HK1070933B

HK1070933B - Roman style shade

Info

Publication number: HK1070933B
Application number: HK05103726.0A
Authority: HK
Inventors: 游福来; 黄清添; 游顺吉
Original assignee: 德侑股份有限公司
Priority date: 2003-05-01
Filing date: 2005-05-03
Publication date: 2007-01-19

Description

Roman curtain

[ technical field ] A method for producing a semiconductor device

The present invention relates to a window covering, and more particularly to a roman shade.

[ background of the invention ]

Roman shades are a popular type of window covering that is constructed of a fabric material that is attached along its top to an upper rail and creased at spaced intervals to provide a series of soft creases on the fabric surface. Thus, a typical roman shade has a stepped waterfall or soft creased appearance. These roman shades are constructed such that when they are raised, they gather from the bottom to become a generally horizontal pleat or fold until the entire shade is near the top of the window covering. In some cases, the top of the window covering may also be lowered. The shade operates by pulling up many different wires that are used in conjunction with guides attached to the shade.

Most conventional roman shades are made of a flexible material, such as a fabric material or a plurality of flaps, and are provided with a plurality of horizontal pleats at points vertically spaced from one another to form creases when the shade is raised. One common method of making roman shades is to sew at least two sets of rings or connectors down vertical lines along the back of the fabric material, such as shown in U.S. patent No. 1,321,800. A lifting cord is passed from the headrail through each set of loops and secured to the bottom edge of the fabric or is passed around the bottom edge of the fabric and returned from the front surface of the fabric up to the headrail. Alternatively, each set of connectors is sewn onto the fabric and attached to a cord at spaced intervals. The spacing between the separators on each cord may be equal to or less than the distance between the points where the separators are attached to the backside of the fabric.

However, one disadvantage of typical roman shades is that if one wishes to allow light to pass into a room, such as in a window blind by tilting the blind slats to allow light to enter, it is not possible to create openings over the entire surface of the window covering without raising the bottom of the entire window covering up or lowering the top down to maintain privacy.

[ summary of the invention ]

It is an object of the present invention to provide a roman shade that includes shade elements that provide an open gap to allow light to pass through while maintaining a relatively high degree of privacy without requiring the shade elements to be raised or lowered, and whose cords or other raising and adjustment mechanisms are not visible to a person when the shade elements are closed.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a roman shade which is movable between a closed position and an open position, characterized in that: the Roman shade comprises:

an upper rail;

a plurality of foldable flaps depending from the upper rail, each foldable flap having a pair of opposing longitudinal regions;

a fixing rope connecting the upper rail and the plurality of covering pieces;

an opening element connecting the upper rail and the plurality of covering sheets;

the securing cord is captively positioned over each of the plurality of shades at one of the opposing longitudinal regions, and the opening member is captively positioned over each of the plurality of shades at the longitudinal region relative to the securing cord; and

a vertical adjustment mechanism operatively connected to the opening element for extending and retracting the opening element for moving the window covering between the closed and open positions.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: the pair of opposing longitudinal regions includes a lower region and an upper region.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: the fixing rope is limitedly positioned above each shade at the upper area, and the opening element is limitedly positioned at the lower area.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: the securing strap is secured to each of the plurality of shades at the upper region.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: the securing cord is captively positioned over each of the plurality of shades by at least one stop.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: the fixing rope is limitedly positioned above each shade at the lower area, and the opening element is limitedly positioned at the upper area.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: the securing straps are secured to each of the plurality of shades approximately at the lower region.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: each of the plurality of masks is constructed of a fabric material.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: the web material is a single longitudinally extending strip.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: the textile material may also be a plurality of textile materials.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: the web material defines a longitudinally extending cell.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: each of the plurality of masks is formed of a plurality of longitudinally extending rigid slats.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: also included is a lower rail depending from the upper rail by a retractable lifting element.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: a plurality of reinforcing strips are secured to the pair of opposing longitudinal regions.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: at least one reinforcing strip secured to at least one of the pair of opposing longitudinal zones is also included.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: the opening element is composed of a lifting element and a plurality of rolling elements.

The invention also provides a Roman shade, which is characterized in that: comprises the following steps:

an upper rail;

a plurality of foldable flaps depending from the upper rail;

at least one of the plurality of shades having a pair of opposing longitudinally extending regions operatively connected to the headrail by a securing cord and an opening activation element; and

a vertical adjustment mechanism operatively connected to the opening element for extending and retracting the opening element.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: the securing cord is restrictively positioned over at least one of the shrouds at the upper region and the opening member is restrictively positioned at the lower region.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: the securing cord is secured to at least one of the masks at the upper region.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: the securing cord is captively positioned over the at least one mask by at least one stop.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: the securing cord is restrictedly positioned over at least one of the shrouds at the lower region, and the opening member is restrictedly positioned at the upper region.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: the securing cord is secured to at least one of the cover sheets at the lower region.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: each of the plurality of masks is made of a fabric material.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: the fabric material is a plurality of fabric materials.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: at least one of the shields is formed from a plurality of longitudinally extending rigid slats.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: at least one reinforcing strip secured approximately to at least one of the pair of opposing longitudinal sections is also included.

The present invention also provides a roman shade that is movable between a closed position and an open position, characterized in that: the Roman shade comprises:

an upper rail;

a plurality of foldable flaps depending from the upper rail, each foldable flap having a pair of opposing longitudinal regions, each of the plurality of foldable flaps further comprising a plurality of rigid slats;

a fixing rope connecting the upper rail and the plurality of covering pieces;

the securing cord is captively positioned over each one of the opposing longitudinal regions, and the opening element is captively positioned over each one of the plurality of masks at the longitudinal region relative to the securing cord; and

The Roman shade is characterized in that: the securing cord is secured to at least one of the masks approximately at the lower region.

The present invention also provides a roman shade which is movable between a closed position and an open position, characterized in that: the Roman shade comprises:

an upper rail;

a plurality of foldable flaps depending from the upper rail, each of the plurality of foldable flaps having a pair of opposing longitudinal regions, each of the plurality of foldable flaps defining a longitudinally extending cell and comprising at least one fabric material;

a fixing rope connecting the upper rail and the plurality of covering pieces;

the securing cord is captively positioned over each of the plurality of masks at one of the opposing longitudinal regions, and the opening member is captively positioned over each of the plurality of masks at about the longitudinal region relative to the securing cord; and

The Roman shade is characterized in that: the securing cord is restrictedly positioned over at least one of the shrouds approximately at the upper region, and the opening member is restrictedly positioned at the lower region.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: the securing cord is secured to at least one of the covering sheets approximately at the upper region.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: the securing cord is restrictively positioned over at least one of the masks at about the lower region and the opening member is restrictively positioned at the upper region.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: the securing cord is secured to at least one of the covering sheets approximately at the lower region.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: the web material is a single longitudinally extending piece of material.

The Roman shade is characterized in that: also included are reinforcing strips secured approximately at the pair of opposing longitudinal regions.

an upper rail;

a plurality of foldable flaps having a surface and a back and depending from the upper rail, each of the plurality of foldable flaps having an uppermost longitudinal region and a lowermost longitudinal region, wherein the uppermost longitudinal region defines an aperture;

a securing cord connecting the upper rail and the plurality of shrouds, the securing cord being restrictively positioned over each of the plurality of shrouds approximately at the uppermost longitudinal region;

an opening element connecting the headrail and the plurality of shades, the opening element further comprising a windup element extending through the aperture defined by the uppermost longitudinal region and secured to the surface of the shade at about an area adjacent the lowermost longitudinal region; and

The Roman shade is characterized in that: each of the plurality of slats is formed from a plurality of longitudinally extending slats.

In summary, the roman shade of the present invention has a plurality of shades comprising a headrail and a plurality of shades depending from the headrail by a securing cord and an opening member, each of the plurality of shades being foldable, and includes a pair of opposed longitudinal regions, each of the plurality of masks being formed of a fabric material, such as a single continuous fabric material or a plurality of fabric materials, alternatively, each of the plurality of slats may be formed from a plurality of longitudinally extending rigid slats, as is typically found in blind slats, or may be a narrow strip such as bamboo, cane, wicker or the like, a lower rail may also be provided and depending from the upper rail, whereby a plurality of masks are located between the upper and lower rails.

The securing cord is provided for connecting the headrail and the plurality of covering sheets and may be formed from a cord, fabric strip, sheet of material or the like. The securing cords are captively positioned over each of the shades approximately at one of the opposing longitudinal regions. The restraining and positioning of the shield relative to the securing cord may be accomplished in a number of ways, including being fixedly secured by adhesive, sonic welding, weaving, or the like, or by a stop or other similar restraining element that restrains the movement of the shield relative to the securing cord. For example, the movement of the slats may be limited by a stop mechanism positioned on the securing cords. A hard fastening strip with a fastening cord attached thereto may also be used.

Opening members also connecting the headrail and the plurality of shades may be similarly constrained to be positioned over each shade approximately at the longitudinal region to which the securing cord is connected. For example, in the case of a mask comprised of a single sheet of material, the pair of opposing longitudinal regions may be the upper and lower edges of the sheet of material. As such, the securing straps are captively positioned at the upper edge of each of the shades, and the opening elements are captively positioned at the lower edge. Alternatively, the securing straps may be captively positioned at a lower edge of each of the flaps and the opening member may be captively positioned at an upper edge. Reinforcing strips may also be included along two opposing longitudinal regions.

A vertical adjustment mechanism is operatively connected to the opening member for extending and retracting the opening member. The vertical adjustment mechanism is similar to that commonly found in window blind systems, for example, including a worm gear element mounted within the head rail and operable by a lever operatively connected to cause the opening element in this example to be withdrawn by rotating the lever. Alternatively, a cord and lockbox element may be used to raise and lower the opening element. Alternatively, an electrically or remotely operated vertical adjustment mechanism may be utilized.

If the opening member is secured to the lower edge of a plurality of shades, the lower edge of each shade is raised relative to the upper edge and pulled up behind the front surface of the shade when the opening member is retracted by the vertical adjustment mechanism to allow light to pass through the opening created in the surface of the roman shade. Extending the opening elements through the vertical adjustment mechanism causes the lower edge of each shade to lower relative to the upper edge and thereby close the gap in the surface of the roman shade.

The roman shade of the present invention provides an open gap through the shade to allow light to pass through while maintaining a relatively high degree of privacy without raising or lowering the shade, and the cords or other raising and adjustment mechanisms of the roman shade are not visible to a person when the shade is closed.

[ description of the drawings ]

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a window covering in a closed position according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the window covering of FIG. 1 in a partially open position;

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a mask of the window covering of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the mask of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a mask in an alternative manner of securing the mask to a fixation element;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a rear perspective view of a shade sheet of a window covering according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the mask of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of a slat-containing shade of a Roman shade according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 9, wherein the slats are slightly retracted;

FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view of a shade of a Roman shade according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the mask of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a rear perspective view of a shade of a Roman shade according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the mask of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a rear perspective view of a shade for a Roman shade according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15A is an enlarged partial view of FIG. 15;

FIG. 16 is a rear perspective view of the matte of FIG. 15 with the opening member partially retracted;

FIG. 16A is an enlarged partial view of FIG. 16;

FIG. 17 is a rear perspective view of the mask of FIG. 15 fully retracted; and

fig. 17A is a partially enlarged view of fig. 17.

[ detailed description ] embodiments

The invention disclosed herein is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms. There is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig. 1, where window shade 100 is shown in a closed position and includes an upper rail 102, a lower rail 104, and a plurality of shades 106. Also preferably provided is an opening bar 108 for narrowing the profile of the individual shades and thereby creating a gap or opening in the entire surface of the window shade 100, and a lifting bar 110 for lifting the entire shade 100.

In the fully closed position as shown in fig. 1, the window shade 100 provides an appearance that the connecting cord is not visible and provides privacy and light blocking. If one wishes to allow light into the room without lifting the entire shade and thereby maintaining a degree of privacy, the user can turn the opening lever 108. When the opening lever 108 is rotated, each of the shutters 106 is adjusted to narrow its profile so that the gap 111 in the window shade 100 is opened as shown in fig. 2. The particular procedure for opening each mask will be discussed in more detail below.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, which illustrate one of the plurality of shades from the covering of fig. 1 and 2, the narrowing of the longitudinal profile thereof will be explained hereinafter. In this embodiment, a mask 114 is formed from a single piece of material having an upper longitudinally extending region 116, a central longitudinally extending region 118, and a lower longitudinally extending region 120. The aggregation of the central region 118 of each shade is the entire surface that forms the roman shade. As discussed above, each mask may be formed from a plurality of sheets of material. For example, the upper longitudinally extending region 116 and the lower longitudinally extending region 120 may be formed of one type of material, while the central longitudinally extending region 118 may be a material having a different color, transparency, texture, or other property.

Passing through the upper region 116 and the lower region 120 is a securing element, such as a cord 122, which is secured to the upper region 116 by adhesive, sonic welding, weaving, or the like. Cord 122 is threaded through an aperture 124 defined through lower region 120 such that cord 122 is not secured to lower region 120.

An opening element such as a cord 126 is also provided. The cord 126 passes through an aperture 128 defined by the upper region 116 and is also secured to the lower region 120 by adhesive, sonic welding, weaving, or the like. Each mask is secured to cords 122 and 126 in a similar manner. Alternatively, the cords 122 and 126 may pass through the apertures, but will include stops fixedly attached thereto to limit the passage of the cords through the apertures. For example, a ring element, such as a washer-shaped component, may be utilized by clamping the ring element to the opening activating element and the fixing element to position and fix the ring element.

In this embodiment, when an opening element, such as a cord 126, is withdrawn by a vertical adjustment mechanism (not shown) located in the head rail 102 (see fig. 1) and operably connected to the opening bar 108 (see fig. 1), the lower region 120 is forced toward the upper region 116, which remains vertically stationary relative to the head rail. The foldable mask 114 is thus folded over itself to present a narrower longitudinal profile. As shown in FIG. 2, gaps 111 are created between the plurality of covering pieces to allow light to pass therethrough without requiring the entire Roman shade 100 to be raised or lowered. Referring again to fig. 3 and 4, a lifting element, such as a cord 130, for lifting lower rail 104 and plurality of shrouds 106 is also passed through apertures 124 and 128 and secured to lower rail 104. A lifting element, such as a cord 130, is operatively connected to the lifting bar 110 (see fig. 1). Although only one set of cords 122, 126, and 130 is shown, preferably two sets of cords are provided that are equally spaced from opposite sides of the roman shade as seen in fig. 2.

Although not shown in the figures, a reinforcing strip may also be included along the upper longitudinally extending region, the lower longitudinally extending region, or both. The reinforcing strip may be formed from a thin metal strip, plastic, reinforcing material or the like secured to the upper or lower longitudinally extending regions, respectively. Such a reinforcing strip may be included in any of the embodiments disclosed herein.

As discussed above, the securing element and the opening element may be restrictively positioned on the plurality of masks in many different ways. One embodiment shown in fig. 5 and 6 is to use plastic rods. Similar to the embodiment depicted in fig. 3 and 4, a mask 214 is formed from a single sheet of material having an upper longitudinally extending region 216, a central longitudinally extending region 218, and a lower longitudinally extending region 220. One securing element, such as a cord 222, is threaded through an aperture 228 in the upper region 216 and an aperture 224 in the lower region 220. Similarly, opening element 226 passes through aperture 228 in upper region 216 and aperture 224 in lower region 220, and together with securing element 222 and opening element 226 are loops 223 and 227, respectively, and securing bars 232 and 234, preferably formed of plastic, pass through loops 223 and 227, respectively, and are positioned relative to mask 214 as depicted in fig. 5 and 6 such that downward movement of the mask relative to securing element 222 and opening element 226 is limited. The positioning bars 232 and 234 may be fixedly secured to the mask 214, such as by an adhesive.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in fig. 7, 8. In this embodiment, the plurality of masks are formed from a plurality of rigid slats. These slats may be relatively wide slats, as is typically found in wood window blinds, or may be relatively narrow decorative wood slats, such as wickers, rattans, or bamboo slats, as shown in fig. 7. The plurality of relatively narrow wood strips form a plurality of masks such as mask 314. An upper region 316 is provided with wood strips and defines an aperture 328. The upper region may be formed by a single strip or may be formed by a plurality of strips. A lower region 320 may be similarly formed and also defines an aperture 324. A securing element 322 passes through the upper region 316 and the lower region 320, is secured to the upper region 316 as described above, passes through the aperture 324 in the lower region 320, and is not secured to the lower region 320. An opening element 326 is passed through the aperture 328 and secured to the lower region 320. A lifting element 330 for lifting the lower rail and the plurality of shrouds upward as described above with respect to the other embodiments also passes through the apertures 324 and 328. Similar to the previous embodiment, one cord 326 is withdrawn such that the lower region 320 is pulled toward the upper region 316 to create a gap in the overall surface of the window shade.

Shown in fig. 9 is an embodiment of the present invention in which each of a plurality of the slats is formed from slats such as are typically found in wood window blinds. In this example, mask 340 is made up of three slats 342, 344, and 346, although more slats could be used. The fixing element 348 is fixed to the strap 342 approximately at the upper edge 349 by the ring 352. Opening element 350 is secured to lath 346, also approximately at its lower edge 351. In this particular embodiment, rings 353 and 355 connect webs 342, 344, and 346. An additional ring 357 is secured to the lowermost strip 346 to which the opening member 350 is secured. Referring to fig. 10, when opening element 350 is withdrawn, lowermost strip 346 is pulled upward, causing strips 342 and 344 to deflect and overlie one another.

In each of the presently shown embodiments, the gap in the surface of the window shade (i.e., the open position) is created by pulling the lower region of a shade toward the upper region. However, it is also contemplated that the gap in the surface of the window shade may also be created by lowering the upper region toward the lower region held in place. An example of such an embodiment is shown in fig. 11, 12.

In this embodiment, a mask 414 is formed from a single sheet of material having an upper longitudinally extending region 416, a central longitudinally extending region 418, and a lower longitudinally extending region 420. A securing element 422 passes through the upper region 416 and the lower region 420 and is fixedly secured to the lower region 420. The securing element 422 is passed through an aperture 428 defined through the upper region 416 so that it is not secured to the upper region 416. An opening activation element is also provided and is secured to the upper region 416. In this embodiment, an opening member 426 is extended by a vertical adjustment mechanism in the head rail, and the upper region 416 is lowered toward the lower region 420, wherein the lower region 420 is held substantially stationary relative to the head rail by the securing member 422. Thus, the foldable mask 414 folds upon itself to present a narrower longitudinal profile. Similar to the previous embodiment, a lifting element 430 for lifting the lower rail and the plurality of shrouds upward also passes through apertures 424 and 428. A similar arrangement, such that the upper region is lowered to the lower region, may be used in any of the configurations described above.

In another embodiment, an additional surface may be included to provide a front surface and a rear surface of the roman shade that is not visible to the user in the closed position. Referring to fig. 13 and 14, shade 514 is an example of one of a plurality of shades for making a double-faced roman shade.

The mask 514 is formed from a sheet of material having an upper longitudinally extending region 516, a central longitudinally extending front surface region, a central longitudinally extending rear surface region, and a lower longitudinally extending region 520. The material sheet is a single material sheet that is secured to itself to form a continuous material sheet. Alternatively, multiple strips of material may be secured together. The plurality of material strips may be of the same material or may be of several materials having different properties (i.e., color, transparency, etc.). As shown in the figures, the mask 514 defines a longitudinally extending compartment 521.

A securing element 522 passes through the upper region 516 and the lower region 520 and is fixedly secured to the upper region 516. The securing element 522 passes through an aperture 524 defined through the lower region 520 so that it is not secured to the lower region 520. An opening activation element 526 is also provided and passes through the aperture 528 defined by the upper region 516 and is secured to the lower region 520. Each of the plurality of masks is similarly formed and secured to retaining member 522 and opening member 526. Preferably, elements 522, 526, and 530 are positioned so that the same amount of material is suspended on each side of the cord. When the opening element 526 is withdrawn, the lower region 520 is forced toward the upper region 516, wherein the upper region 516 is maintained at a vertical rest relative to the upper rail. Thus, the cells 521 will fold upon themselves and assume a narrower longitudinal profile.

Another embodiment is shown in fig. 15 and 15A. In this embodiment, the roman shade 600 is constructed from a plurality of tiles, such as the tile 614. Each mask is made up of a plurality of slats, such as slats 616, 618, and 620. The mask also defines a front surface (not shown), a rear surface 622, an uppermost region 624, and a lowermost region 626. As in the other embodiments described above, a securing element 628 is restrictively positioned over the uppermost region 624. An open enable element 630 is also provided. In this example, the opening member 630 is formed by a windup member 632 and a lift member 634. The uppermost region 624 defines an aperture 627 and the reeling element 632 extends through the aperture 627. One end of the windup element 632 is connected to the uplift element 634. Preferably, a plurality of winding elements are secured to the lift elements 634, one for each mask. The reeling element passes under the lowermost region 626 of the mask 614 and is secured to a front surface of the mask 614 approximately at the region adjacent the lowermost region 626. For example, the reeling element 632 is fixed to the front surface approximately at an upper area of the slats 620. When the raising element 634 is raised, the rolling element 632 is pulled through the aperture 627 such that the slats 620 are rolled upward as shown in fig. 16, 16A, 17, and 17A. Thus, the gap is created in the roman shade.

Although the illustrated covering includes a plurality of slats, the winding element may also be used with a covering constructed of a fabric material. To reduce the visual perception of the windup element, it may be constructed of a material having a color similar to the color of the mask. As shown in the figures, the windup element may also act to limit the extent to which the matte can be extended, so that a wavy appearance is achieved.

Claims

1. A roman shade that is movable between a closed position and an open position, characterized by: the Roman shade comprises:

an upper rail;

a fixing rope connecting the upper rail and the plurality of covering pieces;

2. A roman shade as defined in claim 1 wherein: the pair of opposing longitudinal regions includes a lower region and an upper region.

3. A roman shade as defined in claim 2, wherein: the securing cord is captively positioned over each of the plurality of shades at the upper region and the opening member is captively positioned at the lower region of the shade.

4. A roman shade as defined in claim 3 wherein: the securing straps are secured to each of the plurality of masks at an upper region of the mask.

5. A roman shade as defined in claim 3 wherein: the securing cord is captively positioned over each of the plurality of shades by at least one stop.

6. A roman shade as defined in claim 2, wherein: the fixing rope is limitedly positioned above each mask at the lower area, and the opening element is limitedly positioned at the upper area of the mask.

7. A Roman shade as defined in claim 6, wherein: the fixing rope is fixed on each mask and at the lower area of the mask.

8. A Roman shade as defined in claim 6, wherein: the securing cord is captively positioned over each of the plurality of masks by at least one stop.

9. A roman shade as defined in claim 1 wherein: each of the plurality of masks is constructed of a fabric material.

10. A roman shade as defined in claim 9, wherein: the web material is a single longitudinally extending strip.

11. A roman shade as defined in claim 9, wherein: the textile material is a variety of textile materials.

12. A roman shade as defined in claim 9, wherein: the web material defines a longitudinally extending cell.

13. A roman shade as defined in claim 1 wherein: each of the plurality of masks is formed of a plurality of longitudinally extending rigid slats.

14. A roman shade as defined in claim 1 wherein: also included is a lower rail depending from the upper rail by a retractable lifting element.

15. A roman shade as defined in claim 1 wherein: a plurality of reinforcing strips are secured to the pair of opposing longitudinal regions.

16. A roman shade as defined in claim 1 wherein: at least one reinforcing strip secured to at least one of the pair of opposing longitudinal zones is also included.

17. A roman shade as defined in claim 1 wherein: the opening element is composed of a lifting element and a plurality of rolling elements.

18. A roman shade comprising:

an upper rail;

a plurality of foldable flaps depending from the upper rail; the method is characterized in that:

19. A roman shade as defined in claim 18, wherein: the pair of opposing longitudinal regions includes a lower region and an upper region.

20. A roman shade as defined in claim 19, wherein: the securing cord is restrictively positioned over at least one of the shrouds at the upper region and the opening member is restrictively positioned at the lower region.

21. A roman shade as defined in claim 20, wherein: the securing cord is secured to at least one of the masks at the upper region.

22. A roman shade as defined in claim 20, wherein: the securing cord is captively positioned over the at least one mask by at least one stop.

23. A roman shade as defined in claim 19, wherein: the securing cord is restrictedly positioned over at least one of the shrouds at the lower region, and the opening member is restrictedly positioned at the upper region.

24. A roman shade as defined in claim 21, wherein: the securing cord is secured to at least one of the cover sheets at the lower region.

25. A roman shade as defined in claim 23, wherein: the securing cord is captively positioned over the at least one mask by at least one stop.

26. A roman shade as defined in claim 18, wherein: each of the plurality of masks is constructed of a fabric material.

27. A roman shade as defined in claim 26, wherein: the web material is a single longitudinally extending strip.

28. A roman shade as defined in claim 26, wherein: the textile material is a variety of textile materials.

29. A roman shade as defined in claim 26, wherein: the web material defines a longitudinally extending cell.

30. A roman shade as defined in claim 18, wherein: at least one of the shields is formed from a plurality of longitudinally extending rigid slats.

31. A roman shade as defined in claim 18, wherein: the opening element is composed of a lifting element and a plurality of rolling elements.

32. A roman shade as defined in claim 18, wherein: also included is a lower rail depending from the upper rail by a retractable lifting element.

33. A roman shade as defined in claim 18, wherein: a plurality of reinforcing strips are secured to the pair of opposing longitudinal regions.

34. A roman shade as defined in claim 18, wherein: at least one reinforcing strip secured to at least one of the pair of opposing longitudinal zones is also included.

35. A roman shade that is movable between a closed position and an open position, characterized by: the Roman shade comprises:

an upper rail;

a plurality of foldable flaps depending from the upper rail, each foldable flap having a pair of opposing longitudinal regions, each foldable flap further comprising a plurality of rigid slats;

a fixing rope connecting the upper rail and the plurality of covering pieces;

36. A roman shade as defined in claim 35, wherein: the pair of opposing longitudinal regions includes a lower region and an upper region.

37. A roman shade as defined in claim 36, wherein: the securing cord is restrictively positioned over at least one of the shrouds at the upper region and the opening member is restrictively positioned at the lower region.

38. A roman shade as defined in claim 37, wherein: the securing cord is secured to at least one of the masks at the upper region.

39. A roman shade as defined in claim 37, wherein: the securing cord is captively positioned over the at least one mask by at least one stop.

40. A roman shade as defined in claim 36, wherein: the securing cord is restrictedly positioned over at least one of the shrouds at the lower region, and the opening member is restrictedly positioned at the upper region.

41. A Roman shade as defined in claim 40, wherein: the securing cord is secured to at least one of the masks at the lower region.

42. A Roman shade as defined in claim 40, wherein: the securing cord is captively positioned over the at least one mask by at least one stop.

43. A roman shade as defined in claim 35, wherein: also included is a lower rail depending from the upper rail by a retractable lifting element.

44. A roman shade as defined in claim 35, wherein: a plurality of reinforcing strips are secured to the pair of opposing longitudinal regions.

45. A roman shade as defined in claim 35, wherein: at least one reinforcing strip secured to at least one of the pair of opposing longitudinal zones is also included.

46. A roman shade as defined in claim 35, wherein: the opening element is composed of a lifting element and a plurality of rolling elements.

47. A roman shade that is movable between a closed position and an open position, characterized by: the Roman shade comprises:

an upper rail;

a plurality of foldable flaps depending from the upper rail, each foldable flap having a pair of opposing longitudinal regions, each foldable flap defining a longitudinally extending cell and comprising at least one fabric material;

a fixing rope connecting the upper rail and the plurality of covering pieces;

48. A Roman shade as defined in claim 47, wherein: the pair of opposing longitudinal regions includes a lower region and an upper region.

49. A Roman shade as defined in claim 48, wherein: the securing cord is restrictively positioned over at least one of the shrouds at the upper region and the opening member is restrictively positioned at the lower region.

50. A Roman shade as defined in claim 49, wherein: the securing cord is secured to at least one of the masks at the upper region.

51. A Roman shade as defined in claim 49, wherein: the securing cord is captively positioned over the at least one mask by at least one stop.

52. A Roman shade as defined in claim 48, wherein: the securing cord is restrictedly positioned over at least one of the shrouds at the lower region, and the opening member is restrictedly positioned at the upper region.

53. A Roman shade as defined in claim 52, wherein: the securing cord is secured to at least one of the cover sheets at the lower region.

54. A Roman shade as defined in claim 52, wherein: the securing cord is captively positioned over the at least one mask by at least one stop.

55. A Roman shade as defined in claim 47, wherein: the web material is a single longitudinally extending piece of material.

56. A Roman shade as defined in claim 47, wherein: the textile material is a variety of textile materials.

57. A Roman shade as defined in claim 47, wherein: also included is a lower rail depending from the upper rail by a retractable lifting element.

58. A Roman shade as defined in claim 47, wherein: a plurality of reinforcing strips are secured to the pair of opposing longitudinal regions.

59. A Roman shade as defined in claim 47, wherein: at least one reinforcing strip secured to at least one of the pair of opposing longitudinal zones is also included.

60. A roman shade that is movable between a closed position and an open position, characterized by: the Roman shade comprises:

an upper rail;

a plurality of foldable flaps having a surface and a back and depending from the upper rail, each foldable flap having an uppermost longitudinal region and a lowermost longitudinal region, wherein the uppermost longitudinal region defines an aperture;

a securing cord connecting the upper rail and the plurality of shrouds, the securing cord being restrictively positioned over each of the shrouds at the uppermost longitudinal region;

an opening element connecting the headrail and the plurality of shades, the opening element further comprising a windup element extending through the aperture defined by the uppermost longitudinal region and secured to the surface of the shade at a region adjacent the lowermost longitudinal region; and

61. A Roman shade as defined in claim 60, wherein: each of the plurality of slats is formed from a plurality of longitudinally extending slats.