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US 4,306,608 AGranted
Louver carrier for louver of a vertical venetian blind
OwnerKurt H. Frentzel, Herman Oskaminventors
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OwnerKurt H. Frentzel, Herman Oskaminventors
Estimating the term…
A carrier for a louver of a vertical venetian blind is disclosed for supporting a louver for rotation about its vertical axis and for transport along the headrail, which carrier includes a drive mechanism for rotating the louver about its vertical axis. The drive mechanism is disclosed as including a worm and a gear arrangement with a slip clutch disposed between the worm and the drive shaft. In one embodiment, the slip clutch comprises a slotted sleeve mounted on the drive shaft inside the hub of the worm, which sleeve has lugs positioned to engage a stop on the gear to effect the opening of its slot and reduction of its frictional contact with the drive shaft. In second embodiment, the worm itself frictionally engages about the guide shaft and has a slot along its length with the ends of the slot receiving wedge-like cams integral with rings loosely mounted on the drive shaft. Upon one carrier striking an adjacent carrier, the wedge-like cams widen the slot in the worm hub, thus reducing its frictional engagement with the drive shaft.
In a louvered venetian blind having a headrail, a plurality of louver carriers mounted on the headrail for movement therealong, each louver carrier supporting a vertical louver for rotation about its vertical axis and for movement along the headrail, a drive shaft, a worm thread driven by said drive shaft, a gear engaged with and driven by said worm thread for rotating a louver about its vertical axis, the improvement comprising a slip clutch between said drive shaft and said worm thread, said slip clutch including two cooperating friction surfaces, one of said friction surfaces being the outer surface of said shaft, the other of said friction surfaces being the inner surface of a sleeve in frictional engagement about the first said friction surface, said sleeve being slotted over at least a portion of its length in a direction parallel to the axis of said sleeve, and means for reducing the friction between said friction surfaces at a preselected point in the cycle of operation of the blind.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.