Flexible or portable closure – partition – or panel – Plural strip – slat – or panel type – Venetian blind type
Reexamination Certificate
1997-04-17
2002-05-07
Purol, David M. (Department: 3634)
Flexible or portable closure, partition, or panel
Plural strip, slat, or panel type
Venetian blind type
C160S902000, C248S254000, C248S267000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06382295
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to curtain and blind brackets, and in particular, to a bracket which may be adapted to be used with either mini-blinds or curtain rods.
Both mini-blinds and curtains are popular forms of window dressing. If a homeowner wants to replace mini-blinds with curtains, he or she must take down the mini-blind brackets and mount curtain rod brackets in their stead. This is a time consuming process. It leaves holes in the window frame where mini-blind brackets were mounted to the window frame and requires that new holes be made where the curtain brackets are mounted to the window frame. When one bracket is taken down and replaced with the other bracket, the holes from the first bracket can still be visible. Such visible holes are unsightly and undesirable. If the window frame is painted wood, the holes can be filled and the frame repainted. This will hide the hole, but again, is a time consuming job. If the window frame is finished or unpainted wood, it is not possible to easily hide the hole, and the hole will remain visible.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the present invention is to provide a window dressing bracket which may be converted between a mini-blind bracket and a curtain rod bracket.
Another object is to provide such a bracket in which there is no additional part that need be mounted to the wall to convert the bracket from a mini-blind bracket to a curtain rod bracket, or vice-versa.
Another object is to provide such a bracket which is simple to convert between a mini-blind bracket and a curtain rod bracket.
These and other objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the following description and accompanying drawings.
Briefly stated, a bracket is provided which is selectively convertible between a first mode in which it supports a mini-blind and a second mode in which it supports a curtain rod. The bracket includes a bracket and an adapter. The bracket is adapted to be mounted to the window casement and has a rear wall, a bottom wall, a top wall, and a side wall, which, in combination, define a chamber having an open front and an open side. The chamber is sized to receive a header of the mini-blind. The top and bottom walls of the bracket have opposed channels formed to face each other. The channels in the top and bottom walls of the bracket are defined by a pair of flanges which face each other and which extend into the chamber from the top and bottom walls of the bracket. One of the pair of flanges has a lip which faces or extends toward the other of flange to form a generally L-shaped channel. The channel is formed at the open end of the chamber, but may be positioned anywhere relative to the chamber.
The curtain rod adapter has a plate sized to extend between the top and bottom walls of the bracket and to be received in the channels and a generally T-shaped member sized and shaped to receive an end of a curtain rod. The curtain rod adapter plate has an upper flange and a lower flange which are sized and shaped to be received in the L-shaped channel.
In a second embodiment, the curtain rod adapter plate can be provided with two spaced apart T-shaped curtain rod receiving members. And in anther embodiment, the T-shaped member can extend a wall of the bracket to be generally co-planar with the rear wall of the bracket. In this instance, the bracket can be provided with a closing plate to close the open side of the bracket, or the bracket can be provided with the adapter plate which has one, or even two, T-members so that multiple curtain rods can be mounted with the bracket.
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patent: 4177853 (1979-12-01), Anderson et al.
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patent: 4580753 (1986-04-01), Hennequin
patent: 4848432 (1989-07-01), Connolly
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patent: 5188162 (1993-02-01), Simon et al.
patent: 5265837 (1993-11-01), Marocco
patent: 5505418 (1996-04-01), Corcoran
patent: 5544692 (1996-08-01), McMichael
Millen White Zelano & Branigan P.C.
Purol David M.
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