US1816500A - Venetian blind - Google Patents

Description

July 28, 1931. LE ROY .1. STEFFEN VENETIAN BLIND Filed Sept. 24, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l H H n n y 1931. LE ROY J. STEFFEN 1,816,500

VENETIAN BLIND Filed Sept. 24, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 28, 1931 UNITED ST-ATES PATENT? OFFICE LE ROY J'. STEFFEN, OF EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORUIO ROUGH SHADE COI RLPORA- 'IION, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT VlENETIAN BLIND Application filed September 24, 1930. Serial No. 484,135.

This invention relates to Venetian blinds and has for its principal objects to make more easy the raising and lowering of the These and other objects and advantages will become apparent as the disclosure proceeds and the description isread in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the device;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation on the line 2-2 as shown;

Fig. 3 is a detail plan view showing the raceways and one of the slats;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the upper portion of the Venetian blind on the line 4-4 as indicated on Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the intermediate supporting fixture;

Fig. 6 is a sectional end view of the locking means holding the blind in position; and

Fig. 7 is an exploded view showing a portion of the raceway, swing board, operating tape and blind slats in their proper assembled relationship.

Ordinarily the hoisting and lowering of the Venetian blind is accomplished by means of cords attached to the lower swing board which pass through slots in each slat and over pulleys which may be attached either to the head rail or the upper swing board. When the cords are pulled the lower swing board is raised carrying with it the numerous slats which pile up on top of the board as it approaches the top of the window. The slats are held in place by ladder tapes which space them properly when the blind is extended.

When the window or other opening is large, the weight of the lower swing board and the slats is great enough to require considerable efiort in raising the blind. It has been proposed to hang a Windlass between the head rail and the upper swing board so thatpthe raisingand lowering could be ac complished with less physical efi'ort. The function of the swing board requiresthat it shall be free to swing about its axis. Therefore a gap must be left between the swing board and the Windlass which corresponds to the radius of the board. The winch,.to be effective for raising and lowering the heavy blind, must have considerable dlameter and consequently this suggested arrangement requires considerable space.

Such an arrangement of head rail, windlass and swing board cannot be compressed into a distance of much less than eight inches and, .since these permanent portions of a Veneitan blind out 01f the top light of a room, it is of great advantage to reduce the space required.

The fact that the swing board is rotated about its axis means that the gap between the swing board and the Windlass changes in its width. This may be objectionable, particularly if the sun is intense. v

Usually also the slats and the lower swing boardare not attached to the sides of the window frame but hang freely. lYhe-n this is so, the blind is free to swing and bang in any breeze.

By my presentconstruction I am able to materially reduce the headroom required for the raising and lowering apparatus to prevent the objectionable gap between the head rail and upper swing board.

In Fig. 1, in which theblind is shown mounted in a window or other framed opening generally indicated by 10, the blind is hung from a head rail 11 by means of the hangers 12 and 13 and, if necessary, by the intermediate supporting fixture 14. The upper swing board 15 has a convex upper surface 16 and a plane lower surface 17. A longitudinal slot 18, Fig. 4, extends across the lower surface. The longitudinal shaft 19 is maintained within this slot by the bearing fixtures 20 and 21 which, themselves,

ass through the hangers 12 and 13 and orm trunnions anound which the swing board may rotate.

It is desirable that the shaft 19 be placed in the approximate center of the are formed shown in section in Fig. 3. v

comprise a roughly C-shaped section ofby the surface 16510 that the gap 22, between the swing board and the head rail, is as nar-, row as possible and is always maintalned 1 at a constant width.

A flanged two-step cone pulley 23 is attached to the shaft 18 beyond the support 13. Similarly a single flange pulley 24 is and the lower swing boards by any convenient means. u

Rigidly attached to each side of the window frame are metal raceways 28 and 29 The raceways metal which has a re-entrant lip 31 parallel to the walls of the raceway and extending toward but spaced apart from the rear wall.

A slotted track 32 is thus formed between the lip and one of the walls which engages projections extending from the slats and a special fixture attached to the lower swing board. It will be noticed that a channel 33 is formed between the lip and the wall of the raceway in which the hoisting tapes 3434 are placed. The track forms a guide for the slats and lower swing board and holds them in such a manner that swinging and banging is obviated.

The swing board is tilted by means of a cord attached to its under side in such a way that a direct pull may be applied to the edge of the swing board. The cord is looped about pulley 35 fastened to the head rail. The pull on the cord 36 will cause the swing board and slats to rotate upwardly and deflect the light and air toward the ceiling,

while the pull on the cord 37 will cause the swing board and slats to rotatexdownwardly to deflect the light and air against the floor or shut them out entirely.

The ease with which the blind may be manipulated depends upon the difference in size between the drum 38 and the drum 25 of the pulley 23. This difference should be chosen with regard to the weight to be raised. The hoisting tapes 34, 34 are wound on the drum 25 and the pulley 24 in the same direction.

will be maintained within the channel 33 The operating tape 39 is wound upon the drum 38 in the opposite direction.

and when so placed they cannot be caught or tangled on the ends of the slats.

vAlso, as indicated in Fig. 7, the blind slats, 46 are cut back or relieved in such a manner that a projecting tongue 47 is left about the axis of the slats, the tongues of such a width that the slat is free to rotate within the track 32.

It is, of course, understood that integral projections on the blind slats .may be replaced by a small metal cap bearing an articulating stud or other means to cause the The tongues are preferred for they may be conveniently and cheaply formed.

The dotted position of one slat 48 shown on Fig. 1 indicates the method of assembly of the slats and lower swing board within the raceways.

and slats may then be pushed into position.

and lowered with their ends held within the slotted track.

The blind is partially lowered and the projections on the'slats and the.

slat to be held in position by the raceways.-

When the blind is wide the weight becomes so great that it is desirable to support the upper swing board at an intermediate point or points. In such a case the fixture 14, illustrated in Fig. 5, may be used. Preferably the fixture consists of an axle support 49 which carries an upstanding lug 51 bored to receive the axle.

A curved band 52 of L-section-encircles but does not touch the convex periphery of the upper swing board. Its ends 535 3' engage and are fastened to the axle support 51. A small angle bracket 54 is fastened to the head rail. This carries a stud 55 extending at right angles to the bracket which engages and supports the under side of the band 52.

For convenience in assembly and disas sembly, it is preferable to have but one angle bracket, but where the weights become excessive two opposed brackets 54 may be used which are then connected by the stud 49.

-In this case it is also helpful to place a roller on this stud.

The locking means by which the blind may be fastened at any intermediate por- 't1on is shown in Fig. 6.- This consists of an L-shaped extension 56 of the support 13 which bears a box-like enclosure 57 at its end. Pivoted within the box is an eccentric dog 58 so hung that normally it swings free of the operating tape 39. When, however, it is wished to lock the blind the tape 39 is pulled angularly so that it is wrapped around a portion of the periphery of the dog. The weight of the blind then causes the tape to be wound up. The tape carries the dog upwards and itis then jammed between the dog and the near wall 59 of the box which forms a cooperating shoe.

As explained, the blind may be easily raised since the effort required is regulated by the difference in the size of the two drums of pulley 23. The blind must always hang evenly since a pull on the operating tape 39 is translated into two equal motions of the tapes 3434 at the opposite sides of the swing board and, since the parts of the blinds are engaged by the track, it cannot swing or bang.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, a head rail an upper swing board hinged to the rail, a shaft extending longitudinally along the swing board and ournalled thereon, and a plurality of hoisting drums mounted on the shaft beyond the extent of the swing board and operatively connected to the lower swing board.

2. In a device of the class described, a head rail, an upper swing board hinged thereto at its ends, means for supporting the swing board from the rail at an intermediate position including a spaced strap, a hoisting mechanism supported by the swing board and journalled thereon, a plurality of slats and a lower swing board flexibly supported from the upper swing board, and a connection between the hoisting mechanism and the lower swing board whereby the blind is raised and lowered.

3. In a Venetian blind,.a head rail, an upper swing board hinged thereto, a plurality of slats and the lower swing board flexibly supported from the upper swing board, a pair of raceways having a slotted track and a channel therein, the ends of the slats and the ends of the lower swing board slidably maintained within the slot, hoisting means journalled in the upper swing board, and a hoisting tape maintained within the channel connecting the hoisting means and the lower swing board.

4:. A raceway for Venetian blinds having a re-entrant lip for engaging blind members between the lip and the opposite wall, and a channel between the lip and the near wall wherein operating means for the blind may be located.

5. In a Venetian blind, an upper swing board, a lower swing board, a plurality of flexibly supported slats therebetween, a raceway having a re-entrant lip parallel to a side wall extending towards but spaced apart from the rear wall of said raceway, support means extending through the space between the lip and the rear wall operatively connected to the lower swing board, and flexible operating means connected to said support maintained within the space between the lip and the nearer side wall.

6. A Venetian blind having an upper swing board, a lower swing board, a plurality of slats flexibly supported therebe tween, said slats and the lower swing board having a projection extending axially from their ends, a sheet metal raceway afiixed in the opening to be closed having a re-entrant lip engaging the axial projection of blind members between the lip and the opposite wall, a channel between the lip and the near wall, and means to raise and lower the blind maintained within the channel.

7. In a Venetian blind, a head rail, brackets attached to the rail, a swing board journalled at its ends in the brackets, an intermediately located supporting fixture comprising a lower strap in contact with the lower face and sides of the swing board, an upper strap attached at its ends to the lower strap and swing board and spaced apart from the upper surface thereof, a bracket attached to the head rail engaging the upper strap, an upstanding web on the lower strap, and an aperture through the web forming a journal for a longitudinal hoisting shaft carried by the swingboard.

8. In a Venetian blind, a head rail, a support attached to the head rail, an upper swing board, a bearing attached to the swing board, a longitudinal shaft'maintained in the bearing and a portion of the bearing journalled in the support and forming a trunnion for the swing board.

9. In a Venetian blind, an upper swing I board, a lower swing board, a plurality of slats, flexible members supporting the slats and the lower swing board from the upper swing board, a raceway at the ends of the slats and swing boards, said raceway comprising a slotted track and a channel, a swivelled elongated shoe at each end of the lower swing board slidably engaging the adjacent slotted track, an arm attached to each shoe and offset therefrom engaging the adjacent channel, and means attached to said arms for raising and lowering the blind.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ture.

LE ROY J. STEFFEN.

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