US2247322A

US2247322A - Cord lock for venetian blinds

Info

Publication number: US2247322A
Application number: US342345A
Authority: US
Inventors: Walter J Stuber
Original assignee: Carey-Mcfall Co
Current assignee: Carey-Mcfall Co
Priority date: 1940-03-06
Filing date: 1940-06-25
Publication date: 1941-06-24
Anticipated expiration: 1958-06-24

Description

June 2 .1,, W41 W J, sTUBER coRD LOOK FOR VENETIAN BLINDS Original Filed'March 6] 194m 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v PH-Run y June 24, 194317., w. J. STUBER CORD LOCK FOR VENETIAN BLINW Original Filed March 6, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 w 9 w 2 v A 4 m: M in m 1 3 0 7 w J 6 a 6 v 5 w a W Y Z W w 4. A. W W w w W Patented June 24, 1941 anti CORD LUCK FGR VENETKAN BLKNDS (Priginal application March 6, 1940, Serial No. 322,6ii i. Divided and this application June 25, 1349, Serial No. 342,345

(Cl. 156 l?) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to Venetian blinds and particularly to the lock for the elevating cords of the blind disclosed in the copending application, Serial No. 322,604 of which the present application is a division.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple and highly efll'cient cord lock composed of a few simple parts which will cooperate to produce quick locking and easy releasing of the elevating cords and which will insure against accidental slipping of the cords with consequent dropping of the slats of the blind from their intended elevation.

The construction and operation of the cord lock of the present invention will be fully disclosed hereinafter, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the blind with the cord lock mechanism holding the slats at a predetermined elevation;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on the line 2 2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view taken on the line 3--3, Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 4-4, Fig. 2.

As shown in Fig. 1, the blind I includes the usual bottom rail 2, slats 3, ladder tapes 4, 4 and elevating

cords

5, 5.

The ladder tapes 4, 4 are secured at their up- 5 per ends to rockers 6, 6 respectively, which are secured to a tilt shaft 1 adapted to be rocked about the axes of aligned end pivots 8 and 9 carried by brackets iii and II respectively.

Suitable mechanism I2, operable by a tilting chain I3 is provided for rocking the shaft I and thereby setting the slats 3, 3 at any desired angle, transversely, to the horizontal.

The pivot brackets Ii! and I I are carried by the head rail I5, which in turn, is supported on end brackets It and H. The elevating

cords

5, 5 pass upward from the bottom rail 2, through slots in the slats 3, 3, between the front and back tapes of each of the ladders 4, 4 to rollers or pulleys I8, I8 which are rotatably mounted in guide members i9, I9 provided for the ladder tapes 4, 4 at the rockers 6, B respectively.

From the guide rollers I8, Hi the elevating

cords

5, 5 pass to and under a roller Iilli which is rotatably mounted in a housing 82 carried by the bracket I I.

From the roller Hi l the elevating cords pass upwardly then over and around the periphery of a roller Iiil which is rotatably mounted on a shaft Hi2 having its ends secured in extensions or legs 33 of a U shaped bracket iihi carried by the bracket ii. From the roller HlI the

cords

5, 5 extend downwardly through an opening I formed in the bottom plate of the head rail I 5 to be joined together at their lower ends in a common tassel 0r handle Hit, whereby raising and lowering of said tassel will effect corresponding lowering, and raising of the bottom rail 2 and the slats 3.

The slats may be maintained at any desired elevation by a locking catch Iii], see Fig. 4, which is in the form of a U shaped lever having arms Ill, HI pivoted on a common pin H2 carried by the bracket Hi4 and connected at their outer ends by a cross plate H3. The cross plate H3 is provided with cross slits IM and the metal adjacent said slits is bent inwardly, as indicated at H5, Fig. 4, to provide teeth adjacent the peripheral face of the roller itl between which and said teeth the elevating cords 5 extend. By swinging the cords 5 to the left, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 4 and pulling said cords downwardly said cords become released from the teeth N5 of the locking catch Hi1 permitting said catch to drop until the lower edge thereof substantially contacts with and rests upon a cross plate I It which joins the outer ends of arms Ii'l, Iii and which constitute with the cross plate i IS an actuating lever IIB for the locking latch IN]. The arms Hi, l H are pivotally mounted on a common pivot H9 carried by the bracket I M.

With the latch 9 iii released in the manner above noted the cords 5 may be operated to raise or lower the blind, as desired. Then by swinging said cords t to the right as viewed in Figs. 1 and i, said cords, by reason of their passing through an opening 12%! in the cross plate H6 of the actuator H8, swings said actuator to the right. In doing so the cords 5 engage the teeth N5 of the locking latch i i t and while holding the cords in the position they have assumed while being swung to the right and leaving said cords move upwardly said cord will carry said teeth upwardly, swinging the latch I it about its pivot and pinching the cords between said teeth and the periphcry of the roller iiiI.

Preferably the face of the roller iiiI is circumferentially grooved at "Ma for each cord 5, and these grooves are deposed in line with the holes E29, E2!) in the lever 658 through which the

cords

5, 5 extend, whereby the

portions

5a, 5a of the cords, between the roller iiii and the ever H3, are maintained in substantially straight lines constituting a definite predetermined position of the cords with respect to the teeth I l5 of the locking lever l l I], when the outer free end of the latter is resting on the cross bar H6 of the lever H8, so that by slight swinging of the lever H8 to the right, as viewed in Fig. 4, the fibres of the cords 5 will catch in the teeth H5 and raise the outer end of the lever Hi] until the teeth pinch the cords against the face of the roller HJI as a result of the relationship existing between the pivot of the lever H0 and the axis of rotation of the roller HM. As the arcuate path described by the teeth H5 intersects the arcuate surface of the roller llll, with the

cords

5, 5 disposed between the teethand the roller, the cords will be pinched by the teeth H5 against the surface of the roller Iii"! and held against further upward movement. The weight of the blind supported by the cords 5 5 accentuates this gripping and pinching action.

However, due to the relationship of the axes about which the roller H3! and lever Hi3 move,

and the. relation of the arc traversed by the teeth H5 with: respect to thearc'v of the peripheral surface of the roller tilt, and due to the fact that both cord pinching surfaces are movable and rock in the same direction about centers atone and the same side of the cords being pinched between the two, the locking grip on: the cords is readily and: easily broken by merely pulling down.- wardly on the free ends of the cords 5, 5: because there is no hard fast jamming of the cords against a fixed surfacebya single rockabl'e looking latch as is common in the" prior art.

I claim;

l. A Venetian blind structure comprising cord actuated slat elevating means including a pulley for changing direction of movement of the op erating cords from, horizontar to: vertical and vice versa, said pulley being rotatably mounted between two: substantially paralleli plate-like supports;v alock for said cords comprising a U"- shaped lever pivoted: to said; supports at one sideof the axis of rotation of said pulley and including a: portion paralleling the face: of said polley and adapted to swing in a path to intersect with said pulley face to pinch said cords there-- between,v said portion having spaced: inwardly projecting edges for engaging said ropes: when the latter are swung. in. one direction in tangential relation to'fsay pulley face and: ta release said ropes when the latter are swung in an opposite direction, and an actuator for said lever pivoted to said supports at the opposite side of the axis of rotation of said pulley with a transverse portion extending across said U-shaped lever adjacent the toothed portion thereof and provided with openings through which said ropes extend for swinging said actuator to operate said locking lever.

2. In a cord lock for Venetian blinds, a roller over which the cord passes and from which the cord hangs vertically, the axis of rotation of the roller being located at one side of the hanging portion of the cord, a locking lever rockable about an axis located below the axis of rotation of the roller at said one side of the hanging portion of the cord, teeth on said locking lever at the opposite side of the hanging portion of the cord andv adapted to describe an arc intersecting the arc of that portion of the periphery of the roller about which the cord passes, and a lever rockable about an axis located above the axis of rotation of the roller and including a portion located below said locking lever, said lever portion having an opening through which the hanging portion ,of the cord extends in definite relation to the teeth of the locking lever.

3. In a cord lock for Venetian blinds, a roller over which the cord passes and from which the cord hangs vertically, the axis of rotation of the roller" being located at one side of the hanging portion of the cord, a locking'lever rockable about an axis located below the axis oi rotation of the roller at said one side of the hanging portion of the cord, teeth on said lockinglever at the opposite side of the hanging portion of the cord and adapted to describe an: arc intersecting the arc of that portion of the periphery of the roller about which the cord' passes; andalever rockable about an axis located above the axis of rotation of the roller and including a portion located below said locking lever and affording a rest for the outer end of said locking lever when released from the cord, said lever portion having an opening through which the hanging portion of the cord extends in definite relation to the teeth. of the locking lever.

WALTER; J STU BER.