Flexible or portable closure – partition – or panel – Plural strip – slat – or panel type – Venetian blind type
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-17
2002-11-26
Purol, David M. (Department: 3634)
Flexible or portable closure, partition, or panel
Plural strip, slat, or panel type
Venetian blind type
C242S388200, C242S405100, C024S716000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06484787
ABSTRACT:
KNOWN PRIOR ART
(1)
U.S. Pat. No.
5,354,011
(Rozon)
(2)
U.S. Pat. No.
4,123,012
(Hough)
(3)
U.S. Pat. No.
4,271,893
(McCluskey)
(4)
U.S. Pat. No.
5,560,414
(Judkin)
(5)
U.S. Pat. No.
5,630,456
(Hugo)
(6)
U.S. Pat. No.
5,630,458
(Holeden)
(7)
U.S. Pat. No.
5,613,648
(Pavila)
(8)
U.S. Pat. No.
5,518,198
(Chumbley)
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
The subject invention is primarily adapted and structured as a safety device for the protection of children. In a more specific perspective, the subject invention is conceived as a mechanism to help prevent young children from becoming entangled in a cord member that hangs loosely from an apparatus, under which circumstances a child may encounter the danger of strangulation or other bodily injuries, by reason of entanglement with the cord. To this end, the subject invention is conceived.
One of the primary applications of the subject invention, consistent with the original intent leading to its creation, is the situation involving slated venetian window blind cords that hang loosely in a dangling manner from a portion on the window blind apparatus. Such dangling cords in many circumstances may hang downwardly to a substantially low position relative to the floor areas near the blind. Under such latter circumstances a dangerous situation is encountered for young children who may be on the adjacent floor area and become entangled in the loose cord, posing thereby the potential problem of the cord becoming encircled about the neck or other body areas of the child. The ultimate danger of such a situation is manifest.
In a more specific perspective, window shades that are capable of being pulled up or down are generally actuated by pulling on an attached cord to raise or lower, open or shut, the shade members. The process of pulling on the cord and raising the window shade may cause an excess length of cord to dangle downwardly, usually leaving the cord at a lower level and close to the floor and thus accessible to children, as discussed above.
This aspect poses a problem of accidental entanglement by a child with the accessible cord, leading potentially to a strong possibility of strangulation.
There have been several devices conceived to overcome this problem some of which have been patented as set forth above. Many such devices have been conceived and structured in the form of reel members adapted to receive portions of the cord securely around a portion of the reel, in order to keep the cord securely out of reach. However, these devices are generally complex and unwieldy in structure and thus expensive to manufacture. On the other hand, many are structurally complex and difficult to utilize.
The subject invention relates to means used to securely store portions of a cord so that any loose portions of the cord are held in a position away from the reach of any person. In a more specific sense, the invention is also conceived as a more simplistically structured device, that is less costly and easier to use. Accordingly, the following are objects of the subject inventions as based on stated problems and purposes of this invention.
OBJECT OF INVENTION
It is an object of the subject invention to provide an improved device for securing window cords;
It is a function of the invention to provide a safety device to help protect children from becoming entangled in loose cord members dangling from any type device;
Another purpose of the subject invention is to provide an improved cord storage device;
An additional object of the subject invention is to provide a simplistic device to secure loose cords away from the reach of children;
Still another purpose of the subject invention is to provide an improved device for controlling the length of a window cord;
Yet another purpose of the subject invention is to provide an improved device for taking up the slack in a window shade cord or similar apparatus;
A further object of the subject invention is to provide an improved safety device relative to dangling cord members that may pose a problem of entanglement;
A further purpose of this invention is to provide a safety measure for keeping dangling cords out of reach of young children;
Other and further objects of the subject invention will become apparent from a reading of the following description taken in conjunction with the claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2220366 (1940-11-01), Fly
patent: 2590695 (1952-03-01), Gomberg
patent: 2683937 (1954-07-01), Criswell
patent: 4779816 (1988-10-01), Varlet
patent: 5518198 (1996-05-01), Chumbley et al.
patent: 5630458 (1997-05-01), Holden
patent: 5749405 (1998-05-01), Huang
patent: 5778957 (1998-07-01), Torgersen
patent: 5803390 (1998-09-01), Clary
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