GB2189135A - Curtain or blind pleating tape - Google Patents

Abstract

Longitudinal pattern threads incorporated into the base fabric (10) of the tape may include a cord (28), which floats at intervals and can be drawn through and shortened to bring about vertical pleating or rucheing of curtain or blind fabric (110) to which the tape is secured. Additionally, or alternatively, the pattern threads include a cord (26) which is firmly anchored yet has floating loop portions (32) through which may be threaded a further cord (118) which serves to raise or lower the curtain or blind (110). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Curtain or blind pleating tape This invention concerns curtain or blind pleating tapes (hereinafter referred to as "vertical pleating tapes" for convenience) which are employed in a vertical rather than horizontal, disposition on a curtain or blind and are sewn onto the fabric of the curtain or blind at intervals across the fabric and therefore across the curtain or blind, to permit vertical pleating and/or raising of the curtain or blind.

An object of this invention is to provide a form of vertical pleating tape as aforesaid which can be of a basic construction which, when secured to curtain or blind fabric, is principally substantially invisible, but at the same time imparts a pattern to the fabric by reason of a pattern feature being incorporated into the tape, such pattern feature incorporating the means which permits the pleating and/or raising as above discussed.

With this object in view, the present invention provides a vertical pleating tape characterised in that it comprises a warp knit base tape fabric into which is incorporated a longitudinal pattern provided by one or more yarns or threads, different from those of the base tape fabric, said longitudinal pattern including at least one curtain pleating or drawing cord which floats at the surface of the base tape fabric at intervals therealong.

In one form, at least one pleating or drawing cord extends substantially linearly of the tape, and can be drawn through the base tape fabric and shortened. Thereby to enable the or each said cord to be shortened to create retained or permanent pleating or rucheing of the curtain or blind fabric when sewn thereto.

In another form at least one pleating or drawing cord is anchored in the base tape fabric, the floating portions thereof appearing as loops through which may be threaded a curtain or blind raising and lowering cord which can be used for raising and lowering the blind or curtain after the manner of a venetian blind.

The base tape fabric in the vertical pleating tape of the invention may be made of any types of yarn or thread as may be desired.

Where it is required for the tape to be substantially invisible except for the pattern feature thereof, such base tape fabric may advantageously be of a transparent monofil polyester yarn, for instance of 80 to 250 denier.

The yarns providing the pattern feature may, for instance, be knitted or braided yarns or threads, or coarse twisted yarns, for instance 8 folds 8s polyester yarns.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic elevation illustrating a curtain to which are secured a plurality of vertical pleating tapes conforming to the invention; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic side view illustrating the case wherein the pleating tapes of the curtain of Fig. 1 are adapted to, and have been used to, pleat or ruche the curtain; Figure 3 is a view comparable with Fig. 2, but illustrating the case wherein the pleating tapes are adapted to, and have been used to, raise the curtain after the manner of a venetian blind:: Figure 4 is a view comparable with Figs. 2 and 3 but illustrating the case where the pleating tapes are adapted to, and have been used to, both pleat or ruche the curtain and to raise (and lower) it after the manner of a venetian blind; Figure 5 is a diagrammatic detail illustrating a short length of a vertical pleating tape conforming to the invention, said tape being adapted for pleating or rucheing a curtain or blind as in Fig. 2 of the drawings; Figure 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but illustrating a modified form of the vertical pleating tape which will both pleat or ruche, and raise and lower its curtain or blind as in Fig. 4 of the drawings; Figure 7 is a diagrammatic detail illustrating a short length of yet another form of the vertical pleating tape conforming to the invention, adapted for pleating a curtain or blind as in Fig. 2 of the drawings; and Figure 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 but illustrating a modified form of the vertical pleating tape which will both pleat or ruche, and raise and lower its curtain or blind as in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

Figs. 1 to 4 illustrate the form of the curtain pleating tape with which the present invention is concerned. Referring firstly to Fig. 1, the fabric 110 of a curtain or blind, indicated generally by the reference numeral 112, is suspended in any suitable manner from a curtain heading member which has been illustrated diagrammatically as a box-sectioned member 114. A plurality of vertical pleating tapes, indicated generally at 116 are sewn to the curtain or blind, in substantially vertical disposition and at substantially equal spacings.

In the illustrated case there are four such tapes 116, but of course the number thereof can be selected as desired according to the width of the curtain or blind and the aesthetic effects required to be created.

Depending upon the construction of the relevant vertical tape, alternative effects can be achieved therewith. Thus, as shown in Fig. 2, with one construction thereof it is possible to cause pleating or rucheing of the fabric 110 of the curtain or blind at spaced intervals, it being intended that once the pleating or rucheing has been formed it will be retained so long as the curtain or blind is hanging.In the case shown in Fig. 3, a raising and lowering cord 118 has been incorporated into each pleating tape 116 and is connected to a suitable mechanism (not shown) incorporated in the box-sectioned heading member 114 which mechanism enables the cords 118 to be wound up so as to raise the curtain or blind 110 after the manner of a venetian blind as shown (although the curtain or blind may not necessarily adopt the very uniform concertinalike configuration as illustrated) and to be unwound so as to lower the curtain or blind.

Fig. 4, of course, illustrates the case where the tapes 116 are of a form which enables both of the possibilities shown respectively in Figs. 2 and 3 to be achieved, that is to say the curtain or blind can be raised and lowered whilst it is in its pleated or ruched condition.

Fig. 4 shows the curtain in its raised position.

Turning now to Fig. 5 of the drawings, the festoon or vertical tape therein illustrated can be used to produce a pleated curtain as illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 2. This tape is produced by warp knitting and comprises base fabric 10 composed of weft inserted threads 12, preferably transparent monofil, introduced in zig-zag configuration and locked in such configuration by six warp chains, indicated respectively by the numerals 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24, also preferably of monofil.

The outer warp chains 14, 24 serve to provide the selvedges of the tape, whilst the inner chains 18, 20 serve to anchor to the base fabric 10 a pattern thread 26 which is, for instance, a course twisted yarn, or a knitted or braided cord. This pattern thread 26 is taken back and forth in zig-zag configuration between the two chains 18, 20 as shown, and provides an aesthetic feature which is relatively visible when the tape is sewn to a fabric of a curtain or blind, whereas the base fabric 10 will be relatively invisible. Also incorporated in the tape, and running centrally thereof, to form part of the pattern feature of the tape is a draw cord 28 which is for instance, of the same material as the pattern thread 26.This draw cord 28 is in a linear configuration, being held into the tape by the inserted weft threads 12 and being arranged at regular intervals, as indicated at 30, to float over the base fabric 10.

It will thus be recognised that upon shortening the draw cord 28, the tape is constrained to assure a reduced overall length, and it becomes pleated or ruched as has been shown very schematically in Fig. 2. Naturally, the pleating or rucheing must be spread out appropriately, e.g. by hand to give a satisfactory appearance, and the amount or extent of the pleating may be selected as desired. In the case where there are plural tapes as has been explained with reference to Fig. 1, the different tapes can be pleated or ruched to different extents, to achieve corresponding shape or design effects, as may be desired.

Fig. 6 illustrates a modification of the Fig. 5 tape. In this modification, the pattern thread 26 is so introduced as to provide, at suitable intervals, loops 32. These loops 32 enable a curtain raising and lowering cord (as already referred to at 118 in Fig. 4, but not shown in Fig. 6) to be threaded therethrough, being tied around the lowermost such loop 32 on the respective vertical tape and, in the finished curtain or blind, connected to the mechanism in the heading member 114 of Fig. 4. Accordingly, with the use of this tape one has the possibility both of adjusting the length of the draw cord 28 to achieve pleating or rucheing of the blind or curtain, as well as raising and lowering of the same, all as may be understood from Fig. 4.

Naturally, if the draw cord 28 of each such tape, as attached to its curtain or blind, is not shortened, no pleating or rucheing ts achieved, but the curtain or blind can still be raised and lowered as has been shown schematically in Fig. 3. Of course, if one does not require the tape to be capable of creating the pleating or rucheing, the draw cord 28 may be completely omitted from the tape.

Fig. 7 illustrates a further embodiment of the tape which is comparable with that of Fig.

4 in its construction and operation but differs therefrom in that it has two longitudinal draw cords 40, 42, with these extending respectively between the warp chains 16 and 18, and the warp chains 20 and 22. In this case, the draw cords 40, 42 are held to the base fabric by secondary inserted weft monofils 44 which are laid in, in zig-zag configuration, between the warp chains 16 and 22, and which leave appropriate lengths of the draw cords 40, 42 floating to achieve pleating or rucheing as described with reference to Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 illustrates a modification of the tape of Fig. 7 which is analogous to that of Fig. 6 in comparison with Fig. 5 in that it has its pattern thread 26 formed at intervals with loops 32 for a respective blind or curtain raising and lowering cord 118 of Figs. 3 and 4 as above described.

It will be recognised that the invention is not confined to the precise details of the foregoing examples, and variations may be made thereto. Thus, the tapes of the invention may be formed of yarns and/or threads and/or monofils of any suitable thickness, form construction, colour and/or effect as may be desired, and the configuration(s) of the pattern(s) incorporated onto the tape(s) may vary in any practical manner whatsoever.

Claims (6)

1. A vertical pleating tape comprising a warp knit base tape fabric into which is incorporated a longitudinal pattern provided by one or more yarns or threads, different from those of the base tape fabric, said longitudinal pattern including at least one curtain pleating or drawing cord which floats at the surface of the base tape fabric at intervals therealong.

2. A pleating tape as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one pleating or drawing cord extends substantially linearly of the tape and can be drawn through the base tape fabric and shortened, thereby to create retained or permanent pleating or rucheing of any curtain or blind fabric to which the tape may be secured.

3. A pleating tape as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein at least one pleating or drawing cord is anchored in the base tape fabric so as to have floating portons appearing as loops through which may be threaded a curtain or blind raising and lowering cord, which cord can be used for raising and lowering any blind or curtain to which the tape may be secured after the manner of a venetian blind.

4. A pleating tape as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the base tape fabric is made, at least in part, of a transparent monofil polyester yarn, while the yarns providing the pattern feature are knitted or braided yarns or threads, or coarse twisted yarns.

5. A pleating tape as claimed in claim 4 wherein the base fabric comprises weft-inserted transparent monofil threads locked in zip-zag configuration by a plurality of warp chains, the outer warp chains providing the selvedge of the tape, whilst the inner warp chains anchor the yarns providing the pattern feature.

6. A vertical pleating tape substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Fig. 5, or Fig. 6 or Fig. 7 or Fig. 8 of the accompanying drawings.