Abstract: A shade positioning and mounting apparatus 10 is disclosed which allows a shade 12 to be raised or lowered to a desired position by means of a cord 80 under the control of a cam 22. The cord lock body 20 is symmetrically configured about a longitudinal axis so that the same body can be interchangeably used at either end of the top shade rail 14. Mounting bracket 16 permits shade rail 14 to be readily secured to or released from a supporting wall or ceiling by means of a manually operable locking member 50 which slides between the locked and released positions without the need for any tools.

Abstract: A pleated, variable light-filtering, insulative window treatment. A horizontally or vertically pleated Venetian Blind is fashioned after two distinct processes with blind slats which extend rearwardly of the front pleated covering and, further, are cambered towards a motivation source proximate the planar cover. Articulator cords are used to move the trailing edges of the slat extensions uniformly in one direction while the forward edges of the slats are caused to pivot along the points of juncture of the slat leading edges and the trough lines of the front pleated cover. Upon complete articulation of the cambered slat edges, effecting an enclosure of the air space in the laterally disposed pleats by forming laterally concatenated air columns, a light-reflecting, room-darkening, highly insulative mode is achieved. Two processes, preferred by the inventors, are disclosed for manufacturing the invention's articulatable hinged extension slats, with the pleated fabric, to form the compound shade apparatus.

Abstract: A pleated, variable light-filtering, insulative window treatment. A horizontally or vertically pleated Venetian Blind is fashioned after two distinct processes with blind slats which extend rearwardly of the front pleated covering and, further, are cambered towards a motivation source proximate the planar cover. Articulator cords are used to move the trailing edges of the slat extensions uniformly in one direction while the forward edges of the slats are caused to pivot along the points of juncture of the slat leading edges and the trough lines of the front pleated cover. Upon complete articulation of the cambered slat edges, effecting an enclosure of the air space in the laterally disposed pleats by forming laterally concatenated air columns, a light-reflecting, room-darkening, highly insulative mode is achieved. Two processes, preferred by the inventors, are disclosed for manufacturing the invention's articulatable hinged extension slats, with the pleated fabric, to form the compound shade apparatus.

Abstract: A motorized header element for extending and retracting an accordian-type shade along a pair of rectalinear and curvilinear mounted side tracks and for effecting an environmental seal in the plenum formed between the shade and the surface which it covers. The invention is adaptable to both automatic and manual operation and contains within its automatic/motorized drive system electrical circuitry for recharging its battery power source.