NL2012870B1

NL2012870B1 - Curtain rail support.

Info

Publication number: NL2012870B1
Application number: NL2012870A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Johannes Augustus Klinkenberg Raymond
Original assignee: Regout Nv Thomas
Priority date: 2014-05-22
Filing date: 2014-05-22
Publication date: 2016-03-15
Also published as: BE1023425B1; BE1023425A1

Abstract

The invention is directed at a curtain rail support for mounting of a curtain rail to a mounting surface. The curtain rail support comprises a planar side for being in contact with said mounting surface. It further comprises a rail connection side including a rail receiving section and a flexible locking member. The rail receiving section is arranged between the locking member and a support edge of the rail connecting side. The locking member and the support edge are shaped such as to provide the rail receiving section having a shape corresponding to one or more protruding parts of a base side of the curtain rail. This enables a form-fitted connection between the curtain rail and the curtain rail support. The flexible locking member is arranged for flexing outward for enabling the curtain rail to click into position. The flexible locking member is an integral part of the curtain rail support and includes a tab portion parallel to the rail connecting side held remotely therefrom by a flexible bridge. The invention further relates to an assembly of one or more curtain rail supports with at least one curtain rail.

Description

Title: Curtain rail support

Field of the invention

The present invention is directed at a curtain rail support for mounting of a curtain rail to a mounting surface, the curtain rail support comprising planar side arranged for being in contact with said mounting surface in use, the curtain rail support further comprising a rail connection side including a rail receiving section and a flexible locking member. The invention further relates to an assembly of one or more curtain rail supports and at least one curtain rail.

Background

Various solution for fast mounting of curtain rails to a mounting surface, such as a ceiling, a mounting surface of a wall mounting carrier, a wall or a window or door frame. Some of such solutions include curtain rail supports comprising flexible locking members that enable to mount the curtain rail support to the mounting surface as a separate step from mounting the curtain rail to the curtain rail support. Such solutions obviate the need for having to hold the rail in position while fastening a screw, making it easier to mount the curtain rail quickly and neatly without too much cumber.

Although such curtain rail supports are an improvement in the sense that the curtain rails may be mounted faster and easier, the conventional curtain rail supports of this type also suffer from disadvantages. For example, to minimize the distance between the rail and the ceiling a fastener hole for attaching the support to the ceiling by means of a screw is often located next to the rail in a visible position. However also the flexible locking means are located in this position for the same reason. This often renders a relatively bulky arrangement of parts.

Also, in most instances, mounting of the support and handling of the flexible locking member has to be performed iteratively. For example, to allow handling of the flexible locking member, the support is first partly fastened to the ceiling, then the rail is attached to the support, and thereafter the screw for mounting the support is tightened.

Summary of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a fast mountable curtain rail support wherein such abovementioned disadvantages are obviated, such as to provide an easy and fast operable solution for mounting a curtain rail to mounting surface which enables a neat and satisfactory result by means of a slim designed curtain rail support.

To this end, there is provided herewith a curtain rail support for mounting of a curtain rail to a mounting surface, the curtain rail support comprising a planar side arranged for being in contact with said mounting surface in use, the curtain rail support further comprising a rail connection side including a rail receiving section and a flexible locking member, wherein the rail receiving section is arranged between the flexible locking member and a support edge of the rail connecting side, and wherein the flexible locking member and the support edge are shaped such as to provide the rail receiving section having a shape corresponding to one or more protruding parts of a base side of the curtain rail such as to enable a form-fitted connection between the curtain rail and the curtain rail support, wherein the flexible locking member is arranged for flexing outward relative to the rail receiving section such as to enable the curtain rail to click into position upon mounting thereof, and wherein the flexible locking member is an integral part of the curtain rail support including a tab portion extending parallel to the rail connecting side held remotely therefrom by a flexible bridge.

The curtain rail support in accordance with the present invention is based on a flexible locking member consisting of at least a tab portion that can be handled, which tab portion is attached to remainder of the support by a flexible bridge only. The flexible bridge allows the locking member to flex away in such a manner such as to allow the rail to click into position in the rail receiving section. Moreover, the tab portion may be pressed using only a finger such as to open up the flexible locking member a bit, allowing positioning of the rail or even easy removal thereof. The tab also withdraws the used fastener for mounting the support from visibility.

The curtain rail support of the present invention is designed as an integral element that may be formed of a suitable polymer allowing injection molding. The flexible bridge keeping the tab portion at distance from the rail connecting side, may be embodied as a thinned section that derives the required elasticity from the thickness thereof. Dependent on the material of choice, the thickness of the bridge at its smallest section maybe between 0,5 millimeter and 3,0 millimeter for example. For the material of choice, the support may in accordance with some embodiments for example be formed of a plastic that is minimally susceptible to stress relaxation. This material may for instance be a thermoplastic such as polyoxymethylene (POM). An example of such a polyoxymethylene is Duracon® CP-15X obtainable from Polyplastics Co., Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan (and many other locations around the world). As will be appreciated, many different materials having suitable properties may be applied without departing from the inventive concept, which materials are not further specified herein and are considered to be identifiable by the skilled person based on the present description. In accordance with a specific embodiment of the present invention, the curtain rail support is manufactured using abovementioned polyoxymethylene, Duracon® CP-15X, and having an flexible bridge having a thickness of approximately 0,7 to 2,0 millimeter, for example nominal 1,1 millimeter. The thickness of the flexible bridge is also dependent on a number of other parameters, such as the dimensions of the rail (the flexible bridge maybe made thicker in case the rail becomes taller), or the dimensions or shape of the flexible bridge itself.

In accordance with an embodiment, the flexible locking member further comprises a safety member, said safety member being movable relative to the tab portion for placing the safety member in a locking position such that in said locking position the safety member extends between the tab portion and the rail connecting side for preventing said flexing of the flexible locking member. The safety member in accordance with this embodiment allows to prevent operation of the flexible locking member when placed in the locking position. This prevents the flexible locking means thereby from accidentally opening up (or being opened up) or flexed away from the rail receiving section, thereby securing the rail to remain in position. Curtains suspending from a curtain rail may be quite heavy dependent on the type of cloth or material used, and therefore may exert a large force on the curtain rail. In the present embodiment, wherein the flexible locking member can be secured by the safety member, the weight of the curtains that can be suspended from the rail can be large without there being a risk that the flexible locking member opens up under influence of such weight.

Moreover, the safety member may be designed, in accordance with some embodiments, in such a manner as to further withdraw the fastener (e.g. screw) of the support from visibility, as will be discussed later. The safety member may, in accordance with some embodiments, be a rotatable safety member connected to either one of the tab portion or the rail connecting side by a hinge connection. A rotatable safety member may be elegantly designed to be placed in a locking position conveniently by a user, while at the same time being small of size for allowing a slim design.

The tab portion of the curtain rail support, in according with some embodiments, extends parallel to a fixing section of the rail connection side of the curtain rail support, wherein the fixing section comprises a fastener hole for receiving a fastener for enabling mounting of the curtain rail support to the mounting surface, wherein the tab portion extends over the fixing section, and wherein the tab portion comprises an access hole or access cut-out portion for providing access to the fastener hole. The curtain rail support of the present invention allows for a compact design. In this particular embodiment, the tab portion may be suitably arranged extending over the fastener hole while still allowing access to the fastener hole e.g. for fastening a screw to mount the support onto the mounting surface. The flexible locking member may be operated independent from whether or not the support has been mounted. Mounting of the support to the mounting surface may be done before, during or after the curtain rail has been attached to the rail receiving section - without either the fastening of the support or the placement of the rail being made difficult by one of these two having to be performed after the other. Moreover, the suitable arrangement of the tab portion relative to the fastener hole provides for a compact design.

In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, the rotatable safety member is arranged for covering the access hole or access cut-out portion when placed in said locking position. This withdraws the fastener and fastener hole from visibility when the safety member is placed in locking position. Note that the rail may still be clicked into position in the rail receiving section either before, during or after mounting of the support. The fastener will no longer be accessible and visible once the safety member is in the locking position, independent from whether the rail is or is not in position. Therefore, the placement of the safety member in the locking position may be performed as a last step to complete the mounting of the rail to the mounting surface. In a specific embodiment, the rotatable safety member is connected to the tab portion, and the tab portion comprises two arms defining said access cut-out portion, wherein the rotatable safety member extends between the two arms of the tab portion forming said hinge connection with said arms. All functions of the access cut out portion, the fastener hole, the tab portion and the safety member have been integrated compactly in this embodiment. In even a further preferred embodiment, the rotatable safety member comprises a handle member and a locking bridge, the locking bridge extending substantially transverse to the handle member, wherein in said locking position of the safety member: the handle member is arranged for covering the access cut-out portion, and the locking bridge extends between the tab portion and the rail connecting side for said preventing of said flexing of the flexible locking member. In addition to the compact and slim design, this effectively withdraws the fastener from visibility in the abovementioned preferred manner.

Moreover, in a further version of the above preferred embodiment the locking bridge comprises at least one style, said style being arranged such that upon rotation of the safety member said style rotates in a plane intersecting with the rail connecting side remotely from the fastener hole such as to provide room for said fastener. When rotating the safety member, the style or styles (e.g. in the form of two extended arms or knobs) conveniently rotate in a plane past a screw head of a screw used for mounting the curtain rail support to the mounting surface, allowing a further reduction of the size of the curtain rail support. To allow reopening of the safety member when it is in the locked position, in accordance with a further embodiment, the handle member comprises a plate having a shape corresponding with the access cut-out portion, said plate having a truncated section providing a slot between the handle member and the tab portion in the access cut-out portion. This enables easy opening of the safety member using a tool. In some embodiments, the plate of the handle member comprises a thinned portion to enable a screw driver or a nail to access the slot for opening the safety member. In embodiments having a truncated section, this thinned portion may be located near the truncated section.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the rotatable safety member is connected to the tab portion, and the rail connecting side includes an indentation such as to provide a tactile feedback to a user when placing the safety member in the locking position. Providing such a tactile feedback ensures to the user that the flexible locking member is secured by the safety member, and will not accidentally open under influence of forces exerted on the rail by a suspending curtain.

In accordance with yet another embodiment, the rail connecting side further comprises a structural protrusion for maintaining the safety member in said locking position, wherein said structural protrusion is at least one of a group comprising at least one ridge or one or more knobs, tabs, or styles. This prevents the safety member itself from opening up accidentally.

The flexible locking member of the curtain rail support of the invention in accordance with a further embodiment thereof, comprises one or more flexing edges located at an opposite side of the flexible bridge with respect to the tab portion, said one or more flexing edges defining said shape of the flexible locking member with respect to the rail receiving section for enabling the form-fitted connection, and wherein the one or more flexible edges are arranged for further flexing thereof in addition to the flexible bridge when in use the curtain rail is clicked into position for mounting thereof. The additional flexibility provided by the flexing edges may render the attachment of the rail to the rail receiving section more easy than the removal of the rail in the opposite direction, and thereby help maintaining a tight grip on the rail by the support.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, there is provided an assembly of one or more curtain rail supports according to any one of the preceding claims and at least one curtain rail configured to be connected to said supports.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will further be elucidated by description of some specific embodiments thereof, making reference to the attached drawings. The detailed description provides examples of possible implementations of the invention, but is not to be regarded as describing the only embodiments falling under the scope. The scope of the invention is defined in the claims, and the description is to be regarded as illustrative without being restrictive on the invention. In the drawings:

Figure 1 illustrates a curtain rail support in accordance with the present invention, the safety member of the support being in a locked position;

Figure 2 illustrates a curtain rail support in accordance with the present invention, the safety member of the support being in an open position;

Figures 3A and 3B illustrate a cross section of a curtain rail support in accordance with the present invention, the support being respectively in an open and a locked position.

Detailed description

Figure 1 illustrates a curtain rail support 1 in accordance an embodiment of the present invention. The curtain rail support 1 comprises a planar side located in the illustration of figure 1 at (non-visible) bottom side of the curtain rail support 1.

The bottom side is generally indicated with reference numeral 2. For the purpose of the present definition, the top side 3 of the curtain rail support is herein below called the rail connecting side 3.

The rail connecting side 3 comprises a rail receiving section 5 and a fixing section, including a flexible locking member 4. The rail receiving section 5 is limited by the support edge 7 and the edge 9 of the flexible locking member 4, the rail receiving section 5 being arranged in between these. The inner side 14 of the support edge 7 and the inner side 15 of the edge 9 of the flexible locking member 4 are shaped having a corresponding angle such that the rail receiving section 5 has an overall shape which corresponds to protruding parts 11 and 12 of a base side 13 of a curtain rail (as illustrated in figure 3A). This enables a form-fitted connection between the curtain rail 10 and the curtain rail support 1. The rail is thereby further supported by edge 22. By mounting the curtain rail support to a mounting service and by attaching the rail 10 to the rail receiving section 5 by means of the form-fitted connection illustrated in figure 3A, the curtain rail 10 may be suspended from the mounting service. The form-fitted connection provides a tight and strong connection between the curtain rail 10 and the curtain rail support 1.

In order to position the rail in the curtain rail support 1, the protruding parts 11 and 12 of the rail have to be placed in position between the inner sides 14 and 15 of the support edge 7 and the edge 9 of the flexible locking member 4 and the rail receiving section 5 of the rail connecting side 3. In order to allow the protruding parts 11 and 12 to be placed in position, the first protruding part 11 is placed between the inner side 14 of the support edge 7 and the rail receiving section 5. Then, pressure is exerted with the second protruding part 12 on the edge 9. The flexible locking member 4 is designed to flex outwards relative to the support edge 7 and the rail receiving section 5 upon pressure exerted on the edge 9, such as to enable the curtain rail 10 to click into position. This flexing is achieved by the construction of the flexible locking member 4.

The flexible locking member 4 comprises, as illustrated in figure 1, a tab-portion 18 that extends parallel and partly over the rail connecting side 3 of the curtain rail support 1. The tab-portion 18 is held at a distance from the rail connecting side 3 by means of a flexible bridge 20. Except for rotatable safety member 25 which is connected forming a hinge 26 with the tab portion 18, the whole curtain rail support 1 is an integrally formed piece, including the flexible locking member 4. The material of the curtain rail support 1 may be suitable chosen, and may for example include or be made of polyoxymethylene (POM). The flexible bridge 20, formed of this material and having a suitable thickness (e.g. between 0,5 - 3,0 millimeter at its smallest point, preferably 0,7-2,0 millimeter, for example nominal 1,1 millimeter), enables the edge 9 of the flexible locking member 4 to flex outward relative to the support edge 7 and rail receiving section 5, when a curtain rail 10 is forced in between the edges 7 and 9 to be placed in position on rail receiving section 5. In order to flex outward, in the embodiment of figure 1, the rotatable safety member 25 must be placed in the open position to allow tab portion 18 to bend towards fixing section 6. The open position is for example illustrated in figure 2. Exerting a force on the edge 9 by a rail 10 such as to place the rail 10 in position at the rail receiving section 5, causes the flexible bridge 20 to bend backwards such that the ultimate end 19 of the tab-portion 18 will move closer to the fixing section 6 of the rail connecting side 3 and such that the edge 9 moves outward. Then, if more pressure is exerted on the rail 10 to place it in position on section 5, the additional flexing edge 23 of the flexible locking member 4 will flex towards flexible bridge 20 such to allow the edge 12 to click into position on the section 5. As soon as the rail 10 clicks into position, the edge 23 flexes back to its original orientation providing the form-fitted connection together with edge 22, as illustrated in figure 3A. Edge 22 in this position provides a support surface to the rail 10, and thereby also prevents the edge 23 from flexing back and releasing the rail 10. The thickness of flexible edge 23 may for example be nominal 0,7 millimeter, although this may depend on the dimensions of the design or the material of the support 1.

As may be appreciated, different thicknesses than the above range for the flexible bridge 20 may be applied, in particular in case the curtain rail support is made of a different material. The material properties and parametric shape of the design will determine the optimal thickness that provides a sufficiently strong form-fitted connection, while also providing sufficient flexibility to the bridge 20 for allowing the rail 10 to be placed in position on the rail receiving section 5.

As explained, placing rail 10 in position on section 5 of the curtain rail support 1 in the embodiment illustrated in the figures, requires the safety member 25 to be in the open position as illustrated in figure 2. Once the rail is placed in position in the curtain rail support 1, the form-fitted connection is obtained. This form-fitted connection is in principle insufficiently reliable to keep the curtain rail 10 in place. As may be appreciated, once curtains will be suspended from the curtain rail, the weight of the curtain rail including the curtains may become considerable depended on the material used for the curtains. Therefore, without an additional safety member 25, there may be a risk that under influence of the weight of the curtains, the flexible locking member 4 may open up and release the rail 10. To prevent this, and therefore to increase the strength of the form-fitted connection sufficiently, the flexible locking member 4 further comprises the rotatable safety member 25.

As can be seen in figures 1 and 2, safety member 25 is rotatably connected to the tab portion 18 forming a hinge 26 therewith. The safety member 25, as can be seen in figure 2, substantially comprises an L-shaped cross section comprising a handle member 29 and a locking bridge 30. The rotatable safety member 25 can be operated by user by moving the handle member 29 such as to cause rotation of the safety member 25. The handle member 29 comprises a plate or a plate-like construction as illustrated in figure 2. It further comprises a thinned section 37 at one end thereof, allowing the handle member 29 to be opened up from the closed locked position illustrated in figure 1 by means of a tool such as a small screwdriver. In stead of or in addition to the thinned portion, the handle member 29 may further comprise a truncated section located at a similar position on the plate of the handle member 29. The truncated section (not visible in the figures) may leave open a small slot or spacing between the access cut-out 50 and the handle member 29, for enabling a screwdriver to access the slot.

The locking bridge 30 comprises two styles 35 which are of a length (e.g. as measured from the hinge 26) such as to span the distance between the end 19 of the tab-portion 18 and the groove or indentation 33 on the fixing section 6 of the rail connecting side 3. In the closed position, the styles 35 fall with ultimate ends in the indentation 33 and are further held in place by an additional ridge 36 and knobs 34 located at the end of the fixing section 6. The length of the styles 35 is preferably slightly longer than the distance between the tab portion 18 and the fixing section 6, such as to bias the tab portion 18 in the locking position. The ridge 36 and the knobs 34 prevent the safety member 25 from rotating beyond the ultimate end of the fixing section 6, accidentally opening up again. The indentation 34, upon rotation of the safety member 25 into the locking position illustrated in figure 1, provide a tactile feedback to the user to ensure the user that the flexible locking member 4 is securely locked.

To mount the curtain rail support 1 to a mounting service, the fixing section 6 further includes a fastener hole 40 to which a fastener, such as a screw, a nail, or any other suitable fastening means may extend. The fastener hole 40 may be circular or slotted, or may have any other desired shape. As will be appreciated by the skilled person, although in principle the curtain rail support 1 may be fastened by means of driving a nail through the fastener hole 40, a usual and most advantageous manner of fastening the curtain rail support 1 to a mounting service will be by means of a screw. Fastening by means of a screw is schematically illustrated in figures 3A and 3B by means of screw 44. The fastener hole 40 may further comprise a thickened circumferential ridge 42 that locally improves the structural integrity of the material. As will be appreciated, tight fastening of the curtain rail support 1 to a mounting surface by means of a screw 44 increases the pressure in the material of the curtain rail support 1 between the screw head of the screw 44 and the mounting service considerably. Local strengthening of the material by means of the thickened circumferential ridge 42 may therefore be preferred.

The tab-portion 18 of the curtain rail support 1 in the embodiment illustrated in figures 1 and 2 comprises two arms 46 and 47 extending at either side of a cut-out portion 50. The cut-out portion 50 is an access cut-out which allows the fastener hole 40 to be accessed for installation of a screw 44, when the curtain rail support 1 is with its safety member 25 in the open position (illustrated in figure 2).

The arms 46 and 47 at the ultimate end 19 also provide the counter elements of the hinge 26 for the attaching the safety member 25. In the figures, the hinge 26 is illustrated comprising hinge pens that extend into hinge bolts. As the skilled person may appreciate, whether either the pens or the bolts are comprised by the safety member 25 or by the arms 46 and 47 or the other way around is left at the choice of the skilled person without departing from the present invention.

In a different embodiment, the access cut-out 50 may also be an access hole through the tab-portion 18. As will be appreciated, different embodiments may exist wherein the safety member 25 is not rotatable, or wherein the safety member 25 is rotatable by means of a hinge formed with the fixing section 6 of the curtain rail support. The tab portion 18 may in that case be void of the two arms, and simply be embodied as a plate-like tab-portion having an access hole to enable reaching fastener hole 40 with a screw.

In the embodiment illustrated in figures 1 and 2, the styles 35 of the locking bridge 30 are located at the sides of the locking bridge 30 such that upon rotation of the safety member 25, each of the styles 35 rotates in a plain slightly remote from the fastener hole 40 or its periphery 42. This allows the styles 35 to rotate without interfering with a fastener such as screw 44. In the closed position illustrated in figure 1, the handle member 29 closes the access cut-out 50 such as to withdraw the screw 44 and fastener hole 40 from visibility. Alternatively, the locking bridge 30 may be designed without the styles 35, having a transverse part extending such as to bridge the distance between the tab portion 18 and the indentation 33 in the fixing section 6. To prevent interfering with a screw or other fastener, the tab portion 18 as measured from the edge 9 may in that case be longer such as to allow rotation of the safety member 25 into the locking position. Moreover, where necessary, the curtain rail support 1 has been created with rounded edges to prevent tearing. A good example thereof are the rounded edges 52 of the flexible bridge 20 illustrated in figure 2.

Figures 3A and 3B illustrate the curtain rail support 1 in the embodiments in figures 1 and 2, including therein and attached curtain rail 10. The curtain rail support 1 further comprises a screw 44 for mounting it to a mounting service (not visible). In figures 3A and 3B, the same reference numerals have been used as in figures 1 and 2 for the corresponding elements. Figure 3A illustrates the curtain rail support 1 with the safety member 25 in the open position. Figures 3B illustrates the curtain rail support 1 with the safety member 25 in the closed position. As can be seen in figure 3B, the ends of the styles 35 bridge the gap between the tab-portion 18 and the fixing section 6 of the curtain rail support and extend into the indentation 33. The structural protrusion 36 with knobs 34 prevent the safety member 25 from rotating across the ultimate end of the curtain rail support 1, preventing it to open up again.

The curtain rail support of the present invention is an integral part comprising the flexible locking member. The safety member comprised by the flexible locking member is in the preferred embodiment a rotatable member forming a hinge with the tab portion. Due to this hinged connection, the safety member may itself be a separate part which may not be integrally formed with the rest of the curtain rail support to form a single piece. Whether or not a rotatable safety member may be formed as an integral part with the rest of the support depends on the type of hinged connection that is used.

In the hinged connection illustrated in figure 1, hinge pens are provided on the safety member that extend into hinge bolts in the arms 46 and 47. Therefore, the illustrated safety member is manufactured as a separate piece that is assembled into the tab portion of the curtain rail support as illustrated in the figures. However, it is not required to provide a hinged connection using hinge pens and bolts. For example (not illustrated in the figures), a folding type hinge connection may be implemented. In such a hinge connection, the safety member 25 may be connected to the tab portion 18 by means of a thin foldable connection. The thin foldable connection may be a straight linear section with a thickness that may only be a fraction of a millimeter (e.g. 0,3 mm) thick - thereby being foldable. With such a hinged connection, the safety member 25 can be an integral part of the curtain rail support formed as a single piece therewith. Preferably, the safety member is made of the same material as the rest of the curtain rail support, although the invention is not limited thereto. If desired, the safety member may be of a different material.

In general, the dimensions and proportions provided throughout this description are in most cases dependent on the specific design choices made and the material selected. The given thickness ranges for the flexible bridge, for example, may be different in case the curtain rail support is made of a different material (e.g. a different polymer, or a metal such as aluminum) or in case the dimensions are different. Moreover, in case the distance between the flexible bridge 20 and the rail 10 (i.e. the ultimate point on the protrusion 12) becomes larger, the flexibility of the bridge 20 may be less (i.e. the flexible bridge becoming more rigid) because the deflection of the edge 9 caused by bending of the flexible bridge 20 will be larger due to the larger length of the arm. Also, the flexible edge 23 has a thickness which is dependent on the material and on the dimensions of the edge. In case the cavity (not numbered) between the flexible edge 23 and the structural support edge 22 becomes deeper (i.e. the width of the edge 23 becomes larger), the edge itself may be left thicker to obtain the same or similar flexibility. The skilled person will appreciate that such parameters may be varied dependent on the design, without departing from the inventive concept.

The present invention has been described in terms of some specific embodiments thereof. It will be appreciated that the embodiments shown in the drawings and described herein are intended for illustrated purposes only and are not by any manner or means intended to be restrictive on the invention. The context of the invention discussed here is merely restricted by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

A curtain rail support for attaching a curtain rail to a mounting surface, the curtain rail support comprising a flat side adapted to be in contact with the mounting surface in use, the curtain rail support further comprising a rail connecting side comprising a rail receiving part and a flexible closure element, wherein the rail receiving part is located is located between the flexible closure element and a support edge of the rail connection side, and wherein the flexible closure element and the support edge are formed so as to provide the rail receiving part with a shape corresponding to one or more protruding parts of a base side of a curtain rail for providing of a form-fit connection between the curtain rail and the curtain rail support, wherein the flexible closure element is adapted to bend outwards relative to the rail receiving part in order to enable the curtain rail to snap into position at attachment thereof, wherein the flexible closure element is an integral part of the curtain rail support comprising a tab portion which extends parallel to the rail connection side and is kept at a distance therefrom by a flexible bridge. wherein the flexible closure element further comprises a securing member, the securing member being movable relative to the tab portion for placing the securing member in a locking position such that in the locking position the securing member extends between the tab portion and the rail connection side for preventing bending of the flexible closure element.

2. Curtain rail support as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fuse part is a rotatable fuse part connected to either the tab part or the rail connection side by means of a hinge connection.

3. Curtain rail support as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, wherein the tab portion extends parallel to a mounting part of the rail connecting side of the curtain rail support, and wherein the mounting part comprises a mounting hole for receiving the mounting means, for releasing the mounting of the curtain rail support to the mounting surface wherein the tab portion extends above the attachment portion, and wherein the tab portion includes an access hole or access cut to provide access to the attachment hole.

Curtain rail support as claimed in claims 2 and 3, wherein the rotatable fuse part is adapted to cover the access hole or the access cut when it is placed in the locking position.

A curtain rail support as claimed in any one of claims 3 or 4, wherein the rotatable securing member is connected to the tab portion, and wherein the tab portion comprises two arms defining the access cut, wherein the rotatable securing portion extends between the two arms of the tab portion to form the hinge connection with the arms.

6. Curtain rail support as claimed in any of the claims 4 and 5, wherein the rotatable fuse part comprises an operating element and a locking bridge, the locking bridge extending substantially transversely of the operating element, wherein in the locking position: the operating element is arranged for covering the access cut, and the locking bridge extends between the tab portion and the rail connection side to prevent bending of the flexible closure element.

Curtain rail support as claimed in claim 6, insofar as dependent on claim 3, wherein the locking bridge comprises at least one post, the post being positioned such that upon rotation of the securing part the post rotates in a plane spaced from the mounting hole with the rail connecting side crosses to provide space for the fastener.

Curtain rail support as claimed in any of claims 6 or 7, wherein the control element comprises a plate comprising a shape corresponding to the access cut-out, the plate comprising a truncated section providing a slot or spacing between the control element and the tab portion in the access cut-out for the releasing the opening of the fuse part with the help of a tool.

9. Curtain rail support as claimed in any of the claims 6-8, wherein the plate of the operating element comprises a thinner.

A curtain rail support as claimed in any one of claims 2-9, wherein the rotatable fuse member is connected to the tab portion and wherein the rail connecting side comprises a notch of providing tactile feedback to a user when the fuse member is placed in the locking position.

11. Curtain rail support as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, wherein the rail connecting side further comprises a structural protrusion for retaining the securing part in the locking position, wherein the structural protrusion is at least one of a group comprising at least one ledge or one or more nodules, tabs or styles.

12. Curtain rail support as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, wherein the flexible closure element comprises one or more bending edges which are located on an opposite side of the flexible bridge with respect to the tab portion, wherein the one or more bending edges define the shape of the flexible closure element with respect to to the rail receiving part for providing the form-locked connection and wherein the one or more bending edges are arranged for further bending thereof additionally to the flexible bridge when in use the curtain rail is clicked into position for attachment thereof.

Curtain rail support as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, wherein the flexible closure part comprises one or more structural edges which are located on an opposite side of the flexible bridge with respect to the tab portion, wherein the one or more structural edges define the shape of the flexible closure part with respect to the rail receiving part for releasing the form-locked connection and supporting the rail in use.

A curtain rail support according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the support is formed from a plastic that is at least susceptible to stress relaxation, for example a thermoplastic material such as polyoxymethylene (POM), such as Duracon, CP-15X.

An assembly of one or more curtain rail supports as claimed in any of the foregoing claims and at least one curtain rail adapted to be connected to the supports.