EP0204643A1 - Fold-forming device for curtains or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

This device makes it possible easily to form or to modify, as desired, folds which create a "gathered" or "rouched" effect. Eyelets (3), which can be connected in pairs by means of movable fasteners (4), which can be made in the form of opening rings, are fixed to one face of the curtain. Application to curtains and other similar articles, such as blinds and drapes. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a device intended for the formation of a pleating, more particularly a pleating creating a decorative effect of "bubbled" or "ruched", on a curtain or other similar article such as blinds or draperies.

There are currently on the market blinds called "bubbled blinds", comprising a pleating with folds oriented in the direction of the width of the blind. The ruching effect is obtained by drawing vertical cords passing through eyelets fixed, at regular intervals, over the entire height of the blind. At the top of the curtain, the cords can be made integral, so that it suffices to pull a single cord to raise the curtain by tightening its lower part, and thus obtain the desired effect of ruching over the entire width. If the cords are not integral but on the contrary independent of each other, they can be drawn individually, by the top or by the bottom of the curtain depending on the model, to obtain beehives of variable appearance, which can be concave, convex or straight.

With this known system, the pleats are necessarily obtained by accumulation of the fabric from the bottom of the curtain, which already greatly limits the effects obtained: these can only consist in pleating the curtain at its lower part, and not in pleating performed at any intermediate height.

Generally, the system mentioned here does not allow the blind to be pulled to the side, but only to retract it by raising it, which implies a residual height. To open a double casement window in front of which the curtain is located, there must therefore be sufficient space between the top of the window and the ceiling. However, when the cords are pulled down, it is possible to open the blind on the side.

There is, moreover, a type of bubbled blind called "Venetian", whose identical gathers are sewn by a machine. Only the length of the juxtaposed strips of such a blind can give it a concave, convex or rectilinear overall shape, a shape produced once and for all and cannot be modified. This kind of curtain can be moved by lateral sliding, no mechanism (such as cords) opposing this movement.

• - de modifier facilement et à volonté l'effet de bouillonné, pour créer de nouveaux décors,
• - d'obtenir un effet de ruché à n'importe quelle hauteur du rideau,
• - de faciliter la remise à plat du rideau pour son entretien,
• - de tirer le rideau sur le côté, donc de pouvoir ouvrir plus facilement les fenêtres à double battant recevant un tel rideau.

The present invention aims to remedy the drawbacks mentioned above, by providing a pleating system for curtains or the like. which, while being very simple in design and very easy to use, allows:

• - to easily and freely modify the effect of bubbling, to create new decorations,
• - to obtain a beehive effect at any height of the curtain,
• - to facilitate the flattening of the curtain for its maintenance,
• - to pull the curtain to the side, therefore to be able to open more easily the double casement windows receiving such a curtain.

To this end, the invention essentially relates to a device for the formation of pleating on a curtain or the like, which comprises on the one hand eyelets distributed on one face of the curtain and permanently linked to the curtain, and on the other hand movable fasteners capable of joining each, in a non-permanent manner and according to any desired pattern, at least two eyelets of the curtain.

Each fastener thus makes it possible to bring together and bring together two points of the curtain, by "going up" one with respect to the other, and the overall effect obtained by judiciously choosing the positions of the fasteners is a pleating which is not formed neither by accumulation from below, nor by sewn folds as in current systems. The pleating, and more generally the desired decoration, therefore becomes possible at any height, and each curtain owner can create a decoration himself, modify it at will, possibly remove it entirely thanks to the mobility of the fasteners and the possibility to freely choose the eyelets joined by these fasteners. The proposed device having no cord, a curtain provided with this device can always be pulled to the side, so does not obstruct the opening of a double casement window.

The eyelets can be produced in the form of metal or plastic rings sewn onto the curtain, or alternatively in the form of loops of textile thread formed on the curtain, on one side thereof. The eyelets are advantageously arranged at regular intervals, along parallel lines extending in the direction of the height and / or the width of the curtain. In a particular embodiment, the curtain is formed of parallel, vertical and juxtaposed strips of fabric, joined by seams, and the eyelets are placed on the joining lines of these strips of fabric.

According to another characteristic, the mobile fasteners, capable of bringing together at least two eyelets, are produced in the form of opening rings, which in the open position can be easily engaged through two eyelets to be joined, and which in the closed position bring together the two eyelets without risk of separation. Advantageously, circular deformable plastic opening rings can be used for this purpose, one end of which has a head which engages elastically in a corresponding housing provided at the other end. Other shapes and materials are also possible for the production of movable fasteners.

• Figure 1 représente un rideau équipé de ce dispositif, mis à plat et vu du côté où se trouvent les oeillets ;
• Figure 2 montre un rideau plissé selon un premier motif décoratif, vu du côté où se trouvent les oeillets et les attaches ;
• Figure 3 montre un rideau plissé selon un autre motif décoratif, vu du côté opposé à celui des oeillets et des attaches ;
• Figure 4 est une vue de détail et en coupe verticale d'un tel rideau, montrant la réunion de deux oeillets au moyen d'une attache en forme d'anneau ;
• Figure 5 représente, à plus grande échelle et en position ouverte, une attache particulière réalisée sous la forme d'un anneau ouvrant.
• La figure 1 montre, dans son ensemble, un rideau qui mis à plat possède une forme générale rectangulaire, résultant de la juxtaposition de plusieurs bandes de tissu parallèles (1), réunies par des coutures (2) qui s'étendent dans le sens de la hauteur du rideau.

In any case, the invention will be better understood with the aid of the description which follows, with reference to the appended diagrammatic drawing representing, by way of nonlimiting example, a particular embodiment of this device for the formation of pleating on a curtain or similar:

• Figure 1 shows a curtain fitted with this device, laid flat and seen from the side where the eyelets are located;
• Figure 2 shows a pleated curtain in a first decorative pattern, seen from the side where the eyelets and fasteners are located;
• Figure 3 shows a pleated curtain in another decorative pattern, seen from the side opposite that of the eyelets and fasteners;
• Figure 4 is a detail view in vertical section of such a curtain, showing the meeting of two eyelets by means of a ring-shaped fastener;
• Figure 5 shows, on a larger scale and in the open position, a particular fastener made in the form of an opening ring.
• Figure 1 shows, as a whole, a curtain which laid flat has a generally rectangular shape, resulting from the juxtaposition of several parallel strips of fabric (1), joined by seams (2) which extend in the direction of the height of the curtain.

On one side of the curtain, eyelets are fixed consisting of small rings (3), for example made of plastic. The rings (3) are sewn, at regular intervals (d) on each junction line (2) between two adjacent strips of fabric (1). These rings (3) thus form alignments along horizontal and vertical lines.

The device according to the invention also comprises movable fasteners, produced in the form of opening rings (4) of deformable plastic material, one of which is shown isolated and in the open position, in Figure 5. This opening ring (4) ends at one end with a rounded head (5) intended to engage elastically in a corresponding housing (6) formed at its other end.

The opening rings (4) make it possible to join the eyelets (3) two by two, according to the principle illustrated in FIG. 4: each ring (4) is engaged, in the open position, through two or more eyelets (3), consecutive or not, located on the same vertical junction line (2) joining two strips of the curtain. The ring (4) is then closed, to avoid any separation of the eyelets (3) which have just been joined.

By bringing together two by two a certain number of eyelets (3) judiciously chosen, and belonging to the different vertical alignments, transverse folds are created (7) providing a decoration, as shown in FIG. 2.

More particularly, in the example illustrated by this FIG. 2, the eyelets (3) are joined identically on all the vertical lines (2), which creates a regular decorative pattern, which can be repeated over the entire width and over all the height of the curtain.

As shown in Figure 3, the eyelets joined by means of the mobile fasteners can also be chosen differently depending on the vertical lines on which they are fixed, which allows for example to give the lower edge (8) of the curtain a scalloped shape and a general convex appearance, while the upper part of the curtain is not pleated.

It is easily understood that the device allows the owner of the curtain to compose any decor of his choice, or simply to reproduce a pattern proposed by the manufacturer of the curtain. The rings (4) being able to be reopened, any decoration can be modified at will, or even completely removed which facilitates the flattening of the curtain for its maintenance.

This device applies to the formation of folds on curtains, blinds, draperies and other similar articles, whether or not placed in front of a window. In the case of a curtain placed in front of a double casement window, the device which is the subject of the invention does not interfere with the drawing of the curtain on the side, to release the window and in particular to be able to open it.

It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the sole embodiment of this device for the formation of pleating on a curtain or the like which has been described above, by way of example; she is on fire is, on the contrary, all variants of implementation and application respecting the same principle. Thus one would not depart from the scope of the invention by modifications of shape and material for the eyelets and for the mobile fasteners. In particular, the eyelets can either be attached to the curtain, or fixed or formed directly during the weaving of the curtain, being produced for example in the form of loops of thread, and of course the movable fasteners can be provided with any system opening and closing, with or without locking. Finally, the device according to the invention is obviously applicable not only to curtains formed by juxtaposed strips, but also to curtains formed by a sheet of continuous fabric, on which the eyelets can be fixed according to any arrangement.

Claims (7)

1. Device for the formation of a pleating, more particularly a pleating creating an effect of "bubbled" or "ruched", on a curtain or the like, characterized in that it comprises, on the one hand, eyelets ( 3) distributed over one face of the curtain and permanently linked to the curtain, and on the other hand mobile fasteners (4) capable of bringing each, non-permanently and according to any desired pattern, at least two eyelets (3) of the curtain . 2. Device for the formation of pleating on a curtain or the like according to claim 1, characterized in that the eyelets are produced in the form of rings (3), sewn on the curtain, on one side thereof. this. 3. Device for forming a pleating on a curtain or the like according to claim 1, characterized in that the eyelets are made in the form of loops of textile thread formed on the curtain, on one side thereof. 4. Device for forming a pleating on a curtain or the like according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the eyelets (3) are arranged at regular intervals (d), along parallel lines s' extending in the height and / or width direction of the curtain. 5. Device for the formation of a pleating on a curtain or the like according to claim 4, the curtain being formed from parallel strips of fabric (1), vertical and juxtaposed, joined by seams (2), characterized in that the eyelets (3) are placed on the joining lines (2) of these strips of fabric (1). 6. Device for the formation of a pleating on a curtain or the like according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the movable fasteners, capable of bringing together at least two eyelets (3), are produced in the form opening rings (4). 7. Device for the formation of a pleating on a curtain or the like according to claim 6, characterized in that the movable fasteners are constituted by deformable circular opening rings (4) of plastic material, one end of which comprises a head i5) snap-in in a corresponding housing (6) formed at the other end.

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