Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02877348 2015-01-12
SELECTIVE TILTING ARRANGEMENT FOR A BLIND SYSTEM FOR
COVERINGS FOR ARCHITECTURAL OPENINGS
This is a divisional of Canadian Patent Application 2,620,583 filed in Canada
on August 28, 2006.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to coverings for architectural openings, and,
more specifically, to horizontal blinds, such as Venetian blinds, designed to
selectively tilt open or tilt closed portions of the blind, or to tilt open at
double the
standard pitch, while having the look of a conventional blind when tilted
closed with
either the room-side up or the room-side down.
Typically, a Venetian blind has a top head rail or other frame member, which
both supports the blind and hides the mechanisms used to raise and lower or
open
and close the blind. The raising and lowering is done by a lift cord attached
to the
bottom rail (or bottom slat). The slats, which are supported from the head
rail, may
be allowed to tilt so as to open the blind to allow a maximum of light through
the
blind, or to close the blind with the room-side down (the edges of the slats
which are
closest to the room are facing down, which means that the other edges of the
slats,
the edges which are closest to the window or the wall, will be facing up), or
to close
the blind with the room-side up.
Tilting the blind closed may be done for the purpose of blocking out light, or
for obtaining privacy, or both. In order to obtain the optimum performance
from the
blind, it may be desirable to open one portion of the blind while closing
another
portion of the blind. For instance, it may be desirable, in an office setting,
to tilt
closed the lower portion of the blind in order to block the glare of sunlight
on a
computer screen, or to provide privacy so someone standing outside the window
cannot stare through the window and see what is on going on inside the room.
However, at the same time, it may be desirable to have the upper portion of
the blind
tilted open to allow some natural light and/or ventilation into the room.
Another
instance of an application for such a "spiit" blind design may be in a home
where the
floor of the house is at a higher elevation than the ground outside. A person
standing in the house could freely see outside, but a person from the outside
could
CA 02877348 2015-01-12
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not effectively see inside except for the uppermost reaches as allowed by the
open
section of the blind.
In addition to the issue of privacy and glare elimination, the light control
=
feature of the split blind design (also referred to as selective tilt design)
is also
beneficial in that it minimizes the ultraviolet light deterioration resulting
from sunlight
impacting on interior furnishings, rugs, hardwood floors, etc. while still
maintaining
indirect lighting from the outside as well as a clear view of the outside.
This is
particularly practical and applicable in buildings with a roof overhang over
the
window area or where the windows are recessed into the wall, creating an
overhang.
In some instances it is desirable to "tilt open" the blind as much as possible
in
order to allow more light through the blind or to allow more unhindered
viewing area.
In this instance, it is possible to achieve this using standard width slats
wherein
adjacent pairs of slats move together to stack against each other when tilted
open,
resulting in a "double pitch" arrangement. In this double pitch arrangement,
the open
area between adjacent pairs of slats is essentially twice the open area that
would be
achieved if the slats were spaced apart equally in the normal arrangement,
thus the
"double pitch" designation.
In still other instances, it is desirable to tilt a slat closed in one
direction (say,
room-side up) while the slats immediately adjacent this slat are closed in the
other
direction (room-side down). This results in an aesthetically-pleasing "pleated
look"
(also sometimes referred to as a Tiffany look) of the blind when in the closed
position.
SUMMARY
In one embodiment, a blind system allows the user to tilt open or tilt closed
the entire blind, as well as to selectively tilt open one portion of the blind
while
another portion of the blind is tilted closed.
In another embodiment, a blind system allows the user to tilt closed the slats
as in a conventional blind (either room-side up or room-side down), but tilt
open to
double the standard pitch.
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In another embodiment, a blind system allows the user to tilt the slats open
as in
a conventional blind but tilt the slats closed in alternating directions (one
is room-side up
while the next slat is room-side down) to create a "pleated" look.
Various embodiments of the present invention provide drum portions with tilt
cables and/or actuator cords connected to the various drum portions. Since
both the tilt
cables and the actuator cords serve to actuate the slats of the blind, the
terms "tilt cable"
and "actuator cord" are sometimes used interchangeably in this specification.
One tilt mechanism uses two drums that are co-axially aligned, mounted in a
housing, and with a tilt rod extending through the axis of rotation of the
drums. The tilt rod
engages a drum driver which, in turn, engages one or the other of the two
drums of the
spool.
Another tilt mechanism uses two drums that are substantially parallel but not
co-
axial to each other. These two drums are independently driven by separate tilt
rods
extending through the axes of rotation of their respective drums.
Various securing and routing arrangements of the tilt cables (or actuator
cords) to
the drums result in both types of tilt mechanisms being able to achieve any of
the desired
capabilities.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
blind
for selectively covering an architectural opening, comprising: a head rail; a
plurality of
slats suspended from the head rail, including a plurality of pairs of upper
and lower
adjacent slats; first and second ladder tapes extending downwardly from said
head rail,
each of said first and second ladder tapes including a front tilt cord and a
rear tilt cord,
wherein the first ladder tape supports and is operatively connected to tilt
the upper slats
of each pair of upper and lower adjacent slats and the second ladder tape
supports and
is operatively connected to tilt the lower slats of each pair of upper and
lower adjacent
slats, each of said tilt cords having a first end; a tilt rod in driving
engagement with the
first ends of the front and rear tilt cords of the first and second ladder
tapes, wherein
rotation of said tilt rod raises and lowers the front and rear tilt cords of
the first and second
ladder tapes to move the slats from a first position in which the upper and
lower adjacent
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3a
slats of each pair are stacked against each other in a double pitch open
position to a
second position in which the pairs of upper and lower slats are in a tilted
closed position.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided
a
blind for selectively covering an architectural opening, comprising: a head
rail; first and
.. second tilt cables extending downwardly from said head rail; a plurality of
slats supported
by said first and second tilt cables; a tilt rod having a first axis of
rotation; a driver mounted
for rotation in first and second directions with said tilt rod; first and
second driven drums
rotationally driven by said driver, wherein said first tilt cable is connected
to said first
driven drum, and said second tilt cable is connected to said second driven
drum, such
.. that said first and second tilt cables are raised and lowered with the
rotation of their
respective driven drums; means for stopping the rotation of said first drum
while
continuing to rotationally drive said second drum; and means for stopping the
rotation of
said second drum while continuing to rotationally drive said first drum.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a blind system made in
accordance with the present invention, with a partially exploded perspective
view of the
mechanism inside the head rail also shown above the blind;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of one of the tilt stations of Figure 1, with
the housing
cover removed for clarity;
Figure 3 is an exploded, perspective view of the tilt station of Figure 2;
Figure 3B is a perspective view of a vertical section taken along the axis of
rotation,
of the tilt station of Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the drums of Figure 3;
Figure 5 is an opposite end, perspective view of the drum of Figure 4;
Figure 6 is a front end view of the drum of Figure 5;
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Figure 7 is a perspective view of the other drum of Figure 3;
Figure 8 is an opposite end, perspective view of the drum of Figure 7;
Figure 9 is a perspective view of the housing of the tilt station of Figure 3;
Figure 10 is a lower angle, opposite end, perspective view of the housing of
Figure 9;
Figure 11 is a perspective view of the drum driver of the tilt station of
Figure 3;
Figure 12 is an opposite end, perspective view of the drum driver of Figure
11;
Figures 13-15 are a series of perspective views depicting the assembly
process of the two drums, the drum driver, and the spring of Figure 3;
Figure 16 is a section view through the drum of Figure 5;
Figures 17-19 are a continuation of the series of perspective views depicting
the assembly process of the two drums, the drum driver, and the spring of
Figure 3;
Figure 20 is schematic, perspective view, partially broken away, of the blind
of
Figure 1, showing the position of the drums and the routing of the tilt cables
for a
double pitch configuration, as well as corresponding end views of the drums to
more
clearly indicate the relative rotational positions of the drums;
Figure 21 is similar to Figure 20 but showing the positions of the slats of
the
blind and of the drums when the blind is closed room-side down;
Figure 22 is similar to Figure 20 but showing the positions of the slats of
the
blind, and of the drums when the blind is closed room-side up;
Figure 23 is schematic, perspective view, partially broken away, of the blind
of
Figure 1, showing the position of the drums and the routing of the tilt cables
for a
tilting configuration that permits opening of one portion of the blind while
another is
closed, as well as corresponding end views of the drums to more clearly
indicate the
relative rotational positions of the drums;
. Figure 24 is similar to Figure 23 but showing the positions of the
slats of the
blind and of the drums when the blind is closed room-side up;
Figure 25 is similar to Figure 23 but showing the positions of the slats of
the
blind, and of the drums when the lower portion of the blind is closed room-
side down
while the upper portion of the blind remains tilted open;
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-
Figure 26 is schematic, perspective view, partially broken away, of the blind
of
Figure 1, showing the position of the drums and the routing of the tilt cables
for a
pleated look and double pitch configuration, as well as corresponding end
views of
the drums to more clearly indicate the relative rotational positions of the
drums;
5 Figure 27 is similar to Figure 26 but showing the positions of the slats
of the
blind, and of the drums when the blind is pleated closed in one direction;
Figure 28 is similar to Figure 27 but showing the positions of the slats of
the
blind, and of the drums when the blind is pleated closed in an opposite
direction;
Figure 29 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a blind system
made in accordance the present invention, with a partially exploded
perspective view
of the mechanism inside the head rail also shown above the blind;
Figure 30 is a perspective view of the indexing gear mechanism of the blind of
Figure 29;
Figure 31 is an exploded perspective view of the indexing gear mechanism of
Figure 30;
Figure 32 is a partially exploded perspective view of the indexing gear
mechanism of Figure 30;
Figure 33 is a view along line 33-33 of Figure 32;
Figure 34 is a perspective view of the housing cover for the indexing gear
mechanism of Figure 31;
Figure 35 is a perspective view of one of the driven gears of the indexing
gear
mechanism of Figure 31;
Figure 36 is a perspective view of the indexing gear of the indexing gear
mechanism of Figure 31;
Figure 37 is a perspective view of one of the tilt stations of the blind of
Figure
29;
Figure 38 is an exploded perspective view of the tilt station of Figure 37;
Figure 39 is a perspective view of one of the drums of the tilt station of
Figure
37;
Figure 40 is a perspective view of the housing of the tilt station of Figure
37;
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Figure 41 is schematic, perspective view, partially broken away, of the blind
of
Figure 29, showing the position of the drums and the routing of the tilt
cables for a
double pitch configuration, as well as the corresponding view of the indexing
gear
mechanism to more clearly indicate the relative rotational positions of the
driven
gears;
Figure 42 is similar to Figure 41 but showing the positions of the slats of
the
blind, of the drums, and of the indexing gear mechanism when the blind is
closed
room-side down;
Figure 43 is similar to Figure 42 but showing the positions of the slats of
the
blind, of the drums, and of the indexing gear mechanism when the blind is
closed
room-side up;
Figure 44 is schematic, perspective view, partially broken away, of the blind
of
Figure 29, showing the position of the drums and the routing of the tilt
cables for a
tilting configuration that permits part of the blind to be open while another
part is
closed, as well as the corresponding view of the indexing gear mechanism to
more
clearly indicate the relative rotational positions of the driven gears;
Figure 45 is similar to Figure 44 but shows the positions of the slats of the
blind, of the drums, and of the indexing gear mechanism when the lower portion
of
the blind is closed room-side down while the upper portion of the blind
remains tilted
open;
Figure 46 is similar to Figure 44 but shows the positions of the slats of the
blind, of the drums, and of the indexing gear mechanism when the upper portion
of
the blind is closed room-side up while the lower portion of the blind remains
tilted
open;
Figure 47 is schematic, perspective view, partially broken away, of the blind
of
Figure 29, showing the position of the drums and the routing of the tilt
cables for a
pleated look and double pitch configuration, as well as the corresponding view
of the
indexing gear mechanism to more clearly indicate the relative rotational
positions of
the driven gears;
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Figure 48 is similar to Figure 47 but shows the positions of the slats of the
blind, of the drums, and of the indexing gear mechanism when the blind is
pleated
closed in one direction; and
Figure 49 is similar to Figure 47 but shows the positions of the slats of the
blind, of the drums, and of the indexing gear mechanism when the blind is
pleated
closed in the opposite direction.
DESCRIPTION:
Single Tilt Rod, Co-axial drum design
The blind 10 of Figure 1 includes a head rail 12 and a plurality of slats 14
suspended from the head rail 12 by means of tilt cables 16 and their
associated
cross cords 16t (See Figure 20), which together comprise the ladder tapes.
Lift
cords 20 are fastened at the bottom of the bottom slat (or bottom rail) 18,
which
typically is heavier than the other slats 14. As is well-known in the art, the
lift cords
20 are routed through rout holes in the slats 14, through the head rail 12,
and out
through a cord lock mechanism 22. Tilt cords 24 operate a cord biter 26, which
is
used to rotate a tilt rod 28 about its longitudinal axis in order to actuate
the tilt
stations 30. In this embodiment, there are two sets of tilt cables 16, which
are given
more specific designations in Figure 20 as follows:
- 16 is the generic designation for tilt cables
- the suffix "a" is used for the first set and "b" is used for the second set
of tilt
cables
- the additional suffix "f" or "r" is used to indicate front (room side) or
rear (wall
side or window side)
Note that in some instances, there is no second set of tilt cables. An
actuator
cord also may be used in some instances (such as in Figure 23) and designated
as
16x. The actuator cord 16x runs parallel to the tilt cables 16 and attaches to
one of
the tilt cables 16 via a knot 32 (See Figure 23) or other fixing means such as
via a
clip attachment 32, which is described in detail in U. S. Patent No.
6,845,802,
Selective Tilting Arrangement for a Blind System for Coverings for
Architectural
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8
Openings. While
the tilt rod 28 in
this embodiment is actuated by a cord filter 26 (which is described in detail
in
Canadian Patent No. 2,206,932 "Anderson", dated December 4, 1997 (1997/12/04),
it is understood that other types of
actuators may be used, such as a wand tilter or a motorized tilter.
Referring briefly to Figures 2 and 3, the tilt station 30 includes a first
drum 34,
a second drum 36, a drum driver 38, a lash spring 40, a housing 42, and a
housing
cover 44.
Referring to Figures 4, 5, 6, and 16, the first drum 34 includes two
concentric
cylinders 46, 48 interconnected by a centrally located web 50. The outer
cylinder 46
defines two axially-extending slotted openings 52 approximately one hundred
twenty
(120) degrees apart, as well as an axially-projecting limit stop 54
approximately sixty
(60) degrees from one of the two slotted openings 52.
Approximately halfway through its axial dimension, the inner cylinder 48
expands abruptly to a larger diameter inner cylinder 58 throughout a
substantial
portion of its circumference. This results in a crescent-shaped flange 56 (See
Figure
6) extending for approximately two hundred twenty (220) degrees around the
circumference of the inner cylinder 48, and this flange 56 terminates at
radially-
extending shoulders 60, 62. As explained in more detail below, the flange 56
acts to
position and contain the drum driver 38 within the tilt station 30, and the
shoulders
60, 62 allow the drum driver 38 to rotationally drive each of the drums 34,
36. The
web 50 defines a through opening 64 (See Figure 6) which is used to attach the
lash
- spring 40 to the drums 34, 36, as explained in more detail below.
Referring to Figures 7 and 8, the second drum 36 is identical to the first
drum
.. 34, except that the second drum 36 includes an axially-extending,
circumferential
ring 66 with an inner diameter which is slightly larger than the outer
diameter of the
outer cylinder 46. This ring 66 is found only on the end of the drum 36
opposite the
end defining the slotted openings 52 and the limit stop 54, and this end where
the
ring 66 is located is referred to as the inner end 68 of the second drum 36,
making
the other end the outer end 70. Similarly, the first drum 34 has an inner end
72, and
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an outer end 74. When the drums 34, 36 are assembled together, the ring 66 of
the
= second drum 36 overlaps the inner end 72 of the first drum 34 to prevent
any of the
tilt cables 16 from falling in between the first and second drums 34, 36, as
will
become apparent below.
Referring to Figures 11 and 12, the cylindrically-shaped drum driver 38
defines a non-cylindrically profiled, inner, hollow shaft 76 designed to
engage the tilt
rod 28 such that rotation of the tilt rod 28 causes rotation of the drum
driver 38. The
drum driver 38 also includes an axially-extending, rectangular key 78 located
halfway
between the ends of the drum driver 38. The length of the drum driver 38 is
slightly
longer than the length of the two drums 34, 36 when assembled together, such
that
the ends of the drum driver 38 extend beyond the drum assembly, and these ends
may be used for rotational support of the drum assembly on the saddles 96, 98
of
the housing 42, as described in more detail below. The length of the key 78 is
substantially equal to the distance from the flange 56 of the first drum 34 to
the
flange 56 of the second drum 36 when the two drums 34, 36 are assembled
together. The outside diameter of the drum driver 38 is slightly smaller than
the
diameter of the inner cylinder 48 of the first and second drums 34, 36. When
the
drum driver 38 is inserted into the two drums 34, 36, as described in more
detail
below, the drum driver 38 lies inside of, and is co-axially aligned with, the
two drums
.. 34, 36. The key 78 selectively engages the shoulders 60, 62 of the drums
34, 36
depending on the direction of rotation of the tilt rod 28, as explained in
more detail
below.
As shown in Figure 3, the lash spring 40 includes two axially-extending ends
80, 82 which, as explained in more detail below, extend through the openings
64 in
the webs 50 of the drums 34, 36, respectively, which ties the first and second
drums
34, 36 together and preloads them against the key 78 of the drum driver 38. As
shown also in Figure 3B, the coils of the lash spring 40 lie in the cavity
formed
between the outer cylinders 46, the larger diameter portions 58 of the inner
cylinders
48 and the webs 50 of the drums 34, 36.
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Figures 13-15 and 17-19 depict the process of assembling the two drums 34,
36, the drum driver 38, and the spring 40. Figure 13 indicates that the first
step is to
insert the end 82 of the spring 40 through the opening 64 (see Fig. 6) in the
second
drum 36. The next step (Figure 14) is to insert the drum driver 38 into the
inner
5 cylinder 48 of the second drum 36, with one end of the key 78 pushed in
(See Figure
15) until it abuts the flange 56 of the second drum 36. Next, the first drum
34 is
assembled by inserting the second end 80 of the spring 40 through the opening
64 in
the first drum 34, and then bringing the two drums 34, 36 together until their
corresponding inner ends 72, 68 meet, and the ring 66 on the second drum 36
10 overlaps the inner end 72 of the first drum 34 (See Figure 17).
The next step is to bend the ends 80, 82 of the spring 40 which project
through the respective openings 64 of the drums 34, 36 in order to secure the
ends
80, 82 onto their respective drums 34, 36. A tool 84 (as shown in Figure 17)
may be
used for this purpose, or the ends may simply be bent using needlenose pliers,
a
flathead screwdriver, or other known means. The drums 34, 36 are now assembled
with the lash spring 40 and the drum driver 38 inside the assembly. The spring
40
holds the drums 34, 36 together (because the ends 80, 82 of the spring 40 have
been bent sideways so they will not slide back out of the drums 34, 36).
The next step (See Figure 18) is to preload the drums 34, 36 against the key
78 of the drum driver 38. This is accomplished by grabbing each drum 34, 36
and
separating them just enough for one of the drums 34, 36 to move axially away
far
enough to clear the key 78 of the drum driver 38. The drum 34 is then rotated
counterclockwise 360 degrees relative to the drum 36, and the drums are
brought
back together once again, and are then released. Both drums 34, 36 immediately
rotate in opposite directions, urged by the biasing force of the lash spring
40, until
the first shoulder 60 of the first drum 34 and the second shoulder 62 of the
second
drum 36 both impact against the key 78 of the drum driver 38. The two drums
34, 36
are now preloaded against the key 78 of the drum driver 38.
As indicated in Figure 19, either drum 34, 36 may be rotated about their
common axis of rotation (which also corresponds to the axis of rotation of the
drum
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11
driver 38). If the first drum 34 is rotated clockwise (as seen from the
vantage point of
Figure 19) while holding the second drum 36 stationary, the second shoulder 62
of
the first drum 34 impacts against the key 78 of the drum driver 38, causing
the drum
driver 38 to rotate clockwise as well. This key 78 in turn impacts against the
second
shoulder 62 of the second drum 36 such that the second drum 36 is also caused
to
rotate clockwise, and the entire assembly rotates as a unit unless and until
something impedes such rotation (which, as is discussed below, is precisely
what
may happen when the limit stop 54 on the drums 34, 36 hits against one of the
limit
stops on the housing 42).
On the other hand, if the first drum 34 is rotated counterclockwise, its
second
shoulder 62 is moving away from the key 78, such that the first drum 34 may
rotate
relative to the second drum 36 which may thus remain stationary. However, in
order
to rotate the first drum 34, one must overcome the preload force of the spring
40.
The same situation is true of the second drum 36, provided that the vantage
point is the opposite end of that of Figure 19. That is, as seen from the rear
of
Figure 19, the second drum 36 can be rotated dod<wise only if the entire
assembly
rotates with it, and it can be rotated counterclockwise while the first drum
34 remains
stationary, provided that the user overcomes the preload force of the spring
40.
Throughout the rest of this specification, we will refer to the position of
the drums 34,
36 where no external force is acting to overcome the preload force of the
spring 40
as the neutral position for the tilt station 30. That is the position in which
the first
drum 34 has its second shoulder 62 against the key 78 and the second drum 36
has
its second shoulder 62 against the key 78.
Referring now to Figures 3, 9, and 10, the housing 42 includes two side walls
86, 88, two end walls 90, 92, and a bottom wall 94. The end walls 90, 92
define "U"-
shaped saddles 96, 98 respectively, which provide rotational support of the
drum
assembly by supporting the ends of the drum driver 38. Arms 100, 102 extend at
approximately a 45 degree angle from the planes defined by the end walls 90,
92,
and they project over and above the centerline of the tilt rod 28 as it passes
through
the drum driver 38, thus preventing the drum assembly from lifting up out of
the
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housing 42. The ends of the inner cylinders 48 of the drums 34, 46 are larger
in
diameter than the saddles 96, 98, and the distance between the ends of the
inner
cylinders 48 is just slightly less than the distance between the saddles 96,
98, so the
inner cylinders 48 will abut one of the saddles 96, 98 if the drums 34, 36 are
shifted
in an axial direction, thus preventing the drums 34, 36 from shifting very
much in the
axial direction.
On 'either side of each saddle 96, 98 there are two shelves 110, 112 (best
seen in Figure 3, against the end wall 92, but also present in the opposite
end wall
90), with the upper shelf 110 being less recessed (at a higher elevation) than
the
lower shelf 112. These shelves 110, 112 act as limit stops by cooperating with
the
limit stop 54 on their respective drums 34, 36 to limit the degree to which
the drums
34, 36 are free to rotate in either direction. This limit stop feature is
explained in
more detail below.
The bottom wall 94 of the housing 42 defines two elongated slotted openings
104, 106, and a shorter rectangular opening 108. The elongated slotted
openings
104, 106 are for the front and rear tilt cables to pass through the housing 42
and
through corresponding openings (not shown) in the head rail 12. The shorter
rectangular opening 108 is for the lift cords 20.
Referring to Figures 3 and 3B, a housing cover 44 snaps over and onto the
housing 42 to add dimensional integrity to the housing 42 and to prevent the
tilt
cables 16 from getting tangled or falling off of the drums 34, 36 in the event
of a
slack condition on the cables 16 (such as when someone physically picks up
some
of the slats 14 of the blind 10).
Referring to Figures 1 and 3, once the drum assembly has been assembled
and preloaded as described in Figures 13-19, it is dropped into the housing
42, with
the ends of the drum driver 38 being rotationally supported by the saddles 96,
98 of
the housing 42. The tilt rod 28 is inserted through the hollow shaft 76 of the
drum
driver 38, and one end of the tilt rod 28 is connected to the cord drive
tilter
mechanism 26, as shown in Figure 1. Typically, two or more tilt stations 30
are
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13
mounted to the tilt rod 28, and the entire tilt drive assembly is installed in
the head
rail 12 of the blind 10.
At some point either before or after the installation of the tilt drive
assembly
onto the head rail 12, the tilt cables 16 are attached to the drums 34, 36
according to
the required routing to obtain the desired configuration as explained in more
detail
below. To attach the tilt cables 16 to the drums 34, 36, an enlargement (such
as a
knot or bead) is tied to the end of the tilt cable which is to be secured, and
this
enlargement is inserted behind the desired slotted opening 52 in the outer
cylinder
46 of the desired drum 34, 36, with the rest of the tilt cable 16 extending
through that
slotted opening 52. The enlargement prevents the tilt cable 16 from pulling
out of the
respective drum 34, 36 and thereby quickly and effectively attaches the tilt
cable 16
to its respective drum 34, 36.
Double Pitch Configuration
Figures 20-22 depict the routing of the tilt cables for a typical double pitch
blind configuration. In these three figures, and in all similar figures to
follow, the
routing of the tilt cables 16 and the position of the drums 34, 36
(particularly to depict
the relative location of the tie-off points of the ends of the tilt cables 16
to the drums
34, 36) are shown relative to the corresponding position of the slats 14 of
the blind
10. For greater clarity, end views of the corresponding drums 34, 36 are
included as
part of these views in order to help show the location of the tie-off point
for each of
the tilt cables 16 (tied off at the slotted openings 52 of the drums 34, 36),
or the
location of the limit stop 54.
As was explained earlier, the tilt cables are generically designated as item
16,
but are further identified by the following suffixes:
- "a" is for the first set of tilt cables, those supporting the upper (or top)
slat 14t
in each pair of top and bottom slats 14t, 14b
- "b" is for the second set of tilt cables, those supporting the lower (or
bottom)
slat 14b in each pair 14t, 14b
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14
- "f" is for the front tilt cables, those on the room side of the blind
- "r" is for the rear tilt cables, those on the wall side (also referred to as
the
window side) of the blind
- "x" is for an actuator cord which is typically secured to one of the tilt
cables
16
Referring briefly to Figure 1, note that the tilter mechanism 26 is a worm
gear
cord drive mechanism, as taught in U.S. Patent 6,561,252, which is hereby
incorporated herein by reference. The cord pulley is directly connected to a
worm
which drives a gear to which the tilt rod 28 is connected. As is well known in
the art,
in a worm gear mechanism, the worm is able to drive the gear in either
clockwise or
counterclockwise directions. However, the gear is unable to back drive the
worm;
the mechanism locks up the moment the gear begins to back drive the worm.
While
a worm gear is a very convenient and expedient manner for ensuring that the
tilter
mechanism 26 cannot be back driven, other means (such as ratchets, one way
brakes, or clutches, all with suitable release mechanisms) may be employed in
alternative embodiments to ensure this same condition.
The ability to drive the tilt rod 28 in either direction (clockwise or
counterclockwise) from the input end (using the cord filter 26), but not to be
able to
back drive the tilt rod 28 from the output end is a useful characteristic for
the
operation of the tilt station 30, as is discussed in more detail below.
Referring to Figure 20, the drums 34, 36 are in their neutral position (again,
this neutral position refers to the position of the drums 34, 36 where no
external force
is acting to overcome the preload force of the spring 40, and thus when the
first drum
34 has its second shoulder 62 against the key 78, and the second drum 36 has
its
second shoulder 62 against the key 78). The slats 14 are open in a double
pitch
configuration, wherein each pair of adjacent slats 14t, 14b is stacked right
up against
each other, and there is a large empty space between this pair of adjacent
slats 141,
14b and the next pair of adjacent slats 14t, 14b. This large empty space is
approximately twice the standard distance, or double the pitch (dp) between
slats of
a conventional blind having evenly-spaced slats.
CA 02877348 2015-01-12
The top slat 14t of each pair of top and bottom slats 14t, 14b is supported by
a
cross cord 16t extending between the first set of front and rear tilt cables
16af, 16ar.
(For expediency, we will sometimes refer to the tilt cables when we mean the
entire
associated ladder tape including both the front and rear tilt cables and cross
cords
5 connecting those front and rear tilt cables, and this usage will be
obvious within the
context in which it used). The first rear tilt cable 16ar is routed over the
first drum 34
of the tilt station 30 and is secured to one of the slotted openings 52ar in
the first
drum 34 (note that the generic designation of the slotted opening is 52, as
shown, for
instance, in Figure 5, but this designation has been modified with the suffix
ar, which
10 corresponds to the suffix of the tilt cable 16ar which is secured to
this particular
slotted opening. This nomenclature will be followed throughout this
specification).
The first front tilt cable 16af is routed over the second drum 36 and is
secured to the
slotted opening 52af on the second drum 36. The ring 66 of the second drum 36
prevents the tilt cables from falling In between the two drums 34, 36.
15 Similarly, the bottom slat 14b of each pair of slats 14t, 14b is
supported by the
cross cords 16t extending between the second set of front and rear tilt cables
16bf,
16br. The rear tilt cable 16br of the second set is routed over the second
drum 36
and is secured to the slotted opening 52br in the second drum 36. Finally, the
front
tilt cable 16bf of the second set of tilt cables is routed over the first drum
34 and is
secured to the slotted opening 52bf on that first drum 34.
All of the tilt cables 16 are tied off to the drums 34, 36 such that, when the
drums are in their "neutral" position, as shown in Figure 20, the slats 14 are
arranged
in the double pitch configuration, wherein the pairs of adjacent top and
bottom slats
14t, 14b are stacked up against each other, creating a large, double pitch gap
"dp"
between the sets of paired slats 14t, 14b.
Referring now to Figures 1 and 21, one of the tilt cords 24 is pulled so as to
cause rotation of the tilt rod 28 in the clockwise direction (as seen from the
vantage
point of Figures 1 and 21). The clockwise rotation of the tilt rod 28 causes
clockwise
rotation of the drum driver 38 (and of the key 78) in the tilt station 30. As
the key 78
rotates, it pushes against the first shoulder 60 (See Figure 5) of the first
drum 34,
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16
thus causing the first drum 34 to rotate clockwise as well. The second drum 36
also
wants to follow the key 78, since the lash spring 40 is preloading the second
drum 36
against the key 78. However, very shortly after the second drum 36 begins to
rotate
clockwise, its limit stop 54 impacts against the upper shelf limit stop 1-10
(See Figure
3) on its end of the housing 42, stopping any further clockwise rotation of
the second
drum 36, despite the urging of the lash spring 40. Naturally, since the second
drum
36 has stopped rotating, the user now must exert enough force to overcome the
biasing force of the lash spring in order to continue rotating the tilt rod
28, the drum
driver 38, and the first drum 34. As the user continues to rotate the tilt rod
28 in the
clockwise direction, the first drum 34 continues to rotate until its limit
stop 54 impacts
against the lower shelf limit stop 112 on its respective end wall 90 of the
housing 42.
At this point, the slats are in the closed position, room side down, as shown
in Figure
21. The change in positions of the drums 34, 36 can be seen more clearly by
comparing the starting position of the limit stop 54 on the first drum 34,
shown in
Figure 20 (at the neutral position), with the ending position of the limit
stop 54 on the
first drum 34 shown in Figure 21, which indicates that the first drum 34 has
rotated
clockwise through almost a full 180 degrees of travel.
The slotted openings 52ar and 52bf on the first drum 34, which are connected
to the first rear tilt cable 16ar and the second front tilt cable 16bf, also
have rotated
the same distance of approximately 180 degrees of travel. As a result, the
rear tilt
cable 16ar of the top slat 14t has been pulled up a distance approximately
equal to it
X r (where r is the radius of the drum 34), and the front tilt cable 16bf of
the bottom
slat 14b has been extended the same distance. The other two tilt cables 16af,
16br,
which are connected to the second drum 36, remain practically motionless. As a
result, the front (room side) edges of the top slats 14t do not move, while
the rear
(wall side) edges of these top slats 14t swing up for a room-side down tilted
closed
orientation (as seen in Figure 21). Similarly the rear (wall side) edges of
the bottom
slats 14b move up only a very short distance, while the front (room side)
edges of
theee bottom slats 14b swing down to complete the room-side down tilted closed
orientation of the blind as shown in Figure 21.
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17
To summarize, in Figure 21, the second drum 36 does not rotate (or rotates a
very short distance of just a few degrees of travel before the limit stops
prevent its
further rotation), and the first drum 34 rotates clockwise (as seen from the
left Figure
21) in order to move the double pitch fully open blind of Figure 20 to the
closed
room-side down blind of Figure 21. The very short rotation of the second drum
36
allow the edges of adjacent pairs of slats 14 to overlap each other so that
there is no
light gap visible when the blind is closed.
Note that the limit stops 110, 112 (See Figure 3) are designated upper limit
stop 110 and lower limit stop 112 as this is how they are depicted in the
figures and
this designation makes it easier to distinguish the two stops 110, 112.
However, the
limit stops 110, 112 may both be at the same height relative to each other, so
it may
be more accurate simply to refer to them as a first stop 110 and a second stop
112.
The lash spring 40 urges the drums 34, 36 back to the neutral position, urging
the first drum 34 to rotate counterclockwise and urging the second drum 36 to
rotate
.. clockwise. However, there are mechanisms in place that prevent both of
these
rotations, as explained below. The second drum 36 cannot rotate clockwise any
further due to the interaction of its limit stop 54 with the limit stop 110 of
the housing
42. The first drum 34 cannot rotate counterclockwise, because it is stopped by
the
cord titter 26. In order for the first drum 34 to rotate counterclockwise, it
would have
to push the drum driver 38 in the counterclockwise direction, since the key 78
of the
drum driver 38 is in contact with the first shoulder 60 of the first drum 34.
Rotating
the drum driver 38 would also require rotation of the tilt rod 28, since the
mating non-
circular cross-sections of the drum driver 38 and the tilt rod 28 cause them
to rotate
together. However, in order for the tilt rod 28 to be driven counterclockwise
by the
drum 34, it would have to drive the worm gear of the titter 26 (as indicated
earlier,
this titter 26 is described in Canadian Patent No. 2,206,932 "Anderson", dated
December 4, 1997 (1997/12/04), which is hereby incorporated by reference).
However, as was explained earlier, the worm gear cannot be back driven, so any
attempt by the tilt rod 28 to drive the titter 26 causes the titter mechanism
26 to lock
up. Therefore, the slats 14 of the blind 10 remain in the position desired by
the user
CA 02877348 2015-01-12
18
unless and until the user drives them to a new position by pulling on one of
the tilt
cords 24 on the input end of the tilter 26. To return the blind from this
position to the
neutral position of Figure 20, the user would pull on the other tilt cord 24,
driving the
tilt mechanism, tilt rod 28, and the drum driver 38 in the counterclockwise
direction.
This allows the spring 40 to bring the first drum 34 back to the neutral
position, while
the second drum 36 remains In the same position.
Figure 22 depicts the same double pitch blind as Figure 20 but with the tilt
mechanism having moved the blind to the position in which the slats are tilted
closed
room-side up. To achieve this from the neutral position of Figure 20, the user
pulls
on the other tilt cord 24 (See Figure 1) (not the one that was pulled to
obtain the
tilted closed room-side down position of Figure 21). This causes
counterclockwise
rotation of the tilt rod 28, as well as the counterclockwise rotation of the
drums 34,
36. However, the limit stop 54 on the first drum 34 almost immediately impacts
the
upper shelf limit stop 110 on its respective wall 90 of the housing 42,
bringing further
.. rotation of the first drum 34 to a stop. The second drum 36 continues to
rotate
counterclockwise until eventually its limit stop 54 impacts against the lower
shelf limit
stop 112 at its respective end 92 of the housing 42, bringing this second drum
36 to
a stop. The second drum 36 will have rotated counterclockwise approximately
180
degrees (as evidenced by comparing the positions of the limit stop 54 on the
second
.. drum 36, in Figures 20 and 22).
The first rear tilt cable 16ar and the second front tilt cable 16bf, which are
secured to the first drum 34, remain practically stationary, while the ends Of
the first
front and second rear tilt cables 16af and 16br rotate counterclockwise with
the
second drum 36. The first front tilt cable 16af winds onto the second drum 36,
pulling the room-side edges of the top slats 14t up a distance of
approximately 7 X r.
At the same time, the second rear tilt cable 16br unwinds from the second drum
36,
dropping the wall-side edges of the bottom slats 14b by the same rr X r
distance.
The end result is the tilted closed room-side up blind of Figure 22.
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19
Selective Tilt Configuration
Figures 23-25 depict a routing of tilt cables 16 on a mechanism very similar
to
that described above in order to achieve an arrangement in which one part of
the
blind can be closed while another part remains open. Referring to Figure 23,
there
are a few hardware differences between this configuration the configuration
shown in
Figure 20. First, instead of having two sets of double-pitch ladder tapes,
this blind
has one standard single-pitch ladder tape with a rear tilt cable 16r, a front
tilt cable
16f, and cross cords 16t extending between the front and rear tilt cables 16f,
16r.
Second, another tilt cable or actuator cord 16x is secured to the rear tilt
cable 16r at
the knot 32 or other fixing means such as a cord attachment dip 32. Third, the
first
drum 34 does not have a limit stop 54 (the limit stop 54 simply may be cut off
from a
standard first drum 34 to accommodate this configuration).
In this configuration, the rear tilt cable 16r wraps counterclockwise around
the
second drum 36 and attaches to the second drum 36 at the slotted opening 52r.
The
front tilt cable 16f wraps clockwise around the second drum 36 and attaches to
the
second drum 36 at the slotted opening 52f. The third tilt cable or actuator
cord 16x
wraps clockwise around the first drum 34 and attaches to the first drum 34 at
the
slotted opening 52x. The other slotted opening 52 of the first drum 34 is not
used for
anchoring a cord in this embodiment. In Figure 23, the drums 34, 36 are shown
in
their neutral position, with the slats 14 are all tilted open in a single
pitch
configuration, with all the slats 14 evenly spaced apart.
In Figure 24, one of the tilt cords has been pulled, causing the titter 26 to
drive
the tilt rod 28 counterclockwise, which also drives the drum driver 38 and
both drums
34, 36 counterclockwise. The second drum 36 is driven counterclockwise by the
key
78 on the drum driver 38, stopping when its limit stop 54 reaches the lower
shelf limit
stop 112 on the wall 92. Since the limit stop 54 on the first drum 34 has been
removed, there is nothing to prevent the spring 40 from driving the first drum
34
counterclockwise along with the second drum 36. As the second drum 36 rotates
counterclockwise, it raises the front cable 16f and lowers the rear cable 16r.
As the
first drum 34 rotates counterclockwise, it lowers the actuator cable 16x the
same
CA 02877348 2015-01-12
distance as the rear tilt cable 16r. Thus, the entire blind tilts closed room-
side up.
When the tilt cord 24 is released, the worm gear on the tilt drive 26 locks
the tilt rod
28 in position, which causes both drums 34, 36 to remain in the position they
were in
when the tilt cord 24 was released.
5 To rotate back to the neutral position and beyond, the other tilt cord 24
is
pulled, causing the tilt rod 28 to rotate clockwise. Figure 25 shows the
position of the
blind when the tilt rod 28 has been rotated clockwise beyond the neutral
position of
Figure 23. As the tilt rod 28 is driven clockwise by the tilt drive 26, it
drives the drum
driver 38 clockwise, and the key 78 of the drum driver 38 contacts a shoulder
on the
10 first drum 34, driving the first drum 34 clockwise. The spring 40 begins
to cause the
second drum 36 to rotate clockwise along with the first drum 34, but its limit
stop 54
impacts the upper shelf limit stop 110 on the wall 92 of the housing 42 at the
neutral
position, preventing any further clockwise rotation of the second drum 36. The
first
drum 34 continues to rotate clockwise, causing the actuator cable 16x to wind
up
15 onto the first drum 34, which raises the actuator cord 16x. Since the
actuator cable
16x is connected to the rear tilt cable 16r at the point 32, it lifts the rear
tilt cable 16r
at that point 32. All the slats 14 supported by cross cords 16t below the
point 32 are
affected as the rear tilt cable 16r raises the wall-side edges of those slats
14. The
result is that all the slats 14 below the tie off point 32 of the actuator
cable 16x to the
20 rear tilt cable 16r are tilted closed room-side down, and the balance of
the slats 14
remain tilted open, as shown in Figure 25,
The location of the tie-off point 32 relative to the rear tilt cable 16r
determines
the point at which the "break" occurs between the slats which are tilted
closed and
those which remain tilted open. If the actuator cable 16x alternatively were
tied to
the front tilt cable 16f instead of the rear tilt cable 16r, then the portion
of the blind
below the tie-off point 32 would close in the room-side up position rather
than room-
side down as shown here. It also follows that, by reversing the position of
the drums
34, 36 in the housing 42, the action of the blind 10 can be reversed from the
previous
description. For instance, in going from Figure 23 to Figure 24, the slats 14
would
close room-side up instead of the room-side down shown.
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21
Pleated Look Configuration
Figures 26-28 depict the routing of the tilt cables for a typical pleated look
blind configuration. Referring to Figure 26, there are no hardware differences
between this pleated look configuration and the double pitch configuration of
Figure
20. In both instances, the two sets of tilt cables 16af, 16ar and 16bf, 16br
are double
the standard pitch. The only differences are in the routing of the tilt cables
16.
In this arrangement, again, there are two sets of tilt cables. The first front
tilt
cable 16af of the top slats 14t wraps counterclockwise around the second drum
36
and attaches to the second drum 36 at the slotted opening 52af. The first rear
tilt
cable 16ar of the top slats 14t wraps clockwise around the first drum 34 and
attaches
to the first drum 34 at the slotted opening 52ar. The second front tilt cable
16bf of
the bottom slats 14b wraps dockwise around the second drum 36 and attaches to
the second drum 36 at the slotted opening 52bf. Finally, the second rear tilt
cable
16br of the bottom slats 14b wraps counterclockwise around the first drum 34,
and
attaches to the first drum 34 at the slotted opening 52br.
As in the case of the double pitch blind depicted in Figure 20, the pleated
look
configuration of Figure 26 also starts with the slats 14 in a double pitch
configuration
when the drums 34, 36 are in the neutral position. Referring now to Figure 27,
as
the tilt drive 26 drives the tilt rod 28 in the clockwise direction, the key
78 contacts
the first drum 34, driving it dockwise, and the spring 40 urges the second
drum 36 to
rotate clockwise as well. However, the limit stop 54 on the second drum 36
almost
immediately impacts against the upper shelf limit stop 110 at the end 92 of
the
housing 42, preventing any further clockwise rotation of the second drum 36
beyond
the neutral position. The first drum 34 continues to rotate until its limit
stop 54
impacts against the lower shelf limit stop 112 in the wall 90 of the housing
42.
Since the front (or room-side) tilt cables 16af, 16bf of both top and bottom
slats 14t, 14b, respectively, are tied off to the second drum 36, and this
second drum
36 rotates only a very few degrees before its limit stop impedes further
clockwise
rotation, the front (or room-side) edges of these slats 14t, 14b remain nearly
CA 02877348 2015-01-12
22
stationary. On the other hand, the rear tilt cable 16ar and 16br are tied off
to the first
drum 34, which is rotating. When the first drum 34 rotates clockwise, the
first rear tilt
cable 16ar winds up onto the first drum 34, lifting up the rear (or wall-side)
edges of
the top slats 14t to the position shown in Figure 27. At the same time, the
rear tilt
cable 16br of the bottom slat 14b is unwrapping from the first drum 34,
dropping the
rear (or wall-side) edges of the bottom slats 14b to the position shown in
Figure 27,
resulting in a pleated look tilted closed blind, with the top slats 14t tilted
room-side
down, and the bottom slats 14b tilted room-side up.
Figure 28 depicts the pleated look blind of Figure 26 but tilted closed in the
opposite direction from that of Figure 27. In this instance the tilt rod 28 is
rotated
counterclockwise and only the second drum 36 rotates counterclockwise with it
(the
first drum 34 only starts to rotate and is immediately stopped by its limit
stop 54
contacting the upper shelf limit stop 110 on the wall 90 of the housing 42).
In this
instance, since the first and second rear tilt cables 16ar and 16br are
attached to the
first drum 34, and the first drum 34 does not rotate, then the rear (wall-
side) edges of
the top and bottom slats 14t, 14b remain essentially stationary. At the same
time,
the first and second front tilt cables 16af, 16bf rotate with the second drum
36, with
the first front cable 16af wrapping up on the second drum 36 as the drum 36
rotates
counterclockwise, thereby lifting the front (room-side) edges of the top slats
14t. The
second front tilt cable 16bf of the bottom slats 14b unwraps from the second
drum 36
as the drum 36 rotates counterclockwise, and this drops the front (room-side)
edges
of the bottom slats 14b. The result is a pleated look tilted closed blind,
with the top
slats 14t tilted room-side up, and the bottom slats 14b tilted room-side down,
as
shown in Figure 28.
It may be noted that, in order to get closure of the slats 14 when tilted in
opposite directions, as is the case in the pleated look configuration
described above,
it may be advantageous to notch both front and back edges of one of each pair
of
slats 14 in order to allow clearance for the cross ladder 16t. This notch can
be on the
bottom slats 14b only, or on the top slats 14t only, or it could be on both
top and
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23
bottom slats 14t, 14b, or it could be on just one edge of each slat 14
(opposite
edges).
Twin Tilt Rod, Parallel Drum design
Referring now to Figure 29, the blind 120 is very similar to the blind 10 of
Figure 1 except that, instead of using the tilt stations 30, the tilting
function is
accomplished using twin tilt rods 28 which functionally interconnect the
parallel-drum
lilt stations 122 with the indexing gear mechanism 124, as described in more
detail
below. The indexing gear mechanism 124 is in turn connected to a tilter
mechanism,
such as the worm gear tilter 26, via a short tilt rod 28'.
Referring briefly to Figures 30-33, the indexing gear mechanism 124 includes
an indexing gear 126, a room-side driven gear 128, a wall-side driven gear
130, an
indexing gear housing 132, and a housing cover 134.
Referring to Figure 36, the indexing gear 126 is a generally cylindrical gear
defining a left portion 136 and a right portion 138. The left portion 136
includes a
toothed portion 140 extending in an arc of approximately 200 degrees, with the
balance of the left portion 136 being a smooth, toothless portion 142.
Similarly, the
right portion 138 defines a smooth, toothless portion 144 which extends
through the
same arc of approximately 200 degrees, corresponding to the toothed portion
140.
However, a solid boss 146 extends along the balance of the right portion 138.
The
indexing gear 126 also defines a non-cylindrically profiled hollow shaft 148
sized to
receive the similarly-profiled tilt rod 28'. The outside of this shaft.148
defines a
cylindrical axle 150.
Referring now to Figure 35, the wall-side driven gear 130 is a generally
cylindrical element defining a left portion 152 and a right portion 154, and
these
portions 152, 154 are separated by a radially projecting flange 155. .The
right
cylindrical portion 154 defines a non-cylindrically profiled hollow shaft 156
sized to
receive the similarly-profiled tilt rod 28. The left portion 152 includes a
first smooth
portion 158 with a concave section 160 (See also Figure 31) precisely
manufactured
to mate with the locking hub or boss 146 on the indexing gear 126, to ptevent
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24
movement of the driven gear 130 during dwell, as is explained in more detail
below.
The left portion 152 also includes a toothed portion 162 which engages the
toothed
portion 140 of the indexing gear 126. Finally, a short axle 164 projects
leftwardly
from the toothed portion 162. The room-side driven gear 128 is identical to
the wall-
side driven gear 130.
Referring to Figure. 34, the housing 132 defines a main cavity 166 which
accommodates the indexing gear 126. A through opening 168 (See also Figure 31)
rotationally supports the axle 150 of the indexing gear 126, which projects
leftwardly
beyond the toothed portion 140. Two smaller diameter cavities 172 on either
side of
the through opening 168 receive and rotationally support the left ends 164 of
the
driven gears 128, 130.
Referring to Figure 31, the housing cover 134 includes a plate 174 defining a
through opening 176 which rotationally supports the right end of the axle 150
of the
indexing gear 126. The plate 174 also defines two hollow cylindrical
projections 178
sized to rotationally accommodate and support the right ends 154 of the driven
gears
128, 130.
To assemble the indexing gear mechanism 124, the indexing gear 126 and
the driven gears 128, 130 are inserted into their respective cavities 166, 170
of the
housing 132 (see Flg. 34) such that the left end of the axle 150 of the
indexing gear
126 extends through the opening 168 in the housing 132, and the axles 164 of
the
driven gears 128, 130 are received in the recesses 172 in the housing 132. The
housing cover 134 then is snapped onto the housing 132 (with projections 135
on
the housing 132 snap-fitting into openings 137 on the cover, such that the
right end
of the axle 150 of the indexing gear 126 extends through the opening 176 in
the
housing cover 134, and the right end portions 154 of the driven gears 128, 130
extend into the two hollow cylindrical projections 178 of the housing cover
134. The
driven gears 128, 130 are aligned with the indexing gear 126 as shown in
Figures 32
and 33, with the concave sections 160 of the driven gears 128, 130 just about
to
engage the boss 146 of the indexing gear 126. We will refer to this position
of the
CA 02877348 2015-01-12
driven gears 128, 130 relative to the indexing gear 126 (and the corresponding
position of the tilt drums 184, 182 as described below) as the neutral
position.
The indexing gear mechanism 124 works using the principle of a Geneva
indexing drive which converts continuous rotational motion into intermittent
motion,
5 providing repeatable indexing to the same position. In this instance, as
the indexing
gear 126 rotates clockwise from the neutral position (as seen from the vantage
point
of Figures 31-33) the room-side driven gear 128 briefly rotates
counterclockwise
until its concave section 160 mates with the boss 146 of the indexing gear
126. The
toothed portion 162 of the room-side driven gear 128 then encounters the
smooth,
10 toothless portion 142 of the indexing gear 126. The indexing gear 126
can thus
continue to rotate clockwise while the room-side driven gear 128 remains
stationary,
prevented from rotation by the boss 146 of the indexing gear 126 abutting the
concave section 160 of the room-side driven gear 128.
However, as the indexing gear 126 continues to rotate clockwise, the wall-
15 side driven gear 130 rotates counterclockwise and continues to do so for
several
rotations before its concave section 160 abuts the boss 146 of the indexing
gear
126, bringing further rotation to a stop.
If the indexing gear 126 rotates counterclockwise from the neutral position,
the opposite situation occurs. Namely, the wall-side driven gear 130 rotates
20 clockwise very briefly before it is prevented from further, rotation by
its concave
section 160 abutting the boss 146 of the indexing gear 126. The room-side
driven
gear 128 also rotates clockwise and continues to do so for several rotations
before
its concave section 160 abuts the boss 146 of the indexing gear 126, bringing
further
rotation to a stop. Of course, tilt rods 28 extend into the hollow cylindrical
projections
25 178 and are received in the hollow shafts 156 of the right portions 154
of the driven
gears 128, 130, so the tilt rods 28 rotate with their respective driven gears
128, 130.
Referring now to Figures 37 and 38, each tilt station 122 includes a housing
180, a wall-side tilt drum 182, and a room-side tilt drum 184.
Figure 39 depicts a wall side tilt drum 182 which is a cylindrical element
defining cylindrical axles 185 projecting from both ends, each cylindrical
axle 185
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26
defining a non-cylindrical, inner, hollow shaft 186 sized to receive and
engage the
similarly-profiled tilt rod 28. The wall side tilt drum 182 also defines an
outer
cylindrical surface 188 which is connected to the inner, cylindrical axle 185
via webs
190. Two elongated openings 192 are defined through the outer cylindrical
surface.
One of the openings 192 is located near one end of the cylinder 188, and the
other
near the other end, with the two openings 192 lying about 180 degrees apart
from
each other. Both of the openings 192 can be seen in Figure 39. The tilt cables
16
are secured to these openings as described in more detail below. The room-side
tilt
drum 184 is identical to the wall-side tilt drum 182.
Figure 40 is a perspective view of the housing 180 of the tilt station 122 of
Figures 37 and 38. The housing 180 includes two side walls 194, 196, two end
walls
198, 200, and a bottom wall 202. The end walls 198, 200 each define two "U"-
shaped saddles 204a, 204b, and 206a, 206b, respectively, which provide
rotational
support of the axles 185 of the drums 182, 184 as seen in Figure 37. Arms
208a,
208b and 210a, 210b extend at approximately a 45 degree angle from the planes
defined by the end walls 198, 200, and they project across and above the
centerline
of the tilt rods 28 which extend through the hollow shafts 186 of the drums
182, 184,
thus serving to prevent the drums 182, 184 from lifting out of the housing
180.
The bottom wall 202 of the housing 180 defines two longitudinally aligned
slotted openings 212, with a shorter rectangular opening 216 between the two
slotted openings 212. The slotted openings 212 are for the front and rear tilt
cables
to pass through the housing 180 and through corresponding openings (not shown)
in
the head rail 12. The rectangular opening 216 provides a passageway for the
lift
cords 20.
To assemble the tilt mechanism shown in Figure 29, first the tilt stations 122
are assembled. The tilt cables 16 are routed through the slotted openings 212
in the
bottom surface 202 of the housing 180. The ends of the tilt cables 16 are
secured to
their respective drums 182, 184 at their respective slotted openings 192. The
routing
and attachment of these tilt cables 16 is done in accordance with the
explanation
below in order to obtain the desired tilting configuration.
CA 02877348 2015-01-12
27
The drums 182, 184 are installed in their respective U-shaped saddles 204a,
204b and 206a, 206b, respectively. The tilt rods 28 are inserted through the
hollow
shafts 186 of the tilt drums 182, 184, and the ends of these tilt rods 28 are
inserted
into the hollow shafts 156 of the driven gears 130, 128 respectively. The
driven
gears 130, 128 will already have been assembled onto the indexing gear
mechanism
124 as described earlier. A short tilt rod 28' is used to connect the output
from the
cord tilter mechanism 26 to the hollow shaft 148 of the indexing gear 126.
Note that
the cord tilter mechanism 26 shown here is just one type of many tilter
mechanisms
which may be used for this application. While a cord filter 26 is shown, it is
understood that the tilt rod 28' may be rotated by other means such as a wand
tilter
or a motorized tilter. It is even possible to have the indexing gear mechanism
124 be
an integral part of the tilter mechanism 26, such that no tilt rod 28' is
needed.
Double Pitch Configuration
Figures 41-43 depict the routing of the tilt cables 16 for a double pitch
blind
configuration. As has already been discussed above, in these three figures,
and in
all similar figures to follow, the routing of the cables 16 and the position
of the tilt
drums 182, 184 (particularly to depict the relative location of the tie-off
points of the
ends of the tilt cables 16 to the tilt drums 182, 184) are shown relative to
the
corresponding position of the slats 14 of the blind 120. For greater clarity,
a
perspective end view of the corresponding indexing gear mechanism 124 is
included
as part of these views (with the housing 132 removed for clarity) to show the
orientation of the indexing gear 126 and of the driven gears 128, 130
corresponding
to the orientation of the tilt drums 182, 184 and of the slats 14.
As was explained earlier, the tilt cables are generically designated as item
16,
but are further identified by the following suffixes:
- "a" is for the first set of tilt cables, those supporting the upper (or top)
slats
14t in each pair
CA 02877348 2015-01-12
28
- "b" is for the second set of tilt cables, those supporting the lower (or
bottom)
slats 14b in each pair
- "f is for the front tilt cables, those on the room side of the blind
- ar" is for the rear tilt cables, those on the wall side (also referred to as
the
window side) of the blind
- "x" is for an actuator tilt cable which is typically secured to one of the
front or
rear tilt cables 16
Referring to Figure 41, the tilt drums 182, 184 are in their neutral position
(as
a reminder, this neutral position refers to the position of the tilt drums
182, 184
corresponding to the position of the driven gears 128, 130 where they are
aligned
with the indexing gear 126 as shown in Figures 32 and 33, with the concave
sections
160 of the driven gears 128, 130 just about to engage the boss 146 of the
indexing
gear 126) and with the slats open in a double pitch configuration. The first
room-side
tilt cable 16af is routed counterclockwise around and is secured to the wall-
side drum
182 at the slotted opening 192af. The first wall-side tilt cable 16ar is
routed
clockwise over and is secured to the room-side drum 184 at the slotted opening
192ar. The second room-side tilt cable 16bf is routed counterclockwise onto
and is
secured to the room-side drum 184 at the slotted opening 192bf (not shown In
Figure
41, but visible in Figure 42). Finally, the second wall-side tilt cable 16br
is routed
clockwise onto and is secured to the wall-side drum 182 at the slotted opening
192br
(not shown in Figure 41, but visible in Figure 43). In this routing and
configuration of
the tilt cables 16, the slats 14 are tilted open in a double pitch
configuration as shown
in Figures 41 and 29 when the drums and gears are in the neutral position.
Referring now to Figure 42, as the indexing gear 126 is rotated
counterclockwise from the neutral 'position (by pulling on one of the two tilt
cords 24
which makes the tilter mechanism 26 rotate the tilt rod 28' counterclockwise),
the
wall-side driven gear 130 (and with it, its corresponding tilt drum 182,
connected to
the wall-side driven gear 130 by the tilt rod 28) just begins to rotate
clockwise before
its concave section 160 abuts the boss 146 of the indexing gear 126,
preventing any
further rotation of the wall-side driven gear 130. This condition is shown in
Figure 42
CA 02877348 2015-01-12
29
where the tie-off point 192af for the room-side tilt cable 16af of the top
slat 14t is
shown to have rotated just a few degrees in the clockwise direction, creating
the
overlap desired between adjacent pairs of slats 14 (as discussed earlier with
respect
to a previous embodiment 10). Thus, the first front and second rear tilt
cables 16af,
.. 16br secured to the wall-side tilt drum 182 remain essentially stationary.
However, as the indexing gear 126 is rotated counterclockwise from the
neutral position, the toothed portion 162 of the room-side driven gear 128
engages
the toothed portion 140 of the indexing gear 126, such that this room-side
driven
gear 128 (and its corresponding room-side tilt drum 184) are driven clockwise
and
.. continue to rotate in a clockwise direction for several rotations before
its concave
section 160 contacts the boss 146 of the indexing gear 126 to prevent any
further
rotation. The first rear tilt cable 16ar secured to the room-side tilt drum
184 at slotted
opening 192ar winds up onto the room-side tilt drum 184, pulling up on the
wall-side
of the top slats 14t. At the same time, the second front tilt cable 16bf
unwinds from
the room-side tilt drum 184, lowering the room-side of the bottom slats 14b.
The
result is the tilted closed, room-side down configuration of the slats 14 as
shown in
Figure 42.
Figure 43 illustrates the position of the indexing gear 126, the driven gears
128, 130, and the tilt drums 182, 184 for the slats 14 of the blind in the
tilted closed,
room-side up configuration. In this case, the indexing gear 126 is rotated
clockwise
from the neutral position shown in Figure 41. This causes the room-side driven
gear
128 to begin rotating counterclockwise, but its concave portion 160 promptly
abuts
the boss 146 of the indexing gear 126, locking the room-side driven gear 128
(and its
corresponding room-side tilt drum 184) from any further counterclockwise
rotation.
As a result, the first rear and second front tilt cables 16ar, 16bf, which are
secured to
the room-side tilt drum 184, remain essentially stationary. However, the wall-
side
driven gear 130 and its corresponding wall-side tilt drum 182 rotate
counterclockwise
for several rotations, raising the first front tilt cable 16af as it winds
onto the wall-side
tilt drum 182, and lowering the second rear tilt cable 16br as it unwinds from
the wall-
CA 02877348 2015-01-12
side tilt drum 182. The result is the tilting closed of the slats 14 in the
room-side up
configuration shown in Figure 43.
Alternative Configuration
Figures 44-46 depict an alternative routing of the tilt cables 16 on the same
5 .. parallel drum mechanism described above in order to be able to tilt one
portion of the
blind closed while another portion remains open. Referring to Figure 44, the
hardware differences between this blind and the double pitch configuration
blind in
Figure 41 are as follows:
Instead of having two sets of double-pitch ladder tapes at each tilt station,
this
10 blind has only a single ladder tape of standard pitch configuration,
including front and
rear cables and cross cords 16f, 16r, 16t. It also has an actuator tilt cable
16x
secured to the rear tilt cable 16r at the knot or cord attachment clip 32. The
routing
of these tilt cables 16 is as described below.
The rear (wall-side) tilt cable 16r wraps clockwise around the wall-side tilt
15 .. drum 182 and attaches to the wall-side tilt drum 182 at the slotted
opening 192r (not
visible in Figure 44 but seen in Figure 46). The front (room-side) tilt cable
16f wraps
counterclockwise around the wall-side tilt drum 182 and attaches to the wall-
side tilt
drum 182 at the slotted opening 192f. The actuator tilt cable 16x wraps
clockwise
around the room-side tilt drum 184 and attaches to the room-side tilt drum 184
at the
20 slotted opening 192x. In Figure 44, the mechanism (indexing gear 126,
driven
drums 128, 130, and tilt drums 182, 184) is in its neutral position, and the
slats 14
are all tilted open.
In Figure 45, the indexing gear 126 has been rotated counterclockwise via the
tilter 26 and the tilt rod 28', which rotates the driven gears 128, 130 (and
their
25 corresponding tilt drums 184, 182) in a clockwise direction. The wall-
side driven
gear 130 stops rotating almost immediately as its concave section 160 mates
with
the boss 146 of the indexing gear 126, while the room-side driven gear 128
(and its
corresponding tilt drum 184) continues to rotate for several rotations. This
means
that the front and rear tilt cables 16f, 16r are not pulled upwardly or
released from
30 their drum 182 any substantial distance. However, the actuator cable
16x, which is
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attached to the room-side tilt drum 184 at 192x, winds onto the room-side tilt
drum
184. This raises the actuator cable 16x, and it also raises the rear tilt
cable 16r at
the point 32 where the actuator cord 16x is attached to the rear tilt cable
16r, as
shown in Figure 45. The end result is the tilting configuration of Figure 45,
where the
upper portion of the blind remains open while the lower section of the blind
is tilted
closed room-side down.
In Figure 46, the indexing gear 126 has been rotated clockwise from its
neutral position (via the titter 26 and the tilt rod 28'), which rotates the
driven gears
128, 130 (and their corresponding tilt drums 184, 182) in a counterclockwise
direction. The room-side driven gear 128 (and its corresponding room-side tilt
drum
184) begins to rotate counterclockwise and is immediately prevented from
further
rotation as the concave portion 160 of the room-side driven gear 128 mates
with the
boss 146 of the indexing gear 126. The actuator cord 16x, which is attached to
the
room-side tilt drum 184 thus remains essentially motionless.
The wall-side driven gear 130 continues to rotate counterclockwise, causing
the wall-side driven drum 182 to rotate counterclockwise as well. This causes
the
front tilt cable 16f to wind up onto the wall-side tilt drum 182 while the
rear tilt cable
16r unwinds from the wall-side tilt drum 182. However, since the actuator cord
16x
is attached to the rear tilt cable 16r at the tie-off point 32, and since the
actuator cord
16x remains substantially motionless, the rear tilt cable 16r drops only for
those slats
14 which are above the lie-off point 32. Below the tie-off point 32, the
actuator cord
16x holds on to the rear tilt cable 16r, preventing it from dropping. Thus,
the slats 14
above the tie-off point are tilted closed, room-side up, while the balance of
the slats
14 tilt closed only partially, approximately at a 45 degree angle.
It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the location of the tie-
off point
32 relative to the rear tilt cable 16r affects the point at which the "break"
occurs
between the slats which are tilted closed and those which remain tilted open.
It will
also be obvious that connecting the actuator tilt cable to the front tilt
cable 16f rather
than to the rear tilt cable as shown here would result in the blind tilting
closed below
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32
the break point in the room side up direction rather than in the room side
down
configuration shown in Figure 45.
Pleated Look Configuration
Figures 47-49 depict an alternative routing of the tilt cables for a pleated
look
blind configuration. Referring to Figure 47, there are no hardware differences
between this pleated look configuration and the double pitch configuration of
Figure
41. The only differences are in the routing of the tilt cables 16.
The front tilt cable 16af of the top slats 14t wraps clockwise around and is
secured to the room-side tilt drum 184 at the point 192af. The rear tilt cable
16ar of
the top slats 14t wraps counterclockwise around and is secured to the wall-
side tilt
drum 182 at 192ar. The front tilt cable 16bf of the bottom slats 14b wraps
counterclockwise around and is secured to the room-side tilt drum 184 at the
point
192bf. Finally, the rear tilt cable 16br of the bottom slats 14b wraps
clockwise
around and is secured to the wall-side tilt drum 182 at the point 192br.
As in the case of the double pitch blind depicted in Figure 41, the pleated
look
configuration also starts with the slats 14 in a double pitch configuration
when the
mechanism is in the neutral position as shown in Figure 47. Referring now to
Figure
48, as the tilt rod 28' is rotated clockwise, it drives the indexing gear 126
clockwise,
and the driven drums 128, 130 (and their corresponding tilt drums 184, 182)
are
urged to rotate counterclockwise. The room-side driven gear 128 and its
corresponding room-side tilt drum 184 almost immediately are prevented from
further
counterclockwise rotation as the concave portion 160 of the room-side driven
gear
128 mates with the boss 146 of the indexing gear 126. Therefore, the front
tilt cables
16af, 16bf, which are secured to the room side drum 184, remain essentially
stationary, and the fronts of the slats 14t, 14b remain essentially
stationary.
The wall-side driven gear 130 and its corresponding wall-side tilt drum 182
continue to rotate counterclockwise for several rotations. This winds up the
first rear
tilt cable 16ar onto the wall-side tilt drum 182 and unwinds the second rear
tilt cable
16br, thus causing the rear side of the upper slats to be raised and the rear
side of
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the lower slats to be lowered, thereby resulting in the pleated look of Figure
48, with
the top slats 14t tilted room-side down, and the bottom slats 14b tilted room-
side up.
Figure 49 depicts the pleated look blind of Figure 48 but tilted closed in the
opposite direction. In this case, the tilt rod 28' has been rotated
counterclockwise
from the neutral position, rotating the indexing gear 126 counterclockwise and
driving
the driven gears 182, 184 clockwise. Since the wall-side driven gear 130
promptly
stops, because its concave section 160 mates with the boss 146 of the indexing
gear
126, only the room-side driven gear 128 and its corresponding room-side tilt
drum
184 continue to rotate clockwise. In this instance, since the first and second
rear tilt
cables 16ar and 16br are attached to the wall-side tilt drum 182, and since
the wall-
side tilt drum 182 does not rotate, then the rear (wall-side) edges of the top
and
bottom slats 14t, 14b remain essentially stationary. At the same time, the
front tilt
cable 16af of the top slats 14t wraps onto the room-side tilt drum 184 and the
front tilt
cable 16bf of the bottom slats 14b unwraps from the room-side tilt drum 184,
thereby
raising the front edge of the top slats 14t and lowering the front edge of the
bottom
slats 14b, creating the pleated look shown in Figure 49, with the upper slats
in the
room side up position and the lower slats in the room side down position.
While several embodiments have been shown and described, it is understood
that it is not practical to describe all the possible variations and
combinations that
could be made within the scope of the present invention. It will be obvious to
those
skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the embodiments described
above without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed.
