Cordless Roller Shade

Abstract

A cordless roller shade includes at least an upper elongate support, a lower elongate support, an anchor seat and an automatic winding means. The anchor seat and the automatic winding means are installed on two end of the upper elongate support. A shade assembly also is provided that has an axle at one side coupling with the anchor seat and rotatable. The automatic winding means has a second cap assembly hinged a second cap inside that has a second shaft on another side. The second cap holds a wound elastic element inside. The second shaft is coupled with the axle of the shade assembly. Through rotation of the second cap the cordless roller shade can be retracted and extended easily and smoothly.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a cordless roller shade and particularly to a shade that has an automatic winding means and an anchor seat that are coupled together to automatically control retraction and extension of the cordless roller shade to facilitate operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are many different types of window coverings on the market such as Venetian blinds, pleated window coverings, roman shades and the like. They mainly aim to be installed at doors and windows of houses to block sunshine and serve decorative purpose. Depending on different user requirements some window coverings have a lift cord to control retraction and extension for lifting or lowering. For a single panel window coverings 10 a winding buffer means 11 is usually adopted. The winding buffer means 11 mainly includes a case, a sleeve, an external coupling member, a lid and a rotary element. To extend the shade, winding is made clockwise and the sleeve rotates idly because of a spring is extended outwards, and extension of the shade can be done smoothly. To retract the shade, winding is made counterclockwise, the sleeve is latched and rotated synchronously due to tightening of the spring, hence retraction of the shade is slower. The winding buffer means 11 thus constructed has drawbacks, notably the window coverings can only be extended smoothly and retracted slowly in a given direction due to structural restriction. The buffer direction cannot be changed according to user's desire.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention aims to provide a cordless roller shade to resolve the aforesaid problem of the conventional window coverings that cannot be anchored at a selected elevation during retraction or extension, and also take into account of safety issue. Through rotation of an automatic winding means the cordless roller shade can be retracted and extended easily and smoothly to facilitate operation.

To achieve the foregoing object the cordless roller shade of the invention mainly includes an upper elongate support, a lower elongate support, a shade assembly, an anchor seat and an automatic winding means. The upper elongate support has one end coupling with the anchor seat and other end coupling with the automatic winding means. The anchor seat has a first cap assembly hinged a rotary assembly inside. The rotary assembly has a first shaft at one side to couple with one end of an axle of the shade assembly. The automatic winding means has a second cap assembly pivotally coupled with a second cap which has a second shaft at another side and a wound elastic element located therein. The second shaft is coupled with other end of the axle of the shade assembly.

By means of the structure set forth above, the automatic winding means installed on the other end of the upper elongate support can transmit and control retraction and extension of the cordless roller shade. Operation is easier and smoother.

The foregoing, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional window coverings with a shade winding buffer means to control retraction and extension thereof.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the automatic winding means of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the shade assembly of the invention pushed (or pulled) manually.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the shade assembly of the invention pushed manually.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the shade assembly of the invention pulled manually.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the automatic winding means according to FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the shade assembly pushed (or pulled) manually according to FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is an exploded view of yet another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Please refer to FIG. 2, the cordless roller shade 20 according to the invention has an upper elongated support 30 with an anchor seat 60 located at one end and an automatic winding means 70 at another end to form a linking relationship to do transmission and control retraction and extension of the cordless roller shade 20. The cordless roller shade 20 mainly includes the upper elongated support 30, a lower elongated support 40, a shade assembly 50, the anchor seat 60 and the automatic winding means 70.

The upper elongated support 30 is elongate and has a guiding trough 31 inside that has two ends formed respectively a fastening trough 32 and 33.

The lower elongated support 40 is elongate and spaced from the upper elongated support 30 at a lower side.

The shade assembly 50 is located between the upper elongated support 30 and the lower elongated support 40. In an embodiment shown in the drawings, it has an axle 51 with an axle hole 511 formed at one end thereof.

Referring to FIG. 2, the anchor seat 60 is installed at one end of the upper elongated support 30, and includes a first cap assembly 61 hinged a rotary assembly 62 inside. The first cap assembly 61 has a first coupling member 611 which has a first housing space 6111 at one side and a first anchor hole 6112 above the first housing space 6111, first fastening holes 6113 on the periphery and a first opening 6114 at a lower side. The first coupling member 611 further has a first latch member 6115 extended from another side to be wedged in one end of the guiding trough 31 of the upper elongated support 30. The first lid 612 covers one side of the first coupling member 611 and has apertures 6121 on the periphery corresponding to the first fastening holes 6113 and a first strut 6122 extended from one side corresponding to the first opening 6114. The rotary assembly 62 is held in the first housing space 6111 and pivoted on the first strut 6122 for anchoring, and has a first shaft 621 at one side running through the first opening 6114 of the first coupling member 611 and insert in the axle hole 511 at one end of the axle 51 to form coupling. The anchor seat 60 may also provide other embodiment as shown in FIG. 10, in which the anchor seat 60b has an upright plate 61b with a first latch member 611b extended from one side thereof to be wedged in one end of the guiding trough 31 of the upper elongate support 30. The upright plate 61b also has a second shaft 612b extended from the one side thereof to be inserted in an axle hole (not shown in the drawings) at one end of the axle 51 of the shade assembly 50 to form coupling.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the automatic winding means 70 has a second cap assembly 71 hinged a second cap 72 which holds a wound elastic element 73 inside. The second cap assembly 71 has a second coupling member 711 with one side fastening to a second lid 712 and a second housing space 7111 at one side, and a second anchor hole 7112 at an upper side and second fastening holes 7113 on the periphery, a second opening 7114 at a lower side and a second latch member 7115 at another side. The second lid 712 covers one side of the second coupling member 711 and has apertures 7121 on the periphery corresponding to the second fastening holes 7113 of the second coupling member 711 and a second strut 7122 corresponding to the second opening 7114. The second strut 7122 has a latch slot 7123. The second cap 72 is held in the second housing space 7111 of the second coupling member 711 and run through by the second strut 7122 of the second lid 712 for anchoring, and also has a second shaft 721 at one side running through the second opening 7114 of the second coupling member 711 and the axle hole 511 at other end of the axle 51 for coupling. The second cap 72 has a housing chamber 722 at other side with an aperture 723 in the center to be coupled with the second strut 7122 of the second lid 712, and a latch hook 724 on an inner rim. The elastic element 73 is held in the housing chamber 722 of the second cap 72. The elastic element 73 has a hook 732 at an outer side with a notch 7321 formed thereon to latch on the latch hook 724, and a clipping member 731 in the center to latch in the latch slot 7123 of the second strut 7122 for anchoring so that the shade assembly 50 located beneath the upper elongated support 30 can be extended or retracted by the elastic element 73.

For installation of the cordless roller shade 20, the anchor seat 60 and the automatic winding means 70 are installed on two ends of the upper elongated support 30. Through rotation of the second cap 72 of the automatic winding means 70 the cordless roller shade 20 can be driven synchronously to be retracted and extended. Operation is simpler and smoother.

During retracting and extending of the shade assembly 50, referring to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, a user can push (or pull) the lower elongated support 40 with one hand that serves as a gravity balance bar. The elastic element 73 held in the second cap 72 of the automatic winding means 70 is retracted or extended to move the shade assembly 50 upwards or downwards in a retracting or extending condition. When the shade assembly 50 is moved downwards, the lower elongated support 40 provides a gravity force to make the lowered shade assembly 50 remain still without retracting upwards. Thus the operation of the cordless roller shade 20 can be controlled easily.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the cordless roller shade 20 may also be a double-layer window coverings that includes an upper elongated support 20a, a lower elongated support 30a, a transverse moving means 40a, a shade lifting assembly 50a and an automatic winding means 60a.

The upper elongated support 20a is a hollow and elongated rail and has two corresponding fastening troughs 201a formed inside and a guiding trough 202a at each side, and a first aperture 21a and a second aperture 22a close to two ends thereof. It has a front side with one end thereof forming a first hole 23a and a second hole 24a.

The lower elongated support 30a is a circular rail spaced from the upper elongated support 20a at a lower side. It has a slot 31a at an upper side and a flute 32a at one side of the slot 31a.

The transverse moving means 40a includes at least a first plate 41a and a second plate 42a, an anchor member 43a, a latch rod 44a and a first fastening plate 45a and a second fastening plate 46a that correspond to each other. The first and second plates 41a and 42a are located above the first and second apertures 21a and 22a, and can be moved reciprocally at two ends of the guiding trough 202a. The first plate 41a has one end with a first coupling hole 411a and a plurality of fastening holes 412a formed thereon, and another end with a first and a second holes 413a and 414a formed thereon. It also has a first latch trough 415a at the bottom. The second plate 42a has one end with a second coupling hole 421a formed thereon corresponding to the first coupling hole 411a and a plurality of fastening holes 422a formed on the surface, and a second latch trough 423a at the bottom corresponding to the first latch trough 415a of the first plate 41a. The anchor member 43a is fastened to the guiding trough 202a of the upper elongate support 20a close to the first plate 41a, and has a guiding wheel 431a at a lower side of one end thereof. The latch rod 44a is coupled on the first latch trough 415a and second latch trough 423a at the bottom of the first and second plates 41a and 42a, and has two ends formed respectively a latch element 441a and 442a to be inserted in the first coupling hole 411a and second coupling hole 421a of the first and second plates 41a and 42a for anchoring. The first and second fastening plates 45a and 46a have respectively a boss 451a and 461a with a fastening hole 452a and 462a formed thereon. The bosses 451a and 461a run respectively through the first and second apertures 21a and 22a to be fastened to the bottom of the first and second plates 41a and 42a to form grooves 453a and 463a in the center to hold the latch rod 44a. At two ends thereof there are upright plates 454a and 464a directing downwards. The first upright plate 454a has a first opening 455a. The second upright plate 464a has a second opening 465a.

The shade lifting assembly 50a is located between the upper elongated support 20a and the lower elongated support 30a. It mainly includes a first panel 51a, a second panel 52a and a lift cord assembly 53a. The first panel 51a has zebra stripes formed thereon as depicted in an embodiment shown in the drawings. The first panel 51a has one side fastened to the bottom of the upper elongated support 20a and coupled with the upright plates 454a and 464a of the first and second fastening plates 45a and 46a. Through a first lift cord 531a and a second lift cord 532a of the shade lifting assembly 50a the first panel 51a can be moved reciprocally. The first panel 51a has a first axle 511a at one side, one end of the first axle 511a running through the second opening 465a of the second fastening plate 46a and inserting in a second coupling cap 63, and an axle hole 512a at another end to be coupled with a transmission shaft 6111a of a first coupling cap 62, and another side held in the lower elongated support 30a through the slot 31a. The second panel 52a has one side located below the first panel 51a and is coupled with an aperture 631a of the second coupling cap 63a and an axle hole 522a at another end run through by a shaft 614a of a third gear 613a hinged below the first coupling cap 62a. The first lift cord 531a of the lift cord assembly 53a is fastened to the first hole 413a of the first plate 41a and runs through the first hole 23a of the upper elongated support 20a. The second lift cord 532a is fastened to the second hole 414a of the first plate 41a and winds around the guiding wheel 431a of the anchor member 43a and runs through the second hole 24a of the upper elongated support 20a.

The automatic winding means 60a has at least the first coupling cap 62a and the second cap 63a at two ends of the upper elongated support 20a, and a transmission assembly 61 located in the first coupling cap 62a that has a first, second and third gears 611a, 612a and 613a engaging with one another and at least one elastic element 615a, and a transmission shaft 6111a coupling with the first gear 611a. The first coupling cap 62a has a box 622a containing a housing chamber 621a and a lid 623a. The box 622a has a first latch member 624a at an upper side of one side thereof to be wedged in one end of the upper elongated support 20a. The housing chamber 621a has a plurality of openings 625a. The lid 623a is fastened to an outer side of the housing chamber 621a. On the lid 623a there are, from the upper side downwards, a post 624a , a strut 625a and a rod 626a running through respectively the first, second and third gears 611a, 612a and 613a. The second coupling cap 63a has a second latch member 632a at one side corresponding to the first latch member 624a to be wedged in another end of the upper elongate support 20a.

When the first and second panels 51a and 52a are pushed by user's hands, the first gear 611a hinged on the transmission shaft 6111a is rotated and drives synchronously the second gear 612a and the third gear 613a coupled with the elastic element 615a. As a result, the transmission shaft 6111a coupled with the first gear 611a and the shaft 614a extended from the other side of the third gear 613a also are driven so that the first and second panels 51a and 52a can be lifted in a retracting condition or lowered in an extending condition (referring to FIG. 9). Through the engaging first, second and third gears 611a, 612a and 613a the first and second panels 51a and 52a can be lifted and retracted, or lowered and extended at the same time. Other embodiments may also be adopted to accomplish the same result, such as with a belt-pulley assembly or a chain assembly to substitute the engaging gears previously discussed. Thus through the transmission assembly 61a or automatic winding means 60a, the first and second panels 51a and 52a of the double-layer window coverings can be controlled to be retracted and extended easily and smoothly.

Claims

1. A cordless roller shade, comprising:

an upper elongated support;

a lower elongated support spaced from the upper elongated support at a lower side;

a shade assembly which is located between the upper elongated support and the lower elongated support and has an axle on one side thereof;

an anchor seat located at one end of the upper elongated support and coupled with the axle; and

an automatic winding means which is located at another end of the upper elongated support and coupled with the shade assembly and has an elastic element located inside to transmit the shade assembly.

2. The cordless roller shade of claim 1, wherein the anchor seat has a first cap assembly hinged a rotary assembly inside.

3. The cordless roller shade of claim 2, wherein the first cap assembly has a first coupling member which has a first housing space at one side and a first latch member extended from another side, the rotary assembly being held in the first housing space and having a first shaft on one side thereof.

4. The cordless roller shade of claim 3 further having first lid to cover the one side of the first coupling member, the first lid having a first strut extended from one side thereof.

5. The cordless roller shade of claim 1, wherein the anchor seat has an upright plate which has a first latch member extended from one side to be wedged in the upper elongated support and a second shaft extended from the one side.

6. The cordless roller shade of claim 1, wherein the elastic element is wound and held in a second cap which has a second shaft on one side.

7. The cordless roller shade of claim 6, wherein the automatic winding means has a second coupling member which has a second housing space at one side and a second latch member extended from another side, the second cap being held in the second housing space.

8. The cordless roller shade of claim 7 further having a second lid to cover the one side of the second coupling member and a second strut extended from one side thereof that has a second latch slot latched by one end of the elastic element.

9. A cordless roller shade, comprising:

a hollow and upper elongate support;

a lower elongate support spaced from the upper elongated support at a lower side;

a transverse moving means which is located on the upper elongate support and includes at least: a first plate and a second plate located at two ends of the upper elongate support; an anchor member which is fastened to the upper elongate support and has a guiding wheel located thereon; a latch rod which is located on the upper elongate support and has two ends coupling respectively on the first plate and the second plate; and a first fastening plate and a second fastening plate that have respectively a boss located thereon to run through the upper elongate support and be fastened to the bottom of the first plate and the second plate and having an upright plate directing downwards from one end thereof;

a shade lifting assembly which is located between the upper elongate support and the lower elongate support and has a first panel and a second panel and a first lift cord and a second lift cord linking to the transverse moving means; and

an automatic winding means which is located at one end of the upper elongate support and linked to the panel lift cord assembly and has an elastic element located inside to transmit the panel lift cord assembly.

10. The cordless roller shade of claim 9, wherein the first plate has a plurality of first fastening holes at one end, the second plate having a plurality of second fastening holes at one end thereof, the first and second fastening plates being fastened to the bottom of the first plate and the second plate through the first and second fastening holes.

11. The cordless roller shade of claim 9, wherein the first panel and the second panel have zebra stripes formed thereon.

12. The cordless roller shade of claim 9, wherein the first lift cord is fastened to a first hole formed on the first plate and threaded through the upper elongate support, the second lift cord being fastened to a second hole formed on the first plate and wound around the guiding wheel and threaded through the upper elongate support.

13. The cordless roller shade of claim 9, wherein the first panel has one end coupled with the upright plate of the first fastening plate and the second fastening plate and is movable reciprocally through the first lift cord and the second lift cord.

14. The cordless roller shade of claim 9, wherein the automatic winding means includes at least one transmission assembly and a transmission shaft coupling with the transmission assembly.

15. The cordless roller shade of claim 14, wherein the transmission assembly includes a plurality of engaging gears and the elastic element.

16. The cordless roller shade of claim 15, wherein the transmission assembly has a first gear coupling with the transmission shaft and a third gear extended to form a shaft.

17. The cordless roller shade of claim 16, wherein the transmission shaft is coupled with the first panel and the shaft is coupled with the second panel.