US2651358A - End brace for venetian blind head bars - Google Patents

Description

p 1953 H. K. LORENTZEN 2,651,358

END BRACE FOR VENETIAN BLIND HEAD BARS Filed Nov. 18, 1952 I M4,. 19,42 H;S ATTORNEYS INVENTOR L 23 KMAM fzm F IG, 2 4 /z bars equipped with it can stalled.

Patented Sept. 8, 1 953 BRACE FOR VFlltlETIAN BLIND HEAD BARS Hans K. Lorentzen, Montclair, N. J., assignor to Lorentzcn Hardware Mfg. -Corp., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 1a, 1952, Serial No. 321,097

This invention relates to Venetian blinds and, more particularly, to a head bar channel assembly and an end brace therefor. v A Venetian blind is essentially an assembly of superimposed articulated slats which are carried .by a head bar extending across the top of the blind and on which is mounted mechanism for raising and tilting the slats of the blind. The head bar may be of the enclosed head type, in which the head bar is usually a sheet metal channel of U-shaped cross section, the free longitujdinal edges of the channel bein curled to form inturned hollow beads. Installation brackets, which are often secured to the jambs of the window frame, are customarily used to removably support the ends of the head bar.

In making blinds for particular windows, the head bars are not normally cut precisely to fit tightly into the space between the'two installation brackets. Instead, the head bar is cut somewhat shorter to assure that it will conveniently enter the space between the brackets. This results in a more or less loose fit. Generally speaking, with ready-made or stock blindsgthe head bars are usually made in incremental lengths of one inch throughout the most widely used range of sizes. Thus, the head bar may be as much as one inch shorter than the'maximum mounting space afiorded by the installation brackets of a particular installation. I

To prevent endwiseshifting of the head bar after it hasbeen positioned on the installation brackets, to prevent the possibilityof an end of the head bar slipping oiT of one of the brackets, and'to'brace the top of the head bar, the head bar may be provided with end braces having one or more resilient fingers which take up the excess space and keep the head bar centered. Such an end brace is shown in U. S. Patent 2,455,135.

" The end brace of the present invention is formed of a single length of wire which has an intermediate portion for spanning between the beads of the head bar and a bead-engaging portion at each end ofthe intermediate portion.

At least one end of the wire projects on the side of the intermediate portion opposite to the beadengaging portions to form a resilient finger which projects outwardly beyond the end of the head bar.

As compared to the present end brace is less prior art braces, the expensive; also head be more rapidly inw Among the objects of the present invention are to provide a very inexpensive end brace having -at-1east one resilient finger. operable to position a head bar with respect to an installation bracket, to provide an end brace which can be-rapidly manufactured, and to provide an end brace which can be easily installed in a head bar and which automatically adjusts itself to the spacing requirements of the head bar with respect to the installation brackets.

My invention is clearly defined inthe appended claims. In the claims, as well as in the description, parts may at times be identified by panying drawings forming part of this specification, in which:

'Fig; 1 is a perspective view of a portion or a Venetian blind including a head bar and an installation bracket shown in exploded relation thereto.

Fig, 2 is a, plan view of one form of end-brace per se; in accordance with the present invention.

'- Fig. 3 is an isometric view of an end'oI' a head barchanneland the end brace of Fig. 2'in exploded relation thereto. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the end brace assembled with the head bar channel.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken generally on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a second form of end brace, in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a third form of end brace, in accordance with the present invention. The Venetian blind I 0 is of the enclosed head type, having a head bar ll formed of a sheet metal channel of U-shaped crosssection; The

free longitudinal edges l2, l2 of the channel ll are inturned to form hollow beads l4, l4. Operating mechanism (not shown) for tilting and lifting the slats of the blind is mounted within the channel I I.

The blind [0 may be installed as a unit in'a pair of installation brackets, one such bracket [5 Fig. 1. The installation brackets p ovid d th a limp after whi h When installing the blind, the retainer i9 is opened to admit the head bar I l of the blind Hi, the head bar I l being moved rearwardly and the ends thereof resting on the bottom flanges of the brackets. In a typical installation the head bar will not completely span the space between the side-plates H of the two bi okets for th reasons that have been pointed out.

After installation of the head bar, there will be a tendency for the head bar to shift longitus dinally within the brackets upon the operation of the blind. To prevent this undesirable shift: ing, to keep the head bar centered with respect to the brackets, and to brace the channel; from iront to back, an end brace oi suitablevconstrilc tion is used. As shown an end bracejiy is if}: serted in each end of the channel ll, each braee 20 being provided with a resilient finger 21 to bear against the side plate of the adj acent bracket l5, thereby centering the head bar with respect vto the ins allati n brack ts a d minim in endwi movemen of th iead. b r

Ilse nd rac Io me o as lelengt eiprings W r I as en, io md thet'han steel wi e hav ng considerable res liene an cepable-ef yie di g o r a ons dereble range th in the elastic limit, and having a diameter on the order-of %g9g'0f aninch isksnitable forthis pu p se- The ce tral zone-oi th wire s s utesan .11 termediat port on spa n be en the beads 1-4, 14 o i he hannel ll. This @0118 23, s .F e-

the pur pose of which willbe explained later. The po r.- tions of the wire latsthe diate port on 12 are bent a rig ang e t th interm diate p rtio 2 and then ba k pon thems l es in spaced rela on-to 0 m aper o resilient bead-engaging portions 2% 24 which .are proportioned to vtelescope within and trictional y e s-ag h n e alls-o the bead 14, all} sin resilient manner.

One of the terminal ends of the wire projects onthatside oi the intermediate portion 22 which is pposite he bead-engaging porti ns 24 2,4

' acute angle to the intermediate porti nZ-Z I b so :p o st. t dorm tw ii. The 5,26 of the sl htly towa d the mem to fo m a smooth r u d d end at an to ,form the -resil-ient finger 2,1. of t t rmi al nds fingers, as shown in Fig. wire ,may be bent on the finger.

During ass mbly of themed-ba m n nd br 20 is installede h endio themed be? channel M by inserting the headwengaging 24', 24 into the hollow beads 44 M The-beadeneas ne p ion .2 M arees lient m iihe ihraee may be a em led b dr ng l'press ns these port ons into-th endsf h -head H they will irictionally -;eng; age the inner walls of the beads and resist displacegnent therefrom.

With {an end brace 1.0 in talled in ssehend o the channel .-hl, the blind-is inserted nto in- -:stallat on b ackets. :In inserting a. b h ad bar. it has been found desirable to have that end :of the brace 2B which -:is provided with :the finger 2i heated towards the ibraoket, so that. increment of {the headbar into the :bracket. the vinclinedqpdniann of the finger 2| will be resi*1- ,iently-rcammed :towardlthe end of head z-har as required :to'pnt the head char in place on zthe installation brackets. :In this way. these ifin ers (automatically adilust -.themselvcs :to :the spacing requirements of the head bar.

e ds o the ni nne- I r n sing larly If, upon installation of the blind in the brackets, it is found that there is excessive space between the front wall of the head bar ll and the retainer [9 of the bracket IS, the blind can be removed and the sides of the channel pulled apart sufficiently to collapse the loop beyond its elastic limit, In this way the loop 23 provides or t n n o i. term didiq 129 21 for efiectively increasing the width of the channel to make a snugger front-to-back fit within the brackets l5. Conversely, if the channel is slightly wider than the brackets so as to prevent closing of the retainer (9, the loop 23 will permit thelength 9; the intermediate portion 22 to be shortened. {Ihis can be accomplished by pushing the side walls of the channel together, the excess wire going into increasingthe size of the loop -23. It 'willbe seen that this end brace provides 01 elimination of both lengthwise and transverse movement of the head bar within the ra kets -1 as before mentioned, d red, the brace 2.0 may be provided with two fingers .ZI, 2| rather t an J st on n a s h p 3 ma beem ted from the intermediate portion 22'. an end brace ofsuch form is shown Fig. 6.

F 7 shows an addit onal a e na e .iorm 9? the ace whe e n one f th bead-e a n po tions 24' of the brace 28' is termed by bending h w r a ight n les to the int nn dietsle r ii n 22' and. then fward y and back upo i s l i s a e a ion ith the end tion i" he W e c n nui g o to orm an e lque esili n in e 1' un i similar to he thi above described, The end brace 20' is assembled and utilized in thesame manner as described for the end brace 2B. l

I claim:

1. An end brace for a channel-shaped Venetian blind head bar hayingits free longitudinal edges formed into hollow beads, said brace comprising ng e n t o ns i h vin an nter medi e portion da ted to p betwee t ea s of the anne a d h in tio fat the ends of the intermediate portion that are bent at n lnene es to the .n medie e po tion and then bac $11 1! them ev s ed re eties to item i esi i nt head nee ine por ions a a ted to lfr et ena lyeneae th innerrvansbi the beads, at least one of the "f r the wir nroi tine no th t si e or he interme ai vportion wh h i Qppesiiee bea e iseei s po tionsto iermare ilieetfies r- 2.- Anend Messi r-ash ann sh ned mind-head he h ne ts r es lens hidinei stormed ntehell h vvds, said-brac eemmi ngi a. len th-o P11.I1,%Y havin an intermedi te 99mi da t d i vspan between the beads i channe -andha nebeacnengaging portions apted to l ssene with n he e ds;ane ;f;ic-

ii nally eneaee thelmner thenee alt-lea t on of the s is Q treatments .on ha si .Q th nv firmii ie rppliii qll yi'iiei oppo ites! the hea senees slr htien to a e n oieeties e it noses,

Amendhra eiereshaneelssheredi nei et bl nd madha .heymgr isifi seflene' disease @fiormedi io hol ow-t eses, se drb aeeee e as: s ngle ien-a ih of s i ey s -s rin el a iah inte med te rm iinn dent d o nas the beads o the the-r991 tion being provided with a loop adapted tQilQX-fli Wis portions aj; 531m @331 @f zther ni rmediete nortio ihai are etst sb angles to the intermediate portion and then back upon themselves in spaced relation to form beadengaging portions adapted to frictionally engage the inner walls of the beads, the terminal end-s of the wire projecting on that side of the intermediate portion which is opposite to the beadengaging portions to form resilient fingers.

4. An end brace for a channel-shaped Venetian blind head bar having its free longitudinal edges formed into hollow beads, said brace comprising: a single length of springy wire having an intermediate portion adapted to span between the beads of the channel, the intermediate portion being provided with a loop adapted to permit adjustment of the length of the intermediate portion, and the wire having portions at the ends of the intermediate portion that are bent to form resilient bead-engaging portions adapted to frictionally engage the inner walls of the beads, at least one of the terminal ends of the wire projecting on that side of the intermediate portion which is opposite to the bead-engaging portions to form an angularly projecting resilient finger.

5. In a Venetian blind head bar assembly, a (head bar channel having its free longitudinal edges inturned to form hollow beads; and an end brace comprising a length of wire having an intermediate portion spanning the space between the beads and having portions at the ends of the intermediate portion that are bent at right angles to the intermediate portion and then back upon themselves in spaced relation to form beadengaging portions that are telescoped within the beads and frictionally engage the inner walls thereof, at least one terminal end of the wire projecting on that side of the intermediate portion which is opposite to the bead-engaging portions to form a resilient finger projecting beyond the end of the channel.

6. In a Venetian blind head bar assembly, a head bar channel having its free longitudinal edges inturned to form hollow beads; and an end br-ace comprising a length of wire having an intermediate portion spanning the space between the beads and having portions at the ends of the intermediate portion that are bent at right angles a to the intermediate portion and then back upon themselves in spaced relation to form resilient bead-engaging portions that are telescoped within the beads and frictionally engage the inner walls thereof the terminal ends of the wire projecting on that side of the intermediate portion which is opposite to the bead-engaging portions to form a pair of converging resilient fingers projecting beyond the end of the channel.

HANS K. LORENTZEN.

No references cited.

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