DE29615252U1 - Roman blinds - Google Patents

Description

Bremen, 30 August 1 996

Our reference: H 2689 WWR/TS/cls/tS

Applicant/Owner: HÜPPE FORM ...

Official reference number: New registration

Jremen Patent Attorneys ' · European Patent Attorneys

Dipl.-Ing. Günther Eisenfühf Dipl.-Ing. Dieter K. Speiser Dr.-Ing. Werner W. Raöus Dipl.-Ing, Jürgen Brügge Dipl.-Ing. Jürgen Klingharat Dipl.-Ing. KlausG.Göken Patent attorney Dipl.-Ing. Mark Andres Attorneys Ulrich H. Sander Christian Spintig

Munich Patent Attorneys

European Patent Attorneys

Dipl.-Phys, Gerhard Liedl

Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Ing. Rainer F- tsche

Patent Attorney

Dipl.-Chem. Dr. Peter Schu er

Berlin Patent Attorney

European Patent Attorney Dipl.-Ing. Jutta Kaden

Martinistrasse 24 D-28195 Bremen Tel. 0421-36 35 0 Fax 0421-36 35 35 (G3) Fax 0421-32 88 631 (G4) MCI 585-0169

Hüppe Form Sun Protection and Room Divider Systems GmbH
Cloppenburger Strasse 2OO, 26133 Oldenburg

Raff slatted blinds

The invention relates to a Roman blind with a bottom rail and a top rail, a curtain arranged on the rails with band-shaped turning elements for supporting and turning spaced-apart slats, pulling elements for lowering or raising the curtain, wherein the top rail or the bottom rail is fixed to the building.

Known Raffia blinds contain a bottom rail, a top rail, tension elements and a curtain. The curtain is formed by the slats arranged at a distance from one another and the turning elements that run from the bottom rail to the top rail and are used to support and turn the slats. Usually the top rail, on which the curtain hangs, is attached to the building. The slats have vertically aligned recesses through which the tension elements, which are attached to the bottom rail, run to a winding shaft in the top rail and are wound up or unwound there. When gathered, the slats are therefore located above the window.

If shade is desired in the room, the blind is lowered from above and the inclination of the slats is then adjusted using the turning devices. For this purpose, the turning devices have inner and outer band sections between which the slats are arranged. In modern architecture, it is desirable in some cases, for example when creating ceiling-high windows etc., to install Roman blinds below the window or room opening and then be able to extend the blind from bottom to top. For such applications, blind arrangements are known in which the bottom rail is installed below the window or room opening, so that the blind rests in its gathered state below the window on the bottom rail fixed to the building. In such designs, the top rail is then moved upwards using suitable pulling elements if shading of the room is desired, and the top rail together with the curtain is placed back down on the bottom rail when the blind is moved back into the gathered state. In such known Roman blinds, the implementation of the inclination adjustment of the slats has so far been quite complex.

The object of the invention is therefore to further develop a Roman blind of the type mentioned at the beginning in such a way that the desired angle of inclination of the slats can be set using a simple turning mechanism.

This object is achieved in the case of the Roman blind of the type mentioned at the outset according to the invention in that at least one section of each turning element is designed as a spring element.

The advantages of the invention are in particular that the inclination of the slats can be adjusted with little technical effort. A simple turning mechanism can be implemented using the invention, particularly for blinds with a bottom rail that is attached below the window or room openings and with a curtain that is pulled out from bottom to top.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, each of the band-shaped turning elements is looped through an eyelet on one rail and is attached to the other rail at its free ends. The eyelet is preferably arranged on the upper rail, while the free ends of the turning elements are attached to the lower rail.

rail. The spring element in this embodiment is particularly preferably attached at one end to the lower rail; the other end is attached below the lowest slat on the band section that follows upwards.

The turning device including the spring element has a specified length, which is slightly less than twice the target height of the curtain. When the head rail is raised, the spring element is not stretched at first: Due to the weight of the slats, the band sections closest to the head rail are tightened first. The non-stretchable band sections are fully tightened when the head rail is close to its upper end position. When the head rail passes through the last section, the spring element is increasingly stretched. As the spring element stretches, the inner band section partially slips through the eyelet on the head rail. This ensures that the outer band section is relieved of strain. As a result of the different movements of the inner and outer band sections, the inner side edges of the slats are raised and the inclination of the slats is adjusted.

The turning mechanism according to the invention can also be used for blinds, whose top rail is attached to the building above the window or room opening and which are pulled out from top to bottom.

In a preferred embodiment of the Roman blind according to the invention, the two lateral ends of the slats have side guide nipples which run in guide rails fixed to the building. This prevents, for example, gusts of wind from pushing the slats out of the guide plane and causing the slats to become jammed.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the blind that can be unraveled upwards, an endlessly rotating pull element is provided at each of the lateral ends of the slats. The top rail, on which the curtain hangs, is attached to the pull elements at its lateral ends and is pulled up or down by the pull elements when they are driven - depending on the direction of rotation.

The traction elements preferably run in the guide rails fixed to the building, in which the side guide nipples also run.

Perforated belts are a cost-effective, weather-resistant and low-noise version of the traction elements. These are preferably driven by electrically driven pinions.

In an advantageous embodiment, each turning element is attached with its inner and outer belt section to both the lower rail and the upper rail. This is preferably the _case when a spring element is integrated into both the inner and outer belt sections. With this arrangement, settings can be achieved in which the slats have different angles of inclination in groups when extended. Flexible adaptation to individual needs is therefore easy to achieve.

A particularly preferred design is one in which a spring element is attached to the lower rail or the upper rail, while in the opposite band section a further spring element is inserted at a position above which, when the curtain is extended, the slats above should assume a different angle of inclination than those below.

By using several spring elements with the same or different spring constants, the invention opens up a multitude of other possible uses. Settings can be achieved in which the slats, individually or in groups, take on different angles of inclination when the curtain is extended. This makes it possible to regulate the light transmission more precisely, depending on individual requirements. Even greater flexibility is achieved according to the invention if the spring elements are designed to be interchangeable.

In a further preferred embodiment, the spring elements do not represent sections of the turning elements. Rather, a force exerted by a spring element acts on each turning element as soon as the non-stretchable band sections are tightened when the curtain is pulled out. This can be achieved, for example, by a spring element that is attached to one of the rails at one end and acts against a band section at the other end, without the spring element itself being part of the turning element.

The spring elements are preferably designed as helical or leg springs, elastic bands or rubber bands.

Advantageous developments of the invention are characterized by the features of the

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claims. The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. They show:

Fig. 1 a front view of the lower rail, the upper rail and

the curtain of a blind that can be extended from bottom to top;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the pulling elements of the blind from Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the traction elements from Fig. 2;

Fig. 4-7 a side view of the lower rail, the upper rail and

the blinds of Fig. 1 in different extended positions;

Fig. 8, 9 a side view of an alternative embodiment of the

Blind in two different extended positions;

Fig. 10 is a side view of another alternative embodiment

shape of the blind in extended position;

Fig. 11, 12 a side view of another alternative embodiment of the blind in two different extended positions.

Figures 1 to 3 show a Roman blind that can be pulled out upwards, which includes a bottom rail 2, a top rail 4, two turning elements 9 and slats 14. The bottom rail 2 is attached to the building (not shown) below the window, while the top rail 4 is movable. The two horizontally spaced turning elements 9 are arranged on the top rail 4, which run to the bottom rail 2 and support the slats 14 arranged parallel and spaced apart from one another. The turning elements 9 also serve to adjust the slat inclination. When gathered, the slats 14 rest on the bottom rail 2.

In Fig. 2 and 3, a tension member 30 designed as an endless perforated belt is shown from the front and from the side. On each end face of the slats 14, a guide rail is attached to the building (not shown), in each of which one of the

Perforated belts 30 rotate and are driven by the pinions 34 in both directions. A hook 32 is attached to a vertically running section of each perforated belt 30, in which one of the two lateral ends 5 of the upper rail 4 is hooked or attached.

If the hooks 32 are moved upwards using the perforated belts 30, the upper rail 4 also moves upwards and the slats 14 are pulled apart upwards. If the pulling elements 30 run in the opposite direction, the upper rail 4 together with the curtain moves downwards until the slats 14 rest gathered on the lower rail 2.

The side guide nipples 18, which are attached to the front sides of the slats 14, are guided in one plane in the guide rails.

Fig. 4 to 7 show the blinds of Fig. 1 to 3 in various extended states. In the gathered state (Fig. 4) the slats 14 lie close to one another on the bottom rail 2, which is fixed to the building. The top rail 4 can be extended as far as the top rail L, which is fixed to the building. Each band-shaped turning element 9 is looped through an eyelet 6 attached to the top rail 4. The two lower ends of each turning element 9 are attached to the bottom rail 2. Between the inner band section 11 of the turning element 9, which runs past the longitudinal edges of the slats adjacent to the inside of the building, and the outer band section 13 of the turning element 9, which runs past the longitudinal edges of the slats facing outwards, there are rung bands 15 arranged one above the other at equal distances, on which the slats 14 rest.

The inner band section 11 contains at its lower end a spring element 16, designed for example as a helical spring, which is fastened with its lower end to the lower rail 2.

When the upper rail 4 moves upwards, the raised inner and outer band sections 11 and 13 are tightened. The rung bands 15 are arranged between the inner and outer band sections 11 and 13 in such a way that the slats 14 are initially pulled upwards from the gathered state in a horizontal position (Fig. 5). The spring element 16 remains unstretched until the non-stretchable band sections are tightened along their entire length.

The tension acting in the outer band section 13 allows a small part of the inner band section 11 to slip through the eyelet 6 and the spring element 16 begins to stretch. This causes the rung bands 15 to tilt and thus also the slats 14 (Fig. 6). The inclination of the slats 14 can be continuously adjusted up to a predetermined maximum angle by moving the upper rail 4 further upwards. When the upper rail 4 reaches the upper rail L, the maximum inclination of the slats 14 is reached (Fig. 7).

When the upper rail 4 moves downwards, the movement sequence is reversed: While the upper rail 4 moves downwards, the spring element 16 first relaxes continuously. The part of the band that slipped outwards when the spring element 16 was stretched slides back inwards through the eyelet 6. While the spring element 16 continuously loses tension, the angle of inclination of the slats 14 decreases. The slats 14 have reached their horizontal position when the spring element 16 is again in the unstretched state. When the upper rail 4 moves further downwards, the slats 14 stack on top of each other on the lower rail 2 until the blind is completely gathered and rests on the lower rail 2.

An alternative embodiment of the Roman blind is shown in Fig. 8 and 9. In this embodiment, the bottom rail 2 is also attached to the building, and the slats 14 rest on the bottom rail 2 in the gathered state and are extended on the top rail 4. The slats 14 are attached on one long side to the inner band section 11 and on their other long edge to the outer band section 13. Spring elements 16 are inserted into the inner band section 11 between two slat long edges located one above the other. In the example shown, their spring constants are of the same order of magnitude. As in the embodiment shown in Fig. 4 to 7, each turning element is looped through an eyelet 6 on the top rail 4, while the free ends are attached to the bottom rail 2.

When the upper rail 4 is raised, the spring elements 16 are only stretched when the non-stretchable sections of the inner and outer band sections 11 and 13 are tightened along their entire length. Up to this position, the slats 14 assume a horizontal position in the example shown. If the upper rail 4 is now raised further, the spring elements 16 stretch to a comparable extent (Fig. 8). The spring constants of the spring elements 16 are selected so that the low weight of the slats 14 is compensated for by the stretching of the

Spring elements 16 play no significant role. The distance between two longitudinal edges of the slats facing the inside, which are located one above the other, increases with increasing stretching of the spring elements 16, while that of the longitudinal edges of the slats facing the outside remains approximately the same. The sliding suspension of each turning element 9 on the eyelet 6 ensures - as in the previously described design - the tension compensation between the inner and outer band sections 11 and 13. In the extended state, the slats 14 are no longer parallel to one another; their angle of inclination increases upwards from slat to slat.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 10, each turning element 9 is attached to both the lower rail 2 and the upper rail 4. A looping is not provided, since a spring element 16 with the same spring constant is integrated in both the inner and outer band sections 11 and 13. The spring element 16 that is located in the inner band section 11 is attached to the lower rail, while the other spring element 16 is located approximately in the middle of the outer band section 13. When the curtain is raised, the slats 14 are initially in a horizontal state until the spring elements 16 are stretched. Because of their equal spring constants, the spring elements 16 ultimately stretch to the same extent. When extended, the result is a slat position in which the slats 14 above the spring element 16 located in the outer band section 13 remain in the horizontal position, while the slats 14 below this spring element 16 are inclined (Fig. 10). These slat positions are often desired in order to shield direct sunlight through the lower slats 14, while the upper slats 14 reflect the sunlight into the room onto the ceiling and illuminate it without causing annoying glare.

The embodiments make it clear how flexible the Roman blind according to the invention can be. If, for example, several spring elements 16 with different spring constants are inserted into the inner or outer band section 11 or 13, blinds can be tailored to individual needs. An even higher degree of flexibility is achieved if the spring elements 16 are designed to be replaceable.

An embodiment corresponding to Fig. 1-7 is shown in Fig. 11 and 12, in which a leg spring 17 is arranged on the upper rail 4. The upper leg of the leg spring 17 rests force-fittingly on the inner wall of the

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Upper rail 4, while the lower leg forms part of the outer belt section 13. When the upper rail 4 is initially raised, the leg spring 17 remains untensioned (Fig. 11). When the upper rail 4 reaches a specified height, the leg spring 17 is tensioned. Since the counterforce of the inner wall of the upper rail 4 acts on the upper leg, the lower leg spreads away from the upper rail 4 and is pulled in the direction of the belt section that follows downwards. In this way, the outer belt section 13 is lengthened. This causes the slats 14 to tilt (Fig. 12), if, for example, the turning element 9 is looped through an eyelet on the lower rail 2, and a length compensation between the inner and outer belt sections 11 and 13 can thus take place.

Instead of helical or leg springs, elastic bands or rubber bands are also suitable as spring elements 16.

Claims (18)

Expectations 1. Roman blind with a lower rail (2) and an upper rail (4), a curtain arranged on the rails (2, 4) with band-shaped turning elements (9) for supporting and turning spaced-apart slats (14), pulling elements (30) for lowering or raising the curtain,
wherein the upper rail (4) or the lower rail (2) is fixed to the building, characterized in that at least one section of each turning member (9) is designed as a spring element (16). 2. Rafflamelia jaiousie according to claim 1, characterized in that each turning element (9) is looped through an eyelet (6) on one rail and is fastened at its free ends to the other rail. 3. Rafflamelia jaiousie according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that lateral guide nipples (18) are attached to the two lateral ends of the slats (14), which run in guide rails fixed to the building. 4. Rafflamelia jaiousie according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that an endlessly rotating traction element (30) is provided at each of the two lateral ends of the slats (14). 5. Rafflamelia jaiousie according to claim 4, characterized in that the two lateral ends (5) of the upper rail (4) are attached to the traction elements (30). 6. Rafflamelia jaiousie according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the traction elements (30) run in the guide rails fixed to the building. 7. Rafflamelia jaiousie according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the traction elements are designed as perforated belts (30) which engage with drivable pinions (34). 8. Venetian blind according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bottom rail (2) is fixed to the building. 9. Venetian blind according to claim 8, characterized in that the slats (14) rest on the lower rail (2) in the gathered state. 10. Venetian blind according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that each turning element (9) is looped through an eyelet (6) on the upper rail (4) and is fastened with its free ends to the lower rail (2). 11. Venetian blind according to one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that the spring element (16) is attached at one end to the lower rail (2). 12. Venetian blind according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each turning element {9} including the spring element (16) has a predetermined length which is slightly smaller than twice the desired height of the blind. 13. Venetian blind according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that several spring elements (16) with the same or different spring constants are inserted into the turning elements (9). 14. Venetian blind according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the spring elements (16) are replaceable. 15. Venetian blind according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each turning element (9) contains an inner band section (11) running past the inner longitudinal edges of the slats (14) and an outer band section (13) running past the outer longitudinal edges of the slats (14), which are fastened both to the lower rail (2) and to the upper rail (4), and in that the inner and outer band sections (11, 13) each contain a spring element (16). 16. Venetian blind according to claim 15, characterized in that a spring element (16) is attached to the lower rail (2) or upper rail (4) and another spring element (16) is arranged in the opposite band section (11, 13) between two slats. 17. Roman blind with a lower rail (2) and an upper rail (4), a curtain arranged on the rails (2, 4) with band-shaped turning elements (9) for supporting and turning spaced-apart slats (14), pulling elements (30) for lowering or raising the curtain,
wherein the upper rail (4) or the lower rail (2) is fixed to the building, characterized in that each turning element (9) is subjected to a spring force at at least one point. 18. Venetian blind according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that the spring elements (16) are designed as helical springs, leg springs, elastic bands or rubber bands.