Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE
FABRIC COVERED RAIL FOR PLEATED SHADE
FIELD OF INVENTION
The invention relates to a rail that can be used as a headrail or a bottomrail
for a
pleated shade window covering.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
One popular type of window covering is the pleated shade. This type of shade
has a headrail and a bottomrail and a panel of pleated material connected
between them
that stacks in an accordion fashion. There may be a single layer of material
or the panel
could be a honeycomb structure. This type of shade is available in a variety
of fabrics
and materials ranging from opaque to translucent. The headrail used in most
pleated
shades is an elongated U-shaped structure that extends the width of the shade
and
contains the mechanism for raising the pleated shade. The bottomrail is
usually a
tubular structure that may have a rectangular, hemispherical or other cross
section.
Most headrails and bottomrails are painted metal or plastic and are white,
beige or a
color that matches the pleated material. Consequently, a fabricator usually
carries an
inventory of several colors of headrails and bottomrails for each model or
style of shade
that the fabricator sells.
For many years the industry has offered headrails and bottomrails that are
covered with fabric. The fabric may be glued over the exposed surfaces of the
headrail
or bottomrail. United States Patent No. 5,049,424 discloses a fabric covered
metal rail
that can be used as either a headrail or a bottomrail. Another style of
headrail has slots
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or recesses that hold a strip of fabric. United States Patent Nos. 4,840,216
and
4,921,031 disclose headrails that have decorative inserts. In United States
Patent No.
6,056,035 a headrail is disclosed in which a panel of material is attached to
and hangs
from the front surface of the headrail. One problem with these fabric-covered
rails is
that the fabric used for the headrail or bottomrail is not cut from the same
piece of
material that is used for the pleated panel. Since there often are variations
in hue
among different die lots of the same material, the fabric on the headrail may
be darker
or lighter than the pleated panel. Many people consider a window covering
having a
headrail or bottomrail covered in a fabric that is slightly lighter or darker
than the
pleated panel to be unattractive and will not purchase the product. The
solution to this
problem is to extend the fabric panel over the headrail or bottomrail. Indeed,
United
States Patent No. 1,321,800 discloses a window covering in which the fabric
panel
extends over and is attached to the front surface of the headrail.
There have been several window coverings in which the fabric is attached to
the
front of the headrail. While these products have been well received, they are
much
more difficult to manufacture than other pleated shades. This is so because
the fabric
must be straight and have no wrinkles. Consequently, great care must be taken
to apply
the fabric to the headrail. There is a need for a headrail and bottomrail that
can be
rapidly covered with the fabric of the pleated shade panel without producing
wrinkles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
I provide a rail for pleated shades that has a base and a front wall
attached to the base at an acute angle. The edge between the base and the
front wall
serves as a guide for applying a portion of the pleated material over the
rail. To attach
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the pleated material to the rail the fabricator positions the pleated material
so that one
pleat is on the edge between the front wall and the base. Then he or she wraps
a portion
of the pleated material across the outside face of the front wall, over the
top edge of the
front wall and onto the inside surface of the front wall. I prefer to provide
an adhesive
on the inside surface of the front wall. Then the fabric can be attached to
the front wall
by pressing the fabric against the inside surface of the front wall.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent
from a description of certain present preferred embodiments thereof that are
shown in
the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the front of a pleated shade in which
the
headrail and the bottomrail are fabric-covered rails in accordance with the
present
invention.
Figure 2 is a front view of a present preferred mounting bracket used to hang
the
pleated shade shown in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is sectional view taken along the line III-III of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a sectional view similar to Figure 3 illustrating how the headrail
is
attached to the bracket shown in Figures 1 and 2.
Figure 5 is a sectional view similar to Figure 3 of a second present preferred
embodiment of my fabric-covered headrail.
Figure 6 is a sectional view similar to Figure 3 of a third preferred
embodiment
of my fabric-covered headrail.
Figure 7 is a sectional view of the embodiment shown in Figure 6 showing a
single accordion pleated material attached to the headrail.
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Figure 8 is a sectional view similar to Figure 3 of a fourth preferred
embodiment
of my fabric-covered headrail.
Figure 9 is a sectional view similar to Figure 3 of a fifth preferred
embodiment
of my fabric-covered headrail.
Figure 10 is a sectional view of a sixth preferred embodiment of my fabric-
covered rail configured as a bottomrail.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the pleated shade 1 has a headrail 2, a
bottomrail 4
and a panel of pleated material 6 that extends between the headrail and the
bottomrail.
In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 a top portion 12 of the pleated material
covers the
headzail 2 and a bottom portion 14 of the pleated material covers the
bottomrail 4. Lift .
cords 8 run from the bottomrail 4 through the panel of pleated material and
through. a
cord lock in the headrail 2. The panel of pleated material may be a single
sheet of
accordion pleated material as shown in Figure 1, a tabbed sheet of pleated
material such
as is disclosed in my United States Patent No. 4,974,656, or a honeycomb
single cell or
multiple cell structure. The pleated shade is hung over a window by one or
more
brackets. Although one could use many of the brackets that have been
commercially
available, I prefer to use the bracket 10 shown in Figure 2.
My present preferred mounting bracket 10 is an L-shaped extrusion having a top
1 l and a side 13 that are attached to the window frame by mounting screws 15.
As can
be seen in the drawing I prefer to provide more mounting screws 15 near the
end of the
bracket that will be adjacent to the cord lock since greater forces are
applied there than
elsewhere. I further prefer to provide screws through both the top 11 and the
side 13 as
shown in Figure 3. Spring clips 17 are positioned at spaced apart locations on
the
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mounting bracket. Installing a blind using the mounting bracket 10 shown in
Figure 2
is quick and easy. The installer first mounts the bracket on the window frame.
Since
mounting holes have been predrilled in the top and side of the bracket he can
quiclcly
drill pilot holes in the window frame using the bracket as a guide. After he
has
completed attaching the bracket, he can snap the headrail 2 onto the bracket
10
completing installation.
Referring now to Figures 3 and 4 a first present preferred embodiment of my
fabric covered headrail 2 has a base 20 and a front wall 22. The front wall 22
is
attached to the base 20 at edge 21 forming an acute angle A with the base 20.
The acute
angle allows the edge to act as a guide for the placement of the pleated
material during
attachment of the fabric to the headrail. The front wall 22 has an outside
surface 23 and
an inside surface 24. In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the front wall 22
is a piece
of rolled metal that provides a curved top edge 25. Thus, the acute angle is
formed at
the intersection of a plane extending from the outside surface of the base 20
and a plane
extending from the outside surface of the front wall 22. I prefer to provide
an adhesive
26 on the inside surface 24 of the front wall 22. Qne suitable adhesive is
double sided
tape. There is no adhesive on the outside surface 23 of the front wall 22.
To cover the headrail with fabric the fabricator places the upper end of the
panel
of pleated material on the headrail 2 so that one pleat is on the edge 21
formed at the
junction of the outside surfaces of the base 20 and the front wall 22. This
placement
assures that the fabric is straight. Then the portion 12 of the panel of
pleated material
above the edge is wrapped over the front wall 22, covering the outside surface
23.
Since there is no adhesive on the outside surface 23 of the front wall 22, a
fabricator
can easily stretch the fabric across the front of the headrail without
wrinlcling the
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material. The fabric is affixed to the headrail by pressing that portion 12 of
the pleated
material that extends beyond the outside surface against the adhesive 26 on
the inside
surface of the front wall 22. If desired Velcro loop and hook type fasteners
could be
used in place of the adhesive. A portion 27 of the pleated material that is
located below
the acute angled edge should also be attached to the base 20 of the headrail
2. This can
be done by applying an adhesive to the bottom surface of the base 20 or by
using Velcro
fasteners. In the embodiment shown in Figure 3 the headrail has three pieces.
First
there is the main body that is formed by front wall 22 and base 20. Next there
is an
inner body 30 having a front wall 32 and a rear wall 34 attached to a base 33.
The front
wall 32 is generally parallel to front wall 22 and spaced apart from the front
wall to
provide a gap 38. This gap is wide enough to allow the portion 12 of the
fabric panel to
be wrapped around the front wall in the manner previously described. The rear
wall is
rolled to contain a cavity 35. Braces 36 can be provided at spaced apart
intervals
between the front wall 32 and the rear wall 34. The third part of the headrail
is an L-
shaped piece 40 that holds the fabric against the bottom surface of the base.
The upright
side 42 of the L-shaped member 40 is configured to fit snugly within the
cavity 35. The
base 44 is parallel with base 20. I prefer to provide an adhesive on the upper
surface of
base 44 and the outside surface of base 20 to hold a portion of the pleated
fabric
between base 44 and base 20. Finally, eyelets 46 are inserted for each lift
cord through
holes drilled through the bases 20 and 40 and the fabric between them. One
could
make a similar headrail without piece 40. However, I prefer to use this piece
because it
prevents the fabric from peeling away from the bottom of base 20. One
advantage of
this headrail is that the pleated material could be attached to the headrail
before route
holes for the lift cords axe drilled through the material. Then the predrilled
holes in the
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bases 20 and 40 can serve as a guide for drilling the route holes through the
pleated
material. Of course, the fabricator could drill the route hole through the
pleated
material before attaching the pleated material to the headrail.
The headrail shown in Figure 3 is held in the bracket 10 by spring 17. The
upper end of the spring 17 has a tab 18 that engages lip 37 on the upper end
of the front
wall 32. A tab 39 on the rear wall 34 rests on shoulder 19 of the spring clip
17. Lips 8
and 9 on the bracket 10 keep the spring within the bracket 10. To attach the
headrail to
the mounting bracket 10 one places the headrail so that the tab 18 of each
spring
engages lip 37 as shown in Figure 4. The headrail in Figure 4 is somewhat
different
than the headrail of Figure 4, but both operate in the same way. Then one
rotates the
headrail. This movement causes tab 39 to push the lower end of the spring
toward
sidewall 13 until the tab reaches shoulder 19. At that point the spring 17
moves
forward toward front wall 22 snapping the headrail onto the bracket. To
release the
headrail one pushes the lower end of the spring 17 toward the sidewall 13 of
the bracket
10. This releases tab 39 from shoulder 19 allowing the headrail to be rotated
away from
the bracket.
Another embodiment of my fabric-covered rail is shown in Figures 5 and 6 with
two different brackets. The headrail has an outer body 50 formed by base 51
and front
wall 52. The front wall has a gentle curvature and is attached to the base 51
at an edge
53. The outer surface of the front wall 52 is configured to have a bevel 54 at
edge 53 to
provide a sharp acute angle. As in the previous embodiment pleated fabric (not
shown
in Figure 5) is attached to the headrail by placing a pleat or crease over the
edge 53 and
wrapping the fabric around the front wall 52. An adhesive 26 is provided on
the inside
surface of the front wall to attach the fabric to the front wall. If the
pleated material is a
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honeycomb material 49 as shown in Figure 6, then the honeycomb is split to
form a
front portion 49a that extends over the front wall 52 and a rear portion 49b
that is
attached to the rear portion of the bottom surface of the base 51. Portions
49a and 49b
are trimmed to fit. The bridge between the front portion of the honeycomb 49
and the
rear portion 49b can be trirmned away or remain. In the embodiment of Figure 6
that
bridge portion 49c remains attached to the front portion 49a forming a slight
bulge at
the top of the front wall 52. An inner body 60 has a front wall 62 with a tang
61 that
engages a tab 56 extending from the rear surface of the front wall 52 of the
outer body.
A top 63 extends from the front wall 62 to the rear wall 58 of the outer body
50. Tab
59 on rear wall 58 fits within slot 64 of the inner body 60. Bodies 50 and 60
are
preferably extruded metal elongated structures that slide together to the
position shown
in Figure 5. Slots 6~ and 66 are provided in the inner body 60 to receive the
bracket
spring 70 and the bracket 10. In the bracket shown in Figure 5 there is a lip
71 that fits
within slot 66. Spring 70 has a tang 73 at one end that fits within slot 65
and a curved
portion 72 at the opposite end. To release the headrail from the bracket 10
one pushes
the headrail toward the sidewall 13 of the bracket 10. This releases the inner
body 60
from the lip 71 that was in slot 66 as the curved portion 72 of the spring
flexes. Then
the headrail can be rotated and moved forward to disengage the tang 73 from
slot 65. In
the headrail shown in Figure 5 I provide an adhesive 57 on the outer surface
of the base
51 to attach the fabric to the base. I prefer to provide an anti-peel slat 5
that is held in
place against the fabric by eyelets 46 through which the lift cords pass. The
same
headrail is shown in Figure 6 being supported by a different bracket and
carrying a
honeycomb material. This bracket also has a lip 71 that fits within slot 66.
Spring 70
has a tang 73 at one end that fits within slot 65 while the opposite end is
turned and fits
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within a cavity 132 defined by a curved portion 131 at the bottom of wall 13
of the
bracket 10. The headrail is removed from this bracket in the same way. One
pushes the
headrail toward the sidewall 13 of the bracket 10 moving the rear wall 58 and
top of the
inner body 60 to the position shown in dotted line. This releases the inner
body 60
from the lip 71 that was in slot 66 and the spring flexes as indicated by
dotted lines.
Then the headrail can be rotated and moved forward to disengage the tang 73
from slot
65.
Another similar headrail is shown in Figure 7 being held by the same mounting
bracket and spring illustrated in Figure 5. This headrail has the same inner
body 60
shown in Figures 5 and 6. The outer body 80 has the same configuration as
outer body
50 except for the rear wall. There is a tab 89 on the rear wall 88 that fits
within slot 64.
In this embodiment, however, the rear wall 88 extends downward to create a tab
89 that
receives a clip portion 91 of anti-peel slat 90. The outer body 80 has a base
81 and
front wall 82. The front wall has a gentle curvature and is attached to the
base 81 at an
edge 83. The outer surface of the front wall 82 is configured to have a bevel
84 at edge
83 to provide a sharp acute angle.
Another embodiment of my fabric-covered headrail is shown in Figure 8. This
headrail 90 has a front wall 92 that is rolled baclc along the top edge to
create top rim
91. The lower edge of the front wall is attached to a base 94 at tip 93. The
tip 93 is co-
linear with the front wall and extends beyond the base 90. As in the previous
embodiments the window covering fabric (not shown) is attached to the headrail
by
placing the pleat fold over the tip 93 attaching material below the fold to
the base, and
wrapping the fabric across the front wall and attaching the fabric to the rim
91. A
bracket 100 having a top 102 and a sidewall 104 holds this headrail. A tab 101
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extending from the top fits within a slot 96 created by rim 91 and tab 95
extending from
the front wall 92 of the headrail. The sidewall 104 has two spaced apart
shoulders 105
and 106 that receive the rear legs 97 and 98 of the base. A tab 99 extending
from leg 98
is engaged by lock pin 107 to hold the headrail 90 on the bracket 100. To
remove the
headrail one turns the lock pin 107 releasing tab 99. Then the headrail can be
slid
forward for removal. The bracket is mounted to the window frame by screws 108.
A fifth preferred embodiment shown in Figure 9 is similar to the embodiment of
Figure 3. A headrail 120 has a base 121 and a front wall 122. The front wall
122 is
attached to the base 121 and has a lower edge 123 that is in the same plane as
the
bottom surface of the base forming an acute angle A with the front face 124 of
the front
wall 122. The acute angle allows the edge to act as a guide for the placement
of the
pleated material during attachment of the fabric to the headrail. The front
wall 122 has
an outside surface 124 and an inside surface 125. The front wall 22 is a piece
of rolled
metal that provides a curved top edge 126. I prefer to provide an adhesive on
the inside
surface 125 of the front wall 122. To cover the headrail with fabric the
fabricator
places the upper end of the panel of pleated material on the headrail 120 so
that one
pleat is on the edge 123. This placement assures that the fabric is straight.
Then the
portion of the panel of pleated material above the edge is wrapped over the
front wall
122, covering the outside surface 124. The fabric is affixed to the headrail
by pressing
that portion of the material that extends beyond the outside surface against
the adhesive
on the inside surface 125 of the front wall 122. A portion of the pleated
material that is
located below the acute angled edge should also be attached to the base 121
the headrail
120. This can be done by applying an adhesive to the bottom surface of the
base 121.
Like the embodiment shown in Figure 3 this headrail has three pieces. First
there is the
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main body that is formed by front wall 122 and base 121. Next there is an
inner body
130 having a front wall 132 and a rear wall 134 attached to a base 133. The
front wall
132 is generally parallel to front wall 122 and spaced apart from the front
wall to
provide a gap 138. This gap is wide enough to allow a portion 12 of the fabric
panel to
be wrapped around the front wall in the manner previously described. The third
part of
the headrail is an L-shaped piece 140 that holds the fabric against the bottom
surface of
the base 121. I prefer to provide an adhesive on the upper surface of piece
140 and the
outside surface of base 121 to hold a portion of the pleated fabric between
piece 140
and base 121. Finally, eyelets 46 are inserted for each lift cord through
holes drill
through the base 121 and piece 140 and the fabric between them.
A sixth present preferred embodiment is configured as a bottomrail that is
shown in Figure 10. The bottomrail has a rear body portion 141 having a base
142, a
rear side 143 and a bottom 144. The front edge 145 of the top has an acute
angh and
receives a pleat 151 of the pleated material 150. A front body portion 146 is
connected
to the rear body 141 portion to form the bottomrail 140. The fabric 150 is
attached to
the base 142 by an adhesive and extends across the front surface of the front
portion
into a cavity 148 formed between the front body portion 146 and the bottom 144
of the
rear body portion 141. The bottom portion preferably is resilient and presses
the fabric
150 against the front portion. Alternatively, an adhesive or loop and hook
type
fasteners could be used to attach the fabric to the front portion 146 of the
bottomrail
140. Eyelets 154 are provided to attach the lift cords to the bottomrail. If
desired a
clear plastic cover 152 can be provided over the fabric on the bottomrail 140
to prevent
the fabric from absorbing moisture or attracting dust and dirt. The cover 152
is
configured to snap onto the bottomrail 140. If desired a similar cover could
also be
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placed over the fabric on the headrail. Although the fabric material shown in
Figure 10
is a single pleated sheet, the bottomrail can be used with honeycomb
materials. A
honeycomb material would be split and attached to the bottoiruail is a similar
manner as
described above for attaching the honeycomb material to the headrail shown in
Figure
6.
Although I have shown certain present preferred embodiments of my headrail it
should be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but
may be
variously embodied within the scope of the following claims.
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