Patent Publication Number: US-5025848-A

Title: Temporary window shade

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The invention pertains to the general field of window shades and covers and more particularly to a temporary window shade that can be easily installed, raised and removed. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     The purchaser of a new home or in many cases a renter vary often will purchase custom made window drapes, louvered blinds or shades to add utility and an aesthetic appearance to a room. Since these custom made window covers are made to order to fit a specific window or room decor, a period of time is required from the time the order is placed to the completion and hanging of the cover. 
     During this waiting period, in order to protect privacy as well as to block-out bright sunlight, the window openings are often covered with makeshift window covers. The temporary covers include such items as bedsheets, blankets and the like, and in many cases the exposed window is even soaped. These coverings are often unsatisfactory since they are a nuisance to hang and remove and there is no convenient method that allows the temporary window covers to be raised or lowered which, on occasion may be desirable. 
     A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention however, the following U.S. patents were considered related: 
     
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U.S. PAT. NO.                                                             
             INVENTOR     ISSUED                                          
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4,836,265    Bussert       6 June 1989                                    
4,562,675    Baigas, Jr. et al                                            
                           7 January 1986                                 
4,539,239    Graves et al  3 September 1985                               
3,913,655    Ogino        21 October 1975                                 
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     The Bussert patent discloses a temporary window shade for use in buildings which have not yet had permanent draperies or blinds installed. The shade is made from a sheet of hemmed disposable material and includes stiffener strips on the top and bottom hems; the top hem is attachable to the wall above a window. The bottom stiffener strip includes hooks which are receivable in slots formed along the side edges of the shades to hold the bottom edge of the shade in a raised configuration. 
     The Baigas patent discloses an insulated assembly that is positioned onto a window surface. The insulator is comprised of a high loft body of bonded together synthetic fibers and a sheet of plastic adjacent thereto. The plastic has heat insulative properties and allows the transmission of incident light. 
     The Graves patent discloses a flexible sheet member that is used in a window shade assembly. The sheet member is comprised of a sheet of flexible plastic material having an upper surface and a lower surface. Longitudinally from the upper to the lower surface is located one or more continuous cutting lines. The cutting lines can be cut to fit the width of the particular window being fitted. 
     The Ogino patent discloses a temporary curtain kit consisting of two elongated strips of stiffener material. The material has an adhesive coating on one or both sides thereof and a sheet of paper curtain material. The strips are attachable to the curtain material with at least one of the strips being attachable to both the curtain material and a housing wall. 
     DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
     The improved temporary window shade is designed to provide an attractive, easy to install material that is temporarily attached to a window opening. The shade is attached during the time that a home owner or renter is awaiting for their new drapes or other permanent window covers to arrive and be hung. 
     The shade consists of a disposable non-woven, translucent material. On at least one surface of the material is imprinted a grid of vertical and horizontal lines. The grid allows the material to be accurately and easily cut to the correct size and provides a pattern that is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. 
     The cut material is easily attached to either the window, window sash or to a wall surface surrounding the window frame. The attachment is preferably accomplished by the placing a strip of two-sided adhesive tape to at least the upper section of the window, window sash or wall. The remaining adhesive backing is removed from the tape and the upper edge of the material is pressed against the tape to the hold the material in place. To allow the attached material to be partially raised, a bendable strip, usually made of pliable metal, is attached near and across the lower edge of the material with the outward ends of the bendable strip extending across the material&#39;s left and right side edges. The material is then raised and folded over itself and the outward ends of the bendable strip are bent over the inward material to hold up the folded section. The raised shade then can allow direct light to enter a room or provide an unobstructed outside view. The strip also functions as a weight that allows the material to maintain a flat, straight surface. 
     In view of the above disclosure, it is the primary object of the invention to provide a simple, aesthetic and effective shade for temporarily covering a window opening. In addition to the primary object, it is also an object of the invention provide a temporary shade that: 
     is easy to install and remove, 
     can be inexpensively constructed of biodegradable, disposable material, 
     is cost effective from both a manufacturers and consumer point of view, 
     can be easily raised and lowered and, 
     provide a practical replacement for bedsheets and newspapers when used as temporary window covers. 
     These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a typical window assembly to which the improved temporary window shade is attached. 
     FIG. 2 is a front cut-away view of a shade attached to the window sash. 
     FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the shade taken along lines 3--3 of FIG. 2. 
     FIG. 4 is a front cut-away view of a shade attached to the wall surrounding the window assembly. 
     FIG. 5 is a side cut-away view of the shade as attached in FIG. 4. 
     FIG. 6 is a partial side view of a typical material attachment means. 
     FIG. 7 is a partial front elevation view showing the pair of bendable strips attached to the material&#39;s lower left and right side edges. 
     FIG. 8 is a front elevation view showing the material folded over itself with the outward ends of the two bendable strips bent over and pressed against the material to hold the material in a raised position. 
     FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the raised material as shown in FIG. 8. 
     FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the material rolled up and held in place by the two bendable strips. 
     FIG. 11 is a front elevational view showing the material folded over itself and held in the upward position by means of a pair of bores and `S` hooks combination. 
     FIG. 12 is a side elevational view of the raised material as shown in FIG. 11. 
     FIG.13 is a partial elevation view showing a bottom weight attached to the pair of bores on the material&#39;s lower edge. 
    
    
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     The best mode for carrying out the improved temporary window shade 10 is presented in terms of a preferred embodiment that is designed to provide a simple and effective method for temporarily covering a window opening. The shade 10 as shown in FIGS. 1-13 is comprised of three major elements: a disposable, non-woven material 12 that has a grid 14 imprinted on its surface, a material attachment means 16 and a shade opening means 18. 
     The shade 10 is used to cover a window opening that typically consists, as shown in FIG. 1, of a window assembly. The assembly comprises a window 50 that is held by a window sash 52 that, in turn, is bordered by a window frame 54. The entire assembly is then recessed within a structural wall 56. 
     The material 12, as shown attached in FIGS. 2 and 3, is configured to have a front surface 12a, a back surface 12b, an upper edge 12c, a lower edge 12d, a left side edge 12e and a right side edge 12f. In its preferred embodiment, the material is produced in a solid color with white preferred, may be biodegradable and can be easily rolled to facilitate shipment and storage. 
     One of the problems encountered in attaching the material to a surface surrounding the window is in the sizing, cutting and placement of material. To alleviate this problem, on at least one surface and preferably the front surface 12a, there is imprinted the grid 14 that consists of vertical and horizontal lines 14a, 14b as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. The grid allows the material 12 to be accurately and easily cut to the correct size. In experimenting with the grid size, it was found that a 4-inch by 4-inch grid square (10.16 cm by 10.16 cm) provided an optimum size for most material cutting operations. However, any reasonable grid size fulfills the intent of the grid. 
     Two schemes for attaching the cut material 12 to a window 50 are disclosed: in the first scheme, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the material 12 is cut to fit the window sash 52 and is attached to at least the upper section 52a of the sash by a material attachment means 16. In the second scheme, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the material 12 is cut to fit around the wall 56 surrounding the window frame 54 and is attached to at least the upper section of the wall by the material attachment means 16. 
     The preferred attachment means 16 is comprised of a two-sided adhesive tape 16a of the type manufactured by the 3M Company and other companies. One side of the tape is affixed to and across the width of at least the upper section of the attachment structure, i.e., the upper section 52a of the window sash 52, as shown in FIG. 2. The attaching means may also consist of hook and loop fasteners 16b, also known by their registered trademark Velcro or by a first and second magnetic strip 16c, 16d. In these later two fastening means one side of the fastening combination is preferably applied to and across the width of the attachment structure and the other side to the material&#39;s back surface 12b near its upper edge 12c as shown typically in FIG. 6. In some cases, in lieu of affixing the attachment means across the entire width of the structure, it may be affixed at each upper corner. Upon the joining of the fasteners two sides, the material 12 is attached. Although it is only necessary to attach the material 12 at its upper edge 12c, if desired, for additional security and privacy, the attachment means may also be affixed to the material&#39;s lower edge 12d and/or to the left and right side edges 12e, 12f as shown in FIG. 4. 
     More often that not, the material 12 will be hung to cover the entire area of the window 50. However, in some situations, it way be desirable to include a shade opening means 18, that allows the material to be raised and held in place to provide a clear view and to allow direct light to enter the room. 
     Two shade opening means are disclosed: in the preferred means, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a bendable metal strip 20 having outward ends 20a that extend across the left and right side edges 12e, 12f of the material is used. The strip is attached, by an attachment means such as a two-sided adhesive tape 16a, near and across the lower edge 12d of the material. 
     To operate the preferred shade opening means, the extended outer ends 20a are grasped and the material 12 is raised and folded over itself as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. The outward ends 20a are then bent over and pressed against the material to allow the material&#39;s lower edge 12d to be held in a raised position. In lieu of folding the material may be rolled and likewise attached as shown in FIG. 10. 
     In a second shade opening means 18 as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, a first lower bore 22a and a second lower bore 22b are punches into the left hand corner and right hand corner respectively of the material&#39;s lower edge 12d as best shown in FIG. 11. An upward level distance from the lower edge 12d is then selected at which level a first upper bore 22c and a second upper bore 22d are punched in alignment with the respective lower bores 22a, 22b. To each bore may be attached a bore reinforcement washer 26 of the type normally used to reinforce loose-leaf notebook paper. 
     To operate the second shade opening means 18 one end of a metal or plastic first and a second `S` hook 22e, 22f are hooked into the lower bores. The hooks are then grasped and the hook&#39;s free end is hooked over the upper bores 22, 22d to allow the material&#39;s lower edge 12d to be held in a raised position as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. 
     To add further utility to the temporary shade 10, a bottom weight 24, as shown in FIG. 13, may be attached to the material&#39;s lower edge 12d to assure that the material 12 hangs and remains straight. The bottom weight 24 is configured in the shape of an elongated structure such as a wooden strip or circular rod. The structure includes a left hook bore 24a and a right hook bore 24b. To attach the weight 24, one end of a first `S` hook is hooked over the left hook bore 24a and its other end is hooked over the first lower bore 22a. In a like manner, a second `S` hook is hooked over the right hook bore 24b and the second lower bore 22b. 
     TEMPORARY SHADE ATTACHMENT SEQUENCE 
     To attach the material 12 to a typical attachment structure such as a window sash 52, the following steps are followed: 
     1. Measure the length and width of the window sash 52, 
     2. Cut the material to the size of the window sash by utilizing the grid 14 as a guide, 
     3. Apply one side of the two-sided adhesive tape 16a to at least the upper section 52a of the window sash 52, 
     4. Remove the adhesive backing from the two-sided adhesive tape affixed to the window sash, and 5. Attach the material to the window sash by pressing the upper edge 12c of the material against the two-sided adhesive type. 
     While the invention has been described in complete detail and pictorially shown in the accompanying drawings it is not to be limited to such details, since many changes and modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spririt and the scope thereof. Hence, it is described to cover any and all modifications and forms which may come within the language and scope of the appended claims.