Wand for a cord driven blind assembly
A wand for operating a cord driven roller blind assembly having a retractable screen. The wand includes a longitudinal operating stalk securable to an operating cord extendable from a clutch assembly of the roller blind assembly. The stalk is pulled downwardly a first predetermined distance to extend the retractable screen and a second predetermined distance to retract the screen. The wand further includes a sleeve assembly disposed within the stalk and including a connector for connecting the wand to the clutch assembly. The connector includes a flexible neck region to allow the wand to pivot relative to the clutch assembly from a substantially upright position. The sleeve assembly includes a passage therethrough configured for passage of the operating cord from the clutch assembly to the stalk. The sleeve assembly conceals the cord between the clutch assembly and the stalk when the stalk is pulled to operate the blind.
1 . A wand for operating a cord driven roller blind assembly having a retractable screen, the wand comprising:
an operating stalk extending along a longitudinal axis of the stalk, the stalk being securable to an operating cord extendable from a control mechanism of the roller blind assembly, the stalk being configured to be pulled downwardly a first predetermined distance by a user to extend the retractable screen and pulled downwardly a second predetermined distance to retract the retractable screen; and
a sleeve assembly at least in part overlapping with the stalk, the sleeve assembly comprising:
a connector for connecting the wand to the control mechanism of the roller blind assembly, the connector comprising:
a socket portion at a first end of the connector;
a flared portion at a second end of the connector, the flared portion being configured to be mounted within a housing of the control mechanism;
a flexible neck region disposed between the socket portion and the flared portion, the flexible neck region being configured to allow the wand to pivot relative to the control mechanism from a substantially upright position, the flexible neck region being narrower than both the socket portion and the flared portion;
an elongate main body having a proximal end configured to be received within the socket portion and a distal end configured to be disposed within the stalk, the sleeve assembly having a passage therethrough configured for passage of the operating cord from the control mechanism through the flared portion, the flexible neck region, and the socket portion to the stalk;
the sleeve assembly concealing the operating cord between the control mechanism and the stalk when the stalk is pulled to operate the blind.
2 . The wand according to claim 1 , wherein the passage for the cord is divided within the flared portion to provide a left passage and a right passage, each passage providing an entry point for the cord, the left and right passages being at an acute angle to one another, the left passage being aligned with a left-side hole defined by the housing of the control mechanism and the right passage being aligned with a right-side hole defined by the housing of the control mechanism.
3 . The wand according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible neck region of the connector is made of an elastic polymer material.
4 . The wand according to claim 3 , further comprising an eyelet housed within the connector where the left and right passages intersect, the cord being configured to extend through the eyelet, the eyelet being made of a low-friction material to reduce friction between the cord and the eyelet during operation of the roller blind assembly.
5 . The wand according to claim 1 , wherein when the stalk is in a retracted position, a proximal end of the stalk abuts with a distal end of the socket portion to define a retracted stop position of the stalk.
6 . The wand according to claim 5 , wherein the stalk comprises a hand grip at a distal end of the stalk and a cord fastening clip housed at a within the distal end of the stalk, the cord fastening clip comprising one or more resilient legs configured to about behind an annular rim of the hand grip to retain the cord fastening clip within the stalk, and a centrally located aperture having a peripheral rim through which the operating cord passes, a knot provided towards an end region of the cord being forced into abutment with the peripheral rim under pretension of the cord.
7 . The wand according to claim 6 , wherein an outer peripheral edge of the cord fastening clip abuts with a distal end of the elongate main body of the sleeve assembly when the stalk is in the retracted position.
8 . The wand according to claim 1 , wherein at least part of the flared portion is held between a rear housing part and a front housing part of the control mechanism, a protruding boss on the rear housing part being configured to locate through a corresponding hole in the flared portion to locate the connector within the housing of the control mechanism.
9 . The wand according to claim 8 , wherein one or more longitudinal ribs on the front housing part and the rear housing part engage with one or more corresponding recesses on either side of the flared portion to securely fasten the connector to the control mechanism.
10 . The wand according to claim 1 , wherein the socket portion comprises a projection on opposing internal sides thereof, each projection being configured to engage with a respective aperture on opposing sides of the elongate main body to secure the elongate main body to the connector.
11 . The wand according to claim 10 , wherein the elongate main body of the sleeve assembly is exposed when the stalk is pulled to operate the roller blind assembly.
12 . The wand according to claim 11 , wherein the control mechanism further comprises a pulley about which the operating cord is wound and a spring having a first end engaging the pulley and a second end engaging a rear housing part of the control mechanism, the spring and pulley being configured to pull the operating cord towards the control mechanism upon release of the stalk.