HONEYCOMB BLIND CONSTRUCTIONS

Abstract: An expandable honeycomb blind construction comprising a plurality of elongated parallel cell structures formed together into the panel (16), notched bearing surfaces (390) extending into the ends of said cell structures (16) that form the lateral edges of said panel, edge track means (360) positioned adjacent said lateral edges of said panel for defining the path of said panel and retaining said panel in the path, said edge track means including an elongated rib protruding into said notched bearing surface in said panel and moveable cell structure support means (14) attached to and supporting a moveable end of said panel (16) for pulling and pushing said panel over the path defined by said edge track, and drive means connected to said moveable cell structure support means (14) for moving said moveable cell structure (16) and support means (14) through said path.

Description: The present invention is related to moveable insulation and decorative window coverings, and more particularly to means for mounting and sealing moveable honeycomb blind constructions. The increased cost of energy and general raising of energy consciousness over the past decade has resulted in a developing interest in methods and apparatus for covering windows, not only for privacy and aesthetic effects, but also for insulation effect. Such window coverings, of course, have to be moveable so that they can be raised and lowered during different times of the day and during different seasons. In order to satisfy the needs of most users, they also have to be aesthetically pleasing, durable, easy to install, adjustable, and relatively inexpensive. This combination of desirable features, including a moveable material having a significant insulating effect and being aesthetically pleasing in appearance has not been an easily attained goal. There have been a number of different developments in this area, such as the inflatable curtains disclosed in US Patent No. 4187896 issued to R. Shore and in US Patent No. 4453584, issued to R. Steele. Another kind of development in this area includes the use of expandable honeycomb panels having a plurality of cellular tubes fastened together to form panels. US Patent No. 4450027, issued to W. Colson, is one example of such material. Such expandable honeycomb material appears at the present time at least, to hold the most promise for meeting the goals of moveable insulation that is both aesthetically pleasing and has a significant insulating effect. It is also more conducive to mass production and mass marketing to consumers. There are a number of problems in the use of cellular material for moveable insulation that have heretofore not been solved. For example, most of the past effort up to this time has been directed to developing economical and suitable processes for fabricating honeycomb insulation panels that are capable of enduring long life and severe environments of high temperature and exposure to sunlight and moisture, while always maintaining an aesthetically pleasing appearance. However, prior to this invention, methods and apparatus utilized for mounting such expandable honeycomb insulation panels over windows have been rather crude and not conducive to mass marketing or installation by individual home owners or relatively unskilled persons. Further, in order to maximise the insulating effect of the expandable honeycomb panels, the open ends of the tubular cell sections must be sealed. Prior to this invention, there was no suitable method and apparatus for mounting expandable honeycomb insulation panels over windows with the edges sealed while maintaining an aesthetically pleasing appearance and being easily operable. US-A-4307768 discloses a honeycomb blind construction in which each end of the blind is permanently attached to a support member. It is therefore not possible to alter the length of the blind. Furthermore, the ends of the honeycomb elements are not completely sealed so allowing the passage of air therethrough. US-A-4450027 discloses a further honeycomb blind construction comprising a plurality of elongate parallel hollow cell structures linked to one another to form a panel, the cell structures themselves being arranged in a single row each having oppositely disposed common cell areas with the immediately adjacent cell structures and an elongate rail. The assembly of such a construction is time consuming. According to the present invention there is provided an expandable honeycomb blind construction comprising a plurality of elongated parallel cell structures formed together into the panel, notched bearing surfaces extending into the ends of said cell structures that form the lateral edges of said panel, edge track means positioned adjacent said lateral edges of said panel for defining the path of said panel and retaining said panel in the path, said edge track means including an elongated rib protruding into said notched bearing surfaces in said panel, and moveable cell structure support means attached to and supporting a moveable end of said panel for pulling and pushing said panel along (or through) the path defined by said edge tracks means, and drive means connected to said movable cell structure support means for moving said movable cell structure and support means along said path characterised in that it further comprises:- said drive means includes a flexible cord attached to said movable cell structure support means, and said edge track means includes a flange and a web extending from said flange into said notched bearing surface of said panel, the distal end of said web having its distal edge portion returned toward the flange forming a channel confronting the web, said web and said returned portion forming said elongated rib, and said cord being positioned in said channel. The following description is given merely by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of of the invention suitable for non-vertical or curved surface installations such as the green house shown therein; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the honeycomb insulation panel with the notched end bearings therein for use in the notched bearing edge track embodiment shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the edge track of the embodiment shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the notched opening in the sill rail of the embodiment shown in Figure 1; Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a drive pulley for the embodiment shown in Figure 1; Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the top idler pulley of the embodiment shown in Figure 1; Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the sill rail and edge track taken along lines 7-7 in Figure 4; Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate edge seal embodiment adapted for use with the notched bearing edge track embodiment shown in Figure 1; and Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of another edge seal embodiment for use with the notched bearing edge track embodiment shown in Figure 1. An expandable honeycomb insulation panel 16 is comprised of a plurality of tubular cell sections adhered or fastened together in parallel relationship to each other so that they can be compressed and contracted together or expanded and extended apart. This honeycomb cellular panel 16 is mounted in and suspended from a head rail 12. A moveable sill rail 14 is fastened to the bottom of the honeycomb panel 16 for weight and to provide structural integrity to the bottom of the panel. A lift mechanism is provided for pulling the sill rail 14 upwardly to collapse the honeycomb panel between the sill rail 14 and head rail 12 when it is preferred to have the window uncovered and to drop the sill rail 14 downwardly to expand the honeycomb panel 16 over the window when it is desired to cover the window. The embodiment 350 illustrated in Figures 1 to 6 may be used in non-vertical curved surface or curved track applications. Such applications are typical in green house installations, such as that illustrated in Figure 1, wherein the panel is stretched through a non-vertical section around a curve and into a vertical section. In this notched-bearing, edge track embodiment 350, which is designed for optimum tracking through curves, the edges of the honeycomb cells are notched as shown at 390 in Figure 2. Each notch 390 provides a bearing surface for that particular tubular cell. Corresponding notches 392, 394 are provided in the head rail 12 and sill rail 14, respectively. As best shown in Figures 3 and 4, the edge track 360 is comprised of a web 364 extending outwardly from the frame 354 of the green house installation G. This edge track 360 extends into the notched bearings 390 in the honeycomb panel 16. When edge tracks 360 are engaged with notched bearing 390 on both sides of the honeycomb panel 16, the sill rail 14 can be pulled along the edge tracks 360, including around curves, and the honeycomb panel 16 will follow meticulously and smoothly. A drive system for this kind of installation is also illustrated in Figure 1 and Figures 3-6. A drive shaft 378 is positioned horizontally along the bottom of the green house panels. A crank 374 and corresponding gear drive 376 are used to turn the shaft 378. As illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and 5, the edge track 360 is comprised of a flange 362 attached to the green house frame 354. A web 364 extends upwardly from the flange 362 into engagement with the notched edge bearings 390 of the honeycomb panel 16. The distal end of the web 364 is returned in a lip a partial distance toward the flange 362, thereby creating a space or channel between the lip 366 and web 364. A continuous cord passing around a drive pulley 386 mounted on drive shaft 378 passes upwardly through the channel in the edge track 360 to the top of the green house. At the top of the green house, the cord 370 passes around an idler pulley 382 and a pulley block 380 fastened to the upper end of the green house frame 354. A similar installation of drive pulleys and a drive cord is installed on the opposite side of the honeycomb panel 16. As shown in Figure 7, the cord 370 is anchored at one end 371 to the sill rail 14 and at the opposite end 372 to a tension spring 216. Therefore, when the shaft 378 is turned, the pulley 386 drives the cord 370 to pull the sill rail 14 upwardly or downwardly along the edge track 360. The tension spring 216 maintains the cord 370 and the corresponding cord on the opposite side of honeycomb panel 16 in proper tension and alignment for smooth movement upwardly and downwardly over the curved surface. If edge seals are desired for maximizing thermal insulation of the honeycomb panel 16, such edge seals can be provided, as shown in Figure 8. In this illustration, an edge seal element 400 is anchored by a rivet 412 under the edge track 360. It includes a web 402, a front led 404 and a rear leg 406 extending from the outer edges of the web 402 to respective front and rear face panels 408, 410. The face panels 408, 410 provide a sliding seal for the open ends of the honeycomb cells 210, and the resilient bias legs 404, 406 bias the face panels 408, 410 against the edges of panels 210. Edge seal element 400 can be provided in an optional side track channel 20, if desired, although the side track channel is not necessary when the edge track 360 is used. An alternative embodiment of edge seal 420 is shown in Figure 9. it is similar to the embodiment shown in Figure 8 but it has a web portion 422 anchored under the edge seal 360 by a rivet 436 with resilient biased legs 428, 432 attached to face panels 424, 430. As in the embodiment described above in Figure 8, the resilient legs 428, 432 tend to bias the face panels 424, 430 against the open ends of the tubular cells 210 of honeycomb panel 16. In this embodiment, however, there is also added a set of secondary legs 426, 434 to bias the outer ends of the face panels 424, 430 against the honeycomb panel cells to maintain a more positive seal at the outer edges thereof.

Claims: 1. An expandable honeycomb blind construction comprising a plurality of elongated parallel tubular cell structures (210) formed together into the panel (16), notched bearing surfaces (390) extending into the ends of said cell structures that form the lateral edges of said panel (16), edge track means (360) positioned adjacent said lateral edges of said panel for defining the path of said panel and retaining said panel in the path, said edge track means including an elongated rib (364, 366) protruding into said notched bearing surfaces in said panel, and moveable cell structure support means (14) attached to and supporting a moveable end of said panel (16) for pulling and pushing said panel over the path defined by said edge track, and drive means connected to said moveable cell structure support means (14) for moving said movablecell structure (16) and support means (14) along said path characterised in that said drive means includes a flexible cord (370) and said edge track means (360) includes a flange (362) and a web (364) extending from said flange into said notched bearing surface (390) of said panel, the distal end of said web having its distal edge portion (366) returned toward the flange (362) forming a channel confronting the web, said web and said returned portion (366) forming said elongated rib, and said cord (370) being positioned in said channel. 2. A construction according to claim 1, characterised in that said drive means includes a drive pulley (386) at one end of said edge track means (360) and an idler pulley (382) at the opposite end of the edge track means and in that the cord (370) is continuously looped around said drive and idler pulleys and extending through said channel in the rib of said edge track means; said cord being attached at one position to said moveable cell structure support means (14). 3. A construction according to claim 2, characterised in that said drive means includes a tension spring (216) attached to said cord and positioned in said moveable cell structure support means (14). 4. A construction according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that said edge track means (360) includes edge seal means (400, 420) fastened in respect of and positioned at opposite sides of said elongate rib (364) for closing and sealing the ends of said tubular cell structures, and in that said edge seal means (400, 420) includes a resilient strip (404, 406; 428, 432) having a web (402, 422) attached to and extending beyond both sides of said elongated rib (364), a pair of legs (404, 406; 428, 432) extending from opposite edges of said web (402; 422) toward a lateral edge of said panel and connected adjacent said panel to a face panel (402, 410; 424, 430) biased by said legs against the lateral edge of said panel (16). 5. A construction according to claim 4, characterised in that said edge track means (360) is additionally provided with an elongate channel (20) extending along the lateral edge of said pannel with said elongate rib and said edge seal means (420) being in said channel (20), and in that said edge seal means also includes an additional pair of resilient legs (426, 434) extending from the distal ends of said face panels (424, 430) into contact with the web (52) of said channel to bias the distal ends of said face panels (424, 430) against said lateral edge of said panel (16).

Inventors: COLSON, WENDELL B., SCHNEBLY, JOHN T., STEELE, RICHARD S.
Applicants: HUNTER DOUGLAS INDUSTRIES B.V.
Application year: 1985
Main classification: E06B9
IPC codes: E06B9