Cordless, balanced window covering

Abstract: A cordless, balanced venetian blind or shade with a constant, or a variable force spring motor (40) includes conventional window covering components without the outside hanging lifting cords or cord locking mechanisms. One or more spring motors are employed. A cord spool (30), in the preferred embodiment, is coupled to one of the spring drums (20) to serve to wind the cords (52) to cause the blind to be raised or lowered, simply by manipulation of the bottom bar of the blind system. Due to the spring forces, the system compensates for the increasing weight on the cords as the window covering is raised and for the decreasing weight as it is lowered.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to the art of spring motors useful for a variety of applications, including venetian blinds and window shades. More specifically the present invention relates to a system in which lifting cords and cord locking mechanisms are eliminated from shades or blinds. Still more specifically, the invention relates to window covering systems which employ one or more constant or consistent, variable force springs to balance the weight of accumulated window covering material, depending upon the extent to which the blind or shade is raised or lowered. The present invention also relates to motorized blinds and shades. Description of the Prior Art Venetian blinds have been known for many years and typically include a plurality of slats made from metal, plastic, wood or other materials and supported by ladders. Such blinds typically include a bottom bar and a tilt mechanism to cause the slats to move from a horizontal position to a nearly vertical position to open and close the blinds with respect to the passage of light. It is also conventional with such systems to use lifting cords coupled to the bottom bar, passing through the slats and into mechanisms within the blind headrail. The cord is used to raise the bottom bar, accumulating individual slats as the bar is raised. Because of the natural tendency of the bar and accumulated slat weight to free fall, locking mechanisms are also commonly employed with such prior art devices. Pleated and other types of shades also include a bottom bar and similar raising, lowering, and cord locking mechanisms. Several attempts have been made to eliminate the lifting cord locks, some of such attempts going back nearly 140 years. See, for example, Bixler, U.S. Patent No. 13,251, issued July 17, 1855 for "Inside Blinds." U.S. Patent No. 2,420,301, issued May 13, 1947 to Cusumano for "Venetian Blind" also employs a cone-shaped member with grooves and an elongate coil spring. A different device is shown in Pratt's U.S. Patent No. 2,324,536 issued July 20, 1943 for "Closure Structure." In this device, tapes and coil springs are employed to raise and lower a blind particularly suited for use in a vehicle such as a train. Other patents show various spring devices used with venetian blinds, i.e. Cohn's U.S. Patent No. 2,390,826, issued December 11, 1945 for "Cordless Venetian Blinds," Etten's U.S. Patent No. 2,824,608, issued February 25, 1958 for "Venetian Blind"; U.S. Patent No. 2,266,160, issued December 16, 1941 to Burns for "Spring Actuated Blind"; and U.S. Patent No. 2,276,716, issued March 17, 1942 to Cardona for "Venetian Blind." Various attempts have also been made in the prior art to motorize blinds and shades. In most of these systems hard wiring is required because larger motors are required to move the bottom rail and accumulated window material. US-A-5,170,830 discloses an automatically retracting sun shade which must be secured to prevent the automatic retraction of the shade. None of the aforementioned patents disclose the use of spring motors of the type disclosed herein to eliminate the conventional pull cords and locks of venetian blinds or shades in a simple and easily adaptable mechanism having few components parts. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates a window covering as claimed in claim 1. How the present invention accomplishes these features will be described in the following detailed description of the most preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the FIGURES which illustrate blind systems, although shade applications are also enhanced by the present invention. Generally, however, the features are accomplished by employing consistent variable force spring motors in a blind or shade system, while eliminating conventional pull cord and associated cord-lock mechanisms. The features are accomplished by using springs wound on drums, the springs being of a cross-section varying in width, thickness, or both along their length (variable force) whereby spring force imparted to a coiled spring is transferred from one drum to another. For these spring motors, such force is at its highest level when the blind or shade is fully raised, i.e., when the cords are supporting the full weight of the window covering. The spring force is at its lowest point when the window covering is fully lowered and, in the case of blinds, the slats are being individually supported by ladders, rather than by the cords, leaving only the bottom bar to be supported by the cord. The blinds and shades of the present invention may be manipulated by the operator simply grasping the bottom bar and urging it in an upward or downward direction. The features of the present invention are also accomplished by providing selection criteria for the springs, to take into account the size and weight of a particular blind or shade or by adding additional spring motors for heavier or wider window coverings. To achieve greater certainty in maintaining desirable spring forces, in a most preferred, alternate form of the invention, the spring motors are interconnected to ensure that they operate in unison to provide a level action throughout the range of blind or shade travel. All of these features are accomplished in a blind or shade which will remain in the position selected by the user and which in a preferred embodiment may be motorized, e.g. by a small remote controlled DC motor. In an illustrated embodiment, friction imparting devices are, if necessary, used with the cords coupling the bottom bar and a spool within the headrail. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1A is a perspective view of a spring storage drum useful in one preferred form of the present invention; FIGURE 1B is a perspective view of output drum, combined with a cord spool, useful in this preferred form of the present invention; FIGURE 2 is a schematic view of a spring motor together with one form of friction imparting device; FIGURE 3 is a schematic illustration of a combination of three spring motors, with the cord spools coupled together to ensure that all motors operate in unison; FIGURE 4A is a perspective view of a strip of spring material varying in width along its length; FIGURE 4B is a schematic view of the spring shown in FIGURE 4A wound into a coil; FIGURE 5A is a schematic view of a spring varying in thickness along its length; FIGURE 5B is a view of the spring of FIGURE 5A shown in a coiled position; FIGURE 6 is a schematic representation of a blind in the fully open position with the cord storage drum fully wound and a spring wound on its storage drum, the system thereby supporting the full weight of the slats and bottom bar; FIGURE 7 is a schematic illustration of the blind shown in FIGURE 6, with the bottom bar in its fully lowered position and illustrating how the storage drum for the cords is substantially empty and the spring substantially transferred from its storage drum to its associated output drum; and FIGURE 8 is a view, similar to FIGURE 6, but showing in schematic form a motor system for raising and lowering the blind. In the various FIGURES, like reference numerals are used to indicate like components. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Before proceeding with the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, several comments should be made about the applicability and the scope of the present invention. First, while venetian-type blinds are shown in certain of the FIGURES, the types of materials from which the blinds are made or the relative widths, heights and the configuration of the headrail, bottom rail and slats may vary widely. The present invention has applicability to a variety of such blinds. The present invention is also useful with window shades of various types since many shade designs also use lifting cords and would benefit from the features of this invention. Whenever blinds are mentioned herein, shades should be considered a suitable alternative. Second, while preferred types of springs are shown, one varying in width and another varying in thickness, a combination could be employed. Other spring configurations could also be used, in addition to those having a rectangular cross-section. For example, springs with round or oval cross-sections, decreasing along its length or a laminated spring could also be employed. Third, while one example is given of how to interconnect a plurality of spring motors, other techniques can be employed. For example, a gear system can be employed instead of the illustrated bar. The object of illustrative FIGURE 3 is to show how the spring motors can be made to operate in unison for level raising or lowering of the blind or shade, even if the lifting forces are applied off center. Ideally, however, the user should be instructed to apply the lifting or lowering force at, or relatively near, the center of the bottom rail to maintain desirable balance and to prevent slack from being created in the lifting cords. Proceeding now to a description of the FIGURES, FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one storage drum 10 useful in the preferred embodiment. Storage drum 10 includes an axial hole 12, a cylindrically-shaped spring storage area 14, and a pair of walls 16 and 18 which taper upwardly and outwardly from area 14. This particular storage drum is especially suitable for a spring which varies in width, as will be described later in this specification. Drum 10 will be referred to herein as a storage drum, i.e. the drum on which the spring is initially coiled. The drum 10 would have parallel walls 16 and 18 for other embodiments such as for the springs illustrated in FIGURES 5A, 5B, and 8. Proceeding next to FIGURE 1B, an output drum is shown generally at 20 to include an axial hole 22, a cylindrical body 24, and a pair of walls 26 and 28. A hole 29 is provided on body portion 24, the purpose of which will become apparent shortly. Output drum 20 also includes a cord spool 30 having a central aperture (not shown) coaxial with hole 22, a body portion 32, and a pair of parallel side walls 34 and 36 defining an area therebetween for storage of the lifting cords. Proceeding next to FIGURE 2, the arrangement of the devices in FIGURES 1A and 1B in a spring motor unit 40 is shown. Motor unit 40 includes a bracket having a planar back wall 42 onto which the storage drum 10 and output drum 20 are rotatably mounted in a spaced apart orientation. Axles 43 and 44 pass respectively through the apertures 12 and 22 of the drums 10 and 20. From FIGURE 2, it will be appreciated that output drum 20 is located adjacent wall 42, with the cord spool 30 located outwardly therefrom. A spring is illustrated at 45 and is coupled between storage drum 10 and output drum 20. The spring itself will be described later. The spring motor unit 40 also includes a pair of surfaces 46 and 47, which are parallel to one another and perpendicular to surface 42, defining a generally U-shaped enclosure for the two drums and the cord spool. A hole 49 is provided in surface 46 and a hole 50 is provided in surface 47, with lifting cords 52 shown passing through each toward the cord spool 30. The illustrated motor unit 40 also includes another bracket component 55 spaced apart from surface 47 and including a plurality of slots 56 in its upper edge. Solid and dashed lines illustrate how the slots 56 may be used to increase the tension on the cord 52 traveling through portion 47 toward cord spool 30. Finally, two attachment areas 57 and 59 are shown in FIGURE 2, with holes 58 and 60, respectively. The latter are used for attachment of the bracket to the blind head bracket. Obviously, the location of the mounting holes can vary widely, depending on the overall configuration of the blind with which the spring force motor unit 40 is to be used. Before proceeding to more detailed descriptions of the springs 45, reference should now be made to FIGURE 3, showing schematically how a plurality of spring motor units 40 may be coupled together, e.g. by an elongate bar 62 rotatably coupled to each of the respective cord spools 30 (or by gearing on the drums 10 and 20, not shown). It will be appreciated from this drawing, which is from a reverse perspective compared to that shown in FIGURE 2, that the three spring motor units 40 will work in unison and the bar 62 will compensate for minor variations in spring forces which may exist for the individual springs 45 and ensure an even winding of the cords 52, even if the force to raise or lower the blind is applied off-center. Proceeding next to the descriptions of FIGURES 4A and 4B, a preferred spring 70 is shown, again in perspective form. Spring 70 includes a first narrower end 72, a second wider end 74 and a coupling extension 75 having a hole 76 therein. The illustrated spring has a constant thickness. Spring 70, in use, is wound onto the storage drum in the configuration illustrated in FIGURE 4B, i.e. with its narrower end coupled to body portion 14, and its wider end toward the outside. The extension 75 is attached to the body portion 24 of output drum 20 using hole 76 and any suitable fastener. The spring is wound from one drum to the other in an opposite coil orientation. In other words, as spring 70 is transferred from the storage drum 10 to the output drum 20, the width of the spring 70 between the two drums will decrease and the spring will be wound oppositely to its original coil shape. Another embodiment of a spring useful in the invention is shown in FIGURES 5A and 5B, i.e. a spring 80 having a varying thickness. Spring 80 has a thinner first end 82, a thicker second end 84 having a width equal to that of end 82, and a coupling extension 85 having a hole 86 therein. The preferred coil orientation for spring 80 is shown in FIGURE 5B, this time with the thinner end 82 at the core of the storage drum 10 and the thicker end 84 extending onto and around the output drum 20, using coupling extension 85 and hole 86. Again, the orientation of the spring, as it is transferred from the storage drum 10 to the output drum 20, is reversed. While it has been mentioned earlier that springs of different configurations may be employed for variable force spring motors, it will now be more fully appreciated that one variation would be to use a spring which varies both in width and thickness. Also, a coil spring of circular cross-section or a laminated spring could be employed. The cross-section increasing from the end attached to the storage drum 10 to the end attached to the output drum 20. Proceeding now to FIGURE 6, the use of a spring motor unit 40 for a blind system 90 is shown. Blind system 90 includes a bottom bar 92, a headrail 94, and a plurality of slats 95 located therebetween. The ladders are not illustrated in these FIGURES but are conventional and, in and of themselves, do not form part of the present invention. The cords for raising and lowering bottom bar 94 are illustrated at 96 and 97 and are shown extending through the slats and toward the cord spool 30, which will be fully wound with cord when the blind is in the position illustrated in FIGURE 6. Moreover, the storage drum would be wound with most of spring 45 and the output drum would be wound only to the extent desirable to attach its end and to provide the desired holding force. Referring now to FIGURE 7, the bottom bar 92 is shown in its fully lowered position with the individual slats 95 spaced from one another and with the cords 96 and 97 unwound from cord spool 30. At this point, the slats would be individually suspended from ladders (not shown) attached to the headrail 94, so that their weight is not being carried by the spring motor unit 40. It can be observed that the spring 45 has been substantially transferred from the storage drum 10 to the output drum 20, thereby decreasing the amount of force exerted on the bottom bar. In an ideal situation, the spring force will be just sufficient to prevent bottom bar 92 from self-raising. When it is desired to open blind system 90, the bottom bar 92 is urged toward headrail 94, resulting in a spring driven rotation of the cord spool to wind cords 96 and 97. The spring will rewind back to storage drum 10, with an ever increasing level of force as the weight of the bottom bar 92 and accumulating slats 95 continues to increase. The operation is completed when the FIGURE 6 configuration is achieved. While the present invention has been described in connection with several illustrated embodiments, further variations may now be apparent. For example, instead of using only two cords (illustrated as 96 and 97 in FIGURES 6-7), additional cords could be used for wider blinds, as required. In connection with experiments done to date, one suitable spring is made from Type 301 High-Yield Stainless Steel and has a length of 221 cm (87 inches) and a constant thickness of 1,27 mm (.005 inches). Its width increased from 2,79 mm (.110 inches) at its narrow end to 7,92 mm (.312 inches) at its wide end. For a coil diameter of 13,7 mm (.540 inches), a theoretical maximum torque of 0,116 kg/cm (.650 pounds per inch) was created, and the theoretical torque minimum was 0,04 kg/cm (.230 pounds per inch). In another example, a spring strip of the same length and material varied in thickness from 0,074 mm (.0029 inches) to 0,137 mm (.0054 inches) with the same coil diameter. The theoretical maximum torque was 0,146 kg/cm (.819 pounds per inch), while the torque at the bottom (minimum) is reduced to 0,025 kg/cm (.140 pounds per inch). It can be seen from these examples that the spring motor provides a variable force which is consistent in application, depending upon the particular position of the bottom rail or member with respect to the headrail. The theoretical forces may be readily calculated using formulas which are available from spring manufacturers in which the output force is determined by the formula: F = E · b · s 3 24· r 2 where: F = Output force E = Modulus of elasticity b = Width of spring strip s = Thickness of spring strip r = Constant coil radius. It then becomes apparent that as the width or thickness varies from end to end of the strip, so also will the resultant force. FIGURE 8 is a view, similar to FIGURE 6, showing in schematic form a motor system for raising and lowering a blind. In order to facilitate understanding of the invention, like elements will be identified by like reference numerals in FIGURE 8 and FIGURE 6. Accordingly, in FIGURE 8, a blind system 90 is illustrated having a spring motor unit 40 and cords 96, 97 for raising and lowering bottom bar 92. Also shown in FIGURE 8 are a drive motor 130, and a control unit 132 for controlling operation of drive motor 130. Drive motor 130 is preferably an electrical motor which can drive in two directions and is operatively coupled with spring motor unit 40 by a coupling 131 to apply a drive force in either of two directions to move bottom bar 92 up or down. It is advantageous to use both spring motor unit 40 and drive motor 130 so that the force applied to blind system 90 by spring motor unit 40 augments and assists drive motor 130. Drive motor 130 may be operatively coupled anywhere in the driving mechanism of blind system 90. By such an arrangement a smaller, cheaper, and more energy-efficient drive motor 110 may be more advantageously employed with blind system 90 than could be employed alone without spring motor unit 40. Control commands may be provided to control unit 132 for controlling operation of drive motor 130 from a remote position by hard-wired connection (not shown in FIGURE 9) to a remote control unit such as remote control unit 134. In the alternative, remote control unit 134 may wirelessly communicate with control unit 132 by any of several methods, such as sonic coded signal patterns or optic coded signal patterns. The coding patterns may be coded transmission patterns, or coded frequency patterns, or combinations of such patterns. In environments where there are a plurality of blind systems 90 which should be individually wirelessly controllable by one or more remote control units 114, respective blind systems 90 must be individually addressable. The required distinction among such a plurality of blind systems 90 may be encoded in each respective control unit 132 and recognized by remote control unit(s) 134 in any of several manners. For example, respective control units 132 may be user-coded by individual digital switches to assign a user-determined code to each respective blind system 90. Further, similar coding may be effected by embedding code in a read only memory (ROM) in each respective control unit 132, or by programming a code into a random access memory (RAM) in each control unit 132. A pin grid array or a jumper wire arrangement would also accomplish the desired coding, but such arrangements are susceptible to error and occupy large amounts of space. Remote control unit 134 may similarly be encoded to selectively address a particular blind system 90: digital switch coding, ROM, RAM, and jumper-wiring may all be appropriate. Yet another approach involves factory preprogramming of systems. For example, a factory-provided library of codes may be programmed into a ROM in a remote control unit 134. A user may select a code from the library of codes for assignment to a respective blind system 90 by any of the above-described encoding mechanisms: e. g., digital switches, RAM, or the like. The user-selection may involve merely a two-digit entry or selection to identify an eight-digit (for example) digital code. By such an arrangement, the security of eight-digit coding and its protection against inadvertent operation of blinds is achieved with significantly less opportunity for errors in user-coding since the user needs only to enter two digits to identify/encode a particular blind system 90. So while the invention has been described in connection with certain illustrative examples, it is not to be limited thereby but is to be limited solely by the scope of the claims which follow.

Claims: A window covering of the type including a headrail (94), a bottom rail (92) and window covering material (95) located therebetween, the bottom rail (92) being moveable between a fully raised and a fully lowered position with respect to the headrail (94) and intermediate positions, a spring motor (40) located near the headrail (94) and including a cord spool (26); the spring (45, 80, 110) of the spring motor (40) coupled to the cord spool (26) to exert spring forces upon the spool as cord is wound therefrom and wound thereon and being an elongate spring which moves from a first (10) to a second (20) spring storage drum, characterised in that the spring (45,80,110) has a variable cross section, this variation in the spring's cross section being such that the spring has sufficient spring force to balance the bottom rail (92) and collected window covering material resting thereon against movement when the bottom rail (92) is in any position, and by at least two cords (96, 97) coupling the bottom rail (92) to the cord spool (26). The window covering of claim 1 comprising more than one spring motor (40), at least one pull cord (52) being coupled to the cord spool (20) of each spring motor. The window covering of claim 1 further comprising an electric motor (130) coupled to the spring motor (40) and adapted for selectively rotating the cord spool (20) thereof.

Inventors: KUHAR OTTO, KUHAR, OTTO
Applicants: NEWELL OPERATING CO, NEWELL OPERATING COMPANY
Application year: 1995
Main classification: E06B9
IPC codes: E06B9, F03G1