US3013603A

US3013603A - Drapery rod

Info

Publication number: US3013603A
Application number: US832674A
Authority: US
Inventors: Rosenberg Simon; Anthony S Faciana
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-08-10
Filing date: 1959-08-10
Publication date: 1961-12-19
Anticipated expiration: 1978-12-19

Description

INVENTORS. Jinan flosevzbery y/hl'fka 2 Sheets-Sheet l S. ROSENBERG "ET AL DRAPERY ROD V kn Dec. 19, 1961 Filed Aug. 10, 1959 n Faciarza.

ATTORNEYS Dec. 19, 1961 s. ROSENBERG ETAL DRAPERY ROD Filed Aug. 10, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS. v fiz'nwn. Kasenber;

ATTORNEYS United States Pmst" (3 3,613,603 DRAPERY ROD Simon Rosenberg, 3721 Menlo, Shaker Heights 20, Ohio, and Anthony S. Faciana, 4173 148th St., Cleveland 28, Ohio Filed Aug. 10, 1959, Ser. No. 832,674 8 Claims. (Cl. 160-342) This invention relates to a device for hanging drapes, curtains or the like, more particularly, to a device for hanging pleated fabrics in which means are provided for controlling and maintaining uniform fold spacing.

A conventional form of drapery rod construction includes a slotted tubular rod having a plurality of small slides to which the folds of the drapes are attached by hooks, and two master slides adapted to be actuated by a pull rope. Each master slide is attached to the inner edge of a drape with the small slides connected to intermediate portions of the drape. The drapes are opened by moving each master slide toward an end of the rod thereby successively jamming the smaller slides against one another. In closing the drapes, the slides are moved toward the center of the rod drawing the associated drapes with them.

Drapery rod construction of the type described has two pronounced disadvantages. The first is that the individual small slides are ineffective to uniformly space the pleats of the drape in a pleasing manner. This results from the fact that movement of the drape is obtained only through movement of the attached master slide. Thus, when the drape is closed, the pleats will be relatively widely spaced apart near the master slide and gradually bunched together near the end of the rod. When the drape is 'opened, the reverse will be true, that is, the pleats near the master slide will be bunched together by the jamming action, while the pleats near the end of the rod will be widely spaced apart. Secondly, the jamming of the slides together frequently causes one or more of them to cock or stick in the slot thereby prohibiting further movement of the drape. Further, since the hooks near the master slides are subjected to substantially all of the force required to close the drapes, they frequently bend and become disengaged from their associated slide.

It has been proposed to connect the individual slides by a lazy tongs whereby the slides will be uniformly spaced apart with concomitant uniform spacing of the pleats. In known structures of this type, however, the lazy tong is hung from the slides by wire hangers. Such a construction has been found objectionable since the hangers bend and break under the force required to move the drape. Moreover, it is a painstaking and time consuming task to connect the lazy tongs to the hangers and the hangers to the slides. The conventional lazy tongs itself is frequently complex in character and diffi-v cult to disassemble when it is necessary to remove or add lazy tongs sections because of varying drapery widths.

A general object of this invention is the provision of a drapery rod in which jamming and breaking of the slides is eliminated.

Another more particular object is to provide a drapery rod in which a uniquely designed lazy tongs is utilized to control and maintain uniform spacing of the drapery pleats. I

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a drapery rod in which the force required to move the drapes is uniformly distributed over the slides. More specifically, it is an object to provide a drapery rod with a lazy tongs directly secured to each slide whereby movement of one slide results in concomitant movement of all of the slides.

A further object of the invention is to provide a drapery rod, including a lazy tongs directly secured to the slides drivers, pliers, and the like.

Other objects and attendant advantages of our invention will become readily apparent as the same becomes better understood when considered in connection with the following detailed description and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of one end of a drapery rod embodying our invention in which portions thereof are broken away for the sake of clarity.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view taken in the plane of line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is another vertical sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIGURE 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 4 is'a fragmentary sectional view of the lazy tongs taken along the line 44 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, but showing two bars of the lazy tongs in a disengaged position about to be removed from the rod.

FIGURE 6 shows a front view of a modified form of the lazy tongs comprising part of our invention.

FIGURE 7 is a side view of a bar of the lazy tongs shown in FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8 is a schematic view, partially in section, showing still another embodiment of our invention.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the illustrated section of the drapery rod embodying our invention is comprised generally of a slotted tubular rod 10 having a plurality of pleat guides, which may be in the form of rollers 14 mounted for movement in the slot 11. A master slide 22 is reciprocally positioned in the slot while a lazy tongs 24 is connected to the rod, slide and rollers. While only one-half of the drapery rod has been shown in FIG. 1 for the purpose of clarity, it is to be understood that the severalparts indicated are duplicated on the complete rod.

Each of the roller slides includes an axle 15 with integrally joined flanges 16 and 17, the flanges serving to maintain the rollers in the slot as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Each roller has an arm 18 depending from the flange 16, and an aperture 19 through the lower end of the arm. In their preferred form the rollers are nylon, but it is apparent that they may be formed fro-m any suitable plastic as well as from metal.

In the form shown, the end of the rod has a bracket 12 adapted to be fastened to a wall, and is provided with holes I3 which are horizontally aligned with apertures 19 and holes 23 in the master slide. The holes and apertures receive hooks 21 which, in turn, are connected to the slides and intermediate portions of a drape or curtain. A cord 25 is disposed in the tube it) and connected to the slide 22 in the usual manner whereby the slide may be moved back and forth for opening and closing the drape.

The l-azy tongs includes two series of

crossed link bars

27 and 28 pivotally joined together at their overlying portions to form upper, lower and intermediate joints. The lazy tongs may be fashioned from a lightweight material such as polystyrene or from metal. In the form illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the ends of the lazy tongs are bolted or otherwise rotatably fastened to the bracket 12 and to the master slide, while the upper joints are screwed to the, flanges 16 of the slides by screws 20. Thus, when the lazy tongs is secured in position in the manner described, the entire drapery rod forms a unitary Patented Dec. 19, 1961 structure which is ready for immediate installation with out the necessity of subsequent assembly by the user.

As will be apparent from FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the screws 20 form rigid extensions of the axes of the upper joints of the lazy tongs 20 and are connected to the pleat guides 14 so that the axes lie in a common horizontal plane which bisects the width of the slot 11. Because of this construction, the upper joints of the lazy tongs are obviously constrained for common rectilinear movement in a common path when the lazy tongs 29 is collapsed and expanded. In addition, translational movement of the upper joints relative to the pleat guides is prevented. As a result, movement of the upper joints when the lazy tongs is collapsed and expanded will effect corresponding movement of the pleat guides and will be etfective to uniformly space the pleat guides one from another along the rod 10.

In practice it is often necessary to vary the number of rollers and hooks because of the differences in drapery widths. Thus, it is imperative that the lazy tongs be constructed in such a manner that the link bars can be readily added or removed with a minimum amount of effort and skill. This is achieved according to the terms of our invention through a unique construction in which the lower and intermediate portions of the link bars are fastened together by means of snap fasteners 29. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, bars 28 are provided with integrally connected female fastener elements 31 While the bars 27 are provided with male fastener elements 32. When the bars are connected together, the male elements are rotatably received within the female elements.

In order that the rollers may be expediently added or removed from the rod, the longitudinal slot 11 is provided recesses 33 near its ends. The recesses are of such size that the rollers may be either inserted or removed from the slot by canting them sidewise and forcing them through the recess. Alternatively, the bracket 12 may be slid off the end of the rod and the rollers removed or added through the end of the slot.

Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a drapery rod embodying our invention in which a roller with two attached link bars has been inserted through recess 33 into the slot 11. The link bars can be quickly incorporated into the lazy tongs assembly by unsnapping bars A and B and then reconnecting the link bars in the obvious manner. Two or more link bars can be removed in the reverse manner; namely, by unsnapping the bars, rotating them to the position shown in FIGURE 5, and finally removing the roller from the slot.

In the alternative embodiment of our invention shown in FIG. 8, the link bars can be releasably fastened to the rollers by means of the snap-fastener arrangements 34 which, as in the case of the previously described screws 20, form rigid extensions of the axes of the upper joints of the lazy tongs and are positioned in a common horizontal plane bisecting the width of the slot 11 in the rod 20. With the structure illustrated, the bars may be unfastened from the rollers before removing the rollers from the track. In some instances, this construction may result in increased ease in assembly and disassembly. Moreover, if a link bar becomes damaged, it can be quickly replaced without need of screwdrivers, pliers, or other tools.

It will be apparent from the above description that with a drapery rod constructed as described, movement of the master slide will cause the lazy tongs to expand or collapse thus causing all of the rollers to be moved whereby uniform fold spacing is maintained. Further, the force required to move the drapes is transmitted over all of the bars of the lazy tongs rather than being concentrated on one or two of the rollers as is the case when the lazy tongs connection is eliminated. The direct connection of the lazy tongs to the rollers instead of having interposed wire hangers results in a more stable structure, since the upper joints of the lazy tongs are restrained against translational movement relative to the pleat guides. Thus, when the lazy tongs is collapsed and expanded, the resulting rectilinear movement of the upper joints of the lazy tongs will not cause the pleat guides to cock and jam in the slot. Another advantage is that the lazy tongs will not swing out of its normal vertical plane when relatively heavy drapes are engaged on the hooks 21 and will thus support the drapes with their pleats in vertical alignment.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, each link bar 28 is formed with a leg 35 which is adapted to nest within a pleat of the drape. Thus, the legs provide a positive engagement with the drape which enhances the ability of the structure to maintain uniform fold spacing since each leg serves to pull or push its associated pleat as the master slide is moved.

Obviously, many other modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood, that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically disclosed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a drapery rod structure for hanging pleated fabrics including a slotted tube and a plurality of rollers and a master slide movable along the slot, the improvement comprising two series of crossed bars arranged to form a lazy tongs having upper, lower, and intermediate joints, said lazy tongs having one end connected to said master slide and having its other end connected to one end of said tube, the upper joints of said lazy tongs being sccured directly to the rollers, and a plurality of pleatspacing legs on the bottoms of the bars of one series adjacent each of said lower joints, said legs being perpendicular to the bars and being engageable within the pleats of the fabric, whereby movement of said master slide will produce corresponding movement of said rollers and pleat spacing legs.

2. The structure as claimed in claim 1 in which the intermediate and lower joints of said lazy tongs are formed by releasable fastening means, and wherein said upper joints are detachably connected to said rollers, whereby said bars can be readily added and removed from said lazy tongs to permit the corresponding addition and removal of rollers from said slot.

3. The structure as claimed in claim 2 in which the joints of said lazy tongs are formed by snap-fasteners, and wherein said upper joints are secured to said rollers by snap-fasteners.

4. A drapery rod adapted for hanging pleated fabrics comprising a tubular rod having a longitudinal slot in one side, a plurality of pleat guides slidably mounted in said slot, means on said pleat guides for mounting drapery hooks, at least one master slide slidably mounted in said slot, a lazy tongs comprising two series of crossed bars. said bars being joined at their overlying portions to form upper, lower and intermediate joints, said upper joints being secured directly to said pleat guides and one end of said lazy tongs being secured to said master slide whereby movement of said master slide will produce substantially uniform movement of each pleat guide, said intermediate and lower joints being formed by releasable snap-fasteners, and pleat-engaging legs provided on the bars of one series adjacent said lower joints, said legs being in vertical alignment with said pleat guides and extending substantially perpendicular to the plane of said lazy tongs.

5. The structure as claimed in claim 4 in which said upper joints of said lazy tongs are formed by releasable snap-fasteners and are joined to said pleat guides by releasable snapfasteners.

6. A drapery rod comprising a tubular rod having a longitudinal slot in one side extending parallel to the axis of said rod, a master slide movable in said slot, at plurality of pleat guides slidably mounted in said slot between said master slide and one end of said rod, a pair of link bars depending from each of said pleat guides, means pivotally interconnecting the upper, lower and intermediate portions of said link bars to form a lazy tongs having upper, lower and intermediate joints, said lazy tongs having its end link bars connected to said master slide and to said one end of said rod so that movement of said master slide toward and away from said one end of said rod will cause said lazy tongs to respectively collapse and expand, and means securing each upper joint of said lazy tongs to said pleat guides, said securing means forming rigid extensions of the axes of said upper joints and being connected to said pleat guides so that the axes of said upper joints lie in a common horizontal plane bisecting the width of said longitudinal slot, whereby said upper joints are constrained for common rectilinear motion in a common path when said lazy tongs is collapsed and expanded and have their axes restrained against translational movement relative to said pleat guides.

7. The drapery rod as claimed in claim 6 wherein said means pivotally interconnecting the intermediate and lower portions of said link bars comprise releasable fastening means for permitting said pairs of link bars to be readily and repeatedly connected and disconnected, whereby pleat guides having pairs of link bars secured thereto by said securing means can be added and removed from said slot.

8. In a drapery rod structure comprising a slotted tube, a master slide movable in the slot longitudinally of the tube, and a plurality of pleat guides slidably mounted in said slot between said master slide and one end of said tube, the improvement comprising a plurality of corresponding link bars, means pivotally connecting said link bars at their ends and centers to form a lazy tongs having upper, lower, and intermediate joints, said lazy tongs having its end link bars connected to said master slide and to said end of said tube so that movement of said master slide toward and away from said one end of said tube will cause said lazy tongs to respectively collapse and expand, and means fixedly securing said upper joints of said lazy tongs to said pleat guides and holding said upper joints in a common plane, said securing means including the pivot means forming the upper joints of said lazy tongs and rigid extensions thereof, said rigid extensions being relatively fixedly connected to said pleat guides so that said upper joints are restrained against translational movement relative to said pleat guides and are further restrained for common rectilinear motion in said common plane when said lazy tongs is collapsed and expanded.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,749,191 Nordell Mar. 4, 1930 1,868,944 Jones July 26, 1932 2,528,848 Weinzimmer Nov. 7, 1950 2,672,929 Eggert Mar. 23, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 472,629 Germany Mar. 4, 1929 720,616 France July 25, 1931