JP7671627B2 - Curtain rail joint covers and curtain rail joints - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a curtain rail joint cover and a curtain rail joint.

Conventionally, multiple curtain rails have been connected together depending on the size of the window, and a joint that is a separate component from the curtain rail is used to connect two curtain rails. The joint is fitted into the end of the curtain rail to connect the ends of the two curtain rails together (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-061107 A

Some of these conventional joints are made of stainless steel. Stainless steel joints have a glossy finish, which means that the joints are shiny when placed on a curtain rail, and may stand out on the curtain rail. If the joints stand out on the curtain rail, this may reduce the design of the curtain rail. For this reason, there has been a demand for conventional joints with a structure that does not impair the design of the curtain rail.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a curtain rail joint cover and a curtain rail joint that do not detract from the design of the curtain rail.

In order to achieve the above object, the curtain rail joint cover of the present invention is a curtain rail joint cover that includes a pair of side portions that face each other, and an upper portion that connects the pair of side portions, the pair of side portions being adapted to cover the side portions of the joint of the curtain rail to be attached from the inside, and the upper portion being adapted to cover the upper portion of the joint of the curtain rail from the inside.

In one embodiment of the present invention, in a cover for a joint of a curtain rail, the pair of side portions extend from a pair of opposing edges of the upper portion, respectively, and the distance between the pair of side portions in the direction in which the pair of side portions face each other increases toward the edge side of the pair of side portions in the direction in which the pair of side portions extend from the upper portion.

The cover of the curtain rail joint in one embodiment of the present invention is made of resin.

The cover for the curtain rail joint in one aspect of the present invention is the same color or approximately the same color as the curtain rail to which the curtain rail joint is attached.

In one aspect of the present invention, a cover for a joint of a curtain rail has a protrusion formed on the upper part that can engage with the joint of the curtain rail.

To achieve the above object, the curtain rail joint of the present invention is a curtain rail joint that is characterized by having a curtain rail joint cover of any of the above-mentioned aspects.

The curtain rail joint cover and curtain rail joint of the present invention can prevent the design of the curtain rail from being impaired.

1 is a front view of a cover for a joint of a curtain rail according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a rear view of the cover of the joint of the curtain rail shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a top view of the cover of the joint of the curtain rail shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the cover of the joint of the curtain rail shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a right side view of the cover of the joint of the curtain rail shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a left side view of the cover of the joint of the curtain rail shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cover for the joint of the curtain rail shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the cover of the joint of the curtain rail shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a side view of a cover for the joint of the curtain rail shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a plan view of a cover of the joint of the curtain rail shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a joint of the curtain rail with the cover shown in FIG. 1 attached. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a joint of the curtain rail with the cover shown in FIG. 1 attached. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the curtain rails connected by the joints of the curtain rails shown in FIG. 11 .

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

Figures 1 to 6 are six-sided views of cover 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as cover 1) for a curtain rail joint according to an embodiment of the present invention. Also, Figure 7 is a perspective view of cover 1, and Figure 8 is another perspective view of cover 1. Also, Figure 9 is a side view of cover 1, and Figure 10 is a plan view of cover 1. In contrast to Figures 1, 2, 5, and 6, reference numerals are used for each component in Figures 9 and 10. For ease of explanation, the side in the direction of arrow a (see Figure 10) is referred to as the upper side, and the side in the direction of arrow b (see Figure 10) is referred to as the lower side. Note that the upper and lower sides do not limit the position of cover 1 in space, and cover 1 can take any position in space.

As shown in Figures 1 to 10, the cover 1 has side portions 11, 12, which are a pair of portions facing each other, and an upper portion 13, which is a portion that connects the pair of side portions 11, 12. The pair of side portions 11, 12 are adapted to cover from the inside the sides of the joint (hereinafter also simply referred to as the joint) of the curtain rail to which the cover 1 is to be attached, and the upper portion 13 is adapted to cover from the inside the upper portion of the joint to which the cover 1 is to be attached. The configuration of the cover 1 will be described in detail below.

Cover 1 is an inner member that is housed in the space through which the runner of the joint to be attached runs, and has a shape that corresponds to this space. The material of cover 1 is resin, and cover 1 is molded from a colored resin material. Cover 1 is made as a single piece, and side portions 11, 12 and top portion 13 are parts of the single cover 1 that are formed from the same material. However, cover 1 may be made of other materials.

As shown in Figures 1 to 10, the cover 1 is a member that extends along a straight line, and extends in correspondence with the joint to which it is attached. The cover 1 also has a space for the runner that runs along the curtain rail to pass through, and this space is defined by the sides 11, 12 and the upper part 13. The side parts 11, 12, and upper part 13 each extend along a plane, for example, parallel or approximately parallel to the plane. Note that the plane along which the side parts 11, 12, and upper part 13 each follow is an imaginary plane.

Specifically, as shown in Figures 1 to 10, each of the side portions 11, 12 is a plate-like portion that extends along a plane as described above, for example, extending parallel or approximately parallel to the plane. Each of the side portions 11, 12 corresponds to a side of the joint to which it is attached, and is shaped to overlap the side of the joint from the inside and cover the side of the joint from the inside in the usage state described below.

As shown in FIG. 9, the lower edges 14a, 15a of the ends 14, 15 in the extension direction of the side portion 11 extend at an angle upward from the lower edge 16 of the portion between the ends 14 and 15 of the side portion 11, and the ends 14, 15 of the side portion 11 have a tapered shape. The edges 14a, 16, 15a of the side portion 11 have the same or approximately the same shape as the lower edge of the side of the joint to which they are attached.

As shown in FIG. 9, side portion 12 is similar to side portion 11, and the lower edges 14a, 15a of ends 14, 15 in the extension direction of side portion 12 extend at an angle upward from lower edge 16 of the portion between ends 14 and 15 of side portion 12, and ends 14, 15 of side portion 12 have a tapered shape. Edges 14a, 16, 15a of side portion 12 have the same or approximately the same shape as the lower edges of the sides of the joint to which they are attached.

As shown in FIG. 10, the sides 11 and 12 each extend downward from a pair of opposing edges 13c of the upper portion 13. For example, the sides 11 and 12 extend so that the distance between them becomes wider as they extend downward, and the distance between the sides 11 and 12 in the opposing direction becomes larger as they extend from the upper portion 13 toward the edges 14a, 15a, and 16 of the sides 11 and 12. In other words, the edges 14a, 15a, and 16 of the side 11 are positioned outward from the connection portion of the side 11 with the upper portion 13, and for example, the side 11 is inclined outward from the upper portion 13. Similarly, the edges 14a, 15a, and 16 of the side 12 are positioned outward from the connection portion of the side 12 with the upper portion 13, and for example, the side 12 is inclined outward from the upper portion 13. In this way, the distance between side portions 11 and 12 in the direction in which sides 11 and 12 face each other (the width direction of cover 1) becomes wider toward edges 14a, 15a, and 16.

The distance between side portions 11 and 12 in the width direction of cover 1 at edges 14a, 16, and 15a is the same as or greater than the distance between the inner faces of the opposing sides in the width direction of the joint to which the cover is attached. Note that sides 11 and 12 of cover 1 do not have to be inclined outward relative to upper portion 13, and the distance between side portions 11 and 12 in the width direction of cover 1 may be the same or approximately the same.

As shown in Figures 1 to 10, the upper part 13 is specifically a plate-like part that extends along a plane as described above, for example, parallel or approximately parallel to the plane. The upper part 13 corresponds to the upper part of the joint to which it is attached, and is shaped to overlap the upper part of the joint from the inside and cover the upper part of the joint from the inside in the usage state described below. The upper part 13 connects the side part 11 and the side part 12 at the upper edges of the side part 11 and the side part 12.

As shown in Figs. 7 and 10, the upper part 13 may have a step 13a that is a recessed portion inside the cover 1, and the upper part 13 may be connected to the side parts 11 and 12 via the step 13a. Also, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the upper part 13 has a protrusion 13b that protrudes upward. This protrusion 13b of the upper part 13 corresponds to a through hole formed in the upper part of the joint to which it is attached, and when the cover 1 is attached to the joint so that the sides 11 and 12 and the upper part 13 of the cover 1 overlap the sides and upper part of the joint, respectively, the protrusion 13b of the cover 1 is accommodated in the through hole of the joint. In other words, the protrusion 13b of the cover 1 and the through hole of the joint act as a guide to ensure that the cover 1 is attached to the joint in the appropriate position.

In the cover 1, the thicknesses of the side portions 11, 12 and the upper portion 13 may be the same or approximately the same, and the thicknesses of the side portions 11, 12 may be the same or approximately the same. In the illustrated example, the thicknesses of the side portions 11, 12 are the same or approximately the same, and the thickness of the portion of the upper portion 13 excluding the step portion 13a is thicker than the thicknesses of the side portions 11, 12. The structure regarding the thickness of the upper portion 13 is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 7, a rib 13d may be formed on the upper side of the upper portion 13 to increase its strength.

Next, the operation of the cover 1 having the above-mentioned configuration will be described. Figure 11 is a perspective view of the joint 50 to which the cover 1 is attached, and Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view of the joint 50 to which the cover 1 is attached. Also, Figure 13 is a perspective view of the curtain rail 60 connected by the joint 50 to which the cover 1 is attached.

The cover 1 is attached to the joint 50 by being inserted into the joint 50 from the end 54 or end 55 side of the joint 50. In the use state in which the cover 1 is attached to the joint 50, the side 11 of the cover 1 covers the inner surface 51a of the side 51 of the joint 50, and the side 12 of the cover 1 covers the inner surface 52a of the side 52 of the joint 50. In addition, in the use state of the cover 1, the upper part 13 of the cover 1 covers the inner surface 53a of the upper part 53 of the joint 50. In the use state, the cover 1 does not cover the inner surfaces 56a, 57a of the running parts 56, 57 of the joint 50. However, the edges 16, which are the lower ends of each of the sides 11, 12 of the cover 1, are in contact with the inner surfaces 56a, 57a of the running parts 56, 57 of the joint 50. The edges 16 of the sides 11, 12 of the cover 1 do not have to contact the inner surfaces 56a, 57a of the running parts 56, 57 of the joint 50.

As described above, the distance between the side 11 and the side 12 of the cover 1 in the width direction at the edges 14a, 16, and 15a is the same as the distance between the inner surface 51a of the side 51 and the inner surface 52a of the side 52 in the width direction of the joint 50, or is larger than the distance between the inner surface 51 of the side 51 and the inner surface 52a of the side 52 in the width direction of the joint 50. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, the holding force of the cover 1 against the joint 50 acts in the width direction of the cover 1 at the lower ends of the sides 11 and 12 of the cover 1. The holding force of the cover 1 against the joint 50 may also act in the vertical direction. Specifically, the upper part 13 of the cover 1 and the edges 16 of the sides 11 and 12 may be sandwiched between the upper part 53 of the joint 50 and the running parts 56 and 57 to hold the cover 1 against the joint 50. For example, the step 13a of the upper part 13 of the cover 1 and the edges 16 of the side parts 11 and 12 may be sandwiched between the step 53b of the upper part 53 of the joint 50 and the running parts 56 and 57, so that the cover 1 is held against the joint 50.

As shown in FIG. 12, a gap is formed between the upper portion 13 of the cover 1 and the upper portion 53 of the joint 50. This gap makes it easier to insert the cover 1 into the inside of the joint 50. Note that no gap may be formed between the upper portion 13 of the cover 1 and the upper portion 53 of the joint 50.

The protrusion 13b of the upper part 13 of the cover 1 corresponds to the through hole 53c formed in the upper part 53 of the joint 50, and in the use state, the protrusion 13b of the cover 1 is accommodated in the through hole 53c of the joint 50. In this way, the protrusion 13b of the cover 1 and the through hole 53c of the joint 50 act as guides that allow the cover 1 to be attached to the joint 50 in an appropriate position, making it possible to easily attach the cover 1 to the joint 50 in an appropriate position.

As described above, in use, the cover 1 covers the inner surface 53a of the upper portion 53 of the joint 50 and the inner surfaces 51a, 52a of the side portions 51, 52. Therefore, even if the joint 50 is made of shiny stainless steel, the joint 50 can be made non-shiny or less shiny, making the joint 50 less noticeable on the curtain rail 60. In particular, if the cover 1 is the same color or approximately the same color as the curtain rail 60, the joint 50 can be made less noticeable on the curtain rail 60.

As described above, when in use, the cover 1 does not cover the running parts 56, 57 of the joint 50, but the undersides of the running parts 56, 57 of the joint 50 are covered by the lower part 61 of the curtain rail 60. Therefore, even when in use, the inner surfaces 56a, 57a of the running parts 56, 57 of the joint 50 may be glossy, but the inner surfaces 56a, 57a of the running parts 56, 57 of the joint 50 cannot be seen from below, and the gloss of the inner surfaces 56a, 57a of the running parts 56, 57 is not noticeable.

In this way, by attaching the cover 1, the gloss of the joint 50 can be made less noticeable, and the joint 50 can be made less noticeable on the curtain rail 60. This improves the design of the joint 50, and ultimately the design of the curtain rail 60.

As described above, the cover 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention can prevent the design of the curtain rail from being compromised.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the cover 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, but includes all aspects included in the concept of the present invention and the scope of the claims. In addition, each configuration may be appropriately and selectively combined to achieve at least some of the above-mentioned problems and effects. For example, the shape, material, arrangement, size, etc. of each component in the above embodiment may be appropriately changed depending on the specific usage mode of the present invention.

For example, the shape of the cover is not limited to the above-mentioned shape, and can be changed according to the shape of the joint to which the cover is attached. Also, the cover 1 may have a recess or a through hole instead of the protrusion 13b of the upper part 13, in which case the upper part 53 of the joint 50 has a protrusion instead of a through hole 53c.

1...cover, 11, 12...side, 13...upper, 13a...step, 13b...projection, 13c...edge, 13d...rib, 14, 15...end, 14a, 15a, 16...edge, 50...joint, 51, 52...side, 51a, 52a...inner surface, 53...upper, 53a...inner surface, 53b...step, 53c...through hole, 54, 55...end, 56, 57...running portion, 56a, 57a...inner surface, 60...curtain rail, 61...lower part

Claims (6)

A cover for a joint of a curtain rail,
A pair of side portions opposed to each other;
An upper portion that is a portion connecting the pair of side portions,
The pair of side parts are adapted to cover the side parts of the joint of the curtain rail to be attached from the inside,
The upper part is adapted to cover the upper part of the joint of the curtain rail from the inside ,
A cover for a joint of a curtain rail, wherein a gap is formed over the entire surface between said upper portion and an upper portion of the joint of the curtain rail. The pair of side portions extend from a pair of opposing edges of the upper portion, respectively;
A cover for a curtain rail joint as described in claim 1, characterized in that the distance between the pair of side portions in the direction in which the pair of side portions face each other increases toward the edge of the pair of side portions in the extension direction from the upper portions of the pair of side portions. The cover for the joint of the curtain rail according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is made of resin. A cover for a curtain rail joint according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the cover is the same color or approximately the same color as the curtain rail to which the curtain rail joint is attached. A cover for a joint of a curtain rail according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a protrusion capable of engaging with the joint of the curtain rail is formed on the upper part. A joint for a curtain rail,
A curtain rail joint comprising a curtain rail joint cover according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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