US2705566A - Curtain rod and support therefor - Google Patents

Description

April 5, 1955 L. D. FORD ET AL 2,705,566

CURTAIN ROD AND SUPPORT THEREFOR Filed Oct. 23, 1951 i 1/ HZI/ENTORS 1 'LEDGER D. F0520 BY RALPH E. BELL ATroRNEvs United States Patent 2,705,566 CURTAIN ROD AND SUPPORT THEREFOR Ledger D. Ford and Ralph E. Bell, Sturgis, Mich., assignors to Kirsh Company, Sturgis, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application October 23, 1951, Serial No. 252,726 2 Claims. (Cl. 211105.1)

This invention relates to curtain rods and particularly to curtain rods which are formed as channels with flanges to receive slides for supporting curtains or drapes and generally used in connection with traverse equipment.

Heretofore such curtain rods have generally had a C-shaped cross section and it has been necessary to provide suporting brackets or center supports for such curtain rods even though they were located in close proximity to a ceiling, although in some instances the curtain rods were installed by facing the channel thereof downwardly and by inserting attaching screws through the wall opposite the opening of the channel. If the first method of attachment were employed and the curtain rod had any length it was necessary to provide a center support which had to come out over the rod and extend down past the face of the rod and under the rod to provide support without interfering with the passage of the curtain or drape supporting slides along the rod. If the rod were used in the second manner for ceiling installation, it was sometimes diflicult to insert the screws and many times the edges of the rod adjacent the screws were marred or darnlaged in installation so that the slides would not slide easi y.

The present invention has for an object the provision of a new and improved curtain rod particularly adapted for slidably supporting curtains or drapes and particularly adapted for the use of traverse equipment. Another object is the provision of such a rod which does not require special center supports where long flights of rodare required to span the space to be treated by curtains or drapes. Another object is to provide a curtain rod which can be easily and simply attached to a ceiling, eliminating the necessity for any supporting brackets and providing a smooth, inconspicuous but adequate support for curtains or drapes. Another object is to provide such a rod with a suitable simple supporting bracket which can be adjusted and can serve both as an end bracket and as a center support. Another object is to provide such a rod made of a single piece of sheet metal and having a reinforcing and attaching rib extending rearwardly therefrom and provided with suitable apertures to receive supporting hardware. Another object is to provide such a rod which can be made inexpensively and easily. Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the invention which is described in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings in which I Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a section of rod embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of such a rod showing one means of supporting it;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the rod shown in Fig. Z taken partly in section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a view showing in cross section another means of fastening the rod in position.

The rod which is shown generally at 1 is formed of a single strip of sheet metal which is folded at 2 along a longitudinal line to provide two sections 3 and 4 which are of unequal width, the narrower section 3 lying below the section 4 and being in face-to-face relationship thereto. These sections form a rearwardly-extending rib 5 and a flat top 6 which lie in a common plane.

Extending downwardly from the free edge 7 of the section 3 and at the junction of the rib 5 and the flat top 6 is a rear wall section 8. Extending downwardly from the free edge 9 of the wider section 4 is a front wall section 10, which is bent back on a curve as shown at 11 and back up toward the wall section 8 with the free edge 12 of the wall section lying in spaced relationship to and The slides 14 for supporting curtains or drapes slide 1 between the wall sections 8 and 10 as shown in Fig. 4 in a conventional manner.

The curtain rod may be supported by a suitable bracket such as those shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. Such a bracket consists of a piece 15 which is held on a wall by attaching screws 16 and which has a forwardly-extending channel member 17 in which a flat arm 18 is slidably disposed and held by a screw 19 which slides in a slot 20 for adjustment toward and away from the wall. At the free end of the flat arm 18 is an aperture 21 which is screw threaded to receive a machine screw 22 for attaching the curtain rod. The free end of the flat arm 18 engages the attaching rib and provides a fiat connection which is not visible from the front of the rod when it is attached.

It will be noted that the attaching brackets can be used at the ends of the rod or can be used as center supporting members wherever the span of the rod is such that a center support is desired.

The rod may also be attached directly to the ceiling as shown in Fig. 5. There the rod 1 is placed with its flat top 6 and attaching rib 5 directly against the ceiling and attaching screws 23 extend through the openings 13 into the ceiling which is designated at 24. When such an attachment is made the rod blends into the ceiling and is most inconspicuous.

The curtain rod and brackets described above constitute the preferred form of the invention. They are shown and described by way of illustration and Without any intention of limiting the invention other than as set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A curtain rod comprising a single rectangular strip of sheet metal bent to form a substantially flat horizontal top wall and a substantially flat vertical front wall, a bottom wall extending rearwardly from the bottom of the front wall to a substantially flat vertical rear wall and at the rear only a flat, rearwardly-extending horizontal attaching stiffening flange extending for the full length of the rod and formed of a fold of the sheet metal extending rearwardly in the plane of the top wall and comprising horizontal sections of the sheet metal in contiguous faceto-face relationship, the edge portions of the sheet metal strip forming spaced-apart upper and lower rear wall sections bordering a slot with the edges of the strip forming the edges of said slot and vertically opening apertures in said flange adapted to receive attaching means and a supporting bracket having a horizontal flat terminal extension lying against and engaging said flange in face-toface relationship and attaching means engaging said extension and said flange to fasten the rod to the bracket.

2. A curtain rod comprising a single rectangular strip of sheet metal bent to form a substantially fiat horizontal top wall and a substantially fiat vertical front wall, a bottom wall extending rearwardly from the bottom of the front wall to a substantially flat vertical rear wall and at the rear only a fiat rearwardly-extending horizontal attaching stiffening flange extending for the full length of the rod and formed of a fold of the sheet metal extending rearwardly in the plane of the top wall and comprising horizontal sections of the sheet metal in contiguous faceto-face relationship, the edge portions of the sheet metal strip forming spaced-apart upper and lower rear wall sections bordering a slot with the edges of the strip forming the edges of said slot and vertically opening apertures in said flange adapted to receive attachingmieans.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 838,867 Lalus Dec. 18, 1906 1,764,891 Sarkisian June 17, 1930 2,321,196 Graber June 8, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS 300,028 Italy Aug. 26, 1932 342,089 Great Britain Jan. 29, 1931 146,227 Switzerland July 1, 1931 178,487 Switzerland July 31, 1935

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