US2570807A - Venetian blind slat structure - Google Patents

Description

oct. 9, 1951 L J, HERMAN 2,570,807

- VENETIAN BLIND SLAT STRUCTURE Filed lag. 14, 195o Z' 3'/ INVENToR.

El-7'."- '7 E lavmG J. HERMAN 3km QSTZWEX Patented ct. 9, 1951E 2570367 ,VEnnmIANBLIND sLA'r `s'risUcrinale ,-vingfJ. Herman, New York, N. Y. :Application-August 14, 1950, Serial No. 179,289

' 1 Claim.l (o1. ki60-173') Thisiinven'tion relates *to new :and iuseinl :improvements in Venetian blind slatarand,v more parfti'eniarlymhe .aimiiis to provide ,a novel .and ivalnableistnnetnre .for z-snch a .-slat -charaeterized 'byrtheancliisioniofsan improved ycombi'nation of H separbleparts.

b'jeet 'ofthe invention-is to :provide a .Vene- 'tianblnd islat structure the main vfmember of which can be constituted as is an ordinary Venetian :blind Slat, ithat. iscwhich lcan :be virtually iperfeetly reetangnlar .in outline, :as Hthin as or even thinner thanvathe usual `such Slat, laterally lar'ehed .when desired, and .smooth .surfaced all over iboith nanos, yetwhich, unlike lthe 'ordinary Venetian blind slat, is notiveakened by having ont therethrough #the familiar rslots 4customarily A.present'for thezpassage'ftherethroughof the Well- --known iliit oords. .Notfoni-yl is this new -slat .'.memb'ernot viiveakiened by slott'ings thereof, :but Alit fisseilso nationally weakened at itsends, since fthese lends `Virtually...extend :rectilinearly :across A:the slsat, duetoithe '.tact .as vabove Vstated that the slatoiswirtually periectlyxrectangular in outline.

Sfnn'otner obijeot 'of the invention .is -to provide, combination 'with Asaid mainfslat: member.' and lforiipartiipation in thenew Venetian blindl slat .structure :as x`elements .complementary to said main nlatfrnember, `:aip'air of like ,fend tfrtments for dependable f yet :readily vdetachable engage- 'ment iwi/ith the fend portions of said 'l main slat :memben Wherebywhen said .tments tare atfltaohedslots for thellift cord-s fare established fiwhen. said :itments tare detached the said main slat member togetherlwi'th said :tments Vare a'llfzbodilyseparated-and themairi slat. mem- .Y

'.may-be -iremoved ,for cleaning. "The said --i'rrain islat may also be `'covered' by la suitable '.iiabri'c orv any other removable :decorative acoxiering.

A further object of theinvefntion is profonde; for-.fuse iin further-fcombination. with said main 1slat.nfienrben:espeoiallyz .When the latter iiiieny longzan'd/:or it is desired'itohaye the :same .made vl.of fan #exceptionally #thin metal. or :plastic afsheet rinateria'l, i a .readily attaliable :auxiliary "'trirrrt adapted to 'tbe slipped onto and Aslid talongthe:'mainrislatmeniber for acting Aas a ustiiienerar'neans '..to combat any `.tendency of the :mairrslat .memberntowaid :longitudinal dro'op.

"fnrther VAJorbjfeet .of the invention is 'sto nnmide-fsaid.like end 'tments of such zoonstruclitienzdhat, while Vber'it upjfrom .a 'single l'sheet material .blankffas aix-thin vv'sheet metal one, waste of :blank material is minimized because the blank substantially rectangular in `l`outline.

hereinafter.

Yet another object-of the invention is to-.provide said like end tments as just above gexplained, and to have a lift-cord engaging lportion ofsuch a itmentV-made smooth by aline :of bend of one part of vthe ftment blank over another part thereof, and attain other structural advantagesjin the fitment as W-il1;be made clear Forgurther comprehension lof -thefinvention -efzthe ,Objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had tothe following :description and .accompanying drawings, and `to the appende/:1 .claim in which Vthe various novel .-eatures of the invention :are inoreparticularly set In the accompanlyirigldrawings forming ama- .terialpart ,of this disclosure.:

. ...f-Eig. 31 is anton fperspectivevview, showing :one

nowavored, embodiment of the improved Venetianblind -slatxstructureffof the :present :invention, with the slat member shown ybroken :away

.2a-tl two places.

Fig. 2i'is;a..p`lan view '.oia blank of .sheet ma- Fig. 3 shows the said blank after a rst ipair of r.folding operations :are performed.

Fig.. :4 .shows the :said blank after a second fold- .ing operationis performed. 1

ffFi'g-.'shows Sthesaid Eblank after f a'third foldioperationis'fpertermedl l'and after, fol-lowing roompletion'of said iiolding operation, -a

rpair of'iindenting operationsare performed; so #that now 'the blank is f-u1ly transformed a "fit-)ment 'like the two;"tmen'ts shown atv the op- --pQn-tefQndSUriig 15 `vIig. ""6 'a' transverse "section, taken on 'the VFig. '7 is ayfragm'entary 'longitudinal section,

,on melma V1--110'f Fig. 4. 'y IFig.. fis, also .a fragmentary .longitudinal sec- -.Fig.9 is afragmentary'longitudinal section,

`;'ig.;,1 .isf:a .top :plan `View. 'of the left-handiend yportion of the slat structure shown in-'::Fig."1,

of Fig. 10, broken away at a point along its length.

Fig. 12 is a top plan view, showing another now favored embodiment of the improved Venetian blind slat structure of the invention, with the slat member shown broken away in one place.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, and first to Figs. 1-11, the slat member illustrated in Fig. 1 and designated I5 is actually perfectly rectangular in outline, having ends I6 which are rectilinear from end to end as well as having a general direction of extension which is perpendicular to the sides of the slat member; while the slat member shown in Figs. 1'0 and 11 and designated I52L is virtually perfectly rectangular in outline, because having ends IIeL which are rectilinear from end to end except for corner roundings IGb-which ro-undings, being wholly convex, serve as strengthening or antisplit elements rather than otherwise in regard to the end portions of the slat member.

Also, it will be no-ted that each of the slat member I and the slat member I5EL is smooth surfaced all over both its faces, and that each of said slat members is of uninterrupted expanse al1 over.

y Two like tments I1 are provided for telescopic engagement with and frictional securement to the two end portions of the slat member.

These tments, below called the end tments, are each made from a single blank I1a (Fig. 2) of thin sheet material, preferably a very thin sheet metal, as one of the fairly resilient yet fully yieldingly bendable aluminum alloys.

Said blank is substantially rectangular in outline, having two parallel slits I9.

Following bending of the blank along the two lines (Fig. 2) to dispose the blank subdivisions 2| below the blank subdivisions 22, there is obtained the structure shown in Figs. 3 and 6 and there marked I1b.

Next, following bending of the blank along the line 23, to swing under and through 180 a tongue-like subdivision of the blank bounded by said line 23, the slits I9 and a straight edge 24 of the blank, there is obtained the structure shown in Figs. 4 and '1 and there marked I1. Said tongue-like subdivision, it is to be noted, is made up of a main portion and a lesser portion 26.

It will be observed that said structure I1c now has a pair of legs of U-shaped cross-section, with each such leg Where it projects beyond the fold line 23 made up of a pair of blank subdivisions 2 I and 22 and with each such leg elsewhere along its length made up of a blank subdivision 2| and a side marginal portion of a plate-like main blank subdivision 21. Said subdivision 21 is, as so far completed, of two-ply thickness, the under ply being comprised in part of the main .portion 25 of said tongue-like subdivision of the blank and in part of portions of the lengths of both the blank subdivisions 2I.

The bends along the lines 20 are made in such manner as to provide al1 along the length of each of these bends a groove 28 of such slightly less width than the thickness of the slat member as to predetermine that when an end portion of the slat member is inserted into such grooves a good frictional grip will be set up between the slat member and the end ftment carrying said grooves.

Indents are made across the blank subdivisions 2l at the locations indicated at 29 in Figs. 5 and 9, to provide limiting stops as indicated in Fig. 1

against more than the prevised extent of telescopic engagement between an end portion of the slat member and an end tment applied to that end of said slat member.

Upon making said indents, and bending over along the line 20 and through 180 said lesser portion 26 of said tongue-like subdivision of the blank, to dispose said lesser portion 26 and clench down the same as shown in Figs. 5 and 8, and squeezing each subdivision 22 up fiat against the under side of said plate-like main subdivision 21 of the blank as shown in Fig. 9 along the length of said subdivision 22 from an indent 29 to the end of said subdivision 22 now adjacent to the bend line 30, there is provided the structure shown in Fig. 5.

Said structure of Fig. 5 is also marked I1; because said structure is one of which either of the ntments I1 is a replica. This being so, the same reference numerals as are used in Figs. 2-9 are appropriately applied to certain of the parts as seen in Fig. 1.

As will be noted, thicknesses are exaggerated in Figs. 1 and 6-8. Actually, a tment I1I even at the three-ply thickness thereof at the clenched over blank subdivision 26, is very thin. For instance, the presence of said subdivision 26 will not ordinarily be visible even at close examination.

Yet the legs 2 I-22 are stiff and strong, due to their U-shaped cross-section, and the remainder of a tment I1 is also stiff and'strong, due to its three-ply construction at the clenched over blank subdivision 26 and its two-ply construction elsewhere all over the same.

With the tments I1 applied to the end portions of the slat member I5 as shown in Fig. 1, lift-cord slots 3I are established; these slots extending widthwisely of the slat structure, and with one side of each slot provided by a part of the end edge of the slat member and with the opposite side of each slot provided by the edge of the tment resulting from the bend along the line 30. Said line 39 being a bend line, it will be laterally rounded. Also, it will be a matter of trifling expense to round the end edges of the slat member I5, pursuant to the common practice in thus finishing off the end edges of conventional Venetian blind slats. Thus the lift cords passing through the slots 3l, while never touching the ends of said slots, may from time to time touch the sides of said slots and engage said sides while moving relative thereto without any scraping effect on the lift cords.

In Fig. 10, the end tment there shown is also designated I1, as it is exactly like the end tments I1 of Fig. 1. This being so, the same reference numerals 26, 29 and 3I as are used in Figs. 1-9 are appropriately applied to certain of the parts as seen in Fig. 10.

The aforesaid stiifener tment is as a whole designated 32. The same is desirably made of the same sheet material stated hereinabove to be preferable for the making of an end fitment I1. The tment 32, it will be noted, is also most economical to provide, because made. of a blank of substantially rectangular cross-section; said blank being bent along two parallel lines 33 to present a main plate-like central portion 34 and two like marginal portions 35 bent toward each other as shown to provide mutually facing grooves for snugly yet slidably embracing the two side marginal portions of the slat member I5.

' Referring to the modified Venetian blind structure of Fig. 12, said structure is shown as incorporating a slat member I' like the Slat member l5, and two like slip-on end tments 36. Each of the itments 36, made of a single blank of substantially rectangular outline, comprises a main central plate-like portion 31 and two like marginal portions 38 bent over toward each other as shown to provide mutually facing grooves similar to the grooves 38. Indents 39 similar to the indents 29 are applied as shown. Located relative to said indents as illustrated is a lift-cord slot 40. Then, with the tments 36 telescopically engaged with the opposite end portions of the slat member I5 as in Fig. 12, that is, until the ends of said slat member are stopped by the indents 39, the slots 40 are properly positioned along the length of the slat structure 36-I5'-36.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming Within the scope of the invention as dened in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

A slat structure for a Venetian blind, comprising an elongated main slat member, and a pair of fitments each engaged with an end portion of said member in telescoping relation therewith, each such tment having at its outer end a plate-like portion and having extended from the inner side of said plate-like portion a pair of legs of U-shaped cross-section to provide parallel grooves along said legs, said grooves facing each other and having their bottoms spaced apart a distance equal to the width of the said slat member, an indent along the length of at least one of such grooves to limit the extent of telescopic overlap between said legs and the adjacent end portion of the slat member, said slat structure near each of its opposite ends having a lift-cord slot, each fitment being so shaped and on each tment said indent being so located that when said iitments are fully engaged with the opposite end portions of said slat member each of said slots is partially bounded by an end of said slat member, each of said tments being bent up from a single blank of sheet material, each of said blanks being substantially rectangular in outline, and in the case of each of said blanks said plate-like portion of the tment being at one end of the blank, said legs of the iitment being extended along both opposite sides of the blank with each leg partially projected beyond said plate-like portion, and a tonguelike portion continuing from the end of said plate-like portion located between the projected ends o said legs, said tongue-like portion being bent to extend beneath said plate-like portion and thereby give said plate-like portion a twoply thickness and to establish such bend line of said tongue-like member as the other side of the lift-cord slot partially bounded as aforesaid by an end of said slat member.

IRVING J. HERMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,017,210 Kirsch Oct. 15, 1935 2,317,917 Kasan Apr. 27, 1943 2,447,706 Marston Aug. 24, 1948 2,497,803 Smalley Feb. 14, 1950

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