Retractable shade with collapsible vanes

• US 7,588,068 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2004
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• 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.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson; Blair M.
• Application Number:
  US10/567,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20070039699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,852 Days
• Field of Search: 160/121.1, 160/84.05, 160/300, 160/293.1, 160/302, 160/168.1 R, 160/330, 160/84.01, 160/89, 160/113, 160/176.1 R, 160/179, 160/237, 160/23.1, 160/291, 242/396, 242/396.1, 242/396.2, 242/396.4, 242/382
• US Class Current: 160/121.1
• 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 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 said flexible sheet and secured strips being windable about said roller.

2. The covering of claim 1 wherein said sheet, operating elements and said strips are selectively wrappable around said roller.

3. The covering of claim 1 wherein said strips are flexible.

4. The covering of claim 1 wherein said strips are made of a semi-rigid material.

5. The covering of claim 1 wherein there is a second strip at each location of said first mentioned strips.

6. The covering of claim 5 wherein said second strips are of a different material than said first mentioned strips.

7. A panel and roller for use in a covering for an architectural opening comprising in combination:

a roller having a longitudinal axis and a system for reversibly rotating said roller about said longitudinal axis,

a plurality of elongated, flexible elements disposed in parallel relationship in a common plane with one end of said elements secured to said roller such that said elements can be wrapped about or unwrapped from said roller, 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 cells therebetween and the flexible elements are operative to selectively move said second edges of said strips of material toward and away from said first edges, said flexible elements and plurality of first and second strips of material being wrapped about or unwrapped from said roller on selected rotation of said roller.

8. The panel of claim 7 wherein said first strips of material are on an opposite side of said plane from said second strips of material.

9. The panel of claim 8 wherein said first and second strips of material are semi-rigid having fold lines therein.

10. A panel and roller for a covering for use in an architectural opening comprising in combination:

a roller having a longitudinal axis and a system for reversibly rotating said roller about said longitudinal axis,

a vertically suspended flexible support structure secured to said roller,

a set of parallel operating elements disposed in substantially the same plane as said support structure and also secured to said roller at an upper end of said elements,

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 by said roller 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 by said roller in an opposite direction relative to said support structure causes said second edge to be moved toward said first edge, said support structure, operating elements and at least one strip of material being wrappable about said roller.

11. 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, said panel being comprised of 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;

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, said support structure being operatively connected to only one of said component parts and said horizontally-extending strips being operatively connected to only the other of said component parts.

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

an elongated roller of generally cylindrical configuration;

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 and on the same side of 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 said strips being windable about said roller.