(19)
(11) EP 2 891 434 B1

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION

(45) Mention of the grant of the patent:
10.05.2017 Bulletin 2017/19

(21) Application number: 14461502.8

(22) Date of filing: 07.01.2014
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC): 
A47H 1/13(2006.01)
E06B 9/50(2006.01)
E06B 9/42(2006.01)

(54)

Roller blind cover and connector for the roller blind cover

Rollladenabdeckung und Verbinder für Rollladenabdeckung

Couverture de store et connecteur de couverture de store


(84) Designated Contracting States:
AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR

(43) Date of publication of application:
08.07.2015 Bulletin 2015/28

(73) Proprietor: Decora Spolka Akcyjna
63-000 Sroda Wielkopolska (PL)

(72) Inventor:
  • Muszy ski, Maciej
    63-000 roda Wielkopolska (PL)

(74) Representative: Lisiecki, Wojciech 
Sciegiennego 118
60-304 Poznan
60-304 Poznan (PL)


(56) References cited: : 
EP-A2- 2 031 177
DE-U1- 9 403 196
US-A- 1 892 787
DE-U1- 8 900 259
US-A- 1 873 028
US-A- 1 906 662
   
       
    Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to the European patent granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention).


    Description


    [0001] The invention relates to a roller window blind cover and to a connector for the blind cover with a design enabling repeated assembly and disassembly.

    [0002] Known roller window blind covers are intended for a specific blind design. It is particularly strenuous in case of roller blinds with a design enabling adjustment of the blind width to requirements resulting from the width of the object they are installed on, as either it requires creation of a whole size range of covers with various lengths, or the structures require complicated installation procedures.

    [0003] From the description of the utility model DE8900259 a blind cover is known, characterised in that the blind is mounted on protrusions placed on supports fixing the blind to the wall or to the window recess, while each support features two furrows into which the frontal part of the cover is slid. In this solution, the cover is closely linked to the design of the entire blind-cover system.

    [0004] Patent US1906662 discloses a blind cover in the form of curved strips which are fixed to the wall using special supporting means onto which cover ends are properly slid. Cross-section of the covers has a form of an incompletely closed ellipse, so that inside the profile there is a duct into which an element is slid, whose other end is terminated with hooks slid into the wall element. The solution requires fixing of many elements to the wall.

    [0005] In patent US1873028, a cover is presented in the form of two parallel profiles with the cross-section in the form of a flattened ellipse whose ends are slid onto special protrusions on the plate fixed to the wall, with the blind fixed on the said plate.

    [0006] In known designs of blind covers, in case of a change in the cover length, it is necessary to perform complex technical operations, for instance cutting, drilling, tapping. These operations are troublesome as they are generally performed under unprofessional conditions in the place of installation of roller blinds and their covers. It leads usually to a deterioration of aesthetic qualities of such covers.

    [0007] The goal of the invention was to create a simple design of a blind cover enabling quick and simple assembly with a possibility to change the cover's length.

    [0008] The invention relates to a blind cover according to the subject-matter of independent claim 1 including a decorative strip and a connector. The decorative strip is constituted by a profile, preferably made of metal, the profile having decorative elements on its exterior surface and sides, and at least one pass-through duct with a rectangular cross-section on its internal surface, while the external wall of the rectangle contains a longitudinal recess forming longitudinal protrusions directed into the duct along both sides. In a preferred version of the invention, the duct is located symmetrically along the strip's axis. In such a case, it is possible to use the same connectors both on the right and the left side of the cover. When the duct is located asymmetrically, it is necessary to use two analogous but different connectors: a right-sided one and a left-sided one.

    [0009] In a preferred version, the profile has additional pass-through ducts reinforcing and bracing the profile's structure. The strip is divided into three sections, with two of them having equal length and constituting the sides of the cover, while one end of the cover's side is cut at an angle of 90°, and the other one - at an angle of 45°. The length of the third section may be chosen freely according to the needs, while before assembly, its both ends are cut at an angle of 45°.

    [0010] The connector consists of two parts, namely a wall part and a corner.

    [0011] The wall part comprises a cuboidal casing with a shape adjusted to the shape of the duct of the decorative strip's profile, i.e. two grooves run along the whole casing wall part, the grooves having the longitudinal protrusions of the duct of the decorative strip's profile inserted into. From the external side, there is a furrow along the wall part, having a catch pawl of the corner inserted into during the assembly. In the furrow, there is a system of lateral grooves, for engaging the connector's tip of the corner. In the wall part's casing, there is an opening for unlocking of the connection of the corner's catch pawl. On the casing, from the internal side, there are elements enabling connection with the roller blind. The casing of the wall part has wall installation elements for installation of the cover on a wall.

    [0012] The corner consists of two rectangular prisms situated perpendicularly to one another, with shapes adjusted to the cross-section of the decorative strip's profile, while from one of the rectangular prisms, a catch pawl with a catch pawl's tip protrudes. The catch pawl width is no longer than the width of the wall part duct corresponding to it, and its length is such that the catch pawl's tip fits into the opening on the wall part and locks the connection of both parts after connection of the corner part with the wall part. The length of the catch pawl is of high importance for maintaining proper flexibility, which in turn influences the quality of the connection of both parts during and after assembly. To this end, in a preferred version, in order to lengthen the catch pawl at its base in the cuboidal part, there are additional furrows at both sides of the catch pawl, making the catch pawl longer than it would result from the nominal distance between its end and the end of the cuboidal part.

    [0013] The cuboidal parts of the corner part may comprise additional reinforcing ribs, performing an auxiliary function of formation of ducts, through which, for instance, low-voltage cables for LED lighting may be fed.

    [0014] The assembly of the blind cover according to the invention consists in the following sequence of operations:
    • selecting a proper finished section of the frontal part of the blind cover or cutting a decorative strip to a proper length, installation of wall parts on a wall,
    • sliding of side decorative strips onto the wall parts,
    • sliding of the corner parts into the internal duct of the frontal part of the decorative strip,
    • sliding of other ends of the corner parts into the duct formed between the wall parts and the side decorative strips and locking by sliding of the catch pawl tips into the openings in the wall parts.


    [0015] In the second aspect, the invention relates to a connector for wall and frontal elements of blind covers.

    [0016] The connector according to the invention consists of two parts, namely a wall part and a corner.

    [0017] The wall part comprises a cuboidal casing, having two longitudinal grooves on both sides, the grooves having the longitudinal protrusions of the duct of the decorative strip's profile inserted into. From the external side, there is a furrow along the wall part, having a catch pawl of the corner inserted into during assembly. In the furrow, there is a system of lateral grooves, for engaging the connector's tip of the corner. In the wall part's casing, there is an opening for unlocking of the connection of the corner's catch pawl. On the casing, from the internal side, there are elements enabling connection with the roller blind. The casing of the wall part has wall installation elements for installation of the cover on a wall.

    [0018] The corner consists of two rectangular prisms situated perpendicularly to one another, with shapes adjusted to the cross-section of the decorative strip's profile, while from one of the rectangular prisms, a catch pawl with a catch pawl's tip protrudes. The catch pawl width is no longer than the width of the wall part duct corresponding to it, and its length is such as to the catch pawl's tip fits into the opening on the wall part and locks the connection of both parts after connection of the corner with the wall part. The length of the catch pawl is of high importance for maintaining proper flexibility, which in turn influences the quality of the connection of both parts during and after assembly. To this end, in a preferred version, in order to lengthen the catch pawl at its base in the cuboidal part, there are additional furrows at both sides of the catch pawl, making the catch pawl longer than it would result from the nominal distance between its end and the end of the cuboidal part. The cuboidal parts of the corner part may comprise additional reinforcing ribs.

    [0019] The subject of the invention is presented by the way of embodiments that illustrate but do not limit the scope of the invention.

    [0020] In the drawings, the individual Figures show:
    • Figure 1 - a general view of the blind cover,
    • Figures 2 and 3 - structural details of the wall part,
    • Figure 4 - a magnification of detail "A" from Figure 3,
    • Figures 5, 6 and 7 - structural details of the connector's corner,
    • Figure 8 - a construction version of the connector's corner,
    • Figures 9 and 10 - the connector in a position before connection in a view without the front cover,
    • Figures 11 and 12 - placement of the corner in the front cover,
    • Figures 13 and 14 - a sequence of steps for connection wall part with the cover,
    • Figures 15, 16 and 17 - a sequence of steps for connection of the individual parts of the blind cover,
    • Figure 18 - an example of utilisation of the blind cover for installation of electrical cables.


    [0021] In Figure 1, a blind cover is shown, the cover including a front cover (1), side covers (2, 2'), and connectors (3, 3'). The connectors (3,3') consists of a wall part (4) and a corner (5). The front cover (1) and the side covers (2, 2') are made of an aluminium profile, having a centrally located duct (6) and two side ducts (7, 7') on its internal side. The front cover (1) has both ends cut at an angle of 45° so that the internal length of the front cover (1) is shorter. The side covers (2, 2') are cut on one end at an angle of 45° so that their internal length is shorter. The wall part (4) of the connector (3) is slid into the duct (6) of the front cover (1), and the corner (5) is slid into the duct (6) of the side cover (2).

    [0022] Structural details of the wall part (4) of the connector are shown in Figures 2 and 3. The wall part (4) of the connector is composed of a casing (8), a wall installation element (9), and an element for connection with the blind (10). Along the casing (8), two grooves (11, 11') run, intended for mounting the wall part in the duct (6) of the blind cover. In the casing, there is an opening (12) intended for unlocking the connection with the corner (5). The wall installation element (9) has properly formed sockets (13, 13') for heads of bolts or screws and recesses (14, 14') for bolts or screws. Such a shaping of the recesses (14, 14') allows a free assembly of the wall part (4) onto a wall without a necessity for precise preparation of fixing elements in the wall, such as expansion plugs. The element for connection with the blind (10) has an opening (15) for elements connecting the wall part (4) with the roller blind. The casing (8) has a recess (16) from its internal side.

    [0023] The internal structure of the wall part (4) is shown in Figure 3. The recess (16) runs through the whole length and it is terminated in a plate with a recess (17) from the wall side. Through the recess, for instance electrical cables for LED lighting installed from the internal side of the cover may be fed. There is an opening (18) in the casing, located on the axis of the opening (15) in the element for connection of the cover with the blind (10). On the internal surface of the casing (8), there is a system of offsets (19), with fronts facing the wall. The offsets are intended for connection with the corner (5) of the connector. In Figure 4, a magnification of detail A from Figure 3 is shown.

    [0024] The corner (5) of the connector (3), shown in Figures 5, 6 and 7 in three views, consists of two parts (20, 21) perpendicular to one another, and both these parts have an external outline corresponding to the shape of the central duct (6) of the front cover (1) and side covers (2, 2'). The corner (5) has ribs (22, 22', 23, 23', 24, 24') reinforcing its structure, and moreover it has an additional rib (25) reinforcing the connection of both parts of the corner (5). Part (21) has a catch pawl (26) intended for connection of the corner with the wall part (4) of the connector (3). In its terminal part, the catch pawl (26) has a tip (27) in the form of a half of an arrow with a cant from the external side of the corner (5), and from its internal side, a protrusion (28) is formed, intended for engaging the offsets (19) of the wall part (4). At the both sides of the catch pawl (26), there are furrows (29, 29') elongating the catch pawl (26), therefore it is more flexible, what favourably influences its operating qualities.

    [0025] These recesses are not necessary but they are preferable. In Figure 8, a version of the corner (5) without the recesses at the base of the catch pawl (26) is shown.

    [0026] In Figure 9, a connector (3) is shown in a position before connection in a view without the front cover. The catch pawl (26) of the corner is slid into the furrow (16) in the wall part (4), and next, as it is shown in Figure 10, the tip (27) of the catch pawl (26) slides onto the system of offsets (19) of the wall part (4); then, after pushing to its terminal position, the protrusion (28) on the tip (27) locks itself on one of the offsets (19).

    [0027] In Figures 11 and 12, placement of the corner (5) in the front cover (1) is shown; the corner (5) is slid into the duct (16) of the front cover's profile so that the catch pawl (26) is directed outwards.

    [0028] In Figures 13 and 14, a sequence of steps of introduction of the wall part (4) to the duct (16') in the side cover's profile (2) is shown. The wall part is introduced into the side cover (2) from the side of the perpendicular cant.

    [0029] In Figures 15, 16 and 17, a sequence of steps for connection of the individual parts of the blind cover is shown, while, for the sake of clarity, the fact that the side cover (2) is fixed via the wall part (4) to the wall has been omitted. In the first step (Figure 15), the front part (1) with the corner (5) is positioned perpendicularly to the side cover (2) with the catch pawl (26) oriented towards the side cover (2). Then, the free end (21) of the corner (5) is slid into the duct (6') of the side cover (2) pushing home, and in this position, the protrusion (28) on the tip (27) engages the offsets (19) in the wall part (4). The assembly of the blind cover is finished, being shown in Figure 17.

    [0030] In Figure 18, an example of utilisation of the duct (6, 6'), the furrow (16) in the wall part (4), and the ducts in the corner (5) for feeding a low-voltage cable for LED lighting is shown.


    Claims

    1. A blind cover, which consists of a decorative strip (1, 2, 2') that has at least one pass-through duct (6) with a rectangular cross-section from its internal side, whereby in the outside wall of the rectangle there is a longitudinal recess, which forms longitudinal protrusions on both sides, directed into the inside of the duct, and furthermore the decorative strip is divided into three sections connected by means of a connector (3) which consists of a wall part (4) and a corner (5), whereby the wall part (4) is a rectangular prism with a shape adapted to the shape of the duct (6) of the decorative strip (1, 2, 2'), and two grooves (11, 11') run along the whole casing (8) of the wall part (4), wherein there is an opening (12) in the casing (8) of the wall part (4) for characterized in that there is a furrow unlocking the connection with the corner (5); characterized in that there is a furrow (16) for a corner's catch pawl (26) along the wall part (4) from its internal side, and in that there is a system of offsets (19) on the internal surface of the casing (8), with the offset fronts facing the wall, while the corner (5) consists of two rectangular prisms (20, 21) oriented perpendicularly to one another with the shape adjusted to the cross-section of the decorative strip's profile (1, 2, 2'), and a catch pawl (26) with a catch pawl's tip (27) protrudes from one of the rectangular prisms.
     
    2. A cover according to claim 1 characterised in that there are two furrows (29, 29') in the corner (5) at the sides of the base of the catch pawl (26).
     
    3. A cover according to claim 1 or 2 characterised in that the corner (5) has additional reinforcing ribs (22, 22', 23, 23').
     


    Ansprüche

    1. Eine Rollladenabdeckung, die aus einem dekorativen Seil (1,2,2') besteht, das aus dem Inneren mindestens eine Durchführung (6) mit rechteckigem Querschnitt hat, wobei sich in der Außenwand des Rechtecks eine Vertiefung in Längsrichtung befindet, die auf beiden Seiten Vorwölbungen in Längsrichtung bildet, die in das Innere der Führung gerichtet sind, und darüber hinaus ein dekoratives Seil, das in drei Abschnitte unterteilt ist, die mithilfe eines Verbindungsstücks (3) verbunden sind, das aus einem Wandteil (4) und einer Kante (5) besteht, wobeider Wandteil (4) ein rechteckiges Prisma mit einer Form ist, die an die Form des Führungsschachts (6) des dekorativen Seilzuges (1, 2, 2') angepasst ist und zwei Nuten (11, 11') hat, die entlang des Gehäuses (8) des Wandteils (4) verlaufen, und wo sich eine Öffnung (12) im Gehäuse (8) des Wandteils (4) befindet, um die Verbindung mit der Kante (5) zu lösen, die dadurch gekennzeichnet ist, dass sich dort eine Rille (16) für eine Sperrklinke (26) in der Kante entlang des Wandteils (4) von der Innenseite her befindet, und das es ein System von Ausgleichen (19) an der Innenseite des Gehäuses (8) gibt, die zur Wand gerichtet sind, während die Kante (5) aus zwei rechteckigen Prismen (20, 21) besteht, die im rechten Winkel zueinander angeordnet sind und deren Form an den Durchschnitt des Profils des dekorativen Seils (1, 2, 2') angepasst ist, und eine Sperrklinke (26) mit der Sperrklinkenspitze (27), die aus einem der rechteckigen Prismen hervorragt.
     
    2. Abdeckung entsprechend Anspruch 1, gekennzeichnet dadurch, dass sie über zwei Rillen (29, 29') in der Kante (5) an den Seiten der Grundplatte der Sperrklinke (26) verfügt.
     
    3. Abdeckung entsprechend Anspruch 1 oder 2, gekennzeichnet dadurch, dass die Kante (5) zusätzliche Verstärkungsrippen (22, 22', 23, 23') hat.
     


    Revendications

    1. Un couvercle borgne, qui se compose d'une bande décorative (1,2,2') qui présente au moins un passage traversant (6) avec une section transversale rectangulaire par rapport à son côté interne, de sorte que, dans la paroi extérieure du rectangle, il y a une découpe longitudinale, qui forme des saillies longitudinales des deux côtés, dirigée vers l'intérieur du conduit, et en outre la bande décorative est divisée en trois sections connectées par l'intermédiaire d'un connecteur (3) qui est constituée d'une partie de paroi (4) et d'un coin (5), avec la partie de la paroi (4) qui est un prisme rectangulaire avec une forme adaptée au conduit (6) de la bande décorative (1, 2, 2'), et deux rainures (11, 11') qui s'étendent le long de tout le boîtier (8) de la partie de paroi (4), qui arbore une ouverture (12) dans le boîtier (8) de la partie de la paroi (4) pour déverrouiller la connexion avec le coin (5) caractérisé par un sillon (16) pour un cliquet d'arrêt d'angle (26) le long de la partie de la paroi (4) depuis son côté interne, et avec un système de méplats (19) sur la surface interne du boîtier (8), avec des méplats à profil en regard de la paroi, tandis que le coin (5) est constitué de deux prismes rectangulaires (20, 21) orientés perpendiculairement l'un par rapport à l'autre avec la forme ajustée à la section transversale du profil de la bande décorative (1, 2, 2'), et un cliquet d'arrêt (26) avec une pointe de cliquet d'arrêt (27) qui dépasse de l'un des prismes rectangulaires.
     
    2. Un couvercle selon la revendication 1 caractérisé en ce qu'il y a deux sillons (29, 29') dans le coin (5) sur les côtés de la base du cliquet d'arrêt (26).
     
    3. Un couvercle selon la revendication 1 ou 2 caractérisé en ce que le coin (5) présente des nervures de renfort supplémentaires (22, 22 ', 23, 23').
     




    Drawing
































    Cited references

    REFERENCES CITED IN THE DESCRIPTION



    This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only. It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.

    Patent documents cited in the description