GB2501837A - A curtain assembly with separate lining - Google Patents

Abstract

A curtain lining kit, curtain assembly and method for retrofitting or adding a lining to a separate eyelet curtain are described. The method involves attaching a plurality of curtain hooks (110, figure 2) to curtain taped attached to a sheet of lining material (102, 104 figure 1) and attaching the hooks to curtain rings (106, 108 figure 1) which have been arranged between the eyelets of an eyelet curtain (202, figure 2A) on a curtain pole (220, figure 2B). The assembly disclosed comprises a curtain pole, an eyelet curtain mounted on the pole, a lining with attached curtain tape and hooks arranged on the pole through curtain rings which are disposed between the eyelets such that when viewed the curtain rings and lining are not significantly visible.

Description

Curtain Lining The present invention relates to curtain linings, and in particular to a curtain lining kit, an assembly of a curtain and a curtain lining and a method for adding a curtain lining to a curtain.

It is known to provide curtains with a lining. The lining may be provided for a number of reasons, for example, to control the amount of light, for thermal insulation or for sound proofing. TypicaHy a curtain is provided with an internal lining at its time of manufacture.

Curtains with linings can be made to standard sizes or bespoke sizes. However, if the need for the lined curtains for a room changes. e.g. because a room is no longer used as a bedroom or because double glazing is added, then the lining becomes redundant but cannot easily be removed without disassembling the curtains.

Further, if a curtain exists without a lining, or with an unsuitable lining, then again because of a change of the room, e.g. the room becoming a bedroom, then it may be desired to have a curtain for that room with a specific typc of lining. New curtains with lining can be obtained but incurs significant costs and some time delays, and the linings may not be to the required specification, weight or type. The existing curtains could be disassemNed and a Uning added but again this is difficult and incurs significant costs and some time delays.

It would therefore be beneficial to be able to easily add or remove a lining from a curtain.

The invention provides a curtain lining kit which can be used to retrofit a lining to a separate eyelet curtain. The kit allows the lining to be added or removed without having to modify the eyelet curtain itself Hence, a lining can he added to existing curtains when required by a change in circumstances or the lining can be added to existing curtains which are not themselves lined as an alternative to obtaining lined curtains in the first place. The lining can also be removed easily e.g. if the curtain is to be moved to a different room, to clean the curtain or if the lining is no thnger required.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a curtain lining kit for retrofitting to a separate eyelet curtain. The kit can comprise a first sheet of lining matenal having a curtain tape attached along and adjacent an upper edge of the sheet of lining material; a plurality of hooks attachable to the curtain tape; and a plurality of curtain rings each attachable to a respective one of the curtain hooks. The drop of the first sheet of lining material can be less than the drop of the eyelet curtain with which the lining is to he used.

Such a kit allows a lining to be added to an eyelet curtain and the drop of the lining being less than the drop of the curtain means that the lining is substantially not visible after assembly and dunng use.

The curtain lining kit can further comprise assembly instructions. The assembly instructions can include at least one or a plurality of pictures illustrating a method of assembly of the kit.

The curtain lining kit can indude a plurality of sheets of lining material. For example, the kit can include 2, 3, 4, 5. 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10 sheets or lining material. Each sheet of lining material can have a curtain tape attached along and adjacent an upper edge of the sheet of lining material. The plurality of sheets of lining material can include sheets of lining material of different types.

The curtain lining kit can further comprising a second sheet of lining material having a curtain tape attached along and adjacent an upper edge of the sheet of lining material. The kit can include at least two sheets of lining material.

The drop of the or each sheet of lining material can be approximately 4" (10cm) less than the drop of the eyelet curtain.

The curtain rings can be made of a clear material. For example. the curtain rings can be made of a transparent plastics material and more preferably a colourless, transparent plastics material. This helps prevent the curtain rings being visible during use and after assembly of the kit.

The number of rings and the number of hooks can be selected from: sixteen; twenty four; and thirty two. The aforesaid number of rings and hooks can be provided for each sheet of curtain lining material in the kit.

The width of the or each sheet of lining material can be selected from: 46"; 66"; and 90".

The drop of the or each sheet of lining material can be selected from: 44t1; solt; 68; 86; and 1041.

The kit can be provided within packaging. Various types of packaging can be used, for example. a box, a bag or similar. The packaging can include some or all of assembly instructions for the kit. The instructions can be printed on the packaging or be on a substrate attached to the packaging.

A second aspect of the invention provides a kit of parts comprising: an eyelet curtain; and the curtain lining kit of the preceding aspect of the invention. The kit can include at least two eyelet curtains or a greater number of eyelet curtains. The number of sheets of lining matenal can be the same as the number of eyelet curtains.

The kit of parts can further comprise a curtain pole. The kit of parts can further comprise fixings for attaching the curtain pole to or near a door or window or other opening to be covered by the curtain in use.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided an assembly comprising a curtain pole; an eyelet curtain mounted on the curtain pole; and a lining separate to the eyelet curtain and mounted on the curtain pole by a plurality of curtain rings.

The eyelet curtain can have a plurality of pairs of adjacent eyelets, the plurality of curtain rings can comprise a plurality of pairs of adjacent rings, and each pair of adjacent rings can be located between a corresponding respective pair of adjacent eyelets.

The eyelet curtain can have a curtain drop and the lining can have a lining drop and the lining drop can be less than the curtain drop by at east a predetermined amount so that the lining is substantially hidden behind the curtain.

The predetermined amount can be approximately 4" (iOcm).

According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a method for adding a lining to an existing curtain. The method can be a retrofitting method. The method can comprise placing an upper edge of a lining adjacent the eyelets of the eyelet curtain; attaching a p'ural ity of hooks toward the upper edge of the lining and at positions determined relative to the eyelets; threading a curtain pole through the eyelets and through a plurality of curtain rings alTanged between the eyelets; and adding the lining by attaching the hooks to the curtain rings.

The lining can be added before or after threading the curtain pole.

The method can further comprise attaching the curtain pole to or near a closure or opening to be covered by the eyelet curtain.

The curtain pole can be attached before or after adding the lining.

An adjacent pair of curtain rings can be located between each respective adjacent pair of eyelets.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings. in which: Figure i shows a schematic drawing illustrating the parts of an eyelet curtain lining kit according to the invention; Figures 2A to 2C illustrates steps of a method for adding a lining to an eyelet curtain; Figure 3 shows a view from a reverse side of an assembly according to the invention including the curtain lining having been retrofitted to an existing eyelet curtain; Figure 4 shows a close up of a part of the assembly shown in Figure 3; and FigureS shows a view from a front side of the assemNy shown in Figure 3; Similar items in different Figures share common reference numerals unless indicated otherwise.

Figure 1 shows a schematic drawing illustrating a number of parts of a curtain lining kit according to an embodiment of the invention. The curtain lining kit includes a pair of linings 102, 104, a plurality of curtain rings, as exemplified by curtain rings 106, 108, a p'urality of hooks, as exemplified by hook 110 and some assembly instructions 112. The kit illustrated in Figure 1 is suitable for adding a lining to a pair of curtains. It will be appreciated that the number of linings provided in the kit will depend on the number of curtains to which a lining is to be added. For example, if there is a single curtain, for example a door curtain, then the lining kit may include only one fining part. Where the curtain comprises more than two parts, then the lining kit will include the same number of linings as there are parts of the curtain to be lined.

Each lining 102. 104 is made from a suitab'e lining material. Suitable lining materials are generally known in the art. Different types of material can be used depending on the peitormance required, e.g. black out, thermal insulation or sound insulation. Each lining has first side hem 120, second side hem 122 and bottom hem 124. Each hem is a lock stitched hem. Each lining also includes a tape 126 attached adjacent to and running along the entire length of an upper edge of the lining material. In particular, the tape 126 is a pocket tape and does not include draw strings.

The dimensions of the lining will vary depending on the size of curtain that they are to be used for. Each lining panel can be provided in a variety of standard widths, such as 46" (117cm), 66" (168cm) and 90" (228cm) wide. The drop size for the linings depends on the drop size for the curtain that they are to be used with. As will be appreciated from the following discussion, the drop size of the lining is less than the drop size of the curtain that the lining is to be used with. Linings can be provided in a variety of standard drop sizes to be used with a variety of standard curtain drop sizes, Table 1 provides some examples.

TABLE I

Lining -Finished Drop Size Curtain -Finished Drop Size 44" (112cm) 48" (122cm) 501 (127cm) 5411 (137cm) 681 (173cm) 721 (183cm) 86" (218cm) 86" (218cm) 104" (264cm) 108" (274cm) The kit also includes a plurality of curtain rings. Each curtain ring, for example show in side 106 and end views 108 in Figure 1, comprises a main cannubr body 130, defining a circular aperture having an inner diameter 132 of approximately 40mm. A loop 132 extends from a lower end of the body 130 and has a second aperture therein for receiving a curtain hook. The rings can be made of a plastics material and preferably a clear or transparent plastics material so that the rings are less visible during use. It is most preferred to use a colourless transparent plastics material to reduce the visibility of the rings.

The kit also includes a plurality of hooks 110. The hooks can be conventional curtain hooks made of a plastics material. At least the same number of hooks as rings are included in the kit. In some instances, more hooks than rings can be provided in case hooks are lost during assembly. For the illustrated embodiment curtain hooks of length approximately 29mm can be used. As described in greater detail below, curtain hooks 110 are used to attach rings 130 to the tapes of the linings when adding the linings to a curtain. The number of hooks and rings provided in a kit will depend on the width of the curtain linings: for a 46" wide lining, 16 rings and 16 hooks are provided; for a 66" wide lining, 24 rings and 24 hooks are provided; and for a 90" wide lining, 32 nngs and 32 hooks are provided.

The kit can also include some assembly instructions, as illustrated by separate assembly instruction leaflet 112 in Figure 1. As illustrated in Figure 1, instruction leaflet 112 can include pictures and explanatory text. The pictures can be similar to the pictures shown in Figures SA -Sc. In other embodiments, the instructions can be provided as part of the packaging for the kit for example printed on a box, bag or other container for the other parts of the kit. hi yet further embodiments, the instructions can he provided separately, for example as an electronic document which can be downloaded over a computer network and a hard copy printed out if required.

A method for adding a lining to a separate curtain using the kit illustrated in Figure 1 will now be described with reference to Figures 2A to 2C. The method of using the kit can generally be thought of as a retro-fit method as the kit allows a lining to be added to a pre-existing eyelet curtain. However, the method is not simply limited to old pre-existing curtains but can also be used with any separately produced eyelet curtain ort curtains (either newly produced or less recently produced) where it might be desirable to add a lining or have a lining that can be removed from the curtains. Hence, the kit can also be used with newly produced or hung eyelet curtains, for example, if the Uning is only temporary or a different type of lining is required or if no integrated lining of the curtain were provided on manufacture of the curtains.

As illustrated in Figure 2A, the method begins by laying both parts of a pair of eyelet curtains 200 face down (i.e. with the patterned or decorative side facing away) on a flat suiface. The pair of linings, (only first lining 102 is visible in Figure 2A) are then placed on the curtain just below the eyelets, e.g. 202, of the curtains and with the pocket tape facing toward the user. Then the curtain hooks, e.g. 110, are each inserted into a respective header tape pocket with one hook for every eyelet of the pair of cur ains. As illustrated in Figure 2A, the curtain hooks are located so that, each adjacent pair of curtain hooks are located between each corresponding adjacent pair of eyelets. That is, the first pair of curtain hooks 204 are thcated on the tape so that they are positioned within or between the first pair of eyelets 206 of the curtain, and then the second pair of curtain hooks 208 are located on the tape so that they are positioned within or between the second pair of eyelets 210 of the curtain, etc., and similarly for the second lining 104.

The linings are then removed from the eyelet curtains. Then, as illustrated by Figure 2W while the eyelet curtains 200 are still lying on the flat surface, the free end of a curtain pole 220 is threaded through the eyelets of the eyelet curtains and two curtain rings, e.g. rings 222, 224, are inserted onto the pole between each pair of eyelets as shown in Figure 2B.

Then, as illustrated in Figure 2C, the curtain pole 220, with the pair of eyelet curtains and the curtain rings still attached is secured to the window. Then the pair of linings are attached to the curtain pole on the rear side of the curtains by attaching a respective curtain ring 106 to each cur am hook by inserting the free tail end of the curtain hook into the lower loop 132 of the curtain ring. The lining is attached with the tape facing toward the rear side of the curtain. This is the preferred way to hand the curtains as then the tape and curtain hooks would not be visible in use.

The resulting assembly of curtain and lining can be seen in Figure 3 from the rear side of the curtain (although in Figure 3 only a one of the pair of curtain is shown). The position of the curtain hooks on the tape can be adjusted, if required, to improve the positioning and drape.

Figure 4 shows a close up of a pair of curtain rings 230, 232 positioned between a respective pair of eyelets 234, 236 of the curtain. AS the pair of curtain rings 230, 232 are trapped between the pair of eyelets, they are constrained to move with the eydets when the curtain itself is drawn. Hence, the lining will move with the curtain when the curtain is drawn and opened and so the assembled curtain and lining assembly acts just otherwise like a curtain having a built in lining.

Figure 5 shows a front view of the assembly of the eyelet curtain and lining when mounted on the curtain pole 220. As can be seen, the lining is not significantly visible to a user via the eyelets of the curtain and so does not detract from the aesthetic appearance of the curtains while still providing the functional benefits of the addition of the lining. The drop of the curtains is specifically selected to be at least a minimum amount shorter than the drop of the eyelet curtains. This allows the lining to correctly fit and function behind the curtain but also to be hidden behind the curtain. In the described embodiment, the linings are approximately 4t1 (10cm) shorter than the eyelet curtain.

As will be appreciated there are a number of benefits and advantages arising from the lining kit of the invention. Further, a number of variations and modifications to the specific embodiment of lining kit described herein are possible. For example, the type and material of the linings may be varied as may the number of linings and the dimensions of the linings. Different types of attachment means may be provided for attaching the linings to the curtain rings in place of curtain hooks. The materials of the curtain hooks may also be varied. The pocket tape can be replaced by another suitable support by which the attachment means can be attached toward the upper edge of the linings.

Claims (4)

1. CLAIMS: 1. An assembly comprising: a curtain pole; an eyelet curtain mounted on the curtain pole; and a lining separate to the eyelet curtain and mounted on the curtain pole by a plurality of curtain rings.
2. 2. The assembly of claim I. wherein the eyelet curtain has a plurality of pairs of adjacent eyelets, the plurality of curtain rings comprise a plurality of pairs of adjacent rings, and each pair of adjacent rings is located between a corresponding respective pair of adjacent eyelets.
3. 3. An assembly as claimed in daim I or 2, wherein the eyelet curtain has a curtain drop and the lining has a lining drop and wherein the lining drop is less than the curtain drop by at least a predetermined amount so that the lining is hidden behind the curtain.
4. 4. An assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the predetermined amount is approximately 4" (10cm).