Abstract:
A window shade includes a sheet extending down from a head rail and is operated by a plurality of cords. Each cord extends from the head rail to the bottom of the shade. A plurality of tubes also extend from the head rail to the bottom of the shade and house one of the respective cords. The tubes are formed of a plurality of nested tube elements telescopically interengaged.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to provisional application Ser. No. 61/347,609 filed on May 24, 2011 and incorporated herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    a. Field of Invention: 
         [0003]    This invention pertains to a roman shade having telescoping rods enveloping the control cords. 
         [0004]    b. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0005]    The current types of Roman shade operating systems have been the subject of a series of recalls in the recent past as the US government views the lift cords behind the Roman shade fabric as one of the top hidden dangers to small children. Specifically, a lift cord can be formed into a loop by a child pulling on the exposed cord and inserting his or her head through the loop, with the resulting pressure on the neck may lead to injury. 
         [0006]    The current known systems in the market predominantly use lift cords attached to the bottom bar by clips or rings, with the possibility of additional clips or rings on stiffening battens sometimes used above the bottom bar. These lift cords are then attached to various pulling and/or locking mechanisms in or on a head rail. Certain known systems use a narrow flat lift tape or ribbon instead of a cord. In either case, the lift cord or tape is accessible to a person reaching behind the front of the shade. This ability to access the cord or tape allows a loop to be formed and exposes a child to potential choking hazards. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The proposed invention provides a roman shade having a sheed partitioned into a plurality of panels. Two or more cords 
         [0008]    ???????????????inserts a cord inside of a relatively stiff telescoping tube or pipe, which permits the shade to be raised or lowered by use of a pulling mechanism but does not allow a loop to be formed, thereby eliminating or minimizing the risk of strangulation. Successively wider pieces of tube or pipe nest on top of each other to allow retraction and expansion. When the shade is at its most open position (at the top of the window), the tubes or pipes are almost completely nested, with a “stack height” of such tubes being determined by the longest of the tubes. When the pulling or operating mechanism lowers the cord, which is attached to the bottom bar of the shade, the pieces of tube or pipe surrounding the cord successively separate to allow expansion or extension of the tube or pipe along with the lengthening of the cord, without the cord ever being exposed. The outside tube must be fastened to the top of the shade or head rail, as this member must be fixed and relatively immovable for the system to function properly. The tube or pipe surrounding the cord is sufficiently stiff to prevent a loop from forming, although the tube or pipe may be able to flex. 
         [0009]    The invention allows virtually all elements of existing operating systems to remain unchanged, a significant benefit to manufacturers of such shades who have substantial investments in such systems. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a rear perspective view of the telescoping Roman shade system according to the present invention, showing the shade in a fully lowered or closed position; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the shade of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a view similar to that of  FIG. 1 , showing the shade in an intermediate position mid-way between its fully lowered or closed position and its fully raised or open position; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the shade of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a view similar to that of  FIG. 1 , showing the shade in a fully raised or open position; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a side view of the shade of  FIG. 5 ; and 
           [0016]      FIGS. 7-9  are views showing additional aspects of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]    A roman shade system constructed in accordance with this invention is shown in  FIG. 1  and is generally designated  10 . The system includes a sheet  12  forming the shade. Sheet  12  is formed with a series of pleated sections or panels, with the number of shade sections depending on the height of the window or other area to be selectively covered and the width of each shade section. For illustrative purposes only, sheet  12  is shown to have eight shade sections,  12   a - 12   h.    
         [0018]    Roman shade system  10  also includes a plurality telescoping tubes or pipes  14 ,  16  and  18 . Two of such telescoping tubes or pipes  14  and  18  are located near the sides of Roman shade  10 . Telescoping tube or pipe  16  is located midway of the Roman shade and is generally equidistant from telescoping tubes or pipes  14  and  18 . A standard lift cord  17  is threaded in each of the tubes and has a bottom end that is connected to a bottom rail  19 . 
         [0019]    The number of telescoping tubes or pipes depends on the number of lift cords  17  which, in turn, depends on the width of the Roman shade and the ability of the lift cords to raise or lower the Roman shade. For example for relatively narrow Roman shades, two lift cords may be sufficient to raise or lower the shade and two sets of telescoping tubes or pipes  14  and  18  are provided. Wider Roman shades may require four lift cords to sufficiently raise or lower the shade and four sets of telescoping tubes or pipes would be used. 
         [0020]    Each telescoping tube or pipe has a plurality of tube or pipe elements. For example and as shown in  FIG. 2 , telescoping tube or pipe  14  includes tube or pipe elements  14   a - 14   h . The width of each tube or pipe element decreases from top to bottom thus enabling tube or pipe element  14   b  to fit within tube or pipe element  14   a , enabling tube or pipe element  14   c  to fit within tube or pipe element  14   b , etc. 
         [0021]    Preferably, the number of tube or pipe elements corresponds to the number of pleated sections of Roman shade  10 . For example in the illustrative embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-6 , Roman shade  10  has eight pleated sections,  12   a - 12   h , and likewise telescoping tube or pipe  14  has eight tube or pipe elements,  14   a - 14   h . Moreover, pleated section  12   a  is connected to tube or pipe element  14   a , pleated section  12   b  is connected to tube or pipe element  14   b , etc. 
         [0022]    The topmost tube or pipe element  14   a  is connected to the top of Roman shade  10  or to a head rail  20 . 
         [0023]      FIG. 5  shows Roman shade  10  in its fully raised or most open position at the top of a window (not shown). In this position, telescoping pipe or tube  14 , telescoping pipe or tube  16  and telescoping pipe or tube  18  are in their respective completely nested positions. For example as shown in  FIG. 6 , all of the tube or pipe elements  14   b - 14   h  are nested within tube or pipe element  14   a.    
         [0024]    As the Roman shade is lowered, for example, by use of a separate pulling or operating mechanism (not shown), the lift cords, which are connected to the bottom rail  19 , enter into the tube or pipe elements while the weight of the shade panels and rail cause these elements to successively separate one from the other. For example,  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4  show Roman shade  10  in a mid-way position, e.g., in a position between the fully raised or open position at the top of a window and a fully lowered or closed position at the bottom of the window. In this mid-way position, tube or pipe elements  14   b - 14   d  have telescoped out of tube or pipe element  14   a  along with the length of the lift cord contained therein. For this purpose, the tube or pipe elements forming the telescoping tubes are loosely coupled to each other so that they slide easily with respect to each other as the shade is raised lowered. 
         [0025]      FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  show Roman shade  10  in its fully lowered or closed position at the bottom of a window. In this position, all of tube or pipe elements  14   b - 14   h  have telescoped out of tube or pipe element  14   a  along with the length of the lift cord contained therein. 
         [0026]      FIGS. 7-9  show additional details of the present invention including how tubes or pipes  14 ,  16  and  18  are connected to Roman shade  10  and/or to head rail  20 . 
         [0027]    More particularly, the outside topmost tube or pipe element  18   a  is attached to head rail  20  by inserting the tube or pipe element into an aperture  22   a  of a retainer  22 , which then is fastened to the bottom  20   a  of head rail  20 . Retainer  22  may be fastened to head rail  20  in various ways. For example, retainer  22  may be fastened by sliding the retainer into an existing groove in head rail  20 . Alternatively, retainer  22  could be riveted or otherwise fastened to the bottom  20   a  of head rail  20 . 
         [0028]    Tube or pipe element  18   a  may be slightly conical so as to seat within aperture  22   a  without falling through retainer  22 . Tube or pipe element  18   a  may be formed to have a flange  24  which assists in maintaining the tube or pipe element within retainer  22 . Alternatively, tube or pipe element  18   a  may be generally cylindrical with top flange  24  seating the tube or pipe element within aperture  22 . Retainer piece  22  can be made out of any material, including plastic or metal. 
         [0029]    It is desirable that the tube or pipe elements are not connected directly to the sheet  12 . Rather and as shown in  FIGS. 7-9 , small loops or rings  26 , formed of plastic or cord or other suitable material, surround tube or pipe elements  14   b ,  16   b  and  18   b . Each loop or ring is attached to the fabric. For example, loops or rings  26  are tied to U-shaped elements  28  which extend from sheet  10 . In one embodiment, a plurality of transversal slats (not shown) separate the sheet into the individual panels  12   a - 12   h . The slats may be made of plastic, metal or other suitable material and are sewn or glued to the sheet. Alternatively, the sheet is made with transversal pockets holding the slats. The U-shaped elements  28  are then attached to the slats. 
         [0030]    In order to facilitate the retraction of the tube or pipe elements as roman shade  10  is raised and to facilitate the extension of the tube or pipe elements as roman shade  10  is lowered, there should be some play between the loops or rings and the tube or pipe elements. For example, there should be some play between loops or rings  26  and the respective tube or pipe elements  14   b ,  16   b  and  18   b.    
         [0031]    Tube or pipes  14 ,  16  and  18  may be attached to the bottom rail  19  of roman shade  10  in various ways. For example, the lowermost tube or pipe elements  14   h ,  16   h  and  18   h  could be attached to the bottom rail  19  by a small ring (like a fishing rod), may be sewn to a bottom bar of the roman shade  10 . 
         [0032]    It will be appreciated that by locating the lift cords of a roman shade within the telescoping tubes or elements, the danger that a child will be injured by a loop formed in the lift cord is greatly, if not totally, eliminated. 
         [0033]    The invention has applicability to most shade systems or blind systems having lift cords that might “loop” and is not limited to use with a roman shade. Moreover, numerous modifications may be made to the invention without departing from its scope as defined in the appended claims. For example, the telescoping tubes may be fixedly mounted to the bottom rail  19  and arranged so that the innermost tube elements rise slowly out of the remaining elements as the shade is lowered. Moreover, the tubes or pipes can have circular, oval, square, rectangular or other similar cross-section.