Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02891816 2015-05-12
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ADJUSTABLE CORD LOCKER AND WINDOW BLIND HAVING SUCH
ADJUSTABLE CORD LOCKER
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates generally to window covering,
and more
particularly to an adjustable cord locker, and a window blind equipped with
the adjustable
cord locker.
2. Description of Related Art
[0002] Typically, a conventional window blind is provided with a
headrail, a
bottom rail, and a plurality of slats between the headrail and the bottom
rail. The slats are
connected to the headrail and the bottom rail through ladder cords and lift
cords. The
ladder cords controls tilt of the slats, and the lift cord controls the bottom
rail to lift and
lower.
[0003] The ladder cords and the lift cords will be lengthened while
the ladder
cords and the lift cords are working under tensions for a long time. Once the
ladder cords
are lengthened, a distance between the headrail and the bottom rail increases,
and the slats
might tilt from the normal. U.S. 2009/0294076 application provides a window
blind, in
which a cord locker is provided. The cord locker is provided with a turnable
reel to wind
the ladder cords therearound once the ladder cords are lengthened. However,
this
invention is unable to fix the problem of extension of the lift cord. As a
result, the slats tilt
for a large angle because of the tension and the length of the lift cord are
different from
that of the ladder cords.
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BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] In view
of the above, the primary objective of the present invention is to
provide an adjustable cord locker and a window blind having the adjustable
cord locker,
which is able to regulate the length of the lift cord to balance the bottom
rail.
[0005] In order
to achieve the objective of the present invention, an adjustable
cord locker includes a barrel; and a reel received in the barrel for rotation
by control,
wherein a lift cord is fastened to the reel to wind the lift cord around the
reel while the reel
is rotated.
[0006] The
present invention further provides a window blind, including a headrail;
a bottom rail; a plurality of slats between the headrail and a bottom rail;
and at least a lift
cord passing through the headrail and the slats in sequence, and connected to
the bottom
rail through an adjustable cord locker. The adjustable cord locker includes a
barrel; and a
reel received in the barrel for rotation, wherein the lift cord is fastened to
the reel to wind
the lift cord around the reel while the reel is rotated.
[0007] Whereby,
the length of the lift cord could be regulated by turning the reel
to balance the bottom rail.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The
present invention will be best understood by referring to the following
detailed description of some illustrative embodiments in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, in which
[0009] FIG. 1 is
a perspective view of the window blind of a first preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
[0010] FIG. 2
and FIG. 3 are sectional views of the cord locker of the first
preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cord locker of the first
preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
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[0012] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cord locker of a second
preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the cord locker of the second
preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the cord locker of the second
preferred
embodiment of the present invention, showing the control wheel being turned by
a
screwdriver;
[0015] FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the cord locker of a third preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the cord locker of the third
preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the cord locker of the third
preferred
embodiment of the present invention, showing the control wheel at the first
position;
[0018] FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the cord locker of the third
preferred
embodiment of the present invention, showing the control wheel at the second
position;
[0019] FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the cord locker, showing the spring
between
the reel and the control wheel;
[0020] FIG. 13 is an exploded view of the cord locker, showing the
polygonal
barrel and the trapezoidal teeth on the control wheel; and
[0021] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of FIG. 13.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0022] As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, a window blind 1, of the first
preferred
embodiment of the present invention includes a headrail 10, a bottom rail 12,
and a
plurality of slats 14 between the headrail 10 and the bottom rail 12. Two
ladder cords 16
are connect to the headrail 10 and the bottom rail 12, and the slats 14 are
spaced and
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supported by the ladder cords 16 between the headrail 10 and the bottom rail
12. A lift
cord 18 has an end fastened to the bottom rail 12, passes through the slats 14
in sequence,
goes into the headrail 10, and then goes out of the headrail 10 to beheld and
operated by a
user. The above elements and structure are the same as the conventional
device, so we do
not describe the detail here.
[0023] The window blind 1 further is provided with two adjustable cord
lockers 20,
which are received in bores on a bottom of the bottom rail 12. The lift cords
18 are
fastened to the cord lockers 20 respectively to be connected to the bottom
rail 12. In the
present embodiment, each cord locker 20 has a barrel 22, a reel 24, and two
control wheels
26. As shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, the barrel 22 has a cylinder 221, a bottom
board 222,
two rib board 223, and two pawls 224. The cylinder 221 is hollow, and has a
top opening
221a at a top thereof for the lift cord 18 passing through. The bottom board
222 is
connected to a bottom of the cylinder 221, and has a bottom opening 222a. The
bottom
opening 222a is communicated with the top opening 221a. The rib boards 223 are
parallel,
and received in the cylinder 221. The rib boards 223 have opposite ends
connected to the
cylinder 221, and a bottom end connected to the bottom board 222. Each rib
board 223 is
provided with a slot 223a at a side facing each other. The bottom opening 222a
is
communicated with the slots 223a. The pawls 224 are two hooks projected from
an inner
side of the cylinder 221.
[0024] The reel 24 is a round rod having a cord portion 24a and a cord
hole 24b on
the cord portion 24a. The lift cord 18 passes through the cord hole 24b after
the top
opening 221a, and then is knotted. The lift cord 18 will be wound around the
cord portion
24a while the reel 24 is turning. The reel 24 is transversely arranged in the
cylinder 221
with opposite ends engaging the slots 223a of the rib boards 223, which means
that the
reel 24 is vertical to an axial direction of the barrel 22. The reel 24 is
dragged by the lift
cord 18, so that the reel 24 rests against top sidewalls of the slots 223a,
and is turnable.
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[0025] The control wheels 26 are fixed to the reel 24, and the cord
portion 24a is
between the control wheels 26. The reel 24 works like an axle of the control
wheels 26. In
the present embodiment, the control wheels 26 and the reel 24 are made into a
single
element. In another embodiment, the control wheels are two independent
elements fixed to
the reel. Each control wheel 26 has teeth 26a on a circumference thereof. In
the present
embodiment, the teeth 26a are ratchet teeth. As shown in FIG. 4, some of the
teeth 26
extend out of the cylinder 221 via the bottom opening 222a to be operated by
user to turn
the reel 24.
[0026] While one of the teeth 26a engaging the pawl 224, as shown in FIG.
3, the
reel 24 stay still until one drives the control wheels 26. In other words, the
cord locker 20
of the present invention may wind the lift cord 18 around the reel 24 in one
direction to
regulate the length change of the lift cord 18, and to balance the bottom rail
12.
[0027] A cord locker 30 of the second preferred embodiment is shown in
FIG. 5 to
FIG. 7, which includes a barrel 32, a reel 34, and a control wheel 36. The
different part of
the cord locker 30 of the second preferred embodiment is that a top board 321
is
connected to a top of the barrel 32. The top board 321 is provided with a bore
321a and a
top opening 321b. A lift cord 18 is inserted into the top opening 321b. The
barrel 32 is
provided with a bottom opening 322 and a flexible arm 323 at a bottom thereof.
The
flexible arm 323 has a pawl 324, which is a protrusion, on an inner side and
adjacent to a
free end thereof.
[0028] The control wheel 36 is connected to an end of the reel 34. The
reel 34 is
vertical, parallel to the axial direction of the barrel 32, and inserted into
the bore 321a via
the bottom opening 322 while the control wheel 36 covers the bottom opening
322 of the
barrel 32. The reel 34 has a cord hole 34a and a slot 34b. The cord hole 34a
is radially
passing through the reel 34, and the slot 34b breaks the reel 34 into two
pieces from a free
end, through the cord hole 34a, to a position adjacent to the control wheel
36. The reel 34
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is provided with a recess at an end of the cord hole 34a, and the recess is
larger than the
cord hole 34a. At distal ends of the pieces of the reel 34 two hooks are
provided. The
hooks extend out of the bore 321a and hook an edge of the bore 321a that the
reel 34 and
the control wheel 36 will not escape from the barrel 32, but are turnable. The
lift cord 18
is inserted into the top opening 321b, and then goes through the cord hole 34a
via an end
opposite to the recess, so that a knot of the lift cord 18 is received in the
recess. As a result,
the lift cord 18 is fastened to the reel 34, and wound around the reel 34
while the reel 34 is
turning.
[0029] The control wheel 36 is provided with a driving portion 36a at a
bottom
thereof for an external force to engage to turn the control wheel 36, and the
reel 34 will be
turned at the same time to wind the lift cord 18. In the present embodiment,
the driving
portion 36a includes a straight slot for a screwdriver 100 (dot line in FIG.
7) to engage and
turn the control wheel 36 by turning the screwdriver 100. The driving portion
36a further
includes two protrusions at opposite ends of the straight slot for a user to
hold them to turn
the control wheel 36. The control wheel 36 is provided with ratchet teeth 36b
on a
circumference to be engaged with the pawl 324 that the reel 34 and the control
wheel 36
are able to turn in one direction only. The function of the second preferred
embodiment is
the same as above, so we do not describe it again.
[0030] In addition to the top opening 321b, the barrel 32 is provided with
two side
openings 325 on an annular wall thereof. The lift cord 18 may be inserted into
the barrel
32 through any of the side openings 325 instead of the top opening 321b to be
fastened to
the reel 34. Some window blinds are provided with two or more lift cords, and
these lift
cords do not pass through the slats. For this kind of lift cords, two of the
lift cords could be
inserted into the side openings 325 respectively to be fastened to the reel
34. The barrel 32
further is provided with several ribs 326 on the annular wall make the barrel
32 firmed
engage the bore of the bottom rail 12.
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[0031] FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 show a cord locker 40 of the third preferred
embodiment
of the present invention, which includes a barrel 42, a reel 44, and a control
wheel 46. The
barrel 42 has a top opening 42a on a top and two side openings 42b on an
annular wall for
the lift cord 18 to be inserted into the barrel 42 through any of them. The
same as above,
the reel 44 has a cord hole 44b, a recess at an end of the cord hole 44b, and
a slot 44c
breaking the reel 44 into two pieces. The barrel 42 also has ribs 42c to make
the barrel 42
firmly engage the bottom rail 12. The different part of the third embodiment
is that a pawl
42d is not on a flexible arm, it's on an inner side of the barrel 42 and
adjacent to a bottom
opening 42e thereof.
[0032] The reel 44 is connected to the control wheel 46, and both of them
are
received in the barrel 42. The control wheel 46 is provided with ratchet teeth
46a to be
engaged with the pawl 42a to secure the control wheel 46 as well as the reel
44 while they
are engaged. The reel 44 is provided with legs 44d projected from a bottom of
a cord
portion 44a, and each leg 44d is provided with a hook 44e at a distal end
thereof. The
control wheel 46 is provided with through holes 46b and a driving portion 46c
(the straight
slot). The legs 44d are inserted into the through hole 46b of the control
wheel 46
respectively, and the hooks 44e extend out of the through hole 46b and engage
an edge of
the through hole 46b to make the control wheel 46 is able to move related to
the reel 44
between a first position P1 (FIG. 10) and a second position P2 (FIG. 11). At
the first
position P1 the control wheel 46 keeps a distance from the reel 44, and the
control wheel
46 moves towards the reel 44 while it move to the second position P2. In other
words, the
control wheel 46 at the second position P2 is closer to the reel 44 than the
control wheel
46 at the first position P1. Furthermore, at the first position P1 the pawl
42d engages teeth
46a of the control wheel 46, and the pawl 42d disengages the teeth 46a when
the control
wheel 46 is moved to the second position P2.
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[0033] The cord locker 40 further is provide with at least an elastic
member
between the reel 44 and the control wheel 46 to urge the control wheel 46
toward the first
position Pl. The control wheel 46 will be stopped at the first position P1
because of the
hooks 44e of the legs 44. In the present embodiment, the elastic member
includes several
flexible pieces 48 projected from the reel 42. Distal ends of the flexible
pieces 48 touch
and urge the control wheel 46 toward the first position Pl. An alternate
elastic member is
shown in FIG. 12, which is a spring 49 with opposite end urging the reel 44
and the
control wheel 46. They achieve the same function.
[0034] While a user wants to regulate a length of the lift cord 18, he/she
engages a
screwdriver with the driving portion 46c of the control wheel 46, and pushes
the control
wheel 46 to the second position P2. At this time, the control wheel 46 is free
to turn, and
the user may turn the control wheel 46 in both directions to shorten or
lengthen the lift
cord 18. After regulation, he/she only has to release, and the elastic member
will move the
control wheel 46 back to the first position P1 right away to secure the reel
44 again.
[0035] FIG. 13 shows a barrel 50, which has a polygonal cylinder 52
instead of the
round cylinder as described above. The polygonal cylinder 52 may make the
barrel 50
much firmly engage the bottom rail 13. FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 show an alternate
design of
teeth of the control wheel 54. The teeth 54a of the control wheel 54 are
trapezoidal teeth,
and recesses 54b between the trapezoidal teeth 54a are complementary to the
pawl 50a for
engagement.
[0036] It must be pointed out that the embodiments described above are
only some
preferred embodiments of the present invention. All equivalent methods which
employ the
concepts disclosed in this specification and the appended claims should fall
within the
scope of the present invention.
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