Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
ADJUSTABLE LIFT CORD ANCHOR FOR MOVABLE RAILS IN COVERINGS
FOR ARCHITECTURAL OPENINGS
[0001]
Field
[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to retractable coverings
for
architectural openings and more particularly to a system for adjustably
anchoring a
lift cord that extends between rails used in the covering. The effective
length of the
lift cord extending between the rails in the covering is adjustable to adjust
the
maximum distance between the rails as permitted when the covering is fully
extended.
Description of the Relevant Art
[0003] Retractable coverings for architectural openings such as windows,
doors, archways and the like have been utilized for many years. While the
coverings
may retract horizontally as in a vertical blind, most retractable coverings
retract
vertically, such as roller blinds, Venetian Blinds, cellular shades, and the
like.
[0004] Coverings that retract vertically typically include a headrail and
one or
more movable rails operatively connected to the headrail by lift cords so that
an
operating mechanism for the covering can adjust the effective length of the
lift cords
as they extend from the headrail to one or more movable rails so that the
movable
rails can be desirably positioned within the architectural opening. A flexible
shade
material typically extends between the headrail and a first movable rail or
between
CA 2779134 2018-11-13
movable rails in coverings referred to as top-down/bottom-up coverings, but
again
the lift cords are manipulated from the headrail so as to move the one or more
movable rails toward or away from the headrail to retract or extend the
covering.
[0005] The lift cords have typically been connected to associated movable
rails by establishing a knot in the lift cord and retaining the knot within or
below the
rail but as will be appreciated, it is very difficult to position a knot at a
precisely
desired location so that the rail is not only desirably and dependably spaced
from the
headrail for the covering when the covering is fully extended but is also
desirably
positioned horizontally so as to be parallel with the headrail. Typically
there at least
two lift cords, but there can be more depending upon the width of the
covering.
Desirably establishing the effective lengths of the lift cords determines a
maximum
spacing between rails and also the spacial orientation of the rail so that it
can be
positioned horizontally.
[0006] It is to provide an improved and simplified system for adjusting
the
effective length of lift cords for coverings for architectural openings that
the present
disclosure has been developed.
SUMMARY
[0007] The lift cord anchor of the present disclosure is designed for use
in
conventional bottom up vertically movable retractable coverings for
architectural
openings, but can also be used in top-down/bottom-up coverings. The anchor may
be a two-piece anchor having an outer housing in which is disposed a rotatable
drum to which the lower end of a lift cord in a retractable covering can be
operably
connected. The housing is slidably positionable within a hollow movable rail
of a
covering for an architectural opening so as to be positionable in alignment
with an
associated lift cord that extends from a headrail for the covering through a
flexible
and retractable shade material to the movable rail. In top-down/bottom-up
coverings, the shade material extends between movable rails of the covering
and
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the anchor of the present disclosure can be used with either of the movable
rails
while being positionable within the movable rail to be aligned with an
associated lift
cord for connection therewith.
[0008] To connect a lift cord to the anchor, the lift cord is extended
through a
hole or aperture defined in the top surface of the movable rail and then
pulled
through an open end of the rail where it can be operably connected to the
rotatable
drum prior to the rotatable drum being snap-fit (or otherwise connected) into
the
housing of the anchor. Once the lift cord is operably connected to the anchor,
the
housing is slidably inserted into the open end of the movable rail until it is
aligned
with the hole through the top of the movable rail receiving the lift cord and
the anchor
is thereafter frictionally retained in that position.
[0009] To adjust the effective length of the lift cord with the anchor,
the drum
is provided with a tool or screw slot that is accessible through a hole
provided
through the movable rail in alignment with the screw slot so that a
screwdriver or
other tool can be used to rotate the drum, thereby wrapping the lift cord
about the
drum to shorten the effective length of the lift cord. The effective length
can be
lengthened by rotating the drum in the opposite direction once a plurality of
wraps
have been provided around the drum. The drum is retained in selected positions
relative to the housing with two separate retaining systems so that once the
drum is
set relative to the housing for a pre-selected length of the lift cord, it
will substantially
retain this position until the position is adjusted by overcoming the
retaining systems
with a screwdriver or other similar tool.
[0010] Anchors may be provided along the length of the movable rail at
substantially any location where a lift cord is desired to be connected to the
movable
rail. In some instances the covering may include at least two lift cords so
that the
movable rail can be suspended in a horizontal and parallel relationship with
the
headrail for the covering. In these instances, adjusting the length of the
lift cords
with the adjustable anchor of the present disclosure, the maximum allowed
spacing
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between the headrail and the movable rail in a bottom-up covering or between
movable rails in a top-down/bottom-up covering can be set or the inclination
of the
movable rail relative to horizontal can be adjusted so that the rail in its
fully extended
location is horizontal and parallel with the headrail.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention there is provided a
covering for an architectural opening comprising: a headrail; a shade material
suspended from the headrail; a rail operably connected to an edge of the shade
material; a control system operatively associated with the headrail, the
control
system including a plurality of flexible lift elements operably connected to
and
supporting the rail, the lift elements being manipulated by the control system
to
adjust the effective length of the lift elements whereby the spacing of the
rail from
the headrail can be adjusted; and a connector operably connected to the rail
and
adjustably connected to one of the lift elements, a position of the connector
along a
length of the connected lift element being variable and the spacial
orientation and
position of the rail being determined by location of the connector to the
connected lift
element, the connector including a housing selectively positionable and
operably
connected to the rail; a rotatable drum rotatably seated within a portion of
the
housing; a first catch system and a separate second catch system, wherein each
of
the two catch systems holds the drum in a selected angular position relative
to the
housing.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided
an
anchor for selectively securing a lift cord for a covering for an
architectural opening,
comprising: a housing configured to be operably connected to a rail operably
connected to the covering, the housing including a receiving recess defined in
a
main body; and a drum rotatably received within the receiving recess and
configured
to be operably connected to the lift cord, the drum including a first set of
engagement members extending in a first plane and configured to retain the
drum in
an angular position relative to the housing; and a second set of engagement
members extending in a second plane and configured to further retain the drum
in
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the angular position relative to the housing; wherein rotation of the drum
selectively
rotates the lift cord around a portion of the drum; and the first plane is
substantially
perpendicular to the second plane.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention there is
provided
a covering for an architectural opening comprising: a head rail; a shade
operably
connected to the head rail; a rail operably connected to the shade; an
operating
element operably connected to the shade and configured to transition the shade
between an extended position and a retracted position; and an anchor operably
connected the rail and the operating element, the anchor including a housing
operably connected to the rail, the housing including a receiving recess
defined in a
main body; and a drum rotatably received within the receiving recess and
operably
connected to the operating element, the drum including a first set of
engagement
members extending in a first plane and configured to retain the drum in an
angular
position relative to the housing; and a second set of engagement members
extending in a second plane and configured to further retain the drum in the
angular
position relative to the housing; wherein rotation of the drum selectively
rotates the
operating element around a portion of the drum; and the first plane is
substantially
perpendicular to the second plane.
In accordance with still yet another aspect of the present invention there is
provided a covering for an architectural opening comprising: a headrail; a
shade
material suspended from the headrail; a rail attached to an edge of the shade
material; a lift cord having an effective length extending between the
headrail and
the rail, wherein the effective length of the lift cord is adjustable to
change the
distance between the rail and the headrail; a housing attached to the rail;
and a
drum seated within a portion of the housing and rotatable relative to the
housing
about a rotation axis, wherein the drum is operably attached to the lift cord
such that
rotation of the drum about the rotation axis wraps the lift cord about the
drum or
unwraps the lift cord from the drum to adjust the effective length of the lift
cord; and
the rotation axis is parallel to and spaced laterally from the effective
length of the lift
cord.
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[0011] Other aspects, features and details of the present disclosure can
be
more completely understood by reference to the following detailed description
of a
preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the drawings and from the
appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is an isometric of a retractable covering incorporating the
lift
cord anchor of the present disclosure in a fully extended condition.
[0013] FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary isometric looking upwardly at
the
lower left end of the bottom of the shade showing an access opening for
adjusting
the anchor of the present disclosure with a tightening device such as a
screwdriver
shown in dashed lines.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a further enlarged fragmentary section taken along line
3-3 of
FIG. 2.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3.
[0016] FIG. 5 is an isometric looking upwardly on the anchor of the
present
disclosure.
[0017] FIG. 6 is an isometric similar to FIG. 5 looking downwardly at the
anchor of the disclosure.
[0018] FIG. 7 is an exploded isometric similar to FIG. 5 with a lift cord
connected to the anchor being shown in dashed lines.
[0019] FIG. 8 is an exploded isometric similar to FIG. 6 with a lift cord
being
connected to the anchor being shown in dashed lines.
4b
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CA 02779134 2012-06-07
,
,
[0020] FIG. 9 is an enlarged section taken along line 9-9 of
FIG. 5.
[0021] FIG. 9A is an enlarged section taken along line 9A-9A
of FIG. 5.
[0022] FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the anchor of the present
disclosure.
[0023] FIG. 11 is a bottom plan view of the anchor of the
present disclosure.
[0024] FIG. 12 is an isometric of a top-down/bottom-up
covering incorporating
the anchor of the present disclosure with the covering shown in a partially
extended
condition.
[0025] FIG. 13 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along
line 13-13 of
FIG. 12.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] The adjustable lift cord anchor or connector 20 of the
present
disclosure may be used in retractable coverings 22 for architectural openings,
such
as of the type shown in FIG. 1. It will there be seen that such as covering,
which is
shown for illustrative purposes only since the anchor could be used in
numerous
forms of retractable coverings, includes a headrail 24 from which is suspended
a
retractable cellular shade material 26 having a movable bottom rail or ballast
28. A
control system for operating the covering includes a manually operable pull
cord 30
that is suspended from one end of the headrail. In some instances, the pull
cord 30
may extend downwards to a height that may generally be reachable by an
operator
who can pull down on the cord to retract the covering from the extended
position
shown in FIG. 1 to a retracted position (not shown). In the retracted
position, the
bottom rail may generally be positioned closely adjacent to the headrail with
the
shade material collapsed and stacked therebetween. A releasable lock (not
shown)
is provided in the headrail to hold the pull cord and thus the covering in
substantially
any desired position and can be released to allow the covering to drop to its
fully
extended position. The control system further includes lift cords 32 (see
FIGS. 4, 7,
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8 and 9) which are operatively connected to the pull cord and extend
downwardly
from the headrail to the bottom rail at least two locations where they are at
least
temporarily anchored so that shortening the effective length of the lift cords
(from the
headrail to the bottom rail) causes the bottom rail to be raised toward the
headrail
while lengthening the effective length of the lift cords allows the bottom
rail to drop
by gravity away from the headrail.
[0027] While not shown in FIG. 1, but shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the
adjustable
anchor 20 of the present disclosure is positioned within the bottom rail 28 at
a
location associated with a given lift cord 32 or other operating element and
is
adjusted as shown for example in FIG. 2 with a fastening tool, such as a
screwdriver, or other suitable tool 34, inserted through a hole 33 defined in
the
bottom rail so that the effective length of the lift cord associated with the
anchor can
be regulated.
[0028] With reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, the adjustable anchor 20 may be a
two-piece anchor including a housing 36 and a rotatable drum 38 with the drum
being rotatably seated within a cylindrical recess or receiving cavity 40 of
the
housing. The drum is adapted to be operably connected to the end of a lift
cord 32
in a manner such that the lift cord can be wrapped about or unwrapped from the
drum by rotating the drum in a selected direction.
[0029] Looking first at the housing 36 as possibly seen best in FIGS. 5,
6, 7,
8, 10 and 11, it can be seen to include a main body portion 42 and a pair of
oppositely directed ears 44 or flanges of generally rectangular configuration
which
are horizontally disposed but operably connected to the main body by connector
plates 46 or connector members which slope upwardly and outwardly away from a
base plate 48 of the main body portion. The base plate has formed thereon a
substantially cylindrical raised body 50 defining the cylindrical receiving
cavity 40
which opens downwardly through a substantially drum opening 52 for receipt of
the
rotatable drum 38 with the cavity having an axial axis 54. The top wall 56 of
the
raised body has a centrally located passage 58, which may be substantially
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circularly shaped, therethrough and a pair of diametrically opposed downwardly
directed catches 60 (FIG. 7) for a purpose to be described hereafter. Also
diametrically opposed along a bottom edge of the cavity 40 so as to be co-
planar
with the drum opening 52 in the main body, are a pair of arcuate flanges 62
which
overlie a small portion of the receiving cavity also for a purpose to be
described
hereafter. Generally co-planar with the arcuate flanges, are a pair of
radially
directed teeth or catches 64 which extend inwardly into the cavity 40 along
the edge
of the substantially drum opening 52 whose function will also be described
hereafter.
[0030] A second downwardly opening cord receiving cavity 66, which may
have a generally rectangular cross-sectional configuration, is formed in a
second
raised body 68 which extends upwardly from the base plate 48 with the cord
receiving cavity being in communication with the substantially receiving
cavity 40
through a passage 70 in a bridge 72 between the cavities. The top of the cord
receiving cavity 66 has an opening 74 (FIG. 5) therethrough which communicates
with an upwardly projecting spout 76 through which a lift cord 32 can slidably
pass
as will be described hereafter. The opening 74 may be dimensioned to receive
the
lift cord 32 and in some instances may have a generally circular shape and a
dimension larger than a diameter of the lift cord 32. The spout 76 may be
parallel to
the axial axis 54 of the cylindrical cavity but spaced laterally therefrom.
[0031] It should be noted the main body 42 for the anchor 20 may generally
be made of a substantially rigid material having some resiliency whereby when
it is
mounted within the movable rail 28 of the covering it can be wedged into a
frictionally fixed position within the rail. Further, as will be appreciated
with the
description that follows, the resiliency of the material allows the rotatable
drum 38 to
be snap fit into the receiving recess 40 so as to be rotatably retained
therein. The
ears 44 may further include one or more apertures 78 defined therethrough. The
holes 78 may reduce the material required to produce the anchor 20, and thus
may
reduce the weight of the anchor 20 as well. Accordingly, in some instances,
the
holes 78 may be omitted.
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[0032] It should be noted that the receiving cavity 40 may be dimensioned
and shaped to receive the drum 38, such that the drum 38 may rotate therein.
Accordingly, depending on the desired shape and dimensions of the drum 38,
which
may be varied depending on the covering, size, and/or length of the lift
cords, the
receiving cavity 40 and/or housing may correspondingly be varied.
[0033] With reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, the rotatable drum 38 may include
a
substantially circular intermediate disc 80 with a pinion gear 82 integrally
formed
concentrically on a bottom surface thereof with the gear being of a slightly
smaller
diameter than the disc. The gear defines a plurality of radially extending
teeth 84 or
engagement members which are spaced inwardly from the outer circumference of
the disc. At a centered location in the disc, an x-shaped tool passage 86 is
provided
though the disc of a shape to receive a Phillips head or conventional
screwdriver
with the passage being accessible from either side of the disc. The tool
passage 86
could be of other configurations to accommodate different tools such as an
Allen
wrench or the like. Projecting upwardly and concentrically from the disc and
which
may be formed integrally therewith is a cylindrical body 88 having a serrated
upper
edge 90 defining a plurality of teeth 92 or other engagement members that may
be
disposed in a circular array along the upper edge of the cylindrical body so
as to
extend in parallel relationship with the axis of the rotatable drum. The
rotatable
drum of course rotates about this axis when it is positioned within the
cylindrical
recess 40 of the housing. In this manner, the teeth 84 of the pinion gear 82
may
extend in a first plane relatively perpendicular to the teeth 92 of the
cylindrical body
which may extend in a second plane.
[0034] The outer wall of the cylindrical body 88 defines a wrapping
surface
about which a lift cord 32 can be wrapped and a notch 94 is formed through the
sidewall at one or more locations so that a lift cord can be inserted through
the notch
and knotted or otherwise operably connected within the interior of the
cylindrical
body (as shown in FIG. 7) to connect the lift cord to the rotatable drum. The
intermediate disc 80 has a pair of radial notches 96 formed in its outer
circumference
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which conform in size and shape to the teeth or catches 64 formed on the
housing
36 which overlie the receiving recess 40 in which the drum is positioned.
[0035] To mount the rotatable drum 38 in the housing 36, it is aligned
with the
receiving recess 40 so that the cylindrical body 88 of the drum extends
upwardly
toward the top wall 56 of the raised body 50 of the housing and the pair of
notches
96 in the intermediate disc of the rotatable drum are aligned with the teeth
or
catches 64 of the housing which are along the bottom of the receiving recess
40.
Once so positioned, the rotatable drum can be compressed upwardly so the outer
edge of the intermediate disc 80 engages and flexes upwardly the arcuate
flanges
62 on the housing so that they permit the drum to slide thereby and allow it
to be
fully inserted into the recess. Once so positioned, the arcuate flanges snap
back
due to the resiliency of the material from which the housing is made to hold
the
rotatable drum in the cavity.
[0036] The two teeth or catches 64 along the bottom edge of the receiving
recess 40 are sized so they slightly intermesh with the radial teeth 84 on the
bottom
of the rotatable drum 36 whereby when the drum is rotated, the teeth or
catches 64
snap into and out of the gaps between the teeth 84 on the bottom of the
rotatable
drum to sequentially and releasably retain the drum in a selected angular
position
relative to the housing. Similarly, the teeth 92 on the top edge of the
cylindrical wall
of the rotatable drum engage the catches 60 extending downwardly from the top
wall
56 of the raised body 50 so that as the drum is rotated the catches also snap
in and
out of the gaps between the teeth 92 on the top of the drum.
[0037] It will therefore be appreciated that two systems are provided for
releasably holding the drum 38 in a selected position relative to the housing
36 with
one system working in a vertical plane and the other system in a horizontal
plane or,
in other words, the two systems may operate in mutually perpendicular planes
to
assist in releasably retaining the drum in substantially any selected
position. The
selected position of the drum may be obtained by rotating the drum with a
rotation
tool 34 which can be inserted downwardly through the passage 58 through the
top
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wall of the raised body 50 or upwardly through the hole 33 in the bottom rail
and into
the open bottom of the cavity 40.
[0038] The lift cord 32 or operating element associated with an anchor 20
in
the covering 22 of the type illustrated in FIG. 1 passes into the bottom rail
28 through
an opening (not shown) formed in the top of the bottom rail so that it can be
inserted
downwardly through the spout 76 of the anchor housing 36 and subsequently
through the cord receiving cavity 66 and the passage 70 through the bridge 72
into
the receiving recess 40 where it is operably connected to the rotatable drum
38.
Rotation of the drum thereby causes the cord to be wrapped about the drum or
unwrapped from the drum which is performed depending upon whether or not the
effective length of the lift cord is desired to be lengthened or shortened.
[0039] In the covering 22 illustrated in FIG. 1, the access hole 33 for
the tool
34 for adjusting the rotatable drum 38 is through the bottom of the bottom
rail 28 as
shown in FIG. 2 inasmuch as the shade material 26 covers the top of the bottom
rail.
As the drum is rotated, it is snapped between releasably locked positions
which are
established with the catches 60 on the top wall 56 of the raised body 50 and
the
array of the teeth 92 on the top edge of the cylindrical body 88 and the teeth
or
catches 64 along the bottom edge of the cylindrical recess 40 and their
cooperation
with the circular array of radial teeth 84 on the bottom pinion gear 82 of the
rotatable
drum. The teeth or catches 64 along the bottom edge of the cylindrical recess
are
positioned adjacent to and on opposite sides of the passage 70 though the
bridge 72
where the lift cord 32 enters the cylindrical recess 40 so that as tension is
placed on
the cord the rotatable drum 38 is biased toward the two teeth or catches 64
which
assure a more positive interaction of the teeth or catches 64 with the pinion
gear
teeth 84 on the rotatable drum.
[0040] With reference to FIGS. 12 and 13, a top-down/bottom-up covering
100 is shown where the covering has a headrail 102 through which lift cords 32
extend but the retractable shade material 104 is disposed between a lower
bottom
rail 106 and a middle rail 108, As mentioned previously, the anchor 20 of the
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present disclosure can be used in both the bottom rail and the middle rail and
when
used in the bottom rail it is as previously described. When used in the middle
rail, it
may be inserted into the rail in an inverted orientation so the spout 76 faces
the
shade material. The lift cords are adjusted on a middle rail anchor through
holes
110 in the top of the middle rail where there is no fabric to obstruct use of
a tool such
as a screwdriver. In other words, due to the fact that a tool can access the
rotatable
drum from either the top or bottom of the anchor, it is used to access the
drum
through the surface of the rail not having shade material connected thereto.
[0041] With reference to FIG. 3, it can be appreciated that a rail such as
the
bottom rail 28 Which might be used with the anchor of the present disclosure
may
have a bottom wall 112, a pair of side walls 114, a lower set of support
flanges 116
extending inwardly from the side walls and an upper set of flanges 118
extending
inwardly from the side walls along with longitudinally extending overhangs 120
along
the top of the rail. The overhangs define longitudinally extending slots 122
along the
side edges of the rail so that an anchor plate or strip 124 can be inserted
into the
bottom cell 126 of a cellular shade material 26 of the type shown and then
flexibly
inserted between the overhangs so as to be retained therein to secure the rail
to the
associated end of the shade material. The anchor 20 is then slidably inserted
into
the rail 28 between the upper 118 and lower 120 pairs of flanges which define
a
groove 128 therebetween for receipt of the ears 44 of the housing and
desirably, the
housing is slightly oversized so that the ears frictionally engage the inner
surfaces of
the side walls 114 of the rail so as to remain in a desired selected position
relative to
the length of the rail where a lift cord 32 enters the rail.
[0042] Although the present disclosure has been described with a certain
degree of particularity, it is understood the disclosure has been made by way
of
example, and changes in detail or structure may be made without departing from
the
spirit of the disclosure as defined in the appended claims.
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