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US 12,404,717 B2Granted
Cordless retractable roller shade for window coverings
AssigneeHunter Douglas Inc.
InventorsStephen P. Smith, Kent A. Smith, Galen B. Rhodes, Stephen M. Winters, Kenneth M. Faller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cordless retractable shade including an operating system for the shade that varies a biasing force of a spring to counterbalance the shade. The bottom rail of a retractable shade can be raised or lowered, and due to the operating system remains in any selected position of the covering between fully extended and fully retracted, without the use of operating cords. The system includes a method of negating and reversing the spring bias effect at a strategic position whereby the flexible vanes of the shade can be adjusted between open and closed.
Claims31
A retractable shade comprising:
- a rotatable roller having an internal cavity;
- a longitudinal member having a longitudinal length that extends at least partially within the internal cavity of the rotatable roller;
- a moveable member extending at least partially within the internal cavity of the rotatable roller, the moveable member translatable and non-rotatable with respect to the rotatable roller, and the moveable member further rotatable about and translatable along the longitudinal length of the longitudinal member with a first frictional resistance;
- and
- a holding mechanism associated with the moveable member and the longitudinal member wherein an engagement portion of the moveable member is configured to engage a holding portion of the longitudinal member to further increase frictional resistance to;
- resist while permitting rotation and translation of the moveable member with respect to the longitudinal member with a second frictional resistance greater than the first frictional resistance, and resist rotation of the rotatable roller.
3 more elements
A retractable shade comprising:
- a rotatable roller having an internal cavity;
- a shade material attached to the rotatable roller, wherein rotation of the rotatable roller in a first direction extends the shade material from the rotatable roller, and rotation of said rotatable roller in a second opposite direction retracts the shade material onto the rotatable roller;
- a biasing assembly associated with the rotatable roller to apply a biasing force to said roller in the second opposite direction to retract the shade material onto the rotatable roller;
- a longitudinal member having a longitudinal length that extends at least partially within the internal cavity of the rotatable roller;
- a moveable member extending at least partially within the internal cavity of the rotatable roller, the moveable member moveable along the longitudinal length of the longitudinal member and moveable within the internal cavity of the rotatable roller with a first frictional resistance;
- and
- a holding mechanism associated with the moveable member and the longitudinal member wherein an engagement portion of the moveable member is configured to engage a holding portion of the longitudinal member to further increase frictional resistance to;
- resist while permitting rotation and translation of the moveable member with respect to the longitudinal member with a second resistance greater than the first frictional force, and resist rotation of the rotatable roller.
5 more elements
A retractable shade comprising:
- a rotatable roller having an internal cavity;
- a shade material attached to said roller, wherein rotation of said rotatable roller in a first direction extends the shade material from the rotatable roller, and rotation of the rotatable roller in a second opposite direction retracts the shade material onto the rotatable roller, the shade material comprising at least one vane configured to transition from a closed position to an open position when substantially the entire shade is extended from the rotatable roller;
- a longitudinal member having external threads extending at least partially within the internal cavity of the rotatable roller;
- at least one biasing member positioned at least partially within the internal cavity of the rotatable roller;
- a movable member having internal threads for engaging the external threads of the longitudinal member, wherein said movable member is mounted on said longitudinal member such that the movable member translates along the longitudinal member during rotation of the rotatable roller to vary a biasing force provided to said roller by the biasing member;
- and
- a vane orientation holding mechanism associated with the moveable member and configured to hold the at least one vane in the open position, wherein the moveable member comprises an engagement portion configured to increase frictional resistance to inhibit rotation of the rotatable roller to hold the at least one vane in the open position.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.