Covering for architectural features, and related systems, methods of operation, and manufacture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11118396-B2
Application number	US-201715788973-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 20, 2017
Priority date	Oct 28, 2016
Publication date	Sep 14, 2021
Grant date	Sep 14, 2021

Abstract

A covering for an architectural feature having generally horizontal vane elements extending between generally inner and outer vertical support members that can adjust and control the amount and quality of light transmitted through the covering is described. In one embodiment, the covering has elongate tapes as vertical support members that have a width substantially less than the length of the vane elements, and adjacent inner and adjacent outer elongate tapes are separated by a distance. In one embodiment, the vane elements are multi-layered, cellular vanes. The elongated multilayered vanes may include elongate stiffeners that may be associated with, coupled to, and or inserted within pockets formed in, the multilayered vanes. Also disclosed is a method of operation and manufacture.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A covering for controlling transmission of light through an architectural feature, the covering comprising:
a subassembly, the subassembly comprising:
at least a first outer elongate tape having a first end, a second end, a length extending between the first end and the second end, and a lateral width perpendicular to the length;
at least a first inner elongate tape having a first end, a second end, a length extending between the first end of the first inner elongate tape and the second end of the first inner elongate tape, and a lateral width perpendicular to the length of the first inner elongate tape;
a plurality of flexible slats, each slat having a first slat end, a second slat end, an inner longitudinal edge, an outer longitudinal edge, a slat length extending between the first slat end and the second slat end, and a slat width extending between the inner longitudinal edge and the outer longitudinal edge, the plurality of slats disposed between and spaced apart along the respective lengths of the first outer elongate tape and the first inner elongate tape, each said slat length of each said slat oriented with the slat's length transverse to the respective lengths of the first outer elongate tape and the first inner elongate tape, the inner and outer elongate tapes configured to move to manipulate the plurality of flexible slats between multiple positions; and
at least a first angled elongate stiffener having a length extending the length of at least one of the plurality of flexible slats and configured to support at least one of the outer or inner longitudinal edges of the at least one of the plurality of flexible slats, the at least said first angled elongate stiffener having a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, and a crease extending the length of the at least said first angled elongate stiffener,
the at least said first angled elongate stiffener further having a first face of the first surface extending between a first side and the crease, a second face of the first surface extending between a second side and the crease, a third face of the second surface extending between the first side and the crease, a fourth face of the second side extending between the second side and the crease, and an angle between the first face and the second face of less than 180 degrees,
wherein:
the at least one of the plurality of flexible slats is-comprises a multilayered slat having an inner slat layer and an outer slat layer, the inner slat layer having inner and outer longitudinal edges and the outer slat layer having inner and outer longitudinal edges, the inner slat layer and the outer slat layer coupled along their respective inner and outer longitudinal edges, the inner and outer slat layers being separable from each other between their coupled longitudinal edges to form a cell space circumscribed by the inner slat layer and the outer slat layer when the multilayer slat is in at least one of the multiple positions;
the at least said first angled elongate stiffener is directly attached to at least one of the inner slat layer longitudinal edges or the outer slat layer longitudinal edges, and
the length of each flexible slat is substantially greater than the sum of the widths selected from the group consisting of (a) all the inner elongate tapes, and (b) all the outer elongate tapes.

2. The covering according to claim 1 , wherein the width of each of the first inner elongate tape and the first outer elongate tape is from about 5 mm to about 100 mm.

3. The covering according to claim 1 , wherein the inner slat layer and the outer slat layer of the multilayered slat are coupled to each other by a different coupling mechanism than the multilayered slat is coupled to at least one of the at least first inner or the at least first outer elongate tapes.

4. The covering according to claim 1 , wherein a fold line forms along at least one of the inner longitudinal edges and the outer longitudinal edges of the inner and outer slat layers of the at least one multilayered slat.

5. The covering according to claim 1 , wherein the subassembly further comprises:
a second inner elongate tape and a second outer elongate tape, the second inner elongate tape is laterally spaced apart from the first inner elongate tape along the length of at least one of the plurality of flexible slats by a distance as low as about 6 inches to as high as about 24 inches; and
the second outer elongate tape is laterally spaced apart from the first outer elongate tape along the length of at least one of the plurality of flexible slats by a distance as low as about 6 inches to as high as about 24 inches.

6. The covering according to claim 1 , wherein the inner slat layer has a width extending from the inner longitudinal edge to the outer longitudinal edge of the inner slat layer, and the outer slat layer has a width extending from the inner longitudinal edge to the outer longitudinal edge of the outer slat layer, and the width of at least one of the inner and the outer slat layer of the multilayered slat is greater than the width of the other of the inner and outer slat layer of that same multilayered slat.

7. The covering according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first inner elongate tape further comprises an inner face defined by a surface defined by the length and the width of the first inner elongate tape, an outer face defined by a surface defined by the length and the width of the first inner elongate tape, the inner face and the outer face of the first inner elongate tape separated by the thickness of the first inner elongate tape;
the first outer elongate tape further comprises an inner face defined by a surface defined by the length and the width of the first outer elongate tape, an outer face defined by a surface defined by the length and the width of the first outer elongate tape, the inner face and the outer face of the first outer elongate tape separated by the thickness of the first outer elongate tape;
the inner slat layer has a width extending from the inner longitudinal edge to the outer longitudinal edge of the inner slat layer, an inner face defined by a surface defined by the length and the width of the inner slat layer, and an outer face defined by an opposite surface defined by the length and the width of the inner slat layer; and
the outer slat layer has a width extending from the inner longitudinal edge to the outer longitudinal edge of the outer slat layer, an inner face defined by a surface defined by the length and the width of the outer slat layer and an outer face defined by an opposite surface defined by the length and the width of the outer slat layer, the inner slat layer and the outer slat layer arranged and configured so that the outer face of the inner slat layer is oriented and faces toward the inner face of the outer slat layer;
wherein the outer face of the outer slat layer of the multilayered slat is connected to the inner face of the first outer elongate tape, and the inner face of the inner slat layer of the multilayered slat is connected to the outer face of the first inner elongate tape.

8. The covering according to claim 1 , wherein:
the inner slat layer of the multilayered slat further includes an inner edge region extending along the inner longitudinal edge of the inner slat layer and defined by the length of the inner slat layer and a first portion of the width of the inner slat layer, an outer edge region extending along the outer longitudinal edge of the inner slat layer and defined by the length of the inner slat layer and a second portion of the width of the inner slat layer, and a middle region extending between the inner edge region and the outer edge region and defined by the length of the inner slat

Assignees

• Hunter Douglas

Inventors

• Colson Wendell B
• Kuperus Ko
• Hartman David P
• Difrancesco Matthew A

Classifications

• E06B2009/2435

  Two vertical sheets and slats in-between · CPC title

• E06B9/266

  Devices or accessories for making or mounting lamellar blinds or parts thereof {(cleaning of lamellar blinds A47L4/00; joining plastics plates for making venetian blinds B29C66/437)} · CPC title

• E06B9/262 Primary

  with flexibly-interconnected horizontal or vertical strips; Concertina blinds {, i.e. upwardly folding flexible screens} · CPC title

• E06B9/44

  Rollers therefor; Fastening roller blinds to rollers · CPC title

• E06B9/384

  Details of interconnection or interaction of tapes and lamellae · CPC title