WO1991000705A1

WO1991000705A1 - Suspension device for curtains or the like

Info

Publication number: WO1991000705A1
Application number: PCT/SE1990/000484
Authority: WO
Inventors: Rayne Arnell
Original assignee: Rayne Arnell
Priority date: 1989-07-10
Filing date: 1990-07-06
Publication date: 1991-01-24
Also published as: AU6078690A

Abstract

A suspension device for curtains incorporates a body structure (1) with longitudinal grooves (5) for rolls with hangers for suspending curtains. According to the invention, the suspension device comprises a rod made of metallic sheet material incorporating said grooves and at its longitudinal edges webs (11) with hook profiles (12) for press-fitting to fixing devices (2), which are attached to a ceiling and provided with lateral set-off portions (22) with retaining grooves (21) for quick-fastening of said rod. One of the webs (11) is a continuation of an outer holding web (13) for holding a screen (3) with a horizontal web (27) serving as runway for a drapery.

Description

Suspension device for curtains or the like.

The present invention relates to a suspension device for curtains or the like and is set forth in detail in the pre¬ amble of patent claim 1.

The difficulties you come across when you are suspending e.g. curtains are a familiar fact to all. In new house const¬ ructions curtain rods often are available already, which have been e.g. integrated or attached into and to respectively a board panel. To some extent these devices are already fixed and it is hard to alter them without damages to the ceiling and besides they are quite expensive. Rods made of metals and plastic materials are also known. They are often quite un¬ stable and it is often difficult to attach them, particular¬ ly because the transition sections may be uneven and result in an obstructed sliding of the curtain pulling devices, and consequently you in effect have to buy quite large or comp¬ lete lengths, which results in hauling problems and means that the choice usually will be limited to unstable profiles made of a plastic material. The rods are usually completely visible and this is unaesthetic, and no screens can be at¬ tached, provided you are not willing to buy them and apply them separately, which usually does not fit the rod const¬ ruction.

The object of the present invention is to remedy the above- described inconveniences but also in other respects further the state of the art and generally suggest an inexpensive device as well as a device which is simple for the lay per¬ sons to apply and use, can be mass-produced in a simple and fast way, adapted to very different circumstances, certainly is aestheticly attractive and can be varied in various ways. The assembly of component lengths must be as problem-free as possible, the curtain rolls must be able to run smoothly and the device be continuous along its length. Also, it must be possible to combine the device with screens etc.

Said objects are attained according to the present inven- tion by means of a device of the kind set forth above, which mainly is defined in the characterizing clause of patent claim 1.

Additional characterizing features and advantages of the pre¬ sent invention are described in the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing, which de¬ picts a preferred but not limiting embodiment. The drawing shows in perspective views:

■Fig. 1 a suspension rod according to the present invention; Fig. 2 a fixing device according to the invention for the suspension rod; and

Fig. 3 a screen according to the invention to be attached to the suspension rod according to Fig. 1.

In the drawing the suspension rod according to the invention is designated 1, the fixing device according to the invention for the suspension rod 2 and the screen according to the invention for the suspension rod 3.

Rod 1 is preferably made of a bent sheet material. It can of course be made of a plastic material or of a metal and a plastic material. Rod 1 ^"has a main surface 4, which has on¬ ly one plane and is provided with grooves, preferably at re¬ gular-mutual distances, which are continuous in the longitu¬ dinal direction and employed to recieve hangers, spindles or the like for rolls designed for curtains or draperies. Said grooves are laterally limited by sheet portions 6, which preferably are twofold or folded backwards and in this con¬ nection are extended parallelly .from surface 4 towards each other, and at a distance from surface 4 said grooves form a common groove wall 7, which serves as a guide groove 8 for said rolls in the longitudinal direction of the rod, which rolls consequently favorably are supported by said respec¬ tive double sheet portions, which results in a stability, which also the groove profile is conducive to, by means of which a high torsional strength is obtained. There are free longitudinal areas between the guide grooves, in which pre¬ ferably boreholes 9 are provided, through which fixing screws 10 are to be inserted.

The longitudinal edges of main surface 4 preferably termi¬ nate at one of its sides with a transversly disposed web 11, which at its end at a distance from said main surface chang¬ es into an inclined in relation to surface 4, inwardly out¬ standing hook profile 12. At the other side a somewhat shor¬ ter holding web 13 terminates the edge, provided an ex¬ act mirror-symmetrical design is not required, and this web is also transversly disposed. Said holding web is then at its end, turned away from said main surface, folded or bent backwards, preferably at a distance in order to form an in¬ ner web 14, at which inwardly and to form a receiving groove 15 a web 11 having a hook profile 12 terminates the edge at a distance from the opposed inner web 14. This latter design can of course be applied at the other side, described above, in a mirror-symmetrical fashion.

Fixing device 2, shown in Fig. 2, is in its entirety block- shaped and roughly parallellepiped-shaped. It is a component made of a plastic and/or metallic material or a compact, e.g. made of wood particles. It has a main surface 16 with mutually parallel grooves 17 having a rectangular cross- section, designed to receive grooves 8. Fixing screws 18 are to be inserted through the fixing device and into a cei¬ ling. Lateral edges 19 of the device are provided with a longitudinal contained groove 21 at half the height along stepped edges 20, to which groove 21 an inwardly disposed lateral edge portion 22, turned away from surface 16,:.is connected.

Finally, in Fig. 3 a screen 3 according to the invention is shown, which is made of a sheet material and/or a.plastic material, having a vertical main surface 23, which is pro¬ vided v/ith optional ornaments, e.g. a corrugated structure. At the upper end of the profile the screen is bent backwards, inwards and downwards, but at a distance from main surface 23, which distance corresponds to the total thickness of por¬ tions 13 and 14, and forms a leg 25, turned downwards, with a space 26, open downwards, to hold portions 13 and 14. At the other profile end a lateral horizontal web 27 is dis¬ posed, bent in the same transverse direction as leg 25, which web 27 finally changes into a short limiting web 28, turned towards leg 25, by means of which a space 29 is defined, which e.g. is to serve as a roll guide for rolls designed for a curtain, a drapery or the like (not shown) .

The assembly of the device according to the present inven¬ tion is the simplest possible. Firstly, the distance for e.g. curtains from a window or a window wall is measured. A straight line along the direction of the curtain is then drawn and along this line at certain intervals fixing de¬ vice 2 is fastened to a ceiling. Rod 1 or the required num¬ ber of rod pieces 1 is/are then simply press-fitted onto device 2, until hook profiles 12 engage in the longitudinal grooves, which is done automaticly, since profiles 12 ini¬ tially are elasticly bent outwards, when lateral edges 19 are passing, subsequent to which when profiles 12 reach por¬ tions 22, displaced inwardly, an automatic expansion and consequently a locking takes place. The exact position of

1 liii rod in iliio cjiifiranl.oc.rl in this way. In case several rod pieces are to be joined in the longitudinal direction, the joints preferably are positioned in the middle of a device

2 and in this way an accurate forced adjustment results.

Previous to or subsequent to this the guide rolls for cur¬ tains or draperies are inserted in guide grooves 8. In case a screen or actually two screens are desired, they simply are to be suspended from above with legs 25 in the receiving grooves 15. The screens can of course also before the press- fitting of the rod(s) onto the fixing device be suspended in the same, in order to prevent as much as possible the screens from being suspended loosely. The rods can of course be designed in many ways. The hook profiles can e.g. have corrugated edges, and in this way the rods can be removed again by using a larger pulling force, which otherwise per¬ haps only can be done by means of a tool. A screen can of course be produced as an integral part of the rod, e.g. by designing portions 13,14 instead as a screen or some other optional ornamental feature.

Claims

C L I M S

1. Suspension device for curtains or the like, incorporating a body structure (1) with longitudinal grooves (5) for slidably retaining rolls or the like with hangers, from which said cur¬ tains are suspended, said body structure being provided to be fixed to a ceiling by means of screws or the like (10; 18), c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the said body struc¬ ture (1) is constituted by a rod of metal and/or plastic material having a main surface (4) comprising said grooves (5) and being provided with quick-fastening means (11, 12) for attaching the rod to at least one fixing device (2) as a second component of the suspension device, which fixing device is designed to be at¬ tached to a ceiling by means of said crews or the like (18).

2. Suspension device according to claim 1, wherein the rod is made of sheet material with elastic properties and is designed to be clamped on to the fixing device (2) against the force of the said elasticity, which is provided to ensure the rod to be retained on the said at least one fixing device.

3. Suspension device according to claim 2, wherein the longitudi¬ nal edges of the rod (1) terminate in transversely disposed webs (11) with recurved hook profiles (12) at their free ends for press fitting on to said at least one fixing device (2), which is fur¬ nished with retaining means (21) for accommodating said hook pro¬ files (12).

4. Suspension device according to claim 1, wherein said grooves (5) are laterally limited by sheet portions (6), which are twofol or folded backwards to form reinforced runways for said rolls or the like and a reinforced structure in general.

5. Suspension device according to claim 4, wherein the doublefold sheet portions (6) are continued to form guide walls (7, 8) sur¬ rounding said grooves (5) and interconnecting all grooves (5) and sheet portions (6) and rendering a structure, which is highly re¬ sistant against torsion and bending.

6. Suspension device according to claim 1, wherein free longitu¬ dinal areas are disposed between adjacent grooves (5) for accom¬ modating beams (30) protruding from the said at least one fixing device (2) and filling the space between said grooves (5) and guide walls (7, 8), respectively, said free longitidinal areas being provided with holes (9) for the insertion of said screws or the like (10) .

7. Suspension device according to claim 3, wherein a holding web (13) is provided at one longitudinal edge of said rod or the lik (1) for suspending a screen (3) as a third component of the sus¬ pension device, or both edges being provided with holding webs.

8. Suspension device according to claim 7, wherein the holding web (13) is a continuation of the main surface (4) in a perpendi cular direction, in which the holding web is somewhat shorter than the adjacent quick-fastening web (11) for enabling insertio of the screen with a leg (25) designed as a downwardly directed hook profile, the holding web (13) being bent backwards towards the main surface (4) and away from same again to continue as sai quick-fastening web (11), which is mirror-symmetrical to the qui fastening web (11) at the opposite end of the rod (1), and which forms a receiving groove together with the leg (14) of the holdi web which is directed downwards.

9. Suspension device according to claim 1, wherein the fixing d vice (2) is blocklike and roughly parallelepiped-shaped and mad of plastic and/or metallic material o of wood particles, its m surface (16) being interrupted by mutually parallel grooves (17 designed to receive grooves (5) and guide walls (7, 8) of said or the like (1), fixing screws (10, 18) being provided to penet the fixing device and attaching same to a ceiling, lateral edge (19) of the device of the device being provided with a longitud contained groove (21) at app. half the height along stepped edg (20), to which groove (21) an inwardly disposed lateral edge po tion (22) turned away from said fixing device surface (16) is c nected.

10. Suspension device according to claim 7, wherein the screen (3) is made of a sheet of metallic and/or plastic material having a ver tical main surface (23), at the lower end of which is disposed a la teral horizontal web (27) projecting towards and in parallel relati to the main surface (4) of the rod (1) and being terminated in a short limiting leg (28) directed perpendicularly towards said main surface (4), which horizontal web (27) and limiting web (28) are pr vided to serve as guiding means for a run way for rolls or the like for a drapery or the like.