GB2448524A

GB2448524A - Reeling device for window covering

Info

Publication number: GB2448524A
Application number: GB0707530A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ker-Min Lin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-04-19
Filing date: 2007-04-19
Publication date: 2008-10-22
Anticipated expiration: 2027-04-19
Also published as: GB0707530D0; GB2448524B

Abstract

A reeling device for a window covering comprises a plurality of guiding wheels 2 provided in a line arrangement and a number of S-shaped resilient coils 23. Two adjacent guiding wheels 2 are engaged with each other by peripheral teeth 21 formed thereon. One of the two adjacent guiding wheels 2 includes one cord 22 wound thereon opposite to another cord 22 wound on another of the two adjacent guiding wheels 2. The two adjacent guiding wheels 2 have an S-shaped resilient coil 23 secured between them. The S-shaped resilient coil 23 provides a resilient force to operate the cords 22 simultaneously, and to balance the weight of a curtain. The cords may be longitudinally attached onto the curtain and control the expansion or retraction thereof.

Description

REELING DEVICE FOR USE IN CURTAIN CORDS

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a reeling device, and more particularly to a reeling device for use in curtain cords that only has to apply one set of reeling device to the curtain for simultaneously and stably operating a plurality of cords.

Description of the Prior Arts

To have aesthetic appearance and operational safety, a prior art reeling device for use in curtain cords is always arranged in the curtain housing, and more curtain cords have to be provided for cooperation with the width and the operating balance of the curtain. Due to the weight of the curtain is supported by a plurality of S-shaped resilient coils, each attached between two adjacent guiding wheels, the user may pull upwardly or downwardly and suspend the curtain to any desired height.

The prior art reeling device includes a plurality of guiding wheels adapted for the cords and another plurality of guiding wheels used in the S-shaped resilient coils.

Therefore, each kind of the guiding wheels only has one purpose and is selectively adapted for the cord or the S-shaped resilient coil, wherein all of the guiding wheels have to be retained in the intermediate portion of the reeling device in a line arrangement, yet the guiding wheels used in the S-shaped resilient coils have to be secured at two ends of the reeling device, hence such a reeling device may merely control two cords for operating the curtain. Besides, the wider the curtain is, the more cords and reeling devices have to be mounted onto the curtain, thereby increasing production cost.

To further improve the aesthetic appearance and operational safety, an automatic reeling device of the curtain cords has been developed. Such an improved automatic reeling device comprises two different kinds of guiding wheels for use in cords and S-shaped resilient coils, individually. In other words, each of the two different guiding wheels may only provide one purpose. Because of the limited space of the guiding wheel, if the guiding wheel serves to collect the cord, the S-shaped resilient coil could not be disposed thereon, yet if the guiding wheel is employed to dispose the S-shaped resilient coil thereon, the cord could not be collected.

Accordingly, such an automatic reeling device is always provided with internal guiding wheels for attaching the S-shaped resilient coil, and two outermost guiding wheels are applied to collect of the cords, such that the automatic reeling device may be merely defined with two cords for stringing the slats. In addition, conventional curtain has to affix two or more sets of automatic reeling devices therein, thus increasing the cost and the weight thereof.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a reeling device for use in curtain cords that may merely apply one set of the reeling device to the curtain for simultaneously and stably operating a plurality of cords.

The secondary object of the present invention is to provide a reeling device for use in curtain cords that may simplify manufacturing and assembling processes, and save manufacturing cost and time.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reeling device for use in curtain cords comprising two plates; a plurality of guiding wheels retained between the two plates, and each of the guiding wheels including an intermediate rotor having peripheral teeth formed therearound, a roller formed on one side of the intermediate rotor for selectively collecting a cord, and a shaft member formed on another side of the intermediate rotor; a plurality of S-shaped resilient coils, each being secured between two adjacent guiding wheels; wherein the peripheral teeth of the two adjacent guiding wheels are engaged with one another for simultaneous rotation.

By way of the roller and the shaft member formed on two sides of the intermediate rotor, individually, each of the guiding wheels may simultaneously include the S-shaped resilient coils and the cord mounted thereon for enhancing the practical efficiency of the present invention.

The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. I is a perspective diagram of a curtain of the present invention; FIG 2 is a perspective diagram illustrating the exploded components of a guiding wheel of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a perspective diagram illustrating the assembly of a reeling device for use in curtain cords of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a top plan diagram illustrating the assembly of the reeling device for use in curtain cords of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a front elevational diagram illustrating the assembly of the reeling device for use in curtain cords of the present invention; FIG. 6 is a top plan diagram illustrating the reeling device for use in curtain cords of the present invention being disposed more guiding wheels thereon; FIG. 7 is a front elevational diagram illustrating the reeling device for use in curtain cords of the present invention being disposed more guiding wheels thereon.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A reeling device for use in curtain cords in accordance with the present invention comprises a plurality of dual-layer guiding wheels 2 provided in a line arrangement and a number of S-shaped resilient coils 23. Two adjacent guiding wheels 2 are engaged with each other by peripheral teeth 21 formed therearound, and one of the two adjacent guiding wheels 2 includes one cord 22 wound thereon opposite to another cord 22 wound on another of the two adjacent guiding wheels 2, then the two adjacent guiding wheels 2 are combined together by the S-shaped resilient coil 23 so that the cords 22 thereof may be simultaneously operated. Each of the S-shaped resilient coils 23 secured between the two adjacent guiding wheels 2 also provides the resilient force to balance the weight of curtain. Therefore, the cords 22 may be longitudinally attached onto and control the expansion or retraction of the curtain.

With reference to FIG. 1, the reeling device 20 in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention is attached to a frame 101 for expanding or retracting a number of slats 3 of a blind assembly 10. Preferably, the reeling device 20 may be used in a variety of curtains and includes two plates 1 mounted on the frame 101, and includes a plurality of guiding wheels 2 rotatably retained between the two plates 1. As shown in FIG. 2, each of the guiding wheels 2 includes an intermediate rotor having peripheral teeth 21 formed therearound for engagements with another guiding wheel 2 adjacent thereto and for simultaneous movements. A roller (not numbered) is formed on one side of the intermediate rotor for collecting a cord 22, and a shaft member (not numbered) is formed on another side of the intermediate rotor for fixing a drum 231. Hence, when the guiding wheel 2 is retained between the two plates 1, two compartments are formed to make the guiding wheel 2 become a dual-layer member. Referring to FIG. 3, the S-shaped resilient coil 23 includes two distal ends attached to the two adjacent guiding wheels 2, respectively, and may provide a resilient force to balance the weight of the slats 3, such that the user may pull the curtain upwardly to any desired height. It is preferable that the cords 22 of the two adjacent guiding wheels 2 may be wound clockwise and counterclockwise, respectively, and parallely affixed to the slats 3 when the S-shaped resilient coil 23 is formed in the shape of a "S", as shown in FIGS. 3-5.

By way of foregoing components, each of the guiding wheels 2 of the reeling device 20 may selectively retract the cord 22 and interact with another guiding wheel 2. Moreover, the peripheral teeth 21 of the intermediate rotor may provide the stably interactive rotation of the two adjacent guiding wheels 2.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the reeling device in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises six guiding wheels 2 and three S-shaped resilient coils 23 so that when the widths of slats 3 are extended, the number of cords 22 may be correspondingly and increasingly provided. As the cords 22 of the reeling device 20 longitudinally extend to string the slats 3 together with proper intervals, the simultaneous movement and balance of the slats 3 may occur during operation. Since the resilient force of the S-shaped resilient coil 23 secured on the paired guiding wheels 2 corresponds to the weight of the slats 3, while the cords 22 are pulled to drive the paired guiding wheels 2, the S-shaped resilient coil 23 is deformed by the interacting rotation of the peripheral teeth 21 of the paired guiding wheels 2, thereby forming the resilient force to expand or retract each of the cords 22. Moreover, the resilient force may be also used to position the slats 3, due to it is in response to the weight of the slats 3.

On the other hand, the S-shaped resilient coil 23 mounted on one of the paired guiding wheels 2 includes one distal end attached to the drum 231 which is pivotally fixed on the shaft member of one of the paired guiding wheels 2, and includes another distal end passing through the drum 231, and secured on another of the paired guiding wheels 2, and further wound onto another drum 231 which is pivotally fixed on the shaft member of another of the paired guiding wheels 2.

Since the drum 231 is freely and rotatably affixed on the guiding wheel 2, the S-shaped resilient coil 23 may automatically adjust its resilient force for being equivalent to the weight of the slats 3 during operation.

The S-shaped resilient coil 23 not only may provide the transmitting efficiency to pull or release the cords 22, but also may provide the resilient force to keep the slats 3 in balance while raising or lowering the blind assembly 10.

It can be clearly seen from the preceding accounts on the features of the present invention that the reeling device 20 for use in curtain cords 22 of the present invention has the following advantages: I. The present invention may be provided with the resilient coil 23 and the cord 22 for having double functions, such as adjusting the number of the guiding wheels 2 and changing the number of cords 22. It is to be noted that the reeling device of the present invention may selectively to dispose a plurality of cords 22 for corresponding to the width of the curtain. Accordingly, only one set of the reeling device has to be arranged to the curtain for lowering the production cost.

2. The guiding wheels 2 of the reeling device 20 are identical to one another so as to simplify manufacturing and assembling processes, and to save manufacturing cost and time.

3. Each of the guiding wheels 2 includes the intermediate rotor having peripheral teeth 21 formed therearound, thus enabling to have a stable transmission thereof so as to simultaneously collect the cords 22 together, such that the cords 22 may prevent from tangling with each other in the frame 101.

Although this invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present invention of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts any be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: 1. A reeling device for use in curtain cords

comprising: two plates; a plurality of guiding wheels retained between said two plates, and each of said guiding wheels including an intermediate rotor having peripheral teeth formed therearound, a roller formed on one side of said intermediate rotor for selectively collecting a cord, and a shaft member formed on another side of said intermediate rotor; and a plurality of S-shaped resilient coils, each secured between two adjacent guiding wheels; wherein said peripheral teeth of said guiding wheels are engaged with one another for simultaneous rotation.
2. The reeling device for use in curtain cords as claimed in claim 1, wherein said S-shaped resilient coil mounted on one of the paired guiding wheels includes one distal end attached to a drum which is pivotally fixed on said shaft member of one of the paired guiding wheels.
3. The reeling device for use in curtain cords as claimed in claim 2, wherein said S-shaped resilient coil also includes another distal end passing through said drum, and secured on another of the paired guiding wheels, and further wound onto another drum which is pivotally fixed on said shaft member of another of the paired guiding wheels.
4. A reeling device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.