Hunter Douglas,inc.

Carefree/scott Fetzer Company

The United States of America As Represented by the Department of Energy

Kenneth M Faller

Kent A Smith

Nickolas C Buccola, Jr

Stephen P Smith

Galen B Rhodes

Terrence Martin Drew

Stephen M Winters

Stephen T Wisecup

Ronald Holt

Max W Schroeder

Paul M Williams

Edward J Bauer

Nickolas C Buccola

Scott Patrick Thompson

Timothy W Fries

Christopher P Gruner

Grant G Greene, Iii

William S Certain

Larry Cable

Timothy C Titus

Brian J Hodd

Steven P Smith

A cordless retractable shade including an operating system for the shade that varies a biasing force of a spring to counterbalance the shade. The bottom rail of a retractable shade can be raised or lowered, and due to the operating system remains in any selected position of the covering between fully extended and fully retracted, without the use of operating cords. The system includes a method of negating and reversing the spring bias effect at a strategic position whereby the flexible vanes of the shade can be adjusted between open and closed.

Cordless retractable roller shade for window coverings

A covering system for an architectural feature having a roller, the roller including a main body portion and a flapper portion pivotable relative to the main body portion. The covering system also includes a first support member operatively associated at one end to the main body portion and at a second end to a bottom rail, as well as a second support member operatively associated with and laterally moveable relative to the first support member, wherein a first end of the second support member is operatively associated with the flapper portion and a second end of the second support member is operatively associated with the bottom rail. The covering system also includes a limiting mechanism configured to interact with the flapper portion of the roller to maintain the bottom rail in a horizontally level position as the second support member is moved laterally with respect to the first support member.

Covering for an architectural feature having a bottom rail leveling mechanism

An architectural covering including a motor assembly is provided. The covering may include a head rail, an end cap enclosing an end of the head rail, a roller tube rotatably supported within the head rail at least partially by the end cap, and a motor assembly including a housing in splined engagement with the end cap to non-rotatably secure the motor assembly to the end cap. The motor assembly may be received at least partially within the roller tube and may be in driving engagement with the roller tube. A covering material may be attached to the roller tube such that rotation of the roller tube extends or retracts the covering material.

Motor assembly for an architectural covering

A covering for an architectural covering is provided. The covering may include a rotatable outer roller, a rotatable inner roller, a first shade secured to the outer roller, and a second shade secured to the inner roller. The outer roller may define an elongated slot extending along a length of the outer roller and opening to an interior of the outer roller. The inner roller may be received within the outer roller and may define a central longitudinal axis. The first shade may be retractable onto and extendable from the outer roller. The second shade may extend through the elongated slot and may be retractable onto and extendable from the inner roller. The elongated slot may be substantially horizontally aligned with the central longitudinal axis of the inner roller when the first shade is in a fully extended position.

Covering for an architectural opening having nested rollers

A covering for an architectural covering is provided. The covering may include a multiple stage spring assembly. The spring assembly may include a non-rotatable first member, a first spring including a first end portion and a second end portion, and a second spring including a first end portion and a second end portion. The first end portion of the first spring may be coupled to the first member. The first end portion of the second spring may be coupled to the second end portion of the first spring to rotate with the second end portion of the first spring.

Covering for an architectural opening including multiple stage spring assembly

A headrail for use with an architectural-structure covering including one or more features to facilitate easier assembly and/or manufacturing. Additionally, and/or alternatively, the headrail may include one or more features to provide improved operation and/or aesthetics. For example, the headrail may include a slat slidably received within an interior cavity of the headrail. The components can be coupled to the slat prior to insertion of the slat into the headrail thus facilitating easier assembly. In addition, and/or alternatively, the slat may include a light-blocking element. In addition, and/or alternatively, a covering portion of the architectural-structure covering may include face and back fabrics that are separately and independently associated with the headrail to facilitate improved aesthetics in a top portion of the covering.

Headrail for an architectural-structure covering

A covering for architectural openings including a roller; a shade wrapped around the roller, the shade configured to extend from or retract onto the roller when the roller rotates; a retraction motor operably coupled to the roller for biasing the roller in a direction to retract the shade, wherein the retraction motor includes a spring having a first end rotatable with the roller and a second end fixed against rotation of the roller, wherein rotation of the roller unwraps or further wraps the spring to store energy therein; and a positioning device including: a circumferential track including at least one seat; and a pin engaging the circumferential track, wherein the pin selectively enters the at least one seat of the circumferential track to hold the shade, and is selectively releasable therefrom for additional extension or retraction.

Position lock for roller supported architectural coverings

A motor-drive system for retractable covering having a headrail with a horizontally disposed roller supporting a top edge of a flexible fabric material includes an electric motor mounted within a housing and interconnected to the roller to selectively rotate the roller in opposite directions while minimizing noise created from vibrations within the system. This system includes motor mounts within the housing which separate and absorb vibrations of the motor within the housing and a drive disk of a moderately soft material, which is firm enough to transfer torque from the motor to the roller while being soft enough to absorb vibrations which would otherwise be transmitted from the motor to the roller. An interconnect mounting the drive disk to the drive shaft of the motor is also made of a third relatively soft material, which is harder than the drive disk to more ably transmit torque but soft enough so as not to unduly transmit noise.

Noise dampening motor drive system for retractable covering for architectural openings

A speed regulating assembly for coupling to a roller tube for regulating a deployment speed of a covering of an architectural-structure covering is disclosed. The speed regulating assembly may include a detachable adapter for enabling a singular sized speed regulating device to be used regardless of the size of the roller tube. That is, by utilizing a detachable adapter for coupling to the roller tube, any change in the size of the roller tube only requires a different sized adapter. In addition, the speed regulating assembly may be configured so that during covering retraction, the speed regulating assembly is disengaged so that any input rotation from the roller tube is not transmitted to the speed regulating device. However, during covering deployment, the speed regulating assembly is engaged so that any input rotation from the roller tube is transmitted to the speed regulating device thereby regulating the speed of covering deployment.

Growing community of inventors

Thornton, CO, United States of America

Kenneth M Faller