Abstract: An extruded thermoplastic member includes a first material, having a first color, and an accent strip, having a second color, coextruded with the first material in the form of a ridge extending outward between corners in the surface of the thermoplastic member. A valance is constructed using such a thermoplastic member, with two such ridges extending along curved portions extending along the top and bottom of the thermoplastic member. The curved portions are formed as parts of closed structures, facilitating a miter sawing process used to cut the thermoplastic member into a central portion and a pair of end portions for the valance.

Abstract: A decorative relief pattern is applied to one or both sides of thermoplastic slat material by rolling an embossing roller in contact with the side(s) to receive the pattern. The embossing roller has an inverse relief pattern which is an inverse of the relief pattern applied to the slat material. A transfer roller applies an ink layer to the embossing roller, with the resulting thickness of the ink layer varying according to features of the inverse relief pattern. Depressed areas of the inverse relief pattern receive relatively little ink. An air stream from an air knife is applied to the ink layer, with ink being preferentially cleaned from relatively smooth areas of the inverse relief pattern. Then, a portion of the ink remaining on the embossing roller is transferred to the slat material along with the formation of the embossed pattern in the slat material.

Abstract: The central elongated portion of a valance is mounted to an external surface, such as a headrail of a vertical blind assembly or a vertical wall, by a number of brackets, with the valance being attached to each bracket at a pivot point formed by a bracket tab extending into a first slot of the valance and at a latching point formed by one of a number of teeth of the bracket extending into a second slot of the valance. At each bracket, the valance can be straightened by adjusting a distance to the external surface and by adjusting a rotational angle of the bracket about the longitudinal axis of the central elongated portion of the valance.

Abstract: A valance includes central and end members formed from a single piece of extruded stock, with the central member having mitered corners at each end, and with each end member having a mitered end and a square end. The extruded stock has an inner surface including upper and lower attachment slots and an outer surface including upper and lower trim strip receiving slots. An “L”-shaped corner bracket connects each end member with the central member, extending within the upper and lower attachment slots. A decorative trim strip having heat-formed corners extends within the trim strip receiving slots of the end members and the central member. After the extruded stock is cut to a predetermined length, end sections are cut using a saw, with each end of the stock placed against a first stop within a mitering fixture.

Abstract: Extruded material for forming blind slats has at least one textured surface with raised areas and adjacent lower areas. After extrusion and texturing processes, the slat material is passed through a spray painting process applying a substantially thicker coating of paint to the raised areas than to the adjacent lower areas.

Abstract: A valance includes central and end members formed from a single piece of extruded stock, with the central member having mitered corners at each end, and with each end member having a mitered end and a square end. The extruded stock has an inner surface including upper and lower attachment slots and an outer surface including upper and lower trim strip receiving slots. An “L”-shaped corner bracket connects each end member with the central member, extending within the upper and lower attachment slots. A decorative trim strip having heat-formed corners extends within the trim strip receiving slots of the end members and the central member. Alternative versions of the valance include a version configured to fit within a bay window and a design including upper and lower valance structures, with the lower structure being held by special brackets below and offset within the upper structure.