US2299060A - Head rail assembly - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 13, 1942. w SARRAN ET AL 2,299,060

HEAD RAIL ASSEMBLY Filed April 29, 1941 3 9' INNTOR.

my, 6 W I flu juum @ATTORNEYJ Patented Oct. 13, 194-2 HEAD RAIL ASSEMBLY Wallace E. Sarran and Robert E. Metzger, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignors to The Chas. W. Breneman Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application April 29, 1941, Serial No. 390,968

Claims.

This invention relates to a head rail assembly construction for suspending and operating window curtains, shades and blinds. It is particularly concerned with a head rail adapted to suspend and operate a roll type window shade formed from a plurality of relatively thin flexible slats sustained in approximate edge to edge relationship by sets of interwoven flat tapes. A blind of this type forms the subject matter of our co-pending application Serial No. 388,192, filed April 12, 1941.

The present application is directed to a complete head rail assembly, that is, the head rail proper, the brackets which support the head rail and maintain it in position and the cord lock.

The application is also directed to the construction of the brackets-per so as brackets of the general type of the invention may be adapted to use with head rails of a construction other than that herein disclosed. The cord lock illustrated in the drawing ofthis application and hereinafter described embodies conventional principles of construction of this type of mechanism, and although it is fully disclosed as a component part of a completely operative structure, no claim of novelty is advanced to the construction of the cord lock per se.

As previously stated, the blind shown in our co-pending application comprises a blind formed from a plurality of relatively thin flexible slats sustained in approximate edge to edge relationship. The head rail of this invention is particularly adapted to support and operate such a blind and it is also adapted to operate blinds of the general type shown in our co-pending application but not within the scope of that invention. In general, the head rail of the present invention may be said to be adapted for use with any slot type blind regardless of the material from which the slats are constructed and regardless of their exact relationship one to the other.

One of the objects of the present invention has been to provide a head rail assembly for supporting a blind in which the rail is readily detachable from the supporting brackets so that the entire blind with the head rail attached may be removed from the brackets for cleaning, storage or other purposes.

Another object has been to provide a head rail construction in which the blind is readily detachable from the head rail so that after the latter has been removed from the brackets the blind may be removed from the head rail. I

Another object has been to provide a simple and compact head rail assembly adapted to support and to elevate a blind and one in which the operating mechanism is entirely concealed from the view of a person standing in the room in which the blind is suspended.

Another purpose has been to provide a bracket for suspending a head rail in which the head rail can be very firmly held in position or alternatively removed from the bracket by manual manipulation of a simple latching element.

Other and further advantages will be apparent from an examination of the further and more detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view taken longitudinally through a head rail assembly embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of a complete blind including a head rail.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the head rail assembly.

Figure 4 is a sectional view along the line 4-4 in Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevation showing the rear of the head rail assembly.

Figure 6 is an elevation showing the inside face of the mounting bracket.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 1-1 in Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a cord lock and guide which may be utilized as a component element of the entire head rail assembly.

Figure 9 is an elevation of the outer side of the mounting bracket.

In the structure shown in the drawing which represents a preferred embodiment of the invention the head rail is preferably formed from a single piece of material such as wood; the advantage being that the head rail can be simply and economically milled from blank stock. As shown, the face of the head rail may be grooved for decorative purposes during the milling operation. The head rail is generally indicated at it. At the upper edge of the face of the rail a beading I l is provided to hide the ropes which lie behind it. The top of the rail just behind the beading I I may be channeled longitudinally as at E2 to provide a way for the ropes.

Two ropes are utilized in the preferred embodiment illustrated. These are indicated at I3 and M respectively. The ropes are first fixed to the head rail at the back of the blind in a manner which will be discussed later and then extended. downwardly behind the blind, under the blind to the face side, then up the face side of the blind to the head rail. The ropes then pass through appropriate apertures, indicated at I5I5, pass over respective pulleys I6Il, and through the channel I2 to a point near one end of the head rail. From here they pass downwardly, together, over a double pulley I8 and through a cord lock I9 to depend from the head rail at a side of the blind in position for manual manipulation.

The pulleys I6 and I! are mounted in niches 23 cut into the bottom of the channel I2. They may be journalled on brads or pins 2| which are driven through the rail from the rear face thereof to extend through the niches and into the rail forwardly of the niches see Figure 4) As shown, the pulley I8, may be mounted in the cord lock I3. The cord lock includes a U-shaped bracket 22 having a lock-dog 23 pivotally mounted on a pin 24 between the parallel walls thereof. The curved end of the bracket defines a vertical passageway for the ropes, and the pulley I 8, being disposed at the top of the bracket between the walls of the U, confines them therein. The dog 23 is pivoted near the mouth of the bracket with its free end extending toward the curved portion. The free end of the dog is preferably rounded and toothed to grip the ropes between it and the inner surface of the curved portion of the bracket when the dog is tilted upwardly by the weight of the blind. A pair of stops may be struck in the side walls of the bracket, as at 25, to limit the downward movement of the dog. To operate the cord lock the ropes I3 and I4 are swung over against the toothed end of the dog and then released. The weight of the blind pulling on the ropes will cause the dog to tilt upwardly when the teeth are engaged in the ropes and the ropes are then forced against the side of the bracket and locked there. The ropes are freed by pulling them down and away from the dog.

Preferably, the cord lock bracket is countersunk in the head rail so that the top of the roller I8 is level with the bottom of the channel I2. The seat for the bracket may be routed out of the wood rail or cut by other means to provide a snug fit. Below the curved end of the bracket an aperture 25 for the ropes is cut through to the bottom of the head rail. To keep th ropes from twisting in the lock a plate 2! having a pair of longitudinal slots 2323, one for each rope, may be provided for the aperture 23. The edges of the slots are preferably rounded as shown in Figure 8 so that the ropes do not become out and raveled. At the two ends of the plate 21, holes are provided for brads or screws so that the plate may be fixed in place.

At the lower edge of the rear face of the head rail a corner is cut out to provide a step 29. The step may be cut when the rail is first milled out, for it runs the full length of the head rail. The vertical wall of the step is preferably concave. The wall is out so that the concavity starts at the lower edge and stops short of the upper end (see Figure 4). This provides a sharp edge 30 at the bottom of the wall and a shoulder (H at the top. The vertical wall of the step may be substantially as wide as one of the slats of a shade provided, of course, that a shade formed from narrow slats is being suspended.

The upper slat of the shade may be placed against the concave wall and a key bar 32, substantially as wide and as deep as the step 29, is placed in the step over the upper slat. The sharp edge of the step should hit the shade between the two uppermost slats and when the key is nailed in place, the sharp edge 30 and the key bar 32 will nearly meet between the top slat and the next lower one. Thus, along the entire width of the blind the uppermost slat is gripped and held in a straight line by the key bar. This continuous and tight positioning prevents the blind from becoming warped or bowed unevenly, as would be the case if it were secured in only a few places over its entire length.

The key bar also provides a lock for the end of each one of the ropes at th back of the head rail (see Figures 4 and 5). The back of the head rail above the key slot is grooved as indicated at 33. A knot 34 may be formed in the end of the rope and the knotted end placed in the groove. The inner side of the key bar is notched out as at 35 below the end of the groove 33 and the rope extends downwardly therethrough. This angular groove is advantageous because the sharp edge provided assists in gripping the rope when the key bar is in place.

The head rail is mounted in a pair of end brackets 3'I--3'I which encloses the ends of the rail. Each bracket includes an end wall 38, a top wall 39 and a back wall 48. The three walls may be made in one piece with the back wall and top wall being turned over inwardly at right angles to the back wall. A pair of holes for screws or nails is provided in each of these walls so that the bracket may be mounted either against the top, at the side, or on the front of a window frame. A gate element M is provided at the front of the bracket. The gate 4I includes a face plate 42 and a side strip 43 extending at right angles to the face. When the gate is in closed position the side strip lies along the outer face of the end wall 38 of the bracket and is pivotally journalled thereon by a rivet 44 which passes through the upper end of the side strip and end wall. The end wall where the side strip overlies it is recessed so that when the gate is closed the outer surface of the strip will be flush with the portion of the end wall which is not recessed. The screw holes in the end wall may have embossing around them as shown at 45. This embossing holds the end wall 38 clear of the window frame when the bracket is installed and permits free movement of the gate. A detent 46 made by stamping is provided in the strip 43 and the end wall 38 to hold the gate in the closed position (see Figures 6 and 9). Also a tab 41 may be bent inwardly and curved downwardly from the lower edge of the face plate to facilitate manual opening of the gate.

The head rail proper is mounted in the pair of brackets on an angle plate 49 fixed to the inside wall 38 of the bracket. The angle plate 43 has a shelf portion 50 extending at right angles to the end wall of the bracket for engagement in a slot 5| in the end of the head rail (Figure '7). Each slot extends horizontally and is open to the end and back side of the rail. Since the slots 5| are quite narrow, they may be readily cut with a circular saw.

To install the head rail in the brackets, the gate is swung open as shown in dot-dash lines in Figure 4. The rail is then slipped into place with the shelves 50 engaging in the slots 5|. When the rail is back in the brackets resting on the shelves 50 and against the back walls 48 of the brackets, the gate 4| is swung down and closed.

The upper end of the gate element M is rounded to conform to the rounded beading II on the upper edge at the face of the head rail. As shown in Figure 4, the head rail is enclosed snugly between the gate and back wall of the bracket when the gate is closed. If round-headed screws are used, the head rail may be notched out to clear them. The notches necessary will be apparent to the one installing the head rail and are therefore not shown here. Also, due to the many variations in window sizes, the slots may be cut relatively deeply into the ends of the rail. Then by furnishing the rail in even inch or two inch sizes from the shortest to the longest lengths, the ends of the rail can be trimmed off to fit odd width windows without necessitating the cutting of deeper slots to fit over the respective shelves in the brackets.

When the blind is positioned in the head rail assembly it may be raised and lowered by pulling the ropes I3 and 14. As illustrated and described, each rope is looped around the underside of the shade, and when pulled, an upward rolling motion is imparted to the shade. Accordingly, the shade will coil on itself and when fully elevated will form a compact roll beneath the head rail.

In placing the head rail assembly in position the brackets are first affixed and the gates are raised. The rail is then positioned in the brackets in the manner described and the gates are closed thereby completing the assembly. If there is occasion to remove the rail and shade for cleaning or storage, the gates may be opened and the rail removed but there is no necessity for disturbing the brackets and these may be left in position.

The shade may be affixed to the rail by nailing through the key bar 32 and it may also be affixed in some more readily detachable way, for example the use of screws, bolts or the like. If it is desired to remove the shade from the head rail, this can be accomplished by removing the means eifecting the attachment and the head rail and key bar may then be replaced in the brackets.

One of the advantages of the structure resides in the fact that the operating mechanism is totally concealed behind the beading II and the entire assembly presents a neat and even decorative effect.

Having fully described our invention we desire to be limited only by the ensuing claims:

1. A head rail assembly for a blind comprising a pair of spaced brackets, a rail adapted to be supported by said brackets, a step struck from said rail over the entire length thereof, and a key bar for supporting a blind against the step; said key bar being secured in the step.

2. A head rail assembly for a blind formed from a series of narrow slats supported in edgeto-edge relationship, comprising, a pair of spaced brackets, a rail supported by said brackets, a step formed in said rail along the entire length thereof; said step being slightly wider than the slat of a blind, a key bar for supporting a blind against the step, and means for holding the key bar against the rail along a line intermediate the slats of a blind positioned against the step.

3. A head rail assembly for a window blind formed from a series of narrow slats supported in edgeto-edge relationship, comprising, a pair of spaced brackets,- a rail supported by said brackets, a step formed in said rail along the entire length thereof; said step having a portion of its vertical surface bowed inwardly of the head rail to present a sharp edge, and a key bar positioned in the step for holding a blind against the said sharp edge.

4. In a head rail assembly for a blind, a rail having a slot in the end thereof, a step struck from said rail, a key bar for supporting a blind against the step and a bracket for supporting the rail; said bracket being adapted to fit over the end of the rail and key bar and including a shelf portion for insertion in the slot in the rail and a pivoted gate swingable outwardly to permit disengagement of the key bar from the rail.

5. A bracket for supporting a head rail assembly comprising a rail portion having a step struck therefrom, a slot in the end thereof and a key bar for supporting a blind against the step; said bracket comprising an end wall, a top wall, and a side wall adjacent said end wall, a shelf member for insertion into the slot in the head rail and a swinging gate journalled in the end wall; said gate when in closed position forming with the fixed walls of the bracket a plurality of surfaces for preventing relative movement between the elements of the head rail assembly.

WALLACE E. SARRAN. ROBERT E. METZGER.

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