Flexible or portable closure – partition – or panel – Roll type – With brake or stop
Patent
1983-07-21
1985-08-13
Caun, Peter M.
Flexible or portable closure, partition, or panel
Roll type
With brake or stop
160319, E06B 9208
Patent
active
045343969
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a roller shade return mechanism of the type described in the preamble of claim 1.
Roller shade return mechanisms with a rewinding spring in the roller shade rod and a device for manual lowering are generally equipped with a ratchet device which serves to hold the shade in the desired position and in other words to prevent unintentional raising. This well-known roller shade return mechanism also has well-known disadvantages and lately it has therefore been suggested to use instead of the conventional ratchet device a friction brake between a rotary member and a stationary member of the return mechanism and to use instead of the conventional pull cord a transmission of the sprocket and bead chain type. In this case the conventional rewinding spring can, if desired, be dispensed with or replaced by a weaker spring which only has the task of balancing the roller shade rod against the weight of the lowered shade. In roller shades of this type both raising and lowering of the shade is effected by means of the above-described transmission and the friction brake has for its object to prevent unintentional rotation of the roller shade rod and in the ideal case to give the roller shade return mechanism such a balance that the shade is automatically stopped in any desired position whatever as soon as the manual pull is caused to cease. A return mechanism of this kind is described in Swedish patent application No. 8106945-2.
According to said Swedish Patent Application there is inserted in each end of the roller shade rod an end plug which is provided with a pin of rectangular cross-section for insertion in a slot of a roller shade mounting bracket. One plug or both plugs form a bearing for the roller shade rod relative to a non-rotary spindle and housing for a friction brake of the above-mentioned kind, and one of the end plugs besides forms a holder for a sprocket which is included in the roller shade return mechanism and rotatable by means of bead chain.
The object of the present invention is to improve the roller shade return mechanism disclosed by Swedish Patent Application No. 8106945-2 and particularly the end plug with friction brake, sprocket and end cap or cover so that the parts can easily be assembled with the aid of as simple tools as possible or even without any tools. Other objects are to simplify and improve the brake housing and to make the brake mechanism more effective.
These objects have now been attained in that the return mechanism according to the invention has been given the characteristic features defined by the appended claims.
The invention will be more fully described hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in axial section, of a roller shade provided with a roller shade return mechanism according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is an axial sectional view taken on a larger scale of a preferred embodiment of the roller shade return mechanism according to the invention and illustrates in detail the elements housed in one end plug and in the sprocket, with mounted end cap;
FIG. 3 is an end view as shown in the direction of the arrows III--III in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a plan view of a flexible friction washer according to the invention.
The roller shade according to the embodiment in FIG. 1 includes a rod 1 with a fabric 2 shown partially lowered. The roller shade rod 1 is tubular and in the hollow space thereof is arranged a rewinding spring 3 on a spindle 4 which at its outer end carries a pin 5 of rectangular cross-section, i.e. a customary so-called square pin for insertion in a slot of a roller shade mounting bracket (not shown). At the inner end the spring 3 is secured to the spindle 4 and bears at its outer (left) end against and is fixed to a plug 6 which is inserted in the left end portion (with regard to FIG. 1) of the tubular rod 1 and non-rotatably fixed in relation to the roller shade rod. The spindle 4 extends through and is rotatably mounted in the plug 6. Upon rotation of the roller shade r
REFERENCES:
patent: 305455 (1884-09-01), Kempster
patent: 1321674 (1919-11-01), Sheppard
patent: 1570573 (1926-01-01), Nevatt
patent: 2166745 (1939-07-01), Appel
patent: 3211212 (1965-10-01), Smith
patent: 4096904 (1978-06-01), Donofrio
patent: 4250942 (1981-02-01), Dreher et al.
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