Abstract:
A headrail including a battery holder mounted within an interior of the headrail and a trap door for access to the batteries being held by the battery holder is disclosed. The headrail comprises a housing defining an interior into which a battery holder is mounted. In this manner, the batteries are hidden within the headrail for a more aesthetically pleasing look than can be achieved when the batteries are mounted outside of the headrail. The housing includes a large opening in its bottom wall to which the batteries may be accessed, and a trap door that selectively covers or uncovers the large opening. The trap door is swingably mounted on a battery bracket, and the trap door and battery bracket cooperate to facilitate easy removal and replacement of batteries into the headrail housing.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is related and claims priority to United States provisional application Serial Nos. 60/115,393, filed Jan. 11, 1999, and entitled “Window Blind with Motorized Tilt Control”; and 60/126,104, filed Mar. 25, 1999, and entitled “Motorized Blind.” It is also related and claims priority to United States provisional application Serial No. 60/138,743, filed Jun. 11, 1999, and entitled “Headrail Including a Detachable Battery Holder for Powered Coverings for Architectural Openings.” The present application is also related to United States utility application Ser. Nos. 09/481,237, filed Jan. 11, 2000, entitled “Headrail Including a Detachable Battery Holder for Powered Coverings for Architectural Openings”; 09/480,912, filed Jan. 11, 2000, entitled “System for Holding Batteries in a Headrail for Powered Coverings for Architectural Openings”; 09/481,746, filed Jan. 11, 2000, entitled “Fiber Optic Cable, Signal-Receiving System”; and 09/481,307, filed Jan. 11, 2000, entitled “Headrail and Control System for Powered Coverings for Architectural Openings,” all of which are being filed concurrently herewith. Each of these related applications (namely, the &#39;393, &#39;104, &#39;743, &#39;237, &#39;912, &#39;746, and &#39;307 applications) is hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     a. Field of the Invention 
     The instant invention is directed toward a headrail for powered coverings for architectural openings. More specifically, it relates to a headrail including a trap door for accessing batteries for a battery-powered adjustable covering for an architectural opening. 
     b. Background Art 
     It is well known to use adjustable coverings over architectural openings. Such adjustable coverings include cellular panels, Venetian blinds, and many other mechanisms for controlling the passage of light, vision, or air through the architectural openings. For example, cellular panels and Venetian blinds may be adjusted by retracting or extending them, and Venetian blinds may be adjusted by tilting the slats. Depending upon the specific type of mechanism, other adjustments are possible. 
     It is also known in the art to power these adjustable coverings. For example, electric motors may be used in connection with the adjustable coverings to facilitate retracting the coverings or otherwise adjusting the coverings to control the amount of light, vision, or air that may pass through the coverings. It is also known in the art to use battery-powered electric motors, particularly in applications where access to an electrical outlet or other electrical wiring may not exist. In applications where access to the covering may be limited, it is also know to use remote controls to operate the electric motors that allow a user to selectively configure the covering. For example, when adjustable coverings are used in connection with elevated architectural openings, it may be quite inconvenient to manually change the configuration of the coverings. 
     When an adjustable covering is battery powered, it is challenging to design an aesthetically pleasing system wherein the battery or batteries are convenient to the electric actuators they power. To design an attractive battery-powered adjustable covering, it is preferable that the battery or batteries are located within the headrail and thereby hidden from view. Placing the battery or batteries within the headrail, however, can make it difficult to change the batteries as they become depleted. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The headrail of the present invention has been designed such that a battery or batteries for a powered covering for an architectural opening are conveniently hidden within the headrail and accessible for removal and replacement. The headrail preferably comprises a housing having an interior and a bottom wall with an opening in it. A battery magazine is attached within the interior of the housing such that at least a portion of the battery magazine is positioned above the opening in the bottom wall. A trap door is swingably associated with the bottom wall of the housing to selectably cover the opening for convenient access to the batteries in the battery magazine. 
     In a form of the invention, the trap door is swingably attached to the magazine by a battery bracket that includes at least one door mount. The at least one door mount engages a bracket-retention channel comprising part of the trap door. 
     In another form of the invention, the battery bracket further includes at least one rail slidably connected to the battery magazine or the housing. In a preferred form, the battery bracket has two rails that are joined on one of their ends by a crossover section and are slidably engaged in corresponding rail guide channels formed in the battery magazine. The other ends of the rails jog inwardly, forming a pair of door mounts. These door mounts engage the bracket-retention channel comprising part of the trap door. 
     In yet another form, the trap door itself further comprises a first longitudinal end and a second longitudinal end. The bracket-retention channel is adjacent the first longitudinal end. At least one protrusion extends from the second longitudinal end of the trap door. This protrusion interacts with the bottom wall of the housing to hold the trap door closed after it has been pivoted against the bottom wall of the housing to selectively cover the opening. The protrusion may include a sloped surface that helps it snap into the opening in the bottom wall of the housing. It is also beneficial for the trap door to include a handle adjacent the protrusion. The trap door may also include a protruding strip along each of its longitudinal edges, extending between its first and second longitudinal ends, wherein the protruding strips rest against an exterior of the bottom wall of the housing when the trap door is closed. 
     Other aspects, features, and details of the present invention will be apparent from reading the following description and claims, and from reviewing the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a fragmentary isometric view showing the front, top, and left end of a headrail, adjustable covering, and bottom rail for an architectural opening; 
     FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line  2 — 2  of FIG. 1, depicting the headrail including a battery magazine; 
     FIG. 3 is a fragmentary isometric view of the front, bottom, and right end of a housing and battery magazine used in the headrail of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is an exploded fragmentary isometric view of the headrail and magazine depicted in FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a fragmentary platform along line  5 — 5  of FIG. 4 of the bottom wall of the housing, including the opening therethrough; 
     FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line  6 — 6  of FIG. 3, depicting the battery magazine mounted in the housing; 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view along line  7 — 7  of FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 8 is an exploded isometric view of the battery magazine and various components attached thereto; 
     FIG. 9 is an elevation, showing the left side of a trap door according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 10 is a view of the bottom surface of the trap door depicted in FIG. 9; 
     FIG. 11A is a fragmentary cross-sectional view along line  11 A— 11 A of FIG. 10; 
     FIG. 11B is a fragmentary cross-sectional view along line  11 B— 11 B of FIG. 10; 
     FIG. 11C is a cross-sectional view along line  11 C— 11 C of FIG. 9; 
     FIGS. 12A and 12B depict the two sides of a magazine end cap; 
     FIG. 13 is an isometric view of the assembled battery magazine in operation, but with the housing removed, depicting the removal of a first pair of batteries; and 
     FIG. 14 is an isometric view similar to FIG. 13, but depicting the removal of a second pair of batteries. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A preferred embodiment of a headrail for a battery-powered adjustable covering for an architectural opening is disclosed. An advantage of the instant invention over the prior art is that batteries are hidden within the headrail and thereby hidden from view yet easily accessible without completely disassembling the headrail. A trap door is provided in the bottom of the housing that works in combination with a battery bracket to permit easy removal and installation of batteries from and into the headrail. 
     Referring first to FIG. 1, a fragmentary isometric view of the front, top, and left end of a headrail  10  and an adjustable covering  12  for an architectural opening is shown. Although the adjustable covering  12  depicted in FIG. 1 is a Venetian blind comprising a plurality of slats  14 , for purposes of the instant invention, the particular type of covering is unimportant. FIG. 1, therefore, provides a context for describing the present invention. In the Venetian blind covering  12  of FIG. 1, a battery-powered motor (not shown) within a housing  16  of the headrail  10  may be used, for example, to regulate the passage of air or light through the substantially horizontal slats  14  of the covering  12  by selectively tilting or rotating the slats  14  about their longitudinal axes. As depicted in FIG. 1, the headrail  10  has a left end cap  18  attached to a left end  20  of the housing  16 . Also as shown in FIG. 1, a bottom rail  22  is attached at the bottom of the covering  12 . 
     FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view along line  2 — 2  of FIG. 1. A tilt rod  24 , which would be used to selectively adjust the configuration of the covering  12 , is shown schematically in FIG.  2 . Since FIG. 2 is a view looking inside of the headrail  10  with the left headrail end cap  18  removed, it is possible to see a first magazine end cap  26 , which, as described more fully below, has a tab  28 . This tab  28  snaps into a first tab slot  30  (FIGS. 4 and 5) to position and hold the battery magazine  32  (FIG. 4) within the headrail  10 . Also depicted in FIG. 2 are two screws  34 , which attach the first magazine end cap  26  to the magazine  32 . A conductive terminal  78 ′, which is connected to the first magazine end cap  26  by a fastener  76 ′, is also clearly visible in FIG.  2 . Further details concerning these features are described further below. 
     FIG. 3 is a fragmentary isometric view of the bottom, front, and right end of various components comprising part of the headrail  10 . In particular, FIG. 3 depicts a fully assembled battery magazine (i.e., the battery magazine  32  having several other components attached thereto as described below) snapped into position within the headrail housing  16 . The right end cap (not shown) has been removed from the right end  39  of the housing  16 . FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 3, but the fully assembled battery magazine is exploded from the housing  16 . Referring to these two figures, it is clear that the housing  16  comprises a front wall  40 , a rear wall  42 , and a bottom wall  44  connecting the front wall  40  and rear wall  42 . The design of the front wall  40  may vary widely depending upon the desired application. For example, the front wall  40  depicted in FIG. 2 is slightly different from the front wall  40  depicted in FIG.  7 . The design of the rear wall  42  is generally less critical since the rear wall  42  is typically not visible when the headrail  10  is installed adjacent to an architectural opening. The important features of the housing  16  for purposes of the instant invention comprise the cutouts in the bottom wall  44 . Referring most particularly to FIGS. 4 and 5, in the preferred embodiment, the bottom wall  44  includes a first tab slot  30 , a second tab slot  46 , and a relatively larger opening  48 . The first and second tab slots  30 ,  46 , respectively, accommodate the tabs  28  projecting from each magazine end cap  26 . The tabs  28  are clearly visible in FIGS. 12A and 12B. The large opening  48  in the bottom wall  44  of the housing  16 , includes a left edge  50 , a right edge  52 , a rear edge  54 , and a front edge  56 . Details concerning the several components attached to the magazine  32  are described more fully below in connection with FIG.  8 . 
     FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view along line  6 — 6  of FIG.  3 . This figure shows the magazine  32  containing batteries  58  snapped into position within the housing  16 , the front wall  40  of which is partly visible in FIG.  6 . FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view along line  7 — 7  of FIG.  6 . FIG. 8 is an exploded isometric view of the battery magazine  32  and all of the various components that are attached to it to make up the fully assembled battery magazine. Referring to FIGS. 6-8, the various components that are attached to the magazine  32  are described next. 
     The magazine  32  itself comprises a section of material having a cross-section that varies depending upon the selected configuration of the housing  16 . FIG. 7 depicts the particular cross-sectional shape of the magazine  32  and housing  16  used in the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The particular cross-sectional shape of the magazine  32  and housing  16  are not critical to the present invention, and any one of the configurations depicted in the above-mentioned related application Ser. No. 09/481,237 could be used, among others. 
     To assemble the magazine, a battery bracket  60  is slid into a pair of rail guide channels  62  integrally formed as part of the inner surface of the magazine  32 . The battery bracket  60  comprises two substantially horizontal rails  64  that are spaced an appropriate distance (i.e., just greater than the diameter of a battery  58 ) from each other. These rails  64  easily slip into the rail guide channels  62 . Two ends of the battery bracket rails  64  of the preferred embodiment are connected by an arcuate cross-over section  66 . The opposite ends of the rails jog inwardly slightly (i.e., at least enough to get out of the rail guide channels  62 ) before turning downwardly to form risers  68 . At the lowest ends of the risers  68 , the battery bracket  60  is bent inwardly to form door catches or mounts  70 . To connect the battery bracket  60  to the trap door  72 , the battery bracket rails  64  are spread slightly until the door catches  70  can be inserted into a bracket-retention channel  74  forming part of an extended portion  77  (FIG. 9) of the trap door  72 . 
     As shown in FIG. 7, the inside walls of the magazine  32  prevent the risers  68  from moving apart once the battery bracket  60  is installed in the magazine  32  (i.e., once the rails  64  are slid into the rail guide channels  62 ). Thus, once the battery bracket  60  is attached to the trap door  72  and the battery bracket  60  is slid into the rail guide channels  62 , the door catches  70  swingably retain the trap door  72  on the bottom side of the magazine  32 . As shown to best advantage in FIG. 6, the arcuate cross-over section  66  of the battery bracket  60  is shallow enough that it impinges upon an end of one of the batteries  58  installed in the magazine  32 . Also, when the rails  64  jog inwardly before extending downwardly to form the risers  68 , the distance that the rails  64  jog toward each other may be far enough that each of the risers  68  also impinges upon an opposite end of a different battery  58  during battery extraction. This configuration is shown by the dashed lines in the preferred embodiment of FIG.  7 . In the alternative, however, the rails  64  may jog inwardly just enough to get out of the rail guide channels  62 , but not so much that they impinge upon an end of a battery  58 . In this case, the risers  68  would ride near the inner walls of the magazine  32  and not impact the end of a battery  58 . 
     Once the battery bracket  60  and trap door  72  have been positioned on the magazine  32 , the remaining components associated with the magazine  32  may be assembled. Referring to the right hand end of FIG. 8, a fastener  76  (e.g., a rivet) is used to connect a conductive terminal  78  to the outer surface of the first magazine end cap  26  while simultaneously attaching a spring  80  to an inside surface of the first magazine end cap  26 . In this manner, electrical energy may be conducted from one terminal of the battery  58  through the spring  80  to the conductive terminal  78  when the battery  58  is installed in the assembled battery magazine depicted in FIG.  6 . After the conductive terminal  78  and spring  80  have been connected to the first magazine end cap  26 , the first magazine end cap  26  is attached to the magazine  32 . The first magazine end cap  26  has a pair of attachment holes  82  (FIGS. 12A and 12B) through it and multiple alignment pins  84  associated with it. After the end cap  26  is properly aligned with an end of the magazine  32 , with the alignment pins  84  riding adjacent to the inner surface of the magazine  32 , the screws  34  are passed through the attachment holes  82  and are screwed into the screw channels  86  (FIG. 7) integrally formed as part of the magazine  32 . Clearly, different types of magazine end caps could be used. For example, magazine end caps like those described and shown in the aforenoted related application Serial No. 09/481,231 would work. These alternative magazine end caps have attachment ears with attachment holes in them, and they have alignment ridges rather than alignment pins. 
     Referring now to the left end of FIGS. 6 and 8, assembly of the components attached to a second magazine end cap  26 ′ is described next. In the preferred embodiment, the second magazine end cap  26 ′ is interchangeable with the first magazine end cap  26 . A fastener  76 ′ is used to connect a conductive terminal  78 ′ to the outer surface of the second magazine end cap  26 ′ while simultaneously fastening a flexible conductor  88  to an inside surface of the second magazine end cap  26 ′. The assembled second magazine end cap  26 ′ is best seen in FIG.  6 . After the flexible conductor  88  and the conductive terminal  78 ′ have been fastened to the second magazine end cap  26 ′, the second magazine end cap  26 ′ is attached to the magazine  32  using a pair of screws  34 ′ in the same manner as the first magazine end cap  26  was attached to the opposite end of the magazine  32 . 
     After the magazine has been assembled as just described, it is snapped into position in the housing  16  as shown in FIGS. 4 and 3. In this preferred embodiment, the assembled magazine is held in position in the housing by the tabs  28  integrally formed as part of the first and second magazine end caps  26 ,  26 ′. Also, a rib  90  (FIG. 5) integrally formed along the inner surface of the bottom wall  44  of the housing  16  in the preferred embodiment is captured by notches  92  (FIGS. 8,  12 A, and  12 B) formed in the bottom of each magazine end cap  26 ,  26 ′. Also, the magazine is held in position by the interaction between a portion  94  of the housing  16  that extends rearwardly from the front wall  40  of the housing  16  and a placement tang  96  comprising part of the magazine  32 . This interaction between the portion  94  of the housing  16  and the placement tang  96  is shown to good advantage in FIG.  7  and is fully explained in the aforenoted related application Ser. No. 09/481,237. 
     FIGS. 8,  9 ,  10 ,  11 A,  11 B, and  11 C depict various views of the trap door  72  comprising part of the present invention. As shown to best advantage in FIG. 8, the upper or inside wall of the trap door  72  comprises a rear rib  98 , a center rib  100 , and a front rib  102 . As best seen in FIG. 7, the center rib  100  is slightly shorter than the front rib  102  and the rear rib  98 , thereby creating a cradle that supports the batteries  58  within the magazine  32 . Each of the ribs  98 ,  100 ,  102  terminates at one end adjacent to the extended portion  77  of the trap door. As previously explained, the extended portion  77  comprises the bracket-retention channel  74 . A covered portion  104  (FIG. 10) helps to retain the door catches  70  of the battery bracket  60  in the bracket-retention channel  74 . The opposite ends of the three ribs  98 ,  100 ,  102  terminate at a wall  106  (FIG. 8) that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the trap door  72 . A front protrusion  108 , a center protrusion  110 , and a rear protrusion  112  are formed on the opposite side of the wall  106  and correspond with the front rib  102 , the center rib  100 , and the rear rib  98 , respectively. The trap door  72  further comprises a pair of protruding strips  114 , one of which is visible in FIGS. 8 and 9, and both of which are visible in cross-section in FIG.  7 . As shown to best advantage in FIG. 7, when the trap door  72  is in its closed position, the protruding strips  114  slightly overlap the bottom wall  44  of the housing  16  to thereby conceal the large opening  48 . In contrast, the front and rear ribs  102 ,  98 , respectively, are positioned closely enough to each other that they may pass through the large opening  48  in the bottom wall  44  of the housing  16 . In particular, the front rib  102  passes inside of the front edge  56  (FIG. 5) of the large opening  48 , and the rear rib  98  passes inside of the rear edge  54  of the large opening  48 , when the trap door  72  is closed. FIGS. 11B and 11C clearly depict additional features. For example, FIG. 11C shows the pockets  75  on the upper surface of the extended portion  77  of the trap door  72 . These pockets  75  are also visible on, for example, FIG.  8 . 
     The trap door  72  is retained in its closed condition by the protrusions  108 ,  110 ,  112 . As seen to good advantage in FIG. 6, which only depicts the center protrusion  110 , when the trap door  72  is closed, the protrusions  108 ,  110 ,  112  snap past the right edge  52  of the large opening  48 , and the undersides of the protrusions  108 ,  110 ,  112  rest on the inside of the bottom wall  44  of the housing  16 . As most clearly visible in FIGS. 8,  9 , and  11 A, the upper surface of each protrusion  108 ,  110 ,  112  is sloped to facilitate snapping the trap door  72  closed. As the trap door  72  is forced closed, the sloped upper surfaces of the protrusions  108 ,  110 ,  112  impact on the outside of the bottom wall  44  of the housing  16 , causing the trap door  72  and housing  16  to flex slightly until the protrusions  108 ,  110 ,  112  snap inside of the housing  16  to hold the trap door  72  closed. To open the trap door  72 , a handle  116  (FIGS. 8-11A) is integrally formed on the bottom surface of the trap door  72 . To open the trap door  72 , downward force is applied to the handle  116  until the protrusions  108 ,  110 ,  112  snap past the bottom wall  44  of the housing  16 , and the trap door  72  swings open on the door catches  70  comprising part of the battery bracket  60 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, operation of the trap door  72  is described. As depicted in these figures, four batteries  58  are mounted in the battery magazine  32 . These batteries  58  comprise a first pair of batteries  118  and a second pair of batteries  120 . The housing  16  has been removed to make it easier to see what is going on in these operational views. In FIG. 13, a downward force has been applied to the handle  116  of the trap door  72 , and the trap door  72  has been swung open on the door catches  70 . As the trap door  72  swings open, the first pair of batteries  118  drop from the battery magazine  32 . Subsequently, the trap door  72  is slid rightward in the direction of arrow  122 , which pulls the battery bracket  60  to the right in the rail guide channels  62  (FIG.  8 ). As the battery bracket  60  is pulled to the right, the arcuate cross-over section  66  of the battery bracket  60  pulls the second pair of batteries  120  rightward in the battery magazine  32 . As shown in FIG.  6  and described above, the arcuate cross-over section  66  is shallow enough that it impinges upon an end of the batteries  58 . As the second pair of batteries  120  reach the large opening  48  in the bottom wall  44  of the housing  16 , they too would drop from the magazine  32  as shown in FIG.  14 . To reinstall batteries, the steps just described would be reversed. Starting with FIG. 14, the second pair of batteries  120  would be inserted into the magazine  32 . Then, the trap door  72  would be slid leftward opposite the direction of arrow  122 , which would simultaneously slide the battery bracket  60  leftward and permit the second pair of batteries  120  to be installed in the magazine  32  above the bottom wall  44  of the housing  16 . Then, with the second pair of batteries  120  in position in the magazine  32 , and the trap door  72  in the position shown in FIG. 13, the first pair of batteries  118  could be inserted into the magazine  32  before the trap door  72  is swung upward and closed. 
     Although a preferred embodiment of this invention has been described above, those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed embodiment without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention. For example, numerous configurations for the magazine  32  and housing  16  could be used. Further, it is not important that the trap door  72  have precisely three protrusions  108 ,  110 ,  112 , and the shape of the protrusions could be altered. For example, the protrusions  108 ,  110 ,  112  could comprise semi-circular bumps formed on the trap door  72 . Also, any number of batteries  58  could be mounted depending upon the requirements of the device to which the batteries supply power. All directional references (e.g., upper, lower, upward, downward, left, right, leftward, rightward, top, bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal) above are only used for identification purposes to aid the reader&#39;s understanding of the present invention, and do not create limitations, particularly as to the position, orientation, or use of the invention. It is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not limiting.