US2402769A

US2402769A - Hold-down bracket

Info

Publication number: US2402769A
Application number: US555011A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harry H Nelson
Original assignee: LORENTZEN HARDWARE Manufacturing CORP
Current assignee: LORENTZEN HARDWARE Manufacturing CORP; LORENTZEN HARDWARE MF'G CORP
Priority date: 1944-09-20
Filing date: 1944-09-20
Publication date: 1946-06-25
Anticipated expiration: 1963-06-25

Description

June 25, 1946. NELSON 2,402,769

HOLD-DOWN BRACKET Filed Sept. 20, 1944 INVENTOR 7- 5 9 4 HarryHM/san BY W, M ATTORNEYS Patented June 25, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOLD-DOWN BRACKET I Harry H. Nelson, New York, N. Y., assignor to Lorentzen Hardware Mfg. Corp., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 20, 1944, Serial No. 555,011

, 1 a a My invention relates to improvements in holddown brackets for the bottom rail of Venetian blinds; by mean of which brackets the pendant blind is restrained against inadvertent lifting, swinging or flapping. l

Various forms of hold-down brackets have been usedheretofore, but so far as I am aware none of them has, possessed all of, the character istics that are commercially desirable. The prior artmholdwdownbrackets have presented one or more of the following difiiculties or limitations: specialized problems of installation in or on windew and door trim of various types; disfigurement of the window or doorwith an unsightly accessorywhich is exposed when. the blind is elevated; the tendency of thebracket to. snag dusters andwiping clothsemployed for cleaning the debtor windowitrimplackof resistance to bending, and distortion under abuse; and the need for providin ia plurality of different specific forms of brackets to. take care of left and right, jamb andstill mounting. I 1

Af general object of my'invention is to provide avenenan blind hold-down bracket which obyiates all of the foregoing difiiculties and limimans. a g one' particular object of the inventionis to provide a, hold-down bracket which is susceptible of facile installation.

i Another object of my invention isto provide 7 a Single bracket which is of universal constructiorni.v e.,' so constructed that a pair of identical bracketsmay be installed, one at the left and thejotherat the right lower corner of the blind area, either upon the jamb or sill of the light ,L

opening to be shrouded. g ,It is a further object of my invention to provide a Yen'etian blind hold-down bracket which 'ijs sightly when fully exposed toview due to elevation of the blind slats. I y

"ItQisanother object of my invention to provide a venetian blind hold-down bracket which is free fromtendency to snag clothing, dusters, wiping Cloths, and. other objects which may come into contact therewith.

Additional object of myinvention are to provide a hold -down bracket for Venetian blinds which is inherently strong and resistant to bending andbuckling under conditions of use and abuse; which is inexpensive to manufacture; which may be fabricated from inexpensive sheet metalby a simple punching and pressing operation, whichcanbe mounted by means of a single 'screw driven in the windowor door trim; and

11 Claims. (01. 160-349) for stretch in the ladder tapes of the associated blind) affords engagement with the bottom rail of the blind at more than a single level.

Further objects, and objects relating to details and economies of manufacture, installation and use will more definitely appear from the detailed description to follow.

My invention is clearly defined in the appended claims. In the claims, as well as in the description, parts are identified by specific names for convenience, but such nomenclature is intended which, for some purposes (such as compensation to be as generic, in its application to similar parts, as the prior art will permit. The best form in which I have contemplated applying my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a corner of a window casing provided with a hold-down bracket constituting a preferred embodiment of my invention, said bracket being secured to the left jamb of the window casing with a single wood screw;

Figure 2 is an edgewise view, in elevation, of a similar hold-down bracket secured to the sill of a window casing, the bracket being set in somewhat from the corner of the window casing to accommodate a blind of lesser width, and the wood screw being inserted through the foot of the bracket instead of through the body thereof as in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view, in side elevation, of the type of bracket illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, but installed on the exterior face of the window casing;

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the bracket illustrated in perspective in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is an edgewise view of the bracket illustrated in Figure 4, showing the offset braced character of its body portion;

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the said brackat; and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line '|T of Figure 5 depicting, on an enlarged scale, the formation of the screw-receptive, non-rotating foot portion thereof.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

My invention relates to Venetian blinds of the type having a bottom rail or heavy slat on each end of which is mounted an outwardly-extending gudgeon pin. In a broad sense, my invention may be said to find embodiment in a unique bracket to be secured (one at each side of the lower extremity of the blind) upon the adjacent door or window trim and to he engageable, re-

the right or the left side of the blind. Further-s;

more, the bracket structure is preferably provided with two mounting portions, one at right angles" t the other, so that the bracket mayv be secured I upon either the jamb or the sill ofa-window ordoor casing, and may be disposed upstanding thereon or outstanding therefrom. When used in outstanding position, two levels for 'gudgeon-- pin engagement are available, the upper normally being used and the lower, located some /8" therebelow, being desirable for use when stretch has occurred in the ladder tapesof the blind after long service. In its preferred form, the bracket isapproximately of L configuration; the foot serving as a mounting flange receptive of a conventional wood-screw or the like, and the standing portion being punched and pressed to define an inset terminal flange provided with a notch formation for gudgeon-pin reception and retention. ,The notch] formation i preferably double in nature, a notch disposed ateach" side. of the center line of the bracket, and the portion of the inset terminal flange which lies between said notches is extended to constituteasimilarly inset stop and pin-guide effective to direct the gudgeon pin into one of saidnotcheswhich is appropriate to the left .or right-hand mounted position of the bracket The thus-constituted pin stop and guide is'forined integralwith the standing portion proper of the bracket as well as with the inset flange thereof andthus serves the additional function of a bracket stiffening member. The two notches of thebracket are directed obliquely of its longitudinal axis and diverge so that a gudgeon pin held against the pin stop is guided to'enter'the appropriate'notch with equal facility'and security, regardless of whether the bracket be located at the left or. right side of the blind, and regardless ofwh'ether the bracket be mounted upstandingly or outstandingly. v

In Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing, I have 4 stop and guide for directing the gudgeon pin into one or the other of the slots and I6, depending upon the side from which the associable gudgeon pin is passed under the flange l4. Usually the pin is directed toward the window or door, to effect anchorage of the bottom rail III, with the result that the outboard slotflof the ,bracket will be employed for engagement with the left hand gudgeon pin (as depicted in Fig. l) and the slot l6 (which assumes the outboard position in the case of right side mounting) will be em- ..ployed for engagement with the right hand gudgeonpin (not shown) of the blind. In both instances (right and left hand bracket installations) 3,. central web portion I! will serve the pin-stop and guiding function stated.

In the jamb installation of Fig. 1, the mounting maybe made with a single wood screw l8 extending through the conical screw seat I! formed in the portion l2 of the bracket. Turning of the bracketabout the screw [8 is precluded by the fiatwise abutment of the foot portion I! with the sill B of the window casing. The bracket is not, however, limited to such jamb mounting but may be secured in contact solely with the sill \B of the casing, as illustrated in Fig. 2. This is especially desirable where the blind is narrower than the window or other opening to be shrouded and the bracket is spaced fromthe lamb. In Fig. 2

the wood screw I8 is employed through the conical seat 20 of the foot portion 13 of the bracket and twisting of the bracket about they screw as an axis is precluded by a plurality of projections 2| which are embossed in the foot portion and which are caused to penetrate or otherwise key into the sill B when the screw! 8 is drawntight.

. In Fig. 3 I'have illustrated my bracket installed on the sill B externally of the window opening to be shrouded. Here the screw I8 is extended through the conical seat 20 asin the form of installation depicted in Fig, 2, but thestanding portion l2 of the bracket is mounted outstanding from the sill. Alternatively, the bracket may be similarly disposed, but with the foot 13 shown (secured tothe left jamb Aof a 'conventional window casing) a hold-down bracket 'effective to restrain the left end gudgeon pin l l of the bottom rail H] of a Venetian blind (shown only fragmentarily). against upward and sidewise movement. This bracket is formed by punching and stamping from sheet metal and consists, generally, of a foot portion [3 adapted for abutment with a surface of a window or door casing, and a standing portion l2. The end of the standing portion which is remote from the foot I3 is bent to. form a stepped flange l4, which flange is provided with a diverging pair of notches l5 and I5 receptive, selectively, of the proximate gudgeon pin carried by the bottom rail ll] of the blind. By virtue of the inwardlystepped character of the thus-notched flange 14, the bracket serves the function of a hook for a pin II when same is slipped into either notch IE or it from below the step of the flange. A central web portion II extends from the flange M to the base of the standing portion [2 of the bracket and serves to brace the flange I4, The web portion ll, lying for its major extent in the plane of the inset flange [4, also serves as a screwed to the front (room) face of lamb A. In either case, the blind (not shown) is disposed in front of the door or window; notwithin the casing thereof. Moreover, in such instances of outside mounting, the slot I6 is normally employed for reception of the gudgeon pin atthe left end of the bottom rail, and the slot I5 is normally employed for reception of the gudgeon pin at the right end of the bottom rail; it being understood that slot [5 is uppermost in the right side bracket. Blinds thusdisposed external of the window or door opening are inherently longer and wider than blinds for internal installation in openings of corresponding size, and the strains imposed on the ladder tapes thereof (not shown) by reason of such greater extent, as well as by more frequent application of inadvertent external forces, may be such that stretch is usually experienced in the ladder tapes of the blind after a lesser period of service. My bracket is particularly well adapted for use .withsuch external blinds for the reason that a second hold-down position is available through use of the pin-stop web I! as a gudgeon-pin hold-down (illustrated by the lower, dotted-line position of the pin 1 I in Fig. 3). The gudgeon-pin in the dotted-line position will, in the bracket design and size illustrated in the accompanying drawing, lie some %'.f below that normal to use oi. the slots I! or 16 as gudgeon-pin lands. Thus, a stretch of in the ladder tapes of the associated blind (not shown) may be readily compensated by use of the-lower pin position available.

My bracket structure is anexceedingly simpl one, consisting as it does of but a single piece of stamped and pressed sheet metal. It isstrong, due in large part to the expanded, box-like relationship existing between the standing portion l2 proper and the bridging brace constituted by the pin stop and guide portion H. The mode of securing the bracket upwardlyor outwardly upon sill or ,iamb at left or right side of the blind should be clearfrom the several illustrations in the drawing. Functionally, the inset flange M with itsnotches l and I6 is a double internal hook member, but the configuration of the notch and other bracket surfaces, as well as the pin-guide web I! militate to preclude snagging of dust cloth or other extraneous objects thereon or therein; The gudgeon pins ll of the bottom rail l0, conventional in Venetian blinds of current design are, however, securely held against dissociation with the slots l5 and IS in all intended positions, as well as with the pin-guide web ll when in the Fig. 3 dotted position. Association of the pins with the brackets, upstandingly disposed as in Figs. 1 and 2, is eifected simply by slightly depressing thebottom rail against the tensioned support andrestraint'of theladder tapes (not shown) so that the pins H maybe moved under the inset flange M into abutment with the pin stop [1. *Release of the bottomrail III will then enable the leftand right hand pins H to enter the appropriate slot and I6, andbe held up therein by the elastic re-elevation of'the ladder-tape suspendedbottom rail Ill.

Employed as an outstanding bracket; the bottom rail In of the blind is depressed so that its gudgeon pins bear upon the top edge of the pin stop 11, and the rail is then displaced so that the left-hand pin ll enters the slot N5 of the left side bracket and the right-hand pin (not shown) enters the slot 15 of the right side bracket (not shown). It will be understood that in the right side bracket the slot I5 is at the top, while the slot I6 is at the bottom. Upon release of the rail ID from depression, the ladder tapes (not shown) will re-elevate the rail so as to maintain the pins in their respective slots.

It will be apparent that the bracket may be mounted on nearly any wall portion of a building or building structure. The wall portions specifically disclosed in this connection are the front and side faces of a window jamb and the front and top faces of a window sill, these being the locations in which the bracket is most frequently mounted. However, the bracket may be similarly used in connection with a doorway, and it may be used upon a wall portion which has no opening and over which the blind i hung merely for masking or decorative effect. Where, in this specification and claims, reference is made to the base portion of the bracket, this expression denotes such parts of the portions l2 and I3 of the bracket as are brought into bearing upon the blind-adjacent portion of the wall in the various modes of mounting herein described.

I am aware that my invention is susceptible of embodiment in brackets of other shapes, forms and sizes than that disclosed in the accompanying drawing and herein described. I therefore claim my invention broadly, as indicated by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A hold-down bracket fOr engagement with a bottom-rail-carried gudgeon pin of a Venetian blind, comprising: a plate member haying a base portion formed for mounting upon a blind-adjacent wall portion and having an inset flange portion provided. with a notch receptive of a gudgeon pin extending outwardly from one end of the'bottom rail of the blind and effective to restrainsaid end against swinging and flapping when said pin is so received.

2. A hold-down bracket for engagement with a bott-om-rail-carried gudgeon pin of a Venetian blind, comprising: a plate member having a base portion formed for mounting upon a blind-adjacent wall portion and having a stepped flange portion cut out to define a notch receptive of a gudgeon pin extending outwardly from one end of the bottom rail of the blind and effective to restrain said end against swinging and flapping when said pin is so received.

3. A hold-down bracket for left or right side engagementwith a correspondinglydocated bottom-rail-carried gudgeon pin of a Venetian blind, comprising: a plate member having a base portion formed for mounting upon a blind-adjacent wall portion, having a double-notched inwardlyoifset portion, one notch of which is receptive of the left-hand'gudgeon pin and the other notch of which is receptive of the right-hand gudgeon pin when the bracket is mounted upon the wall at the left or right side, selectively, of the blind, and having a web portion between said inwardlyoffset and base portion which web portion is inwardly offset with respect to said base portion and serves the dual function of bracket bracing and gudgeon-pin-guidingv into the appropriate notch.

4. A hold-down bracket for left or right side engagement with a correspondingly-located bottom-rail-carried gudgeon pin of a Venetian blind, comprising: a sheet metal member having a double base portion right-angularly bent for mounting either upstanding or outstanding upon the sill 0r jamb trim of a window or the like and having a notched portion receptive of a gudgeon pin extending outwardly from one end of the a bottom rail of the blind and effective to restrain said end against swinging and flapping when said Din is so received.

5. A hold-down bracket for left or right side engagement with a correspondingly-located bottom-rail-carried gudgeon pin of a Venetian blind, comprising: a sheet metal member having a double base portion right-angularly bent for one screw non-rotative mounting either upstanding or outstanding upon the sill or jamb trim of a window and having an inwardly-offset notched portion receptive of a gudgeon pin extending outwardly from one end of the bottom rail of the blind and effective to restrain said end against swinging and flapping When said. pin is so received.

6. A hold-down bracket for left or right side engagement with a correspondingly-located bottom-rail-carried gudgeon pin of a Venetian blind, comprising: a plate member having a double base portion formed for either endwise or sidewise mounting upon the sill or jamb trim of a window, having a double-notched inwardly-offset portion one notch of which is receptive of the left-hand gudgeon pin and the other notch of which is receptive of the right-hand gudgeon pin when the bracket is mounted at the left or right side respectively of the blind, and having an inwardlyoffset web portion between said base portion and said notched portion merging with the latter to reinforce said bracket and to constitute a pin stop and guide for directing said gudgeon pin into the appropriate notch of said bracket when either left or right-hand mounted.

7. A hold-down bracket for left or right side engagement with a correspondingly-located bottom-rail-carried gudgeon pin of a Venetian blind, comprising: a plate member having a base portion formed for mounting upon a blind-adjacent wall portion, having a double-notched inwardlyoffset portion one notch of which is receptive of the left-hand gudgeon pin and the other notch of which is receptive of the right-hand gudgeon pin when the bracket is mounted'at the left or right side, respectively, of the blind, and having an inwardly-offset web portion between said base portion and said notched portion and merging with the latter to constitute a pin stop and guide for directing said gudgeon pin into the appropriate notch of said bracket when either left or right-hand mounted, said bracket being formed from a single piece of initially flat stock punched and expanded by pressing to provide said ofiset portions in a box relationship resistant to collapse.

8. A hold-down bracket for Venetian blinds comprising a metal plate punched and expanded into box form with a flange at each end of the box formation, the flange at one end being formed for mounting upon the trim of a window and the flange at the other end being inwardlyofiset with respect to the main portion of the bracket and having therein formed a pair of notches'for the alternative reception of a gudgeon pin disposed at the left or right end respectively of the bottom rail of the Venetian blind. V

9. A hold-down bracket for Venetian blinds comprising a sheet metal plate punched and expanded into box form with a flange at each end of the box formation, the flange at one end being formed for mounting upon the trim of a window and the flange at the other end being inwardly offset with respect to the main portion of the bracket and having therein-formed a pair of noncommunicating laterally-accessible notches for the alternativereception of a gudgeon pin dis posed at the left or right end, respectively, of the bottom rail of the Venetian blind.

10. A hold-down bracket for one'end of the bottom rail of a Venetian blind, comprising: a sheet metal plate punched and expanded into box form with a flange'at each end of the box formation, the flange at one end of the box formation being formed for outstanding mounting upon a blind-adjacent wall portion and the flange at the other end of the box formation lying in a plane inward of the main portion of the bracket and having a notch therein, said notch and a wall of said box formation being alternatively engageable with a gudg'eon pin carried by one end of the bottom rail of the blind, and serving to restrain movement of said bottom rail at either of two levels.

11. A hold-down bracket structure for restraining a gudgeon-pinned' bottom rail of a Venetian blind against undesirable movement comprising! a punched sheet metalplate having a rotation-resisting wall-attachable flange portion for one-screw mounting upon either a vertical or a horizontal surface such as offered by a window jamb or sill; and a blind-securing portion having aplurality of gudgeon-pin-receptiverecesses selectively effective to suppress said bottom rail to a desired one of a number of optional positions having distinct vertical levels relative to the point of mounting of said bracket.

HARRY H. NELSON. a