Tilt mechanism for a window blind

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9719298-B2
Application number	US-201514930256-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 2, 2015
Priority date	Nov 4, 2014
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

A blind is arranged such that minimal force is required to rotate the tilt drum to tilt the slats from the fully open to the fully closed position and back, with each of the front and rear tilt cables sharing the load nearly equally throughout the entire path from the fully open to the fully closed position and back.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A blind, comprising:
a head rail having a bottom;
a rotatable tilt drum in said head rail, said tilt drum defining an oblong shape having a centroid, said oblong shape defining a major axis and a minor axis, said tilt drum being mounted for rotation about an axis of rotation that is offset from said centroid;
a front tilt cable extending from said tilt drum, out through said bottom of said head rail, and extending downwardly from said head rail;
a rear tilt cable extending from said tilt drum, out through said bottom of said head rail, and extending downwardly from said head rail;
a plurality of spaced apart rungs, including a top rung, each of said rungs being secured at a front rung end to said front tilt cable and at a rear rung end to said rear tilt cable; and
a plurality of elongated slats, each of said slats defining an elongated, left-to-right slat direction and each slat having a front edge and a rear edge, and each slat resting on one of said rungs, with said front edge of each slat lying adjacent to said front tilt cable and said rear edge of each slat lying adjacent to said rear tilt cable;
wherein:
said major axis of said tilt drum is oriented in a substantially vertical direction when said slats are rotated to both a fully closed position and a fully opened position; and
when said tilt drum is rotated to tilt said slats to said fully closed position, both said front and rear tilt cables extend in a straight line from said tilt drum, out through said bottom of said head rail, to said top rung, without being deflected by said head rail and with neither tilt cable being slack.

2. The blind as recited in claim 1 , wherein:
said front and rear tilt cables are secured to said rotatable tilt drum and extend downwardly, away from said tilt drum at front and rear departure points, respectively; and
when said blind is in said fully closed position, said front and rear departure points are spaced apart a front-to-rear horizontal distance that is no greater than said front-to-rear horizontal distance between said front and rear edges of said slats.

3. The blind as recited in claim 2 , wherein said tilt drum rotates approximately 180 degrees to rotate said slats from said fully closed position to said fully opened position.

4. The blind as recited in claim 1 , wherein:
said bottom of said head rail defines front and rear tilt-cable rout holes defining a minimum front-to-rear horizontal distance between said front and rear tilt-cable rout holes; and
wherein said minimum front-to-rear horizontal distance between said front and rear tilt-cable rout holes is not greater than said front-to-rear horizontal distance between said front and rear edges of each slat when said tilt drum is rotated to tilt said slats to said fully closed position.

5. The blind as recited in claim 1 , wherein said axis of rotation is offset at a higher elevation than said centroid when said blind is in said fully opened position.

6. The blind as recited in claim 1 , wherein;
each of said slats defines a center of gravity; and
said center of gravity of each of said slats remains at substantially the same elevation as said tilt drum is rotated from said fully opened position to said fully closed position.

7. The blind as recited in claim 1 , wherein:
said front and rear tilt cables together exert a total force when rotating said slats from said fully opened position to said fully closed position and back to said fully opened position; and
each of said front and rear tilt cables exerts between 40% and 60% of the total force exerted at every point from said fully open position to said fully closed position and back to said fully opened position.

8. The blind as recited in claim 7 , wherein:
said bottom of said head rail defines front and rear tilt-cable rout holes defining a minimum front-to-rear horizontal distance between said front and rear tilt-cable rout holes; and
said minimum front-to-rear horizontal distance between said front and rear tilt-cable rout holes is not greater than said front-to-rear horizontal distance between the said front and rear edges of each slat when said tilt drum is rotated to tilt said slats to said fully closed position.

9. A blind, comprising:
a head rail having a bottom;
a rotatable tilt drum housed in said head rail, said tilt drum defining an oblong shape having a centroid, said tilt drum being mounted for rotation about an axis of rotation that is offset from said centroid;
a front tilt cable extending from said tilt drum, out through said bottom of said head rail, and extending downwardly from said head rail;
a rear tilt cable extending from said tilt drum, out through said bottom of said head rail, and extending downwardly from said head rail;
a plurality of parallel rungs, including a top rung, each of said rungs being secured at a front rung end to said front tilt cable and at a rear rung end to said rear tilt cable; and
a plurality of elongated slats, each of said slats defining a center of gravity, each of said slats further defining an elongated slat direction and resting on one of said rungs, with each slat having a front edge lying adjacent to said front tilt cable and a rear edge lying adjacent to said rear tilt cable;
wherein:
when said slats are moved to a fully closed position, said centroid is spaced apart from said axis of rotation in a first vertical direction by a given vertical distance; and
when said slat are moved to a fully opened position, said centroid is spaced apart from said axis of rotation in a second vertical direction opposite the first vertical direction by substantially the same vertical distance.

10. The blind as recited in claim 9 , wherein said axis of rotation is offset at a higher elevation than said centroid when said blind is in said fully opened position.

11. The blind as recited in claim 9 , wherein:
said front and rear tilt cables are secured to said rotatable tilt drum and extend downwardly, away from said tilt drum at front and rear departure points, respectively; and
when said blind is in said fully closed position, said front and rear departure points are spaced apart a front-to-rear horizontal distance that is no greater than a front-to-rear horizontal distance defined between said front and rear edges of said slats.

12. The blind as recited in claim 11 , wherein, said front and rear tilt cables extend in a straight line from said front and rear departure points out through said bottom of said head rail, to said top rung, without being deflected by said head rail and with neither tilt cable being slack.

13. The blind as recited in claim 12 , wherein:
said front and rear tilt cables together exert a total force when rotating said slats from said fully opened position to said fully closed position and back to said fully opened position; and
each of said front and rear tilt cables exerts between 40% and 60% of the total force exerted at every point from said fully open position to said fully closed position and back to said fully opened position.

14. The blind as recited in claim 13 , wherein:
said bottom of said head rail defines front and rear tilt-cable rout holes defining a minimum front-to-rear horizontal distance between said front and rear tilt-cable rout holes; and
said minimum front-to-rear horizontal distance between said front and rear tilt-cable rout holes is not greater than a front-to-rear horizontal distance defined between said front and rear edges of each slat when said tilt drum is rotated to tilt said slats to said fully closed position.

15. A blind, comprising:
a head rail having a b

Assignees

• Hunter Douglas

Inventors

• Fraser Donald E
• Anderson Richard N

Classifications

• E06B9/322

  Details of operating devices, e.g. pulleys, brakes, spring drums, drives ({operating devices E06B9/68} ; devices of general interest specially adapted or mounted for storing and repeatedly paying-out and re-storing lengths of material B65H75/34) · CPC title

• E06B9/28 Primary

  with horizontal lamellae, e.g. non-liftable (louvre windows or gratings E06B7/08) · CPC title

• E06B9/384 Primary

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

• E06B2009/285

  Means for actuating a rod (being tilt rod or lift rod) · CPC title