Flexible or portable closure – partition – or panel – Plural strip – slat – or panel type – Venetian blind type
Utility Patent
1999-08-25
2001-01-02
Lev, Bruce A. (Department: 3634)
Flexible or portable closure, partition, or panel
Plural strip, slat, or panel type
Venetian blind type
C160S17610R, C160S17810R, C160S236000
Utility Patent
active
06167938
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to Venetian blinds with angled slats in general and, in particular, to angled slats having unequal wings with circular holes for receiving cords located near the edge of the short wing of the slat for the purpose of allowing maximum light transmission in the open and intermediate positions and minimum light transmission in the closed position while further providing a flush planar surface in the closed position.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The prior art contains angled blinds with equal wings, an apex at the junction of the wings and slots that pass through the apex and continue toward the respective edges of both wings or one wing or the other only. Common elements in prior art blinds are a head box, ladder-shaped supporting cords for supporting the slats and for tilting the slats and a bottom rail connected to lifting cords connected to the bottom rail which pass though lifting cord slats and into the head box.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,633,191 to R. Curtis, Jr. discloses an angle slatted blind with slots extending from the apex toward each wing of the slat. Curtis further disclosed angled slats that when tilted to a closed position have all of the vertical sections of the slat in a common plane. Specifically, the apex (Curtis calls it the angular free edge) of each bar is brought close to the apex of the lower adjacent bar.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,526 to John R. Reeves discloses a blind using angled shaped slats with lifting cord holes that are in the apex and extend only slightly beyond the apex into the respective slat wings. Reeves further discloses a blind that can be tilted so that all of the first sections are in the same vertical plane or alternatively all of the second sections are in the same vertical plane.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,367 to Mamoru Kataoka, et. al discloses an angle shaped slat with a slot that includes the apex and extends from the apex toward the edge of only one wing of the slat. The '367 slats specifically overlap in the vertical position in order to prevent the leakage of light from the slot.
Angled shaped slats have the advantage of giving structural rigidity to the slat so that no more than two (in normal windows) lifting cords and two ladder shaped supporting cords are necessary. The advent of new lightweight materials such as polyvinyl chloride foam and pressed bamboo create opportunities for designing blinds that are relatively thin and lightweight while having aesthetic appeal. Blind slats made from such lightweight materials require additional structural rigidity that can be easily obtained by means of an angle shape. An additional reason for the angle shape is that lifting cords and ladder shaped supporting cords detract from the blinds appearance and cost more in materials and time to assemble. Angle shaped slats are known in the prior art; however, both wings of the angle shaped slats are equal in the prior art blinds. The prior art angle shaped blind will transmit less light than a conventional blind because of the large profile presented when in intermediate or open positions. Thus, it is usual for prior art blinds to have one wing of the angle shaped blind made from light transmitting material. When the light transmitting wing of the angle shaped slat is in the vertical position, light passes through; however, one cannot see completely through the blind as with a conventional blind. When the non-light transmitting wing of the blind is in the vertical position, light will leak through the slots unless the blinds overlap to cover the slot. Therefore, there is no design in the prior art to take advantage of the new lightweight materials that can also maximize transmission of natural light while achieving a smooth planar surface when closed with no leakage of light through slats.
Therefore, a need exists for an angle shaped slat that can provide the advantages of the strength of the angle shape, allow viewing through the blinds when open, have the aesthetically desirable effect of a smooth planar surface facing into the room when closed by having all of the vertical sections in the same plane and preventing light leakage through the holes when closed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention meets the needs identified above by having an angle shaped slat with one long wing and one short wing, and circular holes for receiving cords located near the outside edge of the short wing of the slat. In this way the long wings of the slats will be in the same vertical plane when the blind is closed. In an intermediate position light can pass in increasingly greater degrees reaching a maximum when the long wing is horizontal. Leakage of light through the holes does not occur because in the closed position the long wing in the vertical plane will approach the apex of the slat beneath it, and the hole of the lower slat will be well above the end of the long wing of the higher slat. Therefore, the angle shaped slat with unequal wings and round holes meets the needs beyond the prior art by providing both aesthetic and functional capabilities that cannot be achieved by any one of the prior art blinds alone.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein like reference numbers represent like parts of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 59553 (1866-11-01), Cabell
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patent: 2410549 (1946-11-01), Olson
patent: 2633191 (1953-03-01), Curtis
patent: 3170505 (1965-02-01), Lorentzen
patent: 4799526 (1989-01-01), Reeves
patent: 4818590 (1989-04-01), Prince et al.
patent: 5409050 (1995-04-01), Hong
patent: 5423367 (1995-06-01), Kataoka et al.
patent: 5558146 (1996-09-01), Abe
patent: 5573051 (1996-11-01), Judkins
patent: 5957183 (1999-09-01), Prince
patent: 25126 (1904-11-01), None
Lev Bruce A.
Siegesmund Rudolf O.
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