Venetian blind lacing station

Details Venetian blind lacing station Venetian blind lacing station

1999-06-25

2001-05-22

Hughes, S. Thomas (Department: 3726)

Metal working

Venetian blind assembling

Reexamination Certificate

active

06233800

ABSTRACT:

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application corresponds to and claims priority to European Application No. 98202122.2, filed Jun. 26, 1998. This European application is hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a lacing station for an assembly machine for Venetian blinds.
2. Background Art
Assembly machines are known for the production of conventional Venetian blinds of different sizes and types. In these assembly machines, slats are punched and cut, and then, they are fed to a lacing station, in which the slats have been fed into the gaps between the vertical cords of a Venetian blind ladder cord. In producing Venetian blinds with these machines, the punching of the slats includes providing the slats with internal openings on the internal surface of a slat, at the position of the slat between the vertical cords of the ladder cord. The internally situated openings on each of the slats are at least provided at the two opposite ends, in the same position as the two outermost situated ladder cords, of each slat. The openings of the slats (at the same side) result in a vertically elongated channel, serving as a “route” for lift cords running internally in the slats of the Venetian blind.
In recent years, Venetian blinds, known as “routeless blinds”, without internal openings on the slats and without the ordinary internally running lift cords, have been invented. DE-U-29701748.9 describes such a Venetian blind without internal openings on the slats, and consequently without the ordinary lift cords. One major problem with the usual Venetian blind, having internal openings on the slats, is that the light from the outside is not entirely shut out when the slats of the Venetian blind are placed in the slanted, “blackout” position. In spite of the slanted position of the slats, light is allowed to shine through the openings in the slats. This problem is especially annoying when there is broad daylight outside and when a total darkness is required indoors. This problem has been solved by the routeless blinds.
However, the problem of providing a suitable assembly machine for manufacturing routeless blinds has not been solved. In this regard, EP-B-0 674 092 describes a ladder guide mechanism for a Venetian blind assembly machine, having a ladder support guiding mechanism and an associated ladder support advancing mechanism, but not a mechanism for lacing the slats and ladder cords together.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with this invention, a lacing station is provided for an assembly machine for making Venetian blinds, particularly routeless blinds. The lacing station comprises a slat guiding unit and a ladder cord guiding unit for guiding a ladder cord in exact position for receiving a slat, where at least one needle is vertically arranged above the ladder cord guiding unit, a lower end of the needle being moveably arranged to be in close contact with the ladder cord for engagement with side cords of the ladder and having a tip in close proximity to the upper end of the ladder cord guiding unit for twisting the ladder cord.
An advantage of the lacing station for a Venetian blind assembly machine of this invention is that routeless blinds can be manufactured automatically and efficiently. The ladder cord guiding unit serves as a guide and a feeding device for the ladder cord. The ladder cord contains vertical cords and has several perpendicular rungs spread along its length, the punched and cut slats are fed into the lacing station, in which the slats are fed into the gaps between the vertical cords of a Venetian blind ladder cord and above the rungs thereof. Some ladders have double rungs, and the slats may sometimes be fed between the upper and lower cords of such double rungs as disclosed in U. S. Pat. No. 4,514,886.
The lacing station of this invention advantageously comprises a pair of needles, one on each side of a passage for a slat, which is fed in position for lacing. An assembly machine may comprise several lacing stations and thus advantageously several pairs of needles evenly spread in the lacing section along the slats which are ready in position for lacing.
In operation, a ladder cord guiding unit holds a ladder cord with a rung (or two rungs forming a gap between them), in exact position to receive a slat. The slat is fed by a drive roller and through a slat guiding unit, and further in between the vertical cords of the ladder in the position of the rung (or rungs). Then, the needle is twisted around the ladder cord, before the slat is lifted and a new slat is introduced to a new rung of the ladder cord.
According to one embodiment of this invention, the side members of the ladder cord guiding unit contain slots for the ladder cord. The slot can be curved, forming a lip where behind the rungs of the ladder can rest in one feeding position, serving as a support for the ladder cord and for the exact receiving of slats in the ladder cord.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a slat guiding unit may be arranged close, immediately before and/or after, to the ladder cord guiding unit. The unit may contain slat supporting wheels, which serve as a support for the slats and keep the slats on the track when the slats are fed forward. In previously known assembly machines for producing Venetian blinds, the slats were held in place on the track by spring-loaded means, which had the disadvantage of causing wearing to the edges of the slats.
The whole production is preferably controlled and supervised by a data processing machine. Parameters such as length, width and number of twists of the needle for production of the Venetian blind are read to the computer and the assembly machine will automatically produce the desired product.
With reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of this invention are described, without restricting the scope of the invention thereto.


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