EP1926880A1

EP1926880A1 - Screening arrangement comprising adjustment means

Info

Publication number: EP1926880A1
Application number: EP05784190A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hans Gram Andersen; Ulrik Ulriksen
Original assignee: VKR Holding AS
Current assignee: VKR Holding AS
Priority date: 2005-09-21
Filing date: 2005-09-21
Publication date: 2008-06-04
Also published as: CN101268244A; CN101268244B; WO2007033665A1

Abstract

The screening arrangement for screening a building aperture has a top element (2), a bottom element (3) and a screening body (4) including a plurality of slats (41). For adjustment of the tilting of the slats by adjustment of ladder members (42) adjustment means are provided comprising an adjustment wheel (65). Oniy a minor portion of the adjustment wheel (65) protrudes from the top element (2), the major portion being accommodated in the top element.

Description

Screening arrangement comprising adjustment means

The present invention relates to a screening arrangement for screening a building aperture, comprising: a top element, a bottom element, a screening body including a plurality of slats extending in a longitudinal direction substantially in parallel with the top and bottom elements, at least two ladder members extending substantially transversely to said longitudinal direction and carrying said slats, and adjustment means including an adjustment bar for adjustment of the tilting of said slats by adjustment of said ladder members.

Such screening arrangements are well known in the art for screening building apertures such as the light-admitting area of windows or doors. Usually, such screening arrangements take the form of Venetian blinds having slats and ladder members of arbitrary design and choice. Common to all of these screening arrangements is that adjustment of the tilting of the slats requires operation of the adjustment means. Depending on i.a. the position of the window or door, this may include pulling cords or manipulating a protruding hook by means of a rod, cf. in this respect Applicant's European patent No. 742 866. Another type of adjustment means comprises a rotatable knob positioned on the outer front side of the top element of the screening arrangement. One example of such an arrangement is shown in EP 1 489 258 Al. The rotatable knob is connected with the adjustment bar by means of a rack-and-pinion transmission. Further examples make use of a transmission including a helical gearing.

All of the above screening arrangements thus comprise adjustment means requiring elements such as cord, hooks or knobs protruding from or situated outside the top element. In addition to disturbing the overall appearance of the screening arrangement, such elements, in general, make it more difficult to dismantle the screening arrangement. This may be necessary in order to e.g. repair or replace defective parts. Furthermore, the protruding or outside elements are prone to collection of e.g. dust.

With this background it is the object of the invention to provide a screening arrangement which reduces the inconveniences experienced with the prior art screening arrangements.

This and further objects are met by the provision of a screening arrangement of the kind mentioned in the introduction, which is furthermore characterized in that said adjustment means comprise an adjustment wheel, and that a minor portion of said adjustment wheel protrudes from the top element, the major portion of the adjustment wheel being accommodated in the top element.

By this design, easy and reliable operation of the adjustment means is made possible by rotating the adjustment wheel manually at the protruding part while, at the same time, a discreet appearance is obtained. The protruding part makes operation of the adjustment means immediately logical to the user, giving the appearance of e.g. an adjusting knob of a radio. The screening arrangement is easy to dismantle, and as the major part of the adjustment wheel is hidden, the proneness to e.g. dust collection is substantially reduced.

In an advantageous embodiment, the adjustment wheel has an axis of rotation parallel with said longitudinal direction. In case the screening arrangement is placed in a window with the top element positioned horizontally, the user may adjust the tilting of the slats by sliding his or her hand in a vertical direction.

In a further development of this embodiment, the adjustment wheel is coaxial with the adjustment bar. In principle, the adjustment wheel may be connected with the adjustment bar by means any kind of gear transmission including e.g. two gear wheels, one of which is positioned on the adjustment bar. However, the coaxial position makes it possible to reduce the space needed for the entire adjustment means. In a particularly simple embodiment, the adjustment wheel is mounted directly on the adjustment bar. Alternatively, the adjustment wheel is connected with the adjustment bar by means of a gear transmission. This makes it possible to obtain a more exact adjustment of the tilting of the slats.

In principle, the adjustment wheel may be positioned arbitrarily on the top element, as long as the requirement that a minor part only protrudes is fulfilled. In an advantageous embodiment, the top element comprises an aperture having a first dimension exceeding the axial dimension of the adjustment wheel slightly and a second dimension not exceeding a value twice the radius of the adjustment wheel. Preferably, said second dimension does not exceed a value corresponding to the radius of the adjustment wheel. In case this second dimension corresponds to the radius of the adjustment wheel, the area of the minor part attainable from the outside constitutes only approx. 9% of the total area of the adjustment wheel, i.e. the area of a segment of circle having a central angle of 60°.

In a further embodiment, which makes dismantling of the screening arrangement particularly simple, the top element has a detachable cover plate.

In case a more suppressed operation and secure retention of the adjustment wheel is desirable, the adjustment means may comprise friction means.

A further aspect relates to a screening arrangement for screening a building aperture, comprising: a top element, a bottom element, a screening body, and a parallel guidance device including at least two cords for parallel guidance of at least the bottom element, and adjustment means for adjustment of the length of each cord.

Such screening arrangements are well known in the art and comprise e.g. Venetian blinds and pleated blinds.

A system for mounting and parallel guidance is known from Ap- plicant's EP 0 960 253, which discloses a screening arrangement for a window. The arrangement comprises parallel guidance by means of two cords, each extending from one of the upper corners of the window through a hollow bottom bar to the lower corner of the opposite side of the window. The cords are in the upper corners fixed by means of a tension spring to attain an adequate tension of the cords for parallel guidance, such that when in use they have such a tension that the screening body of the screening arrangement easily and without problems can be moved across the window.

In order to obtain an unproblematic guidance of the screening arrangement in the parallel guidance system, the tension of the cords has to be within a certain interval, which i.a. depends on the length of the window opening. If the cords are tightened too loosely, the bottom element tends to move askew or get stuck, just as the friction may be too low, the result being that a screening device, like for instance a conventional roller blind, on account of the spring load of the screening body, cannot be retained when the screening member has been moved to the position, in which the opening is exposed. If the cords are tightened too much, the friction becomes too high, the result being that movement of the screening body across the opening is made difficult, just as there is a risk that the cords may be ruined.

The fact that windows, and doors, are delivered in a number of different sizes entails that screening arrangements are traditionally delivered in a corresponding range of sizes. Even a window, which at first sight appears to be of identical size and model as another window, might require a particular screening arrangement different from that of the other window, just as there is a risk that the purchaser does not know exactly which type of window he or she is buying the screening arrangement for. The adjustment of the cords to a tension suitable for parallel guidance is problematic as the suitable tension interval varies in accordance with the height of the window. As the tension springs are traditionally hidden, it is furthermore difficult to tighten the cords so that they have the same tension, the result being that there is a risk that the bottom element will be guided obliquely with respect to the cords.

One attempt at overcoming this problem is disclosed in Applicant's published international application No. WO 2004/053282. Here, each cord is, at one end, connected with a tension spring. The tension of the cords may be adjusted by tightening the cord at the end connected with the tension spring in accordance with markings provided on the cord/tension spring and a stationary element of the screening arrangement, respectively. This design provides for at satisfactory solution, i.a. in the particular case when the tension spring is situated at the cord end. Furthermore, this arrangement requires that the user himself or herself tightens the cords to the tension suitable for the installation situation in question. Although the markings are of assistance during the mounting operation, there is a risk that the correct tension is not attained.

With this background it is the object of the invention to provide a screening arrangement, which may be utilized universally in a number of different windows or doors within a fixed size range, and in which the adjustment of the length of the cords is simplified and made logical to the person performing the mounting, with a reduced risk of erroneous mounting and subsequent malfunction of the screening arrangement.

This and further objects are met by the provision of a screening arrangement of the kind mentioned in the introduction, which is furthermore characterized in that said cords have a predetermined length, that said length adjustment means are intended for altering said predetermined length to a plurality of predetermined effective lengths of said cords, and that said length adjustment means are positioned arbitrarily in the screening arrangement.

The possibility of adjusting the tension of the cords in such a simple manner entails that an increased degree of standardization is achieved, as one and the same length of the cords may be utilized for a number of different sizes of the building aperture in question, the effective length of the cords thus being obtained by adjustment according to the predetermined effective lengths. At the same time the screening arrangement is very easy to mount as the predetermined positions are easily discernible and may be fixed before mounting the screening arrangement in the building aperture. The adjustment means provide for a physical alteration of the effective length of the cords, and not only in accordance with a marking, as is the case in the above- mentioned WO document. The suitable tensioning of the cords has the effect that the screening member, when in use, can be moved easily to cover the opening, as the friction during the movement is of a suitable size, and askew guidance of the screening member is avoided in a simple manner. The length adjustment means may take any suitable form, as long as it is possible to obtain the effective length corresponding to the building aperture in question by changing the routing of the cords by altering the physical point of engagement. Preferably, the length adjustment means comprises at least one abutment cooperating with at least two stop elements, or at least two abutments cooperating with at least one stop element, to obtain at least two distinctive effective lengths.

In a preferred embodiment, the length adjustment means com- prise a plurality of abutments positioned at predetermined positions in the top element of the screening arrangement for cooperation with at least one stop element on the respective cord. This provides for a very easy adjustment of the effective length, as the stop element is placed in the abutment in question. In a screening arrangement, in which tensioning means are positioned in the bottom element or top of the screening arrangement, the length adjustment means may advantageously comprise a plurality of abutments in the form of accommodating elements for cooperation with the tensioning means. In all of the above embodiments, all parts for obtaining the length adjustment are contained in the screening arrangement itself. In an alternative embodiment, the length adjustment means comprise at least one abutment intended to be positioned in the building aperture and at least two stop elements on the respective cord. In order to make the predetermined effective lengths even more discernible and logical to the user, each effective length may be marked.

The invention will be described in detail in the following by means of examples of embodiments with reference to the schematic drawings, in which

Fig. 1 is a partial perspective view of a screening arrangement according to the invention mounted in a building aperture;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the screening arrangement of Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and 4 are perspective views of the screening arrangement of Fig. 1 in two different installation situations;

Fig. 5 is a partial perspective view, on a larger scale, of a detail of the screening arrangement of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic sectional view of a detail of the screening arrangement of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 7 is a partial perspective view, on a larger scale, of a detail of the screening arrangement of Fig. 1.

Figs. 1 and 2 shows a screening arrangement 1 comprising a top element 2, a bottom element 3 and a screening body 4. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the screening arrangement is a

Venetian blind and the screening body 4 thus comprises a number of slats 41 carried by two ladder members 42. As shown in Fig. 1, the screening arrangement 1 is built into a building aperture 5 in the form of the light admitting area of the sash or frame of a window. The window has a top piece 51, two side pieces 52, 53 and a bottom piece

(not shown).

The slats 41 define a longitudinal direction substantially in parallel with the top and bottom elements 2 and 3. The desired inclination of the slats, i.e. the tilted angle, relative to this longitudinal direction is determined by adjustment means generally designated 6 in Fig. 3. The adjustment means comprise an adjustment wheel 65 engaging an adjustment bar 61, which in turn is held in bearings 62 carrying the ladder members 42. In this manner, rotation of the adjustment wheel 65 entails that the ladder members 42 move and hence that the slats 41 are tilted. In the embodiment shown, the adjustment wheel 65 has an axis of rotation parallel with the longitudinal direction defined by the slats 41 and is coaxial with the adjustment bar 61. In the installation situation shown in Fig. 1, the screening arrangement is placed in a window to be positioned with the top piece 51 extending horizontally and the user may adjust the tilting of the slats 41 by sliding his or her hand in a vertical direction.

In the embodiment shown, the adjustment wheel 65 is mounted directly on the adjustment bar 61. Obviously, rotation of the adjustment wheel 65 through a certain angle thus corresponds to rotation through the same angle of the adjustment bar 61. However, the adjustment wheel may be connected with the adjustment bar by means any kind of gear transmission including e.g. two gear wheels, one of which is positioned on the adjustment bar.

Referring now in particular to Figs. 5 and 6, the adjustment wheel 65 is positioned in such a manner in the top element 2 that a minor portion of the adjustment wheel protrudes from the top element, the major portion of the adjustment wheel being accommodated in the top element. In principle, the adjustment wheel may be positioned arbitrarily on the top element, as long as the requirement that a minor part only protrudes is fulfilled. To this end and aperture 21 is formed in the top element 2, viz. in the cover plate 22 thereof, cf. Fig. 6. The cover plate 22 may be detachable from the remaining portion of the top element 2. The dimensions of this aperture are chosen such that a first dimension, here the width, exceeds the axial dimension of the adjustment wheel 65 slightly. The second dimension, here the height h, should not exceed a value twice the radius r of the adjustment wheel 65. Preferably, the height h should not exceed a value corresponding to the radius r of the adjustment wheel 65. In the embodiment shown the height h corresponds in substance to the radius r of the adjustment wheel, and the area of the minor part attainable from the outside constitutes only approx. 9% of the total area of the adjustment wheel, i.e. the area of a segment of circle having a central angle of 60°. In order to obtain a more suppressed operation and secure retention of the adjustment wheel 65 friction means are provided in the form of plate 66 cooperating with the slightly indented surface of the adjustment wheel 65 which gives a clicking sound when rotating the adjustment wheel 65. The plate 66 may be spring-loaded in any suitable manner (not shown) to attain a more dampened effect. This entails that there is some resistance when operating the adjustment wheel 65. By choosing a suitable position of the plate 66 and a suitable spring-load the adjustment wheel may be made to maintain any given position.

Turning again to Figs. 2 and 3, a parallel guidance device for the screening arrangement is shown. Parallel guidance in this respect entails that the bottom element is at all times kept in parallel with the top element and, e.g. in the installation situation shown in Fig. 1, in parallel with the top piece 51. In the embodiment shown, the parallel guidance device includes two cords 71, 72. Two or more cords may be provided as the case may be. Each cord is routed from one upper corner of the building aperture, through the bottom member and further down to the opposite lower corner of the building aperture. In case the top element 2 is mounted stationary at the top piece 51 of the window or another building structure, this upper corner may be constituted by the top element itself or by the corner of the building aperture. In case the top element is movable, the upper corner must be the corner of the building aperture, the cord thus being routed out of the top element. The length of the route between these extreme positions at the diametrically opposite corners corresponds to the effective length each cord should have in order to provide the parallel guidance aimed at.

The cords 71,72 have a predetermined length in the delivery state of any given window or other building structure containing a building aperture. Typically, the predetermined length corresponds to the longest possible route of the largest building aperture in the range that the screening arrangement should cover. In order to adjust the length to an effective length corresponding to the building aperture in question, without cutting the cords, length adjustment means are provided. The length adjustment means are thus intended for altering the predetermined length of each cord to a plurality of predetermined effective lengths. Furthermore, the length adjustment means may be positioned arbitrarily in the screening arrangement.

In the embodiment shown, the length adjustment means com- prise a plurality of abutments 81, 83 and 82, 84 in the top element 2 of the screening arrangement such that the one cord 71 may be positioned in either abutment 81 or 83 and the other cord 72 in abutment 82 or 84. For instance, the abutments 81 and 83 are positioned at a mutual distance from each other at predetermined positions. The abutments cooperate with stop elements on the respective cords. The user installing the window determines the window type, i.e. the size of the building aperture, and then positions the stop element in the appropriate abutment. That is, the effective length of the cord extends from the end of the respective cord in the abutment 81,82 or 83,84 to the other end positioned at the opposite corner (not shown). In the installation situation shown in Fig. 3, the stop element on the cords are positioned in the outermost abutments 81, 82. In comparison, the installation situation shown in Fig. 4 shows the stop elements cooperating with the innermost abutments 83, 84, thus corresponding to a building aperture having a larger height than in Fig. 3. This provides for a total of two different effective lengths. This number may be modified by increasing the number of abutments and/or the number of stop elements. The stop elements may be formed in any suitable manner. In the embodiment shown, the stop element comprises a knot 71a, 72a at the end of each cord 71, 72. Obviously, each cord may be provided with several stop elements, which provides for further predetermined effective lengths. The abutments corresponding to the predetermined effective length may be marked according to the different models within the range to be covered by the screening arrangement.

Referring now to Fig. 7 tensioning means generally designated 9 are positioned in the bottom element 3 of the screening arrangement. The tensioning means 9 comprise a tension spring 91 positioned in an abutment in the form of an accommodating element 92 such that a stop element (not shown) on the tensioning means 9 engages the abutment means. A plurality of such accommodating elements 92 of any suitable design may be provided along the length of the bottom element for cooperation with the tensioning means to provide the cord with the effective length corresponding to the installation situation in question. All parts of the length adjustment means are not necessarily contained in the screening arrangement but may in a not-shown embodiment comprise at least one abutment intended to be positioned in the building aperture and at least two stop elements on the respective cord. Common to all of the above embodiments is the fact that they provide a physical engagement between abutments and stop elements defining a number of predetermined effective lengths of the cords.

The invention should not be regarded as being limited to the described embodiments. Several modifications and combinations of the different embodiments will be apparent to the person skilled in the art.

For instance, the tensioning means may be positioned in the top element. Furthermore, there may be more elements than the shown top and bottom element to accommodate further screening bodies. Eventually, the effective length of the respective cords may be altered by means of other detouring elements, such as pulleys, pins etc.

Claims

C L A I M S

1. A screening arrangement for screening a building aperture, comprising: a top element, a bottom element, a screening body including a plurality of slats extending in a longitudinal direction substantially in parallel with the top and bottom elements, at least two ladder members extending substantially transversely to said longitudinal direction and carrying said slats, and adjustment means including an adjustment bar for adjustment of the tilting of said slats by adjustment of said ladder members, cha racterized in that said adjustment means comprise an adjustment wheel, and that a minor portion of said adjustment wheel protrudes from the top element, the major portion of the adjustment wheel being accommodated in the top element.

2. A screening arrangement according to claim 1, ch a ra c- t e r i z e d in that the adjustment wheel has an axis of rotation parallel with said longitudinal direction.

3. A screening arrangement according to claim 2, ch a ra cterized in that the adjustment wheel is coaxial with the adjustment bar.

4. A screening arrangement according to claim 3, ch a ra cter i z e d in that the adjustment wheel is mounted directly on the adjustment bar.

5. A screening arrangement according to claim 3, cha racterized in that the adjustment wheel is connected with the adjustment bar by means of a gear transmission.

6. A screening arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, ch a racterized in that the top element comprises an aperture having a first dimension exceeding the axial dimension of the adjustment wheel slightly and a second dimension not exceeding a value twice the radius of the adjustment wheel.

7. A screening arrangement according to claim 6, cha racterized in that said second dimension does not exceed a value corresponding to the radius of the adjustment wheel.

8. A screening arrangement according to any one of the preced- ing claims, characterized in that the top element has a detachable cover plate.

9. A screening arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, cha racterized in that the adjustment means comprise friction means.

10. A screening arrangement for screening a building aperture, comprising: a top element, a bottom element, a screening body, and a parallel guidance device including at least two cords for parallel guidance of at least the bottom element, and adjustment means for adjustment of the length of each cord, ch a racterized in that said cords have a predetermined length, that said length adjustment means are intended for altering said predetermined length to a plurality of predetermined effective lengths of said cords, and that said length adjustment means are positioned arbitrarily in the screening arrange- ment.

11. A screening arrangement according to claim 10, cha ra cterized in that said length adjustment means comprises at least one abutment cooperating with at least two stop elements, or at least two abutments cooperating with at least one stop element, to obtain at least two distinctive effective lengths.

12. A screening arrangement according to claim 11, ch a racterized in that said length adjustment means comprise a plurality of abutments positioned at predetermined positions in the top element of the screening arrangement for cooperation with at least one stop element on the respective cord.

13. A screening arrangement according to claim 11, ch a racterized in that tensioning means are positioned in the bottom or top element of the screening arrangement, and that said length adjustment means comprise a plurality of abutments in the form of accommodating elements for cooperation with said tensioning means.

14. A screening arrangement according to claim 11, ch a racterized in that said length adjustment means comprise at least one abutment intended to be positioned in the building aperture and at least two stop elements on the respective cord.

15. A screening arrangement according to any one of claims 11-13, cha racterized in that each said predetermined effective length is marked.