Patent Publication Number: US-2009223641-A1

Title: Cordless Roller Shade

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a cordless roller shade and particularly to a shade that has an automatic winding means and an anchor seat that are coupled together to automatically control retraction and extension of the cordless roller shade to facilitate operation. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     There are many different types of window coverings on the market such as Venetian blinds, pleated window coverings, roman shades and the like. They mainly aim to be installed at doors and windows of houses to block sunshine and serve decorative purpose. Depending on different user requirements some window coverings have a lift cord to control retraction and extension for lifting or lowering. For a single panel window coverings  10  a winding buffer means  11  is usually adopted. The winding buffer means  11  mainly includes a case, a sleeve, an external coupling member, a lid and a rotary element. To extend the shade, winding is made clockwise and the sleeve rotates idly because of a spring is extended outwards, and extension of the shade can be done smoothly. To retract the shade, winding is made counterclockwise, the sleeve is latched and rotated synchronously due to tightening of the spring, hence retraction of the shade is slower. The winding buffer means  11  thus constructed has drawbacks, notably the window coverings can only be extended smoothly and retracted slowly in a given direction due to structural restriction. The buffer direction cannot be changed according to user&#39;s desire. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention aims to provide a cordless roller shade to resolve the aforesaid problem of the conventional window coverings that cannot be anchored at a selected elevation during retraction or extension, and also take into account of safety issue. Through rotation of an automatic winding means the cordless roller shade can be retracted and extended easily and smoothly to facilitate operation. 
     To achieve the foregoing object the cordless roller shade of the invention mainly includes an upper elongate support, a lower elongate support, a shade assembly, an anchor seat and an automatic winding means. The upper elongate support has one end coupling with the anchor seat and other end coupling with the automatic winding means. The anchor seat has a first cap assembly hinged a rotary assembly inside. The rotary assembly has a first shaft at one side to couple with one end of an axle of the shade assembly. The automatic winding means has a second cap assembly pivotally coupled with a second cap which has a second shaft at another side and a wound elastic element located therein. The second shaft is coupled with other end of the axle of the shade assembly. 
     By means of the structure set forth above, the automatic winding means installed on the other end of the upper elongate support can transmit and control retraction and extension of the cordless roller shade. Operation is easier and smoother. 
     The foregoing, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a conventional window coverings with a shade winding buffer means to control retraction and extension thereof. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the automatic winding means of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view of the shade assembly of the invention pushed (or pulled) manually. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view of the shade assembly of the invention pushed manually. 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic view of the shade assembly of the invention pulled manually. 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded view of another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 8  is an exploded view of the automatic winding means according to  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic view of the shade assembly pushed (or pulled) manually according to  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 10  is an exploded view of yet another embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Please refer to  FIG. 2 , the cordless roller shade  20  according to the invention has an upper elongated support  30  with an anchor seat  60  located at one end and an automatic winding means  70  at another end to form a linking relationship to do transmission and control retraction and extension of the cordless roller shade  20 . The cordless roller shade  20  mainly includes the upper elongated support  30 , a lower elongated support  40 , a shade assembly  50 , the anchor seat  60  and the automatic winding means  70 . 
     The upper elongated support  30  is elongate and has a guiding trough  31  inside that has two ends formed respectively a fastening trough  32  and  33 . 
     The lower elongated support  40  is elongate and spaced from the upper elongated support  30  at a lower side. 
     The shade assembly  50  is located between the upper elongated support  30  and the lower elongated support  40 . In an embodiment shown in the drawings, it has an axle  51  with an axle hole  511  formed at one end thereof. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the anchor seat  60  is installed at one end of the upper elongated support  30 , and includes a first cap assembly  61  hinged a rotary assembly  62  inside. The first cap assembly  61  has a first coupling member  611  which has a first housing space  6111  at one side and a first anchor hole  6112  above the first housing space  6111 , first fastening holes  6113  on the periphery and a first opening  6114  at a lower side. The first coupling member  611  further has a first latch member  6115  extended from another side to be wedged in one end of the guiding trough  31  of the upper elongated support  30 . The first lid  612  covers one side of the first coupling member  611  and has apertures  6121  on the periphery corresponding to the first fastening holes  6113  and a first strut  6122  extended from one side corresponding to the first opening  6114 . The rotary assembly  62  is held in the first housing space  6111  and pivoted on the first strut  6122  for anchoring, and has a first shaft  621  at one side running through the first opening  6114  of the first coupling member  611  and insert in the axle hole  511  at one end of the axle  51  to form coupling. The anchor seat  60  may also provide other embodiment as shown in  FIG. 10 , in which the anchor seat  60   b  has an upright plate  61   b  with a first latch member  611   b  extended from one side thereof to be wedged in one end of the guiding trough  31  of the upper elongate support  30 . The upright plate  61   b  also has a second shaft  612   b  extended from the one side thereof to be inserted in an axle hole (not shown in the drawings) at one end of the axle  51  of the shade assembly  50  to form coupling. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the automatic winding means  70  has a second cap assembly  71  hinged a second cap  72  which holds a wound elastic element  73  inside. The second cap assembly  71  has a second coupling member  711  with one side fastening to a second lid  712  and a second housing space  7111  at one side, and a second anchor hole  7112  at an upper side and second fastening holes  7113  on the periphery, a second opening  7114  at a lower side and a second latch member  7115  at another side. The second lid  712  covers one side of the second coupling member  711  and has apertures  7121  on the periphery corresponding to the second fastening holes  7113  of the second coupling member  711  and a second strut  7122  corresponding to the second opening  7114 . The second strut  7122  has a latch slot  7123 . The second cap  72  is held in the second housing space  7111  of the second coupling member  711  and run through by the second strut  7122  of the second lid  712  for anchoring, and also has a second shaft  721  at one side running through the second opening  7114  of the second coupling member  711  and the axle hole  511  at other end of the axle  51  for coupling. The second cap  72  has a housing chamber  722  at other side with an aperture  723  in the center to be coupled with the second strut  7122  of the second lid  712 , and a latch hook  724  on an inner rim. The elastic element  73  is held in the housing chamber  722  of the second cap  72 . The elastic element  73  has a hook  732  at an outer side with a notch  7321  formed thereon to latch on the latch hook  724 , and a clipping member  731  in the center to latch in the latch slot  7123  of the second strut  7122  for anchoring so that the shade assembly  50  located beneath the upper elongated support  30  can be extended or retracted by the elastic element  73 . 
     For installation of the cordless roller shade  20 , the anchor seat  60  and the automatic winding means  70  are installed on two ends of the upper elongated support  30 . Through rotation of the second cap  72  of the automatic winding means  70  the cordless roller shade  20  can be driven synchronously to be retracted and extended. Operation is simpler and smoother. 
     During retracting and extending of the shade assembly  50 , referring to  FIGS. 4 ,  5  and  6 , a user can push (or pull) the lower elongated support  40  with one hand that serves as a gravity balance bar. The elastic element  73  held in the second cap  72  of the automatic winding means  70  is retracted or extended to move the shade assembly  50  upwards or downwards in a retracting or extending condition. When the shade assembly  50  is moved downwards, the lower elongated support  40  provides a gravity force to make the lowered shade assembly  50  remain still without retracting upwards. Thus the operation of the cordless roller shade  20  can be controlled easily. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the cordless roller shade  20  may also be a double-layer window coverings that includes an upper elongated support  20   a,  a lower elongated support  30   a,  a transverse moving means  40   a,  a shade lifting assembly  50   a  and an automatic winding means  60   a.    
     The upper elongated support  20   a  is a hollow and elongated rail and has two corresponding fastening troughs  201   a  formed inside and a guiding trough  202   a  at each side, and a first aperture  21   a  and a second aperture  22   a  close to two ends thereof. It has a front side with one end thereof forming a first hole  23   a  and a second hole  24   a.    
     The lower elongated support  30   a  is a circular rail spaced from the upper elongated support  20   a  at a lower side. It has a slot  31   a  at an upper side and a flute  32   a  at one side of the slot  31   a.    
     The transverse moving means  40   a  includes at least a first plate  41   a  and a second plate  42   a,  an anchor member  43   a,  a latch rod  44   a  and a first fastening plate  45   a  and a second fastening plate  46   a  that correspond to each other. The first and second plates  41   a  and  42   a  are located above the first and second apertures  21   a  and  22   a,  and can be moved reciprocally at two ends of the guiding trough  202   a.  The first plate  41   a  has one end with a first coupling hole  411   a  and a plurality of fastening holes  412   a  formed thereon, and another end with a first and a second holes  413   a  and  414   a  formed thereon. It also has a first latch trough  415   a  at the bottom. The second plate  42   a  has one end with a second coupling hole  421   a  formed thereon corresponding to the first coupling hole  411   a  and a plurality of fastening holes  422   a  formed on the surface, and a second latch trough  423   a  at the bottom corresponding to the first latch trough  415   a  of the first plate  41   a.  The anchor member  43   a  is fastened to the guiding trough  202   a  of the upper elongate support  20   a  close to the first plate  41   a,  and has a guiding wheel  431   a  at a lower side of one end thereof. The latch rod  44   a  is coupled on the first latch trough  415   a  and second latch trough  423   a  at the bottom of the first and second plates  41   a  and  42   a,  and has two ends formed respectively a latch element  441   a  and  442   a  to be inserted in the first coupling hole  411   a  and second coupling hole  421   a  of the first and second plates  41   a  and  42   a  for anchoring. The first and second fastening plates  45   a  and  46   a  have respectively a boss  451   a  and  461   a  with a fastening hole  452   a  and  462   a  formed thereon. The bosses  451   a  and  461   a  run respectively through the first and second apertures  21   a  and  22   a  to be fastened to the bottom of the first and second plates  41   a  and  42   a  to form grooves  453   a  and  463   a  in the center to hold the latch rod  44   a.  At two ends thereof there are upright plates  454   a  and  464   a  directing downwards. The first upright plate  454   a  has a first opening  455   a.  The second upright plate  464   a  has a second opening  465   a.    
     The shade lifting assembly  50   a  is located between the upper elongated support  20   a  and the lower elongated support  30   a.  It mainly includes a first panel  51   a,  a second panel  52   a  and a lift cord assembly  53   a.  The first panel  51   a  has zebra stripes formed thereon as depicted in an embodiment shown in the drawings. The first panel  51   a  has one side fastened to the bottom of the upper elongated support  20   a  and coupled with the upright plates  454   a  and  464   a  of the first and second fastening plates  45   a  and  46   a.  Through a first lift cord  531   a  and a second lift cord  532   a  of the shade lifting assembly  50   a  the first panel  51   a  can be moved reciprocally. The first panel  51   a  has a first axle  511   a  at one side, one end of the first axle  511   a  running through the second opening  465   a  of the second fastening plate  46   a  and inserting in a second coupling cap  63 , and an axle hole  512   a  at another end to be coupled with a transmission shaft  6111   a  of a first coupling cap  62 , and another side held in the lower elongated support  30   a  through the slot  31   a.  The second panel  52   a  has one side located below the first panel  51   a  and is coupled with an aperture  631   a  of the second coupling cap  63   a  and an axle hole  522   a  at another end run through by a shaft  614   a  of a third gear  613   a  hinged below the first coupling cap  62   a.  The first lift cord  531   a  of the lift cord assembly  53   a  is fastened to the first hole  413   a  of the first plate  41   a  and runs through the first hole  23   a  of the upper elongated support  20   a.  The second lift cord  532   a  is fastened to the second hole  414   a  of the first plate  41   a  and winds around the guiding wheel  431   a  of the anchor member  43   a  and runs through the second hole  24   a  of the upper elongated support  20   a.    
     The automatic winding means  60   a  has at least the first coupling cap  62   a  and the second cap  63   a  at two ends of the upper elongated support  20   a,  and a transmission assembly  61  located in the first coupling cap  62   a  that has a first, second and third gears  611   a,    612   a  and  613   a  engaging with one another and at least one elastic element  615   a,  and a transmission shaft  6111   a  coupling with the first gear  611   a.  The first coupling cap  62   a  has a box  622   a  containing a housing chamber  621   a  and a lid  623   a.  The box  622   a  has a first latch member  624   a  at an upper side of one side thereof to be wedged in one end of the upper elongated support  20   a.  The housing chamber  621   a  has a plurality of openings  625   a.  The lid  623   a  is fastened to an outer side of the housing chamber  621   a.  On the lid  623   a  there are, from the upper side downwards, a post  624   a  , a strut  625   a  and a rod  626   a  running through respectively the first, second and third gears  611   a,    612   a  and  613   a.  The second coupling cap  63   a  has a second latch member  632   a  at one side corresponding to the first latch member  624   a  to be wedged in another end of the upper elongate support  20   a.    
     When the first and second panels  51   a  and  52   a  are pushed by user&#39;s hands, the first gear  611   a  hinged on the transmission shaft  6111   a  is rotated and drives synchronously the second gear  612   a  and the third gear  613   a  coupled with the elastic element  615   a.  As a result, the transmission shaft  6111   a  coupled with the first gear  611   a  and the shaft  614   a  extended from the other side of the third gear  613   a  also are driven so that the first and second panels  51   a  and  52   a  can be lifted in a retracting condition or lowered in an extending condition (referring to  FIG. 9 ). Through the engaging first, second and third gears  611   a,    612   a  and  613   a  the first and second panels  51   a  and  52   a  can be lifted and retracted, or lowered and extended at the same time. Other embodiments may also be adopted to accomplish the same result, such as with a belt-pulley assembly or a chain assembly to substitute the engaging gears previously discussed. Thus through the transmission assembly  61   a  or automatic winding means  60   a,  the first and second panels  51   a  and  52   a  of the double-layer window coverings can be controlled to be retracted and extended easily and smoothly.