Flexible or portable closure – partition – or panel – Pleating type – With preformed pleats
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-01
2003-02-04
Johnson, Blair M. (Department: 3634)
Flexible or portable closure, partition, or panel
Pleating type
With preformed pleats
C156S197000, C428S116000, C428S118000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06513565
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to window coverings and more specifically relates to window coverings having cells adapted for selectively controlling the amount of light passing through the window covering and to methods of making such window coverings.
For many years, window coverings have been used to at least partially cover a window opening and selectively close off the view therethrough. One well-known type of window covering is a venetian blind having a large number of elongated slats. In order to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and to decrease the amount of heat escaping through window openings, cellular shades were developed that replaced the slats of a venetian blind with a plurality of air trapping cells. The air trapping cells are typically formed by shaping or folding a fabric material, such as cloth, into a plurality of elongated loops. The elongated loops are then connected together and comprise the body of the window covering. Thus, a typical cellular shade includes a horizontally arranged head rail, a horizontally arranged bottom rail remote therefrom, and a plurality of cells there between being interconnected one atop of the other.
In a top pulling shade, the lowermost cell in the window covering is received in or attached to the bottom rail and the bottom rail is interconnected with the cells and the head rail by at least one lifting cord. When the lifting cord is pulled, the bottom rail assembly attached to the cord moves in an upward direction toward the head rail, thereby causing the individual cells to collapse into substantially flat sections. During upward movement of the bottom rail, the individual cells preferably collapse in series from the lowermost cell to the uppermost cell. When the window covering is fully opened, all of the cells are collapsed to provide a final structure having a bottom rail assembly, a stack of collapsed cells thereon and a head rail assembly disposed at the top of the window opening. In order to close the cellular shade, the lift cord is manipulated so that the bottom rail falls or moves away from the head rail, thereby carrying the stack of collapsed cells downward. During downward movement of the bottom rail, the uppermost cell of the window covering will open first and the remaining cells will open in series from the uppermost cell to the lowermost cell. If the bottom rail is stopped or secured in place between the fully opened position and the closed position, the window covering will have a series of cells (adjacent the top rail) that are open and a series of cells (adjacent the bottom rail) that are collapsed or folded.
The prior art discloses various methods and apparatus for forming an expandable cellular shade for window openings. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,963,549 and 4,603,072, disclose methods of making a cellular structure from a plurality of separate tubes or separate strips that are folded into a tubular configuration, and adhered together, one on top of the other, to form longitudinally extending cells. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,288,485 and 4,346,132 disclose methods of making a cellular structure from a plurality of sheets that are stacked and adhered together along spaced bands to form a plurality of cells between adjacent sheets. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,631,217 and 4,677,012 disclose a method of making a cellular structure from a plurality of separate sheets that are longitudinally folded and adhered together such that each sheet forms a part of two adjacent cells. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,201,356 and 4,625,786 disclose forming a cellular structure from two folded sheets disposed at opposite sides of a shade and connected together at spaced locations.
Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,563, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein, discloses a method and apparatus for making a pleated expandable and collapsible multi-cell window covering. A web of material is accordion folded widthwise to form a series of web panels united in alternate succession along first and second creased folds disposed at respective first and second sides of the web. Successive panels are advanced in an unfolded condition lengthwise of the web through an adhesive applying zone to an inlet end of a refold stack and adhesive is applied to each web panel, in a band parallel to and spaced from the associated creased fold with a preceding panel. The web panels having adhesive applied thereto are refolded in succession along the associated creased fold with a preceding panel onto the inlet end of the refold stack. The band of adhesive is applied at the second side of the web to each panel that joined along a first creased fold to a preceding web panel and the band of adhesive is applied at the first side of the web to each panel that is joined along a second creased fold to a preceding panel.
In recent years, light control cellular shades have become increasingly common, particularly those which employ one or two continuous sheets of sheer material to form the front or rear of the shade structure. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,313,999, 5,394,922 and 5,454,414 disclose light control shades in which both the front and rear sheer portions are made from a single sheet of sheer material. U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,613 discloses a light control shade which includes one continuous sheet of sheer material and a series of strips attached to the sheet having opaque and sheer portions.
Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,552 to Kutchmarek et al., the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein, discloses a method and apparatus for forming a pleated cellular shade product from a single web of material, whereby the shade has different physical characteristics on opposite sides thereof. In one embodiment, a web is provided having alternate first and second stripe areas extending across the web at predetermined intervals. The first stripes have a light transmissive character that differs from the light transmissive character of the second stripes. The web is folded in a first direction along a first fold line intermediate side edges of the first stripe area and in a second direction along a second fold line intermediate side edges of each second stripe area to form a plurality of sidewise adjacent panels, serially united in alternate succession along respective first and second fold lines. After the web has been folded, the first stripes provide the desired light transmissive characteristics on one side of the shade and the second stripes provide different light transmissive characteristics on the opposite side of the shade, without adversely affecting the appearance of the shade product. Thus, the shade product may be formed with different colors or textures at opposite sides or with a light reflection and/or absorbent surface on one side or the other for enhanced insulating characteristics.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a light controlling window covering includes a plurality of elongated cells attached one atop the other. Each cell of the window covering is generally rectangular when view in cross-section and preferably includes a substantially opaque top strip at the top of the cell and a substantially opaque bottom strip at the bottom of the cell. As used herein, the term substantially opaque or opaque means that the material allows no or very little light to pass therethrough. One of the opaque strips may be colored or darkened and the other opaque strip may be white or a light color close to white. Each cell also preferably includes a front sheer strip extending vertically at a front of the window covering and a rear sheer strip extending vertically at a rear of said window covering.
In order to assemble an individual cell, an upper end of the front sheer strip is preferably folded inwardly toward a front edge of the top opaque strip and a lower end of the front sheer strip is folded inwardly toward a front edge of the bottom strip. In a similar fashion, an upper end of the rear sheer strip may be folded inwardly toward a rear edge of
Belongia Larry P.
Rupel John D.
Thomson John R.
Johnson Blair M.
Lerner David Littenberg Krumholz & Mentlik LLP
Springs Window Fashions LP
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