A motor-operated drive system for a window covering system including a headrail, a mechanism associated with the headrail to spread and retract the window covering, and a continuous cord loop extending below the headrail for actuating the mechanism to spread and retract the window covering. The drive system includes a motor, a driven wheel that engages and advances the continuous cord loop, and a coupling mechanism for coupling the driven wheel to a rotating output shaft of the motor for rotation of the driven wheel. The drive system includes a channel system for redirecting the continuous cord loop engaged by the driven wheel, or other mechanism for configuring the drive system so that continuous cord loop extends in a substantially vertical orientation. The coupling mechanism includes an engaged configuration in which rotation of the output shaft of the motor causes rotation of the driven wheel, and a disengaged configuration.

A cordless retractable shade including an operating system for the shade that varies a biasing force of a spring to counterbalance the shade. The bottom rail of a retractable shade can be raised or lowered, and due to the operating system remains in any selected position of the covering between fully extended and fully retracted, without the use of operating cords. The system includes a method of negating and reversing the spring bias effect at a strategic position whereby the flexible vanes of the shade can be adjusted between open and closed.

A cordless retractable shade including an operating system for the shade that varies a biasing force of a spring to counterbalance the shade. The bottom rail of a retractable shade can be raised or lowered, and due to the operating system remains in any selected position of the covering between fully extended and fully retracted, without the use of operating cords. The system includes a method of negating and reversing the spring bias effect at a strategic position whereby the flexible vanes of the shade can be adjusted between open and closed.

The invention relates to a retractable covering for architectural openings that can accommodate different pleated fabric covering sizes without requiring the use of different side rail frame components and is capable of opening either from left to right, right to left or a two-piece construction allowing for the left side to open left and right side to open left.

The invention relates to a retractable covering for architectural openings that can accommodate different pleated fabric covering sizes without requiring the use of different side rail frame components and is capable of opening either from left to right, right to left or a two-piece construction allowing for the left side to open left and right side to open left.

A roller shade actuation device includes two actuators arranged in a winding drum, a shaft inserted into the winding drum, and a transmission mechanism. Each actuator includes a housing fixed to the winding drum, a rotary power member arranged in the housing, a driving gear fixed to an output shaft of the rotary power member and coaxial with the output shaft, and a first transmission gear rotatably mounted to the housing and meshed with the driving gear. The actuators are connected linearly in sequence. The driving gear of one actuator adjacent to the transmission mechanism is transmission-matched with and connected to the transmission mechanism, and the driving gears of the remaining actuators are meshed with the first transmission gears of neighboring actuators adjacent to the transmission mechanism. The actuators are connected in series to form an actuator combination through the driving gears and the first transmission gears.

A thermal barrier configured to be rolled and unrolled while providing a thermal value of greater than about R=3. The thermal barrier comprises multiple layers including a first layer comprising a fiber mesh core and material selected from the group comprising: polyurethane, rubber, and polyvinylchloride, a second layer bonded to the first layer, the second layer comprising material selected from the group comprising: polyolefin foam, polyurethane foam and rubber based foam, and a third layer bonded to the second layer, the third layer comprising a thin film or fabric material selected from the group comprising: polyester, polyolefin, polyurethane and nylon, wherein the composite material maintains a consistent linear dimension within about 1% of total length in a coiled configuration compared with a linear configuration.

A thermal barrier configured to be rolled and unrolled while providing a thermal value of greater than about R=3. The thermal barrier comprises multiple layers including a first layer comprising a fiber mesh core and material selected from the group comprising: polyurethane, rubber, and polyvinylchloride, a second layer bonded to the first layer, the second layer comprising material selected from the group comprising: polyolefin foam, polyurethane foam and rubber based foam, and a third layer bonded to the second layer, the third layer comprising a thin film or fabric material selected from the group comprising: polyester, polyolefin, polyurethane and nylon, wherein the composite material maintains a consistent linear dimension within about 1% of total length in a coiled configuration compared with a linear configuration.

In one aspect, a covering for an architectural structure includes a multi-panel shade formed form a plurality of panel sections arranged relative to one another to form a continuous sheet, with at least one of the panel sections having different shade properties from the other panel section(s) forming the multi-panel shade. By adjusting the extent to which the panel sections are exposed along the drop length of the covering, the covering may be configured to provide various different shade configurations.

Laminates and their process of manufacture, with the laminates made with anti-ballistic materials, such as woven and unwoven fabrics. The laminates are provided with different structures, materials, bondings, and other features, and example methods of manufacturing those laminates efficiently and in mass quantities. The method of production is a process of laminating individual flexible sheets including anti-ballistic material (which may be of woven or unwoven cloth or thin solid sheets or foils comprised of one or more light-weight anti-ballistic materials) into a flexible laminate for use to protect people or spaces from ballistic objects such as bullets and shrapnel from weapons and other moderate to high-kinetic energy objects. Also, an anti-ballistic protection system for protecting an interior space in a building. The ballistic barrier includes the laminated material having a plurality of layers of lightweight, flexible, ballistic resistant material such as woven sheets which are secured together into the laminate using a adhesive, heat weld, or stitching. The ballistic barrier is configured to be in a compact retracted state which can be deployed to provide a protective state to protect against kinetic ballistic projectiles.