Flexible or portable closure – partition – or panel – Plural strip – slat – or panel type – Venetian blind type
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-11
2002-09-10
Johnson, Blair M. (Department: 3634)
Flexible or portable closure, partition, or panel
Plural strip, slat, or panel type
Venetian blind type
C160S17610P, C160S084020, C250S239000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06446693
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
a. Field of the Invention
The instant invention is directed toward a headrail and control system for powered coverings for architectural openings. More specifically, it relates to a headrail and control system for a motorized adjustable covering for an architectural opening.
b. Background Art
It is well known to use adjustable coverings over architectural openings. Such adjustable coverings include cellular panels, Venetian blinds, and many other mechanisms for controlling the passage of light, vision, or air through the architectural openings. For example, cellular panels and Venetian blinds may be adjusted by retracting or extending them, and Venetian blinds may be adjusted by tilting the slats comprising part of the blind. Depending upon the specific type of mechanism, other adjustments are possible.
It is also known in the art to power these adjustable coverings. For example, electric motors may be used in connection with the adjustable coverings to facilitate retracting the coverings or otherwise adjusting the coverings to control the amount of light, vision, or air that may pass through the coverings. It is also known in the art to use battery-powered electric motors, particularly in applications where access to an electrical outlet or other electrical wiring may not exist. When an adjustable covering is battery powered, it is challenging to design an aesthetically pleasing system wherein the battery or batteries are convenient to the electric actuators they power. To design an attractive battery-powered adjustable covering, it is preferable that the battery or batteries are located within the headrail and thereby hidden from view. Placing the battery or batteries within the headrail, however, can make it difficult to change the batteries as they become depleted.
In applications where access to the architectural covering may be limited, remote controls have been successfully used to operate the electric motors that allow a user to selectively configure the covering. For example, when adjustable coverings are used in connection with elevated architectural openings, it may be quite inconvenient to manually change the configuration of the coverings. Heretofore systems used to receive electromagnetic remote-control signals, e.g., infrared or visible signals, have been obtrusive and at times unreliable. Thus, there remains a need for a more reliable, compact, and unobtrusive system for receiving signals transmitted from a remote-control device.
In addition, known tilt control systems are often ill-suited for use in a motorized adjustable covering. Generally, a covering is adjusted by the connection of control cords to a drum that is rotatably fixed to a control shaft. For example, the slats of a Venetian blind are usually tilted via connection to a tilt roll (or drum) onto which the ladder laces of the Venetian blind are wound as the tilt rod is rotated. The ladder laces are wound onto the tilt drum, which has a significantly larger diameter than the tilt rod. That large diameter creates a relatively long moment arm and increased torque on the mechanism used to drive the rotation of the tilt rod. The increased torque requires a more powerful motor to turn the tilt rod.
Moreover, these known control systems are often difficult to assemble and/or manufacture. For example, the tilt drum generally fits tightly onto the tilt rod so that it rotates in unison with the tilt rod. As such, the tilt rod and tilt drum must be manufactured to relatively tight tolerances. Otherwise, the tilt drum can be too tight to slide easily onto the tilt rod or too loose to operate properly. Moreover, the connections of the ladder laces to the tilt drum are often tedious and time-consuming.
Finally, known tilt control systems require separate clutching mechanisms to prevent the over-winding of the control cord onto the tilt drum. For example, a motorized tilt control system for a Venetian blind must include some mechanism to prevent the tilt rod from further winding and unwinding the ladder cords after the slats are fully tilted. Otherwise, the winding of the ladder cords will actually lift the entire covering towards the headrail and can cause damage to the covering, the headrail, and the motor used to drive the tilt rod. Known clutching systems are often expensive and require separate mechanisms apart from those used to accomplish the tilting of the slats. Thus, there remains a need for a control system that can be advantageously used with a motorized adjustable covering, facilitates easy installation and manufacture, and does not require a separate clutching mechanism.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The headrail of the present invention has been designed such that a battery or batteries are conveniently held within a headrail housing along with a signal receiver and a battery-powered motor or other actuator used to adjust the configuration of a covering for an architectural opening. The present headrail also includes improved hardware for mounting the motor and, in the case of coverings comprising tiltable elements, improved hardware for mounting a tilt rod. Additionally, in the case of coverings comprising tiltable elements, the invention includes improved hardware for adjustably attaching the tiltable elements to the tilt rod in a manner that prevents over rotation of the elements.
In one form of the present invention, the headrail has been designed such that the battery or batteries for are conveniently hidden within the headrail and accessible for removal and replacement. A battery magazine is attached, preferably removably, within the interior of the housing. A pair of magazine end caps are attached to the ends of the battery magazine. These end caps may have tabs extending from their bottom edges. The tabs are inserted into corresponding tab slots formed in the housing. Further, each magazine end cap may comprise a first attachment ear and a second attachment ear. Attachment screws pass through though these attachment ears and screw into battery magazine screw channels to attach the end caps to the battery magazine.
In another form of the invention, the battery magazine comprises a front leg and a rear leg. These front and rear legs of the battery magazine are supported on a bottom wall of the housing. In yet another form of the invention, the housing comprises a front wall, a rear wall, and a portion extending into the interior of the housing from either the front wall or the rear wall. This extending portion interacts with a placement tang that comprises part of the battery magazine thereby helping to hold the battery magazine in position within the housing.
In yet another form of the invention, the bottom wall of housing has an opening in it through which one or more batteries may be loaded into or extracted from the battery magazine.
To conduct electricity from the batteries held by the battery magazine to the motor, the headrail further comprises conductive terminals attached to the magazine end caps by fasteners. A spring may be attached within the battery magazine to enhance electrical contact between the batteries and the conductive terminals. Finally, an electrical connector is connected between the conductive terminals and the actuator.
In still another form of the present invention, the battery magazine is attached within the interior of the housing such that at least a portion of the battery magazine is positioned above the opening in the bottom wall. A trap door is swingably associated with the bottom wall of the housing to selectably cover the opening for convenient access to the batteries in the battery magazine. The trap door may be swingably attached to the magazine by a battery bracket that includes at least one door mount. The at least one door mount engages a bracket retention channel comprising part of the trap door.
In another form of the invention, the battery bracket further includes at least one rail slidably connected to the battery magazine or the housing. In a preferred form, the battery bracket has two rails that are joined on one of their e
Anderson Richard N.
Coleman Everett S.
Fraser Donald E.
Dorsey & Whitney
Hunter Douglas Inc.
Johnson Blair M.
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