CA2191911A1 - Hanger for blinds - Google Patents

Hanger for blinds

Info

Publication number
CA2191911A1
CA2191911A1 CA 2191911 CA2191911A CA2191911A1 CA 2191911 A1 CA2191911 A1 CA 2191911A1 CA 2191911 CA2191911 CA 2191911 CA 2191911 A CA2191911 A CA 2191911A CA 2191911 A1 CA2191911 A1 CA 2191911A1
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
opening
hanger
blind
body member
header
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
CA 2191911
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Rejane Labrecque
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to CA 2191911 priority Critical patent/CA2191911A1/en
Publication of CA2191911A1 publication Critical patent/CA2191911A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • EFIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E06DOORS, WINDOWS, SHUTTERS, OR ROLLER BLINDS IN GENERAL; LADDERS
    • E06BFIXED OR MOVABLE CLOSURES FOR OPENINGS IN BUILDINGS, VEHICLES, FENCES OR LIKE ENCLOSURES IN GENERAL, e.g. DOORS, WINDOWS, BLINDS, GATES
    • E06B9/00Screening or protective devices for wall or similar openings, with or without operating or securing mechanisms; Closures of similar construction
    • E06B9/24Screens or other constructions affording protection against light, especially against sunshine; Similar screens for privacy or appearance; Slat blinds
    • E06B9/26Lamellar or like blinds, e.g. venetian blinds
    • E06B9/266Devices or accessories for making or mounting lamellar blinds or parts thereof
    • EFIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E06DOORS, WINDOWS, SHUTTERS, OR ROLLER BLINDS IN GENERAL; LADDERS
    • E06BFIXED OR MOVABLE CLOSURES FOR OPENINGS IN BUILDINGS, VEHICLES, FENCES OR LIKE ENCLOSURES IN GENERAL, e.g. DOORS, WINDOWS, BLINDS, GATES
    • E06B9/00Screening or protective devices for wall or similar openings, with or without operating or securing mechanisms; Closures of similar construction
    • E06B9/24Screens or other constructions affording protection against light, especially against sunshine; Similar screens for privacy or appearance; Slat blinds
    • E06B9/26Lamellar or like blinds, e.g. venetian blinds
    • E06B9/28Lamellar or like blinds, e.g. venetian blinds with horizontal lamellae, e.g. non-liftable
    • E06B9/30Lamellar or like blinds, e.g. venetian blinds with horizontal lamellae, e.g. non-liftable liftable
    • E06B9/32Operating, guiding, or securing devices therefor
    • E06B9/323Structure or support of upper box

Abstract

A hanger for slatted blinds having a header member and a plurality of slats depending therefrom includes a body member having first and second openings therethrough. The first opening is adapted to receive an end of the header member and the second opening is adapted to receive a suspension member from which the blind is to be hung. One hanger would be provided for each end of the blind. The hanger of the invention facilitates the cleaning of the blind, allowing it to be hung from a curtain rod in a bathroom or from a clothesline outdoors or in a basement. The blind can be hung in its fully open or extended condition for vacuuming, washing and/or drying. A thumbscrew can be provided for engaging the suspension member and thus locking the hanger against unwanted movement.

Description

- ~191911 ._ The present invention relates to Venetian or slatted blinds and to the cleaning or hanging thereof.

R~R~OUND OF THE INVENTION

Venetian or slatted blinds include a generally rectangular, elongated upper member from which a plurality of string ladders depend, the ladders carrying a plurality of thin, elongated slats. The set of slats can be rotated to block light from passing past the blind, or the slats can be raised or lowered in front of a window. The slats can be very narrow, in the order of 2.5 mm as for mini-blinds, or in the order of 10 mm as for Venetian blinds. It is not at all uncommon for such blinds to accumulate considerable amounts of dust over a long time, especially if they are associated with a window that is opened for some period of time. Cleaning of such blinds becomes a problem, particularly with mini-blinds due to their size, with preferred cleaning methods including vacuuming and/or washing.

Blinds as described above can be vacuumed in position in front of a window, using a soft brush attachment. Vacuuming will not necessarily remove all dust and deposits from the blinds, especially when the blinds are used in a kitchen and there can be grease and other deposits thereon. It then becomes necessary to wash the blinds, and this requires removal and transport to a suitable area for washing, either a bathroom or a laundry room, or even outdoors. The blinds have to be washed by hand using water or other cleaning solutions and then they must be left to dry. When the blinds have been separated from their usual hangers, which remain at the window, the householder has no convenient way of hanging the blinds from a suitable support, such as a shower curtain rod or a clothesline, to facilitate the washing step and/or 30 the drying step. Presently the blinds would typically be washed in .1.
-a bathtub in their fully open condition and then laid out on a floor to dry, or they would be washed while laid out on a floor and then left there to dry. There is therefore a need for an inexpensive, reliable, and easy to use hanger that could be attached to a shower curtain rod or a clothesline, from which a blind could be hung to make the washing and drying step easier and more efficient.

The present invention provides a hanger that can be used with Venetian blinds or other types of slatted blinds to facilitate the cleaning and/or drying thereof. It can also be used to hang the blinds in front of a window if, for example, the window is already provided with a transverse rod, such as a curtain rod, and the homeowner wishes to have a blind suspended from that rod. The present invention comprises a hanger that includes a first opening therethrough, which opening is adapted to receive an end of the blind's header, and a second opening therethrough, which is adapted to fit over a suspension member such as a shower curtain rod or a clothesline. The hanger can be provided with locking means such a thumbscrew extending into the second opening to lock the hanger against the suspension member so as to prevent unwanted relative movement between the blind and the suspension member.
Alternatively, one or both of the openings through the hanger member could be lined with a material such as rubber to create a friction fit with the blind's header and/or the suspension member itself. The second opening through the hanger can be fully enclosed around its periphery, in which case it would have to be slid onto an end of the suspension member, or it could have an open portion so that it could be clipped onto the suspension member. In the latter case the second opening would have a generally C-shape.

2! 9191 1 -Generally speaking the present invention may be considered to provide a hanger for a slatted blind having an elongated header and a plurality of parallel slats supported by ladder means depending from the header. The hanger includes a body member having a first opening therethrough adapted to receive an end of the header, and a second opening therethrough adapted to engage a suspension member from which the blind is to be hung.
Typically, one hanger of the invention would be used at each end of the header of the blind.

Figures 1 and 2 show front and side elevations of a first embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 shows the first embodiment of the invention in use.

Figures 4 and 5 show front and side elevations of a second embodiment of the invention.

Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a third embodiment of the invention.

Figure 7 shows a front elevation of a simplified fourth embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF T~E PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With particular reference to Figures 1 and 2 it will be seen that the hanger 10 of this invention includes a generally rectangular body member 12 having an arcuate top edge 14. The body member 12 may be moulded from plastics material, preferably of the recycled variety, or it may be cut from a piece of wood and suitably finished. The body member 12 includes a first generally rectangular, preferably square, opening 16 extending therethrough, which opening is sized or adapted to receive or engage one end of a header 18 of a slatted blind 20 (Figure 3) in a close sliding fit. The body member 12 also includes a second, generally circular, opening 22 extending therethrough, which opening is sized or adapted to receive or engage a cylindrical suspension member such as a shower curtain rod 26 (Figure 3) in a close sliding fit.
A set screw or thumbscrew 28 extends through a threaded bore 30 in the body member from an outer edge thereof so that it can be turned to bring the end 32 thereof into bearing engagement with the suspension member 26 and thereby lock the hanger against movement relative to the suspension member. Although the thumbscrew is shown at the top of the hanger on the vertical centerline of the opening 22, it could also extend along any radius of that opening above the horizontal centerline thereof.

As seen in Figure 3 a hanger 10 has been slid onto each free end of the header 18 of a slatted blind 20, up to the string ladders 34 thereof with the header engaging the opening 16. The opening 22 has been engaged with a cylindrical suspension member such as a curtain rod 26 and the thumbscrews 28 have been tightened thereagainst to prevent unwanted movement. The rod 26 preferably is a tension rod that is provided with means for temporarily fixing the rod within a confined space, such as a bathroom above a bathtub. Such tension rods are commercially available and include a pad 36a at each end for engagement with a vertical surface, a main rod portion, and telescoping means 36b contained within the main rod for extending the length of the rod so as to compress the end pads against spaced apart vertical walls and thereby hold the rod in a desired position. If such a rod is used to suspend the hangers 10 then the hangers can be slid onto the rod before the rod is positioned in the desired location and the blind can be suspended from the hangers after the rod has been properly positioned.

As also seen in Figure 3 the slats 38 of the blind 20 rest on the ladders 34 and are parallel to each other. With the blind 20 in the position shown in Figure 3 the slats can be vacuumed or they can be washed as desired. If the rod 26 is located in a bathroom over a bathtub one can wash the slats without creating a mess as any excess water will fall into the tub and drain away. Furthermore, the washed blind can be left in the same location to dry so that all surfaces of the slats are exposed to the air to promote uniform drying.

Figures 4 and 5 show another embodiment of the present invention wherein the second opening 40 is generally C-shaped, with one side 42 being open to a side edge of the hanger 44. If the open side 42 is wide enough the hanger can be clipped onto a suspension rod, such as the tension rod 26 without having to remove the rod from its locked position, or one could position the rod prior to connecting the hangers 44 thereto. Alternatively, an open second opening 40 would permit the hanger 44 to be suspended from a standard curtain rod as provided in most bathrooms, although the blind suspended therefrom would be positioned close to the edge of a bathtub rather then over the central portion thereof and the chances of water dripping onto the floor, rather than into the bathtub would be greater. A C-shaped opening 40 additionally permits the hanger 44 to be suspended from other suspension members, such as a clothesline that could be located outdoors or in a basement or other part of a house.

In the foregoing embodiments the thumbscrew 28 was used to lock the hanger against the suspension rod 26. Such locking is -desirable so that the blind's header is relatively immovable during the cleaning operation. An alternative construction is shown in Figure 6 wherein the first opening 16 of the hanger 50 is lined with a resilient friction material 52, such as rubber, which engages the sides of the header 18 and provides a frictional engagement between the hanger and the header. The second opening 22 could also be lined with a resilient friction material 54 to provide frictional engagement between the hanger 50 and the suspension rod 26. Of course, the hanger 50 could be provided with the usual thumbscrew 28 if desired, rather than the resilient material 54.

Figure 7 shows a simplified version 60 of this invention which might be used with a suspension rod or a clothesline. This body member of the hanger is formed from a single length of heavy wire 62, such as that used for a coat hanger. The wire 62 is bent so as to create four straight sides defining a first, generally rectangular opening 64. The upper side of the opening 64 then is bent into a re-entrant circular portion that defines a generally circular second opening 66. The first opening is sized or adapted to receive a header of a slatted blind, as above, and the second opening is sized or adapted to receive a suspension member, as above. If the free end 68 of the wire is spaced from the upper side of the opening 64 then the hanger 60 could be clipped onto a relatively thin suspension member such as a clothesline. This embodiment is simple and inexpensive to produce and it functions adequately to hang a slatted blind from an appropriate suspension member. It lacks, however, means for locking the hanger to the suspension member and/or the header of the blind and hence there would likely be more movement of the blind relative to the suspension member during cleaning. This embodiment would be particularly useful if one wishes to temporarily hang a slatted .6.

- 21~191 1 blind from a suspension member such as a curtain rod so that the blind can perform its normal function.

The present invention provides a simple, economic, device for suspending a slatted blind from a suspension member for cleaning of the blind or for temporary or even permanent hanging of the blind. It can be used with a variety of blind types having a generally rectangular or square header member and it can be used with a variety of suspension members, from clotheslines to curtain rods. Of course, it is within the purview of a skilled person in the art to effect changes to the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof and accordingly the protection to be afforded this invention is to be determined from the scope of the claims appended hereto.

.7.

Claims (12)

1. A hanger for a slatted blind having an elongated header and a plurality of parallel slats supported by ladder means depending from the header, comprising: a body member; a first opening through said body member adapted to receive an end of the header; and a second opening through said body member adapted to engage a suspension member from which the blind is to be hung.
2. The hanger of claim 1 wherein said body member is generally flat, said first opening is generally rectangular, and said second opening is generally circular.
3. The hanger of claim 1 wherein said body member is generally flat, said first opening is generally rectangular, and said second opening is generally C-shaped with one side edge of said body member being open to said opening whereby said hanger can be clipped to the suspension member.
4. The hanger of claim 1, claim 2, or claim 3 including threaded thumbscrew means engaging a threaded bore extending from an edge of said body member to said second opening for locking engagement with said suspension member.
5. The hanger of claim 4 wherein said thumbscrew means are aligned with a vertical centerline of said second opening.
6. The hanger of claim 2 including resilient friction material extending into said first opening from each inner edge thereof for frictional engagement with the header of the blind.

~ 8 ~
7. The hanger of claim 6 including resilient material extending into said second opening from the inner edge thereof for frictional engagement with the suspension member.
8. The hanger of claim 1 wherein said body member is formed of a continuous length of wire, said wire being bent to define said first and second openings adjacent each other.
9. The hanger of claim 8 wherein said first opening is generally rectangular and said second opening is generally circular.
10. A hanger for a slatted blind having an elongated header and a plurality of parallel slats supported by ladder means depending from the header, comprising: a generally flat body member; a generally rectangular first opening extending through said body member and adapted to receive an end of the header; a generally circular second opening extending through said body member and adapted to engage a suspension member from which the blind is to be hung; and a threaded thumbscrew extending through a threaded bore in said body member from an outer edge thereof to said second opening for locking engagement with the suspension member.
11. The hanger of claim 10 wherein said second opening is generally C-shaped, being open to one side edge of said body member whereby said hanger can be clipped to the suspension member.
12. A hanger for a slatted blind having an elongated header and a plurality of parallel slats supported by ladder means depending from the header, comprising a generally flat body member formed from a continuous length of wire, said length of wire being bent to define a generally rectangular first opening adapted to ~ 9 ~

receive an end of the header, and a generally circular second opening adjacent said first opening and adapted to engage a suspension member from which the blind is to be hung.

.10.
CA 2191911 1996-12-03 1996-12-03 Hanger for blinds Abandoned CA2191911A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2191911 CA2191911A1 (en) 1996-12-03 1996-12-03 Hanger for blinds

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2191911 CA2191911A1 (en) 1996-12-03 1996-12-03 Hanger for blinds

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2191911A1 true CA2191911A1 (en) 1998-06-03

Family

ID=4159368

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA 2191911 Abandoned CA2191911A1 (en) 1996-12-03 1996-12-03 Hanger for blinds

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA2191911A1 (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2479878A (en) * 2010-04-27 2011-11-02 Richard Molesworth A combination blind and curtain fitting arrangement

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2479878A (en) * 2010-04-27 2011-11-02 Richard Molesworth A combination blind and curtain fitting arrangement

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