US3192993A - Shade roller construction - Google Patents

Description

y 1965 o. N. CRIDER 3,192,993,

SHADE ROLLER CONSTRUCTION Filed May 10, 1963 0r/71 M Crider INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent r 3,192,993 SHADE RGLLER CONSTRUCTION Orin N. Crider, Chicago Heights, I1i., assignor to Slick Industrial Company, Chicago Heights, I1l., a corporation of Delaware 1 Filed May 10, 1963, Ser. No. 279,540 2 Claims. (Cl. 160-324) This invention relates to spring operated roller constructions for window shades, projection screens, and the like, and more particularly to a cover adapted to be mounted on one end of the roller to protect the operating mechanism of the latter from moisture, dirt, and other foreign matter.

Spring operated rollers increasingly arebeing utilized in out-of-doors shade installations and for such articles as glass beaded projection screens and the like. In order for the spring operating mechanism to function properly, it is essential that the mechanism be protected against the entry into the roller body of moisture, glass beads, dirt,

and other foreign matter which would tend to impair the operating characteristics of the roller. in conventional spring operated roller constructions a spindle is rotatably mounted in the roller so as to project beyond one end of the latter. The spindle usually has a spring wound around that portion of the latter which is located within the roller, one end of the spring being anchored. to the spindle and the other end of the spring being anchored to the roller. Adjacent the projecting end of the roller is a ratchet wheel and pawl mechanism. which is operable selectively to permit relative rotation of the roller and the spindle or to prevent such relative rotation. The

ratchet wheel and pawl mechanism usually is recessed to some extent inwardly from the terminal end of the roller, ,but it nevertheless is at least partially exposed, with the result that moisture and foreign matter may gain access to the mechanism and impair its operation.

The spindle on which the power spring is mounted usually is supported in a wall-mounted bracket and the opposite' end of the roller ordinarily is provided with a stub shaft or pintle that is supported in a somewhat similar bracket. At the winding mechanism end of the roller, the spindle is provided with an exposed thrust bearing which may engage the bracket. Both the bracket and the bearing conventionally are formed of metal and their engagement may result in excessive noise upon rotation of the roller. In such construction the exposed bearing, and possibly the ratchet mechanism, are subject to being damaged by rough and careless handling.

An object of this invention is to provide an end cover or guard for a shade or the like roller for preventing the entry of moisture and other foreign matter into the winding mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to provide an end cover of the kind described which provides protection against damaging certain parts of the winding mechamsrn.

A further object of the invention is to provide an end cover for a shade or similar roller which enables the operation of the roller to be less noisy than are conventional rollers.

A further object of the invention is to provide an end cover of the character referred to which is inexpensive to manufacture, simple to install, and durable in use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out specifically or will become apparent from the 3,192,993 Patented July 6, 1965 FIGURE 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, partly elevational and partly sectional View of a portion of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an end elevational view illustrating the end cap in place on the roller; and

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view of. the end cap.

A shade or similar roller is designated generally by the reference character 1 and comprises a cylindrical'body 2 formed of wood or other suitable material and having a hollow cavity 3 adjacent one of its ends.

The cavity 3 is partially closed by an end wall 4 that is provided with a central opening through which projects a spindle 5. Surrounding that portion of the spindle that is received within the cavity 3 is a spring 6, one end of which isanchored to the end wall 4 and the other end of which is anchored in a slot 7 formed at the inner end of the spindle. Fixed to the spindle is a thrust bearing 8 which engages the wall 4 in such manner as to permit relative rotation of the spindle and the rollerbody, but prevent movement of the spindle outwardly of the cavity.

A toothed ratchet wheel 9 also is fixed to the spindle 5 in a position outwardly of the Wall 4. Pivoted on the outer surface of the wall 4 is a pair of pawls 10 which are .engageable with anddisengageable from the teeth of the toothed wheel 9 so as selectively to permit and prevent relative rotation of the spindle and the roller body 2. Outwardly of the toothed wheel 9 and extending beyond the end of the roller is a disk-like, generally cup-shaped,

is supported. The spindle 5 terminates at its outer end in a supported in the mounting bracket.

flattened spear portion 12 that is adapted releasably to be The terminal end of the roller body 2 is provided with an annular rim 13 formed of metal or the'like and which may be embedded or otherwise suitably fixed to the roller body. The rim 13 includes a centrally apertured end wall 14 which partially overlies the pawls '10 to protect the latter.

The construction of the several parts of the roller assembly 1 described thus far are conventional, and the details of the ratchet and pawl mechanism are more fully disclosed in copendingapplication Serial No. 256,992, filed February 7, 1963.

An end cap or guard constructed in accordance with the invention is designated generally by the reference character 15 and comprises an annular mounting ring 16 of such size as to fit closely over the rim 13 and be frictionally secured to the latter, The mounting'ring 16 is open at one side, but its other side is provided with an end wall 17 of generally frusto-conical shape that tapers radially inwardly of the ring 16. The wall 17 is provided with a centrally located opening 18 which is of such size following description when it is considered in. conjunc- 7,

tion with the appended claims and the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary, partly elevational and partly sectional view of a typical shade roller, equipped with an end cap constructed in accordance with the invention;

erably is such as to conform substantially to the concavity of the bearing 11 so as to permit the wall portion 19 to nest with and rotatably engage the bearing 11, as is most clearly shown in FIGURE 2. j

' The end cap 15 may be formed from any number of readily available, synthetic, resinous materials such as nylon, polyethylene, polypropylene, polytetrafluoroethylene,

and the like. The materials mentioned, and others of the same general class, are tough and durable, corrosion resistant, and have some cushioning and sound deadening 3 properties. However, it would be possible to form the end cap 15 from metal such as aluminum.

When the end cap 15 is in place on the roller 1, it guards against entry of moisture and foreign matter into the ratchet mechanism, and into the roller past the bearings, and provides protection against damaging the bearing 11. In addition, the end cap 15 avoids engagement between the bearing 11 and the bracket in which the spear 12 is received and, if the wall 17 is formed of one of the plastic materials referred to above, it avoids metal-tonetal contact between the bracket and the bearing and accordingly provides for quieter operation. It will be readily understood that the fraction area contact of the ring part 16 with the roller 2 is greater than that of the wall 19 with the bearing cup 11 and that the cap 15 revolves with the roller 2 relative to the bearing cup 11 which is fixed to the spear 12 and is held stationary by the usual slotted supporting bracket.

End caps constructed in accordance with the invention may be manufactured in a plurality of sizes so as to fit on any shade and the like rollers currently in use. Accordingly, persons may equip their present rollers with such end caps and obtain all of the advantages of the latter.

The disclosed embodiment is representative of a presently preferred form of the invention, but is intended to be illustrative rather than definitive thereof. The invention is defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. A shade or like roller construction comprising a roller member; a spindle rotatably mounted in said roller member and extending beyond one end of the latter; a generally cup-shaped bearing member mounted on said spindle adjacent said one. end of said roller member and extending beyond the latter; and an annular cover member mounted on said roller member at said one end of the latter, said cover member having a centrally located opening through which said spindle rotatably passes, said opening being larger in size than the size of said spindle but smaller in size than the size of said bearing member, and

.t the edges of said cover member adjacent said opening being shaped to nest with and being rotatably received in and engaged with said cup-shaped bearing member.

2. A shade or like roller construction comprising a roller member; a spindle member rotatably mounted in said roller member and extending beyond one end of the latter; a substantially disk-shaped, outwardly concave bearing member mounted on said spindle member adjacent said one end of said roller member; and a cover member mounted on and enclosing said one end of said roller member and said bearing member, said cover member having a peripheral wall and a substantially frusroconical end wall provided with a centrally located cylindrical opening larger in size than the size of said spindle member, but smaller in s ze than the size of said bearing member, said opening rotatably receiving said spindle member, and the edge of said wall adjacent said ning constituting a hearing portion and being turned inwardly to rotatably nest within said bearing member in engagement therewith.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,355,458 10/20 Fischer l--301 1,452,874 4/23 Hart -301 1,905,980 4/33 Burns 16030l 2,024,142 12/35 Burns 160301 2,654,114 10/53 Graber et al 16-876 2,863,164 12/58 Schesvold 16--87.4 2,985,907 5/61 Duncan l694 3,052,913 9/62 Cameron 160-426 3,058,298 4/63 Metzgar 20-19 FOREIGN PATENTS 30,266/30 l/32 Australia.

295,098 8/28 Great Britain.

CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A SHADE OR LIKE ROLLER CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING A ROLLER MEMBER; A SPINDLE ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN SAID ROLLER MEMBER AND EXTENDING BEYOND ONE END OF THE LATTER; A GENERALLY CUP-SHAPED BEARING MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID SPINDLE ADJACENT SAID ONE END OF SAID ROLLER MEMBER AND EXTENDING BEYOND THE LATTER; AND AN ANNULAR COVER MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID ROLLER MEMBER AT SAID ONE END OF THE LATTER, SAID COVER MEMBER HAVING A CENTRALLY LOCATED OPENING THROUGH WHICH SAID SPINDLE ROTATABLY PASSES, SAID OPENING BEING LARGER IN SIZE THAN THE SIZE OF SAID SPINDLE BUT SMALLER IN SIZE THAN THE SIZE OF SAID BEARING MEMBER, AND THE EDGE OF SAID COVER MEMBER ADJACENT SAID OPENING BEING SHAPED TO NEST WITH AND BEING ROTATABLY RECEIVED IN AND ENGAGED WITH SAID CUP-SHAPED BEARING MEMBER.

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