Dual cord operating system for an architectural covering
AssigneeHunter Douglas Inc.
InventorsDavid B. McNeill, Ronald Holt, Stephen T. Wisecup, David Lynch, Christopher R. Mueller
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A covering for an architectural opening has a dual cord operating system. The covering may include a head rail, blind panels depending from the head rail, and an operating system. The operating system may include a housing connected to the head rail, a first drive assembly rotatably mounted within the housing and operable to move the blind panels between an extended configuration and a retracted configuration, and a second drive assembly rotatably mounted within the housing and operable to move the blind panels between a closed configuration and an open configuration.
Claims42
A covering for an architectural structure or feature, said covering comprising:
- a head rail;
- a covering material depending from said head rail;
- and
- an operating system comprising:
- a first drive assembly operable to move said covering material between an extended configuration and a retracted configuration;
- and
- a second drive assembly operable to move said covering material between a closed configuration and an open configuration, said second drive assembly separate from but operationally engaged with said first drive assembly, said first drive assembly proximate said second drive assembly and comprising a cord loop aligned with an operating element of said second drive assembly.
An operating system for an architectural covering, said operating system comprising:
- a shaft along which said covering moves;
- a gear reduction system comprising a first gear and a second gear;
- a first pulley coupled to said first gear of said gear reduction system;
- a second pulley coupled to said second gear of said gear reduction system;
- a first cord loop coupled to said first pulley of said gear reduction system and extending away from said operating system for manipulation by a user;
- and
- a second cord loop coupled to said second pulley of said gear reduction system and extending along at least a partial length of said shaft;
- wherein:
- said second cord loop is coupled to said covering and is operable to move said covering between extended and retracted configurations;
- and
- circulation of said first cord loop causes circulation of said second cord loop and movement of said covering.
A drive assembly for an architectural covering, said drive assembly comprising:
- a first pulley;
- a second pulley operationally engaged with said first pulley;
- a first operating cord passing around said first pulley and extending at least partially in a downward direction for manual actuation;
- and
- a second operating cord passing around said second pulley and extending at least partially in a transverse direction along an architectural structure or feature to actuate said covering to extend or retract across the architectural structure or feature;
- wherein said first and second pulleys are coaxial and rotate about a common rotational axis that is oblique in orientation with respect to the downward direction of the said first operating cord and the transverse direction of said second operating cord.
A support structure for a drive assembly for an architectural covering, said support structure comprising a scaffold including a guide surface for holding a shaft of an operating element of said drive assembly at an oblique angle to vertical.
The covering of clam 30, further comprising an operating wand attached via a hinge connection with said second end of said first gear member.
The covering of clam 31, further comprising:
- a mechanically advantaged pulley system mounted in a fixed position with respect to said head rail and operable to move said covering between an extended configuration and a retracted configuration, said pulley system comprising:
- a first pulley;
- a first operating cord loop passing around said first pulley and extending along said operating wand for access by a user;
- a second pulley connected to and driven by said first pulley;
- and
- a second operating cord loop passing around said second pulley and extending along said head rail.
A covering for an architectural structure or feature, said covering comprising:
- a drive assembly operable to move said covering between a closed configuration and an open configuration;
- an operating wand coupled to and extending from said drive assembly for access by a user;
- and
- a transmission system coupling a first cord loop to a second cord loop;
- wherein:
- said first cord loop extends from said transmission system and along said operating wand;
- the second cord loop extends from said transmission system and is operable to move said covering between an extended configuration and a retracted configuration;
- and
- a tension force on said second cord loop is decoupled by said transmission system from directly acting on the operating wand.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.