Abstract:
The structures and process of both forming and trimming the blind set include the provision of a channel extension or channel plug utilized in a blind set which has the louver manipulation components significantly inward to permit a reasonable amount of outboard removal while maintaining the balance and regular appearance of the blind set. The channel plug acts to stabilize the “U” shaped upper channel by having an insertion portion which not only fills a structurally significant extent of the channel, but fully upwardly engages a pair of oppositely oriented curved inwardly and downwardly lips. An extension portion of the channel plug has a pair of upper rails which match and blend with the terminus of the pair of oppositely oriented curved inwardly and downwardly lips to provide both stability, visual continuity, and continuous upper, frontal, rear, and bottom support as will be had from the particular mounting method employed. The plug is typically made from a material as soft as the material from which the louvers or slats are made, such as wood, plastic, polyethylene, polyurethane, nylon, fiber glass, polypropylene, or the like.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to an improvement in the window covering which is efficient and enables individuals to have the facilitated ability to customize the width of horizontal blinds and reduce injury and damage to the horizontal blinds being custom fitted, as well as to reduce the danger to the individual performing the custom sizing of the blind sets.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Horizontal blind systems typically have an upper channel made of metal and configured to support movement and bearing components for horizontal blind operation. The two main operations are the elevation of the bottom horizontal which automatically collects the suspended horizontals above it and clears the window opening, and the angular movement of the slats utilized to allow light into the room at high or low angle or to close the louvers completely. The first operation is typically had by simply pulling a set of two or more suspension strings downward to, in a pulley fashion cause the bottom member to rise to collect the louvers. The second operation may be actuated by a pair of pull strings, or more recently by a control wand, to enable the louvers to change their angle. Thus the inside channel has to support bearing members for raising of the louver and a rotational drum for adjusting the angle of the louvers by raising and lowering two louver support verticals relative to each other.  
           [0003]    Typically the louvers or slats are made of a soft material such as wood, plastic, nylon or other carbon based material. Further, in most horizontal blind sets, the upper channel is made of steel or aluminum. Even where very expensive and high precision saws are available, the cutting of the complex shape of the channel is extremely problematic. The saw used for metal and the saw used for the soft material, as a practical matter, have to be different. Cutting the soft material with a metal cutting saw would burn or melt the soft material, while cutting the metal with a soft material saw would rip and tear the metal, bending the upper channel and leaving sharp bits of metal torn away from the channel. The so-called soft material is in reality a material of soft cutting consistency which takes to account the fact that a saw typically takes larger bites of the material, proceeds much more quickly through the material, with the saw blade being typically configured to avoid generation of friction on the material at points past the cutting front. Metal saws are generally characterized as having teeth which take much smaller bites, and since the material to be cut is metal, any friction generated by the saw blade, as well as by the cutting teeth, are assumed to be readily dissipated especially by the metallic material, as well as by extended length of the cutting blade, especially in the case of a band saw. These are general characteristics of commonly available saw blades, and it is understood that a given blade may or may not have combinations of the specific characteristics enumerated.  
           [0004]    The reaction to these problems has not been satisfactory. Attempting to select an intermediate type saw still carries the dangers of burn to the soft material and ripping to the channel. Further, any attempt to cut both the metal channel and the soft louver material simultaneously would be dangerous to the operator. Both the metal and the soft material have their own blades and the cutting operation proceeds at different speeds for each. The further unacceptable result is in trying to cut them separately. This means that the louvers or slats have to become dis-aligned from the channel, and that the cutting operation of each has to come within inches of the other. Further, when dis-aligned, or “fanned” to a small extent, and thus when not stacked together, the likelihood of a mis-match in dimension is high. The point of customization is not only for the blind set to fit an odd sized window, or even that the channel simply clear the width in which it is to be mounted. The point is to have a blind set which fits squarely into a window opening, and in which the louvers or slats have a fit within the window which appears custom and which shuts out light. Blind sets which are mounted outside of an opening and which are not custom fit can overlap the opening to affect the shutting out of light, however, this orientation is more likely to leave a gap between the side wall facings and the closed louvers or slats to thus provide an even greater impediment to sealing off of light.  
           [0005]    What is therefore needed is a mechanism which allows blind sets having relatively soft louver or slat material to be more safely, rapidly and easily customized, and without the need for using different types of saw blades, and without the need to separate the channel from the louvers to cause either a mismatch in size or to cause an angled cut due to “fanning”. The needed solution should strengthen and stabilize the blind set while reducing the changes for size error and mis-match.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The structures and process of both forming and trimming the blind set include the provision of a channel extension or channel plug utilized in a blind set which has the louver manipulation components significantly inward to permit a reasonable amount of outboard removal while maintaining the balance and regular appearance of the blind set. The channel plug acts to stabilize the “U” shaped upper channel by having an insertion portion which not only fills a structurally significant extent of the channel in a shape which is substantially continuous with the external dimensions of the channel, but fully upwardly engages a pair of oppositely oriented curved inwardly and downwardly lips and fully downwardly engages the floor of the channel to form a rigid fit with respect to the channel. Moreover, the act of closely engaging the internal aspects of a “U” shaped channel by a rigid block structure even further bolsters the strength and stability of the channel alone, as well as further providing an even stronger structure at the end or ends of the channel. The strength bolstered end, regardless of the length to which it is cut, enables a more creative variety of wall supports, especially supplanting wall supports which were believed necessary to completely surround and engage the channel on a plurality of its corners or sides.  
           [0007]    An extension portion of the channel plug has a pair of upper rails which match and blend with the terminus of the pair of oppositely oriented curved inwardly and downwardly lips to provide both stability, visual continuity, and continuous upper, frontal, rear, and bottom support as will be had from the particular mounting method employed. The plug is typically made from a material as soft as the material from which the louvers or slats are made, such as wood, plastic, polyethylene polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, medium density fiber board, plywood, fiber glass, polypropylene, paper or the like. The plug contains a pair of internal guide ribs to assist the engagement of a small threaded member which extends through the lower floor of the “U” shaped upper channel, and then engaging the plug at a surface adjacent such lower floor. The plug may have one or more edges or corners removed to reduce the effective perimeter of the end of the insertion portion to facilitate quicker insertion of the plug into the “U” shaped upper channel. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    The invention, its configuration, construction, and operation will be best further described in the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a customizable blind set showing a horizontal break line to illustrate that it can be of any overall length, and having an interruption in the vertical stack of its slats to show that it can be of any height having any number of slats, and showing the integral channel plugs at the ends of the upper channels;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 is a view taken from the same perspective as in FIG. 1, but with the upper channel internals removed, and with the integral fitting channel plugs shown exploded from the the “U” shaped upper channel;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 is a side view of the channel plug seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 and illustrating the abbreviated height rounded flanges which fit within the underside of a pair of oppositely oriented curved inwardly and downwardly lips at the top of a “U” shaped upper channel, typically made of metal;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 illustrates an end view of the channel plug of FIG. 3 and illustrating internal detail; and  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 5 illustrates a plan view of the customizable blind set looking down upon a cutting table with protruding circular saw and shown in a position having just been cut. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0014]    The description and operation of the shutter system of the invention will begun to be best described with reference to FIG. 1 which illustrates a perspective view of a customizable blind set  11 . Blind set  11  has an upper channel member  13  which includes a metal “U” shaped upper channel  15  and a channel plug  17 .  
         [0015]    Below the upper channel member  13 , a series of louvers or slats  19  are suspended along a set of string or pull cords  21  through a series of apertures  23 . The lowest, underneath the set of slats  19  is a base slat  25 , typically used by its size and weight to anchor the slats  19  above it, and to provide a space for termination of a ladder cord. A ladder cord  27  is shown which may extend generally along side the pull cords  21  but need not do so, and is shown spaced from the pull cords for clarity. The ladder cord  27  suspends the louvers in a spaced apart relationship when the pull cord is loosened enough to allow the louvers to spread into the spacing set by the ladder cord.  
         [0016]    A turning fitting  29  is seen protruding at an angle from the channel  15  which operates the appropriate gearing to operate the ladder cord  27 . Inside the metal “U” shaped upper channel  15  is a pair of drums  31 , each of which operates a ladder cord  27 , one of which is seen in FIG. 1. Each drum  31  engages the two vertical ends of the ladder cord  27  across its width and the turning of the drum  31  causes the louvers or slats  19  to change its planar angle to let in more or less light. The drums  31  are rotationally supported within the are metal “U” shaped upper channel  15 , but are significantly inboard of the outermost extent of the metal “U” shaped upper channel  15 , at least inboard enough to give sufficient space to accommodate the channel plug  17  on either end. The pull end of the set of pull cords  21  are not shown for clarity and especially as they can emerge and extend downwardly form several places on the upper channel member  13 . The turning of the drums  31  can be accomplished by use of a wand and its turning gear or by a further set of pull cords, but where the downwardly extending cords are brought further inboard, the use of a wand and reduction gear is preferred.  
         [0017]    The channel plug  31  is seen to have an insertion portion  33  which extends inboard of the outermost extent of the metal “U” shaped upper channel  15 , and an extension portion  35  which extends outboard of the outermost extent of the metal “U” shaped upper channel  15 . In FIG. 1, the only view of channel plug  17  illustrates a continuous surface which is not directly engaging any other structure. As will be seen, in order to achieve continuity with the channel member  13 , the surfaces which will abut the inside of the channel member  13  will have a small but discrete size differential roughly equivalent to the thickness of the metal utilized for channel member  13 . The metal “U” shaped upper channel  15  has a pair of oppositely oriented curved inwardly and downwardly lips  37 . The lips  37  have an exterior surface which is generally seen in FIG. 1 and an interior surface generally facing a floor of the channel member  13  which will be more fully seen in FIG. 2. The channel plug  17  includes a pair of upper flanges  39  which continue this shape onto the channel plug  17  beyond the outermost extent of the metal “U” shaped upper channel  15 . The result is that a pair of pair of oppositely oriented curved flange shapes extend the length of the top of the upper channel member  13  throughout its length. This structure makes a flat profile and urges the upper channel member  13  to become flatly resting against any upper flat surface. The channel plugs  17  are seen to have an open end  41  extending through them, and a pair of threaded member raised walls  43 . A pull cord mechanism  44  is seen for enabling the pulling through and selective locking of the position of a pull cord (not shown).  
         [0018]    Referring to FIG. 2, a view from the same perspective as FIG. 1 is shown but in which the internals of the metal “U” shaped upper channel  15  have been removed and in which the channel plugs  17  are shown in exploded relation ship more fully illustrates the construction. The metal “U” shaped upper channel  15  is seen to have a floor  45 , a first side wall  47  and a second side wall  49 . An aperture  51  in the floor  45  is utilized by a small threaded member  53  in order to securely engage the channel plug  17  in its sliding fit within the The metal “U” shaped upper channel  15 . Because the insertion portion matches the internal confines of the “U” shaped upper channel  15 , a very close fit is maintained simply by the small threaded member  53 .  
         [0019]    The channel plug  17  is also shown as having a small corner removed to yield a cut away shape  55  to assist in inserting the channel plug  17  into the “U” shaped upper channel  15  by permitting an initial entry alignment. It is to be noted that since the channel plug  17  is a rectangular annulus that the cut away shape  55  will simply create a “v” shaped angled surface on the floor  45  and second side wall  49  as shown. As also can be seen, the pair of upper flanges  39  transition into a pair of abbreviated height rounded flanges  57  which are sized to fit underneath the pair of oppositely oriented curved inwardly and downwardly lips  37  of the “U” shaped upper channel  15 . A gear box  59  is seen operably attached to the turning fitting  29 , and set to operate turning linkages between turning gear box  59  and the connected drums  31 .  
         [0020]    Referring to FIG. 3, a side view of the channel plug  17  is seen and which illustrates one portion of the “v” as a cut  61  into a floor wall  63 , and the other portion of the “v” as a cut  65  into a first side wall  67 . Other features of the channel plug  17  include a first end  69  of the insertion portion  33 , and a second end  71  of the extension portion  35 . A small portion of a second side wall  73  can be seen through the  55  in the cut away shape  55 . Further, a surface normal to the extent of the channel plug  17  is seen as normal planar surface  74 , so called as it is normal to the axis of the general directional extent of the channel plug  17 . The cylindrical equivalent to normal planar surface  74  would be a radial surface. The width of this normal planar surface  74  is approximately the thickness of the metal of the channel member  13 , but it need not always be. So long as provision is made for the insertion portion  33  to gain strong, rigid support from the channel member  13 , the exterior surface of the insertion portion  33  need not match the channel member  13  internal surface. Regardless, the normal planar surface  74  acts as but one mechanism to solidly set the extent to which the second end  71  of the channel plug  17  extends beyond the end of the channel member  13 . This means that there will be no axial movement with respect to the channel member  13 , and the cutting of the channel plug  17  will then have the same effect dimensionally in the axial direction of the channel member  13  as if the channel itself were being cut. As has already been discussed, it is an important advantage that the channel plug  17  act to stabilize the end of the channel member  13 , and any deviation from a design wherein the insertion portion  33  does not match the channel member  13 , should ideally still provide this stabilization of the channel member  13 .  
         [0021]    Referring to FIG. 4, an end view taken along line  4 - 4  of FIG. 3 is seen. A top wall  75  is seen between the abbreviated height rounded flanges  57  and the pair of upper flanges  39 . The top wall  75 , first side wall  67 , second side wall  71  and floor wall  63  form an annular rectangular shape and may be molded or extruded as a one piece extrusion. The abbreviated height rounded flanges  57  can be formed from a full extrusion by simply grinding off a very small amount of additional material over a portion of the plug  17  which is to be inserted into the “U” shaped upper channel  15 , namely, the insertion portion  33 .  
         [0022]    The annular rectangular shape of the plug  17  includes a through opening  77 . At the center of the floor wall  63 , a pair of slightly spaced apart up upwardly extending protrusions  79  provide a guide slot  81  for assisting in providing a guide for the insertion of the threaded member  53 . The material of the protrusions  79  provide holding power for the threaded member  53 . The formation of the protrusions  79  may also be used as a safety valve for the excess of the material of the plug where it is desired to provide same. The protrusions  79  and the guide slot  81  assist in both the entry and the holding force for the threaded member  53 . An aperture  83  is seen in dashed line format.  
         [0023]    Referring to FIG. 5, a plan view of the customizable blind set  11  looking down upon a cutting table  85  having a blade opening  87  and circular saw blade  89 . The arrows indicate the direction of travel across the cutting table  85 . Note that for stability purposes, the louvers or slats  19  are bunched closely to the channel member  13 . This enables the louvers or slats  19  to derive support from each other, the channel member  13  and the base slat  25 . The bunching may be done by use of string, elastic bands, clamps and the like.  
         [0024]    The customizable blind set  11  is having one of its ends cut after having had the other of its ends cut to leave equal lengths of channel plug  17 . The blind set  11  is extremely compacted with the base slat  25  compressing the louvers  19  tightly against the “U” shaped upper channel  15 . The ability to form a simultaneous cut of the louvers  19 , base slat  25  and channel plug  17 , all made of substantially material of the same softness, while the blind set  11  is in such a tight packed arrangement, greatly adds to the accuracy of the cut.  
         [0025]    As has been discussed, this also greatly adds to safety. Cutting a tight packed assembly, possibly temporarily held together by bands, ties or a clamp is essentially as safe as cutting a relatively large block of homogeneous material. Without the ability to cut under conditions of tight pack, the separate members would have to be held together separately. This is either done well and is onerous, or it is done poorly and could result in one of the slats  19  becoming ripped up from the group and destroyed. At best destroyed slat  19  requires almost complete disassembly of the blind set  11  and replacement of the ladder cord  27 . At worse, a shattering of the material being cut could harm the operator. The time savings also benefits the user as the concentration of interest is the width of the window covering or blind set  11  and this is exactly what a cutting table  85  is set up to do. The view of FIG. 5 illustrates the treatment just after the last cut where a grouping of cut excess  91  is seen separated from the remaining blind set  11 . The cut excess  91  may preferably be banded together by tape or elastic band to hold it together during cutting, if the cut excess is long enough, especially to prevent movement of significant sized chips in, around and through the blade opening  87 . Note that both of the channel plugs  17  are of fairly equal length, but this is not strictly a requirement. The blind set  11  can be utilized with only a single channel plug  17 , especially if a resulting bilateral symmetry is not especially desired. In blind sets  11  with more than two sets of ladder cord  27 , the interspacing between ladder cords  27  can be staggered to hide or obscure un-evenness in the end cuts.  
         [0026]    While the present invention has been described in terms of a system and method for quickly and accurately simultaneously cutting a blind set by utilizing end protrusions of the same material cutting resistance of the slats or louvers, one skilled in the art will realize that the structure and techniques of the present invention can be applied to many structures, including any structure or technique where a firmly anchored extension can be provided within the same dimensional limit as other material to be trimmed.  
         [0027]    Although the invention has been derived with reference to particular illustrative embodiments thereof, many changes and modifications of the invention may become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, included within the patent warranted hereon are all such changes and modifications as may reasonably and properly be included within the scope of this contribution to the art.