Retractable shade with collapsible vanes

• US 20050155722A1
• Filed: 03/11/2005
• Published: 07/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hunter Douglas Incorporated (Hunter Douglas N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Hunter Douglas Incorporated (Hunter Douglas N.V.)
• Inventors: Harper, Marjorie G., Colson, Wendell B., Jelic, Ralph G., Fogarty, Daniel M., Kopecky, Kristi K., Hartman, David P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,191,816 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 160/89
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/2429 One vertical sheet and slats
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/2441 Screens joined one below the other
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/2622 Gathered vertically; Roman, Austrian or festoon blinds
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/2625 Pleated screens, e.g. concertina- or accordion-like
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/2627 Cellular screens, e.g. box or honeycomb-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 9/264 Combinations of lamellar blinds with roller shutters, screen windows, windows, or double panes; Lamellar blinds with special devices
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/34 roller-type; Roller shutters with adjustable lamellae
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/384 Details of interconnection or interaction of tapes and lamellae
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/40 Roller blinds usable only as awnings E04F10/06

Abstract

A retractable cover for architectural openings having collapsible vanes includes a support structure in the form of a sheet of material, monofilaments, tapes, ribbons, cords, or the like, supporting an upper edge of a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontally extending vanes with the lower edges of the vanes in most embodiments of the invention being connected to operating elements adapted to raise the lower edges of each vane toward the upper edges to define openings or gaps between the vanes through which vision and light can pass in an open condition of the covering. Variations of the covering do not require movement of a lower edge of a vane relative to an upper edge but simply movement of some vanes relative to other vanes. The vanes can be made of materials having different flexibilities and where more rigid materials are used, creased fold lines can be established for desired operability.

Claims

1. A panel for use in a covering for architectural openings moveable between open and closed positions comprising in combination:

a set of parallel lift elements,

a set of parallel operating elements disposed in substantially the same plane as the lift elements,

at least one strip of material having first and second parallel edges, said first edge of each strip being secured to said lift elements and said second edge to said operating elements such that movement of said operating elements in a first direction relative to said lift elements causes the strip to be in a substantially flat closed position and substantially in the same plane as said lift and operating elements, and movement of said operating elements in an opposite direction relative to said lift elements causes said second edge of said strip to be moved toward said first edge in an open position.

2. The panel of claim 1 wherein there are a plurality of said strips disposed in parallel relationship with each other such that in the open position of said panel a space is created between said strips.

3. The panel of claim 2 wherein said elements are disposed vertically and said strips are elongated and extend horizontally.

4. The panel of claim 3 wherein said first and second edges of said strips are disposed horizontally.

5. The panel of claim 3 wherein said strips include reinforcement along at least said one edge and said lift elements are secured to said strips along said reinforcement.

6. The panel of claim 5 wherein said strips further include reinforcement along said second edge and are secured to said operating elements along said reinforcement on said second edge.

7. The panel of claim 3 wherein said material is flexible.

8. The panel of claim 3 wherein said material is semi-rigid.

9. The panel of claim 8 wherein said material has at least one fold line parallel to said first and second edges.

14. The covering of claim 1 or 10 wherein said lift elements are strips of material.

15. The covering of claim 1 or 10 wherein said lift elements are monofilaments.

16. The covering of claim 1 or 10 wherein said lift elements are made of natural fibers.

17. The covering of claim 1 or 10 wherein said operating elements are strips of material.

18. The covering of claim 1 or 10 wherein said operating elements are monofilaments.

19. The covering of claim 1 or 10 wherein said operating elements are made of natural fibers.

10. A covering for an architectural opening movable between open and closed positions comprising in combination:

an elongated substantially cylindrical roller,

a set of elongated parallel lift elements having one end secured to the periphery of said roller along a first longitudinally extending line,

a set of elongated parallel operating elements having one end secured to the periphery of said roller along a second longitudinally extending line, said second line being circumferentially spaced from said first line,

a plurality of strips of material having first and second parallel edges, said first parallel edges being secured to said lift elements and said second parallel edges being secured to said operating elements such that the lift and operating elements are disposed in substantially the same plane where they are secured to the strips of material, said operating elements being longitudinally movable relative to said lift elements to move said first and second edges toward and away from each other to move said covering between open and closed positions and said lift and operating elements as well as said strips of material being wrappable about said roller.

11. The covering of claim 10 wherein said material is flexible.

12. The covering of claim 10 wherein said material is semi-rigid.

13. The covering of claim 12 wherein said material has a fold line parallel to said first and second edges.

20. A covering for an architectural opening movable between open and closed positions comprising in combination:

an elongated roller of generally cylindrical configuration,

a flexible sheet of material secured at one edge to the periphery of said roller along a first longitudinally extending line of attachment,

a set of operating elements secured at one end to said periphery of said roller along a second longitudinally extending line of attachment circumferentially spaced from said first line of attachment,

a plurality of strips of material, each strip having first and second parallel edges, said first parallel edges being intermittently secured to said sheet along a first set of parallel spaced lines so as to define unsecured locations along said spaced lines, said second edges being secured to said operating elements at spaced locations along the length of said operating elements, said operating elements slidably extending through said unsecured locations and being operative to selectively move said second edges toward and away from said first edges upon pivotal movement of said roller in moving the covering between said open and closed positions.

21. The covering of claim 20 wherein said sheet, operating elements and said strips are selectively wrappable around said roller.

22. The covering of claim 20 wherein said strips are flexible.

23. The covering of claim 20 wherein said strips are made of a semi-rigid material.

24. The covering of claim 20 wherein there is a second strip at each location of said first mentioned strips.

25. The covering of claim 24 wherein said second strips are of a different material than said first mentioned strips.

26. A panel for use in a covering for an architectural opening comprising in combination:

a plurality of elongated, parallel, spaced flexible elements, and at least one rectangular strip of material having an edge and a tab formed along said edge, said tab being coupled to said flexible elements along an interface of said elements with said tab.

27. The panel of claim 26 wherein said tab extends substantially perpendicularly relative to said elements.

28. The panel of claim 26 wherein said elements are monofilaments.

29. The panel of claim 26 wherein said elements are strips of material.

30. The panel of claim 26 wherein said elements are cords of natural fibers.

31. The panel of claim 26 wherein there are a plurality of said rectangular strips of material coupled to said elements at spaced locations along the length of said elements.

32. The panel of claim 31 wherein said rectangular strips of material overlap.

33. A panel for use in a covering for an architectural opening comprising in combination:

a plurality of elongated, flexible elements disposed in parallel relationship in a common plane, and

a plurality of first and second strips of material positioned adjacent to said common plane, each of said first and second strips of material having first and second edges, said first edges of said first and second strips being secured together and being secured to less than all of said flexible elements along first juncture lines with the remainder of the flexible elements passing slidably through said first juncture lines, said second edges of said first and second strips being secured together and being secured to said remainder of the flexible elements, so that the first and second strips of material form a plurality of collapsible cells therebetween and the flexible elements are operative to selectively collapse the cells by moving said second edges of said strips of material toward said first edges.

34. The panel of claim 33 wherein said first strips of material are on an opposite side of said plane from said second strips of material.

35. The panel of claim 33 wherein said first strips of material are on the same side of said plane as said second strips of material.

36. The panel of claim 34 wherein said first and second strips of material are semi-rigid having fold lines therein.

37. The panel of claim 35 wherein said first and second strips of material are flexible.

38. A panel for use in a covering for an architectural opening comprising in combination:

a plurality of flexible elements disposed in parallel relationship in a common plane,

a plurality of backing strips, and

a plurality of strips of fabric, said strips of fabric being secured to said backing strips along lines of attachment with said flexible elements disposed therebetween.

39. The panel of claim 38 wherein less than all of said flexible elements are secured to said backing strips and strips of fabric along said lines of attachment.

40. The panel of claim 39 wherein the flexible element that are not secured to said backing strips and strips of fabric along said lines of attachment are slidable relative to said backing strips and strips of fabric across said lines of attachment.

41. A panel for a covering for use in an architectural opening comprising in combination:

a vertically suspended flexible support structure,

a set of parallel operating elements disposed in substantially the same plane as said support structure,

at least one strip of material having first and second edges, said first edge being secured to said support structure and said second edge being secured to said operating elements such that movement of said operating elements in a first direction relative to said support structure causes the strip to be in a substantially flat position and substantially in the same plane as said support structure and said operating elements, and movement of said operating elements in an opposite direction relative to said support structure causes said second edge to be moved toward said first edge.

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

a panel of vertically extendable flexible material having an upper edge and a lower edge;

a headrail including a roller about which the panel of material can be wrapped, said upper edge of the panel being secured to the periphery of said roller, and a movable stop; and

a bottom rail secured to the lower edge of said panel, said bottom rail being engageable with said stop in the headrail to arrest rotation of the roller in one direction when the covering is being retracted.

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

a panel of vertically extendable, flexible material having an upper edge and a lower edge;

a headrail including a roller about which the panel of material can be wrapped, said upper edge of the panel being secured to the periphery of said roller; and

a bottom rail connected to said lower edge and including at least two component parts pivotally connected together.

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

a panel of vertically extendable, flexible material having an upper edge and a lower edge;

a headrail including a roller about which the panel of material can be wrapped, said upper edge of the panel being secured to the periphery of said roller;

said panel including a support structure and a plurality of horizontally extending strips of material supported thereon, said strips having an upper edge secured to said support structure and a movable lower edge and a plurality of operative elements secured to said lower edge of the strips of material and to said roller to selectively move said lower edge of said strips toward the upper edge; and

a bottom rail including a curvilinear surface and further including an element operatively secured to said operative elements and extending around said curvilinear surface before being connected with said support structure whereby said element moves around said curvilinear surface as said lower edge of strips is moved toward the upper edge of said strips.