GB1568279A

GB1568279A - Roman blind and method for making same

Info

Publication number: GB1568279A
Application number: GB5168177A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Clopay Corp
Current assignee: Clopay Corp
Priority date: 1977-12-12
Filing date: 1977-12-12
Publication date: 1980-05-29

Description

(54) ROMAN BLIND AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAME (71) We, CLOPAY CORPORATION, a corporation of the State of Maryland, Clopay Square, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45214 United States of America, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to Roman blinds and to their preparation.

Draperies or curtains of the general type referred to as "Roman blinds" are well known in the art. Examples of these are found, for example, in U.S. Patents Nos.

1,752,610; 3,322,182; 3,439,725; and 3,487,875. Essentially, the blinds disclosed therein are constructed so that, when raised, the blinds are gathered in generally horizontal folds to provide the effects of a Roman blind. To operate these blinds, various guide or pull strings are used in conjunction with string guides attached to the blinds.

One method of guiding the various strings is to thread them through guide rings attached to the blind as shown in Patents Nos.

3,322,182 and 3,487,875. In this construction, separate guide rings must be attached to the blinds. Another method of attaching the various strings is to thread them through apertures in fabric blind pleats which pleats are formed and stiffened by metal slats. Such construction is disclosed in Patent No.

1,752,610 and requires that additional metal slats be crimped onto the pleats. Additionally, this last mentioned patent discloses that the guide strings remain in the opening in which the blind is mounted even when the blind is raised.

As exemplified by these patents, the manufacture of Roman blinds by known techniques involves a relatively large number of steps. After the fabrics are sewn together, separate fabric strips are usually secured to the fabric for support and to hold guide rings. Additional steps of securing either guide rings to the blind or of securing stiffening slats have been necessary. These steps have added to the expense of Roman blind production. Furthermore, the use of woven fabrics in the manufacture of Roman blinds have added to their expense.

Accordingly in one aspect the present invention provides a method of making a Roman blind having a plurality of spaced, horizontally extending pleats which method comprises folding portions of a plastics sheet material upon itself to form the pleats, and then heat sealing the folded portions to adhere them together in order to secure the pleats in the blind.

In another aspect the present invention provides a Roman blind formed of a plastics sheet material, having a top portion and bottom portion and a plurality of spaced horizontally extending pleats therebetween the pleats comprising portions of the blind folded upon and heat sealed to itself to form a horizontal pleat.

The present invention accordingly pro- vides a Roman blind of simple construction, yet still achieving the desirable aesthetic effects associated with known structures.

Furthermore, plastic sheet material has been fashioned and formed into a pleasing decorative blind having the appearance of fabric and providing the traditional Roman blind effect. The blind and method of this invention eliminate manufacturing steps and materials heretofore involved in prior art techniques disclosed in the patents mentioned previously. Additionally, Roman blind can be manufactured in an efficient, highly economical manner employing the principles of this invention.

The plastics material may either be embossed, thereby simulating woven fabric, or plain, and may comprise a laminated or multi-ply plastics sheet material with woven backing. The blind has a plurality of horizontally extending transverse pleats which are formed by folding portions of the plastics material on itself and sealing them together. In its preferred form, the plastics blind material is thermoplastic sheet material, or a composite thereof, which permits it to be heat sealed to itself. Pull string guide holes are preferably formed or punched in the pleats. In its preferred embodiment, the invention contemplates a blind bottom hem formed by turning up the terminal end of the blind material and heat sealing it to an upper portion thereof. In alternate embodiments, the bottom hem is formed in conjunction with a bottom horizontally extending pleat just above the hem, the terminal end of the blind forming a portion of the bottom pleat and being heat sealed within or adjacent it.

Thus, by means of the present invention, manufacturing and cost drawbacks associated with known Roman blands are avoided.

Furthermore, a complete integrally formed Roman blind is provided by this invention, thereby eliminating for example stitching, separately attached guide rings and supporting strips as has heretofore been necessary with the prior art structures. In another of its features, stiffening slats or supporting members are unnecessary because the unique pleating structure provides support and gives desirable aesthetic effects. The blind is operable with only pull strings, and no additional guide strings, which otherwise might remain in the opening when the blind is raised are necessary.

The present invention is further illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a rear view of a portion of a Roman blind according to the present invention and shows the attachment of one pull string to a blind pleat: Fig. 2 is a front view of a Roman blind of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a front view of a portion of a Roman blind having a first alternate bottom pleat and hem; Fig. 4 is a front view of a Roman blind having a second alternate bottom- pleat and hem; Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a mounting bar for the Roman blind; and Fig. 6 is a rear view of a Roman blind according to the present invention and showing a mounted blind and its pull string construction.

Referring now particularly to the drawings, Fig. 1 thereof shows a Roman blind 10 according to the present invention. The blind is shown in an extended form and has relatively flat vertically planar portions 11 separated by transverse horizontally extending pleats 12. The blind has a bottom portion, in which a bottom hem 13 is formed, and which includes a terminal end 14, The shade is made from plastics sheet material having the characteristic that one portion of the - material can be heat sealed to another upon the application of- heat and pressure thereto. The blind material can be made from a number of synthetic resins having the property of thermoplasticity and including vinyl resins, polyesters, and polyolefins such as polyethylene. The blind can be in either a single sheet form, or of a composite including, for example, a single or multiple ply plastics sheet having a woven fabric backing. Additionally, the blind can be embossed, with a predetermined decorative pattern, printed upon, or otherwise decorated, all to provide a desired decorative effect such as simulating the appearance of fabric.

The transverse horizontally extending pleats 12 are formed from upper and lower portions 15 and 16 which are folded as at 17. Once the upper and lower portions 15 and 16 are folded together, heat and pressure are applied by any suitable means in order to seal the portions 15 and 16 together and to thereby permanently form the transverse, horizontally extending pleats 12.

The bottom hem 13 is formed by folding a lower portion of the blind, including the terminal end 14, upon itself and by heat sealing the hem along the heat seal line 18 to permanently form the hem.

While Fig. 1 illustrates only a portion of the Roman blind according to the present invention, it will be understood that the full blind may incorporate more than two horizontally extending pleats 12. Once the pleats have been formed in the blind, apertures 19 are formed in the pleats by any suitable heans, such as punching, or melting, to provide a guide for pull strings 35, one of which is shown in Fig. 1. Alternately, the holes could be pre-punched in the blind so as to register when the blind pleats are formed.

In use, a complete Roman blind such as the one shown in Fig. 1 can be mounted within an opening by the apparatus disclosed in Fig. 5. Essentially, an upper portion 25 of the blind 10 is bent around the mounting block 26 and secured thereto for example by tacks 28. The mounting block 26 is of a length to traverse the upper portion of the opening with which the blind is to be used and is secured therein by any appropriate means such as screws 27. Pull string guides such as screw eyes 29 are provided in the mounting block 26 to guide the blind pull strings as will be described.

A rear view of a mounted blind is shown in Fig. 6. The mounting block 26 is secured to the frame of an opening, such as a window frame, shown by the dotted lines 30.

A plurality of pull strings 35a to 35e are threaded through the initial screw eyes 36 and 37 and thereafter through the screw eyes 29 as shown. At each successive screw eye 29, one of the pull strings is separated from the remainnder of the strings, and is directed downwardly and threaded through the apertures 19 of the horizontal pleats 12 of the blind. The remainder of strings are threaded through succeeding screw eyes 29 and downwardly through the pleats 12 as shown.

The bottom of each string is secured at a bottom area of the blind in any convenient manner. In Fig. 1 a string 35 is shown as attached by tying to the bottom-most Ip]eat 12. This leaves a decorative blind panel when the blind is fully drawn, between the last pleat and and the bottom hem of the blind.

When the plurality of the strings 38 is grasped and pulled, each of the strings 35a to 35e is tensioned to pull up on the bottom of the blind and thereby raise the blind witbin the opening. As the blind is raised, the portions 11 are gathered in generally horizontal folds to provide a Roman blind effect. Of course, it will be appreciated that the blind 10 could be mounted within an opening in any suitable manner, other than as shown, and that the pull strings 35a to 35e could be mounted or actuated by other means.

Figure 3 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the bottom hem formation wherein the terminal end of the blind is used to form a portion of a bottom horizontally extending pleat 45. The blind shown in Fig. 3 differs from that shown in Fig. 1 only in the formation of the bottom hem and the bottom horizontally extending pleat 45. Like parts of the blind are thus designated by like numbers.

Bottom horizontally extending pleat 45 is formed at the bottom of the blind but above the hem. The terminal end 14 of the "blind is inserted between the upper portion 46 and the lower portion 47 of pleat 45 so that the terminal end 14 is thus secured within the bottom horizontal pleat 45. Once the portions 46 and 47 have been folded over and the terminal end of the blind 14 inserted, heat and pressure are applied to the pleat 45 in order to seal it together, thereby forming the bottom horizontally extending pleat and the bottom hem of the blind at the same time.

Fig. 4 illustrates still another embodiment of a Roman blind wherein a bottom horizontally extending pleat 50 is formed with an upper portion 51, a bottom or underside portion 52 and a terminal end portion 14 of the blind. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, the bottom horizontal pleat 50 is formed by folding upper portion 51 and underside portion 52 together, and thereafter placing the terminal end portion 14 of the blind against the underside portion 52 of the pleat 50. After the blind portions have been so disposed, heat and pressure is applied thereto in order to permanently seal them and to thus simultaneously form the bottom horizontally extending pleat 50 and the bot- tom hem 13.

Contrasting the embodiments shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, it will be appreciated that in Fig. 3, the bottom portion of the blind, including the terminal end, is folded forwardly to form the bottom hem 13 and then is inserted into the pleat 45. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 4, however, the bottom portion of the blind including the terminal end 14 is folded rearwardly to form the bottom hem 13 and is thereafter attached to the underside portion 52 and adjacent to bottom pleat 50. In each case, however, the terminal end portion 14 forms a portion of the bottom horizontally extending pleats 45 and 50 respectively. Further, the pull strings (not shown in Figs. 3 and 4) can be attached to either the bottom-most pleat or to the second pleat up in order to leave a vertically hanging decorative panel between the respective pleats 12 and 45 or 50 when the blind is drawn.

To make a Roman blind according to the present invention, it is only necessary to cut the appropriate plastics material to size, to fold it as described above to form the horizontally extending pleats and the bottom hems and to thereafter heat-seal the pleats and the hem in order to permanently form the blind. The only other step is to supply apertures 19 in the horizontally extending pleats and to thereafter mount the blind in any opening, the blind pull strings being extended through the apertures 19 and attached to the blind bottoms in any suitable manner. It is entirely unnecessary to apply additional and separate guide rings for the pull strings, and it is unnecessary to pro vide any form of for example metal stiffening slats in order to maintain the horizontally extending pleats in their desired configura- tion. In addition, it is unnecessary to provide guide strings for the blind such as would be ]eft in the opening when the blind is raised.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:- 1. A method of making a Roman blind having a plurality of spaced, horizontally extending pleats which method comprises folding portions of a plastics sheet material upon itself to form the pleats, and then heat sealing the folded portions to adhere them together in order to secure the pleats in the blind.

2. A method as claimed in Claim 1, wherein apertures are formed in the pleats to receive pull strings.

3. A method as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the blind has a top portion and a bottom portion, and a bottom hem is formed in the blind by folding a portion of the bottom portion of the blind and heat sealing it upon itself.

4. A method as claimed in Claim 3,

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. downwardly and threaded through the apertures 19 of the horizontal pleats 12 of the blind. The remainder of strings are threaded through succeeding screw eyes 29 and downwardly through the pleats 12 as shown. The bottom of each string is secured at a bottom area of the blind in any convenient manner. In Fig. 1 a string 35 is shown as attached by tying to the bottom-most Ip]eat 12. This leaves a decorative blind panel when the blind is fully drawn, between the last pleat and and the bottom hem of the blind. When the plurality of the strings 38 is grasped and pulled, each of the strings 35a to 35e is tensioned to pull up on the bottom of the blind and thereby raise the blind witbin the opening. As the blind is raised, the portions 11 are gathered in generally horizontal folds to provide a Roman blind effect. Of course, it will be appreciated that the blind 10 could be mounted within an opening in any suitable manner, other than as shown, and that the pull strings 35a to 35e could be mounted or actuated by other means. Figure 3 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the bottom hem formation wherein the terminal end of the blind is used to form a portion of a bottom horizontally extending pleat 45. The blind shown in Fig. 3 differs from that shown in Fig. 1 only in the formation of the bottom hem and the bottom horizontally extending pleat 45. Like parts of the blind are thus designated by like numbers. Bottom horizontally extending pleat 45 is formed at the bottom of the blind but above the hem. The terminal end 14 of the "blind is inserted between the upper portion 46 and the lower portion 47 of pleat 45 so that the terminal end 14 is thus secured within the bottom horizontal pleat 45. Once the portions 46 and 47 have been folded over and the terminal end of the blind 14 inserted, heat and pressure are applied to the pleat 45 in order to seal it together, thereby forming the bottom horizontally extending pleat and the bottom hem of the blind at the same time. Fig. 4 illustrates still another embodiment of a Roman blind wherein a bottom horizontally extending pleat 50 is formed with an upper portion 51, a bottom or underside portion 52 and a terminal end portion 14 of the blind. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, the bottom horizontal pleat 50 is formed by folding upper portion 51 and underside portion 52 together, and thereafter placing the terminal end portion 14 of the blind against the underside portion 52 of the pleat 50. After the blind portions have been so disposed, heat and pressure is applied thereto in order to permanently seal them and to thus simultaneously form the bottom horizontally extending pleat 50 and the bot- tom hem 13. Contrasting the embodiments shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, it will be appreciated that in Fig. 3, the bottom portion of the blind, including the terminal end, is folded forwardly to form the bottom hem 13 and then is inserted into the pleat 45. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 4, however, the bottom portion of the blind including the terminal end 14 is folded rearwardly to form the bottom hem 13 and is thereafter attached to the underside portion 52 and adjacent to bottom pleat 50. In each case, however, the terminal end portion 14 forms a portion of the bottom horizontally extending pleats 45 and 50 respectively. Further, the pull strings (not shown in Figs. 3 and 4) can be attached to either the bottom-most pleat or to the second pleat up in order to leave a vertically hanging decorative panel between the respective pleats 12 and 45 or 50 when the blind is drawn. To make a Roman blind according to the present invention, it is only necessary to cut the appropriate plastics material to size, to fold it as described above to form the horizontally extending pleats and the bottom hems and to thereafter heat-seal the pleats and the hem in order to permanently form the blind. The only other step is to supply apertures 19 in the horizontally extending pleats and to thereafter mount the blind in any opening, the blind pull strings being extended through the apertures 19 and attached to the blind bottoms in any suitable manner. It is entirely unnecessary to apply additional and separate guide rings for the pull strings, and it is unnecessary to pro vide any form of for example metal stiffening slats in order to maintain the horizontally extending pleats in their desired configura- tion. In addition, it is unnecessary to provide guide strings for the blind such as would be ]eft in the opening when the blind is raised. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:-

1. A method of making a Roman blind having a plurality of spaced, horizontally extending pleats which method comprises folding portions of a plastics sheet material upon itself to form the pleats, and then heat sealing the folded portions to adhere them together in order to secure the pleats in the blind.

4. A method as claimed in Claim 3,

wherein the blind has a terminal end at the bottom portion and a horizontally extending pleat is formed in the blind near the bottom portion, but above the hem, by heat sealing portions of the blind above the hem together with the terminal end thereof.

5. A method as claimed in Claim 4, wherein when forming the horizontally extending pleat the terminal end is inserted into the horizontally extending pleat near the bottom portion.

6. A method as claimed in Claim 4, wherein when forming the horizontally extending pleat the terminal end is heat sealed to an underside portion of the horizontally extending pleat near the bottom portion.

7. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, wherein a predetermined design is embossed on the plastics sheet material.

8. A Roman blind formed of a plastics sheet material having a top portion and bottom portion and a plurality of spaced horizontally extending pleats therebetween, the pleats comprising portions of the blind folded upon and heat sealed to itself to form a horizontal pleat.

9. A blind as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the blind is formed of a thermoplastic sheet -material.

10. A blind as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the blind is formed of a composite of thermoplastic sheet material and a woven backing material.

11. A blind as claimed in any of claims 8 to 10, wherein at least some of the pleats have at least one aperture for receiving a blind pull string.

12. A blind as claimed in Claim 11, wherein each pleat has a plurality of apertures spaced apart and aligned with other apertures of other pleats, and the blind includes a plurality of pull strings, separate ones of which extend through respective aligned apertures, for raising and lowering the blind.

13. A blind as claimed in Claim 12, wherein the pull strings are secured near the bottom of the blind and extend toward the blind top through the apertures.

14. A blind as claimed in Claim 12 or 13, wherein the pull strings are secured to a pleat near the bottom of the blind.

15. A blind as claimed in any of claims 8 to 14, wherein the blind includes a terminal end at the bottom portion thereof, a bottom hem and a bottom horizontal pleat above the hem, the bottom horizontal pleat including portions of the blind folded and heat sealed together with the terminal end.

16. A blind as claimed in Claim 15, wherein the terminal end is disposed within the bottom horizontal pleat.

17. A blind as claimed in Claim 15, wherein the terminal end is disposed adjacent the bottom horizontal pleat

18. A method of making a Roman blind substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

19. A Roman blind when prepared by a method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7 and 18.

20. A Roman blind substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.