Combined alarm system and window covering assembly

• US 5,825,289 A
• Filed: 01/27/1994
• Issued: 10/20/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dennis E. Riordan
• Original Assignee: Dennis E. Riordan
• Inventors: Riordan, Dennis E.
• Primary Examiner(s): SWANN III, GLEN R
• Application Number:
  US08/188,397
• Time in Patent Office: 1,727 Days
• Field of Search: 340/550, 340/545, 340/547, 160/10, 248/300, 248/315, 248/200, 335/205
• US Class Current: 340/550
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/08 by opening, e.g. of door, of window, of drawer, of shutter, of curtain, of blind
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/126 for a housing, e.g. a box, a safe, or a room

Abstract

A combined alarm system and window covering assembly includes a top housing, a bottom rail, a covering, an alarm element, a pull cord which is slidably coupled to the top housing and a resiliently biased reed relay switch. The resiliently biased reed relay switch includes a tube which has a first end and a second end which is crimped and which is mechanically coupled to an end of the bottom rail, an encapsulated reed relay switch which has a first end with a first conductive lead and a second end with a second conductive lead and which is fixedly coupled to the pull cord and slidably disposed within the tube and a spring which has a first end and a second end and which is disposed in the tube so that the first end of the spring is adjacent to the second end of the tube and the second end of the spring is adjacent to the first end of the encapsulated reed relay switch. Both of the first and second conductive leads are coupled to the alarm element. The resiliently biased reed relay switch couples the pull cord to the bottom rail.

Claims

1. A combined alarm system and window covering assembly comprising:

a. a top housing;

b. a bottom rail having two ends;

c. a covering mechanically coupled to said top housing and said bottom rail;

d. an alarm element extending from said top housing down to said bottom rail and up from said bottom rail to said top housing;

e. a pull cord for raising and lowering said bottom rail, said pull cord being coupled to said top housing; and

f. an enclosure which is fixedly coupled one of said two ends of aid bottom rail;

g. a reed relay switch electrically coupled to said alarm element, said reed relay switch being resiliently coupled to said enclosure and fixedly coupled to said pull cord whereby said reed relay switch resiliently couples said pull cord to said bottom rail.

2. A combined alarm system and window covering assembly according to claim 1 wherein said alarm element is a conductive wire which is disposed in said pull cord.

3. A combined alarm system and window covering assembly according to claim 2 wherein said resiliently biased reed relay switch is electrically coupled to said conductive wire.

4. A resiliently biased reed relay switch for coupling a pull cord to a bottom rail having two ends in a combined alarm system and window covering assembly having an alarm element, said resiliently biased reed relay switch comprising:

a. a tube having a first end and a second end which is crimped, said tube being mechanically coupled to one of said two ends of said bottom rail;

b. an encapsulated reed relay switch being fixedly coupled to said pull cord and slidably disposed within said tube, said encapsulated reed relay switch having a first end with a first conductive lead and a second end with a second conductive lead and both of said first and second conductive leads being electrically coupled to the alarm element; and

c. a spring having a first end and a second end, said spring being disposed in said tube so that said first end of said spring is adjacent to said second end of said tube and said second end of said spring is adjacent to said first end of said encapsulated reed relay switch whereby said resiliently biased reed relay switch resiliently couples said pull cord to said bottom rail.

5. A resiliently biased reed relay switch according to claim 4 wherein said alarm element is a conductive wire which is disposed in said pull cord.

6. A resiliently biased reed relay switch according to claim 5 wherein said first and second conductive leads are electrically coupled to said conductive wire.

7. A magnet holding and bottom rail bracket for use with a resiliently biased reed relay switch, said magnet holding and bottom rail bracket comprising:

a. a bracket having a base, a support and a flange having a hole, said base, said support and said flange being orthogonally disposed to each other, said support being fixedly coupled to said base and said flange being fixedly coupled to said support;

b. a disc-shaped magnet having a hole therein, said hole in said disc-shaped magnet being aligned with said hole in said flange and being fixedly coupled to said flange whereby said disc-shaped magnet interacts with the resiliently biased reed relay switch.

8. A magnet holding and bottom rail bracket according to claim 7 for use in a combined alarm system and window covering assembly having a bottom rail having two ends and an alarm element, wherein said resiliently biased reed relay switch includes:

a. a tube having a first end and a second end which is crimped, said tube being mechanically coupled to one of said two ends of said bottom rail;

b. an encapsulated reed relay switch being fixedly coupled to said pull cord and slidably disposed within said tube, said encapsulated reed relay switch having a first end with a first conductive lead and a second end with a second conductive lead and both of said first and second conductive leads being coupled to said alarm element;

c. a cap having a disc-shaped portion which is fixedly coupled to said second end of said encapsulated reed relay switch and a rod-shaped portion which engages said hole in said flange;

d. a spring having a first end and a second end, said spring being disposed in said tube so that said first end of said spring is adjacent to said second end of said tube and said second end of said spring is adjacent to said first end of said encapsulated reed relay switch whereby said resiliently biased reed relay switch resiliently couples said pull cord to said bottom rail.