Wand for a blind assembly

Abstract

A wand for a blind assembly comprising (a) an elongated member, (b) a rotatable member located at or adjacent one end thereof, (c) guide member located at or adjacent another end thereof; and (d) a cord having a loop, wherein the loop passes from a position remote from the rotating member, engages the rotating member, passes about the guide member and returns to the remote position after reengagement of the rotating member, wherein the loop adjacent to or within the elongated member is retained between the rotating member and the guide to restrict movement of the loop perpendicularly of the elongated member, and wherein the loop remote from the rotating member is adapted to engage and rotate a drive member of a blind assembly.

Claims

1. A wand for a blind assembly having a drive member, the wand comprising: (a) an elongate member, (b) a rotatable member spaced from the blind assembly and located at or adjacent one end of the elongate member, (c) a guide member located at or adjacent another end of the elongate member, the guide member including a biasing member, and (d) a cord configured to rotate the drive member, wherein the cord forms a loop which passes from a position remote from the rotatable member, engages the rotatable member, engages and passes about the guide member and returns to the remote position after reengagement of the rotatable member, wherein the loop has a first segment between the rotatable member and the guide member, which is disposed within the wand and retained under tension between the rotatable member and the guide member by the biasing member to restrict movement of the first segment of the loop within the wand perpendicularly of the elongate member, the first segment being retained under tension without the wand being installed on the blind assembly; wherein the loop has a second segment remote from the rotatable member, the second segment of the loop remote from the rotatable member for rotating the drive member when the wand is installed on the blind assembly, the second segment being free of the tension from the biasing member to facilitate the second segment of the loop being placed about the drive member; wherein the rotatable member engages, in one plane, a first portion of the cord and a second portion of the cord to translate the first portion in a first direction while simultaneously translating the second portion in a second direction that is opposite of the first direction; wherein the biasing member is configured to retain the first segment under tension without the wand being installed on the blind assembly and to retain the first segment under tension when the wand is installed on the blind assembly; wherein the guide member comprises two housing parts which are configured to be joined together, and a cylinder member configured to be retained within the two housing parts when joined, the loop being configured to pass about and engage with the cylinder member; wherein the cylinder member provides a guide pathway for the loop and the biasing member is configured to bias the guide pathway in a direction away from the rotatable member to retain the cord under tension between the rotatable member and guide member; wherein the cylinder member has a pin projection extending in an axial direction of the elongate member; wherein the guide member further comprises a pin extending perpendicular to the axial direction and between the two housing parts; wherein one end of the biasing member is configured to be positioned over the pin projection and another end is positioned against the pin; wherein the biasing member is configured to act between the pin and the cylinder member to bias the cylinder member away from the rotatable member, and wherein a position of the rotatable member is configured to be stationary along the axial direction of the elongate member relative to the pin when the wand is installed on the blind assembly.

2. The wand of claim 1 wherein the rotatable member is a wheel, mounted for rotation in or on the elongate member.

3. The wand of claim 2 wherein the wheel has a plurality of positions to selectively retain the cord.

4. The wand of claim 3 wherein the cord is beaded and at least one of the beads is located at a position of said plurality of positions with said position comprising a depression.

5. The wand of claim 2 wherein the elongate member is tubular and the cord is at least partially located within the elongate member.

6. The wand of claim 3 wherein the elongate member is tubular and the cord is at least partially located within the elongate member.

7. The wand of claim 3 wherein the plurality of positions to selectively retain the cord is provided by a plurality of regularly spaced radial openings and arms on the wheel which are together configured to retain the cord.

8. The wand of claim 1 wherein at least one of the housing parts has an elongate slot into which a corresponding arm of the cylinder member is configured to be located to provide for sliding movement of the cylinder member with respect to the housing parts.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Various embodiments/aspects of the invention will now be described with reference to the following drawings in which,

(2) FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a blind assembly with a wand according to one aspect of the invention in the installed position.

(3) FIG. 2 depicts front, side and perspective views (A, B and C) of a wand accordingly to an aspect of the invention.

(4) FIG. 3 depicts a perspective assembly view of the wand of FIG. 2.

(5) FIG. 4 is a perspective view and partial view B (circled) of the wand according to FIG. 2.

(6) FIG. 5 is a perspective view and partial view D (circled) of the wand according to FIG. 2 in a partially disassembled form.

(7) FIG. 6 is a perspective view and partial view E (circled) of the wand according to FIG. 2.

(8) FIG. 7 is a perspective view and partial view G (circled) of the wand according to FIG. 2 in a partially disassembled form.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(9) FIG. 1 depicts a blind assembly 100 comprising a blind 101 which is rolled onto a cylinder 102. Rotation of the cylinder 102 in different directions cause the blind 101 to either retract or extend. The cylinder 102 is engaged on a spindle (not shown) which is located at the right end of the cylinder 102. The drive member 103 extends from the spindle with a flange 104, a rotatable wheel 105 and a cover 106. A beaded cord 107 is located about wheel 105. Pulling on portion of the cord 107 causes the wheel 105 to rotate the drive member 103. This cause cylinder 102 to rotate and the blind to extend or retract.

(10) The wand 108 has a beaded cord loop portion 109 which is located about wheel 105. The other end of this loop portion 109 enters a rotatable member 110. As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the rotatable member 110 comprises a housing of two parts 111 and 112. Part housing 111 includes an axle mount 113. Axle mount 113 receives the wheel 114 and permits the wheel 114 to rotate freely thereabout. Wheel 114 (as more clearly shown in FIG. 5) has a number of regularly spaced radial openings 115 and arms 116 which together are able to retain beads 117. The other housing part 112 covers the wheel 114 and may be fastened to the axle mount 113 with screw 118.

(11) Wheel 114 is located in one end of elongated tubular member 119 and fixed in position by screw 120. Elongated member 119 may be of any suitable length sufficient to enclose the beaded cord 107 over a sufficient length to assist prevention of the formation of a potentially dangerous loop. It is unnecessary that elongated member 119 be completely enclosed as shown in FIG. 2 and may have a longitudinal opening 121.

(12) At the other end of elongated tubular member 119 is a guide member 122. As more particularly shown in FIGS. 2, 6 and 7 the guide member 122 comprises a housing of two parts 123 and 124. Part housings 123 and 124 includes matching linear slots 125. Located in these slots 125 when the part housings 123 and 124 are connected (via pin 126) is a cylinder member 127. Cylinder member 127 has corresponding arms 130 which when assembled located for sliding movement in linear slots 125.

(13) Cylinder member 127 has a pin projection 128 extending in the axial direction of elongated tubular member 119. A spring 129 envelops the pin projection 128 at one end. The other end of the spring 129 sits in the parts housing 123 and 124.

(14) As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, cord 107 extends from the wheel 114 down both internal surfaces of the elongated tubular member 119 and about part of the circumferential surface of cylinder 127. Cylinder member 127 under the influence of spring 129 is urged away from the rotatable member 110 and places the cord 107 in tension between the rotatable member 110 and the cylindrical member 127.

(15) Pulling on cord 107 in a blind-extending direction causes the wheel 114 of the rotatable member 110 to rotate. The rotation of wheel 114 engages openings 115 and arms 116 with beads 117 and therefore cord 107 on one side of the wheel 114 to pull that portion of the cord 107 in the direction of cylindrical member 127. The rotation of wheel 114 also causes the openings 115 and arms 116 on the opposite side of the wheel 114 to take up beads 117 and therefore the cord 107 from the direction of the cylindrical member 127.

(16) In this arrangement, wheel 114 restricts the movement of the cord 107 in a direction perpendicular to the elongated tube 119. Therefore the risk of a loop of the cord 107 forming which would prevent a safety hazard to a child is minimized.

(17) Modifications and improvements to the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and improvements are intended to be within the scope of this invention.

(18) The word comprising and forms of the word comprising as used in this description and in the claims does not limit the invention claimed to exclude any variants or additions.