As shown, the clutch assembly uses the same molded parts as are used in the embodiment of FIGS. Generally, fixed housing 79 is comprised of shroud portion 83, bearing and mounting portion 85, and shaft portion 87, while rotating pulley element 81 is comprised of pulley portion 89, bearing portion 91, and spring portion 93. The height of the shade is adjusted by pulling on one or the other side of cord loop 13.
1, but from a different angle, and with one half of the clutch cut away; FIG. The shade will remain at the selected position with no further action required of the operator. 9, that direction of rotation of the pulley is clockwise.
Spring 27 of rotating pulley element 17 must have an inside diameter that is slightly smaller than the outside diameter of cylindrical extension 21 of fixed housing element 15. The clutch of our invention requires prior determination of the direction in which the shade is to be wound onto the roller.
4,729,418, but many other types would also be usable. When cord 13 is no longer pulled, clutch assembly 5 again holds shade 1 in position. An alternative embodiment of our invention can advantageously be constructed by separating the spring portion from the remainder of rotating element. When the cord is first pulled, some motion is required before the shade begins to move.
FIG. In a typical installation, the opposite end of the window shade roller would be affixed to a suitable pin or gudgeon arrangement which would be mounted to its own bracket. These devices suffer from the disadvantage that a substantial force is needed to raise the shade.
Rotation of the pulley teeth: Keep rotating the pulley until the tip of the chain reaches the left side of the guard and then put the chain in right place.
1 shows a mounted shade and roller assembly.
Firstly, pull the clutch back into the blinds and hang them on the wall.
Tension in the operating cord, in the direction which winds the shade onto its roller, loosens the helical spring and reduces its frictional hold on the tubular portion of the housing. Therefore, when raising the shade, the operator must, at the very least, provide a force equal to twice the weight of the shade, since the weight must be lifted and the brake force must be overcome.
And, it will be easily understood that the variations shown in FIGS.
Detach the blinds from the wall and pull out the clutch (the part with the chain). No additional manufacturing operations are required except for the very simple assembly operation of fitting the two parts together. Shade material 1 is partially wound around roller 3. Whereas prior art clutch mechanisms for roller shades are intended not to slip, or to slip only to save themselves, in this case, lowering of the shade is accomplished by overriding the clutch, causing it to slip. In the direction for raising the shade, the overrunning clutch slips at a low torque because the spring tends to unwind. Helical spring 27, as seen in FIG. During assembly, as rotating element 35 is fitted over cylindrical extension 45, slot 53 is aligned with tail 57 and they fit together with minimal clearance. No. This mounting is also convenient where a wooden or aluminum headboard is employed.
To restore the correct working of blinds, it is necessary for you to know the way of fixing roller blind clutch. Your email address will not be published.
Another embodiment shows the application of our invention to installations in which the mounting is to a board or a headrail.
Another object of our invention is to provide a roller shade mechanism with minimal lost motion. Referring now to FIG. No. This introduction of an additional component part does tend to increase cost, but it simplifies the plastic molds and allows greater adaptability to differing performance requirements.
This clutch mechanism is designed to release for raising the shade so as to minimize effort. An additional object of our invention is to provide a clutch controlled roller shade mechanism that does not exhibit a surging or oscillatory motion while being lowered. Our invention provides a mechanism that is similar in many respects to a clutch device in that it is operated by means of a cord loop which hangs from one end of the shade roller. The preferred embodiment of our invention consists of a device which is irrotatably mounted at one end of a window shade roller.
Also, the lost motion can contribute to an oscillating, or surging motion while the shade is lowered. As shown in FIG. Accordingly, it is an object of our invention to provide a mechanism for the operation of roller window shades that has the advantages of cord loop operation but is less expensive to manufacture than the similarly operated mechanisms of the prior art. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention; FIG.
2004-2022 FreePatentsOnline.com. However, sometimes, roller blinds can function in an irregular manner when they develop malfunction in their clutch.
7, but in which the two springs 73 and 75 are molded as a part of rotating element 77. Another advantage is discussed in U.S. patent application Ser.
Nos. In this embodiment, two springs 59 and 61 are employed.
9 has only two component parts.
But while doing this, keep it in mind to always use a flat-head screwdriver to pop the clutch of the blinds.
It is to be expected that larger and non-standard window sizes would continue to be fitted with prior art clutches. Keeping the spring as a separate part allows the clutch more easily to suit a variety of shade sizes and weights.
6, the clutch assembly includes cylindrical extension 45 of fixed element 41. On the other hand, many prior art clutches require a substantial movement of the pulley before the shade begins to move.
Many a time, problems crop up due to the small parts of the blinds which we generally dont think about. Each of the two parts, fixed housing element 15 and rotating pulley element 17, can be formed in a single piece which can be injection molded using a plastic material or die cast using a metal such as zinc. To lower the shade, the operator pulls on the cord, in the direction that further tightens the helical spring about the tubular portion of the housing, with sufficient force to overcome the holding torque provided by the helical spring. In this embodiment, the clutch assembly is comprised of two parts, fixed housing element 15 and rotating pulley element 17. CUSTOM DRAPERY VALANCES AND CORNICE BOARDS, How To Put The Chain Back On A Roller Blind, How to Choose the Right Custom Roller Shades for Your Needs, The Best Color Combinations You Can Use in Blinds, Top Reasons Why Cellular Shades Are Still A Popular Home Decoration Option.
The characteristics of the clutch should be chosen so that it will slip at a torque somewhat greater than the highest torque that can be realized from the weight of the largest shade to be used. The resistance provided by clutch assembly 5 to that rotation holds the shade in position. Embodiments are disclosed which are configured for use in roller shades and for other types of window coverings.
generation, Spring clutch assembly with reduced radial bearing forces, Structure of cloth curtain lift controller, Apparatus for opening and closing a window shade or the like, Screen-operating device for use in a roller blind, <- Previous Patent (Guide system for ver). The prior art does contain examples of other wrap spring clutch mechanisms used to operate roller shades. In its preferred embodiment, it can advantageously be used to raise and lower window shades.
Since these shades are made to order, they are more expensive and can bear the additional cost of more expensive hardware. An alternative embodiment for the same use and of the same general configuration uses discrete wire springs.
Spring 55 acts in the same way as spring 27 of the preferred embodiment. The clutch is held together by barbs 47 which are molded as a part of fixed element 41 and which protrude through hole 49 located at the end of rotating element 35. Therefore, the range of weights that such a mechanism would be expected to support can be rather limited.
Press the chain with full force until the position of the pulley fits into the place. In the direction for lowering the shade, the clutch requires that a high torque be applied for slippage to occur. When someone pulls the chain of custom roller blinds in the up or down position for raising or lowering the blinds, it can disturb the spring tension and makes it hard to move the blind.
FIG. It is a significant advantage of the invention that the clutch releases for motion in the upward direction, so that little additional force is needed beyond that necessary to overcome the weight of the shade itself. It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween. The device is, in effect, an overrunning spring clutch that is designed to slip in either direction, but at different values of applied torque. The clutch is assembled by inserting rotating pulley element 81 into fixed housing 79.
Brackets 9 and 11 support the shade and roller assembly. It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the construction of the inventive spring clutch without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. 4,323,105, 4,223,714, and 4,094,904. 9, The two component parts of the clutch are fixed housing 79 and rotating pulley element 81. 3, will slip easily when rotating pulley element 17 is rotated in the clockwise direction.
Hold the clutch in such a manner that barrel faces upwards and the base faces downwards of the blinds and slide the chain from the left side of the guard. To prevent such expansion of spring portion 93, shaft portion 87 of fixed housing 79 has shoulder 101 whose inside diameter is slightly smaller than the inside diameter of spring portion 93. 3,135,369, 4,372,432, 4,433,765 and U.S. patent application Ser. If such a thing happens then take the cap off to uncover the pin and tighten it by using a plier or replace the cap. Prior art clutch mechanisms overcome some of the disadvantages of ratchet and pawl devices, but they have some disadvantages of their own. FIG. This increases the force tending to rotate element 17 in the counter-clockwise direction. Shroud portion 19 of fixed housing element 15 has bearing sleeve 29, best seen in FIG. The clutch based devices are operated with cord loops that hang from one end of the shade roller. As can be seen in FIG. All rights reserved. This facilitates the mounting of the clutch to a headrail, such as is commonly used with Venetian blinds. Therefore, it can be less expensive to produce. It also permits the shade to be operated from one end rather than from the center which can be difficult to reach if the window is behind a piece of furniture. One can also tackle the problem related to the brackets positioning. FIGS. However, this embodiment provides the advantage that the characteristics of spring 55 can be easily modified to accommodate a wide range of shade sizes and weights. 5-8 can, as well, be incorporated into the general design depicted in FIG.