Retractable shade with collapsible vanes
View Patent ↗A retractable cover for architectural openings having collapsible vanes includes a support structure in the form of a sheet of material, monofilaments, tapes, ribbons, cords, or the like, supporting an upper edge of a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontally extending vanes with the lower edges of the vanes in most embodiments of the invention being connected to operating elements adapted to raise the lower edges of each vane toward the upper edges to define openings or gaps between the vanes through which vision and light can pass in an open condition of the covering. Variations of the covering do not require movement of a lower edge of a vane relative to an upper edge but simply movement of some vanes relative to other vanes. The vanes can be made of materials having different flexibilities and where more rigid materials are used, creased fold lines can be established for desired operability.
1. A covering for an architectural opening, the covering comprising:
a rotatable roller;
a support sheer coupled to said roller such that rotation of said roller moves said support sheer, said support sheer wrappable about said roller;
at least one operating element coupled to said roller such that rotation of said roller moves said at least one operating element, said at least one operating element wrappable about said roller; and
at least one vane extending across a face of said support sheer, said at least one vane including an upper edge portion coupled to said support sheer and a lower edge portion coupled to said at least one operating element such that relative movement between said support sheer and said at least one operating element causes relative movement between said upper and lower edge portions of said at least one vane,
wherein:
said at least one vane is movable between a closed position and an open position;
rotation of said roller in a first direction causes said support sheer to unwrap from said roller from a retracted position toward an extended position, during which rotation said at least one vane is in said closed position,
further rotation of said roller in said first direction causes an upper portion of said at least one operating element to move away from said support sheer and said at least one vane to move from said closed position to said open position, and
continued rotation of said roller in said first direction maintains said at least one vane in said open position.
2. The covering of claim 1 , wherein said support sheer and said at least one operating element depend from a rear side of said roller during said rotation of said roller.
3. The covering of claim 1 , wherein said rotation of said roller causes said support sheer to unwrap from said roller from a fully-retracted position to a fully-extended position.
4. The covering of claim 1 , wherein said further rotation of said roller causes said upper portion of said at least one operating element to move past a bottom of said roller.
5. The covering of claim 1 , wherein said further rotation of said roller causes said upper portion of said at least one operating element to move from a rear side of said roller to a front side of said roller.
6. The covering of claim 5 , wherein said support sheer depends from said rear side of said roller during said further rotation of said roller.
7. The covering of claim 1 , wherein said continued rotation of said roller causes said at least one operating element to wrap around a front side of said roller.
8. The covering of claim 1 , further comprising a weight coupled to a lower portion of said support sheer.
9. The covering of claim 1 , wherein said at least one vane comprises a bottom-most vane, and further comprising a weight coupled to a lower edge portion of said bottom-most vane.
10. The covering of claim 1 , wherein said at least one vane comprises a rectangular strip of material extending lengthwise across said face of said support sheer.
11. The covering of claim 1 , wherein said at least one vane comprises:
a first vane including a first upper edge portion coupled to said support sheer and a first lower edge portion coupled to said at least one operating element such that relative movement between said support sheer and said at least one operating element causes relative movement between said first upper and lower edge portions of said first vane;
a second vane including a second upper edge portion coupled to said support sheer and a second lower edge portion coupled to said at least one operating element such that relative movement between said support sheer and said at least one operating element causes relative movement between said second upper and lower edge portions of said second vane;
wherein said first lower edge portion overlaps said second upper edge portion when said first vane and said second vane are in said closed position.
12. The covering of claim 11 , wherein the coupling of said first lower edge portion to said at least one operating element is positioned at least partially above the overlap when said first vane and said second vane are in said closed position.
13. The covering of claim 11 , wherein said at least one operating element extends behind said first and second upper edge portions.
14. The covering of claim 13 , wherein the coupling of said first lower edge portion to said at least one operating element is positioned above the location where said at least one operating element extends behind said second upper edge portion when said first and second vanes are in said closed position.
15. The covering of claim 11 , wherein a rear surface of said first lower edge portion abuts against a confronting surface of said second upper edge portion when said first and second vanes are in said closed position.
16. The covering of claim 11 , wherein said at least one operating element extends between said support sheer and said first and second lower edge portions.
17. The covering of claim 11 , wherein said at least one operating element extends substantially perpendicular to said first and second lower edge portions.
18. The covering of claim 11 , wherein said first and second lower edge portions are coupled to said at least one operating element at spaced locations along a length of said at least one operating element.
19. The covering of claim 1 , wherein said at least one vane has an arcuate cross-sectional shape in said open position.
20. The covering of claim 1 , wherein said at least one vane is substantially flat in said closed position.