Hunter Douglas,inc.

Ralph G Jelic

Wendell B Colson

Daniel M Fogarty

David P Hartman

Marjorie G Harper

Kristi K Kopecky

Paul G Swiszcz

Jason T Throne

Paul F Josephson

Kevin M Dann

Joseph E Kovach

Michael J Siebenaller

Thomas E Sevcik

Kim Jelic

William L Teter

James M Anthony

Stephen T Wisecup

Robert A Simons

Steven J Carroll

Michael Scott Goldberg

Ronald L Bowman

Terrence Martin Drew

Stephen P Smith

Ronald Holt

Marek Jarosinski

Terry L Akins

Daniel Fluckey

Barbara Ann Forst Randle

Douglas W Christensen

Terrenec M Drew

Barbara A Forst Randle

A retractable cover for architectural openings having collapsible vanes includes a support structure in the form of a sheet of material, monofilaments, tapes, ribbons, cords, or the like, supporting an upper edge of a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontally extending vanes with the lower edges of the vanes in most embodiments of the invention being connected to operating elements adapted to raise the lower edges of each vane toward the upper edges to define openings or gaps between the vanes through which vision and light can pass in an open condition of the covering. Variations of the covering do not require movement of a lower edge of a vane relative to an upper edge but simply movement of some vanes relative to other vanes. The vanes can be made of materials having different flexibilities and where more rigid materials are used, creased fold lines can be established for desired operability.

Retractable shade with collapsible vanes

A retractable cellular shade is illustrated in various embodiments to consist of a support structure that could assume numerous forms including cellular material, flexible sheets of material, tapes or ribbons, or flexible monofilaments or similar cords of natural or synthetic fibers with the support structure supporting a plurality of vanes or slats in various configurations and orientations. The movement of the vanes or slats is totally dependent upon movement of the support structure. The fabric so formed can be incorporated into a covering for architectural openings with the covering including a headrail with means for gathering the fabric material within the headrail.

Retractable shade for coverings for architectural openings

A system for incorporation into a retractable covering that includes a flexible lift cord extending from a headrail to a bottom rail. The system includes a flexible protector of a length similar to that of an associated lift cord with the lift cord being operatively connected to the protector. The protector is in turn connected to a fabric extending between the headrail and the bottom rail at predetermined spaced locations so that any loop of protector formable is limited by the spacing between the locations at which the protector is connected to the fabric. The maximum size of a loop so formed in the protector and thus the lift cord associated therewith is insufficient to encapsulate a body part of a child or infant.

System for confining lift cords in coverings for architectural openings

Covering for an architectural opening

A method and apparatus for forming a transversely curved or formed strip of material which can be cut to length for use in a fabric for coverings for architectural opening includes a supply role of a flexible fabric strip material that is sequentially passed through a heating chamber with an elongated upwardly convex extrusion across which the strip material is drawn and a cooling station before being wrapped on a take-up drum. The apparatus includes driven rollers about which the strip material passes and the strip material is exposed to tension detectors and controlled temperatures such that the strip material formed in the apparatus is uniform along its length.

Method and apparatus for forming slats for fabric in coverings for architectural openings

Growing community of inventors

Boulder, CO, United States of America

Ralph G Jelic