US2376990A - Latching means for venetian blinds - Google Patents

Description

y 29, 1945- R. H. WRIGHT 2,376,990

LATCHING MEANS FOR VENETIAN BLINDS Filed July 24, 1944 Patented May .29, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LATCHING MEANS FOR VENETIAN BLINDS Richard B. Wright, Cleveland, Ohio Application July 24, 1944, Serial No. 548,255

2 Claims.

This invention pertains to the art of Venetian blinds and involves primarily certain novel improvements in hardware for the hanging of such blinds.

A special object f the invention has been to devise a novel form of combined pulley, cord lock, and tilting bar bracket unit useful in the Venetian blind hardware art, and which embodies a special form of latching device for locking the pintle of the tilt bar in the supporting bracket carried by the head bar of the blind unit.

The latching means above referred to comprises primarily a latch plate having a lock member for closing the entrance opening of the supporting bracket of the tilt rail or bar, after the pintles of the tilt rails-have been introduced into the receiving recesses or supporting slots of said bracket. As a safety means the latching device is provided with a detent part which will interlock with the bracket proper in order to prevent accidental movement of the latching device from its locked position, and which'movement would result in possible displacement of the tilt bar of the blind.

For a full understanding of the present invention and the novel features of construction of the unit referred to reference is to be had to the following description and to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front view illustrating the head rail of a Venetian blind as it is arranged when mounted upon the top of a window frame and showing the hardware unit of the present invention applied thereto along with the supporting means forming a .part of the unit, which supporting means carries the tilt bar on the blind.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken about on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 an looking in the direction of the arrow, showing particularly the latching means for the tilt bar arranged in' closed position.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, showing only the combined pulley, cord lock, and tilt bar supporting unit, the latching means disclosed as when adjusted to its opened or unlocking position.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the manner in which the detent member interlocks with the bracket opening to hold the lock device against accidental displacement.

Specifically describing the general arrangement of the parts of the blind in conjunction with which my invention is illustrated, and referring particularly to Figure 1 of the drawing, it is notable that the general blind unit in conjunction with which the present invention is used includes the usual head rail I which is mounted at the top of the window frame and is supported at an end by any suitable or common type of supporting bracket designated 2 in the present instance. Only one end portion of the head rail and only one of the brackets 2 are illustrated in the drawing.

As seen in Figure 2, the head rail I is cut away at its end portion as shown at Ia for the purpose of the mounting of the combination pulley, cord lock, and latching bracket features of my invention. The unit last referred to includes the depending bracket member 3, the said bracket member 3 being formed with a horizontal flange 3d at its upperedge portion which flange is attached to the under side of the head rail I as by means of suitable screws 3b. At its'lower end the bracket 3 is formed with a hook-like portion that provides a pintle receiving slot 3d in the bracket such slot having a common form of entrance portion as generally found in brackets of this type.

At the outer side of the bracket 3 is mounted I a somewhat rectangular hollow casing 4 in which are supported the usual pair of cord pulleys 5, the axis of which is designated 5a. The pulleys 5 receive the pull cords 6 which travel thereover and longitudinally of the head rail I and extend downwardly, as not shown, to points of connection with the lower end of the Venetian blind slat unit. By pulling down upon the cords 6 the slats of the Venetian blind are collapsed and elevated in the common manner, this operation having no particular relation to the present invention.

Within the casing 4 is the usual cord lock member I which is pivoted at Ia to the sides of the casing and this cord lock is adapted to engage with the cord 6 and disengage therefrom by the manipulation of said cord by the operator of the blind, This last feature is of course common in Venetian blind structure.

Passing now to the latching means of my present invention, it is noted particularly clearly from Figures 2 and 3 that said means includes a latch device 8 which is pivoted at 8a to the lower portion of the bracket 3, this being the supporting hook portion that will carry or hold the pintle members on the tilt bar designated A. Projecting upwardly from the body of the latch device 8 is a detent arm 9 and this arm is provided at its upper end with a pressed out projection I2 adapted to register with and enter an opening or recess II formed in the. body of the bracket 2.

vided the lock arm or member l which member is adapted to extend across the entering portion of the slot 3d of the hooked lower end of the bracket 3-; Extending laterally from the lower end portion ofthe device 8 is a handle or fingerpiece I l which may be grasped in order to swing the latch device around a pivotal axis to, either to carry the lock arm III to its locking position shown in Figure 2. or to move the device no its unlocked position shown in Figure 3.

It will be seen that the tilt bar A is equipped with the usual pintle members ll, one of which is illustrated in Figure 1, and these pintle members are adapted to be received in the slot or recess 3d of the bracket 3. 1

In the use of my present invention, the parts of the hardware unit as seen in Figure 3 will be adjusted as in this figure when thetilt bar A which carries the slat unit of the blindis to be mounted upon the head rail I. This operation is accomplished'merely by emplacing the pintle of the tilt bar A in the slot portion 3d of the latch device 8 and bracket 3. The latch device 8 as seen in Figure 3 is in its open position, enabling the above operation to be performed and the movement of the latch device toward its open position is limited by; the upper detent arm 9 abutting with the pulley and cord lock casing 4.

The tilt bar A having been hung upon the bracket 3, two of which of course being provided, the latching devices like that designated 8 are closed by manipulation of the fingerpieces ll swinging the said devices 8 about the pivotal axis or axes 8a to the position as shown in Figure 2 at which time the projection l2 enters the opening ll for eachof the latch devices, and the said devices are thereby held in their locking position against accidental movement or displacements.

The hardware unit of my invention is applied to the head rail I as a unit by arranging the pulley and cord lock casing in the slotted portion la of the head rail and attaching the flange Ia of the bracket 3 by means of the suitable fastenlnsl provided therefor and designated 3b.

Having thus described .my invention, what I hook. portion of the bracket to close the mouth or entering p rtion of said hook for looking a pintle therein, said latch body being also formed with an upwardly extending detent arm having releasable interlocking engagement with the bracket for preventing accidental displacement of the latching device from its'latching position.

, 2. In Venetian blind hardware of the class described, a combination pulley. and cord casing and bracket unit including a pulley and cord lock casing, a bracket having attachingmeans for securing the same in a depending position from a head rail of a blind, said bracket being formed with a hooked portion at itslower end providing va pintle receiving slot having an entrance portion for the hook portion. attaching means for securing the pulley and cord lock casing to a side of the said bracket, and a latching device pivoted intermediate its ends to the side of the bracket and provided at its lower portion with a lock arm for extending across the entering portion of the pintle supporting slot at the hook portion of the bracket, said latching device also provided with an upwardly extending detent arm adapted to abut with the pulley and cord lock casing for limiting the opening movement of the lock arm portion of said latching device, and said detent arm being formed with a projection for holding the latching device in its position wherein the lock arm thereof closes the pintle receiving slot, the bracket having an opening to receive said projection when the interlocking relation is established. RICHARD H. WRIGHT.

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