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.

An impact resistant operable blind includes a sealed impact resistant unit including a first glass layer and a second laminated glass layer spaced from the first glass layer and defining a sealed chamber therebetween. The second laminated glass layer includes a first heat strengthened glass layer laminated to a second heat strengthened glass layer by an interlayer. A blind unit is disposed within the sealed chamber and includes a tiltrod supported at a top of the sealed chamber and supporting a plurality of ladder strings that support a plurality of slats.

An impact resistant operable blind includes a sealed impact resistant unit including a first glass layer and a second laminated glass layer spaced from the first glass layer and defining a sealed chamber therebetween. The second laminated glass layer includes a first heat strengthened glass layer laminated to a second heat strengthened glass layer by an interlayer. A blind unit is disposed within the sealed chamber and includes a tiltrod supported at a top of the sealed chamber and supporting a plurality of ladder strings that support a plurality of slats.

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 slim double-skin structure according to one aspect of the present invention may comprise: a window frame, an outer window sash frame provided on an outdoor side and coupled to the window frame, an outer glass provided on the outer window sash frame, an inner window sash frame provided on an indoor side and coupled to the window frame, an inner glass provided on the inner window sash frame, an awning film provided in a hollow layer formed between the outer glass and the inner glass to serve as a shading, and a case-type glass fixing frame which is provided in the outer window sash frame so as to be located in the hollow layer and fixes the outer glass to the outer window sash frame concurrently with building-in and guiding the awning film.

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.

An anti-ballistic protection system for protecting an interior space in a building. The ballistic barrier includes a 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. The system may include an automated control system operably configured to change the state of the ballistic barrier from the retracted state to the protective deployed state, such that upon sensing a threatening event or condition triggers a transition from the retracted state to the deployed protective state such that in the protective state. The ballistic barrier in the deployed state is configured to be resistant to penetration by high-speed ballistic projectiles such as a bullet fired from a gun or a shrapnel from a bomb to protect the interior space.

A window blind assembly includes a frame, an input shaft rotatably disposed in the frame, a blind unit, a winding unit for placing the blind unit in a retracted state when the input shaft is rotated in a first rotational direction and for shifting the blind unit to an expanded state when the input shaft is rotated in a second rotational direction, a control unit operable to drive rotation of the input shaft in the first and second rotational directions, a force-assisting unit having a spring capable of exerting a spring force on the control unit to resist the weight of the blind unit acting thereon, and a brake unit connected to the input shaft and generating a frictional force to resist rotation of the input shaft in the second rotational direction.