Abstract:
The present invention relates to a curtain with an integral hanging assembly to allow a curtain to be hung from a curtain rod without moving the curtain rod.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Field 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to an assembly for hanging a curtain from a curtain rod. More specifically, the invention relates to an assembly integral to a curtain and configured to allow the curtain to be hung from a curtain rod. More specifically still, the invention relates to a curtain with an integral hanging assembly to allow a curtain to be hung from a curtain rod without moving the curtain rod. 
         [0003]    2. Background Information 
         [0004]    Curtains are known to be used to cover building openings, such as doors and windows, for aesthetic reasons as well as to provide shielding or privacy within a building or other structure, such as in curtains adapted to separate a bathing area from the remaining room or living space. Typical privacy curtains in a structure are hung or suspended from an elongate support rod, permanently or temporarily fixed to a portion of the structure. A support rod, or curtain rod, in a typical installation may be an elongate cylindrical or tubular element adapted to span the width of an opening in a structure and remain fixed to a portion of the structure. Fixing the support rod to the structure may require brackets, fasteners, adhesive, or other fastening devices to fix the rod to the structure. 
         [0005]    Curtains are typically fabricated from flexible, sheet-like material, such as fabric or other woven materials, non-woven materials, or polymeric materials formed into substantially flexible sheets, by known methods. For specific applications, specific materials may be required. In other applications, typical materials may require specific treatment to make the material suitable for the intended use. For example, in applications using a curtain to contain water or water spray, the material for the curtain may be required to be waterproof, or a non-waterproof material may be used if it receives a treatment, coating, additional layer, etc., to render the normally non-waterproof material waterproof. 
         [0006]    The curtains can be drawn partially or completely across the width of the opening to be covered when such coverage is desired. When not needed or desired, the curtain may be drawn to one side or the other of the opening, providing open access through the opening. 
         [0007]    Typical curtains are hung from a support rod using curtain hooks adapted for attachment to a top edge portion of the curtain and also adapted for attachment to the support rod. Known curtain hooks have been shaped to engage an edge portion of a curtain and then engage a curtain rod. Alternately, known curtain hooks may engage the curtain rod first, either removably or permanently, and then engage the edge portion of the curtain. Typical shapes include C- or S-shaped curtain hooks, which can be engaged with the curtain and curtain rod. These shaped hooks provide easy installation and removal of the curtain from the rod, but also allow for inadvertent detachment of the curtain from the rod. Because the curtain hooks are individual pieces, manual dexterity and great care to install, and they are frequently lost or misplaced. 
         [0008]    O-shaped hooks, with at least one break in the perimeter, can be similarly attached to the curtain edge portion or the support rod. The ends of the ends formed by the break may be adapted to be rejoined. If the ends formed by the break in the perimeter are not rejoined, the O-shaped hooks have characteristics similar to the C-shaped hooks. Rejoining the ends can be an onerous task. 
         [0009]    Other methods for hanging a curtain from a curtain rod include providing the curtain with fixed openings, holes, or receptacles at or near the top edge portion of the curtain. The openings or passages are an integral part of the curtain. For example, closed loops of material may be attached to the top edge portion of a curtain, with the loops spaced apart and arranged such that the open interior spaces of the loops are coaxial and aligned with the width of the curtain to span the opening to be covered. Some curtains include passages or holes located in the top edge portion of the curtain, spaced below the top edge. Providing these passages give the curtain a more secure attachment to the curtain rod, as the likelihood of the rod and the curtain becoming separated is reduced, while still allowing the curtain to be easily drawn across the opening or to one side of the opening. 
         [0010]    In order to hang curtains with passages fixed thereto, the support rod must be removed from the structure and inserted through the openings provided. With the curtains including fixed passages, the top edge of the curtain may be arranged in accordioned or pleated such that the open interior of the passages are aligned. After the curtain rod is inserted appropriately through the openings, the rod is then re-installed in the correct location across the opening to be covered. Removing the curtain from the rod requires the same steps in reverse order. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    The known curtains fail to provide a secure attachment for the curtain to the rod that is easily to achieve and equally easy to detached from the rod. Therefore, it would be an advancement to the state of the art to provide a curtain including an attachment that securely fixes the curtain to a support rod until purposefully removed, and allows the curtain to be easily drawn. 
         [0012]    Accordingly, the present invention relates to an improved curtain hanging assembly. The assembly will be discussed largely in terms of a shower curtain assembly with the understanding that the same assembly can be used in conjunction with other types of curtains. 
         [0013]    One embodiment of the present invention is directed to a curtain including a plurality of openings along a top edge portion of the curtain, spaced away from the edge of the curtain. In the two outer openings closest to the side edges of the curtain, a cut is extended from each of the outer openings to the top edge of the curtain. In the inner openings, a path is extended through the curtain between each pair of the inner openings. The cuts that extend from each of the outer openings to the top edge of the curtain and the path between pairs of the inner openings enable the engagement of the curtain onto the rod without removing the rod. 
         [0014]    According to some embodiments of the invention, the openings are reinforced by a curtain hanger formed by a pair of joinable elements. Each of the joinable elements has an interior passage of a size and shape similar to the passage in the curtain and when joined, the passages in the two elements are substantially coaxial and coextensive. Each element of the pair includes one cut through the element resulting in two free ends of similar cross section with portions of each free end parallel with portions of the opposing free end. The path of the cut may be linear or non-linear, or partially linear and partially nonlinear. 
         [0015]    According to embodiments of the invention, each the joinable elements in a pair has opposing surfaces adapted for engagement with each other. Such adaptation could include mutually engaging structures configured to join the elements together with at least a portion of the curtain edge portion placed between the opposing surfaces. The mutually engaging structures may permanently engage the elements or may removably engage the elements. The engaging structures establish rotational and translational position of one element with respect to the other. 
         [0016]    According to embodiments of the invention, when joined, the elements are rotationally positioned such that the cut in the first element of a pair is rotationally offset from the cut in the second element of the pair by less than 15°. Preferably, the offset is between 5° and 10°, and preferably approximately 8°. 
         [0017]    In an assembly according to embodiments of the invention, a pair of joinable elements are placed, one on either side of a curtain, such that opposed surfaces face the curtain and such that the interior passage of each element is arranged in a coaxial manner and the passages are aligned with the passage in the top edge portion of the curtain. One element of the pair is arranged such that the free ends formed by the cut is aligned with the cut in the curtain. The other element of the pair is positioned such that the cut in that element is rotated from the cut in the curtain less than 15° in either direction, that is, the second element may be rotated in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Once aligned, the opposing surfaces are urged together, with a portion of the top edge portion there between, such that the surfaces engage and are fixed in rotational and translational position with respect to each other and the curtain. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]      FIG. 1  illustrates a curtain assembly of the prior art. 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  illustrates a curtain assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  illustrates a curtain assembly hanging on a rod according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0021]    As used herein, the term “curtain” is understood to mean a generally sheet-like structure having a top edge, a top edge portion extending downward from the top edge, and opposing side edges extending downward from the top edge. The distance between the side edges generally establishing the width of the curtain. 
         [0022]    As used herein, “top edge” is understood to mean the uppermost part of the curtain when hung in a conventional manner for curtains. “Top” is intended to have its plain meaning, including the highest or uppermost part or location. 
         [0023]      FIG. 1  illustrates a known curtain assembly including a curtain  10 , a support rod or curtain rod  12  which passes through openings  14  forming a passage in the top edge portion  16  of the curtain. The openings  14  are spaced a distance from the top edge of the curtain  18  in a direction away from the top edge. Accordingly, in order to hang the curtain  10  from the rod  12 , the rod must be inserted through the openings  14  and at least the top edge portion of the curtain arranged in an accordioned or corrugated fashion. 
         [0024]      FIG. 2  illustrates a curtain according to an embodiment of the present invention. The curtain  10  includes six openings: two outer openings  14   a  and four inner openings  14   b  forming two pairs of inner openings in the top edge portion  16 . Six generally circular openings are shown for ease of illustration only, recognizing that more than six openings may be used and shapes other than circular may also be used with similar results. Each opening  14   a  and  14   b  is preferably substantially surrounded by a reinforcing means such as a ring  15  made of a resilient material to reinforce the openings  14   a  and  14   b  if the curtain  10  is susceptible to tearing and ripping. A resilient material is one that can be deformed to enable the curtain to be mounted onto and detached from the rod while maintaining the shape of the openings sufficiently to retain the curtain on the rod. The resilient material can be made of a plastic, or a resin, or metal, or a combination thereof, or any other suitable material constructed and shaped to achieve the goal of the present invention. The use of rings  15  can also improve the movement of the mounted curtain  10  on the rod as well as improve the engagement of the openings  14   a  and  14   b  with the rod. The rings  15  can be separate elements made integral with the curtain  10  or can be formed from the same material as curtain  10  during the formation of the curtain  10 . 
         [0025]    The rings  15  can have any shape compatible with the invention. Generally, the periphery of the openings  14   a  and  14   b  which actually engages the rod  12  may be defined by the rings  15  rather than the curtain  10 . No distinction between these is made herein. 
         [0026]    In the two outer openings  14   a,  included are cuts  20  extending through the thickness of the curtain, starting from the top of the opening  14   a  and extending to the top edge of the curtain  18 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the cuts  20  enable engagement of the curtain  10  onto the rod  12 . In the inner openings  14   b,  there is a path between each pair of openings  14   b.  The path between openings  14   b  in a pair further enables the engagement of the curtain  10  onto the rod  12 . This path is accomplished by cuts  17   a  and  17   b  extending through the thickness of the curtain between each pair of openings  14   b.  If openings  14   b  are reinforced with rings  15 , the cuts would also extend through the rings as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0027]    Although this invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments, the details hereof are exemplary and are not to be construed as limitations.