Curtain hanger
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorKenneth Slyter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A curtain hanger for hanging a curtain. The curtain hanger can be inserted into a pocket of a curtain. The curtain hanger can include a plurality of teeth or barbs that engage vertical stitches and/or pleats at edges of the pocket to hold the curtain hanger in the pocket. The teeth can be arranged at different widths and/or different angles such that the curtain hanger can be pinched to fit into pockets of different widths. The teeth can also be angled upwardly such that a tugging force on the curtain spreads the teeth apart and forces them into stronger engagement with the vertical stitches and/or pleats at the edges of the pocket.
Claims16
A curtain hanger, comprising:
- a suspension member comprising a first end and an opposing second end, the first end configured to engage a hanging mechanism, wherein the suspension member includes a neck extending toward the second end and defining a longitudinal axis;
- and
- at least two wings at the opposing second end of the suspension member extending away from each other and from the longitudinal axis in different directions, each wing including:
- a support that includes a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the support is connected to the neck at the proximal end and includes a tip at the distal end;
- and
- a plurality of teeth arranged on the support along a direction of the longitudinal axis, wherein each tooth of the plurality of teeth is arranged on the support at a different distance from the longitudinal axis along the different direction for the particular wing, and wherein each of the plurality of teeth are configured to engage an interior of a pocket of a curtain;
- wherein the at least two wings are movable between a first configuration and a second configuration in which a distance between the tips of the at least two wings is less relative to the first configuration to facilitate insertion into and removal from the pocket of the curtain, wherein the at least two wings are biased to return to the first configuration from the second configuration to engage the interior of the pocket after insertion into the curtain, and wherein at least one of the plurality of teeth are arranged to point at least partially in a direction away from the longitudinal axis and at least partially toward the first end of the suspension member when the wings are in the first configuration.
A curtain assembly, comprising:
- a curtain that includes a plurality of pockets;
- a plurality of curtain hangers, wherein the plurality of curtain hangers are arranged in respective ones of the plurality of pockets, each of the curtain hangers including:
- a suspension member comprising a first end and an opposing second end, the first end configured to engage a hanging mechanism, wherein the suspension member includes a neck extending toward the second end and defining a longitudinal axis;
- at least two wings at the opposing second end of the suspension member extending away from each other and from the longitudinal axis in different directions, each wing including:
- a support that includes a proximal end and a distal end and a distal end, wherein the support is connected to the neck at the proximal end and includes a tip at the distal end;
- and
- a plurality of teeth arranged on the support along a direction of the longitudinal axis, wherein each tooth of the plurality of teeth is arranged on the support at a different distance from the longitudinal axis along the different direction for the particular wing, and wherein each of the plurality of teeth are configured to engage an interior of a pocket of a curtain;
- wherein the at least two wings are movable between a first configuration and a second configuration in which a distance between tips of the at least two wings is less relative to the first configuration to facilitate insertion into and removal from the pocket of the curtain wherein the at least two wings are biased to return to the first configuration from the second configuration to engage the interior of the respective one of the plurality of pockets after insertion into the pocket, and wherein at least one of the plurality of teeth are arranged to point at least partially in a direction away from the longitudinal axis and at least partially toward the first end of the suspension member when the wings are in the first configuration.
A method of installing a curtain hanger in a pocket of a curtain, wherein the curtain hanger comprises a suspension member comprising a first end and an opposing second end, the first end configured to engage a hanging mechanism on a bulkhead, wherein the suspension member includes a neck extending toward the second end and defining a longitudinal axis, and at least two wings at the opposing second end of the suspension member extending away from each other and from the longitudinal axis in different directions, wherein each of the at least two wings include a support that includes a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the support is connected to the neck at the proximal end and includes a tip at the distal end, and wherein the at least two wings also include a plurality of teeth arranged on the support along a direction of the longitudinal axis, wherein each tooth of the plurality of teeth of each wing is arranged on the support at a different distance from the longitudinal axis along the different direction for the particular wing, wherein the wings are positionable toward the suspension member for insertion into the pocket of the curtain, and wherein the wings are positionable away from the suspension member after insertion into the curtain to engage the interior of the pocket, wherein the at least two wings are movable between a first configuration and a second configuration in which a distance between the tips of the at least two wings is less relative to the first configuration to facilitate insertion into and removal from the pocket of the curtain, wherein the at least two wings are biased to return to the first configuration from the second configuration to engage the interior of the pocket after insertion into the curtain, and wherein at least one of the plurality of teeth are arranged to point at least partially in a direction away from the longitudinal axis and at least partially toward the first end of the suspension member when the wings are in the first configuration, the method comprising:
- moving the wings to the second configuration;
- inserting the curtain hanger into an opening of the pocket;
- and
- moving the wings to the first configuration such that at least one of the plurality of teeth of the wings engage at least one of stitching and pleats arranged at sides of the pocket.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.