Window covering and method of use
View Patent ↗A window covering including two sheets of material extending from a take-up member and having a plurality of substantially horizontal slats disposed between the sheets of material is described. The horizontal slats can be adjusted between open and closed positions when the window covering is in a plurality vertical positions. In certain embodiments, the horizontal slats can be positioned independently from the movement of the sheets of material.
1. A window covering comprising:
two vertically extending sheets of material having a plurality of horizontally extending and vertically spaced slats disposed therebetween;
a rotatable, substantially tube-shaped take-up member attached to one end of the sheets of material, the take-up member configured to raise and lower the sheets of material;
a tilt mechanism for the horizontal slats, the tilt mechanism configured to tilt the slats when the window covering is in all vertical positions; and
a horizontally extending bottom rail, wherein the sheets of material are attached to the bottom rail.
2. The window covering of claim 1 , wherein the sheets of material include sheer material.
3. The window covering of claim 2 , wherein the two sheets of material are configured to prevent a moiré effect.
4. The window covering of claim 1 , further comprising a mount configured to secure the take-up member adjacent a window opening.
5. The window covering of claim 4 , wherein the mount includes a pair of brackets configured to connect to end portions of the take-up member.
6. The window covering of claim 5 , further including a horizontally extending intermediate rail disposed between the bottom rail and the take-up member.
7. The window covering of claim 4 , wherein the mount comprises a horizontally extending headrail.
8. The window covering of claim 7 , further including a horizontally extending intermediate rail disposed between the bottom rail and the take-up member.
9. The window covering of claim 4 , further comprising a horizontally extending intermediate rail disposed between the bottom rail and the take-up member.
10. The window covering of claim 9 , further comprising a ladder including two vertically oriented ladder cords extending between the intermediate rail and the bottom rail, and rungs extending between said ladder cords to support slats of the blind.
11. The window covering of claim 10 , further comprising a guide cord running in a substantially vertical direction between the intermediate rail and the bottom rail and through a hole or notch in each of the slats.
12. The window covering of claim 11 , further comprising a cord take-up mechanism associated with the window covering for taking up the guide cord.
13. The window covering of claim 12 , wherein the cord take-up mechanism is associated with the bottom rail.
14. The window covering of claim 13 , wherein the cord take-up mechanism comprises a spring motor.
15. The window covering of claim 10 , further comprising a pair of guide cords running in a substantially vertical direction between the intermediate rail and the bottom rail and through holes or notches in each of the slats, and a pair of cord take up mechanisms associated with the bottom rail for taking up each of the guide cords.
16. The window covering of claim 15 , wherein the cord take up mechanisms include a spring motor.
17. The window covering of claim 10 , further comprising a tilt mechanism for the slats.
18. The window covering of claim 17 , wherein the tilt mechanism includes a tilt drum associated with the intermediate rail and an axially extending tilt shaft in communication with the tilt drum, the tilt shaft configured such that rotation of shaft rotates the drum, causing one of the ladder cords to be raised and the other ladder cord to be lowered from a neutral position.
19. The window covering of claim 17 , wherein the tilt mechanism comprises a tilt cord attached to a front portion and a rear portion of the intermediate rail and straddling an upper portion of the take-up member.
20. The window covering of claim 19 wherein the tilt cords cross over each other between the take up member and the intermediate rail.
21. The window covering of claim 20 , wherein the tilt cord is operative to tilt the slats in a first direction when the sheets of material are raised and wrapped around the take-up member and tilt the slats in a second direction opposite to the first direction when the sheets of material are lowered and unwrapped from around the take-up member.
22. The window covering of claim 21 , further comprising a slot on the take up member for frictionally engaging the tilt cord on the take-up member.
23. The window covering of claim 17 , further comprising a clutch mechanism associated with the take-up member for rotating the take-up member to raise or lower the sheets of material.
24. The window covering of claim 23 , wherein raising and lowering the sheets of material also raises and lowers at least a portion of the horizontal slats.
25. A window covering comprising:
two vertically extending sheets of material having a plurality of horizontally extending and vertically spaced slats disposed therebetween;
a rotatable, substantially tube-shaped take-up member attached to one end of the sheets of material, the take-up member configured to raise and lower the sheets of material;
a bottom rail attached to end of the sheets of material opposite the end attached to the take-up member, wherein the horizontally extending slats can be tilted independently of the sheets of material.
26. The window covering of claim 25 , wherein the horizontal slats and sheets of material are not directly connected.
27. The window covering of claim 26 , wherein the sheets of material are sheer material.
28. The window covering of claim 25 , further comprising a guide cord associated with the slats and extending between the take-up member and the bottom rail.
29. The window covering of claim 28 , further comprising cord take-up means for taking up the guide cord when the window covering is raised.
30. The window covering of claim 29 , wherein the cord take-up means includes a spring motor.
31. A window covering comprising:
two sheets of material suspended from a take-up roller and attached to a horizontally extending bottom rail, the sheets of material having a space therebetween;
a horizontally extending intermediate rail located between the take-up roller and the bottom rail;
a plurality of horizontal slats disposed between the sheets of material having a guide cord running through an opening or slot in each of the slats and a ladder lace including a pair of vertically extending ladder lace cords having rungs extending between the ladder lace cords configured to support the slats;
means for rotating the take-up roller such that the sheets of material wrapped around the take-up roller are raised to an elevated position;
means for adjusting the slats between an open and closed position; and
means for taking up the guide cords.
32. The window covering of claim 31 , wherein the means for rotating the take-up roller includes a clutch mechanism.
33. The window covering of claim 31 , wherein the means for rotating the take-up roller further includes a pull cord.
34. The window covering of claim 33 , wherein the pull cord is a beaded pull cord for engaging a gear surface associated with the means for rotating the take-up roller.
35. The window covering of claim 31 , wherein the means for adjusting the slats includes a rotation cord attached to a front portion and a rear portion of the intermediate rail.
36. The window covering of claim 35 , wherein the rotation cord is in frictional contact with the take-up roller.
37. The window covering of claim 36 , wherein rotation of the take-up roller causes the rotation cord to tilt the slats to a closed position.
38. The window covering of claim 34 , wherein the means for taking up the guide cord is associated with a headrail.
39. The window covering of claim 34 , wherein the means for taking up the guide cord is associated with the bottom rail.
40. The window covering of claim 39 , wherein the means for taking up the guide cord includes a spring motor.
41. The window covering of claim 40 , wherein a pair of guide cords is provided and a pair of spring motors associated with the bottom rail are provided for winding the guide cords as the window covering is raised.
42. A method of operating a window covering comprising:
rolling a pair of sheets of vertically extending and substantially parallel sheets onto a take up member to a plurality of desired heights to raise or lower a horizontally extending bottom rail attached to the sheets of material; and
adjusting the tilt angle of a plurality of horizontally extending slats disposed between the sheets of material in all of the plurality of desired heights.
43. The method of claim 42 , wherein the tilt angle of the slats is adjusted independently from the adjustment of the height of the sheets of material.
44. The method of claim 43 , wherein the sheets of material are sheets of sheer material selected to prevent a moiré effect.
45. The method of claim 42 , wherein the slats form a Venetian blind including a guide cord extending through openings in each of the slats, and further comprising taking up slack in the guide cord as the sheets of material are raised.
46. The method of claim 45 , wherein the sheets of material are joined at their lower end to a bottom rail, and the bottom rail includes a spring motor mechanism for taking up the guide cord.