Blinds

A universal tensioning device for blinds and shades comprises a U-shaped channel member which has oppositely disposed open ends which provide first and second access passages and a third access passage opening through the bottom wall of the channel member. A winding shaft is mounted for rotation in the side walls of the channel member and extends transversely across the channel directly above the third access passage. A ratchet wheel is provided at one end of the winding shaft and is located externally of a side wall of the channel. A socket is formed in the end of the winding shaft. A dog is pivotally mounted on the side wall of the channel member for movement into and out of engagement with the ratchet wheel. A biasing spring is provided for releaseably urging the dog toward the ratchet wheel. A pair of these tensioning devices are located in a chamber formed in the header rail of a venetian blind which also accommodates the slat angling mechanism and height adjustment mechanism. An inclined shade is also provided in which a pair of shade support wires are provided for supporting the shade in an inclined plane.

This invention relates to blinds and shades. In particular, this invention 
relates to a tensioning device suitable for use in a header channel of a 
blind or shade. 
When a venetian blind or a pleated shade is mounted on the underside of an 
inclined window, tensioning wires are run through the blind or shade to 
support the body of the blind or shade in a plane extending parallel to 
the window. Considerable difficultly has been experienced in attempting to 
provide simple and efficient tensioning devices for use in tensioning the 
support wires. It is an object of the present invention to provide a 
simple and inexpensive tensioning device suitable for use in tensioning 
the support wires of an angled blind or shade. 
Difficulty has also been experienced in providing a tensioning device which 
is universal and which can be used on either side of the passage which is 
formed in the header through which the support wire extends. Because of 
the limited availability of space in the header channel, it is usually 
necessary to mount one tensioning device so that it faces in one direction 
and the other tensioning device so that is faces in the opposite 
direction. For this reason, tensioning devices of opposite ends may be 
required. In addition, in pleated shade applications the tensioning device 
is preferably mounted directly above the passage through which the support 
wire extends. 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a tensioning device 
which is universal and which can be mounted on either side of the support 
wire outlet passage of the header. 
Difficulty has also been experienced in attempting to releaseably retain an 
inclined shade in an extended position. In many applications, the position 
in which the movable header of the shade is located when the shade is 
fully extended, is not readily accessible and for this reason latching 
mechanisms are difficult to manipulate. 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and 
inexpensive form of fastening mechanism for releaseably fastening the 
pleated blind in the extended position. The present invention also 
provides a simple and inexpensive hand tool suitable for use in manually 
moving the movable header of a pleated blind to an extended position and 
for releasing the movable header from the fixed header. 
SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a 
tensioning device for use in a header channel of a blind or shade on 
either side or directly above a tension wire port of the header comprising 
a mounting bracket having a bottom wall and first and second side walls 
arranged to form a U-shaped channel which has oppositely disposed open 
first and second ends which respectively provide first and second access 
passages opening into said channel and a third access panel opening from 
said channel through said bottom wall, a pair of mounting passages opening 
through said side walls, said mounting passages being arranged directly 
above said third access passage, a winding shaft having a winding axis, 
said winding shaft being mounted in said mounting passages of said bracket 
for rotation about said winding axis, a ratchet wheel on one end of said 
winding shaft, said ratchet wheel being rotated outwardly from said first 
side wall, a socket at one end of said shaft which is engageable with a 
torque applying tool to rotatably drive said shaft, a dog pivotally 
mounted on said first wall of said bracket adjacent said ratchet and 
spring biased into releasable engagement with said ratchet wheel so as to 
permit rotation of said winding shaft in one direction and being movable 
out of engagement with said ratchet wheel to permit rotation in the other 
direction. 
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided 
in a venetian blind having a header rail, a base rail, a plurality of 
blind slats, a chamber formed in the header rail, two slat angling 
mechanisms located in said chamber, slat angle adjustment cables depending 
from each of said mechanisms through underlying first passage formed in 
the bottom wall of the header rail, a height adjustment mechanism mounted 
in said chamber, two height adjustment cables extending into said chamber 
and having a portion of their length depending from said header rail 
through height adjustment passages formed in the bottom wall of the header 
rail approximate said first passages, said height adjustment cables 
extending through height adjustment passages in each slat and being 
connected to the bottom rail, said header rail having an inner wall which 
faces away from the window opening in which the blind is mounted in use, 
the improvement of a pair of identical blind tensioning devices each 
comprising a mounting bracket having a bottom wall and first and second 
side walls arranged to form a U-shaped channel which has oppositely 
disposed open first and second ends which respectively provide first and 
second access passages opening into said channel and a third access panel 
opening from said channel through said bottom wall, a pair of mounting 
passages opening through said side wall, said mounting passages being 
arranged directly above said third access passage, a winding shaft having 
a winding axis, said winding shaft being mounted in said mounting passages 
of said bracket for rotation about said winding axis, a ratchet wheel on 
one end of said winding shaft, said ratchet wheel being rotated outwardly 
from said first side wall, a socket at one end of said shaft which is 
engageable with a torque applying tool rotatably drive said shaft, a dog 
pivotally mounted on said first wall of said bracket adjacent said ratchet 
and spring biased into releaseable engagement with said ratchet wheel so 
as to permit rotation of said winding shaft in one direction and being 
movable out of engagement with said ratchet wheel to permit rotation in 
the ohter direction, said tensioning devices being mounted in said chamber 
on said bottom wall between said height adjustment passages with the first 
access passage of one tensioning device opening toward its adjacent height 
adjustment passage and the second access passage of the other tensioning 
device opening toward its adjacent height adjustment passage such that the 
sockets of the winding shafts and the dogs associated therewith each face 
said inner wall of said header rail, said inner wall of said header rail 
having tension adjustment passages opening therethrough in alignment with 
each tensioning shaft to provide access to the socket dog of each assembly 
to permit tightening and release of each winding shaft, a blind support 
wire for each winding shaft, each blind support wire having one end 
mounted on its associated winding shaft and extending therefrom through 
the appropriate access passage of said mounting bracket to the adjacent 
height adjustment passage of the header rail and through the underlying 
height adjustment passages of the slats, the other end of each blind 
support wire being anchored to the bottom rail. 
According to a still further aspect of the invention, an inclined shade 
comprises a sill member mounted in the window opening, a fixed header 
member mounted in said window opening above said sill member, a movable 
header member disposed between the sill member and the fixed header 
member, a pleated shade having a lower end connected to the sill member 
and an upper end connected to the movable header, a pair of shade support 
wires, one end of each support wire being connected to the sill member and 
the other end being connected to the fixed header, tension adjustment 
means mounted in each fixed header for adjusting the tension of each 
support wire to maintain the support wires in the taught condition 
extending between the fixed header member and the sill member, fastener 
means carried by one of said header members for releaseably securing it to 
the other of said header members to retain the pleated shade in an 
extended position, said support cables extending through openings in each 
pleat of the pleated shade to support the pleated

With reference to FIG. 2 of the drawings, the reference numeral 10 refers 
generally to a tensioning device constructed in accordance with an 
embodiment of the present invention. The tensioning device 10 comprises a 
U-shaped mounting bracket 12 which, as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, 
has a bottom wall 14 and a pair of oppositely disposed side walls 16 which 
cooperate to form a U-shaped channel 18. The U-shaped channel 18 has a 
first open end 20 and a second open end 22 which provide first and second 
access passages which open into the channel. A third access passage 24 is 
in the form of an opening which extends through the bottom wall 14. A pair 
of oppositely disposed mounting passages 26 are formed in the side walls 
16 and are arranged to be aligned with one another substantially directly 
above the third access passage 24. 
With reference to FIG. 2 of the drawings, it will be seen that the 
tensioning device also includes a winding shaft 28 which has a ratchet 
wheel 30 at one end thereof and a threaded stem 32 at the other end 
thereof. The shaft 28 is proportioned to extend through the passages 26. 
The ratchet wheel 30 will bear against the outer face of the side wall 16 
and the nut 33 is threaded onto the threaded stem 32 in order to bear 
against the outer surface of the other side wall 16 to secure the winding 
shaft 28 in a position extending across the channel 18. A wire mounting 
passage 34 extends diametrically through the winding shaft 28. A plurality 
of ratchet teeth 36 are formed on the outer perimeter of the ratchet wheel 
30. The tensioning device also comprises a dog 38, a biasing spring 42, a 
support sleeve 43 and a rivet 40. The dog 38 has a mounting passage 41 
formed at its proximal end and a biting edge 45 formed at its distal end 
for engagement with the ratchet teeth 36. The mounting sleeve 43 extends 
through the mounting passage 41 of the dog 38 and through the mounting eye 
47 of the biasing spring 42 and has its opposite ends bearing against the 
side wall 16 of the channel shaped member and the head of the rivet 40 so 
as to permit the rivet 40 to be riveted in position without clamping the 
ratchet arms 38 and tensioning spring between its head and the side wall 
16. One end of the spring 42 extends into the passage 44 formed in the 
side wall 16 while the other end bears against the upper edge of the dog 
38. The distal end of the dog 38 is arranged to bear against the ratchet 
teeth of the ratchet wheel to lock the ratchet wheel against rotation in 
the counterclockwise direction in the structure illustrated in FIG. 2 of 
the drawings. 
As shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings, a support wire 46 may have one end 
positioned in the wire mounting passage 34 and may extend from the winding 
shaft 28 through either the first access passage 20, the second access 
passage 22, or the third access passage 24. A venetian blind in which the 
tensioning devices of the present invention may be employed is illustrated 
in FIG. 4 of the drawings, wherein it will be seen that the blind consists 
of a header rail 50, a base rail 52 and a plurality of blind slats 54. A 
chamber 56 is formed in the header rail 50 and two slat angling mechanisms 
58 are positioned in the chamber 56. The slat angling mechanisms 58 (FIG. 
5) are connected by a drive shaft 60. This slat angling mechanism is a 
well known structure and will not therefore be described in detail. The 
slat angling mechanisms 58 each have a winding drum 62 from which angling 
cables 64 depend through passages 66 and 68 which are formed in the frame 
of the angling mechanism and in the bottom wall 70 of the header rail 50. 
A height adjusting passage 72 is formed in the frame of the angling 
mechanism and is aligned with a height adjusting passage 74 which is 
formed in the bottom wall 70 of the header. A height adjusting cable 76 
extends through the passages 72 and 74 and through the slots formed in the 
slats to be connected to the bottom rail 52 in a conventional manner. The 
support wire 46 from the adjacent tensioning device 10 extends downwardly 
through the passages 72 and 74 and through the slots 78 formed in the 
slats 80 of the blind and are connected at the lower end to the bottom 
rail 52. A tension adjustment passage 82 and a dog release passage 84 are 
formed in the inner side wall 51 of the header rail 50 and are arranged to 
be aligned with the socket 31 which is formed in the end of the ratchet 
wheel 30 and a dog 38 respectively. The socket 31 is preferably formed to 
receive an allen key. The allen key may be inserted through the passage 82 
into the socket 31 for the purposes of rotating the winding shaft 28 to 
tension the support wires 46. A sharp instrument such as an nail may be 
inserted through the passage 84 and used to lever the dog 38 upwardly out 
of engagement with the ratchet teeth 36 of the ratchet wheel thereby 
releasing the ratchet wheel for rotation to release the tension in the 
support cables. 
With reference to FIG. 6 of the drawings, the reference numeral 90 refers 
generally to a pleated shade assembly which includes a sill member 92, a 
movable header 94 and a pleated body 96. A fixed header 98 is also 
provided. In use, the fixed header 98 is mounted on the header of a window 
frame and the sill member 92 is mounted on the sill of a window frame. The 
fixed header member 98 has two tensioning devices 10 located therein. 
Support wires 46 extend from each tensioning device 10 through passages 
formed in the movable header 94 and passages formed in each pleat of the 
pleated shade 96 and are anchored in the bottom rail 92. A pair of magnets 
100 are mounted on the movable header 94 and are arranged to be positioned 
in a face-to-face relationship with respect to the fixed rail 98 to fasten 
the fixed rail 98 to the movable rail 94. 
A manipulating tool suitable for opening and closing the shade is generally 
identified by the reference numeral 120 and includes an L-shaped head 
portion 122 and a shaft portion 124. For the purposes of moving the 
movable header member 94 to the closed position, the L-shaped head is 
arranged to support the movable header 94 and by raising the head 122 of 
the tool 120 towards the fixed header 98, the movable header 94 is moved 
toward the fixed header. In order to release the fixed header, the tool 
122 is arranged as shown in FIG. 7 so that the flange portion 126 is 
inserted between the fixed header 98 and the movable header 94 and is 
moved in the direction of the arrow 130 to move the movable header away 
from the fixed header. 
From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention provides 
a simple and inexpensive tensioning device for use in the header channel 
of a blind or shade.