Pull down, push up, shade apparatus

• US 8,245,756 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2003
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• 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.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Blair M.
• Application Number:
  US10/743,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20040154758A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,164 Days
• Field of Search: 160/170, 160/171, 160/168.1 R, 160/173.R, 160/84.04, 160/84.05, 160/84.06, 160/902, 160/178.1 R, 160/344, 160/345, 248/262
• 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 collapsible window covering capable of height adjustments, comprising:

an upper elongated support having a longitudinally extending channel;

a collapsible member coupled to said upper elongated support;

a lower elongated member coupled to said collapsible member;

a first primary line coupled to said lower elongated member and extends through a length of said collapsible member;

a counterbalancing mechanism having a first and second rotary members, and wherein the counterbalancing mechanism is disposed within said longitudinally extending channel;

a first secondary line having a distal end coupled to said first primary line and a proximal end leading into said counterbalancing mechanism;

a pulley assembly having a first rotor and a second rotor wherein said first primary line is entrained about said first and second rotors; and

wherein said counterbalancing mechanism has a spring coupled to said first rotary member thereby urging said first rotary member to rotate in a winding direction to wind and store said first secondary line onto said first rotary member.

2. The collapsible window covering of claim 1, wherein said pulley assembly is disposed within said longitudinally extending channel.

3. The collapsible window covering of claim 2, wherein the first and second rotors in the pulley assembly is capable of supplementing a counterbalancing effect created by said counterbalancing mechanism, said first and second rotors of said pulley assembly further comprises receiving surfaces for entraining the first primary line, and wherein an arrangement of the receiving surfaces and the number of rotors allows a portion of the first primary line to change its direction of travel at least once before exiting the longitudinally extending channel, when the lower elongated member is manually pulled in a downward direction to lower the height of the lower elongated member.

4. The collapsible window covering of claim 3, wherein the arrangement of the receiving surfaces and the number of rotors allows a portion of the first primary line to change its direction of travel at least twice before exiting the longitudinally extending channel, when the lower elongated member is manually pulled in a downward direction when lowering the height of the lower elongated member.

5. The collapsible window covering of claim 4, wherein the pulley assembly further comprises a third rotor and a fourth rotor.

6. The collapsible window covering of claim 5, wherein the spring is an S-shaped spring.

9. The collapsible window covering of claim 4, wherein rotation of said first rotary member in said winding direction are capable of entraining and winding said first secondary line;

and wherein the spring is an s-shaped spring also coupled to the second rotary member.

12. The collapsible window covering of claim 9 further comprising a second secondary line having a proximal end leading into said counterbalancing mechanism, said second secondary line having a distal end coupled to said first primary line and coupled to a second primary line such that the second secondary line work alongside said first secondary line to ensure adequate strength in suspending a weight of the collapsible covering and a weight of the lower elongated member, and wherein the counterbalancing mechanism is disposed at a terminal end in the longitudinally extending channel.

7. The collapsible window covering of 6, wherein said first rotary member and said second rotary member are capable of entraining said first secondary line in a criss-cross pattern to assist the spring in providing a counter balancing force.

8. The collapsible window covering of claim 7 further comprising a second primary line coupled to said first secondary line such that movement of said first secondary line also moves said first and second primary line evenly, thereby keeping said bottom elongated member level.

10. The collapsible window covering of claim 8, wherein the collapsible member includes pleated shade.

11. The collapsible window covering of claim 8, wherein the collapsible member includes shutter such as Venetian blinds, and comprises a plurality of blind slats.

13. A method of raising a collapsible window covering without using a manual pull cord, said method comprising:

Providing a collapsible window covering comprising an upper elongated support having a longitudinally extending channel, a collapsible member coupled to said upper elongated support, a lower elongated member coupled to said collapsible covering, a least two primary lines coupled to said lower elongated member and extends through a length of said collapsible covering, a secondary line coupled to said at least two primary lines and to a counterbalancing mechanism, a pulley assembly having a first and second rotors wherein at least one of said at least two primary lines is entrained about said first and second rotors, and wherein said counterbalancing mechanism is disposed within said longitudinally extending channel and has a spring coupled to a first rotary member thereby urging said first rotary member to rotate in a winding direction to wind and store said secondary line onto said first rotary member;

manually lift the lower elongated member in an upward direction to allow said collapsible member to shorten in a longitudinal direction; and

wherein lifting the lower elongated member allows the at least two primary lines to move evenly without entangling with each other on the first rotary member.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the spring is an S-shaped spring.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein bouncing of the bottom elongated member is minimized by entraining the at least two primary lines about the first and second rotors of the pulley assembly, thereby increasing stability of the bottom elongated member and increasing precision in height position adjustment of the bottom elongated member.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the counterbalancing mechanism further includes a second rotary member capable of entraining said secondary line.

17. The method of 16, wherein said secondary line is entrained about said first rotary member and said second rotary member in a criss-cross pattern to assist the spring in providing a counter balancing force.

18. A window covering system capable of height adjustments, comprising:

an upper elongated support having a longitudinally extending channel;

a collapsible member coupled to said upper elongated support;

a lower elongated member coupled to said collapsible member;

a first primary line and a second primary line coupled to said lower elongated member and extends through a length of said collapsible member;

a counterbalancing mechanism having at least two rotary members, wherein the two rotary members are a first, and a second rotary members, and wherein the counterbalancing mechanism is disposed within said longitudinally extending channel;

a secondary line having a proximal end leading into said counterbalancing mechanism;

a pulley assembly having at least four rotors, wherein each of said first and second primary line is entrained about at least two of said at least four rotors; and

wherein said counterbalancing mechanism has at least one s-shaped spring coupled to said second rotary member thereby urging said second rotary member to rotate in a winding direction to wind and store said secondary line onto said second rotary member.

19. The window covering system of claim 18, wherein the two primary lines and the secondary line are coupled to form a 2-into-1 configuration that resembles a English letter Y.

20. The window covering system of claim 18, wherein the two primary lines and the secondary line are coupled via a connector piece, such that when the secondary line moves in and out of the counterbalancing mechanism, the primary lines also moves in and out of the pulley assembly.

21. A cordless window covering system, comprising:

an upper elongated support having a longitudinal channel;

a lower elongated member;

a collapsible window covering member coupled to said lower elongated member;

a spring motor disposed at a terminal end in the channel and is capable of providing counterbalancing force to counterbalance a weight of the lower elongated member and a weight of the collapsible window covering member, at various heights of the lower elongated member;

at least two lifting cords each having a distal end coupled to the lower elongated member, and each of said lifting cords passes through the collapsible window covering member and into the channel, and the lifting cords are coupled to the spring motor;

a pulley assembly having a plurality of pulley rotors aligned consecutively in a consecutive alignment in the channel, the plurality of pulley rotors forms a group, and the plurality of pulley rotors include a first pulley rotor and a second pulley rotor;

wherein each of the at least two lifting cords entrain about the group as a whole in a circuitous fashion such that each of the at least two lifting cords repeatedly entrains about the group at least two laps; and

wherein the at least two lifting cords entrain about the first pulley rotor at least twice.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least two lifting cords are stored on the group of pulley rotors in a circuitous fashion such that each of the least two lifting cords entrain about the second pulley rotor at least twice.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the first pulley rotor is disposed at one terminal end of the group of pulley rotors, and the second pulley rotor are disposed at an opposite terminal end of the group of pulley rotors, and wherein the consecutive alignment is a linear alignment, such that the plurality of pulleys aligns in a substantially straight line.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the at least two lifting cords entrain about the group at least three laps, and wherein the at least two lifting cords are coupled to the spring motor via at least one connecting cord.