Patent Publication Number: US-6668899-B1

Title: Laterally moving supports for horizontal blinds

Description:
This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/311,949 filed Aug. 13, 2001, incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to supports for coverings of glass doors and windows, and more particularly to supports for horizontal blinds and shades that enable the user to move the blind laterally to enable full access to the window or door without raising the blinds. 
     There are two types of blinds for covering windows and glass doors, vertical blinds and horizontal blinds. Blinds are made up of a plurality of vanes that rotate about parallel axes. When rotated in a first direction, they overlap to close off the light. When rotated in a second direction they open to admit light. An opening control pulls all of the axes together, exposing some or all of the door or window. All of the axes of vertical blinds are disposed vertically. The opening control can pull all of the vanes laterally to one side of the door or window to enable full access for egress, ingress, or cleaning. All of the axes of the vanes of horizontal blinds are disposed horizontally. The opening control raises the vanes. There are shades of different types that also open by lifting the bottom edge upward, which will herein also be termed horizontal blinds. Sliding glass doors are commonly eighty to ninety inches tall. To raise the horizontal blinds this high is difficult. Consequently, vertical blinds are favored for this application. However, horizontal blinds have many advantages, and are increasing in popularity. The window operator may be more readily accessed with horizontal blinds. It is awkward to have vertical blinds for the doors and horizontal blinds for the windows. It would be useful to have a means for moving a horizontal blind laterally to provide access to the door without raising the blinds. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a system for mounting conventional horizontal blinds that would enable them to be readily moved laterally to enable full access to the window or door. The term horizontal blinds as used herein is meant to refer to obscuring covers for glazed openings such as glass windows and doors, in which the covers open by raising from the bottom. It is another object that the mounting system not interfere with the normal operation of the blind. It is yet another object that the system be readily adapted to the mounting of horizontal blinds of diverse manufacture. It is yet another object that the mounting system be readily installed by means well known in the art. 
     The system of the invention comprises planar surfaces to which the blinds are mounted with their usual wall mounting hardware. The support system of the invention comprises a sliding embodiment in which the blind on its planar surface slides laterally to enable access to the glass window or door opening. 
     An alternative embodiment of the invention comprises a system in which side by side blinds are mounted on hinged planar surfaces with a control that causes the two blinds to fold together and to one side like a bi-fold closet door. 
    
    
     These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent when the detailed description is studied in conjunction with the drawings in which like elements are designated by like reference characters in the various drawing figures. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a pair of horizontal blinds mounted on a sliding support of the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a view as in FIG. 1 with one of the blinds being moved laterally. 
     FIG. 3 is a top view of the assembly of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of a support of the invention. 
     FIG. 5A is a sectional view through line  5 — 5  of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 5B is a sectional view of another embodiment through line  5 — 5  of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 5C is a sectional view of another embodiment through line  5 — 5  of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 5D is a perspective view of another embodiment through line  5 — 5  of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of another support of the invention. 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a pair of blinds mounted on a bi-fold embodiment support of the invention. 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the support of FIG.  7 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now first to FIGS. 1-6, a wall  1  of a building has an opening that is covered by a glazed window or door  2 . Most commonly, this invention will be used to cover a sliding glass door with a horizontal blind or blinds. In order to access the door, this invention enables the user to slide the blind laterally out of the opening. The alternative of the prior art was to raise the horizontal blind high enough to permit access. This is awkward. The support system  25  of the invention is arranged to fasten to the wall  1 , and to provide adjustable inserts  9  on each elongate planar surface  5 , 6  for the many standard mounting brackets to mount the blinds  3 , 4  to the support system. The blind may then be moved laterally with ease by a wand  15  or cords  14  and pulleys  13  that operate in a manner similar to draw drapery systems. A track  7  is fastened to the wall. A carrier  8  slides within the track. It may be provided with balls  26 , nylon slide bearings  27  or rollers  28  to reduce sliding friction as the carrier is slid one way or the other. First planar surface  5  is mounted away from the wall  1  by extending holders  16  to enable the second planar surface to slide behind it when the blind  4  is moved laterally in a first mode of operation to open access to the sliding door  2 . In a second mode of operation, the blind  4  slides laterally from behind blind  3  to cover the opening. As shown in  5   d , the carrier  29  may take the form of an angle for use with an overhead track. 
     FIG. 6 shows a support system in which there is only one blind covering the opening and no blind beside it. Extensions  16  support a cover (not shown) to cover the track. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, an embodiment for lateral movement of the blinds that opens them by a hinging, bi-fold action is useful when the assembly is within the wall opening, for example. A first hinge  19  hingedly attaches a first end  20  of a first elongate planar surface  17  to the wall  1 . A second hinge  22  hingedly connects a second end  21  of surface  17  to one end of a second planar surface  18 . The other end of surface  18  is hingedly connected to carrier  23  that slides in track  24 . Horizontal blinds  3 , and  4  are attached to the surfaces  17  and  18  as described above. Wand  15  is used to move the carrier laterally in the track to a first, or open, mode in which the carrier is moved to the hinge  19  to thereby fold the two planar surfaces together, and out of the opening. In a second, or closed mode, the carrier is moved all the way away from hinge  19  so that the blinds will be coplanar and the opening is covered. This embodiment allows for an opening that is two blinds wide. As shown, the planar surfaces  17  and  18  may be part of angle members to provide greater rigidity. 
     The above disclosed invention has a number of particular features which should preferably be employed in combination, although each is useful separately without departure from the scope of the invention. While I have shown and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise than as herein specifically illustrated or described, and that certain changes in form and arrangement of parts and the specific manner of practicing the invention may be made within the underlying idea or principles of the invention.