WO2012006514A2

WO2012006514A2 - Auxiliary control system for manipulating retractable cellular coverings for architectural openings

Info

Publication number: WO2012006514A2
Application number: PCT/US2011/043342
Authority: WO
Inventors: Terrence M. Drew
Original assignee: Hunter Douglas Inc.
Priority date: 2010-07-09
Filing date: 2011-07-08
Publication date: 2012-01-12
Also published as: WO2012006514A3; WO2012006514A9

Abstract

An auxiliary control system is provided for a retractable covering for architectural openings which includes a pair of confronting flexible sheets of material interconnected at vertically spaced locations by horizontally extending flexible vanes which are movable between open and closed positions by relative vertical movement of said sheets. The auxiliary control system adapted to grip said flexible sheets of material to move said sheets in relative vertically directions regardless of the degree of extension of the retractable covering across an architectural opening.

Description

Attorney Docket No. P216405.WO.01

AUXILIARY CONTROL SYSTEM FOR MANIPULATING RETRACTABLE CELLULAR COVERINGS FOR ARCHITECTURAL OPENINGS

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S.

provisional patent application No. 61/362,808 entitled "Auxiliary Control System For Manipulating Retractable Cellular Coverings For Architectural Openings" filed on July 9, 2010, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates generally to retractable cellular coverings for architectural openings wherein the covering includes a panel composed of two parallel flexible sheets of material, which are connected along horizontal lines of attachment by flexible vanes. Shifting one sheet of material vertically relative to the other causes the vanes to pivot about horizontal axes between open and closed positions. The auxiliary control system permits the panel of shade material to be opened or closed regardless of the degree to which the panel is extended from a retracted position within a headrail.

Description of the Relevant Art

[0003] Retractable coverings for architectural openings, such as windows, doors, archways, or the like, have been known for numerous years with early forms of such coverings being referred to as roll-up shades. Roll-up shades typically included a roller that was reversibly mounted at the top of an architectural opening from which was suspended a sheet of flexible material which could be wrapped around the roller in a retracted position or unwound from the roller in an extended position across the architectural opening. Such coverings while having an obvious utilitarian function were not particularly attractive and, accordingly, numerous more attractive retractable coverings for architectural openings have been developed.

[0004] A very popular retractable covering, which is referred to as a Venetian blind, mini-blind, or the like, includes a plurality of rigid slats which are disposed horizontally and supported on cord or tape ladders at uniform vertically spaced positions relative to each other. The cord ladders can be manipulated to rotate the slats in unison about their longitudinal horizontal axes between a closed position, where they lie in a substantially vertical overlapping plane, or an open position wherein they are disposed horizontally so as to define gaps or spaces therebetween through which vision and light Attorney Docket No. P216405.WO.01 can pass. A bottom rail for such a covering can be raised or lowered to move the covering between a retracted position with the slats closely stacked adjacent to a headrail at the top of the architectural opening and an extended position wherein the slats are uniformly distributed across the architectural opening.

[0005] While such Venetian blinds, mini-blinds, or the like have found

considerable success, they do not have a soft appearance as is sometimes desired for a covering, and, accordingly, cellular coverings, which are aesthetically different from venetian-type blinds and in some instances provide insulating capabilities, have more recently become popular. One form of such a cellular covering includes a shade panel having a pair of confronting flexible sheets of material which are suspended from a roller and which are interconnected by a plurality of vertically spaced horizontally extending flexible vanes which are secured along their opposite edges to an associated one of the sheets of material. By shifting one sheet of material vertically relative to the other the vanes can be moved between open and closed positions with the closed position disposing the vanes in a substantially vertical plane which blocks or inhibits the passage of vision or light through the covering, and an open position wherein the vanes are disposed substantially horizontally to define gaps therebetween through which vision and light can pass. One drawback with coverings of this type resides in the fact that the control systems for operating the coverings have been limited to having the covering remain in a closed position when it is moved between a retracted rolled-up position and an extended position across the architectural opening. It was not until the shade panel for the covering was fully extended that the vanes could be opened so that vision and light could pass through the covering.

[0006] It has therefore been desirable to provide such a cellular covering with a capability of opening or closing the covering regardless of the degree to which the panel of shade material has been extended, and it is to that end that the present invention has been developed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The auxiliary control system of the present invention has been designed to move a cellular retractable covering between open and closed positions at any degree of extension of the covering. The auxiliary control system is particularly adapted for use with a conventional retractable cellular covering that includes a shade panel having a pair of confronting flexible sheets of material which are attached at vertically spaced intervals by horizontally extending vanes. The shade panel itself can be rolled around a roller confined within a headrail at the top of the covering in a retracted position or Attorney Docket No. P216405.WO.01 extended away from the headrail to any desired degree. By shifting one sheet of material vertically relative to the other sheet when the shade panel is fully extended, the vanes can be moved between open and closed positions. In the open position, the vanes are substantially horizontally disposed defining gaps or spaces therebetween through which vision and light can pass. In the closed position, the vanes are

substantially vertically oriented in a substantially flat coplanar overlapping relationship with each other to block or impede the passage of vision or light through the shade panel. Such a retractable cellular covering is well known in the art and is described, for example, in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,313,999 and 6,782,938, which are of common ownership with the present application, and the disclosures in which are hereby incorporated by reference.

[0008] In the prior art coverings of the above-described type, a main control cord adapted to selectively rotate the roller in opposite directions is provided and a brake mechanism is further provided for maintaining the roller at any selected rotative position. When the panel is fully retracted and rolled about the roller within the headrail, the shade panel is removed from view but by rotating the roller in an opposite direction, the covering can be moved to extended positions where the shade panel extends to any desired degree across the architectural opening. In moving the shade panel between retracted and extended positions, it is retained in a closed position, i.e. with the vanes substantially flat and coplanar with each other, until the shade panel is fully extended at which point in time further rotation of the roller in the extending direction of the roller causes the sheets of material to separate and shift vertically relative to each other moving the vanes to the open position described above.

[0009] With the auxiliary control system of the present invention, the shade material can be moved to its open position regardless of the degree of extension of the covering by providing a separate or auxiliary control cord for manipulating an auxiliary control system within the headrail. The auxiliary control system grips the panel of shade material such that one sheet of material is retained in a stationary position while the other sheet of material is moved vertically to pivot the vanes between closed and open positions, and this can occur at any degree of extension of the covering.

[0010] Other aspects, features and details of the present invention can be more completely understood by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the drawings and from the appended claims. Attorney Docket No. P216405.WO.01

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] FIG. 1 is an isometric looking at the front of a retractable covering incorporating the auxiliary control system of the present invention with the covering shown in a closed but fully extended position.

[0012] FIG. 2 is an isometric similar to FIG. 1 again with the covering in a fully extended position, but open.

[0013] FIG. 3 is an isometric similar to FIG. 1 with the covering closed but only partially extended.

[0014] FIG. 4 is an isometric similar to FIG. 2 with the covering open but only partially extended.

[0015] FIG. 5A is an exploded isometric looking forwardly from the rear of the headrail at the various component parts of the headrail.

[0016] FIG. 5B is an exploded isometric looking from the front of the headrail of the covering toward the rear of the covering.

[0017] FIG. 6A is an enlarged section taken along line 6A-6A of FIG. 1.

[0018] FIG. 6B is a section similar to FIG. 6A with the auxiliary control system having been partially operated to commence opening the shade panel.

[0019] FIG. 6C is an enlarged section taken along line 6C-6C of FIG. 2.

[0020] FIG. 7A is an exploded enlarged isometric looking at the components shown at the left end of the system as shown in FIG. 5A.

[0021] FIG. 7B is an exploded enlarged isometric showing the components at the right end of FIG. 5A.

[0022] FIG. 8A is an exploded isometric similar to FIG. 7A looking from the front side of the covering.

[0023] FIG. 8B is an exploded isometric similar to FIG. 7B looking from the front side of the covering.

[0024] FIG. 9A is an exploded isometric viewed from the rear of components of the covering and particularly those found within the headrail of a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] FIG. 9B is an exploded isometric from the front similar to FIG. 9A.

[0026] FIG. 10A is a vertical section similar to FIG. 6A showing the shade material in the second embodiment of the invention in a fully retracted position.

[0027] FIG. 10B is a section similar to FIG. 10A showing the covering of the second embodiment of the invention in a fully extended position. Attorney Docket No. P216405.WO.01

[0028] FIG. 10C is a section similar to FIGS. 0A and 10B showing the covering being opened with the second embodiment of the auxiliary control system of the invention.

[0029] FIG. 11 is a fragmentary section taken through the front upper corner of the headrail of the first embodiment of the invention.

[0030] FIG. 2 is an isometric of a spring shown in FIG. 11 used for biasing a cover plate in the first embodiment of the present invention in a rearward direction.

[0031] FIG. 13A is an isometric view of a control unit for a non-loop pull cord that may be used in addition to or in place of the control cords illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0032] FIG. 13B is another isometric view of the control unit of FIG. 13A with a top component of a housing removed to illustrate the internal components.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0033] The auxiliary control system of the present invention finds a primary use in a roll-up retractable covering 20 as seen in FIGS. 1-4 having a headrail 22 with a reversible rotatable roller 24 (FIGS. 5A-8B) which supports a shade panel 26 that can be rolled about the roller in a fully or partially retracted position of the covering or extended from the roller to any desired degree by unwrapping the shade material from the roller.

[0034] The shade panel 26 includes a pair of confronting flexible sheets of material 28 such as sheer fabric which are interconnected along vertically spaced horizontally extending lines of connection 30 with elongated vanes 32, preferably also made of a fabric material that is desirably translucent or opaque. The shade panel is moved between open and closed positions when it is fully extended by vertically shifting one sheet of material relative to the other sheet of material which causes the flexible vanes to pivot about horizontal axes between open and closed positions. In the open position, the vanes are substantially horizontally disposed defining gaps therebetween

(FIGS. 2 and 4) through which vision and light can pass, and a closed position (FIGS. 1 and 3) wherein the vanes are vertically disposed in a flat, planar, preferably overlapping relationship with adjacent vanes. In the closed position, vision is blocked through the shade panel.

[0035] The roller 24 is reversibly rotatably driven by a main control cord 34 disposed at one end of the headrail 22 in which the roller is mounted and a braking mechanism to be described hereafter is provided for releasably retaining the roller at any rotative position. As will be described in more detail later and as can be seen in FIGS. 5B and 6A, for example, the roller has two longitudinally extending diametrically opposed grooves 36 in its outer face in which are respectively secured the upper edges 38 (FIGS. Attorney Docket No. P216405.WO.01

6A-6C) of the flexible sheets of material 28. As the panel 26 of shade material is being retracted from a fully-extended open position, i.e. by wrapping the panel around the roller during rotation of the roller in a first direction, the sheets of flexible material 28 are initially vertically shifted relative to each other so that they are in closely adjacent relationship and the vanes 32 are in their closed position between the two sheets of material. The panel of shade material thereby wraps about the roller in a closed position of the shade material. When the shade material is totally unwrapped from the roller into a fully extended position of the covering, the roller is initially positioned so that the diametrically opposed longitudinally extending grooves 36 therein are vertically aligned with the vanes closed but upon an additional one-quarter rotation of the roller, the grooves become horizontally aligned and displaced from each other so that the sheets of material suspended therefrom are shifted vertically relative to each other and are maximally spaced placing the vanes in their open or substantially horizontally disposed position. The movement of the vanes from the closed position to the open position only occurs when the covering is fully extended as in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the above-described operation occurs solely through use of the main control cord 34 which, as mentioned, selectively rotates the roller in opposite directions through manual manipulation of the main control cord.

[0036] The auxiliary control system of the present invention is operably connected to the headrail 22 and the roller 24, but is independently operable through use of an auxiliary control cord 40 (FIGS. 1-4) that depends from the opposite end of the headrail from the main control cord 34. As will be described in detail hereafter, manipulation of the auxiliary control cord effects movement of the vanes 32 between their open and closed positions regardless of whether or not the shade panel 26 has been fully extended.

[0037] Referring now to FIG. 1 , retractable covering 20 pursuant to the present invention and incorporating the auxiliary control system of the present invention is shown in a fully extended but closed position of the awning. FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1 in that the covering is fully extended but has been moved to the open position where the vanes 32 are substantially horizontally disposed so as to define gaps 42 therebetween through which vision and light can pass. FIG. 3 shows the covering of FIG. 1 in a partially extended/retracted position again with the vanes closed while FIG. 4 shows the covering in the partially extended/retracted position of FIG. 3 but with the vanes open. It will, therefore, be appreciated, particularly by reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, that the vanes can be open or closed even when the covering is partially extended/retracted which occurs through operation of the auxiliary control system. As mentioned previously, the Attorney Docket No. P216405.WO.01 main control cord 34 is only effective in opening or closing the vanes when the shade panel 26 is fully extended, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0038] With reference to FIG. 5A, the headrail 22 and the components of the covering enclosed therewith along with a fragmentary view of the shade panel 26 is illustrated in an exploded view. FIG. 5A is a view looking at the front of the headrail toward the rear, and it can be appreciated (possibly in conjunction with FIG. 6A) that the headrail is a two-piece headrail having a front component 44 and a rear component 46 that are hingedly and releasably interconnected along a top wall 48 of the headrail. The front component of the headrail has a substantially vertically extending side 50 that forms a front visual barrier to most of the internal components of the covering within the headrail while the rear component of the headrail has a short rear side 52 that defines a pocket 54 (FIGS. 6A-6C) in which a plurality of longitudinally-spaced springs 56 are releasably seated for a purpose to be described hereafter. The rear component further has a generally C-shaped channel 58 protruding downwardly from a top plate 60 of the rear component with the channel serving to support a portion of the auxiliary control system as will be described in more detail hereafter.

[0039] End caps 62 (FIG. 5B) are positioned at each end of the headrail 22 and are adapted to support operative components of the covering. The roller 24, about which the shade material 26 is adapted to be wrapped and unwrapped, is supported within the headrail in a horizontal orientation and has end plugs 64 inserted into the opposite open ends of the roller. Each end plug has a plurality of circumferentially spaced radiating fins 66 which define gaps therebetween so that inwardly projecting walls 68 defining the longitudinally extending grooves 36 in the roller can be received between respective fins. The end plugs are therefore connected to the roller so as to rotate in unison therewith.

[0040] At the left end of the roller as viewed in FIG. 5A, an auxiliary drive disk 70 for the auxiliary control system can be seen to include a substantially circular drive disk 72 having an axial opening 74 therethrough and a co-axial and integrally

interconnected gripping pulley 76 in which the auxiliary control cord 40 can be operatively engaged. A circular flange 78 on the outer end of the end plug at the left end of the roller is adapted to be rotatably seated in a circular recess 80 (FIG. 8A) provided in the auxiliary drive disk 70 on the opposite side of the disk from the pulley 76. In this manner, the auxiliary drive disk is rotatably supported on the end plug at the left end of the roller.

[0041] The end plug 64 itself at the left end of the roller is rotatably supported on a support shaft 82 having a threaded end 84 and an unthreaded end 86. The support shaft is seated at its unthreaded end on a stub shaft 88 (FIG. 8A) integral with the end Attorney Docket No. P216405.WO.01 cap 62 and is prevented from rotating relative to the end cap by three circumferentially spaced pins 90 (FIG. 7A) on the support shaft which are seated in three aligned recesses 92 (FIG. 8A) in the end cap. The end plug rotatably sits on the unthreaded end 86 of the support shaft so that the roller 24 is coaxial with the support shaft 82. A nut 94 is threaded on the support shaft and is sized and configured to slidably engage the interior of the roller while rotating in unison with the roller. As the roller rotates in extending and retracting the covering, the nut translates along the length of the shaft 82 and the roller while always maintaining a coaxial relationship between the roller and the support shaft. The nut is prevented from rotating relative to the roller by a groove 96 formed in the perimeter of the nut which slidably receives the inwardly directed walls 68 of one of the longitudinal grooves 36 in the outer surface of the roller.

[0042] At the opposite end of the roller 24, an auxiliary idler disk 98 is provided but does not have a pulley associated therewith. Rather this disk is rotatably seated on a flange 100 formed at the outer end of the end plug 64 at the right end of the roller. A gripping drive pulley 102 is provided at the right end of the roller to engageably receive the main control cord 34, and this pulley is integral with a generally cylindrical body 104 having a longitudinal slot 106 therein one side of which receives and supports a brake- engaging clip 108 as possibly best seen in FIG. 7B. A conventional spring clutch or brake 10, which consists of two independent coil springs 112 wrapped in opposite directions but coaxially aligned, are fitted within the cylinder 104 with each spring having a depending tang 114 that is disposed on either side of the clip. The springs in turn are seated on a stub shaft 116 integral with a portion of the end cap 62 at the right end of the headrail with the springs providing a tight fit on the shaft. The two-way spring brake is a conventional brake which prevents rotation of the drive pulley 102 in either direction in the absence of a drive force applied to the drive pulley as with the main control cord. Since the springs are wrapped in opposite directions, one spring will normally permit rotation of the drive pulley in one direction, but the other spring will resist such rotation while the reverse is true regarding rotation of the drive pulley in the opposite direction. Applying a drive force to the drive pulley, however, as with the main control cord, will cause the clip to engage the tang on the spring which would otherwise resist rotation of the pulley in that direction and release the grip of that spring on the stub shaft 116 so that the pulley can be rotated until the driving force is removed at which time the spring will again grip the stub shaft and prevent further rotation of the pulley. The same is true when rotating the pulley in the opposite direction.

[0043] From the above description, it will be appreciated that rotation of the main drive pulley 102 in one direction or the other causes the roller 24 to rotate in one Attorney Docket No. P216405.WO.01 direction or the other but the roller will be retained in a non-rotating position when no drive force is applied with the main control cord 34. It will also be appreciated that if the shade panel 26 is fully extended and is in the open position, shown for example in FIG. 2, the initial rotation of the roller 24 will cause the longitudinal grooves 36 in the roller to become vertically aligned thereby shifting the flexible sheets of material 28 into closely adjacent relationship and during that process move the vanes 32 from the open position of FIG. 2 to the closed position of FIGS. 1 and 3, for example, where the vanes are substantially planar and vertically aligned between the sheets of flexible material. Once the vanes have been closed as described, continued rotation of the roller will cause the panel to be wrapped about the roller until it has been fully retracted with the bottom edge of the panel at the bottom edge of the headrail. Of course, opposite rotation of the main drive pulley 102 with the main control cord will cause the shade panel to become unwrapped from the roller until it is fully extended with the extension being caused partially by the unwrapping from the roller and partially from gravity due to the fact that a bottom rail or ballast 118 is secured to the bottom edge of the shade panel as can be seen, for example, in FIGS. 1-4.

[0044] When the shade panel 26 initially reaches full extension, it is still in a closed condition with the sheets of flexible material 28 closely adjacent to each other and the vanes 32 in their closed vertical planar orientation therebetween. Continued rotation of the drive pulley 102, however, will allow the roller to make a last one-quarter turn which moves the diametrically opposed grooves 36 on the roller 24 to which the top edges of the sheets of material 28 are connected from vertical alignment to horizontal alignment. In the horizontal alignment, it will be appreciated the sheets of flexible material are maximally displaced and have been shifted vertically relative to each other causing the vanes 32 to move from their vertically closed position to their substantially horizontal open position.

[0045] The description thus far of the covering pursuant to the present invention has been intended to describe a basic covering that operates as described, but as will be appreciated, the vanes 32 may typically be moved from the closed to the open position once the shade panel 26 has been fully extended. It is sometimes desirable that the vanes be opened or closed even though the shade panel is not fully extended, and it is to that end that the auxiliary system of the present invention has been developed.

[0046] The auxiliary control system includes the auxiliary control cord 40 previously described along with the auxiliary drive disk 72 and pulley 76 combination, the auxiliary idler disk 98, and with the auxiliary drive disk and idler disk supporting in a peripheral groove 120 along their circumference opposite ends, respectively, of a Attorney Docket No. P216405.WO.01 movable shroud 122 as seen in FIGS. 5A, 5B, 7A and 7B. The movable shroud is a substantially semi-cylindrical shroud that is rigid or substantially rigid so as to retain the substantially semi-cylindrical orientation illustrated even though it is only supported at opposite ends by the auxiliary disks. Each end of the shroud is provided with transverse attachment holes 124 through which threaded fasteners 126 (FIG. 7B) can be passed to attach the shroud to the peripheral circumferential edge of an associated auxiliary disk so that the shroud sits within the peripheral groove defined in the periphery of the disk. The groove 120 has a depth that coincides with the thickness of the shroud so that once the shroud is attached to the auxiliary disks, an effective circular outer circumference of the auxiliary disks is defined.

[0047] As mentioned previously, the auxiliary disks 72 and 98 are rotatably mounted on the end plugs 64 of the roller and therefore can be pivoted in opposite directions independently of any movement or non-movement of the roller 24 and as should also be noted, the auxiliary disks remain stationary when the roller is rotated to extend or retract the covering. As will also be appreciated, since the auxiliary drive disk 72 at one end of the headrail 22 is fixed to the auxiliary drive pulley 76, which is pivoted in one direction or the other by the auxiliary control cord 40, the entire movable shroud can be pivoted about the longitudinal axis of the roller in one direction or the other with the auxiliary control cord.

[0048] Referring next to FIGS. 6A-6C, operation of the auxiliary control system is described. The movable shroud 122 can be seen circumscribing slightly more than half of the roller 24 about which the shade panel 26 is wrappable. As shown for example in FIG. 6A, the shroud opens substantially downwardly and therefore defines a gap between its opposite longitudinal edges 128 and 130 through which the shade panel can extend. Another operative component of the auxiliary control system is a substantially fixed generally semi-cylindrical shroud 132, which can be seen in FIGS. 6A-6C, to be pivotally attached to the C-shaped channel 58 on the underside of the headrail 22. The substantially fixed shroud is confined in the C-shaped channel with a longitudinally extending bead 134 along its upper edge. The substantially fixed shroud is biased in a clockwise direction by a plurality of the longitudinally-spaced springs 56 previously described as being connected to the rear component 46 of the headrail. In this manner, the lower or free edge 136 of the substantially fixed shroud slidably engages the shade panel and holds it in a substantially vertically suspended orientation closely adjacent to the horizontal center of the headrail. Attached to an inner surface of the substantially fixed shroud is a longitudinally extending friction pad 138 of high friction/tacky rubber or the like which is bonded or otherwise secured to the inner surface of the substantially Attorney Docket No. P216405.WO.01 fixed shroud for a purpose to be described hereafter. A similar friction pad 140 is secured to the outer surface of the movable shroud 122 at its left or leading edge 128 as viewed in FIG. 6A, again for a purpose to be described hereafter. These friction pads may also take the form of surface treatment of the shroud portions having adequate frictional characteristics to perform the same or similar function as the friction pads. These areas of surface treatment may also be referred to as pads. Surface treatment may include applying a material to the shroud or may include roughing up the surface layer of the shroud.

[0049] FIG. 6A shows the shade panel 26 in an at least partially extended position with the vanes 32 closed in their planar vertical orientation separating the sheets of flexible material 28, which are closely adjacent to each other. If it were desired to shift the covering from the closed position of FIG. 6A to an open position, where the vanes were substantially horizontally oriented, the auxiliary control cord 40 would be circulated to pivot the auxiliary drive pulley 76 in a direction which would cause the movable shroud 122 to pivot counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 6A. FIG. 6B shows the movable shroud having been pivoted slightly less than 180 degrees. It will there be appreciated the leading edge 128 of the movable shroud, having the friction pad 140 thereon, has been moved into engagement with the shade panel lifting the shade panel into engagement with the friction pad 138 on the substantially fixed shroud 132. The pad on the leading edge of the movable shroud, due to its tacky or high-friction nature, grips the flexible sheet of material 28 shown on the left side of the shade panel 26 in FIGS. 6A-6C while lifting the shade panel until the flexible sheet of material 28 on the right side of the panel engages the friction pad 138 on the substantially fixed shroud 132 due partly to the resistance to counterclockwise pivotal movement of the shroud 132 by the springs 56. Once the sheets of material are in engagement with the tacky surfaces of the friction pads, continued counterclockwise pivotal movement of the movable shroud, as shown in FIG. 6C, will raise the sheet of material 28 on the left while the sheet of material 28 on the right is held in a fixed position by the substantially fixed shroud. This movement, as mentioned previously i.e. a vertical relative movement of the sheets of material, causes the vanes 32 to move from the closed position of FIG. 6A to the open position of FIG. 6C while separating the sheets of material. As mentioned, this happens regardless of the degree to which the shade panel 26 has been extended from the roller.

[0050] Of course, pivotal movement of the movable shroud 122 in the opposite clockwise direction will have the opposite effect on the shade panel 26 thereby dropping the left side sheet of material 28 relative to the right side sheet of material 28 and Attorney Docket No. P216405.WO.01 causing the vanes 32 to move to their closed position of FIG. 6A from the open position of FIG. 6C. This too can occur at any degree of extension of the shade material.

[0051] FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate an alternative spring arrangement for biasing the substantially fixed shroud in a clockwise direction. In other words, in lieu of the springs 56 described previously for this purpose, a generally L-shaped bracket 142 as shown in FIG. 12 having a top plate 144, a rear plate 146, and a depending serpentine spring element 148 is releasably attached to the rear component 46 of the headrail 22 by gripping the lower edge of the back plate of the rear headrail component and inserting the bracket beneath a lip 150 formed on the top surface of the top plate of the rear component of the headrail. By positioning the bracket in this manner relative to the rear component of the headrail, the serpentine spring element 148 extends downwardly to engage the substantially fixed shroud 132 at a lower location than the springs 56 previously described and may provide a better grip on the shade material 26 when opening the vanes 32 with the auxiliary control system.

[0052] FIGS. 9A-10C illustrate an alternative auxiliary control system to that of

FIGS. 1A-8B. In the alternative auxiliary control system, the front 152 and rear 154 components of the headrail 156 have been modified slightly, but the main control system for reversibly rotating the roller 24 and the auxiliary control system for pivoting the movable shroud 122 are identical to that previously described. It will be appreciated in FIGS. 9A-10C that the front component of the headrail extends downwardly a slightly greater distance than it does in the first described embodiment, and the rear component of the headrail also extends downwardly a greater distance and terminates in a forwardly convex lower end 158 across which the shade material 26 can slidably pass without damage to the shade material. A pocket 160 is defined between the lower edge of the front headrail component and the lower edge of the rear headrail component into which the bottom rail 118 of the covering can be drawn and positioned when the covering is fully retracted (FIG. 10A).

[0053] It will be appreciated in the alternative embodiment of FIGS. 9A-10C that the substantially fixed shroud 132 has been removed and a longitudinally extending friction pad 164 of high-friction/tacky rubber or the like has been mounted adhesively or otherwise on the inner surface of the rear component 154 of the headrail at an intermediate location along the height of the rear component.

[0054] In operation, as illustrated in FIGS. 10A-10C, FIG. 10A shows the covering fully retracted with the bottom rail 118 of the covering positioned within the pocket 160 defined between the lower edges of the front 152 and rear 154 components of the headrail 156 and the shade panel 26 fully wrapped about the roller 24. The Attorney Docket No. P216405.WO.01 auxiliary control system is in an inoperative position with the movable shroud 122 pivoted in a clockwise direction as far as it will go. Referencing FIG. 0B, the auxiliary control system remains inoperative, but the shade panel 26 has been extended to some degree with the main control cord 34 so that the bottom rail is no longer confined within the headrail. The shade panel itself is in a closed position with the sheets of flexible material 28 closely adjacent to each other and the vanes 32 substantially planar and vertically oriented therebetween.

[0055] In FIG. 10C, the auxiliary control system has been activated by rotating the movable shroud 122 in a counterclockwise direction until the friction pad 140 on the leading edge 128 of the movable shroud 122 has gripped the left sheet of flexible material 28 as viewed in FIG. 10C and lifted the shade material until the right sheet of shade material 28 has become frictionally engaged with the friction pad 164 on the rear component 154 of the headrail so that further movement of the right sheet of material is prevented while the left sheet of material is continued to be raised by further

counterclockwise movement of the movable shroud. As the left sheet of material is moved vertically relative to the right sheet of material, the vanes 32 are moved from the closed position of FIG. 10B to the open position of FIG. 10C as with the first described embodiment. Of course, movement of the auxiliary control system toward its inoperative position by rotating the movable shroud in a clockwise direction allows the sheets 28 of the panel 26 to again shift vertically relative to each other allowing the vanes to move to their closed position of FIG. 10B.

[0056] It should be noted that although the main control cord 34 and the auxiliary control cord 40 have been illustrated as "loop cords" in that the ends of each cord are connected together to form a loop, other variations are possible. In one example, a retractable cord such as the ULTRAGLIDE cord sold by Hunter Douglas, may be used. The retractable cord may be used as either or both the main control cord 34 and the auxiliary control cord 40. Similarly, the main control cord 34 may be the retractable cord and the auxiliary cord 40 may be a short straight cord or a loop cord (as shown in FIG. 1)·

[0057] FIGS. 13A and 13B illustrate an exemplary retractable cord, such as the

ULTRAGLIDE cord by Hunter Douglas. Briefly referring to FIGS. 13A and 13B, a control unit 222 may be used to house either of the control cords and may be connected to or form a portion of the auxiliary control system and/or a main control system. The control unit 222 may include a drive assembly 252 and a brake assembly 242. The drive assembly 252 includes a cord 232 (e.g., auxiliary cord 40 or main control cord 34) that wraps around a spool 231 , which is biased by a spring 258. A drive gear 260 connects Attorney Docket No. P216405.WO.01 to the spool 231 and as the spool 231 rotates (from a downward force on the cord 232), the drive gear 260 moves axially away from the spool 231. The brake assembly 242 includes a driven gear 264 which engages the drive gear 260 when the drive gear 260 is positioned away from the spool 231. The driven gear 264 can be operably connected to a drive shaft and/or the roller 24. Therefore, when the cord 232 is not being pulled the brake assembly 242 prevents a connected driven shaft from rotating, thus holding the panel and/or the vanes in a desired position. A more detailed description of this type of retractable cord can be found in U.S. Publication No. 2009/0120592.

[0058] An advantage to the auxiliary control system utilized in the roll-up covering of the present invention arises if the headrail is unintentionally mounted so as not to be perfectly horizontal causing the shade material to wrap with a bias about the roller thereby causing a skew (tilted bottom rail) in the shade material as it is extended or retracted. The auxiliary control system of the present invention is beneficial in preventing such skew. As mentioned previously, when the roller is rotated to extend or retract the shade material, the auxiliary disks forming part of the auxiliary control system remains stationary so that the vertical edges of the shade material will slide against the stationary disks which serve as guides urging the shade panel to remain vertically oriented and therefore non-skewed.

[0059] Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood the disclosure has been made by way of example, and changes in detail or structure may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

Attorney Docket No. P216405.WO.01 CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A retractable covering for an architectural opening movable between extended and retracted positions comprising in combination:

a reversibly rotatable roller,

a shade panel including a pair of confronting flexible vertically extending sheets interconnected at vertically spaced locations by flexible horizontally extending vanes, the vanes being movable about horizontal axes between open and closed positions by relative vertical movement of said sheets, said sheets being connected at upper ends thereof to said roller such that rotation of said roller causes said panel to be wrapped about said roller in said retracted position of the covering and unwrapped from said roller in said extended position of the covering, and

an auxiliary control system having a first shroud positioned in at least partially circumferential relationship with said roller and pivotally movable circumferentially relative to said roller into engaging relationship with said shade panel when it is fully or partially extended from said roller, said auxiliary control system releasably gripping each of said sheets while moving the sheets in relative vertical directions to cause said vanes to move between said open and closed positions.

2. The retractable covering of claim 1 , wherein said auxiliary system further includes a second shroud in at least partially circumferential relationship with said roller, said second shroud at least partially grips at least one sheet of said sheets to cause said vanes to move between said open and closed positions.

3. The retractable covering of claims 1 or 2, wherein said first shroud includes a fiction pad positioned on an inner side surface of said first shroud and configured to grip at least one sheet of said sheets.

4. The retractable covering of claims 2 or 3, wherein said auxiliary control system further includes a biasing member in communication with said second shroud to bias said second shroud towards said first shroud.

5. The retractable covering of claim 1 , wherein said auxiliary control system further includes a grip pulley operably connected to said first shroud to pivotally move said first shroud circumferentially relative to said roller. Attorney Docket No. P216405.WO.01

6. The retractable covering of any of the above claims, wherein in a first position of said shroud with respect to said roller, said vanes move from said open position to said closed position when said roller rotates and in a second position of said shroud with respect to said roller, said vanes move from said closed position to said open position when said roller rotates.

7. The retractable covering of claims of any of the above claims, wherein the auxiliary control system further includes an auxiliary control cord configured to move said first shroud.

8. An architectural covering comprising:

a rotatable roller;

a shade panel including a first sheet and a second sheet interconnected together at vertically spaced locations by vanes, where in an open position the vanes are substantially horizontally disposed between the first sheet and the second sheet and in a closed position the vanes are vertically disposed between the first sheet and the second sheet; and

an auxiliary control system including

a first shroud positioned in at least a partially circumferential relationship with the roller and movable circumferentially relative to the roller and in a first position of the shroud relative to the roller the shade panel is in the open position and when the first shroud is in a second position relative to the roller the shade panel is in the closed position; and

a first friction pad to grip one of the first sheet or the second sheet to transition the shade panel from the open position to the closed position or from the closed position to the open position.

9. The architectural covering of claim 8, wherein the first fiction pad is positioned on an outer surface of the first shroud.

10. The architectural covering of either claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the auxiliary control system further includes a second shroud extending at least partially

circumferentially around the roller.

11. The architectural covering of claim 10, wherein the second shroud includes a Attorney Docket No. P216405.WO.01 second friction pad on an inner side surface facing towards the roller, where the friction pad grips one of the first sheet or the second sheet to transition the shade panel from the open position to the closed position or from the closed position to the open position.

12. The architectural covering of any of claims 8, 9, 10, or 11 , wherein the first friction pad is positioned on an outer side surface of the first shroud.

13. The architectural covering of any of claims 10 or 11 , wherein the auxiliary control system further includes a biasing member for biasing the second shroud towards the roller.

14. The architectural covering of any of claims 10, 11 , or 13 wherein in the first position the first shroud and the second shroud at least partially overlap at a first end and in the second position the first shroud and the second shroud at least partially overlap at a second end.

15. The architectural covering of any of claims 8, 9, 10, 11 , 12, 13, or 14 wherein the auxiliary control system further includes

an auxiliary pulley operably connected to the first shroud and configured to selectively move the first shroud from the first position to the second position with respect to the roller; and

an auxiliary control cable operably connected to the auxiliary pulley.

16. A shade panel system comprising

a shade panel having a first sheet and a second sheet intermittently connected together at a vertically spaced distances by at least two vanes;

a rotatable roller operably connected to at least one end of the shade panel and when the roller rotates in a first direction the shade panel at least partially wraps around an outer surface of the rotatable roller and when the roller rotates in a second direction the shade panel at least partially unwraps from an outer surface of the rotatable roller; a headrail at least partially surrounding the rotatable roller; and

a shroud movably connected to the headrail and at least partially

circumferentially surrounding the roller; wherein

when the shroud moves from a first position to a second position with respect to the roller the vanes open and when the shroud moves from the second position to the first position the vanes close. Attorney Docket No. P216405.WO.01

17. The shade panel system of claim 16, wherein the shroud further includes a grip portion that grips one of the first sheet or the second sheet when the shroud moves between the first position and the second position.

18. The shade panel system of any of claims 16 or 17, wherein the headrail includes a rear component extending downwardly from a top of the headrail and engages one of the first sheet and the second sheet when the shroud moves from first position to the second position.

19. The shade panel system of claim 18 wherein the rear component includes a first friction pad positioned on an inner side surface towards the roller.

20. The shade panel system of any of claims 16, 17, 18, or 19 where the shroud includes a second friction pad positioned on an outer surface.

21. The shade panel system of any of claims 8 or 19 wherein in the first position the shroud is partially positioned between the roller and the rear component of the headrail.