US 12,366,113 B2Granted

Child safe tension corded shade

OwnerIngo Scholzinventor

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Abstract

A tension corded, top down/bottom up shade assembly has a fabric shade mounted between two siderails. The siderails have endcaps at each end. The shade is suspended from two of the endcaps. The shade has a top rail and a bottom rail with laterally protruding extended cord slides. The siderails have a sidewall with a front wall portion and a rear wall portion. Integral interior walls extend from the front and rear walls, forming a gap to a longitudinal cord passage. The cord passages face each other. Each endcap has a flat surface with a mounting base having lateral protrusions, end slides that fit snugly within the cord passage, and a mounting shoe stop. Mounting shoes attached to the shade each have a grooved body mounted to the mounting base. The cord slides extend through the gaps and keep cords plumb inside each cord passage and out of children's reach.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A top down and bottom up tension corded, pleated blind assembly, comprising:

a pleated blind with a top rail and a bottom rail;
extended cord guides laterally protruding from the top rail and the bottom rail;
a first siderail and a second siderail bracketing the pleated blind perpendicular to the top rail and the bottom rail, the first and second siderails each having a first end, a second end, and a respective longitudinal cord passage;
wherein the first and second siderails each have a respective longitudinal gap through which the extended cord guides protrude;
a plurality of endcaps, each of the plurality of endcaps being coupled to a respective one of the first end and the second end;
a plurality of mounting shoes, each of the plurality of mounting shoes being mounted to one of the plurality of endcaps;
and
tension cords, each having an end fastened within one of the plurality of mounting shoes, extending longitudinally within the respective longitudinal cord passage to a respective one of the extended cord guides, bending around the respective one of the extended cord guides, and extending into the top rail or the bottom rail;
wherein the extended cord guides extend through the respective longitudinal gap and are operative to keep the tension cords plumb within the respective longitudinal cord passage.

6 more elements

A pleated blind system, comprising:

a top rail and a bottom rail, between which a repositionable shade is attached, and further comprising:
a side rail attached perpendicular to the top rail and the bottom rail;
wherein the top rail is fastened on a first tension cord and the bottom rail is fastened on a second tension cord;
wherein the first tension cord and the second tension cord enable the top rail and the bottom rail to be freely displaced along a length of the side rail independently of one another;
and
a mounting shoe at an end of the first tension cord opposite the top rail or the second tension cord opposite the bottom rail, wherein further the mounting shoe can be attached directly or indirectly inside the side rail,
characterized in that a first extended cord guide is attached on an end of the top rail and a second extended cord guide is attached on an end of the bottom rail, with the first tension cord bending around the first extended cord guide and the second tension cord bending around the second extended cord guide, the first and second extended cord guides protruding through an opening in the side rail into the side rail to guide the top rail and the bottom rail along the side rail and to retain a portion of each of the first and second tension cords longitudinally within the side rail between the top rail and the mounting shoe or between the bottom rail and the mounting shoe;
and
wherein the first and second extended cord guides are operative to keep the first tension cord and the second tension cord plumb within the side rail and to keep the first tension cord and the second tension cord inaccessible to a child.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/319,624Filed 18 May 2023 · continuation
Priority: 15 Apr 2022
Published: US 2023/0332462 A119 Oct 2023
Granted: 22 Jul 2025
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

E06B 9/262
Lamellar or like blinds, e.g. venetian blinds: with flexibly-interconnected horizontal or vertical strips; Concertina blinds , i.e. upwardly…
E06B 9/326
Operating, guiding, or securing devices therefor: details of cords, e.g. buckles, drawing knobs
E06B 9/38
Lamellar or like blinds, e.g. venetian blinds: other details
E06B 9/80
Operating, guiding or securing devices or arrangements for roll-type closures; Spring drums; Tape drums; Counterweighting arrangements therefor:…

Family

Application63/331,689Us provisional application · filed 15 Apr 2022
Application18/045,643Parent of this continuation · filed 11 Oct 2022
US 2023/0332463 A1Pre-grant publication · published 19 Oct 2023
US 12,312,861 B2Related patent
US 2023/0332462 A1Published application
US 12,366,113 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.