APPARATUS FOR MOUNTING SCREENS

Abstract: Apparatus for mounting screens, such as curtains, comprises a support member suspended from a mounting member. The support member is movable from an in-use position, where a screen hanging from the support member is positioned in its normal in-use location, to a maintenance position in which the support member, and the means for attaching the screen to the support member, are easily accessible.

Description: This invention relates to apparatus for mounting screens especially but not exclusively to apparatus for mounting curtains. Curtain rails are normally secured to the wall above the window the curtains are intended to cover. This makes the fitting and removal of curtains very awkward as it is necessary to stand on a chair or use a stepladder to gain access to the rail. For elderly persons, in particular, this can be a dangerous, if not impossible, task. It is an object of this invention to obviate or mitigate this disadvantage. A partial solution to the difficulty is proposed in GB-A-1,257,484, which provides a fixed pelmet including a system of pulleys over which cords run to suspend a vertically movable curtain rail. When raised into the pelmet, this curtain rail functions in the same way as a normal fixed curtain rail. However, by use of the cords, the curtain rail can be lowered to a convenient height for maintenance or other tasks, eliminating the need to climb up to the level of the pelmet. The curtain rail is subsequently lifted back up into the pelmet to resume normal use. An arrangement is provided to link the curtain rail to the pelmet when the rail is fully raised, so as to stabilize the rail against horizontal movement during use of the rail. However, the curtain rail is unstabilised when not fully raised into the pelmet, and the rail is susceptible to twisting, or scraping the wall with consequent damage to paint or wallpaper. Another solution to the problem of gaining easy access to curtain rods by lowering them to a convenient height is proposed in GB-A-258,487 disclosing the prior art position of claim 1 This early document also describes a complex system of rollers by which an arrangement of multiple curtain rods is guided against the corners of a window frame during vertical movement of the curtain rods. The system of GB-A-258,487 is cumbersome and requires precise adjustment to fit accurately within a window frame. The complexity of this old system precludes rapid and complication-free fitting by an amateur, and necessarily imposes a relatively high purchase price. Despite the system of GB-A-258,487 having been available since as long ago as 1926, it has clearly failed to win acceptance, which is according to the proprietor's opinion proof of its practical deficiences. By way of complete contrast, the present invention provides a curtain mounting system which can not only achieve all the advantages theoretically available from the prior art systems, including stabilisation of the curtain rail during raising and lowering while protecting wall coverings from damage, but does not need to be precisely dimensioned in relation to a given window (requiring only to be somewhat wider than the window), and can be installed with no more difficulty or time than a conventional pelmet. The present invention requires only a relatively small number of simple components which reduces capital cost, minimizes assembly time and skill demands, and maximises reliability. Accordingly, the present invention provides screen mounting apparatus for mounting screens or curtains, said apparatus comprising a mounting member adapted to be secured to a wall over a window, a screen support member having a width greater than the width of the window, suspension means movably suspending the screen support member from the mounting member for vertical raising and lowering of the support member vertically beneath the mounting member with laterally opposite ends of the support member moving adjacent the wall on either side of the window, a stabilizing member depending from each of the laterally opposite ends of the support member, characterized in that the stabilizing member is a stabilizing strut , each stabilizing strut rotatably mounting only one respective single wheel which is located at the lower end of the respective stabilizing strut with each wheel in rolling contact with the wall on either side of the window such that the support member is raised and lowered with the wheels rolling against the wall in respective vertical paths to stabilize the support member and thereby prevent twisting of the support member during lowering thereof to a maintenance position and raising thereof to an in-use position adjacent the mounting member. The suspension means preferably comprises a length of cord having both ends thereof secured to the screen support member at spaced apart locations thereon vertically below cord guides on the mounting member, and a retaining member secured to the cord intermediate the ends thereof for temporary attachment to a retaining hook mounted on the wall to hold the support member in its raised in-use position. An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a part cut-away view of the apparatus for mounting screens made in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a front view of the left hand nylon line guide of the apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side view of the line guide of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an exploded side view of the line guide of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a front view of the right hand nylon line guide of the apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a side view of the line guide of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a front view of one of the nylon line fixing brackets of the apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a side view of the line fixing bracket of Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a front view of one of the stabiliserz of the apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig. 10 is a side view of the stabiliser of Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a front view of the retaining member of the apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig. 12 is a side view of the retaining member of Fig. 11; Fig. 13 is a front view of the retaining hook of the apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig. 14 is a side view of the retaining stopper of Fig. 13; Fig. 15 is a perspective view of an operator preparing to lower curtains using the apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the curtains of Fig. 15 in the maintenance position; Fig. 17 is a perspective view of maintenance being carried out of the curtains of Fig. 15; and Fig. 18 is a perspective view of the curtains of Fig. 15 in the in-use position. Referring to the accompanying drawings, apparatus for mounting screens, and in this example curtains, comprises a mounting member 1, a support member 2, a suspension member 3 and a retaining member 4. The mounting member 1 has two nylon line guides 10, 11 secured to a timber strip 12 by screws 13 which pass through countersunk holes 14 in the line guides 10, 11 to a wall (not shown). The line guides 10, 11 each have front parts 16, 18 and rear parts 17, 19. The front parts 16, 18 of the line guides 10, 11 are provided with bushes 20 which fit into holes 21 in the rear parts 17, 19 of the line guides 10, 11. The front 16 and rear 17 parts of the left hand line guide 10 are provided with grooves 22, 23 on their inside mating surfaces 24. The grooves 22, 23 run from the right hand edges 25 of the line guide 10 to the top face 26 of a rectangular notch 27 provided in the lower part of the line guide 10. When the two parts 16, 17 of the line guide 10 are fitted together the grooves 22, 23 form a conduit 29. The front 18 and rear 19 parts of the right hand line guide 11 are provided with a first pair of grooves 30, 31 and a second pair of grooves 32, 33 on their inside mating surfaces 34, 35. The first pair of grooves 30, 31 run from the left hand face 36 of the line guide 11 to the bottom face 37 of the guide. The second pair of grooves 32, 33 run from the top face 38 of a rectangular notch 39 provided in the lower left hand part of the line guide 11 to the bottom face 37 of the guide 11. When the parts 18, 19 of the line guide 11 are fitted together the grooves 30, 31 and 32, 33 form two conduits 29a, 29b. The support member 2 is in the form of a rectangular section beam 40. Two line fixing brackets 41, 42 are secured to each end of the beam 40 by screws 43 which pass through holes 44 in the brackets 41, 42. Notches 45 are provided in the top part of the brackets. The bottom faces 47 of the notches 45 are curved in the form of a radius. On the rear face 49 of each bracket 41, 42 there is a laterally extending portion 50 having a rectangular cross section. Below each laterally extending portion 50 is a hole 51 which is countersunk 52 at both ends. Two stabilisers 53 are secured to the beam 40 adjacent the fixing brackets 41, 42. A notch 54 is provided at the top portion of each stabilizer 53. The stabilisers 53 are secured to the beam by screws 55 which pass through holes 56 in the stabilizers 53. A wheel 57 mounted on an axis (not shown) is provided in a slot 58 at the bottom end of each stabilizer 53. The retaining member 4 is in the form of a plate 60 having a keyhole shaped opening 61. The opening 61 has a larger 62 and a smaller 63 diameter portion. Two holes 64, countersunk 65 at both ends are provided above the keyhole shaped opening 61. Two larger holes 66, also countersunk 67 at both ends, are provided below the opening 61. A cord 73 passes through the larger holes 66. A retaining hook 68 has a rounded front portion 69 and a smaller diameter rear portion 70. A countersunk 71 hole 72 is provided thourgh the hook 68 to allow a screw (not shown) to be used to fix the hook 72 to a wall. The suspension member 3 is a nylon line 80 and is attached at its ends 81, 82 to the fixing brackets 41, 42 on the support member 2. The line 80 passes through the conduits 29, 29a, 29b in the line guides 10, 11 to the retaining member 4, where the line 80 passes through the smaller holes 64. Figures 15, 16, 17 and 18 show the apparatus, in use. The line guides 10, 11, the line fixing brackets 41, 42 and the stabilisers 53 are hidden by the curtains 5 when they are in the normal position. The retaining hook 68 is secured to the wall 6 beside the window 7 at a convenient height. The retaining member 4 fits onto the hook 68 and the curtain 5 is held in position. When the curtains 5 are to be changed the operator releases the retaining member 4 from the retaining hook 68 and lowers the curtains 5. The wheels 57 on the stabilisers 53 travel down the wall 6, the stabilisers 53 preventing the support member 2 from twisting. When the curtains 5 have been lowered to a convenient level they can be easily changed by a person 8 standing on the floor 9. The curtains 5 can be raised by pulling on the cord 73 attached to the retaining member 7. Modifications and improvements may be incorporated without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed in the appended claims.

Claims: Screen mounting apparatus for mounting screens or curtains (5,7), said apparatus comprising a mounting member (1) adapted to be secured to a wall (6) over a window (7), a screen support member (2) having a width greater than the width of the window (7), suspension means (10,11,80) movably suspending the screen support member (2) from the mounting member (1) for vertical raising and lowering of the support member (2) vertically beneath the mounting member (1) with laterally opposite ends of the support member (2) moving adjacent the wall (6) on either side of the window (7), a stabilizing member (53) depending from each of the laterally opposite ends of the support member (2), characterized in that the stabilizing member is a stabilizing strut (53), each stabilizing strut (53) rotatably mounting only one respective single wheel (57) which is positioned at the lower end of the respective stabilizing strut (53) with each wheel (57) in use in rolling contact with the wall (6) on either side of the window (7) such that the support member (2) is raised and lowered with the wheels (57) rolling against the wall (6) in respective vertical paths to stabilize the support member (2) and thereby prevent twisting of the support member (2) during lowering thereof to a maintenance position and raising thereof to an in-use position adjacent the mounting member (1). Screen mounting apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 characterized in that the suspension means comprises a length of cord (80) having both ends thereof secured to the screen support member (2) at spaced apart locations thereon (41,42) vertically below cord guides (10,11) on the mounting member (1), and in that a retaining member (4) is secured to the cord (80) intermediate the ends thereof for temporary attachment to a retaining hook (68) mounted on the wall (6) to hold the support member (2) in its raised in-use position.

Inventors: MCKAY, DONALD
Applicants: MCKAY, DONALD
Application year: 1985
Main classification: A47H13
IPC codes: A47H13