Vertical venetian blind with inline drive
AssigneeGraber Industries, Inc.
InventorEdward M. Kaucic
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vertical venetian blind of the type in which carriages having rotatable slat carriers are mounted for movement along a horizontal support channel and in which the slat carriers on the several carriages are simultaneously rotated by means of a shaft extending longitudinally of the channel. The shaft drive mechanism includes a planetary type gear mechanism mounted in the channel in-line with the operating shaft to drivingly interconnect a drive sprocket at the end of the housing to the shaft with a relatively high speed reduction.
Claims11
In a vertical venetian blind closure of the type including a horizontal carriage guide channel having an opening along one side, a shaft extending lengthwise of the channel, a plurality of carriages mounted on the guide channel for movement therealong, a slat carrier mounted on each of the carriages for rotation about an upright axis, gear means in each of said carriages engageable with said shaft and with the respective slat carrier for rotating the latter in response to rotation of the shaft, and a shaft turning mechanism at one end of the shaft for turning the same, the improvement comprising, said shaft turning mechanism including a stationary housing means disposed substantially entirely within said channel with one end of the housing means adjacent one end of the channel, said housing means having a stepped passage therethrough opening at opposite ends of the housing means, the stepped passage having an annular internal ring gear intermediate its ends;
- a first generally circular inner wall portion at one end of the internal ring gear and having a larger internal diameter than the internal ring gear, and a second generally circular internal wall portion at the other end of the internal ring gear and having a smaller internal diameter than the internal ring gear, a planet carrier means having an annular peripheral portion rotatably supported on said second annular internal wall portion for rotation about the axis of the ring gear, means nonrotatably connecting the planet carrier means to said shaft, drive wheel means having an annular peripheral portion rotatably supported on said first annular internal wall portion for rotation about the axis of the ring gear and having a sun gear at one side thereof extending into the ring gear concentrically of the latter and a drive sprocket at the other side thereof coaxial with the sun gear, at least one planet gear in meshing engagement with the sun and ring gears and mounted on the planet carrier means for rotation relative thereto about an axis parallel to the axis of the ring gear and spaced radially inwardly therefrom to rotate the planet carrier means in response to rotation of the drive wheel means but at a relatively reduced speed, and a flexible drive chain entrained over the sprocket for rotating the drive wheel means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.