Screen assembly

A screen assembly for a window includes a pair of parallel and spaced apart side rails locatable against respective sides of a window opening, and a head assembly including a roller upon which is wound a screen. The head assembly extends between the side rails and is adapted to be mounted on upper ends of the side rails to be supported thereon against and/or adjacent to an upper side of the window opening. Each side rail is linearly extendable whereby the upper and lower ends of the side rails frictionally engage upper and lower faces of a window opening to secure the side rails, and the head assembly mounted thereon, in place within the window opening.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority benefit of U.K. Pat. Application Ser. No. 1916913.5, filed Nov. 20, 2019, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a screen assembly, and in particular to a screen assembly that can be installed without drilling holes into the sides of a window opening into which the screen assembly is to be installed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Windows are typically provided with screen assemblies fitted to the window opening, typically fixed between the sides of the window opening adjacent the upper face thereof by suitable mounting brackets, for selectively obscuring the window. In the case of a roller blind, such screen assemblies typically have a roller rotatably mounted at an upper side of the frame around which a suitable screen is wound. The screen may be lowered and raised by rotating the roller, typically by use of an endless chain or cord extending around a sprocket engaged with one end of the roller. The lower end of the screen may be provided with a guide bar such that the screen hangs from the roller under gravity.

A problem with such known screen assemblies is that the width of the roller must be accurately matched to the width of the window opening to enable the screen assembly to be mounted within the window opening. Furthermore, gaps between the sides of the screen and the sides of the window opening may prevent the screen from completely shutting out light when the screen is closed.

Furthermore, the mounting brackets for supporting the screen assembly within the window opening are typically attached to the upper sides of the window opening by screws inserted into holes which must be accurately drilled into the sides of the window opening, which often requires skilled fitting and can result in damage to the window opening. It is also problematic to mount such brackets at positions to ensure that the roller of the screen assembly is level so that the screen moves parallel to the sides of the window opening as it is opened and closed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a screen assembly that can be easily installed in a window opening without the use of additional fasteners or the drilling of holes into the window opening. According to one form of the present invention there is provided a screen assembly for a window, the assembly including a pair of parallel and spaced apart side rails locatable against respective sides of a window opening and a head assembly. The head assembly includes a roller upon which is wound a screen, with the head assembly extending between the side rails and being adapted to be mounted on upper ends of the side rails to be supported thereon against and/or adjacent to an upper side of the window opening. Each side rail is linearly extendable so that upper and lower ends of each side rail frictionally engage upper and lower faces of a window opening to secure the side rails, and the head assembly mounted thereon, in place within the window opening.

Optionally, a foot is provided at each end of each side rail adapted to frictionally engage respective upper and lower faces of the window opening, at least one of the feet of each side rail being linearly extendable from the remainder of the respective side rail to adjust the length of the side rail.

In one embodiment an upper foot at an upper end of each side rail may be linearly extendable therefrom, a drive being provided for extending the upper foot from the respective side rail. The drive may include a threaded rod adapted to be screwed out of a threaded base member of the respective side rail to extend the upper foot from the respective side rail. The threaded rod may be provided with a formation for engagement by a tool to facilitate rotation of the threaded rod and extension of the upper foot from the respective side rail.

The head assembly may include an elongate hollow housing adapted to enclose the roller and a portion of the screen wound thereon and extending between a pair of end caps fitted on either end of the housing, wherein the screen is arranged to extend through an elongate gap in a lower side of the housing. Each end cap may include a mount or mounting for supporting a respective end of the roller and an attachment assembly for attaching the head assembly to the side rails.

At least one of the end caps may be telescopically fitted over a respective end of the housing and includes a biasing device, such as a spring, for urging the respective end cap towards an extended position, thereby adjusting the width of the head assembly to allow for variation in the width of the window opening. The attachment assembly of each end cap of the head assembly may include a first part engageable with a second part provided at an upper end of each side rail, the first and second parts being adapted to coupled together at a plurality of different vertical positions with respect to one another to allow the vertical position of each end cap to be adjusted on the respective side rail to facilitate levelling of the head assembly

In one embodiment the first part of each attachment assembly may include vertically spaced and substantially horizontally extending opposed channels extending parallel to an end surface of the respective end cap to define a vertically aligned and horizontally extending slot into which is slidingly received a pair of parallel legs extending substantially horizontally from an upper end of each side rail, the legs defining the second part of the respective attachment assembly. Inner faces of the channels and cooperating outer faces of the legs may be provided with cooperating serrated or tooth like formations adapted to engage one another as the legs are slid into the channels such that the end caps can be mounted on the respective side rails in a number of different vertically spaced positions.

Optionally, the relative vertical location and level of the head assembly with respect to an upper side of the window opening is adjustable within the limits of the difference between the distance between upper and lower faces of the legs and the width of the slot defined by the channels within which the legs are received.

Locking members may be insertable through receiving channels in the end caps of the head assembly to engage receiving apertures formed in the side rails to secure the head assembly to the side rails.

The side rails may define a pair of opposing substantially U shaped guide tracks adapted to extend perpendicular to the respective sides of the window opening and within which a respective edge region of the screen is guided during raising and lowering of the screen. A guide bar may be mounted on a lower end of the screen, the guide bar being adapted to slide within the guide tracks defined by the side rails.

In another aspect of the invention there is provided a screen assembly for a window including a pair of parallel and spaced apart side rails locatable against respective sides of a window opening and a head assembly, including a roller upon which is wound a screen, the head assembly extending between the side rails and being adapted to be mounted on upper ends of the side rails to be supported thereon against and/or adjacent to an upper side of the window opening, wherein the head assembly includes an elongate hollow housing adapted to enclose the roller and a portion of the screen wound thereon and extending between a pair of end caps fitted on either end of the housing, the screen being arranged to extend through an elongate gap in a lower side of the housing, each end cap including a mount or mounting means for supporting a respective end of the roller and an attachment assembly for attaching the head assembly to the side rails, the attachment assembly of each end cap of the head assembly including a first part engageable with a second part provided at an upper end of each side rail, and wherein the first and second parts are adapted to coupled together at a plurality of different vertical positions with respect to one another to allow the vertical position of each end cap to be adjusted on the respective side rail to facilitate levelling of the head assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

As illustrated in the drawings, a screen assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes a pair of parallel and spaced apart side rails2,4locatable against respective sides of a window opening and a head assembly6, including a roller8upon which is wound a screen10. The head assembly6extends between the side rails2,4and is mounted on upper ends of the side rails2,4to be supported thereon against and/or adjacent to an upper side of the window opening.

In the description and claims the terms “upper” and “lower” refer the orientation of the screen assembly when installed in a window opening.

Each side rail2,4is adjustable in length such that the respective side rail can be linearly extended so that upper and lower ends of the side rail frictionally engage upper and lower faces of a window opening to secure the side rails2,4, and the head assembly6mounted thereon, in place within the window opening. Therefore no attachment hardware needs to be installed into the window opening to install the screen assembly therein.

In one embodiment, a foot is provided at each end of each side rail adapted to frictionally engage respective upper and lower faces of the window opening, at least one of the feet of each side rail being linearly extendable from the remainder of the respective side rail to adjust the length of the side rail. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, an upper foot12at an upper end of each side rail2,4is linearly extendable therefrom, a drive being provided for extending the upper foot12from the respective side rail2,4.

As illustrated inFIGS. 3 and 4, the drive may include a threaded fastener14adapted to be screwed out of a threaded base member16to extend the upper foot12from the respective side rail2,4. An upper end of the threaded fastener14may be adapted to engage a lower side of the upper foot12. The threaded base member16may be integrally formed in an upper end of the respective side member2,4. The threaded fastener may be provided with a suitable formation, such as a bolt head or hexagonal aperture18, for engagement by a suitable tool to facilitate rotation of the threaded fastener and extension of the upper foot12from the respective side rail2,4.

Each foot of each side rail may be covered with a layer of a material having a high coefficient of friction, such as an elastomeric polymer or the like.

The head assembly6includes an elongate hollow housing20having a curved outer wall arranged to enclose the roller8and a portion of the screen10wound thereon and extending between a pair of end caps22,24fitted on either end of the housing20. The screen10is arranged to extend through an elongate gap26in a lower side of the housing20.

Each end cap22,24includes a mount or mounting for supporting a respective end of the roller8, for example by engaging a pintle28extending from an adjacent end of the roller8, and includes an attachment assembly for attaching the head assembly6to the side rails2,4. At least one of the end caps22,24may be telescopically fitted over a respective end of the housing20and may include a biasing device, such as a spring, for urging the respective end cap22,24towards an extended position, thereby adjusting the width of the head assembly6to allow for variation in the width of the window opening. The biasing device may be incorporated into the mounting for supporting a respective end of the roller or incorporated with the pintle28extending from a respective end of the roller.

A drive mechanism may be incorporated into one of the end caps of the head assembly for rotating the roller to raise and lower the screen. The drive mechanism may include a chain wheel or sprocket (not shown) having an endless chain or cord30engaged therewith, the respective end cap24defining a chain/cord guide and chain/cord guard surrounding a portion of the chain wheel and including an opening at a lower side from which the endless chain or cord30may depend, in use. The drive mechanism may incorporate a clutch mechanism to prevent the weight of the blind from rotating the chain wheel or sprocket. In an alternative embodiment the drive mechanism may incorporate an electric motor for rotating the roller.

The side rails2,4may define a pair of opposing substantially U shaped guide tracks extending perpendicular to the respective sides of the window opening and within which a respective edge region of the screen10is guided during raising and lowering of the screen.

A guide bar32may be mounted on a lower end of the screen10, the guide bar32being adapted to slide within the guide tracks defined by the side rails2,4.

The attachment assembly of each end cap22of the head assembly may include a first part engageable with a second part provided at an upper end of each side rail2,4. The first and second parts may be adapted to be coupled together at a plurality of different vertical positions with respect to one another to allow the vertical position of each end cap22to be adjusted on the respective side rail2,4to enable the head assembly6to be levelled and to take account of any misalignment of the side rails2,4, for example due to the window opening not being completely square.

With reference toFIGS. 6 to 8, the first part of each attachment assembly may include vertically spaced and substantially horizontally extending opposed channels34,36extending parallel to an end surface of the respective end cap22,24to define a vertically aligned and horizontally extending slot into which is slidingly received a pair of parallel legs38,40extending substantially horizontally from an upper end of each side rail to attach the head assembly6to the side rails2,4. The inner faces of the channels34,36and cooperating outer faces of the legs38,40are provided with serrated or tooth like formations42,46adapted to engage one another as the legs38,40are slid into the channels38,40so that the end caps22,24can be mounted on the respective side rails2,4in a number of different vertically spaced positions. The relative vertical location and level of the head assembly6with respect to an upper side of the window opening can therefore be adjusted within the limits of the difference between the distance between upper and lower faces of the legs38,40and the width of the slot defined by the channels34,36within which the legs38,40are received.

As illustrated inFIGS. 9 and 10, in order to secure the head assembly6to the side rails2,4once the legs38,40of the side rails2,4have been engaged with the channels34,36of the end caps22,24locking pins48are inserted through receiving channels50in the end caps22,24of the head assembly6to engage apertures52formed in the side rails2,4(seeFIGS. 3 and 4).

In use, the side rails2,4are located on either side of the window opening between the upper and lower faces of the window opening and the upper feet12are extended until they are brought into frictional engagement with the window opening, as shown inFIG. 4, thereby securing the side rails2,4within the window opening. Next the head assembly6is mounted onto the side rails2,4by locating the legs38,40of the side rails2,4into the slots defined by the opposing channels34,36in each end cap22,24of the head assembly, as illustrated inFIGS. 5 to 8. The or each telescopically fitted end cap22,24is biased outwardly by the biasing device to engage the sides of the window opening as the head assembly6is installed into the window opening. The relative vertical location and level of the head assembly6with respect to an upper side of the window opening is adjusted within the limits of the difference between the distance between upper and lower faces of the legs38,40and the width of the slot defined by the channels34,36within which the legs38,40are received and retained at the selected level and height by virtue of the cooperating serrated or tooth like formations42,46which engage one another as the legs38,40are slid into the channels38,40. Once the head assembly6is attached to the side rails2,4the locking pins48are inserted into the aligned receiving channels50and receiving apertures52to lock the head assembly6onto the side rails2,4, as illustrated inFIGS. 9 and 10.

As such, the screen assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention can be quickly and easily installed into a window opening without any damage to the window opening due to drilling and without the use of additional fasteners and facilitates levelling of the head assembly, thereby ensuring reliable operation of the screen.

The U profile side rails2,4, defining guide slots within which the screen10slides, and the head assembly6enclosing the roller8and screen10and the close fit between the side rails2,4and head assembly6and the sides of the window opening ensures that the screen reliably and completely shuts out light from passing through the window opening when the screen is closed.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein but can be amended or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention, which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims as interpreted according to the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents.