FR2605351A1 - IMPROVED BLINDS - Google Patents

Abstract

THE BLIND, INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE PANEL 1 AND MEANS 3, 4, 5 FOR MOUNTING THE PANEL ON A SUPPORT 2, IS CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT THE PANEL IS IN A SEMI-RIGID MATERIAL AND THAT MEANS 4 ARE PROVIDED FOR DEFORMING THE PANEL IN RELATION TO ITS REST CONFIGURATION BY MODIFICATION OF ITS CURVATURE.

Description

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IMPROVED BLINDS

  The present invention relates to blinds or the like.

  gues, and in particular to products of this kind which are used for the creation of an external covering for the protection in the upper part of a window, of a

door or window display.

  Currently, there are essentially two types of blinds: flexible blinds, made for example of plastic canvas, which are generally rollable on demand, and rigid blinds, generally made of a plastic material, which constitute kinds of awnings and which are permanently fixed. These two types of blinds have the disadvantage of having an invariable profile shape in the position of use; in fact, the flexible blinds, when they are deployed, are either flat or curved if the installation comprises tubes or intermediate bars on which the blind passes and rests to take the profile provided by construction; as for rigid blinds, they obviously

  a form that cannot be changed.

  The object of the invention is to remedy this drawback by proposing a blind whose shape in profile can be modified at will, in

  to some extent, at the discretion of the user.

  To this end, the improved blind according to the invention, comprising at least one panel and means for mounting the panel on a support, is characterized in that the panel is made of a semi-rigid material and that means are provided for elastically deform the panel relative

  to its rest configuration by modifying its curvature.

  Thus, in the blind according to the invention, the panel can be forcibly deformed by the deformation means thereof to present a profile which differs from the rest profile. If the deformation means are not requested, the blind presents its rest configuration, while it deviates from it

  all the more so since the deformation means are used intensively.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the panel, it has a plane configuration at rest and can deform due to

else of his plan.

  Preferably, the panel is made of polyester reinforced with glass fibers and, preferably also, then coated on both sides with a gel-coat; alternatively, it can be made of polyvinyl chloride, or of aluminum or also of stainless steel. In the latter two cases, the panel

  can be painted or anodized to avoid phenomena of light reflection.

  Depending on the width of the blind, you can use only one

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  panel or several contiguous panels which are assembled together or which are

independent of each other.

  According to a simple mode of implementation of the panel, provision is made for mounting the panel on its support at the top and at the bottom of the panel.

  According to one embodiment, the means of deformation

  tion of the panel are incorporated in the mounting means of the upper part and / or in the mounting means of the lower part of the panel, so as to make the distance separating the high and low lines for fixing the panel on the mounting means variable. In this case, the mounting means comprise for example, at least at each longitudinal end of the panel, an arm of variable length and / or of controlled orientation, preferably constant but adjustable. According to another embodiment, the panel deformation means are constituted, on each side of the panel, by an arm connecting the upper part and the lower part of the panel and having a variable length so as to vary the distance separating the lines high and low of

  fixing the panel to the mounting means.

  In the two embodiments, the arm of variable length is for example of the telescopic type and it comprises locking means in the chosen position. Alternatively, the variable length arm can

  belong to a set of arms of different lengths.

  The panel can be fixed on the mounting means of

  any suitable way, for example by being secured to two longitudi-

  channels whose ends are articulated around the respective axes of said tubes

  on the panel deformation means and / or on the mounting means.

  The invention will be clearly understood on reading the supplement

  description which follows and with reference to the accompanying drawings in

  which: - Figures 1 to 3 are schematic perspective views showing, for various positions of use, a blind established according to a first embodiment of the invention;

  - Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view my-

  trant the mounting of the upper part of the panel; - Figure 5 is an exploded and cutaway perspective view showing the mounting of the lower part of the panel; and - Figure 6 is a schematic side elevation view showing a blind established according to a second embodiment of the invention. We will first describe, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5,

  the first embodiment of the invention.

  The blind comprises, in known manner, a panel (1)

  which is mounted on a support (2), for example a wall, by mounting means.

  This assembly can be completed at its periphery, in a manner not shown, by

  example by an upper formwork, side skirts and a front strip.

  According to a first characteristic of the invention, the panel (1) is made of a semi-rigid material and can be elastically deformed, to

  force, compared to its rest configuration, by modification of its curvature.

  For example, the panel (1) can have a width of 1.50 m to 4 m and a height of 1 m. According to a preferred embodiment, the panel (1) is made of polyester reinforced with glass fibers and it is preferably coated on at least one side, and more preferably on both sides, with gelcoat. The panel (1) may have a thickness of 1.5 mm. Alternatively, the panel (1) can be made of polyvinyl chloride, opaque or translucent to allow play of light, aluminum or even stainless steel; in the latter two cases, the panel can be painted or anodized to avoid phenomena of light reflection. At each of its two longitudinal ends, the panel (1) is mounted on the support (2), in the upper part being articulated on a fixed upper gusset (3), and in the lower part being articulated on an arm (4) which is secured to a fixed lower gusset (5). The structures of these means for mounting the panel (1) on the support (2) will be described in more detail with reference

in Figures 4 and 5.

  For the realization of this characteristic of the invention

  tion, the arm (4), which is integral with the fixed lower gusset (5), constitutes a first means for forcibly deforming the panel (1). For this, the arm (4) has a variable active length, between its mounting on the gusset (5) and its axis (34) of articulation on the panel (1). As shown schematically in Figures 1 to 3, the variation of the active length of the arm (4) is obtained telescopically. When, from a position given for the panel (1) and the arm (4), the length of the latter is modified, the distance between the axis of articulation (35) of the panel on the gusset (3) and the axis of articulation (34) of the panel on the free end of the arm (4) varies. Due to this variation in length of the arm (4) and of the fixed mounting of the latter on the gusset (5), the panel (1) is, by force, urged to deform elastically by deviating from the configuration that he

  previously occupied, by modification of its curvature.

  For example, the panel (1) has at rest a flat configuration shown in solid lines in Figures I to 3. After deformation, the panel may have a convex configuration, shown in dashes, or a concave configuration shown in dotted lines. The initiation of the deformation of the panel to one side or the other from its rest position can be carried out in any suitable manner, for example by hand or with the aid of an accessory. Preferably, the angular position of the arm (4) in its vertical plane is also adjustable so as to allow the user, in addition to the possibility that he has of deforming the panel (1), to modify the position of this the latter by raising or lowering it at will. In FIG. 1, the arm (4) is in the medium horizontal position, in FIG. 2 it is in the maximum raised position, and in FIG. 3 it is in the maximum lowered position. It should be noted that, of course, the modification in inclination of the two arms (4) can also, and on its own, make it possible to modify the profile of the panel (1) and to bring this profile to

the desired curvature.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the panel (1) is fixed, by its longitudinal top and bottom edges, or in their vicinity, to a square upper tube (6) and respectively to a square lower tube (7), the fixing is done for example by screws (8, 9). The ends of the tubes (6, 7) are closed by embedded parallelepipedic stops (10, 11) which each carry a rod

  (12, 13) coaxial with the associated tube (6, 7) and threaded only at its end.

  Each upper gusset (3) has a vertical slot (14) for receiving the smooth part of the rod (12). A cap nut (15) axially locks the rod (12)

  on the gusset (3), with the interposition of washers (16) and an additional washer

  locking plate (17) on the gusset (3) by means of screws (36).

  As shown in Figure 5, the lower arm (4) consists of two square tubes (4a, 4b), of different sections, which can slide relative to each other and which can be immobilized in the position of telescoping chosen by a locking screw (18). The free end of the tube (4b) fixedly carries a bracket, the wing (19) having a hole (20) for receiving the smooth part of the rod (13); the latter is then locked axially by a cap nut (21), with the interposition of washers (22). The tube (4a) has, at its end cooperating with the lower gusset (5), two aligned holes (23) for receiving a locking and articulation screw (24) which passes through an associated hole (25) in the gusset (5) and which is immobilized axially by a nut (26), with the interposition of washers (27). This end of the tube (4a) has two other aligned holes (28) for receiving a screw (29) which passes through one of a series of holes (30) in the gusset (5) and which is immobilized axially by a nut (31), with interposition of washers (32). The holes (30) are distributed over an arc centered on the hole (25), so as to allow the adjustment of k1

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  angular position of the arm (4) in its vertical plane. In the example chosen, there are three holes (30). For the modification of the angular position of the arm (4), the screw (29) is removed on each side, the screw (24) is released, then the screw (29) is placed in the hole (30) chosen with which has previously aligned the holes (28), finally block the screws (24) and (29). In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 6, the elastic return forces towards the rest configuration exerted by the panel (1) are absorbed on each side by the arm (4) which is fixed to the lower gusset

associated (5).

  In the embodiment of Figure 6, the panel (1) is mounted and hinged on the upper gusset (3) and it is mounted and hinged on

  the telescopic lower arm (4) in the same manner as above. Any-

  times, in this embodiment, on the one hand the arm (4) is simply articulated on the lower gusset (5) and on the other hand there is provided, on each side of the panel (1), an additional telescopic arm (33 ) which is articulated on the gusset (3), for example around the same axis as the panel (1), as well as at the free end of the tube (4b) or in its vicinity, and preferably around the same axis d hinge (34) of the panel (1) on the tube (4b). As before, the arm (4), but also the arm (33), include locking means in their position of

telescoping chosen.

  In operation, the modification of the profile of the panel (1), on one side or the other of its rest configuration, is given only by the variation in length of the arm (33), while the panel, whatever its configuration, can be raised or lowered by modifying the length of the arm

lower (4).

  Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments which have been described and one could on the contrary conceive various

  variants without departing from its framework.

  Thus, for example: that the panel (1) could be partially stiffened so that it can only be deformed locally; that it is possible to provide more than two points for mounting the panel on the support (2); that the variation in length of the arms (4) or (33) could be ensured by motorization or by screwing; that we could provide a second arm of the type (4a, 4b)

  for mounting the upper part of the panel (1) on the gusset (3).

  As another variant, the arms (4, 33) could appear

  stick to a set of arms of different lengths.

  It is also thus that one could associate the gusset (3) and / or the gusset (5) on the wall support (2) by means of a rail or a rack. By raising or lowering one of the gussets along this rail or

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  this rack, it is clear indeed that we will modify the distance between the high and low lines of fixing of the panel and, consequently, that we will modify the

  profile of said panel by elastic deformation.

Claims (11)

  1. Store, comprising at least a panel (1) and means (3, 4, 5) for mounting the panel on a support (2), characterized in that the panel is made of a semi-rigid material and that means (4, 33) are provided for elastically deforming the panel with respect to its rest configuration by modifying its curvature. 2. Blind according to claim 1, characterized by the fact   that the panel can be deformed on either side of its rest configuration.   3. Store according to one of claims 1 and 2, character-   affected by the fact that the rest configuration is flat and that the panel can be   distorted on either side of this rest plan.   4. Blind according to one of claims I to 3, characterized   by the fact that the material constituting the panel belongs to the group consisting of: polyester reinforced with glass fibers and preferably coated on at least one face with a gel-coat; polyvinyl chloride; aluminum; and stainless steel, the latter two can be painted or anodized to avoid phenomena of light reflection, or in the immediate vicinity of these upper parts and low.   5. Blind according to one of claims I to 4, characterized   by the fact that the mounting means are provided in the upper part and in the part bottom of the panel.   6. Blind according to claim 5, characterized in that the means for deforming the panel are incorporated into the mounting means of the upper part and / or the mounting means of the lower part of the panel, so as to make the distance variable separating the upper and lower fixing lines   of the panel on the mounting means.   7. Blind according to claim 6, characterized in that the mounting means comprise, at least at each longitudinal end of the panel, an arm (4) of variable length and / or of controlled orientation, preferably constant but adjustable, and / or an arm whose height position is adjustable.   8. Blind according to one of claims I to 4, characterized   by the fact that the means for deforming the panel (1) are constituted, on each side of the panel, by an arm (33) connecting the upper part (35) and the lower part (34) of the panel and of variable length, of so as to vary the distance between   the high and low lines for fixing the panel to the mounting means.   9. Blind according to one of claims 7 and 8, character   laughed at by the fact that the arm (4, 33) of variable length is of the telescopic type and   is provided with means (18) for locking in the chosen position.   10. Blind according to one of claims 7 and 8, character-   laughed at by the fact that the arm (4, 33) of variable length belongs to a set of arms of different lengths.   11. Blind according to one of claims 1 to 10, character-   laughed at by the fact that the panel (1) is fixed on at least two longitudinal tubes (6, 7), the ends of which are articulated around the longitudinal axes (35, 34) of said tubes on the means for deforming the panel and / or on the means to mounting.