GB2319278A

GB2319278A - Adjustable roller blind support

Info

Publication number: GB2319278A
Application number: GB9623588A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael John Watling
Original assignee: EAST ANGLIA BLINDS Ltd
Current assignee: EAST ANGLIA BLINDS Ltd
Priority date: 1996-11-13
Filing date: 1996-11-13
Publication date: 1998-05-20
Anticipated expiration: 2016-11-13
Also published as: GB9623588D0; GB2319278B

Abstract

A roller blind support comprising right and left hand end brackets, one or both of which has a slotted base piece 10. A slide 14 which is serrated 32A to cooperate with serrations 32 on the base piece, fits over the slot, and is adjustable and lockable by a nut 16 in a chosen position of adjustment. The centre of the slide has a blind roller pin-receiving piece 26 for supporting the blind roller.

Description

Roller Blind Support This invention relates to a roller blind support.

There is often a requirement to fit roller blinds to the glass sides and roofs of conservatories. It frequently happens, however, that when a conservatory is built on to the side of an existing building there is a lack of absolute squareness in the construction such that, when roller blinds are fitted to the glass panels or sections thereof, the axes of the blind rollers require to be positioned at a small angle relative to the length of the structural member from which the blind is to extend.

This angle may be as small as a fTaction of a degree, but as the blind rnay be up to three metres long when pulled out from the roller, there is a substantial error in positioning at the free end of the blind. The blind can, of course, be pulled out and fixed to extend at the necessary small angle to the roller, but in this case, when released to wind up under spring action, the blind will not wind squarely on to the roller. It is, therefore, essential to take up any lack of constructional squareness of the building in the support incorporating the roller which in turn carries the blind.

According to the invention, there is provided a roller blind support comprising right and left hand brackets for supporting a spring biassed roller for a blind, which roller has on-axis end pins which locate in the brackets, wherein, for location of the end pin at least at one end of the roller, at least one of the brackets has a slotted base piece carrying a slide adjustable along the slot in a plane generally normal to the axis of the roller, a pin-receiving piece carried by oF forming part of the slide, and means for tightening the slide in a chosen position of adjustment along the slot.

The slide is preferably linearly adjustable along a straight slot in the base piece.

The slide is preferably formed as two interconnecting platelike parts slidable along opposite faces of the base piece on both sides of the slot, with the interconnecting means extending through the slot.

Preferably, at least one said face of the base piece is serrated and at least one part of the slide has parallel serrations for mating with the serrated face of the base plate.

In a preferred arrangement, the base piece has a front face and a rear face and correspondingly a front slide part and a rear slide part, and the rear slide part carries the interconnecting means projecting through the slot and with which the front slide part cooperates. Said interconnecting means preferably comprises a screwthreaded boss on the base slide part, the front slide part being apertured to fit over the boss and be tightened down by a screwthreaded nut fitting to the boss to enable the front slide part to be pressed down towards the base slide part.

Accordingly, the aforementioned serrations are preferably provided in the front face of the base piece and the underface of the apertured slide part, whereby tightening of the nut locks the slide in a chosen position of adjustment along the slot.

The base piece preferably has an upstand at one end for assisting location of the bracket in a corner, and optionally usable fixing holes on opposite sides of the upstand. The slot preferably extends away from the upstand to an open end at the opposite end of the base piece.

Preferably, the left and right-hand brackets are used in conjunction with a metal, preferably aluminium, fixing bar. The bar is preferably channel-sectioned to receive the brackets at opposite ends of said bar, which itself fixes to the conservatory or other structure by means of spring clips.

The invention is further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows the complete bracket for one end of the blind roller, in front view; Figure 2 shows the base piece in end view; Figure 3 shows the rear slide part in edge view; Figure 4 shows the front slide part in edge view; and Figure 5 shows a securing nut in edge view.

The illustrated bracket comprises a base piece 10, seen separately in Figure 2, a two part slide 12, 14, seen individually in Figures 3 and 4, and a securing nut 16, seen separately in Figure 5. All the parts are moulded of suitable plastics material such as UPVC.

The base piece 10 is basically an elongate U-shaped plate defining an open-ended slot 18 along its longitudinal centre. At the opposite end to the open end of the slot 18, the base plate has an upstand 20, and fixing holes 22 are provided on opposite sides thereof. The fixing holes 22 can be optionally used if "side" fixing of the brackets is desirable. However, a preferred method of mounting the bracket is mentioned later. A generally similar bracket (a minor difference is mentioned later) is fixed in an opposite corner. The illustrated bracket enables straight running of a roller blind even when the conservatory structure is not accurately square.

To this end the slide 12, 14, which receives one end pin of the roller blind, is adjustable along the length of the slot 18, i.e. in a plane normal to the axis of the roller blind.

The slide comprises a rear slide part 12 and a front slide part 14.

The rear slide part 12 comprises a plate with upturned lips 24 along two opposite edges and a screwthreaded boss 26 upstanding from a near centre position in the plate. As will be clear from Figures 2 and 3, the slide part 12 locates into an underside elongate recess 28 in the base plate 10, so that the boss 26 projects forwardly through the slot 18.

The front slide part 14 comprises an apertured flat plate 28 which locates into a shallow recess 30 in the front face of the base plate 10, over the projecting boss 26. Hexagonal internally threaded nut 16, when tightened down on the boss 26, clamps the front and rear slide parts together, locking them against the front and rear faces of the base plate on both sides of the slot 18. Fixed locking in a position to which the slide is adjusted is ensured by the provision of small narrowly spaced serrations 32, 32A on the face of the base plate and the underface of the front slide part, on both sides of the slot 18. The serrations 32, 32A are sufficiently small and narrowly spaced that substantially continuous adjustment is enabled along the length of the slot 18. Adjustment is effected so that the roller blind, one end pin of which locates in the centre hole 34 in the boss 26, runs straight relative to the conservatory glazing, even if the building structure is not square.

Although not essential, a corresponding bracket is preferably provided for the opposite end of the blind, except that the round hole 34 in the boss 26 is replaced by a slot able to receive the rectangular sectioned pin provided at the opposite blind end.

Preferably, the two left and right-hand brackets are mounted by location on to an aluminium channel-sectioned fixing bar (not shown). Ths upstands 20 of the two brackets are located in the channel of this fixing bar at opposite ends thereof, and the bar itself is fixed to the conservatory structure by means of spring clips.

It would be feasible, given a degree of deformability in the plastics material of which the parts are made, to form the two parts of the slide as an integral structure slidable on to the slot from its open end.

Claims

1. A roller blind support comprising right and left hand brackets for supporting a spring biassed roller for a blind, which roller has on-axis end pins which locate in the brackets, wherein, for location of the end pin at least at one end of the roller, at least one of the brackets has a slotted base piece carrying a slide adjustable along the slot in a plane generally normal to the axis of the roller, a pinreceiving piece carried by or forming part of the slide, and means for tightening the slide in a chosen position of adjustment along the slot.

2. A roller blind support according to claim 1, wherein the slide is linearly adjustable along a straight slot in the base piece.

3. A roller blind support according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the slide is formed as two interconnecting plate-like parts slidable along opposite faces of the base piece on both sides of the slot, with the interconnecting means extending through the slot.

4. A roller blind support according to claim 3, wherein at least one said face of the base piece is serrated and at least one part of the slide has parallel serrations for mating with the serrated face of the base plate.

5. A roller blind support according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the base piece has a front face and a rear face and correspondingly a front slide part and a rear slide part, and the rear slide part carries the interconnecting means projecting through the slot and with which the front slide part cooperaes.

6. A roller blind support according to claim 5, wherein the interconnecting means comprises a screwdireaded boss on the base slide part, the front slide part being apertured to fit over the boss and be tightened down by a screwthreaded nut fitting to the boss to enable the front slide part to be pressed down towards the base slide part.

7. A roller blind support according to claim 6, wherein the serrations are provided in the front face of the base piece and the underface of the apertured slide part, whereby tightening of the nut locks the slide in a chosen position of adjustment along the slot.

8. A roller blind support according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the base piece has an upstand at one end for assisting location of the bracket in a corner.

9. A roller blind support according to claim 8, having optionally usable fixing holes on opposite sides of the upstand.

10. A roller blind support according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the slot extends away from the upstand to an open end at the opposite end of the base piece.

11. A roller blind support system comprising left and right-hand brackets in accordance with any of claims 1 to 10, in combination with a metal fixing bar to which the brackets attach.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein the bar is channel-sectioned to receive the brackets at opposite ends of the bar, which itself fixes to a supporting structure by means of spring clips.

13. A systemaccordingtoclaim 11 or claim 12, wherein the bar is made of aluminium.

14. A roller blind support substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.