GB2445145A

GB2445145A - A curtain with temporary fixing means

Info

Publication number: GB2445145A
Application number: GB0623663A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Dawn Elizabeth Cox; Andrew John Cox
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-11-28
Filing date: 2006-11-28
Publication date: 2008-07-02
Also published as: GB0623663D0

Abstract

A curtain 2 with a means of fixing to a window 5 with the use of suction cup fastenings. The curtain has a series of button-holes 1 at regular intervals around the edge of the fabric for fixing to the suction cups. Along one short side and one long side of the curtain, it is hemmed with a cord 4 threaded through the hem. This cord is fitted with a spring operated cord fixing member 3 or toggle. Using the cord, the size of the curtain may be modified to fit the window more easily. The curtain may be made of black-out fabric.

Description

Page 1

Portable Curtain

The present invention outlines a design for a curtain that is portable. During spring, summer and autumn months sleep can be interrupted by early sunrise or late sunset. This is a particular issue for babies and children: The portable curtain can be used as required to complement in situ curtains, blinds or shutters to improve their performance to create as dark an environment as possible during daylight hours or a window with no curtains, blinds or shutters. Currently, people use a number of means to darken a room; blankets, pieces of blackout fabric, cardboard, etc. This invention aims to replace these haphazard and inefficient barriers to light and to satisfy the needs of people who wish to create a darker environment in a room during daylight hours. It uses suction cups to adhere to a window frame or the window pane itself and a pull-cord to ensure that the curtain can be fitted snugly to a wide range of window sizes.

Detailed Description

The curtain is made of lightweight fabric which lends itself to portability. The curtain is made of a blackout fabric which will create the barrier to the infiltration of light. The curtain should be attached to window frames or surrounds. The invention utilizes an arrangement of mushroom head suction cups to allow the user to be able to attach the curtain to a range of non-porous, smooth surfaces which could include polished metal, gloss-painted woodwork or uPVC window frames. In the absence of a non-porous smooth window frame, or surround, the curtain can be fixed directly to a smooth window Page 2 pane. The mushroom head suction cup allows the cups to be accurately placed on a frame or window pane. This can then be used to pull the curtain away from the frame or window pane when the curtain is no longer required. The curtain is rectangular in shape.

Along each side, button holes are sewn into the fabric at regular intervals. The suction cups fit tightly through the buttonholes. The suction cup is thus held firmly within the button hole by the mushroom head. The curtain makes use of a retaining adjuster, such as those commonly used in skiwear. The curtain incorporates a pull-cord system. The adjustment functionality is built into one short edge and one long edge. The pull-cords allow the user to adjust the width and length of the curtain to fit to a window frame. The desired width or length of curtain is achieved by gathering the fabric to the required width/length. The desired width/length of curtain is then held in place by means of the adjuster referred to above. The pull-cord is sewn fast in the fabric in one corner and runs along the hem of the long side. At the end of the long side the cord is passed through one hole of the adjuster. The cord is then passed back through the second hole of the adjuster from the same side as that which the cord exited the first hole. The cord is then passed along inside the hem of the nearest short side and sewn into the curtain at the opposite end of the short side, but still being on the same edge of the curtain as the adjuster.

Page 3 Drawings A specific embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which; Figure 1 -Mushroom head suction cup (1) (plan). Figure 1 describes a moulded suction cup, cylindrical body and mushroom head.

Figure 2 -Mushroom head suction cup (1) (section). As for figure 1.

Figure 3 -Mushroom head suction cup (1) (3D view). As for figure 1.

Figure 4 -button hole and suction cup (1) (section). The suction cup should be used to attach the curtain (2) to a non-porous flat surface. The cylindrical body of the suction cup supports the weight of the curtain and the curtain is retained by the presence of the mushroom head. The diameter of the mushroom head is marginally smaller than the diameter of the buttonhole to ensure that as little light as possible passes through any gap between the button hole and the body of the suction cup.

Figure 5 -adjuster (3) (section).

Figure 6 -adjuster (3) (plan). The adjuster has two holes through which a cord (4) can be looped. The adjuster is similar in nature to those used on specialist outdoor clothing.

Page 4 Figure 7 -the curtain (2) showing the indicative position of each suction cup (1), the adjuster (3) and the pull-cord (4) (plan). The curtain is rectangular. At regular intervals along each edge of the fabric there is a button hole which is set back from the edge.

Through each button hole is passed the suction cup. The mushroom head of the suction cup acts as a retainer by being passed through the button hole. The pull-cord assembly nms along one long edge and one short edge. The pull cord is passed through the adjuster (twice). The adjuster is positioned at the corner between the two sides along which the pull-cord runs.

Figure 8 -an example of an adjuster (3) working with the pull cord (4) to adjust the width of the curtain (2). When the curtain is gathered to adjust to fit the available window space, the adjuster is required to grip the pull cord and act as a retainer for the curtain, which is being held in a compressed form. This diagram shows how the cord is looped through the adjuster.

Figure 9 -curtain (2) fitted to a window (5). Once the curtain has been appropriately adjusted to fit a window frame and the width or length has been fixed in place using the adjuster, it is possible to use the suction pads to fix the curtain to the window frame (or window pane, as necessary). Page

Claims

Claims 1. A curtain system comprising a flexible curtain, a fixing

means to enable the curtain to be attached to a wall, window aperture, window frame, window sill, window pane or similar, and an adjustment means to enable the curtain to be fitted to a variety of window sizes.
2. A curtain system according to claim 1, which can be temporarily fixed to a wall, window aperture, window frame, window sill, window pane or similar, the removal of such causing no damage or detriment to the area in contact with the curtain system.
3. A curtain system according to claim 2, which can be erected and removed quickly.
4. A curtain system according to claim 1, which utilises a blackout-type fabric to act as a barrier to light.
5. A curtain system according to claim 1, which can be quickly and easily adjusted to fit a window frame or pane exactly.
6. A curtain system according to claim 5, where the curtain system can be adjusted along its length and along its breadth