Shade lock assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9482050-B2
Application number	US-201414585349-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2014
Priority date	Dec 31, 2013
Publication date	Nov 1, 2016
Grant date	Nov 1, 2016

Abstract

A shade lock assembly for a shade assembly is provided. The shade lock assembly may include a spool rotatably attached to a housing, with the housing defining a pull cord channel. A pull cord may be provided that extends through the pull cord channel and wraps at least partially around the spool. The pull cord channel may include a roller wheel configured to interact with the pull cord and a second wall of the pull cord channel such that it may move between a locked and an unlocked position based at least in part by the angle at which the pull cord is held relative to a plane defined the shade assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A shade assembly for an architectural opening, the shade assembly comprising:
a roller shade movable between a retracted position and an extended position, the roller shade defining a central plane when in the extended position that is oriented in a vertical direction and extends between opposed vertically extending sides of the roller shade; and
a shade lock assembly operably connected to the roller shade, the shade lock, assembly comprising
a spool defining a central axis about which the roller shade is wound and unwound to move the roller shade between the retracted and extended positions;
a housing defining a pull cord channel, the housing including a side wall and a locking surface spaced apart from the side wall;
a roller wheel moveable along the side wall of the housing within the pull cord channel between a locked position and an unlocked position;
a pull cord extending through the pull cord channel and being partially wrapped around the spool, the pull cord being movable relative to the roller shade in a transverse plane extending perpendicular to the central plane; and
when the pull cord is moved away from the roller shade along the transverse plane to an angle that exceeds an angular threshold and the pull cord is unwound at least partially from the spool, the roller wheel is moved away from the locking surface along the side wall to the unlocked position to allow the pull cord to pass freely between the roller wheel and the locking surface.

2. The shade assembly of claim 1 , wherein, when the pull cord is moved towards the roller shade along the transverse plane to a different angle that is less than the angular threshold and the pull cord is wound at least partially around the spool, the pull cord is configured to interact with the roller wheel such that the roller wheel is moved towards the locking surface along the side wall to the locked position.

3. The shade assembly of claim 1 , wherein the locking surface is defined by a secondary wheel spaced apart from the side wall within the pull cord channel.

4. The shade assembly of claim 3 , wherein the secondary wheel is attached to a pin defining a rotational axis, the pull cord contacting the secondary wheel such that the secondary wheel is rotated about the rotational axis as the pull cord is wound and unwound relative to the spool.

5. The shade assembly of claim 1 , wherein the roller wheel defines a first plurality of ridges and wherein the side wall defines a second plurality of ridges, the first plurality of ridges of the roller wheel being configured to interact with the second plurality of ridges of the side wall as the roller wheel is moved between the locked and unlocked positions.

6. The shade assembly of claim 1 , wherein the spool is located directly above the pull cord channel, the pull cord passing through the pull cord channel and extending vertically upwardly to the spool.

7. The shade assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sidewall is oriented generally parallel to the central plane.

8. The shade assembly of claim 1 , wherein the central plane extends between the opposed vertically extending sides in a horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the vertical direction, the central axis extending in the horizontal direction.

9. The shade assembly of claim 8 , wherein the roller wheel is configured to rotate within the housing about a rotational axis, the rotational axis extending generally parallel to the central axis defined by the spool.

10. The shade assembly of claim 1 , wherein the angular threshold corresponds to an angle defined within the transverse plane relative to the vertical direction that ranges from 15 degrees to 60 degrees.

11. The shade assembly of claim 2 , wherein the pull cord is pinched between the roller wheel and the locking surface when the roller wheel is moved to the locked position.

12. The shade assembly of claim 2 , wherein the interaction between the pull cord and the roller wheel results in rotation of the roller wheel about a rotational axis, the rotational axis being displaced in the vertical direction as the roller wheel is moved to the locked position.

13. The shade assembly of claim 12 , wherein the roller wheel and the spool are rotated in a common rotational direction as the pull cord is wound around the spool and the roller wheel is moved to the locked position.

14. A shade lock assembly for a roller shade movable relative to an architectural opening between a retracted position and an extended position, the roller shade defining a central plane when in the extended position that is oriented in a vertical direction and extends between opposed vertically extending sides of the roller shade, the shade lock assembly comprising:
a spool defining a central axis about which the roller shade is configured to be wound and unwound to move the roller shade between the retracted and extended positions;
a housing defining a pull cord channel, the housing including a side wall and a locking surface spaced apart from the side wall;
a roller wheel moveable along the side well of the housing within the pull cord channel between a locked position and an unlocked position;
a pull cord extending through the pull cord channel and being partially wrapped around the spool, the pull cord configured to be movable in a transverse plane extending perpendicular to the central plane; and
when the pull cord is moved in the transverse plane to an angle that exceeds an angular threshold and the pull cord is unwound at least partially from the spool, the roller wheel is moved away from the locking surface along the side wall to the unlocked position to allow the pull cord to pass freely between the roller wheel and the locking surface.

15. The shade lock assembly of claim 14 , wherein, when the pull cord is moved in the transverse plane to a different angle that is less than the angular threshold and the pull cord is wound at least partially around the spool, the pull cord is configured to interact with the roller wheel such that the roller wheel is moved towards the locking surface along the side wall to the locked position.

16. The shade lock assembly of claim 15 , wherein the pull cord is pinched between the roller wheel and the locking surface when the roller wheel is moved to the locked position.

17. The shade lock assembly of claim 15 , wherein the interaction between the pull cord and the roller wheel results in rotation of the roller wheel about a rotational axis, the rotational axis being displaced in the vertical direction as the roller wheel is moved to the locked position.

18. The shade lock assembly of claim 17 , wherein the roller wheel and the spool are rotated in a common rotational direction as the pull cord is wound around the spool and the roller wheel is moved to the locked position.

19. The shade lock assembly of claim 17 , wherein the central axis of the spool and the rotational axis of the roller wheel extend in a direction that is generally parallel to the central plane.

20. The shade lock assembly of claim 14 , wherein the spool is located directly above the pull cord channel, the pull cord passing through the pull cord channel and extending vertically upwardly to the spool.

Assignees

• Hunter Douglas

Inventors

• Strand Toralf

Classifications

• E06B9/78

  for direct manual operation, e.g. by tassels, by handles · CPC title

• E06B9/50

  Bearings specially adapted therefor · CPC title

• E06B9/42 Primary

  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