Venetian blind

Claim 2

A Venetian blind installation in which (a) a window opening has a lintel along its top and jambs along its vertical edges, (b) at least one of the jambs affords a vertical passageway that is separated from the window opening by a jamb wall, (c) a ladder-and-slat assembly is within the window opening, being suspended from a head which extends lengthwise of the lintel, and (d) the ladders are connected to horizontal runs of a tilt cord, which runs extend lengthwise of the head- wherein the improvement comprises: an entrance leading into or in alignment with said vertical passageway, at a level corresponding to the level of the head, cord-operating means which is jamb mounted and extends into said vertical passageway at a lower level, cord-guide means which is part of said head and which projects through said entrance, said cord-guide means guiding the tilt cord between the horizontal runs lengthwise of the head and vertical runs in said vertical passageway, and a driving connection between the cord-operating means and the tilt cord to shift the tilt cord lengthwise of itself and tilt the slats of the blind in response to operation of the cord-operating means.

Claim 3

A Venetian blind installation as in claim 1 in which the head includes a head channel that is mounted contiguous to the lintel and embraces the horizontal runs of the tilt cord- wherein the improvement additionally comprises: a cord-guide unit is affixed to said head channel and projects beyond the end thereof, and such cord-guide unit provides said cord-guide means that guides the tilt cord between the horizontal runs lengthwise of the head and vertical runs in said vertical passageway.

Claim 4

A Venetian blind installation as in claim 1 wherein the improvement additionally comprises: slippage is provided at the cord-operating means upon full tilting of the slats being reached.

Claim 5

A Venetian blind installation as in claim 1 wherein the improvement additionally comprises: cord means, which functions as part of the tilt cord, operatively connects the horizontal runs of the tilt cord with The cord-operating means, said cord means including (a) confronting cord portions which can be pulled toward each other to draw the tilt cord taut, and (b) a quick connector for functionally uniting the confronting cord portions after the tilt cord has been drawn taut.

Claim 6

A Venetian blind installation as in claim 4 wherein the improvement additionally comprises: the quick connector affords quick release of the confronting cord portions for re-adjustment and quick reconnection of the confronting cord portions in re-adjusted relation.

Claim 7

A Venetian blind installation as in claim 1 wherein the improvement additionally comprises: the cord-operating means and the tilt cord driving connection, considered jointly, include a friction drive to the tilt cord.

Claim 8

A Venetian blind installation as in claim 6 wherein the improvement additionally comprises: the friction drive is a spool member about which cord is wrapped a plurality of convolutions.

Claim 9

A Venetian blind installation as in claim 7 wherein the improvement additionally comprises: in each direction axially from the convolutions of the cord, the spool member is provided with a peripherial groove into which the end convolution drops when the end convolution shifts axially thereto.

Claim 10

A Venetian blind having a ladder-and-slat assembly suspended beneath a support, and having the ladders connected to a tilt cord which extends horizontally adjacent to the support and is shiftable lengthwise of itself to tilt the slats, the shifting of the tilt cord being in response to rotation of a tilt-cord spool-member to which the tilt cord is operatively connected- wherein the improvement comprises: the tilt cord is wound a plurality of convolutions about the spool member and is in slip relation to the spool member, whereby, once full tilting of the slats has been effected, continued rotation of the tilt-cord spool-member is afforded without further movement of the tilt cord and with consequent protection of the tilt cord against breakage.

Claim 11

A Venetian blind having a ladder-and-slat assembly suspended beneath a support, and having the ladders connected to a tilt cord which extends horizontally adjacent to the support and is shiftable lengthwise of itself to tilt the slats, the shifting of the tilt cord being in response to rotation of a tilt-cord spool-member to which the tilt cord is operatively connected- wherein the improvement comprises: the tilt cord is wound a plurality of convolutions about the spool member and is in slip relation to the spool member, whereby, once full tilting of the slats has been effected, continued rotation of the tilt-cord spool-member is afforded without further movement of the tilt cord and with consequent protection of the tilt cord against breakage.

Claim 12

A Venetian blind as in claim 9 in which there are cheeks at the opposite ends of the tilt-cord spool-member- wherein the improvement additionally comprises: two peripherial grooves on the spool member, each groove being companion to one of the cheeks and contiguous thereto whereby, when an end convolution of the tilt cord moves closely adjacent to a cheek, the end convolution drops into the companion peripherial groove and inhibits the next-to-the-end convolution from moving under the end convolution.

Claim 13

A Venetian blind having a ladder-and-slat assembly suspended beneath a support, having the ladders connected to a tilt cord which extends horizontally adjacent to the support and is shifted lengthwise of itself to tilt the slats, and having lift-cord means comprising lift cords which are shiftable lengthwise of themselves to raise and lower the slats, the shifting of the tilt and lift cords being in response to rotation of tilt-cord and lift-cord spool-members that are individual to the tilt and lift cords and to which the tilt and lift cords are operatively connected, and the tilt-cord and lift-cord spool-members being rotated by a common operator- wherein the improvement comprises: the tilt cord being wound about the tilt-cord spool-member and being in slip relation thereto, the lift cords being operatively connected to the lift-cord spool-member and being pulled in and payed out in response to rotation of the lift-cord spool-member, and the common operator being a hand-grapsed rotatable-member that is in continuous torque-imparting relation to both the tilt-cord spool-member and the lift-cord spool-member, and requires no adjustment to render it operable for either and tilting of the slats or raising and lowering of the slats, the slip relation of the tilt cord to the tilt-cord spool-member affording continued rotation of the tilt-cord spool-member without further movement of the tilt cord once full tilting of the slats has been effected.

Claim 14

A Venetian blind having a ladder-and-slat assembly suspended beneath a support, having the ladders connected to a tilt cord which extends horizontally adjacent to the support and is shifted lengthwise of itself to tilt the slats, and having lift-cord means comprising lift cords which are shiftable lengthwise of themselves to raise and lower the slats, the shifting of the tilt and lift cords being in response to rotation of tilt-cord and lift-cord spool-members that are individual to the tilt and lift cords and to which the tilt and lift cords are operatively connected, and the tilt-cord and lift-cord spool-members being rotated by a common operator- wherein the improvement comprises: the tilt cord being wound about the tilt-cord spool-member and being in slip relation thereto, the lift cords being operatively connected to the lift-cord spool-member and being pulled in and payed out in response to rotation of the lift-cord spool-member, and the common operator being a hand-grapsed rotatable-member that is in continuous torque-imparting relation to both the tilt-cord spool-member and the lift-cord spool-member, and requires no adjustment to render it operable for either and tilting of the slats or raising and lowering of the slats, the slip relation of the tilt cord to the tilt-cord spool-member affording continued rotation of the tilt-cord spool-member without further movement of the tilt cord once full tilting of the slats has been effected.

Claim 15

A Venetian blind as in claim 11 wherein the improvement additionally comprises: a friction drive which is operatively interposed between the common operator and both of the spool members to afford slippage between the common operator and the lift-cord spool-member when the slats of the blind have been fully raised.

Claim 16

A Venetian blind as in claim 11 wherein the improvement additionally comprises: braking means which imposes a drag and obviates fortuitous lowering of the slats due to their weight.

Claim 17

A Venetian blind for attachment to and support by window-frame structure, the blind having a ladder-and-slat assembly suspended beneath a head which has a sheet-metal head-channel, and the blind also having tilt cords and lift cords extending longitudinally within the head channel and extending to one end of the head- wherein the improvement comprises: a head-channel-attached fitting adjacent to said end of the head, an end portion of the fitting being adapted for entry into or in vertical alignment with the vertically extending space within a jamb-channel of the window-frame structure, and said fitting having guide means for guiding the tilt and lift cords to hang down in the vertically-extending space within the jamb channel.

Claim 18

A Venetian blind for attachment to and support by window-frame structure, the blind having a ladder-and-slat assembly suspended beneath a head which has a sheet-metal head-channel, and the blind also having tilt cords and lift cords extending longitudinally within the head channel and extending to one end of the head- wherein the improvement comprises: a head-channel-attached fitting adjacent to said end of the head, an end portion of the fitting being adapted for entry into or in vertical alignment with the vertically extending space within a jamb-channel of the window-frame structure, and said fitting having guide means for guiding the tilt and lift cords to hang down in the vertically-extending space within the jamb channel.

Claim 19

A Venetian blind as in claim 14 wherein the improvement additionally comprises: the head-channel-attached fitting having a cord guide under which the tilt cord passes and over which the lift cords pass.

Claim 20

A Venetian blind as in claim 14 wherein the improvement additionally comprises: the head-channel-attached fitting having a cord guide under which the lift cords pass and over which the tilt cord passes.

Claim 21

A Venetian blind as in claim 14 wherein the improvement additionally comprises: a movable pulley-frame and pulley are located below the head-channel-attached fitting, the down-hanging lift cords pass around the pulley and thence back upwardly and have their ends secured to the head of the blind, and a cord extends downwardly from the pulley frame for shifting the pulley vertically to raise and lower the slats of the blind.

Claim 22

A Venetian blind as in claim 16 wherein the improvement additionally comprises: a movable pulley-frame and pulley are located below the head-channel-attached fitting, the lift cords pass around the pulley and thence back upwardly and have their ends merging at a bight that is above and supported by the cord guide over which the tilt cord passes, and a cord extends downwardly from the pulley frame for shifting the pulley vertically to raise and lower the slats of the blind.

Claim 23

A Venetian blind as in claim 14 in combination with a double-glazed window which has a jamb channel that extends along a vertical edge of the space between the glazings, a wall of such channel being toward such space- wherein the improvement additionally comprises: the head-channel-attached fitting has a projecting portion through which the tilt and lift cords pass, the ladder-and-slat assembly is in the space between the glazings, said wall of the jamb channel is provided with an opening at a level close to the top of the space between the glazings, and the projecting portion of the head-channel-attached fitting extends through said opening.

Claim 24

A Venetian blind as in claim 14 in combination with a double-glazed window which has a jamb channel that extends along a vertical edge of the space between the glazings-wherein the improvement additionally comprises: the ladder-and-slat assembly is in the space between the glazings, the tilt and lift cords extend downwardly within the jamb channel, and means for manipulating the tilt and lift cords is located at a lower level within the jamb channel.

Claim 25

A Venetian blind as in claim 14 in combination with a double-glazed window which has a jamb channel that extends along a vertical edge of the space between the glazings- wherein the improvement additioNally comprises: the ladder-and-slat assembly is in the space between the glazings, the tilt and lift cords hang down within the jamb channel, a movable pulley-frame and pulley are located in the jamb channel below the level of the head of the blind, the down-hanging lift cords pass around the pulley and thence back upwardly and have their ends secured to the head of the blind, cord-manipulating means is located in the jamb channel at a level below the pulley-frame and pulley, and the tilt cords and the pulley-frame are operatively connected to the cord-manipulating means whereby, in response to the operation of the cord-manipulating means, the slats of the blind may be tilted and may be raised and lowered.