US2012856A

US2012856A - Venetian blind and hardware therefor

Info

Publication number: US2012856A
Application number: US746056A
Authority: US
Inventors: Allen E Latham
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1934-09-29
Filing date: 1934-09-29
Publication date: 1935-08-27
Anticipated expiration: 1952-08-27

Description

- Aug. 27, 1935. A LATHAM 2,012,856

VENETIAN BLIND AND HARDWARE THEREFOR Filed Sept.- 29, 1934 ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 27, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VENETIAN BLIND AND HARDWARE THEREFOR 30 Claims.

This application is in part a divisionof my prior application Serial Number 704,081 of December 27th, 1933.

This invention relates generally to Venetian blinds and the hardware therefor and more particularly to certain improvements in construction thereof which enable a better blind to be produced at less cost.

In order to obtain the most satisfactory results with blinds, it is necessary that the slats be accurately adjusted both as to tilt as well as height.

As objects of the invention are included the provision of and certain improvements in the tilting mechanism as well as in the mechanism for holding the cords for adjusting the height of the bottom rail.

The invention is particularly concerned with an improved means for retaining the bottom rail in a height adjusted position by means of the cords which serve to raise and lower the bottom rail to uncover and cover the window.

The invention includes other features of advantage, other objects and novel mechanisms and combinations which will appear at length in; the

following wherein a present preferred form of construction is disclosed in connection with the drawing.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the cord adjusting means.

Figure 2 is a plan view with a portion cut away to show details.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the cord adjusting cage and a tilt rail bracket. I

Figure 4 is a side elevation of a head rail and the cage and bracket of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the head rail and a pulley.

Figure 6 is a rear view of a pulley support.

Figure 7 is a section on the line 1-1 of Fi ure 5.

As is disclosed in the parent case hereof, cords 21 and 28 support a bottom rail from a head rail -2 l Manipulation of these is resorted to when it is desired to raise or lower the blind. In this case I have disclosed certain mechanism on-the head rail for adjusting and handling these cords.

The cords 21 and 28, which support the bottom rail of the blind, run through holes in each slat and the tilt rail to the head rail wherein they run down slot 69 after passing over a double guide pulley II. To facilitate construction and provide a long life blind, the pulleys are mounted on a pin 1] carried in a strap member 13 bent in a 65 U-shape to receive the pulley and for insertion,

into hole 14 in the head rail through which one of the cords passes. The member I3 is reduced in width or cut away as at 16 to pass the cord.

Heretofore the usual practice has been to guide the cords 21 and 28 away from head rail so that I they could be freely operated to raise and lower the bottom rail, the cords beingwound about a fixed support to hold the bottom rail in a desired position. In accordance with this invention, semi-automatic'means are provided for holding 10 the cords 21 and. 28 upon manipulation and re-' lease by an operator. A cage 8| also termed a U member herein, is mounted in an angular cut in the head rail so that the ends lead off over a pulley 82 from slot 69 to the operator. This pulley i8 is rotatable on a pin carried in a member 83. This member, shown as a U-member with the pulley mounted between the legs, is carried in the cage by pin 84 and has an extending arm. It is to be noted that when the angle of the end pass- 20 ing over the pulley is varied, the member 83 moves on pin 84; in the preferred form, the member moves to a position midway between cord positions 86 and 81 in Figure 1. This movement, although small, is amplified by the extending 25 arm which extends beneath three members 88 carried on pin 92. The face 9| of each member is roughened and is adjacent the inner face of the cage. Each member is about the width of a strand of cord. 30

In operation, each face 9| can lie against a cord when the bottom rail has been adjusted and the weight of the suspended slats and rails is on the cords, the cam contour of face 9| holds the cord jammed against the inner face 93 of the 35 cage. When a downward pull is given on one or both of the cords, the jam is released and the cord runs freely. When the bottom rail has been moved to a desired position, the operator merely moves the cords. slightly to the left in Figure 1 9 and releases the cords. The movement to the left results in the pulley 82 moving member 83 and, in turn, the face 9| to the left to engageand jam the cords. The cords remain in this position until released by a downward pull on theirfree ends when the device can again be manipulated after the bottom rail has been moved as desired. 'To permit free adjustment of either cord, I groove the pulley H so as to have guldeways for each cord in the slot B9.- In addition, I form members 88 separately so that any one of them is sufiicient to jam or release a cord, each member being capable of independent release and adjustment. Thus cord 21 can be adjusted without shifting cord 28, or vice versa, or both can be adjusted together.

To facilitate mounting and bring the end of the tilt rail as far to the side as possible, I mount bracket 31 on the cage 8!, riveting or spot welding these together. Installation and construction is facilitated by this structure. Bracket 3| carries a cord separator 32, a metal strip bent in a U with one leg secured to the bracket. Cords 21 and 28 are separated by this member so that either can be manipulated without difficulty over pulley 82, twisting of the cords being obviated so far as affecting pulley 82.

It is to be noted that the cord is adjusted by a movement which does not carry it beyond the end of the head rail. This is an advantage as the manipulation is not limited by an adjacent window casement. made of some light material so that it moves readily and I have used duralumin with success. If a light material is not used, it is necessary to counterweight each member-about pin 92 so that in effect the member is balanced thereon.

In Figure '7, I have shown a section through the pulley II in Figure 5. The pulley is bushed with an anti-friction material 75 so that the pulley runs silently over its supporting pin 11. Since the pulley can not be lubricated because of oil dropping on the slats, the construction is advantageous. It can be applied to pulley 82 as well.

I claim:

1. A cord holder for use on a Venetian blind header, said holder comprising a first member, a cord running through said header in one direction and over said first member in a direction diflferent from said one direction, a second member movable to engage said cord and jam said cord to preventmovement thereof, and means for1moving said second member including support means for said first member.

2. In combination, a stationary member, pulley means, a cord passing over said pulley means and changing direction by going around said pulley means, means supporting said pulley means for rotation and movable in response to a change in angle of said cord passing around said pulley, and cord jamming means movableby said supporting means to press said cord against said stationary member.

3. In combination, a stationary member, pulley means, a cord supporting a weight and extending therefrom to pass over said pulley means and changing direction by going around said pulley means, means supporting said pulley means for rotation and movable-in response to a change in angle of said cord passing around said pulley, and cord jamming means movable by said supporting means to press said cord against said stationary member whereby said cord jams under the pull thereon.

4. A cord holder for use on a Venetian blind header rail having cords running along it to support the blind, said holder comprising means supported on said header rail at one end thereof for engaging said cords selectively to retain any one of them temporarily against movement, and means operable upon a movement of an end of one of said cords toward the other end of said rail to operate said engaging means and upon a downward pull to release that one of said engaging means selectively engaged.

5. In combination, a plurality of cords, a plurality of separate cord engaging means, a support therefor including means cooperating with said engaging means, and means for moving said en- Each member 88 is preferably gaging means including a member mounted for rotational movement by any one of said cords, and means for separating cords passing to said member.

6. In combination, a plurality of cords, a plurality of separate cord engaging means, a support therefor including means cooperating with said engaging means, and means for moving said engaging means including a ,member mounted for rotational movement by any one of said cords to release that one of said cord engaging means jamming the cord operated, and means for separating cords passing to. said member.

7. A cord holding device for cords supporting a Venetian blind, said device comprising stationary cord gripping means, a plurality of separately movable cord gripping means cooperating with said stationary means to engage cords threaded between both said engaging means, and an actuating means common to said movable gripping means and actuatable by one or all of the cords passing between said gripping means.

8. A cord holding device for cords supporting a Venetian blind, said device comprising cooperating opposite groups of cord engaging means to grip cords threaded between said groups, one of said groups including a plurality of separate. cord engaging means, and an actuator operable by any one or all of the threaded cords to operate one or all of said separate cord engaging means.

9. A cord holding device for cords supporting a Venetian blind, said device comprising a stationary cord engaging means, a cord gripping means rotatable about one axis in one direction to grip cords threaded between said rotatable and said stationary means, and an actuator rotatable about a different axis to operate said rotatable means.

10. A cord holding device for cords supporting a Venetian blind, said device comprising a stationary cord engaging means, a cord gripping means rotatable about one axis in one direction to grip cords threaded between said rotatable and said stationary means, and an actuator rotatable about a difierent axis to operate said rotatable tionary cord engaging means, a plurality of sep- I arate cord gripping means rotatable about one axis in one direction to grip cords threaded between said rotatable and said stationary means, and an actuator rotatable about a diiferent axis to operate one or all of said rotatable means and including a pulley carried by said actuator and over which said cords are trained.

13. A cord holding device for cords supporting a Venetian blind, said device comprising cooperating opposite groups of cord engaging means to grip cords threaded between said groups, one of said groups including a plurality of separate cord engaging means, and an actuator operable by any one or all of the threaded cords to operate one or all of said separate cord engaging, means, and means for separating cords passing to said actuating means.

14. A cord holding device for cords supporting a Venetian blind, said device comprising stationary cord gripping means, a plurality of separately movable cord gripping means cooperating with said stationary means to engage cords threaded between both said engaging means, an actuating means common to said movable gripping means and actuatable by one or all of the cords passing between said gripping means, and means for separating cords passing to said actuating means.

15. A cord holding device for cords supporting a Venetian blind, said device comprising a stationary cord engaging means, a cord gripping means rotatable about one axis in one direction to grip cords threaded between said rotatable and said stationary means, an actuator rotatable about a different axis to operate said rotatable means, and means for separating cords passing to said actuator.

16. A cord holding device for cords supporting a Venetian blind, said device comprising a stationary cord engaging means, a cord gripping means rotatable about one axis in one direction to grip cords threaded between said rotatable and said stationary means, and an actuator rotatable about a different axis to operate said rotatable means and including a pulley carried by said actuator and over which said cords are trained, and means for separating cords passing to said actuator.

17. A cord holding device for cords supporting a Venetian blind, said device comprising a stationary cord engaging means, a plurality of separate cord gripping means rotatable about one axis in one direction to grip cords threaded between said rotatable and said stationary means, and an actuator rotatable about a different axis to operate one or all of said rotatable means, and means for separating cords passing to said actuator.

18. A cord holding device for cords supporting a Venetian blind, said device comprising a stationary cord engaging means, a plurality of separate cord gripping means rotatable about one axis in one direction to grip cords threaded between said rotatable and said stationary means, an actuator rotatable about a different axis to operate one or all of said rotatable means and including a pulley carried by said actuator and over which said cords are trained, and means for separating cords passing to said actuator.

19. A cord holding device for cords supporting a Venetian blind, said device comprising a stationary cord engaging means, a cord gripping means rotatable about one axis in one direction to grip cords threaded between said rotatable and said stationary means, and an actuator rotatable about a different axis to operate said rotatable means and including a pulley over which said cords are trained.

20. A cord gripping means for use on cords on a Venetian blind header rail, said means comprising a U member through which said cords pass, a first member rotatably mounted in said U member and having a gripping surface to jam .eords against said U member, and a second member rotatably mounted in said U member and selectively movable by said cords to operate said member to jam or release said cords.

21. A cord holder for Venetian blind cords run along a header rail thereof, said holder comprising a U member through which said cords pass, said member being mounted at one end of said rail, a pulley mounted in said U member over which said cords pass to change direction 90 and extend vertically, and a member rotatably mounted in said U member and movable to jam a cord against said U member upon a movement of said vertically extended cords toward the other end of said rail.

22. A cord holder for Venetian blind cords run along a header rail thereof, said holder comprising a U member through which said cords pass, said member being mounted at one end of said rail, a pulley mounted in said U member over which said cords pass to change direction 90 and extend vertically, and a member rotatably mounted in said U member and movable to jam a cord against said U member upon a movement of said verticaly extended cords toward the other end of said rail, said member being movable to release jammed cords upon a downward pull on said vertical extending cords.

23. A cord holder for Venetian blind cords run along a header rail thereof, said holder comprising a U member through which said cords pass, said member being mounted at one end of said rail, a pulley mounted in said U member over i which said cords pass to change direction 90 and extend vertically, and a plurality of cord engaging members rotatably mounted in said 'U member and movable to jam a cord against said -U member upon a movement of one of said versaid U member upon a movement of one of said vertically extended cords toward the other end of said rail, said members being movable to release one of said jammed cords upon a downward pull on one of said vertically extending cords.

25. A cord holder for Venetian bind cords run along a header rail thereof, said holder comprising a U mounting through which said cords pass, a pulley mounted in said U mounted and rotatable therein to change direction of cords passing through said U mounting 90 so ends of said cords hang vertically, cord gripping mearrs iii said U mounting, and cord separating means on said U mounting for separating cords passing to said pulley.

26. A cord holder for Venetian blind cords run along a header rail thereof, said holder comprising a U mounting through which said cords pass, a pulley mounted in said U mounted and rotatable therein to change direction of cords passing through said U mounting 90 so ends of said cords hang vertically, cord gripping means in said U mounting operable to jam said cords upon a swinging movement of said cord ends in "a direction parallel to the face of the blind and to release said cords upon a downward pull.

27. A cord holder for Venetian blind cords runalong a header rail thereof, said holder comprising a U mounting through which said cords pass, a pulley mounted in said U mounted and rotatable therein to change direction of cords passing through said U mounting 90 so ends of said cords hang vertically, cord gripping means in said U mounting operable to jam said cords upon a swinging movement of said cord ends in a direction parallel to the face of the blind and to release said cords upon a downward pull, and cord separating means on said U mounting for separating cords passing to said pulley.

28. A cord holder for Venetian blind cords run along a, header rail thereof, said holder comprising a U mounting through which said cords pass, a pulley mountedin said U mounted and rotatable therein to change direction of cords passing through said U mounting 90 so ends of said cords hang vertically, cord gripping means in said U mounting operable to jam said cords upon a swinging movement of said cord ends in a direction parallel to the face of the blind and to release said cords upon a downward pull, and cord separating means on said U mounting extending parallel to'the face of the blind.

29. In a cord holder for Venetian blind header rail cords, a Umounting having flanges thereon for attachment to said rail," and a U body portion extending angularly between said flanges to lead said cords to the front of said rail. I 30. In a cord holder for Venetian blind header rail cords, a U mounting having flanges thereon for attachment to said rail, and a U body portion extending angularly between said flanges to lead said cords to the front of said rail, and cord separating means positioned below said body and parallel thereto. I

ALLEN E. LATHAM.

CERTIFICATE or CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,012,856. I August 27, i935.

ALLEN E. LATHAM.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1, second column,

. line 15} after "operator" and before the period, insert the comma and words the body of the cageOr U member, being at an angle to the rail, serves to guide and direct the cords to the "front of the blind; 'page 3, first column, line 70, claim 20, before "member" insert the word first; and second column, line 38, claim 24, for "member" read plurality of members; and in line 39, strike out theword and" and insert a comma; and thatthe said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the samemay conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 5th day of November. A. D. 1935.

Leslie Frazer (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.