Abstract:
A tassel for use in a covering for an architectural opening is provided with an opening in one end for receiving a flexible elongated member of the type used in operating such coverings and an opening of a different configuration in the opposite end for receiving a wand or similar rigid elongated member also used in operating coverings for architectural openings. An outer cover is also provided for covering at least a portion of the tassel body.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to European patent application No. 03077740.3, filed Sep. 1, 2003, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully disclosed herein.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     This invention relates to a multi-purpose tassel for the operating elements of a retractable covering for an architectural opening, such as a window covering.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Relevant Art  
         [0005]     A window covering, such as a venetian blind with horizontal or vertical slats, is typically provided with a first operating element for lifting or traversing the slats and a second operating element for tilting the slats. Generally, such operating elements will include a cord or ball chain for traversing the slats and a wand for tilting them. Curtains, however, can have either cords or wands for traversing.  
         [0006]     It is generally desirable for the look of a window covering, particularly in an office or dwelling with many window coverings, that the tassels of the operating elements of each window covering are uniform in appearance. Tassels of uniform appearance can also provide a distinctive “look” to the window coverings of their manufacturer. For this reason, tassels of window coverings have often been provided with the logo, mark or name of the manufacturer of the window coverings. Thus, tassels of uniform appearance have been sought for attachment to window covering cords and wands.  
         [0007]     However even though tassels for cords and wands may look the same, they are technically different parts. Attaching a tassel to a pull cord has typically required a different tassel shape than for attaching a tassel to a tilt wand. This has resulted in the production of tassels that appear the same but are technically different. As a result, there has inevitably been confusion during the assembly of window coverings with such tassels, as well as more expense than if the tassels for both cords and wands had, in fact, been identical.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     In accordance with this invention, a tassel is provided which can be connected in an upright position to a cord or similar flexible elongated member and in an inverted position to a wand or similar rigid elongated member while maintaining a uniform outer appearance for the tassel.  
         [0009]     According to one aspect of the invention, a two-part tassel is provided, which comprises: a) a hollow body with: 
        an upright side wall containing a coaxial interior space,     a top wall, and     a bottom wall and     wherein a first aperture is formed through the top wall, through which the cord can be inserted into the interior space to connect the cord to the tassel,     wherein a second aperture is formed through the bottom wall, through which the wand can be inserted into the interior space to connect the wand to the tassel and     wherein the body has its top wall on top in the upright position and its bottom wall on top in the inverted position; and 
 
 b) a cover connectable to the exterior of the body.
       
 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]     Further aspects of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description below of specific embodiments and the drawings thereof, in which:  
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a typical venetian blind with a first prior art embodiment of a tassels on a cord and wand;  
         [0019]      FIG. 2A  is a cross-sectional view of a second prior art embodiment of a tassel in an upright position;  
         [0020]      FIGS. 2B and 2C  are perspective views of the second prior art tassel of  FIG. 2A  in upright and inverted positions, respectively;  
         [0021]      FIG. 3A  is a cross-sectional view of the second prior art tassel of  FIG. 2A , upright and assembled to a cord;  
         [0022]      FIG. 3B  is a cross-sectional view of the second prior art tassel of  FIG. 2A , inverted and assembled to a wand;  
         [0023]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the tassel of this invention;  
         [0024]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the tassel of the invention of  FIG. 4 ;  
         [0025]      FIG. 6A  is a perspective view of the tassel of  FIG. 4 , assembled to a cord;  
         [0026]      FIG. 6B  is a perspective view of the tassel of  FIG. 4 , assembled to a wand;  
         [0027]      FIG. 6C  is a plan view of the left side of just the tassel of  FIG. 4 ;  
         [0028]      FIG. 6D  is a perspective view of the front of just the tassel of  FIG. 4 ; and  
         [0029]      FIG. 6E  is a perspective view of the rear of just the tassel of  FIG. 4 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0030]      FIG. 1  shows a conventional venetian blind  1 , which includes a head rail  3 , a bottom rail  5 , ladders  7 , lift cords  9  and slats  11 . The blind also includes an operating cord  13  and a tilt wand  15 . Both the downwardly-extending operating cord  13  and tilt wand  15  have a prior art tassel  17 ,  19  attached to their free lower end portions  13 A,  15 A. The upper end portions  13 B of the cord are attached to a conventional cord equalizer  18  which is, in turn, connected to a conventional mechanism in the head rail  3  for raising and lowering the slats  11  when the cord is pulled in one direction or the other. The upper end portions  15 B of the wand are attached to a conventional mechanism in the head rail  3  for tilting the slats  11  when the wand is twisted. Although these prior art cord and wand tassels  17 ,  19  have a uniform appearance, they are not the same.  
         [0031]     Cord tassel  17  has an aperture for accommodating the operating cord&#39;s lower end portions  13 A. The lower end portions  13 A of the operating cord  13  can be attached directly to the tassel  17  or, as shown, to an intermediate attaching part  21 . The cord tassel  17  cannot be attached suitably to the wand  15 .  
         [0032]     Likewise, the wand tassel  19  has an aperture for accommodating the lower end portions  15 A of the wand  15 . The wand  15  has a typical hexagonal cross-section, and the wand aperture has a similar cross-section of a slightly smaller dimension. The wand&#39;s lower end portions  15 A can be friction fit into the aperture of the wand tassel  19 , and an adhesive can be used to assure a durable connection between the wand&#39;s lower end portions  15 A and the wand tassel  19 . The wand tassel  19  cannot be suitably attached to the operating cord  13 .  
         [0033]     In accordance with this invention, multi-purpose tassels  120 ,  220 , as shown in  FIGS. 2-6 , are provided which can be connected to both a wand  115 ,  215  and a cord  113 ,  213  of a venetian blind as shown in  FIG. 1  but which will have the same appearance in both cases.  
         [0034]      FIGS. 2-3  show a prior art embodiment  120  of a multi-purpose tassel, having a hollow vertically-extending body  121  with an interior space  123  that extends coaxially. In  FIGS. 2A, 2B  and  3 A, the prior art tassel  120  is upright and in  FIGS. 2C and 3B , the tassel  120  is inverted. The tassel body  121  has vertically-extending, circumferential, outer and inner side walls  125 ,  127 , horizontally-extending, outer and inner, top walls  129 ,  131  and horizontally-extending, outer and inner, bottom walls  133 ,  135 . The outer side wall  125  defines the outer shape of the body  121 . In  FIGS. 2B and 2C , the outer side wall  125  is shown with a generally rectangular, preferably square, horizontal cross-section and comprises left, right, front and rear, rectangular side walls  125 A,  125 B,  125 C,  125 D. However, the outer side wall  125  of the body  121  can have other shapes, such as circular or elliptical in horizontal cross-section. The shape of the interior space  123  of the body  121  is defined by the circumferential inner side wall  127 , together with the inner top wall  131  and inner bottom wall  135 . This interior space  123  has a size and functional shape that allow the tassel body  121  to be attached to the lower end portions  113 A,  115 A of either a cord  113  or a wand  115 . In  FIG. 2C , the inner side wall  127  is shown with a generally hexagonal, horizontal cross-section with side walls  127 A- 127 F that can cooperate with the hexagonal sides of the lower end portions  115 A of a wand  115 .  
         [0035]      FIG. 2B  shows a vertically-extending cord aperture  137  that is provided through the outer and inner, top walls  129 ,  131  of the tassel body  121  into its interior space  123 . The cord aperture  137 , which is preferably round, is used when the prior art tassel  120  is attached to lower end portions  113 A of a cord  113 . Surrounding the cord aperture  137  and part of the inner top wall  129  is an abutment surface  139 , against which either a cord stopping element  143  will abut to hold the cord  113  on the tassel or the bottom end of a wand  115  will abut when inserted in the tassel.  
         [0036]      FIG. 2C  shows a vertically-extending wand aperture  141  that is provided through the outer and inner, bottom walls  133 ,  135  of the tassel body  121  into its interior space  123 . The wand aperture  141  logically has the same horizontal cross-section (e.g., hexagonal) as the lower end portions  115 A of a wand  115 , to be inserted into the tassel.  
         [0037]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  show the prior art tassel  120  with a cord  113  or wand  115  assembled to it.  
         [0038]     With the cord  113 , the prior art tassel  120  is used with its cord aperture  137  upwardly as shown in  FIG. 3A . The free lower end portions  113 A of the cord  113  can be threaded through the cord aperture  137  from top down or bottom up, depending on the type of stopping element  143 , to be used. If a simple knot  143  is used as the stopping element, the free lower end portions  113 A of the cord  113  can be threaded top down through the cord aperture  137 , the knot  143  can be made, and then, the tassel  120  can be slid down along the cord until the knot firmly abuts against the abutment surface  139 . In this way, it is also possible to clamp or crimp a stopping element to the lower end portions  113 A of the cord  113  after threading it through the cord aperture  137 . Clearly, if a stopping element  143  is already fixed to the free lower end portions  113 A of the cord  113  or if a knot  143  is already made there, threading the lower end portions of the cord through the cord aperture  137  from the bottom up is the only alternative.  
         [0039]      FIG. 3A  shows the cord  113  extending in a vertical or upright direction away from the tassel through the cord aperture  137 . A knot  143  is shown at the free lower end portions  113 A of the cord, abutting against the abutment surface  139  of the inner top wall  129  of the tassel body  120 . The upper end  113 B of the operating cord  113  can be attached to a cord equalizer, which is in turn connected to a mechanism of the blind for raising and lowering its slats as described above with regard to  FIG. 1 .  
         [0040]     With the wand  115 , the prior art tassel  120  is used with its cord aperture  137  downwardly as shown in  FIG. 3B  and its body  121  turned upside down relative to its position shown in  FIG. 3A . As shown in  FIG. 3B , the free lower end portions  115 A of the wand  115  can be simply stuck into the interior space  123  of the tassel body  121  through the wand aperture  141 , so that the wand&#39;s lower end portions  115 A extend into the interior space  123  of the tassel. A generally horizontally-extending bottom end surface  115 C of the wand&#39;s lower end portions  115 A is shown in abutment with the abutment surface  139  of the inner top wall  129  of the tassel body  121 . Since the side walls  127 A- 127 F of the interior side wall  127  of the tassel body  121  provide an interior space  123  which substantially matches the shape and size of the lower end portions  115 A of the wand  115 , the lower end portions  115 A have a friction fit within the tassel body. Of course, an even tighter fit can be obtained by providing an adhesive within the interior space  123  of the tassel  120 .  
         [0041]     The upper end portions (not shown) of the wand  115  can be connected to a mechanism of the blind for tilting its slats as described above with regard to  FIG. 1 .  
         [0042]     The cord aperture  137  can have any horizontal cross-sectional shape and dimensions suitable for threading the free, lower end portions  113 A of the cord  113 , so long as the cord stopping element or knot  143  cannot pass through the cord aperture. In this regard, it generally suffices to have the shape and dimensions of the cord stopping element  143  larger than those of the cord aperture  137 . In addition, the cord aperture  137  must have a horizontal cross-sectional shape and dimensions smaller than those of the lower end portions  115 A of the wand  115 , so that the inner top wall  131  has an abutment surface  139  for the bottom end  115 C of the wand.  
         [0043]     Likewise, the wand aperture  141  can have any horizontal cross-sectional shape and dimensions suitable to accommodate the cross-section of the wand  115 . If the wand is round so can be the second aperture. Thus, the wand  115  and wand aperture  141  can both be circular, square, hexagonal, rectangular, oval, diamond-shape, etc. in horizontal cross-section.  
         [0044]     As seen from  FIGS. 3A and 3B , the prior art tassel  120  has the same appearance when upright and attached to cord  113  as when inverted and attached to a wand  115 . The visible outer side wall  127  can be of any desired shape but should be symmetrical with regard to the vertical center of the body  121 , between its outer top and bottom walls  131 ,  135 , so that no matter whether the tassel is upright or inverted, its appearance is the same. Lettering, symbols or other markings on the outer side wall  127  can be used, but will appear different depending upon whether the tassel is upright or inverted.  
         [0045]      FIGS. 4-6  show an embodiment  220  of a multi-purpose tassel of this invention, which is similar to prior art the tassel  120  of  FIGS. 2-3  and for which corresponding reference numerals (greater by 100) are used below for describing the same parts or corresponding parts.  
         [0046]     The tassel  220  of the invention has a hollow vertically-extending body  221 , with an interior space  223  that extends coaxially. A cover  244  can be connected to the tassel body  221  by partially or completely inserting the body through an open top of the cover into its upper portion  245  which forms a recess on top of the cover. In  FIGS. 4-6 , a snap-fit arrangement between opposite sides of the inner side wall  246  of the upper portion  245  of the cover  244  and opposite sides of the outer side wall  225  of the tassel body  221  is shown, but the two parts could also be held together by a friction fit, with adhesive or by ultrasonic welding. The inner side wall  246  of the upper portion  245  of the cover  244  has a horizontal cross-section with a complementary shape and size to that of the outer side wall  225  of the tassel body  221 , to be inserted therein.  
         [0047]     The circumferential outer side wall  225  of the tassel body  221  preferably comprises left, right, front and rear, side walls  225 A,  225 B,  225 C, and  225 D. Preferably, the front and rear, outer side walls  225 C,  225 D are rectangular, the front outer side wall  225 C is shorter than the rear outer side wall  225 D, and the left and right, outer side walls  225 A,  225 B are of a trapezoidal shape, with top and bottom sides that converge towards the front side wall  225 C. The lower sides of the left and right, outer side walls  225 A,  225 B preferably are slightly concave upward, and the upper sides of the left and right, outer side walls preferably are slightly concave downward.  
         [0048]     In  FIGS. 4 and 5 , side-by-side, upright and inverted, tassel bodies  221 ′,  221 ″ are shown which are otherwise the same. Tassel body  221 ′ assembled to cover  244 , results in tassel  220 ′. Similar, tassel body  221 ″ with cover  244  makes tassel  220 ″. Atop the upright tassel body  221 ′ are a vertically-extending cord aperture  237  that extends through the body&#39;s outer and inner, top walls  229 ,  231  and into its interior space  223  and an abutment surface  239  on a non-apertured part of body&#39;s inner top wall  231 . Under the upright tassel body  221 ′ is a vertically-extending wand aperture  239  that extends through the body&#39;s outer and inner, bottom walls  233 ,  235  and into its interior space  223 . The upright tassel body  221 ′ can be connected to a cord (not shown), inserted through the cord aperture  237 , and then, the upright tassel body can be inserted into the upper portion  245  of the cover  244 .  
         [0049]     Atop the inverted tassel body  221 ″ is the wand aperture  241  in the body&#39;s outer and inner, bottom walls  233 ,  235 , and on the bottom of the inverted tassel body  221 ″ are the cord aperture  237  in the body&#39;s outer and inner, top walls  229 ,  231  and the abutment surface  239 . The inverted tassel boy  221 ″ can be connected to a wand (not shown), inserted through the wand aperture  239 , and then, the inverted tassel body can be inserted into the upper portion  245  of the cover  244 .  
         [0050]     Since the tassel body  221  is symmetrical in shape with regard to its vertical center, between its outer top and bottom walls  231 ,  235 , turning it over will not affect the complementarity of the outer side wall  225  of the tassel body relative to the inner side wall  246  of the upper portion  245  of the cover  244 . Because the cover  244  will not be inverted, in use, its outer wall does not have to be symmetrical in shape with regard to its vertical center and indeed can have any shape and be provided with lettering, marking or symbols.  
         [0051]     The tassel body  221  can be snap fit into the upper portion  245  of the cover  244  in any conventional manner. For this purpose, the front and rear, outer side walls  225 C,  225 D preferably each have a pair of parallel, horizontally-extending, upper slots  247 A,  247 B and a pair of parallel, horizontally-extending, lower slots  248 A,  248 B. These slots  247 A,  247 B,  248 A,  248 B are adapted to engage a pair of parallel, horizontally-extending snap-lugs  249 A,  249 B on the front and rear, inner side walls  246 C,  246 D of the upper portion  245  of the cover  244  to snap-fit the tassel body into the cover&#39;s upper portion  245 .  
         [0052]     The tassel body  221  is also provided with parallel, left and right grooves  250 A,  250 B in its outer top wall  229 , and corresponding left and right grooves  251 A,  251 B in its outer bottom wall  235 . These grooves are complementary in shape and dimension to left and right, upwardly-extending, shoulder ridges  253 ,  255 , described below, that are atop the bottom of the upper portion  245  of the cover  244 . The grooves  250 A,  250 B and  251 A,  251 B and shoulder ridges  253 ,  255  cooperate with each other to provide a close fit of the cover to the tassel body.  
         [0053]     The cover  244 , as shown in  FIGS. 4-6 , is generally rectangular in horizontal and vertical cross-section. The cover has a circumferential outer side wall  257 , formed by left, right, front and rear, side walls  257 A,  257 B,  257 C,  257 D which extend vertically and are connected, at generally right angles, to each other and to a horizontally-extending bottom wall  259 . The recess in the upper portion  245  of the cover  244  is formed by upper portions  257 C′,  257 D′ of the front and rear, side walls  257 C,  257 D which extend above the left and right, side walls  257 A,  257 B. Once the tassel  220  is assembled, the left and right side walls  225 A,  225 B of the body  121  will remain visible within the cover  244 .  
         [0054]     The upper portions  257 C′,  257 D′ of the front and rear, side walls  257 C,  257 D of the cover  244  act as cantilever beams for the snap-fit of the tassel body  221  with the cover.  
         [0055]     The thickness of the upper portions  257 C′,  257 D′ of the front and rear, side walls preferably is tapered (i.e., less) towards their top, so that they can flex somewhat outwardly when the tassel body  221  is inserted downwardly in the open top of the cover  244 , causing the snap-lugs  249 A,  249 B on each of the front and rear, inner side walls  246 C,  246 D of the cover&#39;s upper portion  245  to be urged outwardly by the front and rear, outer side walls  225 C,  225 D of the body and then flex back inwardly as the snap-lugs  249 A,  249 B enter horizontally into the upper slots  247 A,  247 B (if the body is upright) or lower slots  248 A,  248 B (if the body is inverted) in the body&#39;s front and rear, outer side walls.  
         [0056]     Preferably, the snap-lugs  249 A,  249 B are generally conventional, protruding lugs on the front and rear, inner side walls  246 C,  246 D of the cover&#39;s upper portion  245 , and each snap-lug has a gentle ramp at its top or entrance side and a sharper angle at its bottom or retraction side. The location of the upper and lower slots  247 A,  247 B,  248 A,  248 B in the tassel body&#39;s front and rear, outer side walls  225 C,  225 D is complementary to the location of the snap-lugs  249 A,  249 B on each of the front and rear, inner side walls  246 C,  246 D, so that the snap-lugs will engage the slots once the tassel body  221 , whether upright or inverted (depending on whether a cord or a wand is to be attached to the tassel  220 ), is inserted into the recess formed by the cover&#39;s upper portion  245 .  
         [0057]     For further support of the tassel body  221 , whether upright or inverted, in the cover&#39;s upper portion  245 , a circumferential shoulder  259  extends inwardly along the left, right, front and rear, inner side walls  246 A,  246 B,  246 C,  246 D at the bottom of the upper portion  245  of the cover  244 . The circumferential shoulder  259  thus defines the bottom of the recess formed by the cover&#39;s upper portion  245  at a distance beneath the top of the cover substantially equal to the height of the body&#39;s front and rear, outer side walls  225 C,  225 D. The circumferential shoulder  259  has left and right shoulder portions  259 A,  259 B which are located at the top of the left and right, inner side walls  246 A,  246 B, and atop these shoulders portions are the left and right, upwardly-extending shoulder ridges  253 ,  255 , respectively, described above. The circumferential shoulder  259  also has front and rear, shoulder portions  259 C and  259 D which are located on the front and rear, inner side walls  246 C,  246 D. Preferably, each shoulder portion  259 A-D extends along the total horizontal width of its respective inner side wall  246 A-D. The left and right, shoulder ridges  253 ,  255  are adapted to cooperate with the left and right grooves  250 A,  250 B and  251 A,  251 B of the outer, top and bottom walls  229 ,  235  of the tassel body  221  as described above.  
         [0058]     When a cord  213  is to be attached to the tassel body  221  as shown in  FIG. 6 , the upright body is inserted into the recess formed by the upper portion  245  of the cover  244  with the body&#39;s outer top wall  229  directed upwardly and outwardly of the cover&#39;s upper portion, so that the upper slot  247 A in the body&#39;s front outer side wall  225 C engages the front snap-lug  249 A on the cover&#39;s front, inner side wall  246 C and the upper slot  247 B in the body&#39;s rear outer side wall  225 D engages the rear snap-lug  249 B on the cover&#39;s rear, inner side wall  246 D. Thereby, the grooves  251 A,  251 B of the body&#39;s outer, bottom wall  235  rest on the left and right, shoulder ridges  253 ,  255  on the left and right, inner side walls  246 A,  246 B at the bottom of the cover&#39;s upper portion  245  in the resulting tassel  220 .  
         [0059]     When a wand  215  is to be attached to the tassel body  221  as shown in  FIG. 6 , the inverted body is inserted into the recess formed by the upper portion  245  of the cover  244  with the body&#39;s outer bottom wall  233  directed upwardly and outwardly of the cover&#39;s upper portion, so that the lower slot  248 A in the body&#39;s front outer side wall  225 C engages the front snap-lug  249 A and the lower slot  248 B in body&#39;s rear outer side wall  225 D engages the rear snap-lug  249 B. Thereby, the grooves  250 A,  250 B in the body&#39;s outer top wall  229  rest on the shoulder ridges  253 ,  255  on the left and right, inner side walls  246 A,  246 B at the bottom of the cover&#39;s upper portion  245  in the resulting tassel  220 .  
         [0060]     The tassel body  221  can have any shape and size, so long as the body is symmetrical with regard to its horizontal centerline, and the upper portion  245  of the cover  244  can accommodate both the upright and inverted body.  
         [0061]     The cover  244  of the tassel  220  can have virtually any shape or size and have lettering, symbols or other markings on its outer side wall  257 . Such markings which will appear the same regardless of whether the tassel body  221  is upright or inverted because the cover will not be affected by the orientation of the body.  
         [0062]     The tassels  120  and  220 , and the tassel body  221  and cover  244  can be made of a plastic. Preferably, the cover  244  is of a clear plastic, and its outer, front and rear side walls  257 C,  257 D have horizontally-extending serrations  261  as shown in  FIGS. 4-6 .  
         [0063]     This invention is, of course, not limited to the above-described embodiments which can be modified without departing from the scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its advantages. In this regard, the terms in the foregoing description and the following claims, such as “upright”, “inverted”, “top”, “bottom”, “horizontal”, “vertical”, “right”, “left”, “above”, “below”, “upper”, “lower”, “longitudinal” and “lateral”, have been used only as relative terms to describe the relationships of the various elements of the tassel of the invention for a retractable architectural covering. For example, in a curtain or a vertical blind, the tassel of this invention can be attached to a wand that is attached directly to a curtain carrier or a lead carrier of a vertical blind.