Shifting weight bottom rail
AssigneeHunter Douglas Inc.
InventorsShannon Coleman, Robert E. Fisher, Richard Anderson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A covering for an architectural opening is made for better closure, especially adjacent to the bottom rail. A movable weight is mounted on the bottom rail, so that the weight shifts to the lower side of the bottom rail when the bottom rail is tilted. A lift cord is mounted to support the bottom rail while being freely movable relative to the bottom rail at least in the front-to-back direction. The weight helps shift the bottom rail into the desired position, and, by being freely movable in the front-to-back direction, the lift cord does not interfere with the motion of the bottom rail.
Claims20
A covering for an architectural opening, comprising:
- a hollow bottom rail having front and rear edges;
- at least one weight movable inside said hollow bottom rail, such that, as the rail is tilted, with one of said front and rear edges shifting to a lower elevation than the other, said weight moves toward the lower elevation edge;
- at least one lift cord extending beneath at least a portion of said bottom rail in order to support said bottom rail while being freely movable relative to said bottom rail in at least the front-to-rear direction.
A method for mounting the bottom rail of a covering for architectural openings having front and rear sides, comprising:
- mounting at least one weight on the bottom rail for movement relative to the bottom rail such that, as the rail is tilted, with one of said front and rear edges shifting to a lower elevation than the other, said weight moves toward the lower elevation edge;
- and
- extending a lift cord beneath at least a portion of said bottom rail so that said lift cord supports said bottom rail while being freely movable relative to said bottom rail at least in the front-to-rear direction.
A covering for an architectural opening, comprising:
- a hollow bottom rail having front and rear edges;
- at least one weight movable inside said hollow bottom rail, such that, as the rail is tilted, with one of said front and rear edges shifting to a lower elevation than the other, said weight moves toward the lower elevation edge;
- at least one lift cord extending beneath at least a portion of said bottom rail;
- and
- means for securing said lift cord to said bottom rail in order to support said bottom rail while permitting free movement of said lift cord relative to said bottom rail in at least the front-to-rear direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.