GB2413260A - A curtain heading system and glider therefore - Google Patents

Abstract

The curtain heading system comprises a tubular track 2 supporting a series of gliders 6 interlinked by a cord 40. Each glider comprises an opening 20 and the cord is attached to each glider with the aid of a peg 34 that is a snap fit in the opening, the glider further comprising a top surface 30 which constrains the cord to extend at an angle upwardly from its point(s) of attachment to the glider. Hooks (Fig.9) are attached each at one end to an eye 12 formed at the lower part of the glider, and at the other end to one of a series of pockets (104, Fig.8) formed in the heading tape (2, 102, Fig.8). The distance between the hooks when the tape is laid flat, relative to the spacing between the gliders as defined by their attachment points to the cord, constrains the curtain to hang in a regular sinuous pattern.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO CURTAIN HEADING SYSTEMS

This invention relates to a curtain heading system which is arranged to cause a curtain to hang in regular, sinuous corrugations when closed.

It is known to support a curtain from a curtain track using curtain hooks suspended from gliders which travel along the curtain track. The curtain may be drawn from a stacked, open position at one side of a window into a closed position covering the window or part of it. Typically, the curtain hangs in a pinch, pencil pleat or goblet style. The curtain may be drawn between open and closed positions using a cord which extends parallel to the curtain track and is coupled to a fitting at the movable, vertical edge of the curtain. With certain known curtain heading systems the cord tends to droop below the curtain track and this detracts from the appearance of the curtain.

An object of the present invention is to arrange for the curtain to hang in regular, sinuous corrugations when closed, and for the cord to be kept out of sight. This results in a neater, more attractive and contemporary appearance. Another object of the invention is to enable the user to select the fullness of the curtain, and the degree to which the corrugations are either relatively tight or relatively open when the curtain is closed and the depth of the corrugations.

To meet these objects, a curtain heading system proposed according to one aspect of the invention comprises a tubular curtain track (as hereinafter defined) and a series of gliders supported by the track for movement along it. A glider cord extends within the curtain track and gliders are attached to it at equal distances apart. The inter-glider spacing measured between the points of attachment of curtain hooks to adjacent gliders) when the cord is taut is chosen in accordance with the desired tightness of the corrugations, in other words the number of corrugations per unit length, for a particular installation. Curtain hooks are fitted into pockets in a heading tape secured to the curtain, so that the hooks are arranged at equal distances apart, the inter-hook spacing being chosen in accordance with the desired depth of the corrugations, in the sense of the amplitude of the corrugations. In order to achieve a desirable corrugated appearance of the closed curtain, the ratio between the inter-hook spacing and the inter-glider spacing lies within a predetermined range, and the value of this ratio may be regarded as determining the degree of fullness of the closed curtain.

The heading tape is of such stiffness and resilience that, in the fully extended condition of the system, with the curtain closed, as well as with the curtain partly open, the curtain is caused to hang in regular, sinuous corrugations without developing creases as the curtain is repeatedly drawn closed and open. In addition to the attractive corrugated appearance of the curtain, advantages of the proposed system are that the curtain may lie flat when taken down for ironing, for example, and that standard industry curtain hooks may be used.

To overcome the problem that the cord may droop, another aspect of the invention provides for the cord within the tubular curtain track to be attached to each glider in such a way that it is constrained to extend upwardly from the point of attachment. The track may be of circular, oval, rectangular or other cross- section. The expression "tubular curtain track" is therefore to be understood to be used herein in this general sense.

The construction of the gliders described herein is also such that they are devoid of those parts present in the known system which detract from their appearance.

This, coupled with the fact that the cord does not droop between the gliders, contributes to a very neat system. Herein, the expression "glider" means a component movable along a curtain track and used to support a curtain hook. A glider may be arranged to slide on or in the track, or travel along it on wheels or rollers. In a preferred but nonlimiting embodiment to be described with reference to the drawings, gliders are used which are retained and guided for sliding movement by the edges of a slot in a tubular curtain track. The expression "cord" is also to be understood in a general sense to refer to any elongate element capable of performing the function described herein, and may be in the form of a textile cord, synthetic filament, tape or wire.

In connection with assembling the curtain heading system described above, it is necessary to form a string of gliders by fitting the gliders to the cord at regular spacings. According to a further aspect of the invention, a body portion of a glider has a bore in which the cord is positioned and held in place by a peg which is inserted into the bore and is a snap-fit therein. The distal end of the peg may have a groove for receiving a loop in the cord, and an enlarged portion which engages a shoulder of the body portion to hold the peg in place.

In the drawings: Figure 1A is a diagrammatic side view, partly broken away, of a length of a curtain heading system illustrated by way of example and embodying the invention, Figure 1B is a plan view of the curtain track, partly broken away, showing a supported curtain in its closed condition, Figure 2 is a side view of a glider with cord attached, Figure 3 is an end view of a glider, Figure 4 shows a peg viewed from the same direction as Figure 3, Figure 5 is a top plan view of the glider body, Figure 6 is a vertical section through the glider body with the peg disassembled, Figure 7 is a section corresponding to Figure 6 but with the peg assembled with the glider body, Figure 8 is a plan view of a length of heading tape, and Figure 9 illustrates a curtain hook which may be used with the tape shown in Figure 8.

Referring to the drawings, a curtain heading system comprises a tubular curtain track 2 of metal or plastics which has a longitudinally extending slot 4 in its underside. As illustrated, the track is of circular crosssection, but it may have any other convenient cross-section, such as rectangular and in particular square.

The track is shown broken away in Figures 1A and 1B in order to illustrate several gliders 6 retained by the track for sliding movement along it. In a practical construction the track is of course substantially longer than the portion illustrated and incorporates many more gliders, each having a body 8 with outwardly extending wings defining recesses 10 for cooperation with the edges 11 of the slot. The body of each glider also has a depending eye 12 for receiving a curtain hook. The gliders may be moulded from any suitable plastics material, acetal being preferred.

Each curtain hook is fitted into a respective one of a series of regularly spaced pockets in a heading tape attached to a curtain indicated at 13 in Figure 1B. In accordance with the invention, as will be explained below, the nature of the heading tape and the arrangement of gliders and hooks leads to the curtain hanging in regular, sinuous corrugations when fully closed or partly open as depicted in Figure 1 B. The body of each glider is moulded in one piece so as to have upper and lower horizontal walls 14, 16 respectively, of which the wings constitute extensions, joined by forward and rearward vertical walls 18. Herein, expressions such as "upper", "lower" refer to orientations with the gliders supported by a track arranged horizontally as when in use. A cylindrical opening 20 extends vertically downwards from the centre of the upper wall into a cavity 22 defined between the opposing faces of the upper and lower horizontal walls on the one hand and the forward and rearward vertical walls on the other. The opposing faces of the wing extensions of the upper and lower walls which define the recesses 10 are slightly convex. Consequently, the spacing between these surfaces increases towards the front and rear of the glider and facilitates its insertion into the track and travel along it. s

The portion of the body which defines the eye 12 extends downwards from the lower wall, the underside of which is channelled at 28 so that the eye has an entirely circular profile. The upper face of the upper wall is formed with a pair of aligned grooves 30 which extend in the direction of travel of the glider and extend into the upper end of opening 20 where they merge into flutes 32 in the wall of the opening.

Each glider also includes a peg 34 which is inserted into the opening. The peg has a rounded head, a stem, and a tapering distal end portion 36 of greater maximum diameter than the stem. The end portion is formed with a notched or grooved projection 38 on its underside. The diameter of the peg at various points along its length and the diameter of the opening 20 are so chosen that when the peg is driven into the opening it is a snap fit in the opening with the enlarged distal end portion bearing against the underside of the upper wall.

During assembly of the series of gliders, a cord 40 is laid over the upper wall of each glider body so as to extend across the mouth of the opening 20. The peg is brought into alignment with the opening with the cord received within the notch or groove in the projection 38, and the peg driven into place. The gliders are secured to the cord at equal spacings, a length of cord extending beyond each of the endmost gliders.

The cord 40 is received in the grooves 30 and extends through the opening 20 within the flutes 32 so as to encircle the end portion of the peg, within the space between the upper and lower walls. The disposition of the cord within the grooves 30 constrains it to extend upwards at an acute angle to the horizontal when the system is not fully extended, as depicted schematically in Figures 1A and 7 and so reduce its tendency to droop, particularly when the curtain is drawn open and the gliders come closer together. A convenient inclination for the grooves 30 is 30 to the upper surface of the body.

During assembly, a glider cord, having a series of gliders attached to it is fed into the track and along the slot. The ends of the cord are taken out through one end of the track, means being provided at the opposite end of the track to return one of the ends of the cord. Pulls may be attached to the gliders at the ends of the cord if the curtain is to be opened or closed manually, or the cord may be connected to a cord operated or motorised operating curtain track. The ends of the track may be closed by end caps or finials. The curtain track is fitted into place above a window or other area. A curtain for use with the track has a heading tape as shown In Figure 8 provided with pockets along its length.

Curtain hooks such as shown in Figure 9 and fitted into selected pockets are offered up to the curtain track, each hook being attached to the eye of a respective glider.

To allow users to choose the desired style of corrugations of the curtain, a number of glider cords may be made available, to which gliders are attached at respective different spacings. References herein to interglider spacings or distances refer to the spacing between adjacent gliders considered to the points of attachment of the curtain hooks, i.e. at the vertical centre line through the eye, when the cord is taut and the system fully extended. In particular, there may be made available a first embodiment of glider cord having gliders attached to it at inter- glider spacings of 60mm and a second embodiment of glider cord having gliders attached at spacings of 80mm. References herein to inter-hook spacings or distances refer to the spacing or distance between adjacent hooks when the heading tape lies flat.

The nature of the heading tape, the inter-hook spacing (referred to later herein as "x") and the inter-glider spacing (referred to as "y"), are such that in the fully extended condition of the system with the curtain fully closed, as well as with the curtain partly open, the curtain hangs in regular, sinuous corrugations as depicted in Figure 1B.

The heading tape 102 illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 8 is formed from a woven or knitted fibre and is of such stiffness and resilience that it will tend to form into the desired curvilinear, sinuous corrugations rather than creases when a distorting force is applied to it, and will tend to spring back to its original shape when the force is removed. The tape 102 is sewn or otherwise attached along the upper edge of a curtain to be supported from the curtain track, with the upper edge 106 of the tape juxtaposed and adjacent to the upper edge of the curtain.

S The series of pockets 104 is spaced from the upper edge 106 of the tape. The transverse centre lines of the pockets are spaced from one another by equal distances, referred to herein as the inter-pocket spacing ("z"). The tape may be provided with two rows of pockets, each adjacent a respective edge of the tape, so that the tape may be sewn into place either way up.

to The preferred main dimensions of the heading tape are indicated in Figure 8 in millimeters. These dimensions are substantially: Width of the tape: 75mm, Spacing of the pockets from the upper edge of tape: 6mm, Height of the pockets (i.e. perpendicular to the centre line of the tape) : 12mm, Is Width of pockets (i.e. parallel to the centre line of the tape) : 14mm, Gap between pockets: 6mm: Inter-pocket spacing: 20mm.

It will be appreciated that the hooks may be attached to the tape by insertion into the pockets in the known manner with inter-hook spacings "x" which are multiples of 20mm. In accordance with a preferred form of the invention, the curtain hooks are inserted into the pockets such that with one hook fitted into the pocket marked 104a, the next adjacent hook is fitted into a selected one of the pockets marked 104b, 104c, 104d or 104e, whereby the inter-hook spacing "x" is 100mm, 120mm, 140mm or 160mm, respectively. The first hook in pocket 104a and the second hook in pocket 104b (or alternatively 104c, 104d or 104e) are attached to an adjacent pair of gliders which are at inter-glider spacings of 60mm or 80mm, depending upon the type of glider cord selected. Further hooks are, of course, fitted into additional pockets beyond those shown while maintaining the chosen spacing between them.

The inter-glider spacing "y" when the gliders are assembled to the cord is the maximum separation which will exist between the gliders when the curtain is fully closed. The separation between the gliders will, of course, reduce as the curtain is opened and be at a minimum when the curtain is fully open. It may, of course, be the case that in some installations the cord will not be completely taut when the curtain is fully closed, so that the actual spacing between the points of attachment of the curtain hooks to adjacent gliders is less than the distance "y" when the curtain is closed.

The positioning of the hooks as indicated in Figure 8, when coupled with the preferred inter-glider spacing, causes the curtain to which it is attached to hang in an attractive and regular, sinuously corrugated form (when viewed edge-on from above as shown in Figure 1B) when the system is fully extended, i.e. with the cord as taut as practicable and the curtain closed, as depicted in Figure 1 B. In practice, the user will be supplied with a track and a glider cord, either installed in the track or as a separate item. The user may select either of two glider cords, each having a respective inter-glider spacing. The curtain track will be installed above a window opening or other area to be curtained. Curtains will be supplied to the user either with hooks in-situ, or the user will fit hooks personally, at a selected inter-hook spacing "x". It will be appreciated that the greater the spacing "y", the fewer will be the number of corrugations per unit length along the width of the closed curtain, and vice versa. The greater the spacing "x", the deeper will be the corrugations, and vice versa. By choosing a glider-cord with an appropriate inter-glider spacing, and inserting hooks with an appropriate inter- hook spacing, the curtain may be given a desired appearance when closed or partly open.

The value of the ratio x/y serves as an indication of the overall degree of fullness of the closed curtain. The amount of material used to make up the curtain will be chosen having regard to fullness. It has been found that a particularly attractive appearance of the curtain may be obtained if an inter-hook spacing of 100mm or S 120mm is combined with an interglider spacing of 60mm, or an inter-hook spacing of 140mm or 160mm is combined with an inter-hook spacing of 80 mm, so that the ratio x/y may be 100/60, 120/60, 140/80 or 160/80. These criteria result in values of fullness of 1.67, 2.00, 1.75 and 2.00, respectively, so that a preferred range for x/y lies between 1.67 and 2.00. With this preferred dimensioning, the curtain hangs in particularly attractive curvilinear or sinuous corrugations when drawn closed or partly open. Conveniently, therefore, the user may choose between a glider cord having an interglider spacing of 60mm and one having an inter-glider spacing of 80mm.

With an inter-hook spacing of 100mm and an inter-glider spacing of 60mm, a IS relatively tight corrugated effect is achieved, whereas with an inter-hook spacing of 160mm and an inter-glider spacing of 80mm, the curtain will appear relatively open and flowing. When the curtain is drawn fully open to stack against the side of the window, the inter- glider spacing is reduced and the nature of the heading tape is such that the corrugations in the curtain become tighter but remain regular and curvilinear rather than forming into creases. When the curtain is again drawn closed, the tape tends to spring into its original shape so as to preserve the regularity of the corrugations. Although the dimensions and the values for xly given above have been found to achieve an attractive effect, the user is able to select the effect according to personal taste, and the provision of a series of pockets along the tape allow for a wide latitude when it comes to inserting the hooks. Also, glider-cords may be supplied with gliders at spacings different from those suggested above.

In an alternative arrangement, inter-hook spacings of 95mm, 115mm, 135mm or 155mm are used with inter-glider spacings of 60mm or 80mm as before. Values of x/y with this arrangement may therefore be 95/60, 155/60, 95/80 or 155/80, for example, or being alternatively stated, within the range of substantially 1.2 to 2.6.

Although it is possible to achieve a range of attractive effects by making available two glider cords, each with respective inter-glider spacings, it falls within the scope of the invention for more than two different cords to be provided.

The construction of the gliders may, of course, differ from that described above.

For example, instead of providing each glider with a cavity extending across the body of the glider between upper and lower walls, the opening 20 may extend from its top into the eye, provided that the eye is sufficiently large.

In another alternative arrangement, the head of the peg is provided with upwardly inclined grooves in its underside to receive the cord. Shoulderlike ribs on the body fit within the grooves and hold the cord in the desired configuration.

Similarly the body may be constructed in two parts which are bonded together with the cord between them, one part having a concave surface and the other part having a convex surface fitting within the concave surface so as to constrain the cord to emerge upwardly. Although the peg 34 is shown to have the tapered portion 36 at its distal end, this portion may be located elsewhere consistent with latching in place against a surface of the body.

In the claims which follow, the expressions: "glider", "cord", "tubular curtain track", "inter-glider spacing", "inter-hook spacing", "inter-pocket spacing", "upper" and "lower" and similar indications of orientation have the meanings given above.

Claims (22)

1. Claims: 1. A curtain heading system comprising: S a) a tubular curtain

   track, b) a series of gliders supported by the curtain track for movement therealong, c) a cord extending within the curtain track, gliders being attached to the cord at equal inter-glider spacings, d) a curtain heading tape secured to a curtain adjacent the upper edge of the curtain, the heading tape having a series of pockets along the length of the tape at equal inter-pocket spacings, e) a plurality of curtain hooks, each removably fitted into a selected pocket, such that the hooks have equal inter-hook spacings greater than the inter pocket spacing, each curtain hook being suspended from a respective glider, and wherein: f) the curtain tape is of such stiffness and resilience and the relationship between the inter-hook spacing and the inter-glider spacing is such that the curtain is constrained to hang in regular, sinuous corrugations.
2. 2. A curtain heading system as claimed in claim 1, wherein cords are provided for alternative use which have gliders attached thereto at different inter-glider spacings.
3. 3. A curtain heading system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the value of ratio x/y between the inter-hook spacing "x" and the interglider spacing "y" is in the range of substantially 1.2 to substantially 2.6.

   S
4. 4. A curtain heading system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the value of x/y is in the range of substantially 1.67 to substantially 2.0.
5. 5. A curtain heading system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the ratio xly is 100/60, 120/60, 140/80 or 160/80.
6. 6. A curtain heading system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the inter-hook spacing is substantially 1 OOmm, 1 20mm, 1 40mm or 160mm.
7. 7. A curtain heading system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the interglider lS spacing is substantially 60mm or 80mm.
8. 8. A curtain heading system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the cord is attached to each glider by an arrangement which constrains the cord to extend upwardly from the glider and at an acute angle to the horizontal.
9. 9. A curtain heading system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each glider includes a body having an opening which receives a peg which is a snap-fit within the opening, the cord being held in place by the peg.
10. 10. A curtain heading system as claimed in claim 9, wherein each glider has flutes in the peripheral surface of the opening for accommodating the cord at the side of the shank of the peg.
11. 11. A curtain heading system as claimed in any of claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the distal end of each peg has a groove for receiving the cord.
12. 12. A curtain heading system as claimed in any of claims 9 to 11, wherein the body of the glider has recesses in its sides to cooperate with the edges of a slot in the track.
13. 13. A method of hanging a curtain so that in its closed condition it will exhibit regular corrugations, a heading tape being attached to the curtain adjacent its upper edge, the heading tape having a plurality of pockets arranged along its length at equal inter-pocket spacings ("z"); said method including the following steps carried out in any appropriate order: determining the desired tightness or openness and depth of the corrugations; mounting a tubular curtain track above the intended position for the curtain, the curtain track housing a plurality of gliders each attached to a cord and being adapted to support a curtain hook, the inter-glider spacing ("y") being selected according to the desired tightness or openness of the corrugations when the curtain is closed; inserting curtain hooks into some of the pockets of the heading tape, so that the inter-hook spacing ("x") is selected according to the desired depth of corrrugations when the curtain is closed, the inter-hook spacing being a multiple of the inter-pocket spacing "z"; attaching each hook to a respective glider; and wherein the curtain tape is of such stiffness and resilience, and the ratio x/y is such that the curtain is constrained to hang in regular, sinuous corrugations.
14. 14. A method as claimed in claim 13, including the step of selecting a cord with gliders affixed thereto at predetermined inter-glider spacing and inserting the cord into the track.
15. 15. A method as claimed in claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the gliders are attached to the cord and the curtain hooks are attached to the heading tape such that the ratio x/y is 100/60; 120/60,140/80 or 160/80.
16. 16. A glider for a curtain heading system, the glider including a body through which extends an opening, a peg for insertion in the opening and being a snap fit therein, the peg being adapted to secure a cord to the glider.
17. 17. A glider as claimed in claim 16, wherein a surface of the body through which a mouth of the opening passes is formed with grooves which are inclined relative to that surface and which adjoin the opening.
18. 18. A method of assembling a curtain heading system comprising forming a string of gliders by attaching each glider to a cord at equal spacings therealong, the attachment being made by driving a peg into an opening in a body of the glider so as to carry with it the cord, the peg being a snap fit in the body.
19. 19. A curtain heading system incorporating a plurality of gliders to which curtain hooks are attached or attachable, each glider comprising a body and a peg having an enlarged portion at or near its distal end so as to be received with a snap-fit in an opening in the body, a cord for drawing the curtain being secured to the glider by the peg, the cord forming an open loop around the peg and being received in a notch in the distal end of the peg.
20. 20. A curtain heading tape provided along its length with equally spacedapart pockets for receiving curtain hooks, the tape being sufficiently stiff that it resists creasing but may adopt a sinuous form.
21. 21. A curtain heading tape as claimed in claim 20 having two parallel rows of pockets.
22. 22. A curtain heading system substantially as hereinafter described with reference to and as illustrated in the drawings. s