GB2566432A

GB2566432A - A Curtain System

Info

Publication number: GB2566432A
Application number: GB1709422.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Benton Simon
Original assignee: Bradley Collection Ltd
Current assignee: Bradley Collection Ltd
Priority date: 2017-06-14
Filing date: 2017-06-14
Publication date: 2019-03-20
Also published as: GB201709422D0

Abstract

A curtain system comprises a curtain track 12 and runner 13 arranged to move along the track. A flexible drive member drives movement of the runner in a horizontal orientation to effect opening and closing of curtains secured to the runner. A drive mechanism drives the flexible drive member and a control mechanism 20 manually operates the drive mechanism. The control mechanism, which mountable to the drive mechanism, comprises a manual drive adapter 21 and a handle 22. The flexible drive member may comprise a belt or cord. The manual drive adapter may comprise a shaft 32 connected to the handle and may be mounted directly or indirectly to the drive mechanism to effect operation of the drive mechanism by rotational movement of the shaft. When indirectly mounted, the shaft may be mounted by way of gears or variomatic transmission. The handle may comprise elongate bars 23 connected by hinged or universal joints 24, 24b. A tubular protective sleeve, which is linked to the manual drive adapter and prevents rotation of the sleeve relative to the handle, may be located along the elongate bars. The handle may comprise a torsion limiter, such as a shear pin or slip clutch.

Description

This invention relates to a curtain system incorporating a drive mechanism which is manually operable using a handle. This invention also extends to a control mechanism including a handle for manually operating the drive mechanism of a curtain system.

Typically, curtains and blinds can be hung on tracks that incorporate mechanisms which are controlled by looped cords in order to open and close the curtain or blind. These types of mechanism are popular and useful but can be very dangerous. Many incidents of young children getting entangled and strangled by the cord have led to increasing safety concerns. Whilst efforts have been made, it is difficult to ensure than such systems are safe, given the requirement for the cord in order to operate the drive mechanism. It would be beneficial if curtain systems could be developed without the need for a cord or without access to the cord, thus eliminating the problem entirely.

Electrically operated curtain systems do not require a cord and operate by way of a motor which is configured to operate a belt via a drive mechanism. Such systems are inevitably more expensive than manual systems and require more extensive maintenance. By their very nature, these systems require power to operate and so must be wired to a power source. Additionally, the presence of a motor to operate movement of the curtain usually means that there is no manual override facility so that, if there is a power failure, the system is unable to operate. It may not be possible to control movement of the curtains by simply pulling the curtains themselves.

-2 It is a principal aim of the present invention to provide a curtain system which can be operated manually and which serves to address at least some of the problems with existing systems as discussed above.

According to a first aspect of this invention, there is provided a curtain system comprising: a curtain track; a runner arranged to move along the track; a flexible drive member arranged to drive movement of the runner in a horizontal orientation, in order to effect opening and closing of curtains secured to the runner; a drive mechanism configured to drive the flexible drive member; and a control mechanism for manually operating the drive mechanism, the control mechanism comprising a manual drive adapter and a handle and being configured interchangeably to mount to the drive mechanism.

Whilst the present invention has been developed primarily for use with curtains per se, it should be appreciated that the invention may also extend to use with vertical blinds and any other type of material arranged to suspend vertically from and to be moved laterally by the curtain system, in a horizontal orientation, and such use falls within the scope of this disclosure.

The flexible drive member may comprise a belt. A handle-driven belt arrangement means that there is no need for the system to include a cord. This thus avoids the risk of strangulation posed by looped cords. Additionally, the provision of a belt ensures a stronger and more durable arrangement than would be possible with a cord.

Alternatively, the system may be configured to retrofit to a corded mechanism, with the cord being arranged within the system so that it is not accessible. In this and other ways, the flexible drive member may comprise a

-3cord. The drive mechanism of such an arrangement may comprise a pulley arrangement to take up stretch and slack and to maintain sufficient tension on the cord to avoid slipping. The pulley arrangement may comprise a capstan pully at one end of the track to which the shaft is mounted and a spring tensioned pulley at the opposite end of the track.

In both arrangements, the provision of a handle element and the manual drive adapter allows the system to be overridden by manually grasping the curtains to enable them to be drawn by hand. This is not possible on existing corded or electrically operated systems without jamming up the cord or motor. Furthermore, the provision and configuration of the handle ensures that no vertical pull strain is exerted on the track which is common on looped cord operated systems.

As discussed above, electrically operated curtain systems do not use a cord mechanism but instead incorporate a belt arrangement which is driven by a motor. It may be beneficial if there existed a way to convert an existing electrically operated curtain system to a manual system so as to benefit from the safety advantages of electric systems without the cost implications and assembly difficulties. Thus, according to a second, closely related, aspect of this invention there is provided a control mechanism for a curtain system, the curtain system having a curtain track; a runner arranged to move along the track; a flexible drive member arranged to drive movement of the runner in a horizontal orientation, in order to effect opening and closing of curtains secured to the runner; and a drive mechanism configured to drive the flexible drive member, wherein the control

-4mechanism comprises a manual drive adapter and a handle and is configured for mounting to the drive mechanism.

The control mechanism can be operatively mounted to the drive mechanism of an existing system by replacing the motor of the system with the control mechanism. This allows the control mechanism to be retrofitted to a motorised system and allows, if required, the option easily to convert the system or upgrade the system to a motor driven one by replacement of the control mechanism with a motor.

The configuration and features of the control mechanism as hereinafter discussed should be interpreted as covering the mechanism as both integrated as part of an overall curtain system or as a separate component. As a retrofitable separate component, references to the benefits of the control mechanism in relation to the overall system should be interpreted accordingly as meaning the overall system once fitting has been carried out.

Preferably the manual drive adapter comprises a shaft connected to the handle and mounted directly, or configured for mounting directly, to the drive mechanism to effect operation thereof by rotational movement of the shaft. In this arrangement, rotational movement of the handle by the user transmits motion to the drive mechanism which, in turn drives the flexible drive member and causes the runner and connected curtains to open or close.

In some cases, it may be desirable to increase curtain traverse speed. In this case the manual drive adapter may comprise a shaft connected to the handle and mounted indirectly, or configured for mounting indirectly, to the drive mechanism to effect operation thereof by rotational movement of the shaft. The

-5manual drive adapter may comprise gears or variable speed drive to vary the speed of operation of the drive mechanism, whereby the shaft is indirectly mounted to the drive mechanism by way of the gears. The speed of motion may be increased or decreased by providing a control mechanism or manual drive adapter having different gear ratios. In this way, the gear ratios can be tailored for specific uses - for example low gearing could be used for use on systems having heavy curtains or weak or elderly users, whereas high gearing could be used to achieve high draw speed across large spans with light curtains.

The manual drive adapter may alternatively comprise a continuously variable transmission (CVT) to enable a continuous range of effective gear ratios. The provision of a variomatic transmission, where the shaft is indirectly mounted to the drive mechanism by way of the variomatic transmission, allows the speed of operation of the drive mechanism to be varied automatically in response to varying levels of force applied to the handle.

In all cases, it is preferable that opening of the curtains will be effected by rotation in one direction and closing of the curtains will be effected by rotation of the handle in the opposite direction.

It is preferable for the control mechanism to be located at an end of the curtain track as this is the most conveniently accessible and inconspicuous location for access to the handle. In some cases it may be convenient to have two control mechanisms, arranged at opposed ends of the curtain track. Such a double ended system enables operation of the curtain system from both ends of the track. This arrangement is not possible with conventional cord operated systems due to the necessary closed loop arrangement.

-6Preferably, the handle comprises an elongate bar. To enable a more versatile arrangement for winding, preferably the handle comprises more than one elongate bar connected together. The bars may be connected perpendicularly to each other in order to form a crank to assist with the rotational winding of the handle. Even more preferably the elongate bars are movably connected together, so that the angle of the bars relative to each other can be varied. This may be achieved by way of universal joints. In effect, this allows the handle to be conveniently arranged in a non-obstructive linear orientation when not in use but enables the user to adapt the handle into a crank-style arrangement when required to assist with winding motion thereof.

When in use, the handle is pulled around the edge of the curtain and often makes contact with the fabric in the same place each time. As a result, rotation of the handle, over time, may cause fraying or wear to the vertical edges or selvages of the curtain. Preferably therefore the curtain system further comprises a protective sleeve located around the elongate bar. The protective sleeve may be connected or fixed to prevent rotation of the sleeve relative to the handle. Preferably, the protective sleeve is linked to the manual drive adapter. This link may be a loose linkage to counteract spinning rotation of the handle. The protective sleeve may be tubular to ensure that freedom of movement of the handle is maintained. The sleeve may extend a minor or major part of the length of the handle.

In order to protect the system from damage when the curtains reach the limit of opening or closing, the handle may include a torsion limiter to limit the

-7 force that can be applied by the control mechanism to the drive mechanism. The torsion limiter may comprise a shear pin or a slip clutch.

By way of example only, an embodiment of this invention will now be described in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:Figure 1a is a perspective view of a first embodiment of curtain system of the present invention;

Figure 1b is an exploded view of the curtain system of Figure 1;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a manual drive adapter of the control mechanism of the first embodiment of curtain system;

Figure 3a is a perspective view of a manual drive adapter of the control mechanism of a second embodiment of curtain system;

Figure 3b is a partly cut-away view of the manual drive adapter of Figure 3a;

Figure 4a is a perspective view of a manual drive adapter of the control mechanism of a third embodiment of curtain system;

Figure 4b is a partly cut-away view of the manual drive adapter of Figure 4a);

Figure 5a is a perspective view of the second embodiment of curtain system of the present invention;

Figure 5b is an exploded view of the curtain system of Figure 5a;

Figure 6a is a perspective view of a forth embodiment of curtain system of the present invention;

Figure 6b is an exploded view of the curtain system of Figure 6a;

-8Figure 6c is an enlarged detail from Figure 6b shown slightly further separated;

Figure 7 is a perspective view showing a protective sleeve around the handle of a curtain system, according to the present invention; and

Figure 8 is an alternative fifth embodiment of curtain system having a cord arrangement.

Referring initially to Figures 1a, 1b, 5a and 5b there are shown two embodiments of curtain system. The common elements of these embodiments will first be described - the same components shall be given the same reference numbers throughout. Both of these embodiments include a curtain track 12 and a runner 13 which is arranged to move along the track 12. A flexible drive member in the form of a belt (not visible) is located within the track assembly and this is arranged to drive movement of the runner 13. The belt includes a series of curtain hook eyes 14 for attaching curtains (not shown). At each end of the track assembly an end case 16 is connected. Within one end case 16 a drive mechanism is operably connected at the end of the track 12. The drive mechanism comprises a drive cog 17 which is configured to drive the belt under user operation of a control mechanism 20, in order to effect opening and closing of curtains. The control mechanism 20 of each of the embodiments includes a manual drive adapter 21, 35 and a handle 22.

The curtain system of the present invention is designed for manual operation by rotation of the handle 22. The handle 22 is formed from series of three elongate cylindrical bars 23 connected together by hinged joints 24. The joints 24 facilitate flexible movement of the handle 22 for ease of use and enable

-9the handle 22 to be manipulated into a crank-style configuration. The handle 22 is connected to the manual drive adapter 21 by a universal joint 24b that allows the angle of the handle relative to the manual drive adapter to change without affecting the transmission of the rotational movement of the handle 22 to the drive adapter.

As illustrated in Figure 7, the handle 22 includes a tubular sleeve 27 which is configured to surround part of the handle 22 and which is connected to the manual drive adapter 21 by a linkage 28. This sleeve 27 is provided to protect a connected curtain from damage due to rotation of the handle 22.

The components and arrangement of the manual drive adapter 21 of the embodiment of Figures 1a and 1b differs from the manual drive adapter 35 of Figures 5a and 5b, as will be discussed in more detail below.

The manual drive adapter 21,35 includes a housing 31 which is configured for mounting to the drive cog 17 of the drive mechanism and a shaft 32 which extends into the housing 31 and which is connected to the handle 22. The manual drive adaptor 21 may be a direct drive arrangement, as illustrated in Figures 1a, 1b and 2. In this arrangement the shaft 32 is configured to engage directly with the drive cog 17 of the drive mechanism. In this way, rotation of the handle 22 causes rotation of the shaft 32 and in turn rotation of the drive cog 17. A second type of manual drive adapter 35, incorporating gears 36 is shown in Figures 3a and 3b. In this arrangement, the adapter 35 includes a drive pin 37 which engages with the drive cog 17 and the shaft 32 is connected to the drive pin 37 by way of the gears 36. The provision of gears enables the speed of curtain motion to be increased. A third type of manual drive adapter 40 is

-10illustrated in Figures 4a and 4b. This is much the same as the second type 35 but the gears 36 have been replaced by a variomatic transmission 41. The connection of the second or third type of manual drive adapter 35, 40 to a curtain system can be seen in Figures 5a and 5b.

The control mechanism 20 could be used to convert an electrically driven curtain system (not shown) into a manually driven system. In this case, the motor of the electrically driven system can be directly replaced by the manual drive adapter 21, 35, 40, thereby enabling the curtain system to be controlled by way of the handle 22.

As shown in Figures 6a, 6b and 6c, the system may include a drive mechanism within both end cases 16, and so at each end of the track 12, along with corresponding control mechanisms 20. In this arrangement a drive cog 17 is provided at both ends, each of which is configured to drive the belt under user operation of the respective control mechanism 20, in order to effect opening and closing of curtains (not shown). This allows movement of the curtains to be controlled from both ends of the curtain track 12 and so provides greater versatility. The arrangement shown in Figures 6a and 6b as illustrated includes a geared 36 or variomatic transmission 41 for the manual drive adapter 35, 40 but a direct drive arrangement 21, such as that shown in Figure 2, would work equally as well.

An alternative embodiment of curtain system is illustrated in Figure 8 and this arrangement is designed with a corded mechanism, with the cord 45 being arranged within the system so that it is not accessible. The arrangement may be a retrofit modification of an existing corded mechanism. As with the previously

-11 described embodiments, the system includes a curtain track 12 and a runner 13 which is arranged to move along the track 12. Unlike the previous embodiments however, the flexible drive member in this arrangement is in the form of a cord 45 and this is located within the track assembly. The cord 45 is arranged to drive movement of the runner 13. A drive mechanism is operably connected at the end of the track and this again comprises a drive capstan 46 which is configured to drive the cord 45 under user operation of a control mechanism 20, in order to effect opening and closing of curtains (not shown). The control mechanism 20 may comprise any of the embodiments hereinbefore described. In this arrangement the drive mechanism also includes a pulley arrangement to take up stretch and slack and to maintain sufficient tension on the cord to avoid slipping. The pulley arrangement comprises a pulley 47 at an end of the track 12 to remote from that at which the capstan is mounted. The pulley is tensioned by a spring to keep tension in the cord 45. The drive mechanism arrangement of this 15 embodiment allows a closed loop of cord to be retrofitted to existing track profiles and thereby controlled by the handle 22. This therefore negates the need for a hanging control looped cord and increases safety.

Claims

1. A curtain system comprising: a curtain track; a runner arranged to move along the track; a flexible drive member arranged to drive movement of the runner in a horizontal orientation, in order to effect opening and closing of curtains secured to the runner; a drive mechanism configured to drive the flexible drive member; and a control mechanism for manually operating the drive mechanism, the control mechanism comprising a manual drive adapter and a handle and being configured interchangeably to mount to the drive mechanism.

2. A curtain system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flexible drive member comprises a belt.

3. A curtain system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flexible drive member comprises a cord.

4. A curtain system as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the manual drive adapter comprises a shaft connected to the handle and mounted directly to the drive mechanism to effect operation thereof by rotational movement of the shaft.

5. A curtain system as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the manual drive adapter comprises a shaft connected to the handle and mounted indirectly to the drive mechanism to effect operation thereof by rotational movement of the shaft.

6. A curtain system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the manual drive adapter comprises gears to vary the speed of operation of the drive mechanism, whereby the shaft is indirectly mounted to the drive mechanism by way of the gears.

7. A curtain system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the manual drive adapter comprises a variomatic transmission to vary the speed of operation of the drive mechanism, whereby the shaft is indirectly mounted to the drive mechanism by way of the variomatic transmission.

8. A curtain system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the control mechanism is located at an end of the curtain track.

9. A curtain system as claimed in claim 8, comprising two control mechanisms, arranged at opposed ends of the curtain track.

10. A curtain system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the handle comprises an elongate bar.

11. A curtain system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the handle comprises more than one elongate bar connected together.

12. A curtain system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the elongate bars are movably connected by hinged or universal joints.

13. A curtain system as claimed in any of claims 10 to 13, further comprising a protective sleeve located around the elongate bar.

14. A curtain system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the protective sleeve is connected to prevent rotation of the sleeve relative to the handle.

15. A curtain system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the protective sleeve is linked to the manual drive adapter.

16. A curtain system as claimed in any of claims 13 to 15, wherein the protective sleeve is tubular.

17. A curtain system as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the handle includes a torsion limiter to limit the force that can be applied to the drive mechanism by the handle.

18. A curtain system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the torsion limiter comprises a shear pin or a slip clutch.

19. A control mechanism for a curtain system, the curtain system having a curtain track; a runner arranged to move along the track; a flexible drive member arranged to drive movement of the runner in a horizontal orientation, in order to effect opening and closing of curtains secured to the runner; and a drive mechanism configured to drive the flexible drive member, wherein the control mechanism comprises a manual drive adapter and a handle and is configured for mounting to the drive mechanism.

20. A control mechanism as claimed in claim 19, wherein the manual drive adapter comprises a shaft connected to the handle and configured for mounting directly to the drive mechanism to effect operation thereof by rotational movement of the shaft.

21. A control mechanism as claimed in claim 19, wherein the manual drive adapter comprises a shaft connected to the handle and configured for mounting indirectly to the drive mechanism to effect operation thereof by rotational movement of the shaft.

22. A control mechanism as claimed in claim 21, wherein the manual drive adapter comprises gears to vary the speed of operation of the drive mechanism.

23. A control mechanism as claimed in claim 21, wherein the manual drive adapter comprises a variomatic transmission to vary the speed of operation of the drive mechanism.

24. A control mechanism as claimed in any of claims 19 to 23, wherein the handle comprises an elongate bar.

25. A control mechanism as claimed in claim 24, wherein the handle comprises more than one elongate bar connected together.

26. A control mechanism as claimed in claim 25 wherein the elongate bars are movably connected by hinges or universal joints.

5

27. A control mechanism as claimed in any of claims 24 to 26, further comprising a protective sleeve located around the elongate bar.

28. A control mechanism as claimed in claim 27, wherein the protective sleeve is connected to prevent rotation of the sleeve relative to the handle.

29. A control mechanism as claimed in claim 28, wherein the protective sleeve 10 is linked to the manual drive adapter.

30. A control mechanism as claimed in any of claims 27 to 29, wherein the protective sleeve is tubular.

31. A control mechanism as claimed in any of claims 19 to 30, wherein the handle includes a torsion limiter to limit the force that can be applied by the control

15 mechanism.

32. A control mechanism as claimed in claim 31, wherein the torsion limiter comprises a shear pin or a slip clutch.