Cushion for shading system

Abstract

The invention describes a cushion for shading system of the type comprising a piece of cloth slidingly fastened to a section bar of an upright. A raceway with a substantially C-shaped cross section serves to fasten the cushion to a section bar edge, and a flexible tongue, having an end on the raceway and an opposed end spaced therefrom in order to contact the upright, serves as a spring between the section bar and the upright, allowing the section bar to come nearer to the upright in a compression phase or to be spaced in a predetermined way in the absence of compression.

Claims

1. A cushion system comprising: a plurality of cushions for a shading system, each cushion of the plurality of cushions including: a flexible tongue having an end attached to a section bar of the shading system and an opposed end spaced therefrom to contact an upright of the shading system, said flexible tongue serves as a spring between the section bar and the upright, allowing the section bar to come nearer to the upright in a compression phase or to be spaced in a predetermined measure in an absence of compression: wherein a first set of the plurality of cushions are assembled with a predetermined pitch on one edge of the section bar and a second set of the plurality of cushions are assembled with a predetermined pitch on an opposed edge of the section bar; wherein each pitch comprises a distance between neighboring cushions of the plurality of cushions along a longitudinal direction of either the one edge or the opposed edge of the section bar; wherein the cushions of the first set of the plurality of cushions are separated from the cushions of the second set of the plurality of cushions, and the opposed end of each flexible tongue of the first set of the plurality of cushions and each flexible tongue of the second set of the plurality of cushions extend in a same direction and are all compressed in the compression phase in a direction perpendicular to a bottom portion of the section bar and each of the plurality of cushions leaves the bottom portion of the section bar free.

2. The cushion system according to claim 1, wherein the end of each flexible tongue, which is attached to the section bar, includes a flat surface glued on a corresponding coupling flat surface of the section bar.

3. The cushion system according to claim 1, wherein each flexible tongue has a predetermined width and a predetermined thickness that are constant along a length of the flexible tongue.

4. The cushion system according to claim 1, wherein each flexible tongue includes plastic.

5. The cushion system according to claim 4, wherein the plastic is at least one of transparent or UV light resistant.

6. The cushion system according to claim 1, wherein each flexible tongue includes a metallic core, the metallic core being covered by plastic at least at the opposed end spaced from the section bar.

7. The cushion system according to claim 1, further including a respective second flexible tongue substantially parallel to each said flexible tongue in the absence of compression, each flexible tongue and second flexible tongue both being attached to the section bar at a proximal location.

8. The cushion system according to claim 7, wherein each respective second flexible tongue has a length shorter than a length of each flexible tongue, wherein each flexible tongue is arranged closer to the upright than each respective second flexible tongue, during compression.

9. The cushion system according to claim 7, wherein each flexible tongue is more flexible than each respective second flexible tongue, each flexible tongue and each respective second flexible tongue being separated by a predetermined distance in the absence of compression and being configured to contact to each other during compression.

10. The cushion system according to claim 1, wherein each cushion of the plurality of cushions includes a respective raceway having a substantially C-shaped cross-section to fasten the cushion to an edge of the section bar, wherein the end of each flexible tongue attached to the section bar is also attached to an outer surface of the respective raceway.

11. The cushion system according to claim 1, wherein each flexible tongue is at an acute angle with respect to section bar in the absence of compression.

12. The cushion system according to claim 1, wherein each flexible tongue is curved in the absence of compression.

13. The cushion system according to claim 1, wherein each flexible tongue is elastically deformable.

14. The cushion system according to claim 10, wherein each respective raceway includes a bottom having a predetermined width and two sides convergent from the bottom towards an opening of the substantially C-shaped cross-section, the section bar configured to contact and be disposed between the two sides.

15. The cushion system according to claim 14, wherein at least one of the two sides includes a flange having a tip extending towards the section bar, the tip configured to secure the section bar within the respective raceway.

16. The cushion system according to claim 15, wherein one of the two sides of the respective raceway is substantially perpendicular to the bottom and the other one of the two sides slopes towards the opening of the substantially C-shaped cross-section to reduce the width thereof in the absence of compression.

17. The cushion system according to claim 15, wherein the end of each flexible tongue, which is attached to the respective raceway, is at one end of one side of the raceway that is substantially perpendicular to the bottom.

18. The cushion system according to claim 17, wherein the opposite end of each flexible tongue in the absence of compression is substantially vertically aligned with an opposed end of said one side of the respective raceway that is substantially perpendicular to the bottom.

19. The cushion system according to claim 18, wherein the opposite end of each flexible tongue projects out from the respective raceway in a direction parallel to an axis of the raceway.

20. The cushion system according to claim 1, wherein each flexible tongue is concave with respect to a surface of the section bar.

21. The cushion system according to claim 1, wherein each flexible tongue is convex with respect to a surface of the section bar.

22. The cushion system according to claim 1, wherein each cushion is made of polypropylene.

23. The cushion system according to claim 10, wherein each respective raceway is enbloc with each flexible tongue.

24. The cushion system according to claim 10, wherein each respective raceway has a length of about 2 cm.

25. The cushion system according to claim 10, wherein the section bar includes: a rounded or beveled edge portion that serves as a draft of each respective raceway; and a groove for hooking a tip of a flange of each respective raceway.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a detail of a section bar with a little sponge according to the prior art.

(2) FIG. 1a is a front cross section of the section bar of FIG. 1.

(3) FIG. 2 is an assembled front cross section of a section bar and of two cushions, according to the present invention.

(4) FIG. 3 is a side view of the cushion of FIG. 2.

(5) FIG. 4 is a detail of the cushion of FIG. 2.

(6) FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the section bar and of the cushions of FIG. 2.

(7) FIG. 6 is a different perspective view of the section bar and of a plurality of cushions, according to the present invention.

(8) FIG. 7 is a further perspective view of the section bar and of the cushions of FIG. 6.

(9) FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the section bar according to the present invention.

(10) FIG. 9 is an image of the section bar and of two cushions according to the present invention.

(11) FIG. 10 is an image of the section bar and of the cushions of FIG. 2, inserted in an upright.

(12) FIGS. 11-14 are different side, front and perspective views of the cushion of FIG. 3.

(13) FIGS. 15a-15d, 16, 17 are different embodiments of the cushion according to the present invention.

(14) FIGS. 18-24 are different view of another embodiment of the cushion according to the present invention.

(15) FIG. 25-26 are further embodiments of the cushion according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(16) FIG. 2 is cross-sectional view of two cushions 1, according to the present invention, applied to a section bar 100 of an upright, for example an upright integrated in a frame of a window to be shaded, substantially having the same length as the window. The section bar 100 is a longitudinal element substantially of the same length as the upright and it has a seat S for an edge of a shading piece of cloth which comes out of the section bar 100 and of the respective upright through a fissure B of the section bar. The piece of cloth edge remains in the seat for example since it has a higher thickness than the width of the fissure B, preventing the piece of cloth from detaching from the section bar. Another section bar 100 is associated to an opposed frame upright.

(17) According to the invention, the cushion 1 comprises a raceway 10, also indicated in FIGS. 3-4, with a substantially C-shaped cross section which serves to fasten the cushion to a section bar edge 101, and a flexible plastic tongue 20 and with shape memory, having an end 21 on the raceway and a opposed end 22 spaced therefrom in order to remain in contact with the upright; the tongue serves as a spring between the section bar and the upright, allowing the section bar to come nearer to the upright in the compression step or to be spaced in a predetermined way in the absence of compression.

(18) The tongue extends outside the raceway. According to different embodiments of the cushion, it is provided that the tongue extends in the direction along which the shading piece of cloth is intended to extend or in the opposite direction.

(19) Substantially, the shape and/or the size of the tongue represents a pre-load of the tongue which spaces not only the end 22 from the raceway but also the section bar from the upright, when assembled. This aim is improved by the application of a plurality of cushions, as represented in FIG. 6, preferably on opposed sides or edges of the section bar, with respect to fissure B. For example, each raceway is about 2 cm long and a plurality of cushions are fitted through the respective raceways on the section bar, with a pitch of 10-15 cm. FIG. 5 schematically shows the detached parts, i.e. two cushions 1 suitable to be fitted on opposed edges 101 of the section bar 100.

(20) According to an aspect of the invention, a bottom 13 of the raceway 10, for example indicated in FIGS. 2 and 3, has a predetermined width B and two sides 11, 12 of the raceway are preferably convergent from the bottom 13 towards the opening of the C-shaped cross section, in order to make a pressing contact on the section bar, i.e. on a supporting surface thereof. A flange 14 with a tip 15 turned towards the bottom 13 is provided on one side 12, which hampers the section bar going out of the raceway 10. To this purpose, a groove 104 is provided in a thickness of the section bar (FIG. 5) suitable to receive by snapping the flange 14 of the raceway.

(21) The Applicant has also devised an advantageous section bar which allows the cushions to be applied automatically, rapidly and cheaply, as schematically represented in FIG. 8. This section bar has an edge 101 whereon the raceway 100 is to be fitted and it comprises a portion of reduced thickness 102 which serves as a raceway draft 10, and a groove for hooking the tip 15 of the flange 14, preferably for snap hooking; the edge 101 of the section bar 100 comprising a remaining portion 103 with a thickness being higher or equal to the opening of the raceway C-shaped cross section at rest. The longitudinal groove 104 is preferably in correspondence with this remaining portion 103.

(22) Preferably the reduced thickness is lower than the opening of the raceway C-shaped cross section at rest, i.e. when it is not fitted on the section bar, and the remaining portion 103 of the edge has a thickness being higher or equal to the opening of the C-shaped cross section at rest. The insertion in the longitudinal groove 104 of the tip 15 of the flange 14 is by snapping.

(23) The portion of reduced thickness 102 is given by rounding off or bevelling the edge 101, preferably on the section bar side concerned by the longitudinal groove 104. According to this aspect of the invention, when the cushion 1 is inserted in the section bar, the side 12 of the raceway 10 engages first the bevelling or rounding 102 and it is brought away from the other side 11, as it engages the portion of increased thickness 103, and until the tip 15 of the flange 14 hooks the groove 104. Such a shape of the section bar allows the cushions to be automatically hooked and, i.e., to be applied by industrial automation, substantially without labour.

(24) Still with reference to FIGS. 2-4, a side 11 of the cushion raceway 10 is substantially perpendicular to the bottom 13 and the other side 12, preferably the side 12 with the flange 12, is sloping towards the opening of the C-shaped cross section, reducing the width thereof at rest, when it is not applied to the section bar. For example, the end 21 of the tongue 20 belonging to the raceway 10 is associated to the side 11 being perpendicular to the bottom 12. In an embodiment of the invention, the tongue end 21 is associated to an end 24 of the raceway 10 and the opposed end 22 of the tongue 20 at rest is substantially aligned with the other end 25 of the raceway 10.

(25) FIG. 9 is an image of a section bar portion on which two cushions are already fastened and FIG. 10 is an image of this section bar inserted in the thickness of an upright 1000. As it can be noted, the end 22 of the tongue 20 contacts the upright 1000 or it is very close in order to carry on at once the spring function if the piece of cloth (not represented) drags the section bar 100 towards the upright.

(26) With reference to FIGS. 15a-15d some embodiments of the plastic cushion 1 according to the present invention are described, in which the plastic tongue is not curved.

(27) The cushion is applicable to a section bar and it has a tongue 20 with a free end 20a suitable to be turned towards the upright, when being used, preferably always in contact therewith, and an opposed end 20b on a cushion raceway 10. The raceway 10 appears applicable to the section bar, for example insertable by quick coupling on an edge of the section bar, as already described.

(28) The tongue is flexible. At rest, for example in the absence of wind, the tongue 20 is extended between the section bar and the upright, and in operating conditions, for example when the wind pushes the section bar towards the upright, it is deformed between them, preventing the contact therewith.

(29) More particularly, the tongue is straight in rest conditions (FIG. 15a-15d). For example, the tongue 20 at rest is perpendicular to the raceway (FIG. 15a-15c) and it is curved or sloping with respect to the raceway, when it is compressed between the upright and the section bar. According to an alternative embodiment, the tongue is always straight at rest but it has a predetermined angle (FIG. 15d) with respect to the raceway 10 or with respect to a frame contact surface (not represented).

(30) The raceway has a C-shaped cross section, and it is equipped with a bottom 13 and two side walls 11, 12 of predetermined length, and the tongue 10 is formed on a side part 11, for example coplanar to the bottom 13, preferably on the whole length of the raceway 10 (FIG. 15a, 15b, 15d). Some alternative embodiments are provided, in which the tongue 10 is perpendicular to the side wall 11 but not coplanar to the bottom 13 or in which the tongue 20 does not cross the whole length of the raceway 10.

(31) In a preferred embodiment, for example represented in FIG. 15b, a protrusion or pin 60 is formed under one side 11 of the raceway 10, suitable to be inserted in a section bar hole, as represented in FIG. 15b by way of example. The pin 60 increases the hold of the raceway on the section bar. Moreover, multiple holes on the section bar, preferably equidistant, allow the hooking positions of the cushions to be predetermined.

(32) In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the raceway has two opposed tongues 20 and 200, substantially extending over and under the raceway 10, outside it, which serve as cushions between the upright and the raceway during opposed movements of the section bar within the upright. In particular, as represented in FIG. 16, a second tongue 200 with an end 200b on the raceway and an opposed end 200a spaced therefrom, specular on the raceway to the first tongue 20, is intended to contact an upright surface substantially opposed to the upright surface intended to come into contact with the first tongue, and it serves as a spring between the section bar and the upright, allowing the section bar to come nearer to the upright in the compression step or to be spaced in a predetermined way in the absence of compression. Substantially when the first tongue is compressed, the second tongue is extended, and vice versa.

(33) According to this embodiment, the first and second tongue extend in the direction along which the shading piece of cloth is intended to extend and also in the opposite direction. For example, the tongues 20 and 200 are curved at rest.

(34) According to the present invention, on the bottom 13 of the raceway 10, and in particular on the surface of the bottom 13 outside the raceway 10, a plastic fin 60 is formed, which extends along the whole raceway or along a raceway length. The fin 60 serves as a side cushion between the bottom 13 of the raceway 10 and the upright. The fin 60 is particularly useful when the wind strikes perpendicularly the piece of cloth, determining not so much the movement of the piece of cloth between the two uprights (direction A, in FIG. 10) but the movement of the piece of cloth in each of the two uprights (direction B, in FIG. 10). The fin 60 can be realized in any of the embodiments according to the present invention.

(35) The Applicant has also thought up an upright suitable to cooperate with the cushion 1 and to improve the flexibility of the tongue 20. In particular, the upright is preferably made of aluminium and it is equipped with a curved outline suitable to facilitate the curvature of the tongue 20 towards the raceway 10, in the compression step of the plastic section bar on the upright, thus preventing the tongue 20 from bending in an undesirable direction.

(36) The advantages of the cushion of the present invention are the following. The tongue spaces to a predetermined extent the section bar from the upright in the absence of stresses and this predetermined extent corresponds to an optimal tension of the piece of cloth between the uprights, keeping a contact with the upright, through the tongue, which allows the effect of the stresses caused by the wind or by the opening and closing operations on the piece of cloth to be cushioned, which affect the section bar, moving it towards the upright. The tongue spring effect prevents the section bar/upright contact and also sudden movements of the section bar in the upright.

(37) The particular shape of the conceived section bar allows instead the application of the cushions on the section bar edge to be automated and considerably sped up. In fact, the substantially square edge of known section bars forces the raceway to be opened by hand in order to fit the cushion on the edge while the draft of the edge with reduced thickness, being it bevelled or rounded, according to the present invention allows the cushion to be fitted without acting on the raceway: as the raceway is fitted on the edge, the sides thereof are opened wide by the thickening of the section bar edge up to reaching the groove in which the fin is engaged; at this point the sides get nearer again by snapping the one towards the other, fastening to the section bar.

(38) With reference to FIG. 25 another embodiment of the present invention is disclosed, wherein a cushion 1 for a shading system of a type including a piece of cloth slidingly fastenable to a section bar of an upright includes a flexible tongue 20 having an end 21 adapt to be attached to the section bar and an opposed end 22 adapt to be spaced therefrom to contact the upright and to serve as a spring between the section bar and the upright, allowing the section bar to come nearer to the upright in a compression phase or to be spaced in a predetermined measure in an absence of compression.

(39) The end 21 of the flexible tongue 20 which is adapt to be attached to the section bar includes a surface 211, preferably flat, adapted to be glued on a corresponding coupling surface, preferably flat, of the section bar. In FIG. 25, the middle portion of the flexible tongue which is arranged between the end 21 and the opposite end 22 of the includes parts 212, 213, 214 with different curvatures, in particular a first portion 212 concave with respect to the flat surface of the end 21, a second portion 213 at a predetermined inclination with respect to the surface of the end 21 and a third portion 214 concave with respect to the surface of the end 21. However, nothing prevents that the middle portion have different shapes.

(40) In another embodiment, the end of the flexible tongue is not glued to the section bar but attached thereto through male/female coupling means. For instance, a male element 217 is provided on a bottom surface 215 on the end 21 of the flexible tongue 20 and a female element is provided on the section bar (not represented). The male element 217 of the cushion may be a pin protruding from flat bottom surface portion 215 at the end of the flexible tongue; the pin may include a head 218 with a cross section and an annular portion 219 with a section smaller than the section of the head 218 between the head and a base portion 220 of the pin, the female element having a hole of a section corresponding to the section of the annular portion 219, adapted to retain the pin when the head is passed through the hole.

(41) The flexible tongue preferably has a predetermined width and a predetermined thickness which are constant along the length of the flexible tongue, as it will be apparent also from another embodiment given with reference to FIGS. 18-24. In such embodiment, the cushion 1 further includes a second flexible tongue 2020 substantially parallel to the flexible tongue 20 at rest, wherein the first 20 and second 2020 flexible tongue are attached to each other at the respective end 21, 2121 where they are also adapted to be attached to the section bar.

(42) In this respect, with reference to FIGS. 18-24 the ends 2121 and 21 are attached to a raceway 10. However, according to another embodiment which is no represented, a cushion 1 of the type represented in FIG. 25 or 26 may comprise two different flexible tongues, one parallel to the other at rest, with the end of the first and second flexible tongue attached to the flat surface 211.

(43) A length of the second flexible tongue 2020 which is arranged closer to the section bar, during use, is smaller than a length of the first flexible tongue 20 which is arranged closer to the upright, during use, for instance as represented in the embodiment of FIG. 18-24.

(44) Depending on the type of application and usage conditions, different material may be used for the first and second flexible tongue. Preferably, the first flexible tongue 20 is more flexible than the second flexible tongue 2020, the first flexible tongue 20 and the second flexible tongue 2020 are at a predetermined distance at rest and are adapted to contact to each other during use, along a contact portion increasing with the force applied to the section bar.

(45) With different flexibility of the tongues, for instance, with the second flexible tongue less flexible and shorter than the first flexible tongue, great advantages may be achieved. Depending on the flexibility and on the distance between the first and second tongue at rest, different way of cushioning may be provided.

(46) For instance, when a force is applied to the section bar, the following may happened: first the opposite end of the first flexible tongue 20 enters in contact with the upright; then, if the intensity of the force is sufficiently high, a greater surface portion of the first flexible tongue 20 may enter in contact with the upright, for instance involving also a middle portion of the first flexible tongue, but without contact between the first 20 and second tongue 2020; then, if the resistance of the first flexible force is not sufficient for compensating the force applied, a surface 20s1 of the first flexible tongue 20 which is opposite to the surface 20s2 in contact with the upright, enter in contact with the opposite end 2222 of the second flexible tongue 2020; at last, the remaining portion 2323 of the second flexible tongue 2020, for instance the middle portion thereof, enters in contact with the first flexible tongue 20 in case the force applied to the section bar is not still sufficiently compensated.

(47) However, with a cushion having first and second tongues with different flexibility and distance, the cushioning may involve the following steps, in sequence: first the opposite end of the first flexible tongue 20 enters in contact with the upright; then, if the intensity of the force is sufficiently high, the surface 20s1 of the first flexible tongue 20 which is opposite to the surface 20s2 in contact with the upright, immediately enters in contact with the opposite end 2222 of the second flexible tongue 2020; then, a greater surface portion of the first flexible tongue 20 enters in contact with the upright, for instance involving also a middle portion of the first flexible tongue, which is deformed in the same way and together with the second flexible tongue backward, remaining in contact one to the other. The size of the contact portion between the first and second flexible tongues increases with the intensity of the force applied.