Supports – Brackets – Rod type
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-22
2001-08-28
King, Anita (Department: 3632)
Supports
Brackets
Rod type
C160S902000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06279863
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Installed in windows, blinds are among the first objects upon which outside dust settles; they quickly become the dirtiest parts of a room. Cleaning them is especially difficult when their hangers, as taught in the prior art, do not allow one to remove the blinds easily.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a holder from which Venetian blinds and the like can be hung and from which the blinds can be easily removed.
A further object is to provide such a holder which can be installed, on a temporary basis, in a convenient location for cleaning the blinds.
A still further object is to provide a blind hanger which can be installed using only a single round head screw, a common nail or the like.
An improved blind hanger assembly comprises a pair of open-ended brackets for supporting the distal ends of a window blind mounting bar. Each bracket has a generally rectangular bottom panel and three rectangular side panels connected thereto. The side panels extend perpendicularly and upwardly from the bottom panel, forming a four-sided structure which is open on both its top and one of its vertical sides.
Folded downwardly from the upper edge of at least one of the side panels is a flap which is disposed generally back-to-back with this side panel so as to cover most of its outer surface. The flap and contiguous side panel, which are fabricated from a single piece of sheet metal, are joined only along their common upper edge and they can be spread apart slightly downwardly of this edge.
The flap itself defines an open, “L”-shaped slot which can be entered at points near a rear corner edge of the bracket. The slot is wide enough to receive the shank of a mounting screw or other fastener for securing the bracket to a window sill. At the same time, the slot is narrower than the diameter of such a fastener's head. Such a slot configuration allows one to slide the bracket rearwardly between said head and the window sill and then lower the bracket into position. Because the flap is hidden behind one of the side panels, the head of a fastener held within the slot cannot interfere with the subsequent placement of a window blind mounting bar within the bracket.
In the preferred embodiment, first and second flaps are folded downwardly from the upper edges of first and second side panels, respectively, and disposed generally back-to-back with them. Oriented perpendicularly to each other, the first and second side panels form a rear corner edge of the bracket and define a “L”-shaped slot, which extends forwardly of this corner edge, and an inverted key hole slot, respectively. The round part of the key hole slot is large enough to receive the head of a fastener, such as a mounting screw, for securing the bracket to a window sill. The narrow part of the slot is wider than the diameter of the fastener's shank but smaller than its head. Prior to use, the bracket is slid over the head of the fastener and then lowered into position. Each flap, because it is hidden behind one of the side panels, is not exposed to any component of the window blind itself, preventing interference between the fastener head which secures the flap and the window blind mounting bar.
Each bracket of the improved blind hanger assembly can be fabricated from a single piece of sheet metal, preferably of finished steel, brass or aluminum, and bent to the desired shape.
REFERENCES:
patent: 763486 (1904-06-01), Heinrich
patent: 1133360 (1915-03-01), Casper
patent: 1814422 (1931-07-01), Warnick
patent: 2896900 (1959-07-01), Fiedler
patent: 4265423 (1981-05-01), Vecchiarelli
patent: 4580753 (1986-04-01), Hennequin
patent: 5230493 (1993-07-01), Luoto
patent: 5522444 (1996-06-01), Liu
King Anita
Leon Harry I.
Szumny Jon A
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