An anti-ballistic protection system for protecting a space in a building or vehicle comprising a protective barrier including one or more sheets of a laminated material having a plurality of layers of lightweight, flexible, ballistic resistant material such as woven sheets which are secured together using a glue, heat weld, or stitching. The system may include an automated control system operably configured to cause a change in state of the barrier from a retracted state to a protective deployed state, which may include a sensing system operably configured to detect a threatening event, wherein the sensing system upon sensing the threatening event triggers the barrier to transition from the retracted state to the deployed protective state such that in the protective state, the barriers are adapted to be resistant to penetration by high-speed ballistic objects such as bullets.

A method of using 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 method of using 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 tilt-control assembly for use with an operating mechanism of an architectural-structure covering is disclosed. The tilt-control assembly includes a limiter having an external screw thread and a ball operatively associated with the screw threads so that rotation of the limiter moves the ball relative to the limiter. The screw threads may include variable pitch threads. For example, the screw thread may include a middle thread pitch in a middle portion of the screw thread and an end thread pitch adjacent to the ends of the screw thread, the middle thread pitch being smaller than the end thread pitch. In addition, the limiter and/or screw threads may include a variable diameter. The ball may be positioned within a groove including a contoured surface that substantially corresponds to the variable diameter. The ends of the screw thread may include substantially spherically shaped end portions for receiving the ball therein.

Hanging blinds includes an upper track and a plurality of sliders. The upper track has at least a first track and a second track respectively having a sliding slot. Each of sliders has a guiding groove and a positioning groove. A sliding block is disposed at an end of the positioning groove and enabling the slider to be mounted onto a guiding groove of an adjacent slider. Each slider is mounted onto one sliding slot of the first and second tracks. A last slider on the second track has at least two positioning blocks locking with an end of the second track. The sliders other than the last slider each has a pulley. The last slider on the first track has a crossing pulley slidably mounted in the sliding slot of the second track. The crossing pulley is disposed before a pulley of a first slider on the second track.

A modular shade includes at least one module that consists of a head rail unit, a foot rail unit, at least one intermediate rail unit, and a plurality of slat components. A top slat may be coupled to the head rail unit and the intermediate rail unit, and a bottom slat component may be coupled to the intermediate rail unit and the foot rail unit. Further, additional intermediate rail units and intermediate slat components may be added to the module to alter the shape and size of the module, and the module may be coupled to one or more additional modules to change the overall shape and size of the modular shade.

A motor driven system for raising and lowering a window covering executes motor ramp trajectory speed control. The motor ramp trajectory limits acceleration of an external motor from the idle (stationary) state to full operating speed, and limits deceleration of the motor from full operating speed back to the idle state. This function reduces stresses on a continuous cord loop drive mechanism. A control system manages solar heating effects in response to sunlight entrance conditions such as system sensor outputs, external weather forecasts, and other data sources. The system automatically opens or close the window covering to increase or decrease admitted sunlight under appropriate conditions. The input interface of the control system includes a visual display and input axis, which are aligned vertically if the window covering mechanism raises and lowers the window covering, and are aligned horizontally if the window covering mechanism laterally opens and closes the window covering.

A wand assembly for use with an architectural-structure covering is disclosed. The wand assembly may include a first operating element (e.g., an operating cord) for moving the covering between extended and retracted positions and a second operating element (e.g., a tilt wand) for adjusting rotation of the covering between open and closed configurations. The first and second operating elements are coupled to a handle assembly via separate and distinct coupling mechanisms so that manipulation of the second operating element does not affect the first operating element thereby preventing twisting of the first operating element about the second operating element. The wand assembly may include a first, inner rotatable wand and a second, stationary outer wand. The inner wand is rotatable relative to the outer wand so that rotation of the inner wand does not rotate the outer wand, and hence the first operating element coupled to the outer wand.

Methods and apparatus to operate a covering of an architectural covering are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a clutch to disengage a motor when the motor is not in use. The dual control architectural covering further includes a clutch to disengage a motor from moving a covering to facilitate manual operation of the covering of an architectural covering when the motor is not in use; and a controller: to track a covering position based on a first encoder measurement from a first encoder; and to track a motor position when the motor disengages based on a second encoder measurement from a second encoder different from the first encoder.

A window blind assembly to provide illumination to the interior of a room and to prevent sunlight from entering the room includes a multitude of the light emitting diode (LED) slats mounted in the window opening of a window frame and being rotatably connected to the window frame: a controller being embedded in the window blind assembly and configured to control the function of each row of the LED slats.