Patent Publication Number: US-2012037321-A1

Title: Mounting rod for a roll-up blind

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a mounting head rod for a roll-up window blind and particularly for a sideway slidable roll-up window blind. The length of the rod is adjustable for mounting the window blind in window openings of various widths. 
     2. Background Art 
     A sideway slidable window blind generally consists of two window blind panels mounted side by side on a head rod of a fixed length which is equal to the length of the inside length of an adjustable external housing. The length of the housing is variable for mounting it inside the width of window frames of various widths. Commonly, the panels are mounted to the head rod with two slidable rods. The window blind panels are slidably adjustable sideway to provide selected manners of covering of the window. 
     A mounting housing for a new type of sideway slidable roll-up window blind is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,621,313 issued on Nov. 24, 2009 to the inventor of the present application. In such new type of sideway slidable roll-up window blind, two blind panels are mounted on a composite head rod having two tubular rods telescopically mounted to one another. The panels are slidable sideway in aligned bottom slots formed in the two tubular rods, so that the panels may be pulled sideway relative to one another to provide a selected amount of covering for the window. However, the inclusion of external adjustable housing renders the mounting relatively complex and cumbersome to handle. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an adjustable head rod without external housing for a sideway adjustable roll-up window blind. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable head rod having two tubular rods telescopically mounted together to an inner rod which is mounted to the window frame. One panel of the blind is slidable sideway relative to the other panel to provide a selected manner of covering for the window. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a head rod for a sideway adjustable roll-up window blind in which the roll-up mechanism for the blind panels is directly mounted to the rod. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable head rod for a roll-up window blind in which the blind panels are mounted to two tubular rods slidably mounted to one another and the two tubular rods are, in turn, mounted to a telescopic inner rod adjustable for mounting the head rod to windows of various widths. 
     It is still another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable head rod for a roll-up window blind, in which the rod has a simple construction and is easy to install to a window frame. 
     The objects, advantages and other features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description of preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the appended drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective elevation view of the roll-up window blind having a head rod according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an isolated bottom perspective elevation view of the head rod showing the bottom slot formed over its entire length according to the present invention 
         FIG. 3  is a sectional side elevation view of the adjustable head rod along the section line III-III of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged cross sectional isolated end view of the head rod along cross sectional line IV-IV of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a front perspective elevation view of a second embodiment of the head rod with the two tubular rods slidably mounted on an inner rod rotatably mountable to the inner side walls of a window. 
         FIG. 6  is a bottom perspective elevation of the second embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 7  is a cross sectional side elevation view along section line VII-VII of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged cross sectional isolated end view along section line of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 9  is a cross sectional a cross sectional side view along the longitudinal axis of the third embodiment of the head rod according to the present invention having a telescopic inner rod. 
         FIG. 10  is an enlarged cross sectional isolated end view along section line X-X of  FIG. 9 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to the drawings in which like reference numerals designate same parts in the different views, the head rod  10  of a roll-up blind  11  has a first elongated outer tubular rod  12  of a predetermined fixed length for mounting within a window frame. The outer rod  12  is rotatably mounted to two brackets (not shown) secured to the inner side walls of the window frame. A teethed wheel  13  is mounted at one end of the tubular outer rod  12  such that the rod  12  may be rotatably operated with a pull chain engaged with the wheel  13  in the conventional manner. A slot  14  is formed at the bottom of the tubular outer rod  12 . The bottom slot  14  extends throughout the entire length of the outer rod  12 . A second rod  15 , preferably also tubular in construction, and having an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the outer rod  12  and having a length longer half the length of the outer rod  12 . The second rod  15  is slidably mounted within the end portion of the outer rod  12  and located opposite to the teethed wheel  13 . 
     A first window blind panel  16  having an upper end secured to the outer rod  12  and located juxtaposed to the teethed wheel  13 . The first window blind panel  16  has a width slightly wider than half the length of the outer rod  12 . 
     A second window blind panel  17  has an upper end secured to the second rod  15  with the panel extending downward through the bottom slot  14  of the outer rod  12 . The first window blind panel  16  and the second window blind panel  17  preferably have inner vertical side edge portions overlapping with one another as best shown in  FIG. 1 . The second window blind panel  17  is sideway movable relative to the first window blind panel  16  when the two panels are in the fully pulled down extended condition to provide various selected amounts of covering for the window. The second rod  15  is slidable sideway relative to the outer rod  12  in this operation, and the second window blind panel  17  is slidable along the bottom slot  14  of the outer rod  12 . 
     A spacer ring  18  may be mounted in the end portion of the outer rod  12  at the end with the teethed wheel  13  mounted thereon. 
     A second embodiment of the head rod according to the present invention is best shown in  FIG. 5 , in which the first tubular rod  12  and the second tubular rod  15  have an equal length slightly longer than half the total length of the entire head rod  10 . The bottom slot  14  is formed at the bottom of the first tubular rod  12  and extends throughout its entire length therein. Both the first tubular rod  12  and the second tubular rod  15  are slidably mounted to an elongated inner rod  19 . The inner rod  19  has a length equal to the inside width of the window frame in which the head rod  10  is to be rotatably mounted with two mounting brackets (not shown). The teethed wheel  13  is mounted at the end portion of the first tubular rod  12  and located distal to the second tubular rod  15 . The upper end of the first window blind panel  16  is secured to the first tubular rod  12 , and the upper end of the second window blind panel  17  is secured to the second tubular rod  15 . The inner vertical edge portions of the first window blind panel  16  and the second window blind panel  17  overlap with one another. Each one of the two window blind panels  16  and  17  may be moved sideway relative to one another by pulling the panels to move the respective tubular rods  12  and  15  relative to the inner rod  19  so as to obtain various desirous manners of covering of the window. The teethed wheel  13  is mounted at the end of the first tubular rod  12  and located distal to the second tubular rod  15 . Alternatively, the teethed wheel  13  may be mounted on the end portion of the inner rod  19  and located distal to the second tubular rod  15 . 
     The end portion of the inner rod  19  slidably engaged with the opening  20  of the spacer ring  18  for supporting the inner rod  19  in a horizontal position so that the window blind panels  16  and  17  would wind properly onto the head rod  10 . The spacer ring  18  may be made of a plastic material. 
     A third embodiment of the present invention is provided with a telescopic inner tube  19  consisting of two tubular rods  21  and  22  telescopically and slidably mounted to one another. The telescopic inner tube  19  is adjustable in a selected length for mounting the head rod  10  in window frames of various widths. The first tubular rod and the second tubular rod have the same construction a in the second embodiment as described above. 
     It can be appreciated from the above description that the head rod of the present invention has simple construction and can be easily installed in a window frame. 
     While I have shown and described the preferred embodiments of the present invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details of the exemplary constructions herein set forth by way of illustration, as it is apparent that many changes and variations may be made therein, by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope of the appended claims.