Electricity: motive power systems – Automatic and/or with time-delay means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-22
2001-10-02
Nappi, Robert E. (Department: 2837)
Electricity: motive power systems
Automatic and/or with time-delay means
C318S286000, C160S331000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06297604
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a drapery actuator system and method for opening and closing draperies and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Ordinarily, to open draperies, the draperies are manually moved along a drapery cord between open and closed positions. This, of course, effectively regulates the amount of natural light entering a room.
It is often desirable to have motorized drapery actuators to open and close draperies. Such drapery actuators typically have a drive pulley to engage a drapery cord which, in turn, engages draperies and the like. In this respect, actuation of the drive pulley opens and closes the draperies. The drapery actuator disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,889,377 to the within inventor is one example of such a device.
Known motorized drapery actuator systems, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,112, include variably positional limit switch actuators 68 & 69 each mounted on a pull-cord bight 14 with parallel reaches 15,16, which trip respective limit switches 65 & 66 respectively which serve to prevent further movement of the curtain at the desired fully open position and fully closed position. Such a system is only adaptable to drapes having pull-cords. Moreover, such a system using limit switches cannot be readily applied to draperies which do not open and close by virtue of movement along a track, but rather are opened by tensioning a cord around the midsection of such draperies.
Other known devices, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,131,831, disclose a timer 17. Such timers, such as the timer 17 disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,131,831, are not used for adjustably positioning the desired open position of the drape [which in U.S. Pat. No. 4,131,831 is accomplished by limit switch 18], rather such timers (typically programmable over the course of a day) regulate when during the day to open and shut the drapes, rather than how long the motor is to be actuated, which as indicated above is governed by limit switches 18,19.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a motorized drapery actuator apparatus or system which can be variably adjusted to effect opening drapes of various widths about their midsection.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one of its broadest aspects the present invention comprises a drapery opening and closing system for opening and closing a drape, comprising:
(i) an electric motor, adapted to be affixed to a wall proximate a window therein at an approximate mid-vertical height of said window;
(ii) a winch member rotatably coupled to said motor;
(iii) an elongate cord member, having a first end adapted for fixation to said wall proximate said window at said mid-vertical height and a second end adapted to be coupled to said winch member, said winch member adapted for rotation to wind said cord member thereon and to permit unwinding of said cord member therefrom, said cord member intermediate its first and second ends adapted to form a loop for encircling said drape, said loop adapted to constrict when said second end is wound on said winch member so as to bunch together the encircled drape thereby pulling the drape away from the window;
(iv) actuation means for providing and deactivating electrical power to said motor; and
(v) timing means, electrically coupled to said actuation means and said motor to permit timed operation of said motor in a given direction for a pre-determined interval of time to permit winding of said cord member on said winch member so as to open said drape, and to permit timed operation of said motor in an opposite direction for a pre-determined interval of time so as to permit unwinding of said cord member from said winch member.
In a preferred embodiment, the timing means provided with the drapery system of the present invention possesses adjustment means, preferably manual adjustment means, to permit adjustment of the predetermined interval of time for which the motor operates. This feature, in combination with the previously described drapery system, provides the important capability of the manufacturer of such a system being able to provide a single drapery system that can be manually modified at the time of installation to work with any size(ie width) of drape that may be present in a customers house. In particular, by providing the timing means as being adjustable, the aforementioned predetermined interval of time can be manually adjusted for the drapery system to permit the timing means to operate the motor for the precise amount of time that is necessary to wind the cord on the winch member and thereby pull the drape away from the window it is covering, and no longer. In a further embodiment, the electric motor is a constant speed motor, so that the predetermined interval of time necessary for the motor to be operated so as to wind the cord onto the winch and thus open the drape is precisely the same period of time necessary for the motor to be operated so that the cord becomes unwound from the winch member to as to allow that particular curtain to fall back into the closed position covering the window. Accordingly and advantageously, in the case where the motor is a constant speed motor, with one manual adjustment of the timing means for opening the drape the pre-determined interval for closing the drape will likewise have simultaneously been set.
In a further preferred embodiment of the drapery opening and closing system of the present invention, the components of the system are effectively “doubled” to allow the opening and closing of two half-member drapes. Such “doubled” system is particularly adapted for large windows, where two half-member drapes are employed for closing the window and which expose the window from the middle when opened. Accordingly, in such embodiment the present invention provides a drape opening and closing system for opening and closing two drape half-members, comprising:
(i) a pair of reversible electric motors, adapted to be affixed respectively proximate opposite side edges of a window each at an approximate mid-vertical height thereof;
(ii) a pair of winch members, respectively rotatably coupled to a respective motor;
(iii) a pair of elongate cord members , each having a first end adapted for fixation to said wall proximate a respective opposite side edge of said window at said mid-vertical height and a second end adapted to be coupled to a respective winch member, said winch members adapted for rotation to wind a respective cord member thereon and to permit unwinding of said respective cord member therefrom, said cord members intermediate each of their first and second ends adapted to form a loop member for encircling a respective drape half-member, said loop member adapted to constrict when said second end thereof is wound on said respective winch member so as to bunch together the encircled drape half-member thereby pulling the drape half-member away from a portion of the window which it covers;
(iv) actuation means for providing and deactivating electrical power to said motors; and
(v) timing means, electrically coupled to said actuation means and said motors to permit timed operation of said motors in a given direction for a pre-determined interval of time to permit winding of said cord members on said respective winch members so as to open said drape half-member, and to permit timed operation of said motors in an opposite direction for a pre-determined interval of time so as to permit unwinding of said cord members from said respective winch members.
Likewise in such embodiment it is desirable that the pre-determined interval of time as determined by the timing means is adjustable, and the motors are constant speed motors.
In a preferred embodiment of either the single drape system or the two half-member drape system, to assist the drape or drapes to fall back into a position covering the window when the cord member is unwound, the drapery opening and closing system of the present invention further comprises weight means positionable proximate a lower side edge of a drape, moveable with such drape when such drape is opened and cl
Duda Rina I.
Henderson Gowling Lafleur
Horne D. Doak
Nappi Robert E.
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