Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SYSTEM FOR CONFINING LIFT CORDS IN COVERINGS FOR
ARCHITECTURAL OPENINGS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to safety systems for coverings for
architectural openings and more particularly to a system for confining lift
cords
used in retractable coverings for architectural openings so that they cannot
form
loops in which children or infants can catch a body part thereby causing
injury.
Description of the Relevant Art
Retractable coverings for architectural openings such as windows, doors,
archways and the like, have become commonplace and assume numerous
variations for both functional and aesthetic purposes. Such retractable
coverings
typically include a headrail, in which the working components for the covering
are
primarily confined, a bottom rail extending parallel to the headrail, and some
form
of shade material which might be fabric or other manipulative structure such
as
found in venetian blinds for example, interconnecting the headrail and bottom
rail.
The shade material is movable with the bottom rail between extended and
retracted positions relative to the headrail. In other words, as the bottom
rail is
lowered or raised relative to the headrail, the fabric or other material is
extended
away from the headrail or retracted toward the headrail so it can be
accumulated
either adjacent to or within the headrail. Systems for operating such
retractable
coverings can assume various forms such as pull cords that hang from one or
both ends of the headrail. The pull cords may assume a closed loop or hang
linearly. In some instances, the covering is operated remotely with
electronics
and a motor mounted within the headrail avoiding the need for such pull cords.
Regardless of the mode of operating the covering to move it between extended
and retracted positions, many coverings require lift cords extending from the
headrail to the bottom rail, which are raised either by gathering the lift
cords
adjacent to the headrail or rolling the lift cords about a roller in the
headrail. The
bottom rail can thereby be raised gathering the fabric or other shade material
between the headrail and the bottom rail or extended to allow the bottom rail
to
drop away from the headrail usually by gravity. Such lift cords, while usually
being concealed or somewhat concealed or possibly even positioned behind the
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fabric, are exposed to children or infants and have created a nuisance and
threat to the safety of
the child or infant.
Until recently, most of the effort to render coverings for architectural
openings childproof or safe
have focused on the pull cords, which as mentioned above are suspended from
the headrail
either linearly or in a closed loop, as they are readily exposed to children
and therefore
sometimes define an attractive nuisance.
Many systems have, therefore, been employed to render such pull cords as safe
as possible.
Those systems have included avoiding the use of closed loops which might
easily be wrapped
around a child or infant's body part or making tassels that interconnect a
plurality of linear pull
cords breakaway so that loops in the pull cords are not easily formed.
The possible exposure to child and infant harm inherent in lift cords for such
coverings has been
recently recognized as a child safety issue and, accordingly, the need for
neutralizing such
threats has become an issue for the industry. It is to reduce and hopefully
negate the possibility
of lift cords causing harm to an infant or child that the present invention
has been developed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Pursuant to the present invention, danger created from lift cords in a
covering for an
architectural opening is neutralized by operatively connecting the lift cords
to a substantially
non-extensible protector with the non-extensible protector being attached to
the fabric for the
covering so that large loops of the protector cannot be formed and, with the
lift cords being
confined to the protector, they likewise cannot be made into a large enough
loop to cause injury
to a child or infant.
Other aspects, features and details of the present invention 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.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided
a system for limiting
the size of a loop that can be formed in a flexible vertically extending lift
cord in a covering for an
architectural opening, which includes a headrail, a bottom rail, a flexible
pleated shade material
extending therebetween with guide rings connected to said shade material at
spaced locations,
and a plurality of lift cords interconnecting the headrail to the bottom rail
and extending in
closely adjacent relationship to said shade material between said headrail and
bottom rail
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comprising in combination, an elongated, flexible, substantially non-
extensible protector
associated with each lift cord and to which the associated lift cords are
confined from the
headrail to the bottom rail, said protectors being made of a mesh material and
being operatively
secured to said shade material at vertically spaced locations corresponding to
said guide rings
to establish a fixed length segment of said mesh material extending from one
said location to
the next adjacent said location, said fixed length segment limiting the size
of a loop which can
be formed in said protector to a predetermined size.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided
a covering for an
architectural opening, comprising: a head rail; a bottom rail; a flexible
shade material extending
between the head rail and the bottom rail; a lift cord extending between the
head rail and the
bottom rail in adjacent relationship to the shade material; and a protector
extending along a
length of the shade material and secured to the shade material at vertically-
spaced locations to
establish a fixed length of the protector from one location to the next
adjacent location, the
protector operatively associated with the lift cord so that the fixed length
of the protector from
one location to the next adjacent location limits the size of a loop that can
be formed in the lift
cord, wherein the protector comprises an elongated, flexible base cord
including a plurality of
loops spaced along the length of the base cord, and wherein the protector
further comprises a
plurality of clips spaced along the length of the base cord.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided
a covering for an
architectural opening, comprising: a head rail; a bottom rail; a flexible
shade material extending
between the head rail and the bottom rail; a lift cord extending between the
head rail and the
bottom rail in adjacent relationship to the shade material; and a protector
extending along a
length of the shade material and secured to the shade material at vertically-
spaced locations to
establish a fixed length of the protector from one location to the next
adjacent location, the
protector operatively associated with the lift cord so that the fixed length
of the protector from
one location to the next adjacent location limits the size of a loop that can
be formed in the lift
cord, wherein the protector comprises an elongated, open sheath that surrounds
the lift cord
along a length of the lift cord, wherein the protector further comprises a
plurality of clips spaced
along the length of the sheath, and wherein each clip has a sleeve secured
around the sheath.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided
a covering for an
architectural opening, comprising: a head rail; a bottom rail; a flexible
shade material extending
between the head rail and the bottom rail, wherein the shade material includes
a rear pleated
sheet of material and a front looped sheet of material; a lift cord extending
between the head rail
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and the bottom rail in adjacent relationship to the shade material; and a
protector extending
along a length of the shade material and secured to the shade material at
vertically-spaced
locations to establish a fixed length of the protector from one location to
the next adjacent
location, the protector operatively associated with the lift cord so that the
fixed length of the
protector from one location to the next adjacent location limits the size of a
loop that can be
formed in the lift cord.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there is
provided A covering for an
architectural opening, comprising: a head rail; a flexible shade material
having a first end
attached to the head rail, a second end opposite the first end, and a face
defined between the
first and second ends; a lift cord disposed adjacent the face for moving the
shade material
between a retracted position and an extended position; a sheath defining an
internal passage
through which the lift cord extends, wherein the sheath is adapted to extend
longitudinally as the
shade material is moved toward the extended position, and wherein the sheath
is adapted to
collapse longitudinally as the shade material is moved toward the retracted
position; and first,
second, and third lift cord guides secured to and extending outwardly from the
face, wherein the
first lift cord guide is disposed at a first location, the second lift cord
guide is disposed at a
second location farther away from the head rail than the first location, and
the third lift cord
guide is disposed at a third location farther away from the head rail than the
first and second
locations, wherein each lift cord guide of the first, second, and third lift
cord guides includes a
first portion secured to the shade material and a second portion extending
away from the first
portion and toward the sheath and secured to at least a portion of the sheath
such that the lift
cord is at least partially surrounded by each lift cord guide of the first,
second, and third lift cord
guides.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided
a covering for an
architectural opening, comprising: a head rail; a shade material having an
upper end attached to
the head rail and a lower end opposite the upper end; first and second lift
cords disposed
adjacent the shade material for moving the shade material between a retracted
position and an
extended position; first and second sets of lift cord guides disposed on the
shade material, each
set of the first and second sets of lift cord guides being substantially
vertically aligned so that a
lowermost lift cord guide thereof is in proximity to the lower end of the
shade material and an
uppermost lift cord guide thereof is in proximity to the head rail, the first
lift cord passing through
the first set of lift cord guides, the second lift cord passing through the
second set of lift cord
guides; and first and second collapsible sheaths attached to and at least
partially passing
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through each lift cord guide of the first and second sets of lift cord guides,
respectively, each of
the first and second collapsible sheaths defining an internal passage
extending in a longitudinal
direction thereof, the first and second lift cords being entirely disposed
within the internal
passages of the first and second sheaths between the uppermost and lowermost
lift cord guides
of the first and second sets of lift cord guides, respectively.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided
A covering for an
architectural opening, comprising: a head rail; a bottom rail; a flexible
sheet of shade material
extending continuously from the head rail to the bottom rail; a lift cord
extending from the head
rail to the bottom rail in adjacent relationship to a rear face of the sheet
of shade material; and a
protector including a pair of flexible cords extending along a length of the
lift cord and at least
partially surrounding the lift cord, the protector secured to the rear face of
the sheet of shade
material at vertically-spaced locations to establish a fixed length of the
protector from one
location to the next adjacent location, the protector operatively associated
with the lift cord so
that the fixed length of the protector from one location to the next adjacent
location limits the
size of a loop that can be formed in the lift cord.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front isometric of a retractable covering for an architectural
opening having a
headrail, a bottom rail, and a looped fabric extending therebetween and with a
plurality of lift
cords extended vertically between the headrail and the bottom rail along a
rear face of the
fabric.
FIG. 2 is a rear isometric of the covering shown in FIG. 1.
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FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section showing one edge of the covering as
viewed in FIG. 2 in a fully-extended position.
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary isometric similar to FIG. 3 with the covering being
partially
elevated by forming a loop in the lift cord, which could cause danger to a
child or
infant.
FIG. 5 is an isometric looking at the rear of a retractable covering similar
to FIG. 1
incorporating a first embodiment of a protector for the lift cords across the
rear
face thereof.
FIG. 6 is a further enlarged fragmentary isometric looking at the rear of a
covering of the type shown in FIGS. 1-5 with a first embodiment of the
protector
of the present invention shown in operative relationship with a lift cord.
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary vertical section taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6.
FIG. 8 is an isometric similar to FIG. 4 with the protector of FIGS. 6 and 7
incorporated therein and showing a relatively small loop in the lift cord
formed off
the rear of the covering.
FIG. 9 is a further enlarged fragmentary isometric showing the loop formed in
FIG. 8.
FIG. 10 is a fragmentary rear isometric showing a second embodiment of a
protector in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary isometric of a portion of the protector
used in
the embodiment of FIG. 10.
FIG. 12 is a further enlarged rear isometric of the embodiment as shown in
FIG.
10.
FIG. 13 is a fragmentary rear isometric showing a third embodiment of a
protector
in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 14 is an isometric of a tape serving as the protector for the embodiment
of
FIG. 13.
FIG. 15 is a side elevation of the embodiment of FIG. 13.
FIG. 16 is fragmentary rear isometric showing a fourth embodiment of a
protector
in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 17 is a fragmentary isometric of a lift cord encompassed by the protector
of
FIG. 16.
FIG. 18 is an isometric similar to FIG. 16 showing a small loop having been
formed in the lift cord with the protector of the invention incorporated
thereon.
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FIG. 19 is a fragmentary isometric similar to FIG. 18 showing the covering
being
partially raised.
FIG. 20 is an enlarged section taken along line 20-20 of FIG. 19.
FIG. 21 is a rear isometric showing a fifth embodiment of a protector in
accordance with the invention mounted on the rear of a covering for an
architectural opening.
FIG. 22 is a side elevation of the protector shown in FIG. 21.
FIG. 23 is a rear isometric showing a sixth embodiment of a protector in
accordance with the invention mounted on the rear of a covering for an
architectural opening.
FIG. 24 is a front elevation of the protector shown in FIG. 23.
FIG. 25 is a side elevation of the protector shown in FIG. 23.
FIG. 26 is an isometric of a seventh embodiment of a protector in accordance
with the present invention showing guide rings secured to and being secured to
a
strip of mesh material.
FIG. 27 is a fragmentary rear isometric of a covering for an architectural
opening
having the protector as illustrated in FIG. 6 secured to the rear surface
thereof.
FIG. 28 is an isometric similar to FIG. 27 with a lift cord being strung
through
guide rings on the protector shown in FIG. 27.
FIG. 29 is an isometric similar to FIG. 28 with the strip of mesh material of
the
protector being formed into a closed tubular configuration to confine the
guide
rings and the lift cord.
FIG. 30 is a rear isometric similar to FIG. 29 with the strip of mesh material
having been completely formed into an enlongated tube on the rear face of the
covering.
FIG. 31 is an enlarged section taken along line 31-31 of FIG. 29.
FIG. 32 is an enlarged section taken along line 32-32 of FIG. 29.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring first to FIGS. 1-4, an example of a retractable covering for an
architectural opening in which the protector of the present invention would
find an
application is illustrated. It should be appreciated, the covering shown in
FIGS.
1-4 is used for illustrative purposes only while there are many retractable
coverings which could find use for the system of the present invention. This
system would find use in most any retractable covering wherein exposed lift
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cords are utilized for reciprocally moving a bottom rail toward and/or away
from a
headrail for the covering.
FIG. 1 shows a retractable covering 22 from the front and it will there be
seen the
covering includes a headrail 24 in which a significant portion of the control
system
for the covering is concealed, a bottom rail 26, and a flexible shade material
28 in
the form of a fabric extending between the headrail and the bottom rail. The
fabric has a rear sheet 30, seen best in FIGS. 2-4, which extends continuously
from the headrail to the bottom rail and includes rearwardly directed
vertically
spaced and horizontally extending pleats 32. A front sheet 34 of the fabric is
connected as with adhesive, stitching, or the like, to the rear sheet along
vertically spaced horizontal lines of connection 36 with a droop or loops of
the
front sheet being established between each line of connection due to the fact
that
the amount of material on the front sheet between the lines of connection is
greater than the spacing between the lines of connection. The covering, as
best
appreciated by reference to FIG. 1, therefore resembles a Roman shade.
A plurality of guide rings 40 are secured as with threads, adhesive, or the
like to
each pleat 32 on the rear sheet 30 to define vertical columns of the guide
rings.
The vertical alignment of the guide rings in each column provides a passage
for
vertically extending lift cords 42, which are anchored at their lower end to
the
bottom rail 26 and at their top end in the headrail 24 to a roller (not seen)
or other
system whereby the lift cords can be retracted into the headrail to shorten
their
effective length thereby raising the bottom rail as desired. Of course,
unrolling
the lift cords from the roller allows the effective length thereof to be
extended and
consequently the bottom rail to be lowered when the covering is moved from a
retracted position with the bottom rail adjacent to the headrail to an
extended
position as shown in FIGS. 1-3. The lift cords form part of the control system
for
the covering and are raised and lowered with a pull cord 44 in a conventional
manner. A conventional pull cord lock (not seen) permits the pull cord to be
releasably positioned at any desired position to releasably secure the
covering in
a partially extended or retracted position. When the covering is retracted
with the
bottom rail adjacent to the headrail, the fabric 28 is gathered between the
bottom
rail and the headrail with FIG. 4 showing a partial gathering thereof.
FIG. 4 is primarily included to illustrate how a loop 46 of lift cord can be
formed
off the rear of such a covering with the loop being large enough to
encapsulate a
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body part of an infant or child. The loop can be intentionally or
unintentionally
formed by grabbing a lift cord 42 and pulling it laterally, which thereby
causes the
bottom rail 26 to elevate, as a loop of significant size is formed. It is a
loop 46 of
this size in a lift cord which can be avoided through the present invention as
will
be explained hereafter.
Referring next to FIGS. 5-9, a first embodiment of a system for preventing an
enlarged loop as shown in FIG. 4 from being intentionally or inadvertently
formed
in a lift cord 42 is illustrated. The essence of the invention resides in
providing a
flexible, non-extensible protector 48 associated with each lift cord with the
protector being secured to the fabric 28 at vertically spaced locations and
with the
spacing of such locations being insufficient to form a loop in the protector
of
sufficient size to cause damage to an infant or child. The protector in turn
is
operatively associated with a lift cord so that a loop could also not be
formed in
the lift cord of a size sufficient to cause injury to a child or infant.
In the embodiment of FIGS. 5-9, the protector 48 is a miniturized cord ladder.
Cord ladders are commonly used in venetian blinds (not shown) to support,
raise
and tilt horizontal slats in the blind. The cord ladder 48 has a pair of
substantially
vertically extending elongated flexible side runs 50, which are interconnected
by
substantially horizontally extending flexible rungs 52, at locations spaced
along
the length of the side runs. The runs and rungs are all formed from flexible
cord-
like material establishing an open ladder-type element that is elongated and
can
extend from a connection in the headrail 24 of the covering to a connection to
the
bottom rail 26 while having a lift cord 42 (FIG. 6) woven in and out of the
rungs
thereof while being partially exposed.
As best appreciated by reference to FIG. 6, each guide ring 40 secured to a
pleat
32 in the rear sheet 30 of the fabric 28 is inserted through a space 54 in the
cord
ladder or protector 48 between adjacent rungs 52 and the longitudinal side
runs
50 with that space being slightly smaller than the diameter of a guide ring in
a
neutral orientation. The flexibility of the runs and rungs, however, allow the
cord
ladder to be stretched over a guide ring and into a position in which the cord
ladder is not easily removed from a guide ring. The guide rings therefore hold
the
cord ladder in position at each location of a guide ring and therefore secure
it to
the fabric at those locations. The cord ladder is attached to the guide rings
so
that it extends in a non-looped orientation between guide rings when the
covering
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is extended whereby a fixed length of cord ladder is established between each
guide ring. That fixed length of the cord ladder is sufficient to allow the
fabric for
the covering to be fully extended as shown, for example, in FIG. 5.
The cord ladder 48, as mentioned, is also positioned relative to an associated
lift
cord 42 so that the lift cord is slideably woven in and out of the rungs 52
(FIG. 6)
with the lift cord extending behind one rung and in front of the next adjacent
rungs. In this manner, the lift cords are each positively and operatively
connected to the cord ladder with the cord ladder being similarly operatively
connected to the fabric 28 via the connection with the guide rings 40. It
should
be appreciated that even if a ring were to inadvertently pop out of a space
54, the
rungs of the ladder above and below the ring would retain the ladder adjacent
to
the ring by the interference of the lift cord which is routed through the
ring. As
also seen in FIG. 6, the lift cords also pass slidably through each guide ring
so
they are held in closely adjacent relationship to the fabric for reliable
operation of
the covering.
FIG. 7 is a side view showing the relationship of the front 34 and rear 32
sheets
of the fabric, the guide rings 40, the cord ladders 48 and the lift cord 42 as
seen
in isometric in FIG. 6.
Referring to FIG. 8, a loop 56 has been formed in a lift cord 42 as well as
the
protector cord ladder 48 in which it is confined off the rear face of the
fabric 28.
As will be appreciated, the size of the loop 56 will be limited to the spacing
of the
adjacent guide rings 40 and the length of cord ladder 48 extending
therebetween.
As mentioned previously, the length of cord ladder extending between adjacent
guide rings is fixed so that the loop 56 formed, as shown in FIG. 8, has a
maximum predetermined size which is known to be smaller than that which would
be necessary to endanger a child or infant by encapsulating a body part. The
loop is shown in greater detail in the enlarged isometric of FIG. 9. As can be
appreciated, the fixed length of the cord ladder between adjacent guide rings
only
permits the relatively small loop 56 to be formed which elevates the bottom
rail 26
a small distance but cannot elevate the bottom rail any greater distance, such
as
shown in FIG. 4, due to the operative relationship between the cord ladder,
the
guide rings and the lift cord.
A second embodiment of a protector in accordance with the present invention is
shown in FIGS. 10-12. In this embodiment, illustrated in connection with the
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same covering as shown in FIGS. 1-4, the protector 60 is in the form of an
elongated flexible base cord 62 having a plurality of flexible loops of cord
64 or
the like formed thereon with the loops of cord being equally spaced along the
length of the base cord so as to define an open structure. Also, at fixed
locations
along the length of the base cord, a somewhat resilient clip 66 is positioned
on
the main cord which might be fixed to the main cord in any predetermined way
such as by crimping, adhesive, molding or the like. Each clip has an elongated
sleeve 68 for receiving the base cord and a C-shaped clasp 70 extending
laterally
from the sleeve adapted to releasably grip a guide ring 40. In other words,
the C-
shaped clasp has a circular passage 72 therethrough which is slightly larger
than
a transverse section through a portion of a guide ring while an open neck
entry
74 into the passage has a dimension slightly smaller than the cross-section of
a
guide ring which permits the guide ring to be forced therethrough due to the
resiliency of the material from which the clasp is made. As will be
appreciated by
reference to FIG. 12, each guide ring is therefore connected to a clip which
is
positively positioned along the length of the protector cord 60 so that the
protector cord cannot move to any significant degree relative to a guide ring.
A
fixed length of protector cord, substantially equivalent to the spacing
between
adjacent guide rings on the fabric, is therefore established between each
guide
ring similarly to the fixed length of cord ladder in the embodiment of FIGS. 5-
9. In
this embodiment, a lift cord 42 associated with a protector cord is slideably
threaded through the cord loops 64 formed off the base cord 62 so that the
lift
cord is slideably confined to the base cord but partially exposed along its
length.
In this manner, the size of a loop that could be formed in the protector cord
and
the lift cord operatively associated therewith is of a limited size and of a
size that
is predetermined so that any such loop could not encapture a body part of a
child
or infant and therefore causes harm.
A third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 13-15 with the
embodiment again being mounted on a covering having a headrail 24, a bottom
rail 26, and a fabric 28 extending therebetween. The fabric has a rear sheet
30
and a looped front sheet 34. Pleats 32 are again formed in the rear sheet
having
guide rings secured thereto with the guide rings 40 normally assuming a non-
vertical orientation as seen in FIGS. 13 and 15.
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In this embodiment of the invention, the protector 76 is an elongated flexible
tape
or ribbon which could be of any suitable materials such as fabric, flexible
plastic,
a rubberized material or the like. The tape or ribbon 76 as seen best in FIG.
14 is
elongated and thin in dimension so as to be flexible and will readily buckle
transversely when the covering is moved from an extended to a retracted
position. The tape, of course, is secured within the headrail 24 at a top end
and
to the bottom rail 26 at a bottom end and has a plurality of equally spaced,
vertically aligned circular apertures or openings 78 therethrough which are
interspersed at periodic intervals with elongated vertical slots 80. The
elongated
slots are adapted to receive a guide ring 40 when the guide ring is twisted
into a
vertical orientation and when the guide ring resumes its neutral position,
which is
non vertical, the ring releasably secures the tape to the rear side of the
fabric 28.
The lift cord 42 is threaded through the tape as illustrated in FIGS. 13 and
15 so
as to be partially exposed and so that it will slide longitudinally of the
tape. When
the effective length of the lift cord is shortened to raise the covering from
an
extended to a retracted position, the lift cord of course raises the bottom
rail
toward the headrail causing the fabric and the protector tape to gather
therebetween. As in the prior two embodiments, due to the fact that the
protector
is secured to the fabric at spaced locations identified by the guide rings,
the
length of the protector between adjacent guide rings is fixed. It would,
therefore,
be very difficult for a loop to be formed in the lift cord greater than that
permitted
by the fixed length of tape between adjacent guide rings. In this manner, a
loop
cannot be made large enough to encapsulate a body part of an infant or child.
A fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 16-20 with this
embodiment again being illustrated in conjunction with a covering having a
headrail 24, a bottom rail 26, and a fabric 28 extending therebetween with the
fabric including a rear pleated sheet of material 30 and a front looped sheet
of
material 34. Guide rings 40 are again secured to the pleats in vertical
alignment
at a plurality of locations aligned with lift cords 42 provided in the
covering.
The protector 82 in the fourth embodiment comprises an elongated spirally
woven open sheath formed from a plurality of nylon or other fibers or cords 83
which constrict in transverse cross section when stretched longitudinally or
transversely as in a well known "chinese finger cuff". The sheath surrounds a
lift
cord 42 as shown in FIG. 17 while leaving it exposed and includes a plurality
of
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somewhat resilient C-clips 66 of the type shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 10-
12. Each sleeve 68 of a C-clip is secured in position along the length of the
lift
cord and sheath with adhesive, crimping, molding, or in any other suitable
manner. The preferred way of securing a C-clip to the sheath is by injection
molding a resilient plastic around the sheath while maintaining a hollow core
in
the sheath so that the lift cord can still pass unobstructively through the C-
clip.
Each C-clip, as described previously, has a C-shaped clasp 70 having a
circular
passage 72 therethrough adapted to receive a guide ring 40 with an open neck
74 communicating with the circular passage that is slightly smaller than the
transverse cross section of a guide ring so that the guide ring can be snapped
into the clasp due to its resiliency. In this manner, the lift cord with the
sheath
surrounding it along its entire length can be threaded through the guide rings
with
the C-clips being attached to an associated guide ring thereby defining a
fixed
length of sheath between adjacent guide rings. The lift cord is axially
slidable
within the sheath to move the bottom rail toward or away from the headrail and
when the bottom rail is being moved toward the headrail, the sheath is
collapsed
(FIGS. 19 and 20) along each segment between C-clips thereby even expanding
in transverse cross section to permit easy sliding movement of the lift cord
therethrough.
When a lift cord with the surrounding sheath is pulled laterally away from the
fabric (FIG. 18) to form a loop 84, however, the sheath will grip the lift
cord so the
lift cord cannot form a larger loop than the sheath between guide rings 40.
Since
the length of the sheath between guide rings is fixed and is insufficient to
form a
large enough loop to encapsulate a body part of an infant or child, the lift
cord
likewise cannot form such a loop.
A fifth embodiment of a protector in accordance with the present invention is
shown in FIGS. 21 and 22. This embodiment 86 of the protector is shown in FIG.
21 incorporated into a covering of the type shown in FIGS. 1-4 and,
accordingly,
like parts of the covering have been given like reference numerals.
The protector 86 itself is simply an elongated flexible cord of the type used
in
coverings for architectural openings as pull cords, lift cords or the like,
but has
been woven in a unique manner to define open pockets or gaps 88 sized to
permit a guide ring 40 to be snuggly fitted therethrough to secure the
protector to
the fabric 28 for the covering. Referring first to FIG. 22, the protector can
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seen to be an elongated flexible cord which is unitary at spaced locations 90
along the length of the protector and then is bifurcated into two parallel
legs 92
between adjacent unitary segments. Where the cord is bifurcated, it forms the
open pocket or gap 88 through which the guide ring can be inserted by
orienting
the guide ring vertically and then when the guide ring resumes its neutral
more
horizontal disposition, it locks the protector 86 to the fabric. In other
words, the
protector thereby becomes secured to the fabric at spaced locations
corresponding to the locations of the guide rings on the fabric so that a
fixed
length of the protector extends between guide rings as in the prior
embodiments.
The lift cord 42 is then woven through the gaps in the protector so that it is
exposed and slides axially relative to the protector, but as in the prior
embodiments, the protector prevents loops larger than a predetermined size
from
being formed in the lift cord either intentionally or inadvertently due to the
fact that
the protector, to which the lift cord is operatively associated, is of a fixed
length
between guide rings with that fixed length being insufficient to form a loop
larger
than the predetermined size.
A sixth embodiment of the protector in accordance with the present invention
is
shown in FIGS. 23 and 24. This embodiment 90 of the protector is shown in FIG.
23 incorporated into a covering of the type shown in FIGS. 1-4 and
accordingly,
like parts of the covering have been given like reference numerals.
The protector 90 itself is comprised of a pair of flexible main cords 92 of
the type
that might be conventionally used as lift cords or pull cords in a covering
for
architectural openings with the cords being positioned in spaced parallel side-
by-
side relationship and being integrated or tied together at longitudinally
spaced
locations by loose stitching with cross cords 94 of a similar material to the
main
cords but being of approximately half the diameter of the main cords. In other
words, the cross cords, which tie the main cords together, extend
transversely, as
by sewing, from one main cord to the opposite main cord and then back in
reversing directions similar to shoe lacing with both ends of the cross cords
being
secured to one or both of the main cords. Elongated zones of stitching 96
extending between the main cords are spaced from adjacent zones of stitching
so that longitudinally-extending spaces 98 between the main cords are defined
between the stitched zones 96. By way of example, the stitched zones may be
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approximately the same length as the longitudinal spaces 98 between the zones
defining an open structured protector.
While the cross cords obviously are flexible so they can reverse directions,
due to
their short lengths between the main cords, they resist buckling and therefore
- 5 maintain a predetermined spacing between the main cords. Also, where
the
cross cords pass through a main cord, they resist sliding movement due to
friction so they stay in position while holding the predetermined spacing
between
the main cords.
The protector 90 is attached to the covering 22 for the architectural opening
by
inserting the guide rings described previously on the back of the covering
through
one of the longitudinal spaces in the protector so that the protector is
removably
positioned on the rear side of the covering. Between guide rings there is a
plurality of the longitudinally spaced spaces so that the lift cord, which is
conventionally passed through the guide rings, is openly woven through the
longitudinal spaces as best seen in FIG. 25 thereby openly confining the lift
cord
between rings to prevent large loops in the lift cord from being formed.
A seventh embodiment of the protector in accordance with the present invention
is shown in FIGS. 26-32. The embodiment 100 of the protector is shown in FIG.
30 incorporated onto the rear face of a covering of the type shown in FIGS. 1-
4
and, accordingly, like parts of the covering have been given like reference
numerals.
The protector 100 is comprised of a strip of mesh material 102 that is either
inextensible or substantially inextensible and which is equal in length to the
drop
or length of the shade material 30 from top to bottom. The strip is cut to a
suitable width, which might be for example between 1.5 inches and 2 inches
wide. A plurality of guide rings 40 are sewn or otherwise secured to the mesh
material 102, as shown in FIG. 26, at predetermined spacings along the length
of
the strip with the spacing of the guide rings being equivalent to the vertical
spacing of the horizontal lines of connection 36, which of course equates to
the
vertical height of a droop or loop 34 of the front sheet of material in the
covering
fabric and to the spacing between pleats 32. The strip of mesh material is
then
secured to the rear sheet 30, as shown in FIGS. 27 and 31, by connecting the
rings and the mesh material to the pleats 32. The connection of the guide
rings
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and mesh material can be made to the pleats as in the previously described
embodiments such as with stitching 104 (FIG. 26) or other suitable means.
Lift cords 42 can then be threaded, as seen in FIG. 28, from the headrail 24
or
top of the fabric material 30 downwardly through the guide rings 40 so that
the
bottom of the lift cord can be secured to a guide ring 40a on the bottom rail
26 of
the covering so that each lift cord is confined within a set of vertically
spaced
guide rings and immediately adjacent to the mesh material 102. Finally, the
mesh material, which has opposed vertical side edges 106 is then formed into a
closed vertically extending tube 108 by moving the side edges of the mesh
material toward each other, as seen in FIG. 29, so that they overlap and are
secured together by stitching 110 (FIG. 29), heat welding, or any other
suitable
means.
In this manner, a vertical protector 100 in the form of a tube 108 of mesh
material 102, as seen in FIG. 30, having guide rings 40 internally thereof
through
which lift cords 42 are extended, completely confines the lift cord along the
entire
vertical extent of the shade fabric.
In all of the afore noted embodiments of the protector of the present
invention, it
has been described in association with a fabric having guide rings attached to
the
fabric which can be used to connect the protector to the fabric. It should be
appreciated the protector can be attached to the fabric or other covering in
any
suitable fashion. For example, if the covering had a plurality of horizontally
oriented vertically spaced rigid slats or battens, clips or brackets could be
secured to the slats or battens to which the protector could be connected.
It will be appreciated from the above that a system for preventing a loop from
being formed in a lift cord larger that a predetermined size has been
described.
That system includes the use of protectors that are operatively associated
with
the lift cords and have fixed lengths between vertically spaced attachments to
the
fabric of the covering so that the size of any loop being formed in the lift
cord, and
consequently the protector operatively associated therewith, is limited by the
spacing between the locations where the protector is secured to the fabric of
the
covering. In this manner, large loops cannot be intentionally or
unintentionally
formed in the lift cord which might pose a danger in encapsulating an infant
or
child's body part.
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Although the present invention 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 invention as defined in the appended claims.
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