Pull down, push up, shade apparatus

• US 20040154758A1
• Filed: 12/23/2003
• Published: 08/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZipShade Industrial (B.V.I.) Corp.
• Original Assignee: ZipShade Industrial (B.V.I.) Corp.
• Inventors: Cheng, Li-Ming, Wu, Lawrence S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,245,756 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 160/170
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/2625 Pleated screens, e.g. concertina- or accordion-like
• 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 pleated shade or Venetian blind apparatus capable of height adjustment comprising an upper elongated support; a lower elongated member that is manually adjustable up and down; primary lines extending through shade pleats or blind slats to suspend the bottom elongated member; primary rotors at the top elongated support to wind or engage the primary lines; at least one secondary line having operative connection to the primary lines; and rotary members acting on the secondary line or lines for counterbalancing suspension force exerted on the primary lines at different shade or blind height adjusted levels, including a spring coupled to the rotary members exerting force tending to entrain the secondary line or lines about the rotary members, for storage on at least one of the members.

Claims

1. A pleated shade or Venetian blind assembly capable of height adjustment, comprising, in combination:

a) an upper elongated support,

b) a lower elongated member that is manually adjustable up and down,

c) primary lines extending through shade pleats or blind slats to suspend said bottom elongated member,

d) primary rotors at said top elongated support to wind or engage said primary lines,

e) at least one secondary line having operative connection to said primary lines,

f) and means acting on said secondary line or lines for counterbalancing suspension force exerted on said primary lines at different shade or blind height adjusted levels,

g) said means including dual rotary members exerting tensioning force on said secondary line or lines,

h) said means including a spring coupled to said dual rotary members and exerting force tending to entrain said secondary line or lines about said dual rotary members, for storage on at least one of the members,

i) said secondary line feeding between said members to assist in said spring exertion of force.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the second line criss-crosses onto the second member in the form of a drum, for assisting spring exertion of force acting to hold the shade or blind in selected height position.

3. The combination of claim 1 including additional rotors entrained by the primary line, to assist in counterbalancing the weight of the shade.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said multiple primary rotors are pulleys in said upper support.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein as the spring is transferred from the rotary member A onto rotary member B, the secondary line unwinds from a rotary member and a primary line traversing across or over first and fourth pulleys and across or over third and second pulleys, then through an aperture in the head rail to suspend the shade or blind, said pulleys defined by said primary rotors.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein another primary traverses across or over first and fourth pulleys, and also across or over second and third pulleys, and then passes through an aperture in the head rail and to suspend the shade or blind, said primary lines having junction connection to said secondary line.

7. The combination of claim 1 wherein the cordless shade or blind is raised as one rotary member turns counterclockwise and as another rotary member turns clockwise, the spring being windingly transferred from the rotary member to the other, one primary line traversing first and fourth pulleys, and then traversing second and third pulleys, to connect with the secondary line.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein the other primary line traverses said second and third pulleys and then traverses the first and fourth pulleys to connect with the secondary line, the secondary line winding into secondary line collecting means at said rotary members.

9. The assembly of claim 8 wherein said first, second, third and fourth pulleys are located in a row at a hollow head rail, whereby each primary line traverses the pulleys in a back and forth relation.

10. The assembly of claim 9 wherein said upper elongated support protectively contains all of said pulleys, members and spring.

11. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said primary lines have first terminals operatively connected to said lower elongated member, below said upper support.

12. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said support is hollow to receive said rotors, said members, and said spring.

13. The combination of claim 1 wherein said spring has S-shaped configuration.

14. The combination of claim 1 wherein said spring winds in a clockwise direction about one of said rotary members, and in a counterclockwise direction about the other of said rotary members.

15. The combination of claim 1 wherein said at least one rotary member has coaxial first and second surface portions, the spring winding about the first portion, and the secondary line winding about the second portion.

16. The combination of claim 1 wherein each of the rotary members has coaxial first and second surface portions, the spring winding about the first portions and the secondary line or lines winding about the second portions.

17. The combination of claim 5 including a housing, and posts in the housing supporting the rotary members for free rotation about axes defined by the posts.

18. The combination of claim 6 including structure associated with the posts and rotary members, for axially positioning the rotary members in the housing.

19. The combination of claim 6 wherein the housing is received in said upper elongated support which is a shade or blind head rail.

20. A collapsible shade or blind assembly capable of height adjustment without use of pull cords, comprising, in combination:

a) an upper elongated support,

b) a lower elongated member that is manually adjustable up and down,

c) primary lines extending through shade pleats or blind slats to suspend said bottom elongated member,

d) primary rotors at said top elongated support to entrain said primary lines,

e) one secondary line having operative connection to said primary lines,

f) and means acting on said secondary line or lines for counterbalancing suspension force exerted on said primary lines at different shade or blind height adjusted levels, said means including rotary structure entraining said secondary line, and a spring operatively connected to said rotary structure to coil and uncoil thereabout as shade or blind height changes.

21. The combination of claim 20 wherein said spring has S-shaped configuration.

22. The combination of claim 20 wherein said primary rotors include four rotors, each primary line entraining at least three of said rotors whereby multiple of said primary lines together entrain at least one rotor.

23. A collapsible shade assembly capable of height adjustment without use of pull cords, comprising, in combination:

a) an upper elongated support,

b) a lower elongated member that is manually adjustable up and down,

c) primary lines extending through or proximate the shade to suspend said bottom elongated member,

d) primary rotors at said top elongated support to entrain said primary lines,

e) at least one secondary line having operative connection to said primary lines,

f) and means acting on said secondary line or lines for counterbalancing suspension force exerted on said primary lines at different shade height adjusted levels.

24. The assembly of claim 23 wherein said means includes a rotary member exerting tensioning force on said secondary line or lines.

25. The assembly of claim 23 wherein the number of said secondary line or lines is less than the number of said primary lines.

26. The assembly of claim 24 wherein the number of said secondary line or lines is less than the number of said primary lines.

27. The assembly of claim 23 wherein there is only one secondary line.

28. The assembly of claim 24 wherein there is only one secondary line, and there are between 2 and 3 of said primary lines.

29. The assembly of claim 24 wherein said means include a spring or springs acting to urge said rotary member in a direction tending to wind said secondary line or lines on said rotary member.

30. The assembly of claim 29 wherein said upper elongated support defines a channel in which said primary rotor and said means are located.

31. The assembly of claim 23 wherein said connection has a linear path of travel.

32. The assembly of claim 31 wherein said primary rotors are pulleys.

33. The assembly of claim 32 wherein said primary rotors include a first rotor having spacing from said means which exceeds said path of travel for shade height adjustment between uppermost and lowermost positions.

34. The assembly of claim 33 wherein said primary rotors include at least one second rotor over which said primary lines are entrained, and said primary rotors include a third rotor in the form of a pulley over which one of said primary lines is entrained, and a fourth rotor in the form of a pulley over which another of said primary lines is entrained.

35. The assembly of claim 34 wherein said upper elongated support protectively contains all of said primary rotors and said tensioning means.

36. The assembly of claim 23 wherein said primary lines have first terminals operatively connected to said lower elongated member, below said upper support.

37. The assembly of claim 36 wherein said primary lines have second terminals operatively connected to said connection, within said upper support.

38. The assembly of claim 31 including a guide rotor over which a section of said secondary line travels, said section located between said connection and said means, said guide rotor movable axially generally normal to said path of travel.

39. The assembly of claim 23 wherein said means includes a roller device for retaining said secondary line in a selected position or positions corresponding to selected shade height adjustment.