Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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RETRACTABLE SELF RC3LL~I'~TG BLIP, AW1~.~3G CR ACG~i. APPARATHS
FIELD OF THE fF~t~'EI~TIOI\
This invention relates to self rolling apparatus based on a conventional
spring mechanism
far items such as blinds, awnings and savers. However, the invention shoz~ld
not be
construed as being limited thereto and any similar arrangement whereby the
invention
maybe suitably adapted is meant to be encompassed including advertising signs
and the
like.
BACKGRfJUNI~ TO THE il~~'FNTIO~
Conventional spring blinds are provided with a so-called hollow keyway tube
onto which
one end of siutable blind fabric ar other material is attached, the remainder
of the material
being wrapped or rolled around the periphery of the tube. A spring mechanism
is
provided within the hollow hibe, which is itself supported between siutable
brackets.
The blind fabric maybe caused to unroll far any desired length (up to the
limit of material
called on the tube), usually by pulling an it, which causes the tube to rotate
about it's
axis, thereby winding up (ie. further tensioning ) the spring mechanism.
In a conventional, free hanging blind, a locking means is also provided which
prevents
the spring from unwinding by itself However upon releasing the spring
mechanism, the
tube is able to re-roll the unfurled material back onto itself.
Such an arrangement is particularly suitable for vertically hung blinds,
although the same
principles maybe applied in other situations where a cover (eg. Swimming pool
cover) or
awliing is required to extend over a specific area. However, where the blind
or cover is
not vertically hung, it will be generally found that the locking to secure the
blind against
re-rolling means ( usually in the form of pins which act with gravity) is not
needed as the
blind itself will be preferably held taught by means of some suitable
arrangement such as
a hook or catch arrangement.
In such situations however, especially in horizontal arrangements such as pool
covers or
external awnings, there is a limit to the useful span of cover which could be
conveniently
achieved (ie. Considering the length of material which maybe unrolled),
requiring larger
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spring mechanisms to accommodate greater lengths of material to be extended
and
rewound. This of course means more di~culty of operation, as it becomes
necessary to
pull against increasing tension of larger springs over greater lengths of
material required
to be unrolled. Hence there are no known solutions for covering larger
expanses.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to avercorne or at least
ameliorate some
or all of the foregoing disadvantages by providing an improved retractable
railing
apparahis, relying in principle on the use of more than one sheet of material
(and
especially two sheets) rolled about a keyway tube of an otherwise conventional
spring
type blind ar awning mechanism, each of the sheets extending generally (but
not
necessarily) in opposite directions, so that in the case of two sheets of
material pulled in
opposite directions, the span of extended material is effectively doubled far
each
revolution of the tube, when compared with a single sheet.
In this way, the span covered by a particular size of spring mechanism may
itself be
effectively doubled. 'This follows from the fact that the spring is twisted by
the rotation of
the tube. Far a given number of revolutions of the tube, double the coverage
will be
achieved. Tt will of course be appreciated that compared with conventional
spring blind
mechanism in which the keyway tube and spring remains supported between fed
brackets, the keyway tube in the present invention is free to travel as the
self rolling
apparahis is unwound, the free end of one fabric portion itself being securely
anchored or
attached (instead of the spring and keyway tube being held in a fined location
as in a
conventional arrangement).
It is generally found that with conventional arrangemen~.ts especially in use
as an awning,
the sagging, that is the weight and stability of the material extended over a
large area is a
major problem, in the present invention this problem is greatly reduced due to
the
traveling of the keyway tube, and the tension of the spring.
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T~ISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention there is provided a retractable self
xolling blind,
awning or cover apparatus, comprising two or more sheets of fabric or other
suitable
material afbxed and wound conjointly about a keyway tube. The hibe being
fitted with a
conventional spring mechanism or similar for use with blinds, awnings and the
like, the
spring mechanism being pretensioned so as to causing the sheets of fabric to
be rewound
about the keyway tube when one or more of the sheets of fabric is released
from it's
extended or unwound position, and wherein the keyway tube and spring are
allowed to
travel during unwinding and winding up of the fabric.
The ends (that is the spring mechanism end and the opposite idler end ) which
are
normally supported between two fined brackets in a conventional blind, awning
arrangement are now provided with wheels or a wheel unit or brackets attached
to wheels
or a wheel unit, a carriage or alike.
The wheels, or wheel unit or alike will be placed in tracks or alike to
prevent the spring
from losing it's tension. The wheel unit placed in the track will absorb the
spring tension
and not allow the spring tension to be released, but at the same time allowing
the wheels
to roll freely, and allow the keyway tube and spring to travel back and forth
along the
traclc.
Thus, in one particular embodiment of the invention, where an area is to be
covered, such
as a pool, pergola or over a glass roof, such wheels and tracks will assist
the rolling of the
tube, especially by keeping the fabric of the cover above the area to be
covered, thereby
assisting with the rolling of the tube and it's material. Tlus arrangement
provides great
stability for the keyway tube and solid support for the material, thereby
reducing the
sagging of the material, ht any event, any such wheels may conveniently be
allowed to
travel freely in the tracks over the area being covered, the tracks will
provide the
necessary clearance needed. The type of wheels, the niunber of wheels and the
arrangement of wheels will depend on the particular use to wluclx the
apparatus is to be
put.
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It will also be understood that the position of any such wheels will depend on
several
factors in the design of the specific unit to be employed. Similarly any
suitable roller type
arrangement maybe substituted for wheels as such. Although several geometrical
arrangements are thus possible, it has been found especially useful to have
the wheel unit
mounted on to floe spring end and idler end where the embodiment functions as
an
awning or cover.
In a particular embodiment suitable for shade covers and awnings, ie where the
whole
apparatus is effectively suspended above an area, or even below a ceiling (eg.
Glass
ceiling), the spring end and the opposite idler end may be provided with
wheels, or a
wheel unit conveniently arranged to run on guide wires or the like to allow
the tube to
travel in the direction in which the blind or cover material is to be rolled
and unrolled, but
restricting lateral movement along the axis of the tube, thereby giving it not
only support
but stability to the arrangement as a whole.
To assist in this arrangement, the wheel unit or alike will preferably house
four pulley
type wheels, two wheels at the tap to sit and roll on the wire and two wheels
below the
wire. 'The wheel unit will retain the tension on the spring but at the same
time allow the
smooth rolling of the wheels. The wheel unit in this case will encapsulate the
wire so that
the wheel unit does not come off the wire during the r olling and unrolling of
the material.
It will generally be appreciated that in any such arrangement described
herein, one end of
one sheet of fabric or material will itself be secured in a suitable position
for it's intended
use, whilst the free end of the other fabric sheet(where two are utilized),
will correspond
with the free end of the blind material in a conventional single sheet
arrangement, thus
allowing the spring and keyway tube to move or travel as the rolling apparahxs
is unrolled
and rolled.
To provide yore tension and balance to the apparatus, the idler end can be
replaced with
a reverse spring, so that the keyway tube now has two springs, giving greater
force and
evenness to the apparatus as it travels, rolling and unrolling the material.
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However, whilst these are the preferred arrangements, especially in situations
such as for
use in swimming pool covers, or general awning arrangements, no such
limitation is
actually meant in relation to use of the invention as a whole and other
arrangements,
particularly for certain special awnings and the like, and where more than two
sheets are
utilized, more than one such end may be held in fixed location as required.
Embodiments of the invention may find practical application as pool covers,
ground
covers, for shading, as glass room covers, caravan annexes and extensions and
so forth.
In this regard, one particular embodiment utilizing three sheets of fabric,
allows for a pair
of sheets to form an awning or effective ceiling, whilst a third sheet nay
drop down from
the central keyway tube to form a wall portion or divider.
It will also be appreciated in situafiions where the self rolling apparatus is
utilized as say
a swimuning pool cover there are considerable advantages in having the two
sheets of
material unroll from a common tube since each piece of material maybe
conveniently
shaped to correspond to that portion of the pool over which it is to be
extended.
With advantage, two or more self rolling apparatuses according to the
invention may be
coupled together to extend the area which maybe covered. In this way, the end
of one
material panel will be connected by suitable means to the end of another
material panel
extending in opposite direction from the next adjacent rolling apparatus. This
arrangement can also be achieved by having one very long piece of material
divided into
sections and then locating a number of spring and keyway tube and wheels
arrangements
at suitable points to allow for the rolling and unrolling of the material as
one unit.
When used as a pool cover, the apparatus according to the invention has the
advantage of
being more fully supported than a simple rolled out tarpaulin or cover. One
advantage
following from this arrangement is that fallen leaves etc. are more readily
kept on the
cover (anl so prevented from falling into the pool) so that they are
transported away from
the pool area and rnay be removed conveniently by a suitable spreader type
arrangement
and allowed to drop say to the side, dwing retraction of the mechanism.
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One advantage that has been found in utilizing the invention is that the
creasing of the
fabric as it rolls is markedly reduced where two or more fabric panels are
wound up
together, as compared with rolling a single panel in a conventional
arrangement.
In another embodiment of the invention, an awning in which one horizontal
"ceiling"
panel is formed from one slieet of material, whilst a second sheet forms a
vertical "wall"
is envisaged. The keyway tube in this case may conveniently act as the
junction of the
wall and ceiling portions, being itself a rigid member to fiu-ther provide
stability and
integrity to such a stricture.
Another embodiment of tb.e invention resides in utilizing the self rolling
structure as an
extendible vertical panel. In this embodiment the wheels on one end, that is
to say the
lower end, of the self rolling apparatus will be perpendicular to those
utilized in the
aforementioned embodiments. The upper and lower wheels may run and be
supported iri
tracks or g~udes or alike. This embodiment will be useful in large doorways or
as vertical
screens and temporary walls.
Although the spring mechanism in the majority of cases would be used it may
not be the
only way to roll and unroll the material, it is possible to introduce an
electric motor (as
used in awnings and blinds) to replace the spring mechanism but still having
the keyway
tube traveling as it rolls and unrolls the material. This may suit more rigid
type material
such as aluminium, similar to the ones used for security shutters, roller
shutters and the
like.
Another embodiment of the invention fox use as a movable or transferable
awning is to
have temporary locking points located along the length of the tracks or wire
allowing the
apparatus as a whale unit to be positioned, anchored and extended anywhere
along tl~e
tracks, for example following the direction of the sun for shading purposes.
Embodiments of the invention may also find practical use as hose reels or
retracting
electrical cord, as a temporary fruit net, a conveyer and so forth.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying
drawings of
which;
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a rolling apparatus, especially suitable for
use as an
awning, according to the present invention, in the rolled up or contracted
state.
Fig. IA is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention for use as an
awning
showing the spring end attached to the wheel unit inside the track.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the rolling apparatus according to fig. 1 but
in an unrolled
or extended state,
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a similar arrangement to that shown in fig.1
and fig. 2 fox
use as a cover, herein shown in the extended position only, except that a
different wheel
unit is allowed to travel on guide support wires.
Fig. 3A is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention for use as an
awning
showing the spring end attached to wheel unit in conjunction with a guide
wire.
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a similar arrangement to that shown in fig, l
and fig. 2
herein shown in extended form. only for use as a roof and wall cover except
that the
tracks are provided with a curve track section to allow the wheels to roll
downwards to
create a wall.
Fig. S is a front view of an embodiment of the invention for use as an
extendable vertical
panel, herein shown in extended form only, the panel in this case is being
pulled from left
to right.
BEST MODE OF GARRYIrIG OUT THE INVENTION
Referring generally to the drawings and in particular to fig.1 and 2 there is
depicted a
rolling apparahis, generally referenced 11, comprising a lceyway tube I2,
having a
keyway I3, which runs along the length thereof The spring mechanism end 14,
and idler
end 1 S, located at each end of the keyway tube 12 are fitted with a wheel
unit I6, which
support the rolling apparatus 11 and allows it to roll in any suitable tracks
22.
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Two sheets of cover material I7 are wound about a keyway 12. The inner edges
of each
sheet of material 17, not visible, are fitted within the keyway slot 13 which
nms along the
length of the t<ibe 12, in known fashion (except that two sheets rather than
one sheet are
fitted). The two sheets of material I7 are each provided with a bar member I8
at their
free ends to assist in pulling the sheets and generally supporting the free
ends thereof.
Wheels 2U, are fitted to the ends of bar member 18 and then placed into
firacks 22. One
or more hooks 19 or similar pull facility are also provided in the vicinity of
the ends of
the sheets of material 17 to fiuther facilitate grasping and pulling, ar
otherwise retain
where appropriate, each sheet of material 17 against a fixed feature such as a
wall 27 etc.
(not shown). In this case a pull stick 40 is utilized as illustrated on one of
the hooks 19,
in this case a central one at one free end of material 17, whilst the other
end is retained by
suitable means (not illustrated).
Bar member 18, on the free end is pulled along by hook 19, this free end is
pulled in
order to assist in it's travel across the relevant tracks 22, especially where
that area is
relatively expansive, as this will provide support and ease of use.
Depicted in fig. 3 is an alternate arrangement in which the identical
components are
referenced with the same reference numerals. In this embodiment however, the
wheel
unit 16, located in tracks 22, are replaced with an ~.lternate set of wheels
unit i6 located
instead on guide support wires 23.
In use, the invention as illustrated in either embodiment of Figs. 1 to 3
functions in an
identical way. That is to say, in order to unroll the apparatus, it is only
necessary to grasp
and pull on one end of one sheet of material, whilst the end of the other
sheet of material
is prevented from moving by any suitable means. As the first sheet is pulled,
it causes the
rolling apparatus to unwind allowing the apparatus itself to move in the
direction in
which the first sheet is being pulled. The apparaW s is assisted in it's
travel by rolling on
the wheels provided. Due to the geometry of the arrangement, the apparatus
(keyway
tube and spring) will travel one half of the distance spanned by the two
sheets ofmaterial,
that is the effective distance that the end of the brst sheet itself will have
traveled.
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On the other hand it will be understood that the rolling apparatus itself
maybe kept
stationary and allowed to enroll as both sheets are piijled simutaneously in
opposite
directions should that arrangement be more desirable in certain situations. In
awning
arrangements, it will also be appreciated that each free end of material may
be secured
against movement whilst the rolling apparatus is caused to move tangentially
away from
the shortest line between the two ends to form for example a wall and ceiling
arrangement.
Fig. 4 shows an embodiment suitable for use as an awning and side cover,
wherein
similar components to those shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are again indicated by the
same
reference numerals. In this case the bar member 1 g on one free end is fixed
by suitable
means to for example a wall 27, while the other free end is extended forming a
roof , the
tracks 22 are provided with a curve track section 29, the wheels 16 on the
free end travel
downwards as the free end is extended further creating a wall.
Referring to Fig. 5 for use as a vertical screen, roll out door or temporary
wall panel,
again utilizing identical reference numerals for similar parts to those in Fig
1 and 2, there
is shown a self rolling apparatus 1 l, comprising a keyway tube 12. The spring
14 and
idler end 15 mounted on to a wheel unit 16, which are placed and roll in
tracks 22. One
free end is attached to a wall 27, by suitable means as the other free end
with bar member
18 is extended horizontally, in this case left to right to enclose a doorway
for example.
The wheels 16 travel in a track 22 placed along the ground and in the opposite
track 22
above it, the apparatus in this case is sitting vertically and is allowed to
travel back and
forth.
The foregoing describes only some embodiments of the present invention, and
modifications to those skilled in the art can be made thereto without
departing from the
scope of the present invention.
