AU2003204915B2

AU2003204915B2 - A device for drawing a cord

Info

Publication number: AU2003204915B2
Application number: AU2003204915A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Richard Pearson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-07-02
Filing date: 2003-06-24
Publication date: 2008-07-03
Anticipated expiration: 2023-06-24
Also published as: AU2003204915A1

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Applicant(s): RICHARD PEARSON Invention Title: A DEVICE FOR DRAWING A CORD The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 2- A DEVICE FOR DRAWING A CORD Field of the Invention This invention relates to a device for drawing a cord and, in particular, but not exclusively, to a device for drawing a cord of a drape or blind to open or close the drape or blind.

Background Art Many drapes and blinds are provided with a cord which hangs from a rail or other device from which the drape or blind is suspended, and which is pulled in order to open the drapes or blind or close the drapes or blind. Such cords can be single cords or could be in the form of a multiple cord in some blinds. Nevertheless, the cords are relatively thin and are often difficult to grip if a person has a physical handicap which impairs normal use of the hands, such as arthritis, multiple sclerosis, or the like. People who suffer from these problems can have extreme difficulty in gripping very small articles, such as a cord which opens and closes blinds and curtains.

Summary of the Invention The object of the present invention is to provide a device which assists in the drawing of a cord, such as those of the type which are used to open and close drapes and blinds.

The invention may be said to reside in a device for drawing a cord, comprising: a handle for gripping by a person; and a cord lock coupled to the handle and having: a passage for receiving the cord; a moveable element moveable relative to the passage; and a guide for guiding the moveable element between a position allowing free movement of the \\melbfiles\home$\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Pearson Prov A Device for Drawing a Cord.doc 23/06/03 00 3 O cord through the passage and movement of the Sdevice off the cord, and a position locking the ncord in the passage by respectively, vertical 00 movement of the device in one direction and vertical movement of the device in the opposite direction; wherein the guide comprises an inclined wall which is inclined relative to the passage, the passage C having a wall so that the inclined wall and the passage wall define a wedge shape, whereupon movement of the Selement along the inclined wall causes the element to jam the cord against the passage wall to lock the cord to the device for drawing the cord.

Thus, in accordance with the invention, the device can easily be gripped by a person suffering from a handrelated handicap, by gripping the handle which can be made large and comfortable to hold, and locating the cord in the passage by moving the device onto the cord and moving the device in, for example, a downward direction so that the element is moved to lock the cord in the passage to thereby enable the cord to be pulled with further downward movement of the device, and for the device to be released from the cord by, for example, upward movement of the device which allows the element to return to the position at which the cord is free to move in the passage, and moving the device off the cord.

Preferably the guide comprises an inclined wall which is inclined relative to the passage, the passage having a wall so that the inclined wall and the passage wall define a wedge shape, whereupon movement of the element along the inclined wall causes the element to jam the cord against the passage wall to lock the cord to the device for drawing the cord.

N.\Melbourne\Caees\Patent\46000-46999\P46391.AU.1\Specis\Amended pages.doc 18/06/08 00 3a 0 0 Preferably the passage comprises a groove into which the Scord is locatable by sidewards movement of the device relative to the cord.

00 Preferably the element comprises a roller.

Preferably the roller is of cylindrical shape.

SPreferably the inclined wall and the passage wall define a N3\Melbourne\Cases\Patent\46000-46999\P46391.AU.1\Speci\Amendd pages.doc 18/06/08 -4 chamber therebetween, the chamber having an opening to enable insertion of the roller into the chamber, and locating means for closing the hole to retain the roller in the chamber.

The locating means may be in the form of a pin which simply extends across the hole after location of the roller to prevent the roller from falling back out through the hole, or could include an insert piece which clips into the hole to completely close the hole.

Preferably the handle is in the form of a loop having a central aperture and a grip portion, so that the fingers of a user can locate through the central aperture and wrap around the grip portion to thereby comfortably hold the handle, and therefore the device.

In another embodiment, the device includes two chambers with a respective roller in each chamber, each chamber being formed with a passage for allowing entry of the cord so the device can easily be used in either a right hand or left hand operation.

However, the handle could have other configurations and, in particular, could be configured to suit the gripping style of people, depending on their ability to use their hands.

Brief Description of the Drawings A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a device embodying the invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along the line II-II of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along the line \\melb_files\homeS\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Pearson Prov A Device for Drawing a Cord.doc 23/06/03

I

5 .III-III of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view along the line IV-IV of Figure 3; Figure 5 shows the device in a first operational position; Figure 6 shows the device in a second operational position; Figure 7 is a perspective view of a roller used in the preferred embodiment; Figure 8 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the invention; Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view through the embodiment of Figure 8; and Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view along the line X-X of Figure 9.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment With reference to Figure 1, a cord drawing device 10 is shown which comprises a handle 12 which is in the form of a closed loop having an aperture 14 through which the fingers of a user can be inserted and a grip portion 16 about which the fingers can wrap to hold the device The device 10 has a cord lock portion 20 which is formed integral with the handle, and which generally forms a protrusion or boss which extends outwardly of the handle 12. Preferably the handle 12, together with the lock portion 20, is made by moulding in a single operation.

However, in other embodiments, the portion 20 could be made separate and fixed to the handle 12.

The lock portion 20 has a groove 30 into which a cord (shown in Figures 5 and 6) can locate by moving the device sideways relative to the cord so the cord locates in the groove A chamber 40 is provided in the portion 20 and, as is best shown in Figure 4, is defined by wall 42 of the groove \\melb_files\home$\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Pearson Prov A Device for Drawing a Cord.doc 23/06/03

II

6 and an inclined wall 44. The chamber 40 has a hole 46 at the lowest extremity and an upper wall 48 which extends to the slot A roller 50 of generally cylindrical configuration (see Figure 7) is located in the chamber 40 by passing the roller 50 through the hole 46. The roller 50 is retained in the chamber 40 by a pin 49 which extends across the hole 46, and which is positioned in place after location of the roller 50. Alternatively, an insert plug (not shown) could be provided which clips into the hole 46 to completely close the hole 46 to thereby retain the roller within the chamber The roller 50, as is best shown in Figure 4, is configured so that the roller 50 can roll on the inclined wall 44 with the wall 42, so that as the roller 50 rolls up the wall 44 from the position in Figure 4, the roller 50 moves closer to the wall 42 of the groove In order to grip and draw a cord 100, the device 10 is located on the cord 100 by moving the device sideways relative to the cord 100, so the cord 100 locates in-the groove 50. The roller 50 is in the lowermost position, as shown in Figure 5, when the cord 100 is located in the groove 30, and slight upward movement of the device relative to the cord 100 will ensure that the roller remains in that position, because that relative movement between the cord 100 and the roller 50 will tend to roll the roller 50 down the inclined wall 44 to its lowermost position, as shown in Figures 4 and As is also best shown in Figures 4 and 5, the roller protrudes slightly into the slot 30 so that when the cord 100 is in the slot 30, there is some slight contact between the cord 100 and the roller \\melb_files\home$\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Pearson Prov A Device for Drawing a Cord.doc 23/06/03 7 In order to grip the cord 100, the device 10 is pulled downwardly in the direction of arrow A in Figure 6. This downward movement causes the roller 50 to roll up the inclined wall 42 because of the frictional engagement between the cord 100 and the roller 50. As the roller rolls up the inclined wall 52, it squeezes or jams the cord 100 between the roller 50 and the wall 42 of the slot Thus, continued downward movement of the device in the direction of arrow A will pull the cord 100 down with the movement of the device. Thus, the cord 100 is pulled down, which may open or close a curtain or drape.

In order to remove the device 10 from the cord 100, the device 10 is moved upwardly in a direction opposite arrow A. This upward movement causes the ball 50 to roll down the inclined wall 42 by virtue of the frictional contact between the cord 100 and the roller 50, so that the roller returns to the position shown in Figures 4 and 5, and releases the cord 100 from the jammed condition between the roller 50 and the wall 42. The device 10 can then simply be removed off the cord 100 by lateral movement of the device relative to the cord 100.

In order to fully open or close drapes or blinds, several applications of the device 10 to the cord 100 may be required.

The cylindrical configuration of the roller 50, as shown in Figure 7, ensures that the roller 50 prevents a substantial surface (defined by the cylindrical peripheral wall 51) which engages and jams the cord 100. Thus, the cord is easy to locate so that it will be engaged by the roller 50, and furthermore, if the nature of the blind or drape is such that a number of cords need to be simultaneously located and pulled, the length of the cylindrical wall L in Figure 7 is sufficient to ensure all of the cords are easily and properly engaged by the roller \\melb-files\home$\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Pearson Prov A Device for Drawing a Cord.doc 23/06/03 8 so that all the cords are pulled when the device is moved downwardly in the manner described above.

Thus, the preferred embodiment therefore provides a device which can be easily held by people who have difficulty holding small objects such as cords, and can be used to draw a cord 100 for opening curtains or drapes or for other purposes.

Figures 8 to 10 show a second embodiment which functions in the same manner as the previous embodiment. In this embodiment, the locked portion 20 is provided with two grooves 30 so the device can be readily used by a left or right hand person. Each groove 30 is associated with a respective chamber 40 in which a roller 50 is located.

The rollers 50 are held in place by a single pin 49 which passes through both chambers 44 and, as in the earlier embodiments, the rollers 50 can be located through the open bottom 46 of the chamber 40 prior to location of the pin 49 in place.

Since modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention may readily be effected by persons skilled within the art, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiment described by way of example hereinabove.

\\melb_files\home$\Luisa\Keep\Speci\Pearson Prcv A Device for Drawing a Cord.doc 23/06/03

Claims

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the passage comprises a groove into which the cord is locatable by sidewards movement of the device relative to the cord.
3. The device of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the element comprises a roller rollable along the inclined wall of the passage between the position allowing fine movement of the cord through the passage and the position locking the cord in the passageway.
4. The device of claim 3 wherein the roller is of cylindrical shape. N\Melbourne\Cases\Patent\46000-46999\P46391.AU.1\Specis\Amended pages.doc 18/06/08 00 10 0 C 5. The device of claim 3 or claim 4 wherein the Sinclined wall and the passage wall define a chamber therebetween, the chamber having an opening to enable 00 insertion of the roller into the chamber, and locating means for closing the hole to retain the roller in the chamber.
6. The device of claim 5 wherein the locating means Sis in the form of a pin which extends across the hole M 10 after location of the roller to prevent the roller from Sfalling back out through the hole.
7. The device of any of the preceding claims wherein the handle is in the form of a loop having a central aperture and a grip portion, so that the fingers of a user can locate through the central aperture and wrap around the grip portion to thereby comfortably hold the handle, and therefore the device.
8. The device of any of the preceding claims wherein the device includes two chambers with a respective roller in each chamber, each chamber being formed with a passage for allowing entry of the cord so the device can easily be used in either a right hand or left hand operation. N.\Melbourne\Caees\Patent\46000-46999\P46391.AU.1\Specis\Anded pageasdoc 18/06/08