Patent Abstract:
A window treatment which is sized to fit over a window opening and has one or more rows of loop means which are affixed to said window treatment which allow a lower portion of said window treatment to be raised vertically and affixed to a surface of said window treatment to expose a portion of the surface of said window opening.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    Windows such as those which are found in residential settings are typically provided with window treatments. The term window treatment is used herein to include curtains, drapes, fabric panels, blinds and valences. Any type of drapery fabric, curtain fabric, wood, metal, jute, bamboo or other natural or man-made material may be used to make the window treatment of the invention.  
           [0002]    The primary function of a window treatment is to restrict the amount of light and visual access through windows but the aesthetic result is considered by most purchasers as being the primary basis for selection of one of a plurality of competing styles. Once a particular style is chosen it is usually not possible to vary the visual effect that a particular style provides when the window treatment is placed in front of a window. Examples of several prior art window treatments are found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,668,587; U.S. Pat. No. 2,611,428; U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,210 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,988.  
           [0003]    Generally, window treatments are cut to provide various visual effects in that when the window treatment is placed in position in front of a window, the window is “framed” by the profile of the window treatment. The visual effect of a particular window treatment may only be modified by using cloth tie backs or means which allow for the horizontally movement of the window treatment such as movable suspending means or traverse rods.  
           [0004]    The applicants have devised a window treatment system which has a plurality of fastening means that are arranged to allow for the partial or complete raising of the window treatment. This structure allows the user to select a number of positions which vary the exposure of the window to admit varying amounts of light or visual access to the window opening without having to remove the window treatment from its fixed position in front of a window.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    The invention provides a window treatment which is sized to fit substantially over a window opening, said window treatment having one or more loop means which are affixed to said window treatment in order to allow a lower portion of said window treatment to be raised vertically and affixed to a surface of said window treatment to expose a portion of the surface of said window opening. Generally there will be one row of button means and from 1 to 7, preferably 3 to 5 rows of loop means. The button means and loop means are intended to hold a lower portion of the window treatment to an upper portion of the window treatment.  
           [0006]    Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a window treatment that can be arranged in different configurations when it is hung in front of a window.  
           [0007]    It is also an object of the invention to provide a window treatment that can be arranged in many configurations to provide different visual impressions.  
           [0008]    It is also an object of the invention to provide a window treatment which may be easily opened and closed to act as a privacy closure for a window as well as a decorative window treatment.  
           [0009]    It is also an object of the invention to provide a window treatment that provides at least two distinct visual impressions by means of button means and loop means that may be used to vary the area of the window opening that is exposed on the inside of the window.  
           [0010]    These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from a review of the specification. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a front plan view of a fabric panel having tab tops, a horizontal row of button means and the horizontal rows of loop means.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a front view of the fabric panel of FIG. 1 where the three rows of loops have been fastened seriatim onto the button means.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of FIG. 2 which shows the folded edges of the fabric panel when the rows of loops are attached to the button means. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 discloses an embodiment of a fabric panel  2  having tab tops  3 ,  3   a ,  3   b ,  3   c ,  3   d  and  3   e  having interacting means which comprise button row  4  and loop rows  6 ,  6   a  and  6   b . The buttons  5 ,  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c ,  5   d  and  5   e  are spaced at substantially equal intervals in a horizontal direction across the fabric panel  2 .  
         [0015]    The loop rows  6 ,  6   a  and  6   b  are spaced at gradually increasing intervals from the bottom of the fabric panel to the top of the fabric panel in order to provide substantially equal amounts of exposed fabric  10 ,  12  on the hidden panels  14 ,  16  which are under folded sections  18  and  20  when the rows of loops  6 ,  6   a  and  6   b  are all fastened to the button means  5 ,  5   a ,  5   c ,  5   d  and  5   e . Front sections  18 ,  20  and  22  result from the folding of the fabric panel to allow for fastening of the loops onto the button means.  
         [0016]    As best seen in FIG. 2, when all of the loops in rows  6 ,  6   a  and  6   b  are fastened sequentially with the highest row being fastened first and the lowest row being fastened last to the button means the fabric panel presents a series of folded edges  10 ,  12  which provide an aesthetically pleasing front and side profiles to the viewer. At the same time, the buttons and loops function to provide a secure means of holding the fabric panel in one or more open positions that may be used for control of the amount of light that is allowed to pass through the window.  
         [0017]    If desired, the fabrics may be printed in such a manner that a preselected design may be formed when the window treatment is placed in the “button up” position.  
         [0018]    The embodiment of FIG. 1 is shown with a tab top suspending means but any other type of ring or rod type suspending sleeve may be used to provide a means for suspending the window treatments of the invention.  
         [0019]    The button means may comprise any type of a protrusion such as a post, button, knob, curved hook, Velcro etc. that is capable of holding a fabric or rope type loop means such as, or a loop of roping or thread, a metal ring, snaps, button holes or Velcro type of fastening system. The button means and the loop means are sized to allow for quick engagement and disengagement of the button means in order to facilitate the operation of the window treatment. While it is preferred to place the button means and loop means as shown in FIG. 1, it is possible to reverse the positions of the button means and the loop means so that rows of button means are available to be affixed to a single row of loop means located at the upper part of the window treatment.  
         [0020]    The rows of button means and loop means may be spaced as shown in FIG. 3 or in any type of spacing to achieve any desired effect. The rows of button means and loop means are shown in a horizontal arrangement but it is within the scope of the invention to arrange the rows of button means and loop means in various angled or arced configurations to achieve any desired visual effect. Each row of button means and loop means may comprise from 3 to 10, preferably 4 to 8 button means and loop means, depending on the weight of the fabric, the width of the panel and the visual effect that is desired.  
         [0021]    It is preferred to use one row of buttons arranged horizontally at a location which is within 0-12 inches, preferably within four inches of the top edge of the means which are used to suspend the panel in front of the window.  
         [0022]    The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. All such obvious modifications and variations are intended to be within the scope of the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4