US3820191A - Curtain suspending device - Google Patents

Abstract

A CURTAIN RUNNER INCLUDES A HEMISPHERICAL BODY HAVING A CURTAIN HOOKING MEMBER PROTRUDING FROM A VERTEX OF THE DOME THEREOF. THE CURTAIN HOOKING MEMBER MAY BE PARTIALLY EMBEDDED IN THE BODY MEMBER, OR REMOVABLY CLIPPED THROUGH AN AXIAL BORE.

Description

United StatesPatent [191 Gay June 28, 1974 CURTAIN SUSPENDING DEVICE [76] Inventor: Alphonse Gay, 36, Ave. Weber,

1200 Geneva, Switzerland 22 Filed: Oct. 12, 1972 21 App]. No.: 296,765

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Switzerland 15066/71 2,720,289 10/1955 Hendrickson 16/872 3,530,545 9/1970 Lengyel 24/73 CF FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 73,707 l/1952 Denmark 16/872 733,310 7/1955 Great Britain 16/87.2 125,131 10/1947 Denmark 16/872 Primary ExaminerBobby R. Gay

Assistant Examiner-D0ris L. Troutman Attorney, Agent, or FirmRobert E. Burns; Emmanuel J. Lobato; Bruce L. Adams [57] ABSTRACT A curtain runner includes a hemispherical body having a curtain hooking member protruding from a vertex of the dome thereof. The curtain hooking member may be partially embedded in the body member, or removably clipped through an axial bore.

2 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures CURTAIN SUSPENDING DEVICE The invention relates to curtain suspension devices.

It has already been proposed to provide slotted tubular curtain rods along which ball-like runners are adapted to slide. Such known runners each have a loop which passes through a slot in the rod, these loops being adapted to receive curtain hooks which are often fitted to a band on a curtain.

It is an aim of the invention to provide a curtain runner for use with slotted generally tubular curtain rods, which is simple and inexpensive to manufacutre, obviates the need for a separate curtain hook, and enables curtains to be hung in a simple and convenient manner.

According to the invention, there is provided a curtain runner including a hemispherical or substantially hemispherical body member, and a curtain hooking member protruding from a vertex of the dome of the body member at least substantially along the general axis of symmetry of the body member, said curtain hooking member having a part adapted to hookablyengage a curtain.

Embodiments of the invention will now be particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an axial cross-section through a first embodiment of curtain runner;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic side elevational views of a second embodiment of curtain runner;

FIG. 4 is an axial cross-section of a third embodiment of curtain runner;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a fourth embodiment of curtain runner;

FIG. 6 is an axial cross-section through a fifth'embodiment of curtain runner; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing attachment of a curtain to a runner of the type shown in FIGS. 5 or 6.

The runner shown in FIG. 1 comprises a hemispherical body member 1 in synthetic plastics material and having an axial bore 2. A curtain hooking member is formed by a flat clip 3 of spring wire, including a recurvate hook-forming lower end section extended by a pair of spaced-apart side-by-side rectilinear arms 3a and 3b terminating with outwardly directed alike end portions 30 and 3d respectively. The diameter of bore 2 is less than the length of either of end portions 3c or 3d, so that the end portions 30. and 3d and arms 3a, 3b are able to pass through bore 2 of member 1 when the arms 3a. 3b are pressed towards one another to bring the end portions 3c, 3d at least approximately side by side. Once the end portions 30, 3d have been passed through bore 2 from the end thereof at the vertex of member 1 to the end thereof on the flat face of member 1, the clip 3 can be removably fixed to member 1 with the arms 3a, 3b extending through and bearing against the wall of bore 2 and with said end portions 3c, 3d being resiliently outwardly urged by the arms so as to abut, as shown, against the flat face of member I when the hook-forming lower end section of clip 3 is pulled axially away from the vertex of member 1.

In use, before the clip 3 is so fitted to body member 1, one of the arms 3a or 3b is hooked through one of a plurality of openings in a band attached to a curtain.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3, the runner comprises a body member having a hemispherical part 4 and a blade-like extension 4a protruding from the vertex of the dome of part 4, part 4 and extension 4a being moulded one piece in synthetic plastics material. The curtain hooking member consists of a hook 5 having a shank terminated at one extremity by a curved part 5a and at the other extremity by a recurvate hooking part having a pointed end 5b..The shank and curved part 5a of hook 5 are embedded in the extension 4a and in the hemispherical part 5 of the body member.

With this type of runner, a curtain is supported by hooking a fold of the curtain over the end 5b, the blade 40 serving to maintain the hooked part of the curtain flat. In use, the curtain can be disposed with the blades 40 of the runners in view and the books 6 concealed.

The runner shown in FIG. 4 has a hemispherical axially bored body member 1 identical to that of FIG. 1.

However, the curtain hooking member is a flat resilient clip or hanger 6 made of a spring material which in-' cludes a recurvate hook-forming lower end section and arms similar to those of FIG. 1, but which has one of its arms 6a terminated with a rectilinear pointed end, and its other arm provided with an outwardly directed recurvate endportion 6b. A circular groove 7 is disposed concentrically about the bore of member 1 in the flat face of member 1. The diameter of the bore is less than the width, in the plane of the clip, of portion 6b so that portion 6b and the arms of the clip can be passed through the bore when the arms are pressed together. The clip 6 can thus be removably fixed to the member 1 with said portion 6b engaging in groove 7.

In use, before the clip 6 is so fitted to body member 1, the pointed end of arm 6a is passed through a curtain. The illustrated semi-circular form of portion 6b has been found to resist particularly high tensions applied to the clip 7 without giving way. As a variation, the two arms of the clip could have recurvate end portions such as 6b.

The runner shown in FIG. 5 comprises a body member 8 of an overall approximately hemispherical shape, including a hemispherical part and a relatively short cylindrical part. Member 8 is moulded in a synthetic plastics material with a part 9 of a spring wire embedded therein. This wire includes two resilient hooks having arms 10 and 11 protruding from the vertex part of member 8 and terminating with pointed ends 10a, 11a which overlap approximately on the general axis of symmetry of member 8. The two hooks are disposed in substantially the same plane with their open sides facingone another. The runner shown in FIG. 6 is similar to that of FIG. 5, but the spring wire is not embedded in member 8. The two hooks are once more formed from a single bent spring wire. but in this case the spaced-apart side-by- side arms 10, 11 do not initially have a bulbous part 9, but are simply bent in this region. The arms 10 and 11 are then passed through the bore 8a of member 8 until their bent over end protrudes from the flat face, and this end is then squashed to form a bulbous portion 9 larger than the diameter of bore 8a.

When the books of a runner as shown in FIGS. 5 or 6 are pressed over the edge of a curtain 12, the pointed ends 10a, 11a move apart as indicated at l0'a and lla (FIG. 6) on either side of curtain 12. Then, when a tension is applied between the runner and curtain 12, as

is schematically indicated by arrows F, FIG. 7, the pointed ends a, 1 la penetrate thecurtain l2 and the hooks move together to the position shown in FIG. 7, the hooks remaining firmly locked together as long as a tension is applied.

The described curtain runners are preferably used in conjunction with slotted tubular curtain rods which can be made by extruding synthetic plastics material in indefinite lengths which are rolled up and cut into desired lengths at a retail outlet or by the user.

The hemispherical or substantially hemispherical shape of the body members of the curtain runners prevents or reduces rolling of the runners and their consequent loss during the mounting operation, this being a serious drawback with certain known spherical runners. The hemispherical shape also enables an easy insertion of the runners into a slotted tubular curtain rod. The described runners, particularly those of FIGS. 2, 3, 5 and 6, can be used to hang curtains withoutany preliminary serwing operation on the curtain.

Instead of being'in synthetic plastics material, the described body members could, where appropriate, be made in a metal or other suitable material.

What is claimed is:

l. A curtain runner comprising, a substantially hemispherical body having a through axial bore extending along the axis of symmetry thereof, a hanger extending through said axial bore for suspending a curtain therefrom, said hanger having two arms extending through said axial bore and having a recurvate end portion joining the arms and comprising an extension of said arms and extending from a hemispherical surface of said body, one of said arms having a sharp end for piercing a curtain for supporting the curtain on said recurvate end portion, the other arm having a reversely bent portion engaged in the body, said body having a recess on a surface thereof opposite to said hemispherical surface for receiving said reversely bent portion for holding and supporting said hanger on said body portion, said hanger comprising a spring material, and said arms being flexible toward each other for insertion in said bore and removal therefrom, and said arms being biased against the sidewalls of said bore.

2. A curtain runner according to claim 11, in which said hanger is a clip, and said recurvate end'having a width greater than the diameter of said bore.

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