Collapsible cellular shade assembly and method for constructing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9316049-B2
Application number	US-201213409731-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 1, 2012
Priority date	Mar 1, 2012
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

Abstract

An expandable and contractable shade assembly includes a plurality of closed D-shaped cell structures aligned vertically one above another with juncture lines defined between adjacent structures. Each closed cell structure includes a front face and a separate back face that are attached to one another at top and bottom tabs. The front face of one cell structure is attached but non-continuous to the front face of an adjacent cell structure. Accordingly the horizontal width of the shade assembly is not limited by the width of the materials forming the individual cell structures. Upon collapse, the back face folds toward the front of the shade such that the back face and the front face are nested within one another, leading to a narrow depth profile for the collapsed shade.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cellular shade comprising:
a plurality of sequential and interconnected closed cell structures extending in a longitudinal direction, each cell structure having a collapsed position when the shade is contracted and having an open position when the shade is extended, each cell structure including a front face and a separate back face and defining a top tab and a bottom tab, the back face including a first segment separated from a second segment by a fold line, the front face being attached to the back face at the top tab and the bottom tab, the front face being longer than the back face as measured in the longitudinal direction from the top tab to the bottom tab such that each cell structure has a D-shaped configuration in an open position, the collapsed position of each cell structure including the back face nested within the front face, a first cell structure and a second adjacent cell structure being attached to one another at a juncture that includes the top tab of the first cell structure attached to the bottom tab of the second cell structure with the front face of the first cell structure and the front face of the second cell structure being non-continuous materials attached to one another at the juncture, and the back face of the first cell structure and the back face of the second cell structure also being non-continuous materials; and
a lift system configured for vertically drawing said cell structures from an expanded configuration into a contracted configuration;
wherein the material forming the front face is at least two times the weight of the material forming the back thee.

2. The cellular shade according to claim 1 , wherein front face includes a first segment separated from a second segment by a fold line.

3. The cellular shade according to claim 1 , wherein the front face includes a first segment and a second segment joined to one another at a horizontal tab.

4. The cellular shade according to claim 1 , wherein the front face and the back face are both formed of one or more woven materials, a horizontal direction of the cellular shade being in a warp direction of the woven materials.

5. The cellular shade according to claim 1 , wherein, when the shade is in a fully contracted configuration, the front face and the back face of the closed cell structures hang in a vertical and adjacently disposed orientation.

6. The cellular shade according to claim 1 , wherein the front face is formed of a semi-rigid material, and in the collapsed position each cell structure extends horizontally.

7. The cellular shade according to claim 1 , the lift system comprising a plurality of lift cords that are slidably attached to the junctures for placing the shade in the fully contracted configuration.

8. The cellular shade according to claim 1 , further comprising a head rail, the lift system being in operative association with the head rail for vertically drawing the closed cell structures from a fully expanded configuration to a fully contracted configuration.

9. The cellular shade according to claim 1 , wherein the back face has a transmittance at a wavelength of 500 nanometers that is at least 50% greater than a transmittance of the front face at 500 nanometers.

10. The cellular shade according to claim 1 , wherein the material forming the back face has a weight of less than about 3 ounces per square yard.

11. The cellular shade according to claim 1 , wherein the material forming the back face has a weight of less than about 1 ounce per square yard.

12. The cellular shade according to claim 1 , wherein the cellular shade has a horizontal length of greater than about 110 inches.

13. The cellular shade according to claim 1 , wherein the cellular shade has a horizontal length of greater than about 180 inches.

14. The cellular shade according to claim 1 , wherein the front face and the back face are each comprised of a fabric material.

Assignees

• Rupel John D
• Cheslock Scott R
• Hunter Douglas

Inventors

• Rupel John D
• Cheslock Scott R

Classifications

• E06B9/262 Primary

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

• E06B9/386

  Details of lamellae · CPC title

• E06B2009/2627

  Cellular screens, e.g. box or honeycomb-like · CPC title