Covering for an architectural opening having nested rollers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9909361-B2
Application number	US-201715412366-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2017
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

A covering for an architectural covering is provided. The covering may include a rotatable outer roller, a rotatable inner roller, a first shade secured to the outer roller, and a second shade secured to the inner roller. The outer roller may define an elongated slot extending along a length of the outer roller and opening to an interior of the outer roller. The inner roller may be received within the outer roller and may define a central longitudinal axis. The first shade may be retractable onto and extendable from the outer roller. The second shade may extend through the elongated slot and may be retractable onto and extendable from the inner roller. The elongated slot may be substantially horizontally aligned with the central longitudinal axis of the inner roller when the first shade is in a fully extended position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A covering for an architectural opening, said covering comprising:
a rotatable outer roller defining an elongated slot and a seat;
a first shade coupled with said outer roller;
a rotatable inner roller received within said outer roller;
a second shade coupled with said inner roller, said second shade extending through said slot, the second shade including a bottom rail that is received within said seat formed in said outer roller when said second shade is in a fully retracted position; and
a lock mechanism positioned external to said inner roller and coupled with said outer roller, said lock mechanism selectively locking said outer roller against rotation to define a bottom stop for said first shade that is independent of a bottom stop for said second shade;
wherein, when said first shade is in a fully deployed position, said seat in said outer roller is arranged in a vertical orientation so that said bottom rail of said second sheet engages and disengages from said seat in a vertical orientation.

2. A covering as in claim 1 , wherein said lock mechanism is movable between a first position in which said lock mechanism restricts rotation of said outer roller and a second position in which said lock mechanism permits rotation of said outer roller.

3. A covering as in claim 2 , wherein said lock mechanism includes a movable member that is movable along an outer periphery of said outer roller.

4. A covering as in claim 2 , wherein said lock mechanism includes a pivotable locking member that pivots between said first and second positions.

5. A covering as in claim 4 , wherein engagement of said bottom rail with said locking member during retraction of said second shade pivots said locking member from said first position to said second position.

6. A covering as in claim 2 , wherein said lock mechanism includes a locking member that axially translates between said first and second positions.

7. A covering as in claim 1 , wherein said lock mechanism comprises:
a rotatable shaft positioned external to said outer roller; and
a locking member that translates axially along said shaft between opposing ends of said outer roller.

8. A covering as in claim 1 , further comprising a non-rotatable shaft and a nut rotatable about said shaft;
wherein:
said shaft and said nut are received within said inner roller;
said nut is rotatable with said inner roller; and
said shaft and said nut define the bottom stop for said second shade.

9. A covering as in claim 1 , wherein, when said first shade is in a fully deployed position, said seat includes a generally vertically-oriented base wall spanning a portion of said slot.

10. A covering as in claim 1 , wherein, when said first shade is in a fully deployed position, said slot and said seat are positioned on a circumference of said outer roller above an attachment point of said first shade with said outer roller.

11. A covering as in claim 1 , wherein, when said first shade is in a fully deployed position, shape and orientation of said seat allows said bottom rail of said second shade to drop vertically out of said seat.

12. A covering as in claim 1 , wherein, when said first shade is in a fully deployed position, a lower edge of said slot is one of curved or rounded to allow for smooth travel of said second shade over an edge portion of said outer roller as said second shade is extended and retracted through said slot.

13. A method of operating a covering for an architectural opening, said method comprising:
unwrapping a first shade from a periphery of an outer roller to a fully extended position in which the first shade extends downwardly from a central rotation axis of the outer roller; and
upon the first shade reaching the fully extended position, extending a second shade through a slot formed in the outer roller to unwrap the second shade from a periphery of an inner roller positioned within the outer roller; and
wherein, in the fully extended position, the slot in the outer roller is substantially aligned horizontally with a rotational axis of the outer roller so that a bottom rail of the second shade drops vertically out of a seat formed in the first shade.

14. A method as in claim 13 , further comprising maintaining the outer roller and the first shade substantially stationary via the weight of the first shade and of a bottom rail coupled with the first shade when the first shade is in the fully extended position.

15. A method as in claim 13 , wherein the second shade is extended through the slot formed in the outer roller such that the second shade is positioned behind the first shade.

Assignees

• Hunter Douglas

Inventors

• Buccola Jr Nickolas C
• Drew Terrence M
• Faller Kenneth M
• Smith Kent A

Classifications

• E06B2009/2452

  moving independently · CPC title

• E06B2009/405

  Two rollers · CPC title

• E06B9/262

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

• E06B9/264 Primary

  Combinations of lamellar blinds with roller shutters, screen windows, windows, or double panes; Lamellar blinds with special devices · CPC title

• E06B2009/2435

  Two vertical sheets and slats in-between · CPC title