GB2422531A - Cover for a curtain rail - Google Patents

Abstract

A cover (10) for closing an elongate cavity (12) extending along a curtain rail (14), where the cover (10) has a body portion (18) for insertion into the cavity (12), which, when substantially straight forms an elongate member, and, when bent past a predetermined radius or angle forms a plurality of shorter body portions (18). A cover (10) for closing an elongate cavity (12) extending along a curtain rail (14), where the cover comprises an elongate member having a portion for insertion into the cavity (12) and being arranged to prevent the elongate member from being manually disconnected from the rail (14). A cover (10) comprising a solid section. A method for manufacturing a cover (10) for a curtain rail (14) by co-extruding two different materials. A cover (10) for a curtain rail (14) comprising an element to prevent removal of the cover from the rail (14).

Description

Covers This invention relates to covers, especially covers for elongate

members, such as rails. In particular, although not exclusively, this invention relates to dust covers for curtain rails, and is highly suitable for use in hospitals.

The invention will be described below in relation to such dust covers, but its broader applicability to covers in general will be apparent to the skilled reader.

Traditionally, multi-bed wards in hospitals and care homes have curtains around each bed in order to allow an occupant some privacy. For patients, such as some of those on mental health wards, who are predisposed to commit suicide, the curtain rail, as with any other article used on the ward, must be designed to be difficult to use for that purpose. To that end, some curtain rail systems have specially designed hangers which collapse if loaded beyond a relatively low maximum weight, so that patients cannot hang themselves from them.

A typical curtain rail section for such a curtain rail system is shown in Figure 1. It has a lower cavity in which gliders attached to the curtain may run, and an upper cavity in which hangers that attach the curtain rail to the ceiling may be positioned. The cavities extend along the length of the curtain rail, If the upper cavity is allowed to remain open it can become a dust trap, and so hazardous to health. Therefore lengths of dust cover are generally connected to the upper cavity and extend between the hangers and other fittings, for example wall-mounted fixings.

We have recognised that ingenious people who are intent on suicide may possibly extract these dust covers, make them into ligatures, and hang themselves with them.

We, therefore, consider it desirable to adapt the dust covers, (and any other cover, particularly those used in hospital environments), to make it more difficult to achieve this end.

According to a first aspect of this invention, a cover for closing an elongate cavity extending along a curtain rail is provided, the cover having a body portion for insertion into the cavity, which, when substantially straight forms an elongate member, and, when bent past a pre-deterrnjned radius or angle forms a plurality of shorter body portions. The body portions may be separable.

The radius may be less than 50 mm, conveniently less than 100 mm, preferably less than 150 mm.

The body portion may be formed of a semi-brittle material and so break into a plurality of shorter portions when bent past the pre-determined radius or angle.

By the term "semi-brittle" it is meant that the material breaks when bent past a pre- determined radius or angle, but is flexible enough to bend around larger radii or angles. This enables the body portion of the cover to be bent sufficiently to follow the snaking of a typical hospital curtain rail, but to be predisposed to break if a patient tries to knot it into a ligature.

The body portion may be made of a composite material, conveniently comprising a composite of a polymeric material and another material which reduces the ability of the composite material to withstand bending, compared to that of the polymeric material. That other material may be a natural material, for example a derivative of wood. Thus the composite material may be a composite of a plastics material and a derivative of wood.

The body portion may comprise a plurality of shorter body portions which are joined together when the member is straight. The body portions may be joined along one side of the member.

The body portion may comprise a plurality of areas of weakness.

The body portions may be shorter than 250 mm, conveniently shorter than 200 mm, preferably shorter than 150 mm, and in a preferred embodiment are shorter than 100 mm.

The shorter body portions may themselves be arranged to form a plurality of even shorter body portions when bent beyond a radius less than 50 mm, conveniently less than 100 mm, preferably less than 150 mm.

Each shorter body portion may be arranged to form a plurality of still shorter body portions when bent beyond a predetermined radius or angle, and each successively formed body portion may also be so arranged, until the length of each body portion is less than 250 mm, conveniently less than 200 mm, preferably less than 150 mm, and in a preferred embodiment substantially 100 mm.

According to a second aspect of this invention, a cover for closing an elongate cavity extending along a curtain rail may be provided, the cover comprising an elongate member having a portion for insertion into the cavity and being arranged to prevent the elongate member from being manually disconnected from the rail.

The arrangement may be in addition to any mechanical interconnection between the rail and the cover.

The profile of the member may be such that when the rail and the cover are connected, the cover cannot be seen from underneath the rail. When fitted to the rail the cover may be substantially within a cross sectional envelope of the rail.

The member may have a wing projecting from a side surface of the cover, to cover any gap between the curtain rail cavity and the cover. The member may have a plurality of wings projecting in opposite directions. The wing or wings may be suitably angled to ensure that the gap is closed. The wing or wings may project at an internal angle from 30 to 85 , conveniently 45 to 65 , preferably from 50 to 60 , and in a preferred embodiment substantially 55 to the body portion. The wing or wings may have an average thickness of from 0.2 mm to 2.0 mm Conveniently from 0.4 mm to 1 mm and preferably substantially 0.5 mm.

At least one edge of the cavity may be curved and the wing or wings may be shaped to cover the curve. The wing or wings may be radiused to reduce its thickness towards its edge. The wing or wings may project no further than the midpoint between the edge of the cavity and the edge of the rail. The wing may project no further than 2 mm, conveniently no further than 1.75 mm, preferably no more than substantially 1.5 mm from a body of the member. Allowing for a tolerance between the cover and the rail this means that a preferred overlap of between 1 mm and 2 mm will be provided between the cover and the rail when the cover is in place in the cavity.

The projection of an upper surface of the cover above an upper surface of the rail may be no more than 2 mm conveniently no more than 1.5 mm, and preferably no more than 1 mm.

The colour of a top of the cover, particularly the wing or wings, may match the colour of the rail. Alternatively the top of the cover, particularly the wing or wings, may be transparent.

The cover may be arranged to be bonded to the rail. This means that even if a suicidal person sees the cover they will find it difficult to extract the cover from the rail. The bond may comprise an adhesive, conveniently a layer of adhesive preferably self-adhesive tape.

A cover as set out above may comprise a solid section.

According to a third aspect of this invention, there is provided a semirigid cover for a curtain rail comprising an elongate member having a solid section. By the term "semi-rigid" it is meant that the cover is sufficiently rigid to prevent it being used as a ligature, but not so rigid that it may be used as a weapon. Having such a cover means that even if a suicidal person ascertains that a cover is present and removes it from the rail they will find it difficult to use in order to commit suicide.

The cover may have a quadrilateral preferably rectangular or square crosssection.

The cover may comprise two joined portions, a body portion and a wing portion as set out above. The two portions may be made of different materials. The two portions may be co-extruded.

A dust cover as set out above may be provided.

According to a fourth aspect of this invention a curtain rail having an elongate cavity extending along its length may be provided, the rail comprising an elongate cover closing the cavity and the rail being arranged to prevent removal of the cover from the rail, the cover comprising a portion received within the cavity. The arrangement may comprise a layer of adhesive on the rail. The adhesive may be self adhesive tape.

A curtain rail may be provided comprising a cover as set out above.

According to a fifth aspect of this invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a cover for a curtain rail comprising two portions made of different materials comprising co-extruding the different materials.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a cross-section through a known curtain rail; and Figure 2 shows a cross-section through an embodiment of a dust cover being inserted in the curtain rail of Figure 1.

The dust cover 10, shown in Figure 2 being inserted into a cavity 12 in a curtain rail 14, has a number of safeguards in place to reduce the risk that it would be used by patients to commit suicide. Firstly, as illustrated in Figure 2, the cover 10 is extremely low-profile, and when connected to the curtain rail 14 the cover is most unlikely to be seen from beneath it, as the cover is substantially within a cross- sectional envelope of the rail. When fully inserted the cover 10 extends no more than 1 mm above the rail 14. The low profile of the cover 10 means that it cannot be seen from directly beneath the rail 14.

Additionally, the top of the cover is coloured an "aluminium" colour to match the aluminium material of the rail, and outermost edges 15 of the cover 10 are radiused so that they blend in smoothly with the rail 14. It is therefore difficult to see the cover 10, even from an angle, particularly by chance. The first safeguard, thus, is to hide the cover.

If a patient should happen to catch sight of the top of the curtain rail, perhaps if it is pulled from the ceiling, then, because the colour of the cover matches the colour of the rail, and the effect of the radiusing is to make the top of the cover flush with the rail, they are less likely than otherwise to realise that the cover is separate from the rail and may be extracted therefrom.

Even if they should realise this, however, the cover 10 has features which make it difficult to extract from the cavity. The cover 10 comprises two portions, a wing portion 16 and a body portion 18. The body portion 18 is a solid and has a rectangular, indeed almost square, cross- section. The body portion 18 fills the cavity 12 in the rail 14. The wing portion 16 is a thin strip of material joined to a top side of the body portion 18 and significantly broader than it. The purpose of the wing portion is to cover any remaining gap between the body portion and the rail. Such gaps may be caused by, for example, tolerances used in the extrusion of the rail or the cover (which are typically fairly wide in order to reduce manufacturing costs) or mechanical deformation of the top of the rail.

In this embodiment, the thinness and flexibility of the wing portion 16 mean that it is difficult for a patient to gain sufficient purchase on the cover 10 to extract it from the rail 14 because it is difficult to use as a lever. Thus the second safeguard is to make the cover difficult to extract from the rail.

The wing portion extends a relatively short distance from the body portion compared to conventional covers. It does not extend as far as a mid-point between an outer edge of the rail and an inner edge of the cavity, extending around 1.5 mm from the body portion 18. This construction assists both the first safeguard, to keep the cover hidden, because the edge of the cover is hidden by the edge of the rail unless viewed at a very wide angle; and the second safeguard because the wings are too narrow for a patient to use his/her fingers effectively to extract the cover manually.

Another feature which makes extraction of the cover more difficult is the provision of a bond between the cover and the rail. A lower surface 20 of the cover 10 has a layer of double-sided self-adhesive tape 22 affixed to it. When the cover 10 and the rail 14 are assembled, this tape bonds the cover to a base 24 of the cavity 12 into which the cover is placed, and makes it more difficult for the cover to be extracted, even if a patient has managed to gain a hold on it. The self-adhesive tape is approximately 5 mm wide by 0.25 mm deep and runs the length of the cover.

Alternatively the self-adhesive tape may be fixed to the base 24 of the cavity 12 before the cover 10 is inserted. The presence of the tape makes the cover of the rail 14 so difficult to extract that a patient is likely to break the cover when trying to extract it.

If the patient manages, nevertheless to extract the cover 10 from the rail 14, features of the cover which contribute to a third safeguard come into play. The body portion 18 is semi-brittle, being formed of a wood filled polymer which is made up of from a rigid polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and wood flour. The body portion 18 has a specific gravity of 1.3, an impact strength at 1/8" of 27 Kgf cm/cm (measured according to ASTM specification D256) and a Vicat softening temperature of 91 C.

When bent to a pre-determined radius, the body portion breaks because such semi- brittle material breaks when subjected to a certain degree of bending stress.

Therefore it cannot be used to form a ligature as it is impossible to bend the body portion sufficiently to tie it into knots. The material breaks in a clean manner, leaving no significant sharp edges which could be used as weapons.

However, the body portion 18 is sufficiently flexible to bend around corners having a radius of more than 150 mm so as to follow the snaking of a typical hospital curtain rail.

The wing portion 16 is made of 70 Shore A flexible PVC. As it is so thin, being less than 1 mm thick, it cannot bear a significant amount of weight, so even if it were detached from the body portion it would not be of use as a ligature. However, the two portions are co-extruded so it would be difficult to detach the wing portion 16 from the body portion 18 in any event.

Additionally, the cover is difficult to manipulate. The material from which the cover is made, and the dimensions of the cover, render it semirigid, which means that it is not so rigid that it may be used as a weapon, in particular, but not exclusively, as a stabbing weapon. The material breaks cleanly, with no sharp edges which could be used for (self) harm.

In an alternative embodiment a semi-rigid cover without the breaking propensity outlined above could be used. Such a cover would be too rigid to form a ligature. It would bend easily to a radius of, for example, substantially 150 mm and not substantially beyond.

Therefore, by use of this dust cover, or other covers which incorporate the principles outlined herein, it is possible to greatly lower the risk of a patient committing suicide, or self-harming, using the cover.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (which term includes the claims) and/or shown in the drawings may be incorporated in the invention independently of other disclosed and/or illustrated features.

Statements in this specification of the "objects of the invention" relate to preferred embodiments of the invention, but not necessarily to all embodiments of the invention falling within the claims.

The description of the invention with reference to the drawings is by way of example only.

The text of the abstract filed herewith is repeated here as part of the specification.

A cover for closing an elongate cavity extending along a curtain rail, the cover having a body portion for insertion into the cavity, which, when substantially straight forms an elongate member, and, when bent past a pre-determined radius or angle forms a plurality of shorter body portions. A cover for closing an elongate cavity extending along a curtain rail, the cover comprising an elongate member having a portion for insertion into the cavity and being arranged to prevent the elongate member from being manually disconnected from the rail. A cover according to any preceding claim which comprises a solid section.

Claims (44)

1. A cover for closing an elongate cavity extending along a curtain rail, the cover having a body portion for insertion into the cavity, which, when substantially straight forms an elongate member, and, when bent past a pre-determined radius or angle forms a plurality of shorter body portions.

2. A cover according to Claim 1 ii, which the radius is less than 50 mm, conveniently less than 100 mm, preferably less than 150 mm.

3. A cover according to Claim I or Claim 2 in which the body portion is formed of a semi-brittle material and so breaks into a plurality of shorter portions when bent past the pre-deter-mjned radius.

4. A cover according to Claim 3 in which the body portion is made of a composite material, conveniently comprising a composite of a polymeric material and a natural or other material which reduces the ability of the composite material to withstand bending compared to that of the polymeric material, preferably comprising a composite of a plastics material and a derivative of wood.

5. A cover according to any preceding claim in which the body portion comprises a plurality of shorter body portions which are joined together when the member is straight.

6. A cover according to Claim 5 in which the body portions are joined along one side of the member.

7. A cover according to any preceding claim in which the body portion comprises a plurality of areas of weakness.

8. A cover according to any preceding claim in which the plurality of shorter body portions are shorter than 250 mm, conveniently shorter than 200 mm, preferably shorter than 150 mm, and in a preferred embodiment shorter than 100 mm.

9. A cover according to any preceding claim in which the shorter body portions are themselves arranged to form a plurality of even shorter body portions when bent beyond a radius less than 50 mm, conveniently less than 100 mm, preferably less thanl50mm.

10. A cover according to Claim 9 in which each even shorter body portion is arranged to form a plurality of still shorter body portions when bent beyond a predetermined radius or angle, and each successively formed body portion is also so arranged, until the length of each body portion is less than 250 mm, conveniently less than 200 mm, preferably less than 150 mm, and in a preferred embodiment shorter than 100 mm.

11. A cover for closing an elongate cavity extending along a curtain rail, the cover comprising an elongate member having a portion for insertion into the cavity and being arranged to prevent the elongate member from being manually disconnected from the rail.

12. A cover according to Claim 11 in which the arrangement is in addition to any mechanical interconnection between the rail and the cover.

13. A cover according to any preceding claim in which the profile of the member is such that when the rail and the cover are connected, the cover cannot be seen from underneath the rail.

14. A cover according to Claim 13 in which when fitted to the rail the cover is substantially within a cross sectional envelope of the rail.

15. A cover according to any preceding claim in which the member has a wing projecting from a side surface of the cover, to cover any gap between the curtain rail cavity and the cover.

16. A cover according to Claim 15 in which the member has a plurality of wings projecting in opposite directions.

17. A cover according to Claim 15 or Claim 16 in which the wing or wing is suitably angled to ensure that the gap is closed.

18. A cover according to Claim 17 in which the wing or wings projects at an internal angle from 30 to 85 , conveniently 45 to 65 , preferably from 50 to 600, and in a preferred embodiment substantially 55 to the body portion.

19. A cover according to any of claims 15 to 18 in which the wing or wings has an average thickness of from 0.2 mm to 2.0 mm conveniently from 0.4 mm to 1 mm and preferably substantially 0.5 mm.

20. A cover according to any of claims 15 to 19 in which at least one edge of the cavity is curved and the wing or wings is shaped to cover the curve.

21. A cover according to any of claims 15 to 20 in which the wing or wings is radiused to reduce its thickness towards its edge.

22. A cover according to any of claims 15 to 21 in which the wing or wings projects no further than the midpoint between the edge of the cavity and the edge of the rail.

23. A cover according to any of claims 15 to 22 in which the wing or wings projects no further than 2 mm conveniently 1.75 mm, preferably substantially 1.5 mm from a body of the member.

24. A cover according to any preceding claim in which the projection of an upper surface of the cover above an upper surface of the rail is no more than 2 mm conveniently no more than 1.5 mm, and preferably no more than 1 mm.

25. A cover according to any preceding claim in which the colour of a top of the cover matches the colour of the rail or is transparent.

26. A cover according to any preceding claim in which the cover is arranged to bond to the rail.

27. A cover according to Claim 26 in which the bond comprises an adhesive.

S

28. A cover according to Claim 27 in which the adhesive comprises selfadhesive tape.

29. A cover according to any preceding claim which comprises a solid section.

30. A semi-rigid cover for a curtain rail comprising an elongate member having a solid section.

31. A cover according to any preceding claim which has a quadrilateral preferably rectangular or square cross-section.

32. A cover for a curtain rail comprising two joined portions, a body portion according to any of claims I to 10 and a wing according to any of claims 15 to 22.

33. A cover according to Claim 32 in which the two portions are made of different materials.

34. A cover according to Claim 32 or Claim 33 in which the two portions are co- extruded.

35. A cover according to any of claims 1 to 10 and any of claims 11 to 29 or any of claims 30 to 34.

36. A cover according to any of claims 11 to 29 and any of claims 30 to 35.

37. A dust cover according to any preceding claim.

38. A curtain rail having an elongate cavity extending along its length, the rail comprising an elongate cover closing the cavity and the rail, comprising an element to prevent removal of the cover from the rail, the cover comprising a portion received within the cavity.

39. A curtain rail according to Claim 38 in which the arrangement comprises a layer of adhesive on the rail.

40. A curtain rail according the Claim 39 in which the adhesive is self adhesive tape.

41. A curtain rail according to any of claims 38 to 40 comprising a cover according to any of claims I to 37.

42. A method of manufacturing a cover for a curtain rail comprising two portions made of different materials comprising co-extruding the different materials.

43. A cover substantially as hereinbefore described and as shown in Figure 2.

44. A method of manufacturing a cover substantially as hereinbefore described.