US2889573A - Drapery traverse rod structure - Google Patents

Description

June 9, 1959 Rf E. BELL ErAL 2,889,573

DRAPERY TRAvERsE Ron STRUCTURE Filed Jan. 18, 1957 IN VEN TORS.

United States Patent O DRAPERY TRAVERSE ROD STRUCTURE Ralph E. Bell and Ledger D. Ford, Sturgis, Mich., as- Asigners to Kirsch Company, Sturgis, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application January 1S, 1957, Serial No. 635,002

7 Claims. (Cl. 16-94) This invention relates in general to a drapery traverse rod assembly for slidably supporting a plurality of drapery hangers wherein said traverse rod has an elongated guide way and an end structure removably secured to said rod for supporting same. More particularly, this invention relates to a traverse rod end structure having means whereby said hangers may alternately, at the will of the user, be retained within said guide way or withdrawn therefrom.

Persons acquainted with the installation and operation of drapery traverse rods have long recognized the' problems which arise when it is desired to increase or decrease the number of hangers supported by the traverse rod after the rod has been assembled. While these problems apply in some degree to many types of traverse rods, detailed reference is iirst made, by way of illustration, to the presently existing, adjustable type of traverse rod which is mass produced and can be easily varied in length, within a limited range, prior to installation. Such adjustability is usually obtained by providing a pair of rod members in telescoping relationship with each other in a well known manner. End structures, including pulley assemblies, are secured, usually substantially permanently, upon the mutually remote ends of such rod members. The hangers are usually placed upon the rod members during assembly of the traverse rod. When assembly of the rod is completed, and whether or not installation of the rod into an operating position has been effected, it requires a substantial disassembly of the rod to change the number of hangers providedV therein.

Because of the variable length of the adjustable type of rod and the wide variety of uses to which such a rod may be put, it is impossible to assemble such rods at the factory with the correct number of hangers for every possible, or even every reasonably likely, application. On the other hand, as indicated above, it is extremely difficult to change the number of hangers vin a rod after assembly has been completed. Therefore, the industry has quite commonly provided the rod in its original assembly with a few extra hangers to enable it to meet normal requirements in its fully extended condition. This is well enough for a large proportion of uses, but it is nevertheless a disadvantage and a makeshift. When the rod is used in less than its fully extended position, unused hangers may be present therein which not only increase the cost of the product but also often tend to obstruct the free movement of the hangers actually being used. Further, having in mind the many types of drapery materials which may be used with a given traverse rod, and the many different individual tastes exercised in determining the type and frequency of folds applied to said drapery material, it is impossible to anticipate accurately the proper number of hangers to be provided in a given traverse rod even if the exact length thereof is known in advance.

Referring now to custom made traverse rods, the assembly here usually occurs at the point of installation where the exact length of the rod and often the type of drapery material to be supported by said traverse rod r, l ce 2,889,573

' change the nature of the folds therein, in such a manner are known. Thus, the problem thus far discussed with I'.

that a dilerent number of hangers becomes desirable. With either the custom made traverse rod or the adjustable type traverse rod, this is virtually impossible without rcmoving the rod from its position of use, substantially disassembling it, changing the number of hangers as desired and then reassembling the traverse rod and reinstalling it into its position of use. Thus, the operation of changing the number of hangers in a traverse rod after it has been installed into its position of use is one which is extremely difficult and one which can be carried out only by a person having considerable knowledge of the construction of traverse rods and the manner of their assembly.

The same problems may also arise for either type of traverse rod after installation if a hanger breaks, becomes worn or otherwise for mechanical reasons needs replacement.

Numerous attempts have been made to provide traverse rods with devices whereby said hangers can be removed from the giude way of the traverse rod, without disassembling the device and especially without removing the rod from its mounting upon a supporting structure, such as a wall. For example, in one previous attempt, the guide way was provided with a notch or slot between its Y ends, through which the hangers could be removed or inserted. However, if this slot in the rod is not closed, it not only provides an interruption to the movement of the hangers, hence to the smooth operation of the traverse mechanism, but also may permit accidental disengagement of the hangers 'from Athe rod. If the slot is closed, then the closure member itself tends to interrupt the smooth operation of the traverse mechanism. Other attempts'have been made to overcome the problems by providing hangers with resilient means, which, when compressed, `can be inserted into, or removed from, the guide way in the traverse rod. However, when the resilient means in Asuch hangers is made suiciently resistive to4 compression to prevent accidental disengagement Vof the hangers from the traverse rod, it then often becomes difficult to operate manually as a practical matter.

Accordingly, a principal object of this invention has been the provision of a traverse rod assembly having an end structure whereby the hanger elements slidably supported upon the traverse rod can be quickly and easily mounted upon, or removed from, said traverse rod, without creating in the guide way for said hangers any distortion which will interfere with the smooth operation of the traverse mechanism, without weakening the supporting strength of either said rod or said hangers, and without unreasonably complicating the structure of said rod or said hangers.

A further object of this invention has been the provision of an end supporting and mounting structure for a traverse rod having an elongated guide way therein, which will permit removal from an extreme end of said guide way of any desired number of the hangers supported within said guide way or 'which can prevent such removal by manually and easily operated means.

A further object of this invention has been the provision of an end structure, as aforesaid, including a gate, which is easily and manually movable into, and out of, a position blocking the open end of the guide way in a traverse rod in which hangers are slidably supported, said gate being easily adapted to any form of traverse rod conventionally used.

A further object of this invention has been the pro- Patented June 9, 1959.

3 vision of Van end structure, as aforesaid, wherein the device for permitting said insertion and removal of the hangers can be easily and inexpensively fabricated, without adding materially to the cost of fabricating such end structures and while permitting the use of hangers of the simplest and least expensive form.

Other objects and purposes of this invention will become apparent to persons familiar with this type of equipment upon reading the following specification and examining the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side elevational view of one end of a traverse rod assembly embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view, similar to that shown in Figure l, with a part thereof in a different operating position.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III- HI of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV- lV of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a sectional view, substantially as taken along the line V--V of Figure l.

For the purpose of convenience in description, the terms upper, lower, front, rear, and derivatives thereof, will have reference to the structure in its normal position of operation, as appearing in Figures 1 and 2. The terms innen outer, and derivatives thereof, will have reference, respectively, to the rightward and leftward ends of the structure, as appearing in Figures 1 and 2.

Similarly, the terms verticalj horizontaL derivatives thereof, and other words imparting position, will be freely used for convenience in reference and will be understood to refer to the structure as shown and in its position of normal use. However, the use of such terminology shall not imply that the structure cannot be used in other positions, nor shall it imply that the principles of the invention, as hereinafter defined, cannot be employed'in modified structures having other and differing positions of normal use.

General description The invention of this application is characterized in general by an elongated traverse rod, having a hanger supporting guide way running lengthwise thereof and opening through the ends of the traverse rod. An end structure is supported upon each end of the traverse rod and mounts an end gate for selectively blocking the adjacent, open end of said guide way. Accordingly, it is possible to insert hanger elements into the guide way and to remove said hanger elements therefrom by opening this gate, but when the gate is closed, the hangers are held reliably within the guide way.

Detailed construction While the structure of the present invention may be successfully applied to a number of different types of specific traverse rod constructions, one particular embodiment has been selected for the purposes of illustrating the invention. The end construction of such a traverse rod is hereinafter described in detail for purposes of completeness in disclosure, but it should not be taken from this that the principles of the invention are limited to use with this particular type of traverse rod and end construction.

As shown particularly in Figures 1 and 2, the preferred traverse rod assembly here selected to illustrate the invention includes an end member 11, which is removably mounted upon one end of the traverse rod 12. The traverse rod 12 (Figures 1 and 4) may be an elongated, substantially tubular element, of any convenient crosssectional shape, having in the rear side 14 thereof a horizontal slot or guide way 13 which extends from one end to the other of said rod. A plurality of hangers 15 are each provided with integral, rod-like slider portions 16, which are slidably disposed within the guide way 13.` Each slider portion 16 has a head 17, which is dis- 4 posed within the cavity 18 of the rod 12, for the purpose of preventing disengagement of the hangers 15 from within the guide way 13. Each hanger 15 has a downward extension 19 from which means, such as conventional drapery, may be suspended in any `desired manner.

The end member 11 is comprised of a substantially rectangular shell 21 (Figures l, 3, and 5) and in this embodiment has an integral, channel-shaped arm 22 extending sidewardly from one edge thereof, for the purpose of telescopingly engaging the end of the rod 12. The upper liange 23 on the channel-shaped arm 22 preferably has a downwardly extending finger 24, which in the embodiment here shown to illustrate the invention is receivable into a recess 25 in the upper edge of the rod 12 near its outer end, for the purpose of locking the end member 11 to the rod 12. The end member may be mounted upon supporting structure, such as a wall, in any desired manner either directly or indirectly. One common type of such mounting is the suspension bracket indicated in broken lines at 20 in Figure 3.

The shell 21 in this embodiment has an integral, horizontal support ange 26 (Figures 1, 2 and 3) which extends rearwardly from the upper edge of, and is preferably substantially perpendicular to, the plane of the back surface 29 of said shell. An L-shaped pulley bracket 27, having an upper, substantially horizontal flange 23, is mounted upon, and suspended from, the support flange 26 by means, such as the rivets 30, which extend through the flanges 28 and 26. The mounting plate 31, which extends perpendicularly downwardly from the flange 28, is spaced rearwardly from, and arranged substantially parallel with, the back surface 29 of the shell 21. A pair of pulleys 33 and 34 are rotatably supported upon the mounting plate 31 so that the upper edges-of their peripheries are at different levels, but are both aligned with the lengthwise extent of the cavity 18 in the rod 12, as shown in Figure 3.

The inner edge of the mounting plate 31, adjacent to the outer end of the rod 12, is provided with a recess 36 adjacent to the outer end of the guide way 13. The combined area of the recess 36 and adjacent portion of said guide way 13 provides an opening of sufficient size to permit the head 17 (Figure 4) of a hanger 15 to be inserted into, or removed from, the cavity 18, as indicated by the broken line position 17a in Figure 2.

An elongated gate 37 is pivotally supported near one end upon the mounting plate 31 adjacent to said recess 36. Said gate, which is flanged at its other end 38, is movable into, and out of, the position shown in Figure l, wherein it partially covers said recess 36 and said flanged end 38 blocks the outer, open end of the guide way 13. The recess 36 has means, such as a step 39, for providing an-upwardly facing, positioning surface 41 along its lower edge. Said surface 41 is advantageously aligned with the lengthwise extent of the guide way 13. The gate 37 has an integral stop finger 42 (Figure 5) extending frontwardly therefrom, between the ends thereof, for engagement with the edge surface `41 of the recess 36. When said stop finger 42 is in engagement with the surface 41, the gate 37 is in its blocking position, as shown in Figure 1. When the gate 37 is pivoted upwardly into its non-blocking position, as shown in Figure 2, the stop finger `42 is spaced upwardly from the surface 41. The stop linger 42, the pivot axis 43 of the gate 37, and the flanged end 38 on said gate 37 are all preferably arranged so that said ange 38 is located appreciably below the level of both the centerline of the guide way 13 and a horizontal line passing through the pivot axis 43, when the stop linger 42 engages the edge surface 41. Thus, if the hangers 15 are urged against the flanged end 38, as by the traverse cords 44 (Figure l), such urging will tend to move the gate 37 downwardly and, therefore, more firmly into its blocking position.

Operation Having mounted the end member 11 upon the outer end of the traverse rod 12, said end member is, in the embodiment here illustrated, secured in place by bending the finger 24 into the recess 25 on said rod 12. The traverse cords 44 are arranged over the pulleys 33 and 34 in a conventional manner. The traverse rod assembly may then be supported upon a wall, or other structure, by conventional means, such as the suspension member 20, which is secured to the shell 21, according to conventional practices. As a result of this invention, it is unnecessary to place the hanger elements 15 upon the rod 12 prior to installation although for convenience this will normally be done, at least to the extent of a minimum number.

lf, after assembly of the unit, and either before or after installation into its position of use, a larger number of hangers is required, the gate 37 may be raised into its Figure 2 position and the required hangers 15 may be mounted upon the rod 12 by successively inserting their heads 17 into the opening provided by the recess 36 in the mounting plate 31 and moving them sidewardly so that their slide portions 16 are received into the guide way 13. When the desired number of hangers 15 is mounted within the guide way 13 in this manner, the gate 37 is then pivoted downwardly into its Figure l position, and the draperies, or other means, are hung on the elements 15 in a substantially conventional manner.

When it becomes desirable to decrease the quantity of hangers 15 in the guide way 13, either before or after installation, such can also be easily and quickly accomplished by moving the gate 37 upwardly, removing the desired number of hangers through the open end of the `guide way, and then returning the gate 37 into its blocking position as shown in Figure l.

Although a particular, preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in detail hereinabove for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that variations or modications thereof, which do not depart from the scope of such disclosure, are fully contemplated unless specifically stated to the contrary in the appended claims.

We claim:

l. A traverse rod structure for slidably and removably supporting a plurality of hanger elements, comprising: an elongated hollow traverse rod having a longitudinally extending lateral slot, the hanger elements being received within said rod and extending outwardly therefrom through said slot; an end xture supporting one end of said rod and extending longitudinally beyond said end thereof, said end fixture including a plate spaced longitudinally from said end of said rod thereby providing a clearance space in which the hanger elements may be inserted into or removed from said rod; a gate pivotally mounted on said plate and including a blocking member pivotable into a rst position at one end of said rod blocking movement of hanger elements into said clearance space and into a second position permitting movement of hanger elements into said clearance space whereby said hanger elements may be inserted into or removed from said rod; and stop means on said plate and engageable with said gate for blocking movement thereof past said iirst position as it moves from said second position to said first position.

2. An end structure for supporting an elongated, hollow traverse rod having a longitudinally extending lateral slot in which hanger elements are slidably disposable, said end structure including: a shell removably secured to one end of said traverse rod; a plate secured to said shell and extending downwardly with respect to said rod, said plate being substantially aligned with said slot and being spaced longitudinally from the end of said rod to provide a clearance space in which the hanger elements may be moved transversely and longitudinally whereby ing movement of hanger elements into said clearance space and into a second position permitting movement of said hanger elements into said clearance space,

3. An end structure for supporting an elongated, hollow traverse rod having a longitudinally extending lat- Vteral slot in which hanger elements are slidably disposable, said end structure including: a shell removably secured to one end of said traverse rod; a pair of parallel, spaced plates secured to said shell and extending downwardly and substantially parallel with the longitudinal ,4 axis of said rod; a pair of radially aligned pulleys positioned between said plates and rotatably mounted thereon, one of said pulleys being below said slot and the other pulley being located above and longitudinally outwardly of said one pulley, said plates and said pulleys being spaced longitudinally from said end of said rod to provide a clearance space in which hanger elements may be moved transversely and longitudinally whereby hanger elements may be inserted into or removed from said rod;

a gate mounted on one of said plates for pivoting about -elements from said slot into said clearance space and a second position permitting movement of hanger elements from'said slot into said clearance space; and stop means on said one plate and engageable with said gate for blocking movement thereof past said first position as said gate moves from said second position to said iirst position.

4. An end fixture structure for supporting an elongated, hollow traverse rod having a longitudinally extending lateral slot in the rearward surface thereof in which hanger elements are slidably disposable, said end structure including; a shell removably secured to one end of said traverse rod, said shell having a downwardly extending surface forwardly of the traverse rod and a horizontally extending surface extending rearwardly therefrom: a pair of parallel spaced plates secured to and extending downwardly from said horizontal surface, said plates being substantially aligned with the forward and rearward surfaces of said traverse rod, respectively; the edges of said plates adjacent the end of said rod being longitudinally spaced therefrom to provide a clearance space in which hanger elements may be moved transversely and longitudinally whereby hanger elements may be inserted into or removed from said rod; a pair of radially aligned pulleys positioned between and rotatably mounted on said plates, one of said pulleys being located adjacent the end of said traverse rod and below the slot therein and the other of said pulleys being located remote from the end of said traverse rod and substantially aligned with said slot; an elongated bar mounted on the rearward plate for pivotal movement about an axis extending transverse to the longitudinal axis of said rod, said pivot axis being located between the axis of said pulleys and substantially aligned with said slot, said bar having a blocking member thereon pivotal between a first position wherein it lies adjacent to said horizontal surface and a second position wherein it lies adjacent the lower edge of said slot and blocks longitudinal movement of hanger elements beyond the end of the traverse rod.

5. A traverse rod structure for slidably and removably supporting a plurality of hanger elements, comprising: an elongated hollow traverse rod having a longitudinally extending lateral slot, the hanger elements being received within the rod and extending outwardly therefrom through said slot; an end fixture supporting one end of said rod and extending longitudinally beyond the end thereof, said end fixture providing a laterally open clearance space aligned with and communicating with said slot adjacent said one end of said rod so that hangerV elements may be added to or removed from said rod by longitudinal movement thereof from or into said clearance space; an elongated, manually movable gate bar and means pivotally mounting said gate bar on said tixture for pivotal movement about a lateral axis parallel with said lateral slot, said gate bar having a blocking member at one end thereof pivotable between a iirst position at one end of said rod blocking movement of hanger elements into said clearance space and a second position remote from said one end of said rod permitting movement of hanger elements into said. clearance space whereby hanger elements may be inserted into or removed from said rod.

6. A traverse rod structure for slidably and removably supporting a plurality of hanger elements, comprising: an elongated hollow traverse rod having a longitudinally extending lateral slot, the hanger elements being received within the rod and extending outwardly therefrom through said slot; an end iixture supporting one end of said rod and extending longitudinally beyond the end thereof, said end fixture providing a clearance space aligned with and communicating with said slot adjacent said one end of said rod so that hanger elements may be added to or removed from said rod by longitudinal movement thereof from or into said clearance space; a manually movable gate movably mounted adjacent said one end of said rod, said gate including a blocking member movable between a first position at one end of said rod blocking longitudinal movement of hanger elements into said clearance space and a second position remote from said end of said rod permitting movement of said hanger elements into said clearance space.

7.` The. structure of claim 6 wherein said gate is an elongated bar pivotally secured near one end uponsaid Y end fixture for movement about an axis disposed transverse of, and near to, the extended center line of said guide way; said bar having a blocking surface near the other endthereof engageable with the adjacent hanger in said guide way when said gate is in said blocking position and said surface is substantially on one side of said center line, a limiting surface fixed with respect to said end xture; and limiting means on said bar engageable with said limiting surface for preventing movement of said blocking surface in a direction away from said center line on-said one side thereof when said gate is in blocking position, whereby a force urging said hanger element against said gate when in blocking position will tend to urge said-gate more firmly into blocking position.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 928,137 Lewis July 13, 1909 2,147,625 Brothers Feb. 21, 1939 2,590,370 Bell Mai'. 25, 1952 2,671,243 Hakansson Mar. 9, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 296,021 Germany J an. 8 1917 693,735 Germany July 18, 1940

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