Abstract:
A pleated window treatment is suspended on a rod by means of a rod engaging means which may comprise a continuous rod pocket or a series of straps that are affixed to the back side of a pleated window treatment at a point where it is desired to have the window treatment supported by a rod.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    Windows such as those which are found in residential settings are typically provided with window treatments. The term window treatment is used herein to include pleated curtains, pleated draperies, pleated fabric panels and the like. Any type of drapery fabric or curtain fabric derived from natural or man-made materials may be used to make the pleated window treatments of the invention.  
           [0002]    The primary function of a window treatment is to restrict the amount of light and visual access through windows but the aesthetic result is considered by most purchasers as being the primary basis for selection of one of a plurality of competing styles. Pleated window treatments are selected for a particular window treatment to provide a distinct style due to arrangement of the pleats towards the upper edge of the window treatment which cause the fabric to hang in the form of gracefully expanding folds that provide an esthetically acceptable appearance to the window treatment.  
           [0003]    In the prior art, pleated window treatments have been hung on support rods by the means of metal hooks that have one end shaped to engage a support rod and the other end affixed to a reinforcing band of material that is affixed to the upper edge of the pleated window treatment. The metal hooks have been attached to reinforcing band of material by the insertion of a sharpened end of the metal hook or by being sewn or fixed to the band of material by a suitable fastener.  
           [0004]    The applicant has devised a means of suspending a pleated window treatment which avoids the need to use metal hooks or a reinforcing band of material as a mounting means on the upper inside part of the pleated window treatment for the purpose of receiving metal hooks that are used to engage a rod.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    The invention provides a novel means for suspending a pleated window treatment on a rod by means which is formed into a rod engaging means that may comprise a continuous rod pocket or a series of straps that are affixed to the back side of a pleated window treatment at a point where it is desired to have the window treatment supported by a rod. The rod is used to support the pleated window treatment and the rod engaging means are preferably affixed to a surface which is in close proximity to the pleats on the window treatment.  
           [0006]    The term window treatment is used to include draperies, curtains, valences, soft shades and soft blinds.  
           [0007]    Accordingly it is a primary object of the invention to provide a novel pleated window treatment that can be suspended on a rod without the use of metal hooks.  
           [0008]    It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel construction for a pleated window treatment that maintains the traditional appearance of a pleated window treatment without the need to include a reinforcing band of material at the inside of the upper part of the pleated window treatment.  
           [0009]    These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from a review of the specification. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an upper portion of a rod pocket pinch pleated window treatment according to the invention.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is top view of a rod pocket pinch pleated window treatment according to FIG. 1.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a side view of a rod pocket pinch pleated window treatment according to FIG. 1.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 is a back view of a tab back; pinch pleated window treatment with open straps to be used as support elements according to the invention.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 5 is a front view of a tab back; pinch pleated window treatment with open straps to be used as support elements according to the invention.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 6 is a back view of a tab back, pinch pleated window treatment with open straps to be used as support elements according to the invention.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 7 is a top view of a tab back, pinch pleated window treatment with open straps to be used as support elements according to the invention.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a tab back, pinch pleated window treatment with open straps to be used as support elements according to the invention.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 9 is a back perspective view of a tab back, pinch pleated window treatment with segmented straps to be used as support elements according to the invention.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 10 is a front view of a tab back, pinch pleated window treatment with segmented straps to be used as support elements according to the invention.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 11 is a back view of a tab back, pinch pleated window treatment with segmented straps to be used as support elements according to the invention.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 12 is a top view of a tab back, pinch pleated window treatment with segmented straps to be used as support elements according to the invention.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a tab back, pinch pleated window treatment with segmented straps to be used as support elements according to the invention.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 14 is a back perspective view of a tab back box pleated window treatment with open straps to be used as support elements according to the invention.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 15 is a front view of a tab back box pleated window treatment with open straps to be used as support elements according to the invention.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 16 is a back view of a tab back box pleated window treatment with open straps to be used as support elements according to the invention.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 17 is a top view of a tab back box pleated window treatment with open straps to be used as support elements according to the invention.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 18 is a back view of a tab back box pleated window treatment with segmented straps to be used as support elements according to the invention.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 19 is a front view of a tab back box pleated window treatment with segmented straps to be used as support elements according to the invention.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 20 is a back view of a tab back box pleated window treatment with segmented straps to be used as support elements according to the invention.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 21 is a top view of a tab back box pleated window treatment with segmented straps to be used as support elements according to the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0031]    Pleats are well known decorative folds of fabric that are fixed in place by stitching. Examples of pleats include but are not limited to box pleats, pinch pleats, pencil pleats, french pleats, parisian pleats, goblet pleats, butterfly pleats, reverse pinch pleats, unlined pinch pleats, roll pleats, grouped pleats, double pinch pleats and the like. Many pleats are illustrated in Sunset Curtains, Draperies and Shades, Library of Congress Catalog No. 92-62829, PP 60-65, which are incorporated by reference.  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 1 discloses an embodiment of a pleated window treatment  2  having a trifold pleat  4  and a rod pocket  6 . The rod pocket  6  is positioned at the top  8  of the back of the pleated window treatment  2 . Folds  12  are formed by the fabric that extends from the pleats downwardly to the lower part of the front of window treatment  2 . The rod pocket  6  is sized to accommodate any standard sized rod to provide support for the hanging of the window treatment. The rod pocket  6  makes it possible to eliminate the need to employ any stiff material that is traditionally used to engage the metal hooks that have been used to support window treatments.  
         [0033]    Conventional pleat stiffening materials, e.g. buckram, may be used as a backing for the pleat forming areas of fabrics. Fabrics, which lack sufficient body to maintain a fixed position, usually require the addition of a stiffening material in order to hold the pleat in the desired shape. FIG. 2 shows a top view of the window treatment of FIG. 1 which shows the top  10  of trifold pleat  4  and the folds  14  that are formed by the fabric that hangs from the pleat.  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 1 which shows the rod pocket  6 . The side edge of panel  2  is hemmed to provide a finished edge on the panel.  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 4 shows a tab back pinch pleat type of window treatment which has pinch pleats that are identical to the pinch pleat construction of FIG. 1. This window treatment differs from the window treatment of FIG. 1 in that it has straps  18  that form a series of separate support elements that are placed at the back of the pinch pleats and at the top back edges of the window treatment to form a means that will engage a rod that is inserted transversely to the longitudinal axis of the window treatment.  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 5 is a front view of a pleated window treatment having pleats that are the same as FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a back view of FIG. 4 which shows straps  18  as the support means for transversely engaging a rod and FIG. 7 is a top view of FIG. 4. The side of strap  18  is shown in FIG. 8.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 9 shows a tab back pinch pleat type of window treatment which has pinch pleats that are identical to the pinch pleat construction of FIG. 1. This window treatment differs from the window treatment of FIG. 1 in that it has straps  26  that form a series of separate support elements that are placed at the back of the pinch pleats and at the top back edges of the window treatment to form a means that will engage a rod that is inserted transversely to the longitudinal axis of the window treatment. FIG. 9 varies from FIG. 4 in that the straps  26  are separated into segments by stitching  28  and  30  that form a series of pockets  25 ,  27 , and  29  that may be used to transversely engage a rod at different heights.  
         [0038]    The segments that are formed by stitching  28  and  30  as shown in FIG. 9 make it possible for the window treatment to be hung at different levels that may be selected at the time that the window treatment is installed.  
         [0039]    FIGS.  10 - 13  are front, back, top and front perspective views of a pinch pleat window treatment having straps  26  on the back side of the window treatment. These straps are segmented into pockets  25 ,  27  and  29  by stitching  28  and  30 .  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 14 shows a tab back box pleat construction having straps  38  that form a series of separate support elements that are placed at the back of the box pleat to form a means that will engage a rod that is inserted transversely to the longitudinal axis of the window treatment. FIGS. 15, 16 and  17  are, respectively, the front, back and top view of the drapery of FIG. 14. It may be seen that FIG. 18 varies from FIG. 14 in that the straps  46  are separated into segments by stitching  48  and stitching  50  which forms a series of pockets  54 ,  56 , and  58  that may be used to transversely engage a rod at different heights. By the use of the segments that are formed by stitching  48  and  50  in FIG. 18, it is possible for the window treatment to be hung at different levels that may be selected at the time that the window treatment is installed. This is made possible by selecting one of a plurality of levels where a rod may be transversely passed through pockets  54 ,  56 , and  58 . While it has not been illustrated, it is also within the scope of the invention to modify a continuous rod pocket such as the rod pocket  6  in FIG. 3 by placing transverse rows of stitching through the pocket to create different channels which may be utilized to transversely engage a rod.  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 19 shows a front view of a window treatment of FIG. 18 and FIG. 20 shows a back view of the window treatment of FIG. 18. The straps  46  are separated into segments by stitching  48  and stitching  50  which forms a series of pockets  54 ,  56 , and  58  that may be used to transversely engage a rod at different heights. By the use of the segments that are formed by stitching  48  and  50  in FIG. 18, it is possible for the window treatment to be hung at different levels which may be selected at the time that the window treatment is installed. This is made possible by selecting one of a plurality of levels where a rod may be transversely passed through pockets  54 ,  56 , and  58 . FIG. 21 is a top view of FIG. 19 which shows the front and rear profiles of the window treatment.