Roller shade with a counterbalancing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10138676-B2
Application number	US-201314380890-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2013
Priority date	Feb 27, 2012
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

A roller shade including a flexible sheet member having opposite parallel first and second edges, and a roller shaft rotatable in each of two opposite directions of rotation. The flexible sheet member being attached along its first edge to the roller shaft, while the second edge of the flexible sheet member is freely depending from the roller shaft. The roller shade further comprises a counterbalancing device for balancing a portion of the flexible sheet member that is unwound from the roller shaft. This counterbalancing device has means for storing a variable torque that is complementary to a variable weight of the portion of flexible sheet member that is depending from the roller shaft. The means for storing variable torque includes a helically wound tension spring operatively interposed between a stationary central rod and the roller shaft.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A roller shade comprising:
a flexible sheet member;
a roller shaft rotatable in each of two opposite directions of rotation, the flexible sheet member having a first end coupled to the roller shaft and a second end freely depending from the roller shaft, so as to define a raised position of the roller shade in which the flexible sheet member is wound about the roller shaft and a lowered position in which the flexible sheet member is unwound from the roller shaft;
a counterbalancing device for balancing a portion of the flexible sheet member that is unwound from the roller shaft, the counterbalancing device including:
a stationary central rod;
a helically wound tension spring for storing a variable torque complementary to a variable weight of the portion of the flexible sheet member that is depending from the roller shaft, one end of the helically wound tension spring being coupled to a spring holder and an opposite end of the helically wound tension spring being coupled to a spring winder;
a screw threaded shaft provided in operative association with the spring winder; and
a rod adjuster that is selectively rotatable to rotate the stationary central rod relative to the screw threaded shaft so as to increase or decrease the tension of the helically wound tension spring by relative rotation of the spring holder; and

a bottom bar coupled to the second end of the flexible sheet member;
wherein:
the variable torque stored in the helically wound tension spring prevents rotation of the roller shaft due to the variable weight of the portion of the flexible sheet member depending from the roller shaft in any position between the fully wound and the fully unwound position and increases as the second end of the flexible sheet member is lowered; and

the rod adjuster is engageable to adjust the tension in the helically wound tension spring when the roller shaft is mounted in position on mounting brackets.

2. Roller shade according to claim 1 , wherein the one end of the helically wound tension spring is keyed to the stationary central rod by the spring holder and the opposite end of the helically wound tension spring is keyed to the roller shaft by the spring winder.

3. Roller shade according to claim 2 , wherein the stationary central rod extends axially through the spring winder.

4. Roller shade according to claim 1 , wherein the screw threaded shaft has a first stop on an end thereof proximate to one axial end of the counterbalancing device, with an opposite free end of the screw threaded shaft extending axially inwardly of the counterbalancing device and wherein the spring winder has a second stop positioned for abutment with the first stop at an end of travel of the spring winder with respect to the screw threaded shaft.

5. Roller shade according to claim 1 , wherein the screw threaded shaft has a left-hand screw thread.

6. Roller shade according to claim 1 , wherein the rod adjuster is accommodated in an adjuster housing that is closed by a bracket connector plug, to define an adjuster cavity.

7. Roller shade according to claim 6 , wherein the rod adjuster has a first face confronting a second face on the bracket connector plug, wherein at least one ratchet tooth on the first face cooperates with at least one counter ratchet tooth on the second face to retain the screw threaded shaft and the stationary central rod in an adjusted position.

8. Roller shade according to claim 7 , wherein the rod adjuster has its first face biased for engagement with the second face on the bracket connector plug.

9. Roller shade according to claim 8 , wherein the bias is provided by a compression spring.

10. Roller shade according to claim 9 , wherein a rod adapter is fixedly coupled to the stationary central rod and also accommodated in the adjuster cavity, and wherein the compression spring is arranged between the rod adapter and the rod adjuster.

11. Roller shade according to claim 6 , wherein the rod adjuster has a central boss that extends through a central aperture in the bracket connector plug.

12. Roller shade according to claim 11 , wherein the central boss is provided with a cavity reachable through the central aperture for engagement by an adjusting tool.

13. Roller shade according to claim 6 , wherein the screw threaded shaft and the adjuster housing are part of a threaded shaft member that has the screw threaded shaft on a first longitudinal end and the adjuster housing on an opposite longitudinal end.

14. Roller shade according to claim 6 , wherein the bracket connector plug connects to a first mounting bracket in a selective number of angular increments.

15. Roller shade according to claim 14 , wherein the angular increments are provided by inter-engaging ribs and serrations on the bracket connector plug and on a bracket adaptor associated with the first mounting bracket.

16. Roller blind according to claim 14 , wherein the first mounting bracket has a central bore to allow introduction of an adjustment tool for engagement of the rod adjuster.

17. Roller shade according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom bar is provided with at least one of a handle, a cord pull, or an operating wand for raising and lowering the second end of the flexible sheet member.

18. The roller shade of claim 1 , wherein the rod adjuster is non-rotatably coupled with the spring holder and selectively rotatable relative to both the screw threaded shaft and the spring winder to adjust the tension in the tension spring.

19. The roller shade of claim 1 , wherein the rod adjuster is configured to increase the tension in the tension spring when rotated in a first direction relative to the screw threaded shaft, and to decrease the tension in the tension spring when rotated in a second, opposite direction relative to the screw threaded shaft.

20. The roller shade of claim 1 , wherein the rod adjuster is axially movable relative to the screw threaded shaft to selectively disengage from the screw threaded shaft.

21. The roller shade of claim 1 , wherein the screw threaded shaft is engaged by a female screw thread inside of the spring winder.

22. The roller shade of claim 1 , wherein the rod adjuster is rotatable to adjust the stationary central rod in the same direction so as to increase or decrease the tension of the helically wound tension spring.

23. A roller shade comprising:
a roller shaft;
a flexible sheet member coupled to the roller shaft; and
a counterbalancing device for balancing a portion of the flexible sheet member depending from the roller shaft, the counterbalancing device comprising:
a helically wound tension spring;
a threaded shaft onto which the spring winder is rotatably mounted;
a central rod;
a spring holder non-rotatably coupled to the central rod and to one end of the tension spring;
a spring winder non-rotatably coupled to the roller shaft and an opposite end of the tension spring; and
a rod adjuster coupled to the spring holder such that movement of the rod adjuster causes rotation of the central rod to selectively adjust the tension in the tension spring, wherein the rod adjuster is rotatable relative to the threaded shaft to adjust the tension in the tension spring.

24. The roller shade of claim 23 , wherein the rod adjuster is rotatable relative to both the threaded shaft and the spring winder to adjust the tension in the tension spring.

Assignees

• Hunter Douglas Ind Bv

Inventors

• Bohlen Jorg
• Koop Lars

Classifications

• E06B9/50

  Bearings specially adapted therefor · CPC title

• E06B9/62 Primary

  Counterweighting arrangements (E06B9/60 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E06B9/42

  Parts or details of roller blinds, e.g. suspension devices, blind boxes (brackets or adjustable mountings for roller blinds and drawable curtains A47H1/13) · CPC title

• E06B9/90

  for immobilising the closure member in various chosen positions · CPC title

• E06B9/56 Primary

  Operating, guiding or securing devices or arrangements for roll-type closures; Spring drums; Tape drums; Counterweighting arrangements therefor (devices of general interest specially adapted or mounted for storing and repeatedly paying-out and re-storing lengths of material B65H75/34) · CPC title