CURTAIN CARRIER FOR DRAPING A CURTAIN FROM A CURTAIN ROD
Some embodiments of the invention provide curtain carriers that are attachable to a top portion of a curtain and slidably engageable with a curtain rod for draping the curtain from the curtain rod. The curtain carriers are slidably removable from the curtain rod such that the curtain together with the curtain carriers attached therewith can be removed from the curtain rod. This allows the curtain together with the curtain carriers attached therewith to be washed. A clean curtain with curtain carriers attached therewith can be slidably attached to the curtain rod. In this manner, a dirty or contaminated curtain can be replaced without any hooking or unhooking of the curtain from hooks that are used in existing approaches to drape curtains. Therefore, difficulties traditionally associated with replacing a dirty or contaminated curtain can be mitigated or avoided.
This application claims the benefit of previously filed U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/118,458 filed on Nov. 27, 2008, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSUREThis disclosure relates to curtains, and more particularly to curtain carriers used to drape a curtain from a curtain rod.
BACKGROUNDA curtain is a piece of material that is typically hung from a top portion so that the curtain drapes over a given area. Curtains can be used for a variety of different purposes. As a first example, a curtain can be used to cover a window in order to block or obscure light. As a second example, a curtain can be used to separate areas in order to provide privacy. As a third example, a shower curtain can be used to prevent water from leaving a shower stall. Other uses for curtains may be possible.
A curtain is made of material that can vary depending on the intended use of the curtain. Unfortunately, the material used in the curtain can become dirty or accumulate contaminates that can potentially be harmful to humans. Therefore, in some instances, it is important for a curtain to be washed from time to time. This is especially true for situations in which the curtain is used in hospitals, for example to separate patient beds. Such curtains can become contaminated with drug-resistant bacteria and could play a role in spreading germs in hospitals.
Some existing curtains such as those used in hospitals are draped from a curtain rod using several hooks that hook into corresponding holes or sleeves located in a top portion of the curtain. Unfortunately, in order to clean the curtain to remove dirt or contaminates, the curtain is removed by unhooking the curtain from all of the hooks. Once this is completed the curtain can be washed. A clean curtain is then draped from the curtain rod by individually inserting each hook directly into the clean curtain or into a respective hole or sleeve in the top portion of the clean curtain. Unfortunately, this whole process can be tedious and time consuming.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURESome embodiments of the application provide curtain carriers that are attachable to a top portion of a curtain and slidably engageable with a curtain rod for draping the curtain from the curtain rod. The curtain carriers are slidably removable from the curtain rod such that the curtain together with the curtain carriers attached therewith can be removed from the curtain rod. This allows the curtain together with the curtain carriers attached therewith to be washed. A clean curtain with curtain carriers attached therewith can be slidably attached to the curtain rod. In this manner, a dirty or contaminated curtain can be replaced without any hooking or unhooking of the curtain from hooks that are used in existing approaches to drape curtains. Therefore, difficulties traditionally associated with replacing a dirty or contaminated curtain can be mitigated or avoided.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a curtain carrier for draping a curtain from a curtain rod, the curtain carrier comprising: at least one first member that is slidably engageable with the curtain rod; and at least one second member having an open state for receiving the curtain and a closed state for attaching to the curtain.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a curtain set comprising a plurality of curtain carriers as summarized above.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of draping a curtain from a curtain rod, the curtain having attached therewith a plurality of curtain carriers as summarized above, the method comprising: sliding the curtain carriers into the curtain rod while the curtain carriers are attached to the curtain.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of removing a curtain that is draped from a curtain rod using a plurality of curtain carriers as summarized above, the method comprising: sliding the curtain carriers out of the curtain rod while the curtain carriers are attached to the curtain.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of washing a curtain that is draped from a curtain rod using a plurality of curtain carriers as summarized above, the method comprising: removing the curtain together with the curtain carriers attached therewith by sliding the curtain carriers out of the curtain rod; and washing the curtain together with the curtain carriers attached therewith.
Other aspects and features of the present disclosure will become apparent, to those ordinarily skilled in the art, upon review of the following description of the specific embodiments of the invention.
Embodiments will now be described with reference to the attached drawings in which:
It should be understood at the outset that although illustrative implementations of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure are provided below, the disclosed apparatus and/or methods may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or in existence. The disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrative implementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, including the exemplary designs and implementations illustrated and described herein, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.
Referring first to
Note that the curtain 20 can be draped from the curtain rod 30 without any hooking of the curtain 20 onto hooks (not shown) that are used in existing approaches to drape curtains. Likewise, the curtain 20 can be removed without any unhooking of the curtain 20 from hooks (not shown) that are used in existing approaches to drape curtains. This is because the curtain carriers 10 remain attached to the curtain 20 and can be slid in and out of the curtain rod 30.
In some implementations, the curtain carriers 10 are formed of a material suitable for washing with the curtain 20. In this manner, the curtain carriers 10 can remain attached to the curtain 20 when washing the curtain 20. By allowing the curtain carriers 10 to be washed with the curtain 20, time is saved by not having to remove the curtain carriers 10 from the curtain 20. There are many possible materials suitable for washing with the curtain 20. The curtain carriers 10 can be formed of any suitable material, for example nylon. Alternatively, the carriers 10 can be formed of plastic.
In alternative implementations, the curtain carriers 10 are formed of a material that is not suitable for washing with the curtain 20. For such implementations, the curtain carriers 10 might be removed from the curtain 20 prior to washing the curtain 20.
Referring now to
A user can manipulate the orientation of the movable flange 13 as depicted by arrow 16. The user manipulates the orientation of the movable flange 13 when attaching or removing the curtain carrier 10 from a curtain. For example, to attach the curtain carrier 10, the user might insert a lower portion of the body 17 through a hole or slit in the curtain 20 while the curtain carrier 10 is in the open state. The user can subsequently manipulate the moveable flange 13 so that it moves past the notch 17 of the body 12. At this point the curtain carrier 10 is in the closed state and is attached to the curtain 20.
In the example presented above, the curtain carrier 10 attaches to the curtain 30 using a combination of the body 12 and the moveable flange 13 pivotally connected to the body 12. Other implementations are possible that might not use such a moveable flange. More generally, embodiments provide at least one member having an open state for receiving the curtain and a closed state for attaching to the curtain. Thus, the curtain carrier is able to close in order to keep the curtain from falling off the curtain carrier. Other embodiments provide a curtain carrier that can attach to a curtain using any appropriate means.
The rollers 11 allow the curtain carrier 10 to be slidably engageable with the curtain rod 30 by rolling along the curtain rod 30. The rollers 11 are connected by a shaft (not shown) that traverses the body 12. The shaft can rotate through the body 12 thereby allowing the rollers 11 to roll. In alternative implementations, in lieu of having the rollers 11, the curtain carrier 10 is provided with flanges (not shown) fixed to the body 12 and formed to slide in the curtain rod 30. More generally, there is provided at least one member that is slidably engageable with the curtain rod 30.
Referring back to
Another embodiment provides a curtain carrier configured to lock in the closed state and remain locked in the closed state even when force is exerted from a curtain being pulled. An example of this will be described below with reference to
Referring now to
A user can manipulate the orientation of the movable flange 13 as depicted by arrow 46. The user manipulates the orientation of the movable flange 43 when attaching or removing the curtain carrier 40 from a curtain. In order to do this, the user also manipulates the hooked flange 47 as appropriate for locking the curtain carrier 40 into the closed state and for unlocking the curtain carrier 40 from the closed state.
The rollers 41 allow the curtain carrier 40 to be slidably engageable with a curtain rod as similarly described for the curtain carrier 10 shown in
Numerous modifications and variations of the present disclosure are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the disclosure may be practised otherwise than as specifically described herein.
Claims
1. A curtain carrier for draping a curtain from a curtain rod, the curtain carrier comprising:
- at least one first member that is slidably engageable with the curtain rod; and
- at least one second member having an open state for receiving the curtain and a closed state for attaching to the curtain.
2. The curtain carrier of claim 1, wherein the at least one first member comprises:
- rollers that are slidably engageable with the curtain rod by rolling along the curtain rod.
3. The curtain carrier of claim 1, wherein the at least one second member comprises:
- a body and a movable flange pivotally connected to the body such that in the closed state the movable flange has an abutment with a notch of the body.
4. The curtain carrier of claim 1, wherein the at least one second member comprises:
- a body and a movable flange pivotally connected to the body such that in the closed state a hooked flange of the body engages with a corresponding hole in the movable flange.
5. The curtain carrier of claim 4, wherein the body and movable flange are configured such that during use any downward force exerted by the curtain causes the hooked flange to lock the movable flange in the closed state.
6. The curtain carrier of claim 1, wherein the at least one second member is configured such that during use any downward force exerted by the curtain causes the at least one second member to lock into the closed state.
7. The curtain carrier of claim 1, wherein the curtain carrier is formed of a material suitable for washing with the curtain.
8. The curtain carrier of claim 1, wherein the curtain carrier is formed of nylon.
9. A curtain set comprising a plurality of curtain carriers as defined in claim 1.
10. The curtain set of claim 9, further comprising a curtain rod.
11. The curtain set of claim 9, further comprising a curtain.
12. A method of draping a curtain from a curtain rod, the curtain having attached therewith a plurality of curtain carriers according to claim 1, the method comprising:
- sliding the curtain carriers into the curtain rod while the curtain carriers are attached to the curtain.
13. A method of removing a curtain that is draped from a curtain rod using a plurality of curtain carriers according to claim 1, the method comprising:
- sliding the curtain carriers out of the curtain rod while the curtain carriers are attached to the curtain.
14. A method of washing a curtain that is draped from a curtain rod using a plurality of curtain carriers according to claim 1, the method comprising:
- removing the curtain together with the curtain carriers attached therewith by sliding the curtain carriers out of the curtain rod; and
- washing the curtain together with the curtain carriers attached therewith.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 29, 2009
Publication Date: May 27, 2010
Inventor: Ted Barkun (Ottawa)
Application Number: 12/608,317
International Classification: A47H 13/00 (20060101); A47H 13/10 (20060101);