GB2050481A

GB2050481A - Laminated Roller Blind

Info

Publication number: GB2050481A
Application number: GB8015306A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Metzeler Schaum GmbH
Current assignee: Metzeler Schaum GmbH
Priority date: 1979-05-10
Filing date: 1980-05-09
Publication date: 1981-01-07
Also published as: YU123980A; EP0019140A3; DE7913550U1; AU531147B2; GB2050481B; ES250300Y; EP0019140A2; ATE5784T1; AU5802480A; ES250300U; EP0019140B1

Abstract

A roller blind for an article of furniture comprises a laminated sheet consisting of a decorative plastics film (1) to the reverse side of which a reinforcing, thermoplastic film (3) is secured via a foamed plastics layer (2). The reinforcing film (3) has transverse corrugations (4) which are stamped in it and extend across the entire width except for flat strips (5) which may be left at each lateral edge to assist in the guidance of the roller blind in grooves in the piece of furniture. <IMAGE>

Description

1 GB 2 050 481 A 1

SPECIFICATION Roller Blind

This invention relates to a roller blind, particularly for use in pieces of furniture.

Roller blinds of this type generally consist of individual rods, which have their reverse side bonded onto a textile fabric sheet. In the course of time, dust accumulates in the gaps between the rods, and the gaps can generally only be cleaned with great difficulty.

In order to obtain a blind in which the visible surface thereof is continuous, the suggestion has already been made (German Gebrauchsmuster No. 1,985,411), to position the sheet holding the rods of the roller blind together on the visible side not to use a textile fabric for this purpose, but a plastics film or a filmmade of a decorative laminated panel, for example Tacon (Registered Trade Mark). As a result of this, a roller blind is produced which is extremely easy to clean, covers 85 an opening in a piece of furniture without any joints and which may be used in many ways with respect to the various possibilities of shape and colour.

An object of the present invention is to further 90 develop a roller blind constructed in this manner, imparting thereto a particularly effective movability and a long durability with a simple construction and a low weight.

According to the invention there is provided a 95 roller blind comprising a rollable laminated panel, a foamed plastics layer on the reverse side of the said panel, and a thermoplastic reinforcing film on the reverse side of the foamed plastics layer, the said film having stamped therein transverse struts 100 which extend across the reverse side of the film transversely to the direction in which the blind is displaced in use, the struts being in the form of grooves, ribs or rolls.

The roller blind according to the invention thus 105 has a visible surface formed by a smooth, rollable laminated panel, preferably made of Tacon.

However, in contrast to the prior art, a stamped film consisting of a thermoplastic material positioned on the reverse side, a foamed layer being located in between.

It has been found that transverse strengthening for a laminated panel made of Tacon is provided completely adequately by stamped film consisting of thermoplastic material comprising the above 115 mentioned struts. The reinforcing film however, is not bonded directly onto the reverse side of the laminated panel, which would initially appear sufficient for strengthening purposes, but a 9 55 foamed plastic layer is initially bonded onto the reverse side of the laminated panel and the 120 reinforcing film consisting of thermoplastic material is then bonded onto this foamed plastic layer. This not only prevents the reinforcing ribs of the reinforcing film from pressing through the front of the laminated panel, but also avoids too great a strain of the adhesive layer which could be generated by continuously rolling up and unrolling the roller blind. The sliding strain in the adhesive layer, produced when the rolling up, is completely asborbed by the foamed plastic layer. A particularly strong roller blind is thereby produced which at least has the same length of life as the corresponding piece of furniture. 70 According to an embodiment of the invention, the struts of the reinforcing film may extend over the entire width of the film except for a flat, level strip at each lateral edge which provides a guide path for the roller blind. 75 In a preferred embodiment, struts are formed as reinforcing ribs having an approximate trapezoidal or U-shaped cross section. In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a sectional perspective view of one end of a roller blind seen from the reverse side; and Figure 2 shows a corresponding longitudinal section through the roller blind according to Figure 1.

The illustrated blind comprises a rollable laminated panel 1 made of Tacon, whose decorative side constitutes the visible side of the roller blind. A foamed plastics layer 2 is firstly bonded onto the reverse side of this laminated panel 1, the foamed plastics layer in turn carrying a stamped reinforcing film 3 of thermoplastic material on its reverse side.

The reinforcing film 3 has raised portions 4 in the form of transverse struts, which by way of example may be formed as ribs which are trapezoidal in cross section and which extend adjacent each other over the entire width of the roller blind. Only on the lateral edges of the blind may be flat, level strips 5 be left which act as guides for the roller blind 1 and may be received in corresponding grooves of the pieces of -furniture to be closed thereby. However, it is alternatively possible for the raised portions 4 to extend over the entire width of the blind and then also to run into the guide grooves.

The raised portions may have any desired cross section and any width provided the required transverse rigidity of the roller blind is ensured to prevent the roller blind from bending or bulging.

For production reasons, it is preferable to select such a film made of thermoplastic material as the reinforcing film since a material of this type may be easily bonded in a permanent manner with the foamed plastic using a hot or even a cold adhesive.

Claims

1. A roller blind comprising a rollable laminated panel, a foamed plastics layer on the reverse side of the said panel, and a thermoplastic reinforcing film on the reverse side of the foamed plastics layer, the said film having stamped therein transverse struts which extend across the reverse side of the film transversely to the direction in which the blind is displaced in use, the struts being in the form of grooves, ribs or rolls.

2. A roller blind according to claim 1, wherein the struts of the reinforcing film extend adjacent each other over the entire width of the film except 2 GB 2 050 481 A 2 for flat level strips located at the lateral edges of the blind which provide a guide means for the blind.

3. A roller blind according to claim 1 or wherein said strut is generally trapezoidal in cross section.

4. A roller blind substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

5. An article of furniture provided with a blind according to any preceding claim.

Printed for Her Majesty's Stationery Office by the Courier Press, Leamington Spa, 1981. Published by the Patent Office. 25 Southampton Buildings, London, WC2A 1 AY, from which copies may be obtained.

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