Window covering

Abstract

A window covering includes a first rail; window covering material, a liner, a first lift cord, and a second lift cord. The liner is positioned adjacent to the rear side of the window covering material and is moveable from a retracted position to an extended position. The liner has at least one pocket. Each pocket defines a channel within the liner. The first and second lift cords extend from the first rail to a position adjacent to a bottom edge of the window covering material. Each lift cord extends through a channel defined by a pocket of the one or more pockets. The window covering may be a Roman shade or other window covering, such as a top down bottom up shade. Preferably, the liner covers the lift cords such that no portion of a lift cord is exposed sufficiently for a child to become entangled within any of the lift cords.

Claims

1. A window covering comprising: a first rail; window covering material positioned adjacent to the first rail, the window covering material moveable from a retracted position to an extended position, the window covering material having a top edge and a lower edge below the top edge, a front side and a rear side opposite the front side; a liner positioned adjacent to the rear side of the window covering material, the liner moveable from a retracted position to an extended position, the liner having at least one pocket, the at least one pocket defining a channel in the liner; and a first lift cord extending from the first rail to a position adjacent to the lower edge of the window covering material, a portion of the first lift cord extending through the channel.

2. The window covering of claim 1 wherein the window covering is a shade.

3. The window covering of claim 1 further comprising a cord lock attached to the first rail.

4. The window covering of claim 3 wherein a portion of the first lift cord extends through the cord lock.

5. The window covering of claim 1 further comprising a lift cord control mechanism attached to the first rail, the lift cord control mechanism configured to control movement of the first lift cord.

6. The window covering of claim 1 wherein the liner is comprised of fabric, interconnected fabric segments, mesh, or interconnected mesh segments.

7. The window covering of claim 1 wherein the at least one pocket is comprised of a first pocket formed in the liner and a second pocket formed in the liner, a portion of the first lift cord extending through a first channel of the first pocket, and the window covering also comprising: a second lift cord, a portion of the second lift cord extending through a second channel of the second pocket.

8. The window covering of claim 7 further comprising a plurality of stiffening members, each stiffening member positioned within the liner such that each stiffening member is substantially perpendicular to the first and second lift cords.

9. The window covering of claim 8 wherein each stiffening member is comprised of a rod, shaft or bar and wherein each stiffening member is positioned between the first lift cord and the second lift cord.

10. The window covering of claim 8 further comprising at least one stiffening member attached to the window covering material.

11. The window covering of claim 1 further comprising a second rail, the second rail attached to the lower edge of the window covering material or the second rail attached to a portion of the first lift cord.

12. The window covering of claim 1 wherein the channel extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first rail and wherein each pocket is sewn into the liner.

13. The window covering of claim 1 wherein the window covering material is comprised of fabric, woven wood, woven grass, interconnected fabric segments, or bamboo.

14. The window covering of claim 1 wherein the liner is attached to the first rail.

15. The window covering of claim 14 wherein the liner has a top edge and a bottom edge opposite the top edge, and the top edge of the liner is attached to the first rail to attach the liner to the first rail.

16. A window covering comprising: a headrail; window covering material positioned adjacent to the headrail, the window covering material moveable from a retracted position to an extended position, the window covering material having a top edge, a lower edge opposite the top edge, a front side and a rear side opposite the front side; a liner positioned adjacent to the rear side of the window covering material, the liner moveable from a retracted position to an extended position, the liner having a first pocket formed in the liner and a second pocket formed in the liner, the first pocket defining a first channel in the liner, the second pocket defining a second channel in the liner; a first lift cord extending from the headrail to a position adjacent to the lower edge of the window covering material, a portion of the first lift cord extending through the first channel of the first pocket; a second lift cord extending from the headrail to a position adjacent to the lower edge of the window covering material, a portion of the second lift cord extending through the second channel of the second pocket; and a cord lock attached to the headrail, a portion of the first lift cord extending through the cord lock and a portion of the second lift cord extending through the cord lock.

17. The window covering of claim 16 wherein the first and second pockets are sewn into the liner.

18. The window covering of claim 17 further comprising a plurality of stiffening members, each stiffening member positioned within the liner such that each stiffening member is substantially perpendicular to the first and second lift cords and each stiffening member is substantially parallel to the headrail.

19. The window covering of claim 18 wherein each stiffening member is comprised of a rod, a shaft or a bar, each stiffening member is positioned between the first lift cord and the second lift cord and each pocket is sewn into the liner.

20. An improved window covering having a first rail, window covering material having a rear face, a top edge connected to the first rail, and a bottom edge opposite the top edge, and lift cords extending from the first rail toward the bottom edge of the window covering material, wherein the improvement comprises: a liner connected to the window covering material adjacent to the rear face of the window covering material, the liner having a pair of spaced apart pockets defined by opposite edges of the liner being folded back over the liner, each lift cord of the lift cords passing through one of the pair of pockets.

21. The improved window covering of claim 20 further comprising a plurality of stiffening members, each stiffening member positioned within the liner such that each stiffening member is substantially perpendicular to the lift cords and is substantially parallel to the first rail, and wherein the pockets each define a channel within the liner that extends from adjacent an upper edge of the liner to adjacent a bottom edge of the liner.

22. The improved window covering of claim 21 wherein each stiffening member is comprised of a rod, shaft or bar and wherein each stiffening member is positioned between a first lift cord of the lift cords and a second lift cord of the lift cords.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) Present preferred embodiments of my Roman shade are shown in the accompanying drawings and certain present preferred methods of practicing the same are also illustrated therein.

(2) FIG. 1 is a front view of a first present preferred embodiment of the window covering in an extended position. Stiffening members that may be positioned in the window covering material are shown in dotted line.

(3) FIG. 2 is a rear view of the first present preferred embodiment of the window covering in the extended position. A portion of the lift cords in channels defined by pockets of the liner are shown in chain line.

(4) FIG. 3 is a rear view of the first present preferred embodiment of the window covering in a retracted position.

(5) FIG. 4 is a top view of the first present preferred embodiment of the window covering.

(6) FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of first present preferred embodiment of the window covering taken along line V-V shown in FIG. 2 illustrating lift cords positioned within channels defined by pockets of the liner. Stiffening members that may be positioned within the liner such that the members are perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the lift cords are shown in dotted line in FIG. 5.

(7) FIG. 6 is a side view of the first present preferred embodiment of the window covering.

(8) FIG. 7 is a rear view of a second present preferred embodiment of the window covering. A portion of the lift cords in channels defined by pockets of the liner are shown in chain line. The pockets formed in the liner and stiffening members positioned within the liner are shown in dotted line.

DESCRIPTION OF PRESENT PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(9) Referring to FIGS. 1-6, a window covering 1 may include a headrail 3 and window covering material 5 positioned adjacent to the headrail. The window covering material 5 may be attached to the headrail 3 or may be otherwise positioned adjacent to the headrail so that the window covering material may be moved from an extended position to a retracted position. The window covering material may have a top edge 6 and a bottom edge 7. The window covering material may also have a front side and a rear side opposite the front side. The rear side may extend from the top edge to the bottom edge and the front side may also extend from the top edge to the bottom edge. The window covering material may be composed of numerous different types of materials. For example, the window covering material may be composed of interconnected fabric segments, fabric, woven wood, bamboo, woven grass, films, mesh material, sheer material, pleated material, or other materials.

(10) A first lift cord 13 and a second lift cord 15 extend from the headrail 3 to adjacent the bottom edge 7 of the window covering material 5 (e.g. via liner 9 as discussed herein). A portion of the first lift cord 13 and a portion of the second lift cord 15 extend through a cord lock 11. A user may manipulate a portion of the lift cords to raise or lower the window covering material 5. For example, retraction of the window covering material may raise the window covering material. An extension of the window covering material may lower the window covering material.

(11) As an alternative to the cord lock 11, it is contemplated that a spring motor or other lift mechanism may be used to control the movement of the first lift cord 13 and second lift cord 15 for raising and lowering the window covering material to a desired position.

(12) In some embodiments of the window covering 1, such as Roman shade versions of the window covering 1, stiffening members 10 may be positioned within the window covering material 5. The stiffening members 10 may be positioned in horizontal pockets, may be sewn into the window covering material or may be otherwise attached to the window covering material 5. The stiffening members 10 may be rods, bars, shafts, sewn portions of the material, or other structures. The stiffening members 10 may be composed of metal, wood, or other materials. Preferably, the stiffening members 10 are positioned to stiffen certain portions of the window covering material so the window covering material 5 may form soft folds as the material is retracted towards the headrail.

(13) A liner 9 is positioned adjacent to the headrail 3 and the rear side of the window covering material 5. The liner 9 has a top edge 12 attached to the headrail and a bottom edge 14 positioned adjacent to the bottom edge of the window covering material. It is contemplated that the bottom edge 14 of the liner 9 may be attached to the bottom edge 7 of the window covering material 5 or to a portion of the window covering material adjacent to the bottom edge 7 of the window covering material 5. Alternatively, the bottom edge of the liner 9 may not be attached to the window covering material. The liner 9 is positioned such that the liner moves when the window covering material is retracted or extended. The liner 9 may retract when the window covering material 5 retracts and may extend when the window covering material 5 extends.

(14) The liner 9 has a first pocket 21 and a second pocket 22. The first pocket defines a channel in the liner that is sized and configured to receive a portion of the first lift cord 13. The second pocket 22 also defines a channel in the liner. The channel of the second pocket 22 is sized and configured to receive a portion of the second lift cord 15. The pockets 21 and 22 may be sewn into the liner 9 or may be otherwise formed in the liner or attached to the liner to define channels for the lift cords. For instance, opposite sides of the liner may be folded together and portions of the liner may be sewn together to form the pockets. As another example, opposite edges of the liner may be folded back over the liner and sewn to the liner to form a pair of spaced apart pockets.

(15) The liner 9 may be sized and configured such that any portion of a lift cord that is not within or attached to the window covering material 5 or the headrail 3 is within the pockets 21 and 22. This can permit the lift cords to be completely covered and prevent children from playing with the lift cords or becoming entangled within any lift cords. As another alternative, the liner 9 may be sized and configured such that the only portion of the lift cords that is not covered by the liner is the portion that may extend from a cord lock and out of the headrail for a user to manipulate to raise or lower the window covering material.

(16) The liner used in embodiments of the window covering may be made quite inexpensively, adding very little to the cost of the shade while still providing significant improvements in safety. The liner may be made by an inexpensive non-woven fabric, for example. The pockets can be easily and quickly formed by folded over a portion of each vertical edge of the liner and sewing that edge to the fabric using automatic seqing equipment. As another alternative, the pockets may be formed by folding material for the liner in half and forming the pockets by sewing the liner portions together at different locations to meet a particular design objective.

(17) As may be appreciated from FIG. 5, the liner 9 may also include a plurality of pockets 34 that hold, retain or support stiffening members 33, which are shown in dotted line in FIG. 5. The pockets 34 may be horizontal or substantially horizontal. The stiffening members may be bars, rods, shafts, or other structures. The stiffening members 33 are preferably positioned substantially perpendicular to the first lift cord 13 and second lift cord 15. For instance, the stiffening members may be elongated such that each member has a length that is longer than its height and its width and be aligned such that the length of each stiffening member is substantially perpendicular to the lift cords. The stiffening members 33 may also be aligned so that the length of the stiffening members are substantially parallel to the headrail 3. The stiffening members 33 may permit the liner to form soft folds, billowed portions or balloon-like portions when the liner moves while the window covering material is retracted, or raised.

(18) The stiffening members 33 may also be substantially parallel to the headrail 3. For example, the stiffening members 33 may be perfectly parallel to the headrail 3 or perfectly perpendicular to the lift cords. As another example, the stiffening members 33 may alternatively be positioned so that they are about perpendicular or generally perpendicular to the lift cords and may alternatively be positioned so that they are about parallel or generally parallel to the headrail 3.

(19) It should be understood that embodiments of my window covering my include top down bottom up shades, as may be appreciated from FIG. 7. Top down bottom up shade 41 includes a top rail 43, an intermediate rail 44 that is moveable relative to the top rail 43, and a bottom rail 45 that is moveable relative to the intermediate rail 44 and is also moveable relative to the top rail 43. Lift cords 48 may extend from the intermediate rail 44 to the bottom rail 45 or to a bottom portion of the window covering material. A liner 47 may be positioned adjacent to the rear surface of the window covering material. The liner 47 and the window covering material may be moveable such that the material can retract toward the intermediate rail 44 or extend such that the bottom rail 45 is moved farther away from the intermediate rail 44.

(20) A portion of the lift cords 48 passes through pockets 51 formed in the liner 47. Stiffening members 53 may also be provided in the liner. The stiffening members 53 may be positioned such that the stiffening members are in an alignment that is substantially parallel to the top rail 43, intermediate rail 44 and bottom rail 45 and is substantially perpendicular to the lift cords 48. For instance, the stiffening members 53 may be aligned such that the length of each stiffening member 53 is substantially parallel to the top rail 43, intermediate rail 44, and bottom rail 45 and is substantially perpendicular to the lift cords 48.

(21) It should be appreciated that a lift cord control mechanism for raising and lowering the window covering material may be positioned in the intermediate rail 44 or top rail 43. Of course, another set of cords and another cord control mechanism may also be provided in the top rail 43 to control movement of the intermediate rail 44 relative to the top rail 43.

(22) It should be appreciated that other variations of the present preferred embodiments discussed above may be made. For example, the number of lift cords required for any particular Roman shade or other window covering can vary according to the size and weight of the shade material. As another example, the number of pockets provided within a liner may be adjusted to meet a particular design objective. For instance, some liners may include one pocket that defines a channel for multiple lift cords. As another example, other liners may have pockets that each define a channel for only one lift cord.

(23) While certain present preferred embodiments of my window covering and certain embodiments of methods of practicing the same have been shown and described, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.