US2851098A

US2851098A - Venetian blind

Info

Publication number: US2851098A
Application number: US481830A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harry S Rosenbaum
Original assignee: EASTERN PROD CORP
Current assignee: Eastern Products Corp; EASTERN PROD CORP
Priority date: 1955-01-14
Filing date: 1955-01-14
Publication date: 1958-09-09
Anticipated expiration: 1975-09-09

Description

H. s. ROSENBAUM 2,851,098 V VENETIAN BLIND Sept. 9, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 14. 1955 Kan QFFuoeps ATTORNEY Sept. 9, 1958 H. s. ROSENBAUM VENETIAN BLIND Filed Jan. 14,1955

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY VENETIAN BLIND Harry S. Rosenbaurn, Baltimore, Md., assignor to Eastern Products Corporation, a corporation of Maryland Application January 14, 1955, Serial No. 481,830

6 Claims. (Cl. 160-176) The present invention relates to tilting apparatus for Venetian blinds. More particularly, the present invention relates to a Venetian blind structure which includes a novel tilt drum and gear arrangement that is adapted to control the angular adjustment of the blind slats.

In the heretofore known Venetian blind units, it was the normal practice to employ a tilt pulley and gear arrangement that was operatively connected to the operating cord and responsive to the movement thereof to effect an angular adjustment of the blind slats. Prior to the instant invention, these heretofore known tilting units consisted of a pulley connected to a worm that in turn operatively engaged a worm gear, the worm gear being secured to a tilt bar. The axis of the pulley was normally positioned perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tilt bar and thus the operating ends of the cord quite frequently became entangled with the blind slats and tapes. The pulley was also constructed such that the operating cord was securedthereto by only one turn and rotation of the pulley was effected through frictional engagement between the pulley and the cord. The cord frequently slipped on the pulley and adjustments were often necessary to even the ends of the operating cord. However, it was sometimes inconvenient to make the cord adjustment in such cases when the tilt bar was located in a high position and it was then necessary to use a chair or step ladder to reach the pulley. Another objectionable feature ofthe heretofore known constructions was that the opcrating cord wore very rapidly due to the friction between the cord and pulley, thereby necessitating frequent cord repairs.

i It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a tilting structure for Venetian blind slats that is simple in'construction, economical, and easy to operate.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a Venetian blind tilt drum around which several turns,

or the operating cord are wound.

I Still another object of the present invention is to provide a tilting structure for a Venetian blind wherein the longitudinal axis of the blind tilt shaft is parallel to the axis of the blind tilt drum. Still another object ofthe present invention is to provide a novel tilt drum construction for a Venetian blind, the aXis of said tilt drum being displaced with respect to the longitudinal axis of the blind tilt shaft.

Still another object of the present invention is to pro vide a tilt structure for a Venetian blind which includes a bracket that is simply and quickly mounted in the blind head rail housing.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel drum construction for a tilting structure that is fabricated in a unique manner.

Other objects and the nature and advantages of the instant invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

' Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the Venetian blind atent O we 1C Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the Venetian blind tilting structure illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 2 showing the tilting drum and gear structure;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4--4 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5--5 in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6--6 in Fig. 4.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly Figs. 1 and 2, .a Venetian blind assembly is illustrated and includes a tilt shaft housing generally indicated at 10. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the tilt shaft housing 10 is formed with a front wall 12, a rear wall 14 and a bottom wall 15. The upper edges of the front and

rear walls

12 and 14 are bent inwardly and thereby form a channel for receiving a tilt bracket generally indicated at 16 and a second bracket 18. The

brackets

16 and 18 have rotatably mounted therebetween a tilt shaft or rod 20 which is formed with a slot 21 (Figs. 2 and 6) for receiving in spaced relation tape bracket 22, 24. Secured to the tape brackets 22, 24 are

ladder tapes

26, 28 which carry the conventional type ladders for receiving slats 30 thereon, the

tapes

26, 28 and associated ladders being adapted to mount the slats 39 in position and to effect angular adjustment thereof. The lowermo-st'ends of the

tapes

26, 28 are secured to a bottom rail 32 which also has secured thereto a lifting cord 34. The lifting cord 34 extends around

pulleys

36 and 38 mounted in the housing 10 and is responsive to manual operation thereof to lift the bottom rail for accumulating the slats 30.

Referring now to Figs. 36, the novel tilting mechanism embodied in the present invention is illustrated and comprises the tilt bracket 16 which, as described above, is secured to the housing 10. The tilt bracket 16 is formed with a vertical plate 40 to which is integrally joined thereto an upper horizontal portion 42, the horizontal portion 42 being formed with inwardly turned edges 44 which are securely received between the inwardly curved edges of the front and

rear walls

12, 14 of the housing 10. integrally joined to the plate 40 and bent perpendicularly thereto is a vertical plate 46 which is formed with an opening 48 therein, the plate 46 being further formed with an extension 49 extending outwardly therefrom (Fig. 3). Bent at right angles to the plate 40 is a's ide flange 52 that is designed to add rigidity to the bracket construction. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the plate 40 is joined to a horizontal base 54 that includes

upstanding flanges

56, 58. The base 54 extends into a neck portion 6%) that has an opening 62 formed therein, the neck portion 60 terminating in a tongue 64. In the assembly of the bracket 16 in the housing 10, the tongue 64 fits beneath the bottom wall 15 of the housing and acts to secure the bracket to the housing. Depending from the

flanges

56, 58 adjacent the opening 62 are extensions 65 that are adapted to receive a pin 66 therein, the pin 66 rotatably mounting the pulley 36 in the opening 62- which is formed in the neck portion 60 of the base 54.

'As described above, the pulley 36 receives the cord 34 and forms part of the slat accumulating mechanism.

Secured to the vertical plate 46 is a plate '76 (see Fig. 6) that has a configuration similar to the plate 46 and has an opening formed therein communicating with the opening 48. Extending outwardly from the plate 70 is an extension 72 that corresponds in configuration to the extension 49 formed on the plate 46 and it is seen that the

plates

46 and 70 are essentially identical, forming a rigid structure.

Pivotally secured to the plates 46 and by an arm 74 is a grommet 76, the grommet 76 extending through i an opening formed in the bottom Wall 16 of the housing bearing slot 82 for receiving a shaft-84. The-"extensions.

ofthe.-plates*46 and-70am similarly formed and provide a second bearing surface for the shaft 84. The plate 40 also-has a slot 85 formed therein' (Fig. 6) which receives the end of the shaft 84. Referring to Fig. 4, the shaft 84 is shown mounted for rotation intheslot 82 defined by the

plates

46 and 70 and has secured thereto a worm 86 that extends through the opening 48 -and the similar opening formed in the plate 70. Formed on the shaft M -adjacent the outer end thereofis an enlarged portion 87, the outerend-of which terminates in a rivet 88. Se cured to the outer end ofthe shaft 84 by the rivet 88 is a'--drum'= generally indicated at 90 that is adapted to-have the operating cord wound therearound. The drum 90 is formed in two cup-

shaped elements

92 and 94, the open sides of which face in opposite directions. The extensions of the

plates

46 and 70 together with the shaft 84 extend into the cup-shaped element 92, the rivet 88 extending through openings formed in the base portion of each element, and the enlarged portion 87 abutting against the base portion of the element 92. It isseen that the

elements

92, 94 are securely locked together by peening over the head of the rivet 88 on the-inner side of the base portion of the element 94. As shown in Figs.- 3 and 4, the

elements

92, 94 are formed with an annular flange'96 and 98, respectively, the surface of the

elements

92 and 94 between the

flanges

96 and 98 thereby defining the body of the drum 90 upon which an operating cord 100-is wound. In order to more securely anchor the operating cord 100 to the drum 90 and thereby prevent slipping during the tilting operation, the

flanges

96 and 98 are both slotted at 102 and 104, respectively, the slots extending into the surface of the elements 92, '94 as shown in Fig. 3. The base portion of each element is provided with an opening 106 for receiving theoperating cord and it is apparent, particularly in Figs. 3 and -4, that the surface of the drum 90 provides sufiicient area for several turns of the cord to be Wound therearound. Since the operating cord 100 is Wound several times around the surface of the drum 90 and extends through the interior thereof,-the cord is firmly secured to the drum and will not slip upon operation thereof as is commonly experienced in the heretofore known Venetian blind tilting devices.

One of the features of the present invention is providing convenient access to the operating cord 100 and preventing the cord from becoming entangled with the slats 30. For this purpose, the drum 90 is positioned adjacent the front wall 12 of the housing and the drum axis is located in parallel relation with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tilt shaft but displacedtherefrom. By locating the drum adjacent the front 'wall 12,-the ends of the operating cord are essentially free from the slats 30.

'In the heretofore known blind tilting devices,--the axis of the pulley is perpendicular to the tilt shaft and-the size of the. pulley-is necessarily limited by the proximity of the front wall of the associated housing. It is seen that by positioning the axis of the drum 90 parallel to the tilt shaft 20, the length of the drum is not limited by the housing wall and, accordingly, the drum may be of any size desired. Thus,- more turns of the cord may: be wound around the drum surface, thereby increasingthe mechanical advantage of the device. the drum 90 is parallel to the tilt shaft 20 anddisplaced therefrom, rotation of the drum 90 must be transferred to the tilt-shaft 20 through a gear train. As shown particularly in Fig. 4, the worm 86 which is secured for rotation to the shaft 84 engages a worm gear 102 that is Since the axis of rotatably mounted in the

plates

46 and 70 by a pin 104. Operatively engaging the worm gear 102 is a cup gear 106 that is rotatably mounted on the outer side of the vertical plate 40. The cup gear 106 is formed with an extension 108 that is adapted to receive the end of the tilt shaft 20, the extension 108 being tapered for positively locking the end of the tilt shaft 20 thereto.

In operation, the drum is rotated by pulling either of the free ends of the operating cord depending therefrom. "Since several turns of the cord engage the drum, the drum is firmly secured to the cord and instantlyiresponsive to movement thereof. Rotation of the drum 90 causes the shaft'84 and the worm 86 secured thereto to rotate. The worm gear 102 is then rotated which, in turn, transfers the rotary motion to the cup gear 106 and tilt shaft 20. Rotation of the tilt shaft 20 vertically moves the

tapes

26 and 28 and thus the blind slats 30 are rotated to the desired angular position.

-It is seen that by offsetting the axis of the drum.90 with respect to the tilt shaft 20, the free ends of the operating cord are more accessible. It is alsoseen that by utilizing the 'drum 90, a relatively large number of wraps of the operating cord may be wound around the drum surface, thereby resulting in a large mechanical advantage for effecting the slat tilting operation. Furthermore, the same size cord is utilized for the tilting device thatis-employed for the slat accumulating means, which is distinct from the prior art devices wherein a smaller diameter operating cord is utilized for the tilting mechanism than is used for the slat accumulating mechanism. The present device is simple in operation. economical and rigidly constructed, thereby avoiding frequent. maintei nance. The operating cords are normally free of wear due to friction and thus replacement costs are minimized.

- It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from thespirit of the invention and therefore the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawings and described. in'the specification but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is: 1. In aVenetian blind, a tilting mechanism comprising an elongated housing including a front wall, area wall andabottom wall, a driving drum, a tilt shaft, a transmission connecting said driving drum with said tilt shaft, said drum, said tilt shaft, and said transmission being. located within said housing, a bracket mounted within; said housing for supporting said transmission, said bracket including a horizontal portion formed With inwardly turned edges, which are releasably received between said housing front and rear walls and a lower section terminating in a reduced portion that engages said housing bottom wall, said reduced portion cooperating with said inwardly turned edges to secure said bracket to said housing, the projection of the axis of said drum being parallel to and laterally spaced from the axis of said tilt shaft, said axis of said drum being located closer to said front wall thanthe axis of said tilt shaft, whereby an operating cord wrapped around said drum may emerge from said housing and extend down over a Venetian blind dependingfrom said-housing with a minimum of change in direction and interference with said blind.

2. The structure recited in claim 1,. said drumcomprising a pair of inverted cups joined together centrally of their bottoms, said drum being. supported in cantilever fashion by said transmission extending into one of said cups.

3. The structure recited in claim 1, said transmission 1 comprising a shaft connected coaxially to said-drum, a

worm mounted on said shaft, a wormgear. having an axis at right angles to the axis of said drum and to theaxis ofsaid tilt-shaft, and a driven gear mounted on said .tilt shaft in coaxial relation therewith, whereby said tiltshaft may be driven by said drum While the axes of rotation of saiddnim and said tiltshaft are parallel andthe projections of said axes are laterally spaced from each other.

4. The structure recited in claim 3, said drum comprising a pair of inverted cups joined together centrally of their bottoms, said drum being supported in cantilever fashion 'by said transmission extending into one of said cups.

5. The structure recited in claim 3, said bracket comprising a pair of plates each having planular portions, the planular portion of one plate overlying the planular portion of the other plate, a part of the planular portion of at least one of said plates being cylindrically dished to act as a bearing for said Worm shaft.

6. In a Venetian blind, a tilting mechanism comprising an elongated housing including a front wall, a rear wall and a bottom wall, a bracket mounted within said housing, said bracket including an upper horizontal plate formed with inwardly turned edges which are releasably received between said housing front and rear walls, a first vertical plate joined to said horizontal plate, a second vertical plate joined to said first vertical plate and disposed at right angles thereto, a third vertical plate overlying the planular portion of said second plate and cooperating therewith to define a bearing, a lower horizontal plate joined to said first vertical portion and overtil lying said housing bottom wall, said second horizontal plate terminating in a tongue that fits beneath said housing bottom wall and cooperating with said first horizontal plate to secure said bracket to said housing, a tilt shaft journalled in said first vertical plate, a. gear secured to said tilt shaft, a worm gear mounted on said second vertical plate and engaging said gear, a shaft journalled in said bearing, a worm engaging said worm gear and mounted on said shaft and a driving drum secured to said shaft, the axis of said drum being parallel to the axes of said tilt shaft and being located closer to said front wall than the axis of said tilt shaft, and an operating cord wrapped around said drum and emerging from said housing for rotating said drum, thereby rotating said tilt shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,182,804 Haase Dec. 12, 1939 2,250,106 Lorentzen July 22, 1941 2,264,609 Ban Dec. 2, 1941 2,334,132 Sherwood Nov. 9, 1943 2,388,000 Larson Oct. 30, 1945 2,580,252 Stuber Dec. 25, 1951