Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080245488 | SHUTTER-TYPE COVERING FOR ARCHITECTURAL OPENINGS - A Venetian-style window blind ( | 10-09-2008 |
20080286520 | NONWOVEN FABRIC AND METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING SAME - An apparatus for fabricating a unique nonwoven fabric which has the appearance of a woven fabric includes a supply station for parallel warp yarns, a support structure for orienting the parallel warp yarns into a cylindrical orientation, a weft yarn applicator for wrapping weft yarns around the cylindrically oriented warp yarns after an adhesive scrim has been overlaid onto the warp yarns, a heating station for activating the adhesive and a cooling station for setting the adhesive, and a cutter for severing the cylindrically formed fabric laminate so that it can be flattened and wrapped onto a take-up roller. The weft yarn applicator including a rotating drum wherein a plurality of spools of weft yarn material are mounted in circumferentially spaced relationship and a tensioner is provided for applying the weft yarn material around the warp yarns in a predetermined tension which may be the same as, greater than, or less than the tension in the warp yarns. | 11-20-2008 |
20090014115 | Nonwoven fabric and method and apparatus for manufacturing same - An apparatus for fabricating a unique nonwoven fabric which has the appearance of a woven fabric includes a supply station for parallel warp yarns, a support structure for orienting the parallel warp yarns into a cylindrical orientation, a weft yarn applicator for wrapping weft yarns around the cylindrically oriented warp yarns after an adhesive scrim has been overlaid onto the warp yarns, a heating station for activating the adhesive and a cooling station for setting the adhesive, and a cutter for severing the cylindrically formed fabric laminate so that it can be flattened and wrapped onto a take-up roller. The weft yarn applicator including a rotating drum wherein a plurality of spools of weft yarn material are mounted in circumferentially spaced relationship and a tensioner is provided for applying the weft yarn material around the warp yarns in a predetermined tension which may be the same as, greater than, or less than the tension in the warp yarns. | 01-15-2009 |
20090070974 | APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING NON-WOVEN FABRIC - An apparatus for applying weft yarns in a cross direction to warp yarns assembled on a beam in parallel aligned relationship and having an adhesive scrim thereon includes a supply roll of the warp yarns on such a beam which are fed downstream of the apparatus by first laying the warp yarns onto a transfer belt to reduce the tension in the yarns and controlling them for application of the weft yarns. A transfer belt and warp yarns are first folded between folding bars into a cylindrical configuration where they are formed around the perimeter of an elongated mandrel having a heated section at its upstream end and a cooling section at its downstream end. The adhesive scrim is softened as the warp yarns pass over the heated section of the mandrel and shortly thereafter, weft yarns are wrapped around the warp yarns and the supporting transfer belt within a rotating tube having a plurality of longitudinally and circumferentially spaced spools of weft yarn disposed on its outer surface. The yarns are fed upstream from the spool along the rotating tube on which they are mounted and pass through a tensioning apparatus to unify the tension in the various yarns running along the tube. The uniformly tensioned weft yarns pass through individual equally circumferentially spaced nozzles around the circumference of the rotating tube where the yarns are deposited onto a laydown ring having a sloped surface that urges the yarns downwardly so they are deposited around the cylindrical surface of the mandrel and onto the adhesive scrim on the outer surface of the warp yarns. After having been deposited on the warp yarns, the transfer belt moves the fabric having warp and weft yarns across the cooling section of the mandrel where the adhesive is set. Subsequently, a cutter severs the weft yarns in a longitudinal line along the bottom edge of the cylindrical fabric and a pair of unfolding rods move the transfer belt and fabric carried thereby from the cylindrical form in which the fabric was created to a flat sheet form. After flattened into elongated sheet form, the fabric is separated from the transfer belt and accumulated on a take up drum. | 03-19-2009 |
20100059186 | RETRACTABLE SHADE WITH COLLAPSIBLE VANES - A retractable cover for architectural openings having collapsible vanes includes a support structure in the form of a sheet of material, monofilaments, tapes, ribbons, cords, or the like, supporting an upper edge of a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontally extending vanes with the lower edges of the vanes in most embodiments of the invention being connected to operating elements adapted to raise the lower edges of each vane toward the upper edges to define openings or gaps between the vanes through which vision and light can pass in an open condition of the covering. Variations of the covering do not require movement of a lower edge of a vane relative to an upper edge but simply movement of some vanes relative to other vanes. The vanes can be made of materials having different flexibilities and where more rigid materials are used, creased fold lines can be established for desired operability. | 03-11-2010 |
20100126675 | RETRACTABLE SHADE FOR COVERINGS FOR ARCHITECTURAL OPENINGS - A retractable cellular shade is illustrated in various embodiments to consist of a support structure that could assume numerous forms including cellular material, flexible sheets of material, tapes or ribbons, or flexible monofilaments or similar cords of natural or synthetic fibers with the support structure supporting a plurality of vanes or slats in various configurations and orientations. The movement of the vanes or slats is totally dependent upon movement of the support structure. The fabric so formed can be incorporated into a covering for architectural openings with the covering including a headrail with means for gathering the fabric material within the headrail. | 05-27-2010 |
20100154783 | Solar Heating Blocks - A solar heating block, designed for use in assembling solar heating panels in the walls of buildings, has a first compartment and a second compartment within its interior volume. The first compartment contains a translucent insulating material, such as an aerogel. The second compartment, which is inward of the solar heating block from the first compartment, contains a heat-absorbing material. The translucent insulating material allows light to be transmitted through the solar heating block, but reduces heat loss to the exterior of the building from the heat-absorbing material. | 06-24-2010 |
20100276088 | RETRACTABLE SHADE FOR COVERINGS FOR ARCHITECTURAL OPENINGS - A retractable cellular shade is illustrated in various embodiments to consist of a support structure that could assume numerous forms including cellular material, flexible sheets of material, tapes or ribbons, or flexible monofilaments or similar cords of natural or synthetic fibers with the support structure supporting a plurality of vanes or slats in various configurations and orientations. The movement of the vanes or slats is totally dependent upon movement of the support structure. The fabric so formed can be incorporated into a covering for architectural openings with the covering including a headrail with means for gathering the fabric material within the headrail. | 11-04-2010 |
20100276089 | RETRACTABLE SHADE FOR COVERINGS FOR ARCHITECTURAL OPENINGS - A retractable cellular shade is illustrated in various embodiments to consist of a support structure that could assume numerous forms including cellular material, flexible sheets of material, tapes or ribbons, or flexible monofilaments or similar cords of natural or synthetic fibers with the support structure supporting a plurality of vanes or slats in various configurations and orientations. The movement of the vanes or slats is totally dependent upon movement of the support structure. The fabric so formed can be incorporated into a covering for architectural openings with the covering including a headrail with means for gathering the fabric material within the headrail. | 11-04-2010 |
20110000628 | MODULAR TRANSPORT SYSTEM FOR COVERINGS FOR ARCHITECTURAL OPENINGS - A modular blind transport system for a window blind application. The complete system may be assembled from a relatively small number of individual modules to obtain working systems for a very wide range of applications, including especially a category of counterbalanced blinds wherein a relatively small external input force may be used to raise or lower the blind, and/or to open or close the blind. | 01-06-2011 |
20110132553 | SINGLE-TRACK STACKING PANEL COVERING FOR AN ARCHITECTURAL OPENING - A stacking panel covering for an architectural opening includes a headrail and a plurality of suspended from the headrail. The panels form an overlapped stack at one end of the headrail when the stacking panel covering is opened, and cover the architectural opening when the stacking panel covering is closed. The panels are piggybacked on those adjacent thereto, so that they stack, one behind the next, when the stacking panel covering is opened, and so that each pulls the next adjacent thereto as the stacking panel covering is being closed. The panels themselves may be planar, or convexly curved in a horizontal direction and substantially straight in a vertical direction. | 06-09-2011 |
20110146664 | SOLAR HEATING CELLS AND SUPPORT APPARATUS THEREFOR - A solar heating cell includes a core substantially in the form of a parallelepiped having two open sides. O-rings are disposed within channels running about the edges of the two open sides and glass plates are clamped with compression clips to the two open sides forming air and watertight seals with the O-rings. The solar heating cell is filled with a liquid mixture, primarily water. A solar heating panel is made by mounting a number of the solar heating cells on a support apparatus in an opening through an external wall of a building. | 06-23-2011 |
20110146922 | ROLL-UP RETRACTABLE COVERING FOR ARCHITECTURAL OPENINGS - A retractable covering for an architectural opening includes a headrail in which a control system is mounted and a fabric suspended from the headrail. The fabric is mounted to be moved laterally between a rolled up retracted position and an extended position across the architectural opening. At least one roller about which the fabric can be wrapped is mounted at an end of the headrail for rotation about a vertical axis, and the system includes a flexible control element that is substantially horizontally disposed for moving the covering between extended and retracted positions. | 06-23-2011 |
20110195206 | TRANSLUCENT INSULATED GLASS PANEL - A translucent insulated glass panel includes first and second glass plates separated from one another by a spacer. Together with the spacer, the first and second glass plates form a closed cavity. The closed cavity is filled with a translucent insulating material, preferably an aerogel material. The latter is in a compressed state, so that it will not settle over the course of time to produce an empty space or gap at the top of the panel. | 08-11-2011 |
20110220303 | SLATTED ROLLER BLIND - A roller blind is disclosed which provides horizontal slats for directional shading, enabling the application of a screen fabric which allows a greater portion of visible light to pass therethrough. The disclosed slatted roller blind is free from the usage of ladder cords and is simplistic in design. The disclosed slatted roller blind maintains a compact formation of a roller shade when retracted and has greater resistance to skewing along the longitudinal axis of the roller while being retracted. Furthermore, the disclosed slatted roller blind design is capable of being utilized as an outdoor or indoor blind. | 09-15-2011 |
20110290430 | SINGLE-TRACK STACKING PANEL COVERING FOR AN ARCHITECTURAL OPENING - A single-track stacking panel covering for an architectural opening has a headrail for mounting the covering above and in front of the opening, such as a window or door. The headrail has a single track. Suspended from the headrail and translatable therealong are panels oriented at a small angle relative to the headrail. When the covering is open, the panels form an overlappingly stacked array at one end of the headrail. | 12-01-2011 |
20120097152 | SOLAR HEATING BLOCKS - A solar heating block, designed for use in assembling solar heating panels in the walls of buildings, has a first compartment and a second compartment within its interior volume. The first compartment contains a translucent insulating material, such as an aerogel. The second compartment, which is inward of the solar heating block from the first compartment, contains a heat-absorbing material. The translucent insulating material allows light to be transmitted through the solar heating block, but reduces heat loss to the exterior of the building from the heat-absorbing material. | 04-26-2012 |
20120125540 | NONWOVEN FABRIC AND METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING SAME - An apparatus for fabricating a nonwoven fabric having the appearance of a woven fabric includes a supply station for parallel warp yarns, a support structure for orienting the parallel warp yarns into a cylindrical orientation, a weft yarn applicator for wrapping weft yarns around the cylindrically oriented warp yarns after an adhesive scrim has been overlaid onto the warp yarns, a heating station for activating the adhesive and a cooling station for setting the adhesive, and a cutter for severing the cylindrically formed fabric laminate so that it can be flattened and wrapped onto a take-up roller. A warp yarn alignment station includes two sets of rollers spaced apart to allow the warp yarns to pass between the two sets of rollers, wherein the of rollers are over-driven to provide a roller surface speed greater than a predetermined speed of the warp yarns. | 05-24-2012 |
20120193040 | RETRACTABLE SHADE WITH COLLAPSIBLE VANES - A retractable cover for architectural openings having collapsible vanes includes a support structure in the form of a sheet of material, monofilaments, tapes, ribbons, cords, or the like, supporting an upper edge of a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontally extending vanes with the lower edges of the vanes in most embodiments of the invention being connected to operating elements adapted to raise the lower edges of each vane toward the upper edges to define openings or gaps between the vanes through which vision and light can pass in an open condition of the covering. Variations of the covering do not require movement of a lower edge of a vane relative to an upper edge but simply movement of some vanes relative to other vanes. The vanes can be made of materials having different flexibilities and where more rigid materials are used, creased fold lines can be established for desired operability. | 08-02-2012 |
20120291967 | SINGLE-TRACK STACKING PANEL COVERING FOR AN ARCHITECTURAL OPENING - A stacking panel covering for an architectural opening includes a headrail and a plurality of suspended from the headrail. The panels form an overlapped stack at one end of the headrail when the stacking panel covering is opened, and cover the architectural opening when the stacking panel covering is closed. The panels are piggybacked on those adjacent thereto, so that they stack, one behind the next, when the stacking panel covering is opened, and so that each pulls the next adjacent thereto as the stacking panel covering is being closed. The panels themselves may be planar, or convexly curved in a horizontal direction and substantially straight in a vertical direction. | 11-22-2012 |
20120318465 | INSULATING SHADE FOR COVERING AN ARCHITECTURAL OPENING - An insulating shade assembly for an architectural opening includes a roller and an insulating shade. The insulating shade includes a shade core attached to and between first and second outer shade sheets. The shade core includes a number of inner shade sheets which are stacked upon one another and attached to one another in an offset manner. The shade core is expanded by moving the first and second outer shade sheets relative to one another, creating a number of cells for insulating air. | 12-20-2012 |
20130061846 | SOLAR ENERGY COLLECTOR AND THERMAL STORAGE DEVICE - A solar energy collector and thermal storage device for placement in a building's exterior architectural opening is provided, having an insulating cavity including a first lite on the device exterior side and a second lite spaced inwardly therefrom, defining a depth of the insulating cavity, and being substantially filled with an insulating gas. A provided thermal storage cavity includes the second lite and a third lite spaced inwardly therefrom, defining a depth of the thermal storage cavity which is at least the same size as the insulating cavity depth, and is substantially filled with a thermal storage medium, which is a hydrogel adhering to the second lite and the third lite and having cohesion characteristics such that it is self supporting and maintains its shape within the thermal storage cavity. A low-emissivity coating disposed on the insulating cavity side of the second lite inhibits exterior thermal radiation transfer. | 03-14-2013 |
20130098565 | UNITARY ASSEMBLY FOR AN ARCHITECTURAL FENESTRATION, PROVIDING DYNAMIC SOLAR HEAT GAIN CONTROL - The present disclosure is related to a unitary assembly for an architectural fenestration, providing dynamic solar heat gain control, which (1) provides a track-based frame structure/blind combination in which the blind is self-correcting should the blind material fall outside of the track; (2) provides directional shading, where the assembly provides for dynamically controlling the amount of light allowed to reach the heat storage unit; (3) provides a blind motor without limiter switches and with a quick-release slip-ring; and (4) provides a heat storage unit which is a thermally efficient, transparent and translucent structure, with which gain from sunny winter days is greater than nighttime loss, so as to provide supplemental heat. | 04-25-2013 |
20130105094 | Process And System For Manufacturing A Roller Blind | 05-02-2013 |
20130118082 | SHUTTER WITH FIELD SERVICEABLE LOUVERS - A shutter is disclosed having plural substantially similar louvers, including a first louver having a first louver end, with a first end cap molded with a first gear projecting away from the louver. The louver includes a second louver end, widthwise opposing the first end, having a retractable boss projecting away from the louver. A frame includes a first stile and a widthwise opposing second stile, a top rail and a height-wise opposing bottom rail, defining a shutter fenestration. The first stile has a first widthwise inner-facing wall, which has plural height-wise spaced gear openings, each releasably receiving one gear and having a diameter that is at least as large as an addendum circle for the gear. The second stile has a second widthwise inner-facing wall, which has plural height-wise spaced boss openings for releasably receiving one retractable boss. Accordingly, the louvers are removably disposed in the shutter fenestration. | 05-16-2013 |
20130139977 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MAKING A WINDOW COVERING HAVING OPERABLE VANES - An apparatus and associated method for manufacturing a window covering for an architectural opening. The apparatus includes a support structure handling assembly, an operating element handling assembly, and a vane handling assembly. The handling assemblies process the respective materials to an assembly station to attach one portion of a vane to the operating elements, and another portion of the vane to the support structure, allowing movement of one portion of the vane relative to other portion of the vane. | 06-06-2013 |
20140034251 | COVERING FOR ARCHITECTURAL OPENING INCLUDING THERMOFORMABLE SLAT VANES - A covering for an architectural opening including a support tube and a panel operably connected to the support tube and configured to be wound around the support tube. The panel includes a support sheet and at least one vane or slat connected to the support sheet. The at least one vane includes a vane material operably connected to a first side of the support sheet and a support member operably connected to the vane material and configured to support the vane material at a distance away from the support sheet when the panel is in an extended position with respect to the support tube. | 02-06-2014 |
20140053989 | COVERING FOR ARCHITECTURAL OPENING INCLUDING CELL STRUCTURES BIASED TO OPEN - A covering for an architectural opening including a support tube and a panel operably connected to the support tube and configured to be wound around the support tube. The panel includes a support sheet and at least one cell operably connected to the support sheet. The at least one cell includes a vane material operably connected to a first side of the support sheet and a cell support member operably connected to the vane material and configured to support the vane material at a distance away from the support sheet when the panel is in an extended position with respect to the support tube. | 02-27-2014 |
20140096915 | RETRACTABLE SHADE WITH COLLAPSIBLE VANES - A retractable cover for architectural openings having collapsible vanes includes a support structure in the form of a sheet of material, monofilaments, tapes, ribbons, cords, or the like, supporting an upper edge of a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontally extending vanes with the lower edges of the vanes in most embodiments of the invention being connected to operating elements adapted to raise the lower edges of each vane toward the upper edges to define openings or gaps between the vanes through which vision and light can pass in an open condition of the covering. Variations of the covering do not require movement of a lower edge of a vane relative to an upper edge but simply movement of some vanes relative to other vanes. The vanes can be made of materials having different flexibilities and where more rigid materials are used, creased fold lines can be established for desired operability. | 04-10-2014 |
20140138037 | COVERING FOR ARCHITECTURAL OPENINGS WITH COORDINATED VANE SETS - A covering for an architectural opening including a roller, an end rail, and a panel rotatable onto the roller and spanning between the roller and the end rail. The panel includes a front sheet, a rear sheet, and a cell spanning between the front and rear sheet. When the front sheet is at a first position relative to the rear sheet, the cell is open. When the front sheet is at a second position relative to the rear sheet, the cell is closed. | 05-22-2014 |
20140262071 | ROLL-UP COVERINGS FOR ARCHITECTURAL OPENINGS AND RELATED METHODS, SYSTEMS AND DEVICES - The disclosure provides roll-up coverings for an architectural opening, and various embodiments of ladder tapes. Embodiments of the roll-up covering include a roller, a first outer elongate tape, a first inner elongate tape and a plurality of slats disposed between the outer and inner elongate tapes. The first inner elongate tape can further defines a plurality of collapsible hinge segments disposed along the length of the first inner elongate tape. The collapsible hinge segments can be configured to collapse in order to decrease the effective length of the first inner elongate tape when the first inner elongate tape is rolled up around the roller. The collapsible hinge segments can further be configured to expand in order to increase the effective length of the first inner elongate tape when the roll-up covering is unrolled from the roller. | 09-18-2014 |
20140262078 | METHODS AND APPARATUS TO CONTROL AN ARCHITECTURAL OPENING COVERING ASSEMBLY - Methods and apparatus to control an architectural opening covering assembly are disclosed herein. An example method disclosed herein includes determining a position of a covering of an architectural opening covering assembly. The example method further includes determining a speed at which the covering is to move via a motor based on the position and a period of time. The example method also includes operating a motor to move the covering at the speed. | 09-18-2014 |
20140290870 | METHODS AND APPARATUS TO CONTROL ARCHITECTURAL OPENING COVERING ASSEMBLIES - Methods and apparatus to control architectural opening covering assemblies are disclosed herein. An example architectural opening covering assembly includes a manual controller operatively coupled to a tube to rotate the tube. The tube includes an architectural opening covering. The example architectural opening covering assembly also includes a motor operatively coupled to the tube to rotate the tube. A local controller is communicatively coupled to the motor to control the motor. The example architectural opening covering assembly further includes a gravitational sensor to determine an angular position of the tube. | 10-02-2014 |
20140299281 | ROLL-UP RETRACTABLE COVERING FOR ARCHITECTURAL OPENINGS - A retractable covering for an architectural opening includes a headrail in which a control system is mounted and a fabric suspended from the headrail. The fabric is mounted to be moved laterally between a rolled up retracted position and an extended position across the architectural opening. At least one roller about which the fabric can be wrapped is mounted at an end of the headrail for rotation about a vertical axis, and the system includes a flexible control element that is substantially horizontally disposed for moving the covering between extended and retracted positions. | 10-09-2014 |
20150047794 | SINGLE-TRACK STACKING PANEL COVERING FOR AN ARCHTECTURAL OPENING - A single-track stacking panel covering for an architectural opening has a headrail for mounting the covering above and in front of the opening, such as a window or door. The headrail has a single track. Suspended from the headrail and translatable therealong are panels oriented at a small angle relative to the headrail. When the covering is open, the panels form an overlappingly stacked array at one end of the headrail. | 02-19-2015 |