladders of one s-ta-tion being separate from the head rail, bo-ttom
rail and blind ladders respectively of another station; (b) cut-
ting from a continuous supply oE slat material a length corre-
sponding essentially to the width of the plurality of s-tations;
and s:imultaneously punching into said leng-th of material openings
at locations corresponding -to the ladders in the finished plural-
ity of blinds; (c) feeding the cut length of slat material into
the blind stations, through the ladders of the blinds, until the
slat material engages a s-top adjacent the las-t of said plurality
o stations as seen from said supply; (d) cutting the slat mate-
rial between adjacent ones of said plurality of s-tations; and (e)
repeating steps (b), (c) and (d) until a desired vertical length
of blind between said head and bot-tom rails has been produced.
The present invention also provides an apparatus for
producing a plurality of venetian blinds simultaneously, compris-
ing (a) a plurality of blind producing stations arranged adjacen-t
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to each other; each station having means for supporting a vene-
-tian blind head rail, means for suppor-ting a venetian blind bot-
tom rail below said head rail, and means for suspending a plural-
ity oE venetian blind ladders parallel -to each other and spaced
over the width of the respective sta-tion; the head rail, bottom
rail, and blind ladders of one s-ta-tion being separate from the
head rail, bottorn rail and blind ladders respectively of another
station; (b) mearls arranged ahead of said s-ta-tions -Eor cutting
from a continuous supply of slat material a leng-th corresponding
essentially to the width of -the plurality of stations; and means
for simul-taneously punching in-to said length of material openings
at locations corresponding to the ladders in -the finished plural-
ity of blinds; (c) s-top means behind the last of said stations as
seen from said supply; (d) means for feeding the cut leng-th of
slat material in-to the blind stations, through the ladders of the
blinds, until the sla-t material engages said stop means; and (e)
means located between ad;acent ones of said plurality of stations
Eor cu-tting the slat material. Desirably said cu-tting means
located between stations is a cu-tting die.
The invention is illustrated, by way of example, in -the
accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 diagramatically illustrates a venetian blind
assembly machine according to the invention;
Fig. 2 is a front view of a venetian blind assembling
machine according to the present invention having two adjacent
stations, and including a slat cutting device between the sta-
30 tiO~lS;
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Eig. 3 is a side vie~, partiallv in section, of the
slat cutting device of Fig. 2 on a scale considerablv
larser than in Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 is a front view, partially in section of the
slat cuttins device;
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the slat cutting de-
vice; and
Fig. 6 is a b lo c'~ diagram showins the interconnection
betr~een the required elements o~ the machine.
~etailed Descri~tion of a Preferred ~rnbodiment
Referring nor~ ~o the drawings in detail, Figs. 1 and 2
sho~ 2 venetian blind assembl~ rnzc~ine accordins to the ?reselt
inven~ cn, seneraLly designatec ~ith reference numeral 10.
It corr~-ises two adjacen~ stations 12, 14, moun~ed on a cor~mon
Erane 16. ~.owev r, there could be more than two such stations.
Each sta~ion 12, 1!~ is capa~le or assenblins a vene~ian blinc
13.
As is well kno~n in the art, such venetian blinds CO}l-
ist of a blind head or head rail 1~, a pluralit~r of paralLel
and
slats 20, a bottom rail 22,/a number of ladders 24 (in the
blinds illustrated there are two). The venetian blind also
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com?rises a lift cord 26 for liftin~ and lowerinc t.~e sla-s
20 and a wand 28 for tilting the slats.
Ordinarily, one venetian blind at a time is ~roduced
on one machine.
However, according to the present invention, a plura-
lity of blinds can be produce~ simultaneouslv. In the illus-
trated example two blinds are manufactu~ed ~owe~er, three,
four or more such blinds could be manufactured simultaneouslv,
following the same principle.
The venetian blinds 13 are asse.~bled each from a bot~om
rail 22 and a head rail 18 held in s2aced parallel rel2tion-
ship t'nereto. Ladders 2~ are verticallv suspended -rom reels
30, 32. Aluminum stoc~ materiaL in roll form is stored on the
side of the mac~.ine on a roll 3~ ana is ~L rst fed to a pu~chins
station 31 where the stock material is cut to a lencth corres-
ponding to the length oL materlal recuired ror t:~e number o
venetian blinds produced in the machine.
In th~ illustrated case this amour.tSt3 twice _i~e width
(11+ 12) of the blind ?lus the spacing oetweenn stat,ons(s).
At both ends the stoc~ materlal is rounded bv dies 35.
Simultaneously, dies 39 punch holes in the stock m~terial 37
at locations where in the finished blinds the lift and tilt
cords pass through the sla,s.
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Between the t~o stations the~2 is arranged a slat
cutting device 34. .~s shown in Fig. 1, a lenath of material
roughlv e~uivalent to two blinds is passed through the lacders
24 of both stations by a roller 36 against a sto~ 38 which has
a trip mechanism operativel~ connected to the slat cutter 34
to cut the malerial at the location shown. The sla~s of both
stations are immediatel~r pushed down. ~hereupon, the roller 36
may ra?idly pass, or throw,slat material consistlng of a t
length of t-~o venetian blinds through the ladders 24, and the
procedure is repeated.
The details OL the slat cutter device are illustrated
in Figs. 2 and 3. It comprises a punch 40 and a die A,~,' Puncn
40 is supparted by a mounting plate 4~ which in turn is supported
by suide posts 4~ in a housing 46. A conduit 48 is located
abo~re the die 3i'ror discharging scrap .netal pieces along a ~ath
indicat-d bv arrow 50. .~~ter the individual slats have reen
cut, t-~o at a time, bv tne cutting de~ice, the ladders a-e 2uto-
maticall~ moved do~ a-d, and wit:n it the slats alread-~i betwee~.
the runqs. Aft~r all sla_s ha~e been. cut for a particula~ vene~
tian blind the entire blind is removed from the ~,ork station.
Fig. 6 illustrates a block diagram for operating the
blind making ~achine, showing the stop 38 connected to the
34
ladder feed reels 30, 32 and the cut~ing die/,as well as to
the dies 39 for the holes in, the stock material, and the
connection to the feeding roller 36.
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