Window shade

A window shade, comprising:

• a headrail adapted for mounting adjacent a window;
• a shading material having an upper end attached to the headrail and a lower end opposite the upper end;
• means for raising and lowering the shading material relative to the headrail to define, respectively, a stowed position in which the shading material is collapsed and collected beneath the headrail in folds and a deployed position in which the shading material is at least partially extended away from the headrail, the raising and lowering means comprising a spring-loaded roller mounted adjacent the headrail by first and second side brackets and rotatable about an axis extending along a width of the window shade and at least first and second cords each which is attached at a first end thereof to the lower end of the shading material and extends upwardly toward the headrail and is attached at a second end thereof to the roller;
• first and second sets of cord guides secured to the shading material, the cord guides of each of the first and second sets of cord guides being substantially vertically aligned so that a lowermost cord guide thereof is in proximity to the lower end of the shading material and an uppermost cord guide thereof is in proximity to the headrail, the first cord passing through the first set of cord guides and being attached to the shading material adjacent the lower end thereof, and the second cord passing through the second set of cord guides and being attached to the shading material adjacent the lower end thereof;
• and
• first and second collapsible shrouds attached to each cord guide of the first and second sets of cord guides, respectively, each of the first and second collapsible shrouds defining an internal passage extending in a longitudinal direction thereof, the first and second cords being disposed within the internal passages of the first and second shrouds, respectively, and further extending through and being captured by the cord guides of the first and second sets of cord guides, respectively,
• wherein the first and second collapsible shrouds extend longitudinally as the shading material is lowered toward the deployed position and the first and second collapsible shrouds collapse longitudinally as the shading material is raised toward the stowed position, and
• wherein the cords wind about the roller when the shading material is raised and the cords unwind from the roller when the shading material is lowered and the spring-loaded roller includes a mechanism that selectably locks the roller to prevent rotation thereof and unlocks the roller for rotation by pulling down on the cords to permit positioning of the shading material at a desired location.

A window shade, comprising:

• a shading material having a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a face between the first and second ends;
• means for mounting the first end of the shading material relative to a window;
• and
• means secured at spaced points to the face for gathering the shading material into folds between a stowed position and a deployed position including
• a shroud extending along the face of the shading material and secured at spaced locations to the shading material, the shroud defining an internal passage wherein the shroud extends longitudinally as the shading material is moved toward the deployed position and the shroud collapses longitudinally as the shading material is moved toward the stowed position,
• means extending through the shroud for transmitting forces to the shading material, the transmitting means having a first end secured to the shading material and a second end opposite the first end extending outside of the shroud, and
• means coupled to the second end of the transmitting means for placing the transmitting means in tension in response to a biasing force applied to the placing means and actuable in response to pulling down the shading material to transition between a locked condition in which the placing means is locked against movement and an unlocked condition in which the placing means is movable and thereby allow positioning of the shading material at or between the stowed and deployed positions.

A Roman window shade adapted for mounting adjacent a window, comprising:

• a support structure;
• a spring loaded roller mounted for rotation about an axis extending between one side edge of the window shade to a second side edge of the window shade opposite the first side;
• a shading material having a first end secured to the support structure and a second, free end opposite the first end;
• a take up cord secured to the roller and substantially narrower than the shading material, wherein rotation of the roller causes the take up cord to be wound about or unwound from the roller;
• and
• a cord guiding structure continuously extending between and secured proximate to a top and proximate to a bottom of the shading material, wherein the cord guiding structure substantially surrounds the take up cord, and wherein the take up cord is secured to the shading material proximate the second, free end thereof and wherein the cord guiding structure is moved in response to movement of the take up cord;
• wherein when the take up cord is wound about the roller the shading material is moved towards a stowed position in which the shading material is collected in folds adjacent the support structure, and when the take up cord is unwound from the roller the shading material is moved towards a deployed position in which at least a portion of the shading material extends away from the support structure,
• wherein the spring loaded roller includes a mechanism that locks the roller against rotation and prevents the take up cord from being wound or unwound from the roller to maintain the shading material in a stationary position, and wherein the mechanism is released to unlock the roller by exerting a downward force on the take up cord.