Flexible or portable closure – partition – or panel – Plural strip – slat – or panel type – Venetian blind type
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-17
2001-07-24
Purol, David M. (Department: 3634)
Flexible or portable closure, partition, or panel
Plural strip, slat, or panel type
Venetian blind type
C024S11500R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06263946
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to safety means and more particularly to an improved assembly which prevents children from becoming entangled in window covering control cords and strangling themselves.
2. Prior Art
The dangers of very young children becoming entangled in window covering control cords and strangling themselves is real, as evidenced by publications of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
This problem has been addressed by various patents designed to reduce or eliminate such hazards. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,909,298, 5,504,977, 5,494,092 and 5,473,797. All of such devices are relatively complicated and expensive and rely on laterally separating action to cause parts of the devices to separate as a child engtangled in the cords twists and turns to free himself. Unfortunately, the degree of force necessary for such separating action cannot be controlled with any degree of certainty, so that such devices are less than optimal for their intended purposes.
A greatly improved window covering cord safety assembly is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,884. This device depends on an internal spring to precisely regulate the force necessary for complete separation of the control cords from the remainder of the device.
However, there remains a need for a further improvement in such devices. Such improvement should be designed so that complete separation of all but one of multiple control cords from the main body of the device occurs at a predetermined force, but which also causes that one control cord to remain attached to the main body of the device so that the main body of the device cannot be removed and become a choking hazard for a young child. There is also a need for an improved cord safety device which facilitates maintaining multiple control cords in proper untangled parallel alignment during operation of the device.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The improved window covering control cord safety assembly of the present invention satisfies all the foregoing needs. The assembly is substantially as set forth in the ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE. The assembly is simple, inexpensive, durable and efficient, providing a new higher level of safety. It is also easily assembled and disassembled.
Thus, the assembly includes one or more window covering control cords, the lower free ends of which bear expanded portions such as beads, hereinafter referred by the general term eyelets. The assembly also includes a safety device of an improved type. The device has a housing with closed top, bottom and interconnecting sidewalls to define a generally central space within which is disposed a retainer. Preferably, the housing and the upper portion of the retainer are generally cylindrical. The lower ends of the control cords and the eyelets pass down through openings in the top of the housing and engage the retainer which is slideably disposed in the central space.
The upper portion of the central space is expanded relative to the lower portion of the central space. The bottom portion of the retainer is preferably inverted conical and has spaced external pockets for releasably retaining the eyelets and control cord lower ends when the retainer is biased down into the lower portion of the central space by a spring positioned between the top of the retainer and the top of the housing.
In a preferred embodiment a screw passes down through the housing top to adjustably compress the spring and thus control the degree of downward vertical force needed to be exerted in order to allow the retainer to move up in the housing to the upper expanded portion of the central space wherein the cord ends and eyelets are freed from the pockets, causing the cords and eyelets to pass up through the housing and out of the housing, freeing a child entangled in the cords.
The device also includes an operating cord connected to the lower end of the retainer and extending down below the housing, preferably in a tube. The tube, retainer and housing can be made of plastic or other suitable material. The device is easy to install and use and can be easily removed from the control cords, when desired.
The device further includes a novel safety feature in the form of an elongated rod which transversly spans the central space and is positioned and is of sufficient diameter to permit one of the control cords adjacent thereto to slide past it unimpeded but which prevents the full separation of that control cord from the housing because the rod blocks the eyelet of that control cord from passing upwardly by the rod. Instead, the rod traps that eyelet.
Thus, the housing is retained on a single control cord, preventing a child from removing the housing and choking on it. When it is desired to fully separate the housing from all the control cords the rod can be removed from the central space. In order to facilitate releasably locking the rod in the housing, the rod can have an expanded screw-type outer end along with a threaded portion adjacent thereto and receivable within a threaded opening in the housing. The remainder of the rod, that portion which spans the central space, is smooth and cannot abrade the control cord adjacent thereto.
The device preferably also includes an upper cord guide which preferably is generally conical in configuration and which is seated on the top of the housing. The cord guide has spaced passages extending from the top to the bottom of the cord guide, which openings are aligned with the operings in the top of the housing. The cord guide is releasably or permanently secured to the top of the housing. The cord guide keeps the control cords in proper parallel spaced relation for easier operation of the device.
Further features of the present invention are set forth in the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5715884 (1998-02-01), Cotten
E Z Release, Inc.
Nist Donald E.
Purol David M.
LandOfFree
Window covering cord safety assembly does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Window covering cord safety assembly, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Window covering cord safety assembly will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2455660