Cord drive assembly for an architectural covering with a braking member and associated biasing element

• US 10,641,037 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2017
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hunter Douglas Incorporated (Hunter Douglas N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Hunter Douglas Incorporated (Hunter Douglas N.V.)
• Inventors: Anderson, Richard N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mitchell, Katherine W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Massad, Abe
• Application Number:
  US15/402,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20170198520A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/2625 Pleated screens, e.g. concertina- or accordion-like
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/3222 Cordless, i.e. user interface without cords
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/262 with flexibly-interconnected horizontal or vertical strips; Concertina blinds , i.e. upwardly folding flexible screens
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/322 Details of operating devices, e.g. pulleys, brakes, spring drums, drives operating devices E06B9/68 ; devices of general interest specially adapted or mounted for storing and repeatedly paying-out and re-storing lengths of material B65H75/34

Abstract

A cord drive assembly for raising a covering relative to an architectural structure may include a housing and at least one cord drive component mounted for rotation within the housing. Additionally, in one embodiment, the cord drive assembly may include a biasing element installed relative to the housing such that the biasing element applies a biasing force against a braking member of the cord drive assembly that biases the braking member against the cord drive component to hinder rotation of the cord drive component relative to a second cord drive component positioned within the housing.

Claims

1. A cord drive assembly for raising a covering relative to an architectural structure, said cord drive comprising:

a housing;

a cord drive component mounted for rotation within said housing;

a braking member extending from said housing and being configured to apply a braking force against said cord drive component in a braking direction toward said cord drive component to at least partially hinder rotation of said cord drive component within said housing; and

a biasing element separate from said braking member, said biasing element positioned and configured to engage said braking member and to apply a biasing force against said braking member in the braking direction, the biasing force biasing said braking member against said cord drive component;

wherein said biasing element extends from an interior of said housing to an exterior of said housing such that a first portion of said biasing element is disposed outside said housing while a second portion of said biasing element is positioned within the interior of said housing.

2. The cord drive assembly of claim 1, wherein:

said cord drive component is movable axially within said housing relative to an output member of said cord drive assembly between a first position and a second position;

said cord drive component is rotationally decoupled from said output member when said cord drive component is moved to the first position; and

said cord drive component is rotationally coupled to said output member when said cord drive component is moved to the second position.

3. The cord drive assembly of claim 2, wherein:

said cord drive component corresponds to a first cord drive component and

said cord drive assembly further comprises a second cord drive component configured to rotate relative to said first cord drive component when said first cord drive component is located at the first position such that a portion of said second cord drive component contacts a corresponding portion of said first cord drive component to push said first cord drive component axially from the first position to the second position.

4. The cord drive assembly of claim 3, wherein said braking member is configured to at least partially hinder rotation of said first cord drive component-when said first cord drive component is located at the first position and said second cord drive component is rotating relative to said first cord drive component.

5. The cord drive assembly of claim 1, wherein said biasing element comprises a spring provided in operative association with said braking member.

6. The cord drive assembly of claim 5, wherein said spring comprises a first portion configured to be engaged against a portion of said braking member and a second portion configured to be engaged against a portion of said housing.

7. The cord drive assembly of claim 6, wherein said first portion is configured to be engaged against an outer surface of said braking member along an exterior of said housing and said second portion is configured to be engaged against an inner surface of said housing within the interior of said housing.

8. The cord drive assembly of claim 7, wherein:

said first portion corresponds to a central portion of said spring extending along said outer surface of said braking member; and

said second portion corresponds to opposed side portions of said spring extending outwardly from said central portion of said spring such that each of said opposed side portions engages said inner surface of said housing.

9. The cord drive assembly of claim 1, wherein said braking member comprises a cantilevered arm extending within an opening defined through said housing.

10. The cord drive assembly of claim 9, wherein said cantilevered arm is formed integrally with said housing.

11. The cord drive assembly of claim 9, wherein:

said cantilevered arm extends between a proximal end and a distal end;

said proximal end is formed integrally with or coupled to said housing; and

said distal end extends within said opening defined by said housing.

12. The cord drive assembly of claim 11, wherein said biasing element is configured to bias said distal end of said cantilevered arm in the braking direction towards said cord drive component.

13. The cord drive assembly of claim 9, wherein said cantilevered arm is formed from a plastic material.

14. A cord drive assembly for raising a covering relative to an architectural structure, said cord drive comprising:

a housing including a housing wall defining an outer surface extending along an exterior of said housing and an inner surface extending within an interior of said housing, said housing including a cantilevered arm positioned relative to said housing wall such that an outer side of said cantilevered arm is positioned along the exterior of said housing and an inner side of said cantilevered arm is positioned along the interior of said housing;

a cord drive component mounted for rotation within said housing about a cord drive axis of rotation; and

a spring positioned and configured to engage said cantilevered arm;

wherein;

said cantilevered arm applies a braking force against said cord drive component in a braking direction oriented radially inwardly towards said cord drive axis of rotation to at least partially hinder rotation of said cord drive component within said housing; and

said spring applies a radially inwardly directed biasing force against said outer side of said cantilevered arm, the biasing force biasing said cantilevered arm against said cord drive component.

15. The cord drive assembly of claim 14, wherein:

said cord drive component is movable axially within said housing relative to an output member of said cord drive assembly between a first position and a second position;

said cord drive component is rotationally decoupled from said output member when said cord drive component is moved to the first position; and

said cord drive component is rotationally coupled to said output member when said cord drive component is moved to the second position.

16. The cord drive assembly of claim 15, wherein:

said cord drive component corresponds to a first cord drive component; and

said cord drive assembly further comprises a second cord drive component configured to rotate relative to said first cord drive component when said first cord drive component is located at the first position such that a portion of said second cord drive component contacts a corresponding portion of said first cord drive component to push said first cord drive component axially from the first position to the second position.

17. The cord drive assembly of claim 15, wherein said cantilevered arm is configured to at least partially hinder rotation of said first cord drive component when said first cord drive component is located at the first position and said second cord drive component is rotating relative to said first cord drive component.

18. The cord drive assembly of claim 15, wherein said cantilevered arm is formed by a portion of said housing that is biased towards and into engagement with said cord drive component.

19. The cord drive assembly of claim 18, wherein at least a portion of the braking force comprises a spring force provided by said cantilevered arm independent of the biasing force applied by said spring in the braking direction.

20. The cord drive assembly of claim 15, wherein said spring includes a first portion positioned and configured to engage said cantilevered arm and a second portion positioned and configured to engage a portion of said housing separate from said cantilevered arm.

21. The cord drive assembly of claim 20, wherein said first portion of said spring engages said cantilevered arm along the exterior of said housing and said second portion of said spring engages said portion of said housing within the interior of said housing.

22. A cord drive assembly for raising a covering relative to an architectural structure, said cord drive comprising:

a housing including a housing wall defining an outer surface extending along an exterior of said housing and an inner surface extending within an interior of said housing, said housing including a cantilevered arm positioned relative to said housing wall such that an outer side of said cantilevered arm is positioned along the exterior of said housing and an inner side of said cantilevered arm is positioned along the interior of said housing;

a cord drive component mounted for rotation within said housing; and

a spring positioned and configured to engage said cantilevered arm, said spring including a first portion positioned and configured to engage said cantilevered arm and a second portion positioned and configured to engage a portion of said housing separate from said cantilevered arm;

wherein;

said cantilevered arm applies a braking force against said cord drive component in a braking direction to at least partially hinder rotation of said cord drive component within said housing;

said spring applies a biasing force against said cantilevered arm in the braking direction, the biasing force biasing said cantilevered arm against said cord drive component; and

said first portion of said spring engages said cantilevered arm along the exterior of said housing and said second portion of said spring engages said portion of said housing within the interior of said housing.

23. The cord drive assembly of claim 22, wherein:

said cord drive component is movable axially within said housing relative to an output member of said cord drive assembly between a first position and a second position;

said cord drive component is rotationally decoupled from said output member when said cord drive component is moved to the first position; and

said cord drive component is rotationally coupled to said output member when said cord drive component is moved to the second position.

24. The cord drive assembly of claim 23, wherein:

said cord drive component corresponds to a first cord drive component; and

said cord drive assembly further comprises a second cord drive component configured to rotate relative to said first cord drive component when said first cord drive component is located at the first position such that a portion of said second cord drive component contacts a corresponding portion of said first cord drive component to push said first cord drive component axially from the first position to the second position.