GB2209271A

GB2209271A - An attachment for a curtain rail

Info

Publication number: GB2209271A
Application number: GB8720402A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Raymond Utting
Original assignee: HARDWARE SERVICES International
Current assignee: HARDWARE SERVICES International
Priority date: 1987-08-28
Filing date: 1987-08-28
Publication date: 1989-05-10
Anticipated expiration: 2007-08-28
Also published as: GB2209271B; GB8720402D0

Abstract

An attachment for a curtain rail which has a track 1 along which curtain supporting means 11 can move, which attachment enables the curtain on supporting means 11 to be removed from the main track 1 on a short length of curtain rail extension 9, said attachment comprising an elongated housing 3 including a channel groove 2 to house an end part of the curtain rail 1 and a curtain rail extension 9 and means to releasably retain the rail extension 9 in the channel 2. <IMAGE>

Description

AN ATTACHMENT FOR A CURTAIN RAIL This invention relates to rails to support curtains through support means enabling the curtains to be gathered together or extended to provide privacy. An example of such curtains are those which are used in hospitals and the like to provide privacy between the beds of patients.

Many forms of curtain support means have been developed over the years. A general form of support means is now common and comprises hook means to engage in pockets or rings or holes in the curtains and each hook means has an associated trolley means which is freely movable along a track on the curtain supporting rail. The removal of the curtains from the rail involves either unhooking each hook from the curtain (a time consuming operation) or, where provision is made, the removal of the numerous trolley means from the track part of the rail with the curtain still attached to the hooks. As a subsequent operation it is necessary to thread all of the trolleys back onto the track and this too is a time consuming operation.

This invention provides means whereby the curtain can be gathered together on a portion of the rail, which portion can be removed from the rail installation allowing the user to walk away with the curtain still connected by the hooks to the trolley means all of which are on the removable rail portion. The curtain is obtained for cleaning or replacement by the removal of the hooks from the curtain or the trolley means from the removable rail portion, as the case may require.

The ability to remove the curtain whilst mounted on a removable rail portion is a great asset as the actual removal of the curtain from the rail portion and its return thereto can be carried out on a table or bench remote from the use location. As will be understood time and effort to perform the curtain stripping and replacement operations is considerably lessened when those operations can be performed on a bench or table, as is possible with the removable rail portion of this invention, and do not have to be carried out in an elevated condition whilst supporting the weight of the curtain.

Broadly, the invention can be said to provide an attachment for a curtain rail which has a track along which curtain supporting means can move, said attachment comprising an elongated housing including a channel groove to house an end part of the curtain rail and a curtain rail extension with the track of the rail and the rail extension downwardly directed and aligned so as to provide a continuous path for curtain supporting means and retaining means to releasably retain the rail extension in the channel of said housing and upon release allow said rail extension to be removed downwardly from the channel.

A presently preferred form of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figi is a perspective view of the two elements of the curtain rail attachment according to the invention when separated and Fig.2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the curtain rail attachment when assembled.

Referring to the drawings, Fig.l shows an end part of a curtain rail 1 entered into one end of a channel 2 of a housing 3. The connection of the rail part 1 to the housing 3 is by rivets 4.

Each of the legs 6 and 7 of the channel 2 has a longitudinal groove 5 in its inner face. There is a notch 8 in both of the channel legs 6 and 7 a short distance from the end of the channel and the notches 8 intersect with the grooves 5 of both the channel legs 6 and 7.

The numeral 9 indicated a section of rail similar in section to the rail 1, it will hereinafter be called a curtain cassette. It includes a track cavity 10 to house roller supported rings 11, or hooks as required, whereby a curtain can be suspended in known manner. There is a pin 12 through the curtain cassette 9 and it projects at 13 to both sides of the curtain cassette 9. There is a hole 14 in the top 15 of the curtain cassette 9 and a notch 16 at the other end of the curtain cassette 9. The pin ends 13, the hole 14 and the notch 16 co-operate with elements of the housing 3 to releasably retain the curtain cassette 9 in the channel 2 as will now be described.

There is a spring loaded plunger 17 mounted in a sleeve 18 on the housing 3 for engagement in the hole 15. There is a knob 19 on the plunger 17 to facilitate the raising of the plunger 17 against the spring loading. An alternate position for the sleeve 18 is shown in dotted lines and with such an arrangement there would be a hole 14 in the side of the leg 6 in place of the hole 14 in the top 15 of the curtain cassette 9.

To unload the curtain cassette 9 the plunger 17 would be raised to remove it from the hole 14 and the curtain cassette would be moved longitudinally in the direction of the arrow in Fig.2 and the pins ends 13 would move along the grooves 5. Substantially simultaneously with the release of the notched end of the curtain cassette 9 from below the head 20 of the rivet 4 the pin ends 13 align with the cutouts 8 and when so aligned the curtain cassette 9 will drop downwardly from the housing 3. The curtain supports 11 would have been previously gathered onto the curtain cassette 9 and would be prevented from escaping from the leading end thereof by the body of the pin 12 as it passes through the track cavity 10.

In a replacement procedure, the curtain cassette 9 would be pushed up into the housing 3, after alignment of the pin ends 3 with the cutouts 8, until the pin ends 13 were aligned with the grooves 5. The upward thrust would raise the plunger 17 which would be resting on the top 15 of the curtain cassette 9. By moving the curtain cassette 9 rearwardly, that is in the direction opposite to that shown by the arrow, the pin ends 13 would move along the grooves 5. At the same time the notched rear end of the curtain cassette 9 would engage under the head 20 of the rivet 4 and when the hole 14 was aligned with the plunger 17 it will drop into the hole 14 thereby preventing forward movement of the curtain cassette 9.

With the curtain cassette 9 so installed in the housing the track cavity 10 thereof will be aligned with the track cavity 10 of the rail 1 and the adjacent ends of the rail I and the curtain cassette 9 are substantially abutting thereby providing a free and interruption free path for the curtain supports 11 to be moved from the curtain cassette 9 onto the rail 1.

To facilitate the end connection of the housing 3 with a wall or partition or the like a lug 21 or an end cap 22 with fixing holes therein can be provided.

As will be understood from the foregoing a running curtain mounted on the rail can be gathered together onto the curtain cassette 9 and be removed with the cassette 9 from the housing 3 in a simple and effective manner so service'on the curtain or cleaning can be accomplished.

Claims

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. An attachment for a curtain rail which has a track along which curtain supporting means can move, said attachment comprising an elongated housing including a channel groove to house an end part of the curtain rail and a curtain rail extension with the track of the rail and the rail extension downwardly directed and aligned so as to provide a continuous path for curtain supporting means and retaining means to releasably retain the rail extension in the channel of said housing and upon release allow said rail extension to be removed downwardly from the channel.

2. An attachment as claimed in claim 1 wherein the retaining means comprises outwardly directed pin means on the rail extension adjacent one of its ends slidably engaged in track means on the inner faces of the channel groove, co-operating slidably engagable catch means on the other end of the rail extension and on the housing respectively and releasable lock means to prevent sliding movement of the rail extension in the channel groove of the housing.

3. An attachment as claimed in claim 2 wherein the releasable lock means comprises a plunger mounted on the housing and spring biassed to a first position where a portion of the plunger extends into the channel groove and a hole in the rail extension.

4. An attachment as claimed in claim 2 wherein the catch means comprises a lug whithin the channel groove to enter a recess in said rail extension.

5. An attachment for a curtain rail as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.