Abstract:
Bracket for mounting a guiding rail to a support surface. The mounting bracket includes a body part having a main body defining a mounting hole and opposite parallel first and second snap flanges. The bracket further has a clip part for engaging its body part and has at least one resilient tongue and at least one resilient arm extending from the clip part in alignment with the first and second snap flanges. The invention also relates to the combination of the mounting bracket and a guiding rail, as well as to a method for mounting a plurality of the brackets and the guiding rail to a mounting surface.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application claims priority to European Patent Application No. 07016893.5 filed on 29 Aug. 2007, and such application is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully disclosed herein. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The invention relates to a bracket for mounting a guiding rail for an architectural covering, such as a roller blind or screen. 
   2. Description of the Relevant Art 
   French patent document FR 2266790 discloses a mounting element for fixing to a surface surrounding an architectural opening. The known mounting element has clipping arms which can engage detent means on a guiding rail element. For this arrangement to be reasonably successful it has been necessary to provide the mounting element with a longitudinal length substantially similar to the length of the guiding rail. In the interest of material savings it has become popular to mount such guiding rails from a plurality of smaller brackets, rather than a single mounting element needing almost the same amount of material as the guiding rail. While the use of plural brackets has offered a more than adequate attachment for guiding rails, it has at times been somewhat more difficult to position and align such brackets prior to fixing these to a wall surface. This problem has been particularly apparent when three or more brackets are used in mounting a single guiding rail. Especially when an intermediate bracket is misaligned, it is either impossible to mount the guiding rail, or worse the guiding rail is warped upon mounting. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art. It is also an object of the present invention to provide alternative structures which are less cumbersome in assembly and operation and which moreover can be made relatively inexpensively. Alternatively it is an object of the invention to at least provide the public with a useful choice. 
   To this end the invention provides a bracket for mounting a guiding rail to a support surface, the mounting bracket including a body part having a main body defining a mounting hole and opposite parallel first and second snap flanges; and a clip part for engaging the body part and having at least one resilient tongue and at least one resilient arm extending therefrom in alignment with the first and second snap flanges. 
   The invention also relates to the combination of the mounting bracket and a guiding rail, as well as to a method for mounting a plurality of the brackets and the guiding rail. The combination of the mounting bracket and guiding rail includes a length of guiding rail having a pair of parallel first and second mounting legs and a guide channel bounded by an exterior flange and an intermediate flange, the guiding rail being mounted to the mounting bracket by relevant ones of the first and second mounting legs, respectively engaging the first and second snap flanges. The method of mounting two or more of the mounting brackets to a mounting surface to receive a given length of guiding rail and to form the combination of the mounting bracket and a guiding rail, includes a first step of selecting the given length of guiding rail, a second step of selecting a number of mounting brackets in accordance with the given length of guiding rail, a third step of positioning the selected number of mounting brackets in spaced positions along the length of the given guiding rail and temporarily engaging one of the first and second mounting legs of the guiding rail between the at least one resilient tongue and at least one resilient arm of each mounting bracket, a fourth step presenting the temporarily attached mounting brackets to an intended position for final mounting on a mounting surface, a fifth step of marking the location for drilling holes to receive the relevant mounting fasteners for each mounting bracket, a sixth step of drilling the so marked holes, a seventh step of releasing the temporarily attached mounting brackets from the given length of guiding rail and mounting same with fasteners to the drilled holes, and an eight step of engaging the given length of guide rail, with its pair of first and second mounting legs onto the first and second snap flanges of each mounting bracket. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will now be described in reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of the first and second bracket parts as seen from the front; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view from the front of the first and second bracket parts in assembled condition; 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the first and second bracket parts as seen from the rear; 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view from the rear of the first and second bracket parts in their assembled condition; 
       FIG. 5  is a frontal elevation of two brackets in position prior to, or during, their mounting to a recessed mounting surface; 
       FIG. 6  is a view in the direction of the arrows VI-VI in  FIG. 5 ; 
       FIG. 7  is a top view of a bracket mounted to the recessed mounting surface and a side guide in position to be mounted to the bracket; 
       FIG. 8  is a top view similar to  FIG. 7 , but showing the side guide in its mounted position on the bracket; 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective detail view of a lower end of the side guide channel as seen from an imaginary mounting surface. 
       FIG. 10  is an elevation of the lower end detail view of the side guide channel viewed from a rear side with which it would normally be attached to a mounting surface; and 
       FIG. 11  is a transverse cross-section in the direction of the arrows XI-XI of  FIG. 10 . 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring first to  FIGS. 1 to 4 , which show an embodiment of the mounting bracket  1  according to the invention, it is seen that the bracket  1  consists of a body part  3  and a clip part  5 . The body part  3  has a mounting hole  7 , to accept a mounting screw (not shown but conventional). The body part  3  further has first and second outer support legs  9 ,  11  connected to a main body  13  of the body part  3 , which carries the mounting hole  7 , by first and second transition portions  15 ,  17 . Each of the respective first and second transition portions  15 ,  17  has a respective first or second central slot  19 ,  21 . The main body  13  has opposite first and second snap flanges  23 ,  25 . Each of the first and second snap flanges  23 ,  25  is formed by a sloped section  23 A,  25 A and a holding ridge  23 B,  25 B. The first and second outer support legs  9 ,  11  each have a respective first support leg aperture  27  and a second support leg aperture  29 . 
   The clip part  5  has a web portion  31  which is provided with an opening  33 , adapted to correspond in size and position to the mounting hole  7  of the body part  3 . From the web portion  31  project first and second transverse locating projections  35 ,  37  which are engageable in the first and second central slots  19 ,  21  of the first and second transition portions  15 ,  17 . The clip part  5  is further provided with opposite first to fourth flexible tongues  39 ,  41 ,  43  and  45  also projecting from the web portion  31 . In use with the body part  3  and clip part  5  assembled, the flexible tongues are positioned oppositely alongside the first and second transition portions  15 ,  17 . Each of the first, second, third and fourth flexible tongues  39 ,  41 ,  43  and  45  has a respective first to fourth retaining ledge  47 ,  49 ,  51 ,  53 . These first to fourth retaining ledges  47 ,  49 ,  51 ,  53  each engage over a respective first, second, third and fourth support surface  55 ,  57 ,  59 ,  61  on the mounting bracket body part  3 . To guide the respective retaining ledges  47 ,  49 ,  51 ,  53  of the flexible tongues  39 ,  41 ,  43 ,  45  onto the relevant support surfaces  55 ,  57 ,  59 ,  61 , the support surfaces are each provided with a first ramp surface  63  ( FIG. 3 ), a second ramp surface  65  ( FIG. 1 ), a third ramp surface  67  ( FIG. 3 ) and a fourth ramp surface  69  ( FIG. 1 ). The first, second, third and fourth flexible tongues  39 ,  41 ,  43  and  45  are further provided with a respective outwardly directed first, second, third or fourth detent projection  71 , 73 ,  75 , 77  for a purpose later to be described. Also projecting from the web portion  31  in the same direction as the various other projections, is a set of first, second, third and fourth flexible arms  79 ,  81 ,  83  and  85 . Outwardly projecting from each of the first, second, third and fourth flexible arms is a respective first, second, third or fourth distance element  87 ,  89 ,  91  or  93 . These distance elements are provided for a purpose later to be described. 
     FIGS. 5 and 6  illustrate a first step of mounting the brackets  1  to a mounting surface  101 . Such a mounting surface  101  is usually vertically positioned in the vicinity of a window or other architectural opening. Moreover, as shown in  FIG. 6 , such a mounting surface  101  may be recessed, so as to define a boundary surface  103 .  FIGS. 5 and 6  also show a side guiding rail  105 , but only in a temporary position, in which it is used to space and align the mounting brackets  1 . When mounting side guiding rails on vertical wall surfaces of a building it is often problematic to correctly align and space the various mounting brackets used in the mounting of a single rail. It is therefore that the mounting bracket according to the invention is adapted to substantially simplify the alignment and positioning of a plurality of mounting brackets. As best seen in  FIG. 6  the guiding rail  105  in cross-section has a pair of first and second mounting legs  107 ,  109  parallel to one another. With the arrangement described in reference to  FIGS. 1-4 , it has now become possible to temporarily clamp one of the first or second mounting legs.  107 ,  109  between the first and third flexible tongues  39 ,  43  and the first and third flexible arms  79 ,  83  or between the second and fourth flexible tongues  41 ,  45  and the second and fourth flexible arms  81 ,  85  of the clip part  5  of the mounting bracket  1 . This results in the arrangement as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , whereby several of a plurality of mounting brackets  1 A,  1 B can be spaced and clampingly positioned along the length of a guiding rail  105  intended to be eventually mounted on the brackets  1 A,  1 B once these have been properly attached to the wall surface  101 . The mounting brackets  1 A,  1 B are temporarily held in position by friction provoked by the resiliency of the flexible tongues and arms helped by the relevant first, second, third and/or fourth detent projections  71 ,  73 ,  75  and/or  77 . This greatly assists in accurately positioning the mounting brackets  1 A,  1 B on the mounting surface  101  and to ensure that these are properly aligned before fasteners are mounted to the holes  7 . Once the brackets have been properly attached to the wall surface the guiding rail  105  can be taken from its temporary position and repositioned for proper and final mounting. 
   When the mounting brackets  1 ,  1 A,  1 B are to be mounted close to a boundary surface  103 , such as also shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , then the first and third distance elements  87 ,  91  will ensure the proper distance of the mounting brackets from the boundary surface  103 . It is convenient to position the lower most mounting bracket  1 A level with the lower longitudinal end of the guiding rail  105  to have an accurate reference for the vertical position of the side guiding rails. Additionally, the side guiding rail can be provided with an end plug or end cap  111 . 
   Reference will now be made to  FIGS. 7 and 8  which show the subsequent steps of mounting the guiding rail  105  onto the mounting bracket  1 . The bracket  1 , in  FIG. 7 , has been mounted to the vertical mounting surface  101  using the procedure of  FIGS. 5 and 6 . It is further seen that the distance element  87  has served to appropriately space the bracket  1  from the recess wall surface  103 . The guiding rail  105  can now be positioned with its first mounting leg  107  snuggly against the recess wall surface  103 . When the guiding rail  105  is now pushed in the direction of arrow  113 , first and second detent portions  115 ,  117  will deflect the distance elements  87 ,  89  mounted on the flexible arms  79 ,  81  inwardly and allow the first and second detent portions  113 ,  115  of the guiding rail  105  to become engaged by the respective first and second snap flanges  23 ,  25  of the bracket  1 . The guiding rail  105  will thereupon be retained in its mounted position as shown in  FIG. 8 . 
   A further feature of the invention is the end cap  111 , already announced in  FIG. 5 , which will now be further explained in reference to  FIGS. 9 to 11 . Generally the guiding rail  105  includes a guide channel  119 , which is bounded by an exterior flange  121  and an intermediate flange  123 . To ensure that the guiding rail  105  is supported in a vertical direction, without totally relying on the friction between the mounting brackets  1  and the first and second detent portion  115 ,  117 , the end cap  111  is arranged to co-operate with one of the mounting brackets  1 , which is in a lower most position. The intermediate flange  123  is provided with a screw receiving formation  125 , in which a screw fastener  127  ( FIG. 11 ) can be engaged to firmly attach the end cap  111  to the guiding rail  105 . The end cap  111  is also provided with an inwardly projecting hook portion  129  with which it can engage the second support leg aperture  29  of the second outer support leg  11 . Thus a positive connection is established between the guiding rail  105  and the superimposed mounting hole  7  and opening  33  by which the mounting bracket  1  is fastened to a surface with another screw fastener (not shown but conventional). 
   It is thus believed that the operation and construction of the present invention will be apparent from the foregoing description. The invention is not limited to any embodiment herein described and, within the purview of the skilled person; modifications are possible which should be considered within the scope of the appended claims. Equally all kinematic inversions are considered inherently disclosed and to be within the scope of the present invention. The term comprising when used in this description or the appended claims should not be construed in an exclusive or exhaustive sense but rather in an inclusive sense. Expressions such as: “means for . . . ” should be read as: “component configured for . . . ” or “member constructed to . . . ” and should be construed to include equivalents for the structures disclosed. The use of expressions like: “critical”, “preferred”, “especially preferred” etc. is not intended to limit the invention. Features which are not specifically or explicitly described or claimed may be additionally included in the structure according to the present invention without deviating from its scope.