US2227211A

US2227211A - Tilting device

Info

Publication number: US2227211A
Application number: US236918A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harry G Balthasar
Original assignee: EDWARD J HOFF Co
Current assignee: EDWARD J HOFF Co
Priority date: 1938-10-25
Filing date: 1938-10-25
Publication date: 1940-12-31
Anticipated expiration: 1957-12-31

Description

Dec. 31, 1940. H. G. BALTHASAR TILTING DEVICE Filed Oct. 25, 1938 I N VE N TOR. MM

ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 31, 1940 PATENT OFFICE TILTING DEVICE Harry G. Balthasar, West Tower Park, Ohio, assignor to The Edward J. Hofi Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application October 25, 1938, Serial No. 236,918

Claims. h (Cl. 156-17) This invention relates to Venetian blinds, and is particularly directed to improvement of the device for tilting the slats of the blind. The slats of a Venetian blind are usually supported or 5 suspended on cloth strips or cords suspended between pairs of vertically disposed parallel strips of cloth. The strips of each pair are supported or attached to the opposite side edges of a tilt bar rotatably mounted in brackets in the operl0 ating assembly of the Venetian blind fixed at the vent slippage or creepage thereof or change of position with the result that the cords, shifting in position, have become sobadly displaced that the tilt bar could not be operated through its full range. That is to say, one length of cord '25 becomes much longer than the other when the bar is at .level position. Therefore one of the knobs will be so close to the reel as to prohibit a full tilting motion. v This factor of slippage has caused inconvenience to the user and to the manufacturer, for, in order to reestablish the correct position of the cords, it has been necessary to disassemble the reel. The reels of the past have been complex, and have required special service not only in the event of slippage of the cords but in the event of breakage.

The present inventors objective has been the solution of this problem of elimination of slippage, and further, the provision of a reel of the utmost simplicity, in which the operating cords may be installed with a minimum of effort and mechanical understanding.

Inthe presentinvention, an operating ribbon or tape is used, which provides a much broader 46 traction than round cord, by virtue of its flat contact surface, and which, by virtue of its arrangement on the operating shaft, provides increased area of contact for the prevention of slippage due to the fact that the tape may always be wound or snubbed around the reel a number of times regardless of the position of the tilting bar. In other words, by a very simple and novel expedient, it has been arranged that the operating medium, whether ribbon or round cord and although in one single length, will wind is generally indicated at ID.

or spool in adjacent planes for the respective directions of rotation of the tilt bar shaft, so that, as the extended ribbon is unwound in one direction of tilting motion, it rewinds that portion of the ribbon elfective for causing rotation in the opposite direction.

A structural embodiment, resulting from the inventors objectives, may consist, as disclosed herein, of a single shaft and a. single length of operating ribbon with operating knobs on the respective ends. This ribbon may have its exact central portion in non-rotative connection with the shaft, and arranged to spool in respectively opposite directions on each side of a separator. The connection or the relation of the tape to the shaft is such as to positively prohibit relative movement between the tape and the shaft.

Due to the use of ribbon or tape, a greater traction is assured, and even spooling and reeling of the device is definitely procured. It is 20 pointed out, however, that the tape as opposed to the cord, although essential to certain aspects of the invention, is not necessary to others.

Other objects and certain advantages will be more fully apparent in the description of the 25 accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front view of a portion of a Venetian blind particularly illustrating the tilting bar reel of this invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2, 3 Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view,

illustrating the reel partially assembled. 35

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 4, and illustrating a further step in the assembly, with the tape or ribbon in position.

Figure 6 is a view of the upper portion of a window frame, showing a Venetian blind incor- 40 porating the present improvement mounted therein.

Referring to the drawing, the window frame The head rail II of the Venetian blind is mounted in the window 45 frame on end brackets I 2-42. The tilt bar I3 of the blind is rotatably mounted on the head rail. One end thereof includes a spindle l4, journalled in a bracket 1 5.

The other end of the tilt bar, which is the end concerned here, is provided with an operating bracket I6 of U-form. A mounting clip I! is secured to the under side and end of the tilt bar, and includes a portion projecting in parallelism with the bar into a slot l8 of one arm of 56 the U-shaped bracket. The other arm of the U-shaped bracket is rotatably mounted in a fixed bracket l9 by means of a pivot pin 20. The arm of the bracket, which is thus mounted, includes worm wheel teeth having their pitch line disposed on the axis of the pivot pin 20. These teeth 2| are in mesh with a worm 22 fixed on the reel shaft 23, journalled in the fixed plate I9. The' fixed plate [9 includes an attaching flange 24- secured to the under side of'the head rail II by means of screws 25.

A hearing 26, in the form of a sleeve, is secured in a depressed portion of the fixed plate and is held there by means of a strap 21, fixed to the rigid plate and lying in an annular groove of the bearing. A hanger strap 28 additionally supports the pivot pin 20 on the tilting bracket. An end plate 30 for the reel housing is fixed on a counterturned portion of the bearing sleeve, and is held in non-rotative connection with'the fixed plate by means of .an extension 3| on the plateengaged in an aperture inthe end plate. The tiltbar operating shaft 23 carries the worm 22 on its inner end and is counterturned at the portion extending through the bearing to provide a shoulder lying against the outer end of the bearing, which shoulder, in conjunction with the worm, prevents displacement of the reel.

.I'he reel housing 32. provides an end wall 33 and a cylindrical wall34, and is fitted upon the shaft with the cylindrical wall overhanging the of slightlyless, width than thediameter' of the shaft atthe base of the annular groove, but with a bore 39 ,of slightly greater diameter than the diameter at the base of the groove. Thus the washer may be inserted across the face of the housing in the groove, and will snap into position where it will remain against easy displacement. j

A separator washer or disc 40 is engaged upon the shaft within the housing; The shaft is diametrically slotted as at 4| from its outer end to the inside wall of'the'housing for receiving the elevating ribbon or tape 42.

As shown in Figure 4, the tape is first inserted through this washer or separator 40, and, with the tape disposed in the plane of the diametric slot, the assembled washer and tape are slipped into position. Beforeplacing the housing over the tape and washer thus assembled, (see Figure 5) each length of the tape thus constituted is wound a number of turns around'the shaft.

The respective lengths are woundin opposite directions.

;The ,housing includes a slot 43 with appropriately curved guide flanges '44 longitudinally along its lower side through which the tapes depend into position of use. Each end of the tape is provided with a manipulating knob 45. A spacer pin 46 keeps the lengths of cord separated as they move through the slot 43.

7 Thus it will be seen that, with the'tilt bar set at level position, andthe ribbon wound several times at each side ofthe separator 'platein opposite directions, acertainamount of the tape will be spooled or'reeled at all times; This,'in

conjunction with the broad tread afforded by ribbon, will entirely prevent slippage. In efiect, the tape is snubbed a number of times regardless of the position of the tilter, and the area of frictional contact is materially increased so that adequate winding traction is assured.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a tilting device, a shaft, a single length of ribbon having manipulating knobs at its 'respective ends, said ribbon fixed to the shaft intermediate of the length of ribbon, a separator plate for dividing the length of the shaft into separate reeling portions for the respective lengths of ribbon, said ribbon wound in respectively opposite directions and having a number of turns of one or the other length wound around the shaft at all times.

2. A tilting mechanism for Venetian blinds including an operating shaft, said shaft diametrically slotted from one end inwardly, three spaced discs dividing the shaft into adjacent reel portions, a length of operating ribbon having manipulating knobs -on its opposite ends and disposed through said slot in the shaft withthe respective portions thereof on each side of the portiontraversing the slot, woundin opposite-directions about the shaft.

3. In a tilt device, a shaft, lengths of ribbon wound upon adjacent portions of the shaft in opposite directions, the turns of each wound portion of the ribbon being disposed upon each other, and means operated by the shafthaving a limited range of travel, a number of turns of each length of ribbon being wound around said shaft a number of times at all times, regardless of the position of the means operated by the shaft.

4. In a tilting device for operating a Venetian blind tilt bar, a shaft, a length of cord disposed diametrically through said shaft and depending from opposite sides of the shaft, knobs fixed on the ends of the depending portions of the cord, and separator means on the shaft causing said respective lengths of cord to wind in adjacent planes. 1 v

5. A tilting bar mechanism for Venetian blinds, comprising a tilt bar, a shaft, a rotative connection between said shaft and said tilt bar, a bracket for mounting said shaft, a housingfixed on said bracket and subdivided to provide two compartments, said shaft diametrically slotted, an elevating cord disposed through said slot and having its ends depending from said housing, one portion of the cordwound around the shaft in one compartment of the housing, and the other portion wound around the shaft in the othercompartment of the housing in a direction opposite to the first named portion of the .cord.

6. In a tilting device for tilting the slats of a Venetian blind, a shaft, lengths of ribbon having manipulating knobs at their respective ends, said lengths of ribbon fixed to the shaft, a separator plate for dividing the length of the shaft into separate reeling portions for the respective lengths of ribbon, said ribbon woundin respectively opposite directions, the turns of the-ribbon in each wound portion wound upon each other.

7. A tilting mechanism for Venetian blinds, comprising, an operating shaft, said shaft including a diametric slot, three spaced discs forming adjacent reeling portions on the shaft, a length of operating cord disposed through said slot in the shaft with the respective portions thereof on each side of that portion traversing tlfiefilot, woundin opposite directions about the s a 8. In a tilt device, a shaft, and a length of ribbon attached to said shaft intermediate the length of ribbon and wound upon adjacent portions of the shaft in opposite directions, and means for separating the respectively wound portions of said ribbon.

9. A tilting means, comprising, a shaft, a length of ribbon disposed diametrically through said shaft and depending from opposite sides of the shaft, knobs fixed on the ends of the depending portions of the cord, separator means on the shaft causing said respective length of cord to wind in adjacent planes and, a housing for said shaft.

10. A tilting bar mechanism for Venetian blinds, a shaft, a bracket for mounting said shaft, a housing fixed on said bracket and subdivided to provide two compartments, an elevating cord engaged with said shaft and having its ends depending from said housing, one portion of the cord wound around the shaft in one compartment of the housing, and the other portion wound around the shaft in the other compartment of the housing in a direction opposite to the first named portion of the cord.

HARRY G. BALTHASAR.