EP1816311A2

EP1816311A2 - Box for the winder of the lifting belt of blinds

Info

Publication number: EP1816311A2
Application number: EP07101499A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Marco Piazza
Original assignee: Stafer SpA
Current assignee: Stafer SpA
Priority date: 2006-02-03
Filing date: 2007-01-31
Publication date: 2007-08-08
Also published as: EP1816311A3; ITBO20060011U1

Abstract

A box for the winder of the belt for lifting blinds, comprising a box-like body (2) which is substantially shaped like a right-angled prism and an annular element (12) which lies around the box-like body, means (11, 21, 22) being provided for positioning the annular element (12) on the box-like body (2) so as to determine the recessed mounting depth of the box-like body in the receptacle in which it is to be installed.

Description

The present invention relates to a box for containing the winder on which or from which the belt is wound or unwound in order to lift or lower blinds.
As is known, the winder of the belt for operating blinds is constituted by a spring-loaded roller which is supported rotatably in a box which is accommodated in a receptacle formed in the wall, adjacent to the window to which the blind is fitted. Actuation of the blind is controlled by a belt, which is connected to the roller by means of a slot formed in a plate which closes the box at the front. When the blind is lowered, the spring of the roller is loaded, so as to allow to wind up the belt when the blind is lifted.
Known boxes are usually walled into their receptacle and have such a depth that the front plate is coplanar with the wall in which it is recessed.
However, often there is the need to be able to vary the depth of the recessed mounting of the box in the wall, in order to be able to move the position of the front plate due to placement requirements and for convenient operation of the belt and to take into account appropriately the thickness of the wall in which the box is to be installed, which of course must always be greater than the depth of the box.
The aim of the present invention is to provide a box for the winder of the lifting belt of blinds which has a structure which can meet these needs as regards the requirements set by the installation of the box and by accessibility for actuation of the belt.
Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a box which can offer high flexibility in use and is constructively simple and therefore economically advantageous with respect to currently commercially available boxes.
This aim and this and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a box for the winder of the belt for lifting blinds, characterized in that it comprises a box-like body which is substantially shaped like a right-angled prism and an annular element which lies around said box-like body, means being provided for positioning said element on said box-like body so as to determine the recessed mounting depth of said body in the receptacle in which it is to be installed.
Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description of two embodiments thereof, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the box according to a first embodiment, in a configuration in which it is ready for installation in a wall recess;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the box during optimization of its configuration, as shown in Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a side elevation view of the box in the configuration of Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a front view of the box, taken along the line IV-IV of Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a top view of the box, taken along the line V-V of Figure 3;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the box;
Figure 7 is a view of the box ready for recessed mounting.

In Figures 1-4, a box according to the invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 1 and comprises a right-angled prism-shaped box-like body 2 which is composed of two half-shells 3, 4 which are mirror-symmetrically identical and are preferably provided by molding plastic material; their edges are mutually coupled by interlocking with the aid of appropriately provided pivots or lugs so as to enclose a compartment in which there are means for the rotatable support of a roller on which the belt for operating the blind is wound. These means, for the sake of convenience in description, are not shown since they are fully conventional.
By way of the coupling of the half-shells 3, 4, the body 2 has two substantially square lateral faces 5, 6, between which there lie an upper wall 7, a lower wall 8, a front wall 9 and a rear wall 10. A plurality of ribs 11 are formed on the upper wall 7 and lower wall 8, protrude from the surface of said walls and are mutually parallel. The ribs 11 are conveniently equidistant and perpendicular with respect to the side walls 5, 6.
The front face 9 is provided with an opening through which an articulated tab 27 protrudes externally and guides the belt for lifting the blind.
An annular element is associated with the box-like body 2 and is constituted by a rectangular frame 12, whose two longer sides 13, 14 are adjacent to the side walls 5, 6 and whose two shorter sides 15, 16 are adjacent to the respective upper wall 7 and lower wall 8.
The longer sides 13, 14 of the frame, proximate to the corners formed with the short sides 7, 8, are provided internally with respective teeth 17, 18 which engage in respective grooves 19, 20 which are formed at the top and at the base of the side walls 5, 6 and lie parallel to the edges formed by the side walls 5, 6 with the upper wall 7 and the lower wall 8.
By virtue of the engagement of the teeth 17, 18 in the grooves 19, 20, it is possible to move the frame 12 parallel to itself and arrange it in an intermediate point between the front wall 9 and the rear wall 10, chosen as a function of the portion of the box which must be accommodated in the provided receptacle of the wall.
In order to fix the frame 12 in the position which corresponds to the chosen recessed mounting depth of the box 1, there are positioning means which are composed of a pair of inserts in the form of plates 21, 22, which have a trapezoidal cross section and can slide long respective guides 23, 24 formed in the short sides 15, 16. The guides 23, 24 have a cross-section which is complementary to the cross-section of the plates 21, 22 and are perpendicular to the upper and lower walls 7, 8. In this manner, the plates 21, 22 can be moved between a raised position with respect to the upper wall 7 and lower wall 8 and a position for resting against the said walls and for engagement between the ribs 11.
The plates 21, 22 are provided with respective slots 25, 26 which lie on the central plane of the box and are elongated in the direction of the guides 23, 24. The slots 25, 26 are arranged opposite respective holes which are formed in the short sides 15, 16 of the frame but are not visible in the drawing because they are hidden by the plates 21, 22.
The screws by means of which the box 1 is fixed in its recessed mounting wall receptacle are driven through the slots 25, 26 and the holes of the short sides 15, 16 of the frame 12.
As is evident from the provided description, before the box is installed, the frame 12 is positioned on the box-like body 2 depending on the length of the portion of box to be accommodated within the wall recess. At this point, the plates 21, 22 are first arranged in a position in which they are extracted from the guides 23, 24 and then the frame 12 is moved along the grooves 19, 20 until it is aligned on the chosen position. At this point, the plates 21, 22 are moved to a position for interlocking between the ribs 11 of the upper wall 7 and lower wall 8 so as to determine the portion of the box 1 which is to be inserted in the recessed mounting wall receptacle. Such portion therefore remains determined by the abutment of the frame 12 against the wall. Finally, assembly is completed by inserting, through the slots 25, 26 and the mutually opposite holes provided in the short sides of the frame 12, two screws which lock the frame 12 on the short sides 15, 16, preventing it from disengaging from the ribs 11 and therefore engaging in the wall, fixing the box 1 in its receptacle.
As can be seen, the described box perfectly achieves the intended aim and object. In particular, it is noted that the possibility to change the recessed mounting depth of the box 1 in the wall receptacle also allows to adjust the length of the portion that protrudes from the front face of the wall and therefore to move toward or away from the wall the tab 27 for guiding the lifting belt of the blind according to requirements.
The described invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the protective scope formulated in the appended claims.
Figures 6 and 7 illustrate a different embodiment in which the means for fixing the frame 12 provide for the formation of two teeth 28, 29 on the sides of the edges of the plates 21, 22 which are intended to abut against the upper wall 7 and lower wall 8 of the box-like body 2. The teeth 28, 29 are contoured so as to engage in respective notches 30, 31 which are formed at identical distances in the corners formed by the side walls 5, 6 with the upper wall 7 and the lower wall 8.
In the practical embodiment of the invention, the dimensions and shapes of the box and the materials may be any according to requirements.
The disclosures in Italian Utility Model Application No. BO2006U000011 , from which this application claims priority, are incorporated herein by reference.
Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

A box for the winder of the belt for lifting blinds, characterized in that it comprises a box-like body (2) which is substantially shaped like a right-angled prism and an annular element (12) which lies around said box-like body, means (11, 21, 22) being provided for positioning said annular element (12) on said box-like body (2) so as to determine the recessed mounting depth of said body in the receptacle in which it is to be installed.
The box according to claim 1, characterized in that said box-like body (2) has two side faces (5, 6), between which there lie an upper wall (7), a lower wall (8), a rear wall (10) and a front wall (9), said front wall (9) being provided with an opening through which an articulated tab (27) protrudes externally and guides the blind lifting belt, in that said annular element (12) is constituted by a rectangular frame in which the two longer sides (13, 14) are adjacent to the side walls (5, 6) and the two shorter sides (15, 16) are adjacent to the respective upper and lower walls (7, 8), and in that said positioning means are constituted by two inserts which are constituted by plates (21, 22) which can slide within guides (23, 24) formed in said short sides (15, 16) of the frame (12) and can move between a position for disengagement from said upper and lower walls (7, 8) and a position for engagement on said walls in order to lock said frame (12) on said box-like body (2).
The box according to claim 2, characterized in that said upper wall (7) and said lower wall (8) have a plurality of protrusions, between which said plates (21, 22) engage in order to lock said frame (12) on said box-like body (2).
The box according to claim 2, characterized in that said upper wall (7) and said lower wall (8) form, together with said side walls (5, 6), respective edges in which notches (30, 31) are formed which can be engaged by teeth (28, 29) formed in said plates (21, 22) in order to lock said frame (12) on said box-like body (2).
The box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in said plates (21, 22) there are slots (25, 26) and in the short sides (15, 16) of said frame (12) there are holes which are arranged opposite said slots and through which it is possible to drive screws for fixing said frame (12) to said box-like body (2) and said body in the recessed mounting wall receptacle.
The box according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said side walls (5, 6) are provided with grooves (19, 20) which run parallel to the edges formed by said side walls (5, 6) with the upper and lower walls (7, 8) and are engaged slidingly by said teeth which are rigidly coupled to said frame (12).
The box according to one of claims 2-6, characterized in that said plates (21, 22) have a trapezoidal cross-section and in that said guides (23, 24) have a cross-section which is complementary to the cross-section of said plates.