Traverse rod for a vertical blind
AssigneeCooper Industries, Inc.
InventorsJames A. Ford, Steven R. Haarer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The traverse rod assembly includes an elongated hollow traverse rod having a pair of parallel channels each of which has a lengthwise slot therein, one of said slots opening downwardly. Plural hangers are slidably supported in one of the channels and they include structures pivotal about substantially vertical axes. Each hanger also includes additional structure cooperating with an elongated drive rod rotatably supported in pulley housings secured to the ends of the traverse rod. A master carrier is slidably mounted on the traverse rod and is operatively connected to at least one of the hangers to effect movement thereof in response to movement of the master carrier. The hangers are interconnected by a flexible strand which limits the maximum spacing therebetween.
Claims9
A traverse rod assembly for a blind having plural vertically extending slats, comprising:
- a horizontally elongated hollow traverse rod having front, top, bottom and rear walls, said traverse rod having an intermediate wall depending from said top wall between and substantially parallel to said front and rear walls for dividing the interior of said traverse rod into front and rear elongated channels, said bottom wall having a first lengthwise slot formed therein and opening upwardly in direct communication with said front channel, said rod also having a second lengthwise slot formed therein and opening inwardly in direct communication with said rear channel;
- elongated rotatable shaft means positioned within and extending lengthwise through said front channel, said shaft means being disposed with its axis substantially parallel to the lengthwise direction of said front channel;
- a plurality of hanger means individually and independently slidably supported in said front channel and extending downwardly through said first slot, each said hanger means including a housing means which is slidably supported within said first channel and is slidable along said rotatable shaft means, said hanger means also including first means pivotally supported on said housing means for pivotal movement about a substantially vertical axis and projecting downwardly therefrom through said first slot and having second means adjacent the lower end thereof for engaging the top of one of said slats, said hanger means further including third means rotatably supported on said housing means and rotatably drivingly connecting said first means to said shaft means for effecting rotation of said first means in response to rotation of said shaft means;
- elongated and flexible means positioned within said front channel and connected between adjacent hanger means for limiting the maximum spacing between adjacent said hanger means;
- master carrier means slidably supported on said rod and operatively connected with one of said hanger means for effecting movement thereof along said front channel in response to slidable displacement of said master carrier means;
- said master carrier means having a first carrier part slidably disposed in said front channel and operatively cooperating with said one hanger means, said master carrier means also having a second part slidably disposed in said rear channel and a third part connected to said first part and projecting rearwardly for connection to said second part;
- and
- elongated flexible propelling means housed within and extending in a lengthwise direction of said rear channel, said propelling means being operatively connected to said master carrier means for controlling the slidable movement thereof along said rod.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.