CURTAIN ACCESSORY
To improve the safety of a curtain accessory for bunching a curtain. A curtain accessory for bunching a curtain includes at least one of members consisting of a tassel, a tassel hook, and a tassel auxiliary part for ensuring safety when attaching the tassel to the tassel hook. A coupling mechanism is disposed on the at least one member or between the adjacent members. The coupling mechanism is configured in such a manner that, when a load applied to the tassel exceeds a predetermined value, the coupling mechanism is decoupled, as well as can be recoupled after decoupled.
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The present invention relates to a curtain accessory for bunching a curtain.
BACKGROUND ARTA tassel hook, on which a tassel for bunching a curtain is hooked, is typically fixed, as disclosed in Patent Literature 1. Also, loop strings are typically attached to both edges of a tassel band of a curtain in such a manner that the loop strings are prevented from slipping off the tassel main body, as disclosed in Patent Literature 2.
CITATION LIST Patent LiteraturePatent Literature 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-169284
Patent Literature 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-165993
SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical ProblemHowever, the conventional technologies disclosed in the above Literatures have room for improvement in the following respects.
For the tassel hook disclosed in Patent Literature 1, a tassel holder thereof is fixed and therefore does not come off even when a strong force is applied thereto. Accordingly, when a tassel is hooked on this tassel hook and forms a loop, a foreign object may be caught on the loop, causing a safety problem.
For the tassel disclosed in Patent Literature 2, the loop strings are fixed to the tassel main body and therefore does not become detached even when a string force is applied thereto. Accordingly, when the tassel is hooked on a tassel hook using these loop strings and forms a loop, a foreign object may be caught on the loop, causing a safety problem.
The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing, and an object thereof is to provide a technology that improves the safety of a curtain accessory for bunching a curtain.
Solution to ProblemThe present invention provides a curtain accessory for bunching a curtain. The curtain accessory includes at least one of members consisting of a tassel, a tassel hook, and a tassel auxiliary part for ensuring safety when attaching the tassel to the tassel hook. A coupling mechanism is disposed on the at least one member or between the adjacent members. The coupling mechanism is configured in such a manner that, when a load applied to the tassel exceeds a predetermined value, the coupling mechanism is decoupled, as well as can be recoupled after decoupled. In the present description, the term “curtain accessory” may refer to an single member, such as a tassel alone, a tassel hook alone, or a tassel auxiliary part alone, or may refer to two members, such as a combination of a tassel hook and a tassel auxiliary part, or may refer to three members, such as a combination of a tassel, a tassel hook, and a tassel auxiliary part. The term “decoupled” includes the meaning that a specific area in a member is relatively rotated, or deformed and thus a tassel is allowed to drop off a tassel hook, as in seventh and eighth embodiments. In this case, the term “recoupled” means that the relatively rotated or deformed area is restored to its original state and thus the tassel hook is allowed to hold the tassel again.
According to this configuration, when the load applied to the tassel exceeds the predetermined value, the tassel is decoupled. Thus, a curtain accessory having high safety can be obtained.
Various embodiments of the present invention are described below. The embodiments below can be combined with each other.
Preferably, the tassel or the tassel auxiliary part is provided with a circular part, and the coupling mechanism includes a separation part configured to separate the circular part to make the circle noncircular.
Preferably, the coupling mechanism includes a separation part configured to separate the tassel or the tassel auxiliary part from adjacent another member by a pulling force.
Preferably, the tassel auxiliary part includes an insertion part into which a looped tassel cord of the tassel can be inserted, and the separation part includes a clip configured to sandwich the tassel hook.
Preferably, the coupling mechanism is covered by a hiding member or a decoration member.
Preferably, the curtain accessory includes both the tassel and the tassel auxiliary part, the separation part is disposed on the tassel auxiliary part, a looped tassel cord to which the tassel auxiliary part is locked is disposed on one edge of the tassel, the looped tassel cord being configured in such a manner that the looped tassel cord cannot be hooked on the tassel hook, and another looped tassel cord to be hooked on the tassel hook is disposed on another edge of the tassel.
Preferably, the coupling mechanism includes a separation part that separates the tassel hook into multiple portions by an external force.
Preferably, the tassel hook includes a base to be fixed to a fixing standing surface, a protruding shaft protruding from the base, and a hooking part which is supported by the protruding shaft and on which the tassel or the tassel auxiliary part is to be hooked, and
the separation part is disposed between the protruding shaft and the hooking part.
Preferably, the tassel hook has a slope which is inclined so as to be lowered toward a trigger disposed on the separation part, and the coupling mechanism is decoupled when the tassel or the tassel auxiliary part contacts the trigger and applies a force thereto.
Preferably, the tassel hook includes a base to be fixed to a fixing standing surface, a protruding shaft protruding from the base, and a hooking part which is supported by the protruding shaft and on which the tassel or the tassel auxiliary part is to be hooked, and the separation part is disposed between the base and the protruding shaft.
Preferably, a holding cord configured to hold the hooking part so that the hooking part is prevented from falling down even when the coupling mechanism is decoupled is disposed between the base and the protruding shaft.
Preferably, the tassel hook includes a mount to be fixed to a fixing standing surface, a base to be locked to the mount, a protruding shaft protruding from the base, and a hooking part which is supported by the protruding shaft and on which the tassel or the tassel auxiliary part is to be hooked, and the separation part is disposed between the base and the mount.
Preferably the mount includes a base locking part for locking the base and a slide groove along which the base is to slide approximately vertically, and when the tassel or the tassel auxiliary part contacts the protruding shaft or the hooking part and applies a force thereto, the base slides down along the slide groove, and the coupling mechanism is decoupled.
Preferably, the curtain accessory further includes holding means configured to hold at least one or a part thereof of the members consisting of the tassel, the tassel hook, and the tassel auxiliary part, the at least one member or the part thereof being prevented from falling down when the coupling mechanism is coupled, so that the at least one member or the part thereof is prevented from falling on a floor even when the coupling mechanism is decoupled.
Preferably, the coupling mechanism has a fitting structure.
Preferably, the fitting structure is a rotating fitting structure and is configured in such a manner that the fitting structure can be refitted after decoupled by rotating the fitting structure manually.
Preferably, the curtain accessory includes the tassel hook, the coupling mechanism is a displacement mechanism configured to displace a structure of the tassel hook, and the displacement mechanism is configured in such a manner that, when a load applied to the tassel hook through the tassel exceeds a predetermined value, the decoration member displaces the structure of the tassel hook to unlock the tassel and, after unlocking the tassel, can restore the displaced structure to an original state to lock the tassel to the tassel hook again.
Preferably, the tassel hook includes a base to be fixed to a fixing standing surface and a rotating hook having a hooking part, and the displacement mechanism is configured to, when a load applied to the rotating hook through the tassel exceeds a predetermined value, causes the rotating hook to rotate relative to the base so as to drop the tassel.
Preferably, the displacement mechanism has an opening hole which is formed in the base and into which the rotating hook can be inserted and a rotating mechanism that is disposed in the opening hole of the base and rotatably supports the rotating hook.
Preferably, the displacement mechanism further includes energizing means configured to energize the rotating hook so that the rotating hook is rotated in a reverse direction after the tassel is dropped.
Preferably, the energizing means is a weight disposed on the rotating hook, and the rotating hook is configured to rotate about a rotating shaft disposed between the hooking part and the weight.
Preferably, the displacement mechanism includes a rotation regulation mechanism configured to regulate rotation of the rotating hook when a load applied to the hooking part is equal to or less than a predetermined value.
Preferably, the rotation regulation mechanism includes a rotating hook-side locking part disposed on the rotating hook and a base-side locking part configured to, when the load applied to the hooking part is equal to or less than the predetermined value, contacts the rotating hook-side locking part to regulate the rotation of the rotating hook.
Preferably, the tassel hook includes a base to be fixed to a fixing standing surface, a protruding shaft protruding from the base, and a hooking part which is supported by the protruding shaft and on which the tassel is to be hooked, the displacement mechanism includes a hinge connecting the protruding shaft and the hooking part and elastic means configured to hold the protruding shaft and the hooking part in such a manner that the protruding shaft and the hooking part form an angle in a predetermined range at the hinge, and the displacement mechanism is configured to, when the load applied to the hooking part through the tassel exceeds the predetermined value, increase the angle at the hinge to drop the tassel.
Preferably, the elastic means includes a flat spring or a torsion spring.
Preferably, the elastic means includes a flat spring or a torsion spring.
Preferably, the coupling mechanism is configured to be decoupled when the load applied to the tassel exceeds 2 kgf.
Advantageous Effects of InventionAccording to the present invention, a curtain accessory having high safety can be obtained.
Now, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Like elements are given like reference signs throughout the drawings and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.
First Embodiment A Looped Tassel Auxiliary PartAs shown in
Note that a set of the three members need not necessarily be sold as the curtain accessory 1000. That is, the curtain accessory 1000 only has to include at least one (e.g., the tassel auxiliary part 100) of the three members. Since the tassel auxiliary part 100 shown in
In the curtain accessory 1000 of the present embodiment, a coupling mechanism [e.g., the separation part 114 shown in
In the curtain accessory 1000 of the present embodiment, the tassel 300 or tassel auxiliary part 100 is provided with a circular part [e.g., a loop formed by a cord 111 of the tassel auxiliary part 100 shown in
In the curtain accessory 1000 of the present embodiment, the coupling mechanism is preferably a separation part 114 having a fitting structure, as shown in
The female member 116 has, in the base end thereof, an insertion hole 118 into which a cord 111a can be inserted. The cord 111a is attached to the female member 116 by inserting an end of the cord 111a into the insertion hole 118 from the base end side of the female member 116, mounting a swaging member 119 on the end of the cord 111a, and swaging the swaging member 119 so that it contacts a peripheral portion of the insertion hole 118 in the female member 116, as shown in
The male member 115 is attached to an end of a cord 111b by outsert molding. Specifically, the male member 115 is formed by performing outsert molding on the single cord 111b at predetermined intervals. Also, by cutting the cord 111b at the front end of the molded male member 115, the cord 111b having the male member 115 attached to an end thereof and having a predetermined length is formed. The other end of the cord 111b is attached to the female member 116, as described above.
The front end of the male member 115 is formed with a diameter that allows the front end can be fitted into the front end of the female member 116. A protrusion 120 engageable with the locking groove 117 is circumferentially formed on the outer peripheral surface of the front end of the male member 115.
When the front end of the male member 115 is fitted into the front end of the female member 116, the protrusion 120 is elastically engaged with the locking groove 117. In this state, when a force equal to or more than a predetermined value (preferably, more than 2 kgf) is applied to the male member 115 and female member 116 in a direction in which both are separated from each other, the male member 115 and female member 116 are detached from each other.
As seen above, the tassel auxiliary part 100 includes the cord 111, whose ends are connected by the separation part 114. As shown in
The tassel auxiliary part 100 including the separation part 114 configured thus can produce the following effects.
(1) For example, if a dweller or the like is caught on the tassel 300 or if undue force is applied to the tassel 300 through the curtain, a force equal to or more than a predetermined value is applied to the male member 115 and female member 116 of the separation part 114 of the tassel auxiliary part 100 in a direction in which both are separated from each other. Thus, the male member 115 and female member 116 are detached from each other. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the dweller or the like from being injured when caused on the tassel 300.
(2) The tassel auxiliary part 100 can be attached to an existing tassel hook 200 or tassel 300. Thus, the safety of the curtain accessory can be improved cheaply and easily without having to buy a new tassel hook 200 or tassel 300 or perform additional construction.
<Separation Part of Tassel Auxiliary Part of Modification 1 of First Embodiment>The separation part 114 need not necessarily have the structure shown in
As shown in
In the second coupling member 28, a second fitting part 34 is molded on one end of a coupling cord 23 similar to the cord 19 from the same material as the first fitting part 29. The second fitting part 34 has a hemispherical base end and a front end having a fitting hole 35. The fitting hole 35 has a bale-shaped opening into which the swelled portions 31 of the fitting protrusion 30 can be inserted. The deep section of the fitting hole 35 is formed in a circle having a diameter that allows the fitting protrusion 30 to rotate in the fitting hole 35. Accordingly, locking portions 37 configured to engage with the swelled portions 31 are formed at the opening of the fitting hole 35 so as to be line-symmetrical. The opening edge of each locking portion 37 is gouged out to form an arc so that the base end of the fitting protrusion 30 can rotate.
The first fitting part 29 and the second fitting part 34 thus configured are fitted together by inserting the swelled portions 31 of the fitting protrusion 30 into the fitting hole 35 and then rotating the first fitting part 29 in either direction. Thus, the swelled portions 31 are locked to the locking portions 37 and held in the fitting hole 35. This holding force is set such that when the typical curtain 1100 is bundled and locked by the tassel 300, the fitting protrusion 30 and fitting hole 35 are prevented from being detached from each other by a pulling force (preferably, less than 1 kgf) acting on the tassel auxiliary part 100 against a minimum holding force required to keep the curtain bunched. Only when a large pulling force which is larger than a normal pulling force and is equal to or more than a predetermined value (preferably, more than 2 kgf) acts on the cord 111 of the tassel auxiliary part 100, the opening of the fitting hole 35 is enlarged by the resiliency of the synthetic resin. Thus, the swelled portions 31 are pulled out of the fitting hole 35, detaching the fitting protrusion 30 from the fitting hole 35.
The fitting structure of the coupling part 16 is a type of rotating fitting structure. That is, the base end of the fitting protrusion 30 can be rotatably supported on the arc-shaped surfaces of the locking portions 37. For this reason, the fitting protrusion 30 is fitted into the fitting hole 35 by inserting the swelled portions 35 of the fitting protrusion 30 into the fitting hole 35 and then rotating the swelled portions 31 by 90 degrees. As a result, it is possible to reduce the operation force for fitting the fitting protrusion 30 into the fitting hole 35, as well as to obtain a sufficient holding force to hold the fitting protrusion 30 in the fitting hole 35. Also, owing to the chamfered edges 33 formed on the front end of the fitting protrusion 30, the fitting protrusion 30 can be easily fitted into the fitting hole 35. Since fitting the fitting protrusion 35 into the fitting hole 35 requires only a small operation force, the fitting protrusion 30 which is detached can be refitted into the fitting hole 35 without having to use a tool. Accordingly, if the coupling part 16 is decoupled, a dweller can easily restore it to the original state. That is, after the fitting protrusion 30 and the fitting hole 35 of the coupling part 16 are detached from each other, the fitting protrusion 30 can be refitted into the fitting hole 35 by rotating the fitting protrusion 30 in the fitting hole 35. Thus, the looped tassel auxiliary part 100 can be easily reconstructed.
The first and second coupling members 27 and 28 are attached to the cord 111 of the tassel auxiliary part by forming hollow spaces in both ends of the cord 111 of the tassel auxiliary part, inserting the coupling cords 19 and 23 of the first and second coupling member 27 and 28 into the spaces, and sewing together the outer covering of the cord 111 of the tassel auxiliary part and the cords 19 and 23.
<Separation Part of Tassel Auxiliary Part of Modification 2 of First Embodiment>The separation part 114 need not necessarily have the structure shown in
As shown in
The second coupling member 42 is molded into a tubular shape from the same synthetic resin as the first fitting part 41, as a female member having a fitting hole. As shown in
One of the first coupling members 41 and the second coupling member 42 are coupled together by inserting the fitting protrusion 45 of the first fitting part 41 into the opening 49a of the second coupling member 42 and then rotating the first fitting part 41 clockwise relative to the second coupling member 42. Similarly, the other first coupling member 41 and the second coupling member 42 are coupled together by inserting the fitting protrusion 45 of the first fitting part 41 into the other opening portion, 49b, of the second coupling member 42 and rotating the first fitting part 41 by 90 degrees for positioning. As a result, as shown in
As shown in
Since the tassel auxiliary part 100 shown in
As shown in
In the tassel auxiliary part 130, the two clips, 132 and 134, are coupled together so as to be relatively rotatable about a rotating shaft 136 (metal pin inserted). The tassel auxiliary part 130 includes a cam mechanism that causes the two clips, 132 and 134, to continue to hold the tassel hook 200 (a section of the shaft 144 of the tassel hook is shown), as shown in
This cam mechanism includes a cam 146 disposed on an end adjacent to the rotating shaft 136, of the first clip 132 and a wall 148 disposed in a position in contact with the cam 146, of the second clip 134. According to this cam mechanism, the cam 146 of the first clip 132 opens while pressing the wall 148 of the second clip 134. Note that the first clip 132 and second clip 134 themselves also have some elasticity.
Owing to these mechanisms, when a load equal to or more than a predetermined value is applied to the tassel 300, a pulling force larger than usual is applied to the tassel auxiliary part 130 through the insertion part 138, into which the tassel cord 150 is inserted. As a result, due to the elasticity of the cam mechanism and the clips themselves, the first clip 132 and second clip 134 are opened, so that the tassel auxiliary part 130 is separated from the adjacent tassel hook 200.
The first clip 132 and second clip 134 are provided with guide edges 140a and 140b, respectively. Since the shaft 144 of the tassel hook is guided by the guide edges 140a and 140b, the shaft 144 can be easily inserted into the inside of the clips even manually when restoring the tassel auxiliary part 130 to its original state.
A smaller slit than the tassel cord 150 may be formed in the insertion part 138 so that the looped tassel cord 150 can be inserted into the insertion part 138 through the slit from a side of the tassel auxiliary part 130. This configuration is advantageous in that the tassel auxiliary part 130 can be easily attached to an existing tassel.
Although will not be described in detail, the curtain accessory 1000 of the present embodiment may be the tassel 300 (not shown in
As shown in
The first fitting part 27 and the second fitting part 28 thus configured are coupled together by inserting the swelled portion 31 of the fitting protrusion 30 into the fitting hole 35. Thus, the first fitting part 31 is engaged with the trough 32 and held in the fitting hole 35. This holding force is set such that when the a typical curtain 1100 is bunched and locked by the tassel 300, the fitting protrusion 30 and fitting hole 35 are prevented from being detached from each other by a normal pulling force working on the tassel auxiliary part 100 inserted into the one tassel cord (note that the tape 154 is separated between the two tassel cords 150 shown in
As shown in
<Modification 2 of Fourth Embodiment: Tassel Having Shape in which Tassel Cord is Horizontally Separated by Knot in Center>
There are various modifications of the shape of the tassel 300.
Assume that a string-type tassel 300 having a knot as shown in
On the other hand, assume that the curtain 1100 is opened in a state in which the tassel cord 310b provided with the separation part 114 is hooked on the tassel hook 200, as shown in
The separation part 114 may have a relatively elongated shape, as shown in
<Modification 3 of Fourth Embodiment: Tassel in which Separation Part of Tassel Cord is Covered by Decoration Member>
Assume that the string-type tassel 300 including the decoration member 306 shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The holding force of the separation part 114 is set such that when the typical curtain 1100 is bunched and locked by the tassel 300, the hooking part 206 and protruding shaft 204 are prevented from being decoupled by a typical pulling force working on the trigger (the contact between the upper side of the protruding shaft 204 and the inner surface of the hooking part 206) through a cord 111 of a tassel auxiliary part 100. Only when a large pulling force which is larger than a normal pulling force and is equal to or more than a predetermined value acts on the trigger (the contact between the upper side of the protruding shaft 204 and the inner surface of the hooking part 206), the hooking part 206 expands due to the elasticity thereof or the cylindrically swelled front end 210 of the protruding shaft 204 contracts, and the cylindrical cavity having a ceiling of the hooking part 206 is detached from the front end 210, thereby decoupling the hooking part 206 and protruding shaft 204.
Embodiment 5-2 Tassel Hook Incorporating Separation Part (Separation Part Between Base and Protruding Shaft)As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
That is, a holding cord 218 that holds the base 202 so that the base 202 is prevented from falling on the floor even when the separation part 114 is decoupled is disposed between the base 202 and protruding shaft 204. Both ends of the holding cord 218 are inserted into holes formed in the base 202 and protruding shaft 204 and fixed by knots 220 that are present on the both ends and are larger than the diameters of the through holes. Thus, even when the separation part 114 is decoupled, the protruding shaft 204 or hooking part 206 does not fall on the floor. As a result, the protruding shaft 204 and hooking part 206 can be easily restored to their original state after the separation part 114 is decoupled.
Sixth Embodiment Slide-Type Tassel HookAs shown in
As shown in
Thus, as shown in
In seventh and eighth embodiments described below, a tassel hook including a displacement mechanism is disclosed as a coupling mechanism.
Specifically, the tassel hooks of these embodiments are tassel hooks to which a tassel bunching a curtain is to be locked, and each include a displacement mechanism for displacing the structure of the tassel hook. The displacement mechanism is configured such that when a load exceeding a predetermined value is applied to the tassel hook through the tassel, it displaces the structure of the tassel hook to unlock the tassel. The displacement mechanism is also configured such that after unlocking the tassel, it can restore the displaced structure to its original state so that the tassel can be locked thereto.
Seventh Embodiment Rotating Hook-Type Safety Tassel HookThe tassel 300 for bunching a curtain (not shown) is locked to the tassel hook 200. One looped tassel cord, 310b, of the tassel 300 is hooked on the rotating hook 203. The tassel 300 as a whole has a two-loop structure and is locked to the tassel hook 200.
In this state, for example, if a dweller or the like is caught on the tassel 300, a pulling force 500 is applied to the tassel cord 310b disposed on one edge of the tassel 300, as shown in
As shown in a perspective view of
As shown in a rear view of a base of
The bearings 217a and 217b are disposed so as to be opposite to the side wall of the base 202. The rotating hook 203 is attached to the base 202 by engaging the rotating shafts 227a and 227b of the rotating hook 203 with the bearings 217a and 217b from the rear of the base 202.
As shown in
After unlocking the tassel 300, the displacement mechanism 800 of the tassel hook 200 can automatically restore the displaced structure to its original state so that the tassel 300 can be locked to the tassel hook 200 again. The tassel hook 200 is advantageous in that it has high safety in an emergency, as well as after preventing a trouble in an emergency, can be restored to its original state and used repeatedly.
<Modification 1 of Seventh Embodiment: Disposition of Protrusion 239a>
As shown in
This modification is an improved structure for keeping the tassel cord 310b held in the receivers 237a and 237b. That is, the displacement mechanism 800 is configured to reliably keep the tassel 300 locked without rotating the rotating hook 203 until the load applied to the tassel hook 200 through the tassel 300 exceeds the predetermined value (e.g., 2 kgf).
<Modification 2 of Seventh Embodiment: Disposition of Protrusion on Base Part of Base>Next, referring to
In the modification 2, a tassel hook 200 consists of a base 202 and a rotating hook 203. Rotating shafts 227a and 227b disposed on both side surfaces of the rotating hook 203 are supported by a pair of bearings 217a and 217b disposed so as to be opposite to the side wall of the base 202. Thus, the rotating hook 203 is rotatably supported by the base 202. The base 202 is fixed to a fixing standing surface 400, for example, by inserting screws (not shown) into mounting holes 219a and 219b and then screwing the screws into the fixing standing surface 400.
The base 202 has a protrusion 13 on a bottom wall 17 thereof. If the downward load applied to the hooking part 213 is equal to or less than a threshold, when a protrusion 239b disposed on a lower portion of a weight 209 of the rotating hook 203 contacts the protrusion 13, the rotating hook 203 is prevented from rotating. On the other hand, as shown in
When the tassel cord 310b comes out in the state shown in
Next, referring to
In the modification 3, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
By, after the tassel cord 310b is detached, rotating the rotating hook 203 in a reverse direction and thus re-engaging the heads 45a and 45b with the engaging recesses 33a and 33b against the energizing force of the coil spring 35, the tassel hook 200 can be restored to the state shown in
In the configuration of the present modification, the threshold at which the rotation of the rotating hook 203 is started can be easily adjusted by changing the strength of the coil spring 35. If the threshold is set on the basis of the engagement between the protrusion 239b and protrusion 13 as in the modification 2, the threshold may be changed due to the wear of the protrusion, or the like during repeated use. On the other hand, in the present modification, the semi-spherical heads 45a and 45b are pressed into the engaging recesses 33a and 33b by the energizing force of the coil spring 35 and thus a change in threshold due to wear is less likely to occur.
The rotating hook 203 may be energized by a torsion spring, like in a modification 1 of an eighth embodiment (to be discussed later). In this case, the locking members 31a and 31b can be removed.
The heads 45a and 45b may be formed integrally with the rotating hook 203 so that the heads are elastically engaged with the engaging recesses 33a and 33b.
Eighth Embodiment Hinge-Type Safety Tassel HookAs shown in a side view of
As shown in a side sectional view of
The displacement mechanism 800 is configured to, when the load applied to the hooking part 206 through the tassel cord 310b exceeds the predetermined value (e.g., 2 kgf), increase the angle of the hinge 235 so that the tassel cord 310b slides in a movement direction 900 of the tassel cord and falls, as shown in
If the load applied to the hooking part 206 of the tassel hook 200 through the tassel cord 310b exceeds the predetermined value (e.g., 2 kgf), the structure of the tassel hook 200 is displaced (in the displacement direction 702), as shown in
In this modification, as shown in a side sectional view of
In this modification, when the load applied to the hooking part 206 through a tassel cord 310b exceeds a predetermined value (e.g., 2 kgf), the angle of the hinge 235 is increased, and the tassel cord 310b slides in a tassel cord movement direction 900 and falls, as shown in a side sectional view of
In particular, it is necessary to form, in the hinge 235, a gap for ensuring the rotation angle between both arms on the front end of the protruding shaft 204 and the base edge of the hooking part 206. Tapered surfaces 334a and 334b as shown in
While the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings, the embodiments are illustrative of the present invention. Various configurations other than those described above can be employed.
For example, in the embodiments, some typical examples have been described as the fitting structure of the separation part 114 used in the coupling mechanism. However, those fitting structures are not limiting, and any type of known fitting structure may be used. For example, various types of fitting structures described in WO2011/136235 can be suitably used. Even when those fitting structures are used, the safety of a curtain accessory can be improved as in the embodiments.
While, in the embodiments, the tassel hook 200 is separated into multiple portions by a pulling force, other configurations may be employed. The tassel auxiliary part 100 or tassel 300 may be separated into multiple portions. For example, the looped cord 111 of the tassel auxiliary part 100 shown in
While, in the embodiments, there has been described the configuration in which the fall of the protruding shaft 204 from the base 202 is prevented by disposing the holding cord 218 for holding the protruding shaft 204 to prevent it from falling on the floor, between the base 202 and protruding shaft 204, other configurations may be employed. For example, there may be employed a configuration in which the fall of the base 202 from the mount 230 is prevented by disposing a holding cord 218 for holding the base 202 to prevent it from falling on the floor, between the mount 230 and base 202. For another example, there may be employed a configuration in which the fall of the hooking shaft 206 from the protruding shaft 204 is prevented by disposing a holding cord 218 for holding the hooking part 206 to prevent it from falling on the floor, between the protruding shaft 204 and hooking part 206.
While, in the embodiments, the coupling mechanism is configured to be decoupled if the load applied to the tassel 300 exceeds 2 kgf, which is the predetermined value, other configurations may be employed. For example, the coupling mechanism may be configured to be decoupled if the load applied to the tassel 300 is equal to or more than one of 2 kgf, 2.5 kgf, 3 kgf, 3.5 kgf, 4 kgf, 4.5 kgf, and 5 kgf, or exceeds one thereof.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
- 14: cord
- 16: coupling part
- 19: cord
- 23: cord
- 27: first coupling member (male member)
- 28: second coupling member (female member)
- 29: first fitting part (male fitting part)
- 30: fitting protrusion
- 31: swelled portion
- 32: trough
- 33: chamfered edge
- 34: second fitting part (female fitting part)
- 35: fitting hole
- 37: locking portion
- 41: first coupling member (male member)
- 42: second coupling member (female member)
- 45: fitting protrusion
- 46: swelled portion
- 47: trough
- 48: rotation regulation part
- 49a, 49b: opening
- 86a: core
- 86b: covering cord
- 100: tassel auxiliary part
- 111, 111a, 111b: cord
- 114: separation part
- 115: first coupling member (male member)
- 116: second coupling member (female member)
- 117: locking groove
- 118: insertion hole
- 119: swaging member
- 120: protrusion
- 130: tassel auxiliary part
- 132: first clip
- 133: bent portion
- 134: second clip
- 136: rotating shaft
- 137: another wall
- 138: insertion part
- 139: cam mechanism
- 140a, 140b: guide edge
- 142: tassel hook base (upper and lower parts are omitted)
- 144: tassel hook shaft (cross-section)
- 146: cam
- 148: wall
- 150: tassel cord
- 152: hiding member
- 154: tape
- 160: fall prevention collar
- 200: tassel hook
- 202: base
- 203: rotating hook
- 204: protruding shaft
- 205: upper side
- 206: hooking part
- 208: direction in which hooking part is detached
- 209: weight
- 210: front end
- 212: fitting recess
- 213: hooking part
- 214: fitting protrusion
- 215: rotating mechanism
- 216: rotating fitting structure
- 217a, 217b: bearing
- 218: holding cord
- 219a, 219b: mounting hole
- 220: knot
- 227a, 227b: rotating shaft
- 229: flat spring
- 230: mount
- 231a, 231b: allowance
- 232: slide groove
- 233a, 233b: recess
- 234: small protrusion for locking base
- 234a, 234b: 234a: tapered surface
- 235: hinge
- 237a, 237b: receiver
- 239a, 239b: protrusion
- 240, 240a, 240b: protruding shaft inserted into inside of base
- 250: direction in which base is fitted into base
- 260: slide direction of base
- 300: tassel
- 301: seam
- 302: tassel main body
- 303: area in which no seam exists
- 304: knot
- 305: pendant
- 306: decoration member (hiding member)
- 308: seam
- 310, 310a, 310b: tassel cord
- 332: spring end insertion opening
- 400: fixing standing surface
- 401: mounting hole
- 500: pulling force
- 600: foreign object entry direction
- 702: displacement direction
- 800: displacement mechanism
- 900: tassel cord movement direction
- 1000: curtain accessory
- 1100: curtain
Claims
1-26. (canceled)
27. A curtain accessory for bunching a curtain, comprising:
- at least one of a tassel, a tassel hook, and a tassel auxiliary part for ensuring safety when attaching the tassel to the tassel hook, wherein a coupling mechanism is disposed on the at least one member or between the adjacent members, and
- the coupling mechanism is configured in such a manner that, when a load applied to the tassel exceeds a predetermined value, the coupling mechanism is decoupled, as well as can be recoupled after decoupled.
28. The curtain accessory of claim 27, wherein the tassel or the tassel auxiliary part is provided with a circular part, and
- the coupling mechanism comprises a separation part configured to separate the circular part to make the circular part noncircular.
29. The curtain accessory of claim 27, wherein the coupling mechanism comprises a separation part configured to separate the tassel or the tassel auxiliary part from adjacent another member by a pulling force.
30. The curtain accessory of claim 29, wherein the tassel auxiliary part comprises an insertion part into which a looped tassel cord of the tassel can be inserted, and
- the separation part comprises a clip configured to sandwich the tassel hook.
31. The curtain accessory of claim 27, wherein the coupling mechanism is covered by a hiding member or a decoration member.
32. The curtain accessory of claim 28, wherein the curtain accessory comprises both the tassel and the tassel auxiliary part, the separation part is disposed on the tassel auxiliary part,
- a looped tassel cord to which the tassel auxiliary part is locked is disposed on one edge of the tassel, the looped tassel cord being configured in such a manner that the looped tassel cord cannot be hooked on the tassel hook, and
- another looped tassel cord to be hooked on the tassel hook is disposed on another edge of the tassel.
33. The curtain accessory of claim 27, wherein the coupling mechanism comprises a separation part that separates the tassel hook into a plurality of portions by an external force.
34. The curtain accessory of claim 33, wherein the tassel hook comprises a base to be fixed to a fixing standing surface, a protruding shaft protruding from the base, and a hooking part which is supported by the protruding shaft and on which the tassel or the tassel auxiliary part is to be hooked, and
- the separation part is disposed between the protruding shaft and the hooking part.
35. The curtain accessory of claim 34, wherein the tassel hook has a slope which is inclined so as to be lowered toward a trigger disposed on the separation part, and
- the coupling mechanism is decoupled when the tassel or the tassel auxiliary part contacts the trigger and applies a force to the trigger.
36. The curtain accessory of claim 33, wherein the tassel hook comprises a base to be fixed to a fixing standing surface, a protruding shaft protruding from the base, and a hooking part which is supported by the protruding shaft and on which the tassel or the tassel auxiliary part is to be hooked, and
- the separation part is disposed between the base and the protruding shaft.
37. The curtain accessory of claim 36, wherein a holding cord is disposed between the base and the protruding shaft, wherein
- the holding cord is configured to hold the hooking part so that the hooking part is prevented from falling down even when the coupling mechanism is decouple.
38. The curtain accessory of claim 33, wherein the tassel hook comprises a mount to be fixed to a fixing standing surface, a base to be locked to the mount, a protruding shaft protruding from the base, and a hooking part which is supported by the protruding shaft and on which the tassel or the tassel auxiliary part is to be hooked, and
- the separation part is disposed between the base and the mount.
39. The curtain accessory of claim 38, wherein the mount comprises a base locking part for locking the base and a slide groove along which the base is to slide approximately vertically, and
- when the tassel or the tassel auxiliary part contacts the protruding shaft or the hooking part and applies a force to the protruding shaft or the hooking part, the base slides down along the slide groove, and the coupling mechanism is decoupled.
40. The curtain accessory of claim 27, further comprising holding means configured to hold at least one or a part thereof of the members consisting of the tassel, the tassel hook, and the tassel auxiliary part, the at least one member or the part thereof being prevented from falling down when the coupling mechanism is coupled, so that the at least one member or the part thereof is prevented from falling on a floor even when the coupling mechanism is decoupled.
41. The curtain accessory of claim 27, wherein the coupling mechanism has a fitting structure.
42. The curtain accessory of claim 41, wherein the fitting structure is a rotating fitting structure and is configured in such a manner that the fitting structure can be refitted after decoupled by rotating the fitting structure manually.
43. The curtain accessory of claim 27, wherein the curtain accessory comprises the tassel hook,
- the coupling mechanism is a displacement mechanism configured to displace a structure of the tassel hook, and
- the displacement mechanism is configured in such a manner that, when a load applied to the tassel hook through the tassel exceeds a predetermined value, the displacement mechanism displaces the structure of the tassel hook to unlock the tassel and, after unlocking the tassel, can restore the displaced structure to an original state to lock the tassel to the tassel hook again.
44. The curtain accessory of claim 43, wherein the tassel hook comprises a base to be fixed to a fixing standing surface and a rotating hook having a hooking part, and
- the displacement mechanism is configured to, when a load applied to the rotating hook through the tassel exceeds a predetermined value, causes the rotating hook to rotate relative to the base so as to drop the tassel.
45. The curtain accessory of claim 44, wherein the displacement mechanism has an opening hole which is formed in the base and into which the rotating hook can be inserted and a rotating mechanism that is disposed in the opening hole of the base and rotatably supports the rotating hook.
46. The curtain accessory of claim 43, wherein the displacement mechanism further comprises energizing means configured to energize the rotating hook so that the rotating hook is rotated in a reverse direction after the tassel is dropped.
47. The curtain accessory of claim 46, wherein the energizing means is a weight disposed on the rotating hook, and
- the rotating hook is configured to rotate about a rotating shaft disposed between the hooking part and the weight.
48. The curtain accessory of claim 44, wherein the displacement mechanism comprises a rotation regulation mechanism configured to regulate rotation of the rotating hook when a load applied to the hooking part is equal to or less than a predetermined value.
49. The curtain accessory of claim 48, wherein the rotation regulation mechanism comprises a rotating hook-side locking part disposed on the rotating hook and a base-side locking part, wherein
- the base-side locking part is configured to, when the load applied to the hooking part is equal to or less than the predetermined value, contacts the rotating hook-side locking part to regulate the rotation of the rotating hook.
50. The curtain accessory of claim 43, wherein the tassel hook comprises a base to be fixed to a fixing standing surface, a protruding shaft protruding from the base, and a hooking part which is supported by the protruding shaft and on which the tassel is to be hooked,
- the displacement mechanism comprises a hinge connecting the protruding shaft and the hooking part and elastic means configured to hold the protruding shaft and the hooking part in such a manner that the protruding shaft and the hooking part form an angle in a predetermined range at the hinge, and
- the displacement mechanism is configured to, when the load applied to the hooking part through the tassel exceeds the predetermined value, increase the angle at the hinge to drop the tassel.
51. The curtain accessory of claim 50, wherein the elastic means comprises a flat spring or a torsion spring.
52. The curtain accessory of any one of claim 27, wherein the coupling mechanism is configured to be decoupled when the load applied to the tassel exceeds 2 kgf.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 16, 2014
Publication Date: Sep 22, 2016
Applicant: TACHIKAWA CORPORATION (Tokyo)
Inventors: Koui TACHIKAWA (Tokyo), Kazuto YAMAGISHI (Tokyo), Sigeharu MATSUO (Tokyo), Masaya YAMAGUCHI (Tokyo), Tatsuya EGAMI (Tokyo), Takenobu EBATO (Tokyo), Yoshihiro TAKAYAMA (Tokyo), Tadashi OKAMURA (Tokyo)
Application Number: 14/905,714