Patent Abstract:
A head rail or head rail assembly for an architectural closure, the head rail including an elongate front wall having left hand and right hand longitudinal ends and an elongate bottom wall having left hand and right hand longitudinal ends. A left hand end structure is positioned adjacent to the left hand longitudinal end of the bottom wall and a right hand end structure is positioned adjacent to the right hand longitudinal end of the bottom wall. A first slot is defined between the left hand end structure and the left hand longitudinal end of the bottom wall and a second slot is defined between the right hand end structure and the right hand longitudinal end of the bottom wall. At least one of the first and second slots is closed by a removable closure.

Full Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to European Patent Application No. 07017083.2 filed on 31 Aug. 2007, and such application is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully disclosed herein. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a head rail for an architectural covering, such as a roller blind or screen. 
     2. Description of the Relevant Art 
     Head rails are fairly common as upper structures of retractable window coverings, such as Venetian type blinds and roll-up curtains or blinds. In known examples, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,894 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,389, provisions have been made to enable the user or the installer to select between controlling the blind from one or the other end of the head rail. In the known head rail assemblies the operating controls will alternatively exit from either a front wall or a rear wall of the head rail. Repositioning the controls from the left hand side of an architectural opening to the right hand side, or vice versa, thereby requires the entire blind to be reversed front to rear. With such head rails it is thus strictly necessary that the front and rear walls should be equally suitable to be exposed to the front and fulfill certain decorative requirements. There can however be reasons not to shape the front and rear walls of a head rail identically or to have a blind that is reversible by having identical front and rear surfaces. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a head rail assembly that enables the user or the installer to select between control ends without being limited to a reversible shape of the head rail or the blind. A further object of the invention is to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art. It is also an object of the present invention to provide alternative structures which are less cumbersome in assembly and operation and which moreover can be made relatively inexpensively. Alternatively it is an object of the invention to at least provide the public with a useful choice. 
     To this end, the invention provides a head rail for an architectural covering, the head rail including: an elongate front wall having left hand and right hand longitudinal ends, an elongate bottom wall having left hand and right hand longitudinal ends, a left hand end structure positioned adjacent to the left hand longitudinal end of the bottom wall; and a right hand end structure positioned adjacent to the right hand longitudinal end of the bottom wall, wherein a first slot is defined between the left hand end structure and the left hand longitudinal end of the bottom wall, wherein a second slot is defined between the right hand end structure and the right hand longitudinal end of the bottom wall, and wherein at least one of the first and second slots is closed by a removable closure. In this way the head rail has an exit for a control device on either of its longitudinal ends. It is thus not necessary to turn the head rail end for end when the control device is desired at an opposite side of the architectural covering. It is also no longer necessary to have identical front and rear walls on the head rail and the rear structure of the head rail can thereby be shaped to serve a functional purpose rather than a mere decorative purpose. Also the blind material suspended from the head rail can now be given distinct opposite surfaces in accordance with specific functional properties required at the interior side and at the exterior side of architectural openings. 
     Other advantageous embodiments will be apparent from the appended claims and the following description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will now be described in reference to one possible embodiment as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows in perspective, an interior side of a right hand end structure; 
         FIG. 2  shows, in perspective, an exterior side of a left hand end structure; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a partly assembled roller blind with a blind roller carried between opposite right and left hand end structures; 
         FIG. 4  shows one possible form of a bottom wall of the roller blind of  FIG. 3  and a removable closure in a perspective explosion view prior to mounting; 
         FIG. 5  shows the bottom wall of  FIG. 4  in assembled condition; 
         FIG. 6  is a view similar to  FIG. 4 , but with the removable closure positioned for mounting to another end of the bottom wall; 
         FIG. 7  is a view similar to  FIG. 5  but with the removable closure assembled to the other end of the bottom wall; 
         FIG. 8  is a transverse cross-sectional view of the bottom wall of  FIG. 7  over the line VIII-VIII in  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  shows in elevation the bottom wall of  FIG. 5  in position for being mounted onto the partly assembled roller blind of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 10  is an elevation similar to  FIG. 9 , but with the bottom wall fully mounted onto the roller blind of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the roller blind of  FIG. 10  with left and right hand end caps in position for being mounted onto the left hand and right hand end structures; 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view from below showing the roller blind of  FIG. 11  upon final assembly of its head rail with its bottom wall of  FIG. 7  permitting an operating mechanism to be associated with a right hand end structure; and 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 12  but showing the roller blind of  FIG. 11  upon final assembly of its head rail with its bottom wall of  FIG. 7  permitting an operating mechanism to be associated with a left hand end structure. 
         FIG. 14  is a rear perspective view of another embodiment of a roller blind. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  shows a right hand end structure  1  that has a web portion  3 , a rear mounting flange  5  and a top mounting flange  7 . Also extending from the web portion  3  are a first wall engagement formation  9  and a second wall engagement formation  11 . Associated with the first engagement formation  9  is an abutment  13  for a purpose to be described herein below. Web portion  3  is also provided with a central aperture  15  for receiving either an end bearing of a roller blind roller or a control device for a driving end of such a blind roller. 
     The central aperture  15  in the illustrated embodiment is surrounded with an optional array of angular positioning openings  17 . The angular positioning openings  17  can be used to locate a control device in different angular positions in respect of the central aperture  15 . The right hand end structure  1  further has first and second mounting holes  19 ,  21  in its web portion  3 , offering the option of mounting the end structure to a wall surface that co-extends with the web portion  3 . Mostly however the right hand end structure  1  will be mounted to rear surface using in the rear mounting flange  5 , or to an overhead surface using the top mounting flange  7 . To this end the rear mounting flange  5  is provided with first and second slotted openings  23 ,  25  and the top mounting flange  7  is provided with third and fourth slotted openings  27 ,  29 .  FIG. 2  shows a left hand end structure  31  which is substantially a mirror image of the right hand end structure  1  of  FIG. 1 . Similar parts of the left hand end structure  31  in  FIG. 3  will be referred to by reference numerals that are a full thirty higher than those used in  FIG. 1 . The left hand end structure  31  has a web portion  33  and a top mounting flange  37 . Similar to the right hand end bracket there is also a rear mounting flange, but which is hidden from view in the exterior perspective orientation of  FIG. 2 . Again extending from the web portion  33  are a first wall engagement formation  39  and a second wall engagement formation  41 . The first wall engagement formation  39  has an abutment  43 . A central aperture  45  is provided in the web portion  33  which is surrounded by optional angular positioning openings  47  for positioning a drive unit. The web portion  33  further has first and second mounting holes  49 ,  51  and the top mounting flange  37  has first and second mounting slots  57 ,  59 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a part assembly of the right hand end structure  1 , the left hand end structure  31  and a roller blind  61 . The roller blind  61  has a control device  63  on one longitudinal end of a blind roller  65 . The control device  63  can be operated by a ball chain  67 . Windable on and from the roller  65 , by operating the ball chain  67 , is a blind fabric or screen  69  which is kept taught by a weighted bottom bar  71 . 
       FIGS. 4 to 7  show the respective preparatory stages of a wall element  81  for a head rail of the invention. The wall element  81  is provided with a bottom wall  83  and an integral front wall  85 . The bottom wall  83  has a right hand cut-out  87  and a left hand cut-out  89 . The right hand cut-out  87  is furnished with a right hand edge cover  91  and the left hand cut-out  89  is furnished with a corresponding left hand edge cover  93 . The right hand and left hand edge covers  91 ,  93  each have protrusions  91 A,  91 B,  93 A,  93 B, which cooperate with first and second holding groove formations  95 ,  97  on an inside of the bottom wall  83 . Each of the right hand and left hand edge covers  91 ,  93  is also provided with a rectangular slot  99  which opens into a funnel defined by the relevant protrusion  91 B,  93 B and the inside surface of the bottom wall  83 . The rectangular slot  99  cooperates with a bifurcated flexible insertion tongue  103  of a removable closure  101 . The closure  101  also has first and second retaining hooks  105 ,  107  and first and second curved guiding surfaces  109 ,  111 . 
     The front wall  85  as more clearly visible in  FIG. 8 , has a first engagement ridge  121  and a second engagement ridge  123 . The first engagement ridge  121  is designed to pivotally hook into the first wall engagement formations  9 ,  39  of the right hand and left hand end structures  1 ,  31  respectively. The second engagement ridge  123  is designed to snap fittingly engage behind the second wall engagement formations  11 ,  41  of respectively the right hand and left hand end structure  1 ,  31 . 
     As it is shown in  FIG. 9  the wall element  81  with its first engagement ridge  121  is brought into engagement with the first wall engagement formations  9 ,  39  of the right hand and left hand end structures  1 ,  31 . The first engagement ridge  121  also abuts the abutment  43 . From this position the wall element  81  is moved into the direction of arrow  125 , where upon the second engagement ridge  123  engages the second wall engagement formation  41  on the left hand end structure  31  and arrive at the position illustrated in  FIG. 10 . The cooperation with the right hand end structure  1  which is not visible in  FIG. 9 and 10  is similar and takes place simultaneously. 
     In case the right hand and left hand end structure  1 ,  31  remain in a visible position after mounting of the entire blind assembly to a rear or an overhead surface, right hand and left hand end caps  131 ,  133  can be slid onto the end structures a shown in  FIG. 11 . Such end caps are however optional. 
       FIG. 12  shows the blind of  FIG. 11  after the end caps  131 ,  133  have been attached. An enclosed head rail structure is formed by the bottom wall  83  and the front wall  85  which completely hides the roller blind mechanism from view and also protects it against contamination or damage. The closure  101  closes the relevant right hand or left hand cut-out  87 ,  89  in the bottom wall  83  where there is no control mechanism and consequently no depending ball chain loop  67  that needs to exit from the head rail at the left side in  FIG. 12 . This arrangement provides for a symmetrical head rail which can also be used in case the operating ball chain loop  67  is required to be positioned at the left hand side of the head rail as shown in  FIG. 13 . In this case the closure  101  is attached to the right hand edge cover  91 , when for some reason the closure  101  has been omitted, the flexibility of the bifurcated tongue  103  and the curved guiding surfaces  109 ,  111  (see  FIGS. 4 to 7 ) will still allow retrofitting the closure  101  into a finished head rail. Similarly it would be possible when required to remove the closure  101  from an assembled heads rail. 
     Various modifications are in the purview of the present invention and will be easily accomplished by the skilled person. One such modification could be that the closure  101  is formed as an integral, but break-away portion of each edge cover  91 ,  93 . In such a modified arrangement the closure is removed where it is not needed and left in place where it is needed. It is thus believed that the operation and construction of the present invention will be apparent from the foregoing description. While the described embodiment of head rail according to the invention has the strict minimum of a bottom wall and a front wall, variations having in addition a rear wall  88  and/or a top wall  86 , as shown in  FIG. 14 , are possible without deviating from the scope of the invention. The right hand and left hand end structures, to this end, may be modified to provide additional engagement formations for receiving such rear and/or top walls. Where the blind is a roller blind the bottom wall is usually arranged to leave a longitudinal slot along its longitudinal rear edge to allow the blind fabric or screen material to extend from the head rail in proximity to the rear of the head rail. Occasionally it is preferred to have the blind or screen material to extend in proximity of the front wall of the head rail. In such cases the bottom wall can be formed as an integral part of a rear wall, or be separately attachable to the left hand and right hand end structures. Because the front wall of the head rail assembly can sometimes have an additional decorative function, it goes without saying that this does not strictly need to have a flat shape and can be curved or profiled according to requirement. The invention is not limited to any embodiment herein described and, within the purview of the skilled person; modifications are possible which should be considered within the scope of the appended claims. Equally all kinematic inversions are considered inherently disclosed and to be within the scope of the present invention. The term comprising when used in this description or the appended claims should not be construed in an exclusive or exhaustive sense but rather in an inclusive sense. Expressions such as: “means for . . . ” should be read as: “component configured for . . . ” or “member constructed to . . . ” and should be construed to include equivalents for the structures disclosed. The use of expressions like: “critical”, “preferred”, “especially preferred” etc. is not intended to limit the invention. Features which are not specifically or explicitly described or claimed may be additionally included in the structure according to the present invention without deviating from its scope.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4